I was emailed regarding a short video that a Kazakhstan charity named KARE had created. It was very sad but also great and to the point so I thought it would be great to share.
So check out the video and let me know what you think…. Then go and visit KARE.kz (ps it’s in Russian).
Albino Dogs are very very cute…. In fact Albino Animals in general are very cute.
I saw an Albino Dog whilst out walking today so I thought it would be really cool to find some images and post them here for you to see.
Source: http://ironcrownkennels.com/the_white_boxer
Source: http://stitchywitchy2006.tripod.com/Facesofpugs.html
Source: http://www.netikka.net/laitinen/colors.html
The Albino gene is passed down through generations and can be recessive. Sadly Albino dogs are often very much more likely to have bad health.
Having a pet is expensive. So Pet Food Coupons are essential for anyone who needs to save a little cash.
There are lots of places that you can get them from so you should always keep an eye out for Pet Food Coupons wherever you can, local newspapers, online and especially one of my favorite places for coupons, Coupons.com.
The amazing thing about this website is that you can find the pet care section and instantly gain access to free printable pet food coupons that you can take to the store and save with now!
Current Pet Food Coupon offers include: Tidy Cats, Meatybone and Pedigree.
Please let me know what you saved.
Another week, more great Blockbuster New Releases to watch….
UPDATED 29th May….
I follow the latest Blockbuster New Releases because I love watching movies. So I thought it would be a great idea to keep an updated post of the latest Blockbuster New Releases that are about or related to animals and pets and, because I know you folks all love animals like me 
I think the best way to rent new release DVDs is from an online service such as Blockbuster or Netflix… Both are amazing services and both offer free trials. Whichever one you try I am sure you will be hooked.
Rent Blockbuster New Releases with a Blockbuster Total Access FREE TRIAL today!
Rent 1000’s of Movies delivered free to your door with a Netflix FREE TRIAL
Animal Related Blockbuster New Releases - 10th June
Bolt is Disney’s latest sole 3d production and it probably isn’t as good as Diney/Pixar’s UP but still well worth watching.
You can see a full list of Blockbuster New Releases and much more over at Blockbuster New Releases
Making sure your dog (or any pet) is going to be ok in the event of a bad accident is important. That’s why I like what Asda Dog Insurance has to offer.
Asda, owned by Walmart, are providing a great service. Asda Dog Insurance starts from just £4.65 a month….. Most people can cover this.
So what do they give you?
Asda Pet Insurance could pay you up to £6,000 towards your vetinary costs, and also up to £1,000 each for recovery and boarding costs. They even cover stolen or missing pets, god forbid that ever happens.
Asda Pet Insurance is a great way to get a little extra peace of mind for you and all-important protection for your pet – and all this from just £4.65 a month*.
Basically you can have peace of mind for the wellbeing of your pet for a very little montly outlay.
Hey everyone,
I am very sorry for being pretty much non-existent for a long period now. I have been manically busy and sadly didn’t get time to properly look after this poor little beast of a blog
The good news is that I am here now….. and I hope to be publishing a few articles a week again.
I would love to know if I still have any readers, so please do drop a comment and let me know you are still here.
Also if you have any ideas for posts… I would love to know.
Take care everyone.
Forest.
If you are looking for cheap toys and products for your pet then I would definitely advise heading off to Petsmart this weekend to take advantage of the July 4th offers that Petsmart have every year.
Sometimes they drop prices of dog toys to as low as $0.01, to get rid of stock to make room for summer stock which comes in after 4th of July.
Alternatively you can look for things like Dog Toys at PetSmart.com and maybe bag yourself a deal online!
have you ever used Petsmart during the 4th of July sales? And if so what great bargains have you grabbed?
Happy Independence day….
A note to my regular reader: Sorry I have not been around much lately. I have been very busy on various web projects and do plan to get back to this blog on a regular basis very soon.
I was out in my local park the other day and noticed that the bold squirrels were all coming up to me. Luckily I had my camera so took a few snaps.
I thought this could be an ideal opportunity to find out a little more about squirrels and show some of my photos. So here are some facts and some random informations about squirrels.
What do squirrels eat?
My immediate answer to this would be ANYTHING!!! But looking into it their natural diet is a mixture of nuts, berries and fruits. If faced with extreme hunger they will eat insects, bird eggs and pick at carcasses.
Last autumn I actually caught a Squirrel eating a slice of pizza, so we know their city life diet varies a lot!!
How long do squirrels live?
Squirrels live for about 3-5 years in the wild. They can live a little longer if cared for domestically.
What is a squirrels habitat?
The ideal habitat for a standard gray squirrel is a dense old forest with plenty of trees and hollows to nest in and forage for food. Squirrels come to the open parks of the city mainly for food and because their ideal habitat is being destroyed.
What types of Squirrel can you find in the city?
There are many types of squirrel but the most common in North America is the Gray Squirrel. I have also seen black and red squirrels here in Montreal.
I really love watching the squirrels. They run around and make pretty crazy expressions. Many people see them as vermin and they probably are but it really is not their fault.
One of my earliest memory of a squirrel is when one ran up my leg and sat on my head. I was so petrified that I froze and started crying!
Do you have any crazy squirrel stories?
Image source: http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~aherns/ahnws205.htm
Nobody likes me everybody hates me I think I’ll go and eat some worms.
