MetaFilter posts tagged with animal

Animal Grief

Joe Beese — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 04:16:14 -0800

Grief among gorillas, chimpanzees, elephants, and magpies.

Elephant-dog friendship at elephant PTSD sanctuary

cybercoitus interruptus — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 17:32:23 -0800

Meet Tarra and Bella, an elephant and a dog who are best friends. They live at The Elephant Sanctuary in Hohenwald, Tennessee, a haven for elephants with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). There won't be a movie, but Sanctuary co-founder Carol Buckley tells the story of Tarra and Bella in a picture book. (For a premium price -- all net proceeds go towards the Sanctuary -- copies are available that have been stamped with Tarra's signature and Bella's pawprint.) The Elephant Post Traumatic Stress Disorder page provides interesting context for thinking about elephant violence and rehabilitation. (The first link on the page, "An Elephant Crackup?", makes a passing mention of elephant-on-rhino rape. For those interested in whether that really happened, here's what I found: The Straight Dope, "Herd Mentality: Of Pachyderms, People, and Peril", and a bit more detail from the author of "Herd Mentality" at the "neurobiology" link below.) G. A. Bradshaw, specialist in "trans-species psychology, the theory and methods for the study and care of animal psychological wellbeing and multi-species cultures,", argues in a 20/20 video that "To diagnose an elephant with PTSD is novel, but that's because we have denied elephants the capacity of having a mind, having a psyche, having emotions. But basically, the neurobiology . . . is there." (20/20 video has scenes of elephant shootings, capture, and harsh training that some may prefer to skip, from -13:25 to -12:57, -10:40 to -10:34, -9:55 to -9:44, -4:28 to -4:18; elephant violence at -9:24 to -8:04; Sanctuary footage begins at -7:24; heartwarming elephant reunion footage at -4:04) Previously: animal consciousness?; The Elephant Sanctuary; Animal Kingdom Odd Couples.

Aaaaaaaaawooooooooooooooooooooooo!

Artw — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 23:33:21 -0800

Stray, The Unfamiliar, Let Sleeping Dogs Lie - Three stories of a group of dogs, and a cat, battling the supernatural courtesy of Evan Dorkin, Jill Thompson and Dark Horse Comics, released for free as a teaser for the forthcoming Beasts of Burden. (via)

The tale of the coelacanth

WhySharksMatter — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 14:47:57 -0800

The amazing story of the coelacanth is one of the wonders of the living world that inspires marine biologists such myself. Coelacanths, part of the offshoot lineage of fishes known as "lobed finned ", are very different from typical "ray finned" fishes that you usually think of. Their bizarre lobed fins are thought to be an intermediate step between fish fins and amphibian legs. Scientists had known that these weird fish existed because of fossils for over a century, but we believed that they went extinct 65 million years ago... until a South African fisherman caught one in 1938. Though the fisherman didn't know exactly what he had caught, he knew that it was noteworthy enough to save and bring to the museum in his small fishing village of East London. The head of the museum was Marjorie Courtenay-Latimer, who contacted a famous South African fish biologist named J. L. B. Smith. Smith originally named the genus Malania after the South African prime minister who gave him money to search for more coelacanths, but since prime minister Malan was also the architect of apartheid, the name was eventually changed to Latimeria after the head of the East London Museum (the full scientific name is now Latimeria chalumnae, for the Chalum river where the fish was caught). Despite intensive searching and a large reward, it was almost 15 years before a second specimen was found. We now know a little bit more about this fascinating species. They can grow to larger than six feet in length and can weight up to 200 pounds. They have rough scales unlike most other existing fish species. They have internal egg fertilization, but the eggs hatch inside the mother and the young are born alive. They usually live in the deep sea, over 2,000 feet below the surface. Most alarming of all is that scientists estimate a population of only around 1,000 individuals, making coelacanths one of the most endangered animals on Earth. They survived for tens of millions of years after the dinosaurs went extinct, but they now face extinction in our lifetimes. I'll share with you a thought that keeps myself and other marine biologists going during times when the job seems rough... if it took us until 1938 to find the coelacanth, what else is down there?

