The Lives They Lived, Part V

This is getting ridiculous. They're killing all the animals! In our latest installment of dead animal stories, the coyote captured in Central Park dies while being tagged for release! According to the state Department of Environmental Conservation spokesperson, "He stopped breathing during a routine tagging procedure and he couldn't be resuscitated by DEC biologists or Cornell University graduate researchers."


An autopsy will be performed to find out if the "stress of the chase, captivity, transport or some other condition contributed," according to the article. WTF, is the DEC employing Lynndie England these days?

The Lives They Lived, Part IV

Sorry for another death posting, but the AP reports that Junior, a 44-year-old orangutan at the St. Louis Zoo, has died. He was euthanized on Tuesday because of declining health.

The zoo's primate curator Ingrid Porton said, "You had to prove yourself to Junior and show you were trustworthy. When he let you in his world, you saw what a magnificent guy he was. You wouldn't say that about his female counterpart or some other male orangs."

Wait, the primate world has curators? And they say bitchy things behind your back just like the ones in the art world do!

The Lives They Lived, part III

Today the New York Times has an obituary, of sorts, for Adwaitya, the Aldabran tortoise who died at the Alipore Zoo in Calcutta last week at the ripe old age of 250. According to historical records, at some point before he was dropped off at the zoo 130 years ago, Adwaita was the pet of the British general Robert Clive of the East India Company. That is, until Lord Clive became an opium addict and killed himself at the age of 49 in 1774.

Kitten taken under rooster's wing

Check out this video -- it's one of the most amazing chapters in the annals of interspecies animal love. But that cat better watch out she doesn't get avian flu . . . .