khou.com | News for Houston, Texas

January 31, 2006

Trying to clamp down on the illegal cat trade...

IFAW wants to ban private
ownership of big
cats & other exotics
courtesy: IFAW/A. Sullivan

From IFAW, the International Fund for Animal Welfare:

Today the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) published proposed rules under the Captive Wildlife Safety Act (CWSA) limiting the trade in big cats such as lions, tigers, leopards, cheetahs, jaguars and cougars, which have become increasingly popular pets for
Americans. IFAW (the International Fund for Animal Welfare), which played a central role in the passage of the CWSA, expressed deep concern about the lack of enforcement mechanisms and inadequate safety measures in the new regulations.

"These draft regulations are a good first step, but only address public contact with dangerous animals at licensed wildlife sanctuaries. IFAW will be working to ensure animals and people are protected at every big cat facility across the country," said IFAW's Josephine Martell. "In addition, it is essential that the final rules add strict enforcement protocols and penalties not included in the draft."

Before the passage of the CWSA, it was as simple and cheap to buy a tiger cub on the internet as it was to buy a black lab pup. The passage of the act made interstate commerce transactions of big cats illegal and called for a new enforcement framework. The regulations issued today are a draft of that framework. The public has 30 days to comment on the rules before they are implemented.

Both animal welfare and human safety concerns prompted the passage of the CWSA in 2003. According to IFAW, incidents involving big cats -- escapes, maulings, deaths and confiscations -- are increasing. Since 2003, big cats have killed 5 people and mauled 38 others. This past August, 17 year-old Haley Hilderbrand was killed by a tiger in Kansas.

The Captive Wildlife Safety Act only applies to interstate commerce. In most states private ownership of large carnivores, like tigers, remains legal. There are an estimated 10,000 tigers in private ownership in the U.S. - yet less than 5,000 left in the wild. IFAW is working to completely ban private ownership of big cats and other dangerous exotic pets.

January 31, 2006

12 year old girl saves her dog with CPR

A 12 year old girl wasn't ready to give up on her dog who stopped breathing, so she gave the pup CPR! See the story here.

January 30, 2006

Hunter's truck stolen - with his dog in the back!

Bill Ansell is worried to death about his dog, who was stolen, along with his truck, last week. Here are the details from Bill:

Friday the 27th of January, I was on my way to close out the season in Eagle Lake and my truck was stolen at my office in Clear Lake at about 1:30 in the afternoon.

The absolute saddest part is that my dog, Shot, was in the kennel in the back. I am sick about it and am praying for his return. The police feel like the thief would probably have let the dog go when he figured out there was a dog in the back. We, of course, have no way of knowing where (if) the thief let him go. I am looking in the Houston area and South Houston area, but the number of pounds, SPCAs and shelters is overwhelming.

The dog is a British Lab named Shot. He is approximately 80 lbs and 51/2 years old. He is not street smart at all. He is extremely friendly but lacks the social graces of a house dog. He cares very little about anything but chasing dummies and ducks and will stay at your left side if he thinks there is any chance of retrieving either.

I've emailed Bill for pictures of Shot as well as more information about the lost truck and where it was stolen, which I'll post as soon as I get them. If you have any information, you can contact Bill at bill@drdacpa.com or at these two numbers: 409/765-9311 or 800/819-1936.

January 30, 2006

Ridiculously cute. Syrupy cute.

A reader sent this website to me: Cuteoverload.com. As if the name weren't enough warning, be warned! This site is sweeter than an Easter Basket doused with chocolate syrup and whipped cream..

January 30, 2006

Bull in bullfight charges the stands..

Watch the video here

From the Associated Press:

MEXICO CITY (AP) -- Bullfight spectators in Mexico City got a lot closer to the action than they intended.

Several were injured when a thousand-pound bull nicknamed "Little Birdy" jumped into the stands yesterday. At least two people were hospitalized.

Television images show the bull jumping from the ring and spectators trying to scatter as the animal roared through the aisles.

One of the bullfighters eventually stabbed and killed the bull.

The incident didn't stop the event for long. The bullfighting resumed 30 minutes later.

January 30, 2006

Where are the happiest dogs in the world?

I'd wager.. Japan. You may want to bet, as well, after you see this story from CNN. Please disable your popup blockers, or else you won't be able to watch the story.

January 27, 2006

Blind Elkhound needs some love!

From Zandra Anderson, on behalf of Spindletop Refuge:

Elkie, the Elk Hound was in a field with some livestock. No one even knows if she was bothering them, but a farmer came out and shot her in the face. Now Elkie is blind, but that doesn't daunt her loyalty. She is looking for someone to be her eyes for which she will forever be your loyal companion.

Elkie is a cuddler and though not a tiny girl, loves to be held and carried around! She is quite the charmer because she loves people. Elkie is great in the house and ironically has been very good around, you guessed it, livestock.

Elkie is very outgoing and is also good around dogs and cats after she has been introduced. She can even be adopted to someone who has a female dog.

Elkie is purebred Norwegian Elkhound, weighs about 40 pounds and is only one year old. She has been fully vetted and is ready for the kindness she deserves. Do you have eyes for Elkie?

Elkie is a Spindletop Refuge pup - which, by the way, is the group that saved Cupid the dog. To meet Elkie call or email:

Leah 713 614 2410
SPINDLETOPRESCUE@aol.com

January 27, 2006

Take your dog to work... every day!

I used to love bringing my dog Bailey into work with me. Unfortunately, someone complained about people bringing their dogs into work.. and now, work is a NO DOG ZONE.

Can you take your dog to work? Would you like to? I've been emailed this new job search website that lets you search for jobs that are DOG FRIENDLY. Simplyhired.com has this website. It teamed up with Dogster.com to set this up, and to take a survey of dog owners with the results:

What dog owners would do if allowed to bring their dog to work:

66% - Work longer hours
55% - Commute a greater distance
49% - Switch jobs
32% - Take a 5% salary reduction
11% - Take a 10% salary reduction

On the list of dog-friendly employers gathered by Dogster and Simply Hired are over 400 companies, including notable Internet giants Amazon and Google. Small companies of less than 50 employees make up the majority of the list, with California being the state with the most dog-friendly companies. Dog-friendly policies appear to come with the territory when it comes to most pet stores, humane societies, groomers and vet offices. Local branch offices of real estate and retail outlets also litter the list.

I found 56 in Texas. Companies that want to add their dog-friendly listings to the site can head to Dogster.com.

January 27, 2006

Jourdanton, Texas - the dog abuse capital of the world?

It's not my headline - it's from Helping Animals, which has a disheartening follow up to the city workers in Jourdanton, Texas, accused of drowning shelter dogs by dropping their cages into the sewer plant. Here's my original post from last fall. Today, however, no charges have been filed.

January 26, 2006

Dog bites mail carrier in Northeast Houston

Dogs biting mailmen might sound cliche', but it's a real problem. The National Association of Letter Carriers says an average of 10 carriers are injured in dog related incidents daily. A female mail carrier was bitten today in Northeast Houston. You can watch the video from our 5PM newscast here.

It happened in the 38-hundred block of Collingsworth in northeast Houston. The victim was bitten on her hands and legs, and the dog's owner was cited for letting the dog run lose,

January 26, 2006

Pig nurses Border Collie pups

Courtesy CBS5.com

You can check out the video here

(CBS) SPANISH FORK, Utah -- A family in Spanish Fork, Utah says they wouldn't have believed it if they didn't see it with their own eyes; the family pig being a mother to two Border collie puppies.

The Bosley family says their pig "Bertha Mayhou" recently gave birth to five piglets, but two of them didn't make it.

They also got two purebred Border collie pups and put the pups in their own pen in the barn. The Bosleys say the pups kept getting out of their pen and wouldn't eat their food, but kept getting bigger.

This past Saturday they found out why. The pups were getting into the pig's pen and feeding off the pig alongside the piglets.

"I happen to come out here on Saturday and they were in the pen suckling the pig," said Nancy Bosley. "... I have never seen anything like that."

The Bosleys say the mother pig watches over the two pups as if they were her own, even occasionally nudging the pups while they're sleeping just to make sure they are OK.

January 25, 2006

Scientists discover the world's smallest fish

AP Photo

BANGKOK, Thailand -- Scientists have discovered the world's smallest fish on record in an acidic peat swamp in Indonesia, with a see-through body and a head that is unprotected by a skeleton, researchers said Wednesday.

Mature females of the Paedocypris progenetica, a member of the carp family, only grow to 7.9 millimeters (0.31 inches) and the males have enlarged pelvic fins and exceptionally large muscles that may be used to grasp the females during copulation, researchers wrote in the Proceedings of the Royal Society, published Wednesday by the Royal Society in London.

"This is one of the strangest fish that I've seen in my whole career,' said Ralf Britz, zoologist at the Natural History Museum in London, who helped analyze the fish's skeleton. "It's tiny, it lives in acid and it has these bizarre grasping fins. I hope we'll have time to find out more about them before their habitat disappears completely."

The previous record for small size, according to the Natural History Museum in London, was held by an 8-millimeter species of Indo-Pacific goby.

The new fish was discovered on Sumatra island by fish experts Maurice Kottelat from Switzerland and Tan Heok Hui from the Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research in Singapore. They were working with colleagues from Indonesia and with Kai-Erik Witte from the Max Planck Institute in Germany.

