#Cow Herds Could Heal Degraded Land, Scientist Says Livestock populations have long been vilified as major culprits behind desertification.
But one scientist believes the animals could actually be used to heal some of the world's most degraded landscapes.
Biologist Allan Savory explained in a talk at the TED 2013 conference in Long beach Calif. last month that he was taught to hold livestock accountable for incurring such damage on the land
Turning course Savory now believes that the only option left to combat desertification is to use livestock bunched
It involves keeping cattle in dense herds and moving them frequently so that the land is overused not
#Critically Endangered Pygmy Hogs Slowly Reintroduced to Wild Researchers are breeding and releasing critically endangered pygmy hogs into the wilds of northeast India.
However these small pigs require a bit of hoof-holding so to speak and are being released into the wild bit-by-bit gradually nudged toward self-sufficiency.
The breeders then act a bit like hog school marms for the species Porcula salvania. Â The process takes place in a gradual phased approach allowing the hogs opportunities to learn to feed
and forage to defend themselves from predators and acquire general survival skills while socializing with other members of the group.
Livestock deaths are not unusual but so many animals dying off and doing so in what seems to be under 24 hours was puzzling to scientists.
but in three fiberglass livestock watering tanks not far from where the elk died. The elk also showed signs they had struggled on the ground further supporting neurotoxin poisoning.
and cattle reports of human deaths are rare. New mexico ranchers have been advised to sanitize their livestock tanks to prevent further wildlife deaths.
Benjamin Radford M. Ed. is deputy editor of Skeptical Inquirer science magazine and author of six books including Scientific Paranormal Investigation:
while the firstâ wolf  changed into a dog or a wild boar into a pig.
Ray Coppinger of Hampshire College and others have speculated that as humans began forming more permanent settlements over the last 15000 years a new canine food source appeared that led directly to the evolution of the dogs we know
Causes of deforestation Deforestation is done typically to make more land available for housing and urbanization timber large scale cash crops such as soy and palm oil and cattle ranching.
and portion and steer toward largely plant-based items she said. At Chipotle one could order a burrito bowl with rice beans peppers and onions and no sour cream.
Removing a calf who is to become veal from his mother might be agony for the mother for her calf is all she has at the moment.
She cannot it seems anticipate having another calf in the future but even if she could have thought this this would not in any way justify removing her present calf.
Furthermore if my companion Jethro's pains are interminable for him then causing him pain would be more serious than causing pain for someone who would understand that it would only last for five seconds.
which butchers tied a bull to the stake and unleashed dogs to kill it since this supposedly made the meat tender.
Any dog who killed bulls was called a bulldog but in general it helped for the dog to be low to the ground with strong jaws to lock onto the bull.
Wide flared nostrils and a protruding mandible helped the dog breathe. All these traits shaped the bulldog into
and a dog that doesn't herd sheep is still a shepherd. All this makes finding breed differences in qualities like intelligence and behavior all the more difficult.
and guard sheep. Although all dogs are good at reading human gestures purebreds might have an extra edge because of their original jobs.
And pet owners might not even know that the stick is made from an uncooked dried bull penis. In a small study researchers examined a sample of 26 bully sticks also known as pizzle sticks manufactured in the United states and Canada.
While the source of the bully sticks is no secret many pet owners don't seem to be aware that the treats are made from the raw penises of bulls
or steers a survey by the research team showed. A 20-question online poll completed by 852 dog owners from 44 states
and vomiting) in African livestock said Juan Villalba a researcher at Utah State university who wasn't involved in the study.
A polymer called polyethylene glycol helps sheep handle a diet high in tannins and lambs can learn to eat this medicine from observing their parents doing it Villalba said.
Among the finds were dozens of goat-size gazelles. Most of the bones were found on-site suggesting their carcasses were brought whole to the site.
The site also contained the cracked skulls of larger antelopes similar in size to wildebeests.
