Author: LATimes

Winston the dog has no problem with people. But he cannot stand police cars, specifically their bumpers.

On March 14, while lying in wait for speeding motorists, a Chattanooga, Tenn., police officer felt his vehicle bouncing around. Soon he realized Winston was attacking the front bumper. A second unit was brought in to document the assault (which can be seen in the video above and here).

The use of a Taser did not stop the animal, but eventually the boxer-bull mix was apprehended and taken into custody at the McKamey Animal Shelter where he was held for two weeks. On Thursday Winston was reunited with his family, the Emerlings, who paid $200 in fees.

City Court Judge Sherry Paty acknowledged that the violent attack did not happen to any people but insisted that the Emerlings take Winston to at least two obedience classes so that this behavior could be quelled before others were injured.

WDEF-TV interviewed Winston’s owner Michael Emerling who expressed gratitude that the police did not use deadly force on his pet. "We’ve seen places where dogs have done a lot less and been shot. We really are grateful to them for not doing that." 

McKamey’s Executive Director Karen Walsh said she had heard rumors that perhaps the police radar had provoked Winston’s tirade, but she wasn’t buying it. "I’ve never heard any evidence of animals being able to hear police radar guns," Walsh told the local news.

— Tony Pierce

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

TAIJI, Japan — "Heroes" star Hayden Panettiere and her boyfriend, world champion boxer Wladimir Klitschko, received a chilly reception Friday in the Japanese fishing village of Taiji, where they called for an end to its annual dolphin hunt.

Panettiere said she would "love to be a spokesperson" for the town if it abandons the hunt. Her visit to Taiji comes just weeks after "The Cove," a gory depiction of Taiji’s dolphin slaughter, won the Oscar for best documentary.

The celebrity couple arrived in the morning with a small group of environmental activists. Panettiere tried to meet the mayor and representatives from the local fisheries union, but she and Jeff Pantukhoff, an anti-whaling activist from the U.S., were blocked at the door of the town hall.

"We are trying to peacefully come up with better ideas as to how to generate income and utilize the nature here," Panettiere told reporters. "We’ve been to Taiji before and it’s a beautiful place with beautiful wildlife."

If Taiji were to quit killing dolphins, "I’d love to be a spokesperson or to help generate tourism," she said.

Fishermen in the village on the rocky coast of southwest Japan consider the hunt a proud legacy. But it has long been targeted by hardcore environmentalists and animal lovers, and the Oscar has given the opposition more mainstream attention.

Panettiere, followed by a crowd of media throughout the day, later walked through a large hole in a barrier along a path leading to the famous cove depicted in the movie. The cove was strewn with nets used to trap the dolphins, as well as firewood and debris left by the hunters.

Panettiere posed for photographs as she walked along the small pebbly beach for several minutes, but then two town officials ran up. After a tense exchange, everyone left. A fisherman pulled up several minutes later in a truck and boarded up the hole.

"We just wanted to have a very peaceful and relaxed conversation," Panettiere said.

Panettiere, who plays an indestructible cheerleader on the hit U.S. TV series "Heroes," is also the spokeswoman for the "Save the Whales Again!" campaign, which wants to halt Taiji’s dolphin hunt. The campaign cites studies that show dolphin meat contains dangerously high levels of mercury and is unsafe to eat, and says killing the animals is cruel and unnecessary.

The 20-year-old actress also protested the Taiji hunt in 2007, when along with five other surfers she paddled out into the cove where the hunt takes place in a peaceful protest that was broken up by fisherman. Scenes from that encounter are briefly shown in "The Cove."

The Japanese government allows about 19,000 dolphins to be killed each year. Taiji hunts about 2,000 dolphins every year for meat — less than other places — but is singled out in part because of its "oikomi" method of herding and killing them near the shore. Some are captured and sold to aquariums and dolphin shows at water parks.

Residents once welcomed foreign visitors, but in recent years have grown weary of what they feel are one-sided portrayals and grisly snapshots shown out of context. Overzealous protesters and photographers are occasionally approached and scolded by rough-and-tumble locals looking to defend their town’s reputation.

As the group arrived, a truck of right-wing nationalists blasted slogans, saying Japan should not be singled out for whaling and dolphin hunts because Westerners "are killing cows." They also demanded that U.S. President Obama apologize for the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

There were no clashes between the environmentalists and the townspeople.

Klitschko, the 6-foot-5 heavyweight boxing champion, who just last week recorded his 48th knockout in defending his WBO and IBF belts, towered over everyone as he quietly took in the day’s events.

"It’s not about being aggressive and violent," he said.

Before the group left, John Quigley, an "aerial artist" who creates large works of art that can be viewed from the sky, made a giant outline of a dolphin on the sand.

— Associated Press

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Photo: Hayden Panettiere talks to the media after being denied a meeting with the mayor at the town hall in Taiji, Japan, on Friday. Credit: Koji Sasahara / Associated Press

Far be it from us to be opposed to giving aid to an opossum, but this is ridiculous.

A Pennsylvania man was arrested Thursday for public drunkenness. How did police know he probably wasn’t truly sober? Because he was spotted trying to resuscitate a dead possum at the side of the road.

State police Trooper Jamie Levier says several witnesses saw 55-year-old
Donald Wolfe of Brookville near the animal Thursday along Route 36 in
Oliver Township, about 65 miles northeast of Pittsburgh, according to the Associated Press

Levier said that a witness watched Wolfe perform what appeared to be a seance over the roadkill, while a second witness watched the man conduct mouth-to-mouth resuscitation to the lifeless marsupial.  

