NYC: Haunted hounds: The annual Tompkins Square Halloween Dog Parade

Nearly 500 canines and their owners donned elaborate costumes Saturday for the Tompkins Square Park Halloween Dog Parade.

There was a doggie Don Draper, a pooch Princess Beatrice, and a bulldog runaway bride, among other adorable pups.

A corgy dressed as a NYC MTA bus was named top dog but wasn’t there to receive the prize.

Look below for some Howl-o-ween fun.

Timothy A. Clary / AFP – Getty Images

A dog dressed as Hurricane Irene.

Timothy A. Clary / AFP – Getty Images

A dog dressed as Don Draper from the television series "Mad Men."

Timothy A. Clary / AFP – Getty Images

Tank the English Bullodog as the "Runaway Bride."

Timothy A. Clary / AFP – Getty Images

Summer Strand and "Princess Beatrice" attend the 21st annual Tompkins Square Halloween Dog Parade in New York on Oct. 22, 2011.

Timothy A. Clary / AFP – Getty Images

Karen Biehl and Eli are dressed as peacocks.

Timothy A. Clary / AFP – Getty Images

A dog is dressed as a pin cushion.

Timothy A. Clary / AFP – Getty Images

A dog dressed as a dragon.

Timothy A. Clary / AFP – Getty Images

A dog in costume as a New York City bus.

Timothy A. Clary / AFP – Getty Images

Gina and Scott Keatley with Buttercup as Popeye and Olive.

Timothy A. Clary / AFP – Getty Images

May I help you?

Timothy A. Clary / AFP – Getty Images

Sarah Polgee and Kiki.

What do Princess Beatrice, Don Draper and Hurricane Irene have in common?

They are just a few of the many doggies in costumes that showed up for the 21st Annual Tompkins Square Halloween Dog Parade in New York City on Oct. 22. 

Hundreds of dogs marched in the parade, with proceeds benefiting the Tompkins Square Park Dog Run Association

First Place: "Best In Show", Harry the corgi dressed as an M23 bus and his owner Ben, dressed as the bus stop, won "Best in Show" at the 21st Annual Tompkins Square Halloween Day Parade on Saturday, Oct 22nd, 2011

First Place: "Best Dog & Owner Combo", "Doggie Moms" Reality TV star Karen Biehl and her chihuahua Eli win First Place: "Best Dog and Owner Combo" as the Peacock

First Place: "Spirit of the East Village", Meteor and Fifi-Gigi on their surfboard take First Prize: "Spirit of the East Village" as "Gidget Goes to Tompkins

First Place:  Non-Costume Costume, The ‘Avatar’ dog

500 dogs and 3,000 spectators gather at the run for the start of the competition October 22, 2011

Thank you to all our sponsors who helped make this year’s event such a success:

Evermore Pet Food
Jack Spade
Stella & Chewy’s
Unleashed Grooming Spa
Plus a big thanks to our many other prize donors:
Paws & Relax Pet Hotel & Daycare
Petopia
The Barkin Bin
Bide-A-Wee
Winne Au Photography
Verso Restaurant
Goodbeer Beer Hall
Whisker’s Holistic Pet Store
The Rabbit Club Bar
Kate’s Joint
Shaina Fishman Pet Photography
Global Dog Designs
Desnuda Restaurant
Cienfuegos Restaurant
Barnyard Cheese Shop
Brix NYC Fine Wines
Blink Fitness
Lunasa Bar & Grill

h/t to Animal Tracks and the HuffPo

Related:

Creative Pet Halloween Costumes

Common Foods That Are Harmful or Even Fatal to Dogs

Schmitty The Weather Dog Barks: Halloween Snow In NYC?

Video: Halloween Snow in NYC?  Barks Schmitty the Weather Dog

Motherly Devotion

Motherly love is one of the strongest emotions within all animals.

Clinging on for dear life to the side of a vertical cliff, the tiny lion cub cries out pitifully for help.

His mother arrives at the edge of the precipice with three other lionesses and a male. The females start to clamber down together but turn back daunted by the sheer drop.

Eventually one single factor determines which of them will risk her life to save the youngster – motherly love.

The drama begins: The mother arrives at the edge of the cliff as her son cries out for rescue after being trapped when he slipped

On the brink: Four lionesses look over the edge before aborting their rescue
mission because of the sheer drop Slowly, agonizingly, the big cat edges her way down towards her terrified son, using her powerful claws to grip the crumbling cliff side.

