One week ago I was captured by a headline in a Swedish tabloid paper, “Dolphins saved my life.” This statement was made by a farmer’s partner, who suffered from depression and had participated in a swim with the dolphins program in Florida.
I became very curious about the issue, since the statement was made by a farmer’s partner, who was surrounded by animals every day. It made me wonder if dolphins had superior abilities/ properties than other animals to cure humans.
Animals have since ancient times been known to possess therapeutic properties. Already 12, 000 years ago, a skeleton was found of a human in Israel, holding a puppy. And in the Ninth century, in Belgium, animals were incorporated in treatment of the handicapped.
Health Benefits of Animal-Assisted Interventions
Recently there have been developed dolphin assisted therapy programs (DAT). DAT is a controversial therapy that involves close interaction with dolphins, usually through swimming with the animals, and is promoted as a treatment or respite from illness and disability.
However, serious criticism has arisen lately re: DAT- programs.
Excerpt from mainstream media:
“People suffering from chronic mental or physical disabilities should not resort to a dolphin “healing” experience, warn two researchers from Emory University”
“Dolphin -assisted therapy is not a valid treatment for any disorder, says Marino, a leading dolphin and whale researcher.”
Dolphin therapy a dangerous fad?
Another paper, the Free Lance Star states:
“So, if you’re considering DAT, consider instead a domesticated beast such as a dog. Or a trip to the seashore, where wild dolphins may let you have a look at them, on their own terms.”
According to the paper there are at least 3 drawbacks with the DAT – programs:
1) There’s no scientific evidence that DAT-programs work.
2) They exploit the hopes of chronically ill people.
3) The ethical issue with the captivity industry (taking dolphins from the wild and keeping animals in cramped conditions).
There are expensive DAT programs to treat people with diagnoses such as chronic fatigue syndrome, emotional distress, phobias, depressions, autism and cerebral palsy.
However, it seems that even cows have therapeutic properties, in the US, farm life and farm animals are used successfully to treat drug addicts:
Farm life raises addicts’ hopes
Cheers,
Ann Novek
Sweden
Jennifer Marohasy BSc PhD is a critical thinker with expertise in the scientific method.
One reader wrote to me and said that the dolphins in the US are bred in captivity and that the issue should not be controversial.
Meanwhile it’s correct that the US dolphins are bred in captivity most other countries use wild caught dolphins and this business is very cruel and connected to the Japanese drive hunts,and every human that have witnesswed this would hardly want to swim with the dolphins in a tank.
Anothe excerpt from my link:
“Finally, all captive-dolphin programs encourage a market for the capture, breeding, and confinement of new dolphins, which is generally a grisly and inhumane business. After all, it’s one thing to kill and eat animals, which can be done with a certain amount of respect and humanity. It’s another thing to violate the natural order of their existence by maintaining intelligent, far-ranging, seagoing animals such as dolphins in cramped and unhealthy conditions in order to serve commerce”
On wonders about the therapeutic effect he exercise physiologists we work with on management of metabolic syndrome, diabetes and cardio-vascular disease (my interest is metabolic syndrome and diabetes) tell us that resistance exercise affects serotonin metabolism in a way that relieves depression. Swimming is certainly a form of resistance exercise.
Are the dolphins really necessary apart from gimmick value to get the patient to swim in the first place?
I’m sure animals have therapeutic properties , but this dolphin stuff is just a hype IMO. Nevertheless I have heard from my horse friend that are surrounded by own animals , saying ” I’m going to do the most wonderful thing this weekend, gonna swim with the dolphins in Kolmårdens zoo”.
I have another friends that used to have a rehab center for birds , but are now making a living, ” rehabilitating prisoners” with dogs and small ferrets.Visiting jails with pets.
Ann: “I’m sure animals have therapeutic properties”
as nurse who has worked in unit’s that have dogs (complete with medication, obs charts and treatment files) I’m not going to argue against that one. Our unit which caters among other folks for forensic patients has a Budgerigar called Smuggler (I’m sure some Aussies will appreciate the humour their) that our patients are very taken with. I also agree regarding dolphin hype though I do think the swimming itself will have a therapeutic effect with depression but not necessarily reactive depression because of the effect on Serotonin metabolism. In other words I believe the anecdotal evidence to have some basis in fact but the only reason I would have to take my patients there is for the outing. We do however have a gym included in the program that is doing some good for some people.
Given that the entire green movement is little more than palliative treatment for urban angst, sleep deprivation and substance abuse, the use of a few animals for similar relief without cure is hardly a crime.
But one must suspect that the primary benefit of dolphins over other animals lies in their contrast with the every day. The farmers wife may not have any emotional response to farm animals because they are so familiar and are too closely associated with everyday life. The dolphins, on the other hand, would be a harmonic tonal sequence in lives primarily characterised by emotional and sensory white noise.
And for a metrocentric with minimal contact with the wider world, the same farm animals could provide a similar service. As the saying goes, a change is a good as a holiday.