Even today the Serengeti is littered with wildebeest-size heads Ferraro said. Scavengers like hyenas will consume all the rest of the carcass
A healthy diet can include whole grains vegetables meat poultry and fish she said. Some fish and seafood are good sources of omega-3 fatty acids
In a 200-plus-page report issued in May the FAO provides the first comprehensive assessment of insects'current and potential uses food for humans and livestock.
because they can convert their own food to body mass more efficiently than traditional livestock
because unlike chickens pigs and cows insects are not warm-blooded Sorkin said. As a result they do not have to expend energy to keep themselves warm
and research indicates they emit fewer greenhouse gases than conventional livestock according to the report. They can be nutritious with high fat protein vitamin fiber
and poultry the report says. Follow us@livescience Facebookâ & Google+.+Original article onâ Livescience. com S
Brilliantly colored birds like golden pheasants and temminck's tragopans posed for pictures too as did haired yellow-throated martens golden takins and wild boars.
#Escaped Goat Runs Amok in Brooklyn If you're a goat escaping from a slaughterhouse try to avoid running into a former goat herder.
That's the lesson one runaway goat learned the hard way after a late-night breakout from a slaughterhouse in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn N y. according to WABC News. At about 1 a m. ET
I know I see a goat coming around my way galloping toward me one area resident told CBS New york. A police officer also spotted the beast along crowded Atlantic avenue
Panicked the goat ran through the neighborhood banging his head against doors in an effort to evade the cops scrambling after it according to the Daily mail. The police chased the goat into a parking lot across from Interfaith Medical center where the animal encountered Seydou Ndiaye a parking lot attendant and as luck would have it a former goat herder
Video of Escaped Goat Running from Officers I told them'Do not harm the animal it's an easy animal.
and tried to capture the wily goat but the escapee proved too fast even for his expert hands.
Finally Ndiaye grabbed the goat by the horns and helped NYPD officers lift it into the back of a patrol car
which took the goat to a local animal shelter reports WABC. Though goat meat doesn't appear commonly on North american menus it's very popular in many immigrant neighborhoods especially throughout Latino Middle Eastern Caribbean and Asian communities according to the Washington post.
Known as mutton or chevron when the meat comes from an adult animal (and cabrito or kid when the goat is young) the delicacy is rapidly gaining favor among chefs and foodies The New york times reports.
Part of the appeal of goat meat comes from its health benefits the Times reports. Though the meat contains more protein than does beef it has less fat than chicken
and therefore is cooked usually slowly with some kind of added moisture as in stews according to the USDA.
And recent studies suggest goats display an unusual degree of social bonding: Not only do the animals pick up accents from one another demonstrating an advanced degree of vocal learning
but mother goats can also pick out the calls of their kids even a year after being separated from them.
Don't underestimate the goat. But what of our escapee goat? In true Brooklyn fashion the streetwise goat was rewarded for his moxie
and rather than face his end in a slaughterhouse the animal will be sent to an animal sanctuary in upstate New york WABC reports.
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#EU to Ban Certain Pesticides to Help Bees Bee populations are declining rapidly in Europe as they are in North america.
Newer genetic evidence from wild and domestic plants in recent years points to multiple origins for agriculture from Southwest Turkey to Iraq to Northern Syria.
#Experts Fear Airborne Spread of Deadly Pig Virus A deadly virus that's just recently appeared in the United states is killing off millions of pigs nationwide
And PEDV strikes young pigs with menacing force: The mortality rate among piglets is almost 100 percent.
Older pigs usually get sick but eventually recover according to Pork magazine. In the blink of an eye 30000 pigs were dead John Prestage senior vice president at Prestage Farms in Oklahoma told Reuters. 10 Deadly Diseases That Hopped Across Species PEDV was seen initially in Europe in the 1970s.
It soon spread through Asia and first showed up in the United states in April Reuters reports.
It's difficult to say how many pigs nationwide may have contracted PEDV or died from it: The illness is considered not reportable meaning that pork producers are obligated not to report an outbreak to agriculture officials.
Nonetheless by Sept. 8 more than 610 farms were confirmed to have pigs with the disease. The virus is not zoonotic meaning it has jumped not yet species to infect humans or other animals according to a statement from the National Pork Board.
But that could change: Recent research has revealed that 13 zoonotic viruses infect and kill an estimated 2. 2 million people each year.
