Author: LATimes

COLUMBIA, Tenn. — A Middle Tennessee horseback rider was jailed after being charged with running into a crowd of people at the Mule Day festivities in Columbia. The man, 32, was charged with two counts of reckless endangerment and public intoxication.

According to the Daily Herald of Columbia, witnesses told investigators that the man rode the horse Saturday into a restricted area that had been closed to animal traffic at the county park and was asking pedestrians for beer. A Maury County sheriff’s report said the man dismounted and then attempted to get back on, spooking it.

Two people were then hit by the horse, and one required hospital treatment.

Bond was set at $10,500.

— Associated Press

Animal news on the go: Follow Unleashed on Facebook and Twitter.

Thirty-two people were cited for offenses including cruelty to animals, cockfighting and being a spectator at a cockfighting event during a Sunday morning raid in an unincorporated area of Riverside County near the Salton Sea, according to officials with the Riverside County Department of Animal Services and the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department.

Cockfight spectators typically scatter when an event is raided by authorities, but the animal services department credits the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department for coordinating the raid in a way that made it difficult for spectators to escape.

"The Sheriff’s Department even had deputies on off-road quad vehicles to catch the runners that tried to escape into the desert," Sgt. James Huffman of the animal services department said in a statement. "We appreciated that level of enforcement. It sends a message to those that attend these illegal fights that we’re taking them very seriously."

No one at the cockfight claimed ownership of the birds or the property on which they were found, animal services spokesperson John Welsh told our sister blog, L.A. Now.

When authorities arrived on the scene, three roosters had already died from injuries sustained in cockfights earlier in the morning. Thirty-seven other roosters were seized and euthanized by animal services staff, in accordance with the department’s policy that roosters seized from cockfighting rings aren’t to be adopted into new homes.

By way of explaining the no-adoption policy on such birds, Welsh told L.A. Now, "They’ll fall into nefarious situations where someone would sell them on the black market. You can’t put them in a cage with other birds, they will just kill all the chickens."

"Their fate is to be humanely euthanized in the field," Welsh said. "It’s better than that barbaric tournament."

An investigation into the cockfighting ring is ongoing, according to the Sheriff’s Department.

— Lindsay Barnett

Stay up-to-date on animal news: Follow Unleashed on Facebook and Twitter.

Photo: One of the roosters seized in Sunday’s operation. Credit: Lisa Boughamer / Riverside County Animal Services

Many readers have come to Dr. Heather Oxford for advice on animal health and wellness through Unleashed’s Ask a Vet column. But when she’s not answering your pet-health questions, Dr. Oxford is a practicing veterinarian at L.A.’s California Animal Rehabilitation (CARE), helping animals to bounce back from illness and injury. Dr. Oxford shares the story of one special patient who’s fought both paralysis and distemper with the help of some devoted animal lovers. Here’s M.J.’s story:

This past month, M.J. has continued to make steady progress with gaining neuromuscular coordination and strength in her hind limbs.

She is standing herself up with ease now and you can hardly ever catch her lying down. She is so eager to get around on her legs now that she doesn’t need any help at all.

She hasn’t had to use her cart for almost three months now, and hasn’t needed a supportive sling or pelvic harness for about a month. She hasn’t needed the help of her blue booties for a few weeks now either.

She has been walking longer distances and even shaking and doing tight turns without losing her balance now! 

We are so excited that she has come so far. Even her urinary control has improved and she is not dribbling between potty breaks anymore.

The photo above shows M.J. during an underwater treadmill therapy session. (After the jump, see another photo of her receiving electroacupuncture treatment.) She’s such a cutie, and she’s sweet; she will make the ideal pet for some lucky person.

If you are interested in adopting M.J., please contact the Jason Debus Heigl Foundation.

RELATED:

One rescued dog, one inspiring story: M.J. the shepherd mix overcomes paralysis, distemper

Resilient rescue dog M.J.’s condition continues to improve after ‘wheelchair’ training, laser therapy

— Heather Oxford, DVM

Dr. Oxford received her bachelor of science degree at Bowling Green State University, Ohio. She also received a master’s of public health degree in epidemiology from Emory University and went on to work at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. She then went to the University of Tennessee, College of Veterinary Medicine, where she received her doctor of veterinary medicine degree. She practices at California Animal Rehabilitation and is also certified in veterinary rehabilitation and acupuncture. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband, Wade, and German shepherd, Tess.

Check out more of Dr. Oxford’s work in Unleashed’s Ask a Vet column.

An Orange County man has pleaded guilty to conspiracy for his role in smuggling songbirds into the United States from Vietnam by hiding them in another man’s pants.

Duc Le of Garden Grove entered the plea in federal court in Los Angeles on Monday. The 34-year-old man faces up to five years in prison when he is sentenced in June.

Codefendant Sony Dong pleaded guilty last year to illegally importing wildlife after authorities discovered 14 songbirds strapped to his legs on a flight from Vietnam to Los Angeles.

Authorities say the birds could have been sold for up to $400 each. The birds survived the trip.

Le was arrested after investigators found 51 songbirds at his home.

Dong faces up to 20 years in prison when he is sentenced April 26.

— Associated Press

Animal news on the go: Follow Unleashed on Facebook and Twitter.

A file photo provided by the Justice Department shows Sony Dong with songbirds strapped to his legs after being detained at Los Angeles International Airport. Credit: Associated Press

If there’s anything cuter than a baby ring-tailed lemur, it must be twin baby ring-tailed lemurs!

These two, who were born to mother Susen at Germany’s Dresden Zoo on March 17, haven’t yet been named. (We were tempted to suggest Irish-themed names as a reference to their St. Patrick’s Day birthdate, but then we remembered that lemurs are native to Madagascar — far, indeed, from the Emerald Isle — so we will respectfully refrain.)

Ring-tailed lemurs, like most of their lemur cousins, are endangered — in large part due to deforestation but also because, in some parts of Madagascar, they’re considered bad luck and are often killed by villagers as a result. In other parts of the country, they’re sometimes hunted for their meat. The troubles facing Madagascar’s lemurs are compounded by political upheaval. All of this means, of course, that any ring-tailed-lemur birth is great news for the species.