The art of Josh Keyes

tellurian — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 22:39:06 -0800

Animals isolated in dystopian tableaux.

A new link in the food chain.

binturong — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 12:20:03 -0800

Gulls attack whales.

Toronto Humane Society: one out of three is pretty damn bad

maudlin — Sat, 30 May 2009 14:38:24 -0800

At the Toronto Humane Society, veterinarians say animals die suffering unnecessarily in their cages while pleas to euthanize them are dismissed. Dozens of staff, volunteers and veterinarians have quit in protest. ... A note written by a staff member or volunteer on the medical chart of a cat, animal ID A127495, admitted last fall, reads: "Died Oct 19 3:15 am. Gasped and jerked and cried last breaths, because there was no one in shelter to euthanize or treat. This is not humane." ... [THS president] Mr. Trow says he strives to keep euthanasia rates low for ethical reasons. “How can anyone suggest that, because he might be here longer than anyone would want, that it's better to put [a dog] down?” Mr. Trow asked. “I think that's a strange suggestion, don't you? You live here as long as you can.” Images (yes, they're disturbing.) Video of a puppy adopted out with a broken leg. The THS web site. Mr. Trow maintains that the THS does not have a no-kill policy and denies that the shelter's veterinarians are influenced in their decisions whether or not to euthanize. “There's no pressure on anyone to do anything or not to do anything other than on professionals, professional doctors and professional nurses, to do the best they can,” he said. By law, it is a requirement for veterinarians employed by humane societies to have language in their contract that makes them responsible for all decisions relating to the care of animals. “I couldn't work at the Toronto Humane Society any longer because it violated my professional oath as a veterinarian,” said Johanna MacNaughton, a veterinarian who resigned in April. ... “I would never make a euthanasia decision without great consideration, and I would only euthanize an animal if it was suffering with no chance of recovery,” said Dr. MacNaughton. And an internal memo obtained by The Globe confirms that euthanasia decisions must be cleared by management, many of whom have no medical training.

Animal behaviour: Grape expectations

kliuless — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 07:10:32 -0800

Revealing how we are just a bunch of monkeys... (via) Franz de Waals and Sarah Brosnan

...trained brown capuchin monkeys to give them pebbles in exchange for cucumbers. Almost overnight, a capuchin economy developed, with hungry monkeys harvesting small stones. But the marketplace was disrupted when the scientists got mischievous: instead of giving every monkey a cucumber in exchange for pebbles, they started giving some monkeys a tasty grape instead. (Monkeys prefer grapes to cucumbers.) After witnessing this injustice, the monkeys earning cucumbers went on strike. Some started throwing their cucumbers at the scientists; the vast majority just stopped collecting pebbles. The capuchin economy ground to a halt. The monkeys were willing to forfeit cheap food simply to register their anger at the arbitrary pay scale.

in other words, it could be up to our kids to replenish our trust networks... BONUS GRAPES

Chimp throws stones, gets castrated.

binturong — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 12:31:54 -0800

Chimp stores weapons. After throwing cached stones at zoo visitors, the unfortunate animal had his own stones removed. Other examples of foresight and planning in animals are described here and here.

It's the New Zoo Review, coming right at you.

GrammarMoses — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 14:37:25 -0800

Cute Overload is so yesterday. Go see Zooborns.

Kingsford goes to the beach.

MaryDellamorte — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 16:24:57 -0800

Meet Kingsford the piglet. He runs, he swims, and he's even litter trained! Some interesting facts about pigs: -Pigs rank #4 in animal intelligence behind chimpanzees, dolphins and elephants. -They do not have sweat glands and bathe in water or mud to keep cool. -They learn their names by 2 to 3 weeks of age and respond when called. -They are actually very clean animals. -A pig can run a 7 minute mile.

(NSFW) Suckin' on my piggies like you wanted me . . .

jason's_planet — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 12:23:45 -0800

"Fuck The Pain Away" performed by Miss Piggy and The Muppets. (SLYT) (Audio is Not Safe For Work.)

