Chernobyl: Life in the Dead Zone

This documentary isn't as scary as it may seem because it has "Chernobyl" in the title. It's got kittens, bears, butterflies, hawks, boars, elk, a lone wolf—all kinds of cute, really, and no three-eyed fish. However, all of the animals are radioactive.

It's timely because of the nuclear meltdowns happening in Japan, of course, but it's also worth considering whether "clean" nuclear energy is worth such risks. As the movie says,

"It's a story that could have happened anywhere." 

Watch part 1 here.

Hat tasting

The horse wants to eat the little girl's hat, but her dad says no. Boo!

(Photo by the Petophile.)

Horse feathers

The extra hair around the feet of some breeds of horses, like the Clydesdale here, are called feathers.

Imagine how hard it is to keep them clean. But they are lovely.

(Photo by the Petophile.)

Giraffe "I Want to Live Here" Manor

Must break mold again: The following post will not contain original photos by the Petophile or its acquaintances. The exception is being made because to merely describe the content and withhold showing the images would undoubtedly fail to communicate the severity of the situation.

So take a deep breath and look ...

 This is real, folks. This is really happening! 

(Photo from Spot Cool Stuff.)

This little piece of heaven is called Giraffe Manor. It's in Nairobi, Kenya. It's a hotel and giraffe sanctuary—especially for the endangered Rothschild species. The beautiful mansion was built in 1932 as a private residence and turned into a sanctuary in 1974.

(Photo from Spot Cool Stuff.)

The giraffefaces stick their heads in windows and doors in hopes of getting a little tasty treat from any one of the amused humanoids. (Warthogs live there, too, but judging by the length of their necks, visitors don't have to worry about them peeking in through the windows.)

  (Photo from Spot Cool Stuff.)

  (Photo from here.)

Severely amazing.
(From Safaris Unlimited.)

Come and knock on our door. We'll be waiting for you. Where the kisses are GIRAFFES!

 A travel website says it costs about $360 or so per person a night to stay in the lovely building and have a giraffe perhaps pop its even lovelier head into your second-story bedroom or over the table during breakfast. Or lunch. Maybe even dinner. Either way, somebody please send me there.

Magical draft

That is not a miniature woman: That is a massive draft horse. She is braiding up his mane for a show.

The prepping in the forest looks most magical.

(Photos by the Petophile.)

Braided beauty

Enviably braids on a black-and-white beauty.

(Photos by the Petophile.)

It's a wild animal, not a pet

East Coast Exotic Animal Rescue is right: No wild animal makes a good pet.
No matter how cute it is, it's wild. Fantasize about living with a tiger, lion, monkey or tropical bird, but leave it that, as a fantasy only.

The sanctuary is located in Fairfield, Pennsylvania. It's hosting a dinner fundraiser on April 30. In the area? Interested in helping some animal refugees? Check out the deets.

Wild porn? Thank you, Smithsonian!

Have you visited Smithsonian Wild?

It's some grade-A wild-animal porn created by the Smithsonian Institution and collaborators by remote research cameras in the wilderness around the world. The site explains:

"The use of motion-triggered 'camera traps' has become an incredibly useful tool for scientists to answer an enormous range of conservation and ecological questions. Researchers attach these unique cameras to posts or trees, often along forest trails, and when a camera's sensor registers an animal's body heat and movement, a photograph is taken. The studies highlighted here demonstrate the range of applications of this method, and how these cameras give us a glimpse into an animal world that is rarely seen by anyone."

And the images are amazing. Some are even better composed than a lot of intentional photographs. Anyway, there's jaguars from Peru; African and Asian elephants; takins; Asian black bears, serows and Temminck's tragopans from China; spotted hyenas and giraffes from Kenya; ocelots from Panama—chasing an armadillo! It's serious research.
So enjoy being amazed by hundreds of wild-animal photos.

ASPCA headlines. What will you do?

Just checked in with ASPCA online. It has lots of great kitty and puppy porn—it's called Cute Photo of the Day—but the animal-welfare case headlines are nothing short of shocking.

"West Virginia Farm Owner Charged with Animal Cruelty Over Dead Horses"
Here, 28 dead horses were found on his farm, all apparently dead due to starvation. County Sheriff James Childers is quoted in the story saying, "There's no evidence of feed anywhere on the farm that we've [seen] yet." 

The heart sinks, breaks, and then the next headline:

 "More Than 100 Dogs Rescued from Alleged Puppy Mill Operation in Ohio"
 Stephanie Moore, the executive director of the Medina County SPCA, says in the story, "This is the single worst environment I have ever seen. We literally had to climb onto a layer of feces, urine and garbage to get inside the house. It was at least two feet high."
The story goes on: "Moore said that the two women fed the dogs raw kale and uncooked rice and that the canines had no water bowls."

Please don't buy puppies: adopt from rescue shelters. If there's no demand, people who breed and raise inhumanely won't have any incentive to create animals to mistreat.

"Florida Man Accused of Killing Brother's Miniature Horse, Dog"
The story says, "Walton County sheriff's deputies say they went to the pen where the horse was kept and found bloody drag marks and tire tracks."

What? Why? Why?

It's hard to imagine a good reason. What can we do to act on behalf of abused animals? What can you do as an individual to prevent or stop cruelty and torture?

Double the yuck

Spoonin' kittens. Love.

(Photo courtesy of J.F.)