Animal Intervention
I’m sometimes a bit suspicious of people who call themselves animal lovers. “Loving” animals can mean all kinds of things. And while most of the people…
On Picking Up Starfish
Last weekend, when I was on the Animal Wise radio talk show, Mike and Beth (the hosts) asked me how any of us can stay sane…
‘Death at SeaWorld’ Author Speaks
When killer whale Tilikum killed his trainer, Dawn Brancheau, two and a half years ago, David Kirby started work on a book, “Death at SeaWorld.” He…
The Country Vet
For the weekend: A rescued stallion who’s all hormones … a pit bull who literally ate the homework … a pheasant with a broken leg ……
Natalie Portman’s Vegan Jewish Wedding
Black Swan star Natalie Portman’s wedding last Saturday evening was all traditional Jewish – except for the menu. All vegan. [readon] Portman has been a vegetarian…
Ex-Bullfighter: “I Was Wrong”
He’s basically one of a kind – a former bullfighter who now fights against bullfighting. Alvaro Munera started his career in Colombia when he was 12…
Peter Singer Honored by Queen Elizabeth
It’s a tradition in Britain and the Commonwealth for the queen to award special honors each year on her birthday. This year, the controversial philosopher Peter…
Donkey Rescuer at Queen’s Garden Party
Most days, she’s out looking after the donkeys at the sanctuary she founded in Israel. But last week Lucy Fensom was at Buckingham Palace for one of the pre-Jubilee garden parties hosted by Queen Elizabeth.
Bob Barker Does It Again
Just three weeks after he completed a half-million-dollar donation to Chimp Haven, a Louisiana sanctuary for former laboratory chimpanzees, Bob Barker has sent $250,000 to Save the Chimps, a sanctuary in Florida.
Racing 1,000 Miles to Her Adoption – Aaaw!
A small stray dog has become a sensation all across China after joining up with a cycling team and running with them for more than 1,000…
No Butchering at This Butcher’s Shop
The refrigerator cabinets are stuffed with ground beef, chicken pieces, meatballs, bacon, everything you’d expect to see at the butcher’s shop. Except that there’s no meat in any of them.
Welcome Home from War!
In Homer’s Odyssey, Argos the dog waits for 20 years for Odysseus, to come home from the Trojan War. Unable even to stand up any longer, he refuses to take his last breath until he’s been reunited. Here’s a more joyful compendium of Welcome Home videos.
Teenage Girl Risks Life, Saves 25 Horses
Ignoring warnings from her stepdad, 15-year-old Madison Wallraf dashed into a burning stable on Wednesday night and rescued 25 horses from the blazing fire. Taking the reins of the terrified horses – in some cases just throwing ropes over them to lead them out – the 4-foot-10 girl guided as many as possible to safety.
Panchita at the Poolside
This is Panchita, a Galapagos sea lion, relaxing next to Eric Nies, an American human (and former star of Real World New York), at a hotel in the Galapagos.
My Last Day with the Lions
Scottish bank worker and singer Douglas Hamilton has become something of an Internet sensation after posting a video of himself with lion cubs on his last day volunteering at a wildlife sanctuary in South Africa.
U.K. Activist Takes on the Big Vivisectionists
Steele makes the vivisection industry very nervous. He has almost single-handedly brought to a halt the trafficking of animals from abroad who are bound for laboratories in the U.K. His strategy has involved little more than encouraging people to flood the directors of the transportation companies’ with e-mails and letters.
Elephants Mourn Elephant Whisperer
His human friends are not the only people mourning the loss of Lawrence Anthony, the man known as the elephant whisperer. At Thula Thula, the private wildlife park in South Africa where he was the director of conservation, the entire herd of elephants who knew him and loved him, came to his home to say farewell.
Returning Soldier Greets His Pit Bull in Hospital
The reunion was bittersweet, however. Since Rohn’s discharge, the Hultgrens have been unable to find a rental home that will accept DeeBoe, one of a group of “bully breeds” that are banned by many landlords and homeowners associations.
Emirates Woman Opens Pet Hotel in Abu Dhabi
Afra Sultan al Dahiri says she almost gave up setting up her dream of opening a hotel for pets in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. At first, her application for a license was turned down on the grounds that a pet hotel is not listed as an economic or commercial activity there.
Two Girl Scouts Fight the Palm Oil Industry
Teenagers Rhiannon Tomtishen and Madison Vorva had been studying orangutans as part of a project to earn their Girl Scout Bronze Award four years ago. The palm oil goes into numerous baked goods and other “fun” foods, and the orangutans and their kind are now threatened with extinction.