The sun is out, the weather is mild, the birds have returned, trees & bushes are budding, and Daylight Savings Time has kicked in.

Everyone seems to have a “spring” in their step, shedding their coats & huge sweaters to dawn some t-shirts, tank tops and some have even ventured to get out their shorts!

What’s most beautiful is the return of the wild animals we have, or at least being able to see them. The bunnies are our during the night & dawn, new birds are chirping, and the Canadian geese are returning to their abodes to enjoy the mild Spring & Canadian summer.

Even a few insects are coming out, noticing fruit flies, some common flies too. I have yet to see any bees, butterflies or moths though. Soon enough!

***

I hope you enjoyed this Canadian Animals post on Exotic Animal Lover. Until next time…

Live Exotically!ХудожникОткъде да купя икона

Spring has Sprung in Southern Ontario is a post from: Exotic Animal Lover

A few months ago, I was coming home on a country road that leads to the suburbs in Niagara Falls.

It was about 3:00am, pretty cold, and what do I see? A mountain lion (also called cougars or pumas) that had just crossed the road in front of me.

It was on the left side of the road on the shoulder going into the brush. I happened to be on the phone with a friend and told them what was going on.

The big cat just looked over it’s shoulder at me as I drove past it slowly.

It was definitely a surreal moment in my life, as I had never seen one of these majestic animals in the wild before.

Well, not many people believed me that I saw a puma running around right near our suburbs about 5 blocks away. This is because it’s certainly a rare occurrence to see a cougar in our area, although these creatures were indigenous in our area prior to the urban sprawl.

A lack of food, and a growing coyote population probably pushed them out even further into the shadows.

I say all of this to tell you what I saw this morning. Large cat footprints in the slushy snow along our home’s walkway and our front porch.

The size of the prints is large, and it’s certainly not a dog-type of footprint, such as those of a coyote, which have been pushed further into the burbs to survive off small pets, animals and anything they are able to scavenge. In fact, they are a commonality of everyday life in a town close to here called Niagara-on-the-Lake.

These prints were large, and the spread between the legs goes to show how large a cat this really was.

This is rather frightening to me since we have so many trees and darker corners on our lot and the homes around us. Not only that, I have small dogs that go outside for a pee at night. Keep your wits about you out there…

This should be a reality check for those of us all over the world, that not only have we pushed these large predators into endangerment, but now we are frightened when they encroach on our paths. I wonder how they feel…

***

I hope you enjoyed this Big Cat post on Exotic Animal Lover. Until next time…

Live Exotically!

художник на икониИкони на светци

Cougar in Niagara Falls, Canada is a post from: Exotic Animal Lover

Today is January 12th, 2012. I live in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada, and was thinking about how mild and more pleasant our weather is than usual in Januaries of the past.

Yes, it is only a few degrees above freezing, and many of you scoff at that idea because it’s unthinkable to you being from more Southern states or tropical countries, but a few degrees above freezing is mild for this time of year.

I was reminiscing with my mother today about how much snow we used to have when I was a child, especially on Christmas vacation. There were truckloads of snow, so much so that we would make igloos in the backyard, many of the kids in the neighborhood had skating rinks maintained by their devoted parents, and we would make snow angels and snow forts for hours.

It seems snowball fights are a thing of the past and have been in more recent years.

Not that I am complaining about the mild weather for my comfort, and not having to shovel it for hours and hours, only to have it filled in by the time your complete to the end of the driveway. However, I do understand completely why it’s so difficult for polar animals to survive when our planet is warming.

Polar bears are unable to get out onto the ice sheets to hunt over winter months, which is much needed for their survival and their cubs’ survival. All too often, the ice isn’t thick enough for them to travel the kilometers out to sea to acquire their staple food, seals. As well, the ice sheets break or dissolve, leaving them stranded at sea with or without their cubs.

It’s a dire state of things on our planet, and this is just a tiny slice of what’s really going on in response to global warming.

What on earth can we do? What on earth will we do about it?

What are your thoughts?

***

I hope you enjoyed this post on the Environment on Exotic Animal Lover! Until next time…

Live Exotically!

