SeaWorld Whales Named as Plantiffs in PETA Lawsuit

NBC San Diego: The animal rights group PETA filed their official complaint against SeaWorld Inc. early Wednesday morning for allegedly violating the thirteenth amendment rights of orca whales.

The official complaint submitted to the US District Court for Southern California lists five SeaWorld orcas as collective plaintiffs in the case, according to the complaint. Three of those whales live in the San Diego Seaworld park. The other two live in the Orlando location.

The thirteenth amendment abolished slavery in 1865.

PETA alleges that the two SeaWorld locations restrained and kept the whales in “constant involuntary physical confinement,” with no means to escape. The complaint also accuses SeaWorld of depriving the whales of “their ability to live in a manner of their choosing,” and for “intentionally subjugating” the whales’ “wills, desires, and/or natural drives and needs of [SeaWorld Inc.’s] own will and whims.”

A spokesperson for SeaWorld Inc. stated to the Associated Press that the claims were “baseless and offensive.” The statement added that any performances are intended to educate the public and promote conservation of marine animals.

PETA’s complaint lists a number of qualities that orca whales possess, such as their problem-solving abilities and understanding of cooperative networks. The orcas are capable of displaying “physiological and behavioral indicators of stress and trauma,” the complaint reads, and can communicate the stress of living in captivity.

“[SeaWorld’s] confinement of [the orcas] suppresses [the orcas’] cultural traditions and deprives them of the ability to make conscious choices and of the environmental enrichment.”

Under current law, animals are still considered property, according to the Associated Press.

Animals Escape From Wild Animal Farm

WTVR: Lions, bears and wolves were among the animals found running loose on Tuesday in Ohio, where the owner of an exotic animal farm was found dead on his property, police said.

Sheriff's deputies found about 48 dangerous animals running loose on the farm near the east-central Ohio town of Zanesville, and shot dead about 25 of them, Muskingum County Sheriff Matt Lutz told a news conference.

The owner of the farm, Terry Thompson, was found dead on the ground when authorities went to the site to check on him following reports of wild animals running free in the area.

Lutz described the animals found as "mature, very big and aggressive." The farm was home to a plethora of species including grizzly bears, black bears,lions, tigers and cheetahs.

Police were warning residents in the area to stay inside to keep safe, and area schools were ordered closed for Wednesday as a precaution. So far, no members of the public were known to have been hurt or killed by the animals.

There was no immediate word on how the farm's owner died, and Lutz said the police work so far has focused on securing the area around the farm, near Interstate 70 about a mile west of the city limits of Zanesville, and making sure the animals were taken care of.

Deputies, their search efforts hampered by heavy rain, were combing the area for any animals still missing, and the sheriff has ordered any spotted by his deputies be shot on sight.

Veterinarians from the Columbus Zoo, and from The Wilds, which is located about 20 miles away, were standing by to offer assistance if needed. The Wilds is North America's largest Conservation Facility for Endangered Species.

Jack Hanna, the well-known Director Emeritus of the Columbus Zoo, was also offering the sheriff any help he could arrange. He said personnel from The Wilds were called in years ago to help local officials over complaints from neighbors about the wild exotic animal farm.

Lutz said authorities were searching for the animals from their vehicles and were not walking through the heavily wooded rugged area. He said his office was also relying on neighbors and citizens in the area to report any animals they see.

Officials in Zanesville and the West Muskingum Local School district have said schools would be closed on Wednesday, while officials in other districts have said schools would close or were considering delaying opening hours.

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Fairmont Hotel Appoints Canine Ambassador

Photo courtesy of Kaitlin Bledsoe Photography

Market Watch: The Fairmont Pittsburgh hotel is pleased to announce the appointment of Edie, a white Boxer/Labrador Retriever mix, as its official Canine Ambassador. Edie -- whose name is inspired by Andy Warhol's muse, Edie Sedgwick -- provides guests with a warm welcome and is available to accompany them on walks around the hotel.

Born in March 2010, the same month that this luxury Pittsburgh hotel opened its doors, Edie began training in the assistant dog program at Circle Tail, Inc. in Pleasant Plain, Ohio as a puppy -- but because of her outgoing personality -- proved to be better suited to the hospitality industry.

At work five days a week, Edie happily greets guests from around the world. Just like her colleagues at The Fairmont Pittsburgh hotel, Edie wears a nametag, keeps an appointment book and even has her own email address. Edie is looking forward to hosting events and getting involved in the community at schools, nursing homes and local events. At the end of the day, Edie heads home with Julie Abramovic, public relations manager, where she spends her free time going for walks, playing at the dog park and chewing on her favorite toys.

