COWS

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Cows are members of the sub-family ‘Bovinae’ of the family ‘Bovidae’. This family also includes Gazelles, Buffalo, Bison, Antelopes, Sheep and Goats.

Cows are raised for many reasons including: milk, cheese, other dairy products, also for meat such as beef and veal and materials such as leather hide. In older times they were used as work animals to pull carts and to plow fields.

In some countries such as India, cows were classed as sacred animals and were used in religious ceremonies and treated with much respect.

Today, cows are domesticated ungulates (hoofed animals with two toes on each hoof) that we see very often chewing the grass in farmers fields as we walk or drive through the countryside.

There is an estimated 1.3 billion head of cattle and 920 breeds of cow in the world today. Cows are referred to as the ‘fosters mothers to the human race’ because they produce most of the milk that people drink.

 The mature female of the species is called a ‘cow’.
The mature male of the species is called a ‘bull’.
A group of cows is called a ‘herd’.
A young female cow is called a ‘heifer’.
A baby cow is called a ‘calf’.

A cow spends up to 6 hours a day eating. Cows spend over 8 hours a day chewing thier cud which is regurigated, partially digested food. Cows each drink equivalent to a bath tub full of water a day.

Cows occupy a unique role in human history. Cows have been considered one of the oldest forms of wealth. Cows have always been of interest to man because of their amazing ability to be able to provide meat and dairy products, have been strong animals to work with and also reproduce themselves while eating nothing but grass. Amazing!

Cow Reproduction

The average cow is 2 years old when she has her first calf. Calves are fed from the cow until they are between 8 and 9 weeks old. It is essential for a calf to be fed their mothers milk from the start as it contains antibodies that protect the new calf from diseases. Two months before giving birth, a dairy cow takes a rest from giving milk in order to grow her calf.

During this period the cow is known as a Dry Cow. When a dairy cow gives birth, this process is called a freshening. All calves are born with horn nubs. It is common for a vet to remove these nowadays.

A young female calf is called a heifer, she is called this until she has her first calf. A young male is called a bull calf.

Did you know that cows never forget their calves. It is quite common to see them licking their grown calves just as they did when they were young.

How to determine the age of a cow

The age of a cow is determined by examination of the teeth and less perfectly by the horns. The temporary teeth are in part erupted at birth and all the incisors are erupted within twenty days. The first, second and third pairs of temporary molars are erupted in thirty days. The teeth have grown large enough to touch each other by the sixth month. They gradually wear and fall in eighteen months. The fourth permanent molars are through at around the fourth month.

The fifth at the fifteenth month and the sixth at two years. The temporary teeth begin to fall at twenty-one months and are entirely replaced by the thirty-ninth to the forty-fifth month.

Interesting Cow Facts

• The oldest cow ever recorded was a Dremon Cow named ‘Big Bertha’ who died 3 months just before her 49th birthday on New Years Eve, 1993.
• ‘Big Bertha’ also holds the record for lifetime breeding as she produced 39 calves.
• The heaviest live birth of a calf is 225 lbs for a British Friesian cow in 1961.
• Dairy cows can produce 125 pounds of saliva a day.
• Dairy cows can produce up to 200 pounds of flatus (trumps and burps) a day!
• Cows often have their ears pierced-with I.D. tags.
• People first domesticated cows about 5000 years ago.
• The Holstein cow produces the most milk of all breeds.
• Cows can live to the age of 25 years old if people would let them.
• A cow stands up and sits down about 14 times a day.
• In an average herd, there is 1 bull to every 30 cows.
• Cows can detect odours up to five miles away.
• The age of a cow can be determined by counting the rings on its horns.
• Cows can see colour.
• There are approximately 350 ‘squirts’ in a gallon of milk.
• Cows can pick and lick their noses with their tongues.
• Cows drink 25 – 50 gallons of water each day. That is nearly a bathtub full.
• When the Pilgrims went to America, they took cows with them.

   DOGS

Behavioral Problems

Think of it this way -- you've just been placed in a foreign land -- you don't speak the language, you don't understand what's expected and a lot of new -- sometimes frightening, sometimes exciting -- experiences are ahead of you. That's a taste of what it might feel like to a dog -- be it puppy or adult -- that has just come to your house to stay, hopefully for life.

There are bound to be a few problems along the way. The thing to remember is that most problem behaviors can be rectified with patience and love. The first step is usually trying to see the world as your dog and then together you both can start to speak the same language.

 

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Dogs, like humans, can develop irrational fears or phobias. Dogs seem particularly vulnerable to developing anxiety when separated from their owners. Separation anxiety is expressed differently in different dogs.

Signs that your dog may suffer from separation anxiety:

- Dogs become extremely distressed when family members leave them alone.

- Dogs may injure themselves in frantic attempts to get out (jump through plate glass windows, dig through doors with their claws, break their teeth, rip their paws trying to get out of the crate).

- Bark continuously when owners are away.

- Become destructive and do considerable damage (scratching and chewing).

- Lose their house training and eliminate in the house.

What to do?

