To work out your Chinese Year of Birth, click

  HERE

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Save a Forgotten Equine – Support S.A.F.E.

Palomino Mare and Foal 2007 Wikipedia Creative Commons

Since 2005, Save a Forgotten Equine (SAFE) in Washington, U.S.A. has been rescuing and rehabilitating horses that have been starved, neglected, abused or are unwanted.   S.A.FE. has formal agreements in place with Animal Control agencies in King, Pierce and Skagit counties to support their fight to protect horses in this region.   Please visit their wonderful website and do what you can to help horses.

Save a Forgotten Equine  click HERE

 

Other must read Posts about S.AF.E.  & Horses are below 

please READ & SHARE

If you love Horses, please support S.A.F.E.

Help Animals

In memory of Grace

Can a Horse feel Guilt ?

Giraffes recommended to be placed on the U.S.A. Endangered Species List

Kamili baby giraffe

Did you know that a series of valves in the Giraffe’s neck stops blood from rushing to its head when it bends down to drink?

Read more here  about the amazing Giraffe !

The Perth Zoo’s Australasian Giraffe Breeding program has resulted in a wonderful and cute new addition.  She is a Rothschild Giraffe, Kamili, which is Swahili for “perfection.”  Click on the following links for more information.

https://www.perthnow.com.au/news/animals/perth-zoo-unveils-name-of-baby-giraffe-kamili-ng-b88790424z

https://perthzoo.wa.gov.au/article/we-have-giraffe-calf

Around this time last year, five major wildlife protection groups petitioned the United States Fish and Wildlife Service to list the giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis) as an endangered species.

An article in “The Conversation” states that – While extinction can be a natural process, the current rate of extinction is anything but. Scientists estimate that at least 99 out of 100 species extinctions in the world today are the result of human action.

It also states:

In 1964, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) began tracking the conservation status of species on its “Red List.” Although the IUCN provides information only about the status of species, this is the first step in helping to limit extinction because it allows conservation efforts to be directed where they’re most needed.

In 2016 the International Union for the Conservation of Nature–  IUCN – SSC Giraffe and Okapi Specialist Group (GOSG) recognized a single species of giraffe, Giraffa Camelopardalis as vulnerable.  This means the animal faces extinction in the wild in the medium-term future if nothing is done to minimize the threats to its life or habitat. The next steps are endangered, critically endangered, extinct in the wild and extinct.

2018 Year of the Dog

Chow Chow

I grew up with Chow Chows!   Such beautiful unique dogs.  Tammy was just like a teddy bear, and Tina was short coated.  I loved those dogs.  They were loyal and brave and good for hugging.  I am interested in ALL animals, and said to be a “bit of a David Attenborough”.   I met him once, which you can read about by scrolling to the bottom of my Blog Post here  if you like.

I watched an interview of Sir David once and he was asked “Do you love all animals?” and he replied “No, how can I love a parasite that causes a disease, but I am interested in all animals.”

Well, this year the Chinese New Year starts on 16th February and is the Year of the Dog.

The best source of information about the Chinese New Year that I have found is below.

The Chinese Fortune Calendar

 

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Your Power Animal for 2018

Credit: Native American Power Animals

Yes!  It’s that time of the Year.

Go to Carrie Hart’s “Enchanted Forest” website –  HERE

Calm yourself and see yourself bathed in white light then click on the link titled “Enchanted Forest” and ask to receive your Power Animal for 2018.

Mine is  the  Wolf   –  read about the Wolf Animal Guide  HERE

To read about Power Animals and other spiritual animal allies, go to the Posts made in this Blog under the Category “Power Animal”.   Link below.

https://facinatingamazinganimals.wordpress.com/?s=power+animal

 

May the Animal Kingdom Be With You Always

 

Polar Bears are Starving

National Geographic has released heart-breaking video of a polar bear about to die of starvation.   I am sorry to have to post this and these scenes make me physically ill, as do the scenes of the big cats being abused ……..  HOWEVER  perhaps this will galvanise at least one person reading this into action —   to  address   CLIMATE CHANGE.

CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW

video.nationalgeographic.com/video/news/171207-polar-bear-starving-iceless-land-vin-spd

 

READ THE FULL STORY HERE

WHAT CAN YOU DO??

