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The birth of an elephant calf at Sydney’s Taronga zoo has been hailed a miracle just days after staff were mourning its death in the womb.

Earlier in the week zoo staff had reluctantly announced the calf of their Asian elephant Porntip had died before it was born after keepers and vets had found none of the five vital signs that would have indicated the calf was still alive. Ultrasounds had shown the calf was in an upside-down, face-first position, making it impossible for Porntip to give birth.

However the 18-year-old matriarch of Taronga´s Asian elephant herd gave birth to a male calf after a protracted labour lasting nine days.

"When the keepers learned the calf had survived this morning, the looks of disbelief on our faces were quite a picture. We couldn´t believe that this could be true," said the zoo´s elephant manager Gary Miller. While it is still too early to know if the calf will survive long-term, the zoo hailed his birth as a “miracle”:

The zoo’s Director, Cameron Kerr, said: “While this is incredible news, the young calf still has a long way to go. There are no guarantees of its long-term survival at this early stage but we hope that its birth against the odds will stand it in good stead.”

A few hours after its birth the calf was doing well and had taken its first steps, according to Taronga Zoo’s Senior Veterinarian, Dr Larry Vogelnest. “The calf has already had some contact with the other elephants in the herd, touching trunks with the older females and also the zoo’s first calf, Luk Chai, an eight-month old male,” Mr Vogelnest said.

Taronga zoo´s Asian Elephants are part of a controversial programme to breed the endangered creatures which began after the animals arrived from Thailand in 2006.

Porntip, whose name means ´gift from heaven", was artificially inseminated 22 months ago and went into labour on March 1. About 50 per cent of first-time elephant mums lose their babies.

As few as 33,000 endangered Asian elephants are thought to remain in Asia. Let´s hope this baby makes a full recovery.

Did you realise that each week, more than 100 people are admitted to hospital after dog attacks?

In response to this new plans for curbing the use of intimidating dogs are being discussed in a Department of the Environment consultation over changes to the Dangerous Dogs Act. This 1991 law is often cited as an example of hastily-made and unworkable legislation where the focus was on specific breeds rather than a dogs actual behaviour.

The Government’s public consultation on dangerous dogs was launched yesterday following a visit to the RSPCA Harmsworth Animal Hospital, in north London, by Home Secretary Alan Johnson, and Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Hilary Benn MP.

The focus will now be on irresponsible pet owners, many living in inner-city estates, who cause dogs to become aggressive rather than specific dog types. Mr Benn met hospital director David Grant who explained how he and his team have to treat and care for thousands of animals each year as a direct result of irresponsible dog ownership.

(See video I made with him last year)

An RSPCA spokeswoman welcomed the consultation saying “It is fantastic news that the Government has opened a genuine debate on the subject and given the public a chance to have their say on the best way to tackle the issue of dogs being used anti-socially.”

She said vets at RSPCA animal hospitals, as well as many of the charity’s inspectors out in the field, come across dogs on a daily basis that have suffered cruelty or neglect at the hands of irresponsible owners. It needs to be remembered that dog welfare isn’t just about ‘dangerous dogs’. Strays and over-breeding are also areas that would need to be properly addressed as part of any comprehensive dog welfare strategy.

Home Secretary Alan Johnson said: "The vast majority of dog owners are responsible, but there is no doubt that some people breed and keep dogs for the soul purpose of intimidating others, in a sense using dogs as a weapon. It is this sort of behaviour that we will not tolerate; it is this sort of behaviour that we are determined to stop."

Ministers are also considering making it a criminal offence for a dog owner to allow their animal to be ´dangerously out of control´. Currently they are only breaking the law if the dog is out of control in a public place. The change would extend the law to private residences, and could provide extra protection for postmen.

So what might happen?

Dog owners may be forced to pay for insurance to cover damage or injuries their pet causes.
They may also be required by law to have their dog(s) microchipped.
Another measure being considered is the use of Dog Control Notices for misbehaving animals - known as ´Dogbos´.

The Scottish SPCA have revealed that 2009 was the "worst in recent memory" for animal cruelty in Scotland. There is no other way of putting this - a society is emerging where individuals not only lack any ability to empathise with an animals suffering, but, in many cases enjoy inflicting pain on a creature unable to defend itself.

The charity have released the details of a series of horrifying cases across the country that will shock animal lovers. Here are just a few:-

A tiny foal was lucky to be alive after she was cruelly slashed across the neck at a farm near Cupar in Fife in May 2009. A dog was dumped dead in a field in Peebles with horrific burns over her face and body. A female Mastiff cross was discovered on the Kinnaird Park Estate by a worker from nearby Dalgety Farm on the outskirts of Brechin, Angus on Friday March 13. She was tightly tethered to a barbed wire fence with blue twine and wearing a blue collar and black muzzle. A post mortem confirmed that the dog died a slow and lingering death from starvation and dehydration.

