An Animal Protectionist’s source of joy, Disgusts Me

This bird is NOT mourning its lost love!

By Barry Kent MacKay

This is going to sound very disgusting, but please stay with me.  Suppose I offered to send you a photo of an adult male trying to have sex with the dead body of a youngster?   Would you thank me or call the image “sad but tender”?   Would you feel better about it if I told you that the photo was of a familiar species of animal, a dog, say, or maybe a cat, canary or horse?

Of course not, and yet that is exactly what many people, including animal rights activists, have done, and continue to do, to me.  Each time I carefully explain why I am not “touched” by these photos, although I realize that they don’t mean to cause my more negative reaction.   So in the forlorn hope that I can stop from seeing this image again, let me explain in this blog.

You may have seen this series of photos and captions yourself.  It does not really disgust me because I don’t believe that the adult male in question was capable of making a choice that would accommodate our own sense of morality.   I don’t blame him!   I just wish people who care about animals knew more about them.  It is essential in the work we do that we know, exactly, what we’re talking about.

The photo in question is one of a series that shows a type of bird, called the barn swallow.  It is widely distributed throughout much of the world, including North America.  In the latest version sent to me the birds are called “bluebirds”, which is incorrect.  There are no bluebirds that look like swallows, or vice versa. 

The first image shows an injured bird on pavement.  Swallows swoop low to the ground in pursuit of insects and, sadly, are often struck by cars.  He or she (sexes are alike) clearly has at least a damaged wing.  Whether this is an immature bird or an adult is impossible to tell (the main difference would be tail feather length, impossible to judge in the first two photos).

In the second photo an adult Barn Swallow (you can see the long outer-tail streamers that characterize an adult) is hovering over a hurt bird, possibly the same one as in the first photo.  Its mouth is open and seems to show the yellow mouth corners (flanges) that characterize a young bird, and since there is no indication of long tail streamers, it could be an immature, mouth open for food. 

In the third photo a bird, presumably the same one, is dead on the ground and looks like an immature, showing yellow mouth corners, and no sign of long tail streamers.   The angle has changed, or the bird turned right angles before dying if it is, indeed, the same bird (I suspect not).

It is the fourth the adult male is clearly and obviously copulating with the dead young bird.  The live birds is the classic pose whereby the male presses his vent tight against that of the female for the transference of sperm.  This is as obviously a copulating pose to anyone who knows anything about birds’ reproduction, as is a male dog humping a female, if I may be so crude.  The caption says, “He tried to move her - a rarely seen effort.”   That’s nonsense.

To me there is nothing “wrong” with the fact that much behaviour by birds and other animals, including human, is instinctive.  The male swallow is fornicating on a dead baby of his own kind, which would be awful if he were a human, but he isn’t.  Is that okay?  Or must our concern for animals be predicated on their being like us when we are at our best?

Just wondering.

Blogging off,
Barry

A female bluebird was hit by a car as she swooped low across the road, and the condition was soon fatal.

 

Her male mate brought her food and attended her with love and compassion.

 

He brought her food again, but was shocked to find her dead.

 

He tried to move her - a rarely seen effort.

 

Aware his mate was dead and would never come back to him
Again, he cried out with adoring love

 . . . And stood beside her with sadness and sorrow.

 

Millions of people were touched after seeing these photos in America, Europe, Australia, and even India.
The photographer sold these pictures for a nominal fee to the most famous newspaper in France.
All copies of that edition sold out on the day these pictures were published.

And many people think animals and birds don't have brains or feelings.
You have just witnessed love and sorrow felt by God's creatures.

Live simply, love generously, care deeply, give fully

Elephants - Magnificent Mammals

By Lynda Nanders
AAC volunteer

How did the elephants of the Thula Thula game reserve in Zululand  know that their savior and protector had died?  Lawrence Anthony, who had risked taking into his reservation  an elephant herd scheduled for slaughter, died in 2012.  Immediately afterwards, two herds walked twelve miles to visit his home and stayed quietly there, stayed for two days, showing their respect and mourning their human friend. 

Anthony risked taking the first of his elephants because they were about to be killed.  They had been identified as rogue and highly dangerous.  Why?  Because they were suffering post traumatic shock.  The fact that mammals (and perhaps other non-human creatures) experience post traumatic shock is well studied and documented in Bradshaw’s Elephants on the Edge.  This ties in with Jane Goodall’s observations.  Non-humans do have less intellectual power than humans, but they do think, and their emotions are very, very close to ours. Jeffrey Moussieff Masson, explores the emotional lives of many mammals and birds, as well as of elephants, in his When Elephants Weep.

