Polkas with Pugs

Hi! I'm Birdie Puggins, and I'm your host for Polkas with Pugs, a puggerific blog for you critter lovers out there! I'll be sniffin' the 'Net for news, stories and pics about the furred, feathered, flippered, finned and otherwise critterly folk with whom you hoomans share this wonderful planet we call Earth.

(Deep, dramatic announcer's voice) In a world filled with confusion, violence, corrupt politicians, shallow sit-coms and vacuous "reality" TV, one pug stands alone ... one pug dares to raise her paw against the tide of international strife, government's betrayal of the people, and an apathetic nation's obsession with media personalities, and say, "Look! Isn't this critter cute!" One Pug to rule them all! One Pug to find them! (Erm ... sorry -- wrong gig.) That pug is Birdie. Birdie Puggins.

Um ... thank you.

Confused sea turtles march into restaurant
Reuters

ROME (Reuters) - About 60 newly hatched sea turtles lost their way during their ritual passage to the sea and marched into an Italian restaurant instead, a conservation worker said on Monday.

The baby turtles -- which ended up under the tables of startled diners at the beachside restaurant -- were probably thrown off track and lured by the eatery's bright lights, said Antonio Colucci, who was called to help rescue the group.

"They saw the artificial lights and took the wrong route," said Colucci, who works on a turtle monitoring project for the conservation group WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature).

"The diners were at first quite curious and then someone alerted the coastal authorities."

The stranded turtles, which had hatched on a beach in the southern Italian region of Calabria, were released into the sea.

Mommy heard this happened also in North Carolina recently, and the restaurant diners helped the turtles find the sea wif flashlight beams. Poor baby turtles -- those restaurant lights look like the moon and stars to them! (And they're hoping for a quick fish fillet sandwich to go.)

A night out with tag team hedgehog
BBC News

If you met Anouschka Hof by chance one moon-bright summer night, you might assume she was a TV licence detector gone feral, as she strides around the villages of north Norfolk brandishing a two-metre-long metal antenna.



But the prey for this particular hunt are much more homely; Anouschka is looking for hedgehogs.

"I work during the night, I sleep during the day - I become a hedgehog," she tells me.

The ambition is to find out where they go and how they live, trying to comprehend the factors that may lie behind their recent decline, and whether the modifications we are making to the landscape could stimulate a recovery.

The antenna is listening for signals sent out by tiny transmitters which the researchers have stuck on the animals' backs.

As we arrive, so does research assistant Reda Garmute, carrying an untagged hedgehog she has found along the edge of a neighbouring field.

Here, the full glamour of cutting-edge science reveals itself as Anouschka prepares to fit it with a fresh transmitter, using scissors and a tube of high-strength glue.

As the animal nestles quietly in her lap, she trims the spines on a patch of its back, leaving stumps on which the glue will find some purchase.

Fifteen minutes later, the tag is fixed, and we return her - by now we know it is a female - back to the same place in the same field.

One more hedgehog is now added to the group that Reda and Anouschka will follow through the length of the Norfolk summer.

What would motivate someone to spend the best three months of the British year leading this unusual existence, secluded and nocturnal?

For Dr Hof, it is a combination of the research itself, and the need for it.

"I think it's important, because hedgehogs are in decline at the moment and it's nice to do something to find out what the reason is behind this decline.

"We still don't really know what's good for them," says Anouschka.

"We think a lot, but we don't really know."

The fieldwork has now finished. When the data is analysed, we should know a little bit more about the prospects for this most fascinating of mammals.

It would be a terrible shame if these cute little guys disappeared forever, wouldn't it? And they do so much good, eatin' slugs and bugs that attack gardens and roses. I guess the slugs don't like them much, but slugs aren't endangered, by a long shot.

I'm glad these hoomans are givin' up their sleep in order to look out for these prickly characters. If somebody doesn't care enough to do something, it'll be too late...

King penguin receives Norwegian knighthood
AP Press

Three generations of 'Nils Olav' have been honorary members of elite guard

LONDON - Nils Olav already has medals for good conduct and long service. He made honorary colonel-in-chief of the elite Norwegian King's Guard in 2005. And on Friday he was knighted.

Not bad for a 3-foot tall penguin — actually, three of them.

A resident of Edinburgh Zoo in Scotland, the original Nils Olav was made an honorary member of the King's Guard in 1972 after being picked out as the guard's mascot by lieutenant Nils Egelien. The guards adopted him because they often toured the zoo during their visits to the Edinburgh Military Tattoo, an annual military music festival, according to zoo spokeswoman Maxine Finlay.

The current Nils Olav, the third penguin to serve as the guards' mascot, was promoted from honorable regimental sergeant major to honorary colonel-in-chief in 2005, Finlay said.

