Meet Bo, the First Dog
The Obamas welcome Bo, a six-month old Portuguese water dog and a gift from
Senator and Mrs. Kennedy to Sasha and Malia, recently at the White House.
Egg industry, Humane Society propose cage laws (AP)
WASHINGTON – Threatened with a series of state laws cracking down on cramped cages, the egg industry on Thursday said it would agree to seek federal regulation to improve conditions for egg-laying hens. In an unusual move, the United Egg Producers announced the effort in a joint appearance with the Humane Society of the United…
Is ocean garbage killing whales? (AFP)
PARIS (AFP) – Millions of tonnes of plastic debris dumped each year in the world’s oceans could pose a lethal threat to whales, according to a scientific assessment to be presented at a key international whaling forum this week. A review of research literature from the last two decades reveals hundreds of cases in which…
Judge refuses to restore wolf protections (Reuters)
SALMON, Idaho (Reuters) – A federal judge refused on Wednesday to overturn an unprecedented act of Congress that removed some 1,500 wolves in Montana and Idaho from the endangered species list. District Judge Donald Molloy sided against environmentalists who argued Congress exceeded its authority when it passed legislation in April to lift federal wolf protections,…
Pa. man who shot cat won’t do service time at SPCA (AP)
POTTSVILLE, Pa. – An eastern Pennsylvania man who used a crossbow to shoot a cat and was sentenced to community service won’t be volunteering at an animal welfare agency as originally ordered. A Schuylkill (SKOO’-kul) County judge earlier this week sentenced New Philadelphia resident Patrick Canfield to six months of probation and 150 hours of…
Photos: Elusive Snow Leopards Thrive in Surprising Spot (LiveScience.com)
Thanks to the vigilant eye of camera traps stationed high in Afghanistan’s remote northeast mountains, researchers have uncovered exciting news: A population of endangered snow leopards, one of the most elusive big cats on the planet, is thriving in the region. The big cats live among the dramatic peaks of the desolate Wakhan Corridor, a…
Taiwan to tighten laws banning shark fin hunting (AFP)
TAIPEI (AFP) – Taiwan, one of the world’s major shark catchers, announced plans on Sunday to tighten measures against hunting the ocean predator for its fin, the island’s top fisheries official said Sunday. Taiwan fishermen are already barred from tossing sharks back into the water to die after slicing off the fin — a delicacy…
Six reasons not to eat tuna (Y! Green)
By Mickey Z., Planet Green Five of the eight species of tuna would not be in danger of extinction (according to the latest Red List of Threatened Species, compiled by the Swiss-based International Union for the Conservation of Nature) if humans didn’t kill and eat them. Thus, in that spirit, I present … six…
Anti-whaling protest ship in Southern Ocean distress (Reuters)
SYDNEY (Reuters) – Anti-whaling organization Sea Shepherd said one of its boats chasing the Japanese whaling fleet in the Southern Ocean had issued a distress call after its hull was cracked by a rogue wave. Sea Shepherd flagship the Steve Irwin was fighting heavy seas to help rescue the damaged Brigitte Bardot chase boat and…
Feds agree to deadline for sea turtle safety zone (AP)
SAN FRANCISCO – Conservation groups and federal fisheries managers have settled a lawsuit seeking to spur the government to finalize its plan for creating a large protection zone for endangered leatherback sea turtles off the U.S. Pacific coast. The settlement filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court requires the National Marine Fisheries Service to finalize its…