In March of 2008, I had the privilege to join my father and sister on a trip to Hawaii's northernmost island of Kauai. We spent 5 days exploring the lush countryside and experiencing a completely exotic land. Along our travels, we encountered so many chickens roaming around everywhere, that I wondered how and why this came about. In one instance I was relaxing on a beautiful sandy beach near the Kauai Marriot Resort, and a rooster, hen and their two or three chicks (a whole family) came pecking towards me threatening to tickle my toes. Some people there told me that hurricanes in the past let chicken coops loose, and others said that since there are no natural predators there, chickens had no enemies (other than humans) who would eat them. It all made sense, but I wanted to know more about the wild chicken invasion of Kaui (and the rest of Hawaii) that have made this in itself a tourist attraction.

Here's an interesting article from the New York Times, written on April 6, 2015, that sheds some light on the wild chickens of Kauai:

In Hawaii, Chickens Gone Wild

The pictures you see here I shot myself (or my sister did) on this trip. I'm also in a few of the photos as you can see. Guess if you're ever homeless and hungry, this is the island to be on! Winner, winner, chicken dinner!

"Silly" the Cat, circa 2011

(he still looks nearly exactly the same today!)

The story of this backyard cat is a long one but also quite trivial.

To sum up this feline, he (or is it she?), has been coming to my family's backyard for years now, starting in early as 2010. It is the summer of 2015 now and Silly still wants to be fed. So now my family buys cans of cat food on a regular basis. Wouldn't you think that 6 ounces of food would be enough for this cat? Wrong! He wants more...and more... and more. When the cat isn't busy eating ground chicken, beef and salmon, he's busy sleeping underneath the patio's raised garden bed, or even hunting for small birds. One time Silly took a dump on a hot summer day (and this was in 2015) and left it to melt on the cement part of the patio. I had to take the garden hose and set the 7 setting nozzle to "full stream" to wash that nasty little turd away. Was Silly upset we weren't feeding him on a daily basis? Was he feeling ill or has he gotten senile and old? We don't exactly know the exact age of this cat so perhaps its got some loose screws up there in its little noggin. Well, a year or so ago I planted some catnip for Silly and its taken full advantage of that stuff. I used to see him sitting in the small grove of catnip, blissed out and probably hallucinating. I tried to feed that cat some fruits and vegetables but all it wants is meat. One hell of a carnivore I have to say. That cat once used my raised beds as litter boxes so I had to put up a bit of fencing around it to keep the critter from relieving itself in my vegetable beds. That fence doubled as protection against rabbits and groundhogs too, I later realized. There's a duality in everything, isn't there? Well, anyway, I could keep going into more stories with this Silly cat but I don't want to waste your day. When I get a chance to add more recent photos of this cat, I will. For now, say hello to my little friend. :-)

Pink tusks aren't real, but still help combat hunting of elephants for ivory

By Gary Lindner
Director Planet Sanctuary

Some times all you need to do is out think your opponent. In this case of poaching and specifically illegal ivory poachers is to destroy there merchandise without hurting the animal. Who knows how many animals can and will be saved by this practice of discoloring the ivory and ultimately ruining the product. This is far from a solution to the poaching problem in Kruger national park but it can be a deterent. The only long term solution to eradicating poaching is to educate the people of the region so they understand that protecting the wildlife of Africa is more valuable to them then the benefit that a few ivory poachers gain destroying what makes Africa so amazing. Here is an article that goes into more detail on what is involved in combating the poachers. PLEASE WATCH THE VIDEOS. IF SOMETHING IS NOT DONE THIS WILL BE THE END TO THE AFRICAN ELEPHANT AND RHINO! AND SOONER NOT LATER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This pink elephant can’t be blamed on a drunken hallucination, though wildlife conservationists might suggest a certain level of intoxication to those who think their pink tusks could be real.
Reports abound online regarding elephant tusks being painted pink in an effort to devalue the ivory for poachers. A Facebook post, Stain Tusks to Stop Elephant Poaching, includes a photo of an elephant with pink tusks, but goes on to explain that the photo has been altered. The author then suggests that even though the photo is a fake, the notion of staining tusks should be explored in an effort to stop the killing of innocent elephants in Africa.
But wildlife conservationists say painting elephant tusks is hardly feasible for animals in the wild.
“The idea is impractical to impossible on a field-level scale because of the sheer logistics and cost to implement,” says Anne Lambert of the International Conservation Fund of Canada, a charity that focuses on global conservation work. “Darting and applying dye to elephants would involve a huge cost and stress and risk to elephants. And even if achievable on a small, enclosed population, poaching pressure would just be diverted elsewhere.”

