Dear Jenni,

Tell President Obama to protect the Atlantic

Add your name to the People's Sign-on Letter »

Thousands of whales and dolphins in the Atlantic could soon be subjected to loud seismic airgun blasts, shot over and over again for months on end. We’ll need YOUR HELP to stop it.
Right now, we are gathering signatures from members of Congress on a letter to the president asking him to stop these deadly plans. We want to make sure he hears the message, so we’re asking YOU to sign on as well to let him know how important it is that these plans are stopped.
Sign our People's Sign-on Letter to President Obama to reject seismic airgun testing in the Atlantic »
Seismic airgun testing for oil may begin in just a few months in parts of the U.S. Atlantic coast. Animals close to the blasts could be killed or injured, and others will be forced to flee their habitats.

These tests consist of sending airgun blasts, louder than a jet engine, straight into the ocean floor, every ten seconds for weeks on end. Not only will the blasts kill or injure beloved animals like the endangered North Atlantic right whale, but it also could drive away the fish that East Coast fishermen depend on. About 222,000 jobs in the coastal fishing and seafood industries could be disrupted, affecting communities that are already struggling from the effects of Hurricane Sandy and the recession.

Furthermore, seismic testing is the first step to offshore oil drilling. Once offshore drilling starts on the East Coast, it’s only a matter of time until there is an oil spill like the one we saw in the Gulf three years ago.
Protect dolphins and whales from deadly airgun blasts. Sign the letter to President Obama today »

Your voice can make a difference in this important fight. Thank you for standing with us.

Thank you,
Rachael Prokop
Oceana

Protect Orcas from Toxic Coal

Orca whales that live off of the coast of Oregon and Washington are some of the most critically endangered marine mammals living in our nation's waters—and are among the most intelligent animals in the world.

Right now, Big Coal is pushing forthree fast-moving proposals to build giant coal terminals in the Northwest, which could put these rare orcas in even further jeopardy by polluting their waters with toxic coal dust and diesel emissions.

With your help today, we can mobilize hundreds of thousands of wildlife advocates across the country to show state and federal officials the widespread opposition to Big Coal's dangerous proposals.
Please make a generous donation today to help fight for endangered orcas.

Must Islamists Be Autocratic?

Must Islamists Be Autocratic?

Photo: Albin Lohr-Jones

Dr. Daniel Pipes, writing on his blog, compares the dictatorial Islamists running Turkey with the dictatorial Islamists who, until recently, had been running Egypt and wonders why all Islamist governments – including elected ones like Turkey – seem to gravitate toward dictatorship and whether or not it has to be that way.

Which leaves me wondering: Is their shared anti-democratic enraged sputtering at dissent just coincidence? Does it reflect the dictatorial quality of their political formations (Necmettin Erbakan’s various parties and the Muslim Brotherhood, respectively)? Or does it reveal something inherent about the Islamist program itself? I am inclined to see it as inherent.

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the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is proposing, for the first time, to protect captive chimps.

Dear Jenni,


Wild chimpanzees have protection under the Endangered Species Act, but captive chimpanzees have always been exempted from protection by a "special rule." Tragically, though, the lack of protection for captive chimpanzees is hurting the species overall.

It encourages the illegal trade in these increasingly rare great apes because poachers massacre whole families of chimps so that the infants can be kidnapped and sold into captivity. That killing gravely undermines efforts to save the species.

But there's hope on the horizon -- the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is proposing, for the first time, to protect captive chimps. This is your moment to save these incredible animals.

The capture of live chimpanzees for the international pet trade has been one of the major causes of the decline of these amazing, intelligent primates. Protecting all chimps under the Endangered Species Act is urgently necessary to save the species from extinction.

Please help all chimps get the Endangered Species Act protection they need to survive. Urge the Service now to finalize protections for captive chimpanzees.

Click here to take action and get more information.

One Family’s Adventures Raising a Cuddly Baby Porcupine by Laura Simpson

One Family’s Adventures Raising a Cuddly Baby Porcupine

• by Laura Simpson
• March 25, 2013
• 5:30 pm

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By Sue Roberts of the Sirikoi Lodge in Kenya
We found Nung (NUNGUNUNGU is Swahili for porcupine) when she was just a few days old. She was at the entrance to her burrow, lying next to her dead mother. We do not know why her mother had died, but suspected it was from poisoning. So we fed the baby milk from a tiny bottle with cerealac, and from the start, she had a fantastic appetite and adopted us as her family.

With a love for all creatures, Sue's team at the Sirikoi Lodge have helped orphaned wildlife of many species

Nung was very affectionate, wanting to snuggle up with us in bed or with the dogs who tolerated her despite getting pricked by her sharp quills occasionally. She used to travel with us in the Land Rover and by plane, happy to be in her dark cat box (we covered it with a blanket) and she felt safe and would sleep happily until we arrived. It must have felt like the burrow where she would normally have lived.
Once we arrived, she would rush about the house and make a place for herself where she would always go if she wanted to rest, usually in a cupboard or a dark corner under a bed. If we called and she did not come, we would find her asleep in her special place. She was a very content little porcupine, even in our alien world.
One favorite place, when she was small, was to cuddle up under my hair and suck my earlobe, which was very tickly. She was most put out when I had to stop her doing this as she got bigger. She used to lie on my tummy when watching television on the bed until she again got too big and had to be persuaded to shift, at which point her quills would immediately spring up in protest, so I had to be quite careful. Also, if she got a fright or was annoyed with the dogs, her quills would spring up.

Nung enjoys a belly rub

She and the dogs would come for long walks which she loved and the dogs and kids were her friends and family. She would have mad fits of joy, running round and round the sleeping dogs, rattling her quills and doing a little dance. When we went to the coast, she loved running down the beach with the dogs in the sand but would not follow them into the water.

