pets

Discussion on doctrinal issues
swamidada
Posts: 1614
Joined: Sun Aug 02, 2020 8:59 pm

Re: pets

Post by swamidada »

Fox News
Wild monkeys steal infant, throw child off roof in tragic attack
Ronn Blitzer
Mon, July 18, 2022 at 11:57 AM
A newborn baby boy died tragically on Friday, when a pack of monkeys stole him from his parents and threw him off a roof.

According to multiple reports, Nirdesh Upadhyay of Bareilly, India, was standing on his third-floor roof terrace with his wife and the child when the animals landed and surrounded them.

Nirdesh reportedly tried to run away from them with the 4-month-old, when the baby fell out of his hands to the ground and one of the monkeys grabbed him before he could pick him back up and threw him over the side.

The child died immediately.

The India Times reported that other family members ran up to the terrace to help but were too late. The monkeys then reportedly attacked them as well.

The family was reportedly preparing for the child's name day celebration when the tragedy occurred.

Bareilly Chief Conservator of Forests Lalit Verma said, according to the Press Trust of India, that the incident has been reported, and an investigation is underway.

Monkeys have been known to terrorize the people of India. In 2019, a pack of the animals chased a 60-year-old woman off a roof, to her death. In 2018, a monkey fatally bit a 12-day-old child after taking him from his mother's arms.

https://currently.att.yahoo.com/att/cm/ ... 42335.html
swamidada
Posts: 1614
Joined: Sun Aug 02, 2020 8:59 pm

Re: pets

Post by swamidada »

More than 18,000 cows are dead after dairy farm explosion in Texas Panhandle
The state fire marshal’s office is investigating.
BY JAYME LOZANO-CARVER AND ERIN DOUGLAS APRIL 13, 2023

A worker was critically injured and more than 18,000 cattle were killed in a massive explosion at Southfork Dairy Farm in Dimmit on Monday, April 10, 2023. Dimmit is about 60 miles south west of Amarillo.
A worker was critically injured and more than 18,000 cattle were killed in a massive explosion Monday at South Fork Dairy Farm in Dimmit, south of Amarillo.

LUBBOCK — More than 18,000 cows died and one farm worker is in critical condition following a dairy farm fire in the Texas Panhandle.

The fire started Monday night at South Fork Dairy Farm in Dimmitt, about 66 miles south of Amarillo. The Castro County sheriff’s office, along with fire departments from Dimmitt, Hart and Nazareth, were the first responders to the explosion in the small town of nearly 4,200, according to the sheriff’s office.

One person was trapped inside the dairy farm but was rescued by first responders, according to the sheriff’s office. They were later flown to a Lubbock hospital.

According to the Animal Welfare Institute, the incident is the deadliest fire involving cows in nearly a decade. A statement provided by the Texas Association of Dairymen on behalf of the dairy industry expressed condolences for the incident.

“We are deeply saddened for the family dairy, and everyone affected by the tragedy that occurred at South Fork Dairy farm,” the statement said. “The cause of the fire is still under investigation, and we are deferring to the appropriate authorities to make that determination.”

In 2019, Texas authorized the facility to more than double the number of cattle allowed on-site from 11,500 to up to 32,000, according to a permit with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.

The state also authorized the facility to increase its manure production by more than 50% in that expanded permit.

In a statement, TCEQ spokesperson Victoria Cann said that the agency will ensure that dead livestock and debris are disposed of properly. She said the agency is not aware of any environmental impacts from the explosion.

Castro County is the second-highest milk-producing county in the state and has more than 59,361 cows. According to a United States Department of Agriculture report, the county produced more than 147 million pounds of milk in February.

Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller called the incident devastating but said he was grateful there were no further injuries to workers or loss of human life. He also called for the findings of the investigation to be made public once it is finished.

“This was the deadliest barn fire for cattle in Texas history and the investigation and cleanup may take some time,” Miller said. “There are lessons to be learned and the impact of this fire may influence the immediate area and the industry itself. Once we know the cause and the facts surrounding this tragedy, we will make sure the public is fully informed — so tragedies like this can be avoided in the future.”

The 18,000 cows killed represent just a fraction of the 625,000 dairy cows in Texas. Including beef cows, there are 13 million in the state, according to the Texas Almanac. Large amounts of cattle have died in Texas before. During Winter Storm Goliath in 2015, 35,000 cattle froze to death.

The state fire marshal’s office is conducting an investigation into the cause of the fire.

https://www.texastribune.org/2023/04/13 ... sion-cows/
kmaherali
Posts: 25705
Joined: Thu Mar 27, 2003 3:01 pm

Animal Spirit Protection

Post by kmaherali »

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Dear Karim,

When you’re feeling alone…

Like the world is just too much, and there’s no one you can turn to…

Do you ever find yourself praying for some help “from above”? Some miraculous assistance to comfort and protect you…guide and reassure you…lend you wisdom and strength?

You hear a lot about angels, archangels, and guardian angels—spirits in the angelic realm who watch over us here on Earth…

But did you know?

Just like guiding angels, you have animal spirit guides—allies in the animal spirit realm—who are here, now, walking beside you as you navigate the world…

They’re an important part of your spiritual support team!

And when you invite animal spirits in—when you welcome their healing Earth medicine into your life—they can help you…
Access your inner knowing and find clarity
Cleanse and protect your energetic field
Create strong boundaries and discernment
Build resilience and reclaim your power
All so you can break free from the energies holding you down and open yourself up to more peace, harmony, and abundance…

And you’ll learn how in Animal Spirit Protection: A 3-Day Virtual Ceremony to Activate Boundaries & Create Energetic Safety with Asha Frost—renowned author of You Are the Medicine, creator of The Sacred Medicine Oracle, energy healer, Ojibwe medicine woman, and teacher of Indigenous wisdom.

Learn More https://experience.hayhouseu.com/healin ... ExMTkzOAS2

The animal spirit realm is a very real dimension of our existence.
Animal spirits move with us through the world…

Like your guardian angel, there’s an animal spirit guide who is with you from birth until death.