My mum used to mockingly say this little saying to me when I was being a little annoying brat. I imagine she would have been very upset if I actually did eat some worms but I think, mortified if I ate one of these suckers.
I first heard about these amazing animals on a BBC or Channel 4 documentary that I watched and was fascinated. I couldn’t understand why I had never even heard of such a thing. Surely it is a school duty to teach children about the wonders of this world.
Obviously the creator of Tremors has heard of them and maybe even the creator of Beetlejuice. The idea of these giant creatures burrowing underneath our feet is kind of creepy and I am sure to many, utterly terrifying. Personally I love the idea of them churning up the soil and keeping things underground working as they should.
Ok, now the facts, including the important question… How big do they get?
Scientific name: Megascolides australis
Country / Region of origin: Australia, Gippsland in Victoria
Species: Earthworm
Weight and size: Now the bit you have been waiting for…. Average is around 80cm long with a 2cm diameter but it can grow up to an enormous 3meters.
(If you think anymore details should be here then just leave a comment and I will add find out and add it)
Australia has around 1000 types of earthworm and the Gippsland worm is the biggest of that kind with the biggest find being approx 4meters. It must be an absolutely haunting thought for many people! Sadly the minuscule little European counter part has been introduced and now rules the roost.
They have a dark purple head and a pinkish grey body and live burrows of around 2meters deep in moist clay areas either close to or under rivers and streams. They are only found in a small region of Gippsland, Victoria, Australia and sadly due to many factors their numbers are on the decline.
Apparently if you stomp the ground you can hear gurgling which is made when they slide off through their tunnels as quick smart as they can. The sound of their digging has also been compared to hearing a toilet flush! I don’t know this for sure but I would imagine that their disturbing of the earth is avery good thing for the environment and it would be ashame to lose these, in some peoples eyes (like mine!), beautiful creatures.
Conservation Status
Sadly these slippery critters are deemed vulnerable which means that they are threatened and numbers are rapidly declining.
Modern colonization and farming practices are taking a big toll, with herbicides and pesticides seeping into the soil and water being drained from the land. Herds of animals are disturbing their habitat and even being handled by a human could kill them. Even though they are Earthworms they don’t have the ability to be chopped into several pieces and survive. One cut on these poor things could lead to them bleeding to death.
The raunchy sex life of an average Gippsland Earthworm in an average Gippsland stream bank
They mate around Spring and Summer laying egg sacs approx 7cm long which take a year to hatch. Daddy’s super sperm means that they hatch out at a size of 20cm and are ready to dig themselves through mud for the rest of their lives.
The Museum!
If you are out today doing the shopping or going to get the car cleaned and you just so happen to pass by Gippsland in Australia then maybe you should stop by the town of Bass
Bass is the home of the Giant Gippsland Earthworm museum where you can go and find out pretty much everything about them.
My final words
Please don’t hate this animal because it’s basically a slimy worm of astronomical size. People don’t hate sharks that much anymore and they are still eating the occasional person here and there. I don’t think you will find any records of an earthworm munching on corpse felled by it’s gruesome slaughter tactics and they keep the soil alive. The fact that they are endangered and not many people know about them is sad. Obviously this is a plea for links too but it would be great if you could spread the word about this or any endangered animals that you hear about.
Sources, read these if you want to know more:
http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~aherns/ahnws205.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giant_Gippsland_earthworm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giant_Gippsland_earthworm
http://museumvictoria.com.au/DiscoveryCentre/Infosheets/Giant-Gippsland-Earthworm/
If you have any suggestions for my next Animal of the Forest or you just fancy letting me know you stopped by, then please leave a comment. While you are at it why don’t you subscribe to my feed. Come on you know you want to!
If you have no idea about feeds then maybe this article will help.
A while back on my main blog, The Random Forest, I posted a post titled Lion Hugging Woman. That post got quite a good feedback and along with the other animal posts that I had written was one of the main things that made me start Blog About Animals.
I thought the story of the woman being hugged by the lion was very original but after searching a little I have found absolutely tons of examples of lions being affectionate. Here are my 3 favorites.
1. A full grown male lion in Columbia Zoo, welcomes back his old owner with a big hug, awwww
Several years ago this woman found a sick, malnourished lion cub in the jungle. She took the cub home and fed him and brought him up until he was too big to keep anymore. Then she made arrangements with a zoo in Colombia to take the lion. Here’s a video of what happened when she went to visit him in the zoo for the first time:
2. Christian the Lion, reunited with the man who raised him, one year after release
Back in the swing sixties, 1969 to be precise, animal laws were very poor. John Rendall purchased a little lion cub from Harrods store in London. The lion came to be known as Christian and lived with John in his Chelsea flat on the famous Kings Road (back then, home to Mick Jaggar). The lion lived the high life and was loved by everybody until he got too big. Sadly a city is no place for a lion and it was recognized that he was too big. John made the right decision and Christian was integrated back into the wild in Kenya.
This is what happened one year later when John went back to see Christian…
Marlice Van Der Merwe and her orphaned lions
Marlice Van Der Merwe raised 15 orphaned lions on her dads farm in Namibia. When they got too big and started becoming the dangerous predators we all know about, she went with a group of Bushman friends in search of a new home for her adopted children.
These videos amaze me and they are only a small collection of videos showing how affectionate these beasts can really be. Sadly we can’t co-exist with them if they are in their original wild state.
Maybe one day I will get to hug a lion!