Having to have grown up visiting the New England coastline with my family every spring and fall, I had been fortunate enough to have experienced marine wildlife that was pretty much close to home. I have seen a number of marine mammal species such as Atlantic white-sided dolphins, North Atlantic right whales, grey seals, humpback whales, minke whales, and of course, fin whales. In addition, I had also grown up seeing other marine species that are often found in New England waters like swordfish, blue sharks, and even a great white shark. Seeing such marine wildlife has inspired me to not only know more about the Gulf of Maine’s marine ecosystem, but it also inspired me to work with animals, and even educate others on marine ecosystems and what they can do to protect it.

Should killer whales be captive? Some think yes some think no today I will be talking about some reasons why captive whales and animals do not do very well in captivity. Whales are typically caught and brought in from the wild, there are some whales that have been bred in captivity but have been separated from their mothers at a young age. This is one thing that really messes with the way whales live they live in pods with their family these captive whales are put into an artificial pod, and when they have babies they’re taken from them. This causes what seems to be a depression with the whales. Captive whales are kept under bad conditions with an unnatural diet of dead fish that is thawed. This causes the male whales to have a bent or collapsed dorsal fin. Captivity causes these animals to endure so much. These creatures deserve to be left in the wild. There are at least 166 orcas in captivity, 129 of these whales are now dead. There have been about 166 deaths of orcas in captivity including miscarried and still born calves. There are 20 whales in captivity at the three United States SeaWorld parks and at least 49 whales have died at SeaWorld. The whale capture of 1970 is probably the most infamous, this capture concluded in 7 whales captured and 5 whales died that day. There is only on captured whale still alive in captivity, she is at the Miami Seaquarium. There have been 19 orcas taken from the wild and placed into captivity. There were 10 whales illegally captured whales in Russia in 2018, but where released in the summer of 2019. These creatures are not meant to be held in captivity and made to perform for our amusement. Though many people either do not care what harm can come to these animals and their trainers, there are some who think and fight for these animals to stay in the wild. The owners of the brand SeaWorld are the people who need to realize that these creatures are dangerous. They can and have killed their trainers, these whales are powerful and have a very smart brain. They work out problems and take out their frustrations on whatever they want. SeaWorld has always blamed the trainers and not the whales for the trainers deaths. The most famous whale for killing his trainers is Tilikum. Tilikum has killed 3 people in his 3 decades of being in captivity before he passed on. There has been one whale that was released. Keiko also known as free Willy who captured many hearts in the free Willy movies. He was released but as many believe this was not for his well being, but for the well being of places like SeaWorld. SeaWorld and many people who work with SeaWorld want these animals to stay in captivity and continue to perform for our amusement. SeaWorld thinks that these animals are just for show and amusement, though this is not true. These animals are beautiful creatures who belong in the wild and should stay in the wild. Though there is no laws keeping people from capturing these whales but you do need a permit to capture them and take them into captivity. These laws are specifically put into place for entertainment and scientific reason. Though some believe it should be illegal there is little they can do. As stated previously orcas and many other animals do not do well and are not able to adapt to the life of captivity. These are just some of the many reasons that orcas and other animals should not be held in captivity. This also shows that SeaWorld and other ocean animal parks do not think about the well being of their animals.

Raccoons are adorable, fluffy, and appear to be very approachable in their natural habitat. We find them interesting with their bandit masked faces, the way they wash their hands and food before they eat, and their curiosity for the world around them. It's easy to forget they're feral animals and should not be treated as house pets. I've had several, semi-humorous/heart-warming experiences with these captivating little buddies but one of the most memorable encounters I've had was when I accidentally summoned a baby raccoon.

It has been all over the news since the start of the new year and there is no arguing that Australia is facing a crisis that is not caused by war, nor plague, nor by some form of economic depression, but one that has been caused by an ongoing series of wildfires that have spread throughout the nation. Hundreds of people now face the possibility of being homeless for more than 32,000 square miles of land having to have been damaged by the fires and more than 120 blazes still being active in southern parts of the country.

This past October, Ric O’Barry, a radical animal rights extremist who is known for starring in the biased documentary, The Cove, and having long-time ties to other radical groups like PETA, and Orca Network, announced that he and his staff have opened their very own sea-pen based facility for bottlenose dolphins in Bali. O’Barry claims that the facility is the “first” to be a “sanctuary” for dolphins who have spent a number of years in marine zoological facilities. The “sanctuary”, which is located in Banyuwedang Bay, has been raising a number of concerns among zoo professionals for a number of reasons.

Out of many threats to your home, the biggest one is the wood-destroying insects. The pests consume wood silently without being visible to anyone. These creatures cause a whole lot of damage. It is not easy to spot these insects by homeowners. If you suspect that your wood is being destroyed, it could be these pests. The best way to tackle such problems is to seek professional help.

Oh Christmas, that time of the year when everyone is out shopping at the mall, waiting in line at the local Starbucks for their hands on some hot cocoa, looking up recipes to spice up that traditional holiday turkey, hanging out with friends and family from out-of-town, engagement rings, and of course, anything that has to do with StarWars since Disney has managed to make it a worthy 21st century Christmas tradition. However, for Scottish marine mammal trainer Hazel McBride, her recent holiday plans did not involve either crazy Christmas shopping sprees, nor spending Christmas in a galaxy far, far, away, but doing what she loved best-working with her beloved whales at MarineLand France in a very festive way.

Naomi Rose, an animal rights extremist who often passes herself off as a self-proclaimed expert on orcas and other cetacean species, is currently attempting to protest the Brookfield Zoo’s well-guided plan to send three of its Atlantic bottlenose dolphins to Coral World in St.Thomas Island in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Rose, who is one of the masterminds behind the controversial and questionable Whale Sanctuary Project, claims that the pen where the dolphins are housed in St.Thomas is “polluted” despite the fact that the facility has passed all known regulated environmental conditions and safety standards that are set by the federal government.

I love feeding and watching squirrels and am fascinated with how they adapt to the ever changing environment. One of the questions that people wonder about these wonderful creatures is how squirrels make it through the winter.

Whether they sting, smell, bite, or simply move around your house, when insects occupy your home, they can bring a slide of health risks with them. They can disrupt the foundation of your property by slowly destroying the structure. And they can also be as deadly as causing death due to severe allergic reactions. Along with insects, there are other mammals and rodents which conveniently find their way in your basement and walls.

Just three months after a radical animal rights extremist group employed Blackfish star John Hargrove to go after Marineland France with false claims about its killer whale family in a failed campaign, the group has returned to the mainstream media to once again, make another false claim about the whales. In this latest scheme, the group posted on its Facebook page that MarineLand France was “planning” on moving it’s four orcas - Inouk, Wikie, Moana and Keijo (all born at the French marine mammal facility) - to a facility somewhere in China.

The Gaboon Viper, or Bitis Gabonica, comes from the rainforests and savannas of Sub-Saharan Africa and is one of the fastest striking snakes. They also have the longest fangs of any venomous snakes with fangs that are 2 inches long. Gaboon Vipers are considered to produce the most venom out of all the venomous snakes; a single adult has enough venom to inject lethal doses into 30 individual men. These snakes have enormous venom glands which produces the lethal amount of venom. Although a bite from a Gaboon Viper is rare because of their unaggressive nature; the Gaboon Viper normally does not bite unless they are stepped on and sometimes even then they may not bite. These snakes, like most venomous snakes, can lash out when scared.