And like other angelic beings, who provide you with loving support and guidance when called for, you have even more allies in the animal spirit realm—ready and willing to help as needed…if only you’ll put out the call and invite them in.

Truly, every animal on the planet has unique abilities and gifts to share—you can observe them in nature and take lessons from how they live…

And animal spirits are here, right alongside you, to help you embody this natural wisdom.

But the deeply healing medicine of animal spirits has been forgotten, suppressed, or often trivialized…

‘My best friend is my “spirit animal”!’ ❌
‘Animal spirits walk with me through life.’ ✅

That’s why teaching about our allies in the animal spirit realm—and helping people heal by working with their powerfully transformative medicine—has become such an important part of Asha’s life work…

And she can’t wait to share more with you in her new, FREE, three-day virtual ceremony—Animal Spirit Protection—happening June 20–22!

Join the Ceremony FREE https://experience.hayhouseu.com/healin ... ExMTkzOAS2

In this engaging ceremony online, you’ll join a vibrant community to learn how you can activate the medicine of Owl (Gokokoo), Wolf (Ma’iingan), and Bear (Mkwa) in your life.

Using guided medicine journeys and powerful healing sessions, Asha will show you how to connect with these animal spirits so that you can better discern the truth, protect your energy, and create the boundaries you need to not just survive but thrive throughout your whole life!

Asha will also be doing LIVE card readings with her beautiful Sacred Medicine Oracle deck on ALL THREE DAYS of this empowering event…

Which means there’s a chance you could have your cards read!

But you have to join Asha LIVE for Animal Spirit Protection—starting on Tuesday, June 20 for this opportunity—and to find out how the healing medicine of Owl, Wolf, and Bear can transform your life.

Wishing You the Best,
Your Friends at Hay House
swamidada
Posts: 1614
Joined: Sun Aug 02, 2020 8:59 pm

Re: pets

Post by swamidada »

Stages of soul:
Mineral soul
Vegetative soul
Animal soul
Human soul
Regarding animal soul, there are 2 parts. The vegetative soul and the animal soul. The center of vegetative soul, through which body grows, is the liver. The center of animal soul, on which depends feeling and movement, is the heart. The animal soul is also called the sensory soul.
kmaherali
Posts: 25705
Joined: Thu Mar 27, 2003 3:01 pm

A Statue Draped With Snakes? In Italy, It Happens Every Year.

Post by kmaherali »

Held in a small, mountainous village, this festival has it all: snakes, charmers, religion, science. See for yourself — and try not to squirm.

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A snake handler waiting outside the Church of St. Mary in Cocullo, Italy.

It was the morning of May 1, and the Italian village of Cocullo was almost unrecognizable. The typical placidity of its quiet alleys and muted central square had given way to several thousand people: religious travelers, musicians, young women in ornate costumes, tourists from the far corners of the country and beyond.

A group of pilgrims from Atina, a town some 30 miles south, walked slowly toward the Church of Santa Maria, singing ancient religious songs and carrying a centuries-old cross. They were accompanied by bagpipe players and the town band.

It wasn’t the crowds, though, that made this gathering special. It was the snakes.

At every corner, someone was handling one of the animals, which slithered across their hands and arms. The boys and girls of the village took turns showcasing the creatures to small groups of people who crowded around to take pictures and ask questions.

ImageThree men carrying sousaphones and wearing black outfits lead a procession of people through narrow streets. Behind the musicians is a man carrying a cross.
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The procession is led by the town’s band.

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Snakes slither along the base of a wooden statue as it is carried through a narrow street by several men in dark clothing.
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Snakes that fall from the statue are picked up and handled by the serpari.

At noon, silence fell over the scene, and a large figure, carved from wood, emerged: the statue of San Domenico. In front of the church, people began draping the figure with snakes.

At last we reached the moment that had drawn me here: The statue, wrapped in serpents, was lifted into the air above the captivated crowd — and the centuries-old ritual was underway.

I had arrived in Cocullo — a medieval village in the Abruzzo region — four days earlier with the photographer Elisabetta Zavoli to document the Rito dei Serpari, or the Rite of the Snake Charmers. The Catholic celebration, which takes place each year on May 1, is held in honor of San Domenico, who is credited with removing snakes from local farmers’ fields. Many historians, however, believe that its roots lie in the ancient worship of a goddess named Angitia, known for her association with the animals.

Despite the obscurity of its origins, the Cocullo festival is plainly a holdover from snake-based mystical practices that, thousands of years ago, were widespread in central and southern Italy. And since the beginning of the 20th century, the ritual has become a tourist attraction, drawing visitors who are interested in its folklore as much as its religion ties.

In the days leading up to the festival, Elisabetta and I joined a handful of local “serpari” — the term used to describe the local snake catchers and charmers — on their hunts to catch the animals used in the procession.

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Three women, two of whom are facing the camera, stand together in a room with white walls. The women are dressed in ornate clothing, including colorful lace embroidery, and are grasping several snakes in their hands.
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Young women, snakes in hand, in their traditional dresses.

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A woman looks at her reflection in a small mirror while putting on a pair of earrings. She is wearing a white shirt, and decorative white curtains are flowing into the frame on the right.
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Anna Ognibene Mascioli preparing for the procession.

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A detailed photograph shows the front of an embroidered purple corsage and a ornate piece of jewelry — likely a necklace, dangling from the person’s neck. The item has several tassels and small metallic decorations.
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A detail of Ms. Mascioli’s dress and jewelry.

Marco Ognibene Mascioli, a 38-year-old soldier stationed in Bologna, was one of them. On his annual trip to Cocullo to fulfill his duties as a serparo, Mr. Mascioli led us to his favorite place in the surrounding mountains: the limestone cliffs where he often finds four-lined snakes (Elaphe quatuorlineata), a nonvenomous species that can grow to more than six feet long.

The search was slow and deliberate; we remained as quiet as possible while overturning rocks and peering into thick brush. In the end, Mr. Mascioli found only one snake — though it was large enough to be a candidate for the few that would be placed on the statue of San Domenico.