1. Research Climate Change

2. Write to as many influential people as you can about this – need an urgent Solution

3. Discuss this with people

4. Join organisations that campaign for Climate Change awareness and real immediate Solutions –  just google or search  Climate Change Groups  and find some to join.

5.  Read relevant books, e.g. Al Gore’s “An Inconvenient Truth” and “An Inconvenient Sequel – Truth to Power”

6.  Pray

Finding Gobi

Update – help refuge animals in China & buy a soft plush GOBI

Gobi toys and Books on Etsy

.

Magical – if there was only one word I could use to describe this adventure set out so articulately and heartfeltly by Dion Leonard, this is it.

I won a copy of the book “Finding Gobi” through a Channel 7 “Sunday Night” competition, and was over the moon to receive my book last week, together with a compliments slip from the Seven Network:  Congratulations!  We hope you enjoy reading about Gobi as much as you loved watching her on our show.  With compliments from Sunday Night.

To win this prize, my entry in the competition mentioned my considering that I have an indefinable connection to animals ( see “Animals connecting to Celine” ) …. What I was trying to say is that there is sometimes a magical and beautiful relationship or connection between non-human animals and human beings.  Yes, I’ve heard that animals know human nature or people’s personalities instinctively, like they will know definitely if you are either an “animal lover” or an “animal hater” but Gobi’s and Dion’s story goes beyond that.

I have witnessed my own animal spiritual ally, Shandy cat, whom spent 16 years with me, being with me definitely on a mission.  That mission I am pretty sure, was to keep my partner & I together, because we had this charming, handsome, character of a cat to tend to and to love, and to give and receive companionship.  Shandy literally was the glue that stuck us together.

I can’t wait to watch the film of “Finding Gobi” as long as, of course, no animals are hurt or killed during the making of the film.

I loved Dion’s excellent literary prowess in his writing and his candid capture of his child-hood and glimpses into character building experiences which were like jig-saw puzzles that fit into his entire life.  Here I witnessed, through words on a page, a man whom not only has incredible physical fortitude and the iron will to compete and to win, but whom is compassionate and honest and intelligent.  Above all, without giving away too much for those who have not yet read the book, something was outstanding to me – about Dion’s approach to Life.

MAKE A DECISION

Dion Leonard is someone who knows about choices – there are many roads to China, as the saying goes, and sometimes there are clouds of uncertainty flurrying around a particular choice in front of you, BUT that is what life is about in its finest details –  CHOICES.

Gobi chose to follow Dion and to become his life-time spiritual ally ( woohoo ), and ..

Dion chose to find Gobi … and in an un-swerving manner … not to let down a cute little spirited dog whom raced across the Gobi desert with him …. as Dion points out …. to teach him things about himself and the teaching is never ending.

We have heard talk about past beings we know who have reincarnated to help us, and about spirit guides in some sort of energy form visiting us or coming into our lives, to help us.  I believe in these things, but whether or not it applies to the story of Dion and Gobi, matters not.

Gobi is a special little dog whom showed someone to open up more, to reinforce the message of inter-dependence and being inter-connected, whom is a model of courage and strength under fire, and has unconditional love for Dion and his family.  This story truly is a testament to the fact that non-human animals are not commodities or lesser beings.  They have souls.

I can vouch for the fact, that when our Shandy cat (who was abandoned as a kitten outside our house on New Year’s Eve, 2000) was a few weeks old, we were standing indoors looking out at the back yard.  I looked down at this sweet little kitten and he looked up at me, with a shining face and he smiled at me, the most loving smile of unconditional love that I have ever seen.   I know about the look of love and appreciation that Gobi gave Dion as they ran through the Gobi Desert.

Our animal companions are not “dumb animals” far from it.  They are stoic and brave, go for what they want, let others know what they want, they can be very loving and some are amazingly caring and intelligent and help their human companions …. in various ways …. such as Gobi did.

http://www.findinggobi.com/

Click on the News Yahoo link in Dion’s post below .. to watch Sunday Night’s documentary.

Here is a direct link to Part 2 :

https://au.news.yahoo.com/sunday-night/video/watch/35888945/finding-gobi-part-2/#page1

Hounds can’t read Laws – Fox Hunting

Hounds are basically killing machines, so the huntsman doesn’t have to say ‘go and kill that fox’. They find the fox by scent, and they kill it, and they’re not breaking the law because they haven’t been told to.