Fairmont's luxury Pittsburgh hotel is a pet-friendly destination that encourages travelers to bring along their own furry friends. The hotel's canine guests receive walking maps, complimentary beds and dishes, and healthy treats made by Executive Pastry Chef Naomi Gallego.

Located at 510 Market Street, in the heart of Downtown, The Fairmont Pittsburgh hotel is within walking distance to the Cultural District, Market Square, eclectic shopping and world-class sporting venues. The LEED-certified Four Diamond, 185-room property features a contemporary art and industry design theme.

Philippine Town Hopes for Tourism Boost from Giant Crocodile

Monsters and Critics: A southern Philippine town hopes to attract local and foreign tourists following the capture of what was believed to be the world's largest saltwater crocodile on record, the town mayor said Tuesday.

The 6.4-metre long reptile, weighing about 1,075 kilos, was captured on the weekend in the marshland of Bunawan town in Agusan del Sur province, 840 kilometres south of Manila, Mayor Edwin Elorde said.

Elorde said it took local and national wildlife officials and crocodile hunters 24 days to capture the giant crocodile that allegedly had killed and eaten a water buffalo, a fisherman and a 12-year-old girl.

Elorde said residents of Bunawan held parties to celebrate the capture of the reptile which have terrorized the communities around the marshland area.

He said the town council is planning to put up an ecotourism and conservation park which would provide shelter for the captured reptile.

'We would take advantage of this crocodile as a tourism attraction and we hope it would help us generate income and jobs,' Elorde said.

Elorde said they would list the crocodile, which is believed to be 50-years-old, in the Guinnness Book of World Records as the largest and oldest reptile to be captured in recent years.

The largest crocodile currently recorded on the Guinness Book of World Records is a 5.48-metre saltwater male crocodile which lived for 24 years in an Australian nature park.

Warning: National Parks Aren't Theme Parks

Olympic National Park Mountain Goat

Press Democrat: Checking the Forest Service web site before a hike this weekend into the Alpine Lakes Wilderness, I noticed a curious warning: “Aggressive mountain goats have been reported. Use caution and move away.”

No. Really? But they’re so photogenic — snow-white, sinewy, with gravity-defying dexterity — and, until recently, so rarely encountered.

The fatal goring of a hiker last year by a rogue goat in Olympic National Park has not only changed the way we anthropomorphize these wild animals, but it’s prompted $10 million in wrongful-death claims by the victim’s family and new warnings about the perils of nature.

In Yosemite National Park, where 16 people have died in 2011 — almost three times the average for this time of year — park rangers have taken to telling people not to wear flip-flops while hiking the steep, slick Mist Trail and not to swim in the killer currents above 317-foot Vernal Fall.

Plenty of people have, in fact, defied the obvious and commonsensical — and paid for it with their lives. Three of this summer’s Yosemite deaths came when hikers went around a guardrail with a warning sign and waded into water that swiftly carried them over a cliff.

So, the conundrum: More than ever, an urban nation plagued by obesity, sloth and a surfeit of digital entertainment should encourage people to experience the wild — but does that mean nature has to be tame and lawyer-vetted?

My experience, purely anecdotal, is that the more rangers try to bring the nanny state to public lands, the more careless, and dependent, people become. There will always be steep cliffs, deep water and ornery and unpredictable animals in that messy part of the national habitat not crossed by climate-controlled malls and processed-food emporiums. If people expect a grizzly bear to be benign or think a glacier is just another variant of a theme park slide, it’s not the fault of the government when something goes fatally wrong.

This year, Yosemite is experiencing a surge of visitors — 730,000 in July, a record for a single month, they say. The Park Service is happy to be loved, after years of declining or stagnant use. But a lot of people bring their city swagger to the outdoors; they forget that Yosemite, the greatest waterfall show on earth, is also more than 90 percent wilderness.

“Many of these people aren’t used to nature,” said Kari Cobb, a Yosemite park ranger. “They don’t fully understand it. We’ve got more than 800 trails and 3,000-foot cliffs in this park. You can’t put guardrails around the whole thing.”

Last week, on the popular Mist Trail, which winds along the spray and froth of a thunderous nearby waterfall, Cobb found people hiking barefoot on the wet rock staircase. At Vernal Fall, where the water gathers itself in a stirring pool before plunging more than 300 feet, some hikers still ignore signs saying, essentially, don’t jump to your death.

Yosemite’s most lyrical advocate, the naturalist John Muir, anticipated the urban hordes as the population moved away from field and farm. At the dawn of the 20th century, he saw the parks as places to escape “the stupefying effects of the vice of over-industry and the deadly apathy of luxury.” But Muir also expected people to have some basic understanding of the outdoors.

