Spain's Balearic Islands ban bull killing in corridas

Yahoo – AFP, July 24, 2017

Animal rights activists have welcomed a ban on the killing of bulls in Spain's
Balearic Islands -- but supporters of the centuries-old tradition have challenged
a move they say is illegal (AFP Photo/Jaime Reina, Jaime Reina)

Madrid (AFP) - Spain's Balearic Islands on Monday banned the killing of bulls in corridas in a decision feted by animal rights activists but decried by supporters of the controversial, centuries-old tradition.

While not prohibiting bullfighting outright, the regional parliament of the Spanish archipelago voted an animal protection law banning the use of "sharp implements that can injure and/or kill the bull" in the ring, effectively outlawing the slaughter of the animal.

The law also limits to three the number of animals that bullfighters can spar with, for a maximum duration of ten minutes per bull.

It also forces bullfighters and animals to take anti-doping tests before and after the corrida, and only allows people aged 18 and above to watch.

The Balearic Islands are not the only region to have banned or restricted bullfighting as an increasing number of Spaniards discard it as a cruel event.

But the measures have always come up against stiff resistance from supporters who see the tradition as an integral part of Spanish culture.

Last October, Spain's Constitutional Court cancelled a bullfighting ban in the northeastern region of Catalonia.

It argued that bullfighting was classified as part of Spain's heritage, and therefore a decision on banning it was a matter for the central government and not for semi-autonomous regions.

The Balearic Islands' decision attempts to circumvent this ruling.

"A cross-party group of politicians got creative to effectively ensure that the torture of bulls for public entertainment is relegated to the annals of history on the Balearic Islands," said Joanna Swabe of global animal rights group Humane Society International.

"This vote shows that a full ban is not strictly necessary to end the practice of bullfighting, and that compassion can win the day where there is strong public and political will to end animal cruelty."

But opponents of the law, such as Spain's ruling Popular Party (PP), say the ruling is still illegal and could be challenged in the courts.

Miquel Jerez, PP spokesman in the regional parliament, said it was just another way to ban bullfighting by "distorting its essential characteristics in order to render the show unrecognisable."

The only other Spanish region to have successfully banned bullfighting is the Canary Islands, and Castile and Leon in Spain's northwest abolished the killing of bulls at town festivals last year.

Several cities have also put a stop to corridas or annual festivals with bull running over the years.

But other traditions continue to take place, such as placing flammable balls on the horns of bulls, setting them on fire and letting the animals loose in the street.

Researchers mourn killing of Cecil the lion's cub

Yahoo – AFP, July 21, 2017

Cecil was killed by American dentist and trophy hunter Walter Palmer. Researchers
now confirm that a trophy hunter has shot dead one of his cubs (AFP Photo)

Johannesburg (AFP) - A trophy hunter in Zimbabwe has shot dead a cub of Cecil the lion whose death in 2015 caused worldwide outrage, researchers tracking the pride confirmed Friday.

Xanda, a six-year-old lion fitted with a radio collar, was killed on July 7 in northwest Zimbabwe, close to where US dentist Walter Palmer shot Cecil with a high-powered bow and arrow two years ago.

"Xanda was shot by a trophy hunter on a legally sanctioned hunt in a hunting area outside Hwange National Park," Andrew Loveridge from Oxford University's zoology department told AFP.

"As researchers we are saddened to lose a well-known study animal we have monitored since birth."

In 2015, Cecil's killing triggered fierce controversy as he was a popular attraction for visitors to the famed Hwange National Park.

Both Cecil and Xanda wore electronic GPS tracking collars in a project run by Oxford University's wildlife conservation research unit.

But they had strayed out of the park boundaries and into a legal hunting area.

The trophy hunter has not been named, but many hunters are from the United States or South Africa, paying tens of thousands of dollars for the opportunity to kill lions and other wild animals.

Pro-hunt groups say hunting provides an essential economic incentive to promote long-term conservation and that the income pays to safeguard wildlife and catch poachers.

Britain's Daily Telegraph newspaper named the hunt's professional expedition leader as Zimbabwean Richard Cooke, and said that the hunt was legal as Xanda was six years old.

It added that Cooke had handed in the collar after discovering it on the dead animal, who was the head of the pride with two lionesses and several cubs.

Palmer, who shot Cecil, a 13-year-old male, was hounded on social media and went into hiding after demonstrations outside his dental practice.

He was reported to have paid $55,000 for the hunt.

No charges were brought against Palmer or the local guide as the hunt was also found to be legal.

Scientists, who say that Hwange has a healthy population of about 550 lions, are pushing for a 5-km (3-mile) hunting exclusion zone to protect lions who wander outside the park's boundaries.

Cecil had at least 12 surviving cubs last year, according to the Oxford research project.

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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.

Wild lion caught on camera nursing leopard cub

A lion has been photographed nursing a leopard cub in the first-ever known case of cross-species suckling among wild cats. The two species are normally mortal enemies.

Deutsche Welle, 15 July 2017

The photographs were taken at Tanzania's Ngorongoro Conservation Area earlier this week and published by the wild cat conservation group Panthera.

The images show a five-year-old lioness named "Nosikitok" suckling a leopard cub estimated to be only three weeks old.

The organization said same-species adoption among wild cats has been known to occur, but cross-species suckling had never been observed before.

