The Newest Member Of Shamu's Family Has Arrived

SeaWorld Orlando welcomed a new baby killer whale to the Shamu family on Monday, September 18. The calf's mother, Katina, gave birth to the 7-foot- long, 350-pound newborn at 3:23 p.m. in the park's multimillion-gallon research and breeding facility, Shamu Stadium, following a 1 1/2-hour labor.

Moments later, the baby whale instinctively swam to the surface of the water for its first breath of air. The baby began nursing within hours.

The mother, Katina, is the matriarch of the SeaWorld Orlando Shamu family and also birthed the first Baby Shamu more than 20 years ago. She is 18 feet long and weighs 5,400 pounds.





SeaWorld animal care specialists remain cautiously optimistic about the progress of the baby and its mother.

SeaWorld visitors can catch a glimpse of the park's new pride and joy during special family presentations at Shamu Stadium.

SeaWorld's killer whale breeding program is the most successful in the world. This calf is the 14th killer whale born at SeaWorld Orlando and the 22nd to be born and successfully raised throughout all of the SeaWorld parks. The sex of the calf is yet to be determined.

References:cbs4

Feng Shui Can Do a Doggy Good

Rebecca Jones - Scripps Howard News Service

Vicky Gonzalez just assumed that Sasha, her 6-year-old German shepherd, would want his bed to be in the basement of their new Englewood, Colo., home. After all, that's where the kids hang out when they're there, and Sasha associates good things with the basement.

But the dog seemed depressed and appeared to take no pleasure in his basement nest when the kids weren't there.

Enter feng shui consultant Shannon Barker, who specializes in energy work for animals. She recognized right away that Sasha was stuck in a place of poor chi and that the key to lifting the dog's spirits lay in better harmonizing his surroundings.

Feng shui is the ancient Chinese art of placement. Placing objects and colors in just the right way can enhance the chi, or energy flow, and improve the way you - or your pet - feel, Barker says.

"My feng shui teachers always thought that I was a little wacky because I was always asking, 'What about the dog that lives there?' " Barker says. "Now clients really like that I consider their animals when doing feng shui. Certainly no feng shui consultant would come into your home and ignore your child.








"Well, people's animals are like their children, and they need to be considered. It makes sense to harmonize your home for all the creatures who live there."

So Barker analyzed Sasha's situation. Unlike cats, dogs thrive on active chi. They want to be in areas where the energy flows freely.

"Sasha's not an all-over-the-house dog," Gonzalez says. "He never has been. He likes being in the basement if we're there, but if nobody's in the house, he needs to be in a vantage point where he's overseeing the house. We picked a new area for him and got him a bed in nice, warm earth tones. … It's right here in the family room, which oversees the back yard and the kitchen, and he can hear the front door if anyone is coming in. He absolutely loves it."

Cats are a whole different story. Cats bring a home a totally different form of energy from dogs, Barker says. Cats are into healing and balance.

"Cats are energy recyclers," she says. "They'll go into a place that has the worst chi in the house and use their energy to reorganize it. Cats collect in places where there are sharp angles, because energy collects there. They go there to soften it."

Cat owners may frequently find their cats loitering in seldom-used corners. "The cat will knock itself out trying to bring life to a stagnant area," Barker says.

To make a cat's life easier, try hanging a crystal or setting a mirror or a plant in that out-of-the-way cubbyhole to which the cat seems inexplicably drawn, she says. The cat will love you for it.


References:fox16

Judge dismisses suit about zoo elephants

King County Superior Court Judge Julie Spector dismissed a lawsuit Monday brought by local animal-rights activists against Woodland Park Zoo and the city of Seattle.

The Northwest Animal Rights Network (NARN) and two private citizens sued in June, accusing the zoo of violating the federal Endangered Species Act and the State Environmental Policy Act with its treatment of elephants at the zoo.






Valerie Bittner, NARN's attorney, said the zoo's oldest elephant, Bamboo, was experiencing "elephant psychological breakdown" because of improper care and lack of space in its one-acre yard. NARN sought to get Bamboo moved to an elephant sanctuary in Tennessee, where she could roam more than 2,000 acres.

Spector dismissed all the claims against the city, the zoo, its directors and staff, saying they had no merit — except for the claim filed under the Endangered Species Act, which the judge ruled belongs under the jurisdiction of federal court.

Bittner said NARN will consider pursuing its case in federal court if it can raise the funds.

In a press release, the zoo said Bamboo and its three other elephants were healthy and thriving.

References:seattletimes

Pets at risk: Grooming problems increase

LEE COUNTY: Dangerous, even deadly mistakes are on the rise at pet grooming shops across the country. Now animal advocates are calling for more regulation.

A new report says complaints to the Better Business Bureau are up 50-percent in the last five years.

Officials say they often hear heartbreaking stores of dogs burned, strangled and even mauled by other animals.

The Stackpole family pet Pekingese recently died after a trip to the groomers.

"The doctor came in and said, 'You know, I'm sorry there's nothing else we could do.' At this point, ya know, we're ... 'What are you talking about? Are you sure you got our dog? We brought it for a haircut! You can't comprehend. It is part of your family," said Brian Stackpole.

The Humane Society says there are not enough regulations, licensing or inspections for groomers. In fact here in Florida, groomers aren't inspected or regulated at all.

"So, we do have people opening up grooming shops. We have no idea if they have any training at all or any experience with animals whatsoever," said Stephanie Shain, Humane Society.

The National Dog Groomers Association of America insists most facilities are safe, but does acknowledge shops are busier than ever and problems may occur when groomers are rushed.

