Happy Veterans Day- Animals of War

Did you know dogs and horses weren't the only types of animals used in war? A variety of species were used to carry out different tasks such as detection, protection, therapy, and sledging.

Carrier Pigeons carried messages. Cher Ami saved 200 US troops by carrying a message 25 miles despite being blinded and shot twice.

Dogs pulling machine guns

Camel Corps

 Mule Team

Oxen Team

Canaries used to help calm wounded soldiers

Dolphins were used for locating underwater mines

Glow worms were collected and used to light maps and charts in the trenches in WWI

Circus Elephants were used to pull heavy loads and plow fields as horses and mules were taken off to war. They were also used in WWII to haul supplies through jungles, and across rivers and mountains. The movie Operation Dumbo Drop was based on a true story.

African Rats are being trained to sniff out landmines that still remain several years after the civil war in Mozambique. Rats are easy to train and their light weight prevents tripping any mines that may be in the search area.

As you can see, a variety of animals were used in war. No matter how big or small, they all played a significant role and were held with high esteem. Of course, behind every great animal there is a great handler as well. Whether 2 legged, 4 legged, feathered, finned, or furred, your dedication to your country is greatly appreciated. Thank you.

Sources: Denver Post

GWPDA.org

Slate.com

BBC News

History.com

80-year-old Orca 'Speiden' missing, presumed dead

 

SEATTLE -- An 80-year-old Orca whale has been missing for about six weeks and Orca spotters are presuming her dead.

The Orca J8, also known as "Speiden," was last seen on Sept. 19 near Victoria and has not been seen the last two times the J Pod was in the Puget Sound's Saratoga Passage, officials with Orca Network said. Speiden has a distinct sound when she breathed and a notch at the base of her fin making her easy to identify, day or night.

"At 80 years old, she was right in the upper limits of longevity for females," said Howard Garrett, co-director of the Orca Network. "It was probably just a natural passing after a long life."

Garrett said that Speiden was not known to have any offspring during their studies, but it's hard to know for sure since their research didn't begin until after the whale capture era from 1966-1976, when dozens of whales were taken from the area waters.

"Over 40 were delivered from her family, so she may have lost several offspring during those years," Garrett said.

Garrett says Speiden is especially missed now that her J Pod and neighboring K Pod families have both been sighted in the Puget Sound waters this week.

"She was always great to have out there because she was so familiar," Garrett said. "We'll miss her. It's always reassuring to see the whales that we know and recognize out there. She was one of the ones that everybody who watched these whales knew very well."

The Orca Network said Spieden was not the most senior Orca in the pod. Orca J2, "Granny," is believed to be 102 years old.

Source: Komo News 

Just a lil reminder.....

..... to "Fall Back" today!!!

(for those that apply)

Don't forget to set your clocks back an hour before you go to bed tonight, and enjoy that extra hour of sleep!

Police dogs blessed during Tihar Festival

Blessing of the canines

Nepalese police dogs wear marigold garlands and vermillion pigment on Nov. 13 during the local Tihar festival in Kathmandu. Tihar is the Nepalese equivalent of Diwali, an important five-day festival celebrated by Hindus, Jains, Buddhists, Sikhs and Arya Samajists. Each day of the festival is dedicated to different religious figures including cow, crow and dog, which signifies the relationship between human beings, god and animals.

 

Source: Mother Nature Network 

What the duck is up with this traffic?

Traffic stops as over 5,000 ducks cross a road in Zhejiang, China.

Source: Pets.ie 

An important message from the White House

On a more serious note, President Obama speaks out against BSL stating that targeting a dogs breed is ineffective and a waste of resources-

We don’t support breed-specific legislation — research shows that bans on certain types of dogs are largely ineffective and often a waste of public resources.
In 2000, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention looked at twenty years of data about dog bites and human fatalities in the United States. They found that fatal attacks represent a very small proportion of dog bite injuries to people and that it’s virtually impossible to calculate bite rates for specific breeds.
The CDC also noted that the types of people who look to exploit dogs aren’t deterred by breed regulations — when their communities establish a ban, these people just seek out new, unregulated breeds. And the simple fact is that dogs of any breed can become dangerous when they’re intentionally or unintentionally raised to be aggressive.
For all those reasons, the CDC officially recommends against breed-specific legislation — which they call inappropriate. You can read more from them here.
As an alternative to breed-specific policies, the CDC recommends a community-based approach to prevent dog bites. And ultimately, we think that’s a much more promising way to build stronger communities of pets and pet owners.

 A huge victory for ALL dog owners and dog lovers who have fought tirelessly against the monster that is BSL. Hopefully this will lead to more effective solutions and the reversal of state level BSL regulations.

Sources: LifeWithDogs.tv

TailsInc.com

Can Orcas keep pets?

We often observe fur seals or Dall's porpoises following groups of fish-eating orcas. But this group we saw some days ago had an unusual companion. A single Pacific white-sided dolphin was travelling with the orcas, as a normal group member, for at least 1.5 hours. At first we mistakenly thought he was a strangely coloured calf. This is amazing to us not only because of this weird companionship, but also because Pacific white-sided dolphins are rarely seen in this area. We have never observed them before in the nearshore waters of the Commander Islands. Perhaps this dolphin was travelling with orcas for a while and then followed them to our research area from offshore or more southern waters where this species is more common. The more you look closely at nature, the stranger it becomes.

Source: RussianOrca.org