Wild elephants trample four to death
source: thedailystar.com
A herd of marauding wild elephants trampled four persons to death and injured seven others at Shafipur village in Razasthali upazila of the district in the early hours yesterday. The dead were identified as Abdur Rouf, 70, Ambia Begum, 40, Zarina Begum, 27, and Saleha Begum, 3.
All the injured, identities of whom were not immediately available, were admitted to Rajasthali Upazila Health Complex, official sources said. Sources said the herd of about seven to eight elephants went on the rampage on the village on the eve of Fazr prayers...San Diego Zoo's giant panda gives birth
source: By Michelle Morgante / Associated Press Writer
Bai Yun, a 13-year-old giant panda on loan from China, gave birth to the first of twin cubs, but researchers at the San Diego Zoo were doubtful Wednesday that the second cub would be born healthy with each passing hour. "The chances of her giving birth to a second live cub are dwindling," said Pat Morris, the zoo's director of veterinary services, at least 24 hours after the initial delivery. Bai Yun gave birth in a nest of shredded bamboo at 1:15 p.m. Tuesday, said Don Lindburg, head of the zoo's panda team. Bai Yun appeared to have contractions...Stranded whales to be released back into the wild
source: By Linda Reeves / Sun Sentinel
The drama began at first light on April 18, six miles southwest of Big Pine Key, when a fisherman spotted the horrible phenomenon. Twenty-eight pilot whales were stuck in the sand. Twelve were dead. No one knows what actually happened during the family's last moments together at sea. But the tragedy cried out to many in South Florida when the news broke.
Now, four months after the largest pilot whale stranding ever recorded in Florida, the volunteers who have put their lives on hold to save and nurse the gentle giants back to health are experiencing mixed emotions. The whales are expected to be released back...'Retirement benefits' for enslaved Indian elephants
source: by Maria A. Schulz / Animal News Center
K. Sudharakaran, the provincial forest minister of the southern Indian state of Kerala, recently declared that elephants working for the state will be entitled to retirement benefits at age 65.
The retired elephants will officially have a right to a healthy diet, check-ups by vets, and acceptable living conditions, according to the new ruling. "We are taking a serious note of growing cruelty towards captive elephants and their violent reaction to their human captors," K. Sudharakaran told the state assembly in Trivandrum. An estimated 33,000 elephants are left in India - a quarter of their 19th-century population...Scientists 'discover' emotions in animals
source: by Patricia Collier / Animal News Center
Researchers working in neurobiology and behavioral observation seem to be learning what pet lovers have known all along: animals have feelings. New evidence gathered from actually studying dogs, chimps and other animals, supports pet owners' firm convictions that animals experience fear, jealousy, grief and love. "Five years ago my colleagues would have thought I was off my rocker," said biologist Marc Bekoff. "But now scientists are finally starting to talk about animal emotions in public. It's like they're coming out of the closet." For example, recent...Pioneering surgery gives gorilla full sight
source: Talk Wildlife
A Western lowland gorilla from Bristol Zoo that has had cataracts since birth has regained full sight following two groundbreaking operations. Romina, a 21-year-old female had the first ever cataract operation to be performed on an adult gorilla in Europe in April this year. The first operation gave her sight in one eye and was such a success that her second eye was operated on earlier this month. The procedure was carried out at the University of Bristol's Veterinary Hospital by Medical Ophthalmologist, Jenny Watts from Royal Hampshire County Hospital assisted by Prof Sheila Crispin, Head of Veterinary Ophthalmology at the University...Monkey shortage said slowing research
source: By Associated Press
A nationwide shortage of rhesus macaque monkeys is hampering efforts to create cures from new information such as the human genome sequence, organ transplant techniques, and the use of stem cells to replace diseased of damaged tissue, scientists say. The 15-pound monkeys have long been laboratory favorites because of their physiological similarity to humans. But increased demand caused by public health crises from AIDS to the threat of bioterrorism have led to shortage that's slowed research and has scientists paying up to $10,000 per animal...Pa. police capture alligator with snare
