Stare down
Three faces in one
Best friend up early watching the bison
From wet to fluffy
Melissa and Gooch
No comment
Buddies
Great new day
Another load of tourists
Doesn’t even have to get its snout wet
Animal Kingdom
Animals
World Horse Population by Country
The United States has, by far, the most horses in the world — approximately 9.5 million, according to the 2006 Global Horse Population report from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. It shows 58,372,106 horses in the world.
Nine other countries have horse populations of more than a million. They are: China (7,402,450), Mexico (6,260,000), Brazil (5,787,249), Argentina (3,655,000), Colombia (2,533,621), Mongolia (2,029,100), Ethiopia (1,655,383) Russian Federation (1,319,358) and Kazakhstsan (1,163,500). Guam (20) and Grenada (30) had the lowest totals.
Two countries, Rwanda and St. Helena, reported no horses.
A separate independent study by the American Horse Council (AHC) in 2005 (based on 2004 statistics) showed a U.S. horse population of 9,223,000, which would indicate that U.S. equine numbers rose by nearly 300,000 in just over a year.
Among U. S. states, the AHC report puts Texas in the lead with 978,822 horses, followed by California with 698,345, Florida with 500,124, Oklahoma with 326,134, Kentucky with 320,173, Ohio with 306,898 and Missouri with 281,255.
Rhode Island had the fewest horses, with 3,059, followed by the District of Columbia, reporting a fluctuating total of about 33.
The AHC says the horse industry has a direct impact of $39 billion on the U. S. economy and an overall impact of $102 billion when factoring in indirect and induced spending.
Ornery Hippo Chases Boat
A wild video from Zambia shows the terrifying moment when an ornery hippo set about chasing after a group of tourists on a sightseeing boat. The jaw-dropping footage, which came to light this week, was reportedly captured earlier this year on the Zambezi River in the town of Livingstone. In the video, a group of what may be juvenile hippos can be seen a short distance away from the boat in what initially seems like a rather serene glimpse of the majestic creatures.
However, the scene takes a troubling turn when the camera quickly pans a few feet away where a massive hippo has emerged from the water in hot pursuit of the vessel. The aggressive animal seemingly surprised the people on board as it was initially shockingly close to the boat. Fortunately, the person driving the boat smartly slams on the gas and keeps the hippo a relatively safe distance away, although the monstrous creature continues it chase the group for several seconds before finally throwing in the towel.
The Munchkin Cat
The Munchkin is a relatively new breed of cat characterized by its very short legs, which are caused by a naturally occurring genetic mutation. Much controversy erupted over the breed when it was recognized by The International Cat Association in 1995 with critics voicing concern over potential health and mobility issues.
Short-legged cats have been documented a number of times around the world since the 1940s. A British veterinary report in 1944 noted four generations of healthy short-legged cats which were similar to normal cats except for the length of the legs. This line disappeared during the Second World War but other short-legged cats were spotted in Russia during 1956 and the United States in the 1970s.
In 1983, Sandra Hochenedel, a music teacher in Louisiana, found two pregnant cats who had been chased by a bulldog under a truck. She kept one of the cats and named her Blackberry and half of her kittens were born short-legged. Hochenedel gave a short-legged male kitten from one of Blackberry’s litters to a friend, Kay LaFrance, and she named the kitten Toulouse. It is from Blackberry and Toulouse that today’s Munchkin breed is descended.
The Munchkin is generally described as a sweet-natured, playful, people-oriented, outgoing and intelligent cat which responds well to being handled. The shortness of their legs does not seem to interfere with their running and leaping abilities.
The Munchkin has similar characteristics to normal domestic cats, due to their frequent use as out-breeding It is a small to medium-sized cat with a moderate body type and medium-plush coat. Male Munchkins typically weigh between 6 and 9 pounds (3–4 kg) and are usually larger than female Munchkins, which typically weigh between 4 and 8 pounds. The hind legs can be slightly longer than the front which creates a slight rise from the shoulder to the rump.
The Munchkin has been crossed with the curly-coated LaPerm to create the Skookum, the hairless Sphynx to create the Minskin and Bambino, with the extremely curly-coated Selkirk Rex to produce the Lambkin, the Persian breed group which includes Himalayans and Exotic Shorthair, to create the Napoleon and crossed with the Bengal to create the Genetta.
