Written by Michelle Sherrow
Bananas? We don't need no stinkin' bananas. At least Kanzi the bonobo doesn't. He taught himself how to make fire and cook food.
Chimpanzees have their own emergency broadcast system. They use special sounds to warn their unaware friends about danger, but they don't send out a warning when the other chimpanzees already see it. This turns the belief that only humans recognize that others are not informed on its head.
Shiny Things | cc by 2.0
Clever pigeons are once again showing why "birdbrain" is a compliment. The birds are proving that they can count by putting groups of items in order by quantity.
We all read City Mouse, Country Mouse, but what about city bird, country bird? When flirting, urban birds adjust their voices to be heard over the din of the city, so they sing differently from their country cousins.
Deer and cows certainly aren't cousins, but they can become best friends. When a cow named Wanda escaped from a farm, she eluded capture for five months, living with a herd of deer who would stomp on the ground to let Wanda know that their acute senses detected people approaching. Wanda now has a home on a farm and is not in danger of being slaughtered.
Of course, for a best friend whose loyalty is unmatched, one need look no further than a dog. A Russian dog stood guard over the body of his deceased canine companion for two weeks in temperatures of negative-58 degrees Fahrenheit. Animal advocates caught him and took him to a local animal shelter, where he will stay while they search for a permanent home.
For more amazing animal stories, check out an article on the new book Animal Tool Behavior.
Written by PETA
Sure, scientists in Dallas may have come up with an invisibility cloak, but octopuses and squid beat them to the punch. Masters of disguise, among the tricks up their tentacle sleeves is this one: They manipulate sacs of black pigment on their skin to either shroud them in darkness to match the water or reveal their transparent flesh so that light shines through, making others think that they aren't there.
Millipedes are covert operators too. Certain species toss moss or other plants over their backs while they travel.
A biological anthropologist is confirming what many cat people already know—cats grieve over the loss of a loved one much like humans do. And much like humans, letting animals see (and, in a cat's case, smell) the body of their deceased loved one can help give them "closure" and come to terms with the loss.
ravi khemka | cc by 2.0
Why do the leg- (or wing-) work when you can ride? In Stockholm, Sweden, a flock of pigeons has begun taking the subway for its daily trips to a crowded shopping center where the animals like to forage for food. Pigeons have been doing the same thing on the London Underground for years!
This dog takes care of business. After a southwest Ohio couple adopted a dog from an animal shelter, it took only six hours for him to return the favor. The aptly named Hercules chased a burglar from the couple's basement, biting him on the ankle for good measure.
Speaking of canine good deeds—Titan, a beloved dog from Lawrenceville, Georgia, became the first canine recipient of the Neighbor of the Year Award after he got help for his guardian when she suffered from a brain aneurysm and fell, fracturing her skull.
Our colleagues at Global Action in the Interest of Animals (GAIA) in Belgium have fought long and hard to protect Brussels' beleaguered pigeons, who have enriched the city's parks and public spaces and have charmed countless tourists and residents.
In an effort to reduce the pigeon population, city officials are capturing birds and sterilizing them surgically without proper anesthetics, something that numerous vets and avian specialists have condemned as extremely cruel. The birds being subjected to this painful procedure are already frightened and disoriented from being captured and separated from their mates and families.
GAIA's appeals to provide the birds with relief have been ignored.
Please e-mail Brussels Mayor Freddy Thielemans and Alderman for City Planning and Mobility Christian Ceux to tell them that you expect them to treat pigeons with the care and respect they deserve.
Written by Jennifer O'Connor
Groovin' on a Wednesday morning—these affectionate animals make this summer feel like the summer of love.
Adult film star Raul Armenteros and another man have each been charged with 22 counts of cruelty to animals after police allegedly discovered a menagerie of animals—including roosters, guinea hens, pigeons, goats, and a duck—baking inside their locked van in the scorching Miami heat. Reportedly, the goats were all tied up inside plastic bags, and one was already dead when police arrived.
It isn't clear what Armenteros intended to do with the animals. What is clear is that he should never have left them to suffer inside a hot vehicle, as is alleged. On a mild day, the temperature inside a car parked in the shade with the windows cracked can reach 100 to 120 degrees in a few minutes. Animals left in these conditions can suffer and die from heatstroke in just 15 minutes.
If you see an animal inside a hot car, have the owner paged and call the police. If the animal's life appears to be in immediate danger, free the animal and wait for authorities. For more information on rescuing animals left inside vehicles, see PETA's tip sheet.
Mike Tyson would have viewers of his new show, Taking On Tyson, believe that pigeon racers don't think of the birds as "inventory." But a long-time wildlife rehabilitator who has seen the victims firsthand begs to differ.
In an e-mail to PETA, she told us about rehabilitating a thin and injured pigeon who, judging from his wounds, appeared to have barely escaped a hawk. Because the bird was wearing a band, she was able to track down the bird's owner, who told her to put the bird in a tube and ship him back. Of course, she refused to do so. Another racer she contacted about a banded bird told her to just "wring its neck" and that the birds are "a dime a dozen."
PETA recently demonstrated outside Tyson's Las Vegas home to let people know that pigeons do suffer when forced to fly hundreds of miles in all weather extremes.