"You don't wake up in the morning and think today we will find the smallest fish in the world," Kottelat told The Associated Press in a telephone interview from his home in Switzerland.

He said the record of finding the world's smallest fish was not important, preferring to focus on what he said was "scientifically significant."

"What's important is finding a complete vertebrae in a body so small," he said.

Kottelat said he first came across the fish in 1996, but originally misidentified it as a member of an already existing species. "But then we realized this one was different."

According to the researchers, the fish live in dark, tea-colored water with an acidity of ph 3, at least 100 times more acidic than rainwater. Swamps like this were once thought to harbor very few animals, but recent research has revealed that they are highly diverse and home to many species that occur nowhere else.

Peat swamps are under threat in Indonesia from fires lit by plantation owners and farmers as well as unchecked development and farming. Several populations of Paedocypris have already been lost, researchers say, according to the Natural History Museum.

January 25, 2006

New Orleans aquarium restocks after hurricane losses

STEPHAN SAVOIA/AP
A stingray is right at home
in the aquarium

NEW ORLEANS – It's lunchtime and Elvira and Nick are having a quick bite, then it's back to an afternoon of swimming in their big glass house on the Mississippi River.

Their midday routine has resumed at the Audubon Aquarium of the Americas, where the two 5-foot tarpons are once again sharing meals and a home with Midas, the 300-pound green sea turtle who returned after a six-week exile at Moody Gardens in Galveston, Texas.

Slowly, this watery world is rebuilding from the staggering blow it suffered in Hurricane Katrina: Generator problems killed up to 10,000 fish, including some rare species nurtured over many years.

Like New Orleans itself, the aquarium is now on a long road back. And like the city, the revival will depend, in part, on hardy holdouts and returning evacuees, some still living far away – including Satchmo, Voodoo and 17 other penguins now cooling their heels in California.

While no one here equates the disaster at the aquarium to the epic human devastation left by Katrina, the animal losses are still heartbreaking to devoted workers who tend to these sea creatures each day.

"Not only is it sad because you know how much life is lost ... you know you'll never be able to replace it like it was," says Lance Ripley, assistant curator of fish.

The aquarium has begun restocking and plans to reopen this summer, but it won't be easy. Finding the right fish to fill a million gallons of water not only takes time and money, but generosity and luck.

Hundreds of fish already have been donated by other aquariums. And expeditions are being planned to the Florida Keys, the Caribbean and other spots to collect more.

"There are no pet stores that sell 9-foot sharks," says John Hewitt, the aquarium's director of husbandry. "You've got to get them some other way. We're going to try and collect as many animals as we can."

But it will be difficult, maybe even impossible, to replace some losses – such as a 13-foot small-tooth sawfish called Mr. Bill, and a 250-pound goliath grouper, both on the endangered species list, along with nine sandtiger sharks, whose numbers have been dwindling because of commercial fishing.

"Some of these collections have taken years to accumulate," Ripley says. "We had five species of freshwater stingray. We had dozens of breeding projects over the last 15 years. We had a jellyfish gallery 10 years in the making. ... All that's gone."

And there's no quick way to bring it back.

"You have to repopulate slowly," Hewitt says. "To capture a couple of sharks and move them across the country, you have to have holding spaces, isolation and quarantine areas. ... Catching them is the easier part. Getting them from here to there without mortal damage is what gets complicated."

Once they do arrive, fish can't simply be dropped in water. Some need time to warm up to captivity, the public – or each other.

But newcomers are taking the plunge.

The Tennessee Aquarium in Chattanooga and the Underwater Adventures aquarium at the Mall of America in Minnesota donated catfish, shark pups, crappie and hundreds of small reef fish. A seafood restaurant in Hattiesburg, Miss., handed over a 2-foot shark that had outgrown its tank.

"Everyone says, 'If we have it extra, it's yours,' " Ripley says.

Louisiana fishing clubs have offered help to the New Orleans aquarium, which also received an invitation from the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago to use its 85-foot research ship, the Coral Reef II, for a collecting expedition in the Caribbean.

Repopulating the aquarium is important to the city's economy. It's a big tourist attraction, drawing 1.4 million visitors a year along with its adjoining IMAX theater. (Another popular spot, the zoo, lost just a few animals and reopened in November.)

The problems at the aquarium came after workers who had hunkered down in the building during the storm were told to evacuate as the looting edged nearer and floodwaters rose.

Ron Forman, president and chief executive officer of the Audubon Nature Institute, which operates the aquarium, ordered his staff out, fearing for their safety. He stayed behind, joined by several New Orleans police officers, who set up a command post.

The officers traded their dirty, wet uniforms for gift shop shorts, caps and T-shirts and hand-fed several animals.

Don Kinney, an officer who brought along his pet cockatoo, Yogi, scrounged around the aquarium's refrigerator and kitchen and found fish for the otters and penguins, red meat for the white alligator and frozen (but thawing) mice for the birds.

Toting a flashlight and a feeding bucket, Kinney was a welcome sight to the hungry holdouts.

"It gave me a good feeling in my heart knowing I was feeding animals and keeping them alive," says Kinney, who lost his own home in the floods and ended up bunking on an aquarium bench.

But no one could save thousands of fish after the generator clogged and couldn't produce enough electricity to run systems that add oxygen, rid the tanks of waste and keep the water cool.

"It was a total domino effect," Ripley says.

Cool, clear water turned hot, dirty and toxic. "Every day it got worse," Forman says.

When workers returned the weekend after the storm, they faced a grim scene: cloudy, bacteria-filled tanks littered with thousands of dead fish. Some donned scuba gear and began scooping them out.

"It was incredibly difficult," Hewitt says. "It's like burying your children – and that's all I'm going to say about that."

Having worked at the aquarium its entire 15 years, Hewitt had a deep attachment to the creatures.

"I took many of them out of the wild," he says. "There's a great deal of responsibility that comes with that ... to ensure that the animal has the best possible chance of a long, productive life."

About 2,000 animals, including penguins, raptors, turtles, otters, the white alligator and some fish such as tarpons that have the capability to breathe air, survived – along with sea dragons, sea horses and clownfish.

But some barely hung on.

The macaws were panting because temperatures in the Amazon rain forest exhibit, with its lush tropical foliage, had soared to 135 degrees.

The 19 penguins were dirty and agitated, but aviculturist Tom Dyer was thrilled they were alive. He jokingly calls them his kids, knows each bird's personality and can instantly distinguish their seemingly carbon-copy features.

"You could paint them all orange and I could tell you in 30 seconds who's who," says Dyer, who quickly offers proof by rattling off their idiosyncrasies:

There's Satchmo, who sits between the legs of the person feeding him, Voodoo, who is delicate and fastidious, and Patience, his favorite. Dyer glances at a calendar on his watch and notes that Patience is "going to be 23 tomorrow. ... She's getting a little harder to feed. She can't get her beak around the food. But she's still going strong."

Dyer escorted the birds – along with sea otters Buck and Emma – on a cargo plane to their temporary home, California's Monterey Bay Aquarium. He keeps on eye on the birds' progress via Web cam.

He has taken other trips, too, with some of his charges – even getting a police escort in the post-Katrina chaos to return five rehabilitated sea turtles to the Gulf of Mexico. The aquarium treats endangered turtles that are sick or injured and releases them back to their natural habitat.

Dyer had a bittersweet goodbye for 3-pound Mr. Chompers, a loggerhead he had nursed back to health after it arrived nearly a year ago weighing a puny 3 ounces.

He got a brassy "Helllooo!" weeks later when he traveled to the Houston Zoo and was greeted by Spike, one of the macaws he'd come to take home from her refuge there. The enthusiastic welcome surprised the keepers who said the bird hadn't talked while she was there.

"People say elephants never forget," Dyer says. "But it's birds."

The macaws are back, but some animals won't return for months. Money is one reason. The two otters, for instance, have white-tablecloth tastes – lobster, clams, shrimp and squid, five meals a day – and it costs $40,000 a year to feed them.

The aquarium faces more than $5 million in repairs, though insurance will likely cover that.

But Forman says finances alone don't dictate the aquarium's revival, noting the homecoming of Midas, the green sea turtle, was a morale boost more than anything else.

"It's important for the spirits of the community," he says. "We have animals who've left and animals who've died. We had to show that our animals our coming back."

January 25, 2006

Friends come in all shapes and sizes...

From Best Friends and its Dogtown sanctuary:

Everybody needs a friend, no matter what their size. When new dogs come to Best Friends we know they need a buddy, but we also know that the best buddies have hearts in common and not always stature!

Check out some of these surprising Dogtown pairs:

At first look it seems Ren, an active Shiba Inu mix, runs the household. Whether he’s playing ball or chatting with the other dogs, Ren is on the move. His roommate is Spice, a small wire-haired terrier who is calm and quiet – until Ren almost runs her over, but she’s not afraid! Spice might be half Ren’s size, but she never lets that stop her from showing him who’s boss.

You can read the rest of the story at Best Friends' website here.

January 25, 2006

Elephant workouts!

Watch the video here

"Maggie", Alaska Zoo's elephant - loves her game of catch, but needs more exercise. However, her infamous treadmill isn't ready yet.

