Cruelty in a Romanian Zoo

Now this is just sad. Zoo workers in Romania had police set dogs onto Gaya the elephant because wouldn't move to her winter quarters. She panicked, fell and broke a leg, and ended up laying there until she died.

Romania, which will be joining the EU, now faces new regulations for zoo care. The problem is, they don't have the money to upgrade.

Chained Dogs

Dogs Deserve Better is an organization that is campaigning against chained up dogs.

On Sunday activists will be chaining themselves up across the country to bring attention to the issue.

I saw quite a bit of that when I was in the Azores. It was always very sad to see. But this is, of course, a problem that knows no national boundaries.

150 Hens Liberated

Um, maybe this is a dumb question, but where do they go exactly? Are they released into the woods? The happy happy hen field? A sanctuary? I'm just curious, because I doubt they would survive in the wild, and I wonder if the people that do this have the means to take care of them. Maybe they do.

American States with Pet Trust Laws

Wonder if you can create a pet trust in your state? Thirty states have pet trust laws so far. Use this map and find out if you are in one of them.

If you click on a state WITH pet trust laws, you will be linked to a page with statute information about them. If you click on a state WITHOUT pet trust laws, nothing will happen. (Sorry, Louisiana and Oklahoma residents. Looks like this applies to you).

Aussie Wool Industry Settles Lawsuit Against PETA

PETA has been fighting the Australian wool industry over a Mulesing.

This is a process where loose skin is cut from the skin of wool bearing sheep in order to discourage flies. Here is more info.

The wool industry brought a lawsuit against PETA over it's efforts to stop the practice. After mediation, PETA agreed to stop it's campaign against specific retailers who sell Australian Wool. Here is PETA's news release that outlines the agreement.

Pets and the Poor

Here is an interesting article in the NY Times about people in places like Appalachia who end up with too many pets.

More Dog Care According to Mitt Romney

Here is a story in the Guardian about Mitt Romney. Disgusting.

History of Domesticated Cats

Unlike their drooling tail wagging rivals, cats seem to have domesticated themselves.

It's a very interesting article.

Mitt Romney - Animal Lover

It appears that Mitt Romney strapped a dog in a carrier to the roof of his car for a 12 hour trip. That's right, 12 hours. Nice.

And here I was thinking the worst thing about him was that he was a flip flopping say anything to get elected political hack.

But I guess he's not in favor of treating people any better.

California's New Mandatory Spay/Neuter Law

Here is an article on California's new mandatory spay/neuter law that is making it's way through the legislature. Opinion is decidedly mixed.

More on Primarily Primates

Here is more information on the lawsuit against Primarily Primates. Thanks to one of our readers for providing the link to the site.

Here is a link to Chimp Haven.

In Honor of Minnie Monster

This post is in honor of our oldest dwarf hamster Minnie, aka Minnie Monster.

Minnie may be the longest-lived hamster we have had yet. Most of my reading about dwarf hamsters has shown different estimates of lifespans, but the average appears to be about 2 years.

Tiny, delicate animals such as mice and dwarf hamsters can pass away very quickly and unexpectedly. We had a dwarf once with such a bad case of wet tail that it had to be humanely euthanized because her system was deteriorating so rapidly. Another dwarf passed away at the vet while being given fluid and oxygen. She had been running on her wheel a little over 24 hours earlier. (I can't imagine such a tiny thing on a respirator...wow.)

Then there are those dwarfs that don't seem to know when to go. Minnie is definitely one of them, although it appears that her time has finally arrived.

We adopted Minnie from the animal shelter when she was still pretty young. She was always a lively little girl. She didn't like the exercise ball, but had her fun on the wheel and running along my arms. She liked yogies, nibbling on little crunch toys and was the smelliest little hammie I have ever had. Even my pet-sitter said so.

Minnie began growing old a few months ago. She is a gray ham, but her fur started to turn whitish. Then her back legs started losing control and she dragged herself about. Then her whitish fur started to turn brownish around the neck. She had little tumors grow. But she kept eating, drinking and allowing herself to be picked up. If she ever had any pain, I never knew it, because I would not have kept her alive if her quality of life were suffering in any way.

Tonight, Minnie is barely moving, although she did snack on a yogie earlier. For the past month, we have been amazed every day we checked and she was still here. I'd like to think that she enjoyed life too much or was too well cared for to feel the need to leave. But who knows?

I don't think Minnie will be around in the morning, but we have enjoyed her company and admire her perserverance. Amazing how even the littlest being can maintain such a tenacious hold on life. It is indeed a very precious thing.

Live Animals For Sale on Internet

Looks like live animals are easy to find on the internet according to the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW).

Sahabat Alam Malaysia is the author of the above editorial.

What Dogs are Thinking

Looks like dogs are smarter than we think according to recent research.

But they still aren't as smart as our cats...

Cute Pot-Bellied Pig

Here's a cute pot-bellied pig for you...just because!