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A Baby Whale, A Tortoise Cat, and a Cruel Horse Round-up

Message Suzana Megles
 
Recently, there was some happy and some sad news from the animal
front.  But I guess that's how life is generally for all living beings.
 
First the sad news - a baby whale was beached because he or
she had been trapped in a fishing net for far too long. The people
on the scene mourned "him" and rightly so. Death is never pleasant
for man, animal, or fish.  This big "little" creature would never
experience the joy of swimming with his mom in the ocean or even
just given a chance to grow up and explore the world around him. 
 
Did the mother whale see him thrashing helplessly in the net?  If
so, as all mothers, she must have been frantic watching him in peril
and not being able to save him.  Some people say, I anthrophormize,
and I say yes to that because I believe that animals are very much
like ourselves. They have basic needs like our own.  One of many
examples of this - we know that mother cows grieve when their 
calves are removed from them soon after birth.  Likewise, the calf
cries for his mother too.  Both are inconsolable because of man's
cruel indifference to their needs.  It's always "our" needs and
seldom if ever theirs.    
 
Now the happier story of Josie and Tortie from Care2.  The place- a
monastery in West Java, Indonesia.  Josephia was there for a religious
outing in December.  She remembers enjoying their campfire dinners-
especially because of the presence of some indigenous animals from
a nearby conservatory.  They were drawn there because of the delicious
aromas coming from their camp fire.  A couple of wild dogs were even
treated to a meal one evening. 
 
On another occasion, Josie noticed a tortoise shell cat sitting nearby
and watching them silently.  She only moved when the dogs did, and
it was apparent that she must have moved because she was afraid of
them.  Nevertheless, thinking that the cat was hungry, Josie prepared
a plate of rice, chicken, and scrambled eggs for her- placing the dish
just outside her room.  Then she retired for the night. 
 
The next morning Josie was happy to find out that not only had some
of the food been eaten, but that the cat was curled up in the corner of
her bed asleep.  This Tortoise cat knew a good thing when she saw it.
But Josie was surprised that the chicken and rice was untouched,
but that the scrambled eggs were gone. She wondered why this was. 
 
When it was the last night of their outing, Josie skipped dinner and
followed the Tortie to her bed.  Feeling that Tortie felt safe enough with
her by now, she decided to open her mouth to see if there was a problem
re her eating habits.   And indeed there was.  She had no teeth with the
exception of one lower left fang.  
 
Now she understood why Tortie was so thin.  She was unable to hunt or
eat properly.  I wondered how she had lost them, but the account gives
no answers to my query.  Obviously, only Tortie knew the answer to
that. 
 
It soon became apparent to Josie that she must take this poor kitty home
with her because she probably would starve to death one day.  And so, 
before boarding the bus, she  smuggled her into her knapsack.  Tortie
was so well behaved that the bus driver didn't even know that he had
an extra passenger on board!
 
Now a wonderful new chapter in Tortie's life began.  Josie would grind
up chicken or fish and her favorite egg to give her the best meals
possible.  Still she lacked the proper chewing needed and just licked
and swallowed the food.  Obviously this caused problems, and as Josie
wrote -she "litters" once every two days and her stomach bloats easily. 
 
Because Josie has other rescues and fosters, Josie knew that Tortie was
defenseless without teeth.  So it was no surprise that she watched her
pretty much withdraw from the company of the other cats.
 
When she was taken to the vet to be spayed, the vet marveled that she
managed to survive this long.  And even though she lacked exercise
and was  putting on excess weight as a result, she still was able to show 
motherly instincts when Josie brought into the fold two recently rescued
kittens.  Tortie took them under her "wing" and even  tried to nurse them
with her dried-out teats. 
 
When watching Tortie give all her love to the two kittens, Josie  
thoughtfully  observed:  "Seeing Tortie is witnessing a grace from
God, in the form of a mother: her tolerance, her acceptance, her
gentle willingness, her abundant love that gave her strength to
take in strange kittens and raise them as her o wn, and such
loveliness gave me strength to carry on my dirty job as an animal
rescuer."  (I don't think Josie meant to use the word "dirty" here. 
Probably "exhausting" or "difficult"  would have been better used 
here to describe her tireless advocacy for her animal rescue
work.) 
 
At any rate- God bless her for her loving compassion.  Tortie was
only one of her many rescues in her ministry of concern for
needy animals.  The many, many comments at this post- without
exception,  reflected their admiration of her because of the work
which consumes her daily in this unselfish endeavor.       
 
BREAKING NEWS  - June 15, 2012 - BLM Helicopter Stampede During
Peak Foaling Season in Nevada.
 
So many of us have many times petitioned the BLM and the Sec. of
Interior Salazar  to stop the  cruel horse round-ups, and obviously
they have no hearts because they continue.  A llowing these helicopter-
driven round-ups to commence again  at the peak of the foaling season
is especially cruel and caused much suffering to these horse families.
Some of them will die of exhaustion and/or dehydration -especially
the foals whose parents are not able to protect them from this
suffering.     
 
There was even a picture of a stallion in the Jackson Mountain Herd 
trying in vain to defend his family against an  unrelenting helicopter
pursuit.  Truly a caring father who should put to shame the fathers
who are responsible for causing so much suffering to these  poor
horse families  made up of tiny newborn foals, pregnant and nursing
mares as well as a sizable number of v ulnerable horses who are
compromised because of lack of food and water. 
 
The BLM's pitiful defense- a drought emergency.  And all the while
during this "emergency," the cows continue to graze in the HMA
(Herd Management Area).  Is there anybody in government who we
can really trust?   Public lands should not be ceded to the private
and commercial interests of the cattle barons. These public lands
should be used only for public interests. 
 
 
 
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I have been concerned about animal suffering ever since
I received my first puppy Peaches in 1975. She made me take a good look at the animal kingdom and I was shocked to see how badly we treat so many animals. At 77, I've been a vegan for the (more...)
 
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