Maggie needs to walk more but her treadmill is still being worked on. It should be ready in another couple weeks.

Last September, workers at the Alaska Zoo installed what is believed to be the world's first elephant treadmill. When it's ready, the 16-thousand-pound treadmill will keep Maggie fit and healthy. Zookeepers plan to get her walking on it at least two hours a day - that is if she'll get on it. Zookeepers say it may take Maggie some time to
get the hang of it.

January 25, 2006

Stylishly spreading the spay/neuter message...

From Sean Hawkins of Saving Animals Across Borders:

Please help us raise $76,000 so Saving Animals Across Borders can purchase a modular building for the opening of the new spay & neuter clinic at the city animal shelter in Houston (BARC). Visit Saving Animals to order your wristband online today. Each wristband costs just $5, or you can purchase 100 for $100 for your own fundraising campaign. All proceeds will help us help Houston's animals now!

January 24, 2006

Lousiana AG still interested in St. Bernard animal shootings

Updating this blog post, with concerns that the killings of 33 dogs and cats in St. Bernard Parish was no longer a priority for the Louisiana State Attorney's office.

From Pasado Safe Haven: We're happy to report that we've heard from the Louisiana State Attorney's Office and with good news. The investigation into the for them, as we learned in this e-mail:

"My name is Emma J. DeVillier, Assistant Attorney General for the State of Louisiana, working with Mimi Hunley, also an Assistant Attorney General, and Attorney General Special Agent Barry Crawford on the investigation of the Dog Killings in St. Bernard Parish. I, along with Mimi Hunley, met with Attorney General Foti this afternoon and was assured that there has never been any intention to drop this investigation, nor will there be, until all means are exhausted to bring these perpetrators to justice. The Attorney General appreciates the serious and heinous nature of the acts and knows that we are dealing with dangerous people, both to humans and to animals. Please let your contacts know that this case is getting the attention it deserves. Sincerely, Emma J. DeVillier"

Read the rest of Pasado's update here.

January 24, 2006

Update on the teen accused of beating a goat

A reader wanted an update on this.. here's what we ran at 5..

An Eisenhower High School student was in court today trying to keep a goat he's accused of beating.

Jerraud Routte was supposed to be grooming the goat for an upcoming livestock show.

Today the judge said surveillance video purporting to show the beating was not compelling.

And much of the tesimony from the county's only witness was ruled hear-say.

We sent a camera crew to look at the goat for ourselves, but did not find any outward signs of serious wounds.

The case will continue tomorrow.

January 24, 2006

Snake makes friends with his food

Watch the story here

Gohan and Aochan make strange bedfellows: one's a 3.5-inch dwarf hamster; the other is a 120 yard-long rat snake. Zookeepers at Tokyo's Mutsugoro Okoku zoo presented the hamster - whose name means "meal" in Japanese - to Aochan as a tasty morsel in October, after the snake refused to eat frozen mice.

But instead of indulging, Aochan decided to make friends with the furry rodent, according to keeper Kazuya Yamamoto. The pair have shared a cage since.

"I've never seen anything like it. Gohan sometimes even climbs onto Aochan to take a nap on his back," Yamamoto said.

Aochan, a 2-year-old male Japanese rat snake, eventually developed an appetite for frozen rodents but has so far shown no signs of gobbling up Gohan - despite her name.

"We named her Gohan as a joke," Yamamoto chuckled. "But I don't think there's any danger. Aochan seems to enjoy Gohan's company very much."

The Tokyo zoo also keeps a range of mostly livestock animals, and promotes "cross-breed interaction," according to Yamamoto.

But Gohan and Aochan's case was "was a complete accident," Yamamoto said.

January 24, 2006

Horsemen and City Council open debate on the esplanade ordinance

Watch the video here

"As Houston has expanded, as you know, there's no zoning, there's a lot of true urban cowboys that have horses in their back yards and small stables dotted all over Houston," said Darolyn Butler, stable owner.

Horses have ridden the roads of Texas as long as there's been a Texas.

But sometimes, as they trot through the streets, they trot onto esplanades. And now, that has run them onto hostile turf.

Neighborhood activists who clean and decorate their esplanades complained and Houston City Council passed an ordinance saying nay to using medians as horse trails. it's a Class C misdemeanor (a fine of up to $500) for anyone caught parking a vehicle or riding a horse on esplanades.

"We've had tremendous problems with the shoes on horses tearing up these esplanades. We've had problems with sprinklers being broken in my area," said councilmember Toni Lawrence.

Now city officials are talking about setting up a system of equestrian trails, sort of like the hike and bike trails that line the bayous around Houston. They're offering this up as a sort of compromise, a trade-off for banning horses from medians.

The horsemen 11 News rode with said they'd love to see more wide open riding trails.

However, the horsemen are not agreeing to substitute or exchange the right to ride the esplanades and the streets of Houston.

But even in Houston, urban cowboys cannot ride just anywhere.

That new ordinance is driving them off the esplanades and back on the streets.

January 23, 2006

Parents of missing penguin have new egg

The parents of Toga - the infant penguin whose disappearance last month was followed around the world - have laid a new egg, zookeepers said Monday.

Toga, a 3-month-old jackass penguin, disappeared in December from Amazon World, on the Isle of Wight in southern England, prompting international concern.

Despite scores of reported sightings and an on-air confession from a man who called a television station to admit to stealing the bird, Toga has not been found.

Zoo manager Kath Bright said staff discovered last week that Toga's parents had laid a new egg.

"It's put a smile back on everyone's face at the zoo, people were very down after Toga went missing," he said.

Penguins Kyala and Oscar, both around 3 years old, will share hatching duties for the next 40 days. A penguin chick is expected to emerge in late February.

January 20, 2006

Air Force Dog goes home!

From American Humane:

As you may know, Sgt. Jamie Dana and Rex were working together in Iraq, searching for hidden explosives. In June, a bomb detonated under the vehicle in which she and Rex were riding, and Sgt. Dana was critically injured. Rex, who had suffered only a minor burn on his nose, was brought to the hospital to provide moral support. As Sgt. Dana recovered with Rex by her side, the bond between the wounded soldier and her loyal partner grew even stronger. As a result, she sought to adopt him; however, military rules prohibited the adoption of military dogs before the end of their useful working lives.

But thanks to the outpouring of public support, Congress addressed this issue and passed a bill allowing the adoption of military dogs under exceptional circumstances. President Bush then signed the bill into law, eliminating the legal obstacles that prevented Rex's adoption. And we are pleased to report that the Air Force moved quickly. On January 13, at a special adoption ceremony at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado, Sgt. Dana's squadron commander, Maj. Paul Cairney, officially handed over Rex's leash to Sgt. Dana.

At the ceremony, American Humane CEO and President Marie Belew Wheatley said, "We extend our grateful appreciation on behalf of our more than 29,000 members who appealed to lawmakers on both sides of the aisle to support the act of Congress that made this adoption possible. We at American Humane know there is a powerful bond between people and animals that has already played a role in Sgt. Dana's recovery and now can continue to do so. We extend our grateful appreciation and thank the Air Force, which believes, as we do, that allowing Sgt. Dana to adopt Rex was the right thing to do."

Sgt. Dana, recalling her thoughts when she first saw Rex during her recovery, said, "My best friend is okay. We lived, and we're gonna be okay." Sgt. Dana continues to recuperate, as she and her husband, Mike, welcome Rex into their "family" of three cats, two dogs, and four horses.

January 20, 2006

More Tiffany

See more pictures
of Tiffany here

OK, I admit it, I'm just bowled over by Tiffany the Siamese cat. Edna Taylor with Siamese Rescue sent me another picture so cute I had to post it. She also asked me to link to this flyer for people who might be interested in volunteering for Siamese Rescue or even fostering. As the flyer says, "Had we not had a foster home for (Tiffany), Siamese Rescue would not have been able to save her."

January 19, 2006

Tiffany - the Siamese with no eyes..

See more pictures
of Tiffany here

From Edna Taylor with Siamese Rescue:

This is a little Siamese kitten named Tiffany who was born with glaucoma. Her eyes had to be removed when she didn't even weigh 3 pounds! She is very adept and comfortable in her surroundings: fearless, leaps from furniture, romps with other cats/kittens, always finds the food and litter box. I have developed great respect for the ability of the blind (and 6th sense) to lead a nearly normal life. She is loving to a fault and such an inspiration! She has been adopted into a loving home and her story just shows the spirit and determination of that little girl to live. Tiffany was saved by Susan Leifeste of Siamese Rescue and was adopted last week by a woman who works at Baylor. Doesn't she have the sweetest face. I think we are going to make her the poster kitty for Siamese Rescue.

January 19, 2006

The Humane Society of Louisiana needs volunteers in Tylertown...

This was forwarded my way:

Sent: Wednesday, January 18, 2006 4:02 AM
Subject: Re: Humane Society of Louisiana Needs Volunteers!!

