There Must be a Heaven...

There must be a heaven for the animal friends we love. They are not human, yet they bring out our own humanity.... sometimes in ways that other people cannot. They do not worry about fame or fortune... instead, they bring out hearts nearer to the joy of simple things.

Each day they teach us little lessons in trust and steadfast affection. Whatever heaven may be, there's surely a place in it for friends as good as these.

Ignorance and Insensitivity towards Stray Dogs

Recently, there was news that a minister of the Punjab State Government in India spoke about the ‘menace’ of stray dogs in the state and how to get rid of this ‘problem’. He stated that all the dogs should be caught and sent to North-Eastern states of India or China where, he said, people know it well what to do with dogs! Apparently, he was referring to the fact that in China people kill dogs and eat them. This statement comes as a rude shock from a Minister who is supposed to be committed to the welfare of the people and the helpless animals. This shows the insensitivity and the ignorance of the government, and ultimately, of the society, towards helpless and harmless animals. This also shows the scant respect that they have for life. Life is as valuable to an animal as it is to a human.

Instead of talking of capturing and sending these helpless dogs to elsewhere, they should accept it as a challenge and spay and neuter these dogs so that their population is controlled. An effort should be made to provide homes to these animals and citizens should be encouraged to come forward and adopt them. Even shelters could be made for them where they are given food and water and are taken care of. We have to understand the fact that animals are our responsibility and we are entitled to treat them with dignity and give them their rights. We are not a barbaric society, are we? Animals came here before us and the Earth belongs to them more than it belongs to us.

Whales, Dolphins deserve Human Rights for their Intelligence

Marine biologists and philosophers have joined forces to support a declaration of rights for whales and dolphins on the grounds that their astonishing intelligence and emotional empathy puts them on a par with humans. Research into the complex behavior of cetaceans – whales, dolphins and porpoises – is revealing that these sea mammals are so highly evolved and complex in terms of their behavior that they deserve special protection with a universal bill of rights. Dolphins and whales have complex vocal communications and are able to learn an astonishing variety of behaviors when they come into contact with humans, such as cooperative fishing with native fishermen.

The proponents of the bill of rights argue that the cetacean mind is so advanced and self-aware that whales and dolphins should be classified as “non-human persons” who deserve the right to life, liberty and wellbeing. The declaration of rights states that every individual dolphin, whale and porpoise has the right to life and liberty and not only should they not be killed by hunting, but none should be kept in captivity or servitude or subject to cruel treatment. It states that no cetacean can be the property of any individual or government and calls for the legal protection of their natural environment and a ban on any activity that disrupts their ‘cultures’.





Courtesy: The Independent

Animals’ Secret Lingo…

Scientists claim to have identified a ‘secret language’ used in the animal kingdom. An international team has found how animals use polarization, a type of light that humans cannot see, as an important tool for communication, the Current Biology journal reported. In their research, the scientists focused on a type of cuttlefish ( close relative of octopus and squid ) to show how polarization is used for communication in animal kingdom and its significance in biological signaling.

The findings revealed how cephalopods such as cuttlefish have the ability to see in many more directions of polarized light than previously thought, according to the scientists at UK’s Bristol University and Australia’s Queensland University. Justin Marshall, a team member, said humans had not yet developed the language to describe all roles of polarization in nature. These facts have proved once again how wise animals are. They are well ahead of humans and deserve all our respect.

Now the Elephant Cuisine…

A new taste for eating elephant meat – everything from trunks to sex organs – has emerged in Thailand and could pose a new threat to the survival of the species. This was discovered after two elephants were found slaughtered last recently in a national park in Thailand. The poachers took away the elephants’ sex organs and trunks for human consumption. Experts said that some meat was to be consumed cooking, like ‘elephant sashimi’.

It has been observed that poachers typically just remove trunks, which are commonly found on Asian male elephants and fetch thousands of dollars on the black market. A market for elephant meat, however, could lead to the killing of the wider elephant population. If elephants are hunted like this, they will become extinct soon.

Consuming elephant meat is not common in Thailand, but some Asian cultures believe consuming animals’ reproductive organs can boost sexual prowess. The question is how much sexual prowess people want, and that too at the cost of lives of millions of innocent animals. If they have any weakness in terms of sexual life, they should see a doctor who would treat them for their impotency! Why kill majestic animals? This is outrageous that human beings can become murderers just because of their whims, misconceptions and false beliefs. What a shame!

Climate Change: Hybrid Sharks Mark Survival Strategy

Researchers have discovered the world’s first hybrid sharks in Australian waters, indicating that animals are adapting to climate change for survival. Leading researchers in marine biology have come across 57 animals along a 2,000 km stretch from Queensland to New South Wales which they believe are the result of cross-breeding between the common black-tip shark and Australian black-tip shark, two related but genetically distinct species.


The inter-breeding between the two species shows that the animals are adapting to climate change and the hybridization can make the fishes stronger, the scientists said. They also said that hybridization can enable sharks to adapt to ecological change as the smaller Australian black-tip currently favors tropical waters in the north, while the larger common black-tip is more abundant in sub-tropical and temperate waters along the south-eastern Australian coastline.

This all is very alarming as the ecology is getting destroyed by man at a fast pace. So much so, that the majestic sharks have to adapt to new ways in order to survive. As if killing of creatures in water was not enough, man has almost destroyed the sea waters. Even the river waters have not been spared and the fish are being killed continuously. It’s a wonder why we humans don’t understand that if the ecology is destroyed, we all will be destroyed and there will be nothing left on this once beautiful earth to see, eat, and drink, forget hunting of innocent and helpless animals.





Courtesy:TOI

Bees Die in Millions near Coffee Bars

Honey bees are making a beeline for disposed paper cups instead of flowers, and it’s killing them, a study has found. The researchers said that the number of used plastic cups in these bars ranges from about 160 to 7,000 – an average of about 1,225 cups a day. The researchers also said they recorded the death of 25,211 bees in coffee bars over 30 days. The mean death rate varies with the depth of the garbage bin with cups, quantity of residual beverages, location of the sampled bars and visiting time. Maximum mortality ( 23% ) was recorded between 10 am and 2 pm in the cups with 3ml – 6ml beverage remains found at a depth of 20cm – 40cm in garbage bins.


Later, the cups were sent to recycling yard, where about 680 bees a day were killed manually to escape stinging. The observation also revealed that that bees need large quantities ( 300 cups ) of sugar-coated cups and longer duration ( 120 days – 150 days ) of display to select new coffee bars as foraging sites. But once visited, they were regular.

It was said that the killing of bees in such a manner has been reported in many countries, including India, but there is limited scientific data. There are about 1.3 billion and 800 million cups of coffee and tea consumed daily around the world by using millions of disposable cups. The bees neglect visiting flowers and are attracted by the residual sugar in the cups. This kind of foraging shift is common in honey bees, which enjoy short-term memory that acts as a fast adaptation to changing profitability of food sources. If we did not do anything about it soon, most of the bees are going to perish creating a huge imbalance in the eco-system.