Keep Pets Safe Around Easter

The Oregon Veterinary Medical Association warns that Easter lilies are incredibly toxic to cats causing kidney failure if ingested.  All parts of the plant are poisonous—including the pollen they lick off their own fur.  There is no cure, so it’s important you get your cat to a vet if you suspect ingestion of any of the plant.  Early signs of poisoning are vomiting, loss of appetite, lethargy and dehydration.  Tiger lilies, Day lilies and Asiatic lilies are also toxic to cats.

Ingestion of fake Easter grass is another hazard.  It can wrap around the base of the tongue or cause serious intestinal blockage requiring surgery to remove.

Of course, chocolate is another hazard, with darker chocolate being more hazardous.  If you suspect your pet has eaten any of these things, contact your vet or if you’re in North America, the Pet Poison Helpline:  1-800-213-6680

Tsunami Dog Reunited With Owner

Cooper’s hawk grabs a bird in a local backyard

Gary:
I was sitting in my family room at home (near the foothills in Pleasanton) working on taxes this afternoon, when a saw a flurry of activity and what turned out to be a cloud of feathers out the window. I went out in the backyard to see what the commotion was, and I saw what I believe was a Cooper’s Hawk on top of the fence with his prey. I went back in and got my camera and proceeded to watch him de-feather and eviscerate what I fear may have been a baby bird. He didn’t seemed concerned that I was standing there and I was, for once, finally able to get the great backyard wildlife photo I was trying for. Eventually he flew off with what remained of his prey. It was a cool moment, although I still felt bad for the victim!
Michelle Foy, Pleasanton, California
Michelle:
We can always feel bad for the “victim,” but that’s how life works in the great outdoors. Everything has to eat something else in order to survive. The hawk eats the bird that eats the bugs that eat the grass … ad infinitum. And the turkey vultures and the dermestid beetles are always standing around in the wings, waiting to pick up the pieces. Life goes on. /Gary

Endangered black rhino

Phila , a five year old critically endangered Black Rhino, after being released at the Johannesburg Zoo, Monday Oct. 25. 2010. Phila has been moved to the zoo where she will be kept in safety, away from poachers, before being returned to her original herd. Although she had been dehorned she has been the target of poachers who have shot her twice in the wild and seven times in captivity. (AP Photo/Tawanda Mudimu).

By The Associated Press (CP)
JOHANNESBURG — A critically endangered black rhino shot nine times by poachers in South Africa has been moved to a zoo in Johannesburg.
Faan Coetzee of the Endangered Wildlife Trust said Monday that 5-year-old Phila will stay at the zoo until she recovers from her wounds, which may take six months.
Although she had been dehorned so she’d be less attractive to poachers, Phila was shot twice in the wild and seven times in captivity at a game farm.
Conservationists say rhino poaching has increased dramatically because of high demand for rhino horn in Asia, where it is used for medicinal purposes.
South Africa, which hosts more than 90 per cent of the world’s rhino population, has been losing some 20 rhinos per month.
Copyright © 2010 The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

The Three Wise Monkeys

Reminiscent of the ancient proverb see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil – keepers are celebrating the birth of three different types of monkey at Edinburgh Zoo, with babies being born into the goeldi’s monkey, gelada baboon and squirrel monkey troops.

Goeldi’s Monkey
Only a few inches long, this tiny little blackish brown monkey entered the world on Hogmanay and lives in Edinburgh Zoo’s “Magic Forest”.  Now nearly three months old, this monkey is small but has a big playful personality with a little bit of attitude thrown in.  When first born the baby monkey was hard to spot on mum and often just looked like a bit of extra dark fur, as she cuddled her new born right into herself.  Now leaping around and doing lots of exploring, this baby is a fully established member of its troop and older siblings often help mum out.  A small South American New World species, in the wild the goeldi’s monkey originates from the upper Amazon Basin region of Bolivia, Brazil, Columbia, Ecuador and Peru.


Gelada Baboon

Eco-pet friendly

Not long ago environmentalists released a pretty sobering statistic saying owning a pet was about as good for the planet as driving an SUV. Which is to say, not good at all.

Because today is Earth Day -- and because I have some appropriate goodies to give away -- I thought it would be helpful if folks could share things they do to ease the impact of their pet on the environment. Tell us what you've done, what you've tried, what you've heard about.

When you comment, you'll have a chance to win some cool stuff. I've got extremly sweet (and soft) organic cotton toys (like the one at right) from Simply Fido. And there are things from Petco's Plantet Petco line of green pet products. They've sent over one of their plush dog toys that's made with natural vegetable dyes and environmentally friendly materials. (It's not any of the three pictured above but a similarly cute, similarly-sized duck.)

Busch Gardens’ Baby Cheetah Gets a New Puppy Pal

Just a month after Busch Gardens took in a cheetah cub whose mother wasn’t caring for it, the park’s animal care team has identified the perfect four-legged friend for the 8-week-old cat: a 16-week old female yellow Labrador puppy.
The two were first introduced over the weekend and have been spending supervised play times together each day. Eventually, the pair will live together and even travel together, helping the park’s education team teaching the public about the plight of cheetahs in the wild and the importance of Busch Gardens’ conservation efforts.
Although this is Busch Gardens’ first cub-and-puppy combo, it is not uncommon in the zoological community for a single cheetah to be raised with a canine companion. “Male cheetahs are social and often live together in coalitions,” said Tim Smith, one of Busch Gardens’ animal curators. “This social bond will be a very similar relationship, and they will be together for life.”