Sunday, September 30, 2007

Antibiotic Runoff


One of the persistent problems of industrial agriculture is the inappropriate use of antibiotics. It’s one thing to give antibiotics to individual animals, case by case, the way we treat humans. But it’s a common practice in the confinement hog industry to give antibiotics to the whole herd, to enhance growth and to fight off the risk of disease, which is increased by keeping so many animals in such close quarters. This is an ideal way to create organisms resistant to the drugs. That poses a risk to us all.

A recent study by the University of Illinois makes the risk even more apparent. Studying the groundwater around two confinement hog farms, scientists have identified the presence of several transferable genes that confer antibiotic resistance, specifically to tetracycline. There is the very real chance that in such a rich bacterial soup these genes might move from organism to organism, carrying the ability to resist tetracycline with them. And because the resistant genes were found in groundwater, they are already at large in the environment.

There are two interdependent solutions to this problem, and hog producers should embrace them both. The first solution — the least likely to be acceptable in the hog industry — is to ban the wholesale, herdwide use of antibiotics. The second solution is to continue to tighten the regulations and the monitoring of manure containment systems. The trouble is that there is no such thing as perfect containment.

The consumer, of course, has the choice to buy pork that doesn’t come from factory farms. The justification for that kind of farming has always been efficiency, and yet, as so often happens in agriculture, the argument breaks down once you look at all the side effects. The trouble with factory farms is that they are raising more than pigs. They are raising drug-resistant bugs as well.


Full Article

Moneigh!

University of Minnesota freshman Hercules has attracted the attention of the art community after creating a series of prints commissioned by the Equine Center fundraising committee. Hercules is pursuing a double major in business and philanthropic studies, but is considering switching to painting.


Full Article

Black Dogs Victims of Racism!!!

"Soho, a black Labrador retriever with white patches of fur around his neck, didn’t know his destination. The first time, or the second.
But anyone who knows dogs knows it’s not where that matters, but the simple word “out.”


In yet another example of the black guy acting the stoic martyr and guide to the flawed white man (er, dog), the first time Soho was let out of his animal shelter cage, it was to give blood to another dying dog. The last time it was to face the needle of euthanasia. (Seriously, Morgan Freeman would kill for this role.)

“Big black dogs just don’t get adopted,” she repeated in a phone conversation. “We have the same problem with black kitties.”

Seriously guys, what would Martin Luther King do.


Soho's Final Out, Kansas City Star

Supercat!!!

Saturday, September 29, 2007

E-nimals

"Sittin' Pretty!"
For as long as there has been an internet, there have been animals on the internet. And no, not just little kitties lounging adorably on dot-matrix printers (but, man, that sounds awesome) or lolcats. No, animals are almost as important to the internet as porn (you can only imagine what happens when the two combine) and thus, we at AnimalInsider are committed to being the only solution in your mind when you ask yourself, "Animals + Internet = wha???"

So to begin further consolidating the empire of Animal + Internet, look at this crappier animal blog and ask yourself, "was that actually supposed to be funny?". And then if you haven't completely gone into the identity crisis of Animals + Internet = ohmygod when did I become that person, submit to us your own photos with not completely lame captions. And we'll, umm, post them. Or make fun of your completely lame captions. Pseudonyms allowed!

Bizarro Cartoon

Levi Speaks!

Guns! Drugs! Hookers!

Appearing recently to promote his upcoming documentary on animal testing, Levi the Monkey, Tara's Pirates of the Caribbean co-monkey, has come out claiming he's not at all surprised at Tara's recent meltdown.

"Its so easy to get sucked into the vapidity of the Hollywood system and forget about everything that goes on beyond the parties, and the money, and the hedonism. I've been fortunate that I've had alot of solid relationships that have kept me grounded, but Tara's had to live thru a lot and one of the easiest ways to escape that pain is to get lost in a world that will love you fiercely and indulgently just as long as you keep making them money."

He wouldn't comment on allegations that Tara was prostituting herself to feed her drug habit. Saying only, "if that is true, and I don't want to believe it is, I would just like to ask the world, who hasn't sucked cock to get ahead?"

Queens renegade cow finds refuge at Farm Sanctuary!


