Bullfighting fans in Catalonia are set to see the last fights before a ban on the age-old tradition comes into effect in Spain's north-eastern region. About 20,000 spectators are expected to fill Barcelona's Monumental arena, where top matadors will be performing.
Catalonia's lawmakers voted for the ban - the first in Spain - last year after 180,000 people signed a petition. They say the bullfighting is barbaric, but opponents say they will challenge the ban in Spain's top court.
Read on...
Showing posts with label animal abuse. Show all posts
Showing posts with label animal abuse. Show all posts
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Man fined $100 for running up to endangered Hawaiian monk seal and touching it
HONOLULU (AP) — Touching an endangered Hawaiian monk seal will cost a 19-year-old man $100.The Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported Thursday that Cameron Cayaban pleaded guilty in federal court to harassing, harming or pursuing an endangered species.
A federal magistrate judged imposed $100 in fines and fees.Cayaban was charged with slapping a Hawaiian monk seal at Kalaeloa's White Plains Beach in March.His lawyer says Cayaban was overcome when he saw the seal, ran up to the endangered animal and touched it.Witnesses reported it to military police.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/travel/sns-ap-us-travel-brief-seal-touching-fine,0,1796380.story
A federal magistrate judged imposed $100 in fines and fees.Cayaban was charged with slapping a Hawaiian monk seal at Kalaeloa's White Plains Beach in March.His lawyer says Cayaban was overcome when he saw the seal, ran up to the endangered animal and touched it.Witnesses reported it to military police.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/travel/sns-ap-us-travel-brief-seal-touching-fine,0,1796380.story
Sunday, April 17, 2011
India 'microtags' snakes to snare illegal charmers (Via HerpDigest)
India 'microtags' snakes to snare illegal charmers
(AFP)
NEW DELHI - Officials in New Delhi have injected microchips into snakes used by snake charmers in a bid to regulate the basket and flute performers who have long been a favourite with tourists in India.
The chips, which contain a unique ID code, will effectively act as name-tags, allowing officials to ascertain whether individual snakes have been registered by their owners, Delhi's forest department chief Deepak Shukla said Wednesday.
India implemented laws in the late 1990s proscribing the commercial use of wild animals, including performances with live snakes.
In Delhi, the state government offered an amnesty for charmers in 2003 but only 10 came forward to register their combined stock of more than 40 snakes.
It was these animals that were tagged with the microchips in Delhi on Monday and Tuesday.
"There are many charmers who did not accept the amnesty and they will be punished if they are caught now with snakes that do not have these electronic chips," Shukla said.
The tagging process was carried out by Goa-based snake expert Nitin Sawant, who injected the chips into the tissue of 42 snakes, including king cobras, common cobras, rat snakes and one red sand boa.
"The idea behind this entire programme was to stop the random collection of fresh snakes by these traditional charmers," said Sawant, adding that many of the animals he tagged were in poor health.
"I told these charmers to give up their profession because they are not capable of looking after their snakes," he said.
The wildlife legislation has emptied most large cities of snake charmers, although a small number can still be seen around major tourist sites in places like New Delhi, risking arrest as they cajole foreign visitors into taking a snapshot for a small fee.
Animal rights groups say snake charmers are cruel impostors who use physical abuse to train the reptiles to move to the sway of their flute-like instruments.
The entertainers generally rip out the snakes' fangs and feed them milk, meaning the animals are unable to catch prey and die when returned to their natural habitat.
(AFP)
NEW DELHI - Officials in New Delhi have injected microchips into snakes used by snake charmers in a bid to regulate the basket and flute performers who have long been a favourite with tourists in India.
The chips, which contain a unique ID code, will effectively act as name-tags, allowing officials to ascertain whether individual snakes have been registered by their owners, Delhi's forest department chief Deepak Shukla said Wednesday.
India implemented laws in the late 1990s proscribing the commercial use of wild animals, including performances with live snakes.
In Delhi, the state government offered an amnesty for charmers in 2003 but only 10 came forward to register their combined stock of more than 40 snakes.
It was these animals that were tagged with the microchips in Delhi on Monday and Tuesday.
"There are many charmers who did not accept the amnesty and they will be punished if they are caught now with snakes that do not have these electronic chips," Shukla said.
The tagging process was carried out by Goa-based snake expert Nitin Sawant, who injected the chips into the tissue of 42 snakes, including king cobras, common cobras, rat snakes and one red sand boa.
"The idea behind this entire programme was to stop the random collection of fresh snakes by these traditional charmers," said Sawant, adding that many of the animals he tagged were in poor health.