Sheila, a female Staffordshire Bull Terrier, (see pic) was shot in the head 13 times by her owner in a drunken attack in Glasgow. Following an investigation by Strathclyde Police, her owner was convicted and banned from owning or keeping animals for 10 years. Sheila recovered from her injuries in Scottish SPCA care before being found a loving new home.

Commenting on the cases, Chief Superintendent Mike Flynn, of the Scottish SPCA, said:

"It´s not just outright cruelty, we are also tackling a constant stream of neglect, where owners, for whatever reason, don’t feed their animals or take them to a vet when they are sick. "We had several successful prosecutions last year against people who simply turned a blind eye to the animals living in their homes suffering in silence from painful skin diseases, riddled with cancerous tumours or emaciated because they’ve not been fed for a prolonged period of time.

"Taking all of this into account it is fair to say that 2009 was the worst year in recent memory for animal cruelty."

In a referendum welcomed by animal rights activists, Swiss voters have been deciding whether to appoint special lawyers for animals that have been abused by humans. If passed, the vote would have extended a system already in place in Zurich to all of Switzerland’s 26 cantons (states). But the proposal was rejected by Swiss voters.

Antoine F. Goetschel, Europe’s leading animal lawyer, had said that approving the proposal would have ensured that abused animals are properly represented in court and those who hurt them would receive appropriate punishment. Opponents, including the government, said existing laws are sufficient and appointing lawyers for animals would incur unnecessary costs for taxpayers.

It is true that Switzerland already has some of the most stringent animal rights laws in the world. In fact it recently changed its constitution to protect the ´dignity´ of plant life and made a law last year establishing rights for creatures such as goldfish and canaries. Pigs, budgies and other ´social´ creatures cannot be kept alone; horses and cows must be regularly exercised outside their stalls and dog owners are required to take a training course to learn how to properly care for their pets.

Training courses for dog owners!! Why not here in the UK?

This news is a pity as I believe all animals whose lives are in the care of humans, whether pets, farm animals etc do have rights - rights to be treated with care and compassion and never to be abused or hurt. The more this issue is in the public eye the better. In fact PetStreet would be a supporter of the principles of the animal rights movement except for the fact that many of these organisations, like Peta, are anti-pet keeping and they not only believe all pets should disappear, they euthanise "rescued" pets in the US.

Pets have a huge and important role to play in the lives of people and any organisation that campaigns for their eradication is crazy. All I want to see is the highest welfare standards for all our companion animals whether pets, farm animals, assistance/working animals, or any other animals in our care.

3-year-old Victoria Bensch went missing from her home in Arizona US last week but was found alive and well the following day after spending a night outside in freezing temperatures huddled next to her dog, Blue.

Sgt. Jeff Newnum of the Yavapai County Sheriff´s Office said "She was able to stay warm by cuddling up with her dog. And it probably was the thing that saved her life. It was extremely cold out here,"

Victoria Bensch vanished while playing outside with the family´s dog Blue, a Queensland Heeler around 4:30 p.m. Search teams scoured the rocky terrain surrounding Victoria´s home, but as the night wore on, and temperatures dipped into the 30s, there was still no sign of her.

When the sun rose Friday morning, a rescue helicopter spotted movement below. It was Blue, hovering close to the missing girl, nearly half a mile from their home.

Even as medics approached, Blue kept Victoria, who was only wearing a T-shirt, pants and tennis shoes, safe.

"I think the dog was initially apprehensive of me. I was a little concerned he might bite me when I first walked up, but as I just walked right past the dog, he realised I was there to help," medic Eric Tarr said. "You could see the dog´s expression almost turn to a smile. It came right up to the helicopter and jumped right in no problem at all."

Blue flew in the copter with Victoria to Phoenix Children´s Hospital, where she was treated for frostbite. Victoria´s family expressed their gratitude toward law enforcement and rescue officials for their role in saving the little girl.

Her father, Ernest Bensch said "It seems like the whole community came together to help find Victoria. All the manpower and hours out there, just working, were unbelievable. The family has another dog, Rusty - an 8-year-old Red Cleveland - who is also good with Victoria, but it is clear that Blue is the little girl´s dog."

Both dogs were out in the yard with Victoria, when the toddler took off after something caught her curiosity - her father was not home, and her mother left the child on the porch briefly to go in the house. Luckily faithful Blue stayed with her

Not only did Blue save the little girl from the effects of exposure by cuddling up and keeping her warm, he could well have saved Victoria from predators like coyotes that live in the Arizona desert.

The girl´s aunt, Kim Rayfield, told KPHO, "I don´t even like animals and I hugged that dog so hard - she´s our angel, our first the little girl as everybody has boys, so she´s our little princess."

Source KPHO.com

Paula Smith, of Bathurst Road, Tredworth, said she was forced to leave her four children home alone after being arrested by police. Her Siberian huskies escaped and attacked a neighbour´s elderly cat.

The mum-of-four said she was taken to Gloucester Police Station, charged with having an out-of-control dog and kept in police cells for almost five hours.

