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Good News for South Georgia Island’s Pipit Population

10,000 Birds

A bird species battling an onslaught of invasive rats just got a glimpse of hope. Researchers say that South Georgia Pipits have hatched chicks. That’s because these birds won’t breed when rats are around. A final round of baiting just launched in what’s being called the world’s largest rat-eradication project.

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Rats Taking Over from Mice in Labs

Critter News

I recently fostered the sweetest little rat and I currently have two mice. And, of course, our old friend, Charles River Laboratories, will be a major supplier of lab rats. While both rats and mice have similarities to humans, rats win out in key areas. Therefore, this Boston Globe article saddens me on both levels.

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Hamsters Celebrate 70 Years in the US

Critter News

Prior to the 1970s, virtually all were descended from one breeding pair. Sadly, though, some 200,000 hamsters were used for research in the United States in 2000, third behind rats and mice. Now, one million hamsters are kept as pets, an increase of 41 percent since 2001. This includes the two sitting on the shelf in our house!)

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Rare Birds: The Extraordinary Tale of the Bermuda Petrel and the Man Who Brought It Back from Extinction–A Review

10,000 Birds

The story of the cahow, a “Lazurus species” that was thought to be extinct for over 300 years and then discovered to be breeding on a tiny remote island in Bermuda, is part of modern birding legend. In 1951, there were 18 breeding pairs of cahows discovered on three tiny islands.

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Deconstructing Slate's "Pepper" Series

Animal Person

Beloved family pet Dalmatian, Pepper, is stolen, and after several weeks of searching is discovered to have been experimented on at a hospital and died on the table when researchers tried to implant her with an experimental cardiac pacemaker. By the end of my time as researcher, I was performing behavioral experiments on humans.

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Top 5 Ways to Pet Proof Your Home

4 The Love Of Animals

And, speaking of poisons, talk to your vet before putting down any rat or ant poison, which can sicken your pet before it reaches its intended target. Make sure any fences are dug deeply enough, particularly for breeds genetically programmed for burrowing.

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Teaching Kids Animal Compassion

4 The Love Of Animals

For these folks, I recommend a nontraditional pet like a rat or a guinea pig. Rats are extremely cuddly, they don’t bite and they only live two years. Purebred or mixed breed? Try to find out what breeds are in your dogs background to help you better understand your dog’s behavior.