Inside This Issue:
- Veterinarian Opens Her Doors to Pets During Wildfire Disaster
- Austin Residents Experience Coyotes Being Coyotes
- Hello Again, Screwworm
- The Evolutionary Booms and Busts of Saber Teeth
- News Bites: Weatherproofing Zoos, Christmas Leftovers, and Hungry Otters
Veterinarian Opens Her Doors to Pets During Wildfire Disaster
The devastating wildfires that began on January 7 have unleashed waves of destruction across Los Angeles, turning California's largest city into a hellscape of smoke and flames. At least 10 people have lost their lives, and the fires have forced a staggering 180,000 residents to flee their homes. The inferno has consumed over 10,000 homes and buildings, leaving neighborhoods reduced to ash and countless families displaced. Amid this catastrophic backdrop, a story of hope emerges through veterinarian Annie Harvilicz's compassionate initiative. As evacuation orders spread across the region, Harvilicz transformed her vacant veterinary hospital into a sanctuary for displaced animals. The crisis became personal for her when her brother's family faced a common dilemma during evacuation: the hotel they were staying at would accept their dog but not their cat and rabbit, so Annie took her brother’s animals, sparking a larger mission. Recognizing that many evacuees faced similar challenges with multiple pets, Harvilicz opened her facility's doors to the community.
Her action proved particularly crucial as hotels, despite their accommodating policies, could only accept limited numbers of pets per family. What's particularly touching about this crisis is the overwhelming response from the community. As Harvilicz notes, for every person needing assistance, approximately 50 to 60 people have reached out offering help. This outpouring of support demonstrates how, even in the face of disasters, the spirit of community and compassion can shine through the darkest smoke.
Source: Pets flee to vacant animal hospital amid California wildfires
Austin Residents Experience Coyotes Being Coyotes
Stylin' and profilin'.
As Austin expands, residents are facing an unexpected neighbor: urban coyotes. In Hyde Park, these adaptable predators aren't just surviving – they're thriving, reproducing more successfully in urban areas than their rural counterparts. Flanked to the west by the wilderness of the Hill Country, it's no surprise that there is growing overlap between the bustling city and native Texas wildlife. The issue reflects Austin's rapid growth, with the metro area's population increasing 7.53% from 2020-2023. As development pushes into natural areas, Austinites face the consequences – like losing backyard chickens and pets to hungry coyotes.
The city's current approach emphasizes coexistence over removal. "They're very close-knit, and will find a way either to come back, or another coyote will replace the one that was moved away," explains Elizabeth Ferrer from the Austin Animal Center. While Austin has preserved over 2,200 acres since 1935, wildlife continues adapting to urban spaces. With the Austin-San Antonio region projected to grow from 5.2 to 8.3 million people by 2050, the city's wildlife management strategy may become a model for other growing metropolitan areas facing similar challenges of balancing preservation with development. As it stands, the capital of the Lone Star State will continue to focus on education and practical prevention measures for the coexistence between their citizens and urban coyotes.
Source: Coyotes cause concerns in Central Austin as pets and poultry vanish
Hello Again, Screwworm
Clearly plotting something.
Every New Year brings new fears – and 2025 is opening with a gross one! Texas’ Parks and Wildlife Department (TPW) is asking hunters, outdoor enthusiasts, and anyone who works with animals to keep an eye out for animals affected by the New World Screwworm (NWS). The NWS is endemic to Cuba, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and several South American countries, but it is trying its darndest to migrate north. The discovery of a screwworm-infested cow in southern Mexico is what spurred TPW’s request for vigilance.
NWSs are nasty, parasitic fly larvae (maggots, if you prefer), hatched from the eggs of the New World Screwworm fly. The fly’s eggs are typically laid in the open wounds, nostrils, eyes, or mouth of a living animal. When the eggs hatch and become larvae, they start burrowing through the surrounding flesh and can cause spectacularly gory damage and eventual death. Wildlife and livestock are commonly affected by these parasitic infestations. Pets, and sometimes even people can be infested, too. The damage caused by these larvae as they chew their way through flesh is a bad enough sight to see (take that as a warning, if you are tempted to do an image search), but the big danger is in how susceptible the victim's wounds are to infections. Once infection sets in, an animal’s odds of survival without treatment are not good.
We called this a new fear, but the NWS is actually an old friend to the United States. The parasite used to be fairly common here, before eradication efforts in the mid-1960s eliminated it, though it has made periodic reappearances since then (including on a dog that was imported from Trinidad). It was then eliminated in Mexico by the 1990s, and throughout much of Central America by the early 2000s. These eradication programs have been highly effective and are important not only for animal welfare and public health reasons, but for economic concerns as well. Prior to eradication programs, NWS infestations were absolutely devastating to agriculture. It is estimated that eliminating this parasite has saved the U.S. about $900 million in lost livestock annually. When experts signal the alarm that we need to be vigilant about keeping North America screwworm-free, it’s not something to be taken lightly. It’s serious business – quite literally!
