AJ: Welcome back! I’m here in South Carolina where the sea turtle nesting season just wrapped up. According to this article by Inverse, researchers in Costa Rica have placed fake sea turtle eggs with GPS trackers in nests to fight back poaching issues. With this ingenious plan, the researchers found that majority of the fake eggs, presumably along with the rest of the sea turtle nest, were taken to local areas. These findings help show where anti-poaching and conservation efforts should be focused. Thank you to Kristin Lamoureaux for sharing this article with us.
Jenna: Sea turtle conservation sure does make my heart happy, but this next story might be my favorite ever. The Good News Network shared a study that found that dogs’ heart rates jumped over 40% when their owners simply said “I love you.” Just the sight of their owner increases their heart rate by about 10%. Additionally, the research found that cuddling relaxed dogs and lowered their heart rates. While this study is admittedly very preliminary, I would like to believe it wholeheartedly and will always tell my dog how much I love him.
AJ: To be fair, I think dog cuddles have the same relaxing effect on me. This BBC News article reported that more Black Americans are turning to veganism. Socioeconomic factors and injustices lead to more health problems for the Black community. A vegan diet has been recognized as a way to help battle and prevent those health problems. The article mentions two Black men making positive impacts related to veganism in Black communities. Louis Hunter owns Trio Plant-Based, the first black-owned vegan restaurant in Minnesota. Omowale Adewale created Black VegFest to bring Black representation to the vegan community.
Jenna: You can support a Black-owned vegan business by ordering from Maya’s Cookies, which was highlighted in this VegNews article. Let me tell you, these cookies look absolutely amazing. Better yet, Maya’s Cookies now offers a subscription service where you can have vegan cookies sent to your doorstep monthly. Yum!
AJ: If you are inspired by Maya’s Cookies and have your own vegan recipe, please check out Fanimal’s first ever kid’s vegan recipe contest. There are only about two weeks left, and Fanimal has some awesome, kid-friendly prizes for the winners. Make sure to check out the details before entering. While you’re at it, in case you missed it, check out the International Vegan Film Festival Awards Ceremony here. Fanimal was a proud sponsor of the event!
Jenna: Send animal news to hello@fanimal.co to see your article featured on Creature Feature News! See you next time.
Animal news:
Why black Americans are more likely to be vegan from BBC
The era of greyhound racing in the U.S. is coming to an end from National Geographic
Inspired by ‘The Wire,’ decoy eggs are saving an iconic animal from extinction from Inverse
Dara Homer: If we want to prevent the next pandemic, we need to change the meat we eat from Tulsa World
‘Tiger King’ zoo owner loses license, plots new animal venture from National Geographic
Only two northern white rhinos remain, and they’re both female – here’s how we could make more from Live Science
On a Philippine island, Indigenous women get their say on marine conservation from Mongabay
More Alike Than Different from Faunalytics
Why Vegan Cashmere Is Better for the Planet from LiveKindly
New Study Reveals a Dog’s Heart Rate Increases When Their Owner Simply Says ‘I Love You’ from Good News Network
No Grumpy Old Men in the Chimp World from The New York Times
Black-Owned Brand Maya’s Cookies Launches Vegan Cookie Subscription Club from VegNews
Three Cute Baby Raccoons Are Saved — By A Dog! from The Dodo
Animal “construction workers” rebuild natural landscapes more efficiently than humans ever can from Massive Science
Thank you to Kristin Lamoureux and John Delctone for sending in articles!
Photo credit to Jamie Street from Unsplash
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