"I told these charmers to give up their profession because they are not capable of looking after their snakes," he said.
The wildlife legislation has emptied most large cities of snake charmers, although a small number can still be seen around major tourist sites in places like New Delhi, risking arrest as they cajole foreign visitors into taking a snapshot for a small fee.
Animal rights groups say snake charmers are cruel impostors who use physical abuse to train the reptiles to move to the sway of their flute-like instruments.
The entertainers generally rip out the snakes' fangs and feed them milk, meaning the animals are unable to catch prey and die when returned to their natural habitat.
Monday, March 28, 2011
Shocking number of animals dying at Kiev Zoo
Dozens, maybe hundreds, have died in recent years, animal welfare groups say
By Maria Danilova
The Associated Press
updated 3/23/2011 8:42:37 PM ET
KIEV, Ukraine — An Indian elephant called Boy, the pride of the Kiev Zoo, collapsed and died in his enclosure. Around the same time, Maya the camel succumbed to a digestive illness and Theo the zebra died after crashing into a metal fence.
And there's more, much more.
The animals just keep on dying at the Kiev Zoo, a place some have likened to an unkempt warehouse for those with fur and feathers. Animal welfare groups say dozens if not hundreds of animals have died at the zoo in recent years due to malnutrition, a lack of medical care and mistreatment — and some suspect that corruption is at the heart of the problem.
Naturewatch, a British-based animal welfare group, is among the organizations calling for the 100-year-old zoo to be closed and its animals sent elsewhere in Europe.
"The Kiev Zoo will never attain any basic standards, it's so far removed from any zoo in Europe," said John Ruane of Naturewatch. "The conditions have been absolutely horrendous and no matter how many more directors were appointed the situation still remained the same."
New managers appointed in October said that nearly half of the zoo's animals either died or mysteriously disappeared over two years under their predecessors, and a government audit found that thousands of dollars were misspent as animals were illegally sold and funds earmarked for their food and care disappeared. Ukrainian prosecutors have also opened an investigation.
But despite the management change, the zoo's animals are still dying. Some activists suspect a secret real estate deal is in the works — that the zoo is being deliberately decimated so it can be closed down and the prime land that it sits on in the center of Kiev can be sold.
Other violations included the purchase of medication for already deceased apes, paying for hyenas that were never shipped to the zoo, the illegal sale of 12 macaques, the unrecorded sale of zoo tickets and the misallocation of funds earmarked for feeding zoo animals. The violations totaled the equivalent of $200,000, according to Irina Parkhomenko, spokeswoman for the government auditing agency.
Deterioration started after Soviet Union's collapse
Once the jewel of the Ukrainian capital and a favorite weekend spot for families, the zoo began to deteriorate after the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union and the years of poverty that followed. Animals were kept in cramped, poorly lit and poorly heated enclosures, fed improperly and left unattended, according to watchdogs.
The Kiev Zoo gained international notoriety in 2007 when it was expelled from the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria after the tragic death of a female bear.
The elderly brown bear named Dinara had been moved from a small enclosure where she had spent all her life to a bigger pen with a male Malayan sun bear. Stressed by the new premises and her new companion, Dinara began to bang her head against the concrete walls of the enclosure, leaving blood stains on the walls and floor. After days of this, she was euthanized.
On a recent visit, the zoo looked desolate. The elephant's pen stood empty, a lonely wolf paced an open-air enclosure, a collection of farm animals was closed to visitors and two giraffes were locked in two small indoor cells.
Mayor accused of mismanagement
The zoo's problems grew worse under the leadership of the city's eccentric mayor, Leonid Chernovetsky, who has been widely accused of mismanagement. Under his appointed zoo director, Svitlana Berzina, about a quarter of the animals died and another quarter disappeared in the two years before she was ousted in October, according to the new zoo director, Oleksiy Tolstoukhov.
Boy, the biggest Indian elephant in a European zoo, collapsed in his enclosure and died in April at age 39. Berzina denied any wrongdoing and claimed the elephant was poisoned.
Others disagree. Serhiy Hryhoryev, a zoo worker who has set up a group to protect the animals, believes that Boy was killed by a yo-yo diet. He said zoo staff considered Boy to be overweight and put him on a diet of mainly water and hay, causing him to lose more than a third of his weight in four months.
"By the end, his ribs were sticking out," Hryhoryev said.
Then Boy was put back on beets, carrots and apples, which caused rapid weight gain, which Hryhoryev said led to the elephant's heart failure. An autopsy was inconclusive.
Bad diet — or poison?
