Fisher-Price kitchen toys recalled in U.S.
November 6th, 2007Mattel Inc. on Tuesday recalled more than 172,000 Fisher-Price kitchen toys in the United States and Europe because several children choked and gagged on small, detachable parts.
The company has received 48 reports of small parts separating from these toys, which feature a sink, a refrigerator and a range. One child choked on a detached piece and needed the Heimlich maneuver performed to remove the part. One child started to choke and two children had pieces in their mouths and gagged.
“Small parts choking hazards with toys is one of the most serious dangers to children in the United States,” Scott Wolfson, Consumer Product Safety Commission spokesman, said.
The recall involves 155,000 toys sold in the United States, according to the CPSC.
Mattel, the U.S.’s largest toy maker, issued two major recalls in August for lead-tainted toys and toys with small, powerful magnets that can cause intestinal perforations if swallowed. It issued another, smaller recall of lead-contaminated toys last month. All of the previously recalled toys were manufactured in China.
November is Adopt a Senior Pet Month
November 6th, 2007
Fall in love with a senior pet during November! Even though Senior Pets have a shorter life expectancy after adoption, they can be truly rewarding pets. Senior pets are already housebroken and more often than not have a few tricks already up their paws! Adopting a senior pet gives them a few more wonderful years of life and a loyal and more mature appreciative companion if you are looking for a more mellow pet (sometimes!). Although senior pets require less exercise time than puppies, many can still give you a great workout!
Please look at your local shelters and adoption facilities and think of adopting a senior pet this November!
Animal Welfare Professional ASPCA Site
October 14th, 2007Veterinarians, shelter staff, law enforcement officials and volunteers now have their own ASPCA Professional Website at ASPCAPro.org The site has been created by professionals for professionals. Resources include tools for specialty areas such as adoptions, Canine Parvovirus, Feline Upper Respiratory Infections, Spaying and Neutering Surgeries, Shelter Medicine and Fundraising techniques.
ASPCAPro.org also contains information and how-to guides regarding ASPCA’s outreach programs as well as materials on marketing to educate the public on spay/neuter, animal cruelty, animal poison control and disaster readiness.
Feral Cat Summit Coming November 10th
October 14th, 2007On Saturday, November 10, volunteers and animal welfare professionals from all over the country are invited to the Fourth Annual National Feral Cat Summit in Orlando, FL, to learn some of the most effective and progressive techniques in caring for feral cats. The two-day conference offers a program packed with guest speakers, presentations and workshops lead by experts in the animal welfare field, including:
* Disaster Preparation for Feral Cat Programs and Caretakers
* Feral Cats and Wildlife: Moving from Confrontation to Collaboration
* Organizing and Running a Feral Cat Mass Spay/Neuter Clinic
The ASPCA will be offering a two-day “wet lab” for veterinarians and veterinary technicians, instructed by Julie Levy, DVM, Ph.D., Associate Professor at the College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Florida, Gainesville. This workshop will give participants a first-hand view of feral cat sterilization techniques and an opportunity to gain practical experience while earning continuing education credits.
Tickets are $55 online, which includes a boxed lunch and evening reception. Reduced-price tickets are currently being offered to Florida residents, but they must be purchased by mail from Neighborhood Cats; please contact feralcatsummit@yahoo.com for more information. Please visit Neighborhood Cats for a complete program listing and to purchase tickets.
Government considering using ferrets to control prairie dogs
October 13th, 2007In Kansas, the federal government is considering an experiment that would use ferrets to reduce the exploding population of prairie dogs in Logan County. The five-year experiment would be administered by the Kansas Ecological Office of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Manhattan. Four landowners in the county said they would take part in the government’s efforts, but the Logan County Commission voted to decline the experiment on a county-wide basis.
Logan County Clerk Pat Schippers said the prairie dog population has multiplied “at a huge rate” in the county this year and the animals are “out of control.” But she said the commission was concerned that introducing ferrets would hurt current efforts to control prairie dogs with chemicals.
The black-footed ferrets are one of the rarest mammals in North America and are on the Endangered Species list. The Wildlife Service has wanted to reintroduce the black-footed ferret to parts of its historical range on the Great Plains for years, said field supervisor Mike LeValley, and has reintroduced them in South Dakota, Montana, Colorado, Wyoming and New Mexico with mixed results.
LeValley said black-footed ferret uses prairie dogs’ burrows for shelter and feeds almost exclusively on prairie dogs and other small animals, so the animals could create a natural balance with the prairie dogs in Logan County.
Field agents spent last week in Logan County mapping land being considered for ferret placement.
LaValley said his agency must address two key public concerns for ferret reintroduction - keeping ferrets from encroaching on land where landowners want prairie dogs and compliance with the Endangered Species Act.
Should the experiment be approved, one of the conditions would be a guarantee to all neighboring landowners that the study would not hinder use of their land in any way, including the right to control prairie dogs on their property.
At the end of the five years, if the experiment is deemed unsuccessful, any ferrets remaining alive would be trapped and taken to a different site.
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