And if one’s holidays consist of nothing more than the same long journey to stay in a similar hotel on a similar beach with the same old tourist traps and same old “international cuisine” then any change would be far better than a holiday.
And that, of course, may explain a great deal of the attraction of ecotourism. With so many images crammed into the modern brain, only the rarest of wildlife experiences will resonate beyond the white noise.
Ian: “But one must suspect that the primary benefit of dolphins over other animals lies in their contrast with the every day.”
Other pet therapies don’t involve resistance exercise. Resistance exercise has been shown to “to promote the synthesis and turnover of brain serotonin ([33][34]), and the alleviation of FM symptoms through resistance exercise is paralleled by a rise in blood serotonin levels (Geel and I.J. Russell, unpublished observations)”
http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/cgi-bin/fulltext/90510754/HTMLSTART
Hi Ann,
Interesting post. Do you think DAT could solve intolerance and irresponsibility in people? As usual Mr Mott is on a rant about those in the city vs perfect speicmens like himself. Maybe the dolphins would need therapy themselves after such an encounter.
I would agree with you Jan that being in water could have beneficial properties to many patients who use the dolphins. There aren’t businesses around float tanks, hydrotherapy, etc for nothing. Many find being around animals of any sort also very calming or stimulating. There was a recent story from Tasmania about an autistic boy whose concentration levels were markedly improved when he was handling a pet snake.
Jennifer B, “There was a recent story from Tasmania about an autistic boy whose concentration levels were markedly improved when he was handling a pet snake.”
I’m sure THAT wold improve my concentration too;)
Float tanks and hydrotherapy has more to do with relaxation which I’m sure is beneficial but the exercise for depression is important because of the effect on Serotonin re-uptake. We are not talking about reaction depression or sadness here but endogenous or clinical depression that has links to metabolic syndromes etc.
“Maybe the dolphins would need therapy themselves after such an encounter.” – Jennifer B.
Maybe the dolphins would drop dead after an encounter with Motty :)!
Seriously though, methinks some animals will suffer from encounters with certain unsuitable persons.
Animal therapeusts must also be licensed to handle certain kind of animals for therapy but not animals as rats or guinea pigs. ( See my first link)
People with a diagnos , in a psychiatric ward for example , can take care of a plant or feed the fish in the aqurium. Drawback with this , the fish might get starved or overfed.
Another crazy thingy with this DAT are the programs where the dolphins can touch a pregnant womans belly and so ” to interact” with the foetus. According to the PR , this makes the baby healthier etc. Pure voo-doo IMO.
Ann: “People with a diagnos , in a psychiatric ward for example , can take care of a plant or feed the fish in the aqurium. Drawback with this , the fish might get starved or overfed.”
Nursing staff are generally aware of the problems with mentally ill if anything like that happens it is the nursing staff that are responsible that have slipped up.
“Pure voo-doo IMO.”
Indeed!!
Ann It occurred to me you might know something about it so I’ll ask.
Since ancient times there are stories of human interaction with dolphins could it be that these animals are naturally friendly to human beings has anyone studied this and any conclusion reached?
Yes Jan,
Even the old Greeks have stories about how dolphins ahve saved humans from sharks and from drowning.
The difference here , is that this has been done on the animals own terms. They take contact with humans when they want that , in captivity it’s the contrary. They can’t take a rest when they want to , do silly tricks, cramped conditions, shallow water water.
Maybe Libby , who is a marine mammals expert ( marine biologist, with experience from swim with the whales programs) can as well make a comment on this to you?
Note , there have happened incidents between humans and cetaceans when the animals have been cornered etc.
Thanks Ann.
Libby are you about?
Hello Jan. I have worked with dolphins in captivity and whales in the wild. As Ann writes, there are lots of stories throughout the ages of dolphins interacting with humans.
Thanks Libby I understand that to be the case I was just wondering if any study has been done of why this might be so. Most other animals have to be enticed or ‘tamed’ even being born in captivity does not appear to be a guarantor of friendly interspecies relations.
My dogs trust me (they almost rule around here) but will hide behind me when there are other people about until they get to know them.
BTW I agree with Ann it’s cruel to keep dolphins and the such in cramped quarters I don’t think they are a necessary adjunct to relieving depression as it’s probably the exercise (IMO) that’s doing it. I’m not sure about that releasing dolphins or any animal born in captivity is necessarily good for them in the long term, at least not without a lot of help.
I know we can’t release thoroughly institutionalised people into the community and expect them to do well either.
“Since ancient times there are stories of human interaction with dolphins could it be that these animals are naturally friendly to human beings has anyone studied this and any conclusion reached?”
My unscientific conclusion – If the dolphins realise they are being watched, they save the drowning swimmers – If not, they push em out to sea ;).
You never hear about those drowned by dolphins ´because, well, they drown ÖÖ
Never trust an animal that smiles all the time – they´re up to something
7 days late but whatever 😉
For some interactions it seems dolphins really aren’t silly. They don’t seem to do something for nothing. So you get accounts of dophins co-operatively fishing with humans in Africa, South America, Asia, Australia, to name a few places. The dolphins and humans get food from this association.