A month later, Maya the camel died. Hryhoryev said zoo workers failed to treat her for abdominal bloating after a sudden diet change. The zoo, however, blamed the death on a mysterious poisoner, a middle-aged man with an earring who just happened to resemble the whistleblower Hryhoryev. He was fired from his job but then reinstated through a court order late last year.
Theo the zebra died in late March after being separated from his female companions, as the animals were let outside after spending the winter in cramped indoor quarters. The male zebra threw himself into a metal fence in a desperate attempt to reach the females.
Officials are having a hard time determining exactly how many animals died or disappeared under the previous management. The zoo now has 2,600 animals from 328 species.
'Not as bad as they say'
Oleksandr Mazurchak, deputy head of the Kiev city administration, said about 250 animals died due to "problems" during two years under Berzina. The government audit last year also found that 131 other animals were missing.
Mazurchak said 50 animals have died since Tolstoukhov took over, though most from old age. But some deaths could have been avoided, like those of the three fish that died in late December when a power outage stopped the flow of oxygen into their tank.
Defending his record, the new director said the zoo has not purchased any new animals in recent years due to funding shortages and 60 percent of the zoo's animals are approaching the end of their natural life span anyway.
"It's not as bad as they say," Tolstoukhov said. "In all the zoos, including in Europe, animals don't live a million years. They also die and get sick."
Ecologist cites close to 250 deaths
But Volodymyr Boreiko, an ecologist who has monitored developments at the zoo, said in a report last week that the number of animals that have died since the new managers took over in October is closer to 250 and includes a penguin, a crane, turkeys and mongooses. The zoo said his findings are falsified.
Tolstoukhov said the zoo hopes to attract funds to restore existing enclosures and build new ones, and to repair the heating, air conditioning and electric systems. The zoo also plans to acquire new animals, including two young female elephants and 12 blue sheep.
He denied any plans to sell the 84 acres of land the zoo occupies in central Kiev.
Luisa Kuznetsova, 26, who came to the zoo last week with her 2-year-old twins Kolya and Karina, hopes it can be saved.
"I want there to be a beautiful zoo here with all the beautiful animals because the kids are growing and the zoo helps them develop," Kuznetsova said as the twins watched a giraffe attempt to kiss them through a glass wall.
But Tamara Tarnavska of the Kiev-based SOS animal rights group believes the zoo must be closed to protect its animals from further abuse.
"The zoo is in such a condition that it's no longer a zoo, it's a concentration camp," Tarnavska said. "When I look those animals in the eyes, I am ashamed to be a human being."
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42240723/ns/technology_and_science-science/
By Maria Danilova
The Associated Press
updated 3/23/2011 8:42:37 PM ET
KIEV, Ukraine — An Indian elephant called Boy, the pride of the Kiev Zoo, collapsed and died in his enclosure. Around the same time, Maya the camel succumbed to a digestive illness and Theo the zebra died after crashing into a metal fence.
And there's more, much more.
The animals just keep on dying at the Kiev Zoo, a place some have likened to an unkempt warehouse for those with fur and feathers. Animal welfare groups say dozens if not hundreds of animals have died at the zoo in recent years due to malnutrition, a lack of medical care and mistreatment — and some suspect that corruption is at the heart of the problem.
Naturewatch, a British-based animal welfare group, is among the organizations calling for the 100-year-old zoo to be closed and its animals sent elsewhere in Europe.
"The Kiev Zoo will never attain any basic standards, it's so far removed from any zoo in Europe," said John Ruane of Naturewatch. "The conditions have been absolutely horrendous and no matter how many more directors were appointed the situation still remained the same."
New managers appointed in October said that nearly half of the zoo's animals either died or mysteriously disappeared over two years under their predecessors, and a government audit found that thousands of dollars were misspent as animals were illegally sold and funds earmarked for their food and care disappeared. Ukrainian prosecutors have also opened an investigation.
But despite the management change, the zoo's animals are still dying. Some activists suspect a secret real estate deal is in the works — that the zoo is being deliberately decimated so it can be closed down and the prime land that it sits on in the center of Kiev can be sold.
Other violations included the purchase of medication for already deceased apes, paying for hyenas that were never shipped to the zoo, the illegal sale of 12 macaques, the unrecorded sale of zoo tickets and the misallocation of funds earmarked for feeding zoo animals. The violations totaled the equivalent of $200,000, according to Irina Parkhomenko, spokeswoman for the government auditing agency.
Deterioration started after Soviet Union's collapse
Once the jewel of the Ukrainian capital and a favorite weekend spot for families, the zoo began to deteriorate after the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union and the years of poverty that followed. Animals were kept in cramped, poorly lit and poorly heated enclosures, fed improperly and left unattended, according to watchdogs.