Lawrence Anthony wrote of his experiences with elephants in The Elephant Whisperer. Revealing their ability to plan and to act together, the elephants Nana and Frankie toppled a tree to break through their enclosure. Once they were safely on the reservation  (5,000 acres) again, they learned from Anthony, in ways that we do not understand, that they were safe and should stay.

Nana revealed both her ability to plan and her wish to help other animals when she opened the gate enclosing 30 nyala who were to be moved.  She did not take their food, but desired to help them by setting them free. Elephants follow their matriarch. They live in a mutually supportive social structure.  They celebrate every birth and help raise the young.  When Nandi’s baby was born with deformed feet, the other elephants tried repeatedly to help her stand.  Anthony and the rangers were able at last to take the baby, whom they named Thula, away from her protective mom.  They worked with a vet and their own ingenuity to get that baby to walk.  However, later, the herd came to Anthony’s house.  Wisely, he rubbed Thula’s scent into his shirt and showed this to the elephants.  They understood that the baby was safe, that the humans were helping, and then they left.  The baby died  later, and the elephants mourned her body as it decomposed on the veldt.

Elephants, like primates, enjoy painting!  We are learning to respect animals’ emotions, and, now, we should look into their aesthetic awareness, also.  Bears have been observed standing up gazing at sunsets. Katya Arnold teaches art to children and to elephants. She has written a children’s book, Elephants Can Paint .  There is more information about the elephant art and samples for sale on www.elephantart.com.

Another delightful children’s book, full of information that many adults do not have, is Face to Face With Elephants by Joubert.

I have mentioned only a few books about elephants.  Our library system has thousands!  One suggestion for choosing books on this topic is to check the publishing date.  The more recently such a book has been written, the more useful and accurate it is likely to be.  Unfortunately, we are just now beginning to understand and appreciate the abilities and feelings of other animals on our planet.  We do not understand, for example, why the elephants understood Anthony’s conversations,; however, he was able to persuade them to trust him at difficult times.  We do not know how they communicate with one another through their “tummy rumbles” as well as their trumpeting.  We do know the threats against their survival – habitat destruction, hunting (usually sanctioned by governments under the euphemism “culling”) and poaching.  We should, if we, like them, are moral beings, start protecting them. We know that the wild is the place for them.  Anthony had to relate to his elephants in order to rescue them and care for them.  He hoped that this situation would be temporary, and he discouraged his workers from any personal contact.  He finishes his book with, “To me, the only good cage is an empty cage.”

The New Etobicoke Humane at 67 Six Points Road

The new Etobicoke Humane shelter (EHS) is more of a haven for homeless cats and dogs than a traditional shelter, with its poor lost animals lined up in small cages.  EHS has recently moved into its own detached building in central Etobicoke, easily accessed by car or TTC (bus from Islington or Kipling subway).  It has several separate rooms, so that there can be a room for every important purpose.  The kittens, for example, have their own “kitten room” full of climbers, toys, and soft beds.  Cats can be quarantined  until they are free of contagious conditions such as upper respiratory infection.  Cats in need of greater socialization before being adopted can be separated from the others.

There is space for dogs – something that the old, small shelter completely lacked.  And the dogs can be walked outside.There are no stairs for the public and shelter volunteers to climb.The building is accessed from street level, and is entirely on one floor. And, to make the cats and dogs even more comfortable and happy – the “cages” are enclosures 10 x 10 feet.  The cats have space for playing with their many toys and climbers, for sleeping on soft cat beds, for roaming about, for playing with one another.  One very dedicated young man, who has exceptional love for .and understanding of, animals, walks the cats on leashes. What a pleasure to adopt a cat who will accept a leash!  Like all the shelter volunteers, this helper goes far beyond  physical care of his charges; he socializes them and showers them with human love.

One amusing and touching story, made possible by the non-cages set up, is the friendship between Kramer, a Siamese male, and his best friend Brooke, a 3 month old female.  Brooke decided that she did not want to stay in the kitten room.  When she emerged from it and mixed with the older cats, she discovered Kramer. Whenever Brooke was returned to the kitten room, she would meow and meow so piteously for Kramer that the shelter people would just have to let her go back to him! Kramer decided to love her in return.  They have become inseparable, and, fortunately, the volunteer who chose to adopt Kramer is taking Brooke along with him.  In fact, contrary to commonly held belief, cats like companions of their own kind just as humans do.

EHS has many volunteers who foster cats and dogs, kittens and puppies.  The foster parents perform very valuable tasks, often looking after young kittens and puppies, and socializing them, and often looking after animals who need medical help. When I visited the kitten room one day, all 6 kittens wanted to be on my lap at once.  They had been well socialized to accept humans as their friends!