Selkirk Rex
Snake slithers out of spice shelves at Sydney supermarket
A grocery run turned into a snake rescue for an Australian woman when she was greeted by a python poking out from a supermarket shelf.
Helaina Alati, 25, was at a Sydney store on Monday when the 3m non-venomous snake slithered out.
The Woolworths supermarket lies on the edge of a large expanse of bushland on the city’s north- west outskirts.
But encountering a snake in the spice aisle is not what Ms Alati expected.
Fortunately for both parties, Ms Alati is a wildlife rescuer and familiar with snakes.
“I just turned my head and he was about 20cm from my face, just looking straight at me,” she told the BBC.
She did a double-take but remained calm. No one else was around.
Recognising it instantly as a diamond python, Ms Alati knew it wasn’t venomous as it protruded and flicked its tongue.
“He was looking straight at me the whole time, almost like he was saying: ‘Can you take me outside please?'” she said.
After filming the snake, Ms Alati alerted staff and said she could help them get it out.
She retrieved a snake bag from her home, returned to the store, “tapped him on the tail and he just slithered in”.
She then released it away from houses in bushland – a natural habitat for the species around Sydney.
‘Like a scene from Harry Potter’
A trained snake handler, Ms Alati has conducted at least 20 snake rescues before.
She says her friends have previously joked about her being “the snake girl”, referencing a zoo scene in a Harry Potter film where the boy wizard finds that he can talk to snakes.
Ms Alati says she can’t speak Parseltongue like Harry, but “that scene’s been mentioned to me a few times”.
“They kind of just gravitate to me, like maybe they just sense that I’m the kind of person into caring and protecting animals,” she said.
“To be honest, it’s the most exciting thing that’s happened in a little while given lockdown. The staff were all taking photos of it.”
Australia’s largest city has been in a lockdown since June to fight a Delta outbreak. Grocery shopping is one of the few reasons people are allowed to leave their homes.
Ms Alati said she suspected the snake had been in the shop overnight, probably initially in the ceiling where diamond pythons like to nestle.
It had probably lurked on the shelf all morning as “dozens of people… passed it and grabbed spices”, she added.
Porcupine Bests Leopard in Odd Battle
In one of the weirder showdowns between two members of the animal kingdom, a pugnacious leopard wound up on the losing end of an odd battle with a porcupine in South Africa. The strange conflict reportedly unfolded in the middle of a road crossing through Kruger National Park and was captured on film by wildlife photographer Mariette Landman. Before an audience of several captivated tourists safely watching in their cars, the skirmish began with the ferocious feline stalking the quill-covered rodent before finally making its move and swiping at its intended prey.
Alas, the big cat’s plan of attack proved to be rather foolish as the porcupine was able to deftly maneuver itself so that the quills protruding from its body provided a natural shield. Nonetheless, the determined leopard kept attempting to claw at the creature until it wound up with one of the spikes in its paw. While one might think this put an end to the battle, it had actually only just begun as the porcupine opted to remain in the road, leading to several more ’rounds’ between the two animals which saw the rodent continually get the best of the big cat. Amazingly, the odd encounter lasted a staggering 90 minutes before the leopard finally gave up and the fight came to an end with the porcupine being the clear victor.
Doctor accused of sacrificing animals in his apartment for ‘Santeria’ witchcraft
After a tip-off from a neighbour, investigators found at least 22 farm animals in Emilio Otero’s three-bedroom apartment in New Jersey including goats, chickens and a dead pigeon.
A doctor has been accused of sacrificing livestock for Santeria witchcraft in his flat after investigators discovered 22 farm animals being kept in his New Jersey home on Thursday.
When authorities arrived at Emilio Otero’s property on Van Horne Street they were met with “seven to nine” goats, several chickens and even a dead pigeon nailed above a door.
The investigators from the Division of Environmental Health for Jersey City visited the apartment after a tip off from Emilio’s neighbours.
Animal service agents were called to the flat and they removed at least 22 farm animals that had been kept in the three bedroom property.
The Wild Wild World of Sports
Human/monkey on bicycle relay race
Polar Bear Volleyball
500 meter freestyle swimming relay
Salmon fishing derby Alaska
Tag
Feline underwater race
Skydiving competition
African motocross Zebra 500. In this photo a member of the audience tries to disrupt a competitor.
7 Years Together
What’s the feed bill for that dog horse?
The MarkoZen Blog 