One famous example involved killer whales and whalers on the south coast of eastern Australia. The whalers hunted southern right and humpback whales (baleen whales) during their migration along the coast. The killer whales presumably began to learn the routine of the whalers, so once a baleen whale was in the vicinity, the killer whales would splash and signal to the whalers. The killer whale pod would “assist” the whalers in tirng the whale, hanging on to it, covering its blowhole, etc, and one killer whale called ‘Old Tom’ would even grab the harpoon line in order to slow the whale down. His skeleton is on display in a museum and you can see the rope burns on the inside of his teeth. Once the baleen whale had succumbed, the whalers would give the killer whales the tongue and lips, as these are apparently considered delicacies to killer whale Nigela Lawsons and Jamie Olivers. I have to wonder if the Aboriginal whalers were rewarded as well as the killer whales, but I think I know the answer to that.
There are modern-day accounts of dolphins assisting people, such as some life guards in New Zealand a couple of years ago who apparently had dolphins chase a shark away from them. A more recent account from over there was of a lone bottlenose dolphin which shepherded a pygmy sperm whale and calf out onto deeper water when the human rescuers had not been able to.
There are some accounts where dolphins don’t appear to show much interest at all in a shark being near a diver/swimmer, and of course accounts of dolphins seriously injuring (even fatally) swimmers who have pushed just that little bit too far. Going back to NZ, and you found Opo, another lone sociable dolphin who would play with kids and took a shine to one in particular. Opo was eventually found shot dead.
Your dogs see you as the top dog in the pack, so it is natural that there is trust and that they also look to you for leadership if something unusual (like a stranger) is going on.
I believe that many dolphins born in captivity die before they reach the age of five (although this may no longer be the case). I remember telling the dolphinarium owner this and he scoffed it was rubbish made up by greenies. We had one dolphin born there and I and the other trainer had some special encounters in the water with him. Sure enough he died before reaching five, and we never did find out why. I didn’t consider those dolphins ‘real’ dolphins, as they behaved in such a different way to what I had seen in the wild.
Hi Georgey Boy. Long time no read. Hope you are well. I think you know why dolphins smile all the time!!:)
“Hi Georgey Boy. Long time no read. Hope you are well. I think you know why dolphins smile all the time!!:)”
Hellooo Libs …
Yes I´m well but busy – not sure where home is these days 🙁 .. been out and about seems like forever and just got a call today to ship out again v shortly – no rest for the wicked 😎
…. and yes, I know why dolphins smile all the time – they´re up to something :p
Thanks Libby so we are seeing some inter-species co-operation going on as has been seen between wolves and badgers.
http://www.madregrande.org/preserve.htm
see under “Wily coyote”
I gave red somewhere that something similar goes on with the dingo and some or other eagle or hawk.
It’s all interesting.
You’ll have to stop being wicked then George!
Jan,
There are quite a few cases of animal cooperation and you could be right about the dingo and bird of prey. I think that it is all interesting too.
It is hard to understand some encounters with animals and interpret accurately what they mean. For highly social animals like dolphins which also exhibit what we like to call intelligence, it is perhaps not surprising that they might recognise another air-breathing animal as being in distress and try and assist it.
My own “anecdotal” report is of a southern right whale that supported me in the water when I started to get exhausted. To me she was knowingly positioning herself underneath me so I was no longer treading water. Perhaps though there is some other explanation such as maternal behaviour.
Inter species co-operation, as in falcons and humans, cormorants and humans, ducks and humans, turkeys and humans, geese and humans, guinea fowl and humans, pigeons and humans, budgies and humans, cockatoos and humans, galahs and humans, mynas and humans, emus and humans, ostriches and humans, cattle and humans, sheep and humans, goats and humans, horses and humans, donkeys and humans, camels and humans, elephants and humans, llamas and humans, alpacas and humans, guinea pigs and humans, rats and humans, pigs and humans, chimpanzee and humans, spider monkeys and humans, gorillas and humans, deer and humans, lions and humans, cats and humans, dogs and humans, foxes and humans, dingos and humans, fruit bats and humans, wallabys and humans, kangaroos and humans, possums and humans, gliders and humans, ferrets and humans, snakes and humans, orcas and humans, dolphins and humans, seals and humans?
And the only one of these species that greens do not regard as part of the natural world are, you guessed it, the humans.
Libby,
I have heard about Norwegian stories about whalers and killer whales as well. It seems like the killer whales have learned the routines up here as well. They attack the minkes that have been harpooned.
Ann,
Does that mean they have Old Tomsk?
Ian,
Can you give examples of “gliders and humans”, “possums and humans”, “fruit bats and humans”, “wallabys and humans”, “kangaroos and humans”?
Surely, Libby, gliders, possums, fruitbats wallabies and kangaroos as pets constitute inter species co-operation? I understand flying foxes are very responsive, highly interactive pets, exchanging friendship and emotional goods for food.