"This is a truly unique case," said Panthera President and Chief Conservation Officer Luke Hunter. "I know of no other example of inter-species adoption or nursing like this among big cats in the wild."

It is unclear what motivated the lioness to nuture the stranded leopard cub.

"Nosikitok" is radio-collared and monitored by KopeLion, a Tanzanian conservation NGO supported by Panthera that works with the local Maasai community to protect lions.

Read: Maasai protect Kenyan elephants

The lioness is known to have given birth to her own cubs recently, making her "physiologically primed" to care for cubs, according to Hunter. The leopard cub is believed to be the same age and a similar size to the lioness's own cubs.

Incredible sight: First-ever photos of a wild #lioness nursing a #leopard cub, courtesy of a Ndutu Lodge guest in Tanzania @Kope_Lion pic.twitter.com/DGw4scarvp

— PantheraCats (@PantheraCats) July 13, 2017

Hunter said "Nosikitok" would be "awash with a ferocious maternal drive" but it is still mystifying why she would suckle the cub of another species.

"It is quite possible she has lost her own cubs, and found the leopard cub in her bereaved state when she would be particularly vulnerable," he said.

The photographs were taken on Tuesday and since then "Nosikitok" has returned to her pride. It is unknown what happened to the leopard cub.

Hunter said it is possible that the leopard's mother picked up the cub from "lioness day care."

However, he said that if the cub was not under the care of its mother its chances of survival were very low.

"The natural odds are stacked against this little fellow," Hunter said, pointing out that 40 percent of lion cubs don't make it to adulthood in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area.

The fate of the leopard cub is unknown.

"It is very unlikely that the lioness's pride will accept it," he said. "Lions have very rich, complicated social relationships in which they recognize individuals - by sight and by roars - and so they are very well equipped to distinguish their cubs from others. If the rest of the pride finds the cub, it is likely it would be killed."

Hunter said that even if the leopard cub managed to survive with a lion pride until it became independent after 12 to 18 months, it would likely go out on its own.

"Even its early exposure to lion society would not override the millions of years of evolution that has equipped the leopard to be a supreme solitary hunter," he said. "I am sure it would go its own way."

cw/ng (dpa, Reuters)

George the wombat turns one, warms hearts again

Yahoo – AFP, July 12, 2017

George the orphaned baby wombat has turned one, an event marked by a new
viral video

An orphan baby wombat who warmed the hearts of the world in a viral Facebook video viewed 40 million times has turned one, with his latest exploits also proving a huge hit.

George was still in his mum's pouch when she was hit and killed by a car last year. Luckily, a passer-by found the scared animal and delivered him to the Australian Reptile Park near Sydney.

It was there that general manager Tim Faulkner became his new "fill-in" family, providing him with the milk he needed and the cuddles he craved.

A video of George following Faulkner around, getting his tummy rubbed and chewing his sock became a massive social media hit and the park has now recreated it to mark his first birthday.

Milking it: The Australian Reptile Park, which offered a home to George after 

his mother died has released a new video of the adorable little critter

Since being posted on Tuesday evening, the new footage has already been viewed nearly 900,000 times, with the furry marsupial now fatter and bigger but still loving the attention.

"It's always hit and miss with these little orphans. It's hard to know if they've been exposed to disease, are malnourished or even injured in the accident," said Faulkner.

"He has pulled through like a true champion. I'm so proud of the Australian ambassador George has become. Australian wildlife needs all the help it can get and George has stolen everyone's heart, again!"

George is a Common Wombat, which is not a threatened species in Australia. The Northern Hairy-Nosed Wombat and Southern Hairy-Nosed Wombat are classified as endangered.

Turkish dog steals hearts at classical concert

Yahoo – AFP, June 30, 2017

A picture taken and released by the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts
 (IKSEV) shows a dog sitting next to the orchestra's musicians during a concert
at the Ancient Ephesus, in Izmir, on June 30, 201 (AFP Photo/Onur ACIMAZ)

Istanbul (AFP) - It's that moment fans of classical music live for, an international orchestra playing a great masterpiece at full pelt.

Until an unexpected guest star arrives.

A stray, and rather loveable, dog.

At the outdoor performance of Felix Mendelssohn's Fourth Symphony in Turkey, the audience were raptly attentive as the Vienna Chamber Orchestra conducted by Ola Rudner tore through the nineteenth century German composer's effervescent score.

The music-loving canine, with the casual air of an experienced performer, ambled across the stage and stopped at the conductor's podium on the stage at the remains of ancient Ephesus close to the Aegean city of Izmir.

The dog stared at an adoring public -- who by now had lost interest in anything else and burst into laughter and applause -- before sitting down by the seat of the first violinist.

Trying to suppress their own laughter, the orchestra gamely played on as if the dog was a regular band member.

And like an experienced performer who has seen it all many times before, the dog settled down and stole the rest of the show with an unmistakable yawn.

The video of the concert this month at the International Izmir Festival has gone viral in Turkey, where the numerous stray cats and dogs across the country are usually treated with considerable respect and respect.

"Cutest moment in classical music," wrote star Turkish classical pianist Fazil Say who was in attendance after performing a Mozart piano concerto before the symphony.

"The most adorable classical music fan. Audience and the orchestra welcome the special guest," he wrote on his Facebook page.

Dog's virtuoso solo steals hearts at classical concert in Turkey pic.twitter.com/uhA98cJXaQ

— AFP news agency (@AFP) July 1, 2017

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