The knighthood ceremony began Friday morning with speeches and a fanfare before Nils arrived, under escort with the King's Guard Color Detachment. Nils then reviewed the troops lined up outside the penguin enclosure at the zoo, waddling down the row of uniformed soldiers, occasionally stopping to crane his neck and peer inquisitively at their crisp uniforms before being guided forward by his handler.

Nils was then knighted by British Maj. Gen. Euan Loudon on behalf of Norway's King Harald V. Loudon dropped the king's sword on both sides of Nils' black-and-white frame, and the penguin's colonel-in-chief badge, tied to his flipper, was swapped for one symbolizing his knighthood.

"He'll be a "sir" now," Finlay said.

Ya know, Mick Jagger moped over Paul McCartney's knighthood until he managed to finagle one for himself -- and now, if Sir Nils Olaf ever makes a diplomatic visit from Norway, he and Sir Mick will be havin' tea at the same table. (snicker)

Pass the pickled herring, Sir Mick.

$142 Collection Bill Sent To Couple's Dog
KRCA.com, Sacramento, CA

More than 70,000 consumers complained about third-party debt collectors in 2007, but one Sacramento couple said they have good reason to bark about the bill they received.

Steve Fanelli received a bill from AFNI collections claiming an Andy Fanelli owes Verizon Online $142.34.

And although Steve Fanelli does indeed live with an Andy Fanelli, there is a small, furry problem with the bill.

Andy Fanelli is Steve Fanelli's dog.

So? What's the problem wif this? I'm been known to pant to Dwamma over the phone on occasion...

"The point is that Andy has never had a Verizon account. We were just curious why this showed up," Steve Fanelli said.

After some "dogged" detective work by Call 3 Problem Solvers, Verizon said the debt is owed by a guy on the East Coast named Andy Fanelli.

"Just because there's an Andy Fanelli back east doesn't mean you send a letter to an Andy Fanelli in California," dog owner Shawn Donovan said. "There has to be something else to connect it."

Oh!! Tryin' to oppress us Canine Americans, eh? Think we can't hire lawyers? Think again! I'll have Kerry Mason on the phone so fast, it'll make yer fleas stand on end!! Kerry? Yeah -- he's a Kerry Blue Terrier... big lawyer in Noo Yawk...

Verizon cancelled Andy's bill, and sent it to the "right" Andy Fanelli. They got Andy the Dog's name off the system because he has his own credit card. His hooman sometimes uses it to take his girlfriend out to dinner -- I wonder why it isn't being used to take Andy out to dinner? Still, it goes to show that debt collectors are gettin' ridiculous. They not only go after the wrong people -- they also go after people who've already settled their debts, or never had them to begin with. And they don't listen to reason.

I wouldn't be surprised to hear that Andy the Dog finds that AFNI Collections is still sniffin' around his door, even though Verizon straightened out the identity issue. Unlike sensible dogs, who know what smells right and what smells wrong, collections agencies have no scents at all -- they just stink.

Mud phobia pig gets its own boots
BBC News

A piglet scared of wallowing in mud has overcome its fears with the help of some Wellington boots.

Six-week-old Cinders appears to suffer from mysophobia, a fear of dirt, after refusing to join her siblings as they splashed around in the mud.

Owner Andrew Keeble from Thirsk, North Yorks, said his daughter Ellie, 12, suggested kitting her out in the tiny footwear which had been on a key ring.

"Lo and behold they fitted her like a glove," Mr Keeble said.

And stylish, too! I wonder if they come in pink, to match her nose?

"She's scared of mud, but her brothers and sisters are quite happy in it.

"We've never come across this before. They are born ready to go and explore, but she never really liked going in the mud."

Well, perhaps she was the first piglet to really take a good look around, and take stock of what they were running around in.

I'd demand shoes, too!

Farmer Keeble says that the extra attention paid to Cinders has endeared her to the fambly, and she will never be slaughtered (heaven forbid!), but instead will remain as a mascot for their fundraiser for the Farm Crisis Network, an organization which supports struggling farmers.

So, Cinders not only has prosh footwear, she has a great job, too -- as spokespig for an important charity! Not a bad outcome for a piglet with a most unusual phobia.

Now, if they could just do something for housepets' vacuum cleaner phobia...

Well ... she a girl bunny, but still...

The cat doesn't even wake up all the way, which shows that he's used to such treatment.

Rabbits -- our timid little creatures of the woodlands -- HAH!

We got one in our house, and he's cut from the same cloth. Herds the cats, rushes the dogs, shows no respect for anybody.

Here's a picture of the little thug:

Look at how he's musclin' in on Mommy -- gettin' all in her personal space. That's her green shirt in the foreground.

His name's Mal -- short for "malcontent." What's that, Mommy? "Mal" is short for "Malcolm"? Well, imagine that...

