A new relationship with animals, nature and each other.

Archive for ‘December, 2010’

  • Introducing the Whale Sanctuary Project

    This blog is taking a break for the next few months so that I can devote my energies to the Whale Sanctuary Project. Here's why.

  • Is the Sloth Sanctuary a Zoo?

    The Sloth Sanctuary in Costa Rica was the first of its kind for these wonderfully engaging animals, and it was a model for others that followed. But questions have arisen. And…

  • Tafi Atome Monkey Sanctuary

    Tafi Atome looks like a typical forest in Ghana. The monkeys have been revered in this village for two centuries. But being “sacred” is no guarantee of survival.

  • The Great Irony of Animal “Rights”

    The great irony of the animal rights movement is there is still only one species that has any rights at all: humans. But the Nonhuman Rights Project is setting out to change that.

  • Why Mass Extinction Is Part of Human Nature

    Why would a supposedly “intelligent” species behave in a way that’s bringing about a mass extinction – one that will likely take us down along with so many other animals?

    The Day Obama Struck Out

    Dear Mr. President, A lot of us are in shock about what you said yesterday to the owner of the Philadelphia Eagles about Michael Vick. This was the third (at least) in a series of really bad calls in relation to the suffering of animals.

    Hyena at Sunrise

    The Earth in pics – Dec. 27 By Grégoire Bouguereau French photographer Grégoire Bouguereau watched a herd of hyenas for days at this water hole in…

    Do Dogs Know When Their Person Is Blind?

    Experts weigh in on what exactly dogs and other animals know. One says they don’t have abstract mental concepts like “seeing.” Another says they do. And another tells a story about a dog who “clearly knew what it meant for a human to be blind.”

    Coming In from Cold on Climate Change

    With winter storms making headlines, did global warming take a holiday? Is the science confused? In fact, it’s so cold and so piled high with snow in parts of the globe precisely because of global warming. An expert explains the paradox.

    Michael Vick’s True Message to Young People

    One major animal protection group says it’s OK for Michael Vick to have a dog and that he’s sending a positive message to young people. I strongly disagree. The real message he’s giving them is: “Look what you can get away with if you’re a celebrity like me.”

    The Pup Who Wouldn’t Die

    Four days after she was “euthanized”, this puppy was found by a shelter worker, struggling to keep her head above the mound of dead dogs in the freezer of a shelter. Today, she visits classrooms to teach children about taking care of their pets

    Meet the Pizzlies!

    As their Arctic home melts away, polar bears are beginning to move south, and to reunite with their cousins, the grizzlies. They won’t be all white anymore, but it’s the best chance of preserving part of their nature

    Ace Detective Searching for Loch Ness Monster

    A no-nonsense English police detective insists he has seen the creature twice. “I’m experienced at looking at evidence,” he says. “And I can tell you that … on the balance of probabilities, there is something large and unknown living in this loch.”

    My Questions for Michael Vick. . .

    Michael Vick is saying he wants a puppy, and that this would help his rehabilitation. But rehab starts with admitting what you did. So here are some of the questions he has never answered, and no one has ever asked him in a published interview.

    How a Cure for Baldness May Be Good for Animals

    Using stem cells, doctors and scientists have created a hair follicle. This may be good news for bald men, but it’s even better news for animals. Skin and hair follicles and then other organs created in a lab could one day replace testing products on animals

    The Shot Heard Around the World

    “I don’t like to admit this,” says editor Michael Mountain, “but Sarah Palin has a point when she defends shooting a caribou during her TV show Sarah Palin’s Alaska. Given the choice, I’d rather get shot in Alaska than live like your average cow in a factory farm.”

    This Week in Green – Dec. 13, 2010

    Was the UN climate change conference in Cancun, Mexico, wildly successful, a crushing failure or something in between? Depends on your p.o.v. Commitments were made. Will they be honored? Will they be enough?

    Lights, Camera, Safety!

    Behind the scenes on movies sets around the world with the people who have been making sure for 70 years that “No Animals Were Harmed.”

    Big Spring, Missouri

    The Earth in Pics – December 6, 2010 By Tommy Hornbeck Morning sunlight sneaks over the horizon and under the tree canopy to illuminate the autumn…

    What Bees See

    When you or I look at a flower, we generally see a thing of beauty. When a bee looks at a flower, she sees a runway, a landing strip and a clear path to where the nectar and pollen are

    Reading to Dogs

    Reading aloud to other people can be stressful for young people. But there’s no better way to gain confidence than by reading to a furry friend!