Pet Monologues

An endangered animal story by Nina, age 10.

I, Sara, a squirrel monkey, was hunting for my daily meal in the rainforest’s canopy: bugs, berries and leaves. I suddenly heard this noise that was so loud, it almost broke my eardrums! The tree I was in started to shake and I practically fell off! I quickly jumped into another tree, and the one I was in fell to the floor of the rainforest. After that exciting moment, I looked down, and saw a human with what I think was a chainsaw!

Illustration by Nina using Kid Pix.

I quickly called all the animals, (yeah, even that pesky ocelot that kept on chasing me). We had a meeting to come up with a plan that would stop the human from cutting the canopy, and make him go back where he came from. “How about we tie him up with vines and send him down the Amazon!” Jaguar exclaimed. Read the rest of this entry »

Take this test = reincarnationstation.com/

I am a penguin! What are you? Let us know!

PM wishes to keep dialog open and alive with regard to the pit bull terrier. That’s because, when people are talking, remedies for polarizing issues come easier.

We have an adult family member with no children who adopted two such dogs and they are great dogs. However, one afternoon when we were packing to go home, it was a cold January afternoon, a jacket with a hood was zipped up and the dogs clearly became agitated at the site of the hood. The jacket very quickly came off and the dogs led to another room. The dogs are one-year-olds and the owner, who is in his fifties, is an experienced dog owner who lives in a neighborhood with plenty of space and no children. So far with conditions as they are everyone is optimistic. We have become very fond of these two dogs and we also handle them with care.

That said, the following article is about finding homes for dogs who may have been exposed to dog-fighting. These dogs who are saddled with “issues” really require evolved sensibilities.

Here is a recent story found in the Chicago Tribune.

by Bill Hageman, Chicago Tribune

Catherine Hedges says she gets a lot of e-mails from people who want to help Michael Vick’s pit bulls.

“We can’t,” she says. “But we can save these South Holland dogs.”

Photo: Chicago Tribune

Hedges spent nearly a decade in pit bull rescue before stepping aside for health reasons. She has been busy lately, though, working behind the scenes with American Animal Rescue Society in an effort to find homes for the dogs that were seized in that big July raid in South Holland. Read the rest of this entry »

Let’s start with this. If the pit bull terrier ever needed good press (think PR) now is the time to write something positive about this pooch. The reason? Life is about “balance” and there are few “positive” pit bull stories that we are aware of. PM is happy to publish the following article from the Chicago Tribune…

by Gerry Smith, Chicago Tribune

“Trainer aims to reprogram public’s view of pit bulls: Pit bull olympics.”

Head, a 6-month-old pit bull with tattered ears and a passive demeanor, learned to sit on Saturday, a small but notable achievement for a dog once bred to fight.

Photo by Julia Fishkin

On a sidewalk in Humboldt Park, Head was part of a small group of neighborhood pit bulls participating in a dog obedience class taught by Tony Gordon, whose mission is more than just turning around a few hostile canines.

Gordon, a disciple of Pavlov’s theories, said he also hopes to educate pit bull owners and transform public perception about a breed that has been maligned by the media in high-profile attacks on children. Read the rest of this entry »

Changes to Law That Saved Many Species May Result in Its Extinction

© Dawn M. Smith

The ESA as it is now proposed would not have saved many species. Minimizing the importance of critical habitat is one of the key issues in the changes being considered.

One of US wildlife preservation’s most important documents is being torn apart by the present administration. The way the Endangered Species Act of 1973 is being rewritten today might have spelled extinction for the California condor, the grey wolf, grizzly bears and the American bald eagles if it were in place when each of these species was being considered for listing.

Three issues are of concern. First, the new ruling, if approved, would only apply to species in areas they currently occupy, not their historic range. Secondly, states, not the federal government, would have the primary right to decide on how species are handled in their area. And finally, the ability to protect critical habitat would be severely reduced. Read the rest of this entry »

Iberian Lynx Confronts Extinction With Help From Humans

Dawn M. Smith

Captive breeding and prey base restoration being used to aid recovery but loss of habitat and human interaction issues need to be addressed for lynx to stay in the wild.

The Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus) has been named the most endangered wild cat by the IUCN. It is feared that it may become the first wild cat to go extinct in nearly 2000 years. In a strange twist of fate, the loss of a common animal, the rabbit, has been a major contributing factor to the decline of the species. But habitat fragmentation also plays an important role, as does harassment by humans. Steps to recover the species include a captive breeding program, a rabbit population restoration project, public education programs and creation of reserves where Iberian lynx are protected. Read the rest of this entry »

An endangered animal story by Kyle, age 10.

One day in the Woods of No Return a sheep was attacked by a pack of Timber Wolves. At first the Timber Wolves broke the sheep’s leg, and made it bloody.

Illustration by Kyle using Kid Pix.

Then out of whom knows where came Balto the Red Wolf/Dog with his reddish brown fur and brown eyes. Balto chased three wolves away. Four of them howled and shouted out at Balto, “Timber.” Then out of who knows where came an avalanche. Balto quickly pushed him and the seriously injured sheep to the side while they watched the huge mass of snow go by.

Then Farmer Fred came out of his house, and saw Balto next to the sheep and thought he tried to kill it. So he rushed into his house and got his rifle, but Balto was gone by the time he got outside. The one thing Farmer Fred did not know about Balto is he does not eat live puny sheep he only eats dead puny sheep. Farmer Fred was eager to get Balto, and all the Red Wolves that live around him. Red Wolves are endangered and Farmer Fred wanted Red Wolves extinct. Red Wolves are endangered because they go after sheep and farmers kill them. Read the rest of this entry »

CHESHIRE, Conn. (AP) Woman kills raccoon with her bare hands.

Talk about a tough lady! A woman killed a raccoon with her bare hands Thursday when the animal attacked a young boy. Officials with Cheshire animal control say the woman was walking in the woods around 11 a.m. with a group of children when the animal bit the 5-year-old son of a friend. Read the rest of this entry »

Man sent to hospital by decapitated snake.

And here I thought it was only things like say - oh, flatworms and cockroaches that you could cut off the heads off - and still have them live. All right, I’ll be honest, I don’t think it was really alive. But at any rate - 53-year-old Danny Anderson learned the hard way it could still bite. Read the rest of this entry »

MOSCOW Crocodile falls 12 floors third time in escape bid. A crocodile survived a fall from the 12th floor of a Russian apartment block after making an escape bid through a window, emergency services said on Wednesday.

Diving out of the window has become a habit for the crocodile, called Khenar, with concerned neighbors saying it was the third time he had used that method to flee, Moskovsky Komsomolets daily reported. Read the rest of this entry »