Apologies to lovebirds . . . & animal news briefs

Valentine’s day came and went here, with images of loving wild and domestic animals seemingly kissing each other (probably a case of sentimental anthropomorphism on my part), but no lovebirds!  True, I had thought of them and even wrote myself a note to include them . . . but memory and note both failed.

So: Both loving and lovely, tiny lovebirds are among the smallest parrots in the world, they rarely speak and all 9 species are native to Africa.  Many are green, often with other colors.  Lovebird pairs are mutually devoted, enjoying perching together, preening and snuggling.  

Keep up the good, loving work, lovebirds!

Wild-baby book

To think of a 250-pound baby seems incongruous at first, till you think of a baby elephant, who typically weighs in around that number.  After, all, her mom can weigh about 8,000 pounds.

Further surprise: unlike human offspring, that baby learns to walk in a few hours, and within a day she can keep up with her traveling family – always guarded by her mother.

At waterholes, she learns to suck water into her trunk then blow it into her mouth.  With 40,000 trunk muscles to control, she learns the crucial skills for  grasping food, taking a dust bath and greeting family members.

And the story goes on. . . It’s all in a beautiful, photo-illustrated children’s book, A Baby Elephant in the Wild, written by scientist Caitlin O’Connell, with photographs by her and Timothy Rodwell.  (Alert: You will be captivated by the pictures and decide to give the book to a young person who then may determine to “Save the Elephants.”  Please give the book!) 

Protecting wolves -- again

            Gray wolves                          HSUS pic

Numerous federal anti-animal moves by the last administration have been modified or thrown out by the Biden administration, thank the power.  (There’s now even talk of how to fix the vast damage done along the southern border – including habitat loss and migration paths blocked -- by the infamous wall.)

The latest boon for animals was the decision earlier this month by a federal judge “to restore protections for gray wolves in much of the country.  It reversed a decision by the Trump administration that stripped Endangered Species Act protections and exposed the animals to aggressive hunting in areas where they were nearly killed off years ago.”

The decision immediately reimposed safeguards for wolf populations in the Lower 48, except for three northern Rocky Mountain states (Idaho, Montana and Wyoming) that weren’t part of the court case but still represent a huge threat to gray wolves.  https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/10/climate/wolves-endangered-species-list.html

Coyote neighbors? Yes!

They typically weigh just 35-40 pounds, and they’re often more afraid of us than we are of them.  And yet, “coyote” is a charged word despite their being our neighbors, whether we see much of them or not.

Peaceful co-existence with coyotes is possible if people observe basic guidelines.  (1) never feed coyotes; (2) don’t let pets out unattended, especially at night; (3) don’t approach coyote pups or a coyote den; (4) if approached by a coyote, be big and loud; don’t run; and (5) don’t even think of trapping and re-locating!

Here are details on living with wild coyote neighbors.  https://mercercountyparks.org/assets/Coyotes.pdf

Hip-hip . . . !

Now at 190 years, the “oldest living land animal in the world” lives on St. Helena island, has his own resident veterinarian and is regularly hand-fed fresh produce to keep his health up. 

A looooong time ago, Jonathan the tortoise was a diplomatic gift to the island’s governor.  Since then, he has outlived 30 more governors and countless historical people and events around the world.

Jonathan’s caretaker-vet is a boy of 64 --126 years younger than his charge.  

RIP, rat hero

Think only of the maiming and death caused by land mines, and you too will salute Magawa, the African giant pouched rat who in 5 years sniffed out more than 100 such mines in Cambodia.  

A native of Tanzania, Magawa was the most successful rat in his program, which trained rats to detect mines and signal handlers by scratching the surface above them, thus saving myriad lives.

Awarded a first-time ever gold medal for his great service in 2020, Magawa died in retirement.  (And the NYTimes story marking his death drew numerous comments.) https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/11/world/europe/magawa-landmine-hero-rat-dead.html

 

#