See more photos of the baby lemurs and their mother after the jump!

RELATED:

Your morning adorable: Baby ring-tailed lemur at the Singapore Zoo

Your morning adorable: Coquerel’s sifakas at the Bronx Zoo

— Lindsay Barnett

Photos: Norbert Millauer / AFP/Getty Images

WILKES-BARRE, Pa. — A northeastern Pennsylvania woman convicted of animal cruelty for marketing "gothic kittens" with ear and neck piercings has been sentenced to six months of house arrest.

Luzerne County Judge Tina Polachek Gartley also ordered 35-year-old Holly Crawford of Ross Township to close her dog-grooming business for more than two years.

Gartley allowed Crawford to keep her pets, which include a dog, three cats and three snakes.

A jury convicted Crawford in February of animal cruelty. Prosecutors alleged that Crawford pierced three black kittens because "she thought it was neat" to sell Gothic kittens on the Internet. Defense attorneys argued that parents allow children to get pierced ears at young ages, and it would be wrong to hold cat owners to a higher standard.

— Associated Press

Stay up-to-date on animal news: Follow Unleashed on Facebook and Twitter.

Photo: Screen grab showing a kitten whose tail had been banded in an effort to stop blood flow from a video by the Associated Press

Gazing past the rolling whitecaps in the middle of San Diego’s whale-watching season, boat captain Bill Reese was dismayed by what he wasn’t seeing.

"Where are the whales?" he said. "Where are the whales?"

Long held as an environmental success story after being taken off the endangered list in 1994, California gray whales draw legions of fans into boats or atop cliffs to watch the leviathans lumber down the coast to spawning grounds in Baja.

But whale-watching skippers became alarmed after sightings dropped from 25 a day in good years to five a day this season. Such anecdotal evidence has left conservationists and state officials worried about the whale’s future, especially now.

The federal government’s monitoring of the mammals has fallen off in recent years. And the International Whaling Commission in June will consider allowing 1,400 gray whales to be hunted over the next decade.

The decision will rely on a report that says the population is flourishing — a study critics say is spotty and outdated.

"If you count 2,500 animals, all you really know rock-solid for sure is there are more than 2,500. Beyond that you’re using models and assumptions," said Stanford University marine biology professor Steve Palumbi. "The problem comes when you say, ‘We do know how many whales there are, and we’re going to start making unalterable management decisions on that basis.’"

The study draws on annual population estimates dating from 1967, but in the past decade only three census counts have been released, the most recent in 2006.

Since than, the estimated number of calves has plunged from more than 1,000 in 2006 to 312 in 2009. In addition, the species suffered a die-off of several thousand whales in 2000.

"You can’t set specific quotas for 10 years based on 2006 data," said Sara Wan, a California Gray Whale Coalition member who is also a state coastal commissioner. "It’s irresponsible."

In January, the California Coastal Commission pressed the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for an updated gray whale study. The count is done but the analysis won’t be finished until long after the whaling commission’s decision.

NOAA scientists say their population estimates are reliable because the numbers have remained relatively consistent over time. They say the drop in calf numbers may reflect nature thinning out the herd.

The population is still more than double what it was in the 1960s and has been fairly stable of the past couple decades, said Paul Wade, one of the study’s co-authors and a member of the commission’s scientific committee.

"If it truly does go into an important decline, it’s not going to happen overnight. We’re going to see it," he said.

The gray whale’s success has created a complex dynamic for NOAA researchers, who recently have focused on more threatened, less charismatic whales such as the North Atlantic Right whales, whose population may be as low as 30.

Over the years, scientists have been able to do a great amount of research on gray whales because they are so accessible and popular with the public. Any indication of trouble galvanizes countless fans.

"Gray whales are our pets, they’re in our backyard," said David Rugh, a NOAA biologist who oversaw gray whale counts for years. "Of course we have a concern about them going through so many environments from Mexico to the Arctic, but there are other species out there that we’re also concerned about."

Gray whales migrate thousands of miles each fall from Alaska to Baja, then back north between February and May. They spend summers in the Bering Sea and Arctic.

Biologists sit in a little stand on California’s central coast, counting adult whales as they swim south. Calves are counted as the whales make the return trip north. The counts are used to extrapolate overall population and monitor reproduction.

When gray whales were listed as endangered in 1970, an estimated 12,000 remained. A moratorium on commercial hunting and close monitoring helped the population rebound to more than 20,000.

Deemed recovered, the whales only needed to be monitored every five years, instead of annually, and there was no longer dedicated funding for the whale, which cost about $170,000 a season to count.

The 2006 count yielded about 2,500 whales, leading researchers to calculate about 20,000 whales total. The most recent calf count of 2009, however, revealed the fewest since 2001.

"These are troubling numbers," said Randy Reeves, chair of the Cetacean specialist group of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. "If they’re being reinforced by comments from whale watching guys, then it gets that much more troubling."

Wayne Perryman, who oversees NOAA gray whale counts, said he believes there is a correlation between lower reproduction rates and colder winters when lingering ice blocks whales from getting to feeding grounds. He also does not see reason to panic.

"I think it’s like in a room when someone yells ‘fire!’" Perryman said.

The whaling commission allows the Russian Chukotka people and the Makah Indian tribe in Washington to hunt 140 gray whales per year. While they typically revisit the issue every five years, the panel is considering limits through 2020.

Douglas DeMaster, the U.S. delegation’s deputy commissioner, the number is about half of 1% of the current estimated population.

"This is a very conservative number and provides subsistence needs to aboriginals," he said.

But Liz Alter, a marine biologist with the Natural Resources Defense Council, said, "Given that we have very little ability to predict what climate change, ocean acidification and other threats will mean to the whale population for the coming years, it seems reckless to me to set catch limits for that length of time."

— Associated Press

Animal news on the go: Follow Unleashed on Facebook and Twitter.

