tdierikx

It's not exactly the aim of conservation to cull overpopulations in zoos due to the lack of use of contraception and/or selective breeding. It works just fine everywhere else in the world with no nasty side effects for the animals (apart from not breeding willy-nilly) - so why the complete disdain for contraception - or at the very least separation of males and females until you want to breed them (and have the space for them all)? The zoo that is sending Copenhagen the new male lion is also Danish... *sigh* Seriously - EAZA and Copenhagen Zoo need to BOTH drag their "policies" out of the dark ages... this sort of thing should NOT be happening in the name of "conservation" of the animals... it only works for conservation of the Zoo's bank balance by making cute baby animals to milk the public pocket to come see (before we kill them to make room for the next batch)... T.

Yep... the kit you may be sporting might take awesome photos if pointed in the right direction - but YOU need to have at least a vague idea of what/where that direction may be... T.

From National Geographic Daily News... A Denmark zoo that earned international condemnation for killing a healthy giraffe last month has euthanized four African lions. The Copenhagen Zoo put down a 16-year-old male lion, a 14-year-old lioness, and two young lions this week to make way for a new male lion from the Givskud Zoo, also in Denmark. "The change in the lion pride had to happen now because Copenhagen Zoo currently has two young females from the 2012 litter and it is ideal to keep these as part of the new pride and then find a suitable male," the zoo wrote in a Wednesday statement on its website. "If the Zoo had not made the change in the pride now then we would have risked that the old male would mate with these two females—his own offspring—and thereby give rise to inbreeding," the statement says. What's more, the 14-year-old lioness was too old to give birth and raise another litter without complications, the zoo said. (Read more about zoos and saving rare species in National Geographic magazine.) The news quickly reverberated across the globe, with 10,000 stories as of Wednesday and Twitter abuzz with people expressing shock and disgust. But the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA) noted in a statement that the Copenhagen Zoo "has not broken any of its codes of conduct." Still, by Wednesday morning, 49,000 people had signed a petition on the environmental advocacy website Care2.org entitled "Tell Copenhagen Zoo to Stop Killing Healthy Animals!" EAZA said that the Copenhagen Zoo "has been consistent in its approach to animal population management, and high standards of animal welfare. "As a result, while EAZA regrets the death of the animals in question, we recognize the right of Copenhagen Zoo to humanely cull them in line with their policies," the statement continued. Giraffe Death Sparked Outrage The Copenhagen Zoo's killing and public dismemberment last month of a healthy giraffe that the facility had named Marius also sparked outrage on social media. The news even prompted death threats against zoo staff, and was seen by some animal lovers as a provocative response to a campaign to spare the giraffe's life in the days and hours leading up to his death. (See "Opinion: Killing of Marius the Giraffe Exposes Myths About Zoos.") An online petition asking the Copenhagen Zoo to hold off on killing its unwanted giraffe until another home could be found had received tens of thousands of signatures from around the world. Wildlife parks in Britain, Sweden, and the Netherlands had offered to take Marius off the zoo's hands. "When breeding success increases it is sometimes necessary to euthanize," Bengt Holst, Copenhagen Zoo's scientific director, said in a February 9 statement on their giraffe's death. "We see this as a positive sign and as insurance that we in the future will have a healthy giraffe population in European zoos."

I'm wondering who they fed the carcasses to this time... Someone needs to educate Copenhagen on the benefits of contraception... and not only for the animals IMHO... T.

We used to mix in a small tin of cat food with the dry for the fussy ones at our rescue... they liked Dine the best... and the smellier the better... lol! T.

Most councils I have called in relation to straying dogs have advised me to catch said animal before they would send anyone out... which I find completely ridiculous. The last stray that ended up at my house did so at 4am - and I could not hold him at all because I had foster puppies. I called council who advised that they would put me on the list on numbers for the ranger to call when he got in later that morning... WTF?? I ended up calling the local Police who kindly turned up 20 mins later with a paddy wagon and took the dog to the night pens at the RSPCA. I rang the RSPCA about the dog later that morning and he'd been chipped and was reunited with his owners within 20 minutes of the call from the RSPCA... thank dog! I've pretty much lost faith in most councils' animal control departments nowadays... T.