One slip from her and both animals could end up dead at the bottom of the ravine.

 

Just as the exhausted cub seems about to fall, his mother circles beneath him and he is snatched up in her jaws. She then begins the equally perilous journey back to the top. Minutes later, they arrive and she gives the frightened creature a consoling lick on the head.

The dramatic rescue, captured by wildlife photographer Jean-Francois Largot, was played out in Kenya’s Masai Mara game reserve.

Despite the presence of wardens to deter poachers, day-to-day life for the lions is not without its dangers … as the cub learned the hard way. 

Rescue mission: The mother inches her way down the cliff face to rescue the terrified cub before locking him in her jaws and making her way back up the cliff face 

Motherly love: The mother gives her son a lick to say that all is well in the pride following the drama

HOW AWESOME IS THIS?

True Duck Story from San Antonio , Texas

Something really cute happened in downtown San Antonio this week. Michael R. is an accounting clerk at Frost Bank and works there in a second story office. Several weeks ago, he watched a mother duck choose the concrete awning outside his window as the unlikely place to build a nest above the sidewalk. The mallard laid ten eggs in a nest in the corner of the planter that is perched over 10 feet in the air. She dutifully kept the eggs warm for weeks, and Monday afternoon all of her ten ducklings hatched.

Michael worried all night how the momma duck was going to get those babies safely off their perch in a busy, downtown, urban environment to take to water, which typically happens in the first 48 hours of a duck hatching. Tuesday morning, Michael watched the mother duck encourage her babies to the edge of the perch with the intent to show them how to jump off. Office work came to a standstill as everyone gathered to watch.

The mother flew down below and started quacking to her babies above. In disbelief Michael watched as the first fuzzy newborn trustingly toddled to the edge and astonishingly leapt into thin air, crashing onto the cement below. Michael couldn’t stand to watch this risky effort nine more times! He dashed out of his office and ran down the stairs to the sidewalk where the first obedient duckling, near its mother, was resting in a stupor after the near-fatal fall. Michael stood out of sight under the awning-planter, ready to help.

As the second one took the plunge, Michael jumped forward and caught it with his bare hands before it hit the concrete.. Safe and sound, he set it down it by its momma and the other stunned sibling, still recovering from that painful leap. (The momma must have sensed that Michael was trying to help her babies.)

One by one the babies continued to jump.. Each time Michael hid under the awning just to reach out in the nick of time as the duckling made its free fall. At the scene the busy downtown sidewalk traffic came to a standstill. Time after time, Michael was able to catch the remaining eight and set them by their approving mother.

At this point Michael realized the duck family had only made part of its dangerous journey. They had two full blocks to walk across traffic, crosswalks, curbs and past pedestrians to get to the closest open water, the San Antonio River , site of the famed "River Walk." The on-looking office secretaries and several San Antonio police officers joined in. An empty copy-paper box was brought to collect the babies. They carefully corralled them, with the mother’s approval, and loaded them in the container.. Michael held the box low enough for the mom to see her brood. He then slowly navigated through the downtown streets toward the San Antonio River . The mother waddled behind and kept her babies in sight, all the way.

As they reached the river, the mother took over and passed him, jumping in the river and quacking loudly. At the water’s edge, Michael tipped the box and helped shepherd the babies toward the water and to the waiting mother after their adventurous ride.

All ten darling ducklings safely made it into the water and paddled up snugly to momma. Michael said the mom swam in circles, looking back toward the beaming bank bookkeeper, and proudly quacking.

At last, all present and accounted for: "We’re all together again. We’re here! We’re here!"

And here’s a family portrait before they head outward to further adventures…

Like all of us in the big times of our life, they never could have made it alone without lots of helping hands. I think it gives the name of San Antonio ‘s famous "River Walk" a whole new meaning!

Austin Pets Alive! offering $25 adoptions

by REBEKAH HOOD / KVUE.com  @RebekahH_KVUE

Posted on October 25, 2011 at 3:13 PM -  Updated today at 3:14 PM

AUSTIN — Starting Tuesday, Austin Pets Alive! will offer $25 adoptions at all their adoption locations for pets over three months of age.

