http://d.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20080514/capt.92646bba34264d918321a4b8780a0541.polar_bear_ak501.jpg?x=267&y=345&sig=WG0Ycd5t_q3Ttom1IEzStw--
This Monday, May 22, 2006 file photo provided by Mary Sage shows a polar bear watching a whaling crew off shore near Barrow, Alaska. Polar bears were declared as a threatened species by the Interior Department on Wednesday, May 14, 2008 saying polar bears must be protected because of the decline in Arctic sea ice from global warming.

I just got an e-mail from peta2 and it said that baby male chicks are thrown alive into a highspeed grinder because they are considered non-profitable!

http://d.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/nm/20080516/2008_05_16t141300_347x450_us_albania_blackout.jpg?x=266&y=345&sig=7pCpbOb1mviCOX8oBP92Hg--
Auan, a seven-year-old female cat, licks the body of Jeena, a three-year-old male mouse, at a farmer's house in the central province of Phichit, 450 km (281 miles) north of Bangkok on August 7, 2002.

awesome: Amazingly,thoroughbred times haven't dropped much in the last 30 or more years,in harness racing a 2 minute mile was once the litmus test of greatness,now they run around 1:50,and that evolved over around 10 years or less.I don't know what that says in breed comparisons,or if it is shown that harness horses are more brittle,frankly all I know about racing was due to overexposure lol

Jim Dandy:

that brings back memories of Niatross....if not for car trouble I would have made it to Batavia Downs in 1980 when he ran a 1:55 mile on a half mile track....

wetware: There are probably more racetracks in Asia than the USA,not to mention Canada.I just don't see race tracks to be the "killing fields" some are depicting them to be,or the sport deemed worthy of banning.I have zero interest in the sport,but my mom's folks raised show horses and my dad owned standard breds,he kissed them on the nose before every race or after,no matter the result

Jim Dandy:  To my mind, that potentially variable meaning of "starts" won't lead to informative statistics.  FYI, I tended to take numbers presented to the Welfare and Safety of the Racehorse Summit(s).  Those strike me as the most reliable I've seen (even though they wound up having to revise some of the data).  Otherwise, I think there's just too much state-to-state variation, if the numbers aren't comparable.  I wouldn't even dare to look at data outside the U.S., other than to say that jumping races are far more deadly.

I miss chatting with one of my curling mates.  She's quite the horsewoman and loves hers dearly.  I'd love to hear her opinions on some of these matters.

I had to visit this hero to so many Canadian racing fans,I fed him a carrot

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mjA3-P3hpAY

wetware: It's hard to isolate on the facts when the ratio changes,anyway,we can agree to disagree

wetware: I'm not trying to be argumentitive,but based on the number of race tracks in the states,your stats don't add up.Each track has about 80 horses racing per day

Jim Dandy: I believe the actual stats are about 2 per day here in the U.S.  I'm not trying to be reactionary or alarmist--just presenting the numbers.

As far as the sources of the numbers, I think that here in the U.S. we've only got really solid stats from the following tracks (participants in the on-track injury reporting system):
Albuquerque
Aqueduct
Arlington Park
Bay Meadows
Belmont Park
Calder Race Course
Canterbury Park
Churchill Downs
Colonial Downs
Del Mar
Delaware Park
Delta Downs
Ellis Park
Emerald Downs
Evangeline Downs
Fair Grounds
Fonner Park
Golden Gate
Gulfstream Park
Hawthorne Race Course
Hollywood Park
Hoosier Park
Indiana Downs
Keeneland Racing Association
Kentucky Downs
Laurel Park
Lone Star Park
Louisiana Downs
Meadowlands
Monmouth Park
Oak Tree Racing Association
Penn National
Pimlico Race Course
Philadelphia Park
Portland Meadows
Prairie Meadows
Presque Isle Downs
Remington Park
Retama Park
Sam Houston Race Park
Santa Anita Park
Saratoga
Suffolk Downs
Thistledown
Timonium
Turfway Park
Woodbine
Woodlands
Yavapai Downs

I think I may have made a mistake in understanding what constitutes a "start".  I took that to mean each individual horse in a race, whereas the stats might apply to each individual race (no matter how many horses are in it).  The best current numbers for dirt tracks are almost exactly 2 deaths per 1,000 "starts".

Others can argue about what is rare or excessive.  I'm taking an agnostic stance for the moment, until I've got more solid information.

wetware: Do yo have any idea how many racetracks there are in North America? let alone Asia and the rest of the world.An average racing card is say 10 races,with on average say 8 horses.Based on your calculations,my local track would have(for small) 1 euthanization a week?

