'Tiny fish that survived tsunami, ocean crossing from Japan makes debut in Seaside'

Why not keep all the fish in the aquarium, instead of killing them save for one?

Tiny fish that survived tsunami, ocean crossing from Japan makes debut in Seaside | OregonLive.com: About five striped beakfish were found on a boat from Japan that washed ashore near Long Beach, Wash., last month. The Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife euthanized most of them, perhaps because of fears that the fish would become an invasive species.

But not before someone spirited away one of the black-and-white striped fish to the Long Beach City Hall.

Employees there in turn called the Seaside Aquarium, which came to the rescue.
More
Continuing coverage of the debris washing up on the Oregon and Washington coasts from the Japanese tsunami.
"They didn't want to turn it loose," said Seaside Aquarium curator Keith Chandler. "And they didn't want to let it die."

So Chandler and the aquarium staff rescued the critter they have dubbed the "tsunami fish."

Will Oregon Zoo's prized baby elephant end up in a traveling show?

Tragic, and a disgusting example of humanity's gratuitous need to use abuse animals as "entertainment." Bad enough elephants are in zoos, but the potential fate of the Portland Zoos recently born elephant is dismal: Will Oregon Zoo's prized baby elephant end up in a traveling show? "Trunks Will Travel" cute, huh? Owners may or may not take ownership.

Please do what you can to make sure this doesn't happen. Animals, especially creatures such as elephants, do not belong in circuses or to be rented for entertainment. The bond between mother and child in the elephant world is life long and strong. The good news is the zoo insists the elephant will "stay put." But there is a contract dispute:

Kari Johnson, who co-owns Have Trunk Will Travel with her husband, Gary, told the Times that they were looking forward to visiting the newborn elephant and added that details regarding her future had not yet been worked out.

Perris, California, where the Johnsons have their elephant for hire business.  That sounded familiar. So I went back into my files. Ah, here it is; I posted about lion meat hamburgers available at a Tuscon, Arizona restaurant. Source of the lion meat? Perris, California. Tuscon Restaurant Serves Lion Meat Tacos. I have no idea if there is a connection between the lion meat and the Johnsons; I'm not saying there is one, only that the town of Perris, California seems to be the area for gratuitous indulgences with animals. There's more. Seems Have Trunk Will Travel was sued for animal abuse and fraud, according to this article in Animal Defenders International:

Los Angeles, Monday June 27, 2011 -- Today, in the US District Court, Central District of California, Los Angeles, Animal Defenders International (ADI), together with members of the public, Gail Profant and Leslie Hemstreet, filed suit against Have Trunk Will Travel, as well as the owners Gary and Kari Johnson, over their claims about the training of the elephant Tai, who played Rosie in the film ‘Water for Elephants’. The suit is based on erroneous assurances that the defendants gave the public that the elephant Tai was trained with kindness for her role in Water for Elephants. Video footage released by Animal Defenders International (ADI) showed Tai and other elephants being electric shocked with a stun gun and jabbed and hit will bull hooks during her training for the same types of tricks seen in the movie, at the Perris, CA ranch of Have Trunk Will Travel.

Lobsters, Giant and Strangely Colored

Lobster items in the news. Another giant lobster spared story, this one from New England, about a 21 lb. lobster that was caught in the waters of Cape Cod:21-pound lobster released to New England Aquarium (UPDATE) | The Sideshow - Yahoo! News A woman won a lobster raffle who said she had planned to spare the lobster's life all along:

My plan was always to donate the lobster to the Aquarium was to generate awareness and allow people to see the creature, and of course, to keep the lobster from being trapped again and, this time, ending up on someone's dinner table," she told Yahoo! News. "The only thing I requested from the Aquarium was a chance to see the lobster when I visit Boston on August 6th and they were kind enough to grant my request."

Another lobster item in the news today. A shipment of lobster's received by a Massachusetts restaurant contained several orange lobsters. This AP item appeared in the "Lighter Side" section of our local paper. Among others, The Huffington Post published the item. This designation frustrates me. The following is not a cutesy feel good item about a child's lost puppy now found safe, but an increase in unusual colorations in lobsters. The reason for these coloration are potentially disturbing reasons: global warming/climate changes, signals of things going wrong in our oceans due to pollution, etc. But the item in the local paper, concluded with comments from Michael Thusty, who is the director of research at the New England Aquarium at Boston: "Right now you can make a lot of explanations, but the actual data to find them out out just isn't there." One possible explanation for this increase in colorful lobsters was the "active Twitter sphere" and "people get [getting] excited about colorful lobsters." Another possible reason: increase in lobster harvests; more lobster hauling, more lobsters, chances increase for oddly colored lobsters. (Blue, orange, bi-colored, yellow...)

