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 »

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

A new kind of park opens in DeLand this weekend. It's a $500,000 dog park called Barkley Square, at 1010 N. Ridgewood Ave. It will offer over 14 acres for dogs to run free in and explore.

Be sure to stop by the ribbon-cutting ceremony at 10am if you're in the area. There'll be a low-cost shot clinic and a bone shaped cake for your four-legged friends.

7 March 07 - Brevard County

No, they're not there for the carrion, it's the zoo's newest exhibit. I've always been a big fan of birds of prey. They are the closest we'll ever come to really experiencing dinosaurs in our lifetime I'm sure. I can't wait till my next visit to see them. Here's a snippet from their site, "The Zoo's newest exhibit brings vultures to the forefront, and we invite you to take a closer look and learn all about these amazing animals, including some pretty fascinating fun facts."

Read the full story here.

3 March 07 - Deerfield Beach

It seems there's a pack of vicious Pit Bull dogs on the loose in Deerfield Beach. I've met lots of dogs in my day, and in my experience none are aggresive by nature. The police will hopefully find the people responsible for the dogs after their capture.
You can read the full story here.

The site got a writeup in the Florida Today website. I'd like to thank Ms. Leonard for putting us in her blog. You can see the post here.

Edit 1March07 -
We got a mention on the Animal Crazy Blog on the Orlando Sentinel site.
Thanks Ms. Hellmuth

I just heard a radio ad for this place and want to help spread the word so check them out, here's an excerpt from their front page.
" LRRoF is a non-profit organization dedicated to placing purebred Labrador Retrievers in loving permanent homes. Our nonprofit organization is comprised of hardworking volunteers and vets that are committed to placing labs in new homes. We have been working together since 2000 and have rescued over 2400 dogs. "
Find them here.