A few days ago, American Humane released a statement claiming the U.S. military was abandoning its working dogs in Afghanistan, which predictably led to social media outrage. However, the U.S. Department of Defense says this is not true, and that all its working animals have been evacuated. This has been further clarified by a Defense spokesman, stating that evacuating people was the top priority, but no "military working dogs" were left behind in cages. The photos of dogs in crates that were widely shared online are from a rescue organization.
Last week, credited with helping rescuers spot an Internet personality who had been lost in icy waters, dolphins showed us their best face. This week, however, a dolphin may be showing people something quite different, and swimmers have been advised to steer clear.
"Nick," a solitary UK bottlenose dolphin off the Cornwall coast, enjoys the company of people. He performs for and plays with them. But authorities are concerned that his boisterous play is escalating to the point where it could prove dangerous, and at least one expert feels Nick's behavior may be confused and "sexually aggressive" toward humans. As dolphins weigh several hundred pounds and are at home in the water, it is important to remember that no matter how playful and intelligent they may be, they are animals, and should be given a safe distance when necessary.
We are happy to see the 4-H shows back in person at the Great Minnesota Get Together. The week started off a bit slow with some torrential downpours, but now that the weather has cleared, fairgoers are ready and raring to go see all the wonderful animals on display. The 4-H kids are very happy to have all their hard work recognized after a year of uncertainty. Seniors from last year were unable to showcase their animals and projects so this year the kids are especially grateful for the opportunity to connect with Minnesotans about agriculture!
As a dog owner, if you want to absolutely, positively guarantee a fight breaks out, there may be no better trick than to publicly post about the dog training methods you employ (posting your dog's diet is likely a close second). No matter how happy you and your dog are with the results, people will tell you that you are wrong. They might even call you a bad person.
Case in point, the dueling: change.org petitions for Netflix's Canine Intervention series, with 50,000 calling for it to be canceled (the host uses *gasp* prong collars!) and 19,000 supporting its renewal. Shocked? We aren't. As we have not screened Canine Intervention, we can't give it a thumbs up or down, though it should be noted that NAIA does not oppose the use of prong and e-collars when used properly.
Peregrine Falcon. Yes, we're gonna have to go right to ludicrous speed.
If you'd like a good distraction right now (who wouldn't?), how about the age-old question of the fastest animal on Earth? Most people will immediately think of the cheetah, and for good reason: that big cat tops out at 64 miles per hour! But the cheetah only wins this race when we exclusively count land animals and sprint speed.
Turns out there are a lot of contenders for the throne: the pronghorn antelope can likely reach 60 mph - and unlike the cheetah, this animal doesn't just sprint, it can maintain speeds of 45 mph for several miles! And once we start talking about aquatic and aerial speeds, then things really go wild: marlins have been recorded at 80 mph, and numerous birds top the cheetah's top speed (including the peregrine falcon, which is famous for diving at over 200 mph)! Keep this in mind next time Trivia Night rolls around.
