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

    The ASPCA’s Dangerous Bill

    Now enter a competing bill, sponsored by state Rep. Amy Paulin and backed by the ASPCA, that would that would, instead, allow New York State shelters to kill animals immediately if staff determine that the animals are in “psychological pain.”

    Westminster Dog Show Nixes Adoption Ads

    If you were planning on tuning in to the Westminster Dog Show tomorrow evening, but were worried that you might have to watch a pesky ad from Pedigree dog foods featuring shelter dogs who would like to be adopted, fear no more. The ads have been axed.

    Cloning Prehistoric Humans?

    Using a fragment of a human finger bone found in that cave, scientists have sequenced the genome of an extinct group of humans known as the Denisovans – so called after the name of the cave at Denisova.

    Does the Universe Want to Play?

    The rapidly growing scientific field of “play studies” is turning up so many surprising examples of what at least appear to be play activities in the most surprising places, that scientists are asking whether there may be something about the very fabric of matter itself that continually spawns and nurtures fun and play.

    Puppies Take Themselves to Hospital

    A pair of very thin, homeless puppies walked into a Corpus Christi, Texas, hospital looking for medical attention. Although the hospital only caters to humans, they made sure the doggies got the treatment they needed.

    World’s Cutest Turtle

    “They’re living fossils,” says Ray Bosmans, president of the Mid-Atlantic Turtle & Tortoise Society (MATTS), a conservation and education group that helps place abandoned turtles and tortoises into new homes.

    Two Girl Scouts Fight the Palm Oil Industry

    Teenagers Rhiannon Tomtishen and Madison Vorva had been studying orangutans as part of a project to earn their Girl Scout Bronze Award four years ago. The palm oil goes into numerous baked goods and other “fun” foods, and the orangutans and their kind are now threatened with extinction.

    PETA v. SeaWorld – The Aftermath

    The judge ruled against PETA in its case accusing SeaWorld of holding orcas as slaves in violation of the 13th Amendment. PETA calls it a victory anyway. But a leading animal rights attorney fears the case may have set back the cause of animal rights.

    The Prize Isn’t Right

    The fact that a contestant on The Price Is Right won a trip to the infamous Calgary Stampede rodeo has left Bob Barker furious. “They wouldn’t have even considered it when I was there,” Barker said. “I had them take fur coats off the show.

    Meet Grandma!

    She lived in the ocean about 750 million years ago. Today, the ocean is gone – replaced by the savannah of Namibia. Long ago, this great-great-great-etc.grandma turned to stone, a tiny fossil.

    How 9/11 Was a Relief for Whales

    For the rest of the day on September 11, 2001 after the attacks on the Twin Towers and the Pentagon, whales in the North Atlantic must have been heaving a huge sigh of relief. They could hear properly again.

    Dolphins Surf with Boy

    Keith Overton was recording video of his son, Mitchell, wake surfing behind their boat near St. Pete Beach, Florida yesterday. A couple of dolphins decided to join in on the fun.

    McDonald’s Apologizes for Pit Bull Slur

    Stung by nationwide outrage on the part of pit bull guardians, McDonalds has pulled the radio ad it’s been airing in the Kansas City area. The supposedly humorous commercial said that eating a Chicken McBite was less risky than petting a stray pit bull.