Winner named in 2011 Inspiration in Action contest

December 22, 2011 By Leave a Comment
The Belize Wildlife Conservation Network has been awarded $25,000 as the grand prize winner in the 2011 Inspiration in Action contest

Heska Corporation,  a leading provider of veterinary diagnostic and specialty products, has announced that, based on total votes received, the Belize Wildlife & Referral Center (BWRC), has been awarded $25,000 as the grand prize winner in the 2011 Inspiration in Action contest. The contest was designed to help bring to life inspired veterinary projects around the world. The finalists included Belize Wildlife & Referral Center; Inspiring Future Leaders in Veterinary Science; Project … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Animal behavior, Animal rescue, Animals in the news, Wildlife Tagged With: , , , , , , Leave a Comment

The real family behind “We Bought A Zoo”

December 21, 2011 By 69 Comments

On December 23, the movie "We Bought A Zoo," starring Matt Damon and Scarlett Johansson, hits theaters. It's the story of a father who, following his wife's untimely death, moves his young family to the California countryside to renovate and re-open a struggling zoo, Rosemoor Wildlife Park. But did you know that the film is based on a real story? The real Benjamin Mee was a reporter for the UK's The Guardian. When his father died, his mother wanted to sell her home and move to something … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Animal rescue, Animals in the news, Books, Celebrities, Holidays, Movies, video, Wildlife, Zoo Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , 69 Comments

Setting the record straight on Barkworks, puppy mills and the work of CAPS

December 19, 2011 By 13 Comments

  Last week I told you that back in October, Macerich has banned the sale of live animals at 70 of its malls nationwide in response to protests from animal rescue groups. My post was based on a story at GlobalAnimal.org and some press materials from Best Friends Animal Society in regards to a lawsuit they filed. I heard back immediately from Deborah Howard, President of Companion Animal Protection Society, who wanted to share some information to help clarify and expand the … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Animal health, Animal rescue, Animals and the law, Animals in the news, Dogs, video Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 13 Comments

Pet sales banned at malls nationwide; rescue stores begin to replace pet shops

December 15, 2011 By 17 Comments
Boycott Barkworks protesters from Sept. 2010 protest (Boycott Barkworks Facebook)

Even though the story broke in October, it's still making the rounds on Facebook -  just in time for Christmas: retail developer Macerich announced that it will no longer allow pet stores that sell animals in more than 70 malls nationwide. According to a story from October at GlobalAnimal.org, "This new humane policy designed to break the puppy mill business chain is taking effect nationwide within 30 days. Macerich confirmed that they will not renew the leases of existing pet stores that … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Animal health, Animal rescue, Animals and the law, Animals in the news, Dogs Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , 17 Comments

Coke’s white can campaign to help polar bears backfires

December 4, 2011 By 1 Comment
White holiday can on the left, Diet Coke can on the right.

White holiday can on the left, Diet Coke can on the right. When Coca Cola rolled out its new campaign last month to support the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), the company had a noble goal: celebrate the polar bear and commit up to $3 million to WWF's polar bear conservation efforts. The plan was for Coke to make an initial donation of $2 million to WWF and then invite others to join the effort by texting to donate $1 to WWF. Coca-Cola would match all donations made with a package code by … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Animal rescue, Animals in the news, Holidays, Wildlife, Zoo Tagged With: , , , , , , 1 Comment

Voting is open for the Inspiration in Action contest to inspire projects in veterinary medicine

November 29, 2011 By 1 Comment
Veterinarians Without Borders is one of the five finalists in the Inspiration in Action contest.

Heska, a leading provider of veterinary diagnostic and specialty products, today opened voting in the 2011 "Inspiration in Action" Contest, allowing animal lovers to support and honor veterinary medicine by voting for one of five projects. The grand prize winner will receive $25,000 and the second place winner will receive $5,000 to help bring their inspired ideas to life. This year's finalists include projects to pair strays in need of training with at-risk youth in rehabilitation … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Animal rescue, Animals in the news, Wildlife Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 1 Comment

PETA’s Super Tanooki Skin game a (gross) joke

November 28, 2011 By Leave a Comment

I'm behind on animal news, what with scarfing down turkey and all this week. Well, the dogs ate our turkey, but you know what I mean. A couple of weeks ago I reported on PETA's response to Super Mario and his Tanooki suit, with PETA claiming that the video game promoted the clubbing of raccoon dogs and wearing of their fur. Turns out, the game was a joke meant to lampoon the Nintendo character. Problem is, just about everyone took it seriously. I did. But Shakira Croce, PETA's media … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Animal rescue, Animals in the news Tagged With: , , , , , , Leave a Comment

This Thanksgiving, will you eat – or adopt – a turkey?

November 23, 2011 By 1 Comment
adoptaturkeycert

  Tomorrow, on Thanksgiving Day, millions of Americans will slice into a traditional Thanksgiving turkey, enjoying an annual bonanza of turkey gravy, side dishes, desserts, and family time. But there are a growing number of Americans opting out of that oven-roasted gobbler goodness as a main dish in the name of animal rights. That's right, instead of eating turkeys this year, some people are adopting them. The annual Adopt A Turkey project, hosted by the Farm Sanctuary, sets out to … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Animal rescue, Animals in the news Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , 1 Comment

Daniel the dog survives gas chamber, gets new home

November 17, 2011 By 1 Comment
You can see video of the story of Daniel on the Star-Ledger website; just click the image.

On October 3, 18 dogs were put into a gas chamber at a shelter in Florence, Alabama. When the gassing was over, one 20-pound beagle mix walked out, tail wagging. Think of it as a Shadrack, Meschach and Abednago moment. It's not unheard of for a dog to survive the gas chamber, but it isn't common, either. And when it happens, the dog is often given a reprieve. In this case, the dog, now named Daniel, was sent to Eleventh  Hour rescue in New Jersey. According to the New Jersey Star Ledger, … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Animal rescue, Animals and the law, Animals in the news, Dogs, video Tagged With: , , , , , , , , 1 Comment

“Rise and Shine” with these happy shelter animals (video)

November 16, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Yay! It's Wednesday! You've almost made it through the week! Why not take some time this weekend to head out to your local animal shelter. As you can see, your new "furever" friend is happily waiting for you! … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Animal rescue, cats, Dogs, video Tagged With: , , , , , , , Leave a Comment