— Tony Pierce

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

Photo:  An unrelated young possum sits on the hand of care-giver Anna Reams of Simi Valley. Credit: Carlos Chavez / Los Angeles Times

We don’t know just what it is about baby goats bleating that we find so disarming — but if loving a young animal’s plaintive-yet-precious cry is wrong, we don’t want to be right.

We’re big fans of goats in general, of course — their willingness to help with the yardwork, their tendency to climb trees and even their love of fast food are among the many qualities that endear them to us. Plus, they’re friendly little devils.

But we think we might love little diaper-clad Spot the goat kid most of all — his sweet little face, his drop ears and, above all, that ridiculous little bleat make him No. 1 in our hearts.

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— Lindsay Barnett

Video: Balzypipes via YouTube

From educational opportunities to pet-adoption fairs to ways to have fun while raising money for local animal-related charities, the coming weeks are chock-full of events sure to appeal to Southern California animal lovers. If you think we’re missing an event, let us know by leaving a comment or tweeting the details to us @LATunleashed.

Friday-Sunday, March 26-28, the Pasadena Humane Society hosts "The Well-Adjusted Cat and Dog Workshops" at its shelter facility, 361 S. Raymond Ave. The workshops’ featured speaker is Dr. Nicolas Dodman, author and director of Tufts University’s Animal Behavior Clinic. Dodman will cover issues including phobias in dogs and cats, feline medical problems that may be mistaken for behavioral issues, strategies for dealing with litter-box and furniture-scratching issues in cats and dominance issues in dogs. The workshops’ three days will be divided into one daylong cat-behavior workshop and a two-day dog-behavior workshop. More information at ThePetDocs.com.

Saturday-Sunday, March 27-28, head to Orange County for the second annual Spring Pet Days at the Orange County Fair and Event Center, 88 Fair Drive, Costa Mesa. During the two-day event, held in conjunction with the Fair and Event Center’s regularly scheduled swap meet, animal lovers can shop for pet-related merchandise, learn training and pet-safety tips and meet adoptable animals from a number of local rescue groups and adoption agencies. Adoptable dogs, cats, rabbits and reptiles will be on hand, including needy purebred dogs from breed-specific rescue groups for golden retrievers, German shepherds, basset hounds and dachshunds. Event runs from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. both days; swap meet admission, which includes admission to the Pet Days event, is $2 for adults and teenagers 13 and above. Children 12 and under enter free; pets, with the exception of working leader and therapy dogs, should stay home. Free parking is available. Directions at OCMarketplace.com.

Saturday-Sunday, March 27-28, country aficionados can remember music legend Buck Owens and help homeless pets at the same time at the fourth annual Buckfest. The event, held at the Cowboy Palace Saloon, 21635 Devonshire St., Chatsworth, begins at 6 p.m. and continues until closing time Saturday and Sunday. Numerous local country bands will perform; all proceeds go to the needy animals at Owens’ favorite charity, the Bakersfield SPCA. Admission is free; event also features raffle prizes and giveaways (and a barbecue for carnivores so inclined). Directions at CowboyPalace.com.

Saturday, March 27, spcaLA hosts PAWS to Read at the Redondo Beach Public Library, 303 N. Pacific Coast Highway, 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. Participation is free; sign-up begins at 9 a.m. at the Children’s Information Desk. More information at spcaLA.com.

Saturday, March 27, the L.A. Department of Animal Services holds mobile pet-adoption events at the Torrance PetSmart location, 3855-59 Sepulveda Blvd., from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.; and at K9 Loft, 2170 West Sunset Blvd., Echo Park, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Saturday, March 27, North Hollywood music venue Kulak’s Woodshed hosts a concert to raise funds for L.A.-based Strangest Angels Animal Rescue from 7:30 to 10 p.m. Performers include Danny Peck, Joe Hamilton, Jonathan Clark, The Boxing Gandhis and Julie Chadwick. Well-behaved dogs are welcome.

Sunday, March 28, rescued farm-animal sanctuary Animal Acres invites visitors to an open house at its Acton facility, 5200 Escondido Canyon Road, in celebration of the Great American Meat-Out. The  event runs from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and is free; no reservations are required to participate. More information at AnimalAcres.org. To learn more about the Great American Meat-Out or to find an event near you, visit MeatOut.org.

Upcoming:

Tuesday, March 30, art gallery Trigg Ison Fine Art hosts a wine-tasting event to benefit animal advocacy group In Defense of Animals at its West Hollywood facility, 511 N. Robertson Blvd., from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. The event features hors d’oeuvres, wine tasting, a silent auction and raffle prizes, with event proceeds and a portion of the evening’s art sales to be used for In Defense of Animals’ chimpanzee sanctuary and other animal-friendly projects. Tickets are $30 and their purchase may be used as an income tax deduction. More information at IDAUSA.org.

Saturday, April 3, the American Humane Assn. asks pet owners to remember the importance of tagging and microchipping companion animals. The organization is hosting "Every Day Is Tag Day" to increase awareness about this issue. Only 15% of dogs and 2% of cats that enter U.S. animal shelters and humane societies without an identification tag or microchip are reunited with their owners, according to American Humane. Not only is that statistic scary, it’s also completely preventable. Learn more about pet identification and what to do if your pet gets lost at AmericanHumane.org.

Saturday, April 3, the Olvera Street Merchants invite animals of all sorts to the 80th annual Blessing of the Animals ceremony at L.A.’s famous El Pueblo Historical Monument from noon to 5 p.m. A procession begins at 2 p.m., after which Cardinal Roger Mahony will begin the blessing ceremony. Animals from run-of-the-mill dogs and cats to more exotic boa constrictors and iguanas have been blessed at the ceremony in previous years. Event is free, and those without pets are also welcome to attend. More information at LACity.org.