The $25 adoptions will last through the end of October in the hopes they’ll see 200 adoptions in the week.

According to APA!, the non-profit is "leading the ASPCA Challenge, a nationwide competition among shelters that determines a winner based on the largest number of increased lives saved over a three month period in two years."

“Winning $100,000 would mean hundreds of Central Texas animals’ lives saved,” said Ellen Jefferson, executive director of Austin Pets Alive! “We’re so thankful for the community support we’ve received and hope that we can reach our goal of 200 adoptions by the end of the month, bringing us one step closer to taking home the grand prize.”

Supporters can vote for Austin Pets Alive! once daily through the end of the month at www.votetosavelives.org.

For more information about Austin Pets Alive! and how to adopt, click here.

Related:

Pets Lost in Bastrop (Austin Texas Area) Fire Going Up for Adoption

Common Foods That Are Harmful Or Even Fatal to Dogs

Many common foods are actually harmful or even fatal to dogs. Some of these (listed below) will surprise you. Others are things you would never give your dog purposefully, but now you will be more careful to not let them be in your dog’s reach. And some just need to be limited to small amounts.

Halloween to New Year’s is an ongoing holiday and party season. It can be fun and include your pets as long as their safety is considered.

Harmful foods, toxic decorations, plants like Poinsettias, scary noises, new people, crowds, unsupervised children, lack of supervision so they can get out, flammable and otherwise unsafe costumes and hot lamps, lights and candles are among the worrisome items on the pet problem list of the season.

Here are the common foods that are harmful or even fatal to dogs:

Avocados (fruit, pit, and plant) are toxic to dogs. Avocados contain a toxic component called persin, which can damage heart, lung and other tissue in many animals. They are high in fat and can trigger stomach upset, vomiting and even pancreatitis. Symptoms of toxicity include difficulty breathing, abdominal enlargement, abnormal fluid accumulations in the chest, abdomen and sac around the heart. The amount that needs to be ingested to cause signs is unknown. The effects on dogs and cats are not completely understood. GI signs are commonly seen and should be treated symptomatically. In addition, the animal should be monitored closely for other clinical signs related to the cardiovascular system. (This information comes from veterinarians, the American Veterinary Medicine Association, and the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center.)

Bread dough or and dough that rises. Raw Yeast, Bread Dough because it forms gas in the digestive track; fermentation of yeast causes *alcohol poisoning, it can also cause This pertains to all species of pets, but only dogs typically ingest it. It can lead to Distention of abdomen, vomiting, disorientation, diarrhea, lethargy, lack of coordination, difficulty breathing, tremors, coma, seizures and death.  Raw cookie dough can also kill dogs and small children.

Onions destroy red blood cells and can cause anemia, weakness, and breathing difficulty. Even small amounts can cause cumulative damage over time. This includes onions or chives – raw, powdered, dehydrated, or cooked.

Large amounts of garlic cause the same problems as onions. Garlic contains only a small amount of the problematic substance that is in onions. Just as with people, moderation is the key.

Grapes and raisins can cause kidney failure in dogs. As little as a single serving of raisins can kill him. If the dog doesn’t eat enough at one time to be fatal, he can be severely damaged by eating just a few grapes or raisins regularly.

Tomatoes (plant and fruit) contain tomatine, an alkaloid related to solanine. As the fruit ripens, the tomatine is metabolized. Therefore, ripe tomatoes are less likely to be problematic for animals. Clinical signs of poisoning include lethargy, drooling, difficulty breathing, colic, vomiting, diarrhea or constipation, widely-dilated pupils, paralysis, cardiac effects, central nervous system signs (e.g., ataxia, muscle weakness, tremors, seizures), resulting from cholinesterase inhibition, coma and death. (This information comes from veterinarians, and the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center.) (All parts of the plant except the tomato itself are poisonous to humans, although some people are sensitive to the ripe fruit also.)

Tomatoes also contain atropine, which can cause dilated pupils, tremors, and heart arrhythmias. The highest concentration of atropine is found in the leaves and stems of tomato plants, with less in unripe (green) tomatoes, and even less in ripe (red) tomatoes.

Nutmeg can cause tremors, seizures and death.

Caffeine (from coffee, coffee grounds, tea, or tea bags, sodas) stimulates the central nervous and cardiac systems, and can cause vomiting, restlessness, heart palpitations, and even death within hours.