The Kiev Zoo gained international notoriety in 2007 when it was expelled from the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria after the tragic death of a female bear.
The elderly brown bear named Dinara had been moved from a small enclosure where she had spent all her life to a bigger pen with a male Malayan sun bear. Stressed by the new premises and her new companion, Dinara began to bang her head against the concrete walls of the enclosure, leaving blood stains on the walls and floor. After days of this, she was euthanized.
On a recent visit, the zoo looked desolate. The elephant's pen stood empty, a lonely wolf paced an open-air enclosure, a collection of farm animals was closed to visitors and two giraffes were locked in two small indoor cells.
Mayor accused of mismanagement
The zoo's problems grew worse under the leadership of the city's eccentric mayor, Leonid Chernovetsky, who has been widely accused of mismanagement. Under his appointed zoo director, Svitlana Berzina, about a quarter of the animals died and another quarter disappeared in the two years before she was ousted in October, according to the new zoo director, Oleksiy Tolstoukhov.
Boy, the biggest Indian elephant in a European zoo, collapsed in his enclosure and died in April at age 39. Berzina denied any wrongdoing and claimed the elephant was poisoned.
Others disagree. Serhiy Hryhoryev, a zoo worker who has set up a group to protect the animals, believes that Boy was killed by a yo-yo diet. He said zoo staff considered Boy to be overweight and put him on a diet of mainly water and hay, causing him to lose more than a third of his weight in four months.
"By the end, his ribs were sticking out," Hryhoryev said.
Then Boy was put back on beets, carrots and apples, which caused rapid weight gain, which Hryhoryev said led to the elephant's heart failure. An autopsy was inconclusive.
Bad diet — or poison?
A month later, Maya the camel died. Hryhoryev said zoo workers failed to treat her for abdominal bloating after a sudden diet change. The zoo, however, blamed the death on a mysterious poisoner, a middle-aged man with an earring who just happened to resemble the whistleblower Hryhoryev. He was fired from his job but then reinstated through a court order late last year.
Theo the zebra died in late March after being separated from his female companions, as the animals were let outside after spending the winter in cramped indoor quarters. The male zebra threw himself into a metal fence in a desperate attempt to reach the females.
Officials are having a hard time determining exactly how many animals died or disappeared under the previous management. The zoo now has 2,600 animals from 328 species.
'Not as bad as they say'
Oleksandr Mazurchak, deputy head of the Kiev city administration, said about 250 animals died due to "problems" during two years under Berzina. The government audit last year also found that 131 other animals were missing.
Mazurchak said 50 animals have died since Tolstoukhov took over, though most from old age. But some deaths could have been avoided, like those of the three fish that died in late December when a power outage stopped the flow of oxygen into their tank.
Defending his record, the new director said the zoo has not purchased any new animals in recent years due to funding shortages and 60 percent of the zoo's animals are approaching the end of their natural life span anyway.
"It's not as bad as they say," Tolstoukhov said. "In all the zoos, including in Europe, animals don't live a million years. They also die and get sick."
Ecologist cites close to 250 deaths
But Volodymyr Boreiko, an ecologist who has monitored developments at the zoo, said in a report last week that the number of animals that have died since the new managers took over in October is closer to 250 and includes a penguin, a crane, turkeys and mongooses. The zoo said his findings are falsified.
Tolstoukhov said the zoo hopes to attract funds to restore existing enclosures and build new ones, and to repair the heating, air conditioning and electric systems. The zoo also plans to acquire new animals, including two young female elephants and 12 blue sheep.
He denied any plans to sell the 84 acres of land the zoo occupies in central Kiev.
Luisa Kuznetsova, 26, who came to the zoo last week with her 2-year-old twins Kolya and Karina, hopes it can be saved.
"I want there to be a beautiful zoo here with all the beautiful animals because the kids are growing and the zoo helps them develop," Kuznetsova said as the twins watched a giraffe attempt to kiss them through a glass wall.
But Tamara Tarnavska of the Kiev-based SOS animal rights group believes the zoo must be closed to protect its animals from further abuse.
"The zoo is in such a condition that it's no longer a zoo, it's a concentration camp," Tarnavska said. "When I look those animals in the eyes, I am ashamed to be a human being."