Top photo: Two gray whales surface in the San Ignacio Lagoon off the coast of Baja California. Credit: Omar Torres / AFP/Getty Images

Middle photo: A gray whale surfaces in the San Ignacio Lagoon. Credit: Larry Wan / Associated Press

Bottom photo: A gray whale swims in the San Ignacio Lagoon. Credit: Larry Wan / Associated Press

TORONTO — Canada’s annual seal hunt got under way Thursday despite a dwindling market for pelts and other byproducts following a European Union import ban and slumping demand.

Nelson Kalil, manager of communications at the Fisheries and Oceans Canada department, said about 30 to 40 boats are expected to head to Newfoundland and Labrador’s northern tip to participate in this season’s seal hunt, the world’s largest.

The department has increased this year’s seal hunt quota by 50,000 animals to a total of 330,000 because hunting restrictions have resulted in a rising seal herd population, estimated at 6.9 million — more than triple what it was in the 1970s.

However, Frank Pinhorn, executive director of the Canadian Sealers Assn., said sealers will take a fraction of the annual quota because only one of the four regular purchasers is buying harp pelts this year.

"We expect 20-25 percent of the quota will be harvested so they’ll probably bring in 50,000 to 60,000 out of the 330,000 quota," Pinhorn told The Associated Press.

Canadian hunters killed an average of 300,000 harp seals annually before the industry began experiencing dramatic drops in catches in recent years.

Depressed prices, a lack of fur buyers, leftover stock and animal rights groups’ anti-sealing campaigns have impacted the industry. The recent recession has further softened the market for seal products.

Fewer hunters went out last year because pelt prices bottomed out at $14 compared to more than $100 per skin only a few years ago. A pelt is now valued at around $23-$25.

The latest and probably most severe blow to the hunt has been the EU’s ban on seal products. The ban — an effort to force Canada to end its annual hunt — was finalized last July and will take effect in August.

Fishermen sell seal pelts mostly to the fashion industry in Norway and Russia, as well as blubber for oil. The hunt exported around $5.5 million worth of seal products, including pelts, meat and oils, to the EU in 2006.

Canadian Inuit filed a lawsuit in the European General Court against the EU over its import ban, saying it threatens their livelihood. Canada has filed a complaint with the World Trade Organization, arguing the ban is a violation of the EU’s trade obligations.

The fisheries department said China imported $1.1 million in Canadian seal fats and oil last year, along with pelts manufactured into boots and other clothing.

Canada has been looking to China to increase exports but has not announced any new deals.

Climate change is also having an impact on the hunt.

An exceptionally mild winter in the Gulf of St. Lawrence has left the waters off the coast largely free of the ice that is harp seals’ main habitat and where they give birth.

The Humane Society International Canada, which is in Newfoundland to observe this year’s hunt, says that  record low sea ice formation off Canada’s east coast will likely result in exceptionally high pup mortality this year.

"Harp seals are facing an ecological disaster. The ice habitat of these ice-breeding seals is literally melting out from under them," said Rebecca Aldworth, the society’s executive director.

— Associated Press

Animal news on the go: Follow Unleashed on Facebook and Twitter.

Photo: A seal pup on the ice floes off Iles de la Madeleine in the Gulf of St. Lawrence in 2006. Credit: Tom Hanson / Associated Press

Despite the fact that Sarah Palin didn’t become vice president in 2008 and isn’t even Alaska’s governor anymore, she’s still irking conservationists. This time around, advocacy group Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund is taking aim at Palin’s forthcoming documentary series from the TLC network.

The group — technically a separate entity from the related group called simply Defenders of Wildlife — staunchly opposed Palin’s policies regarding wild animals during her tenure as Alaska governor. In response to Palin’s support of a program in which wolves are hunted from airplanes, the group launched a website, EyeOnPalin.org, in 2009.

The most visible moment in its anti-Palin campaign came in early February 2009, when the group released a graphic video about the wolf hunt narrated by actress Ashley Judd. In a statement, Judd decried the hunt as a "cruel, unscientific and senseless practice which has no place in modern America."

Palin responded with outrage, posting a statement on her website that referred to the Defenders as an "extreme fringe group" and accusing the group of "twisting the truth in an effort to raise funds from innocent and hard-pressed Americans struggling with these rough economic times."

The Defenders shot back, with President Rodger Schlickeisen releasing a statement that read in part, "what you often get in response from Governor Palin when she is challenged is not a rational defense of what she’s doing, but rather name calling and a very transparent attempt at spin control. But then again, since there is no defense for her aerial wolf slaughter program, it may be that she feels there really isn’t much else she can do."

The group’s objection to Palin’s views on wildlife and environmental issues didn’t stop when she left office. "Her efforts were, and still are, a threat to the natural integrity of America’s last frontier, a state that boasts many national wildlife refuges, forests, parks and other federal lands… And if this isn’t enough, Palin’s persistent denial of global warming is sure to fast make her a political relic," Schlickeisen said in response to her resignation.

Now, as Palin prepares to begin work on the docu-series, tentatively titled "Sarah Palin’s Alaska," the Defenders have swung into action again.

Through its EyeOnPalin website, the group is urging its supporters to take action against Palin’s series, which the chief executive of TLC’s parent company, Discovery Communications, says will "reveal Alaska’s powerful beauty as it has never been filmed, and as told by one of the state’s proudest daughters."

The Defenders is urging those who oppose Palin’s stances on wildlife to sign a petition urging Discovery to drop "Sarah Palin’s Alaska."

It says it’s received more than 170,000 signatures on the petition, which reads in part: "As parent company of Animal Planet, The Discovery Channel and TLC, and known for your wildlife-focused productions, I hope that you will reconsider your decision to partner with such a terribly anti-wildlife and politically divisive persona as Sarah Palin."

Palin hasn’t publicly responded to the group’s latest tactic, but the pro-hunting organization U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance has, rather unsurprisingly, rushed to defend her from the Defenders.

"The Defender’s [sic] campaign largely rests on a gross mischaracterization of then Alaska Gov. Palin’s wolf management plan" and "recycled outrage" over Palin’s contention in 2008 that there was not enough evidence to list polar bears as a threatened species requiring federal protection, according to a press release from the hunters’ rights group.