Animal rights group says drone shot down

A remote-controlled aircraft owned by an animal rights group was reportedly shot down near Broxton Bridge Plantation Sunday near Ehrhardt, S.C.

Steve Hindi, president of SHARK (SHowing Animals Respect and Kindness), said his group was preparing to launch its Mikrokopter drone to video what he called a live pigeon shoot on Sunday when law enforcement officers and an attorney claiming to represent the privately-owned plantation near Ehrhardt tried to stop the aircraft from flying.

"It didn't work; what SHARK was doing was perfectly legal," Hindi said in a news release. "Once they knew nothing was going to stop us, the shooting stopped and the cars lined up to leave."

Read more: http://thetandd.com/animal-rights-group-says-drone-shot-down/article_017a720a-56ce-11e1-afc4-001871e3ce6c.html#ixzz1mmR6g5f6
Animal rights group says drone shot down

[thanks to piglipstick for link.]

sisu: "We haven't seen any purple baby squirrels yet"

Recent news of a purple squirrel had me trying to remember an item I blogged about a couple of years ago about a purple squirrel. I can't find the blog item, but did find this article from 2009:sisu: "We haven't seen any purple baby squirrels yet" Here's another from January of 2009. There have been albino and white squirrels, which are natural characteristics. Not so sure about the purple squirrels. I just had a horrid thought: that purple squirreling will become a sport.

Here's the current story of a purple squirrel found in Jersey shore, PA.

Wolf Brother Killed: OR-7's sibling killed by Idaho "Hunter"

Very sad; the lone wolf that has made its way through Oregon and down into California had a sibling. OR-9, brother of OR-7 or Journey, as he's been named, was shot and killed by an Idaho hunter.

Fish and Game don't call this killing or murder, but "harvesting." Killing and murdering carry obvious meaning, while harvesting implies something good -- a reward, a reaping of a benefit. Interesting use of language. In Idaho, it's legal to kill wolves. The hunter murderer didn't have proper tags but he wasn't cited; according to Fish and Game the "hunter" had erroneous information as to renewal dates.

The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife has issued a kill order for two members of the pack, but a federal judge has blocked it. The Legislature is considering a bill backed by ranchers that would give the state explicit authority to kill the wolves.

The bastard ranchers have lots of money and power, let's hope they don't succeed in this.

Idaho hunter kills brother of lonely Oregon wolf - California State Wire - fresnobee.com

Eating the dog; "She'd Have Done It, Too"

Some people are fucking idiots:Three lost in woods considered eating dog | The mushroom pickers who were found after six nights in the forest stayed in what they described as a “bear’s nest”

GOLD BEACH — Three mushroom pickers lost six nights in the rugged forest of Southwest Oregon with no food considered eating their dog, and they used their dead cell phone and a sheath knife to flash a signal at the helicopter pilot who found them.

Dan Conne said Sunday from his hospital bed in Gold Beach that he and his wife and son spent the nights huddled in a hollow log with nothing to eat, and considered sacrificing their pit bull, Jesse, for food.

“She’s that good a dog, she’d have done it, too,” Conne said.

The Grey

I really dislike rants about books or film where the ranter hasn't read the book or seen the film. But I'm breaking my own rule. Furthermore, I love Liam Neeson. Love him, and I've forgiven him for getting that glazed, empty-eyed plastic surgery job that he got a few years ago. In spite of that awful eye job, he's still dreamy. However, it's impossible to forgive him for starring in a movie like The Grey, which is --  I assume, based on the previews -- basically, Moby Dick. Only on land, and with a wolf and not a whale. No, I haven't seen the movie, and I probably won't, unless it's late and it comes on cable and I think "what the hell..."

I am intrigued by Roger Ebert's review of the film. I respect Ebert, and often agree with him (except with his review of Blue Velvet, though  I might feel differently if I were to see the film again after so many years.) Did Ebert mean the The Grey isn't what we who haven't seen the film and assume it's about big evil meanie wolves killing people isn't that at all? Or that, in spite of the former -- it being exactly that -- there are redeeming qualities? I'm sure the acting and direction are excellent; but in film, like literature and art, that's not enough.