Horses get bumps and bruises just like any athlete,and sometimes they never race again,but very very very rarely are they euthenized,and frankly,just like in Barbaro's case,it's to save them a painful death.

I haven't seen this issue raised often,just like those who say "kill all the rotwieller's" when a death occurs,it's knee jerk reactionary behavior.

Jim Dandy:  I'd rather not debate with you as to whether such incidents are "rare", since that word is vague and we'd quickly get nowhere.

But I think a horse facing a 1/500 chance of dying as a result of a race is facing quite a risk.

Jim Dandy: I agree 100% that the racing should not be banned...horses run,they enjoy it,I DO think tho,that in light of the recent deaths of 2 horses newer tougher rules need to be in place,if something is broke,fix it..the racing industry,I feel is broken right now.
Believe me,I eat,breath,sleep,live dogs and the dog sport I participate in,so I can relate to the people that are into horses.BUT,when we see something in our sport that does not work,we stive to come up with solutions to fix it,and I think that is what the racing industry should do also.

anastasia: I used to get literally dragged to the track,I was never a fan of horse racing,but I did learn much about the people and culture of the sport.Those people can talk horses 24/7,and they really do obsess over their horses.I'm all for anything that improves the safety of both horse and driver or jockey,but I don't think horse racing should be banned.Too often the spotlight is put on something due to a rare incident causing people to overreact,I think this qualifies

Jim Dandy: I have never been overly keen on horse racing.I DO understand these animlas are bred and born to run...so,with that said...I guess I would be MORE ok with the sport IF changes were made (see petition I asked people to sign a few posts ago)
I think that they should run the horses on surfaces that are a bit softer on the legs/joints of the horses.
Waiting until the horse is done growing..I don't know much about horses,not going to sit here and pretend that I do,but I have read at the age this female was at,her bones/joints were not fully formed? Why not wait until they ARE? I don't go taking my dogs jumping and climbing the wall at a young age because the joints are still like jelly,WHY take a chance on causing more damage?
And also the whipping part...OMG,ever since I was little I have HATED how the jockey whips the horse.IF they insist on keeping this as part of the race then after the race is over,the jockey should also be whipped as many times as he whipped that horse.
I think these are some little things the industry could look at,maybe change some way of doing things so that everyone involved is happy and so that the horses can do what the horses were born to do,but be SAFER while doing it....anymore thoughts on this???

The Wall Street Journal ran an interesting article the day before this year's Kentucky Derby was run:
Racing's Royal Bloodline: Most racehorses today descend from a stallion named Native Dancer. Has the sport become too reliant on one set of genes?

Interesting stuff about breeding and genetics--things we've touched upon on this board in regards to dogs, etc.

The WSJ article begins as follows:

"No matter what happens in tomorrow's Kentucky Derby, one outcome is guaranteed. The winning horse will be related to Native Dancer.  All 20 horses in this year's race are descendants of this massive thoroughbred, who died in 1967."

As far as I've been able to find out (for U.S. tracks), each single horse starting a race has between a 1/500 and 1/667 chance of being euthanized as a result of an accident of some kind during that event.

srnity: That's the one.My dad owned harness race horses,I was around the barn a lot.Don't underestimate the love both owners and trainers have for those horse,it's sincere in the vast number of cases.I don't have the stats,but the incidents of those types of terrible accidents is very rare,I don't see it justifying the abolishment of horse racing

the luckiest horse in the world....a meager $500,000 for each live foal.... I'm surprised PETA doesn't step in and find out if he is being exploited ....he should at least be allowed to perform the act without an armed guard having to watch...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Storm_Cat

Barbaro (April 29, 2003 – January 29, 2007) was an American thoroughbred that decisively won the 2006 Kentucky Derby but shattered his leg two weeks later, in the 2006 Preakness Stakes, ending his racing career and eventually leading to his death.

