Japan's oldest elephant dies, aged 69

Yahoo – AFP, Natsuko Fukue, May 27, 2016

Hanako, which means "Flower Child" in Japanese, became something of a
cause celebre last year following an international campaign to improve the ageing
pachyderm's cramped living conditions (AFP Photo)

Tokyo (AFP) - Japanese animal lovers were mourning the death of the country's oldest elephant, Hanako, on Friday, who passed away "quietly" aged 69 after triggering protests over her captivity.

Hanako, which means "Flower Child" in Japanese, became something of a cause celebre last year following an international campaign to improve the ageing pachyderm's cramped living conditions.

The cause of death was not immediately known, zookeepers told AFP, adding that an autopsy would be conducted later in the day and that the animal's body is to be donated to medical research.

According to Guinness World Records, the oldest known elephant was Lin Wang, an Asian elephant who lived until the grand old age of 86 and died in 2003 at Taipei Zoo. Captive elephants have a life expectancy of 40-plus years.

Hanako passed away on Thursday after 20 zoo staff members attempted to

 raise her to her feet by rope, a common technique used when elephants remain 

lying on the floor (AFP Photo)

Mourners flocked to Tokyo's Inokashira Park Zoo to pay their respects on Friday with more than 70 condolence cards left for Hanako by well-wishers.

"Fans are visiting the park to place flowers in front of Hanako's enclosure," said Hiroshi Mashima, in charge of information and education at the zoo.

Hanako passed away on Thursday after 20 zoo staff members attempted to raise her to her feet by rope, a common technique used when elephants remain lying on the floor, according to Mashima.

Elephants die if they lie on their side for a prolonged period of time as it can crush their internal organs, Mashima added.

"She passed away quietly and calmly," Kiyoshi Nagai, head of the zoo, was quoted as saying by Japan's Kyodo news agency.

"It's truly a pity. She was the most beloved elephant in Japan."

In this Jan. 27, 2016, file photo, a zoo attendant feeds Hanako the elephant at 

Inokashira Park Zoo on the outskirts of Tokyo. The elderly elephant that set off a

 petition drive to move her out of her concrete pen in a small zoo in Japan died 

Thursday, May 26 at age 69. Hanako, or "flower child," was a gift from the Thai

 government in 1949 and lived in Inokashira Park Zoo in Tokyo since she was 2.

 She was Japan's oldest elephant and had a long life for captive Asian elephants.

(AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko, File)

Hanako, who lived longer than the average 55-60-year life span of wild elephants, became a media star last year after a heart-wrenching blog post by a Canadian animal rights activist led to an online petition.

"I was shocked and dismayed to see the conditions of her confinement first-hand," wrote Ulara Nakagawa.

"Totally alone in a small, barren, cement enclosure, with absolutely no comfort or stimulation provided, she just stood there almost lifeless, like a figurine."

The post, along with a photo of a sad-looking Hanako, went viral as more than 400,000 people signed the "Help Hanako" petition.

Hanako was brought to Japan in 1949 when she was two years old as a gift from the Thai government and her story was turned into children's books and a television drama.

Hanako also had a dark past, stomping on a drunk man who sneaked into her enclosure at night in 1956 and a zookeeper some years later, forcing zookeepers to keep her chained up for around six months.

Baby bison put down after tourists put it in their car

Yahoo – AFP, May 16, 2016

Yellowstone is the only place in the United States where bison have lived
continuously since prehistoric times (AFP Photo/John MacDougall)

Los Angeles (AFP) - A bison put in a car by tourists because it looked like it was cold had to be put down, officials at Yellowstone National Park said on Monday.

The tourists loaded the animal into their trunk last week and drove it to a ranger station after taking a photograph that prompted a backlash on social media.

The newborn had to be euthanized because its mother had rejected it as a result of "interference by people," officials said.

"In this case, park rangers tried repeatedly to reunite the newborn bison calf with the herd. These efforts failed," the park said in a statement on its website.

"The bison calf was later euthanized because it was abandoned and causing a dangerous situation by continually approaching people and cars along the roadway."