Children also take on the duties of the serpari. With Francesco Zinatelli and Valeria Del Rosso, two young friends, we went to look for snakes at an abandoned shed on the outskirts of the village. In the stone basement, they searched overhead and used sticks to coax a snake out from among the wooden floorboards. The pair later headed home with three green whip snakes (Hierophis viridiflavus).

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A tan, two-story stone building stands along the edge of a lake, with hill rising steeply behind it.
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The Hermitage of San Domenico, some seven miles southeast of Cocullo, protects the natural cave where the saint lived in solitude.

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Inside a church, an older man reaches forward toward the camera to touch the base of a wooden statue. Behind him are several dozen other people, most of them looking toward the statue.
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A pilgrim touching the statue of San Domenico inside the church.

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Several snakes are clumped together atop a wooden statue, with several people reaching in from various angles to touch and handle the animals. In the background is the facade of a stone church.
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After the procession, and before entering the church, the serpari reclaim their snakes, which they recognize by colored tape or varnish.

One evening, Elisabetta and I dined at the home of Antonietta d’Orazio, who, along with Clelia and Iosella, her sisters, was encouraged to become a serpara by their mother, Maria, who introduced them to the charms of snakes as children.

We stayed at Ms. d’Orazio’s home late into the evening, chatting with her and Dalila, her daughter, in a digressive conversation that carried us into the depths of the tradition.

Her father, Ms. d’Orazio said, disliked snakes and conducted periodic searches of the house to be sure his daughters weren’t harboring the animals. To conceal their obsessions, the sisters began to hide the snakes in their beds, sheltering them there for weeks on end.

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A young man and woman stand beside a ruined building, amid small trees and thick brush, while peering into the surrounding landscape.
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Two friends, Francesco Zinatelli and Valeria Del Rosso, searching for snakes near the ruins of a crumbling building.

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A woman peers toward the camera while standing underneath a wooden structure, looking up into the crevices of the building.
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Ms. Del Rosso was training to be a serpara.

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A young woman and a young man stand inside the cellar of an old stone building, looking up toward the ceiling. The man is reaching up with his hands, and seems to have caught hold of one end of a snake.
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Mr. Zinatelli pulling a snake from the overhead wooden beams in the basement of an abandoned shed.

Some 15 years ago, two researchers — Gianpaolo Montinaro and Ernesto Filippi — realized the scientific potential of Cocullo’s passion for snakes, beginning a study to monitor the animals’ populations.

In the days preceding the festival, we watched as the serpari brought their snakes to a research space that was set up in a local building. There, herpetologists took body measurements and swabbed the animals to check for infections. In some cases, they inserted subcutaneous microchips.

Over the years, data collected from hundreds of specimens has contributed to several published studies on the distribution and conservation strategies of local species — four-lined snakes in particular. This citizen science project has raised awareness of the often demonized — and widely feared — animals.

And so what was once a strictly religious rite has now become so much more: a community event, a tourist draw, an open-air laboratory.

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Darkness surrounds a small mountain town, which is seen from above, presumably from a tall building at the edge of town. Lights illuminate some of the buildings, streets and squares. In the distance is a highway that carves through the mountainous terrain.
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Cocullo is surrounded by national parks in the central Italian region of Abruzzo.

For Ms. d’Orazio, the festival offers something else, too: a chance for people to confront their phobias. Knowledge is an ally, she told me; many people here have overcome their fears.

And though she no longer hunts for the snakes herself, she takes pride as another generation embraces the festival.

“We leave it to the children now,” she said with a smile, her daughter seated beside her in the dim light of her kitchen.

Elisabetta Zavoli is a documentary photographer from Rimini, Italy. You can follow her work on Instagram.

Francesco Martinelli is a science writer from a village in the Marche region of Italy. You can follow his work on Instagram.

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/29/trav ... 778d3e6de3
kmaherali
Posts: 25705
Joined: Thu Mar 27, 2003 3:01 pm

Tompkins Square Dog Parade Draws Thousands After Near-Cancellation

Post by kmaherali »

After almost being canceled because of financial constraints, about 15,000 people and more than 600 pups turned out for the annual parade on Saturday — nearly doubling last year’s attendance.

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The Tompkins Square Park Halloween Dog Parade drew about 15,000 people and more than 600 pups on Saturday, despite the gray, dreary weather. The event was nearly canceled last month.Credit...John Taggart for The New York Times

Despite the gray skies and light drizzle, costumed dogs strutted along for the Tompkins Square Halloween Dog Parade on Saturday as they have for more than three decades. But for the first time since the event’s inception, they had an official parade route.

The dogs came on floats, leashes and in their owners’ arms — but they almost didn’t come at all.

Organizers of the East Village event nearly canceled it this year after outgrowing their location in Tompkins Square. What started as a small gathering of friends for Halloween has ballooned into a cornerstone of New York City’s spooky season, drawing thousands of spectators to the East Village. To stage the parade and costume competition, organizers needed to have the streets blocked off, which would have costs thousands of dollars in permits and fees, they said.

Organizers announced the cancellation last month, sparking backlash on social media before help stepped in.

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The event was revived with assistance from the office of Mayor Eric Adams, which coordinated with multiple agencies to secure the proper permits and bring down costs. Last month, Get Joy, a dog food and wellness company based in Connecticut, stepped in and offered to sponsor the parade, covering all the expenses, after its owners heard the event might not happen.

“We saw a ton of social posts and comments about how it was canceled, and we really saw how meaningful it was to people,” said Tom Arrix, the founder and chief executive of Get Joy. “When we saw that, we quickly raised our hand and said, ‘How can we help?’”

Joseph Borduin, who has run the parade as a volunteer for the past four years, said that he always had aspirations of it becoming an official city parade, but that he didn’t know it would happen so soon.

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A white bulldog rides on a float while wearing ancient Egyptian style jewelry around it’s neck as onlookers take photos.
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Many dogs rode on homemade floats made out of carts and wagons for the parade.Credit...John Taggart for The New York Times

“It’s a dream come true,” Mr. Borduin said. “It’s something I’ve always thought about in the back of my head that we could possibly do in 10 years.”

