ANIMAL CONNECTION

Archive for the ‘Habitat Issues’ Category

If you have dogs or ferrets, this is your lucky Friday. It has been a challenging week for me.  I have had a number of issues come up regarding dogs and ferrets.  I had to do some research and contact other rescues and shelters for help.  It’s amazing how animal people all stick together and help each other so animals can have a better life.  Thank you!!

One challenge I had were ferrets with fleas. I never had ferrets with fleas so I was not sure what to do about them.  I know they are delicate animals and it can be deadly if they are treated like dogs and cats for a flea problem. Here are some of the things I found out:

1. A flea condition is 100% fixable.  I spoke to rescues who told me that ferrets die from fleas. They are such small animals and it doesn’t take long for them to be sucked dry. The fleas are coming in from a source.  Once you find out what the source is, you can correct it.   Ferrets, being indoor animals, should not have fleas.

2. If you have dogs or cats that come in and out you can give them Capstar. You have to get it from a veterinarian.  This should not be given to ferrets, unless you just adopted them and need to get the fleas off this one time.  (Talk to your vet about dosage).

3. You can also get an 8oz. spray bottle.  Put about 2 tablespoons Skin-so-soft with 1 teaspoon alcohol (to cut the oil) and fill with water. You can spray that on the dogs and cats and rub it in.  This will kill fleas.  Again, be very careful not to use this too much with ferrets since they have very sensitive skin.

The one recommendation I got over and over again, get everyone and everything out of the house.  Fumigate the whole house and have the yard treated.  While you are gone, get all of the fleas off of all the animals.  When you return, you are starting new. Make sure all of the animals stay in the house.  If they must go outside, make sure they stay in your yard, if possible.  Give them Capstar before they go out to be sure they don’t get any fleas.  The ferrets should no longer have a flea problem, ever.

I also had people asking me about the proper food they should be feeding their dogs.  Since I have not had dogs in years, I was not sure what to tell them.  I have a friend, Greg Martinez, DVM who just wrote a book called, “Dr. Greg’s Dog Dish Diet”.  That book has a wealth of information when it comes to feeding your dog. It gives you histories of different breeds, what different breeds eat, how different foods affect different dogs, etc.  Did you know dogs are not suppose to have any corn or beef?

Here are a few tidbits I got from the book that I thought were interesting and I wanted to pass along:

1. A Tablespoon of olive oil or canola oil on the food daily, or an egg yolk in the food three or four times a week, can have a wondrous effect on health.

2. Never give your dog chocolate.  That goes for ferrets too.  Ferrets should not have any sugars or fruit.

3. The closest ancestor to a dog, the wolf.   99.8% of a dog’s DNA matches the wolf. To feed dogs well on a diet that resembles the natural diet of a wolf, make sure the mix of ingredients and nutrients are similar.

4. Wild game provides the wolf with a high-water, low-carbohydrate diet that is also high in protein and fat.   With the exception of a few of the newer diet; canned dog foods most closely match the wolf’s natural diet.

5. Ounce for ounce, canned dog food has about a third the calories of dry food.

6. A healthier diet may actually prevent, decrease and often cure many of the common chronic problems in dogs.

These are the top 10 claims for Veterinary Pet Insurance:

A.Ear Infections

B. Skin Allerfies

C. Pyoderma (hotspots/ bacterial skin infections)

D. Gastritis/Vomiting (stomach upsets)

E.  Enteritis/Diarrhea

F.  Urinary Tract Infections Benign

G.  Skin Tumors

H.  Osteoarthritis

I.  Eye Inflammation

J.  Hypothyroidism

7. Allergies in dogs are caused by three common allergen groups:

A. Fleas

B.  Pollens, grasses and molds

C.  Allergenic food ingredients (most often wheat, beef and corn)

8.  Wolves keep their teeth clean by chewing on the bones of prey animals. In that tradition, you can give your dog raw or frozen chicken theighs, smoked pork bones or beef knucklebones, and they’ll gnaw the tartar away.  PLEASE, be careful what you give your dog. They should be able to chew NOT eat bones.  The book goes into detail about this.

To learn more about dogs and their diets click here for Dr. Greg’s Book.