Animals, they’re not just like us. A father and son arrived at  Lamar Buffalo Ranch

 in Wyoming on Monday, with a bison calf in the back of their SUV. They believed

 that the bison was cold and in danger, so they decided to kidnap the animal and

bring it to a park ranger.

The park berated visitors for taking selfies and recording video near the bison, flouting regulations demanding people stay at least 25 yards (23 meters) away.

"In a recent viral video, a visitor approached within an arm's length of an adult bison in the Old Faithful area," it said of the park's famous geyser. "Another video featured visitors posing for pictures with bison at extremely unsafe and illegal distances."

Five visitors were seriously injured last year after approaching bison too closely, the park said.

In the latest incident, a father and son transported the bison calf in their Toyota Sequoia to a ranger station in the park's northeast corner, a witness told the online East Idaho News.

"They were demanding to speak with a ranger. They were seriously worried that the calf was freezing and dying," said Karen Richardson, one of several parents chaperoning a group of fifth-graders on a field trip.

A grizzly bear and her two cubs approach the carcass of a bison in Yellowstone

 National Park in Wyoming, United States, July 6, 2015. Reuters/Jim Urquhart/File Photo

The website quoted another parent who told the tourists to remove the bison from their car, warning they could be in trouble.

"They didn't care," he said. "They sincerely thought they were doing a service and helping that calf by trying to save it from the cold."

Critics shared the picture of the calf in the car on Twitter, scolding the "dumbass," "stupid" and "idiotic" tourists.

Yellowstone is the only place in the United States where bison have lived continuously since prehistoric times.

The park is home to 4,900 of the animals, which it says injure more people than any of its other animals.

Two escaped tigers returned to Dutch refuge: police

Yahoo – AFP, May 14, 2016

Vets equipped with tranquiliser guns and a police helicopter combed the area
 around the village of Oldeberkoop in the northern Netherlands where the animal
shelter is located (AFP Photo/Karen Bleier)

The Hague (AFP) - Two Bengal tigers that escaped Saturday from a big cat shelter in the Netherlands have been recaptured after about four hours on the loose, Dutch authorities said.

The two tigers named Radja and Delhi were found roaming the wooded area near the refuge from which they escaped by crawling under a fence, ANP news agency reported, citing local police.

A police officer stands guard in 
Nijeberkoop, northern Netherlands on
May 14, 2016 during a search to find
two tigers that escaped from a big cat
shelter (AFP Photo/Jacob Van Essen)

Veterinarians equipped with tranquiliser guns and police helicopters had launched an urgent search around the northern village of Oldeberkoop for the felines.

After several attempts to capture them, the animals were anaesthetised and confirmed to be "in a very deep sleep," Jan Graafstra, a police officer involved in the operation, wrote on Twitter.

Several men then carried the two big cats, each weighing around 150 kilos (330 pounds), back to their cages in the refuge in big cloth sacks with carrying handles, Dutch public television NOS reported.

"There was never any danger for local residents," who had been warned about the escaped tigers, local mayor Harry Oosterman told ANP.

The Felida big cat rescue centre takes in animals in need of protection from possible abuse or neglect as those of advanced years.

Radja and Delhi originally came from a private German zoo, whose cash-strapped owner could no longer afford to feed them.

The goal is to eventually transfer them to a sanctuary in South Africa.

The lions, with names such as Zeus and Shakira, were freed after the use of

wild animals in circuses was outlawed in Peru in 2011 and Colombia in 2013

(AFP Photo/Cris Bouroncle)

Related Article:

33 rescued lions flown from Peru to S. Africa

Dog Owners Mirror Their Pet's Heart Rate, Helping To Reduce Stress

HuffPost Australia, Julia Naughton,  01/05/2016

For years we’ve heard about the health benefits of dog ownership: reduced heart rate, stronger immunity and higher self-esteem.

But new research suggests not only does our heart rate become lower when in the company of our furry friend -- but so too does the dog’s -- to the point where both heart rhythms mirror one another.

The experiment, sponsored by Pedigree, saw three Australian dog owners separated, and then reunited with their pet to see what kind of effect they had on each other’s heart rate.

“There was a really strong coherence in the heart rate pattern of both the owner and dog. Upon being reunited within the first minute, each heart rhythm became almost directly aligned and we saw a reduction straight away,” Mia Cobb, canine scientist and demonstration co-conductor told The Huffington Post Australia.

