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Fishies of Fury!

March 4, 2010

– – I, for one, do not worry excessively about piranha, although Frankie the Fish does tend to annoy me because his McDonald’s jingle sticks inside my head.  (–“Gimme back that Fillet-O-Fish!”)

Anyways, MonsterQuest warned in their current episode that reports of piranha sightings have been growing around the country!–Yes, a Piranha Invasion! Even though these suckers are native to South American countries like Brazil, piranha have reportedly been caught every year for the past three years in the Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri.

So MonsterQuest sent their team to this very location where a baited underwater surveying system was submerged, using what they termed a “dead chicken”  as bait.  While the deceased chicken was shredded up a bit, cameras showed that native fish did it rather than piranha.  The science team additionally ran experiments to see if red-bellied piranha could survive in cold water as would be encountered in the Ozark lake in winter.  They found that the piranha huddled together in temperatures from 55 to 50 degrees, and below that point, they lost their equilibrium and would presumably croak.   Parts of the Ozark lake in question are fed by underwater streams that stay warmer,  possibly in the mid-to upper 50’s range in winter so piranha could survive.

The historical perspectives of the show were to me the most interesting, with reference made to a mega-piranha four times the size of the current model which became extinct ten million years ago.  None less than Teddy Roosevelt gave an account of Amazonian piranha back in 1914 which cemented their reputation as ferocious.  An old grainy black and white photo of about that vintage was also shown depicting a human body stripped to the skeleton supposedly by piranha.  Today, there are dozens of documented piranha attacks in South America, with many of the victims having lost pieces of fingers and toes.

With over 40 different species of piranha, some like the red bellied variety may be better able to survive cold water, and there may be a handful of piranha in the Ozark lake, although probably not a lively breeding population.   Nothing to lose sleep over…

…and maybe next week’s episode on a “Lizard Man” may be more interesting!

Categories: animals, anomalies, environmental, strange happenings, television
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Animal Rights and the Orca

March 2, 2010

– – In the aftermath of a veteran SeaWorld trainer’s death in Orlando, animal rights activists are questioning whether marine mammals, especially large predators, belong in captivity.

The people who run theme parks, after all, are first and foremost interested in making money; conservation and protection are at best secondary interests.  An orca’s life in captivity in a tank has been compared to keeping a human being in a bathtub for his entire life.   Such captivity causes stress, and stressed-out whales are more likely to injure or kill people.  We tend to think of such whales as “bad animals” when in reality they are wild animals, used to running free in an entire ocean but now confined to what is to them a very small space.

Most Americans have romanticized, artificial notions of sea life perpetuated by such shows as Flipper; the reality is quite different.  Some animal rights organizations like The Humane Society of the United States and the Animal Legal Defense Fund feel that it’s high time for the marine park industry to get out of the captive orca business…

Categories: animal rights, animals, furry causes
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Oh Deer!

March 1, 2010

– – A statue of two deer making whoopie in the missionary position caused quite a stir when it graced the Herron School of Art’s campus in Indianapolis in the summer of 2005.– -How deer they! Although the statue left the premises in late 2006, it continues to evoke memories and controversy.

Entitled “Trophy,” the sculpture was crafted by Wim Delvoye, a Belgian artist.  According to him, the statue was never supposed to evoke a sense of shock.  “These animals love each other very much,” he explained.   “Only in the United States was this sculpture regarded as shocking.”

“It is funny, but I see a lot of tenderness in the way they kiss,” noted the artists.  “I tried it with dogs and cats, but it looked like they were fighting.”

(We sophisticates, of course, know that they were wrestling!)

The buck naked statue which you see incompletely here is currently back in Belgium with its creator…

Categories: animal oddities, animals, furry, furry art, strange happenings
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Stand By Your Whale…

February 28, 2010

– – SeaWorld has announced its intention of keeping the killer whale Tilikum, who dispatched veteran trainer Dawn Brancheau earlier this week in front of a horrified audience.  Some have argued that the whale in question should be set free or put to death like a dangerous dog.  Tilikum would not be likely to survive in the wild , however, as he has been captive for so long, and destruction of the animal is not an option either as he’s an important part of the breeding program and a companion to the other whales there.  Brancheau’s sister has commented that the trainer would not have wanted anything done to the whale.

SeaWorld now faces the rather daunting task of reassuring the general public that the parks are safe.  Ordinarily, however, there is virtually no contact between visitors and the orcas at SeaWorld shows, although in the past VIP visitors have occasionally been allowed to come down to the edge of the pools and pet the whales, a  practice which will no longer be allowed.

The attack could actually drive up attendance of teens and young adults at the parks, groups that get excited about risks and the potential for drama…and wouldn’t Stand By Your Whale have been a great Tammy Wynette song?


Categories: animal occurrences, animals, furry perspectives
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Pennsylvania’s Pigeon Shoots…

February 27, 2010

– – One can be less than fond of pigeons but still abhor their use as living targets.  The practice of live pigeon shoots continues to exist in the state of Pennsylvania despite unsuccessful efforts to eradicate it, drawing the attention of none less than animal rights activist and former long-time game show host Bob Barker! Now pigeon shoots involve hunters firing at birds as they are released from small cages and attempting to fly away, and still takes place through a circuit of gun clubs holding shoots in the fall and winter seasons, typically involving 500 to 1,000 birds and about 40 to 50 shooters.