Then I had questions about adopting dogs.  The best timing in the world because I had information sent to me from “The Camping Dog”.

It specifically talked about adopting a shelter dog. They say one of the best gifts you can give yourself is adopting a shelter dog.  Are shelter dogs right for everyone?  Absolutely not.  You never really know what you’ve got until you get your new friend home.  And odds are even that your dog will need specialized attention and care for health or behavior issues for some period of time.  Unless you’re willing to be patient and work with your pup, you have no business having a dog at all – and especially not a shelter dog who may well have had traumatic experiences.

There is nothing more rewarding than watching a dog blossom into their true personalities. Seeing a dog learn how to play for the first time is a delight.  And watching them grow as they learn new behaviors and have new experiences is so much fun!  And they do thank you for it in so many ways!

If you would like to know the questions to ask yourself if you are thinking about adopting a dog click here.

Can anyone explain why the USDA will NOT step in and help the dogs and puppies in the mills? There has been so much evidence of mills abusing and neglecting these animals.  Many of these animals are dying horrible deaths.  Most people have heard about these atrocities.  The flip side, they go into a pet store to buy something for their animal. When they are there they see the poor puppy eyes looking at them.  At that very moment they feel they need to buy this puppy and give it a good home.  They forget where the puppy came from.   It is a vicious cycle.  I like what they have done in West Hollywood California.  The stores only sell puppies that come from shelters or rescues.  Click here to learn how you can do the same thing in your community.

This past week there was a report about the USDA failing to cut down on puppy mills.   They detail the horrific conditions and lax enforcement.  If you would like to read this article, click here.

There was also a show on Animal Planet that exposed Petland puppies. Since the airing of that show they have had so many people coming forward telling them stories about the health issues, and medical challenges, their puppies have had. In addition, the cost to care for these animals.

So many stories were sent in describing what it has been like for the owners of these puppies since they purchased their new family member.  The stories include Bailey, a Cairn terrier (pictured here), who became deathly ill and had to be hospitalized after she was purchased in Texas, and Little Red, who reportedly had the worst hip dysplasia her veterinarian had ever seen.

On the positive side, hopefully this show will get people to do more research on the stores and breeders of  puppies.  Even people in your community might have a small mill going and you don’t even know it.

If you would like to read more about this, or know of a puppy that you want to report because they have medical issues, click here.

Over the past few weeks I have had so many conversations regarding our world and where we are headed.  I have always said, “Humans are blessed with an exceptional brain.  We have made wonderful advances in technology, medicine, etc.  At the same time, we also seem to use it to destroy the world and harm innocent animals.  Right now we are harming and destroying at the same time (oil drilling, polluting the waters and killing all kinds of fish and wildlife).

I came up with the name of my show, “Animal Connection” because I know animals and humans are connected.  I never realized the timing of my show would be so perfect with the events going on in our society, in such an extreme way.  One major issue, once we destroy this earth that’s it.  No matter how much money anyone has, we can’t replace it!

The animals were here long before we were.  We should respect them and not use them for profit.  Someone said to me, “We should go back to the times of Little House on the Prairie”.  I’m starting to believe that’s not such a bad idea, although it was a very hard life!

I don’t know what the answer is.  We don’t seem to be able to get along and respect other humans (look at the wars).  How do we expect people to respect animals?

Today there are believed to be fewer than 2,500 breeding adult Tigers left in the wild, and their numbers are declining. Tigers are listed as Endangered by the IUCN.

A friend of mine is getting ready to do a documentary about these Tigers and made me aware of this horrific practice.

The greatest threats to Tigers are habitat loss, poaching and lack of sufficient prey.

Once found across Asia, from Turkey to eastern Russia, over the past century Tigers have disappeared from south-west and central Asia, from Java and Bali in Indonesia and from large parts of South-east and East Asia.

Tigers have lost 93% of their historic range, and more than 40% of their range in the last decade. Much of the remaining habitat is becoming increasingly fragmented.

Today, Tigers are found only in Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Russia, Thailand and VietNam, and possibly in North Korea.