Third-generation Kansas hog farmer Nathan Smith said he is convinced the disease is airborne. He lost about 15000 piglets this summer or about $1 million worth of livestock.
It moved too fast for tires too fast for feet Smith told Reuters. The only thing that touched each pig was the wind.
Follow Marc Lallanilla on Twitter and Google+.+Follow us@livescience Facebook & Google+.+Original article on Livescience e
Potassium is found in a wide range of foods such as leafy greens tomatoes cucumbers zucchini eggplant pumpkins potatoes carrots beans dairy foods bananas meat poultry fish
and railways with their associated embankments and cuttings form impassable barriers to animals such as the saiga antelope for
Only 20 years ago a million saigas roamed the steppes before undergoing a spectacular collapse of more than 90 percent in the 1990s leaving only about 50000 animals.
thousands of animals predominantly females and calves died. There are international efforts under way to ensure that the saiga survives it is protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna
and Flora (CITES) the convention that regulates international trade in wildlife and the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) under
which those countries where the saiga roams have concluded a specific international agreement. There is a similar story in Mongolia
Here it is Mongolian gazelles and khulans (wild asses) that are confronted with fences that they cannot pass;
and incorporating crossing points along railways with cattle guards to stop animals erring onto the tracks would allow animals to migrate unimpeded.
#Feral Pigs Going Hog-Wild in US Feral pigs are becoming a wild problem in the United states. The wild hogs can now be found in three-fourths of U s. states
 There are currently more than 5 million wild hogs in the United states according to the U s. Department of agriculture.
and transmitting more than 30 different kinds of diseases to humans livestock and other wildlife according to the AP. Feral pigs habit of digging
and rooting around in the ground also tears up gardens and crop fields and creates holes in roads that serve as hazards for cars and tractors.
 $1 million hunt But the state of New mexico isn't letting the pigs get away with those antics.
because the pigs are so smart that they can learn from failed efforts to trap them
Hunters will also employ a Judas pig. After finding and killing a hog family officials will intentionally leave one pig alive usually an adult female.
This Judas pig will then be outfitted with a tracking collar in order to lead state officials to a new set of pigs
which the surviving hog will seek out the AP reports. Image Gallery: The Most Destructive Invasive Species Multiplying hogs Texas may have the most wild hogs of any U s. state
and the situation is expected to worsen despite the $7 million per year that Texans spends to keep the animals'numbers down the AP reports.
 A recent study by Texas A&m University found that the number of feral pigs is likely to triple in five years in the state of Texas
if serious efforts aren't made to reduce feral-pig populations according to the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal.
If a feral-hog sow produces a dozen piglets 13 survive goes an old joke according to the Avalanche-Journal.
But feral-pig reproduction is no laughing matter. The animals may start reproducing when they re just 6 months old and their litters average about six sows reports Mississippi State university.
They produce an average of 1. 5 litters per year. Feral pigs were introduced to North america in the 1500s by Spanish explorers
and were used for hunting. In the wild they can grow to be up to 300 pounds (136 kilograms) or more according to U s. government figures.
Not one to shy away from controversy (or porcine genocide) the rock musician Ted nugent killed 455 wild hogs in a recent hunting expedition in Texas
. I did it for Bill Maher and all those other animal-rights freaks out there Nugent said according to Mlive. com. He allegedly donated the meat to the homeless.
After the chick hatches it pecks off its redwood-colored down and flying solo launches straight for the ocean.
the egg-sucking chick-eating Steller's jay. About 4000 murrelets remain in California with about 300 to 600 in central California's Santa cruz Mountains.
and norms of a so-called exceptional contemporary culture by introducing individual and named animal beings cows turkeys dolphinsâ chimpanzees
An analysis of the enamel on the fossilized teeth provided further evidence that it subsisted on grass like today's zebras wildebeests
Cheetahs prey on warthogs gazelles antelopes rabbits porcupines and even ostriches and they catch their prey by chasing it down.
and hunting by humans either for trade or to protect livestock. Cheetahs are nearly twice as fast as racehorses:
Emperors and other royalty hunted gazelles with trained cheetahs in the 16th century. Cheetahs are very vocal.
and their babies called calves are born around 6 feet (1. 8 m) tall. Calves can grow up to an inch a day.