How ridiculous is this?  How illogical and sad too, it’s like saying “Guns kill people, not the person pulling the trigger”.   Fox hunting has been a British rural tradition for five centuries—but for the last 12 years, the huntsman’s adversary hasn’t been a furry fox, but a fuzzy law.

Foxhunts kill foxes in one of two ways: by being chased until they went to ground, after which they were dug out with terriers. This was particularly cruel; the underground battles between terrier and fox could be protracted, with extreme digs lasting many hours or days, and severe injuries were often inflicted on both animals. The rest of the foxes were caught above ground by the hounds. There is a myth that, once caught, the hounds killed the fox by a quick nip to the back of the neck: this is not true. Dogs kill larger prey by repeatedly biting it until the animal is disembowelled or dies from its injuries. A pack of dogs normally tears smaller prey apart. Being torn apart by a pack of hounds was probably fairly quick, although if the fox was caught by just one or two hounds death was generally slower. Also, since the fox is often chased to the point of exhaustion, there is cruelty in the chase itself, particularly as the fox started to tire.

http://www.thefoxwebsite.net/foxhunting/hunthistory#q5

Fox hunting has been occurring in different guises worldwide for hundreds of years. Indeed the practice of using dogs with a keen sense of smell to track prey has been traced back to ancient Egypt and many Greek and Roman influenced countries. However it is believed that the custom for a fox to be tracked, chased and often killed by trained hunting hounds (generally those with the keenest sense of smell known as ‘scent hounds’) and followed by the Master of the Foxhounds and his team on foot and horseback, originated from a Norfolk farmer’s attempt to catch a fox using farm dogs in 1534.

Whilst foxes were widely regarded as vermin and farmers and other landowners had hunted the animals for many years as a form of pest control (both to curb their attacks on farm animals and for their highly prized fur) it wasn’t until the eighteenth century that fox hunting developed into it’s most modern incarnation and was considered a sport in its own right as a result of the decline in the UK’s deer population.

These days however, foxhunting in the UK is much better known for the controversial views of those who champion the sport and those that oppose it.  The Hunting Act 2004, passed in November 2004, saw the outlawing of any hunting with dogs in England and Wales from 18 February 2005 (the Scottish Parliament had already banned foxhunting in Scotland in 2002 and in Northern Ireland the sport is still legal).

But while the act banned fox hunting, it continues to permit trail hunting which is an adapted version of the sport.  It involves the use of an artificially laid scent, usually fox, hare or rabbit based, to provide hounds with a path to follow.  In theory it avoids the suffering and killing of foxes, but campaigners argue that the trail hunts often end with the dogs coming across foxes – participants say by accident – and that animals are still being killed.

Also, exemptions are complex and numerous. It allows the use of two dogs to flush out mammals for the protection of livestock, game birds, wild birds, timber, property, and biodiversity, or for meat.

Today 28 May 2017 around 150 foot followers joined more than 70 mounted riders at the Swangrove Estate near Badminton, South Gloucestershire, for the first gathering of the Beaufort Hunt, an event which sometimes includes Prince Charles and Prince William.  Up to 30 of Britain’s 300 hunts have been granted licences, and hunts were also resuming today in counties including north Wales and Northamptonshire, according to the Countryside Alliance’s Campaign

The joint master of the Beaufort Hunt, Ian Farquhar has said banning hunting has caused hardship because the industry supporting the hunt (like manufacture of hunting boots) has been brought to a stand-still.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-90246/Fox-hunting-resumes-ban.html#ixzz4iLiv5kz6

Foxes may be pests in some places but can be culled humanely, not by being torn apart.  How would you like to be a Fox terrified for its life and torn from limb to limb????

Fox hunting is a hot election issue in the United Kingdom, with the incumbent Conservative Party—widely expected to hold on to power—promising a vote in Parliament that could overturn the current ban.  There have been 431 convictions under the 2004 Hunting Act. The vast majority of convictions have been against individuals, say hunt supporters, noting that by 2015 only nine members of traditional organized hunts had been convicted.

Theresa May wants to bring back Fox-hunting with dogs. 

NOTE:  this post is obviously about FOXES so there’s no need for cantankerous people reading this to Comment and say “What about the bunny rabbits?” or “There are quite enough Foxes around, so who will miss a few.”  What if you were reincarnated as a Fox and chased and torn apart by dogs?  If you’ve got a brain you will know this Post is about deliberately killing a FOX in a horrific fashion.

