Peruvian archaeologists have uncovered an enormous cat etched into a hillside in the desert of the famed Nazca Lines. Home to the geoglyphs of a hummingbird, a monkey, a spider and a human, the newly revealed form of the feline is about 37-meter-long, and expected to be dating back more than 2,000 years.

The figure is made up of a long body, striped tail and head with distinctive pointed ears. It emerged during work to improve access to one of the hills that provides a natural vantage point.

Johny Isla, the Peruvian culture ministry's specialist for the Nazca-Pampa region, said it was estimated to be around 2,000 years old and made up of groves carved into the mountain coupled with groupings of stones.

"The figure was in the process of disappearing because it was on a slope that was subject to quite extensive erosion which resulted in it being hidden for many years," he said.

A UNESCO world heritage site since 1994, the Nazca Lines are drawn in geometric patterns and distinct animal shape. About 80 to 100 new figures emerged over recent years in the Nazca and Palpa valleys, all of which predated the Nazca culture (AD200-700), Mr Isla told The Guardian. “These are smaller in size, drawn on to hillsides, and clearly belong to an earlier tradition.”  

Found in a region of Peru just over 200 miles southeast of Lima, near the modern town of Nazca, the lines are a subject of mystery for over 80 years with questions about their formation and the purpose they served.  

Peruvian archaeologist Toribio Mejia Xesspe was the first to systematically study the lines in 1926. However, since the lines are virtually impossible to identify from ground level, they were only first brought to public awareness with the advent of flight—by pilots flying commercial planes over Peru in the 1930s.  

The area has been closed to tourists since March because of the coronavirus pandemic but is due to reopen on Nov. 10.

--------------------------------------------------------------------

An undercover investigation last week by the Humane Society of the United States and Humane Society International exposed exhibitors peddling wild animal products at the Safari Club International convention in Reno, Nevada. Items found for sale include belts and boots made of elephants, hippos and stingrays, which likely violate Nevada’s wildlife trafficking law. Among the other items for sale were boots made of giraffe skin ($1,390) and kangaroo skin ($1,080), and trips to hunt Asiatic black bears, giraffes, elephants, lions, hippos and more.

For the second year in a row, the investigator found “canned” lion hunts for sale, where customers pay to shoot a captive-bred lion, violating SCI’s own ban that it implemented in February 2018. Among the featured speakers and entertainers at the convention were Donald Trump Jr. and the Beach Boys. A “dream hunt” with Donald Trump Jr. aboard a luxury yacht in Alaska to kill black-tailed deer and sea ducks was sold to two winners for auction at a total of $340,000.

Kitty Block, president and CEO of the Humane Society of the United States, said, “This convention does nothing other than celebrate senseless violence towards wildlife. For far too long SCI has chosen profits and bragging rights over conservation, ethics and the law, and has been trying to convince the public that the display of thousands of dead animal trophies, parts and products is somehow beneficial to conservation.”

This is not the first time that vendors at SCI’s convention defied local authorities. Jeff Flocken, president of Humane Society International, said, “No animals are off limit to trophy hunters. From shooting giraffes, hyenas, zebras, elephants, hippopotamus to primates and lions, the trophy hunting industry reveals its true nature – one that is motivated by the thrill to kill, and not by conservation.” Hunting trips for sale at the convention included:

• A $350,000 hunt for a critically endangered black rhino in Namibia.
• An outfitter advertised its “Trump Special” - a $25,000 hunt for a buffalo, sable, roan and crocodile.
• Advertised as a “bargain” was a captive-bred lion hunt for $8,000 in South Africa.
• A $6,000 hunt for any six animals that a customer can choose to kill in South Africa. The offerings were: zebras, wildebeest, warthogs, impalas, hartebeest, gemsbok, nyala and waterbuck.
• A polar bear hunt in Canada was offered for sale for $35,000.
• An Asiatic black bear hunt in Russia sold for $15,000.
• A 15-day Alaska hunt to kill a brown bear, black bear, mountain goat and wolf was sold for $25,000.     