Tigers, and numerous other species of endangered wild life, have to contend with poaching! Regardless of the tigers’ classification as a “Critically Endangered” species, the demand for its parts has drastically increased at an alarming rate since the end of the 20th Century. The tiger is primarily killed to supply underground black markets with its organs, pelts and bones. These items are highly regarded in eastern medicine, claiming to posse’s capabilities to heal all sorts of human illnesses and dysfunctions. In addition, this regal and magnificent symbol of nature’s beauty and power is hunted recreationally for sport/trophies, perceived fear, and just out-rite ignorance! Unfortunately, poaching is not isolated to any one subspecies or population. All tigers, no matter were they live, seem to be under attack!

The import and exportation of tiger parts is a sizable business.  The penis sells for $6,000 (USD in 2008) which is used in a soup as an aphrodisiac.  Dried white tiger penis is worth even more. It is probably the most expensive piece of animal material in the world and probably the reason for the deaths of many magnificent wild tigers.   A large number of Chinese still believe that the body parts of animals can cure their ailments. And the doctors who practice traditional Chinese medicine haven’t yet decided to do what they do in the west, substitute animal parts for man made ingredients.  Despite the widespread availability of aspirin, a highly effective pain killer and indeed many other pain killers, many Chinese prefer to ingest crushed tiger bone for pain relief.

This practice takes place in China, Korea, Vietnam, Cambodia and the other Asian countries.  In 1990, over 4,180 pounds of tiger bones were exported from Taiwan to Japan. Documented records from the Korean government state that over 8700 pounds of tiger bones were imported into South Koreas from Indonesia.  In Hong Kong black markets, venders sell a pound of powdered tiger humorous bone sells for over $1700.

Other tiger body parts are believed to do the following to the person who consumes them:

• 1. Heart – gives strength and courage
• 2. Tail – body rub for skin problems
• 3. Bones – put in wine for rheumatism
• 4. Brains – body rub to cure acne
• 5. Eyes – turned into pills for epilepsy
• 6. Whiskers – cure for toothache

It is still cheaper to kill and export the body parts of a wild tiger than to farm them.  At this rate how long will it take for their complete extinction in the wild? Keep in mind that all of these so-called treatments are completely unproven by science and have absolutely no real medical value.

How is man considered to be of superior intelligence compared to these animals when this happens?

If man has no respect for such a remarkable animal as the tiger, how can mankind be expected to protect all of the other animals, plants and wild places sharing the planet with us?  One way to help, don’t purchase items made from animal parts or made by animals (elephant paintings).

Many organizations are in need of volunteers to help save these animals and educate the public.  To learn more about the tigers and things you can do,  go to these websites:

Wildlife 1

Traffic

Tiger Homes

I want Friday’s to bring awareness to other organizations that are doing wonderful things for animals. If you have information you want to share, send me a paragraph on the topic with a link to the website, by 11am on Thursday.  I will do this each Friday.  Please pass this link on to bring awareness to these wonderful organizations, thanks!

1. Have you ever thought about the food you eat?  How does it affect your body and health?

There is a new movie called Food, Inc.  It educates people about the food they eat. Oprah dedicated one of her shows to this topic.  Alicia Silverstone wrote a book called “The Kind Diet: A Simple Guide to Feeling Great, Losing Weight, and Saving the Planet”. She also discusses this topic.

When we used to cook quality food at home our health care costs, and medical needs, were much lower.  Our world has changed.  People buy fast food an average of 4 times a week.  With that increase there has been an increase in health issues and health care costs.  Animals are force fed and given all kinds of hormones.  This impacts the animals, as well as the humans that consume them.  A few of the topics discussed in the movie:

1. Where our food comes from
2. How it affects our health
3. How to purchase quality food at the best price
4. Restaurants that serve high quality food that has been raised caged free

What are your thoughts about this?  You can comment below.

2. They say bears hibernate in the winter, right?  Watch the video below to see what they really do in the comfort of their own caves!  This is live video inside a bear’s den!

A team of  biologists go to a black bear den to study a female bear and her two newborn cubs. The group recorded each cub’s weight and gender and examined the mother bear.   Please listen to what they have to say about the bears and humans interacting.  Sound familiar about other animals in the wild?