Jealous? Me? Of a rabbit? That'll be the day...

(Better watch yer back, Thumper ... be a shame if somethin' happened to yer carrot supply, now, wouldn't it? I like baby carrots too, ya know...)

European Union warns France to protect its threatened hamster population or face legal action
APWireservice

France must do more to protect its wild hamsters or face legal action that could lead to millions of euros (dollars) in fines, the EU executive warned Thursday.

The great hamster of Alsace which lives in parts of eastern France is one of Europe's most threatened mammals, the European Commission said.

"Great" hamster? I'll say! These guys look like prairie dogs that swallowed soccer balls for breakfast!

"When a European mammal like the great hamster approaches extinction, nature is sending a message," EU Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas said.

Um, actually, the "message" is probably more like, "Stop eating like Jabba the Hutt, and maybe you can fit into your burrows again."

The hamster's natural habitat has been eroded by urban sprawl and farming in the Alsace region, where the number of hamster burrows has fallen from more than 1,100 in 2001 to just 161 in 2007, the EU said.

Wow -- that's a major drop in condominiums!

I'll admit these guys look like Raymond Burr in his later years, but that doesn't mean they make bad neighbors, Rear Window aside. Can't the French and these distinguished rodents find a compromise, where hamsters can still be "great" and plentiful, and hoomans plan their housing developments and vineyards a little farther from Hamsterville?

A Pug can only hope... the hamsters will dance yet again...

Meerkat Takes Up New Hobby -- Photography
BBCNews

A warden had quite a surprise when he retrieved his camera from the meerkat enclosure at Longleat Safari Park, in Wiltshire, UK. Three extra photos turned up on the camera, which could only have been taken by one of the famously inquisitive animals. Not a bad composition on this one...

Hey! I've seen a lot worse in so-called "art" shows. If ourangutans and elephants can paint masterpieces, then I say give the meerkat a camera, and hold a gallery show for him/her.

MOM!! Have you heard back for the Metropolitan Museum of Art on those watercolors we mailed to them? The ones I did wif my tail??

Decline at biggest UK puffin site
BBC News

The Isle of May, in the Firth of Forth, is home to the UK's largest single puffin colony, although more birds overall nest in the St Kilda archipelago.

Hey -- they can't even decide if it's the Fifth or the Fourth, and they want me to take their word on how many puffins are spendin' their summer vacation there?

Mike Harris, from the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, has been monitoring and studying the Isle of May population since the 1970s, labelling individual birds with rings to follow their progress.

After decades of spectacular growth, he now believes the colony is in decline.

Numbers are down to about 41,000 breeding pairs this year from almost 70,000 pairs in 2003.

Ouch! -- if Miami Beach lost this many tourists, the Florida Tourism Board would be havin' a hissy fit. Bikini sales would be in the toilet! Who are they gonna find to buy their cheap sunglasses and Burmuda shorts??

The suspicion is that climate change is altering the distribution of plankton across the North Sea.

This disrupts the entire food web, including predators such as puffin.

"This fits in with other evidence that North Sea birds have been desperately short of food over several seasons," said the RSPB's Grahame Madge.

"But these have been birds such as the Arctic tern and kittiwake which only feed in the top part of the sea.

"This is probably the best adapted seabird that the UK has; they're deep divers, they're specialists in going down deep into the water column to find fish, so it's troubling to find that they're encountering a shortage of food."

Ahhh... that's the problem!! No hot dogs at the hot dog stands!

Sigh-- Hoomans again. Maybe you guys should stay home from Miami Beach this year, and put this pollution/carbon emissions/global warming thing on the front burner for a change, and see if you can start to correct some of this damage to the planet, hmm? Otherwise, it won't just be puffins and polar bears who aren't showin' up for their summer vacations.

Mom? It's awful hot outside, again. Too hot to go for a walk...

'Praying' Dog at Japanese Temple
BBCNews.co.uk

Attendance at a Buddhist temple in Japan has increased since the temple's pet, a two-year-old dog, has joined in the daily prayers.

Conan, a Chihuahua, sits on his hind legs, raises his paws and puts them together at the tip of his nose.

"He may be showing his thanks for treats and walks," says a priest at Jigenin temple on Okinawa island.

Hmmm ... maybe Mommy should be taking me to church on Sundays ... I could give thanks for that chunk of roast Daddy snuck to me from last night's dinner ...

Mr Yoshikuni said it only took Conan a few days to imitate the motions of praying.

"I think he saw me doing it all the time and got the idea to do it too," he said.

Well, maybe Conan figured that's how Mr Yoshikuni got to be such a great hunter -- bringing home all the food for the household. If it works for the head guy, maybe Conan can get a little help in the hunting department from Up Above, too.... Every dog wants a little more food on the table!