Diet products containing the sweetener Xylitol can cause a sudden drop in blood sugar, resulting in depression, loss of coordination and seizures. Unless treatment is given quickly, the dog could die.

Macadamia nuts can cause weakness, muscle tremor and paralysis. These symptoms are usually temporary but in extreme cases can lead to permanent paralysis and even death.

Walnuts. When dogs eat the seed hulls, they can get an upset stomach and diarrhea. The real problem is the fungus or mold that attacks walnuts after they get wet (from rain or sprinklers), which produces toxins. If the fungus or mold is ingested by your dogs, they can become very ill and possibly die. Signs that should alert you to walnut poisoning are vomiting, trembling, drooling, lack of coordination, lethargy, loss of appetite, and jaundice indications such as yellowing eyes and gums. Severely affected dogs can produce blood-tinged vomit or stools. Dogs can take several days to exhibit serious signs of illness.

Chocolate can cause seizures, coma and death. Baker’s chocolate is the most dangerous. The darker the chocolate, the more dangerous it is. But any chocolate, in large enough amounts, can kill a dog. An ounce of chocolate can poison a 30-pound dog, and many dogs will happily consume more than this. The symptoms may not show up for several hours (and so might make you think all is well), with death following within twenty-four hours. A dog can consume milk chocolate and appear to be fine because it is not as concentrated, but it is still dangerous.

Apple seeds, cherry pits, peach pits, pear pips, plums pits, and apricot pits contain cyanide, which is poisonous. While a few apple seeds may not cause a problem, the effects can accumulate over time if they are given to dogs regularly. Dogs should not be allowed to chew on a peach pit, cherry pit, apricot pit, or plum pit. Chewing can allow ingestion of cyanide. Chewing could also result in the pit being swallowed, causing continuous exposure to cyanide, or could cause the dog to choke.

Too much salt can cause kidney problems. Also, large breeds of dogs that eat salty food may then drink too much water and develop bloat, which is fatal unless emergency treatment is given very quickly.

Too much fat or fried foods can cause pancreatitis.

Ham and bacon contain too much fat and too much salt, and can cause pancreatitis. Also, large breeds of dogs that eat salty food may drink too much water and develop a life-threatening condition called bloat. This is where the stomach fills up with gas and within several hours may twist, causing death. The nitrates in ham, bacon, hot dogs and some process lunch meats can also cause pancreatitis, diarrhea and vomiting.

Raw liver or too much cooked liver (three servings a week) can lead to vitamin A toxicity. This can cause deformed bones, excessive bone growth on the elbows and spine, weight loss, and anorexia. Check the label of your canned dog food to be sure that it does not contain liver if you are giving your dog liver also.

Wild mushrooms can cause abdominal pain, drooling, liver damage, kidney damage, vomiting, diarrhea, convulsions, coma, or death.

Raw egg whites contain a protein called avidin, which can deplete your dog of biotin, one of the B vitamins. Biotin is essential to your dog’s growth and coat health. The lack of it can cause hair loss, weakness, growth retardation, or skeleton deformity. Raw egg yolks contain enough biotin to prevent the deficiency, so this is not a problem with raw whole eggs. Raw egg yolks could contain salmonella, so you should get your eggs from a reliable source or cook the eggs.

Grains should not be given in large amounts or make up a large part of a dog’s diet, but rice is generally safe in small amounts.

Cooked bones can splinter and tear a dog’s internal organs.

Dogs can’t digest most vegetables (carrots, green beans, lettuce, potatoes or yams) whole or in large pieces. Potato peels and green potatoes are dangerous.

Dairy products are high in fat, which can cause pancreatitis, gas and diarrhea. A small amount of non-fat, plain yogurt is usually safe.

Pennies made from the 1980s to today contain zinc, which can cause kidney failure and damage to red blood cells. A dog that consumes even one penny can become quite sick, or even die, if the penny is not removed.

Note: According to the ASPCA, "Some dogs can eat [avocadoes] without having any adverse reactions. …. The Guatemalan variety, a common one found in stores, appears to be the most problematic. Other strains of avocado can have different degrees of toxic potential."  The general rule… to follow: No avocados

** Alcohol is  toxic to pets and an absolute NoNo even in the smallest quantities!!**

"My dog ate ______ lots of times and didn’t die, so ______ don’t kill dogs." That logic is no better than "My dog runs in the street all the time and has never been hit by a car, so dogs never get hit by cars."