Thursday, April 8, the Humane Society of the United States and the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals invite California animal advocates to the California Humane Lobby Day in Sacramento. Through Humane Lobby Day, California voters can converse directly with their elected representatives about animal welfare issues in California and learn from legislators in the state’s newly formed Animal Protection Caucus about ways to be a citizen advocate for animals. Event runs from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the State Capitol, located at the corner of 11th Street and L Street in Room 4202 (4th floor) in Sacramento. Advance registration is required; for more information or to register online, visit HumaneSociety.org.

Friday-Sunday, April 16-18, America’s Family Pet Expo returns to the Orange County Fair and Event Center, 88 Fair Drive, 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.

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.

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: A dog greets visitors at a 2004 adoption event held by the Best Friends Animal Society. Best Friends hosts its annual Spring Super Adoption Festival May 23, and there are plenty of other opportunities to meet adoptable pets in the coming weeks and months. Credit: Handout photo provided by Best Friends

Hermosa Beach is poised to become the second Southern California city and the third in the state to ban the sales of puppies and kittens in pet stores.

Councilman Jeff Duclos proposed the legislation, which is intended to help put puppy mills and kitten factories out of business and is modeled on a similar ban approved in West Hollywood last month. A preliminary vote Tuesday received the unanimous support of the Hermosa Beach City Council, the Daily Breeze reports. A final vote is scheduled for April 13.

"We commend the humane leaders of Hermosa Beach for recognizing the direct link between inhumane puppy mills and local pet store sales of dogs and cats," Jennifer Fearing, the senior director of California programs for the Humane Society of the United States, said of the proposal. "Rather than supporting inhumane puppy mills by purchasing an animal from a pet shop or over the Internet, we encourage people to adopt pets from a shelter or rescue group, or to seek out a reputable breeder and visit their home to ensure any pets they purchase were reared with kindness." 

Like West Hollywood’s ordinance, Hermosa Beach’s won’t bar businesses from offering rescued animals for adoption. And like West Hollywood’s ban, Hermosa’s wouldn’t immediately affect any businesses, since no pet stores within city limits currently offer puppies or kittens for sale.

Rather than addressing a problem in Hermosa, City Manager Steve Burrell told the Daily Breeze, the proposal "is thought to provide the beginning of the emphasis on cutting down on the number of puppy mills and cat factories in various places." Pet stores are a common means by which puppy mills distribute their puppies — and unsuspecting buyers all too often wind up with pets riddled with health problems and other hazards of the puppy-mill trade.

South Lake Tahoe adopted a similar ban on pet-store sales of puppies and kittens last year.

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Iowa lawmakers consider new regulations aimed at cracking down on puppy mills

Pennsylvania’s Main Line Animal Rescue takes on puppy mills, one dog at a time

— Lindsay Barnett

Photo: Dalmatian puppies romp at a New Jersey pet store in 1996. Credit: Mike Derer / Associated Press

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — In the hours after a monkey on the lam fell into a woman’s pool and then swiped some fruit from her backyard tree, fans of the wily primate cheered it for avoiding capture.

"It’s something that you can kind of cheer for," said Amy Ellis, a Pasco County employee who has become a fan of the monkey on Facebook. "Every day there’s so much bad news. He’s kind of like a little hero."

The rhesus macaque monkey has avoided capture for nearly a year. Authorities don’t know where the animal came from, but some believe it could have gotten separated from a troupe of wild monkeys in an Ocala-area state park, some 118 miles north of St. Petersburg. Another possibility: The animal could have escaped from an owner who doesn’t have a permit and is therefore not registered with authorities.

The creature has captivated people in Tampa Bay and beyond — possibly because of his ability to outwit the humans trying to catch him. The Facebook page dedicated to the monkey had more than 31,000 fans as of Wednesday evening.

The monkey was even featured two weeks ago on "The Colbert Report" with host Stephen Colbert poking fun at the creature, who has been shot numerous times with tranquilizers, apparently unfazed. One trapper claimed the monkey was becoming a "drug addict" because of all the shots.

"You took a monkey on the lam and put a monkey on his back," Colbert wisecracked.

Wildlife trapper Vernon Yates has tracked the monkey through three counties, and heard reports of it rummaging through trash bins, scaling the wall of an apartment complex and even hanging out by a pool behind a foreclosed home.

Yates swears it is the same monkey because of its size, coloring and behavior.

"He is an extremely intelligent monkey," Yates said. "He is very, very streetwise. He knows to check traffic. He knows to look both ways so he doesn’t get hit by cars. He knows to stay out of power lines."

Yates said he worries that someone will shoot or kill the monkey. If he catches it, Yates will have the animal tested for disease. If negative, the trapper will try to find the monkey a home, probably a private individual who has a permit to care for exotic wildlife.

State wildlife officials are also serious about catching the evasive primate.

"That animal is so much quicker and more powerful than people perceive," said Gary Morse, a spokesman for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. "That monkey would absolutely tear an adult male up. People have no idea how fierce their bites would be."

Morse said monkeys can harbor communicable diseases, such as hepatitis and herpes, and can become aggressive if cornered.

On Sunday, St. Petersburg resident Renee Barth got a laugh when she spotted the monkey swinging from a tree in her pool enclosure. She managed to get a photo — then watched the monkey fall into her pool.

Barth said the monkey climbed out, then took off with some grapefruit.

