He made friends with them! DUBLIN, TEL AVIV, ROME––As of St. Patrick’s Day 2018, there are still no wild snakes in Ireland, more than 1,660 years after the patron saint of Ireland allegedly drove them all out. Paleontologists say there were never any wild snakes in Ireland in the first place. But there were […]
England Goes to the Dogs, by Gavin Ehringer
The following is an excerpt from Leaving the Wild: The Unnatural History of Dogs, Cats, Cows, and Horses by Gavin Ehringer, which explores the ever-evolving relationship between humans and domesticated animals. Preamble, by Jessica Case, deputy publisher, Pegasus Books: The little-examined, yet omnipresent act of breeding lies at the core of Gavin Ehringer’s book. You’ll meet cows cloned from […]
Payments for predation losses spark alleged attempts to get away with murder
Schemes meant to save lives may be “gamed” for profit PILIBHIT, India; MADISON, Wisconsin; KALAMAZOO, Michigan––As many as seven alleged murders in the Pilibhit Tiger Reserve of northern India, near the border of Nepal, may help to spotlight a fatal flaw in schemes to pay compensation for wildlife depredation, already evident in the U.S. […]
Rottweilers
Why Rottweilers are as deadly as pit bulls The Rottweilers in my life, by Beth Clifton
2016 survey: List of top 5 U.S. dog breed types ousts pit bulls
Pits fall to lowest since 2010 relative to other top breed types Non-pit bull small terriers, the hound category, large retrievers, and dachshunds all have a legitimate claim to being the most popular dog type in the U.S., according to the seventh annual ANIMALS 24-7 survey of classified ads offering dogs for sale or adoption. Data […]
Viet shelter sold dogs for meat; U.S. shelters sold dogs to fighters
Horrific case, but no cause for cultural finger-pointing DA NANG, CHAMBERSBURG, TAMPA––Vu Van Chinh, founder of the Da Nang Dogs & Cats Information & Rescue Station in Da Nang, Vietnam, “has admitted that he killed dogs and sold them to local restaurants,” reported Philip Sherwell, Bangkok correspondent for the London Daily Telegraph, on April […]
“Coon hunt” fundraiser may be seen as racist, frets St. Jude hospital
Wants to change name but not disassociate from “World’s Largest Coon Hunt” MEMPHIS, Tennessee––Unfazed by 28 years of protest against the cruelty to animals involved in the now-41-year-old Decatur County World’s Largest Coon Hunt, an annual benefit for the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital of Memphis, the hospital may at last disassociate itself from […]
What did the Prophet Mohammed really say about dogs?
Kindness toward dogs could bring forgiveness for sin Will Islamic refugees from conflict in the Middle East respect western values? Of particular concern to animal lovers, will the refugees respect our cultural concern for the well-being of dogs? Vehement foes of refugee immigration frequently allege that Islam is intolerant of dogs, but reality is considerably […]
Louisiana Governor Jindal vetoes bill to require securing dogs in pickup trucks
BATON ROUGE––Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal on June 13, 2014 vetoed a bill that would have required dogs riding in the backs of pickup trucks on interstate highways to be humanely secured, for example being kept in tied-down portable kennels, so that they cannot jump out or fall out. “”Animal cruelty is explicitly prohibited by […]
Louisiana House says “fox pen hunting is part of the folklife heritage of the state, and as such, should be preserved”
BATON ROUGE, Louisiana––The Louisiana House of Representatives on May 12, 2014 voted 68-16 in favor of a bill that declares “fox pen hunting is part of the folklife heritage of the state and, as such, should be preserved in order to help maintain the folklife culture.” Introduced by Representative Sherman Mack (R-Livingston), the bill […]