http://www.globalanimal.org/

Cow Proves Animals Love, Think, And Act

April 13, 2012 Megan Cross

(TOUCHING TALE) A dairy cow made the tough choice to hide one of her calves after giving birth to twins. As her fifth birth, the cow remembered her previous agony and knew that both of her babies would be taken away, unless she tried to save one. The intelligence and care displayed by this mothering cow is both heartbreaking and breathtaking. Read this touching tale, told by a veterinarian, about an amazing display of motherly love that proves animals love and feel. — Global Animal

Photo Credit: APEX

By Holly Cheever, DVM, reprinted from Action for Animals

I would like to tell you a story that is as true as it is heartbreaking. When I first graduated from Cornell’s School of Veterinary Medicine, I went into a busy dairy practice in Cortland County. I became a very popular practitioner due to my gentle handling of the dairy cows. One of my clients called me one day with a puzzling mystery: his Brown Swiss cow, having delivered her fifth calf naturally on pasture the night before, brought the new baby to the barn and was put into the milking line, while her calf was once again removed from her. Her udder, though, was completely empty, and remained so for several days.

As a new mother, she would normally be producing close to one hundred pounds (12.5 gallons) of milk daily; yet, despite the fact that she was glowing with health, her udder remained empty. She went out to pasture every morning after the first milking, returned for milking in the evening, and again was let out to pasture for the night — this was back in the days when cattle were permitted a modicum of pleasure and natural behaviors in their lives — but never was her udder swollen with the large quantities of milk that are the hallmark of a recently-calved cow.

I was called to check this mystery cow two times during the first week after her delivery and could find no solution to this puzzle. Finally, on the eleventh day post calving, the farmer called me with the solution: he had followed the cow out to her pasture after her morning milking, and discovered the cause: she had delivered twins, and in a bovine’s “Sophie’s Choice,” she had brought one to the farmer and kept one hidden in the woods at the edge of her pasture, so that every day and every night, she stayed with her baby — the first she had been able to nurture FINALLY—and her calf nursed her dry with gusto. Though I pleaded for the farmer to keep her and her bull calf together, she lost this baby, too—off to the hell of the veal crate.

Think for a moment of the complex reasoning this mama exhibited: first, she had memory — memory of her four previous losses, in which bringing her new calf to the barn resulted in her never seeing him/her again (heartbreaking for any mammalian mother). Second, she could formulate and then execute a plan: if bringing a calf to the farmer meant that she would inevitably lose him/her, then she would keep her calf hidden, as deer do, by keeping her baby in the woods lying still till she returned. Third — and I do not know what to make of this myself — instead of hiding both, which would have aroused the farmer’s suspicion (pregnant cow leaves the barn in the evening, unpregnant cow comes back the next morning without offspring), she gave him one and kept one herself. I cannot tell you how she knew to do this—it would seem more likely that a desperate mother would hide both.

All I know is this: there is a lot more going on behind those beautiful eyes than we humans have ever given them credit for, and as a mother who was able to nurse all four of my babies and did not have to suffer the agonies of losing my beloved offspring, I feel her pain.

Holly Cheever, DVM

Vice President, New York State Humane Association Member

Humane Society Veterinary Medical Association’s Leadership Council

Read More Animals Rights Articles: http://www.all-creatures.org/articles/ar-bovine.html

Check out this story about more ways animals are like humans: Neurologist: Animals Have Spiritual Experiences

Reprinted from Action for Animals

http://afa-online.org

Dead and Deformed Sea Creatures Point to BP Oil Spill

• by Nancy Roberts
• April 18, 2012
• 10:07 pm

 

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Fishermen and scientists operating in the northern Gulf of Mexico are noting huge numbers of deformed sea creatures, including eyeless shrimp, clawless crabs and fish damaged by lesions, along with high rates of dolphin stranding in the Gulf near the area of the BP Oil spill of 2010. Fishing industry workers are also observing declining numbers of key species two years after the Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded and the release of some 4.9 million barrels of oil followed by the application of  hundreds of thousands of  gallons of chemical dispersant.

