Monarch Butterflies Medically Treat Their Offspring

New research has shown that monarch butterflies use medicinal plants, including species of milkweed plants, to treat offspring for diseases even before they hatch.  Some of the milkweed plants the monarch caterpillars feed on produce chardenolides within the systems of the insects.  These chemicals are harmless to the monarch's themselves but toxic to predators even once the monarch's become adults.  Parasites that can invade Monarch caterpillars can stay with the insects even into adulthood and can be passed from infected females to her offspring. 

Researchers at Emory University in Atlanta conducted experiments with monarch caterpillars feeding some on milkweed.  Those exposed to the milkweed had fewer parasite infections and disease.  Researchers also conducted experiments with parasite-infected and uninfected females who had access to milkweed and tropical milkweed.  The infected females laid more eggs on the tropical milkweed (the medicinal plant) while uninfected females gave no preference.

Researchers next plan to work with a wider variety of milkweed and butterflies to expand their studies.

For more information on this fascinating way nature takes care of itself, you can read the MSNBC Technology and Science Article.

ASPCA-Sponsored Petition Regarding Horse Roundups

Yesterday, I posted about horse roundups being conducted by the United States government (Bureau of Land Management, BLM).  I was hoping to have a link to an online petition at the time I wrote the post but I didn't.  Well, I've got one now.

If you'd like to sign the ASPCA sponsored petition you can do so here:  http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/517/697/713/.

Horses vs. Helicopters: Roundup in the US West

In ten of the fifty United States there is a showdown going on.  It's between some 40,000 wild horses and the cowboys who are trying to round them up.  But this isn't the kind of showdown we've all read about or seen in movies depicting the Old West.  The cowboys aren't riding horses wrangling the animals to where they want them to go.  The cowboys doing this roundup are swooping down on the horses in helicopters in this high-tech showdown.  For the past month, the cowboys have been working in the states of California and Nevada and have caught over 1,200 wild horses. 

Just how do the roundups work?  Horses are spotted from helicopters then driven toward the trap site through a funnel shaped opening into a temporary corral.  Once in there, a "judas horse" is released to lead the wild horses into the trap where they must become accustomed to their new lives.  ("Judas horses" are animals specially trained to lead other horses into these traps.)  Sometimes the horses manage to outsmart the helicopters and can escape.  Most of the time, however, they do not.

Government-Endorsed Wolf Killings in the United States

Some twenty years ago, the Endangered Species Act began protecting gray wolves in the United states.  The animals had been poisoned to near extinction and the U.S. government took swift action to protect the animals.  The wolves began making a recovery.  Currently, at least 1,700 wolves inhabitat Idaho, Wyoming and Montana.  Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin have a population of more than 4,000 gray wolves.  Oregon, Washington, Colorado, Utah and the New England states are seeing a rise in wolf populations as well.  Recent court actions have set the gray wolf as an endangered species in every state in America with the exception of Alaska and Minnesota.

That should be good news, right?  One would think.  The purpose of protecting an animal under the Endangered Species Act is to protect the animals on the list from being slaughtered.  However, the gray wolf is finding themselves in the sites again and the government is looking through the sites.

Government agencies are seeking authority to conduct "conservation" and "research" hunts, gas pups in their dens and surgically sterilize adult wolves.  Officials claim that the hunts and public wolf hunting is a necessity to prevent packs of wolves from forming and causing problems.  The most shocking of all the governments proposals is to bury wolf pups in their dens and poison them with carbon monoxide gas.  They say this method would be used only when the rest of the pack has already been killed.  Idaho has proposed one method of controlling wolves by surgically sterilizing them then tagging the wolves to monitor them.

Hunts have already been held in Idaho and Montana in 2009.  A court ruling in August of this year nixed plans for a hunt for this year.  The usual method of controlling problem wolves is shooting them from the air or ground.

Democratic Senator Max Bacus from Montana wants ranchers in his state to have the freedom to shoot and kill wolves harassing their livestock.  Montana and Idaho want to re-instate wolf hunting seasons giving them more politically correct and less-barbaric sounding names such as "conservation hunting" or "researching hunting". 

The Center for Biological Diversity is none too happy about the plans to kill the wolves.  They feel that recent court rulings underscore the importance of protecting the wolves.

You can read much more about this situation here.  For more information on the Center for Biological Diversity, including any current actions they have may have underway to help protect the wolves, you can visit their website:  Center for Biological Diversity.

Sea Turtles Recovering After Gulf Rescue

More than one hundred sea turtles are on the road to recovery after having been rescued from the devastation in the Gulf of Mexico.

The Audubon Aquarium in New Orleans, Louisiana is caring for the sea turtles that include four Kemp's Ridley turtles that were completely covered in oil.  Employees of the Aquarium meticulously cleaned the turtles, gave them antibiotics and fluids so the endangered reptiles could start working their way back to perfect health.

Visitors to the Audubon Aquarium can see the turtles.  The reptiles will be living in their new, clean homes until the Gulf is perfectly safe for them to return to.