On May 20, 2006, Barbaro ran in the Preakness Stakes as a heavy favorite, but, after he false-started, he fractured three bones in and around the ankle of his right hind leg. The injury ruined any chance of a Triple Crown in 2006 and ended his racing career. The next day, he underwent surgery at the New Bolton Center at the University of Pennsylvania for his injuries. In July he developed laminitis in his left rear leg. He had an additional five surgeries, and his prognosis varied as he remained for an extraordinarily long period of time in the equine Intensive Care Unit. While his right leg eventually healed, a final risky surgery on it proved futile because the colt soon developed further laminitis in both front legs. His veterinarians and owners then concluded that he could not be saved, and Barbaro was euthanized on January 29, 2007

srnity: Remember that horse that race horse that broke its leg a few years back,and how they tried to save it by keeping it in a harness after surgery?

srnity:
http://getactive.peta.org/campaign/eight_belles

PLEASE go sign this petition in light of this horse being put down....forward it to anybody and EVERYBODY that you know....even if you don;t think they will sign it,TRY!!

I agree, she was too young and hadn't properly developed. She was still a baby and it wasn't fair.
It's just her owners trying to get a bit more money out of her.
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Horses don't mature till 4 and 5. The yearling must race as a 2 year old to gain the money to be able to go KD.
Fillie purses are not as much as the Males are. The KD is a 2000000 dollar purse. What is the Oak???? If fillies received the same amount of prestege, she would be alive today due to she would have ran against her own.
They could have hoisted onto the wagon,take her to hospital . She deserved the artificial legs. Vers.Mare had her second baby--and wears artificial limbs.

anastasia: That is so sad. I hate SeaWorld it always seemed a pointless attraction to me. I always viewed it as I would rather see these wonderful creatures in their natural habitat not in some giant tank.

A performing dolphin called Sharky has died during a live stunt show at Discovery Cove, in Orlando, Florida, owned by brewery and theme park operator Anheuser-Busch.

Sharky - a 30-year-old female bottlenose - collided mid-air with another dolphin while leaping out of the water during a show.

In what WSPA considers to be a sad reminder of the unacceptable cruelty inherent to keeping dolphins in captivity, Sharky suffered head injuries and died soon afterwards.

The other dolphin, a 13-year-old male called Tyler, is currently under veterinary supervision.

Sharky's accidental death while performing tricks marked the end of a degraded life, deprived of even the most basic natural instincts and trained - using methods that often include food deprivation - to perform unnatural and dangerous tricks.

The majority of dolphins in captivity are captured violently from the wild. Scientists estimate that for every wild dolphin taken captive, another is injured or killed in the process. Claims that these facilities have conservation interests at heart do not change the fact that this is a cruel and exploitative industry.

Anheuser-Busch currently holds 67 captive bred and 10 wild caught dolphins in Orlando. At this time, WSPA has been unable to determine whether Sharky was captive bred or wild caught. We do know that most dolphins in US facilities are now bred in captivity and that it has been around 20 years since US facilities have participated in capture of dolphins from the wild.

It is no secret that the intelligence of dolphins is on par with that of the great apes. It is clear that no captive facility - not even the world-famous tourist destination that is SeaWorld - can adequately provide for dolphins' complex social and behavioral needs, or recreate their vast ocean habitat.

Claire Bass, Marine Mammals Programs Manager for WSPA said: “The World Society for the Protection of Animals urges people who care for the welfare of these remarkable animals to help keep dolphins wild - never visit them in captivity. Tourist cash is what keeps attractions like this in business.”

Spring brings bloody waters in Norway - the whaling season has started
May 2008

Norwegian whalers yesterday made the first kill of the season: a calf. Though the majority of Norwegians are against the cruelty inflicted by whaling, Norwegian whalers are set to kill 1,052 whales in the hunts that started on Wednesday morning.

The Norwegian whaling season, which normally runs from April to August, began with the killing of a Minke whale calf. Sadly this will be the first of up to 1,052 whales which Norway is set to kill this season, in hunts which result in prolonged and extreme suffering as many whales do not die straight away.

Data from the Norwegian Government itself reveals that 1 in 5 whales suffer long and painful deaths, some taking an hour or more to die after being hit with explosive harpoons. A recent poll showed that almost two thirds of Norwegians believe that it is unacceptable for a whale to take more than 15 minutes to die once shot.

The start of this year's season follows news in early April that Ellingsen Seafood, Norway's largest whale meat supplier, plans to stop producing whale meat in 2009. Ellingsen is currently responsible for processing approximately a third of the total catch each year.

WSPA programs manager Claire Bass said:

“The appetite for whaling in Norway is dwindling: only 1 in 4 Norwegians under 30 strongly support the continuation of whaling in their country. It's clear that this cruel and outdated industry is on borrowed time in a progressive country like Norway.”

srnity: That peacock is beautiful....just reminds me of a snowflake!!