THESE ARE WILD ANIMALS, PLEASE DO NOT TRY THIS ON YOUR OWN!!

3. Kirsten Starcher plays bass in a Vancouver-based rock band and while performing in Toronto, Canada in 2006, took a poignant photograph of a homeless man with his dog nestled in his arms.  Her photo has touched many hearts around the world.  Her consent to “Pets of the Homeless” to use her photo set a wave in motion.

“Years later, it still amazes me how this one tiny action, which almost didn’t happen, has had a ripple effect I never would have predicted,” wrote Kirsten for an article in the March 2010, Pets of the Homeless Newsletter.

People started writing to tell Kirsten about how the photo affected them.  More charities asked to use it in their writings; artists asked to paint their own versions of it; a musician wrote a song about it. She received email from a woman in South Africa who found it on a flyer on the beach and was deeply moved. One of the artists planned to give a percentage of his gallery’s earnings – for a month – to a local homelessness charity, by way of appreciation.

This stunning photograph can be seen on the Pets of the Homeless website.

A special hunting season opened in Florida this year, python hunting.

From Monday March 8, 2010 until April 17, anyone with a hunting license, who pays for the $26 permit, can take them on state-managed lands around the Everglades in South Florida.

Florida officials have taken a more aggressive stance against the invasive species in the past year, creating the python hunting season and issuing broader permits to experts to kill as many as possible. The state has even held workshops for those inexperienced with pythons on how to identify, stalk and capture the reptiles.  In addition to Burmese, Indian and African rock pythons, hunters can also take green anacondas and Nile monitor lizards.

In addition to hunting these snakes, the hunters are being attacked by killer bees.  You can learn more about the killer bees, and watch the video, at the end of this post.

Africa’s largest snake—the ill-tempered, 20-foot-long (6.1-meter-long) African rock python—is colonizing the U.S. The Burmese python (Python molurus bivittatus) is native throughout Southeast Asia including Burma, Thailand, Vietnam, southern China, and Indonesia. While Burmese are being captive bred in the U.S. and Europe, native populations are considered to be “threatened” and are listed on Appendix II of Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species. All the giant pythons (including the Indian, African Rock and Reticulated pythons) have historically been slaughtered to supply the international fashion industry with exotic skins. The exportation of young snakes for the pet trade and for their blood and gall as used in folk medicine has put additional pressures on the wild populations that cannot be sustained.

More dangerous than even Burmese pythons—which are known to eat alligators —the African pythons are so mean, they are known to come out of the egg striking.  This is just one vicious animal.

Burmese pythons have already eaten thousands of native animals in the Everglades.  With the addition of the rock python, Florida is now an established home-away-from-home for three large alien constricto—including the Burmese species and the boa constrictor.

Steve Irwin

This brings up the topic of having one of these as a pet. Do you really want a snake that may grow more than 20 feet long or weigh 200 pounds, urinate and defecate like a horse, will live more than 25 years and for whom you will have to kill mice, rats and, eventually, rabbits (no chickens any more due to the ever increasing rate of Salmonella in the food industry)?

Many people think that when they decide they don’t want their Burmese any more–when it gets to be 8 or 10 or 15 feet long–it will be easy to find someone who does. Take a look at the animal classifieds – they always have sale ads for big pythons. The zoo doesn’t want any more – they already have one or more giant snakes from other people. The local herpetology societies and reptile veterinarians always have big pythons for whom they are trying to find homes. Burms are increasingly being abandoned at vets and animal shelters and are being euthanized for lack of proper homes for them. Breeders keep breeding them, however, because so many people are willing to buy these ‘cool’ giants…knowing full well that they will be dumped when ‘too’ big. At 10 feet and 40+ pounds, a 3-year old Burmese is already eating rabbits a couple of times a month and is very difficult to handle alone. You have to interact with them constantly to keep them tame – do you want a hungry, cranky 100 pound, 12 foot snake mistaking your face for prey?  Who is going to help you clean its enclosure?  Take it to the vet when it’s sick? Take care of it when you go away to school or on vacation?  No matter how much they love you, there are some things a mother, and your friends, will not do!

