FloridaPets.org

Babies are always cute, especially the furry kind. Look for the baby gorilla at Disney's Animal Kingdom® Theme Park. Since this cutie, who might appear on the Pangani Forest Exploration Trail® Walking Tour, is a member of the endangered western lowlands species, a gorilla like this is mighty nice!

The first center in eastern Africa designed to rescue, rehabilitate and reintroduce orphaned gorillas back into the wild will begin construction later this month in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The new center is projected to hold up to 30 eastern lowland and mountain gorillas and will be located on 370 acres of land in a stable region of eastern DR Congo.    read more »

Recently I took a vacation, and left someone in charge to take care of my critters. Unfortunately, when I returned it appeared that the person I left in charge had not done a very good job. In fact I suspect they had not done anything at all. This was evident from a few indicators in my critters cages.
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So you have probably heard by now about the video of a US Marine tossing a puppy over a cliff in Iraq. At this point it doesn't matter anymore if it's real or not. It's a terrible crime if it actually happened and I think that the harshest possible punishment should be handed down to those involved. If it's a fake, the damage has already been done. Here's to another moron fanning the international flame of hate for our country.

I won't link to the video here. If you want to see it, you can find it easily enough.

Every year the Disney Wildlife Conservation Fund (DWCF) awards emergency financial support to organizations in times of crisis. In February, the DWCF awarded $11,500 to three organizations that aid rhinos, birds, and gorillas respectively: The Lewa Wildlife Conservancy, Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds, and the Pan African Sanctuary Alliance. Disney’s fund helps ensure that these organizations maintain a team of trained professionals who will continue the important work of monitoring and protecting endangered animals. Since the Rapid Response Program’s inception in 1998, more than 80 projects have been awarded emergency funding.

After five months of rehabilitation, The Seas Animal Care team at Epcot released Cypress, a small green sea turtle, into the ocean at Disney's Vero Beach Resort. The release of this turtle is part of an ongoing rehabilitation program at The Seas which has nursed more than 220 endangered sea turtles back to health since 1986. Cypress was found trapped in a jetty slightly dehydrated, lethargic and unable to move its lower jaw, so the turtle endured a feeding tube, antibiotic medications and physical therapy while recovering at The Seas. According to the veterinary services team, Cypress responded well to treatment and gained enough strength to be set free.

Source - Disney's MouseMail

Just a heads up to everyone. There's a great little place to go for great reptiles, good advice, and fair prices. Swing by Tarpit Reptiles owned and operated by Dan Turner. He's a really nice guy who knows what he's talking about.

He's all about the animals which is great, but if you're like me you may have trouble finding him even with good directions. Here's the lowdown. About .5 miles south of Sarno Rd. on Wickham Rd. in Melbourne, FL there's a new shopping center strip. The most notable store you'll see is an eBay store. Turn in there and drive around to the back of the building, you'll see lots of storefronts you never even knew were there.

I said that he should get a sign but he said that word of mouth is his best advertising (and signage is expensive, he's passing the savings along to you). So I'm doing my part to help spread the word.

You can get a sense of what you'll find there at his website which you can find here. But it's much better to go and browse!

Our friends over at TarantulaSpiders.com have a new star, and here's its movie...