Disturbing images in the video report below from Al Jazeera English show the deformed sea creatures and scientists’ concern for damage to species health, biodiversity and the food chain:

Dolphin Strandings Skyrocket, Ill Health Observed

Comprehensive physicals of 32 live dolphins from the northern Gulf of Mexico area, Bataria Bay, showed  that many of the dolphins examined are “underweight, anemic, have low blood sugar and/or some symptoms of liver and lung disease. Nearly half also have abnormally low levels of the hormones that help with stress response, metabolism and immune function.” In addition, NOAA has declared and unusual mortality event (UME) because more than 675 dolphins have stranded themselves in the norther Gulf area, up from an average of 74 strandings per year.

NOAA reports, “NOAA and its state and federal partners are researching multiple ways Gulf dolphins may have been exposed to oil, including through ingestion, inhalation or externally. Dolphins could have routinely ingested oil from sediments or water while feeding or by eating whole fish, including internal organs and fluids such as liver and bile, which can harbor chemical contaminants.”

Earlier this year the FDA assured us that Gulf seafood was safe to eat. However, there are other concerns beyond simple immediate human consumption needs. The number, health, and population numbers of the  species affects the food chain and ultimately the balance of the entire ecosystem.

Besides the known toxicity of oil, the dispersant Corexit is also suspected to harm life when used in vast amounts. One year after the spill, scientists found that Corexit, which was supposed to degrade soon after application, was still present in the water three months after application. Some 771,000 gallons of the dispersant Corexit were used to break down the oil into smaller droplets.

The news comes as BP announced that is has finalized a $7.8 billion settlement agreement with some 100,000 plaintiff individuals and businesses  from the Gulf area harmed by the oil spill and its aftermath. It is one of the largest class action settlements in U.S. history. One thing we can be sure of: no amount of dollars will help the the shrimp, dolphins and other  species that are suffering the dire consequences of the disaster two years on.

Related Stories:

Gulf Oil Spill: 10 Horrifying Facts You Never Wanted To Know

Dispersing Ain’t Cleaning: Ask Congress to Investigate Oil Spill-Dispersing Chemicals

Will the Gulf Oil Spill Ever Be Cleaned Up?

Read more: BP spill, deepwater horizon, dolphin, environment, gulf, sea life, shrimp, wildlife

Image of eyeless shrimp. Still from Al Jazeera video via YouTube (embedded above)

Read more: http://www.care2.com/causes/dead-and-deformed-sea-creatures-point-to-bp-oil-spill.html#ixzz1sbxPS8YA

These Masked Guys Think I'm Their New Friend... Oh NO!

A few days ago, I was sitting outside at night talking on the phone to a friend, my feet kicked up on the table. When I'm outdoors at night, I allow Morris, my cat, to be outside. He doesn't go far. He likes to use my neighbor's ivy patch as his... well... you know.

So, I'm sitting on my deck, and my friend and I are having a good conversation — laughing, cracking jokes, and talking about just about anything. It's almost the middle of the night here, but she's out running errands in her area, getting ready to go to softball. I'm on Long Island, and she's in Anchorage, Alaska.

I told her Morris was outside with me, so in the middle of a sentence, I said "uh, hey, Morris! What are you doing?" I felt something touch my head. Oh, was I wrong. Before I could get off the chair and stand up, I was surrounded by four baby raccoons. These little guys weren't even afraid of me They were curious, and I was sitting there like a frozen stiff, telling my friend that I was being checked out by a bunch of baby raccoons, and it wasn't really up my alley! I started to whisper to them, "okay guys, you can all move away and onto the lawn now, or up the tree, because I really would like to get off this chair and into the house..." No, they weren't interested in going anyplace. They were checking out my sneakers. Checking out my hair. Sniffing and pawing. One spotted a bowl full of water, and the others followed. I took the opportunity to BOLT!

Once in the house, they kept scratching on my sliding glass doors. They wanted in. Sorry, raccoons, but no! Now ever since that night, these siblings come around, bigger and bigger, and wait by my door — hiding off to the side — to try to sneak attack to get in.

The other night, I heard a knock on my front door. I went to look, and who do I see at my door? Yes. A raccoon.

Talk to the TAIL.

You gotta love raccoons! Cute, but those nails and teeth... I think I'll keep my distance ;)