Coming back from the brink of cancellation, the parade almost doubled its numbers from the previous year. The event’s organizers estimated about 15,000 people were in attendance on Saturday, including dog owners and spectators, compared with 8,000 last year.

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A women dressed as Barbie in pink and a white cowboy hat holds her small, light-colored dog. Police and spectators stand in a line next to her.
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Both dogs and their owners dress for the Tompkins Square Halloween dog parade. The event drew thousands of spectators.Credit...John Taggart for The New York Times

Local pet owners were similarly ecstatic to hear the parade was back on. Many had spent months planning their pet costumes.

Robyn Howard, who drove from New Jersey to participate, said she had come up with her dog’s costume months ago after watching “Barbie.”

Ms. Howard’s small, tan-colored dog, named 89 after her address, was dressed Saturday as Weird Barbie, Ms. Howard’s favorite character in the film, in a pink dress with scribbles all over it and different colors in her fur. Seemingly unbothered by her appearance, 89 slept atop a homemade float decorated as Barbieland, while Ms. Howard lugged the cart covered in green turf and bright pink signage through the East Village. Despite what Ms. Howard called the “unforgiving sidewalks,” she was determined to get 89 to the parade.

“Honestly, the drive from New Jersey is easier than getting this cart here,” she said.
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A bulldog wearing a pink hat and scarf rides in a white car with the California license plate that reads "Earl"
Credit...John Taggart for The New York Times

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A small black and brown dog with a red hat and a inflatable guitar around its neck.
Credit...John Taggart for The New York Times

89 was hardly the only dog on a homemade float — seven dogs, including some Maltese mixes and a few Yorkshire terriers that were dressed as King Henry and his six wives, packed onto a single float for the parade. Their costumes, their owner said, were based off the Broadway musical “Six.” In fact, their owners had even hired a designer to make the dogs’ costumes look identical to those worn on Broadway, said Ilene Zeins, one of the owners.

Other pop culture-inspired costumes included the L Train, a Beanie Baby, the New Year’s Eve Times Square ball and a dog surrounded by fire inspired by the “This is Fine” meme.

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A medium sized white haired dog walks on a leash while wearing a green sheer bonnet.
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Some dog owners had been planning their costumes for months when the parade was almost canceled last month.Credit...John Taggart for The New York Times

About 600 human participants were given wristbands so their dogs could compete in the costume contest, with judges nominating the 40 costumes for best in show. After being narrowed down to six, the winner was determined by audience applause.

Eventually, Pookah, a Pomeranian dressed as “Winnie the Pookah” — inspired by Winnie the Pooh — took best in show. The Upper West Side pup wore a red sweatshirt and sat in a fake pot of honey. His owners, Sam Carpenter and Michelle Leone, who matched their pet as Tigger and Piglet, were awarded free passes to doggy day care. Ms. Leone said that this year was their first parade, and that they had spent about a month prepping the costume.

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A tan-colored Pomeranian sits in a red and brown pot atop gold fabric, between a woman in a pink pig costume and a man in an orange tiger costume.
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Pookah the Pomeranian and his owners Michelle Leone, left, and Sam Carpenter, won Best in Show at the Tompkins Square Park Halloween Dog Parade costume contest on Saturday.Credit...John Taggart for The New York Times

“We are elated,” she said. “We’ve always wanted to participate.”

She said they planned on competing again next year.

“This morning, we already started discussing what we would do,” Ms. Leone said.

Tompkins Square Dog Parade

Facing Cancellation, Halloween Dog Festival Gets a Formal Parade Route
Oct. 4, 2023

All the Good Pups at the Halloween Dog Parade
Oct. 23, 2017
Rebecca Carballo is a reporter based in New York. More about Rebecca Carballo

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/21/nyre ... 778d3e6de3
swamidada
Posts: 1614
Joined: Sun Aug 02, 2020 8:59 pm

Re: pets

Post by swamidada »

Miami Herald
Dog found trapped atop spillway in walled Florida canal. See what happened next
Mark Price
Thu, October 26, 2023 at 6:30 AM CDT·

Stray dogs are notorious for getting into predicaments but rescuers still aren’t sure how one canine got trapped atop a spillway in a walled Florida canal.

It happened Tuesday, Oct. 24, in Port Mayaca, a sparsely populated area east of Lake Okeechobee known for hosting the Port Mayaca lock and dam.

“The dog somehow ended up on a spillway with a 12-foot drop around the rim canal with no way to safely escape,” the Martin County Sheriff’s Office reports. “After a citizen called us about the trapped animal, the officers went to work.”

Wendy Diaz told station WPBF she found the dog “in the middle of nowhere” and large alligators were seen swimming below the spillway.

Luckily, water levels were low at the time, photos show. Had a storm crossed the area, the dog could have been swept away over the spillway by the deluge.

A trio of local and state officers reached the dog by hauling in ladders so they could climb between the concrete walls.

“It took some time and maneuvering but they didn’t give up,” the sheriff’s office said. “Tonight the dog is in good shape and in great hands at the Humane Society of the Treasure Coast.”

Sarah Fisher, communications manager for the Humane Society of the Treasure Coast, says the “bully breed” dog appears to be in good health, but the staff has not found a microchip or tags.

“She’s on a stray hold for five days and we are trying to find the potential owner. She looks young but we won’t know for sure until we check her teeth,” Fisher told McClatchy News in an email. “She’s eating well but is very scared still. She’s a friendly dog and wants attention but then gets extremely scared when we approach her.”

https://currently.att.yahoo.com/att/cm/ ... 33515.html
swamidada
Posts: 1614
Joined: Sun Aug 02, 2020 8:59 pm

Re: pets

Post by swamidada »

Turks up in arms over killing of stray cat
AFP Published March 14, 2024 Updated about 11 hours ago

The killing of a stray cat in Turkiye’s Istanbul has triggered petitions, protests and death threats, pushing the president to intervene and the courts to retry the culprit.

On January 1, Ibrahim K was caught on a security camera in the lobby of the building where he lived kicking to death a stray cat named Eros that his neighbours regularly fed.