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42240723/ns/technology_and_science-science/
Friday, February 4, 2011
TWO GEORGIA COUNTIES ASKED TO ENFORCE STATE WILDLIFE LAWS AT RATTLESNAKE ROUNDUPS (Via Herp Digest)
TWO GEORGIA COUNTIES ASKED TO ENFORCE STATE WILDLIFE LAWS AT RATTLESNAKE ROUNDUPS
Atlanta- 2/3/11 CBD Press Release-The Center for Biological Diversity and allies today sent a letter to law-enforcement officials in Grady and Evans counties, Georgia, calling for enforcement of state wildlife laws at "rattlesnake roundups" - annual contests in which hunters bring in as many snakes as they can catch in a year to be milked for venom, butchered, then sold for meat and skin. Two roundups take place every year in Georgia, one in Whigham in January, the other in Claxton in March. The letter was sent to the sheriffs of Grady and Evans counties and to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources.
Georgia state law requires that a wildlife exhibition permit be obtained from the Department of Natural Resources before wildlife is publicly displayed. Another law states that wildlife cannot be brought into the state without obtaining an importation permit. The letter asks that appropriate law-enforcement measures be taken before and during the roundups to ensure that the events are in compliance with state laws. The letter was sent by the Center, Coastal Plains Institute and Land Conservancy and One More Generation.
"We are concerned that the rattlesnake roundups may be violating state wildlife laws, and we urge law-enforcement officials to take action to enforce those laws," said Tierra Curry, a biologist at the Center. "It is time to end rattlesnake roundups."
A recently published study shows that rattlesnake roundups have depleted populations of Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnakes in the southeastern United States: This once-common species is being pushed toward extinction by hunting pressure, habitat loss and road mortality. The snake hasn't been seen in Louisiana since 1980, and is now uncommon throughout its range in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi and the Carolinas.
In response to dwindling rattlesnake populations, public pressure and environmental concerns, the town of Fitzgerald, Georgia, replaced its rattlesnake roundup with a wild chicken festival, which organizers report has been an enormous success.
"All rattlesnake roundups should be replaced with festivals celebrating wildlife and offering educational programs on the importance of saving native species," said Dr. Bruce Means, author of the recent study and executive director of the Coastal Plains Institute and Land Conservancy.
Last January the Center and allies called on Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue to amend state law to ban rattlesnake roundups and to work with communities to replace the roundups with wildlife festivals. The Center has also urged the state to investigate the extent of gassing and destruction of Gopher Tortoise burrows to collect snakes for rattlesnake roundups. Though the practice is illegal, hunters commonly catch snakes by pouring gasoline or ammonia into burrows or by digging out the burrows. In January 2010, four men were apprehended pouring gasoline into tortoise burrows before the Whigham roundup. Pouring gasoline into burrows sickens or kills the animals inside and makes the burrows unusable for tortoises and the hundreds of other wildlife species that use tortoise burrows.
"Rattlesnakes are an important part of the web of life that help control rodent populations," said Jim Ries, community director at One More Generation. "Roundups are harmful to the healthy environment on which we all depend, and must be banned."
For more information, contact;
Tierra Curry, Center for Biological Diversity, (928) 522-3681
Dr. Bruce Means, Coastal Plains Institute and Land Conservancy, (850) 681-6208
Jim Ries, One More Generation, (678) 491-6222
Atlanta- 2/3/11 CBD Press Release-The Center for Biological Diversity and allies today sent a letter to law-enforcement officials in Grady and Evans counties, Georgia, calling for enforcement of state wildlife laws at "rattlesnake roundups" - annual contests in which hunters bring in as many snakes as they can catch in a year to be milked for venom, butchered, then sold for meat and skin. Two roundups take place every year in Georgia, one in Whigham in January, the other in Claxton in March. The letter was sent to the sheriffs of Grady and Evans counties and to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources.
Georgia state law requires that a wildlife exhibition permit be obtained from the Department of Natural Resources before wildlife is publicly displayed. Another law states that wildlife cannot be brought into the state without obtaining an importation permit. The letter asks that appropriate law-enforcement measures be taken before and during the roundups to ensure that the events are in compliance with state laws. The letter was sent by the Center, Coastal Plains Institute and Land Conservancy and One More Generation.
"We are concerned that the rattlesnake roundups may be violating state wildlife laws, and we urge law-enforcement officials to take action to enforce those laws," said Tierra Curry, a biologist at the Center. "It is time to end rattlesnake roundups."
A recently published study shows that rattlesnake roundups have depleted populations of Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnakes in the southeastern United States: This once-common species is being pushed toward extinction by hunting pressure, habitat loss and road mortality. The snake hasn't been seen in Louisiana since 1980, and is now uncommon throughout its range in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi and the Carolinas.
In response to dwindling rattlesnake populations, public pressure and environmental concerns, the town of Fitzgerald, Georgia, replaced its rattlesnake roundup with a wild chicken festival, which organizers report has been an enormous success.
