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!   #

 

 

Come back as a peacock, not a donkey!

 Disaster prep for pets

A few posts ago, I raised the need for pet parents to protect their pets when disaster strikes, especially now when such events just keep happening.  I proposed that we all prepare a pet disaster kit by the end of this month.  Well, here we are and here I am, to request an extension on timing.

I’ve started putting together a big bag of needed stuff – but I’m not finished yet. Further, I’ve decided to hope that when the emergency comes, we’ll be told to “shelter in place,” something Mercer County officials have said is most likely.  It’s also easier to plan for: fewer things needed, taking up much less space and staying at home, even if in the basement.   

For Billy and Jersey, my two cats, here’s what I’ve collected so far: canned cat food for 3 days; can opener; 4 one-gallon jugs of water for multi purposes besides adding to food, drinking and rinsing hands; food and water bowls; small flashlights and a lantern good for 50 hours.

Also included: 2 giant paper towel rolls; a couple towels; liquid soap; a notebook and pens/pencils; emergency radio that will play all the time; cutlery, including spoons for dishing out; first-aid kit; handiwipes; plastic trash bags; toothbrush and paste (for me).

Any corrections or suggestions, readers?  For instance, I’m unsure how to handle kitty litter pans.  

The eggs & us

So we humans are in an uproar over the price and scarcity of eggs!  Pity chickens, 50.5 million of whom died from the avian flu in 2022 (the worst animal health disaster in American history) -- and 40 million of the birds (chickens, turkeys and others) who died were egg-laying hens. 

That’s an “OMG! fact,” for sure, easily explaining the current egg supply and price problems, along with the rising costs connected with farming.  We have inflation, while chickens and other birds have death because farmers are federally required to kill even their healthy chickens to stop the spread.  

A donkey’s so-called life

My inner animal advocate took me to the movies last week to see EO, the story of a donkey (whose name suggests a donkey’s sound).  While very sad, it’s also probably a true life story for a typical donkey:  “Life is hard.  And then you die.”

The movie itself is beautifully, dramatically filmed, with numerous close-ups of the donkey, aerial views of scenery he travels through and, unfortunately, the people he encounters along the way: mostly horrible human beings.  As with so many other situations pairing animals and humans, the animals are the most noble.

In fact, since I didn’t need my sensitivity to animal suffering increased, EO mostly served to increase my shame at people’s behavior and grow my misanthropy.    https://tinyurl.com/57jyx7ah

Even peacocks can retire

Harry, Jim and Phil, three aging peacocks, earned their recent retirement after years beautifying the 13-acre grounds of the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine, in NYC.  They were the last of a peacock series that started with gift chicks from the Bronx Zoo.

The birds had the “run” of the spread, free to strut, preen and roam in their parklike setting.  Then they could rest up in a hutch designed to be consistent with the cathedral’s Gothic architecture -- not too shabby.  

A soft life, maybe, but age and occasional injuries -- and the presence of red-tail hawks -- prompted reconsideration of replacing the retirees with small, vulnerable peachicks.  In any case, Harry, Jim and Phil will take life easier at Animal Nation, a nonprofit rescue center and sanctuary in South Salem, NY.  There, they may even continue to enjoy their favorite foods: almonds and kale. 

Pandemic pet population

More than 23 million American households – nearly 1 in 5 nationwide – acquired a dog or cat during the pandemic, reports the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA).  The question, of course, is how many of those adoptees are still homed and happy.  Here’s hoping!  

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A feast of animal news briefs . . . & a Jersey update

a Great Pyrenees (not Casper)

Details about defender-dogs and defending dogs lead off today’s banquet of animal news, which also includes a new law affecting NY pet stores, unconventional wedding participants, foiling dognappers, elephant follow-ups, and, yes, Jersey Summers.  

Some dogs take their jobs very seriously, luckily for the sheep they’re charged with protecting.  Casper, a white Great Pyrenees pup in Georgia, recently hopped a fence to take on 11 coyotes who were after 5 of the family’s sheep herd.

He killed 8 of the 11 predators, chased the rest away – and was critically injured in the fight.  But he lived to be lauded, and he’s now R & R-ing at home for a while.   https://tinyurl.com/4yez3j9y

Take that, puppy mills!