Source: Texas officials warn of "maneater" screwworm that burrows into open wounds, eyes and mouths to lay eggs
Related: Suffering to End Suffering: The Heroic Effort to Eradicate the North American Screwworm
The Evolutionary Booms and Busts of Saber Teeth
Smile!
The development of saber teeth may hold no candle to the phenomenon of carcinization, but it has appeared throughout the history of evolution numerous times. The first known appearance of these teeth can be found in gorgonopsids – reptiles that roamed the earth 270-250 million years ago (predating dinosaurs) sporting crazy long teeth along with some curiously mammalian characteristics. Since then, saber teeth have appeared in numerous ancient fossils across the world and independently evolved in mammalian predators multiple times. But saber-toothed predators, as cool as they look, always fall out of fashion. Why is that? The stock answer is “They ran out of prey, duh!” – which is technically true, but new research delves a bit deeper into this question, and may help explain why saber-toothed predators have thus far been unable to adapt to a changing menu.
Saber teeth are long, sharp, and great for puncturing, but with this specialization and stabbing power comes a distinct drawback: they aren’t great for catching smaller prey and are also relatively fragile – which may be the key as to why they continually fall in and out of evolutionary fashion. During times when predators have megafauna like mammoths to hunt, saber teeth are the perfect tool. But when it comes to catching smaller prey, they are far less effective than “lesser,” standard-sized canines and may be more prone to breaking. This creates a major disadvantage during periods of time when smaller prey are prevalent, causing slight but significant changes to the narrativ: it is more like these animals ran out of the prey they were best suited for than they just ran out of prey, period.
Source: Why sabre-toothed animals evolved again and again
News Bites: Weatherproofing Zoos, Christmas Leftovers, and Hungry Otters
Wait... not like that! Please make sure the ornaments are off the tree first.
As California suffers from catastrophic wildfires, animals in many other parts of the country are in danger of freezing without the help of their caretakers. Right now, many of the animals at Missouri’s Dickerson Park Zoo are staying in their heated enclosures, while others are popping out here and there to see what zero degrees in the sun feels like – it’s definitely not the kind of weather many of these animals would experience in their native environments! Low winter temperatures are a challenge for caretakers, but they also give zoos a chance to show off the numerous ways they’ve learned to provide increasingly better care for their animals over the decades. Whether it’s alligator hot tubs, joint-friendly flooring for elephants, or boredom-killing enrichment activities for the animals that are stuck inside, it seems like every year brings us more clever and caring innovations in animal care.
Is your Christmas tree is still up (no judgment)? Well, instead of just recycling or dumping it, you may be able to donate it to your local farm, zoo, sanctuary, or other animal enterprise after the holidays. Talk about joyful recycling! Yes, feelgood consumerism gets a bad rap, but we dare you to watch goats giddily tearing apart an old tree without getting a case of the warm fuzzies. Some used-tree recipients hold family-friendly events so you can watch the needly feast together. Check your local listings to see what options are available to you!
Invasive species cause a ton of problems in their new environs, but sometimes the locals are able to bite back – literally. In California, the native sea otter’s insatiable appetite for crustaceans has helped Elkhorn Slough estuary retain its status as a holdout against the invasive green crab. In practically every other location, the crab has been able to walk in (sideways, of course) and pretty much take over – disrupting and damaging coastal habitats in the process. But Elkhorn Slough’s sea otters, which eat an estimated 120,000 crabs each year, have managed to keep the population low. Note: this success story isn’t just about minimizing the damage of invasive species. Sea otters themselves were on the brink of extinction a quarter century ago, so it shows that there are multiple beneficiaries when species are preserved and protected. We’re definitely lucky their population has rebounded somewhat – who knows when you’re gonna need an otter!
Also in the News...
★ Modern Chimpanzees And Ancient Humans Share Similar Patterns When Selecting Stone Tools (Archaeology; Tool Use and Tool Choice)
★ More than 500 animals killed in fire at Dallas shopping center, officials say (579 Dead from Smoke Inhalation; About One Dozen Rescued)
★ MIT researchers figured out how to decode cellular signals using light (Biomedical Research; Leading Edge Discoveries)
★ Del Mar to consider petition on stricter regulations for retail animal sales (Pet Store Bills; Mandatory Rescue Legislation)
★ New grant supports research on the link between small animal adoption and human well-being (Pet Adoption & Human Wellbeing; HABRI News)
★ 10 cutest prehistoric animals, including an adorable 3-foot dwarf elephant you will want to take home with you (Fun & Adorable Lists)
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