Licensed cruelty investigators working for EHS are, unfortunately, very much needed.  Often, they bring many animals at one time into the shelter, animals rescued from abusive and/or hoarding situations.  The new shelter can provide for these emergencies now that it has space and separate areas.

EHS does such great work for Etobicoke that I can only provide a short sketch here.  Their website is www.etobicokehumanesociety.com.  Look for their sweet animals waiting for forever homes, and for their open house details of June 23.

Yeaaah – way to go, Etobicoke!

Lynda Nanders
AAC and EHS volunteer

My Jane Goodall Evening

Lynda Nanders, one of our dedicated volunteers, had an enchanting evening with Jane Goodall when she visited Toronto in March.  Below is her report:

***

The March 2012 evening with Jane Goodall, put on by the Bloor Hot Docs Cinema, remains vividly in my mind .  She is my hero!  Her achievements are too great and too many to list here.  Her 20 years with the chimpanzees of Gombe in Tanzania led her to her present-day work as an activist on animal and environmental issues; she witnesses first-hand the threats to our planet.

From earliest childhood, Jane’s dream was to work with African animals, especially chimps!  She became the first human to discover and document the facts that chimps use and even make tools, live in complex societies, and  experience sadness, joy, fear, even compassion.  She says that they are different from us but do share many qualities that we humans, in our arrogance, like to believe are ours alone.

On that wonderful evening, we joined a reception in which we could speak with Jane.  A short talk followed, and then a film documenting her work at Gombe.  Her beautifully illustrated book, 50 Years At Gombe, was included in the fee, as was the opportunity to have her autograph the book while having our photos taken with her.

Although she knows and deeply regrets the many terrible  threats to animals and nature, she is an optimist.  During question period, a child piped up, “Do you think your work is worth it?” Her reply was and is positive.  She has established The Jane Goodall Institute and the Roots and Shoots program for young people.  Both are international.

I recommend all of her books, especially 50 Years At Gombe. 

If you see the movie, Chimpanzee, know that the battle between groups of chimps is pure Disney, not something that would happen in nature.

Andrew Westoll’s book, The Chimps Of Fauna Sanctuary, won the Charles Taylor Prize for Literary Non-Fiction. It is well deserving of this prize, and I do recommend it.

Jane Goodall is a quiet, unassuming person, but a true hero of our day and age.  She says that the young must take up the torch; as we know, the future belongs to them. Her Roots and Shoots is a hands-on tool for young people in many countries of our world.

If anyone else attended her night, or has had similar thrilling encounters, please share!

Tribute to Charlie

By Liz White

One week ago today, my beloved Charlie died from complications of diabetes and liver disease.  He was 16 years old.

I first met Charlie outside of a Jack Layton campaign office.  Jack and I were friends and I agreed to help run his 1997 campaign to win the riding of Toronto Danforth from Liberal Dennis Mills.  We did not have our political party at the time. 

Charlie was sitting in a basket just outside the door of the campaign office.  It was 10 pm and a lovely woman from the neighbourhood approached me and begged me to take Charlie.  She said that the entire litter of kittens, except Charlie, had been killed on the road.

Of course, I couldn’t refuse.  I think I fell in love with him that day.  I took him to our Animal Alliance offices where he lived for three months.  Jack lost the campaign and I won Charlie.

While he was at our offices, he met Nicki, my dog and they grew to tolerate each other.  So Charlie moved home with me. 

For some unexplained reason, we loved each other from the first time we met.  I say unexplained because Charlie tested my loyalty and love in every possible way.  He was dominant, opinionated, demanding and difficult.  He expected to be fully loved regardless of his transgressions.

When he was 8, he developed a condition called mega-colon.  After six months of treatment and alternative therapies, he had surgery to remove the affected portion of his bowel.  This surgery was supposed to cure his condition but of course in typical Charlie style, he required intense management to make sure the condition did not return.

In an odd way, the care he required brought us closer together.  I have to say that despite his opinionated personality, Charlie was eternally patient with me when receiving his twice daily treatment.

In 2009, my partner Ronnie and I moved from downtown to mid town Toronto.  Ronnie’s mom was very ill and we needed to be closer as we were both care givers.  Charlie found the move very difficult.  For two months after we were settled, he experienced a high level of stress but finally settled in, basking in our large sunny windows.

Charlie never gave up hope that he would be able to go outside.  I tried him with a leash which he hated.  I tried him in a large pen which he hated.  I tried sitting outside with him but he always wanted to go further than would have been safe for him.  So, he was able to enjoy the fresh air through our open windows but the longing was always there.

