A Brief History On January 6, 2017, the infamous Killer Whale (also known as Orca), named Tilikum, the subject of the expose Blackfish that first aired in 2013 on CNN detailing the keeping and displaying of Killer Whales (Orcas) by Sea World, died of natural causes at the age of 35. Due mostly to pressure created by the CNN documentary, SeaWorld had announced an end to their showing of Orcas and their Orca breeding program in 2016. Digging Deeper The whipping boy of the Blackfish documentary, SeaWorld, was first opened in San Diego in 1964. Its success created a push…
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A Brief History On December 2, 2017, we celebrate National Mutt Day, that day when we acknowledge the union of pure-bred and non-pure-bred dogs that produce the most common type of canine of all, the humble but wonderful “mutt.” We are not talking about “designer” breed mixes here, either! No “labradoodles” or “puggles” need apply. In fact, we are not even talking about dogs at all!!! We are discussing the marriage of royalty and commoners, especially in light of the recent engagement of Britain’s Prince Harry to American divorcee and actress Meghan Markle. Digging Deeper Prince Harry is the son…
A Brief History On July 31, 2017, when you visit your local animal shelter, you will find that 80% of the dogs there are mixed breeds, or “Mutts,” and around 53% of all American dogs are mutts. As the single most prevalent “breed” of dog, there must be something these mongrels that make them so popular. Digging Deeper Dogs are all of the same species, Canis familiaris, and all are descendants of the Wolf, Canis lupus. Dogs came about when humans began raising wolf cubs and selectively breeding only those that were most compatible with people. Even before humans got…
A Brief History On November 29, 1961, the US space agency, NASA, launched Mercury-Atlas 5, the first mission to send an American into orbit around the Earth in space. Russian Yuri Gagarin had already orbited the Earth, and 2 American astronauts had made sub-orbital space flights, but the time was right for the US to make the big step into orbital flight. Digging Deeper The specially trained “astronaut” chosen for this historic flight was Enos, a chimpanzee that had been bought by NASA from the Miami Rare Bird Farm in 1960. Enos had been subjected to over 1250 hours of…
A Brief History On June 26, 1959, the St. Lawrence Seaway opened for traffic. (See our other article today.) The seaway opened the Great Lakes to ocean going freighters enhancing the economy of the region and transportation efficiency for the US and Canada. Unfortunately, it also brought invasive species. Sometimes invasive species are brought to a new land or water on purpose, other times by accident. Often times, the introduction of a non-native species has unwanted consequences for their new home and neighbors, be they plant or animal. Here we list 10 of the most irritating (to us; it is a…