A Personal Look at Global Warming in Ontario, Canada is a post from: Exotic Animal Lover

These huge fish and greatest predators of the ocean must be respected.

Even when researching or viewing these huge creatures in cages underwater, as you will see this video below, can still be a dangerous situation.

However, many of them are misunderstood, as you will learn this week. In fact, in the clip above, you will notice, the shark was simply trying to break free from getting trapped atop the shark cage.

Being curious animals, it doesn’t surprise that this 18 foot great white shark wanted to check out the buoys…that’s just animal nature. As well, it was lured in by the whale carcass trailing the boat.

Be sure to tune into Discovery to learn so much about sharks you never knew before. With knowledge comes understanding & respect.

Have some fun with Shark Week – you can even shark yourself by using one of your photos and modifying it. Here’s mine!

Questions:

• What’s your take on sharks?
• Do you have a love or hate relationship with them?
• Do you have a shark story to share?

Please leave comments below.

photo:guardian.co.ukПравославни иконииконииконописikoniсвети георгиikoni

It’s Shark Week on Discovery is a post from: Exotic Animal Lover

USA (EXOTIC ANIMAL NEWS) – Sad news comes to the animal lovers out there, who are concerned about the world’s populations of endangered animals.

66 wolves were initially re-introduced to the Northern Rocky Mountains from Canada back in the middle of the 1990s. Today, there are approximately 1650 in the population.

The issue is that the White House is ready to accept a budgetary bill including an unprecedented lifting of the Endangered Species Act protections for gray wolves in five US Western states, which has been a law in effect for 37 years, and it being the 1st time Congress has approached a species that’s protected as a target.

These lawmakers are trying to justify this provision in the budget because they’re calling it an intervention to a wildlife problem they are painting to seem as out of control. Apparently, wolf attacks are on an increase on livestock and big game herds in these states, and ranchers & sportsmen are complaining, full of resentment.

Any endangered species acts are typically unpopular entities when it comes to conservatives who feel their existence hinders economic development.

The frightening portion of this story is the future ramifications by setting a precedent for even the most endangered and vulnerable species of animals, fish and plants as negotiation chips when it comes to receiving political pressure.

Unfortunately, states such as Montana and Idaho are reeling and ready with planned public hunts in the works to eradicate these “pests,” who just so happen to be quite endangered and one of the most majestic animals of North America.

Patrick Parenteau, a professor of environmental law from the Vermont Law School, claims:

“The president could have used some political capital to influence this and he didn’t…The message to the environmental community is, don’t count on the administration to be there [for the protection of endangered species].”

Some feel this issue is being passed over too quickly and handled too rashly in the hopes of quickly pushing the budget plan through. However, environmentalists are still hoping that President Obama will stand up for climate change, wilderness preservation, oil and gas exploration, but at this point, they aren’t holding their breath with this new ploy. These hopes came with Obama being elected as president, since these types of laws were much ignored during the Bush administration.

Also in the works is a 2012 budget request from the Department of Interior that would put into effect a serious spending cap on a program allowing citizens to petition & list species considered endangered; this program has been used over past decades to list the endangered species that are currently on it!

Kieran Suckling, a representative of the Center for Biological Diversity, explains:

“We are having the worst attack on the Endangered Species Act in 30 years while we have a Democratic Senate and a Democratic White House…They are trying to shut citizens and scientists out of the endangered species process.”

An expert of Endangered Species Act from Florida State University, J.B. Ruhl, believes we should take the wolf provision with a grain of salt, as it was attached to a bill considered a “must-pass,” which was designed & needed to stop the government shutdown that was to ensue otherwise.

“It seems to me the planets had to be aligned just right to make this happen…There might be a wing of the Republican party that would love to see the Endangered Species Act reformed, but I don’t think they are going to be able to ram that through anytime soon.”

We don’t only have the Obama administration to blame, as this idea was first posed during Bush’s administration to lift this wolf’s protection.

