Twin Panda Cubs Named at Zoo Atlanta

The twin giant panda cubs born in July at Zoo Atlanta now have names.  Zoo officials said Wednesday the pandas will be called Mei Lun and Mei Huan, which originates from a Chinese idiom that means “something indescribably beautiful and magnificent.”  People voted on several possible names through the website for ABC’s “Good Morning America.”

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Sumatran Elephants Suffer in Rush for 'Liquid Ivory'

Western consumers are inadvertently driving the Sumatran elephant to extinction by eating, washing and wearing - in cosmetics - the derivatives of a fruit that is destroying the animal's last remaining forest habitat. Jim Wickens reports.

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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."

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'Blackfish' To Air on CNN

Today on Twitter the words #seeBlackFishCNN were trending for a while. On Oct. 20, it was obvious that this new documentary that will air on CNN is making a huge impact on the world already. Stop Insane Cruelty went to Twitter to voice their opinion and so did other people.

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‘Shake’ Captures Pups in Motion

In 1878, photographer Eadweard Muybridge used photography to capture high-speed motion and prove that when a horse gallops, all four of its hooves leave the ground. In her new book “Shake,” shutterbug Carli Davidson uses the same technology to demonstrate that when dogs perform the titular action their body parts swing, sway and spin in beautiful, unexpected and hilarious ways.

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American Humane Association Hero Dog Awards Announced

The top 2013 American Hero Dog will be announced Saturday at the third annual American Humane Association Hero Dog Awards at The Beverly Hilton.  The winner is determined by a combination of more than 1 million votes cast by the public and by a celebrity panel that included entertainers Whoopi Goldberg and Kristin Chenoweth as well as country singing star Miranda Lambert.

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Kenya to Microchip Every Rhino's Horn

Microchips will be placed in the horn of every rhinoceros in Kenya in an ambitious bid to tackle the scourge of poaching, wildlife officials have announced.  The World Wildlife Fund donated the chips as well as five scanners at a cost of $15,000 (£9,400). Tracking the rhinos – there are more than 1,000 in Kenya – to dart them and fit the device will cost considerably more.

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Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2013

The winners of this year’s prestigious Wildlife Photographer of the Year Competition have been announced today at a gala awards ceremony held at London’s Natural History Museum. South African photographer Greg du Toit has been named Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2013 by the panel of international judges for his image Essence of elephants, a mysterious and energetic portrait of African elephants in the Northern Tuli Game Reserve in Botswana. 

http://tinyurl.com/mffr7b3

October is Adopt A Shelter Dog Month

October is 'Adopt-a-shelter dog month' many dogs are adopted this month throughout the Magic Valley.  Ralitsa Carter recently brought home three-month-old Rio; he's a lab, husky mix.  In the past, she always bought dogs from breeders. This time, she decided to go in a different direction.  "With my husband we've been discussing for a very longtime to whether or not to get a dog or not. We decided to get one and we thought the best thing for both us and one of those lucky dogs to just come home with us. That's why we decided to adopt” said Ralitsa Carter, adopted a dog. 

http://tinyurl.com/mlzvvjm

The Original LOL Cats

Think our fascination with quirky pictures of cats began with the Internet? In their new book, “The Photographed Cat: Picturing Human-Feline Ties, 1890-1940” (Syracuse University Press), authors Arnold Arluke and Lauren Rolfe show how we’ve been embarrassing our furry friends since the birth of photography. Here, Tiger, the mascot of a VFW post in Long Beach, Calif., poses after World War I.

http://tinyurl.com/k45wksn