— Associated Press

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

Photo: The monkey is shown in the St. Petersburg, Fla., swimming pool enclosure belonging to Renee Barth on March 21. Credit: Renee Barth / Associated Press

MOBILE, Ala. — A dog who was severely burned as a puppy in a case that drew worldwide attention and led to tougher animal cruelty laws in Alabama has died.

Doug James rescued the dog named Gucci after it was hung by the neck, tortured and set on fire by a group of youths in 1994. James said the 16-year-old chow-husky mix had been in declining health in the past few months and was euthanized on Wednesday.

Passed in 2000, the Pet Protection Act, called Gucci’s law, made first-degree cruelty to a domesticated dog or cat a felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a $5,000 fine.

Abuse and neglect of a cat or dog is a misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail and a $2,000 fine.

James said Gucci turned 16 on Monday and his annual birthday party is scheduled Saturday at a local pet shop. He said the gathering will now be a memorial service.

— Associated Press

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

Photo: Gucci in a 2003 photo. Credit: G.M. Andrews / Associated Press

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:

M.J. might not be able to moonwalk yet, but she’s got some fancy new moves of her own. She’s had about two more weeks of therapy at CARE since her last evaluation and she continues to surpass our expectations.

As you may recall, she began rehab with only the slightest ability to feel her hind legs due to a car accident that left her paralyzed. The kind folks at HandicappedPets.com, aided by the fundraising efforts of some animal-loving schoolchildren, donated her "Walkin’ Wheels" dog wheelchair, which you may recognize from the first installment of M.J.’s story.

As of today, she is getting up on her own and standing with great balance for several minutes at a time. We fit her with some booties that help give her more traction and they allow her to get her back feet under her quickly to push up to stand.

She’s quite a fashion trend-setter. She can walk for longer distances too now without her cart!

During her evaluation I did find that she is getting some sore triceps muscles from all the increased walking she’s been doing, so we did some laser therapy treatment on her last week.

M.J. loves all the attention and affection she’s been getting from us at CARE and her other doctors at Brent-Air Animal Hospital, but she still wishes she had a home. M.J. will be continuing to receive therapy at CARE for the next four weeks, and then we hope she will be functionally independent enough to check out of rehab.

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

— 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.

Video: M.J. practices with her "Walkin’ Wheels" dog wheelchair at CARE. Photo: M.J. receives laser treatment. Video and photo courtesy of CARE.

CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. — A North Carolina Marine Corps base is cracking down on violators of a rule banning pit bulls and other aggressive dog breeds from military housing.

The Daily News of Jacksonville reported Thursday that Marines who haven’t been approved for a waiver by April 1 will be evicted or have their pets taken. Only about a quarter of the 200 dogs in the vicious breed category known to live in base housing have been registered.

Camp Lejeune’s base commander last April issued an order banning full or mixed breeds of pit bulls, Rottweilers, wolf-dogs mixes or any breed with "dominant traits of aggression."

The ban came after a 3-year-old boy was fatally bitten in base housing in 2008 by a pit bull owned by a visiting family friend.

— Associated Press

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

Photo: Rottweiler puppies play with a trainer at a Clearwater, Fla., humane society. Credit: Scott Martin / Associated Press

Can you say "strange bedfellows"? Octuplets mother Nadya Suleman, whose financial troubles have been well-documented, has accepted an offer from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals: $5,000 and a month’s supply of vegan hot dogs and hamburger patties for her family of 15 in exchange for allowing the animal-rights group to place an ad on her lawn.

The ad — which, in light of Suleman’s status as a paparazzi magnet, is likely to attract a lot of eyeballs — makes light of the mother of 14’s "Octomom" nickname. "Don’t let your dog or cat become an ‘octomom’," it reads, "Always spay or neuter. PETA." Pictured beside the text is a mother cat nursing a litter of young kittens.

Suleman’s La Habra home was purchased by means of a deal in which
owner Amer Haddadin agreed to carry the $450,000 loan for a year until her father
could gather the money for a down payment, according to our sister blog L.A. Now. But Haddadin says that the family has fallen behind in their payments and that evicting Suleman and her children is a possibility.

PETA’s Michelle Cho wrote to Suleman to propose the advertising deal, noting in her letter that "[taking] us up on our offer is a win-win situation. It would help you and your children to keep your home and also reduce the number of homeless dogs and cats."

In the wake of reports about Suleman’s recent financial trouble, she also received another unorthodox offer: Vivid Entertainment, an adult-film production company, offered to pay off her mortgage in exchange for appearing in a porn movie.

Although Vivid’s co-chairman, Steven Hirsch, made assurances that the company would allow Suleman to provide input on the script and co-stars and that the movie would be as tastefully done as possible, it appears she’s rejected the offer. Her lawyer, Jeff Czech, e-mailed the Associated Press regarding Suleman’s decision: "No porn. Just Peta. Nadya prefers animals over men."

According to PETA, the group is still working out the details of its arrangement with Suleman. 

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— Lindsay Barnett

Photo: Associated Press

We were absolutely entranced by YouTube user molly1216‘s video of the sleepy young squirrel she rescued enjoying a good scratch.

When she found the squirrel, he was "dehydrated and losing body heat," Molly explains. She placed him under a heat lamp and "was trying to warm him up with a little massage" when the video above was recorded. The result, of course, is alarmingly cute: Who knew squirrels kick their rear legs like dogs when they’re scratched in the right spot?

Certainly not us. But now we do, and we think this new information makes us love squirrels even more than we did when we first found out about the Squngee.

After this video was recorded, Molly brought the squirrel to a wildlife rehabilitator who cared for him for a time before releasing him back into the wild. We love a happy ending almost as much as we love a cute squirrel!

