By Meera Selva (HuffingtonPost) Farmers and landowners are being asked to plant rows of wildflowers along the edges of England’s fields to create a network of “bee roads” to boost declining numbers. Conservationists said Tuesday they hope the wildflowers will provide food and shelter for wild bees, honeybees and butterflies, which play a crucial role [...]
Berlin zoo: Beloved polar bear Knut has died
(AP) Berlin’s beloved polar bear Knut, an international star who as a cuddly, fluffy cub graced magazine covers, movies and merchandise, died Saturday. His death at the young age of four took zookeepers and animal experts by surprise. The celebrity bear died suddenly in his compound at the Berlin Zoo on Saturday afternoon, bear keeper [...]
Health experts concerned about fish pedicures
(BBC) Health experts are investigating the safety of fish pedicures after concerns that this latest pampering craze could spread infections. The treatment involves dunking the feet in tanks filled with Garra rufa fish that can nibble away dead skin. A Health Protection Agency spokesperson said: “Following a number of enquiries to the HPA from local [...]
Explosive- and drug-sniffing dogs’ performance is affected by their handlers’ beliefs
(USDavis) The performance of drug- and explosives-sniffing dog/handler teams is affected by human handlers’ beliefs, possibly in response to subtle, unintentional handler cues, a study by researchers at UC Davis has found. The study, published in the January issue of the journal Animal Cognition, found that detection-dog/handler teams erroneously “alerted,” or identified a scent, when [...]
Explosive- and drug-sniffing dogs' performance is affected by their handlers' beliefs
(USDavis) The performance of drug- and explosives-sniffing dog/handler teams is affected by human handlers’ beliefs, possibly in response to subtle, unintentional handler cues, a study by researchers at UC Davis has found. The study, published in the January issue of the journal Animal Cognition, found that detection-dog/handler teams erroneously “alerted,” or identified a scent, when [...]
Lamont man stabbed to death by cockfighting bird
By Jeff Goodman (Bakersfield Californian) A 35-year-old Lamont man died Sunday after being stabbed in the leg by a sharp blade that was attached to a fighting bird, authorities said. Jose Luis Ochoa was taken to Delano Regional Medical Center shortly after Tulare County sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to a reported cockfight near in the [...]
Poll: Many would pick pet over spouse if forced to choose
(AP) Your sweetheart or your pet. Who would you choose to dump if one had to go? Most current pet owners said they would hold on to their spouse or significant other (84 percent), but a sizable 14 percent picked their pet, according to an AP-Petside.com poll. via AP-Petside poll: Pet or paramour? Many say [...]
Priorities
A guy is 72 years old and loves to fish. He was sitting in his boat the other day when he heard a voice say, “Pick me up.” He looked around and couldn’t see anyone. He thought he was dreaming when he heard the voice say again, “Pick me up.” He looked in the water [...]
Sunburned whales? Ozone hole could be culprit.
LONDON — Some whale species off the Mexican coast are showing signs of severe sunburn that might be caused by the damaged ozone layer’s decreased ability to block ultraviolet radiation, a new study concludes. Laura Martinez-Levasseur, who works at the Zoological Society of London, spent three years studying whales in the Gulf of California, the [...]
Christians pay $110 each for post-Rapture pet rescue
By Lesley Ciarula Taylor (The Star) Come the Rapture before the end of the world, now scheduled for May 21, 2011 , Bart Centre will be busy rounding up the true believers’ pets. So far, 225 of them have signed up for his service, Eternal Earth-Bound Pets. For $110 (U.S.) a pet, Centre and his [...]