Owning a giant snake is NOT COOL – it is a major, long-term, frequently very expensive responsibility. Not only that, but even the nicest, gentlest of burms can become killers, even when not very large.  To learn more about these snakes, click here.

Africanized Honey Bees — also called killer bees — are descendants of southern African bees imported in 1956 by Brazilian scientists attempting to breed a honey bee better adapted to the South American tropics.

When some of these bees escaped quarantine in 1957, they began breeding with local Brazilian honey bees, quickly multiplying and extended their range throughout South and Central America at a rate greater than 200 miles per year. In the past decade, AHB began invading North America.

Africanized bees acquired the name killer bees because they will viciously attack people and animals who unwittingly stray into their territory, often resulting in serious injury or death.

It is not necessary to disturb the hive itself to initiate an AHB attack. In fact, Africanized bees have been know to respond viciously to mundane occurrences, including noises or even vibrations from vehicles, equipment and pedestrians.

Though their venom is no more potent than native honey bees, Africanized bees attack in far greater numbers and pursue perceived enemies for greater distances. Once disturbed, colonies may remain agitated for 24 hours, attacking people and animals within a range of a quarter mile from the hive.

Africanized bees proliferate because they are less discriminating in their choice of nests than native bees, utilizing a variety of natural and man-made objects , including hollow trees, walls, porches, sheds, attics, utility boxes, garbage containers and abandoned vehicles. They also tend to swarm more often than other honey bees.

Become a bird.  World-famous bird photographer and writer, Arthur Morris, takes plenty of pictures of birds.  He recently visited Sarasota.  He came to make a presentation to the Sarasota Audubon Society.

Arthur Morris & Donna Paige

More than 11,000 of Arthur Morris’s photographs have been published in national publications including American Birds, Audubon, Birder’s World, Florida Wildlife and Nature, National Geographic, Natural History, Nature Photographer, Outdoor Photographer, Ranger Rick, Wildbird, and other magazines, as well as in hundreds of books and calendars.

He taught elementary school in New York City for twenty-three years. For eight years he conducted the shorebird survey at the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge for The International Shorebird Surveys.  Mr. Morris became a Canon contract photographer and has been featured in six episodes of the “Canon Photo Safari” television show.  Two of his images were awarded prizes in the 1997 BG plc Wildlife Photographer of the Year Competition.  He is also a popular lecturer, having presented more than 250 slide programs during the past 15 years.  Arthur now photographs, travels, speaks, and teaches extensively in North America.

The Audubon Society, where Arthur Morris made his presentation, is dedicated to the protection, conservation and enjoyment of birds, wildlife and the environment.  I am learning so many things about birds and how important they are to our existence and the world as a whole by being a volunteer.  All of the Audubon Societies need more volunteers.

One thing I’ve learned has to do with climate change.  The heat-trapping gasses, especially carbon dioxide have been known to cause climate change.  This change includes melting glaciers and polar icecaps, acidifying the oceans, increasing extreme temperatures and desertification in many areas.  This reduces habitats and numbers of numerous species of wildlife. The fifteen hottest years on record since modern global temperatures have been kept, have all occurred since 1991.  We have lost a third of our Arctic sea ice in the past thirty years.

Another subject I was not aware of, several species of birds nest on beaches each year.  The volunteers with the Audubon Societies watch over these nests to be sure they are not disturbed and the birds survive.  Many people visit beaches and don’t realize that the nests need to be left alone.  Motor craft also affect the nests when they come to close to shore.

To learn more about the Audubon Society click here.

They are always looking for volunteers.

What do you think about cloning the DNA from an endangered animal to keep it from going extinct?  Dr. Betsy Dresser, senior vice president of research for the Audubon Nature Institute in New Orleans, is doing just that.  She takes the DNA from an endangered animal and uses it with a non-endangered relative.  An example is the typical house cat and the African Wildcat.

She takes the egg of the house cat and sucks out the DNA.  She then takes DNA from the skin cells of the African Wildcat and places it inside the egg.  She uses electrodes to spit the eggs.  If everything goes well she places the egg inside the house cat so it can mature and product a new kitten.  It has been going so well, the cloned cats are mating and giving birth to very healthy kittens on their own.

