Pangolins Tigers Grasshoppers Bees Belugas Reindeer Elephants and Vegan Chefs

Hurst: Whale, whale, whale, this is bittersweet Carol. After nearly two years it is our last edition of Creature Feature together!

Carol: It’s a bit hawkward, not knowing how to say goodbye. But so many bad puns later, it is time to pass the torch.

Hurst: I just hope these puns aren’t giraffing our readers crazy. But I’m excited to know that we will be leaving Creature Feature in the c-ape-able hands of Hannah and Jenna. Any favorite stories from this week? I really enjoyed the piece on the rewilding of the dwarf cow, they are quite cute. But the story about the city of Utrecht planting grass and wildflowers on the roofs of its bus stations was really clever. I hope we can begin to do more of that in the U.S.

Carol: Well, the story about humans’ insatiable desire for leather really got to me. As much as I like to spread the word about pangolin trafficking for their meat and scales, I had no idea that they were also killed for their skins to make leather. The National Geographic article noted “Before 2000, the United States was a major importer of pangolin skins, which were used to make exotic leather cowboy boots, belts, and wallets. Since 2017, all eight pangolin species have been banned from international trade. As pangolins disappeared, the study authors note, U.S. importers began replacing pangolin leather with leather from arapaima, a threatened Amazonian fish that can grow more than nine feet long.” We have heard a lot in the news about eating vegan lately, but we should begin thinking about vegan clothing as well.

Hurst: Good point. Our impact extends beyond food…

Carol: On the lighter side, I included the story about the dog that ate the sofa… or sofas to be more accurate. Not exactly what I would choose to have for dinner, but high in fiber I’m sure. Let minnow if you ever want to come back as a guest, Hurst; you are always welcome at Fanimal! Time for you to get otter here!

Cowboy boots sold in the U.S. fueled the decline of pangolins from National Geographic

What happens when shelter dogs listen to classical music from Aletiea

Meet the 11-Year Old Vegan Chef Who is the CEO of His Own Plant-Based Restaurant from Black Business

Thanks to climate change, parts of the Arctic are on fire. Scientists are concerned from USA Today

A Dutch city is turning bus shelters into bee sanctuaries from PRI

A colony of feral parakeets has invaded London from PRI

Belugas’ Downward Spiral from Hakai Magazine

New York State Bans Cat Declawing from NYT

Couple find pet dogs destroyed their FIFTH sofa in as many years from Daily Mail

The ambitious plan to recover and rewild the feisty, dwarf cow from Mongabay

More Than 200 Reindeer Found Dead in Norway, Starved by Climate Change from Live Science

Elephant extinction will raise carbon dioxide levels in atmosphere from Science Daily