He was sentenced in early February to 18 months in jail but was then released for good behaviour, sparking indignation among animal welfare groups and a section of the public in Turkey, whose large stray cat population is often fed and sheltered.

Some 320,000 people signed an online petition demanding a stiffer sentence and in late February the justice ministry said Ibrahim K would be retried after it received a night-time call from President Recep Tayyip Erdogan saying he was taking a “personal” interest in the case.

Ibrahim K was retried on Wednesday in a court building where hundreds of people thronged the corridors and the atmosphere was tense.

The judges increased his sentence by one year but did not order him to be detained, ignoring the demands of animal welfare groups and internet trolls who have sent him death threats.

One animal rights group is to appeal, saying Ibrahim K should be jailed for the maximum four years allowed by law.

On Thursday, the hashtag #JusticeforEros (#ErosicinAdalet) was trending on X in Turkey and several major newspapers, including Hurriyet, splashed pictures of the dead cat on their front pages.

Hurriyet carried several articles about Eros and “Ibrahim the killer”.

Several celebrities have joined the Justice for Eros appeal, including Argentinian footballer Mauro Icardi, the star striker at Istanbul giants and reigning Turkish champions Galatasaray.

https://www.dawn.com/news/1821467/turks ... -stray-cat
kmaherali
Posts: 25705
Joined: Thu Mar 27, 2003 3:01 pm

Re: pets

Post by kmaherali »

‘The animals definitely could feel that something was different,’ a zookeeper says.

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Flamingos banding together nervously during the solar eclipse in the Indianapolis Zoo on Monday.Credit...Maansi Srivastava/The New York Times

In the minutes before totality at the Indianapolis Zoo, as an eerie dusk descended, many of the animals seemed to think it was nighttime.

Normally, the macaws — blue, green, red and nearly all the colors of the rainbow — squawk so loudly that the din drowns out normal conversation. But inside their outdoor aviary, which allows for sunlight to fill the enclosure, some made only a purring noise. The lorikeets stopped singing and appeared to start snoozing. So, too, did the budgies, which were perched on tree branches in their aviary in a sleepy splash of green, yellow and blue.

The flamingos, though, didn’t seemed interested in napping at all. Gathering in a loose salmon-pink huddle, they seemed on alert, much different from how they usually fan out.

On another side of the zoo, the lions rose from a wooden platform that they had been lounging on, and roared. The cheetahs appeared to be equally disturbed. They rose from the spot where they had been chilling on the ground and paced around their hilly enclosure, with one stopping at the highest point of the grass to scan the area around him. The rhinos, warthogs and porcupines just wanted food: They circled in front of their enclosure’s door, as if it were time to eat dinner.

And at totality, as the people at the zoo began to cheer, some animals seemed to react not to the lack of light — but to the unfamiliar abundance of loud people. The baboons that had been sitting quietly began running from rock to rock in the highest part of their exhibit. And the gibbons, a type of small ape, whoop-whooped, creating a sound as if a fire alarm had gone off.

“I didn’t expect the baboons to do anything,” said Caitlyn Cooksey, who is studying animal behavior at Indiana University, in Bloomington, and was recording the baboons’ reactions for a formal survey. “But they actually reacted much more than I thought. It was really cool to see it.”

In an area where chimpanzees were perched above people lying on the ground to look at the eclipse, the animals sat and stared at a crowd that was acting so strangely.

Some studies have reported that giraffes pace around and then break into a gallop during an eclipse, but no zoo guests on Monday were able to see whether the giraffes would react that way.

The zoo’s baby giraffe had injured his foot, so it remained with its mother and two other giraffes in a private area where keepers could closely monitor them. Just before totality, those giraffes walked inside their barn.

Krista O’Hare, the keeper for the Plains Area of the zoo, said, “The animals definitely could feel that something was different.”

The people did, too.

“We wanted to be here for this experience because it’s existential,” said Ryan Landfield, an astrophysicist from Knoxville, Tenn., who was with his wife and three daughters. He rushed over to record the lions roaring before totality. “This was nothing less than otherworldly.”

https://www.nytimes.com/live/2024/04/08 ... eeper-says
kmaherali
Posts: 25705
Joined: Thu Mar 27, 2003 3:01 pm

Re: pets

Post by kmaherali »

Catastrophic Floods in Brazil Set Off Another Crisis: Homeless Pets

Officials in the southern part of the country have rescued more than 12,500 animals in recent weeks since catastrophic floods inundated cities and towns.

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More than 12,500 domestic animals have been rescued since the beginning of the floods more than a month ago.Credit...Anselmo Cunha/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

When the two puppies arrived at a makeshift shelter in the southern Brazilian city of Porto Alegre, their rail-thin legs buckled from exhaustion. They had treaded water for hours, fighting to survive as floods submerged the city, turning streets into rivers.

“We tried to get them to walk, but they couldn’t,” said Dr. Daniel Guimarães Gerardi, a veterinarian volunteering at the shelter. “Your heart aches at times like these, for these poor animals suffering.”

Two days after being rescued, the 6-month-old mutts — one tiger-striped, the other jet black — mostly dozed on donated blankets amid chew toys, still drained from their ordeal. When awake, they wobbled around the shelter on unsteady legs, tails wagging and ears pinned back tightly.

They wore no name tags, and since they were found on May 21 nobody had come looking for them. “We hope that, if they have caregivers, they will be found,” Dr. Guimarães said. If not, he added, the aim will be to find them a good, safe home.

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Dogs at improvised animal shelters in Porto Alegre and São Leopoldo. Credit...Nelson Almeida/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images; lower left: Sebastiao Moreiro/European Pressphoto Agency

More than a month after catastrophic floods battered southern Brazil, its worst disaster in recent history, the region is still reeling. The floods submerged entire towns, destroyed bridges, shuttered an international airport and displaced nearly 600,000 people across the state of Rio Grande do Sul. At least 169 people were killed, and 56 are still missing.

The map locates Brazil’s southernmost state, Rio Grande Do Sul, it’s capital, Porto Alegre, and the cities of Canoas and São Leopoldo, all on the east coast of the state.