New York City police and firefighters tracked Maxine down after calls poured into NYPD dispatchers about a cow on the loose in the borough. It took nearly an hour to corral her, and she was taken to the Manhattan branch of the New York City Animal Care & Control.

Then the media circus began. New York City journalists couldn't get enough of the story of a cow fleeing imminent death. As word of Maxine's flight spread, Farm Sanctuary members began calling our national headquarters requesting we do all we could for the cow and pledging support.

In less than a day's time, Farm Sanctuary staff were en route to New York City to pick up the cow. By the time we got there, Maxine was still a little shaken and scared, but seemed to be in good health despite her ordeal.

FULL ARTICLE

Friday, September 28, 2007

Is it true that one year of a dog's life is equivalent to seven human years?


Veterinarian Gary Wilkes says 'dog years' are based on comparing canine and human lifespans.

But he says it's not as simple as seven-to-one.

"As a general rule for dogs, we count the first two years as being 24. So the first year they're 12 years old, the second they're 24," he said. "Then after that, add 4 years for each year of our lives."

So how can you help your pet live healthier for longer?

12 year old dogs Jessie and Annie have been part of Denny Van-Valkenburgh's family for 12 years. As they run around the yard with seemingly endless energy, it's tough to tell the pair is approaching 70 in dog years.

Denny says keeping a couple of old dogs more like wonderdogs took a few simple steps.

"Blood checked once a year, like a human, a little checkup," he said. "Make sure their teeth stay clean."

Dr. Wilkes says one of the most important ways to prolong your pets life is a good diet. So he says avoid bargain foods, and even look for foods that match your pet's age, or medical condition."

"Both of these dogs have a low fat food they use called id, it keeps them healthy," Denny advised.

He says the extra care cost a few extra bones . . . but he says it's worth it.

"We love the dogs and you know what, they've never said a bad thing about us, and we like that," he said. "They're very sweet."

NBC Augasta

Alligator Attacks Dog!

A rainy night didn't stop a Burke County man from looking for his dog. He says she went missing after being attacked by an alligator and he managed to videotape the entire incident.

Darrell Radcliff says this past Sunday afternoon was like any other. He and his golden retriever, My Lady, enjoying some quiet time near the Savannah River in Burke County.

But it's when she got into the water, that things went terribly wrong. As you can see in this video shot by Radcliff, she jumps in and starts swimming. Then she goes a little bit further out into the water and starts to circle.

She had only been doing this for about five minutes when the alligator jumps up and takes her under. Although Darrell dropped the camera at that point he's says his dog did manage to swim back to him.

“I seen the splash and I knew what was going on. She came back up screaming like everything. I felt so sorry for her but I was trying to keep the gator off. I knew I was going to come back after her and I didn't know the river was that bad,” Darrell Radcliff, Owner.

The dog has been found alive. He is being treated at an animal hospital.

EXCLUSIVE VIDEO

Cingular, "Raising the bar"

cat lineup

Humans are Stupid

A new Yale study has revealed that humans are better at noticing animals than machines. This is possibly due to the evolutionarily developed instinct to be aware of animals as things that eat people. Unfortunately, Average Joe nowadays has a much greater likelihood of being run over by a car than stampeded by an elephant.

The only solution: Replace subways with camel caravans!

Narwhals: Photos Show Decline of "Unicorn" Whales



Digital snapshots from above the Arctic have helped a researcher spot declining narwhal populations. The narwhal—a small Arctic whale known for its six-foot-long (1.8-meter-long) tusk—has dropped in numbers by an average of 6 percent per year during the last 17 years.

The narwhal's tusk, a spiraling extension from a male narwhal's lip and upper jaw, is actually an overgrown tooth. While the tusk's primary use may be to attract or impress females, researchers have also witnessed males jousting with their tusks. There are also theories that the tusk may be used by narwhals as a way to sense sound or electromagnetic waves.

The narwhal has often been associated with another one-horned creature, the unicorn. In medieval times traders would pass narwhal tusks off as unicorn horns, thought to have magical disease-curing powers. Queen Elizabeth I reportedly paid 10,000 pounds for a single narwhal tusk in the 16th century—that's about what it would have reportedly cost to build an entire castle at the time.