But of course, I forgot perhaps the best and one of the longest examples with the simplest of species, bees and humans, where an entire colony, indeed, groups of colonies, exchange honey and wax for the improved housing provided by the beekeeper. They are free to break off this relationship at any time but choose not to.
Well, I agree with you Ian, but it may not stand up to scientific scrutiny. It could be argued whether it is true co-operation or rather a form of companionship, if you get my drift. If these animals are captive (especially hand-raised), they then become dependent, which would be different from cooperation.
A little bit on animal cooperation/definitions can be found here:
http://books.google.com.au/books?id=p9FN3Gr4zkUC&pg=PA8&lpg=PA8&dq=cooperation+animal+behaviour&source=web&ots=Psp0vk-ga3&sig=eNj72oPnvaCRgIQCKRc8v-DsK8Y&hl=en#PPA9,M1
It is an area within ethology (the study of animal behaviour), and seems to have many grey bits.
An interesting link, but seems to focus on intra-species cooperation rather than interspecies cooperation. I suppose the greys in the cooperation/coercion issue can be seen in movies like the Spanish “Tie me up, tie me down” and in the way many hostages end up empathising with their captors.
It would seem to be that a clear precursor to co-operation must be an at least rudimentary capacity to empathise with the other party, to recognise some sort of need that can be the subject of barter. In evolutionary terms it could simply refer to the gradual removal of perceived negative traits but there is clearly more to this in respect of domesticated animals.
My brother was a dairy farmer who kept very detailed records on his herd and was able to identify how much less milk each cow would supply if they were rounded up by someone other than himself. My grandfather owed his survival on the western front (WWI) to the fact that he was unusually gifted at keeping horses calm during artillery fire. Clearly, the horses recognised something of value in him and responded accordingly. In one instance they saved his life when a shell exploded nearby and the shrapnel killed some of the horses that he had gathered close to him. If they had all been more widely spread they would have all been killed.
I think the classic illustration of the mutual recognition of need was the distress that old horses so visibly suffered when they were taken out of harness. And this was often reciprocated by their owners, many of whom would endure a few years with a slower and slower horse because they couldn’t bring themselves to break a faithful heart. Can you imagine contemporary cyberman enduring double travel time for the sake of a car’s feelings?
” My grandfather owed his survival on the western front (WWI) to the fact that he was unusually gifted at keeping horses calm during artillery fire. Clearly, the horses recognised something of value in him and responded accordingly.” – Motty
As a horse person I know this is true. Horses are exteremely sensitive to if a person is calm or not.
Nervous persons have no success with horses.
My above post was off topic as is this interesting discussion, but an example of interspecies cooperation is for example the birds in Africa ( Ibises) that sit on the rhinos and hippos backs and eat parasites and insects.
“An interesting link, but seems to focus on intra-species cooperation rather than interspecies cooperation.”
Yes, but much of the same pigeon-holing would be used.
I’m afraid we have strayed a little off-topic Ann, but we all seem to have our own stories of inter-species encounters which I think are quite interesting.
“My brother was a dairy farmer who kept very detailed records on his herd and was able to identify how much less milk each cow would supply if they were rounded up by someone other than himself.”
So what did he discover?
“Can you imagine contemporary cyberman enduring double travel time for the sake of a car’s feelings?”
Some do the reverse and put human emotion and personality on their cars and have scant regard for living beings.
I think it is fair to say that some people do have more “affinity” with animals than others, such as Ian’s grandfather for example. Many who served in WWI were rural folk. Imagine having to leave all the horses and donkeys behind after all they had done during the war?
Many animals are very sensitive to nervy people, which makes sense. Likewise with angry people. I have noticed with whales and dolphins that they often by-pass people who appear to try too hard to have that special encounter, as if there is some vibe being sent out. I guess it is that tenseness or unpredictability that the people may be communicating, instead of calm. Captive snakes really don’t take too well to nervy people.
Again in Africa, there are honey badgers and honey guides (birds). They help each other with finding bee hives and getting the honey relatively safely.
Apologies for spelling errors,but there are as well birds in Africa that eat the ear wax from big mammals.
Cats love human ear wax.
True Travis. In my my student days I awoke from a very sensuous dream to discover the cat licking my ear. It proved to be a very temporary cat.
Another good example would be Ramoras swimming near near a shark’s mouth to snap up any loose offerings.
“What did he discover?” Libby. The value of the foregone milk was about 50% of the wages paid to someone else. So employing a casual was a dubious option made even worse if the cows were in the back paddock with a long way to walk to the dairy.
This would be a good time to give Tim Lows book, “The new nature – winners and losers in wild Australia” a plug for its detailed examples of species that thrive in manmade landscapes and the number of threatened species that are now almost only found in extensively modified environments.
So to the cows your brother was the milk of human kindness?
“Another good example would be Ramoras swimming near near a shark’s mouth to snap up any loose offerings.”
But the shark does not get anything from this association.