While a lowered heart rate for the owner was expected, Cobb said the results were surprising and show the way in which both the owner and dog experience reduced levels of stress when in contact with each other.

“This project is a really good illustration of what most owners experience every night when they come home from work and are reunited with their companion,” Cobb said.

Watch the Australian-first #HeartsAligned demonstration (BYO tissues).

But this response isn’t only limited to dogs.

“We could certainly see the same effect with a cat, lizard or bird. It comes back to the kind of personal connection we have with our animals,” Cobb said.

And as far as other people’s pets go, Cobb said we’d likely experience the same response though it is more pronounced when the animal is known to you.

“This kind of effect of experiencing a lowered heart rate makes a significant difference to our overall wellbeing. If we can decrease our heart rate by hanging out with our animals, that’s something that can really benefit the community,” Cobb said.

The #HeartsAligned campaign aims to celebrate the positive bond Australians have with their animals.

Related Articles:

Matthew message (Channelled by Suzanne Ward, March 20, 2016)

Kryon Q&A

Question: Dear Kryon: I live in Spain. I am sorry if I will ask you a question you might have already answered, but the translations of your books are very slow and I might not have gathered all information you have already given. I am quite concerned about abandoned animals. It seems that many people buy animals for their children and as soon as they grow, they set them out somewhere. Recently I had the occasion to see a small kitten in the middle of the street. I did not immediately react, since I could have stopped and taken it, without getting out of the car. So, I went on and at the first occasion I could turn, I went back to see if I could take the kitten, but it was to late, somebody had already killed it. This happened some month ago, but I still feel very sorry for that kitten. I just would like to know, what kind of entity are these animals and how does this fit in our world. Are these entities which choose this kind of life, like we do choose our kind of Human life? I see so many abandoned animals and every time I see one, my heart aches... I would like to know more about them.

Answer: Dear one, indeed the answer has been given, but let us give it again so you all understand. Animals are here on earth for three (3) reasons.

(1) The balance of biological life. . . the circle of energy that is needed for you to exist in what you call "nature."

(2) To be harvested. Yes, it's true. Many exist for your sustenance, and this is appropriate. It is a harmony between Human and animal, and always has. Remember the buffalo that willingly came into the indigenous tribes to be sacrificed when called? These are stories that you should examine again. The inappropriateness of today's culture is how these precious creatures are treated. Did you know that if there was an honoring ceremony at their death, they would nourish you better? Did you know that there is ceremony that could benefit all of humanity in this way. Perhaps it's time you saw it.

(3) To be loved and to love. For many cultures, animals serve as surrogate children, loved and taken care of. It gives Humans a chance to show compassion when they need it, and to have unconditional love when they need it. This is extremely important to many, and provides balance and centering for many.

Do animals know all this? At a basic level, they do. Not in the way you "know," but in a cellular awareness they understand that they are here in service to planet earth. If you honor them in all three instances, then balance will be the result. Your feelings about their treatment is important. Temper your reactions with the spiritual logic of their appropriateness and their service to humanity. Honor them in all three cases.

Circus elephants' retirement home promises pampered life

Yahoo – AFP, Kerry Sheridan, May 2, 2016

An elderly elephant named Mysore gets a pedicure at the Ringling Bros. and
Barnum and Bailey Center for Elephant Conservation in Polk City, Florida on March 8,
2016 (AFP Photo/Kerry Sheridan)

Polk City (United States) (AFP) - When Mysore performed in the Ringling Brothers' traveling circus, she waltzed, she hooked her trunk onto another elephant's tail, and she stood on her hind legs in a line for a trick known as the long mount.

Now at the age of about 70 -- and one of the oldest Asian elephants in the world -- Mysore is retired at the circus's refuge in central Florida, where she gets weekly pedicures, daily baths, naps on a giant dirt pile, eats ground-up hay and more than six loaves of wheat bread a day.

"Boy, she loves the bread," says Janice Aria, the director of animal stewardship at the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Center for Elephant Conservation, where Mysore arrived in 2006.

