Bumblebee, our 2,000th harbor seal and the first harbor seal pup of 2013, is back in the wild after months of care at our hospital.

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May 30, 2013
Bumblebee is Back Home in the Ocean!

Enjoy this slideshow of Bumblebee and some of her 12 harbor seal buddies going back to the ocean at Point Reyes National Seashore on May 24, 2013.
You can help other patients at our hospital get back to the wild too! Donate today!


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May 6, 2013

Check out Bumblebee - she's eating fish on her own and swimming in one of our big pools!


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April 4, 2013

Bumblebee is the queen of her pool at The Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito, CA.

© Ingrid Overgard - The Marine Mammal Center

Little Bumblebee isn't that "little" anymore! She's gained nearly 14 lb since she was first brought in, and now weighs 32 lb. According to animal care volunteers, she's quite feisty and tends to shy away from her human care-takers. Veterinarians are feeling positively optimistic about her recovery.

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March 15, 2013
Drum roll please... and the name you chose is:

Bumblebee!

Our 2,000th harbor seal has a name - Bumblebee!

© Ingrid Overgard - The Marine Mammal Center

A big thank you to the more than 1,500 participants from around the world (including Canada, Germany, Singapore, Australia, the U.K. and just about everywhere in the U.S.) who thought of some creative names! The runners-up were Baby Gaga and Dawn. Many of you decided on your own names and those were wonderful too! They included: Hope, Faith, Tookay (as in 2K), Little Miss Salty, Fluffy, Zipper, Squeakers, Ringo Star and Star Lady Annihilator.
As for Bumblebee, she is doing great! She's gained 5 lb since she first arrived and she is beginning to lose that lanugo coat which signifies progress in her physical development. Volunteers and veterinarians will continue her round-the-clock care in order to get her healthy and strong for the wild. She has company now too! Harbor seal pups Uno and Sota have joined her and are under our care.

Help Bumblebee and other patients receive food and medical care - donate today!

Wounded Shepherd Mix Gets Second Chance

Thursday, March 7, 2013 - 1:00pm

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On February 1 on the Leech Lake Reservation in Minnesota, as the temperature plummeted to -29 degrees, Tribal Police Chief Kenneth Washington responded to a call about a dog in trouble. A Leech Laker known for her love of animals, Teresa Gunter, had reported a wounded dog, reeling in pain outside in the cold.
When Gunter showed Washington the weak, bloody shepherd mix, he was alarmed: The dog couldn’t even lift his head off his paw. “His eyes were sunken in,” Washington recalls. “I thought he might die.” He knew he had to help.
Two years ago, this story wouldn’t have had a happy ending. But because the Tribal Police go the extra mile for animals and work with a project called Leech Lake Legacy, there was hope. The project transports animals in need from the reservation to shelters and rescues around Minnesota that can provide life-saving veterinary care, rehabilitation and adoption.
This transport project is supported in part through a special ASPCA program that helps cash-strapped municipal animal care agencies move more dogs to safety.In the last six months alone, we’ve helped the Tribal Police get hundreds more dogs to safety.
The night he found the dog—named Nibi—Washington called Leech Lake Legacy right away. The next day he was on a transport to safety.
Today, just over a month after Washington rescued him, Nibi is thriving, getting healthier each day. He greets people enthusiastically and likes to put their fingers in his mouth as his special way of “holding hands.”
Nibi’s story doesn’t make headlines, but it’s one of millions in which the ASPCA is honored to play a role.
You can help us reach more animals like Nibi by making a gift today. You’ll help us be prepared to go wherever animals need us, whenever they need us. We can’t do it without you.

Sign the Keystone XL Pledge of Resistance

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"I pledge, if necessary, to join others in my community, and engage in acts of dignified, peaceful civil disobedience that could result in my arrest in order to send the message to President Obama and his administration that they must reject the Keystone XL pipeline."

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I will participate in a peaceful civil disobedience action in my community

I am willing to travel to participate in civil disobedience along the pipeline route

I am willing to travel to Washington DC to participate in civil disobedience

I can take the lead in organizing an action in my community

I can volunteer to help plan an action in my community

I work for/with an organization that could sponsor a local action

I am a member of the clergy

I am an attorney and could volunteer to provide legal assistance to an action

I will donate to offset out of pocket costs of this campaign

I am a landowner along the pipeline route

I am not comfortable with the risk of being arrested, but would volunteer to support those able to do so

Anything else you'd like to note:

You'll receive periodic updates on offers and activism opportunities.