Biker puppy rescue

Forktine — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 07:10:51 -0800

Awww-Filter: Tattooed bikers, puppies, and tiny kittens. What's not to love? The New York Times goes for a ride-along with Rescue Ink, complete with awww-inducing slideshow. You can see them on YouTube, too: TV news clip; MFA thesis clip; another thesis clip; visit to the shelter. More media clips available on their website. As the article mentions, and the website suggests, they have been focusing on branding along with the animal rescue — is a reality TV show next?

Music and the Brain

binturong — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 19:18:30 -0800

Cockatoos are much better dancers than macaws. Well that was my clear conclusion after watching the first two vid clips linked to why animals dance in this Guardian feature. And since this is from a serious researcher I don't think they are faked. For those with much more time, this site has an interesting podcast on the topic of music and the brain.

Go Play Outside!

[NOT HERMITOSIS-IST] — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 11:52:57 -0800

Can you identify these common plants and animals? A study shows that increasingly, 9- to 11-year-old children can't. Quoth David Attenborough: "The wild world is becoming so remote to children that they miss out, and an interest in the natural world doesn't grow as it should. Nobody is going protect the natural world unless they understand it."

He looks kind of like Ernest Borgnine.

miss lynnster — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 22:16:46 -0800

Remember Cy? Well, meet the world's first pigmonk. Or would that be monklet? Apparently the piglet is drinking milk and not in bad health. "The piglet looks just like a monkey, with two thin lips, a small nose and two big eyes. Its rear legs are also much longer than its forelegs, causing it to jump instead of walk." Other deformed animals to gawk at. As long as we're on the topic.

It's time to play the music.

EarBucket — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 06:05:57 -0800

The Muppets have their own YouTube channels! Enjoy a little classical music with Beaker or Gonzo, opera with the Swedish Chef, get patriotic with Sam the Eagle, or just leave commentary with Statler and Waldorf.

Lifestyles of the Rich and Flavorless.

Lord_Pall — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 10:09:06 -0800

A detailed tour of Mike Tyson's abandoned mansion. Previously. A very unusual bit of insight into a very unusual person.

Wildlife rehabilitation videos

Upton O'Good — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 00:11:02 -0800

Wildlife rehabilitators take care of wounded or orphaned animals, nursing them back to health and preparing them for a life back in the wild. This leads to a lot of cute baby animal videos. (Roll over for descriptions.) On a more serious note, if you find an injured or orphaned animal, here are a collection of tips to follow; you can find a wildlife rehabilitator near you by searching here.

" It is my goal to have the most complete collection of gaping animal maws that anyone can have"

hydrophonic — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 09:26:05 -0800

Gaping Maws is a collection of photos of animals with their mouths wide open. Like this.

I'm a cold Italian pizza / I could use a lemon squeezer

Blazecock Pileon — Fri, 03 Aug 2007 09:26:08 -0800

Bonobo chimpanzees are commonly thought to be "an example of amicability, sensitivity and, well, humaneness" in the animal kingdom. Ian Parker's Swingers suggests a darker, more savage side to the species that belies popular perception.

6. No animal shall kill any other animal.

orthogonality — Sat, 14 Apr 2007 22:01:58 -0800

OMG!! Chicken cops break up bunny brawl!

"Off with his suckers!!"

metasonix — Fri, 06 Apr 2007 01:22:41 -0800

Behold, a new episode of Dave Lovelace's most infamous creation. (warnings: use headphones if at work, and do not attempt to consume food or drink during the cartoon. Thankyew.)

Contrary to popular opinion, it transpires that dolphins are rubbish!

Sparx — Wed, 22 Nov 2006 16:03:25 -0800

How excellent is your animal? Animal Reviews may hold the answer. Light-hearted smileyness. via pharyngula of all places

Do animals know more than we think?

PetBoogaloo — Fri, 03 Nov 2006 08:16:27 -0800

A recent article recently came out in the Wall Street Journal, which cited new study from Stanford about animal consciousness. Elephants grieve, bees create mental maps, dolphins recognize themselves in mirrors. Snakes have more brain cells than humans, and chickens worry about the future. What are your thoughts? Does this change the way we treat animals?