Dear Juicers, Thanks to everyone who called their representative asking him/her to vote against odious Sportsmen’s Heritage and Recreational Enhancement (SHARE) Act (HR 2406). We lost on a partisan vote, with the GOP, as usual, being on the side of wrong. Unfortunately, the wolves, polar bears, elephants, etc., will pay the price.
Some (mostly) better news below. As usual, your thoughts and fauna-related news are welcome in the comments. Hillary
- The presidential candidates’ views on animal issues. tl;dr: Republicans suck as usual and Bernie is the only candidate with a page devoted to animal welfare.Sorry that’s not an official campaign web page.
- Bill Clinton credits his vegan diet with keeping him alive , and notes, “they nailed the meat substitute stuff.”
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“Honoring His creatures” by shooting them: the twisted, faux-Medieval fantasy world of Scalia’s hunt club.
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“Wildlife Services”: Yet another government agency that commits atrocities on behalf of ranchers.
- Breeders of “teacup” companion animals (and other exaggerated phenotypes) are the worst.
- The “A” word, long used to shut down scientific investigations of animal intelligence and emotionality, is losing its sting. “’Decades of knee-jerk avoidance of all things anthropomorphic…’ruined the field,’ says one animal behaviorist.”
- The evolving legal status of nonhumans: no longer mere “things” but not quite yet “persons.”
- A reporter takes a virtual reality tour of a slaughterhouse. “I couldn’t get words out to ask the questions I had prepared. My throat felt thick, stopping my voice, as tears welled.”
- Keep planting that milkweed! Monarchs rebound in Mexico. And speaking of which…
- GORGEOUS caterpillar-to-butterfly action. (Bonus: a ‘pillar that looks like Trump’s hair.)
- Another conservation triumph: Bebeh Giant Tortoises return to the Galapagos.
- A beautiful meditation on cats, Japanese art, and the cat-collecting game Neko Atsume.
This week’s journey through the Faunasphere concludes, as some journeys must, in New Jersey, where wild turkeys recently terrorized a letter carrier to the point where his boss had to call 911. Actual call excerpt: “It’s crazy. They were actually attacking, biting, chase the trucks – everything.” Eyewitness News dutifully reports that: “Word in the neighborhood is that the mail carrier was a substitute — and wasn’t familiar with the birds.” And that “mail service was briefly held up to three homes on the street.”
If I were those homeowners I would definitely be paying those birds protection money.