Related:

“Holidays Are Great and Fun to Share With Our Pets, As Long As We Avoid the No-No Foods!”

h/t to Lace to Leather

56 exotic animals escaped from farm near Zanesville; 49 killed by authorities; owner found dead

Animal farm owner released the animals, then killed himself… All he had to do was call the authorities and they would have come to get these animals and taken them to the Columbus Zoo

ZANESVILLE, Ohio —Authorities say that in all, 56 exotic animals escaped from a farm in Muskingum County last night, and one could still be missing this afternoon.

Of those animals, 49 were killed. Six animals — a grizzly bear, three leopards and two monkeys — were captured alive and taken to the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, and a monkey and a grey wolf were at large. The animals that were killed included 18 tigers, nine male lions, eight female lions, six black bears, three mountain lions, two grizzly bears, one baboon and two wolves, Sheriff Matt Lutz said. The escaped monkey poses a danger because it is infected with herpes, the sheriff said.

The sheriff said it is possible that the missing monkey was eaten by a large cat.

The owner of the farm, Terry Thompson, was found dead last night on his property. Authorities say Thompson opened the cage doors and cut the wires on the cages, then killed himself. He died from a gunshot wound. Lutz said Thompson’s body was "bothered" by the animals.

Lutz had previously said a grizzly bear, a wolf and a mountain lion were missing. Today, authorities confirmed they killed the bear on the property last night. The wolf was later found dead; it had been shot last night. An officer wounded the mountain lion, which staggered into a neighbor’s property and died.

Thompson’s wife has returned to the farm and is talking to authorities. Jack Hanna, director emeritus of the Columbus Zoo, said the wife begged authorities not to take her "babies," but he convinced her to let the animals go and work it out later.

"I held her, I felt her shock. Her animals are gone. Her family is gone. Everything in her life is gone," Hanna said.

The animals that were killed by authorities likely will be buried on Thompson’s property.

Lutz defended the shooting of the escaped animals. He said when deputies arrived at the house, there were large animals trying to escape. The deputies had to shoot them with their sidearms.

"Public safety was my No. 1 concern," Lutz said. "I gave the order that if the animals looked like they were going to get out, they were going down."
Hanna called this morning for the state to enact regulations to crack down on the possession, breeding and selling of exotic animals.
"I went to school at Muskingum (College)," he said. "It’s like Noah’s ark wrecked."

Hanna said he has talked to the governor’s office about enacting stricter exotic animal laws.

"We need to set an example in the state of Ohio," he said. "There was a loss of life here, and we thank God it was not human life. It was animal life, and that’s my life."

Hanna also defended the deputies shooting the animals.

The deputies were assisted by the State Highway Patrol, authorities from the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium and the Wilds, the state Division of Wildlife, the county Emergency Management Agency and township fire departments.

A plan to bring in a patrol helicopter with a thermal-imaging camera to find animals last night was scuttled last night by stormy weather.

Zanesville, West Muskingum and Maysville school districts, as well as Muskingum County Starlight School, all canceled classes for Wednesday to keep children inside. Lutz also recommends that residents remain inside today and call 911 if any wild animal is seen.Lutz said the incident began about 5:30 p.m., when the sheriff’s office began receiving calls that wild animals were running loose in the area of Kopchak Road, which is in Falls Township and just west of Zanesville.

Lutz said that four deputies with assault rifles in a pickup truck immediately went to 270 Kopchak Rd., where a 46-acre “wild-animal-rescue farm” owned by Thompson borders I-70.

There, Lutz said, they found Thompson dead outside his house and “every single animal-cage door open.”Lutz said the deputies saw a number of animals standing outside their cages, still on the property, while others had escaped a fence that surrounds Thompson’s property. Deputies immediately began shooting animals, he said.

Lutz said the fence on Thompson’s property isn’t designed to keep in wild animals.

Lutz said a man who is a caretaker on the animal preserve told deputies that 48 animals lived in cages outside the house on the property. More animals — mostly monkeys, baboons and apes — lived inside Thompson’s house, the man said.

Those inside the house were still in the cages, Lutz said.