Wolves are not the enemy. Exploiting animals -- using them as allegories for human anxieties and fears, unease and dissatisfactions -- is a tradition in human artistic expression. It's more creative, fun, silly, and interesting, to make up fantastical creatures or frightening monsters, to make up weirdness to scare, creep out, amuse, than it is to feed the greed gene and titillate with supposed horrors from the animal kingdom. 

OR-7: Oregon's Lone Wolf

OR - 7, or Journey, as he's been named, is a wolf that has moved through eastern Oregon and down into California, where he is currently.  Journey's movements are followed by wildlife authorities -- Journey is searching for a mate, it is believed. California has a web page devoted to Journey, and educating the public about wolves.

It's against the law to kill a wolf, at least in California and Oregon. Though there are those in Oregon who are working hard to get that changed, like the Oregon Cattlemen’s Association. I literally pray every day that they are utterly unsuccessful. Here's more in an item that appeared in today's local paper, The Register Guard.

Dead Blackbirds Fall Again in Ark. Town - ABC News

Fortean coincidences: birds fall from trees on New Year's in the south, specifically, Beebe, Arkansas, which is where the bird falls happened last New Year's:Dead Blackbirds Fall Again in Ark. Town - ABC News From ABC News:

Thousands of dead blackbirds rained down on a town in central Arkansas last New Year's Eve after revelers set off fireworks that spooked them from their roost, and officials were reporting a similar occurrence Saturday as 2012 approached.

Police in Beebe said dozens of blackbirds had fallen dead, prompting officers to ban residents from shooting fireworks Saturday night. It wasn't immediately clear if fireworks were again to blame, but authorities weren't taking a chance.

Officer John Weeks said the first reports of "birds on the streets" came around 7 p.m. as residents celebrated the year's end with fireworks in their neighborhoods.

"We started shutting down fireworks," he said. "We're working on cleaning up the birds now."

The Huffington Post had a short AP item on the story.

And here's pretty much the same item from Beebe, Arkansas, but with video.

See the Bird Falls tab at top of blog for more bird stories.

Ted Nugent : Sleaze bag

Nugent is a disgusting person, but we've known that for some time. The reason I'm posting this here is because, among his many sleaze-laden ideas and acts, listed in this article by Stephen D. Foster: Ted Nugent Calls For Punishing The Poor, Claims They Make Poor Decisions To End Up In Poverty is the simply tragic fact that Nugent runs a "canned hunt" operation:

Nugent owns a ranch in Michigan that offers canned hunts. A canned hunt is a hunt in which the animals cannot escape because they are trapped by high fences. I live in Missouri, and I enjoy a being out in the woods myself, and I hunt on occasion as well. What Nugent does is NOT hunting. He might as well cage the animal and shoot it point blank, because that’s pretty much what a canned hunt boils down to. A true has more respect for animals then that. It’s not fair if you gun down an animal that can’t actually get away. It’s unsportsmanlike.

Just makes me so fucking damn sad.

Cryptomundo:"New Species Being Raided For Private Pet Trade"

Not quite food porn, since it's not for gratuitously satisfying our gastronomical needs that's the issue here, but "pet" porn. Shameless exploitation in the pet trade. I'm glad Loren Coleman finds this pretty disgusting; he has a post about the raiding of habitat for the newly discovered horned viper in Tanzania:

Cryptomundo New Species Being Raided For Private Pet Trade: There is breaking news on December 15th of a new species of a uniquely-colored horned viper measuring over two feet long (643 millimeters) being discovered. But where exactly it lives in Tanzania is not being discussed.

But the shocking revelation that has been paired with this announcement is that past news of this kind has resulted in large scale raiding operations in the locations described. New species apparently have been targeted by pet collectors to supply a large-scale underground in exciting new animals for private collections. For example, due to this fact, the new viper’s location is “a closely-guarded secret,” say the discoverers.

I didn't know that the illegal pet trade was so lucrative. According to the Wildlife Conversation Society, which Coleman quotes, it's only "...second in the world" with illegal drug trafficking being number one.

Thousands of birds make crash landing in Utah - Yahoo! News

Thousands of birds make crash landing in Utah - Yahoo! News

Thousands of grebes, flying in the Utah skies, fell to their deaths yesterday. Official explanation: the birds confused snow covered parking lots for water.

That may be. But the timing of this tragic event is odd, just about two weeks shy of the first of several mass bird falls- from-the-skies from last year. Hopefully this isn't the first in a series of bird falls.

Ravenous Mice Eating Livestock in South Australia | Buzzesque

Mice are swarming cattle and pigs in Australia, eating them alive. Gruesome to be sure:Ravenous Mice Eating Livestock in South Australia | Buzzesque

The article doesn't give much in the way of the theories as to why. Though one can infer that there are too many mice and not enough food for them to consume, therefore, they're seeking other food sources.