250 MILES

Rio de Janeiro

BRAZIL

PARAGUAY

Atlantic

Ocean

São Leopoldo

RIO GRANDE

DO SUL

Canoas

Porto

Alegre

BRAZIL

URUGUAY

Detail

area

By The New York Times

Amid the turmoil, thousands of animals were separated from their owners and trapped by the floods. Dramatic scenes of dogs struggling to save themselves by climbing onto the roofs of inundated houses and firefighters rescuing stranded animals, including a horse called Caramelo, captured headlines around the world. (Caramelo was eventually reunited with its owner.)

Even as floodwaters recede, tens of thousands of people remain in temporary shelters, unable to return to their destroyed or damaged homes. And more than 12,500 domestic animals have been rescued since the beginning of the crisis, according to state authorities.

Many of these animals don’t have owners, said Fabiana de Araújo Ribeiro, who manages Porto Alegre’s animal welfare office.

Even when they do, “they don’t have anywhere to go back to” because their homes have been ruined, Ms. Ribeiro said.

And with water levels covering street signs and house numbers, rescue crews have struggled to record with any precision where pets were rescued or whom they might belong to.

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A man holding a dog walks through a flooded area.
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A volunteer rescuing a dog that was trapped in a flooded house in Porto Alegre.Credit...Jefferson Bernardes/Getty Images

Surges of homeless animals are common after natural disasters around the world, as owners are killed, separated from their pets or forced into temporary shelters that do not allow animals.

Yet returning displaced animals is more complex in countries like Brazil than in the United States, where best practices often include methodically registering where animals are found and setting up centralized hotlines to help owners find pets, said Joaquin de la Torre Ponce, Latin America director for the International Fund for Animal Welfare, a nonprofit based in Washington.

It is also more common in the United States than in many parts of Latin America for owners to implant tracking chips in their pets, making it easier to reunite, animal welfare advocates said.

And strays are more prevalent in Latin America, where animals are often fed and cared for by an entire block, Mr. Ponce said.

“These community dogs and cats don’t have one specific owner,” he said. “So nobody is going to come looking for them in a scenario like this.”

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Piles of pet bowls on the ground with people in the background.
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Volunteers with dog water and food bowls at a makeshift animal shelter in a shopping mall parking lot in Porto Alegre.Credit...Nelson Almeida/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

Under the leaky roof of an abandoned warehouse in Canoas, a city neighboring Porto Alegre, some 800 rescued dogs shuffled, whimpered and barked in makeshift kennels built out of wooden pallets.

The space had been turned into an impromptu shelter by volunteers, who were working in shifts to register, feed, medicate and care for the animals. Few animals had names, but each crate bore a number, scribbled on cardboard by shelter workers.

Many had been saved by rescue crews, after spending days or even weeks stranded on roofs, in trees and in flooded homes. Some arrived injured or sick, and most were badly malnourished.

A few, like Gigante, an older Labrador wearing a pink shirt stamped with red hearts, had been dropped off by owners who were barred from taking their pets to the temporary shelters they now called home.

In one corner, a muscular white-and-brown mutt pulled at a chain leash, baring sharp teeth. He had mostly recovered from a gash to his snout, volunteers said, but he had been anxious since the floods inundated his home and sent his owner to a hospital.

Deeper in the warehouse, a subdued Rottweiler lay curled in the back corner of his kennel, his head resting on his paws. Firefighters had found him swimming in the streets of Canoas two weeks earlier, trembling and agitated.

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A cat on a roof of a home surrounded by floodwaters.
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A cat stranded on a roof in a flooded street this month in Canoas, a city that flooded in the state of Rio Grande do Sul.Credit...Adriano Machado/Reuters

In recent days, another bout of heavy rain set off a commotion at the shelter. When the downpour began, the dogs tried to clamber onto the roofs of their kennels. “They get nervous when they see the water,” Celso Luis Vieira, 74, a volunteer, said. “They think the place is about to flood.”

On a recent weekday morning, Sérgio Hoff was scouring the warehouse for his missing pets. When he evacuated from his home in Canoas with his wife and 9-year-old daughter in early May, the family had to leave behind their five dogs and three cats.

“My wife was in a panic; she didn’t want to leave them,” Mr. Hoff, 39, a banker, said. “But we just couldn’t take them with us. It was chaos.”

The family let the animals loose in their yard, hoping they would climb to higher ground if the waters rose. They never imagined the floodwaters would submerge their entire house.

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A person walks through floodwaters carrying a brown dog.
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A dog rescued from a flooded area in Canoas. Volunteers and shelter workers are having a hard time locating the owners of homeless animals.Credit...Andre Borges/European Pressphoto Agency

Mr. Hoff eventually found two of his dogs in a shelter on the other side of Canoas, which made him hopeful that the others may have survived, too. But, after weeks of searching other animal shelters and scouring social media pages, he still hadn’t found the rest of the pets.

“Frustration is the only word that describes this,” he said after another unsuccessful shelter visit. “But we’re not going to give up.”

Back at the Porto Alegre shelter, a 2-year-old black mutt named Ticolé had better luck.

Frightened by the rush of water invading his neighborhood, the dog had broken loose from his home and escaped, just as his owners were preparing to flee. After two weeks, his owner, Jorge Caldeira Santos, finally tracked him down.

“I found him,” he said, as he led Ticolé out of the shelter.

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/30/worl ... 778d3e6de3
swamidada
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Re: pets

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‘Human beings are pure evil’: Dog thrown from balcony in Karachi’s Liaquatabad sparks outrage online
The sheer cruelty of the incident has struck a nerve, with many calling for stricter laws and harsher penalties for animal abusers.

06 Jun, 2024

In a harrowing incident that has sent shockwaves across the internet, the ACF Animal Rescue shelter released a graphic and horrifically disturbing video showing a group of adult men throwing a dog from the terrace of a building in Karachi’s Liaquatabad. The footage resulted in calls for immediate action to protect stray animals from such vile and inhumane behaviour.

