Activists: Question Would Protect Farm Animals From Cruelty

Animal advocates are planning to converge on the Statehouse to launch a ballot question campaign they say will help protect farm animals from cruelty.  The coalition, Citizens for Farm Animal Protection, includes veterinarians, animal welfare groups, farmers, and others hoping to eliminate what they describe as the extreme confinement of farm animals in small crates and cages.

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Scientists Studying the Use of Animals to Predict Quakes

Government researchers in China have asked a select group of farmers to monitor abnormal behavior among their livestock — behaviors that could be indicative of imminent earthquakes.  As the China Daily newspaper reported last week, the seismological bureau in Nanjing has converted seven animal farms into “seismic stations” with plans to develop several more.   Animals under observation include chickens, fish, boars, and toads. The farmers will be on the lookout for such behaviors as chickens flying on top of tree branches, fish leaping out of the water, and toads moving as a group.

http://tinyurl.com/q8dxdx5