Inside This Issue:
- Giving Tuesday Is Coming: Reserve a Place for NAIA!
- 20 Missing Beehives and a Follow-Up
- Does Music Truly Hath Charms? Your Anxious Pets Might Think So
- Ask an Expert: Wildlife Rehabilitation
- Yet More Bear Attacks, BSL Ban Rescinded, and More!
Giving Tuesday Is Coming: Reserve a Place for NAIA!
This Giving Tuesday, support the organization that supports you!.
Giving Tuesday is just around the corner, and here at NAIA we want you to reserve a place for us! This is a day when people give to the causes that matter most, and for people like you – people whose lives revolve around animals – our mission matters more than ever.
Our voice is valuable and rare in today’s communications landscape where sensational narratives drown out more important stories that give meaning to our lives. Without our work, the ability to maintain the breeds we love, run a family farm, hold an agility or sporting event, or even find a dog of the type we grew up with grows ever more difficult. But with us, you have a voice, an effective advocate, and hope for the future. We fight tirelessly to protect the age-old bond we all share with the animals and ask that you join us in this fight!
Support NAIA This Giving Tuesdsay!
20 Missing Beehives and a Follow-Up
.
Richard Marquette, 84, has been keeping bees since he was a child, turning a lifetime of dedication into a way to help cover his bills in retirement. Every summer, especially in July when his twenty hives reach their peak strength, he diligently tends to them. This period, when there are up to 40,000 bees per colony,marks the height of honey production, and the value of each hive, along with the honey, wax, and pollination they produce, adds up to a significant part of his annual income.
But in late July, Marquette found his main source of income was gone – every single one of his hives had somehow disappeared. The loss was twofold: not only were up to two million bees taken, but all the equipment he’d invested in over the years – hive bodies, supers, frames, stands, and the specialized queens he likely bred himself – was gone, too. For a small-scale beekeeper, growing an apiary to that size means years of work splitting hives and careful management. Replacing it isn’t as simple as buying new boxes.
He searched, but instead of bees, he found workers clearing trees on his property. It turned out Marquette’s new neighbor was the culprit: the neighbor had instructed crews to clear trees and remove the hives. This situation left him not just out of pocket for the honey he was counting on but also stripped him of the chance to make that money in future seasons. And the timing made things even worse. All this happened right before the August harvest, the most profitable time for beekeepers and when strong hives are at their most productive. But for Marquette, the loss wasn’t just monetary – it was a blow to his independence and his plans for the year ahead. On top of the personal loss, the disregard for Marquette’s property rights and years of specialized work was egregious. He’s now trying to seek compensation through the courts, arguing that what was taken can’t simply be replaced or paid for.
EDIT: Just a few hours ago, news broke that 14 of Marquette’s 20 hives were returned overnight. While this is only a partial recovery, you can see from the video here that he is pretty much over the moon, and we love that for Marquette and his pollinating friends. This recovery isn’t just heartwarming, it is a testament to the power of social media to do good – people just wouldn’t let this story die, and it made a difference!
Sources: Elderly beekeeper, 84, loses main source of income after neighbor has 20 hives taken from property. Here's what happened, Missing beehives returned to 84-year-old Florida beekeeper after story goes viral
Does Music Truly Hath Charms? Your Anxious Pets Might Think So
Idk. Still looks pretty wired to me.
We aren’t the only ones who unwind to our favorite music. Pet owners are now turning to playlists that are specially curated for dogs and cats in order to help their furry companion through bouts of anxiety. One notable success story: a dog owner brought home a nervous, anxious rescue dog, and traditional solutions like training and medication did nothing to help. What finally did appear to help was playing the anxious pooch a set of music that had been specifically designed to relax dogs. This approach led to noticeable improvements in the dog's behavior, such as barking less and more restful sleep when left alone. It's also possible that the dog simply became more acclimated and comfortable to its new home, but we won't let that get in the way of a good narrative.
