Animals in the Library

Thousands of amazing books about animals can be found at your local library. But did you know the Toronto Public Library also has lots of free programs and events about animals that are free! Learn more about our local spiders, find out about new dinosaur discoveries in Africa, take a class to learn how to draw animals and more!

Here are a few events this fall:

• Wildlife Wood Carving and Painting, Sept 29th @ 2 pm, McGregor Park
• Spiders of Toronto, Oct 2nd @ 12:30 pm, North York Central
• Chasing Electric Fish in the Amazon, Oct 24th @ 7 pm, Danforth/Coxwell
• Eggs, Nests and Baby Dinosaurs, Nov 26th @ 7pm, Northern District
• I Can Draw Animals, Nov 24 @ 2 pm, York Woods

 Pick up a copy of What's On, from your local library branch to find out more about upcoming talks classes and workshops. 

Another great resource available at the Toronto Public Library is the Biodiversity Booklet Series. This series of booklets is a great way to learn more about the city's birds, mammals, spiders, butterflies, fish, reptiles and amphibians. Pick up your free copy today at your local branch. 

Urban Animals

We often think that connecting with a wild animal is a rare event. We believe that it requires money and travel, or that it requires cages and captivity. Instead, we can pay attention to the magic and mystery of the everyday animals that we encounter, like this city sparrow, visiting a water fountain. 

A Frog in a Box?

Frog-O-Spheres, or EcoAquariums, are a current live animal fad in kid's toy stores. They are small plastic cubes (15 cm X 10 cm) that contain two dwarf African clawed frogs, a bamboo stalk, gravel, and a rock.

This captive habitat is lacking in several ways:

• the cube is much too small for two frogs to behave normally
• the cube doesn't provide places for the frogs to hide
• the cube does not come with a thermometer or a heat source 
• the care instructions suggest changing the water only every 3-4 months, which is not enough
• the care instructions suggest feeding only pellets, without any live food items, or any variety

Keeping a wild animal in captivity requires research and specialized care. It is important to consider all the needs of an animal before deciding to keep one as a pet. Just because these frogs are small, cute, and inexpensive, doesn't mean it's ok to sell them as a disposable toy. 

Learn a lot more about frogs in cubes, as well as how you can help, at: Zoocheck's Perspectives.

Reptiles as Pets

Did you know that at least 75% of pet snakes, lizards, tortoises and turtles die within their first year in a home? In the wild many of these animals would live between 8 - 120 years, depending on the species.

 Many pet owners mistakenly believe that reptiles are easy to keep and require little maintenance. But snakes, lizards, turtles and tortoises have lots of physical, behavioural and psychological needs. In captivity these pets often do poorly and die much sooner than in the wild.

There are lots of other problems with the exotic pet trade of reptiles too.  Lots of people release unwanted pets into the wild, which causes problems for the native animals. And exotic pets can cause human diseases, like salmonella.

You can learn more about the problems with exotic pets on  Zoocheck's website.

If you love reptiles and want to learn more about them, why not become an Ophiologist? (A scientist who studies snakes!) Check out this new book, Awesome Snake Science! by Cindy Blobaum.

The book has lots of snake facts and figures, but it also has 40 different snake-themed activities, like creating Viper Venom and crafting a Spitting Cobra Fang. You can also create a snake model for dissection, using candies - yum! Best of all, no actual snakes are required for any of these activities.

Japan Dolphins Day

T-shirts available at www.ecojoia.com

Join other animal-lovers on August 31st at the Consulate of Japan to protest the September 1st start of the annual dolphin cull in Japan. Send a positive and peaceful message to Japan to let the dolphins live and be free. The event takes place at the Consulate General of Japan, 77 King Street West.

Japan Dolphins Day was founded by Ric O'Barry and Save Japan Dolphins. Here is a portion of Ric O'Barry's invitation to join the world-wide movement:


Dear Friends and fellow Dolphin Lovers:

I am asking you for your help. On or around Sept. 1, please head to your local Japanese embassy or consulate to voice your concern about the dolphin slaughters!
This time of year always makes my heart heavy. September 1 marks the official beginning of the dolphin drive hunting season in Taiji, Japan, as I helped to show the world in the Oscar-winning movie The Cove. Every year, thousands of dolphins are brutally killed; some are then sold into a lifetime of slavery in captive facilities around the globe, and the rest are used for their flesh – which is highly contaminated with mercury and other toxins, rendering in dangerous for human consumption.
We absolutely must keep the international spotlight on Taiji in order to stop these senseless murders once and for all. This is why I am asking you to lend your voice to the cause and join or organize a Japan Dolphins Day event in your area.

Japan Dolphins Day 2012, Toronto, Canada:
https://www.facebook.com/events/383167135080113/

Marineland In the News

Orca whale in captivity (Zoocheck's website)

The Toronto Star has published a three part series about Marineland, the marine/amusement park in Niagra Falls, Ontario, exposing serious health problems with their marine mammals, as well as lack of proper care due to chronic staff shortages. Check out Zoocheck's twitter for links to the articles and other recent news coverage about Marineland. If you are interested in helping animals at Marineland and other marine parks, Zoocheck's website offers some great suggestions.