The State Department's release of its Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement in March was one of those days that remind us of just how steep a hill to climb this fight against climate change is.
Even with a president who recently professed a lofty goal of getting all cars off of oil, even with one of our stronger climate hawk senators as the new secretary of state, the State Department still released a joke of an environmental assessment of the Keystone XL pipeline, taking us one big step closer to approval of this project that should be a no-brainer of a rejection.¹
Obliviously ignoring the consensus among oil executives, bankers, and environmentalists, who all agree that Keystone XL is central to speeding the extraction of tar sands,² the State Department found the project is "unlikely to have a significant impact" on tar sands development. This is coward's logic.
This assessment was a vehicle for the White House to test the waters and see if the public will stand by, and buy this false and cynical argument that the tar sands will just get burned anyway. That while NASA's chief climate scientist's assertion that Keystone XL will spell 'game over' for the climate may be true,³ it is essentially irrelevant. That we should let the bankers and the oil companies profit while the planet inevitably burns.
Well, we won't. And so, that day reminded us of something else, too: Those two weeks in August of 2011, when the peaceful and dignified arrest of 1,253 people over two weeks at President Obama's front door effectively stopped what was considered a virtually guaranteed presidential approval of Keystone XL.
There is still time to convince President Obama to change his mind and reject Keystone XL. But with the president ignoring every possible sign Mother Nature can send, it is once again incumbent upon us to send a message he can't ignore.
That's why CREDO is joining with Bold Nebraska, The Other 98%, Hip Hop Caucus, Rainforest Action Network, 350.org and Oil Change International to launch the Keystone XL Pledge of Resistance.

It is time for us to pledge to resist. That is, we are asking you to commit - should it be necessary to stop Keystone XL -- to engage in serious, dignified, peaceful civil disobedience that could get you arrested.
Will you join us in pledging resistance to the Keystone XL pipeline, including - if necessary - pledging to participate in peaceful, dignified civil disobedience?

If tens of thousands of people stand up as President Obama mulls his final decision, and commit to participate in civil disobedience if necessary, we can convince the White House that it will be politically unfeasible to go forward. That is, our goal is not to get arrested. Our goal is to stop the Keystone XL pipeline -- by showing enough opposition to Keystone XL that President Obama will reject it. But if he shows clear signs he that he is preparing to approve it, we will be ready.
It goes without saying, this isn't a usual ask. It is not for everyone. So we want you to carefully consider if this is something you can commit to be a part of.
Here's exactly what we have in mind: The State Department is now considering the more than one million comments on its sham assessment opposing Keystone XL - including a very critical comment from the EPA. While we wait for the Administration to finalize its environmental assessment we will petition, rally, make phone calls, and comment through official channels. But that may not be enough.
The release of the final SEIS will start a 90 day National Interest Determination, which we expect to finish sometime in the fall. That is the moment of truth. If the Obama administration issues a Draft National Interest Determination finding that Keystone XL is in our national interest, that will trigger action on our pledge to resist.
So we are asking you to pledge, if necessary after the release of the draft National Interest Determination, to join with others in your community and risk arrest in acts of dignified, peaceful civil disobedience, all over the country.
Will you join us in pledging resistance to the Keystone XL pipeline, including - if necessary - pledging to participate in peaceful, dignified civil disobedience?
Most events will be outside Washington, D.C., because this decision will affect all of us, where we live. So we want to see the beautiful sight of actions across the nation -- including a wide variety of symbolic targets like State Department offices, TransCanada corporate lobbies, Obama Organizing for Action meetings, banks that are financing tar sands oil development, areas ravaged by Superstorm Sandy, and along the pipeline route. Some brave souls have started this work already. We need to support their efforts and make them much, much bigger.
You can pledge to participate or you can pledge to help organize an action in your community. We'll need tons of volunteers. And soon, we'll announce organizer trainings so local leaders and activists who want to can get the tools they need to organize an action near them.
You shouldn't make this pledge lightly. We certainly don't ask lightly. We ask in the belief that there are tens of thousands of people out there who feel as strongly about this as we do; who believe that these circumstances call for extraordinary action, and want to be part of that action in their community. And we ask with the faith that those who commit to participate and organize actions will participate only in the most dignified manner. After all, we are the conservatives, standing up for a safe and secure future for our families. It is those we protest, those who profit from radically altering the chemical composition of our atmosphere -- and the prospects for survival of humanity - that are the radicals.
But what is more frightening than asking you to join us in committing to acts of civil disobedience across the nation, is the prospect of coming up short in the fight against Keystone XL.
Our time is short to convince President Obama to change his mind. We do not know how many people's pledges, and how many pledged actions, it will take to convince President Obama to resist the big money, dirty energy, inside-the-beltway pressure and take a stand to protect our nation from the greatest threat of all.
So we need you. Literally, you might tip the balance.
We hope you can join us. If you are so moved, make the pledge. And share this pledge with friends and family so that those who are ready and willing to be arrested can be counted in the pledge to resist. We'll send you more information soon.