Two years ago, my party of four set out to climb Half Dome — Yosemite’s iconic mountain — just two days after someone died there in a fall. We were warned, many times. The danger was part of the allure. The park service has installed cables to guide people up the bald, steep stretch at the end of the climb. But it’s a false security. And three weeks ago, a woman who was descending through that very support system slipped during a thunderstorm and fell to her death.

As my climbing group waited to descend the granite face, we were jittery and somewhat scared — properly so. The nervousness made for extra caution.

With aggressive goats, the issue is a bit more complicated. Bob Boardman, who was gored to death by a 300-pound goat in Olympic park, was an experienced hiker. The goat stalked him. Boardman bled to death while the animal stood over him for 30 minutes, according to the incident report. The goat was later shot.

In their legal claims, Boardman’s lawyers say the park service knew it had a problem goat in the high country, the subject of many complaints about harassment of hikers, and should have done something about it. Still, goats are wild animals — though introduced to the area in the 1920s — in a mountain ecosystem that answers to its own rules. No matter how many lawyers tread the landscape, it’s impossible to safety-proof a national park.

Bees on Airplane Terrorize Passengers

Daily Mail: Imagine being trapped in a confined space with not just one, but two swarms of bees buzzing around you.

That was the terrifying situation passengers endured on board a Russian aeroplane after bees escaped from a container into the cabin.

The creatures were being transported in two large cardboard boxes, stored in cupboards on the Boeing 757, but as soon as the plane took off from the far eastern city of Blagoveshchensk they began to creep out.

With bees buzzing around their ears, some business class passengers started to panic. Flight attendants scrambled to try and seal the bees inside their cupboard by taping its door shut. Eventually they managed to secure them inside, and the flight was able to continue its ten-hour journey to the Russian capital.

The incident - which has echoes of the cult Samuel L. Jackson movie Snakes on a Plane - has raised security concerns in Russia. The bees were allegedly being transported at the behest of a senior airport official at Blagoveshchensk.

According to Russian newspaper Rossiskaya Gazeta, the official had asked the trafficker to carry the boxes to Moscow where he would be met at the airport. Official airport documents quoted one of the flight's business class passengers as saying that the trafficker was 'slightly drunk.'

The incident took place on May 28 this year but was only reported recently.

A spokesman for the Yakutia airline confirmed that several passengers had panicked during the incident. The spokesman was unable to say whether the bees had stung anyone.

Following touch down in Moscow, the plane was defumigated and allowed to carry on to its next destination, Barcelona in Spain. However, when it arrived in Spain, a new crew discovered that the fumigation had not been completely successful with five bees still on the plane.

Baggage handlers in the country have claim that senior airport officials routinely disregard air safety rules.

Staff working at the Blagoveshchensk airport told Rossiiskaya Gazeta that the senior official 'can carry on board anything he likes.'

Flying Object Spotted on Delta Flight

Delta Airlines passenger Mike Schmidt captured this video of a bird or bat flying around the plane on his flight from Wisconsin to Atlanta. The creature was cornered in a lavatory, but Delta officials later said they searched the plane and couldn’t find it.

Help Wanted: Assistant Duckmaster

The Peabody Hotel in Memphis, Tennessee, is looking for an assistant duckmaster to help care for their five famous mallards. The Peabody HotelLatest from The Business JournalsWalgreens to offer electric vehicle charging stationsAgriculture information firm CrescoAg plants headquarters in Downtown MemphisMovement toward electric vehicles slow, but importantFollow this companyThe new hire will guide the ducks on their twice-daily walk from the penthouse to the marble fountain in the hotel's lobby (right).

The duck walk has been a tradition at the hotel for 78 years and draws hundreds of spectators every day. When ducks aren't walking or eating, the assistant duckmaster will also have concierge duties.

Click here to read more about the Peabody Hotel’s famous ducks.

L.A.'s Most Exclusive Hotel... For Pets

Daily Mail: It's not surprising that the guests of an exclusive hotel in Los Angeles feel like they are treated like top dogs. They are not worried that the residents at the Four Seasons across the road can order breakfast in bed, have a massage or take a swim in the pool.

For those staying at the Barkley can do the same, plus much much more - because it has the reputation of being the most luxurious pet hotel in the world.

To its burgeoning list of guest services, the hotel In Westlake Village, has recently added swimming lessons as an alternative daily exercise routine. Personal swim instructors take the guests for a splash with pool toys, and life jackets for the less confident swimmers. After the fun, they can relax in a poolside cabana with a cool drink and a gourmet dog treat.

