Lonesome George, The Sole Remaining Pinta Island Tortoise, Passes Away

Lonesome George dies

Lonesome George, the last remaining Pinta Island tortoise, has died at a park in Ecuador on Sunday.

Lonesome George was found dead in his corral at the Tortoise Breeding and Rearing Center in Puerto Ayora, Santa Cruz Island, by members of the Galapagos National Park Service.

The possible causes of Lonesome George's death will not be known until after a necropsy.

A Galapagos conservation icon, Lonesome George was believed to be more than 100 years old and weighed 200 lbs. He was found on Pinta in 1972, when it was thought then that Pinta tortoises (Chelonoidis abingdoni) were extinct.

Since then, Lonesome George has been part of the Tortoise Program of the Galapagos National Park Service and various efforts were made to get George to reproduce but none had been successful. And thus, his death marked the total extinction of his subspecies.

"The plight of Lonesome George provided a catalyst for an extraordinary effort by the government of Ecuador to restore not only tortoise populations throughout the archipelago but also improve the status of other endangered and threatened species," the park said.

It added that in honor of Lonesome George, it is planning an international workshop in July on management strategies for restoring tortoise populations over the next decade.

Ugliest Dog 2012 Title Goes To Mugly Of Britain

Ugliest Dog 2012 (Twitter)

The ugliest dog in the world was recently named at the annual World's Ugliest Dog competition held in Petaluma, California.

The title went to Mugly, a Chinese Crested dog from the United Kingdom, besting 28 other aesthetically-challenged canines from all over the world.

"I couldn't speak when they announced Mugly's name," said Bev Nicholson, Mugly's owner. "I didn't know which way to look. I was shaking as much as the dog."

As winner of the competition, the 8-year-old rescue dog won 1,000 dollars in cash, a year’s supply of dog biscuits and an invitation to a photo short and VIP “pampered pooch” stay at a nearby Sheraton hotel.

The competing dogs were judged based on their “natural ugliness in both pedigree and mutt classes.”

Mugly was previously named Britain’s ugliest dog. He has his own website and a Twitter account with nearly 1,000 followers.

Alligator Gar Caught By Texas Man In Lake Corpus Christi

Alligator Gar

A huge alligator gar has been captured in Lake Corpus Christi in Texas.

Brent Crawford caught the enormous alligator gar while bow-fishing in the lake recently. It weighed 300 pounds (136kg) and measured 8 feet 2 inches, one of the largest specimen of the prehistoric-looking fish to be captured.

The current world record for the largest alligator gar caught on rod and reel is 279 lb (127 kg) while the largest taken by bow-fishing is 365 lb (166 kg).

Crawford's catch, however, broke the Texas state bow fishing record for alligator gar, which is 290 pounds. Crawford's gar is also eight inches longer.

Crawford has been bow-fishing since he was little and has lived with his wife on the lake for 20 years now.  It took him and a friend nearly two hours to catch the gar.

Tortoises Divorcing After 115 Years Together

Tortoises divorcing (Photo: Reptilien Zoo Happ)

Two giant tortoises at an Austrian  zoo are divorcing after 115 years of being together.

"We get the feeling they can't stand the sight of each other anymore," zoo's director Helga Happ told the Austrian Times.

Tortoises Bibi and Poldi, have been together since they were young, eventually growing up to become a bonded pair. But recently, Bibi has been attacking Poldi, biting off a chunk of his shell,  which prompted zoo staff to transfer him in another enclosure.

"But for no reason that anyone can discover they seem to have fallen out, they just can't stand each other," said Happ.

The zoo management has asked the help of animal experts to give the pair counselling - feeding them romantic good mood food and trying to get them to join in joint games - but to no avail.

"We were told that it's very rare that after so many years animals who are a pair will fall apart, but that's where we are. We hope though we can bring round a reconciliation." Happ added.

Tortoise Couple Calls It Quits After 115 Years Together

Tortoise couple Bibi and Poldi

Two Giant Turtles at an Austrian  zoo are separating after 115 years of being together.

"We get the feeling they can't stand the sight of each other anymore," zoo's director Helga Happ told the Austrian Times.

Bibi and Poldi, have been together since they were young, eventually growing up to become a bonded pair. But recently, Bibi has been attacking Poldi, biting off a chunk of his shell,  which prompted zoo staff to transfer him in another enclosure.

"But for no reason that anyone can discover they seem to have fallen out, they just can't stand each other," said Happ.

The zoo management has asked the help of animal experts to give the pair counselling - feeding them romantic good mood food and trying to get them to join in joint games - but to no avail.

"We were told that it's very rare that after so many years animals who are a pair will fall apart, but that's where we are. We hope though we can bring round a reconciliation." Happ added.

Photos courtesy of Reptilien Zoo Happ

California Wolverine Caught On Camera

California wolverine photographed in the Sierra

A California wolverine was spotted in the Sierra by a hiker who took a picture of the rare protected species.

David Messa reportedly saw the wolverine while camping near Lake Spaulding in May.

"He was like a bull in a china shop running across that lake. He just probably feared nothing,” Messa told Fox40. "He was kind of galloping; actually fell through the snow two or three times, turned around and came back, and came across in front of me. I was actually able to get a photo."

Messa's wolverine sighting marks only the fourth time the creature was photographed in California. Tina Mark, a Tahoe National Forest biologist, said it was "miracle."

"The fact that one showed up in our backyard, not too far from human habitation to me is a miracle.  It's like finding a needle in a haystack," Mark told Fox40.

Wolverines have not been scientifically confirmed in California since the 1920s. In 1998, a photo taken by a motion-sensitive camera on the Tahoe National Forest, the third documented sighting in Ca, provided a verifiable evidence of a wolverine in California.

The wolverine is the largest terrestrial member of the weasel family. Adult males weigh 26 to 40 pounds, while females are 17 to 26 pounds. It resembles a small bear, with a bushy tail and broad head. The wolverine's diet includes carrion, small mammals, birds, insects, berries, and fungi.

U.S. populations are found largely in the Northern Cascades in Washington, the Northern Rockies in Montana and Idaho, and in Alaska. Wolverines have large home ranges that vary greatly depending upon gender, age and food availability.

Texas Donkeys Abandoned By Ranchers Due To Drought, High Hay Prices (Video)

Texas donkeys left by their owners because of drought

Hundreds of Texas donkeys have been abandoned by ranchers due to lingering drought and the high price of hay in the United States.

The donkeys were used by ranchers to guard their herds. Mainly because of the drought and the U.S. economic slump, these donkey owners have sold many of the cattle and goats, putting the donkeys out of a job.

"Hay prices still haven't come down. And what little grass is growing, people are going to save it for the animals that are going to make them money," Mark Meyers, executive director of Peaceful Valley Donkey Rescue, told the Associated Press.

According to an AP report, nearly 800 Texas donkeys have been rescued by Peaceful Valley, the biggest donkey rescue group in America, in the past year.

The same situation is reportedly happening to donkeys in northwest Louisiana.

Check out this AP report about the Texas donkeys below:


Video description: "With pastures withered by a drought that has parched Texas and northwest Louisiana since late 2010, farmers have abandoned donkeys by the hundreds, turning them into wandering refugees that have severely tested animal rescue groups."