He showed the first signs of illness in late January of this year.  I thought he had a stroke but when I took him to our veterinarian, his blood work was fine.  It was not until late March that he was diagnosed with diabetes and several weeks after, we also discovered that he has liver disease.  Our vet told us that he would only have a few days, possibly a week to live.

With immeasurable sadness, we brought Charlie home to die.  After being on a rigid diet for his mega colon, Charlie ate whatever he wanted.  And he and I spent hours outside on our front porch, Charlie lying in the sun and enjoying the fresh air.  And even in his compromised state, Charlie continued to try to extend his outside boundaries.  He lived six weeks beyond the time the vet gave him and I am convinced that it was because he lived for the time we spent outside together. 

Throughout the last six weeks of his life, he required extensive care to make him comfortable.  He remained eternally patient while I checked his blood sugar and administered his insulin and coaxed him to eat.

Last Thursday he stopped eating and drinking and I knew that we were near the end.  On Friday afternoon before he died, he and I spent several hours outside on the porch.  He fell asleep in the sun and for the first time in several days, he seemed to be at peace, free from all the affects of his maladies.  He died in my arms Friday night.

His absence from my life has left a huge hole in my heart, but he was well loved and will always be remembered.  He lived a rich life, defining the lives of others around him.  We were so lucky to be able to share our lives with Charlie and Charlie was lucky to be loved, unlike so many animals who never experience tenderness and compassion.

Rest in peace, my love.

We need Volunteers for GTA feral cats!

The Toronto Feral Cat Trap-Neuter-Return Coalition, was formed in May 2010 by nine community groups working together to address the feral cat problem in Toronto.  These groups include: Toronto Animal Services, Toronto Humane Society, Toronto Feral Cat Project, Animal Alliance, Toronto Cat Rescue, Annex Cat Rescue, Action Volunteers for Animals, R.A.I.N (Representing Animals in Need), Urban Cat Relief and the Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.  The overall goal of the coalition is to implement strategic Trap Neuter Return programs throughout Toronto, resulting in a reduction in the feral cat overpopulation in the GTA and improvement in the welfare of homeless cats. This model of a city-wide coalition approach to TNR is recognized as the most effective strategy for managing feral cat populations (http://www.neighborhoodcats.org). 

 

The formation of a Coalition in Toronto has meant that caretakers are getting the assistance  they need to Trap, Neuter, Return colonies in their community.  To better support our community of caretakers, The TFCtnrC is seeking volunteers to help with our mandate.  We will provide training and mentorship for new volunteers. 

 

For more detailed information on the trap-neuter-return process please visit:

http://www.petsmartcharities.org/resources/i-see-cats.html

 

We need people who would like to do any or all of the following:

1. trap feral cats
2. provide recovery space
3. transport feral cats to veterinary clinics for sterilization and to recovery space after sterilization – usually on the same day
4. transport feral cats from recovery space back to their colony

 

Training will be provided (through the Toronto Feral Cat Project) for those interested in learning to trap feral cats and we would provide mentor trappers that you could join to continue with your training.  The ultimate goal would be to place you on a list where the TFCtnrC could contact you to help with trapping of colony cats when needed.  A training session has been scheduled for Saturday June 9^th at the Toronto Humane Society (11 River Street, Toronto).

 

For those interested in providing recovery space – the space would need to be temperature controlled to provide a comfortable environment that traps/carriers could be brought to for the cats to recover from sterilization surgery.  Caretakers would visit the space twice daily to care for the cats – give food/water and clean.  The cats would need to recover for a period of 1 to 7 days depending on the cat.  They would then be transported to be returned to their colony.

 

The best vehicles for transporting feral cats are vans as they can house the traps more comfortably than a car, but we are happy to use whatever vehicle you have.  You would need to line your vehicle with a plastic tarp to keep it clean – the TFCtnrC may be able to provide assistance with this.

 

If you would like to volunteer for one of these positions, please let me know!

 

On behalf of the Coalition and the cats, THANK YOU for caring!

Lia and the AAC / AAEVPC crew

P.S.  You can view a video about the Coalition  - "Compassion in Action" by EK Park - by visiting http://vimeo.com/41095624

Compassion in Action

Animal Alliance is part of the amazing Toronto Feral Cat TNR Coalition.

Check out this video about an incredible group of people and the cats we help!

http://torontobodymind.ca/articles/compassion-action-solving-torontos-homeless-cat-problem


 
If anyone would like to help us help the cats, please visit http://www.torontostreetcats.com/

Thanks!