animalphiles

Did he have to raise his right hoof?

A donkey was called to "testify" in a Dallas, Texas courtroom.  He was there to convince jurors he was not the loud, aggressive animal described by one of the men involved in a misdemeanor civil dispute.

Neighbors John Cantrell and Gregory Shamoun have been at odds over a shed

Cantrell had been in a dispute with his neighbor, Gregory Shamoun. It started when Shamoun started building a shed in his backyard and Cantrell complained to the city. Cantrell claims Shamoun retaliated by bringing the donkey, Buddy, from his ranch and putting it in the backyard. Cantrell said the noise, and smell, were just too much. "They bray a lot any time day or night. You never know when they're going to cut loose," he testified.

During his appearance before the jury, Buddy was a model of decorum, living up to Shamoun's description of him as a gentle, well-mannered creature.

In the end, though, jurors didn't have a chance to rule one way or the other. Cantrell and Shamoun settled their dispute out of court.

Sinister past, hopeful future for horses

Wild horses linked to sinister Nazi experiments are helping to bring wildlife and rare birds back to once desolate marshlands in Britain. They "munch" the marshes back to life by revitalizing reed beds as they graze.

The hardy Koniks were bred in Poland from Tarpans, hunted to extinction in Britain during Neolithic times. They survived in central Europe until the turn of the 20th century.

The story of the Tarpan, which featured heavily in the folklore of Teutonic crusader knights in the 13th and 14th centuries, does have a dark side.     After the Nazi invasion of Poland in World War Two, whole herds were stolen and transported back to Germany where geneticists sought to recreate the pure Aryan wild horse.

After the war, protected herds repopulated Poland's national parks. Then, with the fall of the Iron Curtain, conservationists transported the horses to parks across Europe.

The first 13 horses, brought to Britain in a project run by the city council in Canterbury and the Wildwood Trust, have already produced four foals.

Small horse on a big mission

Thumbelina is as miniature as horses come, standing just over 17 inches.  As the picture suggests, she's more likely to crawl under fences than jump over them. Her owners didn't want to make this record-holding horse a "side-show freak" - and are instead using her notoriety in an effort to raise money for children's charities. Their goal: $1 million dollars.

Her handler, Michael Goessling, says Thumbelina is the ideal child advocate, because she is very loving with people and craves attention. An upcoming "Thumbelina Children's Tour" is expected to include stops in the 48 contiguous states at children's hospitals, schools, summer camps, fairs, horse shows and charitable fundraisers.

The tiny horse and her charitable foundation have helped raise about $10,000 for children's charities since she gained World record status as the smallest horse ever recorded. Read the full article from Associated Press.
photo: AP

Horse teeth as time capsules

A big chill hit the Earth about 33 million years ago and details come straight from the horse's mouth.

Researchers studied the teeth of fossil horses to learn more about the rapid cooling (15 degrees over 400,000 years) that marked the biggest climate change since the time of the dinosaurs.  They analyzed oxygen and carbon isotopes to determine the temperature and relative humidity during each horse's lifetime. Read more from Reuters.

Horse genome sequenced

The first draft of the horse genome sequence has been deposited in public databases and is freely available for use by biomedical and veterinary researchers around the globe.

Sequencing of the domestic horse genome began in 2006, building upon a 10-year collaborative effort among an international group of scientists to use genomics to address important health issues for equines, known as the Horse Genome Project.

In addition to sequencing the horse genome, researchers produced a map of horse genetic variation using DNA samples from a variety of modern and ancestral breeds. This will provide scientists with a genome-wide view of genetic variability in horses and help them identify the genetic contributions to physical and behavioral differences, as well as to disease susceptibility. There are more than 80 known genetic conditions in horses that are genetically similar to disorders seen in humans, including musculoskeletal, neuromuscular, cardiovascular and respiratory diseases.
photo: Doug Antzak/Baker Institute for Animal Health/College of Veterinary Medicine/Cornell University

Barbaro euthanized

No matter what your thoughts on horse racing, no one can dispute Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro was an exceptional example of the equine spirit. He was euthanized today when his doctors decided he was in too much pain to continue his long recovery.

The four-year old colt spent the last eight months in an ICU stall at Pennsylvania's New Bolton Center, after shattering his right hind ankle during the Preakness. Much of that time he was kept in a sling to keep pressure off his legs. He had pins in his legs as well as a series of fiberglass casts and an external brace.

Barbaro's injury was so devastating, many onlookers at the Preakness feared the dreaded green curtain would come down and the horse would be euthanized on the spot. He made a remarkable start on recovering only to face many setbacks. Each time, he pulled through and doctors were amazed by his strength and determination. His last bout with laminitis proved too much though.

Barbaro's combination of guts and beauty won him a legion of fans, many of whom had never cared for horse racing. They flooded the New Bolton Center with flowers, cards and other well-wishes, including more than one-million dollars in donations for the Barbaro fund, to buy much needed equipment such as a special operating table.