In a message dated 1/17/2006 9:50:12 PM Central Standard Time,
susankiwikiwi@hotmail.com writes:
The Humane Society in Louisiana, located in Tylertown, Mississippi needs volunteers badly! Starting tomorrow, only ONE person will be caring for 47 dogs and 36 cats. In particular, a cat person would be appreciated, along with dog people. Karen, the wonderful woman who cared for the cats at Winn Dixie, has been mentioned by name as wanted there for the cats. If you know Karen, please pass this on to her. There is a camper on lot that volunteers can sleep in. Plan on being self sufficient.

For questions call: 740-972-6754.

Or just arrive at:
HSLA
115 Obed Magee Rd.
Tylertown, MS.39667

Please get the word out, help is needed once again to care for these animals.

Thank you,
Susan

January 19, 2006

Do you know this dog who's "moved" into Jesse Jones Park?

I got this from Jerry Walls, a birding buddy/naturalist up at Jesse Jones Park:

A cute, friendly female black lab mix (approx 45 lbs.) wandered into Jones Park over the weekend. We have her here and are taking care of her until she is adopted.... Contact phone # is 281-446-8588.

January 19, 2006

An update on an Arkansas "sanctuary" owner

MOUNTAIN HOME, Ark. -- No love lost in a case of an Arkansas animal shelter owner convicted of cruelty. Dozens of people burst into applause as Tammy Hanson was handcuffed in the courtroom.

She and her husband William have been convicted on 20 counts, including abusing dogs sent from New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.

Police who searched the Hanson's shelter found one dog dead, another with a broken leg, and many others who were sick or suffering from severe skin problems.

The shelter is called "Every Dog Needs a Home."

The couple will be sentenced February 23rd. In the meantime, the judge has barred them from owning or possessing any animals. These pictures tell the story of the awful conditions there the animals were living in. She's been convicted now of 20 counts of cruelty to animals. You can read updates on Eric's Dog Blog.

January 19, 2006

FFA student charged with animal cruelty

Jerraud Routte
faces the judge

An Aldine High School student is facing charges of animal cruelty, accused of abusing a goat he was supposed to be grooming for an upcoming livestock show.

The FFA barn at Eisenhower High School is a peaceful place, which houses animals that students are raising to show.

Things got tense when the Eisenhower student faced questions about what happened to his show animal.

Jerraud Routte, a Future Farmers of America club member, went before a judge Wednesday morning.

The SPCA is
holding the goat

He's charged with cruelty to animals for allegedly abusing a 6-month-old goat he was raising to show for a school fair next month.

According to the probable cause statement, two classmates actually saw Routte whip his show goat at Eisenhower High School's Agricultural Building on January 3. He allegedly whipped him so much he started to bleed. The classmates told investigators they tried to get him to stop but he wouldn't.

Police said they also have surveillance video showing what witnesses saw.

"He’s charged with a state jail felony of cruelty to animals. Minimum six months up to two years in the state jail. Fine of up to $10,000," said Rob Freyer, Assistant District Attorney.

But the boy’s family said they think the charges are false.

My kid hasn’t ever hurt anything sir. My kid hadn’t hurt anything," the student’s father said.

The SPCA took custody of the goat Tuesday. "We basically will take temporary custody of the goat until the hearing," said Heidi Brasher, SPCA spokeswoman. "Then the courts will decide if we have full custody or return to goat to the owners."

Marks can be seen on the goat's lower back, but the injuries appear minor.

Regardless, prosecutors said the allegations facing the 17-year-old are serious.

You can watch the story we aired here, and the raw courtroom footage here.

January 19, 2006

Pandas learning new language?

Watch the video here

Two pandas chosen by mainland China to offer as a gift to rival Taiwan are having language lessons, state media reported on Thursday.

Keepers in charge of the two - known as Number 16 and Number 19 until a naming ceremony later this month - have been singing to their charges in Minnan, a dialect commonly spoken in Taiwan, the official Xinhua News Agency said.

A 25-year-old keeper, who has taken care of Number 19 since he was born, said the female panda, Number 16, was a good student, while Number 19 was more interested in eating bamboo shoots.

Taiwan and China split amid civil war in 1949 and Beijing hopes the pandas will strengthen Taiwanese public support for uniting with the mainland.

Taiwan, wary of any gifts from its rival, has not said whether it will accept the animals.

The island's leaders say the panda offer is a propaganda ploy meant to disguise Beijing's hostile intentions toward the island's 23 (m) million people.

The panda pair are currently staying at the Wolong Giant Panda Research Center, in southwestern Sichuan province, where they share a 6,458-square-foot play pen and a bedroom, Xinhua said.

The two one-year-old pandas were chosen from 11 pandas at the Wolong Nature Reserve and will be named in a televised vote on 28 January using suggestions from the Chinese public.

Beijing says there are an estimated 1,590 pandas left in the wild in China and 183 in zoos and breeding centres.

January 19, 2006

Sad update on Max the cat - shot with an arrow..

A reader left a comment today, wondering what had happened to Max, the cat that had been shot through with an arrow (the original post is here). I checked with Animal Rescue New Orleans, and here is the sad update posted on its website:

Tears are coming down my face as I write this update. Sweet Max died last night.

Poor Max had made it so far so it is incredibly unfair to see him go. He survived 2 hurricanes, flooding and being shot completely through his body with an arrow. After the surgery the biggest fear the veterinarians had was the possibility of an infection-- which did set in. He continued on IV antibiotics but was running a very high fever for the past week. On Saturday the fever went down a little and they were feeling "cautiously optimistic". I just made my daily call to check on him and was told he died last night. He died of a systemic infection.

Max was such a sweet cat through all of this ordeal. He continued to rub his head on everyone at the hospital and "made muffins" on anyone who put their hands in the cage to pet him. It is such a shame that he made it this far only to die.

To honor Max, I am setting up a "Max Memorial fund". This fund will be used to give vet care to animals in New Orleans (in the future when all of the groups like BF are gone) who are found injured on the street, abandoned or are victims of horrible abuse. These animals like Max deserve a second chance at life and I want to be able to have the funds to give them that chance.

I am so, so sorry to share this news. It breaks my heart that he made it through so much only to die in the end. Thank you to everyone who sent him good thoughts and wishes. A big thanks to Best Friends for paying for the surgery to try and give Max a second chance at life. I know that Max did not die in vain as he sent a strong message to the public about the horrible animal abuse that goes on everyday. Thank you Max for touching all of our hearts...

Jane Garrison
Animalrescueneworleans.com

January 18, 2006

Dogs are a life saver for diabetic owner

Man's best friend proved to be a life-saver for an Indiana man who had a diabetic episode.

Bill Burns of Centerton was on his nightly stroll recently with his dogs Butch and Dusty when he passed out in a cornfield. He says what happened next is incredible.

Dusty stretched out across Burns as if to keep him warm and Butch grabbed Burns's flashlight in his mouth. That might have been the end of the story and Burns might be dead if it weren't for a Morgan County Sheriff.

Deputy Steve Hoffman stopped a speeding car on a nearby road and after handing out the ticket saw a flashing light in a cornfield. That light was coming from Butch.

Hoffman drove into the cornfield to investigate and found Burns lying under Dusty. Hoffman noticed Burns's bracelet and knew he was a diabetic. Hoffman got Burns breathing again and took him to the hospital.

Burns spent four days in the hospital recovering and is feeling fine now. Hoffman says all the credit for saving Burns's life should go to Dusty and Butch.

January 18, 2006

Update on the dogs killed in St. Bernard Parish

One of the saddest animal stories to come out of Hurricane Katrina was the violent shooting deaths of the dogs left behind in a school in St. Bernard Parish. Here is one of the posts I had up back in October. Pasado Safe Haven and other animal groups had teamed up to offer a huge reward to find the killers.

However, the shootings appear to have fallen off the radar. Pasado is still working to find some justice for the animals that were killed. Blog reader Mala Murthy emailed me to tell me about the update, which you can read all about here. Thanks, Mala!

January 18, 2006

BUCK HAS BEEN FOUND!!!

Why, yes he has! I blogged about this handsome boy a few days ago. He'd been swiped from a Petsmart in Webster during an adoption event.

Amy Losh with Recycled Canines wrote in:

Buck was picked up as a stray by League city animal control yesterday! He is now safe with his foster mom, Lory. Thank you so much to everyone who has helped in his search. We are truly grateful!

As for that lovely crooked grin: I've been told Buck had been hit by a car before he was brought into foster care. I think it makes him look rather distinguished!

January 18, 2006

Houston's Zoo Lion euthanized because of kidney failure

From the Houston Chronicle and reporter Salatheia Bryant:

Bruno, whose deep-throated roar could be heard throughout the grounds of the Houston Zoo, and sometimes as far away as nearby Ben Taub Hospital, was euthanized by local zoo officials Tuesday.

Zoo officials said the African lion was in severe kidney failure with no other treatment options available.

Bruno had been at the Houston Zoo since 1989. Over the weekend, the animal showed signs of deteriorating health. He lacked an appetite and winced as in pain.

"Bruno was an icon," said Hollie Colahan, curator of primates and carnivores. "He's very popular with a lot of people."

Colahan said the zoo will likely get another male lion.

The zoo has two female lionesses - Lindi and Celesto.

January 17, 2006

Whales spotted in Corpus Christi

Two endangered whales were spotted Monday in the Corpus Christi Bay, well outside of their typical winter territory. (You can watch the story from our CBS affiliate, KZTV-TV in Corpus Christi, here)

A tanker pilot reported the two Northern right whales, believed to be a mother and a calf, after he thought he may have hit one of them.

