World's Largest Airlift of Homeless Pets Scheduled

July 16, 2009

Earlier this week, the world's first all-pet airliner took flight. Now Nicole Lasorda informs me of another project that will pair pets with jets.

<<Pilots N Paws, an online forum that connects animal rescue groups and volunteer pilots, is launching the Pilots N Paws 5000, the largest pet airlift ever. From September 12 to 20, Pilots N Paws volunteers will attempt something that’s never been done — transport 5,000 homeless animals in a single week.

(Image of shelter black cat: GalaWebDesign)

 
“The goal of the Pilots N Paws 5000 is to increase awareness about different ways people can help animals in need, whether it’s by providing air transportation, becoming a foster home or general volunteering,” says Jon Wehrenberg, co-founder of Pilots N Paws. “It’s a unique way for people to donate their time and talent to a very worthy cause.”
 
According to the National Council on Pet Population, 9.6 million shelter animals are needlessly euthanized each year. The aim of Pilots N Paws is to decrease this number by connecting shelters and rescue groups with pilots willing to transport animals to safe homes.

(Image of shelter dog: Wikimedia)

 
With the help of the Pilots N Paws website, rescuers and foster homes in high kill areas are able to locate their counterparts in areas of the country where high kill rates are not the rule. These no-kill shelters will then make space for the animals being rescued. The sending and receiving pair will team up with a volunteer pilot, who will provide transportation during this special rescue week.
 
To make this life-saving, heart-warming event a success, many more volunteers are needed. Opportunities include:
·        Pilots – Register online to fly pets from shelters to their foster or forever homes.
·        Short- and long-term foster homes – Take care of pets, ranging from overnight stays en route to extended periods, while adopters are found.
·        General volunteers – Local shelters always need help walking dogs, cleaning cages and filing paperwork.
 
In addition to volunteer roles, there are other ways to help:
·        Spread the word – Tell your local animal shelter about Pilots N Paws. If there’s a small airport nearby, ask the manager to let its pilots know about the event.
·        Donate – Pilots N Paws, rescue groups and shelter donations are usually tax-deductible.
·        Adopt – Consider taking one of the rescued pets into your own home.
 
“I’m afraid thousands of pets will die if we don’t get them to new homes,” says Wehrenberg. “I’m hoping we’ll get the help to make this event a tremendous success.”
 
Pilots N Paws is a 501(c)(3) organization, so pilots’ expenses relating to transport flights are tax-deductible. Pilots N Paws is an excellent example of the critical role general aviation plays in our everyday lives. For more information, or to help out with the Pilots N Paws 5000, visit www.pilotsnpaws.org. And to learn more about other ways general aviation affects everyday life, visit www.gaservesamerica.com.>>        

Panda Sneeze

July 15, 2009

Today's dog barking news, which includes footage of a deer barking, reminded one reader of another unexpected animal sound: a panda sneeze. These panda sneeze videos are oldies but goodies. Hope you enjoy them.

Why Dogs Bark

Have you ever heard a deer bark? Listen to this young roe deer communicating with a house cat.

Many animals besides dogs bark. Other barkers include certain birds, monkeys, hyenas and wolves. But dogs are still better at barking, suggests Kathryn Lord of the University of Massachusetts Amherst. She says the reason is related to dogs’ 10,000-year history of hanging around human food garbage dumps.

(Bulldog Image Credit: Lisa Solonynko)

Read on to learn the full story about dog barking from UMass.

Pet Airways Takes Flight

July 14, 2009

The first ever all-pet airline, appropriately named Pet Airways, took off today from East Farmingdale, New York. Dogs and cats flew in the main cabin of what is a converted Suburban Air Freight plane. Instead of seats, the cabin is lined with roomy carriers.

(Wikimedia image shows a crated dog traveling in a car. Pet Airways uses at least a few uniform sized plastic carriers, somewhat similar to what you may haul Fido or Fluffy in when going to the vet.)

Pet Airways is the dream business of husband and wife entrepreneurial team Alysa Binder and Dan Wiesel.

Clever idea, don't you think? It's on my list of "wish I'd thought of that's." If any of you ever let your pets travel via the service, please let us know what you think. Would love to hear reviews.

Reintroduced Chinese Alligators are Multiplying in the Wild

This just in from the Wildlife Conservation Society:

<<The Wildlife Conservation Society announced today that critically endangered alligators in China have a new chance for survival. The WCS's Bronx Zoo, in partnership with two other North American parks and the Department of Wildlife Conservation and Management of the State Forestry Administration of China, has successfully reintroduced alligators into the wild that are now multiplying on their own.

The alligator hatchlings—15 in number—are the offspring of a group of alligators that includes animals from the Wildlife Conservation Society's Bronx Zoo. The baby alligators represent a milestone for the 10-year effort to reintroduce the Chinese alligator on Chongming Island, located at the mouth of China's Yangtze River.

(Image Credit: WCS)

The announcement was made at the International Congress for Conservation Biology, convened by the Society for Conservation Biology in Beijing, China (July 11-16).

"We are grateful to our Chinese partners for their commitment to reintroduce Chinese alligators back into the wild," said Dr. Steven E. Sanderson, President and CEO of the Wildlife Conservation Society. "WCS has championed careful wildlife reintroductions for more than a century. The reintroduction of Chinese alligators is a great example of how WCS partners with governments and local communities around the world to save wildlife and wild places."