This week, the remaining 11 elephants that traveled in the Ringling Brothers circus will join Mysore and 27 other pachyderms in retirement, ending a 145-year tradition of elephants performing in the circus.

"It is sad. You feel it is the end of an era," says long-time trainer Trudy Williams.

The circus has faced torrents of criticism from animal rights groups, including widely circulated videos from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals that show a male handler hitting elephants with a pointed-stick, known as an ankus, before a performance.

Ringling Brothers was also embroiled in a 14-year lawsuit in which animal rights groups alleged the circus was mistreating its herd.

The case was eventually thrown out after a lead witness was found to have been paid for his testimony by animal rights groups.

By 2014, the plaintiffs, including the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and the Humane Society, had been ordered to pay the circus $25 million to reimburse its legal fees.

A pair of female elephants stand together on March 8, 2016 in their enclosure at

 the Ringling Bros. Center for Elephant Conservation in Polk City, Florida, where

circus elephants retire (AFP Photo/Kerry Sheridan)

'Outlawed' tool

What finally ended the shows for traveling elephants were the actions of a handful of local municipalities in California, Massachusetts and Virginia that banned circus trainers from using the ankus, a stick about two feet long (0.6 meters) with metal hooks on the end.

Handlers employed by Ringling Brothers maintain that the tool is not used to harm to elephants -- which typically weigh 8,000 pounds (3,600 kilograms) -- but merely to signal them and give them tactile directions.

"You just don't stand around one of these animals without one of these tools," says Aria.

The logistics of being able to perform with elephants in some cities but not others became too much, Aria says, and the circus announced it would end elephant participation in its shows in 2016, two years earlier than planned.

Retirement life

The Ringling Brothers herd is the largest in the western hemisphere for Asian elephants, listed as an endangered species by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, which says 40,000-50,000 exist in the world in highly fragmented populations.

The Polk City conservation facility rests on 200 acres (80 hectares) of land in central Florida where orange groves are a common crop.

It opened in 1995 as a place to keep the herd, to breed and raise young ones -- 26 babies were born here -- and to shelter those who simply "never took a shine to circus life," says Aria.

Female elephants are usually paired up and kept in fields that are fenced in with thin electrical wire.

A train car that used to transport elephants from city to city for the circus is parked

 March 8, 2016 at the Ringling Bros. Center for Elephant Conservation in Polk City,

Florida (AFP Photo/Kerry Sheridan)

Because of her age, Mysore stays in her own pen.

The males, which like to fight and spar with others, are kept alone behind sturdier bars. Their sperm is collected for breeding purposes, and sometimes a female is put into their enclosure for breeding, or they are sent out to other facilities to mate.

Here, the elephants are fed 2.5 tons of hay daily, and up to 800 pounds of fruit, veggies and greens. They are led into a barn in the afternoon, and chained for the night.

Aria says the elephants are so used to these tethers that they won't relax or eat without them.

But the facility has its critics, and many in the community of people who deal with elephants -- from zoos to sanctuaries to researchers of elephants in the wild -- are divided about what it means to treat elephants well.

"Their environment needs to stimulate them. That particular piece of property is not an environment that would stimulate an elephant," says Carol Buckley, who was part of a team that inspected the Polk City facility several years ago for the lawsuit.

"It is like a stockyard. It is flat, square, boring," says Buckley, who advocates for female-only elephant sanctuaries in which the animals are not dominated by humans and contact with people is kept to a minimum.

But Ringling Brothers trainer Erik Montgomery says people need to know how to live with elephants.

"The truth of the matter is elephants -– especially Asian elephants -- are not going to be around in the future without people's help, without being in responsible, man-managed facilities," he says.

"As long as we can enrich their lives and have a relationship with them -- and enrich our own lives in the process -- I think that is the way to go."

Mysore -- who was born in India and named after a city there before being shipped to the United States in 1947 -- is a prime example of an elephant living a long and healthy life in the care of humans, Montgomery says.

"Without that human intervention, she wouldn't be here today," he adds.