'New mammal' seen in Borneo woods


In the dense central forests of Borneo, a conservation group has found what appears to be a new species of mammal.

WWF caught two images of the animal, which is bigger than a domestic cat, dark red, and has a long muscular tail.

Local people, the WWF says, had not seen the species before, and researchers say it looks to be new.

The WWF says there is an urgent need to conserve forests in south-east Asia which are under pressure from logging and the palm oil trade.

The creature, believed to be carnivorous, was spotted in the Kayan Mentarang National Park, which lies in Indonesian territory on Borneo.

The team which discovered it, led by biologist Stephan Wulffraat, is publishing full details in a new book on Borneo and its wildlife.

"You don't find new mammals that often, and to do so must be extraordinary," said Callum Rankine, head of the species programme at WWF-UK.

"We've got camera traps there, which are passive devices relying on infra-red beams across forest paths," he told the BBC News website.

"Lots of animals come past - it's much easier than pushing through the forest itself - and when an animal cuts the beam, two cameras catch images from the front and back."

Full Article

Threesome shocks zookeeper

A Bengal tiger cub shocked witnesses and zoo officials at a zoo in Northeast China when it joined another cub in a sexy romp. The couple, a 5 day old Bengal tiger and her special crane friend, seemed open to the addition. Although tigers are typically very playful as cubs, the red-crowned crane is not known for his sense of adventure. Even more shocking is the fact that the tigers are twins.


Video: Tiger cubs, chick become best friends - msnbc.com

More fun with conjoined twins!!

These poor things (thing?) were born with only one body, but two heads! What is happening today with animal deformities?

Video: Holy Cow! It's a Two-Headed Calf - msnbc.com

Two-headed turtle

Or a one-shelled pair of turtles. Which is it?

Video: It's a Two-Headed Turtle - msnbc.com
Store Displays Conjoined-Twin Turtle - nyt.com

Coney Island gets a new baby!

This adorable baby walrus made his debut yesterday at the aquarium in Coney Island. The animal health curator, Catherine McClave, told reporters the animal is "advancing in a kind of Mensa Society way."

The public is being asked to help choose his name. There's a link on the Pets section at the Today Show web site.

He's a Baby, He's Big and Getting Bigger, and the City is so Proud - nyt.com
Brooklyn's Biggest Baby Makes His Debut! - nyaquarium.com

Where is the Pet Detective when we need him??


I don't really believe in reincarnation, but I hope it exists, because someone in Long Island is racking up some serious karma debt by dumping helpless little bunnies in public parks, schools, and roadways (!!!!). It's unconscionable :(

There's a $5,000 reward offered by the Rabbit Rescue Group for information about who is perpetrating such heinousness.


Rabbit Problem Multiplying Like Rabbits
- NYT.com

Thursday, September 27, 2007

World Animal Day - Oct. 4th 2007


Where will you be?
According to this website Oct. 4th is "World Animal Day" this year and every year!
It's coming up soon! What will you be doing for it? Submit your answers and suggestions for what you will be or want to do for world animal day!
We will post all your e-mails on the 4th. Get them in soon, only 7 more days to go! SUBMIT HERE

I see not-quite dead people



Meet Oscar, the lovable housecat/grim reaper who lives and works at a nursing home in Providence, RI. Oscar is a fixture at the facility, where he enjoys bathing in sunshine, playing with little balls of tin foil, and watching people expire.

Nursing home cat can sense death? - Reuters.com
Video: Do not ask for whom the cat meows - Reuters.com

Dogs are babies who never grow up

Who wants to tell Toshiko Horikoshi of Tokyo, Japan, that neither her canine "babies" nor her aging partner will be able to care for her when she is less able-bodied, but just as insane as ever?

Also, I'm pretty sure Ginger the "Chihuahua-Pomeranian" is actually a hyena. Like it matters.

In dog we trust: Japan's childless turn to canines - Reuters.com

Expensive classes teach dogs to behave like dogs

New York, NY - As if people don't already ridicule them enough, now apparently New York City dogs need lessons to learn to swim??!

I know the dog is not as intellectually gifted as man, but the fact that it's called the doggy paddle should suggest something. Hell, I learned as a toddler courtesy of my uncle Ron's patented Drunken River-Toss method. In fact, if you're looking for discount swimming instruction, meet me at the East River in twenty minutes, and bring a forty of Big Bear.

