Come enjoy the MDC Kendall Campus’ Environmental Center and help your child learn how to avoid being bitten by an unfriendly dog.
Dog bites are preventable! Children simply need to be shown how to approach and respond to an unfamiliar dog. Trainers from the South Dade Kennel Club have joined with the Miami Dade College Environmental Center on Kendall Campus to present free dog bite prevention lessons for children and parents on Saturday, May 12th, 2012. For more information call 305-237-0905

For further details Humane Society of Greater Miami

Limpkin eggs. (Credit: Don Hurlbert, Smithsonian)

ScienceDaily (Apr. 5, 2012) —
Smithsonian scientists and their colleagues have uncovered a new threat posed by invasive Burmese pythons in Florida and the Everglades: The snakes are not only eating the area’s birds, but also the birds’ eggs straight from the nest. The results of this research add a new challenge to the area’s already heavily taxed native wildlife. The team’s findings are published in the online journal Reptiles & Amphibians: Conservation and Natural History.

Burmese pythons, native to southern Asia, have taken up a comfortable residence in the state of Florida, especially in the Everglades. In addition to out-competing native wildlife for resources and habitat, the pythons are eating the native wildlife. Burmese pythons (Python molurus bivittatus) were first recorded in the Everglades in 1979 — thought to be escaped or discarded pets. Their numbers have since grown, with an estimated breeding population in Florida in the tens of thousands.

In an ongoing study to better understand the impact of this snake in the Everglades, scientists from the Smithsonian Institution, the National Park Service and others have been examining the contents of the digestive tracts of pythons in the area. They have shown that Burmese pythons consume at least 25 different species of birds in the Everglades, but until now no records documented this species eating bird eggs.

“This finding is significant because it suggests that the Burmese python is not simply a sit-and-wait predator, but rather is opportunistic enough to find the nests of birds,” said Carla Dove, ornithologist at the Smithsonian’s Feather Identification Lab in the National Museum of Natural History and lead author of the study. “Although the sample size is small, these findings suggest that the snakes have the potential to negatively affect the breeding success of native birds.”

Scientists collected a 14-pound male python that was 8 1/2 feet long near a property with free-ranging guineafowl. The snake regurgitated 10 whole guineafowl eggs soon after it was captured. The team discovered the remains of two bird eggs in another python collected for the study―a 30-pound female more than 10 feet long. Scientists used DNA tests on the membrane of the crushed eggs and comparisons of the shell fragments with egg specimens in the Smithsonian’s collection to determine what the female snake had eaten. Their research revealed the species to be the limpkin (Aramus guarauna), a large wading bird found in marshes and listed as a “species of special concern” by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

There are several species of snake known to eat bird eggs. Those species are equipped with pointed or blade-like extensions on the vertebrae in their esophagus that punctures the eggshell, making it easy for the snake to crush the egg and digest its contents. Burmese pythons do not have these adaptations. However, the pythons studied were so large in relation to the eggs they ingested that the scientists believe these specialized vertebrae may not have been needed.

“Our observations confirm that invasive Burmese pythons consume not only adult birds but also eggs, revealing a previously unrecognized risk from this introduced predator to nesting birds,” said Dove. “How frequently they are predating on bird eggs is hard to know.”

In an earlier stage of the study, the scientists collected more than 300 Burmese pythons in Everglades National Park and found that birds, from the 5-inch-long house wren to the 4-foot-long great blue heron, accounted for 25 percent of the python’s diet in the Everglades.

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Smithsonian.

Mega Match-a-Thon, the 24-hour weekend pet adoption fair at Tropical Park, found new homes for more than 240 cats and dogs.

More than half of the animals placed — 125 — came from the Miami-Dade County Animal Services shelter, said director Alex Munoz. Another 56 came from the Humane Society of Greater Miami Adopt-a-Pet and 59 came from rescue groups.

“We had hundreds of people lined up before 12 midnight Friday night to adopt our pets,’’ Munoz said. “The weather in the late afternoon on Saturday presented a serious challenge and flooded much of the event and destroyed some groups’ booths and presentations. Despite the difficulties….the event was very well attended and folks kept coming even after the rain…’’

Partial funding for the event came from the ASPCA.

