MelSkunk's stories

Antarctic hero's grave now adorned with cat
Wed 23 Jun 2004 - 06:11

Many people have heard of the ill-fated Shackleton expedition, which ended with a sucessful six man mad dash across open ocean to get help for the crew, left behind on a rocky outcrop.
One of the most tragic moments of the story involved the execution of the sled dog team, but many people are unaware that one cat also had to be shot. Mrs Chippy, a tom owned by the ship's carpenter and unofficial ship's mascot, has now finally been reunited with his owner in the form of a memorial statue on Harry McNeish's gravesite.
The statue is designed to be ever alert, but relaxed, as if the cat is "lying on McNeish's bunk".

Sadly, McNeish's love for his cat may have contributed to the carpenter's minor rebellion against Shackleton, the team leader, which lead to him being denied a Polar Medal, in spite of his work building and repairing boats and shelters to save the team. To the end, he never forgave Shackleton for shooting his beloved cat. Harry McNeish's grandson, Tom McNeish, comments, "I think the cat was more important to him than the Polar Medal."

Tiger confiscation in New Jersey
Tue 11 Nov 2003 - 20:11

In the international news, it's a straight forward story of animal abuse.Tigers Only says its a case of conflict of interest and that the rescue the animals will go to isn't as good as they are.The International Fund for Aninal Welfare (IFAW) says they're saving the animals from gross neglegence and that this is an example of why people should support their anti big cats as pets campaign.
Any way you look at it, there's a lot of sides to this story of 24 tigers.

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Harry Potter to help homeless
Wed 15 Oct 2003 - 16:01

Think twice before waving away that homeless person trying to sell you a cheap newspaper, because J.K Rowling, in her lastest charity effort, has OKed the printing of the first chapter of the currently unreleased German version of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix in a German street magazine. Over 20 street papers in Germany, Austria and Switzerland will be running it, so Eurofurs, keep your eyes peeled and your hearts generous.

Lions drop to 1/10th population in 20 years
Tue 7 Oct 2003 - 23:32

There may be less than 20,000 lions now, not in a park or country, but the whole African continent. That's a drop from an estimated 200,000 lions in the early 80's. Scientists say they're not going extinct... yet. But the impact of game hunting, especially in the removal of most adult male lions from the gene pool, and pest animal control, is decimating the social structure and species survival of lions in the wild. The research team noted no instance of finding a lion in their four years in a wildlife preserve who had died of natural causes. Instead, they were "poisoned, trapped and shot".

Wide ranging carnivores fare poorly in zoos, study finds
Wed 1 Oct 2003 - 19:03

Polar bears, cheetah, tigers and other large carnivores with huge ranges just aren't being cared for well enough in captivity, a study published in Nature says, and the authors think that zoos either need to seriously rethink their habitats for these big animals, or phase them out for smaller, easier to satisfy creatures.
For example, polar bears have ranges that cover hundreds of miles of territory in the Artic but are generally kept in small, tank and rock environments which are a million times smaller. They also are notorious for behavioral problems and health problems related to captivity stress, problems that the research said can be predicted because of the large space they need.
Zoos counter that this is "nothing new" and that they're constantly working to enrich the enviroment of animals to help them adjust to captivity.

Snowflake, world's only known albino gorilla, dying of skin cancer
Sat 20 Sep 2003 - 18:23

A symbol of Barcelona and undoubtedly the most famous single animal in Spain (bulls notwithstanding) Snoflake, or Copito de Nieve, a unique albino gorilla, is dying from skin cancer. Lacking the dark skin pigment and fur of a regular gorilla, the Barcelona Zoo resident developed melanoma in 2001, but zoo vets say it's now past any stage on control and it's only a matter of months. Citizens file past to pay their respects to the 40 year old ape, who had only his usual distain for the human visitors.
"When Copito de Nieve is gone, an era of Barcelona will end."

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"Martenizing" your car takes on a whole new meaning
Sat 2 Aug 2003 - 09:20

Stone martens are making their mark on automobiles all over Germany. They love chewing through rubbery cables and hoses, causing thousands of breakdowns and hundreds of thousands of euros of damage to German cars.

Horror show ferret rescue brings over 60 animals to shelter
Mon 28 Jul 2003 - 11:06

I don't normally post an article of personal interest to me, but several rescue groups co-ordinated this weekend in tandem with the Washington County Animal Control in Hagerstown, MD, to seize ferrets from an illegal and disgusting ferret breeder. 62 ferrets are now at Rocky's Ferret Rescue in various states of health and age. 14 ferrets went 'missing' from the original inspection and the seizure, and the owner, Di Bachman, is being held accountable for thier whereabouts. For info on the rescue, please go to this site. WARNING! DISTURBING IMAGES!
The shelter is in desperate need for funds for vet examinations, neuterings and other necessities. SOS, the ferret shelter aid organization at Anthrocon, has already donated for much needed ADV tests, but more aid is needed. The last large rescue from a breeder cost over $3000 for 33 ferrets, and this time it's 62, some in much worse condition. If anyone in MD or elsewhere can donate even $5, please do!

Close pass offers best Mars view since prehistory
Sat 26 Jul 2003 - 18:30

Sure, occasionally we have an eclipse that only happens once every decade, or comets we won't see for 70 years, but how about the best ever view of Mars in 60,000 years? For the true, once in a thousand lifetimes, event, just look up on Aug. 28, 2003, for the brightest show. Or any night for the next month, as the red planet is currently brighter than Jupiter.

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Hot otter keep cool with fishpops
Fri 18 Jul 2003 - 14:05

Otters at an English aquarium enjoy a cool treat of fish frozen into ice blocks, but I don't know that mackerel flavoured popcicles will catch on with humans.