Like a human fingerprint each giraffe's coat is unique. Some subspecies have patterns that look like oak leaves
Giraffes are ruminants like cows and their stomachs have four compartments that digest the leaves they eat.
Females give birth to a single calf about 14 months after they mate. When a giraffe calf is born it drops to the ground head first from about 6 feet (1. 8 meters) high.
The fall surprises the calf and makes it take a big breath but doesn't really hurt it.
The calf can walk after about an hour and it can run with its mom just 10 hours after it's born.
After they're a few weeks old calves join a group of young giraffes called a crã che.
Giraffes can live up to 25 years in the wild and longer in captivity. Where giraffes live:
or sieges with a territorial bull that's in charge of the group During the dry season though bigger groups will gather around watering holes.
Mothers give birth to a single baby hippo or calf either on land or in shallow water.
and it needs its mom's protection from lions crocodiles and adult male hippos which sometimes attack calves in the water.
They can be found near rivers lakes and swamps from Guinea in western Africa to Ethiopia on the eastern side of the continent and down to South africa.
Ecologically kangaroos are Australia's equivalent of bison deer and cattle in North america. Kangaroos get much of the moisture they need from their diet
Like cows kangaroos have chambered stomachs to help with digestion. They regurgitate grass and shrubs and chew them again before swallowing.
Leopards eat anything from carcasses fish and reptiles to mammals such as baboons antelopes warthogs hares and rodents.
Males (called bulls) have huge antlers that they shed each winter which are different from deer antlers in their shape.
but they do form strong bonds between mother and calf. One or two calves are born in May or June per female.
Newborn moose have fur with a reddish hue and they stay with their moms for a year until the next babies are born.
 Calves grow rapidly and gain about 3 pounds (1. 4 kg). The lifespan of an average moose is about 15 5 years.
because they thought the animals were hunting livestock and valuable fur stocks. They were trapped to the point of extinction
Zebras commonly mix herds with antelope adding extra protection against predators. Â Conservation status: Least Concern to Endangered Both the Grevy's zebra
Overgrazing by livestock is leading to significant environmental degradation as zebras compete with the ever-increasing livestock population and agricultural crops for water.
#Gangly Gerenuk Born at Denver Zoo The Denver Zoo welcomed an adorable baby gerenuk named Blossom this month.
The shy skinny antelope was born on March 6 to mother Layla and father Woody and the family can now be seen in the zoo's gerenuk exhibit.
Blossom has begun just venturing out into her yard and thoroughly enjoys it as she runs
Blossom is also Layla's first calf and she is proving to be a very attentive mother frequently making sure to clean
The word gerenuk appropriately means giraffe-necked in the Somali language. These long-necked creatures which are native to eastern Africa can weigh between 60 to 100 pounds (27 to 45 kilograms) and stand about 3. 5 feet (1 meter) tall on four legs.
But their uniquely designed hips and pelvises also allow these antelopes to stand up vertically on their two hind legs to reach leaves
Blossom is the first gerenuk born at the Denver Zoo. Her parents were paired through the Species Survival Plan of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.
There are thought to be about 95000 gerenuks in the wild and the species is listed as near threatened by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
These antelopes are world-class hiders which means they can endure some pressures of hunting in their native home
But the way the ice breaks or calves is still somewhat mysterious. Glaciers are constantly in motion she said.
Based on animal bone findings nutritional data and other discoveries at this workers'town site the archaeologists estimate that more than 4000 pounds of meat from cattle sheep
and goats were slaughtered every day on average to feed the pyramid builders. See Photos of the Unearthed Giza Pyramid Site This meat-rich diet
Although the researchers are still unsure of the exact number of bones Redding estimates he has identified about 25000 sheep
and goats 8000 cattle and 1000 pig bones he wrote in a paper published in the book Proceedings of the 10th Meeting of the ICAZ Working group'Archaeozoology of Southwest asia and adjacent Areas'(Peeters Publishing 2013).
and other non-meat sources while the other half would come from sheep goat and cattle he estimated.
and the cattle's low milk yield during that time Redding said. Combining these requirements
and other protein sources with the ratio of the bones (and the amount of meat and protein one can get from an animal) Redding determined about 11 cattle
and 37 sheep or goats were consumed each day. Â This would be in addition to supplying workers with grain beer and other products.
and herders In order to maintain this level of slaughter the ancient Egyptians would have needed a herd of 21900 cattle
and 54750 sheep and goats just to keep up regular delivery to the Giza workers Redding estimates.