"All rattlesnake roundups should be replaced with festivals celebrating wildlife and offering educational programs on the importance of saving native species," said Dr. Bruce Means, author of the recent study and executive director of the Coastal Plains Institute and Land Conservancy.
Last January the Center and allies called on Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue to amend state law to ban rattlesnake roundups and to work with communities to replace the roundups with wildlife festivals. The Center has also urged the state to investigate the extent of gassing and destruction of Gopher Tortoise burrows to collect snakes for rattlesnake roundups. Though the practice is illegal, hunters commonly catch snakes by pouring gasoline or ammonia into burrows or by digging out the burrows. In January 2010, four men were apprehended pouring gasoline into tortoise burrows before the Whigham roundup. Pouring gasoline into burrows sickens or kills the animals inside and makes the burrows unusable for tortoises and the hundreds of other wildlife species that use tortoise burrows.
"Rattlesnakes are an important part of the web of life that help control rodent populations," said Jim Ries, community director at One More Generation. "Roundups are harmful to the healthy environment on which we all depend, and must be banned."
For more information, contact;
Tierra Curry, Center for Biological Diversity, (928) 522-3681
Dr. Bruce Means, Coastal Plains Institute and Land Conservancy, (850) 681-6208
Jim Ries, One More Generation, (678) 491-6222
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Ripley's Helps Dog Out of Hairy, Homeless Situation
AOL News
(Nov. 3) -- A toy poodle that looked more like a matted ball of yarn than a pooch is getting a new "leash" on life thanks, in part, to the folks at Ripley's Believe It or Not.
The dog was recently found in a ditch and brought to an animal shelter in Houma, La., covered in matted fur -- so much that his eyes were covered with hair.
Since the folks who run the shelter, My Heart's Desire, couldn't believe anyone could treat a dog like that, they decided to name the pooch "Ripley."
This toy poodle was found in a ditch with fur so badly matted that he couldn't even walk. A shelter in Houma, La., rescued him and named him "Ripley" because it was hard to believe anyone would do that do an animal.
"You would have never believed there was a dog under there," said My Heart's Desire co-founder Tracey Lapeyrouse. "He didn't even look like a dog. He looked like the elephant man. All you could see was his snout."
Once Tim O'Brien, VP of communications for Ripley's Believe It or Not, heard about Ripley's hairy situation, he became a believer about wanting to help his employer's namesake.
"This isn't the first animal I've heard of that was named Ripley," he confessed. "I once had a goldfish named Ripley. But this is the first time an unbelievable animal had the name."
O'Brien learned about Ripley's plight through a Google search and immediately called the shelter offering to help.
"Ripley the dog is what Ripley's Believe It or Not is all about," O'Brien said. "It's unbelievable that a dog could even be in this condition, let alone survive and go on to potentially become a great pet for someone."
Unbelievably, except for the Rasta-like matting, Ripley was fairly healthy and wasn't malnourished.
However, the fur covered the pads on his feet and he had a couple of skittish moments when he tried to walk without the excess foot fur.
Now that Ripley has been given a good grooming and lots of TLC, and been neutered, My Heart's Desire is looking for a permanent home for him. To that end, Ripley's will give $400 to My Heart's Desire and Ripley the dog will come with a gift card for a pet store that his new owners can use for food, grooming, toys and other expenses.
One person who is considering adopting him is O'Brien himself.
"Whoever gets him is getting a great dog," O'Brien admitted. "I'm tempted to drive down from Nashville and adopt him myself. My family wants me to."
Whether or not O'Brien adopts him, he promises that Ripley's Believe It Or Not will always be a part of Ripley the dog's life.
"We are putting his story in the 2012 edition of our 'Ripley's Believe It Or Not!' book," he said. "His life will be very public. It will be a big deal when he's adopted. I hope his new owners understand they'll have to share him with the world."
(Nov. 3) -- A toy poodle that looked more like a matted ball of yarn than a pooch is getting a new "leash" on life thanks, in part, to the folks at Ripley's Believe It or Not.
The dog was recently found in a ditch and brought to an animal shelter in Houma, La., covered in matted fur -- so much that his eyes were covered with hair.
Since the folks who run the shelter, My Heart's Desire, couldn't believe anyone could treat a dog like that, they decided to name the pooch "Ripley."
This toy poodle was found in a ditch with fur so badly matted that he couldn't even walk. A shelter in Houma, La., rescued him and named him "Ripley" because it was hard to believe anyone would do that do an animal.