Not only puppies, but cats and rabbits too, will no longer be sold in New York pet stores.  New York legislators made a long-sought victory for animals possible while leveling a major blow against the infamous puppy mills that often supply retail outlets.  New York became the sixth state in the US to take this action.

To see or read of the horrible, heart-breaking conditions in puppy mills is to become a fervent advocate for legislation like New York’s to be country-wide.  “Inhumane” is the mildest word to describe what

puppy mills look like, caged animals in squalid conditions, with females cruelly overbred and baby animals grossly undercared for before they wind up in pet stores.  Then, inevitably, too many of them are adopted in good faith and go to their new homes with health ailments that go on and on through their short, sickly lives.    https://tinyurl.com/54hkrxct

 Defend against dognapping

The word is out that dognapping is on the rise – sometimes violently so.  Aware of this cruel trend, the Humane Society of the US says worried pet parents should avoid leaving their dogs tied up outside grocery stories and coffee shops; install a good fence around their yard and security cameras on their home; have their pet microchipped; buy a GPS collar; and be sure to have their pet spayed or neutered; un-fixed dogs can be used for breeding, so they’re bigger targets.

Members of the wedding

An altruistic twist on marrying couples who involve their pets as ring bearers and/or part of the wedding party photos afterwards is the comparatively new practice of helping animals get adopted.  How?  

Wedding party members carry an adoptable pet into the ceremony so guests can see and maybe fall in love with them.  At a wedding of two cat lovers, the bride threw a (plush black toy) cat instead of a bouquet, and overall, the ceremony was a big (adoption) success.  https://tinyurl.com/mywrrmct

A trunk to remember

There’s still more to say about elephants’ trunks, recently described by a specialist at the Performing Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) as “those amazing appendages that serve a multitude of functions.” 

The elephant’s trunk is used to breathe, suck up water and transfer it to the mouth to drink, bathe, smell, toss dust or mud onto themselves, socialize, call, explore and rub their eyes and scratch their heads.  And that’s just the trunk!  

Local boy makes good

How describe the “progress” in 3 months of Jersey, the new cat in the house?  Well, he’s very cute, playful and vocal (that last part needs work!) -- and very hungry, all the time.  He’ll eat anything that’s not nailed down, as a friend put it.

Small in stature but with a huge voice, Jersey still fights being picked up.  Only once did I succeed at that, concluding he was groggy from just waking up or he temporarily took pity on me.  When I tried the next day, he quickly flipped out of my grasp.  Go figure.

What about getting him into his carrier for vet visits, holding on to him to clip his nails or simply hoping to cuddle him?  It’s beyond me right now.  But I cringe when I see him ignoring the myriad “official” scratchers around here to work out on a rug instead.

The happiest report is that Jersey and Billy have steadily moved toward becoming buddies.  Since one early scuffle, no fights, no nastiness -- just Jersey’s attempts to raid Billy’s food bowl whenever it’s left unprotected.  Piffle!  

Jersey: "Spots & stripes forever" 

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What really matters: LIVE elephants & LIVE bears

Yippee!  Just what elephants have been hoping for: a $2.4 million renovation marked by a festive light show and hundreds of people standing around on a winter night, loving it all and wishing it on their descendants.

All that to celebrate a single "elephant," Lucy, the 140-year-old national historic landmark (!) in Margate, near Atlantic City, after her 15-month long metal exterior-repair job.  And all that’s only the first phase: the second will update Lucy’s interior and replace the gift shop nearby. 

                                                          Dodo pic

Right: the excitement last month wasn’t about any real, live elephant – you know, those beloved huge animals with trunks and tusks, now seriously in danger of extinction because of humans.  (If only the people so taken with Lucy would visit, study and help preserve the living animals!)  

For the longest time, elephants were preyed on by poachers, who slaughtered them for their tusks to keep the worldwide ivory trade going.  These days, a growing danger comes from the growing human population that serves as competition for the land they all share.   

When the animals threaten or raid their farms – sometimes former elephant travel routes that now offer ready-made meals -- human violence against them often results.  Conservation groups, like the Wildlife Conservation Network (Wildnet.org), are laboring to come up with ways to deter and protect the animals and assuage the farmers, fostering peaceful coexistence.