According to www.thisisgloucestershire.co.uk, Paula Smith said her 13-year-old son Ricky had accidentally let the family’s two Siberian huskies Ben and Kai out in the morning.

A Gloucestershire Constabulary spokeswoman confirmed what had happened. “Police received a call at around 2pm on Monday, March 1, from a woman in Cheyney Close, Gloucester, who was very distressed as two large husky dogs had got into her garden and attacked her 17-year-old cat.

The Cat called Rocky, who is also blind, has suffered a puncture wound to his side and it is still not known if he will survive.

Paula Smith´s husband Shane, 35, said they looked everywhere for the runaway huskies but to no avail. “We contacted people and agencies we could think of in case they found them, but there was no joy,” he said. “But then we found out that one of the dogs had bitten a cat.” Shane, who works as mechanic, added: “I can’t believe they left the kids at home on their own and arrested my wife. If the dogs have hurt a cat then we are happy to pay the vet bill, no questions of that, but I don’t know why they had to arrest my wife.

Paula Smith has now been charged with being in charge of a dog dangerously out of control in a public place and bailed to appear at Gloucester Magistrates’ Court on March 29.

Were the police right to arrest the woman? How would you feel if you had been the cat owner (or the owner of any other pet) that ended up injured by these dogs?

Story and Photo:- www.thisisgloucestershire.co.uk

Crufts begins on Thursday and runs for 4 days. Would you like a pair of tickets? If so all you have to do is send me an e-mail (via my profile page) with your address. The winner will have a nice PetStreet profile page and I will decide on Monday at 11 am.

The fate of retired greyhounds is as big an issue in the US as it is in the UK.

A charity called Second Chance at Life seeks to temporarily re-home greyhounds in prisons.

The idea is that it gives an opportunity for Inmates to give something back to the community as well as benefiting by having a worthwhile job to do. The resulting in a safer environment for both staff and prison inmates. The scheme allows many inmates, for the first time, to experience the unconditional love of a pet.

The dogs undergo a training and socialisation program that increase their chances of ending up re-homed outside the prison. So both the dogs and the prisoners benefit.

The nation wide collaboration is envisaged and when completed it will partner over one hundred prisons with one hundred Greyhound Adoption Groups, all over the US. They hope that 12,000 inmates will be working together to save more than 6000 retired racing greyhound´s lives every year.

Sean Lawson, a serial Newcastle criminal has been spared jail after a reckless road rampage in a hijacked car.

Lawson, who spent his teens terrorising his neighbourhood with the "Scotswood Hoodies", walked free after killing a police dog and injuring two officers in a road smash while three times over the drink-drive limit. As his 12-month prison sentence was suspended at Newcastle Crown Court, Lawson, 20, shouted in joy ‘Get in!’

Prosecutor Geoff Mason had told the court that the trail of destruction started when a VW Passat was rammed by a car in the Benwell area of the city on November 9 last year. As the owner got out to chase two men, others jumped into the man´s Passat and drove it away.

Lawson began his criminal career in 2005, when the then 16-year-old and four pals were given Asbos banning them from wearing hoods and entering certain areas.

The gang would hang around parks, drinking, smashing bottles and smoking cannabis. In this most recent incident, when cornered by police, Lawson rammed a dogs van so hard it broke the back of one of the police dogs inside. Two officers were also injured and thousands of pounds of damage caused to vehicles.

But Lawson, who was three times over the drink-drive limit, walked free from court because he has been in custody on remand, and a judge decided having a suspended prison sentence hanging over him would be greater punishment than locking him up.

Road safety charities and the Police Federation have slammed the justice system for letting the lout escape with such a lenient sentence.

In London yesterday the House of Lords hosted the first Wetnose Awards.

The Wetnose charity was launched 10 years ago by Andrea and Gavin Gamby-Boulger after running their Boarding and Rescue Centre for 12 years. They soon realised that there is no funding from any source for small rescues and the dedicated people who run them.

The awards have come out of their work, as they wanted to recognise some of the people who have sacrificed so much in the cause of animal welfare.

Prize winners included Charles Wartenburg, working to stop dog eating in the Philippines, Fiona Oakes from Tower Hill Stables and Jacui Duly from Pussycat Lodge. Every award winner had an emotional story to tell.

Awards were also presented to the army dogs and their handlers, to honour the courage and bravery they show in places like Afghanistan. They included Corporal Cliff Cullen and his search dog Billy, featured above.

Hosted by Wendy Turner, it was a great event packed with celebrities all keen to show their appreciation of the people who give so much to help animals - Jenny Seagrove, Ingrid Tarrant, Lorraine Chase, Nick Knowles, John Altman and Ann Widdecombe were just some of the famous names attending. It was obvious that these were not rent-a-celebs turning up at an event, but people who cared passionately about the issues of animal welfare.

It was a really great event.

Wetnose also has a fund raising day every June to help raise much need cash for these Centres, similar to Red Nose Day which is for humans, Wetnose is for the animals. I really hope this all takes off and in time it will be as big as Red Nose Day.