Knit giant sweaters for rescued elephants!
Knitting for elephants: The wildly colored garments will help the rescued pachyderms, several of whom are handicapped, brave the region's freezing cold winter weather.
Animals
Venomous creatures adapt their sting when it doesn’t work
Many animals use venom to protect themselves from predators and to catch prey. Some, like jellyfish, have tentacles, while others, like bees and snakes use stingers and fangs to inject their prey with venomous toxins. For a long time scientists believed that an animal’s venom was consistent over time: once a venomous creature, always a […]
Botoxed camels disqualified from Saudi beauty contest
A dozen camels entered in an annual camel beauty pageant in Saudi Arabia were disqualified for use of Botox injections. According to the National online newspaper, judges discovered that 12 camels competing in the second annual King Abdulaziz Camel Festival had been injected with Botox in order to enhance their appearance, a cheating ploy to […]
Poultry poop could be a renewable energy source
Coincidental with millions of Americans mummifying their leftover Thanksgiving turkey in cling film, a new study by researchers from Israel’s Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) says treated excrement from turkeys and chickens can provide an alternative source of energy when converted into combustible solid biomass fuel. Poultry poop biomass fuel can also reduce greenhouse […]
In Canada, PieBird gives honeybees sanctuary
Honey is a magical elixir. Mystical even. And our love for it goes way back to the earliest signs of advanced civilization. Archeologists have found pots of it in ancient tombs in Egypt placed there as a gift to the gods because it was so loved. Honey experts and beekeepers I’ve met say that honey […]
Turkey takes harder stance on animal abuse
Some might say Turkey is overrun with stray dogs and cats. These strays and their good treatment by mosques and business owners have become a part of Istanbul culture. Unfortunately, poor treatment of these animals has also been a part of the culture, with insufficient penalties in place. Now, legal measures are being proposed to […]
Flying with falcons?
Because of restrictions on the number of birds he could fly with, a Saudi prince boarded 80 of his own birds onto a commercial flight, each in its own seat. The few spaces not taken by a bird were occupied by humans, one of whom snapped the scene and posted it on social media. According to […]
The Sixth Mass Global Extinction has arrived
Whether it’s disappearing elephant herds in Botswana (or ones smuggled in suffering at the Abu Dhabi zoo), dying coral reefs in Australia, or near silence of small tropical tree frogs in a Central American rain forest, the vanishing of animal and plant species all over the world is finally being directly attributed to manmade causes. This […]
Alligator sneaks into Iranian gas facility “no man zone”
Hey, it says ‘no man’, not ‘no alligator’ says this crocodilian creature caught on film by security at an Iranian gas production facility this month. It climbed onto a gas rig in Southern Iran, in search of food, say local personnel. It was led back to the swamp. Unlike in Canada, where police went crazy over […]
5 ways to stop animal trafficking
Animal trafficking is not just for the rich and the weird like the Tiger King. The Middle East has a history. Learn about how you can stop it.
Farmer swears his billygoat produces milk
A farmer in Al Ain, the very green, flowery emirate bordering Dubai, claims that after three years of impregnating legions of nannies on his farm, his billy goat suddenly sprouted udders. And then produced milk. Mr. Nasser Al Alwi paid about $820 for his billy goat at a livestock show in the United Arab Emirates. It has […]
Could new rules finally curb shark finning in the UAE?
The United Arab Emirates has passed resolution 500 in an effort to curb shark finning and protect endangered species. Currently a hub for the shark trade, the United Arab Emirates (the UAE) will implement the new laws on September 1, 2014. The new laws prohibit fishermen from catching sharks within five nautical miles off shore, and within three nautical […]
Should ancient bones be up for sale? Shoppers in Dubai say yes!
But the story inside this story is that anyone with a full wallet can buy a full dinosaur (or downgrade to specific bones, teeth, or fossil imprints).
Raw honey from Yemen’s sidr and sumar trees
Terrorists and Houthi pirates probably come to mind long before honey when people think of Yemen, but the raw Yemeni honey Balqees had for sale at the recent Masdar Festival in Dubai we visited was far and away the yummiest honey I ever put in my mouth.
Israel’s Wild Pigs Were Once Europeans
Wild boars look more or less the same in Israel as they do anywhere else: stalky and hairy with big heads, long snouts, and beady eyes. Some even hunt wild boars as a delicacy, despite the religious prohibitions in Judaism and Islam from eating pork. Scientists had really no reason to suspect Israeli wild boars […]