The graphic video was shared by the Ayesha Chundrigar Foundation (ACF) with a caption detailing the incident: “In Liaquatabad, Karachi, this group of boys threw the dog off a terrace because they were angry that homeless dogs were coming near the apartment to look for food”.

The Sharifabad police have arrested a janitor named Qasim. A case has been registered under Section 5 and Section 428 of the Pakistan penal code at the Sharifabad police station.

“There are six to seven more dogs that they have trapped to torture,” the animal shelter claimed. “The more we do this work, the more we realise that it is less about educating people and more about opening our eyes to understand that human beings are pure evil. Just look at the state of the world, do you think human beings are good?” the caption questioned.

This distressing incident, along with other cases of animal abuse and dog culling in the country, has prompted many people to voice their outrage and demand justice for the innocent and voiceless.

Artist Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Jr took to Instagram to passionately denounce the act. In a video, he said, “Yesterday in Liaquatabad, the residents of a building threw a dog from that 7 to 8 floor building. That dog has died. I have sent my men to inquire why these people did what they did. I would also request all the followers of Shaheed Bhutto in that area to ask these people why they did that to an innocent animal. The screams of the innocent reach God.”

He said that these acts of cruelty are what really spoil the image of a country.

“Remember that you are ruining the image of Pakistan,” he said. “When you kill an innocent animal, you have ruined our country’s reputation. You have made us monsters in the eyes of the rest of the world and I hope you pay for it.”

Actor Nadia Afgan expressed her horror and grief over another incident through an emotional Instagram video. Afgan, who has been an outspoken advocate for animal rights, struggled to find words to describe her feelings: “ACF shelter sent me a video, and I haven’t been able to sleep for two nights.”

She went on to describe the graphic and horrifying details of the video, which showed a mob torturing stray dogs to death. One man in the video even threatened similar violence against anyone showing kindness to stray dogs. Afgan questioned the moral compass of those involved, repeatedly asking, “Aren’t you people afraid of God?”

“You wonder why bad things happen to you when you can’t even follow the teachings of our religion and be kind to a creature who has never done you any harm! I am not one to curse, but I pray that something even worse happens to you than what you have done to these dogs. You will all face a trial for this one way or the other. You should be ashamed of yourselves.”

Afgan also called on the government, police force, and animal rights activists to take decisive action against anyone displaying cruelty to animals. She urged her followers to educate themselves and their children to prevent such horrific acts from being perpetuated by future generations.

In a heartfelt caption accompanying her video, Afgan lamented the moral decline in Pakistani society: “We as a nation have no respect for anyone or any living being. This needs to stop. We have to make this country and this world a better place. Stop dog culling. The government needs to step in and put an end to the ruthless killing of dogs everywhere.”

The incident has struck a nerve across the nation, with many calling for stricter laws and harsher penalties for animal abusers. Several are horrified by the incident and many more have lost faith in humanity.

“I don’t want to talk about human rights anymore,” one user wrote in an Instagram story reshared by the ACF. “We are living in a society where people throw animals from the top of buildings,” they said, condemning the act and talking about how we’ve failed as a nation.

More users spoke about how the incident was sickening and shameful, yet it wasn’t getting the attention it deserved. “You think these psychopaths won’t come for your children? For you? Since you all are so concerned with yourselves. Hold the people who are inciting and carrying out such nauseating levels of violence against animals accountable,” one user whose story was shared by the ACF demanded.

Others said it is high time society learns about animal rights

Stray animals are rounded up and killed en masse on a routine basis in Karachi to curb their population. Municipal laws allow authorities to either poison or shoot stray dogs with impunity — a practice that has been widely condemned as being cruel and inhumane.

In May last year, a video of a dog being killed by hanging in Karachi was widely shared on social media. The video showed a man hanging a dog from a rack with the help of a rope. The man, the watchman of a market, was later detained. The local SHO said that he “may have employed the wrong means of killing the dog — hanging him, instead of poisoning or shooting, a usual practice in the city to kill dogs in a bid to protect children against dog bites.”

Unfortunately, moments of outrage online do little to curb such incidents. It is time local governments invest more in neutering stray dogs if population control is such a problem.

In December last year, the Karachi local government was asked to work with ACF to launch a public awareness campaign to prevent cruelty towards animals. Former caretaker chief minister Justice (retd) Maqbool Baqar directed the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) to provide six vans to ACF to help rescue and neuter stray dogs.

However, ACF is just one of the very few functional animal shelters in the city and does not have the capacity to shelter all stray animals in the metropolis. Our government needs to create more animal shelters or help existing ones expand if people are not interested in adopting or even feeding stray dogs.

Education isn’t the only thing needed to stop these kinds of cruel incidents from happening — we need to foster a sense of empathy in our people, something that is sorely lacking if they think the solution to a stray dog problem is throwing the animal off a balcony.

https://images.dawn.com/news/1192498/hu ... ks-outrage
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Six suspects remanded in police custody for allegedly mutilating camel in Sanghar

Housh Mohammad Mangi | Imtiaz Ali | Mikail Ahmed Shaikh Published June 16, 2024 Updated about 10 hours ago

The camel mutilated in an attack in Sanghar earlier this week undergoes treatment at an animal shelter in Karachi.

A magistrate in Shahdadpur on Sunday remanded six suspects into police custody in connection with the mutilation of a camel that saw the animal’s right leg chopped off in Mund Jamrao village in Sanghar district days ago.

The incident took place on Friday when a landlord allegedly chopped off the camel’s leg as punishment for foraging into his field for fodder.

Sanghar police took notice of the incident, news of which was widely circulated on social media, and contacted the owner of the brutalised camel, Soomar Behan, who was a poor peasant.

Police officials said the peasant had refused to identify the culprit and press charges against him, hence police lodged an FIR on behalf of the state against six unknown persons under sections 429 (Mischief by killing or maiming cattle) and 34 (common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC).

When police tried to arrest the six suspects on Saturday, they allegedly resisted and attacked them, according to another FIR filed by police.

The six suspects were identified as Rustam Shar, Abid Shar, Jaffar Jatt, Abdul Shakoor Shar, Gul Baig Lashari and Darya Khan Shar, and were arrested from Rantoo Bridge near Sanghar.