Swimming classes for New York's pampered pooches - Reuters.com

In memory of Hondo the Gallant

Hillsboro, OR - Anyone who's spent much time in Oregon will recognize that painting a fire hydrant to look like Old Glory was no patriotic blunder, but rather the work of some clever anarchist/performance artist/peace activist. Sadly, the collaborative anti-war performance piece masquerading as a tribute to the "gallant" fallen police dog, Hondo, is to be repainted at the request of people who prefer their flags glued to their sport-utility vehicles or printed on their bunched up undershorts.

Anarchists: 0
Logger-homophobes: 1
Damn.


Oregon town finds that dogs and U.S. flag-painted hydrants don't mix
- KOMOtv.com

Where do puppies come from?

Yesterday we learned that kittens come from beer, and it turns out man's diminutive best friend also originates from an unlikely source: Texas.

As shown in this video, puppies emerge into this glorious world in the back yard of some dude in Gladewater, TX. Before they are whisked away to the splendor of your local mall, they're socialized here, amid cardboard boxes and what looks like a month's worth of laundry, with a three-legged beagle-Schnauzer mix to show them the ropes.

Video: Malnourished dogs seized - CNN.com

TMZ's dog story messup

Fighting Giraffes

Kitty Porn!


Kitty Porn - Watch more free videos

Animal Life Lessons: How to Love a Bitch



Getting ahead in life is hard, especially when you see with your nose and communicate like a car alarm. But that doesn't mean you can't succeed in the cold world of capitalism. No sir, as any Objectivist worth his 60th Anniversary (this year!) Fountainhead fountain pen will tell you, happiness is morality!

And thus we bring you to the morality of cuteness. Sure, you can get a job, or never move out of your parents' house, but really, how do you achieve the complete contentment of exorbitant wealth when your brain is twice as small as your rivals and your have no skills to speak of? Easy, take a lesson from little Trouble here, endear yourself to the wealthy! cough, cough Katie Holmes...

With the appropriate amounts of enthusiasm and cuddliness you, too, can ensure your financial future and provide for all your future litters. Or, heck, go on that Safari, you're wealthier than the ten poorest countries in Africa combined!



Some Owners Plan Ahead for Care of Beloved Animals, Coloradoan.com

Wednesday, September 26, 2007

Cats in Anne Hathaway's Boobs


Through a little photoshop magic CityRag combined two of their favorite things... Anne Hathaway's Cleavage and Cats In Sinks...

Tara Update: Tweak Alert


Tara's camp has denied reports that her recent North Carolina tirade was precipitated by a 23 hour meth binge.

Course not! She was smokin' the crack!!

Ahh, the triangle, what a lovely region to stop thru... Gotta love that freeway access...

Stupidest Pet Owners of the Week

A couple in the aptly named Beaver County, PA are being charged with reckless endangerment after their mobile home was hit by a devastating fire. Although the couple made sure to grab the dogs when they fled the trailer, they left behind their four-year-old son, apparently forgetting about him.

Though the police queried them repeatedly as to whether there was anyone inside, twenty minutes passed until the parents remembered. The little boy was rescued from the flames and treated for smoke inhalation. We assume the dogs are just fine.

Beaver Couple Flees Trailer Fire, Forgets To Bring Boy - WTAE Pittsburgh

Cable, drugs, and household pets



I don't care what cable company you use, but I start to forget my deep anti-corporate grudge when I watch these ecstasy-inspired ads:

Fish
Parrots
Tree Frog

Guilty pleasure.

I know where kittens come from

So cute, your heart will turn to glitter!

Forget the damn pony, next birthday I'm asking for a penguin!!!


So.Effing.Cute. Please, Mom??

Tara Caught in Possible Meth Scandal


Tara the monkey was detained Monday in a Raleigh-Durham, NC subdivision after flinging feces at unfortunate passers-by. Having climbed atop a flagpole, it took two hours to harness the monkey as she alternatively was seen foaming at the mouth and attempting to rub her crotch on the perch.