“threatened species that are now almost only found in extensively modified environments”
In Victoria you have Eastern-barred bandicoots living in rusted out cars. That’s what you call a Crash Bandicoot.
>In my my student days I awoke from a very sensuous dream to discover the cat licking my ear.
That’s hysterical! Any normal person would have said they had a cat licking their ear, but not Grott. There is the need to mention a ‘very sensuous dream’!!! Bit like the Tasmanian Devil thread. Cedric is an enviable stud to Grott, whilst others post sensible and relevant comments.
You must really be on hard times Mott. I bet you hate those girls you can’t control and who laugh at you. It must rub it in all the more. Tsk.
Never mind, at least there was a cat – once!!!
Libby – what’ with the quips? You spruikin’ on my turf sista?
Ann – What was DAT this thread was about? I agree that the capture process for this industry is shameful. I think more research needs to be conducted on DAT before it is ruled out as not being beneficial or otherwise. A temporary improvement in mood in a chronically depressed person is surely better than nothing, but giving some parents false high hopes DAT can benefit their child is not. More research please, and give the Japanese slaughter markets a miss.
Travis, it was the context of the event, and yes, it was meant to be funny, to contrast perception and reality. But only to those with a sense of humour, the lack of which you have amply demonstrated. This thread was going really well until you showed up, boofhead.
The largest population of Albatross in the southern hemisphere was broken up when Sydney diverted the effluent from the Homebush abattoir to a deep ocean outfall. The fact that the greatest concentration of wildlife will now be found at sewerage treatment works is enough to give you the shits.
Mott wrote:
>But only to those with a sense of humour, the lack of which you have amply demonstrated.
AFTER Travis wrote:
>That’s hysterical!
Huh???
The images created by your sleazy stories and desires are boundlessly funny Mott. Funny too how you are the only poster that regularly does it. Fruuussstttraaating, is it?!!
>This thread was going really well
Yeah, what’s with the weird pleasantries going on between you and Libby? I’m sure I just saw four horsemen riding past…
Perhaps the albatross will just have to settle for squid on longlines. Speaking of which, many species of whale now find longline operations a great source of food, but neither that or the albatross story is cooperative. It is more opportunistic and parasitic. And it has nothing to do with DAT!
You’re a funny one Travis.
So are we to conclude that Travis is now the self appointed political commissar who closely monitors other posters like Libby to ensure that they are not seen to collaborate with the enemy?
Get a grip you sad, third generation basket case. It was a rare instance where we, perhaps to our surprise, recognised some common ground. But you couldn’t let that continue, could you, you bile ridden blow hard.
“who closely monitors other posters like Libby to ensure that they are not seen to collaborate with the enemy?”
Ian, are you suggesting there is some interspecies cooperation going on between us?!
I don’t know, Libby. You did say that might be subject to interpretation. And as the thought of actually mating with a greenie is far too remote to even contemplate, we shall never know if there is a real species barrier or merely a psychological one.
Seriously though, it was quite surprising how many different species were involved once the list got going. And it is a timely reminder that, far from the madding crowd, humans can often demonstrate a heightened capacity to work with nature.
You would obviously not agree with the directions this could take in respect of cetaceans but I think our capacity to work with all sorts of species is still in its infancy. The use of Alpacas to guard and protect sheep from wild dogs is an interesting recent development as it does not involve the same imprinting at birth that was required when dogs are trained for the same function.
Label, labels, labels! In the scheme of things I am not that green.
I agree that we have a huge way to go with working with other species, and there is great potential for marine mammals. Of course you know one of my concerns is animal welfare, and ultimately what the animals are being used for (assassin dolphins for example).
I don’t like the outcomes of a bad day in the life of a giant African land mine sniffing rat, but as long as they are treated well I think anything that can help rid the world of these dreadful devices is a good thing.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200501/s1282859.htm
We had emus at work to presumably guard wallabies from foxes. Yeah, right. Perhaps coyotes would have been better. I didn’t understand at the time why alpacas weren’t used, but it doesn’t matter now.
There is the amazing trial going on in Victoria with mareema sheepdogs guarding the little penguin colonies. http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2007/01/21/1169330766413.html
However, it still needs a bit of tweeking!
http://www.theage.com.au/news/climate-watch/penguin-deaths-put-guard-dog-trials-at-risk/2008/01/05/1198950131199.html
For the alleged human penguin molesters I would suggest a polar bear or two. Or maybe a couple of uzi-bearing greenies.
Now, now Mott, you are picking on my grandfather again. But being jealous of other’s sexual adventures fits perfectly with your obvious sexual frustration.
I monitor no one. Just don’t come to me when it ends in tears.
“The difficulty was trying to convince all the wildlife wallies to think outside the square,” Mr Marsh said. Thanks for that link, nice to know others share my vocabulary. I had missed the rat story as well.
I suspect part of the problem with the mareemas could be isolation. If they are accustomed to more regular human contact and are then left alone with the penguins they may link the cause of their isolation and boredom to the birds, especially if they spend most of their time down a burrow leaving the dogs alone.
