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Pets/Animals (General/Chat)

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  • 47-Feet-Long Blue Whale Rescued After Being Washed Ashore in Maharashtra

    09/12/2016 5:25:19 AM PDT · by nickcarraway · 13 replies
    Hindustan Times ^ | Sep 12, 2016 | Badri Chatterjee
    A 47-feet-long blue whale, the largest mammal in the world, was rescued after it was beached near village Madban, close to Jaitapur nuclear power plant in Ratnagiri district on Sunday morning. Estimated to weigh around 20 tonnes, the whale was beached for over two days. Local fishermen spotted the mammal on Saturday evening and informed forest officers. On Sunday morning, two boats with 50 personnel carried out the rescue operation over eight hours by pulling the mammal into the sea with the help of ropes during high tide. “Four forest officials led the rescue operation along with local NGOs and...
  • Man Argues With Spitting Goat

    09/11/2016 2:57:28 PM PDT · by navysealdad · 10 replies
    The dude is actually interviewing the goat about the mayor of the island, the president, the councilmen, all about the government.
  • Face-to-face With A Black Rhino

    09/10/2016 2:27:20 PM PDT · by navysealdad · 24 replies
    Kim comes face-to-face with a black rhino and neither of them is budging. What do you do when you come face to face with a 2,000-pound black rhinoceros that appears intent on charging.
  • It's time to stop hugging your chickens

    09/10/2016 9:26:15 AM PDT · by Diana in Wisconsin · 51 replies
    Mother Nature Network ^ | July, 2016 | Robin Shreeves
    If you’re an urban or suburban chicken farmer, there's a chance you may consider your egg-producing, feathered friends family. You may have even given your chickens names, and you certainly care about them deeply. But do you cuddle and kiss them? As of July 2016, there are 611 people in 45 states with salmonella poisoning from contact with backyard chickens, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). At least 138 people were hospitalized. “These outbreaks are expected to continue for the next several months since flock owners might be unaware of the risk of salmonella infection from...
  • Donkeys on the way to being therapy animals aren't horsing around (central PA)

    09/09/2016 5:13:50 AM PDT · by jiggyboy · 14 replies
    The Daily Item / The Danville News ^ | September 9, 2016 | Karen Blackledge
    Juan, a miniature donkey, has passed his first test to make visits as a therapy animal. He underwent testing Friday in the Columbia County Extension Office. Young’s Funny Farm animals were also recertified during testing by Julie Cope of Leighow Veterinary Hospital of Danville. Three-year-old Juan was turned over to Funny Farm owners Neil and Vonnie Young last October. Also passing their tests again were Honeybun, 27; Ruby, 11; and Surprise, 5. Young’s farm, near Berwick, is the only farm in the United States using adopted wild donkeys from the Bureau of Land Management’s Wild Horse snd Burro Adoption Program....
  • Monkey Sees A Magic Trick

    09/08/2016 12:39:35 PM PDT · by navysealdad · 25 replies
    If you're a firm believer that babies pull off the best reactions, you might want to take a look at this video — and reconsider.
  • Foul Play Suspected As Cats Disappear In Arlington [TX]

    09/08/2016 1:59:43 AM PDT · by Red Badger · 51 replies
    DFW CBS LOCAL ^ | 10 Sept 2016 | By Gilma Avalos
    ARLINGTON (CBSDFW.COM) – A dozen neighborhood cats have recently died or disappeared in downtown Arlington, and many business owners are turning to police for help because they suspect foul play. “These cats of Main Street had a home,” said Sarah Hughes, who works nearby. A long row of white crosses covers two streets along Main Street in Arlington. Each cross represents a feral cat that has either gone missing or has been found dead in recent weeks. Hughes stopped next to a cross with the word “missing” crossed out. It has been replaced with “R.I.P.” “This was one of our...
  • Elephant Calf Charging