We are three months into this oil spill.   Between April 30, 2010 and June 28, 2010 a total of 583 sea turtles were stranded in the spill.  Four hundred and thirty two of those turtles were found dead.  An additional four died after being rescued.  A grand total of 136 sea turtles have been rescued and sent to various rehabilitation centers.  The United States Fish and Wildlife Service is currently working on removing some 70,000 sea turtle eggs from beaches that are at-risk from the oil.

For more information and to see a video of the turtles see this article.  Check out "Little Dude".  He's a shy one!  They all look pretty happy and feisty in their new home, don't they?

Gulf Sea Turtles Getting Some Much-Needed Survival Help

Yesterday, I had a small update for you about Kevin Costner's "dream machines" going to work in the Gulf oil spill.  Today, I have another update relating to the Gulf oil spill.  This one is about the sea turtles that have been affected by the spill.

There are five species of sea turtles in the Gulf of Mexico and all five are protected as endangered species under the Endangered Species Act.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has documented some 278 sea turtles that have been stranded by the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.  Sadly, many of those turtles died.  Federal officials have unfortunately found more dead than living sea turtles in the Gulf.  Forty turtles that have managed to survive the spill are being washed up and given special care at the Audubon Aquarium in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Now, the staff of the National Aquarium and the Maryland state's veterinarian are preparing to lend a hand to help the endangered sea turtles from the Gulf.  The National Aquarium is already housing four turtles from the New England area that they are hoping to be able to release some time this month to make room for turtles from the Gulf.

The National Aquarium works to "rescue, rehabilitate and release".  They want the injured animals back in their natural habitats so they can flourish there rather than in captivity.  They are capable of caring for six to ten animals at a time and are ready to help when they get the call.

Pneumonia from inhaling fumes, ulcerations from ingesting oil, starvation and fouled nesting areas are some of the problems the turtles face because of the disaster in the Gulf.

If you would like to read more about this development, please check out the article appearing on The Baltimore Sun web site.

The Scourge of Summer: Tick-Borne Illnesses

It's that time of year again, folks.  Summer is arriving in all its glory.  It's time to enjoy family get togethers, endless amounts of sunshine, picnics, swimming and for spending time at the beach.  Unfortunately, not everything about summer is all fun and good times.  Along with the good things of summer come the bad things:  ticks.

If you live in an area of the world where ticks are a problem you know all too well about the nasty little bloodsuckers and the problems they can cause.  They cling to the high grass and weeds in your yard, in the woods and even on the backs of the leaves on the trees and wait for a warm-blooded creature to come by.  It might be your family dog or it might be you that is unlucky enough to pass by the waiting pest.  When something does brush past, the tick leaves its station and works its way to a warm part of the body where it can attach itself to the skin and begin to feed.  If you are lucky, you catch it before it has a chance to attach itself to your skin.

Animal Health: Canine Seizures

Very little is more frightening than to see your best furry friend going through a seizure. The paddling, the gnashing of teeth, the loss of bladder or bowels, the vocalization beforehand, the disorientation afterward and the wondering how long it will be before it happens again or if it ever will happen again.

This is a subject very near and dear to my heart. I have a dog that has suffered with seizures for five years come May of this year. He was just three years old when he had his first seizure and, when it happened, I honestly thought I was watching my dog die. His most recent seizure was late Sunday night and, after seeing what feels like millions of them, they are still just as frightening as when I saw that very first one.

There is no feeling worse than having to watch your beloved pet go through a seizure and know that you cannot take them away and make them never happen again. You feel so helpless. It's an agonizing feeling.

The good news is that for a good majority of dogs who have seizures the trigger that causes them can be identified. Whether that trigger is something in their environment or an actual health reason, veterinarians can sometimes, through a series of testing, can identify the trigger that causes Fido to uncontrollably seize. For some dogs, the triggers have been something as simple as the doorbell ringing. For others, the causes have been a much more serious brain tumor. When the vet can pinpoint the cause, he or she can most often treat it or you will know what to make sure your pet avoids to prevent the seizures from happening.

But, in some cases, it isn't that easy. In some instances, it doesn't matter how many tests you and your vet do you will not be able to find the cause of the seizures. In this case, they are deemed as "idiopathic seizures" because there is no known explanation for them.

And all seizures aren't created equal. Some pets experience grand mal seizures (generalized tonic clonic). Those are the seizures where the animal will paddle their feet and gnash their teeth, among other possibly symptoms. Other pets experience petite mal seizures (partial or focal). During these, the animal may stop whatever activity it is doing and seem to stare at nothing with some slight movement of the legs or head. Sometimes, petite mal seizures can lead into tonic-clonic seizures.

More good news is that canine seizures can most often be controlled with medications such as Phenobarbitol and Potassium Bromide.

If you think your pet has had a seizure, or even if you know he/she has, the first thing you need to do, if you haven't already, is get your pet in to see your veterinarian. He or she can help start you and your furry friend on your way to hopefully finding the cause of the seizures or working to control them.

If your pet suffers from seizures you will need to do as much research as you can. The more you know the easier things will be for both you and your pet. Read every single article you can get your hands on, talk with your vet and talk with other pet owners who have epileptic dogs. Epileptic pets are truly special babies.

You can visit the following sites for more information:

Canine Epilepsy Guardian Angels

Canine Epilepsy Resources

Canine Epilepsy Network