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— Lindsay Barnett

Video: molly1216 via YouTube

DOHA, Qatar — Japan and China on Tuesday torpedoed proposals to protect hammerhead and oceanic whitetip sharks — heavily sought for their prized fins — in the latest victory of fishing interests over global conservation efforts.

The defeat of the U.S.-backed measures was part of an aggressive campaign by the Asian nations to oppose all marine proposals at the 175-nation Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species. They also defeated an export ban on Atlantic bluefin tuna, a proposal to regulate the coral trade and a separate shark conservation plan.

Critics accused the countries of putting business and politics ahead of efforts to protect the sharks, which are often fished only for their fins, with their carcasses discarded.

The issue has taken on more urgency due to an increasing demand for shark fin soup as increasing numbers of Chinese middle-class families become wealthier. The soup has long played a central part in traditional Chinese culture, often served at weddings and banquets.

Rwanda’s Fidele Ruzigandekwe, who supported the shark listing, said afterward that "science had been set aside for politics."

"It’s proven that shark populations have diminished and they warrant protection," Ruzigandekwe said. "Yet, most proposals were rejected. People are not properly informed and the information is being distorted because of commercial interests."

China, Indonesia and other nations that benefit from the trade in shark fins joined the Japanese-led opposition to the proposals arguing that trade restrictions were not the answer and would be difficult to apply. The shark proposals would have for the first time regulated the trade, requiring nations to, among other things, track their imports and exports and the amounts they catch.

"This is not about trade issues but fisheries enforcement," Masanori Miyahara, chief counselor of the Fisheries Agency of Japan, told delegates. "Poaching is a big problem. Small-scale long liners are chasing sharks all over the world."

China said it opposed the proposals because it would be "impossible" to differentiate between regulated and unregulated shark species. It never mentioned the growing demand for shark fin soup but said the ruling would put an unnecessary burden on customs officials.

Hisashi Endo, the director of the Ecosystem and Conservation Office in the Fisheries Agency of Japan, said Tokyo was already working to protect marine species but wanted the matter to be addressed by regional fishing commissions, rather than CITES.

"We are just saying that CITES is not a good place for the conservation of marine resources," said Endo. "We already are making progress on conserving marine species."

The United States, supported by Europe, Australia and many Arab countries, said regional fisheries bodies had failed the sharks with a lack of protective measures.

Widespread illegal fishing has caused populations of the endangered scalloped hammerhead, great hammerhead and the threatened smooth hammerhead to plummet by as much as 85 percent. Oceanic whitetip sharks face similar threats and their numbers are down 60 percent to 70 percent.

The hammerhead measure was only narrowly rejected by the U.N. committee, failing by five votes to take the necessary two-thirds majority. The whitetip proposal fell nine votes short of approval.

Tom Strickland, the head of the U.S. delegation, said it was possible they would try and revive the proposals at the larger, plenary meeting, which begins Wednesday.

"It’s disappointing we didn’t get the two-thirds but that is the way the rules are set up," Strickland said. "We are going to continue our efforts both here and going forward to put the necessary protection in place for these shark species."

The tiny Pacific nation of Palau, which last year created the first ever shark sanctuary, joined the Americans in introducing the shark proposals. It called on countries to protect the species so they can be fished well into the future.

"Millions of sharks are killed each year to support the global fin trade, while a significant percentage of the world’s sharks are threatened or near threatened with extinction," said Palau’s Ministry of Natural Resources, Environment & Tourism, Harry R. Fritz, adding that his country supports the protection of other shark species as well.

Conservationists were outraged by the rulings. The meeting also defeated controls for the spiny dogfish shark, a key ingredient in European fish and chips, though it did approve regulations on the trade in the porbeagle shark, which is prized mostly by Europe for its high-valued meat.

"Today is a huge loss for the oceans. This is a case of politics prevailing over science," Oceana’s Fisheries Campaign Manager Elizabeth Griffin said. "The world failed to stand up today to protect some of the ocean’s top predators."

Jupp Baron Kerckerinck zur Borg, president of the Shark Research Institute based in Millbrook, N.Y., acknowledged he was "very disappointed and frustrated right now."

"Japan has been voting the shark proposals down because they are catching them, Singapore voted them down because they make money selling the fins and China makes money because they eat them," he said. "How can we win?"

The Pew Environmental Group said the sharks are especially vulnerable to overfishing because they are slow-growing and have low reproductive rates. Fishermen, both industrial and small-scale and many operating illegally, slice off the fins and throw the carcasses back in the ocean.

— Associated Press

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Photo: A hammerhead shark swims in the waters off Costa Rica. Credit: AFP/Getty Images

— French artist Céleste Boursier-Mougenot enlisted a flock of zebra finches for his upcoming exhibition at London’s Barbican concert hall and art gallery. But these aren’t just any zebra finches — they’re rock ‘n’ roll zebra finches. Boursier-Mougenot created a walk-through aviary for the musical birds, complete with a Gibson Les Paul guitar for a perch and cymbals doubling as water and food bowls. "If you want to understand a creature then you have to interact with it," Boursier-Mougenot said of the aviary project. "Here, I am not using the birds, I am collaborating with them." The birds were obtained from a company that supplies animal actors for the entertainment industry. Not exactly what Rock and Roll Hall of Fame-honored singer-songwriter and poet Leonard Cohen had in mind when he wrote "Bird on a Wire," we suppose, but the prospect of animals creating music is an intriguing one, nonetheless. The exhibition runs through late May. (The Guardian)

