Search Results for: blog small steps can save giant sea turtles

Poacher Turned Park Ranger

A former poacher now turned conservationist for the World Wildlife Fund. It seems an impossible irony, but it’s true. Lean Kha used to shoot dozens of endangered species, including bears, tigers, and elephants, in his native Cambodia but now it’s his mission to protect them. What happened? Yahoo News has the full details. To understand the transformation we need to examine Kha’s background. He started hunting at 13 years old, recruited by soldiers for Khmer Rouge. Kha hunted not for sport, not to collect hides with which to decorate his walls, but to support himself and his family. He’d sell … Continue reading →

Celebrating a Second Anniversary as a Pets Blogger

Two years ago today I officially started on with Families.com as one of their newest Pets Bloggers. Ironically enough, two years later on my anniversary date, here I’ve turned in my two weeks notice. (I just realized as I started writing this that I did that on my start date anniversary.) It’s been a good ride, a very fun ride, and an amazingly informative one. I’ll still be around for the next couple of weeks, but I wanted to take a moment and reflect on some of my favorite blogs from the past couple of years. A Few of My … Continue reading →

How to Adopt a Pet without Adopting the Responsibility

Some people want to adopt a pet or help animals but they don’t want to adopt the responsibility that comes with it. Or maybe it’s not so much they don’t want the responsibility as it is circumstances prevent them from taking it on. (Such as they work too much, don’t have the room to keep a pet, or live in a place where pets aren’t allowed.) Yet, they’re still able to adopt a pet. How? Through pet adoption programs like the ones I’ve listed below. If you want to adopt a pet, but can’t, or, if you’re like me and … Continue reading →

Animals Buried in Six Million Pounds of Garbage

Volunteers from the Ocean Conservancy spent a single day collecting debris from beaches around the world. What they found is disgusting and disturbing. More than 375,000 volunteers in seventy-six different countries combed the places where water meets land — ocean beaches and inland lakes and streams — to take a close look at the ocean trash problem. In just one day, the volunteers picked up an average of one hundred and eighty-two pounds of trash for every mile of shoreline. That works out to a grand total of more than seven million pieces of trash weighing around six million pounds. … Continue reading →

The Top Pets Blogs of 2007: June – December

We started out with a list of the Top Blogs from January through May. To conclude the Year in Review of the Top Pets Blogs, here’s the last six months of the year. June 2007 Top Blogs Adopt-a-Shelter Cat Month Starts Today: How to Participate Moose’s Special New Trick The Trouble With Walking Two Dogs Life Without a Fence Moose’s Bad Luck Continues Murphy, Kitty, and Tabby’s Dilemma: What to Get Wayne for Father’s Day? Fitting a Harness Moose Update: He’s Healing and We’re All Adjusting Animal Movies = Torture: How I Fared Through Evan Almighty July 2007 Top Blogs … Continue reading →

Florida Loggerhead Numbers Drop

On the heels of a movement to protect Pacific loggerhead sea turtles, news comes from Florida that the number of turtle nests went down in 2007. Loggerhead sea turtles are already listed as “threatened” by the federal Endangered Species Act. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission surveyed nineteen different beaches were loggerhead turtles nest. Scientists reported more than twenty-eight thousand turtle nests. This seems like a good number until you compare it to the 2006 survey, which counted nearly fifty thousand turtle nests. In 2007, there were twenty-two thousand fewer loggerhead nests on Florida beaches — possibly the lowest … Continue reading →

US Protection for Loggerheads

The United States government is looking at adding loggerhead sea turtles in the Pacific to the endangered species list. Loggerhead turtles all over are already classified as “threatened” under the federal Endangered Species Act. However, environmentalists believe a higher level of protection is necessary. The National Marine Fisheries Service is considering upgraded protection for loggerheads along the California coast and around Hawaii. Managers of Pacific Ocean fisheries say that recent years have seen huge improvements in protection for Pacific loggerheads. Sea turtle advocates beg to differ, estimating that tens of thousands of turtles are killed each year by commercial fishing … Continue reading →

Reptile Awareness: Did You Know…?

Special note: gator photo by Elvis Santana For starters, did you know that today is Reptile Awareness Day? Did you know there even was such a day? (I only recently learned about it myself.) I admit I don’t know much about reptiles. I’ve never had one as a pet. About all I know is that frogs, snakes, lizards, turtles, gators and crocs are all part of the reptilian family and are cold-blooded. (And that Murph takes delight in chasing lizards and frogs whenever possible.) Well, since I don’t know much I had to do some research. Here’s some things I … Continue reading →

Endangered Bog Turtles in NJ

Bog turtles used to be abundant throughout New Jersey. Now they are found in the rural areas of Sussex, Warren, Hunterdon, and Salem counties. These tiny, palm-sized turtles like to live in wet meadows and mucky, saturated bogs. Most of their lives are spent in the cool muck, which helps keep them cool in summer and allows them a safe place to hibernate during the winter. Learn more about bog turtles: Bog turtles have a shell length between three and four inches at adulthood. These rare turtles are prized by collectors, but it is a violation of state and federal … Continue reading →

The Pets Blog Week in Review for Aug 6-12

Phew, it’s hot out there. Did you keep up with the Pets Blog last week? If not, here’s your chance to catch up on what Aimee and myself wrote about. So pour yourself a cool drink, settle back in a comfy chair, grab your mouse, and point and click to read what we covered on: Monday, August 6 Aimee profiled an ancient breed of dog, the Mastiff. I claimed the fame in part one of My Life as a Pets Blogger. Aimee discussed aggression at home that results from improper handling and how to correct that. Tuesday, August 7 In … Continue reading →