GO IN THE POLL TO HAVE YOU SAY

Other References

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/earth/countryside/11418998/Ten-years-on-from-the-hunting-ban-has-anything-really-changed.html

http://www.historic-uk.com/CultureUK/fox-hunting-in-britain/

http://www.swindonadvertiser.co.uk/news/local/15303131.Hunting_campaigners_take_their_fight_to_Swindon__39_s_National_Trust_HQ/

http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/2252079-britains-fox-law-jumps-into-election-campaign-2/

Who Is the Strongest?

READ  MORE   HERE   !

The half inch long dung beetles are the strongest living creatures on Earth. The male insects of this small species of insects can lift or pull 1141 times their own body weight. It is just like an average sized human carrying 80 tons or 72574.8 kg.

The news might take the shine off the title of World’s Strongest Man for Lithuanian Zydrunas Savickas; in 2009 he pulled a 70-tonne plane for 30m in under 75 seconds – this works out as only 411 times his 170kg body weight.

What makes dung beetles so strong?

Written Mar 26, 2016  by John Cassis

Small creatures all seem strong relative to their size, because their strength is relative to the cross sectional *area* of their muscles, not their weight or volume. If you double the length of an organism, the muscle cross-section goes up four-fold, but the weight and volume go up 8 fold – so you get bigger-er not stronger-er.

Another way of looking at it is that if a dung beetle can lift it’s own weight, then if it were to double in size, it could only lift half of its weight, without developing proportionally bulkier muscles.

This topic was famously covered in a 1928 essay by JBS Haldane, called “On being the right size”. I think it’s one of the most lucid science essays I’ve ever read.

See also:

http://britton.disted.camosun.bc.ca/scalefactor/factors.html

http://www.bbc.com/earth/story/20161121-the-worlds-strongest-animal-can-lift-staggering-weights

Well, today at work I was barely able to lift a heavy box (to me) of files, weighing 15 kg.  My weight is 43 kg only, and if I take the load ( 15 ) and divide it by my personal petite weight ( of 43 kg), the result is 0.35 – which is a very rough SWR !!

STRENGTH TO WEIGHT RATIO

The Link above does mention working out this ratio uses averages including “Bench presses”.  You may, like me, innocently ask “But what IS a Bench press ??”    It is laying on your back and picking up weights on a bar and raising them up and straight above, in my terms.  Looks dangerous to me!  Wikipedia says:

The bench press is an upper body strength training exercise that consists of pressing a weight upwards from a supine position. … A barbell is generally used to hold the weight, but a pair of dumbbells can also be used.

This page  HERE  mentions averaging out your ratios after different types of exercises, like squats and bench presses.  The closest I note that matches lifting a heavy (for me) box is the DEADLIFT –  read  HERE for info.

However, my “dead-weight Lift” involved a square shape and a dense solid mass, not a nice (looking) bar with weights at either end – this different structure makes a difference to your SWR.

The box I lifted was destined to go to an off-site storage company, that has a weight limit for each packed box (to be picked up and carried by their drivers) – – – and that Limit is 16 kg.  Not bad therefore that I could lift 15 kg, in my great opinion.

My 43 kg weight converts to 95 pounds.   I used   THIS  site to work out that (in theory) a 45 kg female could or should (if she wanted) lift a 26 kg dead-weight.   Speaking for myself, I had best do some intense “resistance” (strength) training, before I attempt picking up and lifting a BARBELL (bar to attach weights to)  with any weights on it at all !!

If you are keen to find out more about weight training equipment for human beings,  try  THIS  page.  It mentions the lightest weight plates (which affix to the barbell) are 2.5 pounds for Americans or 1.13 kg for Australians.  It seems an average barbell itself (without the weights at the end) weighs 20 kg.  It would be a great day when I  dead-lift 21 kg total (barbell + 0.5 kg weight at each end), let alone 26 kg -barbell plus a 3kg weight at each end.

That would mean a SWR of approximately 0.5 up alot from an SWR of 0.35 for my “dead-box” lift today (LOL).  I would be happy with being able to lift 50% of my body weight, even if the Weaver Ant can lift 10 to 50 times its body weight !!

See:

http://britton.disted.camosun.bc.ca/scalefactor/factors2.html

http://www.bbc.com/earth/story/20161121-the-worlds-strongest-animal-can-lift-staggering-weights