Video of the Day: Inside A Kangaroo's Pouch

Officials at the Lincoln Children's Zoo in Nebraska got a rare look at two 16-week-old joeys inside their mother's pouch.

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Uganda's Mountain Gorillas Increase in Number

The most recent census of mountain gorillas in Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable National Park—one of only two places in the world where the rare gorillas exist—has found that the population has increased by 6 percent since the last census in 2002, according to the Uganda Wildlife Authority, the Wildlife Conservation Society, the Max Planck Institute of Anthropology and other groups that participated in the effort.

“This is great news for all of the organizations that have worked to protect Bwindi and its gorilla population,” says Wildlife Conservation Society researcher Alastair McNeilage, who is also the director of the Institute of Tropical Forest Conservation in Bwindi. “There are very few cases in this world where a small population of a endangered primates is actually increasing.”

According to the census, which also successfully used for the first time genetic samples from fecal specimens, Bwindi’s gorilla population now numbers 340 individual gorillas, up from 320 in 2002, and 300 in 1997.

The census was conducted between April and June 2006 to determine the size and makeup of the Bwindi population, in addition to their distribution and to gauge human impacts on the gorillas. During that time, survey teams set out with the intention of counting every family group in the population, a method possible only with small animal populations in a relatively small area; Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is approximately 127 square miles in size.

In addition to census methodologies such as counting trails and nests (gorillas construct a nest each night), researchers used genetic analyses as well, specifically because many of the groups were clustered in the same area of the park, which presented survey teams with the risk of double-counting the same individuals or groups. DNA analysis, however, allowed individuals to be identified and distinguished, even among groups which have never been seen by people.

Fecal specimens were analyzed at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany.

Researchers were encouraged by the overall growth of the population, showing an annual increase of one percent over the past decade. The age composition of the population shows a healthy distribution of adult and immature classes, including infants and juveniles. Other findings are that gorillas are not using the eastern side of the park, a possible result of human disturbances there. Particularly encouraging, however, is that one group of gorillas are starting to use the northern sector of the park for the first time in living memory.

Bwindi is also home to a thriving gorilla ecotourism program, which generates much needed foreign revenue for Uganda annually by bringing paying travelers into the company of mountain gorillas. Four of the 30 family groups are habituated for tourism, or conditioned to tolerate the presence of humans for short durations.


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AKC Polls 21st Century Dog Owners

Not surprisingly, 99% of owners surveyed stated the reason they own a dog is for companionship. And 88% of dog owners surveyed regard their dog as a beloved family member.

These are just a couple of results from the first-ever AKC 21st Century Dog Owners Study, focusing on the behaviors, attitudes and purchasing habits of dog owners.

"The study reveals that dog ownership heavily influences both lifestyle and purchasing habits. We found that owners consider their best friends 47% of the time when buying a car," says AKC spokeswoman Lisa Peterson. "And when it comes to toys, two out of three owners purchased an average of 9.3 balls for their dogs to play with in the past 12 months."

Highlights from the study include:

-- When asked about the benefits of dog ownership, 72% of owners credited their four-legged best friends with enhancing their own personal health.

-- Over half (51%) of dog owners surveyed stated that their dogs affect how they spend their leisure time.

-- The top activity enjoyed by dog owners is a good old-fashioned walk. Almost half (48%) declared that they enjoy leisurely strolls with their four legged best friends.

-- Owning a dog provides natural entertainment for the family, and watching a dog show on TV is very popular

-- 87% of dog owners say they enjoy watching dog shows.

-- Good fences make good neighbors -- and safe pets. Nearly two thirds of owners fence their yards to contain their pets in various ways, affirming their commitment to responsible dog ownership.

-- Most owners enjoy their canine companions as household pets, and almost half (48%) have owned a dog for 20 years or more.

-- Four out of 10 dog owners have made arrangements for their dogs in the event that they pass away before their dog does. Over half (67%) of respondents felt that the most common drawback against owning a dog is the potential for feeling sad when the dog dies.

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Judges Save Texas Horses From Slaughter

After four years of legal wrangling, the United States Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit ruled on Friday that Beltex Corporation and Dallas Crown, Inc., two horse slaughterhouses in Texas which slaughter horses and then sell the meat abroad for human consumption can be prosecuted for doing so under Texas state law, according to an organization working to protect the horses.

In 1949, and several times thereafter, the Texas legislature amended the state's Agriculture Code (Chapter 149) making it illegal to sell, possess and transport horse meat for sale for human consumption.

For the last 6 years, the Society for Animal Protective Legislation (SAPL) has led the fight to end horse slaughter in America. As part of its campaign to end horse slaughter for human consumption, SAPL worked with well-known Dallas Attorney Robert "Skip" Trimble on finding ways to have Texas state law enforced. The Texas Attorney General (now U.S. Senator John Cornyn), was asked to issue an opinion on the enforceability of Chapter 149. Mr. Cornyn declared that the law criminalizes the activities of the horse slaughter facilities in Texas and that it is in fact enforceable.

