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| Blue whale tail |
Whales’
tales: News about the environment has lately featured
numerous whale reports, most recently highlighting a newly-recognized cetacean,
Rice’s whale, or the Gulf of Mexico whale.
Long thought to be a Bryde’s whale -- a species found all over the
oceanic world -- this whale, seen only in the Gulf of Mexico, was found to be
structurally and genetically distinct, and therefore a new species.
That’s
the good news. The downside is that with
only 50 known individuals in the species, it could disappear before it’s even
widely recognized. While Rice’s whales can
reach 42 feet in length and up to 60,000 pounds, their bulk can’t save
them. If the species is to live on, it
needs specific protections put in place.
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| Humpback whale |
Marine
scientists have petitioned the federal government to keep Gulf of Mexico whales
in mind when considering offshore oil and gas drilling, along with the very
real possibility of oil spills – they’ve happened before! Another hazard to whale life are collisions
with ships, which could be minimized with the year-round speed limit that has
also been proposed.
“The
loss of even a single whale threatens the survival of the species,” scientists
have argued – a point that’s hard to dispute, given the number of extant Rice’s
whales. https://tinyurl.com/ymd5rm99
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| Orca |
And
there’s more news beyond the “new” whale. In a dramatic display of rapid culture change,
it’s been discovered that humpback whales can pass their songs across oceans
– one example is a music-move from Australia to Ecuador . . . Orcas (a.k.a. “killer whales” but actually dolphins)
have demonstrated they can kill and eat adult blue whales, the largest
creatures that ever lived . . . and North Atlantic right whales are moving
toward extinction while also diminishing in size.
Horses’
hazardous duty
The
use (and abuse) of horses to pull carriages in NYC has once again drawn fire
from animal advocates. It is an archaic
practice and comes with needless cruelty (for a needless purpose!) to the
animals involved. Will it ever be
stopped?
The
previous NY City mayor had promised to end horsedrawn carriages on the first
day of his administration . . . but now, eight years later, it continues. As do injuries and sometimes death to horses,
and the likely ignoring of rules about the temperatures when horses should not
be out and numbers of people being pulled in any one carriage. https://tinyurl.com/5xehp5dc
Way to . . . grow!
If
you wanted to grow your small business, what could you do? One way: add a nice resident animal to reach
out to customers simply by being there.
I’m
aware of a lovely black cocker spaniel who for years welcomed customers to a stationery
shop while keeping the store owner company behind the counter. A friendly dog
often comes to work with a clerk in a pet supply store and also stays behind
the counter, prompting conversations and questions.
Popular
resident animals in NYC businesses recently earned media attention for being far
beyond the “bodega cats” famous on the internet. They included a snake, a potbellied pig and
various birds (parrots, a white dove, a pigeon and a rooster).
If
you know of unique resident animals greeting customers in area businesses, please
comment here!
Kittens
calling
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| Harry |
Here’s news from the recent APLNJ-sponsored
shuttle that transported 31 cats to their sterilization spa day:
Did the
kittens recover well? (answer: Yes! Kittens
in foster were roaring around soon after as if pediatric spay or neuter never
happened.)
Were any able to be
rescued? (answer: Yes!
APLNJ took 11 socialized friendly cats and
kittens into foster care. Five are
currently available to adopt and can be seen at the Animal Alliance courtesy
posts below. Can you help find them
great homes? Please send all adoption
queries to catlady@aplnj.org.
Ruby: https://www.petfinder.com/cat/ruby-58556094/nj/lambertville/animal-alliance-nj290/
JoJo: https://www.petfinder.com/cat/jojo-58556083/nj/lambertville/animal-alliance-nj290/
Harry: https://www.petfinder.com/cat/harry-58556059/nj/lambertville/animal-alliance-nj290/
Dana: https://www.petfinder.com/cat/dana-58556037/nj/lambertville/animal-alliance-nj290/
Gwen: https://www.petfinder.com/cat/gwen-58556005/nj/lambertville/animal-alliance-nj290/
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| Jo-Jo |
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