“It’s an absolute mystery how they got here,” said Tony Amos, a research fellow at the University of Texas Marine Science Institute in Port Aransas.

Amos spotted the whales twice on Monday, first in the bay’s ship channel and later near the Naval Station Ingleside, further out to sea, the Corpus Christi Caller-Times reported.

Northern right whales spend the winter off the coast of Georgia and Florida and the summer in New England waters and north to the Bay of Fundy and Scotian Shelf, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries Service.

There are thought to be about 300 of the whales, which have been listed as an endangered species since 1973.

Amos said he was skeptical when he first heard the report, because the whales are so rare. He photographed the whales to report them to federal officials that monitor them.

“It’s a real thrill, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see such a rare animal,” he said. “But also we felt some concern because they shouldn’t be where they are.”

Amos said the calf appeared to be suckling, and it had two cuts on its back. The mother looked about 45 feet long, while the calf was about 20 feet, he said.

A spokesman said the U.S. Coast Guard had also responded to monitor the whale’s condition. The Coast Guard was asking captains on the Corpus Christi Bay and surrounding areas to try to avoid the whales.

January 16, 2006

Alternative for horsemen/women who miss Nails Creek at Lake Somerville

I received this from Fiona Crichton-Berner, who owns Seahorse Haven up in Sam Houston National Forest:

We are losing so much of our riding area, it is so unfortunate. If you would like an alternative to Nails Creek , please contact me about my facility. I have plenty of parking and camping space, primitive at the moment but am about to install hookups, and the riding is wonderful. By April we will have four 15 mile loops plus many other smaller ones.
Fiona Crichton-Berner, owner
Seahorse Haven
phone: (936) 851-2436

January 16, 2006

Houston's esplanade ordinance causes concern for horsemen/women

The Greater Houston Horse Council has been very concerned about the city's new ordinance preventing people from riding horses on city medians or esplanades. The group held a meeting tonight with a representative from Mayor White's office to air their concerns. Here is the letter GHHC sent to Mayor White:

Dear Mayor White: On behalf of the owners of Greater Houston's 200,000 horses, I am inviting you to attend the next meeting of the Greater Houston Horse Council. We are an umbrella organization of horse owners whose goal is to improve and enhance our city's equine experience and rich history of horsemanship.
Our city council recently passed a well meaning ordinance which inadvertently turns tens of thousands of Houston horsemen and women into criminals. As you know, the ordinance bans horseback riding on the city's thousands of acres of esplanades and imposes a fine of up to $500 for doing so. Since the city's founding, our horse owners have had unfettered access to our streets and byways, including the medians.

Houston is a city of backyard horse owners. In many neighborhoods, the esplanade is the safest place to ride - much safer than on the street itself.

We desperately need your help in getting the ordinance modified. We are certain all of Houston's responsible horse owners support the portions of the ordinance that protect city infrastructure such as irrigation equipment and landscaping. However, this takes up only a tiny portion of our esplanades.

Our meeting will be held at 7:30 PM at the Carriage House Cafe, 7955 Fallbrook on Monday, January 16th. I sincerely hope you can join us.

Sincerely,
Carol Hollaway, President
The Greater Houston Horse Council

If someone reading this has a follow up of what happened, email me at lforonda@khou.com and let me know what happened!

January 16, 2006

Foster dog STOLEN!!!

Sent in by Amy Losh (281-554-9326) of www.recycledcanines.org:

One of our foster dogs was STOLEN on Saturday from the Petsmart in Webster, TX. We assume that this dog will eventually need to go to the vet, so we hope to get it posted at as many vet offices as possible so that they will recognize the dog when it comes in. PLEASE HELP!!!!

The dog has a crooked jaw, so he should be easy to identify. We have made a police report, but we don't have anything other than a description of the lady who walked away with him.

For more information on this pup, head to this website..

January 16, 2006

Gorilla wins reality show in Prague

Read Richard the
gorilla's "bio" here

Watch the video here

A fifteen-year-old male gorilla named Richard won a reality show with live gorillas called "Discovery" (Odhaleni in Czech) in Prague's zoological garden. Six and a half foot tall Richard, weighing some 441 pounds, was a favorite of the contest from the beginning. In the end, he received the highest number of votes and won the main prize of 12 melons, a delicacy for gorillas (and a slang word for 1,000,000 Czech Crowns). However, Richard will enjoy one melon every month as he would probably get sick if he ate them at once.

The "slightly different reality show" was prepared by the CRo internet radio Leonardo, where the shots from the show were continuously presented. Viewers then voted via text message for their favourite contestant. Some 15 cameras monitored four primates - Richard, females Shinda and Kijiva and a one-year-old baby Moja from early November until mid-January. Microphones and cameras were set up even on the premises which are normally unaccessible to visitors. The show helped also gorillas in the wild as the profits from the voters' text messages would go to a project to save wild gorillas in Africa.

January 13, 2006

Houston Humane Society responds to Animal Protection Task Force report

Houston's Animal Protection Task Force Report covered the city and county shelters, as well as the area's three largest non-profit shelters, CAP, HSPCA, and the Houston Humane Society. I received this reponse from HHS via email today:

Dear Mayor White, Ms. Smith and Ms. Gondo (members of the Animal Protection Task Force)-

We at the Houston Humane Society (HHS) were disappointed to read the Houston Chronicle article which suggested the sole responsibility for pet overpopulation and the resulting euthanasia issues lies with local animal welfare organizations. We were also disappointed that the information chosen for comparison from the mayor's task force study was incomplete and did not compare apples to apples.

While other organizations limit their intake, the HHS continues to take in all animals regardless of health, age, temperament, size, breed, or if it is owned or stray. The fact that HHS does not transfer stray animals to animal controls for euthanasia should not be held against the Houston Humane Society. In addition, the HHS has contracts with several local municipalities to handle their euthanasia, knowing the HHS is the only animal facility in the Houston area that cremates animals. All others choose to send carcasses to landfills.

For the precise reason of decreasing the problem, the HHS has been providing low cost spay/neuter surgeries to Houston-area pet owners for more than 15 years. In the past six years, the HHS has performed over 50,000 spay and neuter surgeries for Houston area pets. In addition, the HHS was the first animal welfare organization to alter every animal before it went to its new home.

Houston has the worst stray animal population of any major city in the country, and we also have some of the most lax city ordinances governing animal ownership and treatment, compared to the other major cities. The stray and unwanted animal population continues to grow in step with Houston's being the fastest growing city in the United States.

As long as Houstonians continue to collect more pets than they can care for without laws to protect animals and keep the animal population down, the situation will continue to lead to ill, stray and abandoned animals. The HHS and other animal welfare organizations in the city are struggling every day to keep animals off the street and protect them from harm.

This pet problem is really a people problem. As a city, we need to take responsibility for breaking the cycles of neglect, mistreatment and abandonment of animals, which lead to the need for animal welfare organizations in the first place. Until we enact laws to provide for humane animal care, we will never be able to keep up with the growing
pet population.

The Staff of the Houston Humane Society

January 12, 2006

Lizard stolen from Oklahoma Zoo

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma police are on the lookout for a lizard that was stolen from the Oklahoma City Zoo last Friday.

Police are looking for a Chuckwalla lizard taken from the zoo's Lizard Exhibit. Zookeepers believe the lizard was stolen because this particular species cannot jump or climb.

The Chuckwalla lizard is a native of a small island in the Sea of Cortez. The lizard is a federally listed endangered species.

The Oklahoma City Zoo has three Chuckwallas, one male and two females. The missing lizard is a female and is a foot long and is tan in color and has black spots.

If found, the perpetrator will face federal felony charges. Zookeepers hope to find the lizard before it is in real danger. They require a special diet and have to be kept at a certain temperature to survive.

Watch the video here.

January 12, 2006

Cat saves family from fire

If not for the family cat, one Oklahoma family could have been killed in a house fire.

Janelle Berry and two other family members were just falling asleep when their family cat, Sonic, kept running from her bedroom to the other side of the house.

Janelle said Sonic kept making bizarre sounds that she had never heard before. She finally got out of bed to check on everything, when she noticed smoke in the house.

Everyone was able to get out of the house safely, but for some reason Sonic ran back into the burning home. The family watched as the fire destroyed the home and the roof collapsed.

Luckily, Sonic made it back out of the house alive and the family is grateful for his heroic acts that saved their lives.

Watch the video here.

January 12, 2006

MLK Day at BARC

In the spirit of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who passionately worked for justice, Saving Animals will host a Social at BARC on MLK Day, Monday, January 16, 2006, from 1:00-4:00 p.m.

Again, we will walk dogs, groom cats and share with the animals OUR dream of a better world for them.

As BARC will be closed in observance of the holiday, we will enter through the back entrance from Evella off of Jensen. Just take I-59 to Collingsworth and go west to Jensen, then south to Evella (turn west). I will have several collars, leashes, treats and grooming tools, but feel free to bring more if you like. We will also be accepting donations of towels in anticipation of the grooming program.

Contact Darla at darla@savinganimals.org or call her at 713-527-4490.