Copyright 2012 The Miami Herald. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/04/02/2728078/24-adopt-a-thon-places-240-animals.html#storylink=cpy
By Elinor J. Brecher
ebrecher@MiamiHerald.com

Dallas Seavey

Dallas Seavey became the youngest winner ever of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race on Tuesday.

Seavey, who turned 25 during this year’s race, was the first musher to reach Nome, arriving in the Bering Sea coastal community at 7:29 p.m. local time Tuesday.

The previous youngest winner was Rick Swenson, the race’s only five-time champion, who won his first title in 1977 at age 26. Swenson, now 61, is running in the middle of the pack this year.

Kevin Horan/Getty Images

Miami-Dade Animal Services, The Humane Society of Greater Miami, and The Cat Network, Inc. will participate in the first ever ASPCA “Mega Match-a-Thon” 24-hour event, beginning March 30th at 11:59 p.m., in Tropical Park.

Join the nationwide effort to save lives of shelter animals. More than 500 animals will be on site waiting to be adopted for fees as low as $30 with tag included.

Call 3-1-1 for more information.

A new study from the Morris Animal Foundation is seeking to uncover the causes of canine cancer and possible ways to beat the disease.

The Golden Retriever Lifetime Study, the first study in the Morris Animal Foundation’s Canine Lifetime Health Project, is designed to better prevent, diagnose and treat cancer and other cancer disease.

The study will last 10 to 14 years, and is boasted to be the largest and longest observational study ever to improve the health of dogs.

The study will target 3,000 Golden Retrievers within the contiguous United States. Dogs must be healthy and under 2 years of age at the time of enrollment. They must also prove a three-generation Golden Retriever pedigree.

The breed was chosen because of its higher prevalence of cancer and other various diseases.

Chief Scientific Officer of the Foundation, Wayne Jensen, DVM, says that in choosing the Golden Retriever as a subject, the Foundation will help other breeds as well.

“Goldens have a high rate of these diseases,” Jensen said. “Many times, causes of these diseases transcend breeds. We firmly believe that with that many dogs, we will get lots of information about other diseases as well.”

Jensen says finding the right golden retriever owner is key to the success of the study. More than half of Golden Retrievers die from cancer – finding owners dedicated to improving the health of the breed is a vital part of the study, Jensen says.

“We want to target the person whose first golden retriever may have died of cancer,” Jensen said. “The most important part is picking the owner in the first place.”

The Foundation will start by enlisting the help of veterinarians first. As the study develops, the Foundation plans to reach back out to pet owners.

“Our primary effort is reaching out to veterinarians,” Jensen said.

Veterinarians often know which owners will be committed enough to stick with the study for a long period of time. In his own practice, Jensen and his wife have many Golden Retriever owners who might make good participants in the study, he said.

“In our AAHA-accredited practice, we have quite a few committed Golden Retriever owners,” Jensen said. “It’s very important that veterinarians find owners that are committed to sticking it out.”

Dogs can be enrolled at any point over the next two years.

Owners must agree to participate in the study for the lifetime of the dog, and must also select a veterinarian who agrees to participate as well. If an owner should move to a different location in the contiguous United States, they will be encouraged to find a participating veterinarian in their new location.

“Retention of study participants is key,” Jensen said. “My goal is to not lose a single dog.”

Jensen said owners will need to fill out exhaustive questionnaires online about their Golden Retrievers. Questions asked will include details such as what the dog is fed, where it sleeps, what type of material it sleeps on, how much exercise it gets, where it spends the majority of its time and travel history, among others.

Veterinarians will go online to enter information as well. Though the dog will only need to visit the veterinarian once a year, the veterinarian will be asked to report the findings online and collect annual samples of blood, urine, feces, hair and toenail clippings and ship them to participating laboratories. When applicable, veterinarians will also need to take tumor tissue samples and ship them for evaluation.

“We really believe we will be able to identify ways to prevent cancer,” Jensen said.

The pilot study is scheduled to begin in April. The Foundation plans to enroll 50 dogs in its month-long pilot project then.

“This is an opportunity for veterinarians to participate in a never-done before study,” Jensen said. “The enthusiasm has been great.”

Jensen says he and the Foundation envision future studies down the line.

“This is the first study,” Jensen said. “I fully expect it not to be the last.”