With rats and a bad day, it is always a trade-off. Better to lose one rat each month than two dogs a week.
Back on horses, I think some of the best stories deal with the way farmers could once get drunk in town and get piled into the sulky to sleep it off while the horse calmly walked all the way home unguided. That wouldn’t be possible in the country any more because the vehicles are no longer all travelling in the same direction at the same time. These days there is some mad bastard, just as drunk, driving the other way. (And the horse would get fined for drunk non-driving)
The Captain Matchbox Woopee Band (Mick Conway) had a great song giving a birds perspective on the demise of horse and cart and the abundance of spillage (oats etc) that came with them.
If they can work out some of the issues with the mareemas it would be a great way of protecting vulnerable species. I would think that boredom plays a large part though.
Horses always know the way home, but the trick is getting them to do it slowly. I’m sure Ann would have some stories with horses. They are great animals to bond with.
I have seen the Conway Brothers Hiccup Orchestra, and remember Captain Matchbox. I don’t recall the song and I wish there were the lyrics to their stuff somewhere. Great fun and a good biography of Mic can be read here:
http://www.micconway.com/micconway.html
I hadn’t seen that link, thanks. Wangaratta Wahine was a large part of the sound track to numerous overnight drives from Sydney to NSW Nth Coast in the days when plastic palm trees were an essential part of roadhouse decore. It usually accompanied Lou Reed and was invariably topped off with a scoobe and Space Oddity (“Ground control to major Tom”) in the long foggy pre-dawn straits north of Grafton. My copy of WW was stolen in transit so I would kill and maim for a digital copy. My kids adolescence is seriously deficient without exposure to it.
Now I am familiar with those tunes, including ww. I have it on vinyl. To show what a true bullocky’s daughter I am I would like Alex Hood and other Australian folk singers on disc.
Concrete flamingos and Aborigines too to go with the plastic palm trees.
I think your kids would be thanking you they can’t hear Jollity Farm!
Here you go:
http://www.emusic.com/album/Captain-Matchbox-Whoopee-Band-Wangaratta-Wahine-MP3-Download/11076779.html
So near but so far, Libby, It isn’t available for download in Australia at present. And it doesn’t seem to have “the masochism tango” either.
And I was all ready to make ammends for past sins by spending three days in a vat of goat manure.
I had forgotten about the black fella statues. As ubiquitous as flying ducks.
I’ll keep my eye out for any CDs down here in Sydney-town. Folkways might have something. Urban-living, latte-sipping metropoles have to be good for something, but boy will you owe me big time!
You can order it from here:
http://www.redeye.com.au/answer.asp?artist=CAPTAIN+MATCHBOX+WHOOPEE+BAND&reion=USA&genSel=&letbrws=yes
Hmmn, looks like 4 days in the vat of goat manure listening to non-stop “Indian Love Call” a la the movie “Mars Invades”, or was it “Mars Attacks”.
First the good news, as the joke goes, we are about to buy a goat to take over lawn keeping duties for a newly single mum in one of the rental houses. And we already have the outdoor bathtub with firepit under it. So it will be warm fermenting goat manure which, I guess, would constitute inter-species multi-tasking.
You got me on Alex Hood but if you like Matchbox you should also keep an eye out for “The Ozark Mountain Dare-devils”.
All this civility is quite unsettling, I keep expecting a kick in the groin any moment now, but it must be driving Travis absolutely nuts.
Hmmn, looks like 4 days in the vat of goat manure listening to non-stop “Indian Love Call” a la the movie “Mars Invades”, or was it “Mars Attacks”.
First the good news, as the joke goes, we are about to buy a goat to take over lawn keeping duties for a newly single mum in one of the rental houses. And we already have the outdoor bathtub with firepit under it. So it will be warm fermenting goat manure which, I guess, would constitute inter-species multi-tasking.
You got me on Alex Hood but if you like Matchbox you should also keep an eye out for “The Ozark Mountain Dare-devils”.
All this civility is quite unsettling, I keep expecting a kick in the groin any moment now, but it must be driving Travis absolutely nuts.
First to Ann…I have found something to bring us back on track. A humpback whale receiving DAT
http://onemansblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/08/WhaleAndDolphin.jpg
The humpback and spinner dolphin apparently played this game for ages. Not sure if we have posted this pic before or not.
Well, happy to assist Ian, although not with the goat. My father had goats and both my brother and I were almost killed on account of their antics. I can’t say I found anything special about their manure though. I hope you are buying a nanny goat for the single mum!
A friend of mine has a bush block in NZ with a bath tub and fire under it. That does sound appealing.
“The Ozark Mountain Dare-devils”
Never heard of ’em but shall investigate.
“All this civility is quite unsettling, I keep expecting a kick in the groin any moment now”
It’s all a bit Tom and Jerry, but I much prefer being civil to you than wretched. Just don’t tell anyone.
Yes, I would imagine Travis is probably calming his shattered nerves with some hip-hop music and barcardi breezer. Sorry Travis!
