A giant and dangerous snail from Africa has turned up in a street in Fuzhou China. Ecologists haven’t a clue how the slow moving critter made its way to the Middle Kingdom but they are reckoning it took a very long time. The spotted snail consumes fruits and veggies in large amounts and can single-handedly destroy a local agricultural industry…well, maybe not.

The snail does, however, host a pathogenic bacteria and parasites that will cause those who eat fruits or veggies that the not so little fellow have touched, can become infected with tuberculosis and meningitis. Meaning, if he doesn’t eat your veggies, he’ll splatter it with infestation that’ll get you. It is suspected that he came over on an import shipment accidentally.

“All I wanna do is go back home,” he said, “And I hope they don’t make me walk.”

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We have heard of puppy love, but what about horse love. When animals aren’t being protected, well, they protect one another.  A Chinese dudess took a mare out and tied it to a tree with the intention of shooting it when suddenly the mare’s stallion threw off its halter, rushed the dudess and went after her with its hooves. The result - the woman required two hours of surgery and 40 stitches to his face.

Take that, you horse face!

The woman had brought the stallion out the evening before to graze and drink along the riverside. The horses apparently had been mates for several years and weren’t ready to give up the relationship just yet.

Chen, the woman, will think twice before she takes the mare out again, I think.

So, this begs the question - how much love, affection, or even in this case, attachment, can animals feel? Have you or anyone you known experienced anything like this?

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The humpback whale was nearly hunted into extinction. The high risk of extinction no longer exists  says an environmental group - The International Union for Conservation of Nature.

“Humpbacks and southern right whales are making a comeback in much of their range mainly because they have been protected from commercial hunting. This is a great conservation success and clearly shows what needs to be done to ensure these ocean giants survive.”

The giant population dropped to the 1,000s before it was finally banned from commercial hunting. There are now more than 60,000. But, don’t tell Japan, they’ll be sharpening their harpoons.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red Lists some 41,000 species and subspecies around the world.  The group is made up of more than 1000 government and non-government agencies. They also boast 11,000 volunteer scientists in more than 160 countries. They also seem to be making a difference. Good job, fellas and gals!

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I suppose that if all stray dogs had a home, I’d be more happy about the news I read where an American woman had her dog cloned in South Korea at the world’s first commercial canine cloning service. The American woman’s pit bull, named Booger, has five puppies cloned. Seoul’s National University cooperated in the reproduction.

“It’s a miracle!” shouted the woman.

“It’s a miracle that people would waste money on such matters,” shouted Bill.

The name of the cloning service is RNL Bio. The company brought frozen cells from dead Booger, nurtured them and launched the formal cloning work. The American woman said she was attached to Booger because he had saved her life when she was attacked by another dog. But, Booger didn’t save her from stupidity.  Booger, to his credit beat out a dog that was three times his size. His master suffered a loss of one hand and injured leg nerves…and a loss of connection to the brain from her wallet, IMHO.

Nobody had better tell the woman that her dog actually had 6 clones. The sixth is being raised up for dinner.

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At GP we love animals.  Especially when those PETA girls undo their things for better or for worse to help them out. Seriously, we do love the critters we share the planet with. Today…we love these cats who are fighting back.

In Japan, this one is called the Neko Punch. Neko is Japanese for cat. This little fellow made his rounds via Japanese cell phones. I don’t know what he is angry about or fighting for but I do know I am not messing with him. Perhaps he is standing up for a friend who was dressed in head gear and a dress to take part in a fashion show to raise money for an animal shelter.

The cat, Hale Bopp celebrated a birthday and is a resident of one of NYC’s most famous hotels - the Algonquin.

Okay, so the cat is having this thing done to her in the name of helping other animals. Does that sit alright with you? How much can humans do to animals and say “we are doing it for them?” Hale gets about 30 emails a month. None of them from me.

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 Qi Zhen When She Was Born

Anything born between 8/8/8 and the end of the Olympics in China will be dubbed “Olympic-whatever.” In fact, not a few parents scheduled to have their children on 8/8/8 come hell or high water.  Apparently Qi Zhen (Magic Treasure) couldn’t be fitted in on China’s most auspicious of days and had to wait till Sunday - 8/10. Still, her twin cubs are considered Olympic Pandas.  Huan Huan weighed in 98 grams and Bei Bei is still being protected by her mother.

Qi Zhen’s twin sister, Qi Yuan (Magic Luck) had twins earlier in the year. Giant Pandas are notoriously sexually inactive. That coupled with a shrinking habitat and the animals are among the world’s most endangered. There are only about 1,500 pandas living in the wild. There are 75 at the center in Chengdu Panda Breeding Research Center including these two newcomers.

I wonder…what if we just left them alone. What do you think would happen?

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The International Gorilla Conservation Program says that almost half of the world’s monkeys and apes are feeling the worsening threat of extinction. The causes are deforestation and hunting for meat. I don’t get this report. Now, I love the animals as much as the next person. My wife even thinks I am an ape at times, but that’s not relevant. How can half of a species face extinction? Shouldn’t be the whole species is or isn’t? Does the report mean to say that monkeys and apes are losing their homes? That the overall world population of the bunch is decreasing because of problems in certain areas?

Let’s protect our friends, not relatives mind you, our friends, but let’s also be accurate in our reports and not alarmists or exaggerating.

In any event, it’s humans who are at fault here…taking these critters trees and worse, serving them up for dinner. What do you think should be done?

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Thought to be the last of his kind, George, a giant tortoise from the Galapagos Islands may soon become a father. “It takes two to dance” and Lonesome George - in his 70s - worked really hard on his “girlfriend” for the last 36 years. Just a few days ago the Galapagos National Park announced that the female has laid three intact eggs that are being cared for in an artificial incubator.

“Even if these three eggs are fertile and the born tortoises survive it will take several (genetic) generations to think of having a Pinta purebred … even centuries,” the park said in a statement.

In four months we’ll see if George is going to be paps or not.

Considered by many scientists, the rarest creature on Earth and a symbol of conservation, the Pinta island tortoise, showed little interest in reproducing during 36 years in captivity. He did it afterall. Great job George! You can do it (again?)!

Bill, any tips to George?

Some elementary school students in Japan observed some 19 sea turtles from the time they hatched until they were about 10 months old. After that, they attached tags to their rear flippers and set them free. Swim Tommy, swim! And, so the turtles swam and otherwise enjoyed life for about two years.

At that time, some evil fishermen who apparently didn’t mind catching turtles also cast their nets into the sea. And, don’t you know?, Tommy caught got in the nets. Glory be to Neptune there was at least one fisherman who had a heart and could read, too. He found the identification tag attached to the flipper. He learned that turtle had been set free from an island 1000 km (621 miles) away.

The turtle was returned to an aquarium to recover his strength after which he will be released again. Swim, Tommy, swim! The story is indeed curious except for the part that it was people who got involved in the first place that made this creature’s life miserable, no?

How much should people be involved in understanding our neighbors?

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Looks like fun, smells like fun, may be fun, but not if you are the beluga who must dance, lift, and stick its nose in places where other people put them only if they want to climb a corporate ladder somewhere.

At the Hakkeijima Sea Paradise performers are photographed sitting atop a couple of belugas. Indeed it does look like a good show, and I don’t doubt that the animals are well cared for. But, what about this animals having to work for food?

Yeah, humans do that, too. Celebrities do it. Musicians do it. The girls atop the creatures are working and performing for their food as well. I am not for abusing animals, but here’s a case where it seems like it could be fun for them, the animals that is. I mean, who doesn’t like some adulation?

Do you think it’s okay to use animals in shows as long as they are cared for?

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