On the spa treatment menu, fur dyeing is now offered. With natural dyes dogs can have their ears, paws, or tail coloured pink, blue or green or be stencilled with fetching leopard spots or zebra stripes, or even an all-American flag design. The design stays put for up to four weeks, and causes no harm or discomfort to the dog.

It is also a very quick process involving a paintbrush, some foils and then a trip to the high tech no-heat drying stations that gently ruffle the pooches fur to perfection.

Since the hotel opened last spring dog parents have the option of having their pets stay on 'Rodeo Drive' or 'Hollywoof Boulevard' in suites that provide individual climate and lighting control, piped soothing music and frequently freshened air.

Cats have smaller suites but are entertained by television screens featuring birds in flight and the tropical fish swimming in the central tank.

The streets of 'Rodeo Drive' are lined with 'stores' with names inspired by famous brands around the world, with a pet-friendly twist of course. Among the stores are Chewnel, Sniffany & Co, and Chewy Vuitton.

Every area of the hotel is under 24-hour surveillance and pet parents can check in on their fur baby via webcam or even on their phone as they sit poolside on their own vacation. If they feel their pet looks like he's missing home too much, the hotel offers a special list of add-on services to ensure their total comfort.

A dog can get an ice-cream social with his friends, a bedtime biscuit and tummy rub or a limousine ride to McDonalds where the chauffeur will pick them up a cheeseburger, hamburger or McNuggets. For those who take their pet's diet as seriously as they take their own, Barkley staff will order in steak from the Four Season's room service menu. There's tuna sushi for the cats that don't like their dinner from a tin.

The Barkley is also home to the Barkley Academy - a pet training facility run by dog trainers that is the first choice for many celebrities, including Sandra Bullock, who submitted her large family of rescued dogs to the programme.

Barkley trainers Nichola Bond and Vendy Fris offer 'Pawsitive Power' training, utilising only positive methods and rewards. Owners can opt for a full doggie camp, as many celebrities do, and board their dog with the hotel for six weeks.

An at-home training facility is within the hotel grounds with a dining room, bedroom and kitchen for intensive daily training within a natural environment. When the dog graduates - complete with cap and gown ceremony - their behaviour has a life-time guarantee for goodness.

After a hard day's work, there's the spa. Pet parents can choose from a massage, facial or 'pawdicure' with optional nail jewels and glitter.

A trained pet masseuse relaxes your dog before his summer trim with a back rub. If your dog prefers to relieve stress with a good game of fetch, there's always the day camp where they can play with fifty pals in a park equipped with all manner of distractions.

Snake Halts Japanese Bullet Train

The Telegraph: The red and black snake, measuring three feet in length, was discovered by a surprised conductor shortly before 9am on board the Kodama 642 bullet train just outside Kyoto in Shiga prefecture.

Staff immediately halted the train before a worker from a nearby animal protection centre was sent to the scene to remove the snake from the seat.

The reptile is currently being treated as lost property by police, who suspect it may be the escaped pet of a rail passenger. They are currently searching for its owner.

None of the 200 passengers on board the halted bullet train was injured, according to the operator Central Japan Railway Co.

The animal is believed to be a Honduran milk snake, which is commonly bred in captivity and has become a popular pet choice due to its distinct colouring.

Bullet train operators normally request that passengers do not bring animals other than small birds of fish in containers on board their vehicles.

Halting a bullet train is a rare occurrence in Japan. Delays are usually the result of a major incident such as an earthquake or a suicide and often resulting in significant news coverage.

It's Good to be Top Dog

Hotel Palomar's Luna

Hotel Chatter: There are new top dogs at the Hotel Palomar Los Angeles Westwood and Le Parc Suite Hotel in West Hollywood. And they are some cuties.

Both hotels got new directors of pet relations. Luna, an American Cocker Spaniel who sports a pink collar, works for Hotel Palomar. She's been welcoming animal and human guests and promoting the hotel's occasional Yappy Hours, pet-friendly happy hours. The doggie also lets visitors know that each pet gets a bed, bowl, treats and toys when checking in.

Jackson Oscar leads the pets department at Le Parc Suite Hotel. JO actually has been on the job for a while but is still learning the ropes. He makes guests aware of the Le Parc Pet Wing on the north side of the first floor. The director also lays down the rules for animals, including not leaving them unattended, keeping them on a leash at all times when in the hotel outside of your room and paying a one-time $75 fee for cleaning and upkeep.

Obviously, the adorable four-legged guys just show off that the hotel is a dog-friendly place. Plus, we're sure they are a hit with guests who come in and want to either pet them or play with the doggies. We just hope they are getting paid fairly in treats for all of their hard work.