Suspicions arose of Tara's descent into drug abuse on the set of Pirates of the Caribbean, as she was frequently seen pulling the hairs out of her arms and did not return for either of the sequels as allegedly the water, "freaked her out".

Released to the custody of her handlers, Tara has yet to be seen in public since the incident. Her handlers have requested their privacy during this difficult period, "we just want Tara to get the help she needs". Though people close to the star-monkey have cited both the pressure to procreate and her displacement from her native habitat as factors contributing to her downward spiral.

"We love her," said Tara's longtime pal, Acumba, "we just feel if she comes home, that things will get better in her life".



UK cat masters public transit; Domestic pets undaunted




According to an article in the (admittedly, questionable gossip-rag) Daily Mail, a UK housecat has successfully integrated public transportation into her daily routine. Bus driver, Bill Khunkhun, 49, says the cat boards the 331 several days a week and rides one stop.

A half-assed Google query suggests that American cats are behind the curve in terms of socially-responsible travel, but they seem to have a handle on the more elaborate stow-away options:

Calico cat becomes ship's cargo - Pet Shed

Emily, the stowaway cat, is coming home - USA Today

Tuesday, September 25, 2007

Snoopy's first appearance - October 4, 1950

Funny animal commercial

Dog returned to 'speechless' Chicago panhandler


For two weeks, Tom Finley was in a daze, holding fliers with a photo of his friend and asking passersby in the Loop if they had seen a blond husky/terrier mix with a limp.

"It was hard to sleep," he said. "Hard to eat."

On Saturday, the well-known panhandler received a gift no amount of loose change could replace when he was reunited with Reba, who had been missing since Finley, 69, left the 12-year-old dog outside a McDonald's at South Franklin Street and West Jackson Boulevard on Sept. 7.

"I'm speechless," Finley said during a press conference at the Anti-Cruelty Society of Chicago, where Reba strained on the leash and barked at photographers.

Since Reba disappeared, Finley had received an outpouring of support from the public. Office workers printed up fliers of the missing dog and a woman gave Finley a prepaid cell phone to field calls in the search. He said he received "hundreds" of calls from people claiming to have seen Reba.

"Some would call and say they'd spotted her or they had her," he said. "Sometimes I thought I heard her myself."

Full Article

World’s Fattest Cat Has World’s Fattest Kittens!

Bat Bugs Evolved Fake Genitals to Avoid Sex Injuries


For African bat bugs, the battle of the sexes is quite literally a violent struggle—and now it appears that the bugs are using gender-bending tactics to defend themselves.

Bat bugs are small, reddish-brown parasites related to bed bugs that suck the blood of bats and sometimes bite humans.

Researchers have long known that male bat bugs ignore females' conventional parts and instead use their sharp penises to stab the females' abdomens, injecting sperm directly into the bloodstream.

So the females evolved a defense: structures called paragenitals that guide a male's needle-like member into a spongy reservoir of immune cells.

But the females aren't the only ones in need of protection. Observers documented males performing the same injurious sexual acts on other males.

Now evolutionary biologist Klaus Reinhardt of the University of Sheffield in England has discovered that male bat bugs have developed their own versions of female paragenitals to avoid the assaults.

And some female bat bugs are mimicking the paragenitals of the more successful males to improve their defenses.

Reinhardt calls the interactions a "hotbed of deception" with no known analogies in the animal kingdom.

The results, based on studies of bat bugs from a cave in Kenya, are being prepared for publication in an upcoming issue of the journal the American Naturalist.

Drummer Denies He Intentionally Spooked Horse That Died

In an unquiet city like New York, Fifth Avenue and 59th Street is especially known for its uproar. Double-decker buses rumble past. Taxicabs honk. Tourists mill. Workers refurbish the Plaza Hotel.

All the while, up to 20 horses quietly stand by, waiting to take passengers on carriage rides in Central Park.

On Friday, one of them bolted after it was apparently startled by a loud noise. The horse, a 13-year-old mare named Smoothie, ran nearly a block, and when her carriage became caught on a tree, she collapsed and died.

Witnesses told reporters that somebody walking past and beating a small drum may have been the source of the noise.

Full Article

post-industrial love revolution!