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A white peacock displays its feathers at a zoo in the northern Indian city of Lucknow April 23,2008

An albino kangaroo named Milka clings to his mother at a zoo in Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan, Saturday, April 26, 2008. The cub was born 3 and a half months ago, but the zoologists have not examined it to determine its sex fearing they will harm the fragile kangaroo

Hungarian Puli sheep dog, Fee, jumps over a hurdle during a preview for a pedigree dog show in Dortmund
A Westhighland Terrier dog named 'Molly', tries to jump over a bar during photo call

Five cloned dogs, all sharing the same name: 'Toppy', a combination of the words 'tomorrow' and 'puppy', look at a ball during their exercise at Defector Dog Training Center in Incheon, west of Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, April 24, 2008. The country that created the world's first cloned canine plans to put duplicated dogs on patrol to sniff out drugs and explosives

Buddy sits on the throne as he is crowned Most Beautiful Bulldog by his owner, George DuBois, of Ankeny, Iowa, at the 29th Annual Beautiful Bulldog Contest in Des Moines, Iowa, on Monday, April 21, 2008. The competition attracts the ugliest and prettiest of bulldogs from around the midwest to represent Drake University

anastasia: I've made that mistake - and learned my lesson - with baby birds that blew out of nests in thunderstorms and then the kids wound up bringing them home - not good Two questions tho - why do all groundhogs seem to be HUGE (and everywhere lately, like that arcade game where you "bop" em on the head)? And why are possums SO ugly (they really truly have a face that only their mother could love)?

Jim Dandy: Awwwwwww, how cute

Well,now that spring has FINALLY sent winter on it's way...it's time for me to make my spring time post about the baby animlas again!!
I would just like to remind everyone that when you see a baby animal,and he is squacking and carrying on like a fruitloop,PLEASE,PLEASE,PLEASE do NOT assume that he has been abandoned/orphaned...chances are that his Mom is somewhere off on the sidelines watching the baby.Animals do not "coddle" their young as long as we think they do...they often let them venture out to experiment in the real world fairly early,but ALWAYS under a watchful eye....Unless you SEE that the mother is dead...hit on the side of the road,for example...DO NOT PICK UP THE BABIES TO HELP THEM!!!
There are not to many things more heartbreaking then listening to a mother wailing for her young that has been "helped away" by some human!!!

Jim Dandy: I hate rodeos..think they are a terrible thing..I hope they cancel their other dates as well.

Maybe they'll cancel their NoDak State Fair appearance, too.

Matchbox 20 is canceling a show at Cheyenne Frontier Days which bills itself as the world's biggest outdoor rodeo, over their newfound concern for the animals involved. Did they not know what a rodeo was?
Lead singer Rob Thomas and his wife, Marisol, posted this statement on the band's website: "We ask that (fans) please understand that it would be impossible for us to put ourselves in the position of making money from what we believe to be the mistreatment of animals."
But get this: the band is still scheduled to perform at the North Dakota State Fair,which also includes rodeo events. They'll figure it out eventually.

Jim Dandy: OMG,lol...my niece and I were just talking about that movie...I have heard what the ending is and I won't watch it,HA!! Can you believe I am 35 and I have never even seen that movie!??

anastasia: True,and they will defend to the death,anyone who's seen OLD YELLER knows that ;-)

Jim Dandy:  It's said they do,and I personally believe that they do,but again,if the dog is "working" or doing a job..again,the K-9 unit tracking the criminal,thats the bottom line for it..to do it's job.Hunting dogs track prey,thats their job.Thats what they were bred to do.Dogs in Georgia track and hunt down boar,even tho the wild pig could kill them,they still track and find it.

anastasia: Animals don't sense danger?

 I don't think the dog DOES know that whatever is at the end of that scet might cause them harm them...why would they? When a police K-9 is on the track of a criminal...they are not thinking,oh man,this nut job may have a gun and shot me...they just track,period

anastasia: ok,so when they determine the scent originates from their personal armageddon,how do they respond?

Jim Dandy:  When dogs get the scent of something,they will track it untill they either loose the scent or find WHAT is giving the scent.

Jim Dandy: That is a good question - anybody know? Even tho I live in the woods, I don't hunt (or hurt) any living things (bugs included). I'll ask at work in the morn, hunters galore there, they even close the schools for the first day of the season, somebody'll know

srnity: That presents an interesting question.I wonder if a hound will track regardless of the animal being a threat,and clearly much more powerful