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Zebra mussels, those invaders that have wreaked havoc on the Great Lakes, have found a new way to further their damaging spread: pet shops. A citizen's report of an invasive zebra mussel found in an aquarium moss package from a Seattle pet store prompted a U.S. Geological Survey expert on invasive aquatic species to trigger nationwide alerts. That has led to the discovery of the destructive shellfish in pet stores in at least 21 states, from Alaska to Florida and including Michigan. A Seattle pet shop employee on Feb. 25 reported finding an invasive zebra mussel in an ornamental aquarium...

(Reuters/REUTERS - An orangutan named Sandra, covered with a blanket, gestures inside its cage at Buenos Aires' Zoo, in this December 8, 2010 file photo. An orangutan held in an Argentine zoo can be freed) BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - An orangutan held in an Argentine zoo can be freed and transferred to a sanctuary after a court recognized the ape as a "non-human person" unlawfully deprived of its freedom, local media reported on Sunday. Animal rights campaigners filed a habeas corpus petition - a document more typically used to challenge the legality of a person's detention or imprisonment - in...

At first, Chris Matthews thought a flu bug had hit his entire family last week when they started to feel nauseous and experience eye problems at the same time. But when the family's two dogs started to show symptoms, Matthews knew something was wrong. Matthews had cleaned out the aquarium inside his house in Steventon, England, a day prior. The 27-year-old was transferring rocks and other items from the fish tank into another container, so he could clean each item individually. When he was finished power cleaning the tank, Matthews shut the door and went to bed. The next day, Matthews and...

Sharks are to be trained like dolphins to feed from keepers and even roll over and have their tummies tickled. Brave keepers at British aquariums will use the techniques after research showed they responded well to tuition. Experts hope the training will reduce stress levels for the captive beasts. The UK's Sea Life Centres are to begin a period of intensive tuition by using coloured boards and sounds to train the sharks in a similar way that scientist Ivan Pavlov trained his dogs. Sharks - superorder Selachimorpha in Latin - learn the signals and then when they see or hear...

Why Fish Fanciers Have The Last Laugh Saturday October 27, 2007 Pets can provide a good indication of their owners' personalities, a new study has shown. People who have dogs tend to be cheerful, cat lovers are dependable and emotionally sensitive, and reptile owners independent. But no-one is happier than a keeper of tropical fish, according to the research. Fish owners stand out as the most contented of individuals, says psychologist Professor Richard Wiseman from Hertfordshire University, who led the study. Almost 60% are convinced their fishy friends have a personality and sense of humour. The research reveals that pets'...

Kids with Fish Bowls: Latest Animal Rights "Criminals" By Debbie Schlussel It's official: Your kids may be animal rights offenders. If they own fish and keep them in fish bowls. In fact, if you live in Rome, your kids are breaking the law. In Rome, fish bowls are now banned--for being inhumane to fish. Not surprisingly, the loons at PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals--as opposed to the better PETA: People Eating Tasty Animals) have given the Rome city councilwoman behind this absurd new law, Monica Cirinna, an award for going "further protecting fish than anywhere else in...

PALMDALE - On a quiet little side street in old suburban Palmdale, the non-descript storefront of Advanced Aquatic Technologies is hiding a business that makes possible almost all of the special effects related to water that Hollywood produces. In productions starring names from Janet Jackson to the Stone Temple Pilots, AAT Fabrication, Inc. and its 27 employees create the tanks that produce "80% of the water shots you see on TV" owner Lloyd Paddock said. Previously a banker from Northern California, Paddock said he started out simply keeping aquariums at home as a hobby. Later, he said, Pep Engineering, an...

SEOUL, May 9 (Yonhap) -- U.S. President George W. Bush is reading a North Korean defector's book revealing gruesome human rights abuses in the Stalinist country, according to a White House source contacted in Seoul over the weekend. "I am in the middle of reading 'the Aquariums of Pyongyang,'" the White House source quoted Bush as saying in a recent meeting with aides. The White House source, whose name is being withheld by the Yonhap News Agency for privacy, told a friend in Seoul that Bush "appeared to be very concerned" about the plight of the 23 million North...

Boffins highlight dangers of your aquarium November 04 2003 at 02:45PM Paris - France's health watchdog said on Tuesday it had recorded a surge in cases of a rare type of skin infection among aquarium lovers after they had changed tank water or handled fish with their bare hands. The condition, sometimes called "fish tuberculosis", is caused by a bug called Mycobacterium marinum that is often found in aquarium water as well as in ponds and seawater or in under-chlorinated swimming pools, they said. Sixty-three cases of the infection were recorded in France between 1996 and 1998, the Institute of...