Destined to cuteness? This pair of orphaned Sumatran tigers and Orangutans joined forces when their respective mothers abandoned them at birth. Tigers, unfortunately, begin eating meat at 3 months as their natural urge to devour engages; the quad will have to split ways before long.

Orangutans have been isolated to two last outposts. Borneo -- which hosts 7,000 Orangutans, a population twice the size of Shelby, Montana -- and Sumatra, accomodating a population roughly equivalent to fair Niagara Falls, NY.

But, hey, the Sumatran tiger stands strong with 500 guerilla warriors. Twice as thriving as the Coquille Indian Reservation!

According to the Wonderful World feature section of MSNBC this would be unthinkable in nature. So really, isn't it kind of worth it?

Homeless Cats on Rikers Island Reduced by Half


The ASPCA® (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals®), in collaboration with other animal welfare groups, is celebrating the five-year anniversary of a landmark trap-neuter-return (TNR) project that reduced by more than half the number of stray, free-roaming feral cats on Rikers Island, the largest jail facility in the United States located just north of Queens in the Bronx.

In March 2002, in an effort to humanely manage an exploding population of stray and feral cats, animal welfare groups including the ASPCA, NYC’s Animal Care and Control, Humane Society of New York and Neighborhood Cats, Inc., joined forces with the NYC Department of Corrections and Department of Health to spay and neuter more than 300 feral cats and develop a long-term plan for their care.

Naked for PETA



Naked for PETA

Lizard terrorizes anchorman



The man's reaction is priceless, particularly the way he quickly regains his composure.

This has senior thesis written all over it


This article from The Onion might explain some of the suicide diagrams in my grad school sketchbooks:

HUNTSVILLE, ONTARIO—Local beaver Dennis Messner is spending an inordinate amount of time and effort in the planning and construction phases of building his dam, according to neighbors close to the project.

In the past four months, Messner, 4, has visited hundreds of other dams and drawn up detailed and extensive blueprints. He has researched topics ranging from advanced dome acoustics to the near-extinction of the North American beaver in the early 20th century, and plans to incorporate much of his research into his design.

...

Full Story

A Canine Hotel May Sound Luxe, But There's No Place Like Home




Room Z5 is empty except for a faux-suede floor pillow, a 14-inch flatscreen TV, an IP network camera, and a 9-pound miniature pinscher sitting motionless by the steel door. After a few minutes, the pooch gets up, walks across the room, and settles on the pillow, almost covering the white letters that spell out w-a-g. Kitschy dance music wafts in from the hallway. A dog yelps in the background.

Wag is a new pet hotel in San Francisco that promises the ultimate in canine luxury. It has an atmospheric-filtration system that recycles the facility's air 10 times per hour. Temperature-controlled rooms remain at a comfortable 69 degrees Fahrenheit. The suites ($85 a night) even have "Wag Cams," accessible from an Internet browser, so that curious or concerned owners can check on their furry companions.

Tonight I've booked my dog, Ruby, into Wag. I scheduled her for an in-room belly massage ($12), a moonlit walk on the antibacterial Astroturf rooftop ($15), and room service (one pig's ear and a bowl of water). This should be a great night — I'll have the evening off from my dog-parenting duties, and Ruby will make new friends and be pampered by Wag's experienced staff.

Click here for full story

Bear Problem

Albino Koala Bear

Cat wakes up to realize he's a cross dresser... has speech impediment...

...is wearing socks for some reason (methinks fungus)... and is really pissed at his owner for outing him in front of so many people. LOL cats, exposing handicapped cross dressing cats on a global scale.


lolcats funny cat pictures

Furries vs. Klingons:


Link to original page

Eagle gets a second chance

Whiplash the Cowboy monkey!


Whiplash the Cowboy monkey is truly a fan favorite, he is an international star and a true cowboy. He is an 18 yr old Capuchin Monkey and he is one of the biggest little monkeys in the world. Whiplash has been riding since he was two yrs old and has been a part of our family since he was born. Whiplash travels the country herding up wild Barbados sheep at rodeos and special events. His riding ability is unmatched and his herding skills unchallenged but whiplash never misses a chance to show his monkey heritage as he rides the dog he will pull the saddle from side to side and even hang off to one side mimicking an Indian hideaway.

http://www.whiplashrides.com