Seals Sunfish Barnacles and Animal Welfare Victories

Jenna: Hi Creature Feature fans! We start off this week with some great news for dog lovers! New York has passed the New York Puppy Mill Pipeline Bill to prevent dogs, cats, and rabbits from being sold in the state’s pet stores. The ASPCA has reported that this bill will impede upon the supply chain involving unethical puppy mills, where dogs are bred inhumanely for profit. A great friend of Fanimal, John Delconte, has sent in an organization’s website that can serve as a great resource for this topic, the New York State Animal Protection Federation. The NYSAPF works to promote animal welfare in New York and supports the state’s animal shelters. In addition, according to this LiveKindly article, the city council of San Fulgencio in Valencia has passed new no-kill policies for stray animals. Along with these policies, adoption and veterinary efforts will be improved for these stray animals.

AJ: That’s awesome! And, here’s more encouraging news for the animal welfare movement. In recent years, there have been many victories against animal testing, including the recent fight against Taiwan’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA). According to this article by PETA, Taiwan’s FDA has written regulations with halts to fatigue drowning tests and electric shock tests on mice and rats in response to PETA’s influence and critique of the practice. This is a historic win, but the battle is not completely over as Taiwan can still edit the animal testing regulations to be more lenient before the regulations are actually published.

Jenna: Now, on to some ocean animal news. A new discovery shows that mussels, barnacles, and anemones are using oil rigs in the North Sea to spread their offspring. This BBC article explains how creative creatures fixed onto the legs and pylons of the rigs release their larva, traveling from one rig to another. These species are using the rigs as stepping stones to new areas in search of the best possible environment to thrive. This discovery was made during a research effort to find the environmental impact for a possible decommissioning of oil rigs, or installation of wind farms. Animals will always find creative ways to make the best of their situation.

AJ: Staying with the maritime theme, let’s talk about seals! Everyone loves seals, but it is important to remain a safe distance for many reasons – one being that they are a favorite snack for sharks. According to ABC News, as the seal population in New England rises due to increased protection, more and more sharks are venturing into the area. Sharks are not out to hunt humans, but because it is best to steer clear, many state parks and public beaches have halted swimming near areas known to have a large seal presence. Following the law and New England’s safety directions is a safe way to coexist with the wildlife to reduce human and shark interaction.

Jenna: We’ll end this week’s edition with one of my favorite fishes, the sunfish. See this Live Science piece to learn about tiny baby sunfish larvae and new DNA research. Like their name implies, they are shaped like a small, cute sunshine. While the larvae are very small, adult sunfish can grow to more than 4,000 pounds and are one of the most interesting looking fishes you will ever see. Until next week, Fanimal friends!

Animals in the news:

Bear Wanders Into Woman’s Yard And Claims Her Kiddie Pool As His Own from The Dodo

Breaking News: NY Senate Passes Bill to End Retail Pet Sales from ASPCA

Breaking News: First U.S. Dog To Test Positive For COVID-19 Dies from National Geographic

A flautist serenaded two Bach-loving dolphins, and it went swimmingly from Classic FM

Nearly Half of Major Food Companies Now Have Dedicated Plant-Based Teams from VegNews

This Spanish Town Just Passed One of the Strictest No-Kill Policies for Stray Animals from LiveKindly

Adorable, bug-size sunfish babies grow up to be giant ‘swimming heads’ from Live Science

Demand for cheetahs as pets is leading to their extinction from NBC News

H Rigs may act as ‘stepping stones’ for non-native species from BBC

Other mammals lose out during panda conservation drive from BBC

‘Why I spent my life saving the Blakiston’s fish owl’ from The Guardian