— A new study shows what any owner of multiple dogs already knew: Dogs gain specific information from one another’s growls, despite the fact that the sounds may be indistinguishable to human ears. Researchers first recorded the growls of 20 adult dogs in each of three unique situations: When guarding a bone, when approached by a threatening stranger and during play. They then used a computer program to analyze the sounds and discovered that the play growls tended to be shorter and more high-pitched than those the dogs made when they were guarding food or when they felt threatened. Then came the second part of the twofold study: Playing back the recorded growls to live dogs in a research setting. Forty-one adult pet dogs from Austria and Hungary were each offered a meaty bone as the researchers played the recorded growls. The team observed that the dogs jumped when they heard the recorded "guarding" growls, but didn’t when the play growls or threatened growls were played. (Discovery News)

— Spork, the miniature dachshund from Colorado whose legal case spawned a "Save Spork" movement, has received a reprieve. The dog was issued a vicious dog citation last year after he bit a veterinary technician; his owners, Kelly and Tim Walker, vigorously fought the citation, which could have meant life in a kennel or even euthanasia. The Walkers say Spork, who is 10 years old and neutered, panicked at the vet’s office where he was to have five teeth and a cyst removed and shouldn’t be labeled "aggressive" for the one-time occurrence. Nearly 25,000 people who joined a "Save Spork" Facebook group seem to agree. A judge ruled last week that the charges against Spork will be dropped if he’s on his best behavior for the next six months. (Denver Post)

— A controversial advertisement placed by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals’ U.K. wing to coincide with Britain’s most prestigious dog show, Crufts, was apparently offensive enough to purebred dog fanciers that the country’s Kennel Club filed a formal complaint with the U.K.’s Advertising Standards Authority. The ad depicted a white Maltese dog with a black comb placed strategically in front of its muzzle, making a visual reference to Adolf Hitler’s mustache, alongside the text "Master Race? Wrong for People. Wrong for Dogs. Boycott Breeders. Adopt." The Kennel Club said the ad was misleading, but the ASA responded by saying it had "carefully assessed three complaints that we received … but did not consider there were grounds for a formal investigation" because consumers could reasonably be expected to understand that the ad represented PETA’s own opinions. Earlier this year, protesters from PETA crashed the famous Westminster Kennel Club dog show bearing signs that read "Mutts Rule" and "Breeders Kill Shelter Dogs’ Chances." (Telegraph)

— Lady Gaga, the pop-culture force of nature known as much for her often-bizarre clothing choices as for her music, has inspired a new breed of fashion imitator: dogs. San Francisco-based artist Jesse Freidin used two of the few remaining packs of Polaroid instant camera film and a group of willing animal models to create "The Doggie Gaga Project." The result, Friedin says, is "a toast to instant photography. Oh, and dogs." Memo to Tyra Banks: Pancake the Boston terrier truly deserves to be America’s next top model. (Paw Nation)

— Everyone take a deep breath; it’s all going to be all right. Formerly hedgehog-haired reality TV star Kate Gosselin has announced that family dogs Shoka and Nala, who were returned to their breeder by her ex-husband Jon last year, will be coming home again soon. "My kids’ lives have been changed and compromised and altered enough over the past year," she said, referencing the very public disintegration of her marriage. "I realized if I had two difficult kids I wouldn’t send them away and ask for new kids." Whew! We were really worried there, for a minute. Now we can sleep soundly again. (People)

— Lindsay Barnett

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SAVANNAH, Ga. — Biologists conducting a survey for the U.S. military said Tuesday they photographed an endangered right whale giving birth near a proposed Navy training range offshore of Georgia and Florida.

The news caused waves of excitement among researchers and conservationists. Experts said it was only the second time right whales have been documented giving birth in the wild. And environmentalists opposed to the Navy’s plans said the sighting bolsters their argument that submarine warfare training in the area would pose a threat to the rare species.

"We cannot have undersea warfare training taking place in that area where mother whales are going to give birth to their calves," said Sharon Young, marine issues field director for the Humane Society of the United States, which sued the Navy in January over the training range.

Researchers say only about 400 North Atlantic right whales remain, and each whale killed by ship strikes, entanglement in fishing lines and other underwater gear is considered a large step toward extinction.

The right whales migrate each winter to the warm, shallow waters off southern Georgia and northern Florida to birth their calves. In nearby Atlantic waters, but farther out to sea, the Navy plans to build a $100-million range for training ships, submarines and aircraft.

Biologist William McLellan said his research team photographed the whale birth Saturday about 40 miles offshore from Jacksonville, Fla. His research team was conducting an aerial survey of marine species near the proposed training area.

McLellan, a research biologist for the University of North Carolina Wilmington, said Tuesday the scientists were tracking a female right whale when it dove underwater for about 10 minutes and then resurfaced along with a plume of blood.

"At first they thought it had been bitten by a shark," McLellan said Tuesday. "And then this little thing pops up off to the side. It turned out to be a baby calf."

The Navy said Tuesday the whale birth was at least 10 miles outside the boundary of its planned Undersea Warfare Training Range.

The range would be located more than 500 square nautical miles, about 50 miles offshore and a short trip from Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay in south Georgia and Naval Station Mayport in north Florida.

"From what we would be doing on the range, there would be no significant impact to the right whales," said Jene Nissen, the range’s program director and a retired Navy commander.

Scientists for the New England Aquarium in Boston were the first to photograph a right whale birth, also off the coast of northern Florida, in January 2005.

Monica Zani, a right whale researcher at the Boston aquarium, said the whale birth McLellan’s team photographed occurred well outside the established calving grounds for right whales, about 20 miles off the coast. She said it’s not clear whether a birth that far out was a fluke.

