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desertbanshee Beauty and the Beak Jun 6, 2008 10:52 AM Eagle wounded by poacher gets new beak, new look By NICHOLAS K. GERANIOS, AP Posted: 2008-06-06 07:41:01 ST. MARIES, Idaho (AP) - More than three years after a poacher shot off her upper beak, a bald eagle named Beauty can finally live up to her name - with the help of volunteers. A team attached an artificial beak to the 15-pound eagle in mid-May, improving her appearance and, more importantly, helping her grasp food. "She's got a grill," joked Nate Calvin, the Boise engineer who spent 200 hours designing the complex beak. The "grill" was exposed when a bit of the synthetic beak broke off during application. But the new beak is only a temporary fix, designed to nail down precise measurements. A final beak made of tougher material will be created and attached later, though her saviors don't plan to release her back into the wild. They say that she has spent too much time with humans that the final beak will still not be strong enough to tear flesh from prey. But getting this artificial beak now was key to Beauty's survival. A wild eagle that must be hand-fed by humans would eventually have to be euthanized, especially since her life span could run four more decades, said Jane Fink Cantwell, who took Beauty to her raptor recovery center in Idaho two years ago. The bird was found in 2005 scrounging for food and slowly starving at a landfill in Alaska. A bullet had taken from her curved upper beak, leaving her tongue and sinuses exposed, with a stump useless for grasping food. Cantwell said eating with her beak was like using one chopstick. She also had trouble drinking and couldn't preen her feathers. Beauty was taken to a bird recovery center in Anchorage, where she was hand-fed while her caretakers waited in vain for a new beak to grow. Cantwell in 2007 agreed to take the eagle to her Birds of Prey Northwest ranch. Every day she used tongs to feed Beauty food, such as strips of salmon. During a speaking engagement in Boise, she met Calvin, who offered to design an artificial beak. "As an engineer, as a human being first, I was interested in helping it out," Calvin said. Molds were made of the remaining beak and scanned into a computer so the artificial beak could be created accurately. The nylon-composite beak will help the bird drink and grip food. Some critics question such an extraordinary effort to save one bird that is no longer on the endangered species list. But Cantwell pointed out that Beauty has the potential to breed or be a foster mother to orphaned eagles. Cantwell also plans to use the bird at lectures around the country to teach people not to shoot at raptors. The procedure took place in the garage of Cantwell's neighbor, in front of reporters and guests. Beauty was laid on her back, fully conscious, with a ribbon of veterinary wrap around her wings. Her talons were wrapped in a leather strap. "Everybody better be still and quiet," Cantwell told visitors. "Let's be mindful she's a nervous, wild animal." A gold and titanium pin was glued to the remnant of her upper beak to serve as the guide for sliding the artificial beak into place. The volunteers moved slowly and talked softly as they slipped the beak on and off, making minor adjustments. A grinder, sander and scissors were used to trim both the artificial beak and the existing remnant of upper beak. The bird sometimes nipped harmlessly at their hands. About an hour and a half into the procedure, Beauty lurched upright and spread her wings, snapping the wrap. She hovered above the table, screeching, with Cantwell and the other handler holding the leather straps. After a couple of minutes, they calmed the eagle and got her back onto the table, then completed the procedure. The Boeing Co. and a maker of synthetic skin in California have volunteered to help make the permanent beak. After the surgery, Cantwell cradled the eagle and prepared to return Beauty to her aviary, saying: "The eagle has landed, and she has a beak." On the Net: Birds of Prey Northwest: http://birdsofpreynorthwest.org Shooting a bald eagle, though they are no longer on the endangered species list, remains a violation of federal law. Hooray for Beauty! http://birdsofpreynorthwest.org/BeautySummary.html
