Another Wednesday is upon us, so I dedcided to start a new post that will recur every week called Wednesday Woof! which will feature a cute puppy. Sure, I might do this more than on just Wednesday, but at least it will be a post to look forward to in the middle of the week!
I am not sure about your dogs, but mine have NEVER enjoyed rain. Just getting them to go outside to go potty is a challenge when the weather is rainy (or snowy). I cannot imagine my dog falling asleep so that the rain would not cover the spot they were laying.
At Busch Gardens in Florida zookeepers embarked on a strange journey. They had a new 8 month old male Cheetah cub (now named Kasi), but no other cheetah cubs. For the animal to have a companion they introduced the cub to a puppy, a 16 week old rescued lab mix (now named Mtani). The animals developed a friendship, learning how to communicate together. At first they spent only supervised time together, and now they live and travel together all the time.
Now that they are older, Busch Garden uses them to help educated the public about Cheetahs, rescuing exotic animals, and the importance of rescuing domestic animals like Mtani. The two can be seen on display in their enclosure at the Cheetah Run. They do actually run the cheetahs (and Mtani) using a lure system that pulls a lure along the ground on a line. If you visit make sure to find out what time the Cheetahs will run because it is something to see!
Here are Kasi and Mtani all grown up: (image source)
A video of them on their first year anniversary, explaining the relationship and showing off their running skills:
Do animals have the capacity for friendship? I never really thought otherwise until I realized most biologists studying animals have only recently considered the idea worth studying. Of course, animals do not communicate or express emotions the same way people do. Even if it were flawlessly possible to prove what an animal is thinking or “emoting” it would not always be for the same reasons we do. That does not make what they experience any less, only different. But if you have ever owned an animal you can see each has their own personality and seems to display love, affection, or “friendship.”
A human animal relationship in and of itself is already an inter-species relationship that demonstrates the ability of an animal to bond with a creature not like itself. Inter-species friendships are especially interesting because I think it does point to the ability or desire of an animal to be with others, even if not the same species. Most often these relationships occur when humans have intervened – at animal preserves, zoos, or even in your own home (dogs and rabbits for example). Yes, we placed the animals in those situations but they could just as easily decide to not remain in a relationship (your dog eating your pet rabbit for example). These relationships might occur less frequently in nature because they would be hard to find and observe, and because it is probably much more rare for an animal to not have another of its own kind to bond with.
The wonderful director Hayao Miyazaki, of Studio Ghibli, has decided to retire. (source)
The news came out at the Venice Film Festival. Miyazaki is a director of Japanese animated movies, an animator, producer, screen writer, and co-founder of Studio Ghibli. For fifty years he has influenced and helped set the standard for animation.
I absolutely love his work, it is beautiful and inspiring, especially Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke, and My Neighbor Totoro. I suggest seeing Miyazaki’s movies (and those of Studio Ghibli) if you love animation.
If you are looking specifically for animation involving adorable creatures you cannot miss My Neighbor Totoro.
A children’s movie from 1988 written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki, it is beloved by all ages and is very whimsical.
The plot focuses on two young girls living with their father while their mother is in the hospital. The movie does a great job of showing the world from a child’s point of view. In the movie the girls come across a giant forest spirit they call Totoro.
Welcome to my new website! We moved to our own domain but will continue to post all the same fuzzy and wonderful content!
With the new domain comes a brand new name – Fuzzy Today! This better reflects who we are and our content.
I will be working on giving the site a facelift, so for the moment do not worry about the drab and unfinished design as it will be gone soon.
Hopefully everything will be up and going as soon as possible. In the mean time, please feel free to follow what is now Fuzzy Today on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+.
The cub is not much to see at the moment because Panda cubs are the one of the smallest births to occur among mammals. Babies are only about 1/900th the size of their mothers, only marsupials give birth to smaller young. Panda cubs are unable to move on their own and are completely dependent on their mom for warmth, food, and protection.
Mei Xiang has been more protective of the cub in the past few days and has not allowed the vet staff to take the cub from her for an exam. Keepers say the baby sounds healthy and they are continually observing the pair on the panda cams.
The Smithsonian National Zoo announced earlier today that their female panda Mei Xiang gave birth to a cub at 5:32 pm!
You can watch the Panda cam on the national zoo’s website here.
(photo of Mei Xiang: KAREN BLEIER/AFP/Getty Images)
Behavior watchers were observing her 24 hours a day via their panda cams since August 7 as she began to exhibit more and more signs that she would be giving birth. The cub will receive a preliminary exam in the next 48 hours, and continue to receive regular health checks. This is the panda’s third cub, her first cub survived and now lives in china while her second cub died of liver failure.
You can read more about all that goes into testing for panda pregnancy, how she got that way, and the video of her giving birth at the panda blog.
What is believed to be the oldest portrait of a guinea pig in English art has been discovered! Previously in a private collection, it will soon be on display to the public for a short time.
(photo credit: Jonathan Farmer/National Portrait Gallery)
The painting is simply titled Three Unknown Elizabethan Children and is from 1580 by an unknown Anglo-Netherlands (probably Flemish or Dutch) artist. The painting features three children, all very well dressed. The boy in front is thought to be 6, the girl 7, and the boy in the back 5 years old. The girl holds the guinea pig while the boy behind her holds what appears to be a finch. Guinea pigs were introduced to Europe by Spanish traders. Once prized meat in their native home, they became popular exotic pets among wealthy Europeans.
I do not know how much more their is the painting as all photos of it show only this much. It is very exciting to think that guinea pigs have been such beloved pets that they would make it into a portrait!
The painting will be on display in London at the National Portrait Gallery as part of the exhibition Elizabeth I and Her People running from October 10 to January 5, 2014. The exhibit will include other portraits, paintings, and over 100 objects (like costumes and coins).
I would encourage anyone in the area to check out the Gallery and this exhibit. I love history and this would be amazing if I could get to it!
I feel like E – the hay disposer and squeaker port – could also be simply the food and squeaker port because my guinea pigs love not only their hay but also their pellets, veggies, and fruits too!