Becky Bond, Michael Kieschnick & Elijah Zarlin, CREDO Action
Jane Kleeb, Bold Nebraska
John Sellers, The Other 98%
Rev. Lennox Yearwood Jr., Hip Hop Caucus
Amanda Starbuck, Rainforest Action Network
May Boeve & Bill McKibben, 350.org
Steve Kretzmann, Oil Change International

1. "Keystone XL pipeline would have little impact on climate change, State Department analysis says" Washington Post, 3/01/13
   
2. "Keystone XL: In their own words" 350.org
3. "Game over for the climate," James Hansen, the New York Times, 5/9/12

4 Difficult Talks You Need to Have With Your Kid

4 Difficult Talks You Need to Have With Your Kid

April 9, 2013

by Amanda Morin 5

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Not too long ago I wrote about why I had to talk to my kids about sex offenders and how, even though it was a difficult conversation, it was one I should have had with my children a long time ago. The world our children are growing up in is very different than the world we grew up in.
Certainly, there are things kids need to know before they leave home, but there are also things they need to know about now to help protect themselves or not end up in a bad situation. Moms say that in order to help your child, there are some difficult conversations you need to have with them.
Keep reading.
1. Talking About Racism and Diversity
Mom Serena L. says her children are among only a few biracial families in a mostly white neighborhood. At 3 years old, some of the other kids were already refusing to play with her son because of his skin color. Racism is an unfortunate reality of life that your child is going to come across, but that doesn't mean they have to accept it.
Teaching tolerance from the time your child is young can help them learn that you should judge a person by how he acts and what he says, not by what he looks like or by some minority group he is a part of.
Talk to your young child about why people's skin color differs, and point out all the things people have in common. As your child gets older, the conversation will morph into discussion about other types of diversity and how to handle it when people aren't as tolerant of differences.
2. Talking About "Tricky" People

It's a good idea to teach your children about "stranger danger," but it doesn't really cover all the dangers they could face from adults. Considering that most child abductors and abusers are actually not strangers, the conversation you should be having is about what blogger Checklist Mommy refers to as "tricky people."

Mom Kelley P. explains: "A tricky person is anyone who tries to get [your child] to break a family safety rule." If you don't have family safety rules, you should put some in place, but until then, make sure your preschooler knows that a "tricky" person is an adult who asks them to keep a big secret or tells them it's OK to help out or go with them without asking a trusted parent first.
As your child gets older, you can add to the conversation by talking about "tricky" friends — kids who lie, say mean things about other children behind their backs, and try to manipulate your child into doing things they don't want to do.
3. Talking About Sexuality
Talking about sexuality is so much more than talking to your teen about sex. It's about making sure you and your child are comfortable talking about things like masturbation, puberty, and homosexuality. As some moms point out, if you keep homosexuality a secret, then if your child is bisexual or gay, they will be fearful of talking to you about it.
And the more comfortable your child is in their knowledge that they can talk to you about body changes and sexual feelings, the less often they'll get misinformation from friends.
4. Talking About Death
With things like serial shootings in the news and schools practicing lockdown drills, our kids learn about death sooner than we might like. It's a hard thing to explain to kids, especially if you're not sure what your own beliefs about the afterlife are.
This conversation usually starts when a pet or loved one dies, but mom Alisha J. says you can start preparing for it by having an open dialogue with your child about your thoughts about heaven or how to honor someone's memory.
Keep Talking About Tough Stuff

The key to having difficult conversations is to start talking to kids about tough stuff when they're young. Circle of Moms member Gail P. is right when she says there are "teachable moments" every day. Finding teachable moments, using age-appropriate vocabulary, and adding to the conversation as your child gets older will make these discussions easier and a more natural part of your lives.

The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, POPSUGAR.