Late last night, there was a report of a wolf and a bear still roaming at least 4 miles from the farm property. One animal was struck by a car and later killed.

The Licking County Sheriff’s Office also received at least four phone calls from residents reporting exotic-animal sightings. SWAT officers with night-vision equipment were searching for animals in Licking County early this morning.

Lutz said Muskingum County deputies had fatally shot and killed at least 25 animals when they first drove to the property. A wolf and bear also reportedly were killed along I-70.

Video:  Muskingum Alumni Jack Hanna Hunt Exotic Animals on the Loose in Zanesville, Ohio 10.19.11

He said that officials from the Columbus Zoo and The Wilds came in shortly after the discovery with tranquilizer guns, hoping to capture some animals alive.

Thompson, 62, was released from federal prison just three weeks ago, after serving a one-year term.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives had raided Thompson’s Kopchak Road property in June 2008, seizing more than 100 guns. In April 2010, Thompson pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Columbus to two federal charges: possession of a machine gun and possession of short firearms without serial numbers.

Under terms of his release, Thompson was confined to his home for a year.

Thompson also was convicted in Muskingum County Municipal Court in 2005 of cruelty to animals, having an animal at large and two counts of rendering animal waste without a license. The charges stemmed from allegations that three cows and a bison had died on another property he owned, on Boggs Road in Perry Township, east of Zanesville.

Neighbors there had lodged numerous complaints about him letting his animals wander. Thompson was put on house arrest for six months and paid a $2,870 fine in that case. He also was ordered to move his animals to his Kopchak Road land.

Ohio has no rules regulating the sale and ownership of exotic animals.

Former Gov. Ted Strickland had attempted to enforce such a law, but Gov. John Kasich allowed an executive order to expire.

“There really needs to be some legislation changed on how these things are going on in the state of Ohio,” Lutz said.

Kate Riley, 20, who lives in western Muskingum County, said that Thompson has had lions, tigers and a bear get loose in the past.

Riley’s family owns a feed cattle farm nearby and said that Thompson would come and take their dead cows to feed his lions.

“He’d have claw marks all over him,” she said.

Riley said she understands that Thompson’s wife, Marian, recently left her husband and moved out.

Patti Peters, a spokeswoman for the Columbus Zoo, said staff members were at a dinner last night for the International Rhino Foundation when they heard about the incident. Five staff members from the zoo and the Wilds immediately went to help, she said.

Larry Hostetler, executive director of the Animal Shelter Society of Muskingum County, said the sheriff’s office and state officials had visited the Kopchak Road property in 2008 on a complaint that animals weren’t being taken care of there. The inspection, however, found acceptable treatment, Hostetler said.

Adelbert G. Kempf Jr, a retired veterinarian in Heath, said he inspected Thompson’s horses that day. He said that Thompson told him that he was running a rescue operation for horses.

“ He was far from that,” Hostetler said. “He was more of an animal collector.”

At one point, Thompson took three lion cubs to New York City for a photo shoot with model Heidi Klum. On another occasion, he brought animals to a 2007 community pet fair in Muskingum County. Thompson and his wife brought bear cubs, lions cubs and a baby ape, Hostetler said.

He said the wild animals disrupted the fair because they weren’t friendly.

“We had to change the advertisement in following years to say bring your domestic pets,” Hostetler said. “He was a piece of work.”

By  Josh Jarman ,  Quan Truong ,  Jim Woods and  Brenda Jackson Dispatch staff reporter Kathy Lynn Gray also contributed to this story.  jjarman@dispatch.com, jwoods@dispatch.com, jackson@dispatch.com

h/t to the Columbus Dispatch

The Beauty of Pollination

Video: The Beauty of Pollination

We are all dependent to each other. Taken from TEDTalks

Creative Pet Halloween Costumes

“Holidays Are Great and Fun to Share With Our Pets, As Long As We Avoid the No-No Foods and Consider Their Safety… Watch Those Flammable Costumes!  The Biggest Holiday Season of the Year Is Here Beginning With Halloween~

White Tiger: Needs Some Compassion and Help

Sanctuary’s rare white tiger needs life-saving surgery

A little compassion for the tiger.  Even $10.00 would help with surgical costs.