>but it must be driving Travis absolutely nuts.
No. I’m blissfully happy for you both. Let’s just see how long it will last. As I said, don’t come crying to me when the grazed knees and stubbed toes resume.
Neat photo. Sea World would be envious.
>Yes, I would imagine Travis is probably calming his shattered nerves with some hip-hop music and barcardi breezer.
I’ll have you know I’m reading Shelley and drinking Horlicks. I need the strong stuff after reading this guff.
Just a perfect day, feed animals in the zoo, and later a movie too, then home…
Another examole of ” interspecies cooperation”?
“Clearwater, Florida – Veterans who suffered physical injuries, including amputation, can visit the Clearwater Marine Aquarium for free and get the behind-the-scenes story on Winter, a dolphin who lost her tail and is being fitted for a prosthesis.
The aquarium is hosting its first group of military veterans on Monday. All are amputees from the James A. Haley Veterans’ Hospital Amputee VA Support team who saw action in both Persian Gulf wars, Afghanistan, Korea, Vietnam or World War II.
The program “allows participants to go behind the scenes and experience Winter’s story via video and discussion, learn about the technology behind Winter’s prosthetic tail, and see Winter interact with the CMA trainers,” the aquarium said in a statement.
Winter is a young female Atlantic Bottlenose dolphin that stranded near Cape Canaveral in December 2005. She was found entangled in a crab trap with wounds that were so deep she eventually lost her tail tissue.
The dolphin survived and adapted by swimming in a side-to-side fashion, similar to a shark or alligator. The aquarium has been working with the hanger Orthopedic Group to develop a prosthetic tail that would let Winter swim in normal dolphin style”
Hi all,
Libby, I have countless horse stories , and as Motty mentioned the horse stories are many on their ability to find home in the darkness and through marshlands etc.
Another horse stoty is from Afganistan. The rebels take the horses to the border or some another place where they buy weapons , ammunition etc. and then they release the horses without riders so they can find the home camp through the mountains.
And a very interesting pic!
Motty, my brother has 15 pet goats. They are also used for grazing the land and they are very sweet!
Yes, a Doe in kid is the plan.
I used to live above/behind the Hip Hop Club in Darlinghurst and was treated to a fresh pavement pizza (vomit) on the front step EVERY Saturday and Sunday morning.
The true meaning of life should only ever be contemplated with a cold beer, sitting in a full tub with a fire under it, high on a hill with an undisturbed view over 1000ha of forest at sunset. Despite any impressions you may have gained during the day, you are not dead, there is a heaven, and there is no pain.
Ann, the lone horse would not attract the attention of the satellite infra-red scanners, although they may do so now.
Back on land mines, the Argentines, contrary to best practice mine management, did not document the location of each mine they laid at Port Stanley in the Falklands. And when a captured Argentine officer was asked how they planned to get rid of them if they had won the battle, he simply replied, “sheep”.
It is not an example of species co-operation but it is interesting how some fish species don’t achieve habitat connectivity by way of swimming up or down stream. Rather, they have very sticky eggs that attach to ducks feet so they can be tranported to new locations over mountains and broad plains to be deposited in new sites. It is the reason why new farm dams that are not connected by flowing water can get a number of aquatic species in just a few years.
We have strayed from the topic here , but re horse stories and therapeutic properties of animals, it is quite common that race horses have companion animals to keep them calm.
Examples of companion animals for race horses are donkeys , goats , shetland ponies and rabbits.
So how did goats almost kill a couple of kids, Libby?
I have given considerable thought to how one might “value add” from my stock of resident forest dwelling species and the most prospective seems to be in the divorce and seperation revenge market. Instead of wasting thousands of dollars on deadsh.., er lawyers, an agrieved party could bring their ex’s favourite moggy to my forest. The moggy could be mildly sedated and placed on a suitable platform in line of sight to the nest of my powerful owl (Ninox strenua). A system of movement sensors and cameras could then film the exact point when the moggy is snatched away in the owls tallons, with follow up video footage of the aforesaid moggy being dismembered for a pair of chicks.
One would suspect that compared to the price of a legal team to extract maximum vengeance from the other party, a mere $990 for assisting in the survival of a threatened species would be a real bargain, don’t you think?
It would certainly make the serving of the inevitable AVO (apprehended violence order), on the owl, rather problematic. And its policing would be harder still. There is also no doubt that, for one of the parties at least, my client, it would would prove to very therapeutic indeed.
So tell me, Travis, do you happen to have a moggy?
“We have strayed from the topic here”
Just a bit!! But it is connected in a way when you mentioned the boy holding the puppy in Israel.
“Examples of companion animals for race horses are donkeys , goats , shetland ponies and rabbits.”
Rabbits!? We have the Race That Stops A Nation here – the Melbourne Cup. A few years ago a horse came from the UK and they had to bring its shetland companion with it. Very cute!
“It is the reason why new farm dams that are not connected by flowing water can get a number of aquatic species in just a few years.”