Source: Shutterstock

The Prosecution of Animal Cruelty Cases - An Ethical Imperative

Posted by Geoff Fleck, ALDF Attorney on May 29th, 2012

I've written in the past about how important it is for animal cruelty prosecutors to "take the high road" and be scrupulously ethical.¹ I stand by what I've said. But as I've studied and considered the issue further, it has occurred to me that an even more fundamental ethical issue presents itself with disturbing frequency - the failure of prosecutors to prosecute animal cruelty adequately or at all (usually citing overwork and/or the prioritization of human victim crimes). I conclude that it is not only a dereliction of duty for prosecutors not to aggressively prosecute animal cruelty cases, but that it is unethical as well.²

For what more noble service does the State offer than protection of the weak from the strong, the shelter of those politically disenfranchised from those in power, and the defense of the vulnerable against the tyranny of bullies? That's what prosecutors do, or at least what they should do. It seems to me that this is the most important justification for their existence. They are the valiant defenders of victims' rights no matter what the reason for the victim's vulnerability – be it poverty, race, gender, age, physical or mental weakness or, I suggest, species. Violence is violence. Abuse is abuse. It has been proven beyond all doubt that the violent crimes of domestic battery, child abuse, abuse of the elderly, hate crimes, and animal cruelty are inextricably intertwined at both practical and philosophical levels. The empirical data is compelling.

Animal cruelty presents a five-time risk of violent crime against humans.³ 75% of all violent offenders have prior records of cruelty to animals.⁴ 25% of all “aggressive inmates” have committed five or more acts of animal cruelty as children.⁵ In families investigated for child abuse, 60% revealed pet abuse.⁶ Childhood cruelty to animals is an important predictor of later antisocial and aggressive acts and that children showing these behaviors, without intervention, are at risk for enduring disorders in conduct and mental health.⁷ In three surveys in women’s shelters in Wisconsin and Utah an average of 74% of pet-owning women reported that a pet had been threatened, injured, or killed by their abuser.⁸ The 1995 Utah survey also found that children witnessed animal abuse in over 60% of the cases, and 32% of women reported that one or more of their children hurt or killed a pet.⁹

Let's take a basic description of "ethics:" “the discipline dealing with what is good and bad or right and wrong...” [Webster’s Third New International Dictionary, 1993].

In light of the irrefutable link between animal cruelty and human violence – especially domestic and child abuse – prosecuting acts of violence against animals addresses exactly the same issue as prosecuting abuses against humans. They are but two sides of the  same coin. I predict that aggressive animal cruelty prosecutions will directly affect the number and frequency of related human violence crimes. If a prosecutor attends to his responsibility to prosecute animal abusers, I further predict that he or she will see a reduction in the number of offenses against humans. So by embracing animal cruelty cases as crimes deserving of aggressive prosecution, a State or District Attorney's caseload of violent crime will actually decrease over time.

When they fail to earnestly prosecute animal abuse crimes, prosecutors forfeit a golden opportunity to stem the extraordinary violence which permeates our society. It is a "bad" and "wrong" thing to do and, it is therefore, unethical. On the other hand, prosecuting animal cruelty cases is undeniably right.

1. Ethical Considerations in the Prosecution of Animal Cruelty Cases, NDAA/NCPAA Vol. 2, No. 1,  2012
2. The writer recently retired from a 15-year career as an assistant state attorney in Florida
3. MSPCA & Northeastern University Study from 1975-1996)
4. Hellman, D.S., & Blackman, N. (1966). Enuresis, fire setting, and cruelty to animals: A triad predictive of adult crime. American Journal of Psychiatry, 122, 1431-1435
5. Kellert, S. R. & Felthous, A. R. (1985). Childhood cruelty toward animals among criminals and noncriminals. Human Relations, 38, 1113-1129
6. DeViney, Dickert & Lockwood, 1983
7. Becker & French, 2004; American Psychiatric Association, 1994
8. Frank R. Ascione, 1995 and 1997
9. Frank R. Ascione, 1995

Special Rescue Operations Save Entangled Sea Lions!
SRO looks good after his entanglement is removed. Photo by Ingrid Overgard © The Marine Mammal Center.
Recently we sent a group of highly trained staff and volunteers, known as the Special Rescue Operations team, to Monterey to look for several California sea lions that were reportedly entangled.
The reports were right! The team found two sea lions that had fishing line wrapped around their heads and necks, causing nasty wounds that could have gotten worse over time and restricted the animals' movements or caused infection.
With a carefully devised plan in place, the team ventured out on the water to capture the animals. Water and dock rescues are one of the hardest rescue situations for our teams - after all, adult sea lions are much bigger than us AND are much better swimmers!

