Photo of the day: A 6-week-old maned wolf puppy is held by a caretaker at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in Front Royal, Va. The litter of four puppies — born to 8-year-old mother Salina and 4-year-old father Nopal on Jan. 5 — were given their first medical vaccinations and appeared to be healthy and thriving. Caretakers are keeping a close watch on them as they grow because maned wolves are difficult to breed under captivity and have a high mortality rate. It is estimated that as many as half of a single litter will die within the first month of life.
For @jewelzp you always make my day & Twitter is never the same without you!!!! xoxoxo
Lion Cubs (by endraum)
(via theanimalblog)
Meet the elephants at Islamabad Zoo.
These are the pictures on Tuesday, January 24.
I had read an article about them being kept in abysmal conditions, and decided to have a look for myself. Little did I know that the article’s words would ring true. I witnessed Kawan, the male elephant in his chains. His enclosure was dirty and he was struggling to get to his food. Then I saw the female, Saheli, being led to a gate where people were oooh-ing and aaah-ing at her. Her purpose seemed to be of an entertaining beggar, she would wave her trunk ‘hello’ and people would give her money to hand to her Mahaut. I noticed blue dye on her head and a small wound on her left leg in the front.
I was struggling to keep my calm and try to get some pictures of the animals which I could share with wildlife organizations, in my attempt to get immediate help. The Mahaut helped me get pictures of Kawan as he was not allowed to interact with the crowd anymore.
When I questioned the zoo administration about why Kawan was chained for over 3 months, they said that he was too dangerous to be let loose. Whenever they unchained him, he damaged other animals’ cages and threw zoo bins in the air. But, they tried to “assure” me that they unchained one leg at a time.
They would have tried to get a bigger enclosure for the elephants, but the CDA had cut off their funding and due to that, there was not much that they could do. I was a little alarmed when I was told that the zoo would be getting baby lions and a pair of leopards - how can they get these animals if they have no funding?
They are willing to give away Kawan, but no one wants to buy him. I felt horrible for that poor animal. His life was only a means to gain money and when his true nature comes out, he is punished for it by standing in his own filth while others enjoy looking at the “pretty elephant”. It didn’t help that when I saw Saheli, she had water coming out of her eyes, her handler carrying a tool resembling a bullhook.
I also found out their story - the elephants were gifted to the zoo from Sri Lanka and had arrived at the zoo at only 1 year of age. Saheli showed up at the zoo 5 years after Kawan. Whatever happened to the days when giving a fruit basket was enough of a gift?
The zoo administrators claimed that they would like to provide their team with training on animal behaviour and diseases, and get enough funding to expand the zoo, so there can be more room to create a larger and better enclosure, based on their drawing plans. I did not see any concern for the animals there.
I wish I could just ask someone to help these animals get to a sanctuary, but clean enclosures, along with better food and medical attention would be a good start.
After my “visit”, I realized that apathy has become the norm. The carelessness with which we play with the lives of other creatures is shocking. I’m told that I should focus on humans, but here’s the thing, didn’t God create animals too? Why can’t we respect both species? We can both live in harmony, peace, and respect. Is making an effort too much to ask?
I would have written this blog sooner, but I could not ignore the images of the animals, nor pretend that I didn’t care. I was overwhelmed by emotions, and needed to get my act together so I could share these elephants’ situation with all of you.
NIGHTNIGHT by DEDDY
