Air travellers in the United States could soon find a monkey sitting in the seat next to them after a report by the US Department of Transportation said that passengers who rely on their pets for ‘emotional support‘ may be able to bring them on to flights.
The RSPCA has called on the European Union to tighten laws governing the transportation of live animals after unveiling evidence of sickening cruelty
. They have also urged the British government to change domestic laws, insisting that animals be slaughtered at home before being transported to the continent
By examining the extraordinary grip that geckos use to walk up walls and across ceilings, scientists have been able to create a material that can stick objects weighing a few kilograms to ceilings. Future refinements hold the prospect of holding humans aloft too
A badger on the run from a wildlife sanctuary attacked and injured five people before being cornered by police and destroyed
Based on data provided by registries, only 4.7 million, or fewer than 4%, of the 130 million dogs and cats in the United States have microchip implants.
The resistance is even more striking given that so few lost pets are reunited with their owners — only 2% of lost cats and 15.8% of lost dogs, according to the National Council on Pet Population Study and Policy, a consortium of humane societies and animal control groups. Pet experts agree that return rates can be significantly higher if a pet has a microchip — it could be at least four times as high.
Unfortunately the poor attitude of the majority pet owners does not help matters. Many see a microchip as an unnecessary expense for a pet that isn’t a pedigreed animal, a view that regards pets as both worthless and disposable if they came from a shelter. A great argument for licencing pet owners — if they’re unwilling to take the responsibility and expense of owning a pet seriously, they shouldn’t be allowed to own one.
And as for the excuse that micro chipping is too expensive, why not get it done next time the pet is at the vet. It’s worth looking around and comparing prices. There are services in Australia that will come to you, there are also free chip your pet
days run by local councils.
The real thing to be aware of is vets who try to gouge owners by demanding that an anaesthetic is used. The anaesthetic hurts more than the microchip needle. These also tend to be the places that hit you for premium prices for everything.
Many show dog owners fear the risk of infection or scarring. Another pointless argument when compared to the tattooing of dogs ears.
An interesting factoid on microchips. If your dog has a thick coat, like many of the Arctic breeds, the chips can sometimes go AWOL and won’t read only to mysteriously reappear at a later date. A scary prospect when the guy at the local pound is just going to wave a scanner over the dog and not try searching for 15 minutes. For this reason dogs should always wear collars when they are outside or home alone; with an ID tag and a microchip tag. They jingle a lot, but if they get lost, you know you’ve done your best to make sure your pet finds it’s way home.
They say that an infinite amount of monkeys typing on an infinite number of typewriters will eventually produce literature greater than Shakespeare. Well, it has been proven that six monkeys and one computer will produce a computer that has been smashed with a rock, urinated upon, and four pages worth of the letter s
. Scientifically this apparently does prove that monkeys are more complex than random generators — via Slashdot
The liberal enclave of West Hollywood, which has long championed the rights of gay men and women, this week became the first city in the United States to ban pet owners from removing the claws of their cats
The RSPCA plans to build a memorial to the hundreds of thousands of horses, donkeys, dogs and pigeons and other animals that died fighting Australia’s wars
AOL incompetence has resulted in the death of a litter of puppies
Wood mice make signposts out of leaves and twigs so that they do not get lost in fields
Conservation experts say overproduction of cheap robusta coffee beans — commonly used in instant coffee — may be contributing to the loss of tigers, elephants, orangutans and rhinos in Sumatra
California authorities who raided Jon Weinhart’s Tiger Rescue last week discovered nearly 90 dead tigers and leopards at his home — including 58 dead cubs stuffed into three freezers — and piles of big cat pelts stacked in a storage barn
Bob Carr’s performance on forests is appalling, despite all the new National Parks, many suffer pre-emptive logging
Researchers from the University of New England at Armidale say urgent human intervention is vital if the pure bred dingo is to have a future. The Northern Territory’s Parks and Wildlife Service says the dingo is not under threat in the Northern Territory. Meanwhile wildlife rangers are excited about the possible sighting of the spotted tail quoll, not been seen in the region for the past 50 to 60 years, in the Mount Dalrymple area of north Queensland
A grey seal trapped in waters teeming with salmon south of Loch Lomond was yesterday awarded an official £150 fishing permit by the angling club that threatened to shoot him less than a week ago
Food from Kuwait finally arrives for the malnourished lions, tigers and other animals at Baghdad’s dilapidated zoo
The Bush administration’s doctrine of pre-emptive first strike represents a radical departure from previous US national security doctrine and national values. Non-aggression had been the guiding beacon in the United States’ relations with the rest of the world
Stephen Avery, of Briar Court, Oxford Road, Smethwick, whose dog was nearly half its natural weight, has been banned from keeping an animal for five years and ordered to do two years of community service
Even the animals have gone. Baghdad’s frenzied looting spree has left nothing untouched, and the city zoo is no exception
An exotic flesh eating fly, the parasitic Old World Screwworm fly, which has been found on pet dogs overseas could find its way to Australia
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