SuperZoo, North America's best-attended pet industry trade and education show, just wrapped up another spectacular shindig in Las Vegas, and we sure hope we saw you there. Established in 1950 by World Pet Association, this event has grown bigger each decade, and is now the premier pet retail event.
This year, we saw specially milled rabbit and duck feed, world class tropical fish aquaria, and self-cleaning cat litter boxes... all within the first few hours. For any pet professional who wants to maintain and improve their business and brand, the opportunities at SuperZoo are practically endless. There was also a top notch grooming competition with cash prizes, and everything anyone could dream up, imagine, or want for dogs.
NAIA is always proud to participate in SuperZoo. It's not just incredibly valuable, it's fun! If you weren't there this year, we hope we see you next time!
Last week, nine wolves escaped their enclosure at the Greater Vancouver Zoo after their perimeter fence was deliberately cut. One was found dead and the others were all recaptured after a three-day search. The Vancouver Humane Society, as you'd expect, is using this situation as a platform to spread its gospel that animals do not belong in zoos and that zoos are risky for animals and people.
Now, we are all entitled to our feelings, but let's be real: are animals and humans actually more at risk in zoos? Aside from the occasional fence-hopping human, we'd wager zoos are safer on average than most natural environments.
But the main rub here isn't safety, it's that most anti-captivity ideologues simply don't want captive animals "entertaining" the public. Most would happily see zoo animals moved to a "rescue, rehab, and release" sanctuary - naturally under their control - where animals wouldn't be subjected to the horrors of human gawking. Oh, and while we're at it, let's conveniently ignore the fact that many of these animals cannot ever be safely released into their natural environments - as well as all the valuable work zoos put into conservation, research, and public engagement (paid for by those annoying gawkers, of course).
A recent canine parvovirus (PVS or parvo) in northern Michigan led to panic and grief as it spread, sickening and killing dozens of dogs. It was first reported in Otsego county, where it had killed 30 dogs as of last Monday. The disease also caused a lot of confusion: while sick dogs were usually unvaccinated as well as showing parvo-like symptoms, many of their lab tests came back negative for parvo, leading to speculation and fear that this might be a terrible new bug.
However, by Wednesday, additional testing by the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) and Michigan State University Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory (MSU VDL) confirmed that the illness was, indeed, canine parvovirus (it is still unclear why so many tests came back negative). The outbreak has since been linked to a shelter in northern Michigan where many of the dogs were not vaccinated.
This is an incredibly sad way to be reminded of how serious it is that we fully vaccinate our dogs for parvo and other preventable illnesses before they interact with other animals. In the meanwhile, MDARD has sent out a few common-sense guidelines for dog owners:
Keep up with routine vaccinations by ensuring dogs/puppies are vaccinated against canine parvovirus, rabies, canine distemper, adenovirus, parainfluenza, and leptospirosis by a veterinarian.
Have dogs/puppies fully vaccinated before interacting with other animals to keep them healthy and safe.
Keep dogs/puppies at home and away from other dogs if they are exhibiting any signs of illness and contact your veterinarian.
Be sure to clean up after your pet when you're walking them in public.
The Mexican beaded lizard. This larger, egg-eating (but still venomous) cousin of Gila monster is popular in the illegal pet trade.
Wildlife trafficking has been an issue for decades, but only within the past 20 years has this crime been more closely monitored and prosecuted. Recently, a man from California pleaded guilty to trafficking 1,700 animals (yes, 1,700!), mostly reptiles. He was able to smuggle them into California by using the U.S./Mexico border at El Paso, Texas to get the creatures here. Then, they would be shipped to him in California where he would turn around and sell them. The reptiles either originated in Mexico or came out of Hong Kong.
Reptiles and other small creatures are the easiest for smugglers to move since they are so portable. This man hid them in his clothes when he was caught trying to bring them over to the US from Mexico.
We love exotic pets, and feel they can be very rewarding companions. However, it is important that prospective owners make sure that their animals are responsibly bred in human care, and not wild-caught animals.
Here are a few helpful tips:
Ask the seller if they can tell you more about the natural history and care of the species; true enthusiasts are a wealth of knowledge and happy to explain best husbandry practices. You might have a hard time getting them to stop talking. Those trying to make a quick sale will rush through the transaction.
Look up their business online and check for social media accounts and reviews.
Find industry professionals and ask for advice - most major metropolitan areas have herpetological societies full of experienced folks
Is this just a cow pie in the sky? Sure, the puns practically write themselves, but powering electric vehicles through dairy farms isn't funny business in California. It's happening now! Using a covered lagoon and "climate-smart digester," Bar 20 Dairy, a farm based near Fresno, is capturing the methane from their cows' manure, and converting it into electricity. Digesters, most simply put, are microbe-filled, sealed reactors that consume the waste we put into them, producing something useful (or at least less harmful) during the digestion process.
This is truly amazing stuff. Bar 20 has been using its digester since late 2021 and has already seen great results. The eventual goal is to produce more energy than is used at the farm, which is not at all unrealistic. Reducing carbon emissions from both vehicles and agriculture while simultaneously gaining something positive are obvious boons, but there are other benefits, as well: fertilizer and animal bedding are also produced by the digestion process. The catch? Getting started with this process is expensive. There are currently 40 operational digesters and several more on the way, but at least currently, these projects are generally unaffordable without the help of state incentives and private investors.