Studies have found that slow, simple classical music can reduce stress symptoms like pacing and trembling in most dogs, especially in stressful situations such as visits to the vet or long car rides. Not every genre of music does the trick; the best results so far come from pieces with slower tempos and little to no percussion – often piano pieces – which may lower stress hormone levels in dogs. The exact reasons behind this calming effect aren’t fully understood, but it’s thought to do with the way animals respond to certain sounds. Other animals, including zoo elephants and gorillas, also appear to benefit from gentle music, showing less stress and improved wellbeing. Even dairy cows, it turns out, respond positively: studies have shown that playing classical music in barns can actually increase their milk production. Cats, who can hear even higher sound frequencies than dogs, haven’t been studied as much, but initial research suggests that calm, instrumental music may lower their heart and breathing rates during stressful events, too. It's not just classical music that helps - reggae and soft rock with simple rhythms and slower tempos have been shown to get pets to chillax, too. However, listening to audiobooks doesn’t produce the same effect, so don’t go getting more credits on your Audible account just for your furry friend at home. Despite the promising results, music won’t work for every pet, and most research so far has involved animals in shelters or hospitals which are more stressful than a typical home. Regardless, it's always fun to make a new playlist, and maybe there's one out there that is purr-fectly suited for both you and your pets!
Sources: Does music make animals calmer?
Ask an Expert: Wildlife Rehabilitation
But I said, "No, no, no."
Something we hold dear at NAIA is the special skillset and knowledge that can only come from hands-on experience working with animals. It holds such great value for both human and animalkind, and we love helping these experts – whatever their field – share their stories. This week, we had a brief chat with Didi Culp of Maryland, and her area of expertise is pretty dang hands-on (though with great care): wildlife rehabilitation. Read the clip below, and check out our website after Thanksgiving for a full interview.
We all love a good origin story. Was there any particular event that pushed you into wildlife rehabilitation?
DC: I first got interested in wildlife rehab working for a veterinarian in Baltimore who had a migratory bird permit. It was wonderful to be able to help people who found nests and didn't know what to do.
What animals, if any, would you say you are most specialized in helping?
DC: I am best at saving raccoons and squirrels, in part because they are dog like and hardy. But I've also had success with non-migratory birds. You do need special dispensation from many states to handle rabies vector species, like raccoons.
When rehabbing an animal, what are your main goals?
DC: Making repairs. Wildlife rehab is and should be controversial. Saving wild animals that can't cut it in the environment that exists should not be undertaken without careful considerations. However, when actions of people disrupt healthy animals, it's right for people to make repairs.
For animals that cannot be released back into the wild, what species have the best and worst outcomes in captivity?
DC: When a rescue is obviously not going to be released, careful consideration for the future might include the ability of the individual or species to adapt to an exhibition or education life. I don't think there are blanket species barriers to life in captivity because captivity ranges from soft release in a place where the animal is supported in the "wild" to a situation that requires handling for good health. Consider the habitat you would need for an animal that burrows, flies, or climbs trees several stories tall. Are they social? Where will companionship come from?
I think the worst outcomes are animals that have a relationship with humans that can't be maintained reasonably for the animal's lifetime. For example, chimps raised like human babies are not going to be able to keep their family intact and that will at some point, break their hearts.
What sort of training, credentials, and licenses does someone need if they want to safely and legally rehabilitate wild animals?
DC: In Maryland, rehabbers need a state permit. This requires a certain amount of initial training. Renewing the permit requires continuing education. To expand to Rabies Vector species requires inspection of facilities and support of a veterinarian to ensure zoonotic risk and Rabies control in particular are included in all handling procedures.
Yet More Bear Attacks, BSL Ban Rescinded, and More!
BSL ban overturned in Maryland.