In an effort to counter the Defenders’ petition, the Sportsmen’s Alliance is asking its supporters to write to Discovery to explain "that Gov. Palin is regarded as a conservationist by those inside and outside the wildlife management community and the rhetoric coming from Defender’s [sic] reflects an unscientific, emotional appeal. It fails to take into account the science supporting the wolf management program in Alaska as well as the lack of science used to place the polar bear on the endangered species list."

RELATED:

San Francisco bookseller will donate profits from ‘Going Rogue’ to Alaska Wildlife Alliance

Food fight: Sarah Palin ticks off vegetarians and vegans in her new book, ‘Going Rogue’

— Lindsay Barnett

Top photo: Palin winks as she speaks during the vice presidential debate against Joe Biden on Oct. 2, 2008. Photo credit: J. Scott Applewhite / Associated Press

Bottom photo: Palin interacts with the audience at the Southern Republican Leadership Conference in New Orleans on April 9. Photo credit: Cheryl Gerber / Getty Images

The Los Angeles County district attorney’s office announced Wednesday that it has charged an Inglewood woman with felony animal cruelty and misdemeanor animal endangerment for allegedly leaving her dog in a parked car for hours with the windows rolled up.

A concerned citizen noticed that the dog, a German shepherd mix, seemed to be in distress inside the vehicle belonging to Eloisa Asuncion Zapata, 40, which was parked on Robertson Boulevard in West L.A. Police were dispatched and broke the vehicle’s window, but the dog was already comatose. It later had to be euthanized due to heat stroke, according to the district attorney’s office.

Zapata was released on $21,564 bail and is to be arraigned April 26. If convicted, she could be sentenced to up to three years in prison.

"Studies have shown that a healthy dog, whose normal body temperature ranges from 101 to 102.5 degrees, can withstand a body temperature of 107 to 108 degrees for only a short time before suffering brain damage or death," Deputy District Attorney Debbie Knaan, who oversees all of the district attorney’s prosecutions for animal abuse, said in a statement. "Reports stated that [Zapata’s dog’s] body temperature was 107.5 degrees when it was taken to the vet."

Knaan said she hopes the case will help to raise pet owners’ awareness of the dangers of leaving animals in cars unattended. Last fall, the district attorney’s office launched a campaign to draw attention to the issue; the campaign’s poster, shown above, can be downloaded in English and Spanish at the district attorney’s office website.

Although this recent case involved a dog allegedly left in a car with the windows rolled up, it’s important to remember that animals can suffer heatstroke even in a car whose windows are left open a crack. In 85-degree weather, for example, temperatures inside a vehicle can reach 120 degrees within half an hour, even if a window is cracked.

Should you see an unfortunate pet locked in a car during your travels, the Humane Society of the United States advises you to "alert the management of the store where the car is parked. If the owner does not return promptly, call local animal control or the police department immediately."

— Lindsay Barnett

RELATED:

Dog dies in parked car while owners attend ‘American Idol’ audition

 

SEWARD, Alaska — A rescue center in Alaska has taken in an orphaned baby seal that was still in the womb when a hunter killed its mother on Easter Sunday.

The Alaska SeaLife Center says a subsistence hunter killed the pup’s mother in a village on Nelson Island in the Bering Sea. The hunter then realized there was a live pup inside the seal and successfully delivered it.

The hunter’s daughter found a hot line for the Seward rescue center and called to report the incident.

Guided by center staff, a village teacher helped transport the pup to the local airport, and the animal was flown to Anchorage.

SeaLife Center staff members met the pup, now called Maxwell, at the Anchorage airport and drove him to Seward on Monday.

Staff members say the pup has responded well to food and care, but his condition is still considered critical.

"Maxwell was close to full-term, and everything looks fairly normal," said Pam Tuomi, a center veterinarian. "But pups that have never received antibodies from their mother’s milk are at higher risk for infection, so we will keep Maxwell in quarantine and monitor him closely for the next few weeks."

The nonprofit SeaLife Center is Alaska’s only permanent facility licensed to house stranded marine mammals and seabirds for rehabilitation, a release from the center said.

Staff members choose a theme each year for naming animals admitted there, and this year the names are related to caffeine.

"We hope to give Maxwell a second chance at life as a wild harbor seal," said Brett Long, the center’s husbandry director.

— Associated Press

Stay up-to-date on animal news: Follow Unleashed on Facebook and Twitter.

Photo: Alaska SeaLife Center / Associated Press

ST. CHARLES, Ill. — The music booster club at Central Community Unit School District 301 in St. Charles isn’t bothering with bake sales and car washes this year. Instead, it’s selling bags of something promoters call "paca poo." Minus the cute name, the product is alpaca manure.

Booster club secretary Gudrun Dorgan said it is a great garden fertilizer, and it comes in little pellets that are easy to work into the ground.

Parents, students and teachers will be scooping and selling droppings on Saturday at Inspiration Farm Alpacas. A 30-pound bag will cost $10.

Farm owner Jeff Koehl has been raising alpacas for four years and usually sells manure for profit. He said alpacas digest their food more efficiently than most farm animals, so their waste doesn’t smell too bad and doesn’t require lengthy composting.

— Associated Press

Animal news on the go: Follow Unleashed on Facebook and Twitter.

Photo: An alpaca at the zoo in Zurich, Switzerland. Credit: Steffen Schmidt / European Pressphoto Agency

LONDON — Britain’s postal service says it has suspended deliveries to a woman following repeated attacks by her 19-year-old cat.

The Royal Mail said Friday that it had halted deliveries because postal workers had already sustained "nasty injuries" at the address in the town of Farsley, near Leeds in northern England.

The woman was identified as a 43-year-old pharmacy worker. Media reports say she found it hard to believe that her cat, named "Tiger," could be behind the attacks.

She told two newspapers the animal spent most of its day sleeping and didn’t have the energy to chase postal workers.

— Associated Press

Stay up-to-date on animal news: Follow Unleashed on Facebook and Twitter.