January 12, 2006

Houston's Mayor's response to the animal shelter task force report

Thanks to one of our commenters, "Fred," who brought this to my attention. The City of Houston has posted the Animal Protection Task Force report, as well as the Mayor's response. You can see both here. Here are a few of the suggestions made by the task force, and the Mayor's responses:

1. Increasing adoptions and reducing euthanasia rates in area shelters

"We would suggest that the best way to develop such a plan is through a community-based task force consisting of public employees, private shelter staff and interested community members....We will convene such a group to begin the process by March 31, 2006."

2. Spay/neuter programs

"The City expects to enter into a contract with Saving Animals under which Saving Animals will build a clinic on BARC’s property to facilitate the spaying and neutering of more of the animals received at BARC. This will enable BARC to make more animals available for adoption." We interviewed Sean Hawkins, the president of Saving Animals, about the new clinic. You can watch the interview here.

3. Improvements at BARC

"...there are many opportunities for BARC to adopt new practices that will improve the welfare of the animals and bring operational efficiencies. Examples of such changes include engagement of the 3-1-1 system in call intake to expedite call handling.. and development and continuous measurement of performance standards for staff to ensure competency and efficiency in work practices..."

4. Changing animal control ordinances

"In many cases, the city lacks the authority to regulate in these areas; in some cases, the cost of enforcement is not justifiable; and in other cases, the recommendations are well stated and will be considered by the City Attorney."

These are just snippets. I highly recommend going through both reports on your own and drawing your own conclusions. Again, you can find the Task Force report here and the Mayor's response here.

January 12, 2006

Horrible horse cruelty case goes to court

This email was forwarded to me, and it originated with Debra Barlow, the president and animal cruelty investigator for Hopeful Haven, an equine rescue organization in Shreveport, Louisiana. It contains some pretty graphic pictures of the horse that was abused, so I'm not actually posting them here. If you want to see them click here and here.

Get out your pens and paper!!!! Some ofyou remember when I took in this case regarding the little 8 month old filly that had a halter inbedded into her face. Well, my case comes upon February 1st, and I am asking you to write to the Judge and request the maximum sentence for this defendant which is one year. I don't think he should do any less for what the pain this filly suffered. Atta Girl has recovered quite well, but will be scarred across her head and bridge of her nose for life. She has quite an indentation on her nose. and behind her ears. Her mother Channon who was found with her was chained in the pasture around her leg and bred back 7 months pregnant. We are looking any day for her to have the baby. This is one time I am glad our state has it's prehistoric justice system of hard labor. I feel that since this defendant likes chains so much he should experience what these horses have felt. Please write your letters to: Judge Robert Burchess P.O. 1299 Mansfield, La 71052
Case # 06 CR 013207 Division A
11th Judicial District Court
State of Louisiana-Parish of DeSoto

Animals should not have to suffer this type of abuse. The vet said it was the worse case he has ever seen. I
think that this defendant should do no less than the maximum sentence allowed by law. Thank you for your support! Please let me know who will be writing in. I will keep that info confidential. I am just wanting an idea of how many letters of support we will have on the case.

Respectfully yours,

Debra Barlow
President &
Animal Cruelty Investigator

P.O. Box 17763
Shreveport, La 71138
www.hopefulhaven.com
318-286-3116 cell (MAIN NUMBER)
318-797-7464 work mon-thur 8-4 fri 8-1
"If ever a horse needs a helping hand, Please God, Let it be ours"

January 12, 2006

Detroit Zoo Penguins Undergo Eye Surgery

One of the penguins gets a shot
before surgery
Courtesy The Detroit News

ROYAL OAK, Mich. (AP) -- We'll never know just how well, but three nearly blind penguins at the Detroit Zoo can see again thanks to a morning of cataract surgery at a local veterinary center.

"We're not going to show them an eye chart or anything like that," said Scott Carter, the zoo's director of conservation and animal welfare.

The penguins were moved a few miles from the zoo to the Michigan Veterinary Specialists in Southfield, where each underwent an operation on one eye that took about an hour Wednesday morning, Carter said.

Cataracts develop in animals as a cloudy abnormality on the lens that can cause blurry vision or blindness. They normally are caused by old age.

Two of the penguins are more than 20 years old, and one is over 30, zoo officials said. Penguins seldom live past 35. Experts say penguins in the wild have a hard time surviving with cataracts because they have trouble catching fish.

Zoo officials scheduled the operations after noticing the penguins bumping into walls, crashing into other penguins and having difficulty finding food, The Detroit News reported.

Carter said after the operations that the penguins were acting normally, but would be kept isolated from the rest of the 62-bird flock for one day.

January 12, 2006

Where's Mary Poppins? Drywall Traps Cat

From the Eau Claire Leader-Telegram:

EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (AP) -- A basement remodeling project left Jany Chumas with one question after the drywalling was done - where's Mary Poppins? Chumas' pet cat was nowhere to be found after the workers installed drywall in a room Jan. 2.

Chumas said the cat is "the sweetest little thing but quite shy," so she assumed at first that she had run away.

As more time passed, she suspected the cat could be trapped, and she and her daughter headed for the basement to search.

"I called her - 'Here, kitty, kitty' - and I could hear this faint, weak meow coming from behind the walls where they had just drywalled," Chumas said Tuesday.

She called the Eau Claire Fire Department and a crew went to the home about 5 p.m. Friday.

First they cut a small hole in the drywall near where Chumas heard the cat's cries, but they found only insulation. A thermal imaging camera brought in by Battalion Chief Rick Merryfield detected a heat pattern in the ceiling.

When Lt. Steve Hanson cut a small hole in the ceiling, he found nothing, but when he looked in with a flashlight, he could see the cat on a floor joist in another room.

The firefighters had Chumas call into the hole, and soon a weak, hungry, tired and dusty Mary Poppins "came tumbling out of the ceiling," Chumas said.

Some food and water put Mary Poppins on the road to recovery from her five days behind the drywall.

"Another couple of days and I think she would've been gone," Chumas said

January 11, 2006

A one eyed cat? This one is WEIRD

From the Associated Press.. and this is a doozy.

PORTLAND, Ore. -- A photo of a one-eyed kitten named Cy drew more than a little skepticism when it turned up on various Web sites, but medical authorities have a name for the bizarre condition.

"Holoprosencephaly" causes facial deformities, according to the National Institute for Neurological Disorders and Stroke, part of the National Institutes of Health. In the worst cases, a single eye is located where the nose should be, according to the institute's Web site.

Cy, short for Cyclopes, a kitten born with only one eye and no nose, is shown in this photo provided by its owner in Redmond, Oregon, on Wednesday, Dec. 28, 2005. The kitten, a ragdoll breed, which died after living for one day, was one of two in the litter. Its sibling was born normal and healthy.

Traci Allen says the kitten she named Cy, short for Cyclops, was born the night of Dec. 28 with the single eye and no nose.

"You don't expect to see something like that," the 35-year-old Allen said by telephone from her home in Redmond in central Oregon.

Allen said she stayed up all night with the deformed kitten on her recliner, feeding Cy a liquid formula through a syringe. She says she cared for the kitten the next day as well, until it died that evening.

Allen had taken digital pictures that she provided to The Associated Press. Some bloggers have questioned the authenticity of the photo distributed on Jan. 6.

AP regional photo editor Tom Stathis said he took extensive steps to confirm the one-eyed cat was not a hoax. Stathis had Allen ship him the memory card that was in her camera. On the card were a number of pictures _ including holiday snapshots, and four pictures of a one-eyed kitten. The kitten pictures showed the animal from different perspectives.

Fabricating those images in sequence and in the camera's original picture format, from the varying perspectives, would have been virtually impossible, Stathis said.

Meanwhile, Cy the one-eyed cat may be dead, but it has not left the building.

Allen said she's keeping the cat's corpse in her freezer for now, in case scientists would like it for research.

She said one thing's for certain: "I'm not going to put it on eBay.

January 10, 2006

Animal Cruelty on the rise in New Orleans?

There are reports from animal welfare volunteers still working there.. Here's the latest from Brenda Shoss of Animal Rescue New Orleans:

It was a day like any other, except for the flash of hot, sharp pain. A rainbow-colored arrow ripped through the cat's body, shredding his gallbladder, spleen, lung, intestines, and nearly every organ except his heart. Bewildered, the cat staggered to his feet with an arrow protruding from either side of his body.
Since Hurricane Katrina stole his home, the black and white cat had burrowed invisibly under broken buildings near a St. Bernard Parish high school. He'd emerged at dusk, blending with the dark to scour for food. The cat was just another shadow among thousands of displaced pets and strays in the New Orleans area.

No one knows who shot the arrow or how many days the cat survived with a hole through his body. But on January 3, 2006, someone notified Animal Rescue New Orleans (ARNO), a volunteer rescue operation on the ground since October.

Read the rest of the press release here.

January 10, 2006

Best Friends Updates

I can't keep up with the good news coming from Best Friends in New Orleans. There's a smorgasbord of updates for you to read here.

January 10, 2006

After a year and a half missing, this cat came back

They thought he was gone forever... but one Nebraska family's cat came back. More than a year ago the Tighe family lost their home when it was hit by an F-4 tornado. Their cat Harley disappeared during the destruction and everyone assumed the worst. Then, just a few days ago, Harley showed up at the door of their now rebuilt home.
Family members say they have no idea how the declawed tabby managed to survive on its own. You can watch the video here.