    09/07/2016 9:06:41 AM PDT · by navysealdad · 20 replies
    Video shows a young elephant calf charging our vehicle and then very quickly realizing that this might not be such a good idea after all. Not only is he (she?) very cute but he also manages a small jump.
  • Venezuela pets go hungry as economic crisis deepens

    09/06/2016 11:04:07 PM PDT · by Olog-hai · 25 replies
    Associated Press ^ | Sep 7, 2016 12:15 AM EDT | Fabiola Sanchez
    Carlos Parra used to love waking up to see his pet albino boxer, Nina. Now, seeing her skeletal body on the floor next to his bed has become a daily reminder of the economic crisis engulfing Venezuela. His other dog’s thick fur barely hides her ribcage as Parra struggles to feed his pets after losing his job at a shoe store. “It’s terrible to sit and eat, see them watching me with hunger, and not be able to do anything,” said the 30-year-old. As Venezuela’s economic crunch worsens, food shortages and rising poverty are forcing once middle-class Venezuelans to do...
  • Elk Snagged in Tire Swing Roams Into Arizona Veterinarian’s Yard

    09/06/2016 7:49:40 PM PDT · by nickcarraway · 11 replies
    KFOR ^ | 9/6 | NADIA JUDITH ENCHASSI
    An elk in distress knew right where to go to for help. It wandered into the yard of an Arizona veterinarian. Debera Butler, DVM, visiting her place in the high country, wasn’t expecting a house call.
  • Piers Morgan Asks 12-Year-Old Hunter, ‘What If I Killed Your Pet Cat?’ — and Her Dad Quickly Reacts

    09/05/2016 11:25:04 AM PDT · by PROCON · 173 replies
    theblaze.com ^ | Sep. 5, 2016 | Tré Goins-Phillips
    "Good Morning Britain” co-host Piers Morgan grilled 12-year-old trophy hunter Aryanna Gourdin Monday morning, comparing her killing of a giraffe to slaying her pet cat. Gourdin, a Utah native, became the subject of heated controversy when she posted photos last week to her Facebook account of a giraffe, wildebeest and zebra she killed on an African safari.“How would you feel if I came to your house one day, and I hunted down your pet cat, and I killed it and I then posted pictures of me celebrating the slaughter of your pet cat?” Morgan proudly asked the young girl. The...
  • [Warning: Graphic, but good ending] The dog who grew a new face – Kalu’s astounding recovery

    09/04/2016 12:13:52 PM PDT · by beaversmom · 22 replies
    Animal Aid Unlimited, India ^ | January 24, 2016 | Animal Aid Unlimited, India
    From the video: "Caution: This video contains graphic images of a severely wounded dog and his amazing recovery. We found Kalu inside of a hole at a construction site where he had gone to die. His face was severely wounded and infested with maggots. His recovery is truly one of the most awe-inspiring and miraculous recoveries we have ever seen."
  • A reel honor: Scientists name new fish after Obama

    09/03/2016 11:56:01 AM PDT · by PROCON · 68 replies
    CNN ^ | Sep. 2, 2016 | Eugene Scott
    Washington (CNN)It isn't exactly a squid pro quo, but scientists are naming a new fish after President Barack Obama partly as a way to say thanks for his decision last month to create a new protected area off the Hawaiian coast. National Geographic reported Friday that the maroon and gold creature, which was discovered 300 feet deep in the waters off Kure Atoll, is the only known fish to live within Papahānaumokuākea, an expanse of coral reefs and seamounts home to more than 7,000 species. One looking for the fish's official name, however, is likely to stay hooked -- a...
  • US judge: Gov’t can keep killing salmon-eating birds

    09/02/2016 8:03:00 PM PDT · by DUMBGRUNT · 32 replies
    seattletimes ^ | 2 Sept 2016 | GILLIAN FLACCUS
    The U.S. Fish and Wildlife in 2015 authorized the Corps to kill about 11,000 cormorants — or 5,600 breeding pairs — and put oil in 26,000 nests on the island. In 2015 and 2016, the Corps culled 7,086 adults birds and applied oil on 6,181 nests, according to Corps documents.
  • Man Accused of Sending Live Ball Python to Ex-Girlfriend’s Apartment