source: By Associated Press
Taking a cue from a Discovery Channel show, police captured a 4-foot-long alligator in a residential yard by using a dog snare and a shirt. Officer Richard Grande threw a shirt over the gator's head after another officer used a dog snare -- a long pole used to keep animals at a safe distance -- to restrain it. Sgt. John Snyder and Officer Doug Yuhouse taped the alligator's mouth shut and took the reptile to animal control. "They watched that on Discovery's 'Croc Files,'" Lt. Todd Ruggiero said. Animal control officer Paul McIntyre says the retile captured Tuesday in the Pittsburgh suburb is an American alligator about 6 or 7 years old...Putting on the dog: Clothing for your canine
source: Sherrie Buzby / The Arizona Republic
Izzy the Pomeranian looks simply mahvelous in a pink Michael Simon sweater, retailing for $37.50 at Fetch Doggie in Scottsdale. Clothes for dogs are a necessity, begins Dawn Burdo, the Scottsdale "mom" of Mickey Blue, a Yorkshire terrier. Short-haired dogs, especially small ones, shiver in the winter. The hot Arizona pavement burns paws in the summer. So, if you are a well-dressed woman who loves her dog, why buy a plain sweater when you can dress your favorite pooch in a Harley-Davidson jacket or a pink sweater, accented with a marabou collar...Meet the monster Octopus or squid? Whichever it is, it's one of the biggest on record
source: SMH.com.au
What exactly it is remains a mystery - though some reports describe it as a giant octopus, while others say it is a squid. In any event, the Chilean Navy measured it at 12.4 metres, weighing 13 tonnes, when they pictured it on the beach near Maullin on the Pacific Ocean coast, 1,000 km south of Santiago. The remains will be sent to France for scientists to examine, press reports said.
The giant eight-armed mollusc terrified residents at Los Muermos village near Puerto Montt city after they found it lying on the beach looking like a fantastical sea monster out of a Hollywood...Task force to probe Colorado cat mutilations
source: By Judith Crosson / Reuters
A task force of animal experts and police investigators has been set up to find out who mutilated and killed nearly 45 cats in the Denver area in the past year, officials said on Wednesday. About half the killings have taken place in Aurora, a city of 293,000 next to Denver, making it the center of the investigation. "When you look at the emotion of the owners you understand. It's like losing a member of the family," Aurora Police Chief Ricky Bennett told reporters. Bennett said the 19-member task force will include prosecutors from the region, animal experts, veterinarians, the Denver Dumb Friends League and a psychologist...'Natural Enemies' Can Become Best Friends
source: by Keith Varnum / TheDream.com/OmPlace
Can so-called "natural enemies" - wild bears, wolves and mountain lions - live together as friends? Or will they fight, maim or kill each other? A very special wildlife park shares an "unbelievable" story about how one member of a group can transform the consciousness of a whole community. In this case, the one was an Arizona gray wolf. Acting on an intuitive vision, Dean Harrison, founder of Phoenix wildlife sanctuary.Out of Africa, decided to put three of the most competitive "natural enemies" into the same fenced outdoor living space. At first, these adolescent wild animals - four mountain lions, four Arizona gray wolves...Stop the U.S. Navy from deploying its Low Frequency Active (LFA) sonar system
source: NRDC BioGems Defender
We need your immediate support as we go to trial in a case that is critical to the future of marine mammals on this planet. Three weeks from now, NRDClitigators will face off against the Bush administration in federal court with the safety of entire populations of whales and dolphins at risk. This long-awaited courtroom battle is the culmination of our eight-year campaign to stop the U.S. Navy from illegally deploying its Low Frequency...Stray cats overrun Thailand's main temple
source: Associated Press
Stray cats have so overrun Thailand's most celebrated temple that officials installed remote cameras hoping to catch people leaving the animals there. Nearly 50 cats have become permanent residents at the Temple of Emerald Buddha in Bangkok, and officials say they are becoming a nuisance to the thousands of tourists who visit it daily. "We feel sorry for tourists...
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