India is the fourth country to ban keeping cetaceans in captivity, behind Costa Rica, Hungary and Chile. Dolphins and other cetaceans have long been kept as a source of entertainment and guaranteed income in zoos and theme parks alike. But knowing what we know now about cetacean intelligence, is that really the right thing to do?
I’ll say it. I have now decided to give myself the title ‘former zookeeper’ because the more I examine zoo’s and the way they operate the less I am satisfied. Most zoos put their animals first, most zoos put most of their animals first, but really, I’ve learned that its a department to department kind of thing. I’ve seen departments who really value and I’ve seen places that are more likely to put the people’s experience before their animals welfare.
Happy 4th of July! What? It’s the 9th you say? Shh… I’ve been on vacation!
The birthday of America, a day to drink and shoot off fireworks and not really think about what the 4th of July is actually celebrating. It was the day that the Declaration of Independence was signed in, which gave us freedom from the Britts across the pond. But I’m not really here to talk about history, well, not U.S. history, but I thought that I would give you guys a little information about the interaction between the U.S. and the bald eagle.
Death toll:
The largest mass death of bombus ever recorded. 50,000 were found dead, lying in a parking lot, and the world is asking why? What are bombus? Why should we care?
The binturong, the malaysian bearcat, what ever you call it, it’s still one of my favorite animals. I vaguely remember hearing about the strange animals on some television show when I was young, but I never really knew anything about them until I began my internship at the Palm Beach Zoo. Behind the scenes of the Wild Things show lived the retired Scooter, a very old, very sweet binturong.
I recently had the privilege of filming a public service announcement for Cleveland Amory Black Beauty Ranch in Murchison, Texas. It is the largest animal sanctuary in the U.S. and is made up of 3,010 acres and is home to over 1,000 animals. It is a beautiful place and I believe that ever animal facility should look to them for how animals should be housed and treated. This PSA was filmed and edited by me, and I do have the rights to the music. A great thanks to BBR and HSUS for helping out so much. This was made for a journalism class I am currently taking at SMU.
The National Institute of Health is a branch of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. It is the largest source of funding for medical research in the world and is comprised of almost 30 centers. Wednesday, June 26, NIH announced that they would be retiring 310 government owned chimpanzees.
In April a greater one-horned rhino called ‘Rhino 17’ was shot and killed for her horn. These stories are all to common across India and Africa as rhino poaching is on the rise across the globe as the demand for ground horn soars. This rhino was a little different, however, because she had a new born calf by her side as she was killed. Now although this little rhino’s story is not a happy one, it may not have to end in tragedy.
If you all read my post ‘canine distemper ruins lives’ you might find it interesting to note that National Geographic just wrote an article about a CDV breakout in the tiger population in Russia.
I am sure you have heard me preach about the evils of palm oil, again and again, but if you’ve actually tried to shop for products without palm oil you’ve probably found that you’re going without a lot of your normal snacks. It sucks! Goodness, I’ve missed popcorn, but now theres a way to find who is using sustainable palm oil!
Endangered Living 