While painting elephant tusks is highly improbable, Hern applauds people for inventing ways to think about poaching more actively and creatively.
“Poaching syndicates are extremely innovative in how they market their illegal products,” she says. “We need to start employing the same tactics in our attempts to counter their efforts. Even a seemingly impractical idea may just be the spark someone needs to come up with something that does work. The problem is out of control, which means the solution can probably only be found outside the box.”
According to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), an international NGO that focuses on conservation and the environment, elephant herds have shrunken by 50 per cent since 1979 due to unmonitored domestic ivory markets that fuel the illegal international trade. It is reported that as many as 35,000 elephants are killed each year in Africa.
The biggest threat facing African rhinos is poaching for the illegal trade in their horns. Used for everything from cures for hangovers to cancer, rhino horn is a common ingredient in traditional Asian medicines. Fueled largely by Vietnamese demand, rhino horn is also considered a symbol of wealth. The number of rhinos poached in South Africa has increased by 9,000 per cent since 2007, from 13 to a record 1,215 in 2014.
The WWF doesn’t endorse horn infusion due to its impracticality, says Dr. Colman O’Criodain, a wildlife trade specialist with WWF.
“The reason we didn’t endorse this method is because simply in order to do that you have to dart and anesthetize the rhino,” he says. “Most of the poaching is happening in Kruger National Park and that’s the size of Wales and it’s just not practical. Not to mention the fact that in a matter of time they would have babies and you’d have to do it again.”
Fighting the illegal trade of ivory and rhino horn involves tactics that include stepping up enforcement on poachers and smugglers as well as educating consumers about the disadvantages of purchasing these products. The WWF is also working toward a fourth pillar that raises the profile of wildlife crime.
“Any other kind of organized crime involving the amounts of money that are at stake in ivory and rhino smuggling would be a national concern for security reasons,” says O’Criodain. “So we’re not asking people necessarily to up the effort simply because we love rhinos and elephants, which we do and because they contribute to biodiversity and to eco-system health, we’re doing this also because we believe it’s a security issue.”

Sandwich Monkey

Don't turn your back or it will be gone

Associated Press

Sunday 19 July 2015

Jet-setting stallions and high-flying hounds at New York’s Kennedy airport can look forward to a new luxury terminal that will handle the more than 70,000 animals flying in and out every year.

The ARK at JFK, its name inspired by Noah’s biblical vessel, will more than measure up to terminals for humans: horses and cows will occupy sleek, climate-controlled stalls with showers, and dogs will lounge in hotel suites featuring flat-screen TVs. A special space for penguins will allow them mating privacy.

The ARK is billed as the world’s first air terminal for animals.

Set to open next year, the $48m, 178,000-square-foot (16,500-square-meter) shelter and quarantine facility will take in every kind of animal imaginable — even an occasional sloth or aardvark. From The ARK, they’ll head to barns, cages, racetracks, shows and competition venues in the United States and abroad.

Many arriving animals are quarantined for a period of time (for horses, it’s normally about three days) to make sure they’re not carrying contagious diseases. And The ARK is designed to make their stay as pleasant as possible, with hay-lined stalls for up to 70 horses and 180 head of cattle, plus an aviary and holding pens for goats, pigs and sheep.

For dog owners, The ARK will offer a 20,000-sqf (1,860-sqm) luxury “resort” run by the company Paradise 4 Paws, complete with bone-shaped splashing pools, massage therapy and “pawdicures with colored nail pawlish.” Dogs can watch flat-screen TVs and their owners can check in on them via webcam.

Cats will have their own trees to climb. And all animals will have access to a 24-hour clinic run by Cornell University’s veterinary college.

Even animals that don’t need to be quarantined — a huge dog that can’t fit in the cabin and has to travel as cargo, for example — will be held at the facility until departure or pickup by its owner.

“A lot of our design making is in collaboration with veterinarians and consultants to help minimize the amount of stress placed on the animal,” said Cliff Bollmann, a leading airport architect working on The ARK for the San Francisco-based architecture firm Gensler.

Kennedy receives the bulk of animals entering the United States, but there are similar facilities near airports in Chicago, Los Angeles and Miami. Until Kennedy’s ARK opens, animals in transit will continue to be handled at the airport’s aging Vetport, built in the 1950s

Lachlan Oldaker, an Oklahoma-based equine specialist and key member of the architectural team, called The ARK “an enormous leap forward.”

