Saskatchewan animals preparing for fall

When it comes to priorities in Saskatchewan's animal world these days, finding enough food and a warm home for the winter are at the top of the list.

Kenton Lysak explained what large animals including moose and bears are searching for to Saskatoon Morning's Leisha Grebinski. Lysak is the Senior Interpreter at Beaver Creek Conservation Centre near Saskatoon.

"At this time, these animals are just looking for a place to hang out and eat a ton of food. They're trying to gain as much weight as possible."

Lysak has spotted a moose in the conservation area and said he has heard reports of moose sightings in recent weeks.

"These moose are looking for tasty treats and trying to get their fat and protein content up so they can survive the harsh winter months."



Birds preparing for flight

Birds are also looking to stock up on food as the temperature begins to fall in the province. 

Lysak said most birds are looking for food to help them prepare for the long migration south to warmer temperatures.

But he also pointed out that some birds stay and brave the cold prairie winter.

"The birds that stay here need as much protein and fat as possible to get through the winter months. So feeding those chickadees and other animals in your backyard do them a big benefit."

Senate backs call for urgent federal funding for cassowary rehab centre

The Senate has backed a Greens push for the federal government to consider urgent funding for a struggling far north Queensland cassowary rehabilitation centre.

Greens senator Larissa Waters called on the federal government to help the state government keep the centre open and to expand its operations to treat adult birds. Photograph: Robert Tidey/AAP/Rainforest Rescue

The Garners Beach Rehabilitation Centre at Mission Beach had been earmarked for closure but the state government this week stepped in with up to $50,000 interim funding to keep it open for another three months.

Only chicks will be admitted during that time, prompting concerns that injured adults would have to be put down at the roadside.

In a Senate motion submitted on Wednesday, Greens senator Larissa Waters called on the federal government to help the state government keep the centre open and to expand its operations to treat adult birds.

Waters said the government needed to update and commit funding to a national recovery plan for the endangered species, the last of which was published in 2007.

“Not only do we have a duty to protect the cassowary for its intrinsic value but this iconic species is also an important tourism drawcard,” she said.

“If passed, it [the motion] will send a powerful message to the federal environment minister about the need to work with the state government to properly fund the rehabilitation centre.”

The motion was carried on the voices, despite the government maintaining it is already taking action to save the endangered cassowary through the threatened species strategy.

“In response to the motion, the federal government said it would write to the state government about funding,” Waters said.

Outspoken far north Queensland vet Dr Graham Lauridsen, who is involved with the centre, said the facility would not need federal funding if the state government did “its job”.

“Why reinvent the wheel when it was working fine a year or two ago?” he said.

Queensland’s environment and heritage protection minister, Steven Miles, has written to Lauridsen to assure him the department is working to reinstate normal ranger services amid a number of staff movements.

But the vet said he was still concerned his staff would have to pick up the slack after he was told the rangers were not to respond to calls outside normal work hours.

10 Breathtakingly Beautiful Albino Animals

1. This sleeping bundle of koala.



2. This beautiful little Kiwi bird.

3. Migaloo, the humpback whale.

4. This proud baby.



5. This precious, little ferret.



6. This grandiose peacock.



7. And this tiny little wood frog.



8. This amazing killer whale.

9. This ghostly alligator.



10. This chillin’ muskrat.

10 Years, 10,000 Dogs and Cats

What can you say about a group of people who’ve been so dedicated to animals that in ten years they’ve made life-changing (and sometimes life-saving) differences in the lives of over ten thousand animals? What is in a number anyway? Not much maybe, unless you’re one of the ones being counted. And for those dogs and cats in the lucky group that have been rescued and rehomed by Almost Home Foundation – it makes all the difference in the world.
I can’t think of a better organization when it comes to people who are working to be the change for animals, than the one I’m proud to have been a part of the past decade. From the beginning, it was a group of people who focused solely on the welfare of pets. A Chicago-area rescue organization committed to no-kill, no-harm, nothing-but-respect for our furry friends.


      Chuck Hanson, President and Co-Founder, Almost Home Foundation

In its very first year of existence, Almost Home Foundation made a name for itself in neighboring towns. Aggressively seeking out volunteers, foster homes, and innovative ideas that would afford the greatest number of pets to be rescued, AHF also became known and trusted by local police departments for its reliability in assisting with homeless and abandoned pets. The network grew quickly, and so did the number of people willing to volunteer and donate.
Also in its first year, Almost Home Foundation sent a team to help in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. The folks who went on that mission told me they were permanently affected by what they witnessed there. They were brave souls; and they brought back dogs (including a pregnant mama and her soon-to-be-born puppies) that would find homes and new families here in the Chicago area.
One dog was even reunited with its original family, who had been displaced by the hurricane and were devastated over having to leave their dog behind. The dedicated efforts of the foster family in finding the dog’s missing family helped in a historic national discussion about the importance of including family pets in official disaster plans.