Produced by AAHA, publishers of Trends magazine, JAAHA, AAHA Press, NEWStat, PetsMatter and HealthyPet.com

This is "Julius," a baby orangutan saved from an illegal trader in North Sumatra, Indonesia. He is expected to be released back into the wild in the near future. (Credit: WCS)

ScienceDaily (Feb. 23, 2012) — The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and the Sumatran Orangutan Conservation Programme (SOCP) has just announced Sumatra’s first ever successful sentence of an illegal orangutan owner and trader in Medan, North Sumatra, Indonesia.

The seven-month prison sentence is only the third for Indonesia, despite orangutans being strictly protected under Indonesian law since 1924.

Although there have been over 2,500 confiscations of illegally held orangutans in Indonesia since the early 1970′s, the first actual prosecution of an illegal orangutan owner occurred in Borneo in 2010, and now in Sumatra with this case in 2012.

The case began with the confiscation of a young male orangutan named Julius last July in Mardinding, Karo District, in the province of North Sumatra. The owner was allegedly trying to sell the orangutan, which was believed to be three years old.

The raid was conducted by the Indonesian Ministry of Forestry’s Directorate-General for Forest Protection and Nature Conservation (PHKA), working in conjunction with WCS’s Wildlife Crime Unit and the veterinarian and staff of the SOCP.

The Wildlife Crime Unit, created by WCS in 2003 and funded by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and other donors, provides data and technical advice to law enforcement agencies to support the investigation and prosecution of wildlife crimes.

The SOCP, implemented by the Swiss-based PanEco Foundation, and the Indonesian NGO YEL (Foundation for a Sustainable Ecosystem) have operated the only orangutan rescue center in Sumatra since 2001 and have so far reintroduced over 150 confiscated ex-pet orangutans back to the wild. Julius is now being cared for at the SOCP’s orangutan quarantine center near Medan, with just over 50 other orangutans also being prepared for a return to the forest. After spending 30 days in quarantine, Julius is now living in a socialization cage, which allows him to adapt to the presence of other orangutans. Though the road to full rehabilitation might still be a long one, Julius is making excellent progress and is expected to be released back into the wild in the future.

The sentence reflects an increase in activity and action to combat the illegal wildlife trade in Indonesia in recent years. In the last two years there have been more than 20 arrests for illegally possessing or trading protected wildlife, including the critically endangered Sumatran tiger and pangolin.

The prosecution is in full compliance with the Indonesian Government’s own National Orangutan Conservation Strategy and Action plan, launched in 2007.

The majority of illegal pet orangutans are a byproduct of forest clearance for palm oil plantations and of conflicts between farmers and orangutans that raid crops in converted agricultural areas. In most cases, they are not hunted specifically for food or trade in Sumatra, but are more “refugees” from forests that no longer exist.

Conservationists believe Julius’s mother was killed at the time of his capture. Relatively few orangutans are actively traded in Sumatra, but the SOCP and PHKA still confiscate around 30 illegal pets each year, whose mothers have been killed.

The Head of Natural Resources Conservancy Agency (BBKSDA) North Sumatra, Arief Tongkagie, said: “Based on the successful completion of this case, our hope is that in the future more people will be willing to report crimes against orangutans.”

According to Panut, Chairman of the Sumatran Orangutan Conservation Forum (FOKUS): “Increased efforts to curb crimes against orangutans will provide a deterrent effect to traders.”

The Wildlife Conservation Society is actively trying to reduce the damaging impact of the illegal wildlife trade.

“We commend Indonesia’s Ministry of Forestry’s Directorate-General for Forest Protection and Nature Conservation (PHKA) for taking a hard stance on wildlife trade, which is threatening to destroy the country’s natural resources,” said Dr Noviar Andayani, Director of the WCS Indonesia Program. “We are hopeful that this prosecution sends a clear message that illegal wildlife trade will not be tolerated in Indonesia.”

Live orangutans sold in Indonesia, or exported illegally to neighboring countries, are kept as pets or in private collections. Other wildlife traded for food, medicines, skins, biomedical research, souvenirs and pets from Indonesia include rhinos, elephants, tigers, birds, bears, orchids, marine and freshwater fish, turtles, fragrant timber, pangolins, corals, snakes, bats, sharks, and rodents.