Recent events — er, blog posts — have given us the opportunity to marvel at a cat standing upright while a jaunty tune played. That cat is a superstar in his own right.

But we’re here today to bring you another upright cat — one who, we’re inclined to think, might be even more adorable than the first (or, at the very least, tied for "Most Adorable").

This cat is Biscotti, whose owner’s Wii gaming console causes him no shortage of alarm. We hope he recovered from the shock of the video-game noises quickly — but we have to admit, his posture when experiencing a noisy shock is pretty darn cute.

RELATED:

Your morning adorable: Ticklish kitten taking over YouTube

Your morning adorable: Talented cat plays the theremin

— Lindsay Barnett

Video: batterseaw3 via YouTube

CHEYENNE, Wyo. — Environmentalists and Wyoming’s gas industry are waiting to find out whether a palm-size burrowing rodent that carries food in the fur-lined pouches of its cheeks will be federally protected.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service plans to announce soon whether it will protect the Wyoming pocket gopher under the Endangered Species Act, potentially adding hurdles to the development of new wells.

The Laramie-based Biodiversity Conservation Alliance and Denver-based Center for Native Ecosystems petitioned to list the Wyoming pocket gopher as endangered in 2007, then sued over the issue. Fish and Wildlife faces a Saturday deadline to submit its finding following a settlement.

The Wyoming pocket gopher is one of several pocket gophers in the West but is believed to be the only mammal species that exists only in Wyoming.

"Gophers are a pretty positive part of the natural world. They aerate the soil and they are a prey species for a number of animals ranging from foxes to raptors," said Duane Short, wild species program director for the Biodiversity Conservation Alliance.

The Wyoming pocket gopher occupies a small range in eastern Sweetwater and western Carbon counties in south-central Wyoming.

The same area has seen considerable gas drilling in recent years. Operators there include BP PLC, Williams Cos. Inc., Anadarko Petroleum Corp., Devon Energy Corp. and Double Eagle Petroleum Co., according to the Petroleum Assn. of Wyoming.

A threatened or endangered listing for the Wyoming pocket gopher probably would require more study ahead of new development, said association President Bruce Hinchey.

"It just requires more things you have to do, no matter what," Hinchey said Thursday.

On the other hand, Wyoming pocket gophers inhabit terrain more rugged than is suitable for gas wells or roads. That generally puts the gophers out of the way of industry, said association Vice President Cheryl Sorenson.

Only recently has research distinguished the Wyoming pocket gopher visually from the northern pocket gopher, a more common species found alongside the Wyoming pocket gopher.

That calls into question whether the Wyoming pocket gopher deserves protection, said Kent Holsinger, a Denver attorney representing energy companies operating in southern Wyoming.

"If the Wyoming pocket gopher is indistinguishable or virtually indistinguishable in the field from the northern pocket gopher, then shouldn’t we be focusing our efforts on species that are truly unique?" Holsinger said.

Gas drilling in the Wyoming pocket gopher’s habitat and the fact that scientists still don’t know much about the rodent are both good reasons to protect the species, said Sophie Osborn, a biologist with the Lander-based Wyoming Outdoor Council.

For example, biologists still aren’t sure whether road construction discourages Wyoming pocket gopher populations from spreading by getting in the way of the animals’ burrows.

"There’s just a lot of research that still needs to be conducted," she said.

Recent research has shown that the Wyoming pocket gopher has lighter-colored fur than other pocket gophers and white hair in their ears, said Pat Deibert, a Fish and Wildlife biologist in Cheyenne who worked on the Wyoming pocket gopher finding.

Meanwhile, the Wyoming pocket gopher has 46 pairs of chromosomes, compared with 48 for the northern pocket gopher and 58 for the Idaho pocket gopher. Deibert said such variation is extremely rare for mammals and shows beyond any doubt that the pocket gophers are distinct species.

— Associated Press

Stay up-to-date on animal news: Follow Unleashed on Facebook and Twitter.

Video: A University of Wyoming staff member shares some background information about pocket gophers (of which there are multiple species, including the Wyoming pocket gopher). Credit: ONOW2008 via YouTube

Whether you want to be entertained while helping animals, meet a new furry friend or learn about caring for the furry friend you already have, the coming days and weeks are full of activities for Southern California animal lovers. We’ve got the details on a number of upcoming events; if you think
we’re missing something, let us know by leaving a comment or tweeting
the details to us @LATunleashed.

Thursday, April 8 (that’s today, kids!), the Voice for the Animals Foundation presents its seventh annual Stand Up for Animals event, an evening of comedy with proceeds benefiting the group’s work on behalf of animals, at The Comedy Store, 8433 Sunset Blvd. in West Hollywood. This year, Stand Up for Animals might be even more special than usual — it honors animal advocate and actress/comedian Lily Tomlin and other "Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In" stars including Jo Anne Worley, Arte Johnson, Gary Owens and producer George Schlatter. Other notable comedians featured in the show include Rainn Wilson ("The Office") and Debra Skelton (MADtv). Award recipients include Dick Van Patten, Paul Jolly of the Petco Foundation and the City of West Hollywood. Event begins with a reception and silent auction at 6 p.m.; show begins at 7:30 p.m. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit VFTAFoundation.org.

Saturday, April 10, the L.A. Department of Animal Services hosts mobile pet-adoption events at Fred Hesse Jr. Memorial Park, 29301 Hawthorne Blvd. in Rancho Palos Verdes, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.; and at the Canoga Park Petco location, 6615 Fallbrook Mall Ave., from noon to 4 p.m.

Saturday, April 10, spcaLA invites potential "foster parents" to learn about its fostering program from 10 a.m. to noon at its South Bay Pet Adoption Center, 12910 Yukon Ave., Hawthorne. "Foster parents" are needed to care for puppies and kittens that are too young to be adopted, as well as older dogs and cats with special needs. More information at spcaLA.com. (The L.A. Department of Animal Services offers a similar program for underage puppies and kittens; more information on that program is available at the department’s website.)

