Whales’ (& others’) tales & a cat who's a real character

Times are hard these days for whales, with disturbing news about their deaths along East Coast shores – unwelcome visitors who can be 30 feet long and can’t simply be whisked away in body bags for quick burials. 

Definitive reasons for dead whales washing ashore haven’t been determined from among conflicting theories – with offshore wind power machinations and fatal boat hits leading the list.  Two major opinion camps have emerged: those who want all steps toward ocean wind power stopped and those (including Gov. Murphy) who say the preparatory work will continue. 

Stay tuned while the debate continues (and, presumably, more whales die along the New York-New Jersey coastline.)  

Right Whale

A second whale issue deals with the high mortality rate of North Atlantic Right Whales off New Jersey’s coast.  A concerned group of animal and environmental advocates (including Susan Russell, APLNJ’s Wildlife Policy Director) has reached out to Senator Cory Booker, a sponsor of the “Right Whale Coexistence Act,” for his help protecting the whales.

The whale advocacy group proposes increasing US Coast Guard presence “to surveil and deter” to minimize Right Whales’ two chief hazards: entanglement in fishing gear and excessive vessel speeds.  Coast Guard enforcement of speed regulations and an “expedited, transparent and independent investigation” could substantially aid the whales, now estimated to number only 340 individuals.       https://tinyurl.com/ytdh7fzb

Help the hippos!  

The hippopatamus is another large wild animal needing protection . .  from humans.  Despite their great value -- described as “vital parts of African ecosystems” -- hippos are in serious jeopardy.  They need protection under the Endangered Species Act, but the HSUS has so far petitioned unsuccessfully for that listing to happen.

The hippo population keeps dropping because of – can you guess? – human trophy hunting and trade in hippo body parts, among other things.  Yes, hippos too are vulnerable to human greed and stupidity, as seen in the use of hippo ivory for carvings and other purposes, and hippo leather, used for purses, boots and belts.

(Pause here to recall the concept of Dominionism: the worldview held by one species that it has a divine right to use animals and everything else in the living world for its own benefit.)

It’s becoming harder and harder to accept that non-human animals are steadily moving toward extinction, because of us!  Hippo-skin boots?  Criminal.     

https://blog.humanesociety.org/2023/02/humane-society-usfws-hippos-endangered-species-act.html and https://tinyurl.com/2p98rwy9’

Travels of a tiny turtle

Imagine a baby loggerhead turtle in the ocean, drifting from Florida to Ireland – after truly being “lost at sea.”  Then remember what you’ve seen of the Atlantic Ocean at its most fierce.  A Washington Post story described how the turtle likely hatched last summer in Florida, then with countless others, made for the ocean and the warm Gulf Stream.

But unfavorable conditions prevailed, driving the turtle far off course, north into cold water.  An estimated 4,000 miles later, dehydrated, horribly underweight, suffering from hypothermia and nearly dead, the little loggerhead (weighing about a pound) was spotted on a beach in Ireland and put under the care of a marine biologist who is rehabbing her, believing she’ll survive.  Named “Cro’ga,” Irish for “brave,” the little turtle is eating and gaining weight – and out of the water at last.    https://tinyurl.com/2fe9b82e

Also small & brave

That would be Jersey Summers, my 8-1/2 pound cat who earlier this month went through major tooth surgery.  (Or should that be “oral surgery” since he had no teeth?)  Whatever, he did lose tooth-root remnants and other undesirable sharp and inflamed stuff that irritated tissue in his mouth: all gone!  And he came through like a champion.

Jersey’s other championships include being a stellar sleeper – so dependably that I wonder if he’s really a 30-year-old cat, not the playful “elderly baby cat,” of around 9 years whom I adopted last fall!  His cries for food and single-minded consumption identify a champion eater too: so voracious, he’ll steal from Billy’s bowl whenever possible, and he's always ready for breakfast, leftovers, dinner, treats, freebies, purloined bites . . .).

He’s also uniquely expressive.  Sometimes when I “Sshhhhh!” Jersey in the middle of a yowl, he looks startled and immediately lowers the volume to a sweet and low little syllable or two (before picking up again).  His face typically shows expressions that mime what I’m saying.  He understands!

Watching Jersey settle in here is a huge pleasure -- and all 3 of us still have a lot to learn.

Boys' toy: Billy & Jersey at play

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Deer as non-traditional villains, right-way stickers & pets’ disaster kits

“Behold the deer, the deadliest beast in North America.”   Wha-a-a-a-t?! 

Talk about “scare headlines”!  But this one’s true, based on statistics indicating that “deer are responsible for the deaths of about 440 of the estimated 458 Americans killed in physical confrontations with wildlife in an average year.”

 

That’s not deer-on-humans confrontations, but “the unfortunate result of more than 2 million people a year plowing into deer with their sedans and SUVs, usually on a two-lane road, often at high speed.” That number, and others, come from “Human-Wildlife Interactions,” as tabulated by researchers.