January 10, 2006

Have you seen this missing Border Collie?

We have an APB (all points bulletin) out on this dog:

BLACK AND WHITE BORDER COLLIE MISSING FROM CROSSPOINT, KATY
(I-10 & WESTGREEN)

PLEASE CALL IF SEEN
(281) 924 3114 or
(281) 395 4736

January 10, 2006

Houston City task force has grim report on area shelters

After nearly a year of looking into Houston's main animal shelters (BARC, Harris County Animal Control, CAP, HSPCA, and the Humane Society), a task force, appointed by Houston Mayor Bill White, paints a gloomy picture for animals that are turned into local shetlers. The following quote from today's Houston Chronicle article sums it up:

"It is essential to shatter the widespread illusion that turning a pet into a Houston shelter means putting him up for adoption, when the truth is that the pet will most likely be killed," the (task force) report says.

Among the findings:

-BARC should overhaul its rules and procedures
-the city should hold a capital campaign to build a new BARC in a better location
-BARC should expand its definition of what animals are considered adoptable and which aren't
-the city should work more closely with the other shelters in the report to increase adoptions and spay/neuter operations.

You can read the rest of the Chron's report here.

January 9, 2006

Pets911.com

A friend forwarded this new website to me: Pets911.com. It looks like a pretty comprehensive one-stop shopping site for all things pet related, from adoption to emergencies to locating pet-friendly rental properties by zip code.

Here's a tidbit from Pets911.com's mission statement and purpose: To effect social change in this country by providing a free public service that will one day ensure an environment where all animals are valued companions and have lifetime, loving homes. This free network, which is a collaborative effort of all the animal rescue organizations and services across the country, is easily accessible through both a toll-free phone number and website, which promises easy access to all the local pet information necessary to instill responsible pet ownership and overcome the issue of animal homelessness.

PETS 911 believes that if you consolidate all the adoption, fostering, lost and found, volunteer, shelter/clinic, and health and training information out there and give the public a single and easy place to find this information, education will substantially increase and euthanasia will decrease. That is our mission. Please take a moment to look at our site. You will see that PETS 911 is becoming an answer for not only the public, but also the animal welfare community on how we in this country can all take part in saving those 5 million animals every year.

PETS 911 consists of not only a Web site, but also a toll-free phone, bilingual hotline (1-888-PETS-911) that allows everyone to access the important, life-saving information we provide. This is why we consider ourselves a true public service. We are a for-profit company, because we are funded 100 percent by corporate America, making it possible to provide ALL of our information and services for FREE to both the animal welfare community and the public alike. And, at the same time, we are not competing with our shelter and rescue partners for donation dollars. We thank our partners, Animal Planet, Hewlett Packard, Intel and Symantec for making PETS 911 possible.

January 9, 2006

Find the person who doused this puppy with gasoline!

This is one lucky dog! A good Samaritan was able to rescue him from a horrifying situation. Here's the story:

My mom was driving on 610 South yesterday on her way to work and she saw someone toss a puppy out the window of their car. There was another truck immediately behind the car who threw him out so she couldn't get a
license plate number. Luckily, the pup went to the right towards the shoulder (mom was driving
in the right lane) so he avoided being hit by a car. My mom stopped in the middle of the freeway and got out of her car in rush-hour traffic to retrieve him. She said she'd never heard an animal screaming so loudly.

The puppy reeked of gasoline so I'm not sure if the people who threw him out were intending on doing something worse to him before they decided to toss him out the window.

My mom drove him home and asked me to take care of him since she had to be at work that day. I took the puppy to the PetsMart and they said he was OK; I also gave him a bath to get the gasoline off him and I let him settle into my house. The first vet said he is 6-8 weeks old and possibly a lab, chow mix. I am taking him to Laura's vet tomorrow to get his shots and necessary tests and I'll let you know if he agrees with the first vet.

The most recent update: First of all, the baby is doing well. He has gone to the vet and seems none the worse for his horrible ordeal. (Lucky, lucky pup.) His foster mom reports that he has a great disposition, really playful and sweet. He enjoys chewing on his stuffed animal and playing tug of war. He is very interested in his foster mom's 14 year old dog and her cats and does not seem aggressive at all. They are working on potty training and he seems to be catching on. But, his foster mom lives in a rent house, has one dog and several cats and the landlord won't allow another dog. We need to find him a wonderful, loving home.

Please let me know if you have any questions. This puppy deserves a great home after his ordeal. Please contact either me (Annamarie Sparks at Annamarie.Sparks@haynesboone.com) or Suzanne Calpito (his foster mom) at smcragsdale@sbcglobal.net if you can give him a loving home or if you happened to be driving on 610 late last week, saw this happen and got a license plate number. Many, many thanks.

January 9, 2006

Katrina Puppy Boom

Puppies are popping up everywhere amid the rubble left by Hurricane Katrina.

Animal welfare workers are seeing the tip of what they fear will be a big boom in dog births in parts of Louisiana and Mississippi hammered by the storm.

Officials say more than 6,000 pets were saved in the region after Katrina came ashore Aug. 29, and many of them were relocated to new homes elsewhere in the country. It's unknown how many drowned in the floodwaters or died later of injuries.

January 6, 2006

Best Friends and the FINAL push to help Katrina Animals!

From Best Friends - who've been in the Gulf region helping Katrina animals since the storm came through. The group has one more plea in this final push to adopt out Katrina rescuees:

Dear Members and Friends, Back in November, a Best Friends assessment of Greater New Orleans and the Mississippi Gulf Coast concluded that while most official rescue efforts had ended, there were still thousands of displaced pets roaming the region.

Thousands of you signed a petition urging all of us among the national humane groups to work together to rescue as many of these dogs and cats as possible. We drew up a plan, and this final rescue/adoption drive is now in full swing -- as you can see from the stories in this section of the website.

It includes a whole new Best Friends rescue center at Celebration Station (a former amusement center in Metairie), from where teams of volunteers are organizing rescue programs each day. In Mississippi, animals go to the Humane Society of Southern Mississippi, which has very good temporary facilities for them.

Then, after a five-day holding and checkup period, these dogs and cats are ready to head out to shelters and rescue groups for adoption.

We expect this final rescue drive to be completed by the end of February. A copy of the rescue plan and the budget is posted in the Resources section here.

While Best Friends is funding the bulk of the operation through donations to our Hurricane Relief Fund, we’re most grateful to the Humane Society of the United States, the ASPCA, and the United Animal Nations for their support of this effort, too.

As things stand, however, there’s still going to be a shortfall, and that’s why we're asking you to make one final donation to the Best Friends Hurricane Relief Fund so that we can bring this last-ditch rescue effort to a successful and heart-warming conclusion. You can donate to the fund directly on the the Best Friends Hurricane Relief Fund page.

You’ve been so generous already, and you can see from their faces how much your furry friends appreciate it! They are true survivors. You can imagine what it’s been like for them, eking out a living on their own since the end of August when Hurricane Katrina blew in. And you can imagine what it’s like for them now as they’re finally rescued and they discover that they’re going to be O.K. after all.

Again, thank you for giving them a very Happy New Year!

Michael Mountain
Best Friends

P.S. You can donate directly to the Best Friends Hurricane Relief Fund here.
As always, thank you for caring.

January 6, 2006

Can you identify these dogs?
Dogs Reunited with Owners!

Julie Gutman, a friend to animals, needs your help:

I work for Junior Achievement and we found two lost dogs that were hanging out in our parking lot (TC Jester near Dacoma and 610) on Tuesday Jan, 3. They are a male neutered yellow lab about 60 pounds and a black
non-neutered chow with arthritis in his back legs.

We have taken these pooches in to the office and they have been living on our back patio for the last couple of days where they get plenty of food water and love from the staff. We are desperately trying to find their
owners who, I'm sure, miss them. They are both clean and look well taken care of and don't look like they've been on the streets long. We have put up signs in the area and checked all the sights to see if anyone has posted
them as lost. We even took them to CAP to get microchip scanned, but found no chips. I would love to give them more publicity to find their owners.

Can any of you point Julie in the right direction? Email her at jgutman@jahouston.org or at Junior Achievement at 713-682-4500.

January 6, 2006

Katrina Dolpins head to the Bahamas

Remember the dolphins that spent the night in a hotel pool during Hurricane Katrina, only to be washed out into the Gulf? They were eventually rescued, and now they're being shipped to the Atlantis Resort in the Bahamas:

Sixteen dolphin evacuees from Hurricane Katrina are on their way to their new home in a luxury resort in the Bahamas.

The dolphins used to live at a marine park in Gulfport, Mississippi. Eight were moved to hotel pools ahead of the storm. Eight others were pulled out to sea when their aquarium was torn apart by the storm. They were found by their trainers September tenth and rescued a few days later.

After staying in temporary shelters around the country, the dolphins are getting a permanent home at Atlantis, a resort on Paradise Island.

Another dolphin was left behind because she is ill. She will be flown to the Bahamas when she is healthy.

January 6, 2006

BARC is now scanning for microchips

From the Houston Chronicle:

The thin, brown and white pit bull puppy in cage 64 was seconds away from becoming a sad statistic, one of thousands of animals euthanized at Houston's animal shelter last year.