MIKE CHRISTY/The Gazette -  Snow Magic, a Bengal Snow tiger, pokes his head out of his enclosure Friday at the Serenity Springs Wildlife Center in Calhan. After suffering a spinal aneurysm, Snow Magic will undergo a leg amputation that facility owner Nick Sculac believes will improve the big cat’s quality of life.

October 14, 2011 6:45 PM

He’s a rare stripeless white tiger.

And he is facing a medical procedure uncommon for his species.

Ten-year-old Snow Magic is scheduled to soon have a life-saving amputation of his paralyzed rear left leg, but it will be expensive and somewhat complicated. A special operating table must be built to fit him, and he’ll need a sterile enclosure to keep him tightly confined while he recuperates. Then, he’ll need a handicap accessible enclosure to live in.

A fundraising effort is under way to cover the costs.

The 500-pound tiger was retired from magic shows in Las Vegas about three years ago and has since lived at Serenity Springs Wildlife Center near Calhan with about 120 other big cats and other exotics.

Snow is adored by the staff and visitors. He loves swimming in a water tank and makes soft, friendly “chuffing” noises at visitors. He particularly enjoys his meals and anxiously awaits dinner time, so, spoiled cat that he is, he gets his raw meat before any of the other cats.

On Friday, Snow Magic peered from his den, then made a cameo appearance, walking around his enclosure with his useless left leg dragging in the dirt. He chomped down a huge hunk of meat, and emitted some definitely non-gimpy roars.

There are two types of white tigers — those that are white with greyish and black stripes and those that are stripeless. Although firm numbers are hard to come by, exotic animal experts say there could be 300 or more of the striped ones in the United States. Stripeless ones like Snow Magic are more rare. Nick Sculac, owner of Serendipity Springs, says he’s seen estimates for the cats as low as around 20 in the United States.

White  tigers are created when the recessive gene for the color is inherited from both parents. Starting in the 1960s,  several  zoos had breeding programs. But in recent years, the American Zoological and Aquariaum Association has asked zoos not to breed them because defects are common. The Captive Wildlife Safety Act bans commerce in dangerous exotics for pets.

Serenity Springs is often called on by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to take animals that are confiscated. It is the largest federal and state licensed big cat placement center in Colorado, and the only one with a state zoological license.

Sculac says Snow Magic’s medical problems began two years ago when he suffered a spinal aneurism that paralyzed his back legs. Veterinarians used steroids, acupuncture and massages to heal his right leg, but the treatment did not help the left. He had been able to walk stiffly without use of the left leg. But the muscle has deteriorated so much the hip is dislocated.

The medical choices for Snow Magic were to try surgery or euthanize him. “Since he is a healthy cat otherwise, we believe he deserves the opportunity,” said Julie Walker, who helps run the sanctuary. Such animals can live 25 years or more.

Veterinarian Melanie Marsden of Pikes Peak Veterinary Clinic, who provided care when Snow Magic recovered from the aneurism, will do the surgery. She is consulting with big cat specialists.

“We’ve done 150-pound dogs and they do well,” she said. “They take about an hour. For Snow, we anticipate two hours best case scenario. Recovery should be pretty straightforward.”

The medical team will do the surgery in the veterinary clinic on the sanctuary grounds.
Sculac is soldering a new top for a surgery table to fit the big cat because his leg must be stretched out.

Caring for him afterward will be a bit tricky.

“A wild animal doesn’t necessary like nursing care,” Marsden said.

They are building a sterile enclosure attached to the clinic for better access to give medications and take care of the incision. Snow will have around the clock care for several weeks.

Dogs and cats that have surgery usually hate wearing those plastic collars to keep them away from their wounds. It probably won’t be any different for Snow Magic. Marsden calls the devices, the “cone of shame.” They will have to fashion an inner tube size contraption so he can’t turn his head and pull off the bandages.

The sanctuary staff will build a special accessible enclosure for Snow. Instead of a water tank swimming pool, he will have a ground-level pool he can step into without jumping. The den will be ground level, too. They will sod the area and add shredded rubber for soft cushioning.

They estimate the cost of everything will be around $25,000, including the surgery. The cost of 12-foot high chain fencing alone is about $4,000.

So far, donors have chipped in $5,650 for Snow Magic. 

—
Contact Carol McGraw: 636-0371 Twitter @mcgrawatgazette Facebook Carol McGraw  – h/t to Anglo at Sovereignty in Colorado

Source: The Gazette