New Bird Flu Virus: H7N7
Scientists studying the H7N9 bird flu virus say they’ve discovered a new strain of bird flu lurking in the chickens at the poultry markets of China.…
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Introducing the Whale Sanctuary Project
This blog is taking a break for the next few months so that I can devote my energies to the Whale Sanctuary Project. Here's why.
Is the Stock Market a Global Ponzi Scheme?
Sacred Activism in the Service of Animals
Of Humans and Persons
Days in the Life of a Forest Fire
Videographer Matt Johnson witnessed the three enormous forest fires that made up Colorado’s West Fork Complex Wildfire in June. He writes: [readon] I stayed a little…
Advanced-Stage Humanitis
What a month! And August is not even over. On top of the dozens of raging forest fires, flooded cities and other daily disasters, here’s some…
At the Cairo Zoo
Lost in the chaos of the fighting, the tear gas, the bombs and bullets, the sirens and the screaming of the uprising in Cairo and other…
Rabbits Who Glow in the Dark
Two baby rabbits glowing in the dark among their six littermates. What would you think, as a mother, if you gave birth and then discovered, that…
Why ‘Experts’ Get So Confused about Legal Rights for Nonhumans
Is their confusion perhaps deliberate? An article in The Week asks: “Should Apes Have Legal Rights?” As the Nonhuman Rights Project prepares to file its first…
Costa Rica Shuts Down Its Zoos
Kivu the lion will soon be looking for a new home. And that’s a good thing. Last month, Costa Rica announced that it’s closing its two…
Heroic Beavers Have New Life
Five months ago, when a diesel pipe broke near a wildlife preserve in Utah, a family of beavers saved the day by building a dam. By…
When Rats Have a Near-Death Experience
In the last few moments before he died, according to his sister, Steve Jobs looked around the room at the people who were with him, then…
Disney Worried about Promoting SeaWorld
Pixar Studios is getting cold feet about the happy ending it had planned for its Finding Nemo sequel. According to ArtsBeat writer Brooks Barnes, the upcoming…
Max the Cat on Shark Week
In honor of Shark Week on TV last week, Max dons his shark outfit again and sails away on a Roomba. (And check out the original,…
The Croc Who Croaked for Oprah’s Purse
Is Oprah Winfrey completely clueless about the pillaging of Africa for expensive trinkets? Or does she simply not give a damn?
Yoga Time with a Chihuahua
. . . and no Downward Dog with this one.
Major Victory for Belugas
It’s being hailed as a very significant victory for the anti-captivity movement. Today, the U.S. government’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) denied the Georgia Aquarium’s…
Entertaining a Dolphin
It’s a delightful video, but many news outlets were in fantasy land when they told their viewers that this dolphin at SeaWorld, Orlando, was “laughing” when…
Zoo Owner: "Abolish All Zoos!"
Damian Aspinall wants to put himself and his two zoos out of business. Better yet, he wants to put all zoos out of business. The owner…
. . . and This Cockatoo Picks a Lock
At the University of Vienna, Muppet, Pippin and other cockatoos were presented with a box that had a transparent door through which each of them could…
Cockatoos Play Three Nut Monte . . .
Which cup is the nut hidden under? Cockatoos figure it out quite easily in some cases – but not in others, as you see in these…
Marine Circuses May Soon Be History
It’s time to consider the very real possibility, once unthinkable, that SeaWorld’s “Shamu” shows may soon be history. Not next week or even next year, but…