"I think that's probably the most dangerous aspect of grooming shops - is trying to do too much," said Nancy Han, National Dog Groomers Association of America.

The best way to protect you pet is to ask your groomer their credentials and check the facility out before ever dropping your animal off.





References:nbc-2

80 dogs seized from home

A Marrero woman already facing an animal cruelty charge was cited Friday with additional violations after parish officials seized 80 dogs from her property, including four authorities described as in critical condition.

Patsy Chism, 61, 2501 Colorado Drive, could face four counts of aggravated animal cruelty and 76 counts of simple abuse to animals, said Matthew Friedman, an attorney for Jefferson Parish.

Chism, who also is facing an unrelated charge of obstruction of justice in connection with the March murder of her boyfriend at her house, was not at home when officials issued the citation but must contact the Jefferson Parish Animal Shelter ahead of a hearing set for Sept. 12, Friedman said.


In June, authorities received a complaint from a resident who purchased a dog from Chism that died within a week, Friedman said. It was later learned that the dog had a degenerative disease at the time of sale.

That complaint led officials to inspect Chism's house Friday to investigate whether she was illegally operating a business out of her residence, Friedman said.

During the visit, the case took a grim turn as officials uncovered a filthy, feces-ridden building behind her house strewn with newspapers where sickly dogs, some stored in broken cages, had little water and food, Friedman said. Most of the dogs were Chihuahuas, and officials believe Chism was breeding them for sale.

Authorities recovered the dogs and took them to the East Jefferson animal shelter, where they were examined by a veterinarian. Three dogs in critical condition had to be euthanized, and one was dead on arrival, Friedman said.






Before being hauled to the shelter, the dogs were quickly provided water by authorities, a scene Friedman described as similar to "pigs at a trough."

Friedman said he's hoping that a judge will bar Chism from having any more dogs or will at least limit the number she can keep. Some of the dogs rescued Friday could soon be available for adoption, he said.

The Sept. 12 hearing will deal primarily with any parish code violations, while officials will direct the animal cruelty and abuse allegations to the Jefferson Parish district attorney's office.

Friedman said parish officials will push for felony charges against Chism, but the exact charges and possible punishments are still unclear.

Chism also is slated for a hearing Thursday in 24th Judicial District Court. That matter involves a separate animal cruelty misdemeanor charge stemming from a February 2005 complaint that followed the death of another dog sold by Chism that died within days, Friedman said.

Authorities have been keeping a watchful eye on her for five years and have inspected her house roughly 30 times during that period, Friedman said. In the vast majority of cases, she would abide by requirements to correct any violations within 10 days, he said.

Unrelated to the animal cruelty cases, Chism was charged in July with obstruction of justice in connection with the shooting death of her boyfriend, Darnell Williams. Chism's son, Charles Striplin, was charged with second-degree murder in the incident.

Chism is accused of removing a butcher knife from Williams' hands after the shooting as a way of refuting Striplin's contention that the killing was in self-defense. A hearing in state court has been set for Sept. 14 in that case.


References:nola

Teens Bake Puppy in Oven

ATLANTA (AP) -- Prompted by a case in which a puppy was cooked in an oven, Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard is calling for tougher animal cruelty penalties in Georgia.

In a letter sent yesterday to Governor Perdue, Howard says no animal should ever be treated in such a way and that when it happens, should be punished severely.

Two teenage brothers are accused of breaking into a community center at an apartment complex last month, bringing with them a five-month-old puppy.

The brothers, ages 17 and 18, allegedly removed two shelves from a commercial gas range, put the puppy in and turned on the gas.

Authorities say the teens, who lived at the apartment complex, also destroyed computers and defaced walls at the center.







The brothers, Justin and Joshua Moulder, have been charged with burglary, criminal damage to property and aggravated cruelty to animals.

Currently, anyone convicted of felony aggravated cruelty to animals can be sentenced to five years in prison. But Howard is calling for an increase in the penalty for the obvious torture of animals.

References:11alive

Chinese Zoo Panda Gives Birth to Twins

BEIJING — A giant panda in southwest China has given birth to a pair of twins, state media said, the latest additions in a baby boom for the endangered animals.

Ya Ya, who lives in the Chongqing Zoo, delivered the babies about an hour apart early Tuesday, China News Service said.

They were her first cubs, it said, and both mother and babies are healthy. The zoo has been closed for a week to give Ya Ya some peace, it said.





One has been taken to the Wolong Giant Panda Protection and Research Center, also in Sichuan province, because Ya Ya cannot produce enough milk for both cubs, it said.

Ya Ya was mated with 11-year-old Ling Ling from Wolong in April. The pandas watched a mating video before breeding, China News Service said.

Last month, the government announced the birth of four sets of panda twins. China has more than 180 pandas living in captivity, according to the government.


Reference:foxnews

Crocodile Hunter Dies

Steve Irwin was videotaped pulling a poisonous stingray barb from his chest just before he died, according to news reports. Irwin's manager John Stainton described the footage of his friend dying as "terrible."

Video

Discovery Communications, which produces Animal Planet, said it was considering setting up a fund that would accept donations in Irwin's name to support wildlife protection, education, conservation, Irwin's zoo and the education of his children.

A sensory garden located outside the company's Silver Springs, Maryland, headquarters will be renamed in his honor, said Annie Howell, senior vice president of communications for Discovery Communications.


Animal Planet will air a tribute to Irwin at 6 p.m. EDT Tuesday, Maureen Smith, Animal Planet's executive vice president and general manager, said. The channel will continue to run Irwin's shows.

Just Aired From Discovery Channel


References:CNN