Animal control officers found him wandering the streets — sans tags — on the northwest side of Houston. When they got to the shelter at 3200 Carr, they scanned his lean body for a microchip, but found nothing.

Then, a few days later, just before he was scheduled to be euthanized, kennel workers scanned the dog again. This time, they got a hit that saved the puppy's life.

Because chips can migrate within an animal's body, shelter policy requires workers to scan each animal twice — once at intake and a second time before it is adopted or euthanized.

You can read the rest of the Chronicle article here.

January 5, 2006

Max the cat - shot through with an arrow in New Orleans

From Jane Garrison with Animal Rescue New Orleans:

Today, January 3, we were contacted about a cat who had an arrow completely through his/her body. The cat was thought to be feral by the person who called the report in, so I suggested that we get some acepromazine (a safe sedative) and crumble it into some tuna to get the cat sedated (certainly could not trap the cat). Before the cat even ate the food, she/he collapsed. We rushed the cat to the vet and the cat went right into surgery. Please keep this cat in your thoughts. This poor kitty made it through two hurricanes and flooding only to be shot with an arrow by some horribly cruel person.

1/4/06 7:30am Update: Max (who we renamed after the staff at the hospital was called him Cupid and William Tell) made it through surgery but is still critical. I just spoke with the animal hospital, the arrow went through every organ except the heart---including gallbladder, spleen, lung and intestines. They had to remove his gall bladder and resection his intestines. He currently has a chest tube in and an IV. They say he will be critical for at least 48 hours but is responsive.

With everything he has been through the vet said he is an unbelievably sweet tuxedo cat. This morning they were touching him and he starting "making muffins" with his paws on them!

Animal Rescue New Orleans has posted this flyer around town, warning people they'll be prosecuted if they harm any animals. Jane, however, says they have already found 13 more cats poisoned in two different locations.

January 5, 2006

Hurricane Katrina Rottie saves her family

From Lew Olsen of Friends of the American Rottweiler Club:

Hurricane Katrina resulted in many tragedies, including thousands of homeless dogs. Sometimes though, good things can result from even the worst misfortune. One of these dogs, Zoey, a Rottweiler, made her way from a shelter to the Friends of the American Rottweiler Club on September 26th. Zoey is approximately 18 months old and had recently lost a litter of puppies through a miscarriage. Both of her eyes were severely infected and she appeared to have damage to her face from being struck on the head. She was transported to a foster home with
Helen Garcia and nursed back to health and spayed. On November 19th, Zoey's luck turned around and she was adopted by Traci Colvin and her two children, in Seguin, Texas.

On the evening of December 10th, Traci's son Kendell was ill with a respiratory infection. She had spent many hours trying to keep him comfortable and finally at 3 AM he fell into a restful sleep. Traci was grateful to finally be able to crawl into bed herself. At 5AM, Zoey began barking at Traci's bedside and would not stop when
commanded. Traci wearily got up and assumed Zoey needed to go outside. When Zoey was let out, she just stood there and stared at Traci. Traci was more than annoyed and scolded Zoey and let her back into the house. Zoey ran barking down the hall and stood by the wall and continued to bark. When Traci went to see what was going on, she found the breaker box was smoking, and the cord running to the wall was smoldering and starting to melt. Traci quickly called for help and when help arrived was told that her mobile home could have quickly gone up into flames in a few more minutes.

Sometimes a good turn deserves payback, and good luck was brought to both Zoey and Traci Colvin's family. Traci reports Zoey has a home with her for life and she is very grateful that they found each other. The Friends of the American Rottweiler Club thank Traci for adopting this wonderful dog, and they also thank Zoey for being so persistent in awakening Traci to alert her to the danger.

January 5, 2006

Cat hitches 70 mile ride under an SUV

Watch the video here

VOORHEES, N.J. (AP) -- Curiosity didn't kill one cat on a wild ride on the New Jersey Turnpike. The kitten, now known, for obvious reasons, as Miracle, hitchhiked a ride on the underbelly of a sport utility vehicle just before Christmas.

The gray and white feline traveled some 70 miles under the vehicle as it whizzed along the Turnpike on Dec. 23.

"I'm just amazed that the cat didn't fall off or get blown off," Karen Dixon-Aquino, director of the Animal Welfare Association in Voorhees, told the (New Jersey) Courier-Post of Cherry Hill for Tuesday's newspapers.

The association is caring for the furry hitchhiker and plans to put him up for adoption.

The SUV's driver was traveling from Newark to Cherry Hill and didn't know she was giving the kitten a ride until another motorist saw the tabby through a wheel well and flagged the driver over near Interchange 4 in Mount Laurel.

Dixon-Aquino said the cat probably climbed into the guts of the SUV in Newark and was asleep when the journey began. Somehow, the cat avoided being mangled by fan blades and other moving parts as he clung to the car for the ride.

The kitty, estimated to be about 8 or 9 months old, was not unscathed, though.

"He was pretty freaked out," Dixon-Aquino said. "His paws were burnt, one claw was missing and his fur was singed."

January 5, 2006

Where'd you go, Daddy-O?

Police are looking for two robbers who catnapped a big orange tabby from a Dallas area pet shop on New Year's Day.

Simon the cat, also known as Daddy-O, was resting in an adoption cage at a Petco store at the corner of Garland Road and Buckner Boulevard about 5 p.m. Sunday when two men stopped in.

Simon the cat, also known as Daddy-O, was resting in an adoption cage Sunday, when two men took him from the store at gunpoint. “They walked to a cage housing animals up for adoption and selected a cat,” Dallas police Senior Cpl. Max Geron said. “A clerk walked over to assist the two, and the older suspect raised his shirt displaying a handgun.”

The other man motioned to the clerk to stay quiet, and both men fled the store.

No one has seen the 11/2-year-old cat since. Dianne Wood, a volunteer for Protective Animal League and Simon's former caretaker, said she hopes the outdoor cat broke loose from the robbers.

“I hold out a little bit of hope that he escaped,” Ms. Wood said. “If they had bad intentions, I hope he got away.”

Employees at Petco employees were bewildered as to about why armed men would snatch a cat and nothing else.

“I've been here nine years and never have we had this sort of situation,” Petco spokesman Don Cowan said.

Petco and the Protective Animal League participate in a program called Think Adoption First, in which stray or abandoned pets are displayed in stores for adoption.

Ms. Wood said her organization charges an $85 to $100 adoption fee for cats, but no one had called to inquire about Simon during the four days he was on display.

As a kitten, Simon roamed Ms. Wood's east Plano neighborhood and was originally named by a neighbor who fed him. Later, when he migrated to Ms. Wood's home, she named him Daddy-O because he was large for his age.

“I just want Simon back safely,” Ms. Wood said.

January 4, 2006

Best Friends New Year Update

Five months after Katrina, Best Friends is bringing us a New Year's update on its operations in Tylertown.. Read more about it here.

January 4, 2006

Feeding New Orleans animals...

Animal Rescue New Orleans is looking for volunteers to help feed stray animals still surviving after Katrina, as well as food to continue its program. More information here.

January 4, 2006

Polar bears on the move

Watch the video here

Two polar bears from Brookfield Zoo in suburban Chicago were shipped to the Memphis Zoo Wednesday.

Two-year-old Payton and three-year-old Haley were flown to Memphis as part of a breeding program.

The bears will be a main attraction in the Memphis Zoo's new $23 million-dollar 'Northwest Passage' exhibit set to open March third as part of the zoo's 100th anniversary celebration.

The transfer was arranged by the Species Survival Plan of the American Zoo and Aquarium Association...a breeding a conservation program for endangered and threatened species.

The two bears' departure gives Brookfield officials a chance to reunite Payton's mother and father in hopes the bears will breed again.

January 4, 2006

Birthday Bash at The Houston Zoo

The Houston Zoo will sing Happy Birthday Saturday to Bonita and Fabio, a pair of maned wolves. The unique breed is the most solitary of the world's wolves.

In fact, they aren't even true wolves. They don't howl and they don't hunt in packs. They look more like a red fox on stilts than a wolf. But with their golden-red fur and black "stockings," muzzle, and "mane" they are among the most strikingly beautiful members of the family canidae in the world.

Native to the grasslands, savannas, swamps, and scrub forests of Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, Peru, and Uruguay, the maned wolf lives in monogamous pairs in the wild.

Maned wolves don't howl like a grey wolf. Instead, the maned wolf has three main vocalizations - a deep throated single bark, heard mainly after dusk, a high pitched whine, and a growl that often signals aggression.

Fewer than 2,200 maned wolves survive in the wild. Destruction of its habitat is the greatest threat to the maned wolf as traditional South American ranches are being converted to soybean farming.

The public is invited to Bonita and Fabio's birthday party on January 7 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The first 500 visitors who sign their giant birthday card in the front entry plaza receive commemorative bookmarks.

Bonita and Fabio get their very special birthday presents at 11 a.m. and their birthday cake will be delivered at noon.

Learn more about these fascinating animals with a maned wolf "Keeper Chat" at 1:30 p.m. And of course, don't miss the fun when Bonita and Fabio get their birthday pinatas at 2:30 p.m.