This procedure might sound easy but it’s not.  There is a lot of scientific research that goes into this.  Take the Woolly Mammoth.  They don’t know the gestation period for an animal like that so they would have guess.  The goal is to keep endangered species from going extinct, not to bring back the Woolly Mammoth.  She would like to do work on the Lynx to keep it from going extinct, or the bongo, cousin to the antelope.

The Audubon Nature Institute is located on 1,200 acres of land.  It seems part Serengeti, part high-tech medical facility.  She knows there is a lot of controversy on this topic.  Her opinion, she doesn’t want our next generation of kids to only know an elephant from a text book.  She wants the kids to be able to see these animals alive, in their own environment.  If she doesn’t do this now, then we will be losing a lot of animals for future generations.

She is known as the lady with the “frozen zoo”.  She collects tiny skin samples from thousands of different animals, representing hundreds of species, and is storing them at 343 degrees below zero in tiny canisters inside tanks filled with liquid nitrogen.  She has samples from tigers, bears, frogs, rhinos and many more animals.  She feels there is no reason not to save DNA from every species since the cells can survive for hundreds, if not thousands of years in these tanks.

The Woolly Mammoth is her poster animal because the thought of it is inspiring.  Imagine the face of a 9 year old child.  This child sees a picture of the Woolly Mammoth and knows that there might be the possibility of brining that animal back to life.  Talk about inspiring for a kid to want to get involved in science that way.  If not, there is the message to do something to improve our environment NOW so we are not impacting and affecting animals is such a negative way.  We all live on the same planet and are connected to each other.

No one has yet found the intact cell it would take to resurrect that Woolly Mammoth, but in Siberia, two years ago, a reindeer herder discovered a remarkably well-preserved one month old baby mammoth that had lain frozen in permafrost for 40,000 years.

Its DNA was in better shape than any previously found, raising hopes that between new finds and new technology, it may just be a matter of time.

Watch the Frozen Zoo  video

I hope that everyone had a wonderful holiday season.  I spent a couple of days helping the Audubon Society with their Christmas bird count.  I spent one day with the Sarasota Audubon Society and the other with the Manatee Audubon Society.  They are dedicated to the protection, conservation and enjoyment of birds, wildlife and the environment.

When I was asked to help I said, count birds?  How do you count the birds when they are flying all over?  How do you know if you are counting the same bird twice?  My biggest challenge, knowing which bird I saw.  They all look like sparrows, hawks or vultures to me, especially when they fly so fast and high.  We counted about 50 different species of bird in my area of Florida.  The people who have been doing this for years can tell what kind of bird it is based on their sounds, the way they move their tail, flap their wings, etc.  I have a new appreciation for the people who bird watch.  It’s not easy!

I wanted to know why this count is important?  This count has been going on since 1982.  When you look at the numbers over the years you begin to see birds in an area that were never there.  You also notice birds that used to be here, are no longer here.  That data is important for birds but also for humans and other animals.  There can be a lot of reasons for the change in numbers.

They also have a number of Field Trips that you can attend through out the year.  If you have never been aware of birds, join one of these fun events.  You will become aware of your surroundings in a new and different way.

One important thing that did have an impact on me involved feeding of animals.  I love animals so much that I always want to feed them when I can.  These are wild animals and need to stay that way.  When we feed them we are not giving them the type of food they really need AND they become dependant on us.  We are hurting them, not helping them.  I had some squirrels come up to me and stand on my shoes.  They looked right into my eyes asking for food.  They were very overweight and I’m sure not healthy.  It was cute but really affected me.  I have a tendency of feeding birds bread, which is not good for them.

Someone also took me to visit an organization that I was not aware of.  It’s called Save our Seabirds, Inc.  It is located by the Mote Marine in Sarasota Florida.  It is open from 10am-5pm seven days a week.

They rescue and rehabilitate hundreds of native and migratory birds each year.  When the Tampa Bay channel experienced a devastating 365-barrel oil spill. Lee Fox, the founder, managed more than 3,000 volunteers over a three-month period to minimize the impact of this tragedy on the local seabirds. An unprecedented 85% of the birds affected – a total of 371 were saved! In recognition of her efforts, Lee received eleven separate awards from the U.S. Coast Guard and other environment groups.  Education and outreach has always been a major focus of SOS.  They are run by volunteers and can use more.  If you have interest in volunteering your time, providing materials needed to help the birds or want to donate, contact them.