Enjoying her meal of strawberries

She was soon fully grown and would spend some time each evening foraging around in the garden. One evening, she did not return. We suspect she was taken by the leopard who lived in the nearby forest. We were heartbroken, particularly the children, as she was so much a part of our lives. We missed her cuddling up on the sofa with us in the evening and bringing so much fun and humor to our lives.
See more from the Sirikoi Lodge on their website
Do You Rescue Too?
If you have a rescue story to share or would like to enjoy those of others, please visit The Great Animal Rescue.
Related Stories:
Chimpanzees Try Their Hands at Plumbing
Mud Heals at African Oasis
Hundreds of Parrots Fly Free

Read more: http://www.care2.com/causes/one-familys-adventures-raising-a-cuddly-baby-porcupine.html#ixzz2Z2efu9cp

Freedom for Bears at Chief Saunooke Bear Park Posted by Danny Lutz, ALDF Litigation Fellow on July 12, 2013

Freedom for Bears at Chief Saunooke Bear Park

Posted by Danny Lutz, ALDF Litigation Fellow on July 12, 2013

Great news has trickled out of North Carolina: Eleven bears have been removed from terrible conditions in gladiator-style bear pits and now inhabit a new sanctuary home.
The black and brown bears had long suffered at Chief Saunooke Bear Park, a roadside zoo that lost its license to exhibit, because of its multiple violations of the Animal Welfare Act. Forced to live inside pits ranging from 300 to 1300 square feet and to beg for food from visiting humans, the bears exhibited signs of psychological harm, constantly pacing on abrasive concrete and repeatedly weaving their heads.
Though imprisoned, the bears had formidable support outside Chief Saunooke Bear Park’s walls. Years of local and national pressure and especially powerful advocacy by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals alerted federal authorities to the terrible bear pit conditions. And earlier this year, we at the Animal Legal Defense Fund sent Chief Saunooke Bear Park a letter threatening to sue for its ongoing harm to the roadside zoo’s grizzlies. As a result, this bear story truly has a happy ending: the bears now roam the International Exotic Animal Sanctuary, and Chief Saunooke Bear Park has shuttered its operations.
Our efforts to seek relief for these eleven bears is just one of many actions on behalf of bears. In another example, we brought a lawsuit that rescued Ben the Bear from a barren concrete cage and permanently transferred Ben to a sanctuary. We will continue to work to move bears from entertainment conscription to sanctuary protection.

Dolphin Guardian Angels Save Lives

• by Piper Hoffman
• March 24, 2013
• 2:30 pm

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“…there’s plenty of anecdotal evidence that dolphins come to the rescue of humans in danger at sea.” according to 7 News in Australia…
1. Dolphins Save Dog in Australia, March 2013
Cocker spaniel Ramsay was concentrating hard  on catching those seagulls. He doggie-paddled after them, as he and Karyn Gitsham’s other dog, Buddy, often did on walks. But this time he swam too far.
Karyn Gitsham was concentrating hard on Ramsay’s plight when she slipped and herself wound up in the water at Carrickalinga Beach in South Australia. She too was in trouble from the overpowering waves.
Then came the fins. Gitsham saw one near Ramsay and feared that a shark was after him, but then she saw more and it came to her: a pod of dolphins was gathering around her dog. “These dolphins just formed this horseshoe and were guiding him in, pushing him in,” she said. The dolphins safely guided Ramsay to shore along with Gitsham. She calls it a miracle.

2. Dolphins Save Dog in Florida, February 2011
Turbo, one of Cindy Burnett’s two dobermans, escaped his yard when the gate was left open. Burnett and her sons searched the area thoroughly, but no Turbo.
The next morning brought a most welcome phone call: a neighbor had found Turbo. Well, it was more like she was told where to pick him up.
The dog had found his way into a canal and couldn’t get out, but dolphins saved the day. They guided Turbo to shallow water where he could stand. “If he had to tread water all night long, I know he wouldn’t have been able to,” Burnett said.
The dolphins stayed with Turbo and made a mighty racket by splashing around to alert people to the dog’s plight. A woman who lived on the canal heard the ruckus and retrieved the doberman from the water, then called the Burnetts.


3. Dolphins Save Surfer in Monterey, California, August 2007
A great white shark attacked 24-year-old Todd Endris when he went surfing at Marina State Park. The shark at first couldn’t get his teeth around both Endris and the surfboard, but on his second pass he sank his jaws into Endris’s torso, lacerating his back.
On his third bout the shark grabbed and started to swallow Endris’s right leg, which gave Endris leverage to kick the shark with his left leg until he let go. By this time the water around the surfer was thick with blood.
Then his rescuers arrived. The pod of dolphins drove off the shark and formed a protective circle around Endris until he got back on his board and caught a wave that took him to shore.
The surfer lost half his blood and needed 500 stitches and 200 staples to close all his wounds.
Despite  his ordeal, once he recovered Endris went surfing again in the same spot with no animosity towards the shark. He said he wouldn’t want to go after the shark because “we’re in his realm, not the other way around.”


Human Attacks on Dolphins
Considering how often dolphins help humans and our companion animals, we are an ungrateful bunch. “Some dolphin populations are dwindling due to mortalities caused by destructive fishing gear, ocean pollution, and other human-caused threats.” One example is PCBs (Polychlorinated biphenyls), run-off from industry and agriculture, build up in dolphins and can kill their calves.
BP’s oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico has injured some dolphins, while others fall prey to humans who deliberately catch them — like the dolphin who was found stabbed to death by a screwdriver. Dolphins are very intelligent, but perhaps they aren’t smart enough to steer clear of us altogether.

Read more: http://www.care2.com/causes/dolphin-guardian-angels-save-lives.html#ixzz2Z2I0VroI