Jigenin temple now gets 30% more visitors than it did before Conan joined in the prayers, Mr Yoshikuni said.

Hey -- dogs add a touch of class to any establishment. And if a dog is consulting with the Higher Power, maybe you should try it yourself. For gratitude, or maybe some meditation. Repeat after me: "Milk Bo-o-o-o-n-n-n-n-n-n-n-e......."

NZ dolphin rescues beached whales
BBCNews.com

A dolphin has come to the rescue of two whales which had become stranded on a beach in New Zealand.

Conservation officer Malcolm Smith told the BBC that he and a group of other people had tried in vain for an hour and a half to get the whales to sea.

The pygmy sperm whales had repeatedly beached, and both they and the humans were tired and set to give up, he said.

But then the dolphin appeared, communicated with the whales, and led them to safety.

Wow! Just like Flipper!

Mr Smith said he felt fortunate to have witnessed the extraordinary event, and was delighted for the whales, as in the past he has had to put down animals which have become beached.

The dolphin's name is Moko, and hangs around this beach, playin' wif the hooman swimmers. Good thing she was there, and knew how to speak whale!

I wonder if I have to be multilingual, to be a therapy dog...

Rare Pygmy Hippos Caught on Film
BBCNews.com

Two civil wars, illegal logging and poaching - it was thought this was more than enough to wipe out Liberia's population of pygmy hippos.

But this rare and endangered species has survived against the odds and there are photographs to prove it.

A team led by the Zoological Society of London travelled to the West African country.

It was delighted to discover that, despite their fears, the hippo population had not been wiped out.

Just three days after setting up hidden cameras in the Liberian forest, the team of zoologists were amazed to capture the pygmy hippos on film.

Pygmy hippos - which look like miniature versions of the common hippopotamus - are one of the most secretive species of mammal on earth, and are rarely seen in the wild.

Less than 3,000 of them remain in their natural habitat, the Upper Guinean forest which covers parts of Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea.

As only 10% of the original forest is left, the pygmy hippos live in a shrinking world.

Mini hippos! Who woulda thought! No wonder these little guys have been hiding -- apparently, the hoomans think they are "good eatin'"! Now I've heard rumors that Pugs have ended up on a dinner plate or two in certain southeast Asian countries, so I really feel for these hippos, who don't have the heft of their giant cousins to keep the predators at bay.

Between the poachers and the loggers, the pygmy hippo has every reason to be as secretive as possible. I bet they have secret handshakes, their own sign language, and initiation rites for hippos joining from across the jungle. And now, some zoologists have filmed some of their private rituals.

Sigh. That's just great. Now they'll have to send a ninja hippo to steal back the films -- or, they'll have to come up wif a whole new set of secret handshakes. Thanks, a lot, nosy zoologists!

Lotta help you are. Next time, bring the hippos some decoder rings, or something helpful.

Sea reptile is biggest on record
BBCNews.com

A fossilised "sea monster" unearthed on an Arctic island is the largest marine reptile known to science, Norwegian scientists have announced.

The 150 million-year-old specimen was found on Spitspergen, in the Arctic island chain of Svalbard, in 2006.

The Jurassic-era leviathan is one of 40 sea reptiles from a fossil "treasure trove" uncovered on the island.

Nicknamed "The Monster", the immense creature would have measured 15m (50ft) from nose to tail.

The expedition's director Dr Jorn Hurum, from the University of Oslo Natural History Museum, said the Svalbard specimen is 20% larger than the previous biggest marine reptile - another massive pliosaur from Australia called Kronosaurus.

"We have carried out a search of the literature, so we now know that we have the biggest [pliosaur]. It's not just arm-waving anymore," Dr Hurum told the BBC News website.

"The flipper is 3m long with very few parts missing. On Monday, we assembled all the bones in our basement and we amazed ourselves - we had never seen it together before."

Pliosaurs were a short-necked form of plesiosaur, a group of extinct reptiles that lived in the world's oceans during the age of the dinosaurs.

So, they found a short-necked Nessie that looks like a fat, flipper-finned crocodile, that happened to be 50 feet long.

My freakin' house isn't fifty feet long.

You know, I keep waiting for them to find the fossilized remains of the prehistoric Pugs -- if crocodiles were fifty feet long, Pugs must've been at least -- I don't know, eight feet long? Six feet tall on their four feet? Curly tails with a doughnut diameter of 15 inches?

Think of the terror a pack of those goobers would cause! Six foot tall Pugs, howling to the prehistoric moon! I'm all shivery, just thinkin' about it! Hmmm... (ahem) ... ooooooOOOOOOOOOOoooooo.....

Nothing, Mom! Just a little howl, nothing serious... no, I don't have a stomachache! Geez...