"It’s a huge question mark," Zani said. "That’s an area that hasn’t been surveyed a lot."

Young of the Humane Society believes the sighting helps the cause of the range’s opponents.

In January, the Southern Environmental Law Center filed suit against the Navy in federal court on behalf of the Humane Society and other conservation groups. The lawsuit argues the Navy approved construction of the range without first completing studies to determine if it would pose threats to right whales and other rare species.

The Navy’s studies on potential impacts to marine life are expected to be complete by 2014, the earliest the range would open.

— Associated Press

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Photos: Aerial pictures show an endangered right whale and her calf Saturday after the whale gave birth in waters near where the Navy plans to establish a training range off the coast of northern Florida. Credit: Associated Press; University of North Carolina-Wilmington Marine Mammal Dept.

NAIROBI, Kenya — Gorillas in central Africa are in danger from illegal logging, mining and from hunters who are killing great apes for meat, said a joint report from the United Nations and Interpol released Wednesday.

A previous report in 2002 estimated that only 10% of gorillas would remain by 2030. The author of the 2002 report and of the newly released one said that estimate now appears too optimistic.

"We fear now that the gorillas may become extinct from most parts of their range in perhaps 15 years," the U.N. Environmental Program’s Christian Nellemann said.

One of the dangers gorillas now face is a large increase in logging for timber that is mostly destined for Asia, particularly China, said Nellemann, also editor in chief of the newly released report "The Last Stand of the Gorilla."

Militant factions have also taken over gorilla land, making the protection of gorillas extremely difficult, he said. Increasing human populations and the deadly ebola virus are also killing gorillas.

Achim Steiner, executive director of the U.N. Environmental Program, said that logging and mining camps hire poachers to supply refugees and markets with the meat of wild animals, including gorillas.

The report calls for greater scrutiny of European and Asian companies using subsidiaries to extract timber and minerals from central Africa.

"This is a tragedy for the great apes and one also for countless other species being impacted by this intensifying and all too often illegal trade," Steiner said in a statement. "In short, it is environmental crime and theft by the few and the powerful at the expense of the poor and the vulnerable."

David Higgins, manager of the Interpol Environmental Crime Program, said that gorillas are victims of the contempt shown by organized crime groups toward national and international laws aimed at defending wildlife.

The report, however, contained some good news as well. An unpublished survey of one area of eastern Congo in the center of that country’s conflict zone discovered 750 previously unknown critically endangered eastern lowland gorillas.

"What we are worried about is that these gorillas are disappearing faster than we can actually mobilize resources to save them," said Nellemann, who called for increased resources for the U.N. Environmental Program and Interpol to protect great apes.

There are four distinct types of gorilla. Three are listed as critically endangered, and one is listed as endangered.

— Associated Press

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Photo: Kampanga, a female mountain gorilla, is shown with her 6-month-old baby in the Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda in 2005. Credit: Riccardo Gangale / Associated Press

We’re just crazy about YouTube user nunya42’s troop of Bengal kittens, who can be seen enthusiastically playing in a number of videos on nunya’s channel.

These two, Luna and Raffi, just might be the cutest of the bunch — we love the "crab walk" move one of them does toward the beginning of the video above. (We’d watch that crab walk on an endless loop if someone would just make it into an animated GIF!)

Bengals are large and vividly colored cats that originated from breedings between domestic house cats and Asian leopard cats.

Although Bengals are demonstratively gorgeous, the International Bengal Cat Society cautions potential owners that the breed also tends to be on the active side. "Whether they are fishing in the aquarium or playing in their water-bowls, fetching balls for their families, taking walks on a leash or climbing to the top of the highest cupboards, Bengals are constantly on the move and are perfect for anyone who wants to interact and play with their cat daily," the group writes on its website.

See another video of nunya’s kittens after the jump.

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— Lindsay Barnett

Videos: nunya42 via YouTube

Friends, it is our distinct pleasure to wish you a very happy holiday. What holiday is it, you ask? Why, National Puppy Day, of course! National Puppy Day was started in 2006 by animal behaviorist Colleen Paige, who envisioned it not just as a day during which to marvel at just how gosh-darn adorable the little guys are, but also to serve as a reminder about the importance of pet adoption and the perils of puppy mills.

Above, we present some of the cutest puppies we’ve seen in recent memory — and that’s saying a lot. These three puppies — one playful, two sleepy — are Pomeranians named Mia, Turtle and Pork. 

Of course, cute puppies — and really, aren’t they all cute puppies? — are rather like potato chips, in that it’s hard to watch just one adorable video. If you, like us, are hungry for more puppy videos, allow us to suggest some of our favorites from the vaults of Your Morning Adorable — for starters, a Brussels griffon puppy and a golden retriever puppy who are each terribly confused by the concept of mirrors. From there, we’ll move on to the wide world of beagle puppies: A pair of them who just can’t seem to climb down a flight of stairs and another pair just learning to make their breed’s signature baying sound. Still want more? How about six Scottish terrier puppies wreaking (adorable) havoc? 

If you’ve got your own puppy at home, we’d love to see it — share your photos and videos in the Puppy Power! album at The Times’ photo-sharing site, Your Scene.

— Lindsay Barnett

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

Video: jamieserigny via YouTube

BILLINGS, Mont. — A coalition of wildlife advocates on Tuesday asked a Montana judge to overturn an agreement that allowed dozens of Yellowstone National Park bison to be transferred onto billionaire Ted Turner’s private ranch.

Four wildlife groups that opposed last month’s transfer filed a lawsuit in Gallatin County claiming that the animals are a public resource that should be shielded from privatization.

