As Perceptions of Animals Evolve, So Does English

Last month, a steer escaped from a slaughterhouse in the New York City borough of Queens. Video of the animal trotting down a busy street was soon featured on many media outlets. For those who care about animals, the story has a happy ending: The steer was captured and taken to a sanctuary, where he will live out the remainder of his natural life.

http://tinyurl.com/zpjclnv

Captive Orangutan Has Human Right to Freedom

An orangutan held in an Argentine zoo can be freed and transferred to a sanctuary after a court recognized the ape as a "non-human person" unlawfully deprived of its freedom, local media reported on Sunday. Animal rights campaigners filed a habeas corpus petition - a document more typically used to challenge the legality of a person's detention or imprisonment - in November on behalf of Sandra, a 29-year-old Sumatran orangutan at the Buenos Aires zoo.  In a landmark ruling that could pave the way for more lawsuits, the Association of Officials and Lawyers for Animal Rights (AFADA) argued the ape had sufficient cognitive functions and should not be treated as an object.  The court agreed Sandra, born into captivity in Germany before being transferred to Argentina two decades ago, deserved the basic rights of a "non-human person."

http://tinyurl.com/otrbevu

When Elephants Get Sad: A Touching Tale

When life gets stressful, Asian elephants help each other feel better by trumpeting sympathetic noises and using their trunks to touch their friend's - um - private parts, according to new research.  In a study published on Tuesday in the journal PeerJ, animal behaviorists observed 26 captive elephants in a sanctuary in northern Thailand. The researchers said they recorded a number of elephant behaviors that they concluded were specifically intended to comfort distressed herd members.  The behaviors included touching the distressed elephant's genitals with their trunks, putting their trunks in the distressed elephant's mouth, or making a high-pitched "chirping" noise.

http://tinyurl.com/lj3j8zk

Bob Barker Donates $1M to Send Rescued Elephants to California Sanctuary

Three former zoo elephants from Canada have arrived at their new home in a California sanctuary after former "Price is Right" host and animal activist Bob Barker sought and paid for the move.The 89-year-old Barker was on hand late Sunday to welcome the pachyderms to the Performing Animal Welfare Society's ARK 2000 compound in the hills near San Andreas, The Sacramento Bee reported.  "It was more than emotional for me, for all of us," Barker said. "I had tears in my eyes and a lump in my throat. It's hard to believe they are finally here."

http://tinyurl.com/n4mtk9p

New Florida Elephant Sanctuary: Officials Break Ground On 225-Acre Plot

Officials have broken ground on a new elephant sanctuary in Florida. The National Elephant Center is being built on a 225-acre plot of land west of Sebastian on Florida's Atlantic coast. The project is a collaboration of 73 zoos.

http://tinyurl.com/7r6hr42

No More Vodka For Ukrainian Bears

It's not only people that consume vodka in Ukraine -- apparently bears have become addicted to the alcohol as well. Ukraine is planning to release about 80 vodka-drinking bears that had been tamed and used in restaurants as a form of entertainment.

http://tinyurl.com/4xbk9na

The Amazing Women with 700 Cats

There are cats as far as the eye can see. Lynea Lattanzio is the only human living on her 12 acres of land in California, along with close to 800 cats and about 15 dogs.

http://tinyurl.com/3wbydva

Leopard Attack Caught on Video

A beautiful, nearly 200-pound male leopard strayed into Prakash Nagar village on the outskirts of the densely populated city of Siliguri, West Bengal this week and mauled several villagers, including four guards, before being tranquilized and caught by forest officials.

http://tinyurl.com/3mt8w8j