alyssa_joseph Why is this Puppy in Prison? May 31, 2008 4:03 PM How can a dog mend fractured lives? How can men shuttered away from society find hope from behind prison walls? How can a disabled child be given a new chance at independence? Behind the razor-wire walls of the Otisville Correctional Facility, lies the answer. A team of puppies is changing lives forever. Petside.com traveled to the Otisville Correctional Facility in rural upstate New York to experience Puppies Behind Bars: a program in which prison inmates train service dogs for people with disabilities. The puppies give hope and love Concrete and barbed wire does not seem like a setting full of hope, but seeing a Puppies Behind Bars classroom will change your mind. We watched as puppies taught prisoners the healing power of unconditional love and selflessness. Behind bars and metal detectors, live men who spend large stretches of their lives in prison. Through Puppies Behind Bars, these same men are now teaching dogs how to unchain other lives imprisoned by physical immobility. Inmates, clad in green prison garb, train Golden Retriever and Labrador puppies to accomplish a series of tasks that will one day help another person reclaim a more fulfilling life. The puppies teach hard work For two years, a puppy behind bars will remain the constant companion of an inmate and teach him lessons that will help him re-connect with a better place inside of himself. There is a lot of work involved with being a “puppy raiser”. An inmate must commit to take care of his puppy 24/7. Many of the inmates freely admit that is was this lack of dedication and hard work on the outside that led to incarceration. As inmate Edwin told us, “I didn’t know anything about hard work and responsibility until [the puppy] taught me.” The puppies teach compassion The responsibility is a serious and sacred one to the inmates, many of whom are serving sentences of ten years or more. What they get back from the puppy cannot be measured; a sense of purpose, unconditional love and a reason to get up in the morning. By raising this puppy, they are able to make a difference to someone in the outside world. A disabled person’s life will be improved because of their hard work and devotion. Inmate Sergio told us, “The other guys told me that the only way to survive prison is to find a reason to live and someone to love…with this little guy, I got both.” How you can help You can make a difference by sponsoring a puppy. Help give one of these service pups to a disabled child, veteran or adult. Visit the Puppies Behind Bars page to learn how, meet the puppies and go inside a training class behind prison walls.
alyssa_joseph Great Dane May 25, 2008 8:29 PM Build: Giant and powerful, yet elegant and noble Weight: Dogs: 54-90 kg. (120-200 lbs.); female: 45-68 kg. (100-150 lbs.) Height: 30-40 inches (76-100 cm.) Coat: Short, soft, thick, shiny, close-fitting hair Color: Fawn, brindle, black, blue, mantle and harlequin (merle not recognized) Head: Long and narrow, with an accentuated frontal stop and a rather large nasal canal, rectangular, distinguished, expressive, finely chiseled Teeth: Strong, well-developed, with scissors bite Eyes: Medium size, deep set, round and usually dark, with a lively intelligent expression Ears: Cropped rather long, pointed, and carried erect, or left natural Tail: Medium-length, reaching to the point of the hock Limbs: Front legs are perfectly straight Feet: Round and compact Life span: Median ~10 years
kymmeisme From fur to flippers: Endangered and threatened mammals May 16, 2008 9:21 PM From The Chicago Tribune: a list (and beautiful photos) of 16 endangered or threatened mammals.
kymmeisme US lists polar bear as threatened species May 14, 2008 7:58 PM By H. JOSEF HEBERT – (Associated Press) WASHINGTON (AP) — Government officials say the Interior Department has decided to protect the polar bear as a threatened species because of global warming. The officials told The Associated Press the bears are threatened by the decline in Arctic sea ice. They spoke on condition of anonymity because the official announcement was to come from Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne. He scheduled a news conference Wednesday. The action comes a day before a court-imposed deadline on deciding whether the bear should be put under the protection of the federal Endangered Species Act. The department will cite studies by its own scientists saying the decline in Arctic sea ice could result in two-thirds of the polar bears disappearing by mid-century.

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Beauty and the Beak Beauty and the Beak
Why is this Puppy in Prison? Why is this Puppy in Prison?
From fur to flippers: Endangered and threatened mammals
US lists polar bear as threatened species US lists polar bear as threatened species

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