Instead of directly answering questions, the White House has directed these to the office of Interior Secretary, Ken Salazar. The funny thing is Kendra Barkoff, a spokesman for the Interior, refused to directly answer any questions regarding this legislation about the Endangered Species Act, touting it as a “critical safety net” that has, over the years, prevented innumerable species from going extinct, but emphatically stated:
“It is our responsibility to continue implementing the law.”

Irregardless, people aren’t happy and they are up-in-arms about it, including Democratic Senators, Ben Cardin of Maryland and Barbara Boxer of California, and Rep. Edward Markey of Massachusetts. Representative Markey is the top Democrat on the House Natural Resources Committee. He is accusing the accused the GOP, aka “Grand Old Party” or Republicans (“Old Boys Club”), of wanting to:

“…kill wolves instead of cutting pork.”

Who exactly can we “thank” for this piece of legislation? Montana’s two Democratic senators, Jon Tester and Max Baucus, which is mind-boggling, since they are democrats. Baucus explains:

“It was a little hard persuading Sen. Boxer and Sen. Cardin that we’re not gutting the Endangered Species Act…They don’t have the same understanding of the wolf problem that we have.”

Fred Cheever of University of Denver: Sturm School of Law, claims:

“It’s a scary road to go down…Everything is a bargaining chip, from bombers to baby care. Riders aren’t limited to the Endangered Species Act.”

Question:

• What’s your take on this provision to life protection of the endangered gray wolf?
• Who is to blame?
• How will you fight back?

photo: wallcoo.netКартиниИдея за подаръкикониикони

Congress Lifts Protection of Gray Wolf, Seen as Precedent? is a post from: Exotic Animal Lover

Exotic Animal News:

The month of March is Adopt-a-Rescued-Guinea-Pig Month.

As often as possible, it’s important we scoop up the pets that need homes from rescues.

Not everyone has the ability or patience to work with a “damaged” pet to rehabilitate it or bring it out of it’s shell, but in the instances where a person can do so, most animal enthusiasts will agree to encourage this person.

I, myself, haven’t seen a guinea pig rescues out there, but that would be because I haven’t actually searched for one, but when I searched today on Google, there were 226,000 results for “guinea pig rescue.”

I wanted to bring this to everyone’s attention, and hopefully, some of you out there will resort to a rescue situation when debating the adoption of a guinea pig.

Did you know that the domestication of the common guinea pig was back as far as 5000 BC?  Unfortunately, it was for a food source, but that’s what started it all.

Did you also know that the Capybara of South America is a much larger cousin of the guinea pig, weighing in at up to 140 lbs as an adult?

My favorite guinea pigs are the long-haired variety.

***

I hope you enjoyed this excerpt of Animal News! Until next time…

Live Exotically,

Kimberly Edwards

photo: guineapigcare.com.au

Technorati Tags: guinea pigs, guinea pig, adopt-a-rescued-guinea-pig month, animal rescue, guinea pig rescue

A Few More Days to Participate in Adopt-a-Rescued-Guinea Pig Month is a post from: Exotic Animal Lover

Exotic Animal Newsflash:

The month of March is a month to celebrate and raise awareness of dolphins globally.

They are extremely intelligent creatures with bubbly personalities.

They are mammals, and are closely related to, but are not themselves, whales or porpoises.

There are so many species of dolphin in our oceans that they are too numerous to name here, but there are a few that I will mention that are commonly misnamed as whales, but are actually dolphins in their own right.

These include the “killer whales” (or orca), pilot whales, and the melon-headed whale. Very interesting indeed.

So varied and marvelous they are, there is even a pink dolphin in the Amazonian Rainforest!

Have you seen dolphins play with bubbles? Be sure to check out that link.

***

I hope you enjoyed this Animal News on Exotic Animal Lover! Until next time…

Live Exotically,

Kimberly Edwards

P.S. For more News of all sorts, check out a new website we love, NewsTabulous.com!

Technorati Tags: dolphins, dolphin, Dolphin Awareness Month, Animal news, mammals, marine animals

March is Dolphin Awareness Month is a post from: Exotic Animal Lover

Exotic Animal Newsflash:

Watch Kimberly’s LIVE Interview right NOW with Patrick Harb!

