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Like the Poodle the Schauzer Dog comes in three sizes.
Taronga Zoo's most beloved elephants Jai Dee dies suddenly aged just three
Animal lovers are mourning the loss of one of Taronga Zoos most beloved inhabitants. The adorable three-year-old Asian elephant, Jai Dee, suddenly died at the iconic Sydney zoo on Monday afternoon leaving wildlife staff heartbroken. He began showing signs of abdominal
He was known for his 'cheeky personality' and 'playful antics' which included swimming in the enclosure's pond and splashing water around with his trunk
'He was part of our Zoo family and we are beyond devastated by his loss,' he said.
'Our immediate focus turns towards supporting our Zoo Keepers through this difficult period, which for them is like losing a family member.
'In his time with us, his cheeky spirit and playful antics including a fondness for swimming has endeared him to guests both locally and from around the world.'
Jai Dee was named after the Thai word for heart.
Mr Kerr said: 'Today we lost a piece of Taronga's heart by his sad passing.'
'The entire Taronga family is in mourning for Jai Dee, and no doubt the other elephants will be mourning his loss as much as we are.'
Jai Dee was part of Taronga Zoo's commitment to its regional breeding program for the endangered species.
Killian the male koala was most recently saved by Moreton Bay Koala Rescue on Saturday from a tree near the busy Anzac Avenue on the Redcliffe Peninsula, just north of Brisbane. The mischievous marsupial previously caused train delays when he walked across the tracks at Kippa-Ring Station, also on the peninsula, last Thursday. He then climbed up a power pole on the side of the tracks before Pine Rivers Koala Care came to collect him. Killian lives in an area where there have been 80 koala deaths from car strikes this year. There have been 46 deaths and 12 injuries from June to present alone.
Killian caused train delays when he walked across the tracks at Kippa-Ring Station, also on the peninsula, last Thursday. He then climbed up a power pole (pictured) on the side of the tracks before Pine Rivers Koala Care came to collect him
While Anzac Avenue is a troublesome spot, more koalas have been killed on Moreton Bay's Eatons Crossing Road, which has claimed 13 koala lives this year.
Killian was rescued by Moreton Bay Koala Rescue for the first time on April 3 after he climbed up a power pole in a suburban street in Kippa-Ring.
He was also saved a second time by the nearby Pine Rivers Koala Care, which bring his total rescues to six.
An obvious solution to Killian's constant rescues would be to relocate him to another area - but Moreton Bay Koala Rescue is powerless to do so.
'MBKR are a nonprofit volunteer organisation, we have no authority to preform a relocation of any koala or take them into captivity,' the rescue service wrote on Facebook.
'This decision takes a lot of planning and can only be made by Queensland Government's Department of Environment and Science.
'We will keep staying positive for our mate Killian and hope he can finally find himself a nice little patch of trees AWAY from Anzac Avenue.'
An obvious solution to Killian's constant rescues would be to relocate him to another area - but Moreton Bay Koala Rescue does not have the authority to do so
Killian was most recently released back into the wild on Monday.
'And he’s off again... Killian's release really pulled the heart strings,' Moreton Bay Koala Rescue wrote on Facebook.
'Having to continually put him back on the Peninsula knowing all odds are against him. We have really grown to know Killian's personality and as cheeky as he is we have also grown to love him.
'We don’t want to lose him and if we had any other option for him we would have definitely taken it months ago.'
Senior rescuer Mike Fowler said 'Killian has nowhere to go because is habitat, which is scrubland, has all been developed'.
'He's got just a five square kilometre area, where there's alpha males. Killian's not an alpha male, so all these young males get pushed to the fringes looking for females, but when they get there, there's just roads, train stations and warehouses,' he said
'Some people are calling them urban koalas because they're living in urban streets. I've rescued countless koalas wandering the streets looking for trees.
'We are allowed to move them from anger but Queensland law states that koalas must be moved within one kilometre.'
