Considering the Star investigation into Marineland, please address the important issue of using animals for entertainment. Even if animals are treated with utmost care, it isn't right to take them out of the wild, keep them in captivity and make them perform for the amusement of humans. Do you agree?We recently "adopted" a new kitten. She's 12 weeks old, and to quote the great Cookie Monster from Sesame Street, she's "cute and adorable — not unlike me".
Before being permitted to take her home, we had to promise, in writing, to keep her in captivity. She was not ever to be allowed outside, on threat of death (not hers, mine) at the hands of Mississauga Animal Services.When the kitten arrived home, she had two needs: food and litterbox. As soon as those were met to her absolute satisfaction, she moved straight to her next priority: someone to play with. Chase me, tickle me, fight with me — she hasn't stopped playing since.
Some animals love to play, and that can cross boundaries between species. I once glanced out the window and saw two animals rolling together on the lawn, our then 22-year-old cat and a fox. They were, clearly, playing, and continued for half an hour, until the fox wandered off exhausted. Yes, that cat went outside, forgive me, Lord.I once swam with dolphins. They were fenced into a mile-long natural cove with a gazillion gallons of seawater. I got into a game of toss-the-seaweed with a big, brawny female (not my type, but at my age one grabs what one can).
2012年9月26日 星期三
New animal services director happy to be home
Before Hurricane Katrina, Riverview native Ian Hallett had never set foot in an animal shelter. But after watching refugees pile into Austin, Texas, with pets they had risked their lives to protect, Hallett was compelled to make a visit and a difference.Soon after, he began volunteering at Austin Animal Services, and within two years was supervisor of animal care. Artificial Landscape,By August 2011, he was in charge of a shelter housing 20,000 dogs and cats.
Hallett, 35, returned home in June to become director of Hillsborough County Animal Services. He hadn't planned on leaving Austin, but coming back just seemed like destiny, he said. In March, while he was here visiting his father in the hospital, the animal services job was posted on the county's website, he said.He felt like he could make a difference here,Dinopark Tyrannosaurus Rides in Outdoor, too.
"At one time, the Austin shelter had a euthanasia rate of 60 percent, and we were able to get that down to 10 percent or less," Hallett said.Right now, Hillsborough County Animal Services has a euthanasia rate of about 65 percent."I hope to half that number and save at least 65 to 75 percent of our animals," Hallett said.Starting in November, Hallett wants to recruit more volunteers and open the shelter seven days a week until 7 p.m. with the goal of adopting out more animals.
Hallett, 35, returned home in June to become director of Hillsborough County Animal Services. He hadn't planned on leaving Austin, but coming back just seemed like destiny, he said. In March, while he was here visiting his father in the hospital, the animal services job was posted on the county's website, he said.He felt like he could make a difference here,Dinopark Tyrannosaurus Rides in Outdoor, too.
"At one time, the Austin shelter had a euthanasia rate of 60 percent, and we were able to get that down to 10 percent or less," Hallett said.Right now, Hillsborough County Animal Services has a euthanasia rate of about 65 percent."I hope to half that number and save at least 65 to 75 percent of our animals," Hallett said.Starting in November, Hallett wants to recruit more volunteers and open the shelter seven days a week until 7 p.m. with the goal of adopting out more animals.
2012年9月20日 星期四
A little horse sense, please
After spending millions to create a world-class wild mustang eco-sanctuary in Northern Nevada, philanthropist Madeleine Pickens finds herself at odds with the very people she's trying to help. In all likelihood, some of the best-known wild horse advocates in the country — many of whom are meeting in Las Vegas this week — will end up filing a lawsuit to stop Pickens' plan from moving forward.
It's a complicated legal mess, but in a nutshell, it looks like those crafty dealmakers at BLM are stirring the pot. They've been spreading half-truths about some conditions they have supposedly imposed on Pickens if she wants to get the green light for her plan to take 1,000 or more horses out of government pens and put them onto a gigantic ranch property she purchased near Elko. Pickens needs the BLM's permission to use an adjacent 580,000 acres to supplement her sanctuary.
Those tricksters at BLM have been telling other horse advocates that Pickens will have to wipe out three existing herd-management areas in order to move forward with her sanctuary, and the advocates have been screeching like banshees, holding their wrists to their foreheads and threatening to go to court. The advocates believe that if Pickens wants to rescue a few thousand horses from government corrals and create a model for other public-private sanctuaries, she will sacrifice 1,200 or so wild mustangs living near her property.
It's a complicated legal mess, but in a nutshell, it looks like those crafty dealmakers at BLM are stirring the pot. They've been spreading half-truths about some conditions they have supposedly imposed on Pickens if she wants to get the green light for her plan to take 1,000 or more horses out of government pens and put them onto a gigantic ranch property she purchased near Elko. Pickens needs the BLM's permission to use an adjacent 580,000 acres to supplement her sanctuary.