Fearing prosecution by Tarrant County District Attorney, Tim Curry, who was pursuing enforcement of the law, the horse slaughter facilities filed for an injunction in federal court to enjoin any prosecution of them arguing that the specific Texas state law at issue had been repealed, was preempted by federal law and violated the dormant Commerce Clause. The
United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas agreed and permanently enjoined District Attorney Curry from pursuing legal action against the horse slaughter facilities.
Finding the district court's reasoning "backward" and "flawed," the 5th Circuit ruled that Texas state law making it illegal to slaughter horses and sell or transfer horsemeat for human consumption is in effect and "survives the constitutional challenges raised by the slaughterhouses." In reaching its opinion and vacating the district court's permanent
injunction, the court found that ending horse slaughter will protect horses and prevent the problem of horse theft in America. The 5th Circuit flatly dismissed the district court's finding that the alternative measures Texas takes to protect horses are adequate to preserve and protect horses.

The district court's permanent injunction will not be lifted if the slaughterhouses seek a rehearing within 14 days. They also can try to seek certiorari from the United States Supreme Court within 90 days. "While this ruling is an important step in resolving this issue, it is not yet
concluded because the law protects the slaughterhouses' right to further review of this decision, just as with any litigant," notes Assistant Criminal District Attorney Ann Diamond who is handling the case for the Tarrant County Criminal District Attorney's Office.

"This ruling, while significant and just, is bittersweet because it hasn't stopped horse slaughter yet," says Chris Heyde, deputy legislative director of SAPL. "That end will come. I foresee an end to this brutal practice in Texas and elsewhere through the eventual enforcement of the
Texas law and adoption of the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act in the U.S. Congress."

"SAPL commends the Tarrant County District Attorney and his staff for their steadfast commitment to the law and protecting horses," notes Heyde. "While the DA's office continues to follow its case we urgently call on Congress to pass the pending federal legislation so that horse slaughter throughout the entire U.S. will be banned and export of horses to Mexico and elsewhere will be prohibited as well."


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Groups Come Together To Defend Foie Gras Ban

Farm Sanctuary, The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), Heartland Café, Bistro Campagne and two Chicago residents, Jana Kohl and Jennifer Martin, have filed a petition to intervene in a lawsuit over Chicago's foie gras ordinance. The groups are seeking to support the city of Chicago's humane ordinance which is being challenged in court by the Illinois Restaurant Association.

On April 26, the Chicago City Council voted by an overwhelming vote of 48 to 1 to ban the sale of foie gras in the city limits. The ordinance went into effect on Aug. 23. The restaurant association then filed a lawsuit against the city of Chicago seeking to invalidate the ordinance and obtain an injunction prohibiting its enforcement. The city of Chicago has already filed a motion to dismiss the case and supports this petition to intervene.

Says Gene Bauston, president of Farm Sanctuary, "The Chicago City Council voted to stop supporting animal cruelty by prohibiting the sale of an inhumane product. The City Council's decision benefits not only animals, but also compassionate Chicago residents. We intend to do everything we can to support the city's efforts to uphold the ordinance and we are confident the court will ultimately reject the restaurant association's self-interested attack on this humane law."

Foie gras (translated from French as "fatty liver") is produced by force-feeding ducks and geese two or three times each day through a pipe shoved down their throats. The force-feeding can cause painful bruising, lacerations, sores and even organ rupture. Due to this unhealthy and unnatural diet, the birds' livers become clinically diseased and can swell up to 10 times their normal size, making it difficult for the birds to walk or even breathe and many suffer a slow death before reaching slaughter. Experts assert the practice is abusive and cruel and examinations of birds following slaughter reveal ruptured esophagi and livers, grossly swollen and discolored livers and a host of internal and external infections.

"The more than 65,000 Chicagoans who count themselves as members and supporters of The Humane Society of the United States couldn't be prouder of the city's foie gras ordinance," says Michael Markarian, executive vice president of The HSUS. "The baseless attacks on this humane law are just as tough to swallow as the cruel force-feeding of ducks and geese."

More than a dozen countries have laws prohibiting foie gras production on ethical grounds and, in 2004, California passed the first U.S. law to end the production and sale of foie gras in the state. A Zogby poll conducted in September 2005 revealed 79 percent of likely voters in Illinois agree that foie gras production should be outlawed.

Additional information about foie gras, legislation banning its sale or production, as well as a list of restaurants and retail establishments -- including more than 200 in Illinois -- that have pledged to not serve the product, can be found at http://www.NoFoieGras.org.



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