Wildlife/FreeLiving Animals
Have You Spoken for the Cayuga Heights Deer Yet?
Published August 24, 2009 @ 05:53AM PT
Last week, I wrote about the dire situation for deer in Cayuga Heights, a village in Ithaca, New York. The trustees will likely vote on their deadly, cruel, and unnecessary plan tonight. And recall that public comment on the deer situation will be banned at this meeting. If you have not yet e-mailed the trustees and mayor via the online petition, please do so today, remembering also to copy the message and e-mail the trustees whose e-mail addresses appear in the summary leading up to the petition. As noted last week, you may also call (607-257-1238), and at this point, that may be a good idea, but remember to be polite. (And if even if you did read the original post on this, I recommend returning to also read one comment on the post in particular, that written by George Nagle, covering in detail why this plan is ill-advised from a deer management standpoint.)
But New York is far from the only place where deer are regularly killed and threatened with cruel "management" plans--nor is California unique in this regard, but nevertheless, stay tuned later today or tomorrow morning for a look at the planned youth hunt that advocates are battling in a county in that state.
Take Action! Save the Deer of Cayuga Heights
Published August 19, 2009 @ 10:19PM PT
Note: This post has been edited slightly from the original. I initially referred to James as a resident of Cayuga Heights when he is actually a resident of the larger community of Ithaca (of which Cayuga Heights is a part). My apologies for the error.
Inhumane, unnecessary deer-killing programs are in place or under consideration all across this country. But there are a couple in particular that I'm going to write about in the coming days, including, in this post, a proposed plan in Cayuga Heights, NY.
In the last couple days, some of you have surely noticed the petition on this site asking you to speak out against a terrible deer-killing plan in the village of Cayuga Heights in Ithaca, NY--and against the silencing of public comment by the village trustees, in the face of public opposition to the plan. The action summary explains that the reason so many deer are slated to be killed and the survivors traumatized and controlled is that "these human-habituated animals’ appetite for tulips, heirloom tomatoes, and ornamental shrubbery has, in the minds of the current mayor and trustees, created a situation so dire and unacceptable, that action of the most extreme sort is not only justified, but urgently required":
The Most Popular Squirrel
Published August 16, 2009 @ 03:59PM PT
I have a good reason for not getting a decent post to you today--starting early this morning, I spent a dizzying amount of time on Twitter, along with a large number of lovely animal advocates, speaking up for pigs and getting information to a lot of curious people. I'll report on that tomorrow when my ability to fully focus on the computer screen has started to return. In the meantime, check out this cutie, who's been making the Internet rounds lately since crashing a Minnesota couple's Canadian vacation photo (the fun backstory is here):
Art for Endangered Species
Published August 10, 2009 @ 08:44PM PT
It's encouraging when people find creative ways to advocate for--and educate others about--animals. This week, I received a note from an artist named Molly Schafer about a project that she and fellow artist Jenny Kendler have newly undertaken on behalf of endangered species:
The Endangered Species Print Project (ESPP) offers limited-edition art prints of critically endangered species. The number of prints available corresponds with the remaining animal or plant populations. For example, only 30 Amur Leopards remain in the wild, so for this edition, only 30 prints will be made. All proceeds from ESPP are donated to conservation organizations; a different organization, whose mission is to the ensure the survival of the specie depicted, is chosen for each print.
Fascinating, right? The artists' site provides information about the animals depicted, and additional prints featuring different animals will be released monthly, including works by guest artists. So if you're interested in buying a print--or if you're an artist interested in getting involved--learn more here.
Pictured above is the project's print for the Seychelles sheath-tailed bat; only 37 of these bats remain.
Bat Spirals and Wildlife High-Rises
Published August 05, 2009 @ 10:34AM PT
Emily over at the Stop Global Warming blog has an interesting post up titled "Architecture for Bats." Before beginning a brief discussion of the plight of bats--and the recently designed Bat Spiral habitat--Emily asks, "As we continue to transform the climate at a blistering pace, what responsibilities do we have to help other species adapt and thrive to the fast-warming world?"
And her post reminds me of another post I included in a mid-June roundup: "Building with Animals in Mind," from Glenn of Liberation BC, about proposed plans in England to build high rises for urban animals.
Glenn writes,
What I really like about it is that these people are thinking about building with animals in mind. And not just how to keep them out of our spaces or how to build to hold them, but rather building for the animals, so that they can have habitat within our habitat.
That architects and planners are thinking about this gives me hope that we might actually start planning our spaces so that the other inhabitants of the earth can exist here too.
Check out both posts. Interesting stuff.
Anti-Whaling Music Video from Heath Ledger and Modest Mouse Released
Published August 04, 2009 @ 09:17PM PT
Apparently, prior to his death last year, Heath Ledger was at work directing a music video with the band Modest Mouse--and not just any run-of-the-mill music video, but a creative animated video intended to raise awareness of the cruel, brutal nature of whaling. And having viewed the video just now--it was released today--I'd argue that it puts out a strong anti-fishing message too (if not a message in opposition to killing animals in general, even if that wasn't the intent; let me know what you think after you've seen it).
From the band's MySpace blog today:
They Loved Her--So They Mutilated and Tormented Her 60+ Times
Published August 04, 2009 @ 02:08PM PT
Normally, when there's a story about someone's death, and the "mourners" are interviewed and quoted, they don't express their grief by lamenting that before her death, they too didn't get a chance to jab a sharp hook through her face, threaten her with suffocation, and terrify her before tossing her aside for the next person to do the same.
But this AP story published in the New York Times isn't about a human, of course. It's about a 25-year-old "celebrity" carp who lived in a lake in Cambridgeshire, England. She is indeed referred to as "she" rather than "it" in this article--and by the name her so-called admirers gave her, Benson--but that's where acknowledgment of her as an actual living being rather than object of amusement stops.