Saturday, April 10, spcaLA hosts PAWS to Read at the Hermosa Beach Library, 550 Pier Ave., from 10:30 a.m. to noon. Through the PAWS to Read program, children practice their reading skills by reading to a decidedly nonjudgmental audience: certified therapy dogs. Beginning and independent young readers up to age 12 are eligible to participate; the program is free, but advance registration is recommended. More information at spcaLA.com.

Saturday, April 10, Long Beach pet store Chewsy Dog Boutique presents a doggie fashion show (um, Furshion Show, if you’re inclined to use the event listing’s terminology) featuring the pet-friendly designs of Ruby & Bee from 2 to 4 p.m. More information at Chewsy Dog’s blog.

Sunday, April 11, the L.A. Department of Animal Services hosts mobile pet-adoption events at Moorpark Park, 12061 Moorpark Ave. in Studio City, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.; and at the Santa Monica Kiehl’s cosmetics store location, 1516 Montana Ave., from 1 to 5 p.m.

Upcoming:

Friday-Sunday, April 16-18, America’s Family Pet Expo returns to the Orange County Fair and Event Center, 88 Fair Dr., Costa Mesa. The event features informational displays on dog breeds, adoptable animals, pet-themed vendors, a petting zoo, pony rides and demonstrations of activities such as dog grooming, K-9 police dog work and dock-diving dogs. Tickets are $12, $10 for people over age 60, $6 for children ages 6-12 and free for children 5 and younger. More information at PetExpoOC.com.

Saturday, April 17, the Volunteers of the Burbank Animal Shelter and Sunny-Dog Ink present its PAWStronomical Pet CPR Event at Burbank’s Woodbury University Auditorium, 7500 Glenoaks Blvd., from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Presentation includes information on how to properly perform rescue breathing and CPR on a pet, how to help a choking animal, disaster preparedness tips for pets, how to check a pet’s vital signs and more. Event also features pet-themed vendors and a chance to meet adoptable pets. Tickets are $15 for adults and $5 for children under 12 if purchased in advance; if purchased on the day of the event, they’re $20 for adults and $10 for children. Proceeds benefit the Volunteers of the Burbank Animal Shelter. Presentation begins promptly at 10 a.m. and ticket booth closes the day of the event at 9:45 a.m. For more information or to purchase tickets online, visit PAWStronomical.com.

Saturday, April 17, the L.A. Zoo invites its Safari Club supporters to its Sunset Safari from 6 to 8 p.m. Beginning at 6 p.m., Safari Club members will get an up-close look at the Brazilian giant otters that debuted at the zoo last year, and have a chance to experience other wildlife species. From 6:45 to 8 p.m., guests are invited to enjoy cocktails, a buffet dinner and live music. More information at LAZoo.org.

Sunday, April 18, local rescue group New Leash on Life presents its fifth annual Nuts for Mutts 5K walk-a-thon in conjunction with the Calabasas Rotary Club and the Agoura Hills/Calabasas Community Center. The walk-a-thon is a fundraiser for New Leash on Life’s work on behalf of needy pets in the L.A. area and includes pet-themed exhibits, children’s activities, a canine fashion show, a dog training clinic and more animal-related activities. The walk begins at 8 a.m. at the Agoura Hills/Calabasas Community Center, 27040 Malibu Hills Road, and continues through the hills of Calabasas. Well-behaved and leashed dogs are welcome to participate. For more information or to register, visit NewLeash.org.

Saturday, April 24, spcaLA hosts PAWS to Read at the Redondo Beach Public Library, 303 N. Pacific Coast Highway, from 10:30 a.m. to noon. Participation is free; sign-up begins at 9 a.m. at the Children’s Information Desk. More information at spcaLA.com.

Saturday, May 1, eyewear company Kaenon Polarized presents SUP for a Pup, a sample sale of surf apparel, accessories and equipment to benefit rescue group A Wish for Animals. (If you’re wondering — we certainly did — what the "SUP" of the event’s title means, it’s an acronym for Stand Up Paddle, a type of surfing.) Visitors will find deals on surf gear and meet adoptable pets; entertainment will be provided and Wahoo’s Fish Taco will be on site with food and beverages. Event takes place at Kaenon Polarized’s Newport Beach store, 864 W. 16th St., from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. More information at SUPForAPup.com.

Saturday, May 1, farm animal sanctuary Animal Acres hosts its Compassionate Cooking Extravaganza from noon to 5 p.m. at its Acton facility, 5200 Escondido Canyon Road. Presenters including vegan chef and cookbook author Colleen Patrick-Goudreau will teach students how to make vegan cheese from scratch, prepare raw foods and create delicious dairy- and egg-free desserts. Tickets are $50 and must be purchased in advance. For more information or tickets, visit AnimalAcres.org.

Saturday, May 8, the L.A. Zoo invites visitors to celebrate Mother’s Day with an informative presentation about motherhood in the animal kingdom. The event begins with a reception at 10:30 a.m., followed by an 11 a.m. presentation by naturalist and zoo docent Joleen Lutz. Docent-led walking tours showcasing the zoo’s most interesting mothers and their offspring begin at 11:45 a.m. Tickets are $15 for adults and $5 for children under 12, plus the price of zoo admission; tickets for zoo members are $10 and $5 for children under 12. For more information or to make a reservation, visit LAZoo.org.

Sunday, May 23, Best Friends Animal Society holds its annual Spring Super Adoption Festival at Westchester Park, at the intersection of Lincoln Boulevard and Manchester Avenue in Westchester, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Hundreds of pets from area animal shelters and rescue groups will be on hand to meet potential adopters, and the event will give special attention to senior pets, which are often overlooked in favor of younger animals. (Take it from us, kids: Adopting a senior pet is great, particularly if said pet is already house-trained!) More information at BestFriendsEvents.net.

The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County will open its newly restored 1913 Building with a brand-new "Age of Mammals" exhibition beginning July 11. The exhibition traces the history of evolution "from the extinction of the dinosaurs to the rise of humans — within the context of epochal changes in the Earth’s geology and climate," John Harris, the Natural History Museum’s head of vertebrate studies and chief curator of the Page Museum at the La Brea Tar Pits, told our sister blog Culture Monster. Visitors will get to see specimens like the Simi Valley mastodon, a saber-toothed cat and a brontothere (a species with possibly the most rock ‘n’ roll-sounding scientific name: "thunder beast").

