Time for another edition of Hisses and Purrs, where we run down the good, and the not-so-good, news about the plight of animals around the world. First up, as always, is Hissy Fit Jones. What do you have to tell us this week Hissy?
Hisses to the police officers of Ponda, India, who are not taking action against poachers. The poachers are now using bombs and snares to capture animals at the edge of wildlife refuges. Because the bombs are crudely made, they don’t always kill the animal, so it lies in agony until it meets its untimely death at the hands of the poachers.
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Hisses to Japan’s hunters of sea creatures, such as smaller whales, porpoises, and dolphins, because their actions are leading those sea creatures to the verge of extinction. Catch limits are based on statistics from 20 years now, but the capture will not likely end soon, when the sale of live creatures to aquariums can earn them up to $98,000. So I guess it’s not just the dolphin killers we have to worry about.
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Hisses to the Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo for providing encounters with tiger cubs this fall. For a small fee, people could hold bengal tiger cubs to pet. Zoo director Patti Hall and head keeper Cyndi Johnson deny anything is wrong with what they’re doing, and that the cubs will all be cared for. In fact, the two cubs on display now will be returned to the Marcan Tiger Preserve in the Florida Panhandle and will be used to breed still more tigers. Oh, how responsible (note sarcasm)!!!
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And this one, I don’t know WHO to hiss at. The Pennsylvania Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals raided the home of 81-year-old Marjorie Bamont, and took possession of the woman’s 14 cats and 1 dog. Ms. Bamont, who lives in the home where actress Grace Kelly grew up, was once an animal rescuer who got over her head. The home was found to be infested with fleas, and animal feces was found everywhere. Ms. Bamont was obviously not providing for those animals, and she has been sent for a psychiatric evaluation. So I guess we must next ask why it took so long for someone to do something about this?
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Oh my DOG! Another week of blood-boiling news reports, Hissy! June Buggie, we need your help! Can you give us some GOOD news?
Purrs to the Ontario Ministry of Transportation for testing a motion detector system that will warn motorists when deer or moose are near highways. The system, if it works, will be a win-win for both motorists and the large animals. In 2010, there were over 13,000 collisions involving a moving vehicle and a large animal. Here’s hoping that number can decrease to zero.
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Purrs to The conservation of Asiatic cheetah project (CACP), a joint initiative between the Department of Environment of Iran and the UN Development Program. After ten years of efforts to save the Asiatic Cheetah (gone from the planet except for in Iran) from extinction and to raise awareness among rural people, it looks like the cheetahs are thriving. Recently a mother and he 5 cubs were photographed in the Turan National Park.
And purrs to the US Federal and State governments, who together spent over $1.7 billion to conserve endangered and threatened species last year. that includes $307 million to purchase land containing habitats critical for conservation, as well as research, law enforcement, census-taking, and transplanting animals. Note that only $83 million came from states; the rest was paid for by those paying taxes to the US government. See, your tax dollars DO go for worthy projects!
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Oh Dog! That’s MUCH better!
OK, it’s your turn! What hisses or purrs do YOU have to share this week!
Dogpaddling Through Life 
I wish they would stop killing whales and seals, that’s just a massacre. Fortunately there are people what deserve purrs too….
somehow I think it might be more humane to kill them than to force them to languish in a Chinese aquarium. I mean, have you heard how they treat animals in the zoos? Throwing stuff at them? Hitting them? *sigh*
I agree, that’s the worst. I don’t visit zoo’s and animal attraction parks, I remember we hat to visit a sea-park once with the whole class and I couldn’t believe that people laughed at animals what have to live in that puddles there. Butt I saw a documentation on tv how norwegian “hunters” killed seals and whales – that was a case of “welcome back in neander valley”
yeah, it’s awful! I think you and would both agree the best thing would be to leave the animals in their habitat to do what they are supposed to do.
That’s always the best, Rumpy. The worst is, that they breed with this poor animals fo getting some “eyecatchers” and then no one has a place for this animals when they are adult. I wish I could send this “managers”some a-kicks together with the hisses.
As long as foolish humans pay, there will be a supply. Hopefully you and I can convince some humans to say NO!
I hope they will clean their ears and hear the voices who say: NO!
I always enjoy “hisses and purrs!” Very informative!
June Buggie and Hissy Fit Jones will be pleased!
Hisses here are all about the badger cull. It’s still a topic that’s being discussed as they are trying to claim they need to kill more (despite having no proof it will work as they did not test any of the ones they murdered to see if they carried TB anyway) They are claiming the badgers “moved the goal post”. What next? The foxes playing rugby?! Starlings playing a five a side on a garage roof?! Pigeons playing table tennis?!
Argh, it drives me nuts.
The purrs this week go to the teenage ‘hooded youth’ who Mummy say moving a caterpillar that was in the middle of the pavement using a leaf and putting it in a bush. Little acts of kindness say so much about a person ^_^
Nacho, Noah, Buddy & Basil
xxxx
That story about the kid made me smile!!!!
Thank you for this.
Rawrrrrr!!!!!
Wow I can’t believe they would allow people to handle the cubs.
Yep, calling yourself a zoo does not make you reputable.
Ugh.
I’m very happy that June Buggie ended this post on the plus side. Otherwise my stomach would be churning with anger.
Our Mom enjoyz hissez and purrz. Thanks, Love Cali, Andy, Tater and Shelly (C.A.T.S)
I am glad! Thank you everybody!
Thank you June Buggy and Hissy Fit Jones for your research! It is good to know that you are keeping track of the good ones and the bad ones.
Dennis and his Mom
What the US Federal and State governments did for animals are great because I totally agree that our tax should be used for those worthy projects both for humans and animals! I’m not US resident though….I think that our goverment has to learn it from US!
P.S. I feel very ashamed to read about Japan’s hunters of sea creatures…..I’m very sorry….
It is very sad, Kevin.
Finally motion detectors for the deer etc. in Ontario!!! There is a real need for this here & IF the system actually gets installed because Ontario is a HUGE province it will be wonderful!!! Fingers & paws crossed on this one!
Sherri-Ellen & Nylablue xoxo