Many don't make it home. The American Racing Pigeon Union disclosed that at a 2010 race in Oklahoma City, more than 800 pigeons—60 percent of the total number entered—did not return from training flights or the race itself.
Please tell Animal Planet that animals should not have to pay with their lives for someone's hobby.
PETA members gathered outside Mike Tyson's home in Las Vegas yesterday to protest the former heavyweight boxing champ's new TV series on Animal Planet, Taking On Tyson, which showcases Tyson's interest in pigeon racing.
Tyson, who once claimed that his former "pet" tigers "liked" being punched in the testicles and face, has now added pigeon abuse to his résumé. Racing pigeons are forced to fly hundreds of miles in all weather extremes as they attempt to get home. The pigeons are vulnerable to both natural predators such as hawks and cruel humans who view them as "pests." In a recent ESPN interview, Tyson said, "I try not to get too attached. That's why I keep breeder pigeons—if a bird gets sick or dies, I can produce another one."
Pigeons raised in rooftop coops have few real-world survival skills. PETA caseworkers have fielded frantic calls from people who have found exhausted, injured, or starving birds. A pigeon-racing industry veterinarian admitted that most lost birds starve to death.
Wagers are often placed on the outcome of races, which not only violates many state gambling laws but also means a grim fate for "losers." Owners have little use for pigeons who can't or don't win, and they unapologetically kill slower birds by wringing their necks, gassing or drowning them, or selling the birds to live poultry markets.
Please let Animal Planet know that you won't be tuning in to Taking On Tyson.
While rushing to an early-morning tennis game, I spotted a pigeon in the middle of the sidewalk. I've lived in New York for years and rescued lots of birds in trouble, so I knew that this pigeon needed help because as I approached him, he stayed put. I was easily able to scoop him up. I always keep a "ready kit"—a carrier filled with supplies—in my apartment, so I used it to rush this poor bird to the wonderful folks at the Wild Bird Fund. They found that he was suffering without hope, so they gave him a painless release from the virus that was ravaging his body.
Please never walk by an injured or sick animal or assume that someone else will come to the rescue. Often, no one does. Be prepared for your own wildlife emergency, and become an angel for animals! No errand, deadline, appointment, tennis game—not even a job interview—is as important as helping an animal in trouble.
If you find a sick or injured animal and are unsure what to do, please call PETA immediately. Caseworkers are on call 24 hours day, and they are here to help.
Written by Jannette Patterson
That's right. Yesterday, heavyweight boxer Mike Tyson revealed to audience members during a taping of CenterStage that he's gone vegan. (The interview is scheduled to air on May 26.) I'm sure they were all ears and eager to learn why the aspiring reality show star/pigeon exploiter has embraced the diet of choice for those who care about themselves, animals, and the planet.
Did he learn that a vegan diet does a body good great by keeping it trim, strong, and healthy? Was he swayed by details on how diseased animals suffer in extremely crowded, filthy crates and cages on factory farms before they are forced to make harrowing trips to the slaughterhouse? Perhaps he refuses to contribute to environmental disasters that are linked to the meat and dairy industries.
Whatever the reason(s), we applaud Mike Tyson's decision to leave animals off his plate—and we will continue our efforts to ensure that he stops promoting pigeon abuse. Coould you please help too?
Written by Karin Bennett
In an effort to rebuild his image, Mike Tyson has a new Animal Planet series in the works, tentatively titled Taking on Tyson and slated to premiere in 2011. The former heavyweight fighter will use the program to showcase his passion for pigeons via his exploits in the pigeon-racing industry.
While we would never knock someone's love for these intelligent birds, Tyson's claim to care about pigeons is rather incredulous given that he chooses to tout using them in a "sport" that—like horseracing—exposes them to danger and death. In a typical race, the birds are taken great distances—sometimes as many as 500 miles—away from their homes and then released to see if they can find their way back. It can only be a traumatic experience, as evidenced by the fallen pigeons who succumb to storms, shotgun pellets, and collisions with high-tension wires and who are often found starving, exhausted, and a long way from home. Pigeons mate for life, and the likelihood that both partners will find each other again or that the bird who is released will be reunited with the one left in the coop is a crapshoot. For those banded birds who are found by concerned citizens or turned in to humane societies and have their bands traced, the voice on the other end of the phone is likely to say what we have been told directly, i.e., "Wring their necks, that's what we do with losers."
Mike Tyson likes to tell the story of the first time that he beat someone up, saying it was over someone wanting to hurt one of "his" pigeons. Well, in pigeon racing, he'll meet a lot of people he can beat up if that's the criteria, but if he really wants to rehabilitate his image, then the seedy underbelly of the pigeon-racing world isn't the ideal stage for him. If you'd like to contact Animal Planet to state your opinion on whether this show should air or if the network should stick to Whale Wars and Animal Cops, please send a polite message to Discovery Communications' viewer relations department.
Written by Logan Scherer
If you have a general question for PETA and would like a response, please e-mail Info@peta.org. If you need to report cruelty to an animal, please click here. If you are reporting an animal in imminent danger and know where to find the animal and if the abuse is taking place right now, please call your local police department. If the police are unresponsive, please call PETA immediately at 757-622-7382 and press 2.
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