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 

Orca Hunt Photo Series

Check out this amazing series of photos showing the final moments of 2 hour chase between an Orca and its prey, a bottlenose dolphin-

Source: DailyMail.co.uk

Laborador Beetriever

A specially trained sniffer dog helps keep Australian bee populations healthy by sniffing out a deadly bee disease called American foulbrood. 

Source: DogHeirs.com

Colorful new Tarantula species discovered

New to nature No 107: Typhochlaena costae 

Little is known about a new species of tarantula found in Brazil – but it is jaw-droppingly gorgeous. 

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10 Month Old Orca Calf, Vicky, Dies At Loro Parque Tenerife

The reasons for this sudden death are still not known, but the veterinarians and experts are working on the necropsy to determine the causes. In recent days the Orca Ocean team, which everyday cares for the animals and monitors all their movements, had noticed changes in her behavior. For this reason, the leading experts in the field were consulted, including the chief veterinarian of Sea World who came especially from the United States to perform a check on Vicky.

Vicky is the second calf rejected by mother Kohana. Inbreeding is a possible contributor to death. 

Click here for more details