There are all kinds of animals that could use your help.  Sometimes saving an animal is as simple as signing a petition.  Below are links to a number of different petitions.  Pick one, or all of them, and help animals all over the world.  Please pass our link on to other people in your database so they can do the same thing.  Thanks to everyone for all you do to make the world a better place.

1. Since 2003, Alaska‘s aerial hunting program has claimed the lives of more than 1,000 wolves. During these hunts, wolves are shot from the air or chased by airplanes to the point of exhaustion before the pilot lands the plane and a gunner shoots the animals point blank. Sign the petition below and urge Alaska Governor Sean Parnell to end the state’s irresponsible and cruel aerial wolf-killing program immediately.

Help save Wolves!

2. Bats play an essential role in healthy ecosystems and should be protected. Unfortunately, an emerging disease is killing North America’s bats. The mysterious white-nose syndrome has already claimed the lives of nearly one million bats, yet scientists still know very little about how to stop the spread of this terrible disease.

Help save our bats!

3.  Coal Is Not Clean

Indonesia’s Sumatran tiger could be the first large predator to become extinct this century, unless poaching for body parts and illegal logging in the area are stopped. Today, the total population of Sumatran tigers left in the wild is estimated to be of only 400 to 500.

The number of tigers across the world has declined by 95% in the past century, and three subspecies have become extinct, including the two others native to Indonesia – the Bali tiger and the Java tiger, which was seen in the wild as late as the 1970s. With fewer than 400 of the creatures estimated to be left in the wild, the Sumatran tiger is classified as critically endangered, the most vulnerable of all the six surviving tiger subspecies.

Tigers are hunted for skins as well as body parts such as bones, which are ground up and used as traditional medicine in some areas of Asia. Another major pressure this species face is the illegal logging by paper companies, which has eliminated more than 1.2 million acres of tiger habitat since 1998 – at least four tigers, and nine people, have been killed in the past month alone, as the shrinking of Sumatra’s already depleted forests brings an increase in attacks on farmers, hunters and illegal loggers.

Help the Tigers!

4. Global Warming is Having an Impact!

Global warming is one of the most pressing issues facing our wildlife and our planet. Scientists warn that our rising temperatures could cause 20 – 30 percent of the Earth’s plants and animals to go extinct between now and 2050. But will the Senate take action to save these species?

The news is grim: Walruses by the thousands are flocking ashore as they flee retreating sea ice, abandoning their young and risking fatal stampedes that could kill thousands. Rising temperatures have cause nesting colonies of rare ivory gulls to plummet by 80 percent in the last twenty years.

And global warming could very well doom polar bears to extinction in our lifetime. Vanishing sea ice is already causing these arctic icons to drown in their search for the sea ice they need for hunting and denning. Some are even resorting to cannibalism to survive as their quest for food becomes increasingly difficult.

Help the Polar Bear!

5. Ten species are in critical need of protection

From black, red and gag grouper that make up the popular fish sandwich to the Warsaw grouper, a gentle giant that can grow nearly eight feet long and weigh up to 440 pounds. Additionally, red snapper populations have plummeted to just 3 percent of 1945 levels, and although they can live up to 54 years, few are older than 10.

Regional fishery managers are currently working on important changes to fishing rules that would strengthen limits on the numbers of fish caught annually, prohibit fishing in some areas of the ocean where imperiled fish live and limit certain kinds of fishing so populations have time to replenish themselves.

Help Save Fish!

6. Prevent the Deaths of Thousands of Sea Turtles

Untargeted or discarded catch from commercial fisheries, also known as bycatch, is an enormous problem throughout the world. Trawl fisheries indiscriminately catch everything in their path, including sea turtles!
The National Marine Fisheries Service recognized this problem in 2007 and issued an Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking. Although this was a first step to get in the water requirements to protect turtles from trawl nets, more than two years later a satisfactory rule has yet to be proposed! Even with this rule, however, trawls in the waters off New England and the Mid-Atlantic States will continue to catch sea turtles for many years.