But the team was successful, capturing a young male sea lion named “Ear Muffs”, and a 350 lb male sea lion called “SRO” - in honor of the Special Rescue Operations team.


Video courtesy of Patrick Hilton and Ken Fisher
Watch this amazing video of a water rescue of "SRO".
I'm happy to tell you that since Ear Muffs was little, after he was captured the team was able to disentangled him right on the dock, and then immediately release him. Read more.
SRO was brought to the Center's hospital where veterinarians anesthetized him and removed the fishing line around his neck. Luckily, he was otherwise healthy and the next day he was released at Rodeo beach, just down the hill from our hospital.

I know you'll agree that it's an incredible feeling to see such a beautiful animal returning to his ocean home.
By making a gift to The Marine Mammal Center, you provide the resources and expertise to give sea lions like Ear Muffs and SRO a second chance at life back in the wild!

Thank you for your support - we couldn't do it without you!

Dr. Jeff Boehm Executive Director The Marine Mammal Center

Ask Rhode Island Lawmakers to Protect ALL Pets from Mutilation

• by Alicia Graef
• March 1, 2013
• 5:30 pm

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Lawmakers in Rhode Island recently introduced a bill that would prohibit landlords from requiring tenants to declaw or devocalize their pets because they believe these procedures are inhumane and potentially dangerous, but animal advocates are pushing for tougher laws to ban these procedures entirely.
Senate Majority Leader Dominick J. Ruggerio introduced the bill (2013-S 0177 ), which is based on a California law that prohibits landlords from requiring devocalization and declawing that was passed last fall. This bill would prohibit any person or corporation that occupies, owns, manages or provides services in connection with any property from requiring tenants to declaw or devocalize any animal allowed on the premises.
“These acts are inhumane for any animal to go through, unless there is a real medical necessity.  Imagine if your ability to talk or defend yourself was suddenly taken away from you. We must put an end to this,” said Senator Ruggerio.
He’s right. Both devocalization and declawing are inhumane and unnecessary and no one should resort to mutilating their pets to manage behavioral issues. Ever.
Devocalization involves a major surgery with a high risk of complications that uses either an oral approach, or a laryngotomy, that results in cutting or removing an animal’s vocal cords. Regardless of how it’s done, or who does it, this procedure can cause a host of other medical problems ranging from difficulty breathing and susceptibility to aspiration pneumonia to chronic gagging and death.
Once devocalized, dogs also lose their ability to communicate and socialize normally, which may cause frustration and lead to behavioral issues, along with making them potentially dangerous to people without their ability to give warnings when they’re upset.
Declawing involves a procedure that removes the last bone of each toe and is comparable to removing human fingertips. It leaves cats defenseless and can lead to chronic pain, in addition to causing other behavioral issues, such as biting and bypassing the litter box.
Despite arguments to the contrary, these procedures also still leave cats and dogs just as vulnerable to abandonment or euthanasia as any other pet. They do not guarantee pets a permanent home.
While animal advocates and organizations including the Coalition to Protect and Rescue Pets ― which led the successful campaign to ban devocalization in Massachusetts ― are grateful for the introduction of humane legislation, they are asking lawmakers to withdraw their bills and introduce legislation that will ban devocalization and declawing entirely with the argument that barring landlords from requiring these procedures won’t actually do anything to help keep pets safe and may hinder real protection laws in the future.
Their stance is that landlords aren’t the reason pets are forced to undergo these procedures – irresponsible and uneducated owners are. Worse even, if this legislation is passed, landlords will be allowed to sidestep this law by banning pets entirely, which could make it even harder for those of us with companion animals who rent to find a place to live.
Animal advocates would like to see legislation passed in Rhode Island like the law in Massachusetts, which bans devocalization of dogs and cats entirely, unless it is performed to relieve a physical ailment causing an animal harm and there are no other veterinary alternatives available.
TAKE ACTION!
Please sign and share the petition asking lawmakers in Rhode Island to withdraw their bills and instead introduce enforceable legislation that will protect all dogs and cats from devocalization and declawing.

Read more: http://www.care2.com/causes/ask-rhode-island-lawmakers-to-protect-all-pets-from-mutilation.html#ixzz2VkQgZTxV