In 1998, a long-running annual pigeon shoot in the town of Hegins, Pennsylvania came to an end following a Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruling that participants could be guilty of animal cruelty.   An attempt at a statewide ban on such “hunting” failed to be passed by the legislature in 1999, and an updated ban proposed in 2007 remains under debate.

Viewing the infamous Hegins pigeon shoot, together with its use of children in the horrific killings, led one long-term hunter, Steve Hindi, to abandon hunting altogether and found SHARK, “SHowing Animals Respect and Kindness,” a registered non-profit charity that deals with any issue involving violation of the innate rights of living creatures.  SHARK also conducts animal rescues and education projects.–Bravo!

Categories: animal rights, animals, endangered species, furry causes, furry perspectives
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Fatal Killer Whale Attack at SeaWorld

February 25, 2010

– -In a horrific attack today witnessed by audiences,  an employee at SeaWorld in Orlando, Florida has died after being attacked by a killer whale.   The employee, a trainer, had just finished explaining to the audience the show that they were about to see when the veteran trainer apparently slipped and fell into the water.   The whale then suddenly came up from the water, grabbed the trainer around the waist, and according to a park guest, “thrashed her all around” to the point that the trainer’s shoe fell off.

Paramedics were summoned to the Shamu Stadium at the theme park just this Wednesday afternoon where they found the trainer who could not be revived.  The death is characterized as a drowning.  Guests were evacuated, and the park was closed.  The bull whale involved, Tilikum, is the largest Orca in captivity, weighing about 12,000 pounds.

The fatal attack was not the first time that a killer whale at a SeaWorld park has turned on a trainer, with a trainer attacked in November of 2006 but escaping with a broken foot…

Categories: animal occurrences, animals
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Komodo Dragon Attack!

February 24, 2010

– – Here in the U.S. of A.,  you really don’t hear much about the Komodo dragon, which is a shame since they are the world’s largest lizard species.  Perhaps it’s because they are found in the wild only on the eastern Indonesian islands of Komodo, Padar, and Rinca, or maybe they just need a good publicist, or perhaps a spin doctor! They are more than deserving of our attention and respect, being capable of growing longer than ten feet and weighing 150 pounds.

Komodo dragon attacks on humans are rare, but they seem to be becoming more aggressive.  This month, an Indonesian park ranger escaped an attack by a Komodo dragon when his colleagues heard his cries for help and drove it off with wooden clubs. The big lizard had the right foot of the ranger clamped in its shark-like, serrated teeth, causing deep lacerations.

And yes, the Komodo dragon can and has killed people, most recently an 8-year-old boy killed on Komodo Island in 2007…

Categories: animal occurrences, animals, scalies
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Frankie the Fish!

February 22, 2010

– – Not to be confused with the Big Mouth Billy Bass fish, a horrendous novelty gift of almost ten years ago, Frankie the Fish is a similar but distinctive item who memorably hawks McDonald’s Filet-O-Fish sandwich.

“Gimme back that Filet-O-Fish/Gimme that fish,” sings Frankie in his own distinctive fashion in a commercial that tends to run through your head over and over again until you’re ready to filet yourself.   Notable is the fact that the two human actors in the ad don’t talk at all, one shrugging off the singing  fish on a plaque and the other displaying surprise.  The sandwich is made from cod and pollock, and originally a taxidermist created a pollock fish with a remote control device to operate his head and tail.  That creation was considered too scary, so the fish was made more toy-like to be less creepy.

McDonald’s sells about 300 million Filet-O-Fish sandwiches annually, 25% of them during the 40 days of Lent.  Frankie himself is quite the spokesfish, with the ad viewed on You Tube more than a million times…


Categories: animals, Brilliant but twisted, television
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“Scooter’s” Salvation!

February 18, 2010

– – This Minute Maid commercial is priceless!  “Mr. Hill, there’s something wrong with Scooter!,” cry elementary school students in alarm to their teacher.  At first, he’s drowsy and really doesn’t care, only reassuring the kids that he’s kept the store receipt for the unresponsive rabbit.- –Somebody forgot to boost!

Then in an alternate scenario, the teach when alerted slams down some Minute Maid Enhanced Strawberry Kiwi juice, spies floating helium balloons tethered nearby, rubs the balloons on his hair, and then applies the balloons to the bunny in distress, the static electricity acting like a cardiac defibrillator! Scooter is saved, jolted back to life and awakening with his static-charged fur standing on end while the class cheers!

Now you see why science education must never be neglected, to say nothing of enhanced fruit juices…

Categories: animals, Brilliant but twisted, humor, television
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Fur Flies Over Skater’s “Fashion”

February 16, 2010

– – It is hard for a vulpine American such as myself to remain dispassionate about the topic of any individual wearing real animal fur, which I strongly feel should be worn only by its original owner.  The decision of U.S. men’s figure skater Johnny Weir to wear a costume trimmed with genuine white fox fur at US Nationals did not sit well with me, and accordingly his decision to dispense with such costumes at Vancouver for the Olympics is welcomed.

Anti-fur activists and animal advocacy groups such as Friends of Animals and PETA had posted open letters to Weir decrying his fashion choices, but deny having sent hate mail and death threats to the skater as he has alleged.  Weir contends that threats caused him to scrub plans to stay at a hotel rather than the Olympic Village.

A spokesman for Friends of Animals has pointed out that the pelts of foxes are obtained from their original owners by the foxes being beaten or electrocuted and then skinned alive…hardly a practice we want a potential role model to underwrite.

Categories: animal rights, animals, deplorable practices, furry, furry causes, furry perspectives
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