*

Founder of ExoticAnimalLover.com, LivingPink.info & Kapow Models, and international model, Kimberly Edwards will have an exclusive 1 hour LIVE interview with Patrick Harb on February 4th @ 7:00 – 8:00 pm EST.

• If you like to be WITH US in the studio, give us a call at: 905-617-3365
• If you have QUESTIONS that you would like to ask during the interview, you can place your questions in the DISCUSSION BOARD, and they will answer it accordingly.

I will be discussing so many aspects of what’s going on in my life right now! My modeling & acting career, the modeling agency I just launched – Kapow Models & Talent Agency, being the host of Model Rage International, my jewelry line “K, Turn Around” Jewelry, my upcoming Cooking with Kimberly Show, the “Living Pink Movement” for Breast Cancer, my new charity RhabdomyosarcomaInfo.com, ExoticAnimalLover.com…and so much more! ~ Kimberly

• Be sure to tune in LIVE here on Feb. 4 from 7-8pm:

http://ustream.tv/channel/a-saturday-in-hamilton-show

• For more information, check out the Facebook Event :

KIMBERLY EDWARDS Exclusive on USTREAM TV with Patrick Harb

Be sure to go to the ExoticAnimalLover.com Fan Page on Facebook & leave a comment too!

***

I hope you enjoyed this Exotic Animal Newsflash! Until next time…

Live Exotically,

Kenney

P.S. Be sure to grab your autographed prints of Kimberly Edwards!

Technorati Tags: A Saturday in Hamilton Show, international model, k turn around jewelry, Kapow Models, web chef, cooking with kimberly, Kapow Models founder, Kimberly Edwards, Kimberly Edwards interview, Patrick Harb, Living Pink, ExoticAnimalLover.com

Watch ExoticAnimalLover.com Founder – Kimberly Edwards – LIVE Interview NOW! is a post from: Exotic Animal Lover

I was watching a show on Animal Planet the other day and they had to do a hysterectomy on a polar bear.

The intriguing thing about the surgery was that when they shaved her fur to prepare her, her skin was completely black.

This makes complete sense and is an amazing adaptation for these bears.

Why?

Because their black skin absorbs heat from the sun. Their fur isn’t actually white…it’s clear – this allows the sunlight to penetrate their thick coats and allow their black skin to absorb this heat!

Huh! Who knew?

Nature is such a marvelously designed thing! There is a reason for every feature an animal has, whether we know it or not.

FYI: Did you know that the Polar Bear is a highly endangered species?

Check out this: Polar Bears Mostly Extinct by 2050

***

I hope you enjoyed this Bear Information on Exotic Animal Lover! Until next time…

Live Exotically,

Kimberly Edwards

P.S. Be sure to check out the Exotic Animal Lover Store!Подаръци

Polar Bears Have Black Skin is a post from: Exotic Animal Lover

Exotic Animal Newsflash:

We would like to wish you a very Happy New Year from Exotic Animal Lover!

Here’s some exciting things going on:

• More videos will be coming this year!
• Have you checked out the designs from “K, Turn Around” Jewelry of animals in our Exotic Animal Lover Store?
• Hopefully, Kimberly will be able to get more traveling in this year. That means more cool stories, photos & videos of indigenous
• Looking for exotic animal experts to write on ExoticAnimalLover.com – If you’re interested, please email me with your information: kimberly@exoticanimallover.com
• To request information about certain animals, feel free to email it or comment on a post.

We like to “think outside the box” here @ Exotic Animal Lover!

• If you have a great idea for a project or collaboration with us, be sure to email the details: kimberly@exoticanimallover.com

Happy New Year – 2011!!!

***

I hope you enjoyed this Animal News on Exotic Animal Lover! Until next time…

Live Exotically,

Kimberly Edwards

Technorati Tags: animal news, exotic animal lover, happy new year, animal lovers, animal, animal kingdom

Happy New Year 2011 from Exotic Animal Lover is a post from: Exotic Animal Lover