November 10th, 2011
The RSPCA are urging the British public to come forward with information on the identity of a man caught abusing a cat on CCTV.
Shocking footage shows a seemingly unhinged attacker strutting down a road in Ramsgate, Kent, swinging a cat by its tail. The horrific video was captured on the 29th of October outside the Camden Arms pub.
“This was a very violent, nasty attack on a cat. Anyone who witnessed this outside the pub must have been as shocked and appalled as we were. We are hoping that someone will recognise this man and come forward so we can investigate this fully,” says RSPCA inspector Caroline Doe.
Luckily, Mowgli the cat escaped the incident without serious physical injury. Owner Michelle Buchanan says that her pet has not been left unaffected by the attack: “When I got home he was in my bed so that he would feel secure…Mowgli is emotional. He’s just distraught. He won’t go out the door.”
The IT teacher, who owns two other cats named Milly and Missy thinks that all three are disturbed by the mistreatment. “Before this happened my cats used to sit outside the house on the steps and everybody knew them. Since then none of them do that.”
This act of animal cruelty reflects the infamous episode when Mary Bale was caught on CCTV throwing a cat in a wheelie bin. Bank worker Bale was fined £250 and ordered to pay the cat’s owners compensation and costs of £1,400.
The video below shows footage which some of our readers might find disturbing:
By Sinéad. Posted in Animal Welfare, Cats, News
November 4th, 2011
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While canoeing across the Shannon, two British tourists, Sophie Windsor Clive and Liberty Smith happened upon one of nature’s most awe inspiring spectacles.
Murmurations are twirling, shape-shifting and cloud-like formations of starlings which appear at dusk during the beginning of winter.
Experts have yet to fully explain how and why the starlings convene in such a way. Having migrated from Russia and Scandinavia to escape much colder climes, the thousand strong flock swoops and swirls as they look for places to roost.
During their evening performance, the starlings reach speeds of 20mph and have reaction times of under 100 milliseconds to avoid mid-air collisions.
Make sure to watch the video to experience the wondrous display for yourself. The starlings make their first appearance around the 0.25 mark.
Murmuration from Sophie Windsor Clive on Vimeo.
By Sinéad. Posted in News
November 3rd, 2011
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A lucky Bernese Mountain Dog named Bruno looks set to become Ireland’s First Pet, as president-elect Michael D. Higgins has promised to give him a new home in the Áras.
Bruno was reluctantly given up by his former owners when they were forced to emigrate in search of employment.
The young couple surrendered the 12 month old dog to Valerie Hughes, a Galway based Bernese breeder: “They are heartbroken, but they had the good sense to hand the dog in to the Bernese Mountain Dog club, so that he would find a good home. Just how good a home, they couldn’t possible have imagined.” she said.
Áras an Uachtaráin will be the ideal home for this large, boisterous breed – Bernese Mountain Dogs can reach up to 70cm in height and an astonishing 120 pounds in weight. The handsome Swiss dogs retain their puppy-like enthusiasm until they are about 2½ years old, so need plenty of open space to bounce and play.
Ms Hughes organised Bruno’s adoption after the new president insisted that he would only take on a pet that had been abandoned or was in need of a home. Neither Higgins nor his wife Sabina have met Bruno in the flesh yet, but they were said to be ‘bowled over’ by his pictures.
Bruno is in the process of being vaccinated and microchipped before his big move to Phoenix Park on the 11th of November.
By Sinéad. Posted in Dogs, News
October 26th, 2011
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Fostering a pet is a fantastic way to help out needy animals that are in between homes. You can enjoy all the benefits of having a pet for a short time and know that you are doing a good deed. Of course, sending your temporary pet off to their new home can be hard.
One reddit user brought home their new dachshund/corgi mix recently to find this lovely message hidden among the dog’s papers. Seemingly written by a little boy or girl from the foster family, the note urges the new owner to look after their friend Garrison. While it must have been heartbreaking for the child to say goodbye, it is great that they are learning the importance of helping to re-home animals in need from a young age.
By Sinéad. Posted in Dogs
October 20th, 2011
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Conservationists have expressed outrage over the recent slaughter of 49 exotic animals in the US state of Ohio.
Ohio, along with Idaho, Nevada, Alabama, South Carolina, North Carolina, Wisconsin and West Virginia have extremely lax wildlife ownership laws. In fact, there is nothing to stop a person from owning wild, endangered and potentially deadly animals.
A flock of 56 animals including bears, lions, wolves and monkeys were set free by Muskingum County Animal Farm owner Terry Thompson, before he took his own life last Tuesday evening. Local police were given shoot-to-kill orders with regards to the animals.
“Public safety was our number one concern,” Sheriff Matt Lutz said. “We are not talking about your normal, everyday house cat or dog.”
By Wednesday evening, 49 of the animals were killed. Amongst them were 18 Bengal tigers, of which only 3,200 exist in the wild. Of all the animals, only 6 were contained alive. A grizzly bear, 3 leopards and 2 monkeys were successfully recaptured, while one monkey is still thought to be unaccounted for.
Born Free USA executive vice president, Adam Robert said, “Quite frankly, nobody should have these animals in the first place, so we need to take steps to change laws to make that a reality…These animals belong in accredited facilities with people who can handle them appropriately.”
Since 2004, there had been about 35 complaints made about Terry Thompson’s collection of exotic pets and he had been charged with animal mistreatment. The eight US states in question do not even require owners of wild animals to obtain a permit or license.
Roberts told of what needs to happen next in order to stop such a tragedy from happening again: “All eight states that don’t have regulations should immediately have an executive order by the governor banning the keeping or sale of these animals. Stop people acquiring these animals full stop.”
By Sinéad. Posted in Animal Welfare, News
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