"This is fantastic news," said WCS researcher Dr. John Thorbjarnarson, one of the world's foremost experts on crocodilians and a participant in the project. "The success of this small population suggests that there's hope for bringing the Chinese alligator back to some parts of its former distribution."

Plans to reintroduce Chinese alligators started in 1999 with a survey conducted by WCS, the Anhui Forestry Bureau, and the East China Normal University in Anhui Province, the only remaining location where the reptiles are still found in the wild in what is a small fraction of the alligator's former range. The results of the survey were dire, with an estimate of fewer than 130 animals in a declining population.

An international workshop on the species was held in 2001, followed by recommendations for the reintroduction of captive bred alligators. The first three animals released in Hongxing Reserve of Xuancheng County in Anhui in 2003 were from the Anhui Research Center of Chinese Alligator Reproduction (ARCCAR).

To ensure the maximum genetic diversity for the effort, project participants imported 12 more animals to Changxing Yinjiabian Chinese Alligator Nature Reserve from North America, including four from the Bronx Zoo. From this group, three animals from the U.S. were released in 2007 along with three more alligators from Changxing. The alligators were given health examinations by veterinary professionals from WCS's Global Health Program and the Shanghai Wildlife Zoo and fitted with radio transmitters for remote monitoring before being released.

Experts reported that the reintroduced alligators successfully hibernated, and then in 2008, bred in the wild.

With a former range that covered a wide watershed area of East China, the Chinese alligator—or "tu long," which means "muddy dragon"—is now listed as "Critically Endangered" on IUCN's Red List of Threatened Species and is the most threatened of the 23 species of crocodilians in the world today. It is one of only two alligator species in existence (the other is the better known, and much better off, American alligator).

The Yangtze River, where the reintroduction of these alligators took place, is the third longest river in the world (after the Amazon and the Nile) and is China's most economically important waterway. The world's largest hydro-electric dam—the Three Gorges Dam—is also located on the river. The high levels of development along the river have become a challenge for native wildlife; in 2006, a comprehensive search for the Yangtze River dolphin, or baiji, didn't find any, although one isolated sighting of a dolphin was made in 2007.

###

Other participants in the project include the East China Normal University, Shanghai Forestry Bureau, Changxing Yinjiabian Chinese Alligator Nature Reserve, and Wetland Park of Shanghai Industrial Investment (Holdings) Co. Ltd.

The project is being supported by the Ocean Park Conservation Foundation, Hong Kong.>>

World's Largest Assembled Dinosaur Skeleton

Paleontologists in Japan have just put together a Mamenchisaurus skeleton for a dinosaur exhibit at a suburban Tokyo exhibition hall. According to multiple media reports, the assembled skeleton, measuring close to 115 feet long, represents the world's largest dinosaur skeleton on public display.

(Image: Steveoc 86)

According to Yuji Takakuwa, assistant curator of paleontology at the Gunma Museum of Natural History, he and his colleagues were surprised that this dinosaur turned out to be so big.

Dinosaur experts previously thought an 80-foot-long Manenchisaurus was the largest ever discovered. When Takakuwa and his team restored this latest skeleton, they were blown away.

"I can say that this is the biggest dinosaur," Takakuwa beamed.

To see footage of the skeleton and its assembly, please watch this BBC video clip.

How Does a Cheetah Run So Fast?

July 13, 2009

Cheetahs are the fastest known land animals, with running speeds that can reach over 75 miles per hour.

Image: Cheetah pursuing a Thompson's gazelle in Tanzania
(Credit: Lee Berger)

They can accelerate from a standing 0 miles per hour position to 60 miles per hour in just three seconds. I believe only two cars in the world beat that acceleration rate. They're named at the end of this post, along with the fasted flying animal.

For now, please watch how scientists have developed a clever way to study cheetah running. Hint: chicken meat is involved.

Boston Zoo May Close and Euthanize Animals

July 11, 2009

My heart sunk today after learning that the Franklin Park Zoo in Boston may be forced to close and euthanize some animals due to state imposed budget cuts.

According to officials at the zoo, money will run out in October as a result of the cuts, imposed by Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick. The affiliated Stone Zoo in nearby Stoneham may also shut down. Together, the threatened closures could affect more than 1,000 animals and 165 employees.

 

Grevy's zebras (Wikimedia image) are just one group of animals that would be affected. Please read on to learn more.

Pet Mayor Election Stars

July 10, 2009

I recently attended the Pet Mayor election in Montclair, California. Organized by the Montclair Veterinary Hospital, it's the longest running event of its kind and one of just a handful of major elections worldwide where non-human animals are the only permitted candidates. Proceeds benefit the hospital's Pet & Wildlife Fund. No hanging chads here, but plenty of hanging tongues. The winner and new mayor is Little Bear, seen below with owner Barbara Price.

I received some terrific images from the event that perfectly captured the spirit of the day. Credit for all goes to Eliot Khuner.

First up is "Rico," a Portuguese water hound that may be White House bound in future.

National Zoo Panda Celebrates 4th Birthday

Move over Ace of Cakes. Staff at the National Zoo in D.C. created a special "ice cake" this week for giant panda Tai Shan, who just turned four years old. Watch how they made his frozen masterpiece out of ingredients like beet juice, bamboo and fruit.

Now watch to see what the four-year-old, a teenager in giant panda years, did with his birthday cake.