University of Victoria Bunnies

So today I happened upon an article on boing boing that explained there are thousands of rabbits at British Columbia’s University of Victoria.

Apparently the number of bunnies is due to people abandoning their unwanted pets on the campus and their numbers have simply grown over time due to breeding, continual abandonment, and people feeding them. These rabbits are now ferral, and are not pets.

The campus has launched a public awareness campaign in an effort to protect the rabbits, people, and the environment. Having so many rabbits in one place is a stress to local plant life and can cause health problems for people. The goal is to stop people from continuing to abandon pet rabbits on campus, stop people from feeding the bunnies, and to prevent animal cruelty.

To read more about the rabbits on campus and what they are trying to do to help both people and the rabbits, visit Rabbits @ UVic.

Here is a video of a man feeding the bunnies that shows their interest in people, and an idea of their numbers:

Here are a couple of photos:

Photos from theglobeandmail.com: by Deddeda Stemler.

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Secretariat

Disney is making a movie called Secretariat, based on the true story of the race horse! Secretariat won the Triple Crown in 1973, or winning the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and the Belmont Stakes. Only 11 horses have ever won that achievement and the last horse to do so was Affirmed in 1978.

The film will open in theaters on October 8th. To read more about the film, check out comingsoon.net.

Here is the trailer:

Actual footage of Secratariat running in the 1973 Kentucky Derby:

A couple shots from the movie:

I am excited to see this movie! I really like true stories made into movies, and I love horses.

I think that this movie is also coming out at a good time to bring a little hope back to the racing world, a reminder that even the most impossible of prospects can turn out for the best. I saw this article the other day: Gamble Sours for Many Kentucky Horse Breeders. The article explains that many horse farms are not doing well and are now up for sale. Money going through horse auctions and races has decreased in the past couple years, so even the best horses are not going for the money they once did nor earning as much by winning or breeding. The Pimlico Race Course, which hosts the Preakness Stakes is going through bankruptcy. The Belmont Stakes is also in jeopardy this year if enough money cannot be raised. Sadly, what happened to the housing market in the US has happened to the racing world – many no money down loans based on the idea the prices and value would always be rising for horses. The article quotes Arnold Kirkpatrick as saying, “We bred too many horses, overborrowed to do it, and are now caught trying to sell them to people who don’t want them.”

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Shirt.woot and Cute Shirts

I have gotten a few really cute t-shirts from shirt.woot.com over the past couple of years. Shirt.woot is a site where people submit different t-shirt designs that they have created based on the current theme provided them, and then the users of the site vote. The top three designs are then created. The shirt is sold for $10 on the day it is first introduced, but if it remains popular you can continue to buy it for $15. While only one shirt is featured for sale on the main page everyday, the other shirts still available can be found through the reckoning tab. As shirts fall in popularity, they are no longer available for sale.

Here are some currently available shirts:

The Epic Begins – $15.00

Nature Channel – $15.00

Imposter – $15.00

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The Last Unicorn

The book The Last Unicorn, by Peter S. Beagle, is currently being made into a comic book!

IDW Publishing is making a six comic book series based on the book, and the first issue came out this month. The story was adapted by Peter B. Gillis, and the art is beautifully done in full color by Renae De Liz and Ray Dillion. The end of the first issue features a great interview with the author which continues on into the second issue.

Here is basically what the cover of the first comic looks like:

For those new to the book,  “The Last Unicorn” came out in 1968 and was adapted into an animated movie in 1982. It is the story of a unicorn who goes on a journey to discover whether or not she really is the last unicorn.

Here is the book:

And the movie:

I love the movie and have read the first comic, I would highly recommend them! I have the book, but have not yet had a chance to read it.

And just today I also found these uni-corn corn holders:

While they are not related to the Last Unicorn directly, they are pretty fun and funny! Uni-CORN corn holders…ha ha!

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Buddy the Dog

In Alaska a German Shepherd named Buddy saved his owners life during a fire.

Buddy’s owner was in a workshop when it caught fire, and he sent Buddy for help. The dog ran and found a police officer who was responding to the call of a fire but could not find the property. The officer followed the dog back to his owner. Buddy is being honored as a hero. Here is video from the dash cam of the police offer who followed Buddy:

This is a amazing! Good job Buddy!

You can read the whole story here: Alaska Dog Honored for Leading Troopers to Fire.

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Ty Beanie Boos

I just got this little guy:

The penguin’s name is Waddles, and he is one  of a line of Ty’s Beanie Boos. These appear to simply be beanie babies that have giant eyes…. But they are so cute to me! I used to collect Beanie Babies, and I do not want to start again but this little guy was too cute to pass up.

Here are other styles in the same toy line:

Coconut the Monkey

Slush the Huskey:

Bamboo the Panda

Kooky the Koala

Kiwi the Frog

Tangerine the Orangutan

Cookie the Dog

Safari the Giraffe

These little guys are so adorable! You can find them for sale at amazon.com.

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A Missed Opportunity

Hello everybody! Sorry for the recent lack of posts, I have been on vacation (and still am). I found a bit of spare time to update!

Here is what I see as a missed opportunity that might be made up for in the future:

With the recent success of the movie How To Train Your Dragon, you would think that there would be a ton of cute stuffed animals of Toothless – the main dragon in the movie. This is not the case! The dragon is adorable, modeled after Stitch, but here are your stuffed toy options:

That is the large size plush! At least it is the right color. Not sure the character liked to stick its tongue out like that….

Here is the small one:

I must have missed something, because he is not that light blue color.

Who in the world designed these toys? They are both incredibly ugly and look nothing like the real thing:

There is so much potential here! I hope that someday they produce a much more high quality and cute plush toys. If Disney had made this movie, I feel this would not have happened.

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Crimson Wing: Mystery of the Flamingos

Disney Nature has a film called Crimson Wing: Mystery of the Flamingos, a documentary all about flamingos. It looks amazing but it has yet to be released in the US.

Here is a trailer:

I love flamingos! I think they are amazing looking and I love their long legs.

Here are pictures:

I really hope that I can see this movie soon!

To find out more, see more pictures, and view more trailers visit disneynature.com.

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