Toronto City Council has voted to ban the sale and possession of shark fin, with a vote of 38-4. With a population of over 2.5 million, Canada’s largest city, the fifth largest in North America, Toronto is the largest market for shark products in the country.

Fins from up to 73 million sharks are used every year to make shark fin soup and related food products. Shark finning is a cruel and wasteful practice – captured at sea and hauled on deck, the sharks are often still alive while their fins are sliced off. Because shark meat is not considered as valuable as the fins, the maimed animals are tossed overboard to drown or bleed to death.

Bans passed recently in California, Hawaii, Oregon and the state of Washington as well as the Ontario cities of Mississauga, and Brantford.

via westseattleblog.com

Caught in a fence – how to get down? When Patrick Abdo saw that little raccoon stuck in his not-at-home-at-the-time neighbor’s fence, he decided action was in order. Photos too. Six more images, and Patrick’s first-person story, explain what happened next – after the jump: 

This happened last Wednesday, and Patrick happened to be telecommuting that day.

My wife and I awoke to a squawking noise around 6 am. It sounded similar to a blue jay. So we thought nothing of it. But 40 minutes later, the squawking continued. I thought maybe it was mating season for blue jays. I went downstairs to log into work and my wife headed off to her job.

I came upstairs around 9:30 am and the same animal noise continued but then I realized it was a distress call.

I headed to north side of our property (37th, between Graham and Morgan). Between the bushes and trees I finally saw two little animal paws wedged between the fence slats. I peered over and there was a baby raccoon (four or five pounds) hanging upside-down.

 

 

He was doing his impression of a opossum. Since I was wearing gloves and a jacket I attempted to lift him to free his legs. He was having none of that. Plus I think his little legs and feet were a bit swollen.

I grabbed a broom, leaned over the fence and held it near him so he could try to pull himself up. Amazingly he understood what I was trying to do. But he was exhausted and just hung on to rest.
So then I went into MacGyver Mode.

 

 

I grabbed a small wooden table and my trusty Black & Decker cordless drill. I headed over to the neighbors’ side (they were on vacation). I used one of their wooden patio chairs and another small table. I stacked the two small tables on top of the chair against the fence. The little guy was grateful for the leaning tower of patio furniture. As he rested, he eventually moved to the left enough so I could quickly loosen the top two screws of the board. I pulled it back and he freed his legs.

Halfway through the rescue operation his mother came within 10 feet of me to supervise.

 

 

She chattered a little and then climbed the fence for a closer look.

 

 

Then once his legs were freed she encouraged him to climb over into my yard.

 

 

It took him about three minutes to pull himself over because he was wiped out. While they were on the ground on my property the mother peered at me through the fence as if to say “thank you.” It was quite the moment. Then she climbed over a three-foot wide section of fence (perpendicular to my house and the main fence). I had to run around the house and remove a small board to allow the little guy to slip through and follow his mom.

 

 

It was hilarious watching him waddle after her. She made a clucking noise as if scolding him to keep up and stay close.

Perú is the second country in South America to take national steps to stop the suffering of animals in circuses, following the ban in Bolivia.

New Zealand: Emperor penguin has two operations

The penguin was found last Monday by a dog-walker on Peka Peka beach, about 60km (37 miles) north of Wellington. It had apparently swum off course some 3,000km from its home in Antarctica. As its condition deteriorated, the penguin was moved to Wellington zoo where it has undergone operations to remove sand from its stomach.

A businessman has offered to ship the bird - dubbed Happy Feet and of unknown sex - home, but only in February.

Read the article here

The corridor partners had planned a variety of creative measures to coax elephants through the underpass. The elephants, however, needed little prodding. As the corridor neared completion, they began gathering in the area as if they sensed a grand opening was imminent.

Read the full article.

via blog.paws.org 

This juvenile Sharp-shinned Hawk was admitted to PAWS Wildlife Center on May 14 after a man in Seattle found the bird hobbling around in his yard.  The hawk was unable to fly or even stand normally, so the man scooped him up in a box and brought him to us for care.

During the hawk’s intake examination, PAWS wildlife rehabilitators noted that he was holding his wings asymmetrically and his legs were extremely weak.  He attempted to fly, but was unable to gain any lift.  Radiographs taken subsequent to his arrival showed a fractured scapula (shoulder blade) and clavicle (collar bone).  The fractures were well aligned, so the bird required only cage rest to allow them to heal.

All of the injuries that the hawk had suffered were consistent with a head-on collision.  He had likely flown headfirst into a window before he was discovered on the ground in the Seattle yard.  Thus far he has been doing very well in our care.  He has regained the strength in his legs, completed his period of cage rest and graduated to a large, outdoor aviary.  As of this writing, he was able to fly well in his enclosure and he was progressing toward a full recovery.

♥ Thank you PAWS!