Several housing developments have been completed in Moreton Bay in the last year, which have eroded koala habitats.
Killian was rescued by Moreton Bay Koala Rescue for the first time on April 3 after he climbed up a power pole in a suburban street in Kippa-Ring. He is pictured being released on April 4
Mr Fowler said politicians of all levels need to pay more attention to koala habitats before they are completely wiped out.
'There are hundreds of hectares of pristine koala habitat that is still being developed,' he said.
'It's a trickle down effect. The Federal government will tell the state government, we have X amount of people arriving in Queensland, so you have to develop more. Then the state government will tell local councils that they need to make more space.
'They're a national icon that are treated so poorly by politicians at all levels. I've never had a politician go on a rescue with me, but they all want to go on a release because it's a nice photo opportunity. '
There have been 29 koalas hit by cars with only one survivor at the Port Macquarie Koala Hospital on the NSW North Coast this year.
The spike in koala road deaths comes after a devastating bushfire season that killed harmed or displaced three billion Australian animals. The exact number of koalas affected nationally is unknown.
Last summer's bsuhfires wiped out 71 per cent of koala in six major locations on the NSW North Coast, according to a World Wildlife Fund (WWF) report from last month.
In the Kiwarrak and Khappinghat Nature Reserve, 87-100 per cent of koalas were killed, according to the report.
Meanwhile, 34 per cent of koalas were killed in the Lake Innes Nature Reserve near Port Macquarie.
The bushfires and spike in road deaths have put more pressure on the Port Macquarie Koala Hospital than ever before.
KILLIAN THE KOALA'S RESCUES AND RELEASES
April 3: Killian was rescued by Moreton Bay Koala Rescue for the first time after climbing up a power pole on a suburban street in Kippa-Ring
April 4: Killian was released back into bushland on the peninsula
July 19: Killian was hit by a car on Anzac Avenue before climbing a large tree in the median strip. Moreton Bay Koala Rescue took him into their care.
September 17: Killian was released back into bushland on the peninsula
October 3: Killian was rescued from a large tree on the road side of Anzac Avenue by Moreton Bay Koala Rescue
October 4: Killian was released back into bushland on the peninsula
October 8: Killian crossed the tracks at Kippa-Ring Station, causing train delays. He then climbed up a pole before Pine Rivers Koala Care came to collect him
October 9: Killian was released back onto the peninsula
October 10: Killian was rescued from a tree near the busy Anzac Avenue on the Redcliffe Peninsula by Moreton Bay Koala Rescue
October 11: Killian was released back onto the peninsula by Moreton Bay Koala Rescue
New Study Reveals a Dog’s Heart Rate Increases When Their Owner Simply Says ‘I Love You’By Judy Cole -Oct 12, 2020 
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Is there a more joyful, innocent, exuberant feeling in the world than puppy love? It’s an emotion that has no strings or reservations, and since a dog’s love is most often unconditional, it’s aptly named as well.
Priscilla Du PerezWhen a dog licks your face, jumps into your lap, or barks like a banshee when you come through the front door, it simply means they’re crazy about you.
But did you know that your dog’s heartbeat actually soars when you tell them, “I love you?”
Well, according to a recent study conducted by the folks at Canine Cottages, that well may be the case.
After equipping a quartet of test pups with heart rate monitors, the dogs were guided through a series of scenarios over the course of seven days to see how they’d react to a variety of stimuli.
The tracking data revealed the four dogs averaged a resting heart rate of 67 beats per minute.
MORE: Pigs May Rival Dogs As Man’s Best Friends, Says Adorable New Study
When owners said, “I love you” to their pets, the doggos’ heart rates shot to 98 beats per minute—a 46.2% increase.
While your dog perks up to the tune of a 10.4% heart-rate jump just for setting eyes on you, some activities actually had a calming effect on the pooches.