Turner has agreed to take care of the animals for five years. In exchange, he gets 75% of their offspring, or an estimated 150 animals.

The suit’s plaintiffs said the state should either move the animals onto public land or pay Turner to take care of them rather than give up their young as compensation.

"They need to remain in public hands," said plaintiff Glenn Hockett with the Gallatin Wildlife Assn. "Paying him by bartering the public’s wildlife is a violation of the public trust."

The case will be heard by District Judge Holly Brown.

The state of Montana and the Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks were named as defendants. Fish, Wildlife and Parks spokesman Ron Aasheim said Tuesday that the transfer of the bison was within the agency’s authority.

In 2005 and 2006, the bison now held by Turner were spared from a government slaughter program meant to guard Montana’s cattle industry against park bison infected with the disease brucellosis.

The original plan was to use the animals to repopulate public lands in the West with new bison herds. They spent most of the intervening years in a federal-state quarantine facility just outside the park.

Tens of millions of bison once roamed North America, but they were driven to near-extinction in the late 19th century. Yellowstone’s 3,000 bison comprise one of the largest remaining populations in the world.

After Montana officials failed to find the quarantined animals a home, the state’s Democratic governor, Brian Schweitzer, asked Turner to help.

In February, 87 bison were moved from the quarantine near the park to Turner’s Flying D Ranch south of Bozeman. One of the animals, described by Turner representative Russ Miller as a sick, orphaned calf, died after the transfer.

The animals still could be moved onto public lands at some point in the future, although no proposals have been offered. They have repeatedly tested negative for brucellosis, which can cause cattle to abort.

Miller, general manager of Turner Enterprises Inc., was still reviewing the lawsuit and declined to say if Turner would intervene.

"We were in this from the beginning to help out," he said. "We’ll rely on the agencies we’re trying to help out to sort it out."

Other plaintiffs in the lawsuit include the Western Watersheds Project, Buffalo Field Campaign and Yellowstone Buffalo Foundation.

— Associated Press

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Photo: Bison are moved into corrals at a containment facility in Corwin Springs, Mont., on Feb. 17, in preparation for travel to Turner’s ranch west of Bozeman. Credit: Sean Sperry / Associated Press

If there weren’t already reason enough to love Ellen DeGeneres and her hilarious wife Portia de Rossi, add this to the list: The couple is using their high-profile status to help homeless dogs and cats.

DeGeneres is working to promote pet adoption through the U.S. Postal Service’s forthcoming "Stamps to the Rescue" campaign, through which consumers can purchase a set of stamps with images of dogs and cats rescued from shelters. In connection with the release of the new stamp collection, the pet-food company of which DeGeneres is part owner, Halo Purely for Pets, has announced that it will donate a million servings of its "Spot’s Stew" food to needy pets in animal shelters across the country.

DeGeneres will join Postmaster General John E. Potter at an dedication ceremony for the "Stamps to the Rescue" campaign at the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in Hollywood on April 30, the day the stamps officially go on sale. (In the meantime, they can be preordered online.)

Meanwhile, De Rossi has partnered with feral-cat advocacy group Alley Cat Allies to promote the organization and its efforts to save adult feral cats’ lives and reduce the number of kittens they produce through the trap-neuter-return program. TNR, as the approach is often referred to, "is the only way to help contain the [feral cat] populations and save their lives," De Rossi said.

TNR is widely viewed by feral-cat caregivers as the most effective way of managing feral colonies in the short-term while helping to reduce their numbers in the long term. But here in Southern California, the approach came under fire earlier this year when a Los Angeles Superior Court judge sided with a group of bird fanciers and wildlife advocates who argued that TNR violated state environmental laws and failed to protect the birds that are killed by feral cats.

The judge’s ruling — which bars local groups that practice TNR from receiving city-sponsored vouchers for free sterilization surgeries for feral cats, prevents city shelters from releasing feral cats in their care to such groups and keeps the city from referring those who complain about feral-cat colonies to TNR groups, among other things — was viewed as a travesty by many in L.A.’s animal-rescue community. 

DeGeneres and De Rossi are longtime animal lovers; the pair even decided to make a donation to the Best Friends Animal Society in lieu of gifts to their friends and family in 2008, and DeGeneres often devotes time on her popular talk show to discussing animal-related topics. But the couple was also involved in a much-publicized controversy a few years back when they gave a terrier mix named Iggy, whom they’d adopted from an L.A.-area rescue group, to the family of DeGeneres’ hairstylist without the rescue group’s prior consent.

The group, Mutts & Moms, responded by removing Iggy from the hairstylist’s home, noting that its adoption contract contained a clause that prevented adopters from re-homing animals obtained from the group without its permission. An attorney for Mutts & Moms claimed that the group had offered the hairstylist’s family the chance to formally apply to adopt Iggy, but that they had refused to do so. Mutts & Moms quickly placed Iggy in a new adoptive home. DeGeneres and De Rossi currently have five pets — two dogs and three cats — including a mixed-breed dog rescued from an abusive owner.

DeGeneres was named one of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals’ People of the Year, along with "Project Runway’s" Tim Gunn, in 2009. Earlier in the year, she and De Rossi received the Humane Society of the United States’ Wyler Award for their work on behalf of California’s Proposition 2 ballot initiative, which imposed more humane standards for the treatment of farmed animals in the state.

Learn more about DeGeneres and De Rossi’s recent work on behalf of homeless animals at The Times’ celebrity news blog, Ministry of Gossip.

— Lindsay Barnett

Photo: De Rossi, left, and DeGeneres. Credit: Richard Hartog / Los Angeles Times