Rescued by Almost Home Foundation from Puppy Parlor backroom breeding.

Over the years, Almost Home Foundation has championed causes such as spay/neuter, declawing, TNR and feral cat communities, breed discrimination and breed-specific laws, and puppy mills. AHF even rescued dogs from Puppy Parlor – a pet store with a puppy mill setup. If there was an issue that involved the welfare of cats and dogs, chances are AHF has worked to further it.

The organization has rescued many a homeless pet found in the surrounding towns. It has also provided a lifeline for many pets that were facing grim futures in high-kill shelters in downstate Illinois, as well as in southwestern states where shelters are overflowing and funds are scarce.

Lose the puppy fat: study has a bone to pick with Crufts' dumpy dogs

Basset hounds at Crufts earlier this year. The breed is one of those most likely to be overweight. Photograph: Oli Scarff/AFP/Getty Image

The pampered pooches on show at Crufts are billed as the finest doggie specimens – but one in four is overweight, research has revealed.

Analysing 960 images of 28 different breeds of adult dogs placed between first and fifth in their class between 2001 and 2013, researchers found just over a quarter were overweight.

And widespread dissemination of pictures from the world’s largest dog show may be normalising obesity in the animals, the study published in the journal Veterinary Record said.

Pugs, basset hounds, and labrador retrievers were the breeds most likely to be too chubby, with 80% of pugs analysed by the researchers found to be overweight. All three of those breeds are renowned for being prone to obesity.

Pugs were originally bred to be a companion dog, but basset hounds and labradors were bred for hunting and fieldwork respectively, so being larger would not be advantageous, according to the researchers.

Labradors were originally used for hunting and fieldwork, so like this pair at Crufts their ideal weight should reflect this. Photograph: David Sillitoe for the Guardian

Overweight dogs can suffer limited lifespans and are more prone to diabetes, breathing problems and orthopaedic issues, as well as certain cancers.

Standard poodles, border terriers, Rhodesian ridgebacks, Hungarian vizslas and dobermanns were the least likely to be overweight. None were underweight, which the researchers said suggested “judges are more aware of the characteristics associated with underweight condition”.

Obesity among show dogs is, perhaps unsurprisingly, less prevalent than in ordinary pet dogs. But researchers said it was still a cause for concern that 26% of dogs at Crufts appear to be above their ideal weight.

Labradors were originally used for hunting and fieldwork, so like this pair at Crufts their ideal weight should reflect this. Photograph: David Sillitoe for the Guardian

“These dogs showcase the ideal characteristics of the pedigree breed, and there is a danger that widespread media exposure might adversely influence owner perception of optimal body shape,” the report said.

“Given the proportion of show dogs from some breeds that are overweight, breed standards should be redefined to be consistent with a dog in optimal body condition,” its authors suggested.

The Kennel Club, which runs Crufts, said its new judging criteria had policies to emphasise the importance of good canine health, including weight.

“Further effort is now required to educate owners, breeders and show judges so that they can all better recognise overweight condition, thus helping to prevent the development of obesity,” the organisation said.

Poachers shift to hornbills as rare animals decline

Because of decreasing numbers of rare wildlife species in Mount Leuser National Park (TNGL), located in North Sumatra and Aceh provinces, poachers have recently started catching the rangkong, or hornbill.

“Hornbills are currently being targeted by poachers because they are rare and hard to catch, partly because their population is further declining,” TNGL center head Andi Basrul told The Jakarta Post on Monday. Basrul said the hornbill was highly valued on the black market, and was being sought by poachers only as of this year. He added that based on the accounts of poachers arrested by officers, the price of a hornbill beak was around Rp 9 million (US$690), or Rp 90,000 per gram. Basrul said officers confiscated 12 hornbill beaks, which had been cleaned and prepared for sale overseas, from the two poachers. He said poaching suspects could face five years in prison and be fined Rp 100 million in accordance with Law No. 5/1990, which covers the conservation of natural resources and ecosystems. Meanwhile, a suspect who traded in hornbill beaks, Jamas, 37, said he had only recently traded in the bird. Jamas said that he used to poach other animals, including elephants and tigers, in TNGL. However, as the endangered animals became harder to find, Jamas said that he switched to trading hornbills. According to the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Indonesia Program, the population of rare animals in the park, including Sumatran tigers, rhinos, elephants and orangutans, has continuously decreased over the last 20 years.