Category Archives: Nature / Environment / Critters

Animal Sacrifices and Political Concerns…

“Councillor Maurice Brenner hasn’t the faintest idea of how this came about, as he wasn’t there, yet he blindly assumes that animal sacrifice wasn’t the motive because ‘religious groups that slaughter animals for food do not waste a body, and would not leave it lying on a beach’. I think we can safely rule out ‘food’ as a motive in this case… As sounds of drumming have been reported in the area, and as Santeria is described as an ‘Afro-American religion of Caribbean origin’, I perceive a distinct possibility that we could be in for a rough ride in the near future on the matter of animal rights. We definitely have a say in where these activities can be carried out, but we might not be able to prevent them.”

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“Nature / Environment / Critters” March 13th, 2017

Five items in total…

Canada: Alberta’s Wood Buffalo National Park threatened by energy development, hydro dams and poor management

Japan: Hundreds of radio-active wild boars now a threat following the Fukushima meltdown

Canada: Road to be closed for salamanders crossing during the mating season

Thailand: Sea turtle has operation to remove 915 coins thrown into fountain (excellent video)

Canada: Clam digging threatened as oil spill cannot be completely cleaned up

“Trouble in Don River paradise”

This column was written by Bill Dunphy, and appeared in the Toronto Sun on July 12th, 1989.

Jeff Goodall slaps at a mosquito that’s buzzing his neck and points proudly out across the little lagoon.
“I always stop by here. There’s ducks and ducklings, and sometimes a heron or two,” he says. His eyes scan the tangled brush by the shore, searching for one of them “fancy” herons.
Jeff is taking me along for part of one of his regular rambles through the Don Valley, exploring up from Pottery Road up to the Leaside Bridge.
We’ve already searched for painted turtles in a sandy little backwater, and now we’re after herons. Continue reading →

“Nature / Environment / Critters” Dec. 9th, 2016

Five items in total…

U.S.A: “Several thousand” migrating snow geese die after landing in the toxic waters of an old open pit mine

Canada: Humpback whale dies after becoming tangled in equipment at empty fish farm

China: Need to increase coal supply takes precedence over pollution concerns

Africa: Shrinking giraffe population now on “endangered species” list

China: Senior environmental officials detained on suspicion of tampering with monitoring station to falsify air quality reports

“Nature / Environment / Critters” Nov. 7th, 2016

Eight items in total…

Canada: “Toxic brew” of pollution in some of Toronto’s ravines – Conservation Authority expresses concern

Russia: Drive on to greatly reduce reindeer herds in order to assist oil and gas companies taking over increasingly large parts of the North – Nenets reindeer herders expected to revolt, as in 1941

China: Significant efforts being made to combat environmental damage caused by industrialization – detailed analysis

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“Nature / Environment / Critters” August 26th, 2016

Nine bears killed simply because people are “baiting local bears with easy-access garbage and plentiful fruit trees”

Area targeted for deep-sea mining supports “an abundant and diverse ecosystem” – more than half of the species collected there are new to science

“Pinky” the flamingo at Busch Gardens euthanized after a man grabbed her from an animal viewing area and threw her to the ground – “the bird suffered injuries so ‘traumatic’ that she could not be saved”

Early turtle fossil indicates protective shell was developed to facilitate burrowing underground

World-wide: Preventing the extinction of gorillas, rhinoceroses, elephants, lions, tigers, wolves, bears and the world’s other largest mammals “will require bold political action and financial commitment”