Baby Giant Anteater

by Lauren Kraft
The Sacramento Zoo's newest addition is a baby Giant anteater. This little one was born on March 9th to Amber, the female and Beata, the male anteater. This is the third birth for Amber and the first for Beata. It is the first Giant anteater birth in the Saramento Zoo's 83-year history. The mother and baby will be off exhibit for a couple of weeks while the baby gets strong enough to hold on to mom and explore the exhibit.

The baby was brought to the veterinary hospital a few hours after birth when the Zoo staff determined it needed medical attention. In the above photo the baby is being hand-fed and the photo bellow, the baby is warmed in an incubator. Less than 24 hours later, the baby was reintroduced to its mother and is doing verywell.

Male Snow Leopard is Leaving

By Harrison Edell, General Curator

Based on recommendations by the Snow leopard Species Survival Plan, our male Snow leopard, Ramir will be leaving us soon for the Potter Park Zoo in Lansing, Michigan. Ramir will be joining two other Snow leopards in Lansing and is a potential match for one of their females. We know he’ll make a good father and continue to contribute to the future survival of this critically endangered species. Be sure to stop by the exhibit to say “Goodbye!”

Chicago: another mass animal death

Along the Chicago lakefront, gizzard shad - a type of herring — are dying off in large numbers. Thousands, maybe more, are dead and frozen or floating in Lake Michigan. Geese and ducks are feeding on the dead and dying fish.

 

Gizzard shad, members of the herring family, are more sensitive to drops in oxygen levels than most fish. And thick ice came early to Chicago harbors in December.

PHOTO: Dale Bowman~For the Sun-Times

Hey, nice ball!

There's nothing more FUN than a dog with a ball!

 

According to Guinness World Records, the world record for the most tennis balls held in the mouth by a dog at one time is five. Augie, a golden retriever owned by the Miller family in Dallas, Texas, USA, successfully gathered and held all five regulation-sized tennis balls on July 6, 2003.

Swiss Cheese - with holes!

The Gentle Bongo

By Lorraine Brown, Zoo Visitor

We went to the Sacramento Zoo recently and saw the very cute Red river hog piglets in the exhibit with the Bongos. The little pigs just root in the ground wherever they feel like it and often don't pay attention to the big Bongos.

One little pig came rooting up near the back hoofs of a big Bongo and I was getting nervous the Bongo might accidentally (or on purpose) kick the piglet. However, the big Bongo lifted one back hoof then gently and slowly crossed it and stepped away from the little clueless pig.

The Bongo then lowered its head. “Oh, oh”, I wondered, “will it bonk the piglet with it's very big pointy horns?” No, it gently nuzzled the little pig with its nose and off the little pig went in another direction! Can you believe it? I think humankind has a lot to learn from this nurturing Bongo!

The picture below shows the little piglet off in the distance after this interaction.

N. America's oldest Asian elephant dies

VALLEJO, Calif. -- North America's oldest Asian elephant has died at a Northern California theme park at the age of 71.

The average life expectancy for Asian elephants is 44.8 years.

Six Flags Discovery Kingdom on Tuesday announced the death of Taj, who had lived at the Vallejo park for 33 years.

The elephant was one of Discovery Kingdom's most popular attractions. Her tricks included stacking logs and playing tug-of-war with guests. The park retired her three years ago.

AP Photo
Source

Dogs Were Man's Best Friend Even 9,400 Years Ago

PORTLAND, Maine -- Nearly 10,000 years ago, man's best friend provided protection and companionship - and an occasional meal.

That's what researchers are saying after finding a bone fragment from what they are calling the earliest confirmed domesticated dog in the Americas.

University of Maine graduate student Samuel Belknap III came across the fragment while analyzing a dried-out sample of human waste unearthed in southwest Texas in the 1970s. A carbon-dating test put the age of the bone at 9,400 years, and a DNA analysis confirmed it came from a dog - not a wolf, coyote or fox, Belknap said.

Because it was found deep inside a pile of human excrement and was the characteristic orange-brown color that bone turns when it has passed through the digestive tract, the fragment provides the earliest direct evidence that dogs - besides being used for company, security and hunting - were eaten by humans and may even have been bred as a food source, he said.

Source

Bad hair day

These wild haired primates prove that being a real life gorilla in the mist can wreak havoc with your hairdo.

Looking in desperate need of some frizz-ease, the grizzled gorillas have the local weather to thank for their curly look.

Aren't they cute?





Source

Winter jacket saves small dog from owl

CRYSTAL LAKE, IL -- An Illinois man credited his Chihuahua's winter jacket with saving the small canine from a great horned owl attack.

George Kalomiris said he was walking the 4-pound dog, Chico, in the early hours Wednesday in Crystal Lake when the owl swooped out of the darkness and tried to grab the canine.

Kalomiris said the owl could not get a good grip on Chico because of the dog's puffy winter jacket. He said the dog suffered scratches to his head and a puncture wound, but quickly recovered from the injuries.

Source

Poodles in a car

From an excellent collection at Flickr by J Van Noate, Antique Dog Photos

Tuesday - feels like Monday - I could sleep .....

via The Daily What

Foxy!

A wounded fox shot its would be killer in Belarus by pulling the trigger on the hunter's gun as the pair scuffled after the man tried to finish the animal off with the butt of the rifle.



Source

Today's awwwwwww

Photo: Kevin Zhao / Reuters

Video: Cat vs. Bear

It's OK, the cat wins, I think.

Yeah, I tried to get out of jury duty, too

Boston resident Sal Esposito recently got called in for jury duty. He might have some problems performing this required task, though, as Sal is a cat.

The problem arose after owners Anna and Guy Esposito listed him on the last U.S. Census under "pet."

Anna filed for his disqualification of service. He was not "too old," "ill," or a "convicted felon," so she filed that he "cannot speak English."

The jury commissioner denied this request.

Source

Note: cat in photo is NOT Sal Esposito.

Smile!

Picture: CATERS

Law and Order: Animal Victims Unit

A COMPLICATED MURDER CASE
Brandon Bird diorama 2010

via Laughing Squid

Scary pork?

In a small complex of nondescript barns set in the flat, snow-covered fields of Ontario, Enviropig is a scientific project which, some argue, represents the new frontier of a technology that could benefit millions of people around the world.

For others what is happening here is weird, dangerous science.

The pigs they are breeding could be among the first genetically modified farm animal to be approved for human consumption.Each pig contains genes from mice and E.coli bacteria, which have been inserted into their DNA with absolute precision.

Those genes make a small but important difference to the way these pigs process their food.

Ordinarily, pigs cannot easily digest chemicals called phosphates. That means that the stuff that comes out of the back end can be toxic and damaging to the environment. The phosphates are easily washed into waterways, where they can produce a hugely fertile environment for plants. But the plants grow so rapidly that they choke the stream or river and cause huge damage to the ecosystem.

The genetic modification enables these pigs to digest phosphates, which means they are less polluting and cheaper to feed.

Source

Sleepy, sleepy Monday morning

Rusty yawns

Romeo yawns

Let's go back to bed!

from Flickr, corsi photo