Ian Hughes... It's in the News forum about the Dane... T.

At one point when I bought a couple of new couches, my mother asked me what I was going to cover them with... I just said "Rottweilers"... lol! T.

If the owner of the rescue has an RSPCA liason officer, those insections will be forewarned... Try reporting to the AWL instead - that fellow who found the neglected Dane today is like a dog with a bone to investigate any complaints... trust me... T.

I asked my boss for Friday the 11th off, and he said yes!!! My list of must pats for the 11th are... Wolfies, Bloodhounds, Borzoi, and Labs List of must pats for the 19th are... all the terriers, Xolos, Peis, Pointers, and Weims Just bought me a 2 day pass for $57.70 plus handling fee... woohoo... 2 days to meet some seriously gorgeous dogs! So Katdogs, do you want me to drive us up to the bus stop at Roselands on the 11th? T.

So - have any of the ex-volunteers from there ever gone to the AWL/RSPCA with their experiences and made a formal complaint? What was the outcome if you did? Surely this place is not untouchable? T.

T can I swap you for just two weeks. Please. Pretty please. I want a holiday. :D Mine will be couch potatoes for a while after a walk or doing some obedience work or nursing home visit. But as soon as you are up so are they, ready for more action. Oh and Zeph keeps you on the couch by laying on you while you watch TV. Dee will sleep in her crate, until there is an opening on the couch. :laugh: I think mine are broken. :) I don't have any Rotties right now... closest I have is a half Rotti who is 14.5 years old... she's nice and slow nowadays... lol! All of my previous pure Rotties were seriously pretty easy dogs to own - basic obedience and an occasional walk now and then - but they were most happy adorning all of my furniture, the lazy bums! I actually had one male who would develop this horrible limp the minute you put a collar and lead on him - he hated going for any exercise that much... *sigh* T.

I can vouch for the fact that Ian Hughes is very thorough and not easily put off in his investigations. Hope he finds the ex-owner of this dog... T.

So let me get this straight... They euthanaised 4 lions in order to get in another male and breed MORE lions... WTF??? Who the hell is sending them animals? They need to stop, as Copenhagen Zoo seriously have no freaking clue... Seriously not a fan of Copenhagen Zoo right now! T.

All of my rotties have been couch ornaments - by choice... basic obedience as pups, and plenty of socialisation with people and other animals was all they were given. T.

I love brindle... so many variations... *sigh* My horse puppy is blue brindle... pretty, but somewhat neurotic and naughty at the moment (18 months old now). T.

The task of having to take a dog to be euthed that you have tried to work with and become attached to is the reality of reputable rescue... it's not all sweetness and roses and feel good vibes all of the time... ... but some rescues will try to "save" everything with a pulse... *sigh* T.

I've owned 9 Rotties over the years, and I reckon a well bred one would be just perfect for the conditions you've described. (Mine weren't all that well bred, but they were awesome anyways... *grin*) I still miss my heart dog Woosie nearly 10 years on... she took a part of my soul when she passed. Tapua (Labradors) may export to the right home... never hurts to ask... and her Labs are some of the best bred I've encountered in the flesh - temperament AND good looks... very stable dogs. I found that my Rotties all shed less than my Labrador does... just saying... T. T.

Seriously, a well bred Rotti would definitely suit - they do shed some, but with occasional brushing that isn't all that much of an issue. The certainly shed less than a Labrador and most Shepherd types that I've come across. If you've ever had the love of a good Rotti, you'd not ever want anything else... everyone knows what a Rotti is, and only your friends will know it's just a big friendly puppy... *grin* T.

Wow! What a growth spurt they've had perse! T.

Rotti from a breeder who breeds for temperament as well as conformation. BLACK Labrador from reputable breeder like Tapua... *grin* T.

Fairy Wrens require a lot of patience, don't they? I can't believe you got TWO of them in the one photo! Love the bees - you are much braver than i am for getting that close! Haha at the ladybug... it's a whopper! T.

How pretty is the grasshopper? NIIICE! You have an amazing eye there skyefool... I've never been able to take a decent photo of insects at all (I did get a few nice-ish bee shots the other day, but not as nice as your grasshopper) T.

She's a natural! T.

WOW!... umm... WOW! T.