Those tricksters at BLM have been telling other horse advocates that Pickens will have to wipe out three existing herd-management areas in order to move forward with her sanctuary, and the advocates have been screeching like banshees, holding their wrists to their foreheads and threatening to go to court. The advocates believe that if Pickens wants to rescue a few thousand horses from government corrals and create a model for other public-private sanctuaries, she will sacrifice 1,200 or so wild mustangs living near her property.
2012年9月18日 星期二
Groups helping teachers pay for classroom pets that enrich students without family animal
Experts say many children who enter the first grade can play video games but few have a pet to play with. And teachers say that's a shame, considering how animals — real ones — can enrich a child's upbringing.So for a quarter of a century, educators such as Dawn Slinger in Farmington, Minn., have paid out of their own pockets to provide one for their classrooms. Only in the past few years have groups stepped in to help with the financial burden.
Two years ago, Pets in the Classroom, a Maryland-based project from the nonprofit foundation Pet Care Trust, began offering grants to U.S. and Canadian teachers in grades 1 through 8. The money can be used to buy starter pets, cages, food and other supplies. It issued its 10,000th grant this summer.The $150 grants help offset the cost of the animal and its care, which helps teachers like Slinger who has been using her own money, said foundation executive director Steve King. Just an aquarium for a frog could cost more than a hundred dollars.
Teachers who apply for a second year or more get $50 for additional equipment, food and supplies.Pet Care Trust first started introducing pets to classrooms through a joint venture with the Florida Aquarium in Tampa five years ago. A classroom fish project gave participating teachers a 150-gallon aquarium, supplies and fish, King said. Nearly 200 classrooms in the Tampa area got aquariums, and a similar program was started in Chicago.
Two years ago, Pets in the Classroom, a Maryland-based project from the nonprofit foundation Pet Care Trust, began offering grants to U.S. and Canadian teachers in grades 1 through 8. The money can be used to buy starter pets, cages, food and other supplies. It issued its 10,000th grant this summer.The $150 grants help offset the cost of the animal and its care, which helps teachers like Slinger who has been using her own money, said foundation executive director Steve King. Just an aquarium for a frog could cost more than a hundred dollars.
Teachers who apply for a second year or more get $50 for additional equipment, food and supplies.Pet Care Trust first started introducing pets to classrooms through a joint venture with the Florida Aquarium in Tampa five years ago. A classroom fish project gave participating teachers a 150-gallon aquarium, supplies and fish, King said. Nearly 200 classrooms in the Tampa area got aquariums, and a similar program was started in Chicago.
2012年9月13日 星期四
Carrie Underwood promotes animal adoption
Animal-lover Carrie Underwood took to the Twitter scene yesterday and posted a number of photos showing her holding armfuls of adorable cats and kittens. "Hanging out at the Checotah animal shelter!," she wrote. "Anyone want a kitten? I think we have a few!!! Ha ha!"The shelter, located in the singer's native town of Checotah, Okla., is a place Underwood tends to visit anytime she comes home. Back in 2009, she established the C.A.T.S. (Checotah Animal, Town, School) foundation as a way of giving back to the community that helped make her a star.
"My hometown is extremely supportive of me and I feel blessed to be able to create something as a way of giving back; to say thank you," she writes on the foundation's site. Back in 2011, Underwood's foundation paid for a new animal shelter for the town. "It funded the building here, and before we had the building she was funding our spaying and neutering," Carol Underwood, Carrie's mom told News6.
While the town pays for utilities and food, C.A.T.S. pays for all the rest, which equals free adoptions for anyone interested in saving a life. "I have always been an animal lover," Underwood told CBS News. "I worked at a vet clinic when I was in college. When I was little I always brought animals into the house, and [nursed] sick animals back to health.
"My hometown is extremely supportive of me and I feel blessed to be able to create something as a way of giving back; to say thank you," she writes on the foundation's site. Back in 2011, Underwood's foundation paid for a new animal shelter for the town. "It funded the building here, and before we had the building she was funding our spaying and neutering," Carol Underwood, Carrie's mom told News6.
While the town pays for utilities and food, C.A.T.S. pays for all the rest, which equals free adoptions for anyone interested in saving a life. "I have always been an animal lover," Underwood told CBS News. "I worked at a vet clinic when I was in college. When I was little I always brought animals into the house, and [nursed] sick animals back to health.
2012年9月12日 星期三
Animals lack designation
Stray animals sent from Sanger to Noah's Ark Animal Shelter are arriving not designated as adoptable or unadoptable, and that has skewed the facility's euthanasia rates, shelter officials said.Those rates have elicited complaints from Sanger residents and prompted the Sanger City Council to consider changing shelters to improve adoption rates, but Noah's Ark officials say they don't understand why.
Sanger's contract with Noah's Ark calls for the city to ship an average of 15 adoptable animals per month. Know the Advantages of Fiberglass Skimboards.Noah's Ark also euthanizes animals for the city under a separate part of the contract after the city deems them sick, disabled or aggressive.Shelter manager Jennifer Keahey said Noah's Ark calculates separate euthanasia rates for adoptable pets and those animals the city deems unadoptable.