Quality couch time cuddling resulted in a 22.7% decrease in canine heart rates.
While it’s certainly not the most scientifically exhaustive study ever conducted and the conclusions drawn are possibly a bit shaggy, who are we to argue about the bond between “hoomans” and their hounds? Love is, after all, a four-legged word, isn’t it?
About 40 cows escaped a South Gippsland property in Victoria on Wednesday night with the owners rounding up most of them. Only one however, remained missing and was soon found by startled resident Kay Laing on a
Nathan Edwards / Newspix via Rex USA / Today
Dolphin and seal are underwater BFFs
When we see two different animal species become unlikely best buds, we just can't resist sharing their story with you! Jet the dolphin and Miri the seal have been inseparable since they were only two months old. While their friendship may be unlikely, especially since in the wild they would be competing for fish,
Rob Leeson / Newspix via Rex USA / Today
10. Cuddle buddies! Orphaned kangaroo and wombat become best friends
Another unlikely animal friendship that captured our hearts and yours in 2012 was that of Anzac, an orphaned 5-month-old kangaroo, and Peggy, an orphaned 5-month-old baby wombat. These two both lost their mothers but ended up forming a bond with each other.
Some lovely animal partners above, thanks Celia.
ELEPHANTS COULD BECOME MUCH SAFER WITH NEW ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE TRACKING
Posted by Lex Talamo | September 28, 2020
Image Credit: Michelle Gadd/USFWSA new artificial intelligence tool could be the key to saving lives and reducing conflict between people and the decreasing populations of endangered Asian and African elephants.
African elephant populations have dropped from 12 million to 400,000 in the past century, according to the World Wide Fund For Nature (WWF).
There are also now fewer than 50,000 Asian elephants left in existence, according to WWF estimates.
The gentle mammals face an onslaught of threats, from the illegal ivory trade to deforestation, which has forced the elephants to expand into human-inhabited areas and has increased conflict with people.
Farmers worldwide — including in India, Thailand, and Africa — have frequently reported negative interactions with elephants grazing on crops or entering villages. These confrontations have resulted in death for both people and elephants.
In India alone — which is home to the world’s largest population of Asian elephants — an estimated 500 people and 100 elephants perish each year in human-elephant conflicts, according to the Indian environment ministry.
But the WildEyes AI — a new tool developed by the environmental organization RESOLVE and the software development company CVEDIA — could help change those grim numbers for the better.
WildEyes AI includes a tiny camera equipped with artificial intelligence (AI), a motion detector, sensors, and a battery that lasts for a minimum of a year and a half. The technology uses an algorithm in its SD memory card trained to recognize specific animal species or objects in the field.
When an animal matching the 3D simulations fed into the system passes by, WildEyes sends an alert to designated park rangers or guardians via cell phone, computer, or radio signal.
The hope with the elephant-specific algorithm is that the early warnings can help eliminate the element of surprise for people, who can then show up prepared to repel the elephants with humane deterrents, such as special lights and noisemakers, which are provided by local nonprofits.
“This tech advance will allow rangers and villagers to respond before elephants raid crops, destroy homes, or endanger local villagers,” Dr. Bivash Pandav, a human-elephant conflict expert with the Wildlife Institute of India, told CSRWire.
Similar technologies offered by the WildEyes creators have already yielded positive results: TrailGuard, an artificial intelligence tool being tested in Tanzania’s Grumeti Reserve, led to the arrests of 30 poachers.
While the elephant-specific version of WildEyes is currently being piloted in Africa, the technology could prove helpful in any other area where peoples’ encroachment into wildlands has led to conflict with the animals who live there. For example, humanely tackling depredations by bears, wolves, or lynxes on livestock for food.
“We’re onto a number of technologies that can make a tremendous difference in conservation,” Eric Dinerstein, RESOLVE’s director of WildTech and the Biodiversity and Wildlife Solutions program, told the nonprofit news organization Mongabay.