Sea turtles have been swimming in the world’s oceans for more than 100 million years. While they have been able to survive many challenges over the years, sea turtles are not equipped to withstand the threat humans pose.

Help the Sea Turtle!

7. Help Feed Animals in Shelters

Did you know there is a link you can go to each day and with one click give .6 bowls of food to an animal shelter? Check out this link.

If you can remember, do it everyday.  It will help so many animals!

Thanks again for helping any and all animals that matter to you.  If there are other organizations or sites you would like to promote, please let us know.

Did you know U.S. South Atlantic waters have more dwindling fish populations than any other region in the nation?  Fish catches are expected to decline dramatically in the world’s tropical regions because of climate change, but may increase in the north.  This mega-shift in ocean productivity from south to north over the next three to four decades will leave those most reliant on fish, for both food and income, high and dry.  Here are some things I found out.  If you have comments or suggestions please let us know.

The shift has already been seen over the last 20 years.  Major shifts in fish populations will create a host of changes in ocean ecosystems likely resulting in species loss and problems for the people who now catch them.

Ten species are in critical need of protection — from black, red and gag grouper that make up the popular fish sandwich to the Warsaw grouper, a gentle giant that can grow nearly eight feet long and weigh up to 440 pounds. Additionally, red snapper populations have plummeted to just 3 percent of 1945 levels, and although they can live up to 54 years, few are older than 10. IF YOU WANT HELP.

In the first major study to examine the effects of climate change on ocean fisheries, a team of researchers from UBC and Princeton University discovered that catch potential will fall 40 percent in the tropics and may increase 30 to 70 percent in high latitude regions, affecting ocean food supply throughout the world by 2055.  They examined the impacts of rising ocean temperatures, changes in salinity and currents resulting from a warming climate.

A lot of people who live in the tropical area rely heavily on the oceans for their food. This new information shows that the food source will be highly affected because of climate change.

Countries facing the biggest loss in catch potential include Indonesia, the United States (excluding Alaska and Hawaii), Chile and China.

Many oceanographers predict severe loss of coral reefs in coming decades due to rising acidity from emissions of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Corals support about 25 to 33 percent of the oceans’ living creatures. We are already seeing a lot of this taking place around the Keys of Florida.  Around one billion people depend directly, and indirectly, on reefs for their livelihoods.

Here is a petition you can sign if you want to have an impact on this issue. YOU CAN TAKE ACTION FOR THE FISH

What will these poor people do if they can’t make a living, or can’t feed themselves because they also survive eating seafood?

In addition, industrial fisheries are scooping up enormous amounts of fish like  anchovies, herring, mackerel and other small fish so they can feed their farmed salmon.  Some turn the fish into animal feed or pet food.

These small fish contribute more than 50 percent of the total food fish supply in more than 36 countries in Africa, Asia and elsewhere. Especially hard-hit is sub-Saharan Africa, where more than half of the population receives 25 percent or more of its protein from fish.

In Mexico the poor people eat these small fish.  Now that the demand for these fish have increased so much the poor can’t afford to eat the fish.  They are also not getting the protein they need, which should be another concern.

Previous studies looking at impacts of climate change on the global food supply have mostly been done on land-based food sources.  These showed that tropical areas will see a decline in land productivity and there will be a significant decline in crops and there will be major price increases.

There are projections that warmer waters will boost fish catches substantially in Norway, Greenland, Alaska and the east coast of Russia. While greater catch potential in colder regions might appear beneficial, the authors caution that more research is needed to account for the multitude of dynamic factors that affect every ecosystem.

“While warmer waters might attract new species to colder regions, the rise in temperature might make the environment inhospitable to current species in the region that cannot move to areas to thrive.

Even if the northern ocean produces more in the future, it might not be enough to maintain current levels of fish for consumers

Regional fishery managers are currently working on important changes to fishing rules that would strengthen limits on the numbers of fish caught annually, prohibit fishing in some areas of the ocean where imperiled fish live and limit certain kinds of fishing so populations have time to replenish themselves.  YOU CAN HELP