    09/01/2016 9:18:03 PM PDT · by nickcarraway · 32 replies
    KFOR ^ | 8/26
    A Wisconsin man is accused of stalking and threatening his ex-girlfriend -- allegedly sending threatening letters to her employer and her apartment complex, leaving her threatening messages, and even delivering a live ball python snake to her apartment complex. The accused is 37-year-old Eric Burrows of Elkhart Lake, who is facing one count of stalking/domestic abuse, for his alleged actions from July 30th through August 18th. Unfortunately, those with the Sheboygan County District Attorney's Office say stalking cases are nothing new.
  • 3 Bears Keep Cool in Calif. Pool, Raid Trash Bin

    09/01/2016 2:41:28 PM PDT · by nickcarraway · 10 replies
    NBC Bay Area ^ | 9/1 | Jonathan Lloyd
    California's black bear population is on the rise, and sightings are not unusual in SoCal foothill neighborhoods Three bears had a pool party and trash bin buffet Thursday when they visited a neighborhood in the foothills northeast of Pasadena. The black bears, an adult and two cubs, went for a swim in a backyard pool on a nearly 90-degree day in the community just south of Angeles National Forest. The cubs scaled a cement wall and jumped into a large metal trash bin, likely containing discarded food, in the driveway of a home. After chowing down in the blue bin,...
  • God Has Solved the Montauk Party Problem

    09/01/2016 1:14:43 PM PDT · by nickcarraway · 20 replies
    An ocean research organization has discovered a nursery and probably even the birthing site of great white sharks in the North Atlantic — and it’s near Montauk, Long Island. Chris Fischer, the founding chairman of Ocearch, the organization behind the development, told CBS News that they had “definitely [found] the nursery, likely the birthing site.” The find is “probably the most significant discovery we’ve ever made on the ocean,” Fischer added.
  • Pigeon Caught Trying to Smuggle Cellphone Into Prison

    08/31/2016 11:01:01 PM PDT · by nickcarraway · 19 replies
    New York Post ^ | August 31, 2016 | Yaron Steinbuch
    This pigeon ruffled a few feathers — including its own — by trying to smuggle a cellphone to a jailbird. The high-tech carrier pigeon flew to the Combita prison in Colombia on a wing and a prayer and was caught outside with the device attached to its back. It was unclear who hatched the plan for the poor pigeon, which was grabbed by two guards who removed the little harness holding the phone.
  • Their Masters' Voices: Dogs Understand Tone And Meaning Of Words

    08/30/2016 5:57:12 PM PDT · by Innovative · 54 replies
    NPR ^ | Aug. 30. 2016 | Nell Greenfieldboyce
    When you praise a dog, it's listening not just to the words you say but also how you say them. That might not be huge news to dog owners. But now scientists have explored this phenomenon by using an imaging machine to peek inside the brains of 13 dogs as they listened to their trainer's voice. The reward pathway in the dogs' brains lit up when they heard both praising words and an approving intonation — but not when they heard random words spoken in a praising tone or praise words spoken in a flat tone, according to a report...
  • Dogs understand both vocabulary and intonation of human speech

    08/30/2016 5:17:09 PM PDT · by JimSEA · 69 replies
    Science Daily ^ | 8/29/2016 | American Association for the Advancement of Science
    Dogs have the ability to distinguish vocabulary words and the intonation of human speech through brain regions similar to those that humans use, a new study reports. Attila Andics et al. note that vocabulary learning "does not appear to be a uniquely human capacity that follows from the emergence of language, but rather a more ancient function that can be exploited to link arbitrary sound sequences to meanings." Words are the basic building blocks of human languages, but they are hardly ever found in nonhuman vocal communications. Intonation is another way that information is conveyed through speech, where, for example,...