Beware of Alcoholic Monkeys on St. Kitts

The Fix: Travelers headed to the sandy shores of St. Kitts this spring are advised to keep a close eye on their daiquiri (virgin or not): the island’s liquor-loving monkeys, known as vervets, are prone to swooping down on alcoholic drinks left momentarily unattended.

The monkeys, originally imported to the island by pirates, were introduced to the tantalizing effects of umbrella-laden mojitos and shots of tequila by tourists a few decades ago. Not surprisingly, they developed a heavy hankering for it. A team of scientists spent two years studying the effects of alcohol on the island’s primates, and found unsettling similarities between the behavior of alcohol-addled monkeys and their human counterparts.

It seems that while most monkeys are either teetotalers or "social drinkers," a large minority demonstrate clear alcoholic tendencies. According to a report by ABC News, the scientists were surprised to discover that messed-up monkeys engaged in many of the same behaviors as Duke frat boys—slurred speech, unprovoked hostility, binge drinking, blackouts, and obnoxious sexual behavior.

However, those man/monkey messups may not be so surprising after all—given that vervets share more than 96% of their genetic makeup with people. And just like overindulging humans, the morning after isn’t a treat for the vervets, either. One researcher told the UK Telegraph: "The binge drinkers gulp down the alcohol at a very fast rate and pass out on the floor. Then the next day they do it all over again." Sound familiar?

A Tourist's Encounter with a 300 Pound Eagle Ray

Daily Mail: A woman tourist was pinned to the deck of a sightseeing boat by a 300lb stingray after it came hurtling out of the sea as she cruised off the Florida Keys.

Jenny Hausch, 40, was knocked down (last weekend) by the spotted eagle ray, which torpedoed out of the water and landed in the charter boat in which she was a passenger.

She was trapped and gasping for air under its 4ft wide body for three to four minutes. 'The ray was slamming this way and slamming that way and she was trying to crawl out backwards from under it, but it kept landing on her,' said boat captain Kelly Klein.

The bizarre incident took place off the island of Islamorada. It came almost exactly three years after widow Judy Kay Zagorski, 57, was killed by a spotted eagle ray that leapt from the waves and struck her in the face while she stood aboard a motor-cruiser off Marathon, also in the Florida Keys. The blow sent Mrs Zagorski, of Michigan, crashing to the deck, fracturing her skull and causing a fatal brain injury.

The spotted eagle ray is also the same species that killed Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin in 2006.He was impaled through the heart by a ray while diving on the Great Barrier Reef, off Australia.

Wildlife experts say that stingrays do not leap to be aggressive, but may jump occasionally to shake off parasites, avoid predators such as sharks, or while giving birth. 'This is not an ‘attack’. These things are not looking to, you know, have a little human meal. It’s just a one in a million chance,' said Officer Aja Vickers (of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission).

In 2006, millionaire property developer James Bertakis, 81, narrowly escaped death when a spotted eagle ray launched itself at him during a fishing trip off Lighthouse Point, 40 miles north of Miami, piercing his lung and heart with its razor-sharp, venomous barb. His survival was dubbed a miracle by doctors.

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Goose Rescues Squirrel From Hotel Toilet

Belfast Telegraph: A British entrepreneur has told of his surprise at finding a squirrel in his toilet bowl.

Duncan Goose was in Malawi to check on the humanitarian aid projects funded by his company's One projects when he came to the animal's rescue.

The Edinburgh-born 42-year-old, whose company Global Ethics also produces One-branded toilet roll, got a shock when he lifted the toilet lid in his hotel room one night to discover the squirrel.

He said: "It was a real shock as my immediate reaction was that it was a rat and, particularly in developing countries, they carry lots of disease.

"I was concerned it was going to jump out and bite me, so I put the lid back down and left it for a minute as I wasn't sure what to do."

When he returned to lift the lid on the struggling animal, he realised it was a squirrel and promptly came to its rescue.

Mr Goose, who now lives in Kew, south west London, said: "In the end I put a hand towel down the toilet, allowed it to climb up, put it in a laundry basket, took it outside and released it back into the wild and it didn't seem too much the worse for wear so hopefully it's recovered from the experience and will go on to have a happy life devoid of toilet bowl experiences."

It was not the first time Mr Goose, brother of former Casualty actress Claire Goose, has had a run-in with a wild animal. He said: "I've had scorpions creep into my room, I've had to remove a very large spider in Australia and I once ran into a deer on my motorbike in Canada which was quite an experience - it was a mutual collision in the early hours of the morning - so my luck with animals is not the best."