Last week, we looked at how bread can be harmful or fatal to ducks and geese. Wild birdseed is a healthier option – but the best choice you can make for these birds is not to feed them at all.“Feeding them changes their natural behavior and makes them more dependent on humans,” says Michael Kaufman, Farm and Wildlife Director of Green Chimneys in Brewster, New York, which provides animal-assisted therapy and activities for special needs children. This dependency causes multiple problems. The birds tend to lose their fear of people. This not only makes them more aggressive (geese
Just on the off chance you missed the June 14th issue of Current Biology, there was an insightful article about cats entitled "The Cry Embedded Within the Purr". In summary, your cat is smarter than you think he is and he's been playing you for a fool. Cat owners everywhere responded with a collective 'duh'.
We know, by now, that we’re not supposed to feed wild waterfowl – there are plenty of signs in our parks reminding us of that – and we think we know why. It’s not good, for many reasons, for wild animals to become dependent on humans for handouts.
Next time you're at the zoo and you're inside the big cat habitat, take note of the many distinct types of big cats. Like your pet cats, big cats come in many different shapes, sizes, and colors. And except for lions and tigers, many of us often confuse the types (like jaguars, pumas, and cheetahs). Think of this as a brief crash course on how to differentiate wild felines.
