U.K. High Court Votes to Kill Family Dog
June 13, 2012 by Michael Mountain
Two years ago, animal control officials in Northern Ireland, seized a family pet from the home of Caroline Barnes, a former veterinary nurse whose 11-year-old daughter was registered as a disabled person. Lennox is part Labrador, part American bulldog and part Staffordshire terrier. The officers told Nurse Barnes that the dog looked like an American [...]
When You Feel Blue, Does Fido Too?
June 11, 2012 by Michael Mountain
When you’re feeling down in the dumps, does your pooch want to comfort you? If so, does she really know what’s going on with you, or is something else going on? Enquiring minds want to know. Some new research suggests that dogs do indeed respond specifically when they can see that you’re upset. But it’s [...]
Do Plants Think?
June 6, 2012 by Michael Mountain
In his new book, What a Plant Knows, Daniel Chamovitz, director of the Manna Center for Plant Biosciences at Tel Aviv University, says they can see, smell and feel – not in the same way as animals, obviously, but certainly their own way.
Farewell to Oliver the ‘Humanzee’
June 4, 2012 by Michael Mountain
Oliver was captured in Africa as a two-year-old in the 1960s and sold to animal trainers in the U.S. For the next few years he was exploited for the fact that he had a flatter face than most chimpanzees and tended to walk upright like a human. Perhaps, his owners suggested, he was a hybrid or a “missing link.”
Judge Rules SeaWorld Committed ‘Serious’ Violation in Death of Trainer
May 31, 2012 by Michael Mountain
Tilikum in isolation after killing his trainer SeaWorld claims it can stop its enraged, depressed, captive orcas from killing their trainers by slapping the water to distract them. But a judge has decided to slap SeaWorld instead. Yesterday, Judge Ken Welsch upheld most of the charges that OSHA (the Occupational Safety and Health Administration) has leveled [...]
All Dressed Up for Their Last Foie Gras Spree
May 30, 2012 by Michael Mountain
There’s something quite chilling about this series of photos, taken by Marcio Jose Sanchez at the Sent Sovi restaurant in Saratoga, California. The diners were gathered for one of their last foie gras eating sprees before the ban on producing this “delicacy” goes into effect in California in July. Imagine getting all dressed up to [...]
Chimps, Orangutans Have Human-Like Personalities
May 29, 2012 by Michael Mountain
Do chimpanzees, orangutans and other nonhuman great apes have distinct personalities like us? It’s been a longstanding debate within the scientific community, and those who seek to exploit these animals have long argued that “personality” is a distinctly human attribute, not shared by any other species.
Why Newborn Beluga Whale Died at Aquarium
May 24, 2012 by Michael Mountain
Mother Maris with her baby at the Georgia Aquarium The Georgia Aquarium is trying to explain why a newborn Beluga whale calf died there yesterday. But scientists aren’t buying the explanation. “This was a very sudden loss,” said William Hurley, the aquarium’s chief animal officer. “Her blood indicators suggested her little body was working the [...]
Chimp Rescues Ducklings … Then Demands Reward
May 24, 2012 by Michael Mountain
When Bossou saw three ducklings in the water around his Chimp Island at the Dublin Zoo, he decided it was time to rescue them. But he wasn’t going to give them to the SPCA without a reward.
Fido’s Mysterious Ancestors
May 22, 2012 by Michael Mountain
Dr. Larson and his colleagues conducted a detailed analysis of DNA 1,375 dogs of 121 breeds, along with 19 wolves. They found that all the modern breeds of dog had been so mixed that their early genetic history was impossible to see.