Ongoing:

Through Earth Day, April 22, 2010, secondhand-clothing store chain Buffalo Exchange and the Humane Society of the United States jointly host Coats for Cubs. Animal lovers are encouraged to clean out their closets (or parents’ and grandparents’ closets) and donate any real-fur items found there (including fur trim, accessories and shearling) back to the animals. Of course, it’s too late to give the fur back to its original owner, but it can still be used as bedding for orphaned and injured wildlife — and it doesn’t do your conscience any harm, either. Fur in any condition is accepted and can be taken to any Buffalo Exchange location. (If you’d like to claim your fur donation as a tax deduction, you’ll need to mail it directly to the Humane Society rather than dropping it off at Buffalo Exchange; mailing information is available at HSUS.org.) More information at BuffaloExchange.com.

The Origins skin care store at The Shops in Mission Viejo has partnered with the Mission Viejo Animal Services Center to offer free mini-facials, gifts with purchase and a chance to win a $100 Origins shopping spree in exchange for items donated to the animal services center. Taking Origins up on this offer is simple: Just head into the retail store located on the second level of The Shops in Mission Viejo and drop off an item on the animal services center’s wish list. Wish-list items include blankets, towels, newspapers, heating pads, unused collars, bottles for unweaned kittens and dog and cat toys. More information at MissionViejoLife.org.

— Lindsay Barnett

Don’t miss an event: Follow Unleashed on Facebook and Twitter.

Photo: Lily Tomlin is set to perform at a fundraiser for animals Thursday at The Comedy Store. Credit: Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times

It’s the not-really-a-holiday you’ve all been waiting for: Draw a Picture of a Bird Day! (Part of us knows days like Draw a Picture of a Bird Day, National Puppy Day, National Poultry Day, National Pig Day, Squirrel Appreciation Day, Penguin Awareness Day and others of their ilk are pretty silly. But a bigger, louder part of us thinks "Why the heck not?" We love celebrating and we love animals, so what’s not to love about psuedo-holidays that combine those two passions?)

There’s not a whole lot of information out there on the origins of Draw a Picture of a Bird Day (or "DAPDay," as it’s sometimes acronymized), but some hypothesize — although most can’t quite put their finger on why — that it’s a tradition that began in the U.K. during World War II. We haven’t been able to confirm that suspicion, but if any trivia-champion readers out there have further details, we’d love to get your input!

If you, your child or an artistic cat you know draws a bird today, we’d love to see it! Share a photo or digital scan of your artwork at The Times’ photo-sharing site, Your Scene. Looking for ideas? Check out Penguin Books Australia’s flickr set of bird drawings it received from fans via Twitter.

— Lindsay Barnett

Animal news on the go: Follow Unleashed on Facebook and Twitter.

Video: MagicTears205 via YouTube

Our cat-licking-(insert non-feline species name here) video kick continues Thursday with Ava, a rescued cat who’s good pals with Nibbles, a Dutch rabbit.

According to the pair’s owner, YouTube user bluetree3000, the little nips Ava makes are nothing more than "love bites," and in "bunny body language Ava’s grooming acknowledges that Nibbles is the alpha bunny."

We like Ava already, but her story gets better: She’s a rescue who was found with a swollen abdomen. A veterinary exam showed that Ava’s swelling was the result of a gunshot wound; a bullet had become embedded in her body and caused a hernia to develop. Fortunately, Ava "had surgery to repair the hernia and is the sweetest cat we’ve ever known despite her horrible ordeal," bluetree says. Now that’s a success story we can appreciate!

RELATED:

Your morning adorable: Cat licks friendly rat

Your morning adorable: Cat licks sleeping dog

— Lindsay Barnett

Video: bluetree3000 via YouTube

For the first time in more than a century, a California condor chick successfully hatched inside a federal park that once was a domain of the endangered species.

Biologists at Pinnacles National Monument in Central California celebrated the milestone announced Wednesday in the slow recovery of the birds.

But their enthusiasm was tempered because the egg did not belong to any adult birds in the park.

A pair of condors there had conceived an egg in March that biologists then took for safekeeping and replaced with a plastic egg. Biologists later discovered the embryo had died seven days into its development.

"It wasn’t surprising the egg wasn’t viable," said Daniel George, manager of the condor program at Pinnacles. "That can happen with first-time breeders."

The pair in Pinnacle later hatched an egg that was slipped into their nest after being produced by a pair of condors in the San Diego Wildlife Park captive breeding program.

The chick emerged from its grapefruit-sized shell on March 24. Its sex will be determined soon with blood tests done when it receives its West Nile virus vaccine.

"It’s a good step forward for the program," said biologist Joe Burnett of Ventana Wilderness Society, a partner in the recovery program.

Removing new eggs from nests so the gangly birds with nearly 10-foot wingspans don’t accidentally destroy them is just part of the tedious recovery effort. Biologists don’t want this first generation of new birds to become discouraged if their mating efforts don’t pay off.

"It’s a tenuous process because you don’t know if they will accept it," George said. "So far all of their instincts seem to be operating properly."

Biologists and the public were able to monitor the progress of the birds’ 57-day egg-sitting from Scout Peak above the cliff-side nest. Tourists have flocked from as far as Kentucky to see the rare sight, which has not occurred in an area in free view of the public since the recovery program began.

Two days before the hatching, visitors witnessed the sometimes-comical reaction of the birds as the egg began to move and emit noises.

"They’ll get up all of a sudden and look at it, then try to reposition it," George said.

In 1982, the last 22 California condors were placed in captive breeding programs. Since then, hunters and lead poisoning from bullets left in carcasses have hampered the recovery of the birds, which currently number 350. Over the past decade, the birds have been released at three sites around California and one in Arizona. Without parents in the wild to teach them safe behavior, some of the newly hatched birds have been caught and placed in breeding programs after repeatedly perching on power lines or coming too close to people.