“The design allows planes to taxi directly to the building, so horses can be transported in a seamless fashion that reduces stress,” she said.

The ARK is being built on the site of an unused cargo terminal that has been demolished. ARK Development, an affiliate of the Madison Avenue real-estate company Racebrook Capital, has signed a 32-year lease for the airport property with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey agency that runs Kennedy.

When completed, the facility is subject to approval by the US Department of Agriculture. Animals will be charged fees — still being determined depending on services — that will help fund the terminal. High-end dog “suites” could top $100 per night.

Transporting animals by air is not aimed at low-income owners. A flight to London for a dog can cost about $1,000, plus a crate, airport fees and vet certifications. And moving a horse can add up to at least $10,000.

The ARK’s designers have had to meet challenges not found in other architectural projects — for instance, figuring out how to dispose of animal waste. They came up with the idea of a “poo chute,” an angled floor from which manure slides into a container.

The equine wing is a welcome improvement to international show jumper and organizer Derek Braun.

Horses must currently be driven to a quarantine facility in Newburgh, about 80 m(130 km) north of Kennedy. The ARK has an in-house quarantine.

“I personally, as well as competitors for my shows, ship so many horses from Europe each year that having the peace of mind that one step of the travel process will be eliminated is a big relief because it eliminates part of the risk of injury,” he said.

Jet-setting stallions and high-flying hounds at New York’s Kennedy airport can look forward to a new luxury terminal that will handle the more than 70,000 animals flying in and out every year.

The ARK at JFK, its name inspired by Noah’s biblical vessel, will more than measure up to terminals for humans: horses and cows will occupy sleek, climate-controlled stalls with showers, and dogs will lounge in hotel suites featuring flat-screen TVs. A special space for penguins will allow them mating privacy.

The ARK is billed as the world’s first air terminal for animals.

Set to open next year, the $48m, 178,000-square-foot (16,500-square-meter) shelter and quarantine facility will take in every kind of animal imaginable — even an occasional sloth or aardvark. From The ARK, they’ll head to barns, cages, racetracks, shows and competition venues in the United States and abroad.

Many arriving animals are quarantined for a period of time (for horses, it’s normally about three days) to make sure they’re not carrying contagious diseases. And The ARK is designed to make their stay as pleasant as possible, with hay-lined stalls for up to 70 horses and 180 head of cattle, plus an aviary and holding pens for goats, pigs and sheep.

For dog owners, The ARK will offer a 20,000-sqf (1,860-sqm) luxury “resort” run by the company Paradise 4 Paws, complete with bone-shaped splashing pools, massage therapy and “pawdicures with colored nail pawlish.” Dogs can watch flat-screen TVs and their owners can check in on them via webcam.

Cats will have their own trees to climb. And all animals will have access to a 24-hour clinic run by Cornell University’s veterinary college.

Even animals that don’t need to be quarantined — a huge dog that can’t fit in the cabin and has to travel as cargo, for example — will be held at the facility until departure or pickup by its owner.

“A lot of our design making is in collaboration with veterinarians and consultants to help minimize the amount of stress placed on the animal,” said Cliff Bollmann, a leading airport architect working on The ARK for the San Francisco-based architecture firm Gensler.

Kennedy receives the bulk of animals entering the United States, but there are similar facilities near airports in Chicago, Los Angeles and Miami. Until Kennedy’s ARK opens, animals in transit will continue to be handled at the airport’s aging Vetport, built in the 1950s.

Lachlan Oldaker, an Oklahoma-based equine specialist and key member of the architectural team, called The ARK “an enormous leap forward.”

“The design allows planes to taxi directly to the building, so horses can be transported in a seamless fashion that reduces stress,” she said.

The ARK is being built on the site of an unused cargo terminal that has been demolished. ARK Development, an affiliate of the Madison Avenue real-estate company Racebrook Capital, has signed a 32-year lease for the airport property with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey agency that runs Kennedy.

When completed, the facility is subject to approval by the US Department of Agriculture. Animals will be charged fees — still being determined depending on services — that will help fund the terminal. High-end dog “suites” could top $100 per night.

Transporting animals by air is not aimed at low-income owners. A flight to London for a dog can cost about $1,000, plus a crate, airport fees and vet certifications. And moving a horse can add up to at least $10,000.