 

The same report indicates that deer are most dangerous in November because it’s both “rutting season” and the end of daylight saving time; that West Virginia is most dangerous for deer-car collisions; that deer are involved in at least 69% of animal related accident claims; that November twilight time is the peak hour for deer-car crashes; that dusk exceeds dawn for collision numbers because while commuters, like deer, are also crepuscular, drivers are more likely to be out at dusk than at dawn.  

https://wapo.st/3iRZFSH

 

In other news about deer, who comprise a huge wildlife population in the US and Canada, people have been shown to introduce coronavirus to white-tail deer, who then spread it to one another.  It’s theorized that people feeding deer might be one way of passing on the virus, and deer encountering human trash or waste could be another.  

Hunters might be in jeopardy because of their interactions with the animals.  Wearing masks and washing hands thoroughly are recommended safety precautions.   

 

How much a hazard covid-carrying deer may be to humans hasn’t been determined, but the number of infected animals who spread disease among themselves makes deer a kind of reservoir for different covid strains.  And at least in the long run, that’s not good.

https://tinyurl.com/5cfw52ej

 

Stop bird strikes

I’ve heard it; have you?  The “it” is the upsetting sound of a bird flying into a window.  Worse is the sight of an injured or dead bird under the window.  One way to try preventing that from happening is to put silhouette stickers that look like predator birds on windows birds might confuse with open space – near bird feeders, for instance.

_{Problem is, according to “solid” research, such stickers do no good if placed inside windows, instead of outside.  It’s that simple.  (I’ve made that mistake, and now know how I erred.)  A related problem: finding such stickers to begin with.  With the best intentions, I’ve applied them wrong after finding them by accident!   https://tinyurl.com/3a4wc7dj}

Turkey Vultures

by Maya C. Popa

Since the wind knocked down power lines

and lightning set a birch aflame

from within, three turkey vultures roost

along the topmost branches,

matted black feathers with small red heads,

unfortunate harbingers of death,

though really, almost comically alive—

hunched as though deciding

some minor point before slipping off

on the umbrellas of their wings to rid

the roads of evidence of violence not theirs.   

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Last words on disaster kits – promise!

The more places I look, the more recommended items for pet disaster kits I find.  You could probably match some of those ingredients with the person or organization advising them – for instance, a veterinarian might say pack medical records and medicines, while the Feds advise copies of your pet’s registration info and other relevant documents in a waterproof container and available electronically. 

And the ASPCA recommends lining up alternative caregivers in case you and your pets can’t be

sheltered together – an especially good idea since it’s difficult or impossible to rush your pets to ....X ... at a time of emergency, only to learn it’s not open to pets (as is true in some community shelters).  

_{Here are links to the ASPCA info sheets for dogs & cats https://tinyurl.com/35ene8kt and a link to the Fed’s suggestions: https://www.ready.gov/pets; and finally, advice of a trusted area veterinarian appears at the end of this blog post.}  

With all the verbiage here lately I've hoped to motivate all of us to assemble a disaster kit for our pet(s).  By now, though, I’ve said and written enough on this subject, and it’s up to each of us to take that positive action.  My suggestion: look at the two links above, then the vet’s advice below, all the time noting what you want to line up for your own own kit(s).  Then get to it.

_{Let’s do what our pets need us to do for them!}  

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A trusted veterinarian’s advice on disaster kits A disaster can strike at any moment.  Whether it's a fire, tornado, hurricane, flood, or blizzard, it's critical for pet parents to be prepared and have a plan in place.  Unfortunately, pets are sometimes left out of their families’ disaster- preparedness plans, making it hard to know how to help them during an emergency when quick, organized thinking is crucial.   Luckily, we can plan ahead for pets using these tips: 1.      Listen to your veterinarian Make sure your pets wear a collar with current information on it, get them microchipped and have them vaccinated.  These recommendations will come in handy during a disaster and help you avoid potential pitfalls, like being unable to get into a shelter with unvaccinated pet or losing them during an evacuation.  If possible, take your pets’ medical records with you and attach rabies tags to their collars. 2.      Find out which shelters allow pets       Do advance research into where you can safely evacuate with your pets during a state of emergency before a disaster occurs.  Your local police department can typically give you this information.  If not, they're probably able to point you toward someone who can.  It isn’t true that hotels must accept pets during evacuations, so please keep that in mind while planning ahead. 3.      Prepare a pet disaster kit       In a suitcase or other easily movable storage container, pack food and water bowls, a manual can opener, two weeks’ worth of canned food and bottled water per pet, plastic poop bags (for dogs), litter and a small litter box (for cats), and a two-week quantity of any medications your pets may need.  You should also pack cleaning items, sturdy leashes and harnesses, toys, and copies of your pets’ medical records.  For small animals and cats, have a carrier ready.  Use this checklist to prepare. 4.      Create handouts       Create an identification handout and a boarding instruction handout.  Have both ready to go at a moment's notice. They should contain important information, such as your pets’ names, ages, sex, markings, microchip numbers, allergies, and vaccination status. If you get separated from your pets, make sure you're safe before you begin your search.  If you're in a shelter that houses pets, tell a caretaker and provide them with the identification handout.  Once given the OK to leave the shelter and return home, contact animal control and call the microchip company to make sure all information about you and your pet is current.   Stay safe out there!   #