I haven’t looked into it, but maybe that’s why Gambusia (mosquito fish) manage to turn up everywhere. This introduced pest needs more PR, it is a disaster in out waterways.
“So how did goats almost kill a couple of kids, Libby?”
We lived on a cliff and the goats would roam all around. I was attacked by the billy when I when I went to check on the nanny who was pregnant. I was only little and he was a huge animal. Apart from being severely bruised and scrapped I almost went down the cliff several times. My brother did go over the cliff and ripped his leg right open when he thought the goats were in distress one evening. Sorry but I’ve never liked goats since!
Now you are being nasty Ian! Where does the figure of $990 come from? Agreed cats are BAD for our native species, but it’s hardly their fault, especially if they’ve got dead beat owners. Don’t you have plenty of venomous snakes on your property? A carefully placed snake indoors can have the desired effect, and innocuous little creepy crawlies are even better.
We have powerful owls in Sydney believe it or not.
That cliff wasn’t wategoes by any chance?
“Where does the figure of $990 come from?” I understand that divorce lawyers only deal in thousands. There would be just the small issue of indemnity insurance so I guess another option gets the flick.
That could well be the MO of Gambusia (mosquito fish) but if so, how would one stop ducks landing?
Venomous snakes? A while back we had a team of locals hand weeding around newly planted tree seedlings on a site where we let the ground cover get high to reduce Roo grazing damage. On a single day they found one adult and three adolescent Death Adders, all sunning themselves in the small clearing around each seedling.
Couldn’t get anyone back again next day.
>So tell me, Travis, do you happen to have a moggy?
No, but I have a lawyer 🙂
“That cliff wasn’t wategoes by any chance?”
At Byron? No, south coast.
“how would one stop ducks landing?”
Bind their feet- with duck tape.
“Couldn’t get anyone back again next day.”
Wimps. You need volunteers of stronger stuff.
There’s a case not so long ago{3 or so years) of a kangaroo and a farmer having a nodding relaionship.One day the farmer was injured I think by a falling tree,the kangaroo had the presence of to go back to his house and raise the alahttp://www.buzzle.com/editorials/10-4-2003-46148.asprm.Now that’s a hero!
http://www.buzzle.com/editorials/10-4-2003-46148.asp That’s it.
WJP,
That kanga story made the headlines all over the world.
On a smaller case my dog has actually twice ” rescued” animals.
Firstly, he came to me to ” tell me and point out” where he had found a turtle on his back.( It was our neighbours turtle, that the neighbour exercised / let the pet turtle have some fresh air, and the turtle was attached with ducktape and a rope to some pole and fell to his back and couldn’t turn around). My dog told that to me , taking me back to the turtle.
Second time , a green finched had been caught in a net, and my dog came again and pointed out where the bird was. It’s quite amazing that my dog has zero intention to touch or kill the distressed animals , he’s very nice against all animals, his favourites are pigs!!!!
Apologies, I meant of course a green finch, a bird!
I remember seeing a documentary about the kangaroo. Good story WJP.
What sort of dog do you have Ann? Your compassion for all creatures great and small has obviously rubbed off on him!
My own dog, (Muttus mottus), comes from a long line of top working Kelpies and has cheated death on at least two occasions. The first time her original owner had her in the back of the ute on a leash but after a time noticed she was not there. She had managed to hang herself over the side and was dead by the time he pulled up. But he gave her CPR and brought her round but she had no use of her legs. He gave her neck a twist and she started dragging her back legs along until she could walk again. Within half an hour she was running and barking beside the ute.
And it is for this reason that we suspect brain damage. She leaps to the top of a 1.8m fence and hangs there like foo for minutes at a time to make friends with the entire street and all the students of the music teacher next door. She chewed off a 30cm thick coconut palm at ground level and has caught, toyed with and killed a baby possum and numerous lizards. Her cattle working skills are non-existent and when taken for a walk she pulls herself along the ground like Gollum.
We were going to call her “depression”, she’s a black dog after all, and needing a kick. But we settled on “Milo”, because despite all this, as the jingle goes, “its marvelous what a difference Milo makes”.
Which is about as off-topic as one can possibly get but heck, it has been a splendid day.
” Your compassion for all creatures great and small has obviously rubbed off on him!” – Libby
LOL! Actually my dog is a bird hunting dog, an Irishman ( an Irish setter), but the hunting doesn’t include killing of birds just pointing out where the birds( animals) are, this is just what methinks he has done to me in his own special way!
Once he found a baby rabbit, 99% of all dogs would kill the rabbit, but he was just very glad and wagged the tail , and the rabbit had more or less a ” playing death reaction” of fear and lied to his back .
I called my dog and that was all and the rabbit run away.
On the issue of DAT , or Libby’s humpie and dolphin , I saw a pic of a killer whale “greeting” a dog on a boat!
Motty, kelpies are nice dogs!
And of course me and my Irishman don’t go hunting, I just like their temper, nice and full of energy!
BTW, it was not a rabbit but a field hare….