The second FIR was filed under sections 353 (Assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty), 147 (Punishment for rioting), 148 (Rioting, armed with deadly weapon) and 149 (Every member of unlawful assembly guilty of offence committed in prosecution of common object) of the PPC.

According to Sub-Inspector Atta Hussain Jutt, the suspects were presented before duty magistrate Asif Sial on Sunday, where police requested the suspects be remanded for 14 days for further investigation, positing that they needed to find the weapon used in the incident.

The magistrate, however, remanded the suspects to police custody for only four days.

Treatment and rehabilitation
PPP minister Shazia Marri and former PPP senator Quratulain Marri took stern notice of the incident, with Shazia taking to X to announce that suspects had been arrested and the injured camel had been transported to the Comprehensive Disaster Response Services (CDRS) animal shelter in Karachi.

In a separate statement, Shazia and Quratulain Marri said that veterinary doctors referred them to CDRS, adding that rescuing the camel was a “joint effort”.

“I was extremely saddened to hear the news of this tragic incident [and I] took immediate steps, Shazia said. “This kind of barbaric treatment against a speechless being is reprehensible,” she added, stating that those responsible would be punished severely.

We called a team of doctors and [were] immediately referred to CDRS, who took the camel to safety and started care,“ said Quratulain. “If they had not taken care of it, the camel might not be with us.”

“From carrying her through the fields to treating her wound under a flashlight, everyone who helped the camel is a hero,” she added.

CDRS Benji Director Sarah Jahangir told Dawn.com that the camel — affectionately named Cammie by shelter staff — is stable but infection is an ever present threat.

“She’s stable but her leg is infected,” she said. “Treatment involves applying fresh dressings, antibiotics and IV fluids […] we’re trying to keep infection at bay”.

She added that the team’s focus is on pain management, preventing further infection and making sure the animal stands up and moves around.

“The camel is 8 months old, and one of our concerns is that we need to make sure she stands up and moves around otherwise she will develop bloat in her stomach.”

Sarah confirmed that the PPP senior members arranged the wounded animal’s transport to the shelter. “Shazia and Anny (Quratulain) Marri had the camel loaded into a truck and brought to Karachi with a police protocol,” she said, adding that the animal arrived at 2am in excruciating agony.

She added that CDRS has been exploring options for prosthetic legs for the camel and is due to meet experts from both Karachi and Dubai.

https://www.dawn.com/news/1840277/six-s ... in-sanghar
swamidada
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Re: pets

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Humor: Pets as coworkers
Which animal would make the best officemate?

Anna Reshetnikova
Kyrie Gray
Updated Wed, September 11, 2024 at 6:22 PM CDT·4 min read

Most of us working from home complain about loneliness and contemplate getting an animal companion. Yet anyone with pets will tell you they often behave like bad coworkers. Which begs the question: which pet would make the best workmate?

Rabbit
Always with a coffee in hand, Rabbit is perky and energetic. With a supreme passion for the company (which he views as his family), the fluffy creature is often seen hopping from one task to the next.

Don’t let Rabbit’s keen ears hear you complain about boredom because you will get roped into doing an assignment faster than Rabbit procreates.

Horse
Horse is the most hated animal in the office. She’s standoffish and only willing to associate with those she sees as higher status.

She flounces about the workspace, putting on a perfect show when the bosses are watching and judging.

Yet the moment she can, she will sabotage you because she’s secretly scared of someone stealing her thunder and putting her to pasture.

Cat
Cat is popular and will never let you forget it. She doesn’t have to work with you.

She could be outside surrounded by adoring fans.

Screw company-mandated arrival times. Nobody tells Cat what to do. And no one, certainly not you, tells Cat when that report is due.

Fish
I hate to say it, but this is that coworker who you could replace tomorrow and not even notice.

The office needed a “warm” body, someone to do the most basic data input.

However, Fish constantly forgets instructions, causing you to lose precious time while you tell her, “Stop staring blankly at the computer and do something.”

Lizard
Honestly? You forget that Lizard is even there half the time. He is most often seen sleeping at his favorite desk in the best-lit area of the office. You suspect there might be family connections involved in his hiring. Otherwise, you do not understand why anyone would keep this lazy reptile around.

Parrot
Guess who just listened to an inspirational podcast? Parrot!

Guess who is going to reiterate that information almost verbatim, whether you want to hear it or not? Parrot! Not one original idea comes from this intelligent pet who is too scared of messing up to put themselves out there.

You know they could achieve so much more if they tried, yet Parrot will forever be a puppet to gurus with convincing speeches.

Tortoise
Tortoise spends all day getting the most work done while grinding his beak. He knows he’s the butt of every joke, and he accepts it.

Little do they know that the startup he’s been working diligently on for the last 5 years has finally turned a profit, and he will quit this painful job very soon.

The only reason Tortoise is still here is because he needs health insurance for the family. He’s their rock and won’t put their happiness at risk for his own. You will miss Tortoise when he is gone.

Dog
Dog is very helpful but also way too needy. Dog’s entire self-worth depends on being complimented, or else he feels like he’s done something wrong.

Then you get to spend 30 minutes reassuring your anxious coworker rather than the two minutes it would have taken to give a quick pat on the head for a job well done.

On the bright side, you can tell Dog anything and be sure that your secrets will be safe.

Snake
Snake slithers around the office, waiting for the moment he can steal all your work and pass it off as his own.

Snake can’t help it, he’s just not made to type long reports. He’d rather be stirring up trouble.

Frog
You can hear every slurp and crunch across the room as he eats at his desk. He’s a hard worker, sitting at his desk for hours.

Yet the weird noises he makes with his mouth and tongue make you want to scream. Thank goodness God invented noise-canceling headphones.

Rat
Rat is used to having to prove herself. She wasn’t born with a silver spoon in her mouth and doesn’t have the looks to wow at interviews.

Her cleverness is how she’s achieved so much in her short career. When you encounter a maze-like problem with no easy answer, the first person you think to ask is Rat.

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