The ARK’s designers have had to meet challenges not found in other architectural projects — for instance, figuring out how to dispose of animal waste. They came up with the idea of a “poo chute,” an angled floor from which manure slides into a container.

The equine wing is a welcome improvement to international show jumper and organizer Derek Braun.

Horses must currently be driven to a quarantine facility in Newburgh, about 80 m(130 km) north of Kennedy. The ARK has an in-house quarantine.

“I personally, as well as competitors for my shows, ship so many horses from Europe each year that having the peace of mind that one step of the travel process will be eliminated is a big relief because it eliminates part of the risk of injury,” he said.

Ape Conservation in Africa

Caring for a Baby Gorilla at Ape Action Africa

Wild gorillas and chimpanzees are on the brink of extinction. Habitat loss and poaching threaten these magnificent animals like never before.
Ape Action Africa is committed to ape conservation in Africa - protecting Cameroon’s great apes through direct action, including rescuing orphaned gorillas, chimpanzees and monkeys, giving them a safe forest sanctuary home where they can live with their own kind.
Ape Action Africa is passionate about great ape conservation in Cameroon. Our goals are to address the immediate threats faced by gorillas and chimps in Africa, and to work with communities to develop long-term solutions to ensure their survival in the wild.
We rescue orphaned and injured gorillas and chimpanzees, some only days old, hours from death. Once they are in our care, we work around the clock in Cameroon’s Mefou Primate Park to give them urgent veterinary care and nourishment.
In the protected zone at Mefou, safe from poachers, the animals are cared for by our trained experts, many of them local community members who have joined our team. Eventually, when the young orphans are strong enough, we reintroduce them to groups of their own kind in safe and controlled environments.
We operate a thriving education programme for local school children, who are encouraged to visit Mefou to see Cameroon's wildlife in its natural environment.
We are committed to identifying areas that can be set aside as protected habitat for rescued gorillas and chimpanzees. It is our hope that one day the great apes and monkeys in our care will be released back into the wild, where they belong.

FISHING THE TRIBUTARIES IN UPSTATE NEW YORK.
PROTECT OUR NATURAL RESOURCES

GARY LINDNER

DIRECTOR PLANET SANCTUARY
ONE WORLD BLUE

Typically when most people think of New York, the first thought they have is of the City. Rarely if ever do people stop to consider what else lies outside the deep walls of the office towers. In my opinion the opportunity to enjoy the fantastic tributaries like Oak Orchard in up state New York is priceless. These waterways represent how important it is to protect the water quality in the Great lakes and the streams that feed into them. Here are some pictures a fishing trip my friend Tony and I enjoyed last fall. These salmon and trout rely on these streams and the health of the streams to continue the cycle of life that the king salmon and large species of trout need to continue that cycle.
All the fish in these pictures were caught and released. These fish are stocked by the state of New York and are a very important part of the economy of the small towns that surround these tribs. If the steams or Great lakes are compromised in any way there would be a major economic affect on those economies. If you have never visited the amazing beauty of northern New York plan a trip, you will not be disappointed. Some of these streams often lie within a series of glacial gorges and require rigorous hiking in order to locate the fishing opportunities. These upstream gorges support very tiny, delicate fisheries which do not tolerate large amounts of fishing pressure or any pollutants. While the fish caught in these gorges may only be 8-9", catching trout below a spectacular waterfall and hiking to dramatic vistas with 200 foot drops more than makes up for any lack of size. The experience of wonderful surroundings, hiking and fly fishing provides a combined recreational opportunity unparalleled in the Northeast.

^ Elephants drinking and bathing in the mid-day sun.

A mother and her baby. The baby was happy to sleep right before this photo, but the mother insisted they needed to leave.

Two zebra. The younger one is eating grass.

A "laughing" zebra. Same group as the photo above. The lighting is odd because of the smoke from the "controlled burn" seen in the first or second post.

A weaver finch nest.

A small bird in a tree.

All photos are copyright of their owner, Nathaniel Pantalone, VP of Marketing of OWB LLC.

Above, the warning in the park regarding dangerous animals.

A hillside on fire, part of the controlled burn in the park to maintain the grasslands.

The eerie shadow over and orange color of the land was caused by the sunshine through the smoke from the fire.

An injured lion caught at night. He was reluctant to move even as we approached because his leg was badly injured.

All photos are copyright of their owner, Nathaniel Pantalone, VP of Marketing of OWB LLC.