"For well over a year, we have received such animals, and it's reflected in our records," she said. "Adoptable animals are vaccinated, treated for fleas and worms, spayed or neutered, microchipped and treated for any minor medical issues they might have."However, Keahey said, Sanger began mixing adoptable pets with aggressive and sick animals, leaving assessments to the shelter.
Sanger's contract with Noah's Ark calls for the city to ship an average of 15 adoptable animals per month. Know the Advantages of Fiberglass Skimboards.Noah's Ark also euthanizes animals for the city under a separate part of the contract after the city deems them sick, disabled or aggressive.Shelter manager Jennifer Keahey said Noah's Ark calculates separate euthanasia rates for adoptable pets and those animals the city deems unadoptable.
"For well over a year, we have received such animals, and it's reflected in our records," she said. "Adoptable animals are vaccinated, treated for fleas and worms, spayed or neutered, microchipped and treated for any minor medical issues they might have."However, Keahey said, Sanger began mixing adoptable pets with aggressive and sick animals, leaving assessments to the shelter.
2012年9月6日 星期四
Know the Advantages of Fiberglass Skimboards
Wooden skimboards can be great for beginners and are usually cheaper - these are the main benefits of using them. However, fiberglass skimboards have several advantages over wooden skimboards. They're lighter and faster and make it possible for you to get more speed while riding the waves. This is why fiberglass skimboards are the choice of every professional skimboarder.
While you're still a beginner, you should stick to wooden skimboards, but after you've done with the rookie stage and your skill has increased, you should definitely switch to fiberglass skimboards or you'll miss out on all the thrills and excitement.The brands you should consider when shopping for fiberglass skimboards are Apex, Exile, Syndrome and Zap. These are the top brands and, if you stick to them, you'll manage to get yourself the best quality fiberglass skimboards available.
For instance, the Ms S-Glass Hybrid Skimboard from Exile, one of the largest board manufacturers in the world, or the Syndrome Skimboard Eglass (Medium or Large) are among the best fiberglass skimboards that money can buy. But there are others too, so you should give careful consideration to the process of acquiring fiberglass skimboards, if you want your skimboarding experience to be a successful one. If that's your final goal, then fiberglass skimboards are the best choice for you.
While you're still a beginner, you should stick to wooden skimboards, but after you've done with the rookie stage and your skill has increased, you should definitely switch to fiberglass skimboards or you'll miss out on all the thrills and excitement.The brands you should consider when shopping for fiberglass skimboards are Apex, Exile, Syndrome and Zap. These are the top brands and, if you stick to them, you'll manage to get yourself the best quality fiberglass skimboards available.
For instance, the Ms S-Glass Hybrid Skimboard from Exile, one of the largest board manufacturers in the world, or the Syndrome Skimboard Eglass (Medium or Large) are among the best fiberglass skimboards that money can buy. But there are others too, so you should give careful consideration to the process of acquiring fiberglass skimboards, if you want your skimboarding experience to be a successful one. If that's your final goal, then fiberglass skimboards are the best choice for you.
2012年9月4日 星期二
Designers manage to clone living things such as plants and animals
Planting trees, shrubs, flourishing plants,Contemporary Garden Sculptures and Fountains for Your Garden, on the ground they take a lot of space and often times can be boring to look at. Thanks to container gardening that allows you to maximize your space. This is as well the best alternative to make your garden more eye- catching and enticing. You can pick from the usual pots made of either terra cotta or plastic, to customized windowboxes.
The beauriful shape of the bowl will put a class A rating to your interior o exterior architectural design. An ugly and dull lobby of your garden will give a dramatic and high toned ambience by simply putting these appealing planters. It will make the setting ideal to be calm and chill. Putting these fiberglass planters to any part of your garden will be more attractive to the eye and improve architectural ideas.
Homeowners or residential owners prefer residential planters to embellish their interior and exterior areas. But before you make a choice, always check its advantages and disadvantages. Example, pots made of terra cotta may not be fairly blown away on a breezy day but it eats up much water. Thus, you need to water the plants more often or otherwise your plants will wilt. Pots made of plastic on the other hand, tends to snap over time.
The beauriful shape of the bowl will put a class A rating to your interior o exterior architectural design. An ugly and dull lobby of your garden will give a dramatic and high toned ambience by simply putting these appealing planters. It will make the setting ideal to be calm and chill. Putting these fiberglass planters to any part of your garden will be more attractive to the eye and improve architectural ideas.
Homeowners or residential owners prefer residential planters to embellish their interior and exterior areas. But before you make a choice, always check its advantages and disadvantages. Example, pots made of terra cotta may not be fairly blown away on a breezy day but it eats up much water. Thus, you need to water the plants more often or otherwise your plants will wilt. Pots made of plastic on the other hand, tends to snap over time.
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