The arrival announced Wednesday occurred after a male condor released in 2004 at Big Sur and a female released the same year at Pinnacles began exhibiting mating and nesting behavior last year. Condors generally mate for life.

So far, the new parents are adapting to life with child. George said they take turns nestling their offspring to keep it warm, just as they did the egg.

While one waits, the other forages for food. However, the potential that they could bring back bits of a carcass tainted with lead bullets is a threat to the survival of the youngster.

Of the 77 eggs laid in the wild since 2001, 33 lived for at least six months — long enough to fly. If the newest one survives, its wings will grow from their current thumb size to a span of at least 9 1/2 feet.

The young condor will live with its parents for a year. The adults will wait two years before producing another egg.

"For first-time parents they’re doing a good job," George said.

— Associated Press

Stay up-to-date on animal news: Follow Unleashed on Facebook and Twitter.

Photo: A condor inspects its egg at Pinnacles National Monument. Credit: Gavin Emmons / National Park Service

— Bizarre new trend: Surfing with animals. Okay, we will accept that some dogs seem to actually enjoy the sport — but what of other species that are seemingly less suited to surfing? Like, say, an alpaca? Peruvian surfer Domingo Pianezzi recently made headlines when he surfed a beach near Lima with an alpaca named Pisco. (Apparently some locals reacted positively to the stunt, but others argued that Pianezzi had acted cruelly by making an alpaca — a mountain-dwelling species related to camels and llamas — enter the water.) But this wasn’t the first time Pianezzi had surfed with an unusual animal, and he’s not the first to have done so. "I’ve surfed with a dog, a parrot, a hamster and a cat, but when I was at a competition in Australia I saw people surfing with kangaroos and koalas," he told an interviewer. "So I thought that, as a Peruvian, it would be interesting to surf with a unique animal that represents Peru." (Reuters)

— Musical theater composer Andrew Lloyd Webber and talk show host Graham Norton have teamed up for a BBC reality-TV show in which the pair and a panel of judges will cast the role of Dorothy for an upcoming West End production of "The Wizard of Oz." The show also aims to find a talented animal actor to play another iconic Oz role: Toto. About 400 would-be Totos arrived Tuesday for a rigorous two-day audition in the English county of Warwickshire. Among the tasks they had to complete to be considered for the part: Walking on a leash for about 15 minutes. (Doesn’t sound so hard, but dogs who stopped walking, barked or jumped up were immediately eliminated from the competition.) Forty were asked back for the second day of auditions, and the top 10 will appear on the BBC show this Saturday. According to instructions provided to the animals’ owners, "the Toto panel are looking for a true star. The winning doggy will have bags of personality and not be afraid to show it off." In other words, a latter-day Skippy. (Telegraph)

— Can animals commit suicide? It might, on the surface, seem like an odd question, but it’s one that’s been inciting debate recently, in part because of a new study published in the British journal Endeavour. One prominent animal advocate, Ric O’Barry of the Oscar-winning documentary "The Cove," has often shared the story of the day he decided it was wrong to keep dolphins in captivity for humans’ entertainment. O’Barry trained the dolphins featured in the TV show "Flipper"; one day, he has said, the show’s main dolphin star, Kathy, looked him directly in the eye before sinking to the bottom of her tank and purposely stopped breathing. "The [animal entertainment] industry doesn’t want people to think dolphins are capable of suicide, but these are self-aware creatures with a brain larger than a human brain," O’Barry told Time Magazine. "If life becomes so unbearable, they just don’t take the next breath. It’s suicide." (Time)

— A boxer-pit bull mix named Piggy who gets around with the aid of a doggie wheelchair is inspiring the children she visits through a therapy program at Shriners Hospital for Children in Salt Lake City, Utah. Piggy, a 6-year-old rescue dog whose rear legs became paralyzed following a hit-and-run auto accident in late 2007, was nearly euthanized when it appeared that she would be unable to recover from her severe injuries. But owner April Hollingsworth was heartened when some of Piggy’s reflexes began returning after the accident, and today she is sometimes able to use her rear legs, thanks in part to physical therapy. Hollingsworth and Piggy now make regular visits to the children at Shriners, many of whom struggle with their own disabilities. "I feel she’s a gift I have to give," Hollingsworth said of Piggy, whose visits are said to help Shriners’ young patients feel more comfortable in the hospital environment. (Salt Lake Tribune)

— Tyler Weinman, the 19-year-old charged last year with felony animal cruelty and other offenses in relation to a string of cat killings in South Florida, will face additional charges for the deaths of two cats that weren’t previously included in a prosecutor’s report. In total, Weinman now faces 21 counts of felony animal cruelty, 21 counts of improperly disposing of an animal’s body and four counts of burglary in connection with the string of cat killings. Weinman is due back in court May 5. His attorney has issued strong denials of Weinman’s alleged involvement in the cat killings and told the Associated Press last year that his client "welcomes his day in court, so that he will be completely vindicated." (NBC News Miami)

— People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, never a group to miss out on a chance for publicity, is at it again. This time, PETA hopes to capitalize on a recent analysis from the journal Pediatrics that suggests hundreds of infant deaths and illnesses could be prevented if more mothers breastfed their babies. PETA says it’s negotiating with outdoor advertisers in Lexington, Ky., with the hope of installing a billboard in the city depicting the Virgin Mary breastfeeding the baby Jesus alongside the text: "If It Was Good Enough for Jesus … The Breast Is Best. Dump Dairy. PETA." Why Kentucky? The state has one of the lowest breastfeeding rates in the U.S. Of course, the billboard’s message isn’t just about breastfeeding — its aim is also to draw attention to PETA’s assertion that many cows are abused on dairy farms. "Our billboard aims to show Kentucky residents that by fortifying human babies and saving the lives of cows, breast milk is also the blessed milk," writes PETA blogger Logan Scherer. (The PETA Files)

— Lindsay Barnett

Stay up-to-date on animal news: Follow Unleashed on Facebook and Twitter.

Video: ITNExtreme via YouTube