“No one is above the law—not these outfitters, not the wealthy elite, and not our agencies. Shooting ESA listed species does not enhance their survival. Additionally the organizations are urging the public to ask their members of U.S. Congress to support H.R. 4804, the Prohibiting Threatened and Endangered Creature Trophies Act (ProTECT Act) and H.R.2245 the Conserving Ecosystems by Ceasing the Importation of Large Animal Trophies Act (CECIL Act), which would significantly withdraw the U.S.’s prominent role in global trophy hunting of imperiled species.    ----------------------------------------------------------

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Three newly AKC-recognized breeds will join the 208 eligible breeds at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show in 2021. The archetype water dog of France, the Barbet is a joyful, bright, and loyal companion. A rustic breed with roots as far back at the 16th century, this medium-sized dog locates, flushes, and retrieves birds. The Barbet will join the Sporting Group. 

The rarest of the four native Belgium breeds, the Belgian Laekenois (pronounced "Lak-in-wah") is an affectionate, alert and intelligent dog bred to herd and guard flocks and fields. Similar to the Malinois, Shepherd and Tervuren, this sturdy dog’s main difference, besides region of origin, is his rough, coarse coat with a tousled look. The Belgian Laekenois joins the Herding Group. 

The Dogo Argentino, developed in Argentina’s Cordoba province in the 1920s, was bred to find, chase, and catch dangerous game such as wild boar, pumas, and other destructive predators. The Dogo Argentino joins the Working Group. 

The Westminster Kennel Club wishes to thank the Greenwich Kennel Club and the Longshore Southport Kennel Club for relinquishing their respective AKC-licensed dog show dates to the Westminster Kennel Club so its dog show could continue in 2021, securing its history, since 1877, as the second, continuously held sporting event in America behind the Kentucky Derby. The club would also like to thank the LEAP Agility Club of Central Massachusetts for allowing Westminster to hold the Masters Agility Championship within the 100-mile limit of their event.

Details regarding entries, invitations, junior showmanship qualifications, host hotels, and other information will be announced once finalized. For the latest updates visit westminsterkennelclub.org.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Gerald, the inordinately aggressive turkey that forced the closure of Oakland's Morcom Rose Garden, is off to greener (albeit less rosy) pastures. After five months of attacking unsuspecting Grand Lake, California residents, Gerald was captured Thursday and released onto wild land near Orinda.

The solution to this months-long saga was quite similar to the problem that started it, when a wildlife capture expert posed as a frail, old woman to lure Gerald in. (His preferred victims seem to be older women, according to complaints to Oakland Animal Services.)

"I baited him in with blueberries, kibble and sunflower seeds," said Rebecca Dmytryk, director of Wildlife Emergency Services. "Then my husband actually had to run down to the truck. So I was left alone with the turkey."

Dmytryk played the victim, pretending she was scared of him and retreating slowly. That's when Gerald start puffing up and showing aggression. "I saw his reaction to me and I said, 'Oh, you want a piece of this? I'll give it to you.'" Predictably, Gerald charged straight at her. But 40 years of experience prepared her for this moment. She "scruffed" the turkey, grabbing him by the neck in a way that doesn't hurt the bird.

From the rose garden it was a short drive to the East Bay hills, where he was released. "After being at this for five months... to be on the other side and to know the turkey is now in a wild area, situated with other turkeys where he will be safe, it feels like the best possible outcome," said Anne Dunn, director of Oakland Animal Services.

She looked back on the last five months of truly terrifying complaints as residents tried to fend off Gerald. "His favorite target seems to be older women, although young children are also at great risk," reads one resident complaint sent to Oakland Animal Services. "I swear I was getting flashbacks to the velociraptor scenes in 'Jurassic Park' as he was 'cooing' at me, sizing me up," reads another. "And before you laugh at all this, I'm telling you he was relentless!"

"Initially it looked like he was going to have to be euthanized," said Dunn. But that didn't sit right with her, nor the folks that knew Gerald back in his gentler days. Animal services worked with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife to find a suitable home for Gerald, where he's less likely to be aggressive. Capturing him was also a months-long effort.
Perhaps feeling the stress of a global pandemic or America's long legacy of racism, Gerald the turkey has recently taken to viciously attacking visitors to the rose garden.

The root of the problem, Dunn and Dmytryk suspect, is that he was being fed by humans. That habituated him to human interaction, when typically turkeys instinctually keep their distance from people. Confused about his role in society (and the animal kingdom), Gerald lashed out and relentlessly attacked Rose Garden visitors.

"If we didn't catch him today, he probably would have been euthanized," Dmytryk said. "And an animal shouldn't have to die because a human screwed up." Both animal experts implore Bay Area residents not to feed any wild turkeys (or any wild animals, for that matter). Unless you, too, want to have "Jurassic Park" flashbacks. -------------------------------------

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Leishmania is a flesh-eating parasite that affects millions of people each year, in 98 countries and territories — but isn’t native to Canada and the United States. So why are veterinarians starting to report Leishmania here, so far from this parasite’s natural warm climate?