33 rescued lions flown from Peru to S. Africa

Yahoo – AFP, Moises Avila, April 30, 2016

The lions, with names such as Zeus and Shakira, were freed after the use of
wild animals in circuses was outlawed in Peru in 2011 and Colombia in 2013
(AFP Photo/Cris Bouroncle)

Lima (AFP) - More than 30 lions rescued from abuse in Peruvian and Colombian circuses were flown Friday to South Africa, in what campaigners called the largest-ever airlift of big cats.

The 33 lions, with names such as Zeus and Shakira, were freed after the use of wild animals in circuses was outlawed in Peru in 2011 and Colombia in 2013.

The Colombian circuses gave up the

 lions voluntarily but police had to launch

 raids to free the lions in Peru (AFP

Photo/Cris Bouroncle)

Saved from the lion tamer's whip, they have been rounded up with the help of authorities by Animal Defenders International (ADI), an animal rights charity.

"It's truly wonderful that these lions, after a lifetime of suffering and abuse in circuses, are going home to Africa," said the president of ADI, Jan Creamer.

"All of the lions when they arrive from the circuses have health problems, parasites, disease," she added.

"All of their lives they haven't had enough food, so they have long-term malnutrition problems."

Recent months have been spent in straw-lined cages in a refuge north of Lima, however, they have been well fed and are in generally good health, Creamer said.

Twenty-four lions rescued in Peru were driven from their temporary rescue center to Lima airport to be picked up by a cargo plane that brought another nine over from Colombia.

Late Friday, the airlift took off, transporting the big cats to their new life.

"We are on our way!" read a post on the ADI website.

"The 33 lions are on board the ADI Spirit Of Freedom Flight, on route to their wonderful new lives at Emoya Big Cat Sanctuary, South Africa."

Graphic, including map, illustrating how lions from circuses in Peru and

 Colombia are to be released into a game park in South Africa (AFP Photo/

Tamara Hoha)

The contingent of big cats includes Shakira, named after the Colombian pop singer. Her minders say she likes to play with a tire and eat watermelons.

From one of 10 Peruvian circuses comes "Ricardo, the one-eyed lion" and from another "Joseph, the almost-blind lion."

'Heading home to paradise'

Together, the 33 were to take a 15-hour flight to South Africa in travel cages inside the plane chartered by ADI.

They will arrive on Saturday in Johannesburg and be taken on to the Emoya Big Cat Sanctuary in the north of the country.

"The lions will be in their natural habitat for the first time in their lives," Creamer said. "They should fit right into that habitat. It's the best environment for them."

ADI says it is the biggest transfer of such large captive animals ever.

Workers carry a cage containing a former circus lion at the El Dorado Airport

 in Bogota, Colombia, April 29, 2016. Nine former circus lions will be taken to the

 Emoya Big Cat Sanctuary in South Africa where ADI (Animal Defenders 

International) officials said they will enjoy natural enclosures with drinking

pools, platforms and toys. Reuters/John Vizcaino

In the circuses the lions were poorly fed and trucked around in cages, the group said. The Colombian circuses gave up the nine lions voluntarily but police had to launch raids to free the lions in Peru.

The rescuers say that one of the Peru contingent, Smith, attacked a teacher from a school party when she was invited into his cage by a lion tamer.

"Almost all of the rescued lions have been mutilated to remove their claws, one has lost an eye, another is almost blind, and many have smashed and broken teeth so would not survive in the wild," ADI said in a statement.

At their new home, "the lions will enjoy large natural enclosures situated in pristine African bush, complete with drinking pools, platforms and toys," it added.

"The lion habitats will be steadily expanded over the coming months as the lions become familiar with their new life and are introduced to each other."

The cost of the transfer is $10,000 per cat, ADI said.

"These lions have endured hell on earth," Creamer said.

"Now they are heading home to paradise."

As the final lion boarded, we were ready to fly! https://t.co/saoaOdVjMh #lionsbacktoAfrica pic.twitter.com/2ZStgRJnEn

— ADI (@AnimalDefenders) April 29, 2016

Related Article:

Abused circus lions flown to new home in South African bush

#SpiritOfFreedomFlight is cleared for takeoff and we're off! Simba is taking a nap! https://t.co/saoaOdVjMh pic.twitter.com/eVrUB9Yq6Q

— ADI (@AnimalDefenders) April 29, 2016