"You would have never believed there was a dog under there," said My Heart's Desire co-founder Tracey Lapeyrouse. "He didn't even look like a dog. He looked like the elephant man. All you could see was his snout."
Once Tim O'Brien, VP of communications for Ripley's Believe It or Not, heard about Ripley's hairy situation, he became a believer about wanting to help his employer's namesake.
"This isn't the first animal I've heard of that was named Ripley," he confessed. "I once had a goldfish named Ripley. But this is the first time an unbelievable animal had the name."
O'Brien learned about Ripley's plight through a Google search and immediately called the shelter offering to help.
"Ripley the dog is what Ripley's Believe It or Not is all about," O'Brien said. "It's unbelievable that a dog could even be in this condition, let alone survive and go on to potentially become a great pet for someone."
Unbelievably, except for the Rasta-like matting, Ripley was fairly healthy and wasn't malnourished.
However, the fur covered the pads on his feet and he had a couple of skittish moments when he tried to walk without the excess foot fur.
Now that Ripley has been given a good grooming and lots of TLC, and been neutered, My Heart's Desire is looking for a permanent home for him. To that end, Ripley's will give $400 to My Heart's Desire and Ripley the dog will come with a gift card for a pet store that his new owners can use for food, grooming, toys and other expenses.
One person who is considering adopting him is O'Brien himself.
"Whoever gets him is getting a great dog," O'Brien admitted. "I'm tempted to drive down from Nashville and adopt him myself. My family wants me to."
Whether or not O'Brien adopts him, he promises that Ripley's Believe It Or Not will always be a part of Ripley the dog's life.
"We are putting his story in the 2012 edition of our 'Ripley's Believe It Or Not!' book," he said. "His life will be very public. It will be a big deal when he's adopted. I hope his new owners understand they'll have to share him with the world."
Ripley's Helps Dog Out of Hairy, Homeless Situation
AOL News
(Nov. 3) -- A toy poodle that looked more like a matted ball of yarn than a pooch is getting a new "leash" on life thanks, in part, to the folks at Ripley's Believe It or Not.
The dog was recently found in a ditch and brought to an animal shelter in Houma, La., covered in matted fur -- so much that his eyes were covered with hair.
Since the folks who run the shelter, My Heart's Desire, couldn't believe anyone could treat a dog like that, they decided to name the pooch "Ripley."
This toy poodle was found in a ditch with fur so badly matted that he couldn't even walk. A shelter in Houma, La., rescued him and named him "Ripley" because it was hard to believe anyone would do that do an animal.
"You would have never believed there was a dog under there," said My Heart's Desire co-founder Tracey Lapeyrouse. "He didn't even look like a dog. He looked like the elephant man. All you could see was his snout."
Once Tim O'Brien, VP of communications for Ripley's Believe It or Not, heard about Ripley's hairy situation, he became a believer about wanting to help his employer's namesake.
"This isn't the first animal I've heard of that was named Ripley," he confessed. "I once had a goldfish named Ripley. But this is the first time an unbelievable animal had the name."
O'Brien learned about Ripley's plight through a Google search and immediately called the shelter offering to help.
"Ripley the dog is what Ripley's Believe It or Not is all about," O'Brien said. "It's unbelievable that a dog could even be in this condition, let alone survive and go on to potentially become a great pet for someone."
Unbelievably, except for the Rasta-like matting, Ripley was fairly healthy and wasn't malnourished.
However, the fur covered the pads on his feet and he had a couple of skittish moments when he tried to walk without the excess foot fur.
Now that Ripley has been given a good grooming and lots of TLC, and been neutered, My Heart's Desire is looking for a permanent home for him. To that end, Ripley's will give $400 to My Heart's Desire and Ripley the dog will come with a gift card for a pet store that his new owners can use for food, grooming, toys and other expenses.
One person who is considering adopting him is O'Brien himself.
"Whoever gets him is getting a great dog," O'Brien admitted. "I'm tempted to drive down from Nashville and adopt him myself. My family wants me to."
Whether or not O'Brien adopts him, he promises that Ripley's Believe It Or Not will always be a part of Ripley the dog's life.
"We are putting his story in the 2012 edition of our 'Ripley's Believe It Or Not!' book," he said. "His life will be very public. It will be a big deal when he's adopted. I hope his new owners understand they'll have to share him with the world."
(Nov. 3) -- A toy poodle that looked more like a matted ball of yarn than a pooch is getting a new "leash" on life thanks, in part, to the folks at Ripley's Believe It or Not.
The dog was recently found in a ditch and brought to an animal shelter in Houma, La., covered in matted fur -- so much that his eyes were covered with hair.