UFO Disclosure Countdown Clock: MUFON Reports Becoming Jaw Dropping - This Batch Includes A Dog Abduction

Elk, cows and now dogs, abducted by aliens: UFO Disclosure Countdown Clock: MUFON Reports Becoming Jaw Dropping - This Batch Includes A Dog Abduction
Of course, that's a big huge supposedly.

Thanks to Lesley at The Debris Field for the link. Visit her blog as well and read the comments left on her post about this latest from MUFON. An organization who, while once a good thing, has just utterly lost it as an institution and I'm afraid, will never get it back.

Women Of Esoterica: Lesley: "Cult of Pet Haters!"

Lesley Gunter's new Grey Matters column is now available at Binnall of America. She comments on what Billy Meier's ETs have to say about animals and pets: Women Of Esoterica: Lesley: "Cult of Pet Haters!"

As Lesley wrote, why is this all right with his followers? Let's pretend that the ETs visiting Meier are real; so what? If their message is this screwed up, why follow them? Simply because the gods come down from the stars doesn't mean we have to listen. (Remind anyone of anything? Like, oh say, religion?)

Bright Blue Lobster saved from dinner table

A beautiful "electric blue" lobster saved from the boiling pot and given to an aquarium.
Bright Blue Lobster saved from dinner table

H.R. 3432: And now they come for the cows � The PPJ Gazette

Chilling. And political, nothing to do with Forteana or esoterica. But it's important, and as I posted on my para-political/conspiracy blog Octopus Confessional, this is one more signal coming at us concerning the new fascism in America. From many seemingly unconnected points, the government-corporate entity in this country has been taking our property in a variety of ways. All these points converge. Like these horses and cows, we too are being herded: off rural properties, away from cash, into being plugged in. You're suspect if you don't have a cell phone, pay with cash, refuse to fly, protest against "smart" meters, live on undeveloped rural property in non-traditional dwellings, grow organic food (or in some cases, any food at all.) It's all about control:

H.R. 3432: And now they come for the cows  The PPJ Gazette: Wild horse advocates warned that cattle and cattle ranching would be next. This wasn’t about saving the environment, or water shortages or any of the other bogus fictional “scientific” reasons for eradicating to extinction the wild horse populations. The wild horses were just the first step in a systematic decimation of the agricultural sector, including cattle ranching, in the Western states.

According to the sponsor of this bill, Rep. Adam Smith [D-WA9], grazing is “impractible” on public lands. But apparently, gas and oil drilling, mining, water diversion and theft, is not. “And for other purposes”, that ubiquitous statement attached to every piece of legislative crapola that comes out of the District of Criminals which signals the insertion of non-related issues, is the red flag that while grazing will not be allowed in perpetuity, that does not mean that other more environmentally devastating activities won’t be taking place.

Overtoun Bridge's Curious 'Dog Suicides'

Lon at Phantoms and Monsters brings us a tale that is both sad and truly eerie:Overtoun Bridge's Curious 'Dog Suicides' Just what is it that is driving dogs in Scotland to jump to their deaths at a certain bridge?

Ohio Exotic Animal Law: Right Thing, Wrong Message

Ohio Republican Governor Kasich:Ohio governor to sign order on "dangerous animals"

COLUMBUS, Ohio (Reuters) – Ohio Governor John Kasich plans to sign an executive order on Friday covering "dangerous wild animals," days after a collector caused a panic by releasing dozens of tigers, lions, bears and other animals.

The governor's office said Kasich, a first-term Republican, planned to sign and discuss an executive order on Friday afternoon, a day after two state lawmakers said they would propose legislation to restrict private ownership of dangerous exotic animals.

Which is good, no argument. But I wonder at the perspective: "dangerous animal" is the focus, not the moral issues involved concerning keeping exotic animals as pets or small, privately owned "zoos" and so on. And it appears this "executive order" doesn't go far enough:

A spokesman for Kasich said Strickland's rule was correct in principle but not enforceable and raised doubts about whether Ohio could restrict ownership of non-native wild animals. It also made no provision for dealing with seized animals.

I don't know why they say it'd be hard to enforce: why the hell not?

Ohio is one of the seven states that don't have any exotic animal laws; here are the other states that need to change their laws:

• North Carolina
• South Carolina
• Alabama
• West Virginia
• Nevada
• Wisconsin