Jeeze, have there been a zillion bear attacks this year, or is it just the algorithm? In Vancouver, British Columbia last week, a mother grizzly bear attacked a group of elementary school children as they ate lunch near a forest trail. It was a sudden, violent, and completely unexpected attack. The rampaging mama bear injured eleven people. Four of these people are still hospitalized, with two in critical condition. Damage ranges from serious bites to a skull fracture. Conservation officers are currently searching for the bear and her two cubs. The teachers, who clearly aren’t paid enough, reportedly shielded the students with their bodies, and eventually drove the bear off with bear mace and a bear banger. It’s terrifying to imagine how much worse this might have turned out without their courage and quick thinking!
Breed bans and BSL are kind of old hat – as is evidenced by the age of a Maryland county pit bull ban that was just lifted: it was passed all the way back in 1997! They’re just not cool any more. One of the key reasons for finally ending the Maryland ban was a growing realization of the simple fact that, like many bans, it simply didn’t work. Despite the county spending $3 million each year to enforce the ban, it is estimated that 30,000 pit bulls still reside there. Talk about not getting your money’s worth! Imagine if [insert personal cause here] received that kind of funding from the county each year!
Speaking of pit bulls, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, two parents have been arrested after the family dog killed their two-year-old daughter. This same dog had apparently bitten, or nearly bitten, part of the toddler’s ear off just a few weeks ago, though no police report was filed. When the second attack occurred, the child was locked inside a room with the dog – no word on whether there was any adult supervision here, but it would appear not – which makes the tragedy all the more egregious and inexcusable.
Another deadly outbreak of bird flu took its toll on the world’s largest southern elephant seal population on South Georgia, an island in the South Atlantic. Following up with the story from earlier this month with graphic drone footage, scientists compared numbers from before and after the arrival of the H5N1 virus in 2023 and found that nearly half of the breeding females in three of the island’s major colonies have been lost. When this decline is extrapolated to the island as a whole, it’s likely that more than 50,000 adult females missed this year’s breeding season. The loss is far outside what’s expected in a typical year. Researchers say bird flu is behind a wave of unprecedented deaths in seals, sea lions, penguins, dolphins, and other marine animals up and down the coasts of South America and now reaching as far as the Antarctic. Experts warn that the true toll may be even higher, since many deaths in remote or hard-to-access areas go uncounted. For species like elephant seals, which play a key role in ocean food webs and nutrient cycles, this disruption could cause ripple effects throughout their ecosystem – and beyond.
We’ve run numerous articles on the dangers of using rat poison as a first line of defense against rodent infestations, but this next story demonstrates a method that poses an even more dangerous threat: wrestling over who gets to shoot the next rat. Last week, sometime after midnight, two West Virginia men were hanging out near a second-story window, shooting at rats with a small-caliber rifle (as one does, we suppose?). At some point, they began wrestling over the weapon, and it went off, shooting one of the men in the head. Despite a rather gory scene for the ambulance crew, the shooting victim survived and was in stable condition before the end of the night. The other guy went to jail. And most likely, no appreciable effect was had on the neighborhood’s rodent population.
Also in the News...
★ Stop Screwworm: Unified Government Reponse to Protect the United States (An Aggressive, Five-Pronged Re-eradication Effort)
★ Back to the beach: Why did evolution return some animals to the water? (Evolution Both Ways)
★ At Mendocino County’s shelter, there are too many animals in, too few animals out (Rescue & Shelter News; Programs & Promotions)
★ More than a dozen people, animals exposed to rabid animals in Upstate (Public Health & Safety; Rabid Skunk; Quarantine and Euthanasia for Dogs and Cats)
★ World’s Largest Wildlife Bridge Aims To Protect Animals and Drivers (Amazing Endeavors; 41,800 Square Feet of Safer Coexistance)
★ Public Safety Alert: Handling Wild Animals Increases Disease Risk And Violates Law (You'd Think This Was Obvious)
★ The Top 10 U.S. Zoos That House the Most Animals (Zoo Lists; Number 1 May Surprise You!)
Click here to see what is happening legislatively