These animals also needed herders likely one herder for every six cattle and one herder for every 50 sheep or goats based on ethnographic observations.
For instance the overseers who lived in a structure the archaeologists call the north street gatehouse got to eat the most cattle
and those living in an area called the galleries where the everyday workers lived ate mainly sheep and goats.
Cattle is of course the highest-status meat he said noting that it appears far more frequently then sheep
or goat in tomb scenes and that pigs never appear in tomb scenes. The settlement located adjacent to the workers'town dubbed eastern town wasn't as rigidly planned as workers'town
and its residents were eating a considerable number of pigs the researchers found. Evidence also suggested the people in eastern town were trading with people in workers'town for hippo-tusk fragments.
A gene from a spider that helps the arachnid produce silk for example could be inserted into the DNA of an ordinary goat.
but that exact process was used to breed goats that produce silk proteins in their goat milk.
Geneticists have bred GMO pigs that glow in the dark by inserting into their DNA a gene for bioluminescence from a jellyfish.
and allergic reactions sick sterile and dead livestock and damage to virtually every organ studied in lab animals according to the Institute for Responsible Technology a group of anti-GMO activists.
#Goat Sacrificed for Chicago cubs Curse Forest Preserve police in Cook County Ill. found a grisly discovery this week:
a decapitated white goat tied to a tree near the Indian Boundary Golf course. That was strange enough
Inside was a decaying goat's head. Officials are investigating whether the headless goat is connected to the goat head delivered to Wrigley Field last week.
Who would send a severed goat head to Wrigley Stadium? A confused Satanist? An angry mobster trying to send a threat
but unable to find a horse? No it is a response to a supposed Billy goat curse that dates back to 1945
when a man named Bill Billy goat Sianis had a pet goat (named Murphy) that was refused entry to a Cubs game.
Offended by the affront according to legend he cursed the club with the words The Cubs ain't gonna win no more!
despite many fan attempts over the years to lift the curse (some of them involving goats).
Belief in the Billy goat curse set the stage for what happened in 2003 when a Cubs fan named Steve Bartman reached for
The choice of a goat in the Cubs curse is ironic since it is a literal embodiment of the scapegoat goat that in ancient times was chosen to bear the burdens of villagers'sins
and was led then out of town never to return (or sacrificed). 13 Spooky Superstitions & Traditions Explained Curses spells
So is the Billy goat curse real? It might be real in one way: Curses sometimes work for the same reason that placebos sometimes work:
Either way the sooner the Cubs win a championship the sooner goats can rest easier.
and bison and a fatty high-elevation insect called the army cutworm moth. Pine nuts in particular are linked to birth
And meat-eating puts adult bears into closer contact with human hunters and ranchers should they go after livestock. 8 Ways Global Warming is Already Changing the World The result has been an increase both in total number
Delisting grizzlies would also allow states more freely to kill bears that became a nuisance to livestock a real concern in a time
Because the virus does not cause symptoms in chickens it can be harder to spot infected poultry.
Most of these cases about 75 percent were had people who direct contact with poultry. In a few cases people in the same family caught the disease suggesting that the virus spreads between people in close contact.
One bit of good news is that H7n9 does not appear to spread between pigs. In the study pigs did not catch H7n9 from each other either through the air or direct contact.
Transmission between pigs would be concerning because it would provide more opportunities for the H7n9 virus to evolve
and transmit to people that way too Webby said. Based on the new results pigs are unlikely to be major players in maintaining of the viruswebby said.
However Webby noted the study tested just one strain of H7n9 and there are other strains out there that may act differently.
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