Sept. 28/2016

Feature:
These Birds Remember Their Human Enemies

“Antarctica travelers, take note: do not mess with the brown skua.

Researchers from South Korea studying birds in Antarctica have discovered that the brown skua can recognize humans & flag them as enemies.

Avian enthusiasts might not be that surprised to learn another species is being recognized for its impressive cognitive abilities. They may already be aware that crows have the intelligence & ability to learn who we are & warn others if they know we’re not around as friends.

...the brown skua has had relatively little experience when it comes to interacting with us, & our encounters with them have only been through the growing development of research stations there over the past few decades...

...During the study, researchers from South Korea investigating their breeding habits on King George Island visited their nests once a week to check on eggs & chicks.

They explained in a statement that to test if the birds were identifying individual researchers they would approach the nests in a pair wearing identical clothing that included someone who had been to the nests & someone who had not. Then they would separate & walk in opposite directions. They found that each time, the skua parents whose nests had been invaded would follow & attack the person who had been to there, but never followed the other person...

The researchers posed 2 theories about how these birds are able to recognize us –  they’ve had enough encounters with us over time to learn to discriminate, or more likely, they’ve just always been exceptionally smart.

‘It is amazing that brown skuas, which evolved & lived in human-free habitats, recognized individual humans just after 3 or 4 visits. It seems that they have very high levels of cognitive abilities,’ said Won Young Lee, a researcher from the Korea Polar Research Institute...”

Alicia Graef
April 3/2016
care2.com

Cute Critter Pic

Weekly Chuckle

Sept. 21/2016

Feature:
Success! Library Cat Won’t Be Evicted

 “Thanks to animal lovers across the world coming together, Browser the library cat can now rest easy by his books because his eviction has been called off.

   Browser made headlines... when the city council in White Settlement, Texas voted to remove the tabby cat from the library where he had been living for the last 6 years. The council voted 2-1 for the cat to pack his litter box... & be on his way. The decision was made after a city hall employee wasn’t allowed to bring her puppy into work, calling the situation unfair since a cat was allowed in the library.

   Luckily, Browser had many humans to argue his case. A Care2 petition gathered more than 63,000 signatures in a matter of days.

   ‘According to the library president, children love to pick out books to read to him, & he never interferes with the yarn used during her Tuesday knitting class,’ read the petition arguing for Browser to be granted permission to stay at the library. ‘He’s regularly featured on the library’s Instagram feed. People come in to look for him, & he’s become part of the family. He’s a sweet & gentle creature who’s made his home in the quiet confines of the library.’

   Browser’s supporters also reached out to officials in White Settlement directly. One city council member told the Associated Press he was ‘called a few choice names.’ The mayor of the town was also flooded with messages regarding the issue.

‘I have received to date close to 1200 email messages from all over the world,’ the town’s mayor Ronald White said...

   A local petition gathered more than 800 supporters for the cat & many showed up at the city council meeting...to argue in the feline’s defense, but council members didn’t even need to hear them. The council voted unanimously to allow Browser to stay at the library as its official mascot.

   Maybe this kitty’s newfound fame will even lead to more library visits. For those wanting to meet Browser, he is known to hang out by the periodicals & non-fiction sections.”
Natalia Lima
July 5/2016
care2.com

Cute Critter Pic 

Weekly Chuckle

Sept. 14/2016

Feature:
PitLuvMTL Showcases Breed’s Bond With Families

   “Photographer Michelle Gagne is using her camera to try to fight what she calls a stereotype plaguing pit bulls...
     Gagne, a local fashion photographer, has launched #PitLuvMTL- a series of portraits she has posted to her social media streams that she said reveals close, loving ties between Montreal’s pit bulls & their owners.
     ‘Fear is a really powerful tool that can be used in very bad ways...Why not use love instead?’ Gagne said. ‘I just wanted to share something positive. Send out some love to pits.’

     While not a pit bull owner, Gagne said her connection with her own dog made her realize the potential struggle for Montreal pit bull owners who are awaiting a decision...on breed-specific legislation...
     ...Gagne said...she thinks proposed bans are a ‘harsh conclusion’ based on what she calls misinformation about pit bulls.

     Her project consists of 10 black & white portraits that capture the intense bond & outpouring of love between people & their dogs, she said.
     Each ‘family’ portrait includes a short written piece talking about the importance of the family’s pet. Even off-camera, Gagne said, all of the dogs she worked with were ‘sweet, loving, wanting to play, & give kisses’.
     ...Social media users have visited her Facebook page (search ‘Michelle Gagne Photographe’) to share their own photos with their pit bulls- who often look like they are smiling as they pose with young children...”

Lindsday Richardson
in The Montreal Gazette
July 16/2016

Cute Critter Pic 

Weekly Chuckle

Memorial
Snowball Sept. 17/1998
Sweet Snowie. I remember how we lost you just before our trip to Montreal & how your passing broke Adrian & my hearts. You were such a wonderful (& patient) companion to Dietrich & I'll never forget taking you out of that awful cage once I got you home from the SPCA when I adopted you. RIP little one.

Sept. 7/2016

Feature:
Leonardo DiCaprio Visits Elephants on Trip to Protect One of the World’s Most Irreplaceable Places

 “Indonesia’s Leuser Ecosystem is known as the last place on earth where orangutans, rhinos, elephants, & tigers coexist in the wild & has been called one of the world’s most irreplaceable places. Despite it’s environmental & economic value as an intact rainforest, conservationists are still battling to stop it from being destroyed.

...Leonardo DiCaprio, along with... Adrien Brody & Fisher Stevens, ventured there to raise awareness about the importance of protecting it, highlighting the cost of destruction & development of palm oil plantations on elephants, whose habitat is being lost & fragmented.

...the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation would be supporting efforts to build a mega-fauna sanctuary there... 

...Millions of people also depend on this ecosystem for their livelihoods & clean water, while the entire world benefits from the way it acts as a carbon sink, the value of which is estimated to run into the billions...

 You can help by signing & sharing the petition asking Aceh’s governor to protect wildlife & local communities by supporting a nomination of the Leuser Ecosystem as a World Heritage site.

For more info on how to help, visit Forest, Nature and Environment of Aceh (HAkA) & the Rainforest Action Network.”


Alicia Graef
March 30/ 2016
care2.com

Cute Critter Pic

Weekly Chuckle

Memorial
Andy
Patti's beloved 17 year old boy will always be remembered. RIP