AltWeeklies Wire
San Francisco is a Dangerous Town for Butterfliesnew
According to lepidopterist Liam O'Brien, 24 of 58 local species have been wiped out in regional extinctions caused mainly by habitat destruction. Another three or four, he said, will likely be gone within the next five years.
San Francisco Bay Guardian |
Kat Renz |
07-23-2008 |
Animal Issues
Texas Honeybee Guild Encourages Local Homeowners to Be Sweet on Beesnew
One of the group's most pressing goals is to expand the number of healthy beehives in North Texas and protect the insects -- crucial for agriculture and horticulture -- at a time when they face a mysterious peril that's been destroying colonies since 2006.
Dallas Observer |
Megan Feldman |
07-21-2008 |
Animal Issues
Searching for Bigfoot in Virginianew
Thirteen years ago, William Dranginis saw Bigfoot. Fifty grand, a van, and a camera in a log later, the quest continues.
Washington City Paper |
Eric Wills |
07-18-2008 |
Animal Issues
Letter to the Editor Sparks International Dog Rescuenew
Through the Internet, the locally focused Athens (Ohio) News and an Athens legal-aid attorney had roles in triggering an international rescue operation that plucked six abandoned mutts off a deserted Greek island on July 5.
The Athens NEWS |
Terry Smith |
07-11-2008 |
Animal Issues
Tags: animal issues
Saving Birds from Burning in Big Surnew
As the wildfire in Big Sur carpeted more and more of the region's steep coastal mountains, the biologists of Ventana Wildlife Society's condor rehabilitation project realized the uncontrolled blaze could prove deadly for eight condors contained in a large aviary directly within the fire's predicted path.
Monterey County Weekly |
Stuart Thornton |
07-11-2008 |
Disasters
The San Diego Zoo Hopes to Help Companies Mimic Naturenew
The biomimicry unit would connect educational institutions and companies with the zoo's vast collection of plants and animals, along with the zoos expertise. Zoo CFO Paula Brock sees biomimicry as both a way to help the world move toward a greener future and bring a different kind of green into the zoo's coffers.
San Diego CityBeat |
Eric Wolff |
07-09-2008 |
Animal Issues
Is California Witnessing the Return of the Abalone?new
The culture of abalone diving saw its heyday in the 1970s, and even though sea snail searching will never again be the same, a San Miguel Island fishery may be in the works.
Santa Barbara Independent |
Alastair Bland |
06-30-2008 |
Animal Issues
Doctor Roadkill: The Natural Religion and X-Ray Art of a Medical Professornew
Roadkill is nature's way of getting intimate and a way for a professor at the Medical University of South Carolina to prove that "anatomy is beautiful."
Charleston City Paper |
Morrow Dowdle |
06-19-2008 |
Art
The Untold Story of the Michael Vick Scandalnew
Vick's journey to federal prison began on March 2, 1999, when he was 18 years old, when cops stopped a Ford Econoline van with Virginia plates and a dangling pinetree air freshener and found two kilos of cocaine and a half kilo of heroin. Michael Vick had no connection with this bust, nor with the three men in the van. Yet the stop would have everything to do with the fate of the young star.
Port Folio Weekly |
Joe Jackson |
06-18-2008 |
Animal Issues
Tourists Can't Wait to Get Next to Sharks, Even if They Are Eating Machinesnew
The world's love-hate relationship with sharkdom has created a sprawling, often bizarre industry of shark adventures, from vicious killing expeditions to face-to-face encounters designed to debunk the animal's scary image. Even legitimate scientists are getting in on the act by turning their facilities into entertainment venues for wide-eyed diving tourists hungry to rendezvous with the creatures.
Miami New Times |
Amy Guthrie |
06-17-2008 |
Animal Issues
Have Money Pressures Forced San Francisco's SPCA to Lower the Bar for Euthanasia?new
Many think that the SF/SPCA has fundamentally changed its "no-kill" principle, which had made San Francisco the safest city for cats and dogs in the country and served as a model for hundreds of shelters.
SF Weekly |
John Geluardi |
06-11-2008 |
Animal Issues
South Carolina's Other Immigration Problem: Non-Native Plants and Animalsnew
Plant and animal species migrate naturally, and competition is the crux of evolutionary theory. But the globalization of shipping and travel have thrown things off balance, dropping hardy species like the emerging threat of cogongrass into situations where they're able to out-compete everything else for resources.
Charleston City Paper |
Stratton Lawrence |
06-11-2008 |
Environment
Pigeon Carnage in a Downtown Santa Fe Buildingnew
A landlord's efforts to keep pigeons out of a fire escape end up trapping many in, leading to a pile of carcasses and a bureaucratic mess.
Santa Fe Reporter |
Dave Maass |
06-05-2008 |
Animal Issues
The Dark Side of Horse Racing is Finally Being Revealednew
This year, a horse called Big Brown won the Kentucky Derby. But Big Brown's win was overshadowed by the No. 2 horse breaking both ankles after the finish. Eight Belles was humanely euthanized at the track.
Tucson Weekly |
Catherine O'Sullivan |
05-29-2008 |
Sports
Colony Collapse Disorder is Putting Honeybees and Our Food Supply at Risknew
Since November 2006, there have been reports of honeybees flying away from their colonies and disappearing. Beekeepers are reporting losses of between 30 and 90 percent of their hives. No one seems to know exactly why the bees aren't returning to the hive. But the phenomenon is more than alarming -- it's being called a global crisis.
Boulder Weekly |
Dana Logan |
05-27-2008 |
Animal Issues