From the “It must be true . . . I read it in the tabloids” section of the July 3 – 10, 2009 issue of The Week.

Two baby flamingos at . . . London Zoo have developed a phobia of the color pink. The month-old chicks, named Little and Large, both have the pale gray plumage flamingos are born with. In an attempt to feed them, zookeepers used a pink sock-puppet of an adult flamingo, but it only terrified the chicks. Their resulting phobia of anything pink has worrying implications for their future mental health. “We’ll just have to hope they get used to the color,” said keeper Alison Brown.

From the May 29, 2009 issue of The Week:

[It was a good week for] ‘Heteropaternal superfecundation,’ after Mia Washington of Texas entered the biology textbooks because a DNA test revealed that her 11-month-old twins have different fathers. She admitted to have been sleeping with two men when they were conceived.

(It was a good week for) nuance, after a six-year, $12 million scientific study identified the flavors in New Zealand’s signature Sauvignon Blanc as a combination of passion fruit, asparagus, and cat’s pee. “If you had a whole lot of cat’s pee it obviously wouldn’t be great,” said researcher Sue Blackmore. “It’s amazing what a little can do.”

Let’s hope she rots in jail!

Click here for the story.

Man poses as female veterinarian

In January, an Atlantic City, N.J., [sic] man posed as a female veterinarian. He ran an illegal veterinary practice and set up a fake animal rescue organization that may have conned animal lovers out of thousands of dollars. Investigators say the man falsely identified himself as Dr. Danielle Smith, a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania veterinary school, and ran a business called South Jersey Small Animal Rescue. He allegedly vaccinated pets and offered small animals for adoption for a fee. He also solicited donations for the agency, claiming it was a nonprofit. Investigators say it wasn’t a nonprofit.

It appears that fraudsters, as always, will stop at nothing in their efforts to swindle. I hope that the person featured in the article was unsuccessful in his efforts to solicit donations. I also hope that this incident will not discourage people from contributing to the many worthwhile and legitimate animal rescue operations that are working to place dogs and cats in good homes.

The chimp who plans for the future

Human beings can imagine and plan for future events– a capability that scientists have long believed makes us unique among living creatures. But an angry chimpanzee in a Swedish zoo has shown that his species is capable of meticulous preparations for the future: He stockpiles rocks, shapes them into aerodynamic discs, and then waits hours for zoo visitors to come into range so he can pelt them. Every morning before visitors start to trickle in, [the chimp, named] Santino roams his outdoor enclosure, searching for small stones. He’s learned to make his own stones, too, by knocking pieces off the concrete walls. At times, Santino shapes his weapons into discs, so they sail through the air more accurately. The chimp stacks the stones in small piles, so that when he becomes irritated by visitors invading his territory, he has an ammunition store on hand and can begin hurling his missiles. No one has been hurt.

I have a few thoughts on the story.

Photo credit: Richard. Photo license: CC.

The January/February, 2009 issue of California Veterinarian contains an article describing a US-based company’s plans to make money by rooting out the identity of people who don’t pick up after their dogs.

Ever wondered which dog left that poop on your lawn? Hard to tell, given that 40 percent of dog owners don’t clean up after their dogs.

Enter genetic testing to the rescue. So far genetic testing of animals has been used to confirm pedigrees, determine genetic predisposition to disease, or identify dogs involved in an attack. However, a genetic testing laboratory in Knoxville, Tennessee is marketing a program which would use DNA to encourage dog owners to clean up after their pets.

Under the proposal, homeowners association, particularly in controlled environments like gated communities or condominiums, would have covenants requiring members to take their dogs to their veterinarian to get their dogs’ DNA, which would then be on file in a pet registry. When poop is found in a public place, it would be bagged and sent to the company, which would analyze it, match the results to the database, and report on which dog was responsible. The homeowners association could then fie the owners of the dog.

I am amazed by the 40 percent statistic, especially since dog feces represents a notable public health hazard. Certain canine intestinal parasites are contagious to humans and spread through feces.

I have a hunch that as DNA testing becomes ever more affordable schemes like the one mentioned in the article will continue to spread.

Photo: On Omotepe Island in Nicaragua nobody picks up after dogs.

Only one day after a litter of three white tiger cubs was born at the zoo in Caney, Kan., their mother stopped caring for them. The tiny cubs wandered around helplessly. But zoo owner Tom Harvey had an inspiration: He brought in a Golden Retriever to act as their surrogate mother. The idea worked; the dog, named Isabella, is licking, cleaning, and even nursing the cubs as if they were her own. Harvey said the adoptive mother had just recently weaned her own puppies. “The timing couldn’t have been any better,” he said.

It’s definitely a feel-good story. However, I am slightly troubled by the phrase zoo owner. I hope that the Caney zoo is a fully accredited institution, rather than a private for-profit roadside attraction.

Either way, my hat goes off to Isabella.

Adopted by a Monkey
A female monkey was seen carrying a baby dog on the branch of a tree in a rural zone of the Indian state of Jammu and Cachemira. According to the local residents, the monkey lost her baby and adopted the puppy in its place to satisfy her maternal instincts.

It´s an interesting story, although I would categorize the locals´ rationale for the adoption as speculation. I did a quick google search, and was surprised to discover that with the exception of Koko the gorilla, it is actually much more common for pets to adopt primates than vice-versa.

Pierre, a 25-year-old African penguin, was getting so old that he was losing his feathers. He shivered with cold and refused to go near water. But his handlers at the California Academy of Sciences had a novel solution: a custom-made diving suit. Working with Oceanic Worldwide, a supplier of diving gear, academy scientists made Pierre a close-fitting rubber garment with openings for his flippers, tail, and feet. “I would walk behind him,” said biologist Pam Schaller, “and look at where there were any gaps, and cut and refit and cut and refit until it was extremely streamlined.” Since wearing the suit, Pierre has gained weight and is again splashing with his fellow penguins.

I hope for Pierre’s sake that his handlers remembered to fit the suit with an opening for his cloaca. I’m sure they did.