Since the folks who run the shelter, My Heart's Desire, couldn't believe anyone could treat a dog like that, they decided to name the pooch "Ripley."
This toy poodle was found in a ditch with fur so badly matted that he couldn't even walk. A shelter in Houma, La., rescued him and named him "Ripley" because it was hard to believe anyone would do that do an animal.
"You would have never believed there was a dog under there," said My Heart's Desire co-founder Tracey Lapeyrouse. "He didn't even look like a dog. He looked like the elephant man. All you could see was his snout."
Once Tim O'Brien, VP of communications for Ripley's Believe It or Not, heard about Ripley's hairy situation, he became a believer about wanting to help his employer's namesake.
"This isn't the first animal I've heard of that was named Ripley," he confessed. "I once had a goldfish named Ripley. But this is the first time an unbelievable animal had the name."
O'Brien learned about Ripley's plight through a Google search and immediately called the shelter offering to help.
"Ripley the dog is what Ripley's Believe It or Not is all about," O'Brien said. "It's unbelievable that a dog could even be in this condition, let alone survive and go on to potentially become a great pet for someone."
Unbelievably, except for the Rasta-like matting, Ripley was fairly healthy and wasn't malnourished.
However, the fur covered the pads on his feet and he had a couple of skittish moments when he tried to walk without the excess foot fur.
Now that Ripley has been given a good grooming and lots of TLC, and been neutered, My Heart's Desire is looking for a permanent home for him. To that end, Ripley's will give $400 to My Heart's Desire and Ripley the dog will come with a gift card for a pet store that his new owners can use for food, grooming, toys and other expenses.
One person who is considering adopting him is O'Brien himself.
"Whoever gets him is getting a great dog," O'Brien admitted. "I'm tempted to drive down from Nashville and adopt him myself. My family wants me to."
Whether or not O'Brien adopts him, he promises that Ripley's Believe It Or Not will always be a part of Ripley the dog's life.
"We are putting his story in the 2012 edition of our 'Ripley's Believe It Or Not!' book," he said. "His life will be very public. It will be a big deal when he's adopted. I hope his new owners understand they'll have to share him with the world."
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Shelters' new rules on strays have towns scrambling
When the Delaware County SPCA recently served notice that starting in July, it will no longer accept stray cats and dogs from the county's49 municipalities, it joined a growing list of shelters across the state - and country - that have made the same choice.
Six other animal shelters in Pennsylvania, including those in Berks and Lancaster Counties and one in Harrisburg, have made similar decisions as they try to cut back on euthanizing animals and focus on education, addressing overpopulation, animal abuse, and animal rights.
The change has created a dilemma for hundreds of townships that must find a new way to deal with stray animals, said Sue West, director of the state Bureau of Dog Law Enforcement.
http://www.philly.com/inquirer/front_page/20101101_Shelters__new_rules_on_strays_have_towns_scrambling.html
Six other animal shelters in Pennsylvania, including those in Berks and Lancaster Counties and one in Harrisburg, have made similar decisions as they try to cut back on euthanizing animals and focus on education, addressing overpopulation, animal abuse, and animal rights.
The change has created a dilemma for hundreds of townships that must find a new way to deal with stray animals, said Sue West, director of the state Bureau of Dog Law Enforcement.
http://www.philly.com/inquirer/front_page/20101101_Shelters__new_rules_on_strays_have_towns_scrambling.html
Shelters' new rules on strays have towns scrambling
When the Delaware County SPCA recently served notice that starting in July, it will no longer accept stray cats and dogs from the county's49 municipalities, it joined a growing list of shelters across the state - and country - that have made the same choice.
Six other animal shelters in Pennsylvania, including those in Berks and Lancaster Counties and one in Harrisburg, have made similar decisions as they try to cut back on euthanizing animals and focus on education, addressing overpopulation, animal abuse, and animal rights.
The change has created a dilemma for hundreds of townships that must find a new way to deal with stray animals, said Sue West, director of the state Bureau of Dog Law Enforcement.
http://www.philly.com/inquirer/front_page/20101101_Shelters__new_rules_on_strays_have_towns_scrambling.html
Six other animal shelters in Pennsylvania, including those in Berks and Lancaster Counties and one in Harrisburg, have made similar decisions as they try to cut back on euthanizing animals and focus on education, addressing overpopulation, animal abuse, and animal rights.
The change has created a dilemma for hundreds of townships that must find a new way to deal with stray animals, said Sue West, director of the state Bureau of Dog Law Enforcement.
http://www.philly.com/inquirer/front_page/20101101_Shelters__new_rules_on_strays_have_towns_scrambling.html
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