Let's Talk Animals

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[letstalkanimals-blog]

Baby Bear goes Grocery Shopping

Defiantly the Awe video of the day: The Grind has a video of a baby bear that had gotten lost in a grocery store. In it you can see the bear roaming the produce while trying to find a place to hide from the gathering people. They did release the bear (which you can see them pick it up and begin to cry) and it had not been seen since, so here is hoping it found its mother.

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Wolf and Herpes Monkey still on the Loose

                       On The Lookout points out that a wolf and a monkey presumably infected with Hepatitis B is still on the loose. Most of the 56 animals have been killed, which there are images on the net where you can see them laid out (ones I choose not to post). Last night when I first read the news about this I was very suspicious this was a suicide attempt. As I have previously linked in another post, a man who owned various exotic animals was found dead last night (October 18th) with many of the animal cages left open. The police have confirmed it was a suicide. I have worked with exotic animals in the past, I know the type of locking systems required to maintain these animals, thus that is why I presumed it had been a suicide/last wish for animals to be free. Ohio's laws on exotic animal ownership are rather relaxed compared to most states. While I have heard many complain about the killing of these animals, as hard as it is for me to say- I do understand. Sometimes I think people imagine these animals as being cute and fluffy and coo when you rub their bellies. When you are actually up close to them it is not even close to being something adorable. Animals like tigers, bears, wolves, and such, are animals that when you deal with them, they demand your respect. I worked with primates, gorillas specifically, and I remember how intimidating it was to be around them. Having a cage between us did relax me somewhat, but boy they could be so scary- yet beautiful at the same time. I never imagined prior to working with them what it would be really like- they are big, strong, and could crush me like a bug, but to see such strength made me appreciate and respect them all the more. When dealing with tranquilizing animals it can take upwards of 5 minutes till the animals are actually down. Considering they had 50+ animals it would have not been easy to have control in those circumstances. Tranquilizing can be dangerous for the animals themselves and for the people around, they can become erratic and guess what- their pissed off. While Hollywood may make circumstances like these seem pretty and easy, that is not real life. To tranquilize would have been unbelievably risky and dangerous for everyone involved. In my opinion if anyone should be blamed for these animals deaths it should be the owner and the state for allowing him to have these animals, even though there have been various reports of this man having citations for animal abuse. It frustrates me that little has been discussed thus far on this fact. As frustrating and saddening this whole situation is, I hope others can understand that exotic animals are not pets nor should handling them be taken lightly.

[letstalkanimals-blog]

Or maybe just your eyes. This is a fish called the barreleye fish (also known as the spook fish) was found in the Pacific off the coast of California. This National Geographic video is older, 2009, but that does not take away the pure awesomeness that is this fish. Inside you can see the tubular eyes pivot within the clear dome of its head. The eyes sit on top of the head but can also be focused forward. 

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Exotic Animals on the Run in Ohio

Lions and Tigers and Bears for Realz! La Times has reported that in Ohio dozens of exotic animals that live on a wild animal preserve "escaped".

The fences had been left unsecured at the Muskingum County Animal Farm in Zanesville, and the animals' cages were open, police said. They wouldn't say what animals escaped but said the preserve had lions, wolves, tigers, giraffes, camels and bears. Bears and wolves were among 25 animals that were shot and killed, police said, and there were multiple sightings of exotic animals along a nearby highway.

I am unsure how animals exactly escape if their pen doors are wide open, but we will go along with it.

He said four deputies with assault rifles in a pickup truck went to the animal farm, where they found the farm's owner, Terry Thompson, dead and all the animal cage doors open. He wouldn't say how Thompson died but said several aggressive animals were near his body and had to be shot. 

I find this entire article strange and very ambiguous. How were the doors open and how did Terry die? Those two questions, if properly answered, would be most insightful for the situation. It really saddens me 25 animals died, but considering the situation I am sure police are just trying to act fast. When you deal with aggressive animals who have been fed by humans and around them, it is easy for them to have little fear of humans. If I was in Ohio, I would lock my doors and sleep with the night light on.

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First, let's get out that awe. Awee CBS posted a story about Joey the river otter who is unable to swim. They claim that keepers believe Joey was orphaned before he was taught to swim by his mother, thus the fear. While I may want to sniff and cheer Joey on, I must restrain myself and contain those nasty motherly instincts. Hopefully with time Joey can look to the other Otters for guidance. 

[letstalkanimals-blog]

The Cyclops are Coming

                            It is hard not to be in awe at the things nature can do. Not only was this baby shark albino, it was also a cyclops. The Dusky Shark was found when cut from the mothers womb, which the yahoo article points out it would have had a low probability of survival.