Zimbabwe baby                            PAWS pic

Next to a real, live elephant, Lucy of Margate is a slacker – a giant waste of money as far as wildlife is concerned.  Besides all the benefits wild elephants confer on their (shrinking) habitats, just think of the brain power they possess to operate their faces, ears and trunks.

An elephant can use its trunk – with some 40,000 muscles alone -- to uproot a tree or delicately suck up tortilla chips.  The brain behind this, weighing more than 10 pounds, is packed with bundled neurons hooked up to facial nerves that control the creature’s ears, lips and trunk.  What a system!  https://tinyurl.com/6s8bkuz2

Closer to home: our black bears

Another fearfully-threatened animal is near and dear to us: the New Jersey black bear.  More than 100 of them were killed last month, despite all protests and temporary stops to the “trophy hunt” that was falsely claimed to be necessary. 

                                                                                                HSUS pic

State decision-makers, starting with the governor, and including the NJ Fish and Game Council (reputedly comprised largely of hunters – talk about stacked decks!), continued to ignore informed opinions about bear management that only began with bear-proof trash cans.  

The public hearing on the Comprehensive Black Bear Management Policy (this Wednesday, Jan. 18, in Trenton) is open to anyone wishing to express opinions about the hunt.  Please see the notice below, which also includes directions for written opinions.  

 

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The public comment period for New Jersey’s CBBMP (Comprehensive Black Bear Management Policy - aka bear killing policy) is now open.

Comments may be submitted 1) electronically, 2) by USPS letter, and/or 3) by attending the public hearing.   Public Hearing Location, Date and Time: CBBMP and Game Code Amendments Public Hearing Wednesday, January 18, 2023, 1:00 to 8:00 PM NJ State Museum Auditorium 205 West State Street, Trenton, NJ 08625   To submit comments electronically, please click here. 1.  Fill in the form and under Select Rulemaking choose, DEP Dkt. No. 09-22-11 Black Bear Mgmt. Policy and amendments to 7:25-5.6 2.  Enter your comments in the large box and click submit. 3.  Please note that all electronic comments must be submitted by the close of business on February 3, 2023.   Feel free to submit your own comments or use the sample below. Whichever way you comment, it is critical to oppose the entire CBBMP and the amendments. The amendments were designed to muddy the waters, to make the kill “more humane,” more acceptable. Support for any part of the policy or any proposed amendment supports the hunt.   Support for the amendment that allows cubs to be killed in the following year when they weigh more than 75 pounds supports the hunt—as does approving the minor change in baiting. The game council will use both to prove “public support” for the hunt. Neither change will be enforced.   To submit comments by letter through the USPS mail, send to: New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection 2022 CBBMP and Game Code Amendment Comments NJDEP Fish and Wildlife Mail Code 501-03 PO Box 420 Trenton, NJ 08625-0420 Allow at least a week to mail your comments, so they are received by the February 3, deadline.   Sample text for electronic or letter comments:   I oppose both the emergency adoption and concurrent CBBMP proposal in its entirety. There is no imminent peril. I oppose the following amendments:   N.J.A.C. 7:25-5.6(a)2, ...limit the harvest of any bear with a live weight greater than 75 pounds or a dressed weight greater than 50 pounds. ...the harvest of any adult bear accompanying a bear under 75 pounds... N.J.A.C. 7:25-5.6(a)5 ...disallows the take or kill of a black bear, or possession or control of a firearm or other weapon while hunting for black bears within 300 feet of a baited area…   I support and desire nonlethal black bear management, which keeps bears away from unnatural food sources, lowers complaints and incidents, and reduces the black bear fertility rate. Bear hunts do none of these things. Moreover, baiting is ecologically harmful and causes conflict, as does the deliberate lack of a garbage control program. An agency so concerned with “public safety” should require the use of bear-resistant cans, ban baiting statewide, and support the new feeding ban legislation. I do not support any form of bear hunting.   The NJDEP/FGC consistently violates the public trust, fails to implement real solutions, and then lies about it.   (include your full name and mailing address) -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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