Animals articles from March 2002

Animals archives from March 2002

Cloning: for love or money? (Viewpoint).(implications of company's offer to clone beloved pets)(Brief Article)(Editorial)
March 22, 2002... The phone calls started after Texas A&M researchers announced in February that they had successfully produced a kitten through cloning techniques. What, reporters, wanted to know, did I think of this accomplishment? From where I sat, I told...

Florida panther, the black bear, and 30 species of protected birds. (Updates ...).(Big Cypress National Preserve in Florida may be site of drilling)(Brief Article)
March 22, 2002... The Big Cypress National Preserve in Florida is likely to be the next big battlefield between conservation and oil drilling. The refuge is home to many species, including the endangered Florida panther, the black bear, and 30 species of...

After long downplaying sonar's effect on whales, the U.S. Navy admitted in a recent report that its equipment contributed to the strandings of 16 whales and a dolphin in the Bahamas in March 2000. (Updates ...).(Brief Article)
March 22, 2002... After long downplaying sonar's effect on whales, the U.S. Navy admitted in a recent report that its equipment contributed to the strandings of 16 whales and a dolphin in the Bahamas in March 2000. Investigators said the marine mammals beached...

The U.S. Supreme Court upheld Endangered Species Act protections for the fairy shrimp and two other tiny freshwater crustaceans by refusing to hear a case brought by developers who challenged the law's reach. (Updates ...).(Brief Article)
March 22, 2002... The U.S. Supreme Court upheld Endangered Species Act protections for the fairy shrimp and two other tiny freshwater crustaceans by refusing to hear a case brought by developers who challenged the law's reach. But the species suffered a setback...

Chicken. (Updates ...).(genetic engineering of chicken)(Brief Article)
March 22, 2002... Several biotech companies are turning to genetic engineering to create a meatier chicken. One proposal calls for embryonic stem cells to be injected into eggs on an assembly line in an effort to produce a more standard, desirable bird....

Salmon. (Updates ...).(Pacific salmon may no longer get protection)(Brief Article)
March 22, 2002... The National Marine Fisheries Service may withdraw Endangered Species Act protection from 25 populations of Pacific salmon. The action follows a court ruling, still in dispute, that equates hatchery-bred salmon with those spawned in the wild....

The Farm Bill. (Animals Talk).(amendments concerning animal welfare)(Brief Article)
March 22, 2002... As this magazine reaches readers' mailboxes, members of the conference committee charged with reconciling the House and Senate versions of the Farm Bill (H.R. 2646 and S. 1731, respectively) may still be at it, hammering away to get their...

Burned up. (Letters).
March 22, 2002... Deborah Knight's article concerning the 1988 wildfire in Yellowstone Park ("Wildfire!" Fall 2001) seems to imply that this was a great boon to the health and well-being of the forest and its animal population. Having been in the area a number...

Eager and anxious. (Letters).
March 22, 2002... Every time Animals comes in the mail, we can't wait to enjoy it cover to cover. You do an excellent and educational job. Please keep it coming. Reading about dogs and cats gives us some clues about our German shepherd, Boots, and our...

Uneasy neighbors: humans evicted wolves from Yellowstone and coyotes moved in. Now the wolves are back.
March 22, 2002... The day before I arrived, the wolves killed an elk. As is the habit of wolves, they ate heavily and withdrew to lie down and digest. For four coyotes, the abandoned elk carcass was now irresistible: a few rips of elk yield as much sustenance as...

Micro lizard, macro threats. (Unsung Survivors).(species discovered in Caribbean)(Brief Article)
March 22, 2002... Ever seen a lizard so small that it can curl up on a dime? Until recently, neither had Blair Hedges, an evolutionary biologist at Pennsylvania State University. Then he came across just such a critter--the world's smallest known lizard--in a...

Trap, neuter, return: does this nonlethal method of coping with feral cats work? (Report Card).(Cover Story)
March 22, 2002... Newburyport, a picturesque community on the Atlantic coast north of Boston, is a magnet for summertime tourists. Visitors sip drinks and enjoy meals on the decks of waterfront restaurants as they relax in the sun, cooled by an ocean breeze. A...

In hot water: coral reefs at risk.
March 22, 2002... In 1850, the U.S. government sent a researcher to southern Florida to see if anything could be done to "get rid" of troublesome coral reefs in the region. The reefs were being blamed for numerous boat groundings and shipwrecks. Fortunately,...

Hard-to-swallow behavior. (Case Notes).(when cats chew and suck on non-food items)(Brief Article)
March 22, 2002... Our one-year-old cat, Pooka, chews and sucks on all kinds of weird things--string, clothing, rubber bands, electrical cords, wooden chair legs, and any plastic item she can find. She purrs and rolls around on her back while doing this. Why does...

Testament to a healing bond.(program for pet owners with HIV/AIDS)(Brief Article)
March 22, 2002... At the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, we have found that our programs to help pets almost always help people, too. Phinney's Friends certainly fits this bill. Established in 1996, the program teams volunteers...

Biocontrols: fix or folly? Scientists pit one species against another in the attempt to master nature.(biological control)
March 22, 2002... Lisa Tewksbury plucks a tiny red beetle from a lily in the University of Rhode Island quarantine laboratory and holds it close to a visitor's ear. The quarter-inch-long creature emits a soft "pffft" sound, perturbed perhaps at having its lunch...

Woman of the wild blue yonder. (Profile).(woman pilot who flies wildlife researchers to survey animal populations)(Brief Article)
March 22, 2002... Sandy Lanham isn't what you normally think of as a genius. She'd always dreamed of learning to fly but thought you had to be Wonder Woman to do it. Finally, at age 28, to get a break from caring for her three-year-old, she took a $425 tax...

Health watch.(answers to questions about pet care)
March 22, 2002... A bat got into my house and may have bitten my dog. He has had his rabies shot. Is he safe from rabies, or should he get another shot? Rabies is a fatal virus that attacks the nervous system and is spread through the saliva of mammals,...

The Diversity of Animal Sounds.
March 22, 2002... From the Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds, Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology. $19.95 CD. The song of the musician wren sounds like it could only have been played by angels operating synthesizers. Chorusing male red-ruffed fruit crows...

Caratinga: Soundscapes from Brazil's Atlantic Rainforest. (Also Noteworthy ...).
March 22, 2002... Two other striking CDs, both distributed by EarthEar, transport listeners to the rainforest while helping to save it. Caratinga: Soundscapes from Brazil's Atlantic Rainforest ($15.99) presents an audio safari of what biologist Russell A....

Rainforest Soundwalks: Ambiences of Bosavi, Papua New Guinea. (Also Noteworthy ...).
March 22, 2002... Rainforest Soundwalks: Ambiences of Bosavi, Papua New Guinea ($15.99) captures the stages of the day through animal sounds. Proceeds benefit the Bosavi People's Fund.