Shark researchers have examined the preserved creature and found that its single eye is made of functional optical tissue, they said last week. It's unlikely, however, that the malformed creature would have survived outside the womb. "This is extremely rare," shark expert Felipe Galvan Magana of Mexico's Centro Interdisciplinario de Ciencias del Mar told thePisces Fleet Sportfishing blog in July. "As far as I know, less than 50 examples of an abnormality like this have been recorded.

 It makes me want to deep dive and see what it is really like deep in the ocean. You can only wonder of the strange and bizarre that has never been recorded.

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Animals and Road Salt

Every year you see that very sad scene of an animal hit off the side of the road. There is no denying that sometimes they are simply trying to cross the road, however sometimes the animals are just licking the pavement. Animals need salt, just like us, to have a healthy diet. With the winter approaching, you may notice all that salt that is dumped to melt the snow. Well, animals many times use that salt to fulfill their dietary need- even if it means a risk for car collision. Beyond collision risks, there is the chance of birds swallowing this salt which for them is toxic and often fatal. Vital plants that are sensitive to salt can die, losing a food source for some animals. And then you have the salt seeping into water supply, potentially affecting fish and many other species. While I am not here to argue or judge about road salt, I am simply pointing out some of the effects this salt can have. If you are particularly sensitive to animals licking the pavement, consider sticking a salt block in your yard or a local forested area.

[letstalkanimals-blog]

Environmental Toxins Affecting Polar Bears

                     Those cute fluffy white creatures that you see on commercials and in books may be in a bit of trouble. Even though Polar Bears live far away in the Arctic they are receiving much more from humans then just that sugary coca-cola. According to Science Daily, they are also receiving environmental toxins from the sea currents.

Here, the cocktail of environmental toxins is absorbed by the sea's food chains, of which the polar bear is the top predator.

 "The accumulated industrial chemicals cause diseases in the polar bears which do not lead to their immediate deaths. On the other hand, the toxins damage the bones and organs of the polar bears, their immune systems and not least their reproductive systems. However, the harm suffered by the population of polar bears in eastern Greenland is not yet fully understood," says Christian Sonne.

The article also points out that arctic foxes and sled dogs are also being affected, yet the findings of this disruption were not done with a controlled group. While over the years I have seen various discussions and documentaries on global warming and how it affects the polar bear habitat, I think this is the first time I have seen pollution and polar bear consumption being linked. Imagine how far polar bears live and yet look at the animals that live in our back yard. It is pretty amazing to really see how some of the things humans do can effect those from afar.

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While this video, from CBS, is a older video, I felt I should still share for those who were part of the four million that did not originally view this. A friend sent this link to me and I thought "Wow, that's pretty inspiring and amazing." 

The video takes place at an elephant reserve where there are stray dogs that have also found a home there as well. The story covers the test of friendship between two who are very unalike.

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Virgin Births

                           This is a very interesting article about snakes ability to store sperm for long periods of time and even a case of virgin birth.

An eastern diamond rattlesnake recently gave successful birth five years after mating, according to a new paper that describes this longest known instance of sperm storage, outside of insects, in the animal kingdom.

The article, from the discovery website, goes on to say:

The study, published in the Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, also presents the first documented virgin birth by a copperhead snake. In this case, the female never mated, proving that snakes and certain other animals can either give true virgin -- dadless -- birth, or may store sperm for long periods. Actual mate-less virgin birthing, known as parthenogenesis, "has now been observed to occur naturally within all lineages of jawed vertebrates, with the exception of mammals," co-author Warren Booth told Discovery News. "We have recently seen genetic confirmation in species such as boa constrictors, rainbow boas, various shark species, Komodo dragons, and domestic turkeys, to name a few.

 The article goes on to talk about the rattlesnakes ability to twist its uterus which might be why it could store sperm for so long compared to other creatures, like humans. Human females are supposedly able to store sperm for up to five days. Now compare that to five years!

[letstalkanimals-blog]

Pesky Rodents

A lot of people feel that the only way to shoo away rodents such as mice, rats, chipmunks, voles, etc- is to kill them. There are, however, more humane ways to handling this problem to a degree (this will help decrease the population but I can't claim it will get rid of them). Having low hanging plants such as vines and shrubs are a huge reason as to why animals such as these might enjoy hanging around your house. It is good cover from their natural predators and they enjoy feeling safe. So try and cut back these types of plants. Also surrounding your house with maybe chipped stone or mulch could be a good alternative for landscaping. Removing food such as outside dog food or bird feeders is another good way to control populations. Sealing major holes can help keep them out of your house. Just some more humane ideas for handling those pesky animals that many of us detest.