Leishmania are microscopic parasites transmitted by sandfly bites, and cause a disease called leishmaniosis. There are several forms of this disease, affecting the skin, mucous membranes and internal organs. Some forms of the disease lead to severe disfigurement, others death.

Leishmaniosis is classified as a neglected tropical disease by the World Health Organization, primarily affecting those in tropical and subtropical regions. The disease particularly affects populations lacking access to adequate housing and sanitation services.

Leishmaniosis is a zoonotic disease, meaning it can be transmitted from animals to humans; dogs are the reservoir for this parasite.

 Recently, veterinarians in the U.S. and Canada have been detecting Leishmania in imported dogs: the disease has been detected in dogs in 18 states and two provinces.

More and more, owners are travelling with their pets or importing animals from other countries. The regulations for bringing pets into Canada are lax — generally, the only requirements are proof of rabies vaccination and a certificate from a veterinarian declaring the animal to be in apparent good health. Furthermore, since many of the tests and diagnostic treatments for exotic diseases (including leishmaniosis) are unfamiliar or inaccessible in Canada, diagnosis and treatment are complicated.

This puts the health of the patient, and ultimately the public, at risk.

Although the exact species of sandflies that transmit Leishmania are not present in Canada, reports of Leishmania maintaining itself within groups of kennelled foxhounds in 18 states and two provinces strongly suggest that the parasite can be transmitted from dog to dog: through bites, breeding or blood transfusions. In addition, it has recently been demonstrated that ticks can also transmit leishmaniosis.

Therefore, although unfortunate, Leishmania establishment in Canada and the U.S. remains possible.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Remember the "murder hornets"? You know, the terrifyingly large Asian giant hornets that are threatening to wipe out the North American bee population?

Entomologists with the Washington State Department of Agriculture have now located a nest of them – the first to be found in the U.S., the agency says.

The nest was discovered in the cavity of a tree on a property in the city of Blaine, near the Canadian border.

This achievement closely follows another advance: State entomologists had recently had luck trapping the hornets. This week, they were able to collect four live Asian giant hornets using a new type of trap – and managed to attach radio trackers to three of them.

One of those tagged hornets led staffers to the nest.

The plan now? Destroy the nest. The agency says it intends to eradicate it on Saturday, removing the tree if necessary.

Asian giant hornets are an invasive pest that prey on honeybees and other insects.

"Only a couple of hornets can slaughter an entire healthy honeybee hive in just a matter of a few hours," Sven-Erik Spichiger, chief entomologist for the state's agriculture department, told NPR.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Plant-based products that do not contain meat can continue to be labelled “sausages” or “burgers,” European politicians said on Friday, when they rejected a proposal backed by the meat industry to ban the terms.

In votes on issues relating to agricultural products, the European Parliament said that so-called veggie burgers, soy steaks and vegan sausages can continue to be sold as such in restaurants and shops across the union.

Europe’s largest farmers’ association, Copa-Cogeca, had supported a ban, arguing that labelling vegetarian substitutes with designations bringing meat to mind was misleading for consumers.

On the opposite side of the debate, a group of 13 organisations including Greenpeace and the World Wildlife Fund urged lawmakers to reject the proposed amendments, arguing that a ban would have not only exposed the EU “to ridicule,” but also damaged its environmental credibility.

They said promoting a shift towards more plant-based diets is in line with the EU Commission’s ambition to tackle global warming. Losing the ability to use the terms steak or sausage might make those plant-based products more obscure for consumers.

After the vote, the European Consumer Organisation, an umbrella group bringing together consumers’ associations, praised the MEPs for their “common sense”.

“Consumers are in no way confused by a soy steak or chickpea-based sausage, so long as it is clearly labelled as vegetarian or vegan,” the group said in a statement. “Terms such as ‘burger’ or ‘steak’ on plant-based items simply make it much easier for consumers to know how to integrate these products within a meal.”

Together with Greenpeace, the group regretted that politicians accepted further restrictions on the naming of alternative products containing no dairy. Terms like “almond milk” and “soy yoghurt” are already banned in Europe after the bloc’s top court ruled in 2017 that purely plant-based products cannot be marketed using terms such as milk, butter or cheese, which are reserved for animal products.