A new relationship with animals, nature and each other.

Posts by Michael Mountain

  • 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?

    Is the Stock Market a Global Ponzi Scheme?
    Sacred Activism in the Service of Animals
    Of Humans and Persons

    Chat with Bonobos on Your Tablet!

    Researchers at the Bonobo Hope Great Ape Trust Sanctuary in Des Moines, Iowa, have developed a tablet app that allows humans to communicate with the great apes who are living at their sanctuary.

    Everything You Wanted to Know about Pink Slime

    More and more supermarkets and burger sellers are joining the list of people who say they will no longer sell beef that includes the so-called “pink slime” – a ground up mixture of fatty bits from other cuts of meat and treated with ammonia to enable it to meet food safety standards.

    Leading Scientist Says Chimpanzees Should Have Moral Standing

    If you want to understand human nature, learn from other animals – especially chimpanzees. That’s the word from one of the world’s experts on chimpanzee behavior, Frans de Waal. He’s been studying chimpanzees for nearly 40 years, mostly at the Yerkes National Primate Research Center …

    New Insights on Bee Collapse

    A new series of studies is demonstrating what most experts have assumed for some time: that at least one of the causes of the devastating collapse of bee colonies is being caused by pesticides and other chemicals.

    The New Cat Lovers of Gaza

    In the Palestinian territory of Gaza, a new relationship is blooming between humans and felines. Seven years ago, as Israeli settlers were preparing for the evacuation of Gaza that had been ordered by Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, cat lovers were panicking.

    Dolphin Society ‘Incredibly Complex’

    Just for starters, they are the only mammals known to live in an “open society.” That means they don’t patrol or defend territorial boundaries against other groups. Rather, dolphin society is characterized by multiple levels of alliances and counter-alliances.

    Utah’s Ag-Gag Bill Now Law

    It’s official. If you take undercover video of farm animal abuse in Utah, you’re breaking the law, are guilty of a Class A misdemeanor, and could face jail time. Gov. Gary Herbert has signed H.B. 197 into law

    Elephant Tries to Flee Irish Circus

    In Ireland, yesterday, one of the elephants tried to do just that. While being steered around a Blackpool, Cork, parking lot by trainers from the Courtney Brothers circus, a depressed-looking elephant decided she’d had enough, dodged her captors, and began running away.

    The Odds for Racehorses

    A survey of racing statistics from 29 states shows that more than 3,000 horses died during racing or training from 2009 to 2011. Every one of those horses showed drugs – often multiple drugs – in their bodies.

    Gray Whale Says Thank You

    “He came right up to our boat and almost mouthed, like, a thank you,” Dave Anderson said . “It was pretty awesome.” Anderson was one of a team of rescuers from the whale-watching group DolphinSafari.com who had just spent seven hours rescuing a California gray whale from 50 feet of wire fishing net.

    Those Bad Badgers!

    Just like the residents of The Haven, a community for seniors in England’s West Midlands, the local badgers like big houses. The trouble is: they like their houses to be right under the human houses.

    Snails Join the War Effort

    The ever-bizarre government agency DARPA, or Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, has launched another would-be-funny-if-it-weren’t-sad research project. This one involves turning snails into hybrid robots for use in war.

    Japanese Whalers Retreat Again

    The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society has declared victory for the whales of the Southern Ocean. Once again, Japan’s whaling fleet has left the Antarctic after collecting just one third of its planned catch for the year.

    Missouri Law Would Ensure No Rights to Nonhumans

    A bill working its way through the Missouri legislature would prevent any future legislation in the state from granting “human-like” rights to animals. State representative Ward Franz said his bill is prompted by “outside animal-rights organizations coming into the state trying to impose their will on Missouri’s people and businesses.”