“Working closely with law enforcement is a key component in the fight against illegal wildlife trade,” said Joe Walston, WCS Executive Director for Asia programs. “If governments want to protect their wildlife resources, they need to be serious about enforcement. Clearly Indonesia is taking a lead on this front.”

Ian Singleton, Director of Conservation for the PanEco Foundation and the person in charge of the SOCP, said: “It’s absolutely fantastic to finally have a prosecution of an illegal orangutan ‘owner’ in Sumatra, but it’s also long overdue. With this sentence, as long as it is widely publicized in the region, anyone considering capturing, killing or keeping an orangutan illegally will certainly think twice about it, and hopefully the numbers being killed and kept in the coming years will begin to decline.”

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Wildlife Conservation Society, via Newswise.

This euphoric event is sure to tantalize your palates with the delectable tastes of the most extraordinary dishes created by some of South Florida’s most renowned fine food establishments.

VIP Beastkeeper Party
Saturday, January 28, 2012, 7 PM – 11 PM
At The Home of Irene Korge in Pinecrest, FL

VIP Beastkeeper Passport:
$500 per person

*Exclusive admission to VIP Party on Saturday, January 28, 2012
*Includes Early admission to Feaster VIP Cocktail Reception, 7 – 8:30 PM, & admission to Main Event 8 PM – Midnight.

Main Event
Friday, March 2, 2012, 8 PM – 12 AM
At Zoo Miami, 12400 SW 152 Street, Miami, FL 33177

Feaster VIP Cocktail Reception and Main Event Ticket:
$225 per person

*Includes Early admission to Feaster VIP Cocktail Reception, 7 – 8:30 PM, & admission to Main Event 8 PM – Midnight.

Feaster Ticket:
$175 per person (Admission to Main Event only)

*8:00 PM to Midnight along the path of Zoo Miami
*40 amazing restaurants and caterers
*Full dessert and coffee buffet
*8 open bars
*Wild animal encounters
*Dazzling entertainment & music
*Ron Magill’s Spectacular Dance Party (10 PM – Midnight)
*Attire: Safari chic

Tickets purchased on or after Friday, February 24, 2012 will be held at WILL CALL.

Attendees MUST be at least 21 years of age.
Valid photo ID required.

Schaumburg, IL

— It is estimated that 80 percent of people brush their teeth every day, but far fewer pet owners do the same for their pets. Pet Dental Health Month, celebrated every February, teaches pet owners proper dental hygiene is equally as important for their pets.

“Most people have no idea that dental health is so important to their pets, and that’s why Pet Dental Health Month is such a great idea,” explains Dr. Larry Corry, president of the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA). “In fact, veterinarians report that periodontal disease is the most commonly diagnosed problem in dogs and cats. This can lead to painful infections of the mouth, and in severe cases these infections can spread and become life-threatening conditions. During Pet Dental Health Month, the AVMA is encouraging all dog and cat owners to regularly brush their pet’s teeth and regularly see their veterinarian for checkups.”

The AVMA, a sponsor of Pet Dental Health Month, offers an informative video giving step-by-step instructions on how to brush your pet’s teeth. The Pet Dental Month Web site, www.petdental.com, includes tips from a veterinary expert on pet dental health, Dr. Brook Niemiec.

“Periodontal disease, an infection of the gums, is incredibly common in pets, and it can be quite serious,” explains Dr. Niemiec, a board certified veterinary dental specialist. “It’s estimated that by the age of two, 80 percent of dogs and 70 percent of cats have some form of periodontal disease. Periodontal infections have been linked to diabetes, heart attacks, strokes, kidney disease and other life threatening disorders. The best way to prevent periodontal disease is by regularly brushing your pet’s teeth and by regularly visiting your veterinarian.”

For more information, please visit www.avma.org, and to show off your pet’s pearly whites upload their photos at the AVMA Flickr site Pearly White Pets.

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The AVMA, founded in 1863, is one of the oldest and largest veterinary medical organizations in the world. More than 80,000 member veterinarians are engaged in a wide variety of professional activities. AVMA members are dedicated to advancing the science and art of veterinary medicine including its relationship to public health and agriculture. Visit the AVMA Web site at www.avma.org to learn more about veterinary medicine and animal care and to access up-to-date information on the association’s issues, policies and activities.