Dealing with deer–and appreciating them

October 1, 2009 Archivist Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, October 2009:

At this writing hunting seasons are open on Virginia
whitetailed deer in every state that has any. Whether the season is
“rifle” or “archery,” “buck” or “antlerless,” open or limited to a
specific locale, there is no state that has Virginia whitetailed
deer in which reducing and limiting the growth of the deer herd is
not a stated management goal, even where the management plan is
still likely to accelerate herd growth.
This happens whenever and wherever so many bucks are killed
that each adult doe has food enough over the winter to produce twin
fawns.

BOOKS: Animal Migration

September 1, 2009 Archivist Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, September 2009:

Animal Migration: Remarkable Journeys in the Wild by Ben Hoare
University of Calif. Press (2120 Berkeley Way, Berkeley, CA
94704), 2009. 176 pages, 200 color illustrations. $34.95,
hardcover.

Though recognized by humans for far longer than recorded
history has existed, there is still no universally accepted
definition of just what migration is.
“Animals make all kinds of different movements–short and
long, seasonal and daily, regular and once in a lifetime, highly
predictable and seemingly random,” explains Animal Migration author
Ben Hoare.
Hoare in Animal Migration explores the often mysterious
migratory patterns of at least 50 different species of birds,
reptiles, amphibians and insects. Most migrate as a necessity of
survival, in search of food and water, mates, and/or safe places
to lay eggs. When threatened, they move to avoid predators.
Climate chance or bad weather may force migration, or migration may
be caused by a combination of factors.

BOOKS: The Smartest Animals on the Planet

September 1, 2009 Archivist Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, September 2009:

The Smartest Animals on the Planet: Extraordinary Tales of the
Natural World’s Cleverest Creatures
by Sally Boysen & Deborah Custance
Firefly Books (P.O. Box 1338, Ellicot Station, Buffalo, NY
14205), 2009. 192 pages, illustrated. $35.00, hardcover.

Ohio State University in February 2006 retired to Primarily
Primates a colony of seven chimpanzees kept since 1983 by researcher
Sally Boysen. Opposing the transfer, Boysen allied herself with
PETA. Ensuing litigation, ended by settlement in August 2009, led
to Friends of Animals annexing Primarily Primates later in 2006, and
appears to have cumulatively cost Primarily Primates, FoA, and PETA
approximately $1 million.
While all this was underway, Boysen was apparently writing
The Smartest Animals on the Planet.

Clouds gathering over BLM horse program by Willis Lamm

September 1, 2009 Archivist Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, September 2009:

Most wild horse advocates recognize that the wild horses roaming our public lands require some degree of management. Herd population growth, loss of predators, intrusion by other land uses, extreme weather, and the horses’ inability to migrate to new ranges due to human-made barriers require some intervention so that the horses remain in balance with range resources. It is in the application of horse management techniques that the Bureau of Land Management has demonstrated both competent resourcefulness and gross incompetence.
The recent roundup of the iconic wild horse Cloud and his herd in the Pryor Mountains of Wyoming and southern Montana have provided a shining example of incompetence. There were no major injuries to either horses or humans, according to the BLM, but videos posted to YouTube showed horses who were unnecessarily stressed, limping, and frightened, and local news coverage described incidents and procedures which could have had disastrous consequences.

How often has Sylvester killed Tweety?

July 1, 2009 Archivist Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, July/August 2009:
How often has Sylvester killed Tweety?
by Judith Webster
The summer 2009 edition of B.C. Nature included an article
entitled, “Cat licensing: A conservation strategy that can work.”
As a cat and bird lover, I was inspired to investigate author
Sherril Guthrie’s claim that cat licensing and confinement bylaws
would “protect and restore our bird and small mammal populations, as
well as return cats to their rightful place as valued pets and
companions.”
Guthrie relies on American Bird Conservancy “Cats Indoors!”
campaign literature, which includes too many disputable studies,
extrapolations, and anecdotal reports to delve into deeply here.
However, in her strong opening paragraph, Guthrie discusses a new
bird count analysis by the National Audubon Society revealing that 20
of North America’s most common birds have lost over half their
population since 1967.

Animals are among losers of “War on Terror”

July 1, 2009 Archivist Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, July/August 2009:
BARSTOW, JACKSONVILLE– Wars are lost by losing lives and
land. Thus whales, burros, pigs, and desert tortoises far from
any battlefield are among the losers of the War on Terror,
informally declared in 2001 by then-U.S. President George W. Bush.
The Barack Obama administration in March 2009 abandoned use
of the phrase “War on Terror” to describe what are now called
“overseas contingency operations,” and are no longer rhetorically
linked, in recognition that U.S. troops are fighting different foes
in Iraq and Afghanistan.
But changing terminology has not changed the issues. Even
before “War on Terror” was used to drum up support for the U.S.
invasion of Iraq, it was used to quell opposition to military
training exercises that harm animals and habitat. Military projects
harmful to animals that began or expanded in the name of the “War on
Terror” are still underway, often bigger than ever.

Border fighting over elephants & tigers

June 1, 2009 Archivist Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, July/August 2009:
KATHMANDU, Nepal; Jalpaiguri, India–For the second time
in two years elephant incursions across the Nepalese/Indian border
have inflamed tensions in Jhapa, a Nepalese district north of West
Bengal.
“With the Brahmaputra plains in India’s Assam state flooded
by the monsoons, the elephants began migrating,” said the
Indo-Asian News Service. Nepalese police wounded six elephants who
forded the Mechi river to enter Nepal circa June 11, 2009, and
allegedly also shot at Indian forest guards who followed the
elephants into Nepal and tried to stop the shooting.

BOOKS: Watching Giants

June 1, 2009 Archivist Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, June 2009:

Watching Giants: The Secret Lives of Whales by Elin Kelsey
U. of Calif. Press (2120 Berkeley Way, Berkeley, CA 94704), 2008.
216 pages, paperback, illustrated. $17.95.

“Whales inspire me to contemplate connections,” says Elin
Kelsey, author and faculty member at Royal Roads University in
Canada. “They inspire me to act more generously. They inspire me to
experience life in whale scale.” Kelsey’s book Watching Giants takes
us into the fascinating world of all 32 species of the mammoth yet
graceful creatures.

BOOKS: Flyaway

June 1, 2009 Archivist Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, June 2009:
Flyaway: How a wild bird rehabber sought adventure and found her wings
by Suzie Gilbert
HarperCollins Publishers (10 East 53rd St., New
York, NY 10022), 2009. 352 pages. $25.99
hardcover.
“And I see these two robins, and one is
kicking the crap out of the other one. Beating
the bejesus out of himŠ.And he’s out there right
now waiting for you.”
Bird rehabilitator Suzie Gilbert, of
Hudson Valley, New York, answers frequent calls
of a similar nature, concerned about birds but
not necessarily well-informed about their
behavior.
Her mother fed wild birds, so maybe
Gilbert was destined for this career. But
getting there took time. Gilbert repeatedly
changed directions in pursuing her education and
a career, traveling extensively abroad. She
found her calling by volunteering at a wildlife
rehabilitation center in 1990.

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