H7N9 Now Spreading Human-to-Human
An ominous development in the new bird flu is the first apparent, well-documented case of the virus being transmitted from human to human. Laurie Garrett, who…
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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.
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Is the Sloth Sanctuary a Zoo?
The Sloth Sanctuary in Costa Rica was the first of its kind for these wonderfully engaging animals, and it was a model for others that followed. But questions have arisen. And…
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Tafi Atome Monkey Sanctuary
Tafi Atome looks like a typical forest in Ghana. The monkeys have been revered in this village for two centuries. But being “sacred” is no guarantee of survival.
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The Great Irony of Animal “Rights”
The great irony of the animal rights movement is there is still only one species that has any rights at all: humans. But the Nonhuman Rights Project is setting out to change that.
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Why Mass Extinction Is Part of Human Nature
Why would a supposedly “intelligent” species behave in a way that’s bringing about a mass extinction – one that will likely take us down along with so many other animals?
Is the Stock Market a Global Ponzi Scheme?
Sacred Activism in the Service of Animals
Of Humans and Persons
Elephants on Candid Camera
Elephants in Cambodia pass a camera trap make their way through the forest to a small lake, where some fun and games ensues. The videos come…
H7N9 Has Escaped from China
At a briefing in Beijing yesterday, Dr. Keiji Fukuda, an assistant director general at the World Health Organization, called H7N9 “definitely one of the most lethal influenza viruses we’ve seen.”
He added that “the potential development of human-to-human spread cannot be ruled out.”
Soy – the Good, the Bad and the Poisonous
The Cornucopia Institute has a scorecard on some of the best-known soy products. And you may be surprised to learn that the ubiquitous Silk doesn’t even…
A Day for Lab Animals
It’s World Day for Laboratory Animals – April 24th. The day was set up in the U.K. in 1979 to mark the birthday of the heroic Air…
Elephants on HBO with Lily Tomlin
If you’re already outraged by what Lily Tomlin calls “the bizarre practice of caging wild animals for public display,” the HBO documentary An Apology to Elephants…
Earth Day – Still All About Us
There’s something almost a little hubristic about our celebration of “Earth Day.” As though we generously give the Earth a day each year – and the…
Ferrets in a Peanut Pool, etc. …
Ferrets in a peanut pool … Kitty drinks from a vacuum cleaner(!) … Another cat tries out the rotating snake illusion … and an African Gray…
Why Zoos Won’t Save Lions
Fifty years ago, 450,000 lions ruled Africa as the proverbial king of beasts. Today there are fewer than 20,000 left. What will save them from extinction?…
Of Humans and Persons
Are all humans “persons” as far as the law is concerned? Are all “persons” humans? People manage to get quite confused about this, and it’s a…
‘He Kept Me Alive in Afghanistan.’
Pets aren’t allowed on U.S. military bases in Afghanistan. At least not officially. Staff Sgt. Jesse Knott first saw Koshka appear from behind one of the…
U.S. Army Stops Medical Training on Goats
At Fort Bragg, N.C., soldiers kill about 300 goats a month in practice situations to learn how to deal with wounds caused by bombs and bullets.…
U.K. to Ban Wild Animals in Traveling Circuses
Under a bill that’s expected to become law, traveling circuses in the U.K. will be banned from using exotic animals. They will have until December 2015…
As Ocean Rises, Kiribati Islands Plan to Evacuate
The remains of a gas station submerged as the waters rise over Kiribati. The President of Kiribati calls it “migration with dignity.” The ocean is rising.…
Happy Birthday, Nessie
It sounded, at some points, more like a religious gathering. “I believe in a large, unidentified creature in the loch, possibly amphibious – that is, a…
Sands of Time
One day, about 185 million years ago, some dinosaurs wandered down to a small oasis in the desert, about 20 miles from where I live. There…
Hanging On for Dear Life
This orangutan was rescued as she clung to the last remaining tree in her forest. Bulldozers were clearing another huge swath of Indonesian rain forest for…
Four Reasons Why Cloning Extinct Animals Is Wrong
Last month, I wrote that the buzz about cloning extinct animals like the woolly mammoth isn’t really to do with conservation, as many of the people…