Wrong for right whales, animal briefs & wannabe homies

Once considered the 'right' whale to kill

Her short life was pain-filled and her death was unavoidable – all part of a very sad story.  She -- # 5120 – to those watching out for her, was a young female right whale whose every fin stroke hurt because a rope was “corkscrewed” around the base of her fluke, affecting her mobility.

Last month, her body washed ashore in Massachusetts, where clues in the rope revealed its source: Maine waters, where fisheries for lobster and crab operate.  While such entanglement is claimed by lobster industry reps as a rare occurrence, this scenario has played out often enough for some whale advocates to argue against shellfish harvesting.

Whatever happens in that ongoing debate, the fact remains that right whales are “one of the most endangered marine mammals on earth.”  About 70 reproductively active female right whales are left, among some 360 individuals altogether.

Vessel strikes may in fact be the main reason why this whale species is “at the precipice of extinction.”  Shipping guidelines and laws for the areas frequented by right whales are simply not taken seriously or sufficiently enforced, while pleas to legislators for help have so far seemed wasted.  

Apparently, extinction of right whales doesn’t bother enough people to do enough to conserve them.  Meanwhile, the number of right whales continues to drop.  

http://tinyurl.com/4pusv927

http://tinyurl.com/2szt6jch  (Sue Russell is wildlife policy director for the Animal Protection League of New Jersey [APLNJ].)  

Selected short subjects 

A few animal news shorts from elsewhere in the animal world . . .  The first news brief, regrettably, marks the death of Flako, the Eurasian eagle-owl who died last week in Manhattan.  Learning to live independently after escaping from the Central Park Zoo, he attracted countless followers during his year of freedom.

      Early theories suggested Flako hit a building/window hard and fell to his death – an end always considered possible for him because so many other birds suffer the same fate.

  h  http://tinyurl.com/tvhrbh7j ; http://tinyurl.com/2z5jyfde   

And two small-but-significant things I read recently that are reminders of ongoing cruelty to animals:

·         The first, excerpted from a tiny folded insert in a box of eye drops: Under “Animal data,” specified test doses administered to rats and rabbits resulted in “increased pre- and postnatal mortality, reduced fetal weight and skeletal retardations.”  And further, “This dose is 7,000 times greater than the daily recommended human use.”

So animal experimentation continues . . . to the point of death for test animals for a measure of safety for human animals.  

 ·         An even smaller reminder: wording on a Levi’s belt tag: “Responsible Leather” – a contradiction in terms!  There’s no such thing as “responsible” killing of animals for human clothing. 

 Homecoming hopes

As “kitten season” fast approaches, two adult cats (of many!) need homes – and as happens so often with mature felines, Meo and GrubHub will be extra appreciative.  Now in residence at the EASEL Animal Rescue League shelter, in Ewing, they deserve the security of loving homes.

Ladies first: Ms. GrubHub is a petite tuxedo described as “a 7-year old baby, so sweet and silly and little,” she looks like a kitten and will never get bigger. 

Nearly 4 years old, Meo came to the shelter with a big mouse toy that shelter staffers were told he needed to keep with him.  True enough: “He sleeps with it and he loves it so much!” says one. 

Handsome Meo is FIV+ (for Feline Immunodeficiency Virus).  Such cats can live with other cats indoors as long as they are fixed and not fighting, thereby avoiding a blood-to-blood or saliva-to-blood transfer.  

(Specs on visiting and adopting cats are available at EASELNJ.org.)    

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 NOTE:  A few pictures from the Feb. 24 Wildlife Protest that was sponsored by the Animal Protection League of NJ appear below.

                                                                                                                          Frega photos