Recent research has explored the use of human anti-anxiety medications for use with canine anxiety problems. These have been shown to have some effectiveness, but usually the best results are achieved with behavioral interventions supplemented by medication when the problem is severe. Consult your veterinarian if the problem is severe.

Aggression

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Canine aggression is a serious problem.

What to do?

- Seek help from your vet to eliminate the possibility of physical causes.

- Consult an animal behaviorist or a trainer to assess the situation.

- Develop a plan to modify human-dog interaction.

- The best way to treat aggression is prevention: Unless you are an experienced dog owner, don't choose an aggressive breed and avoid play biting.

- Socialize your dog well.

- Don't allow your puppy to growl and snap because it's cute; discourage that from the start.

 

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A bored, anxious dog seeks an outlet for his energy and a release for his stress. When combined with a lack of exercise, this is a prescription for an unwanted remodeling of your house. If your dog does any damage in your presence, correct him and distract him into acceptable activities. Until he understands his boundaries, keep him either supervised or connected to you by leash.

If the damage occurs in your absence try some of the following:

- Crate your dog (unless the problem may be due to separation anxiety).

- Restrict him to a truly dog-proofed area.

- Try leaving a radio on.

- Hide toys for him to find.

- Hire a dog-walking service to break up his day.

- Provide your dog with stimulating and appropriate chew toys.

If destructive behavior continues, consult an animal behaviorist or trainer for advice.

The Vocal Dog To train your dog to stop barking train him to bark.

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All dogs bark, but as with digging, some breeds bark, howl and generally vocalize more than others. Keep this in mind when choosing your pet.

- If your dog barks excessively, try immediate correction and diversion to another activity. However, if your dog perceives a human's verbal reprimand as welcome attention or even a "bark-a-long," he may decide to bark more. Try teaching a "speak" command.

- Once this is learned, teach "quiet."

- Divert your dog's attention by taking him to another room, and after a few seconds of quiet, reward him for his silence.

What do you do if you aren't home to hear the barking -- but your neighbors are?

Unfortunately, a lot of problem barking occurs when you aren't there to hear it, but your neighbors are. Separation anxiety is often the cause of such barking. If your dog is outside during the day:

- Block his view of the neighbors' properties so that visual cues will not start him barking (of course, sounds from a neighboring yard may still set him off).

- Try a bark-activated collar that delivers a whiff of citronella (generally unpleasant to dogs) when the dog barks.

If barking becomes a real neighborhood nuisance, and even professionals can't help, you may have to choose between giving up your dog or having him debarked, a surgical alteration of the vocal cords to reduce the volume of sound. De-barking is controversial because many people consider it inhumane. It should be considered only when the other alternative is euthanasia.

The Jumper Jumping up on people is a dog's way of saying hello, but can be corrected.

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Dogs often jump up on people simply as an enthusiastic greeting. Avoid talking enthusiastically or waving your arms when entering a room; this just encourages the dog's behavior. Instead, immediately command the dog to sit, and then reward this behavior.

Unruly dogs jump up on owners and generally do as they please. Try to avoid having to constantly use the negative commands "off!" or "no!" Instead:

- When the dog jumps up, move back and say, "Sit."

- When he complies with your command, crouch down and reward his quiet behavior by calmly stroking his sides.

- Don't neglect the reward and praise once he is sitting consistently at your arrival or you may inadvertently encourage the dog to return to jumping for the increased attention. The idea is to get him to realize that by sitting he will get attention.

- If your dog ignores your commands, keep him on the leash at all times outdoors and revisit the basics of "sit" and "heel" until he is under control. Letting him run loose only exacerbates the problem.

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Dogs like to chase fast-moving objects such as cars, bicycles or other animals, and often get killed doing so.

- Confine your dog in such a way that he cannot chase cars.

- When on a walk, get your dog to heel or place him in a sit-stay to prevent chasing behavior, and praise him enthusiastically for his obedience.

- If he ignores your commands and takes off after a car, an in-line skater or a neighbor's cat, intervene immediately with, "No!" and tug on the leash sharp enough to make him fall back.

- Next, work on some remedial basic training to prevent this dangerous behavior from recurring.

 

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- Correct your dog if he starts digging in inappropriate areas, but since digging is an instinctive activity, provide him with a fenced-in, free-dig zone of his own, and teach him the "dig" command.

- In your absence, limit his access to other areas of the yard. Provide other outlets for his physical energy.

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The dog's habit of eating his own or other animals' stools, called coprophagia, is particularly disgusting to people. Your dog, however, sees no problem with eating excrement, and herbivore feces may even provide nutrients. However, various internal parasites also may be ingested in this way. While numerous theories have been advanced to explain coprophagia, treatment is the same.

- Confirm with your vet that your dog's diet is adequate.

- Ask your vet for an additive for your dog's food to make his stools distasteful.

- Clean up immediately after your dog defecates.

- Place cat litter boxes out of reach to remove temptation.

- If your dog tries to eat feces while on a walk, correct with, "No!" or "Out!"

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To some dogs, a fence is just a brief obstacle on the way to adventures in the neighborhood.

- Sterilizing dogs will make them less interested in roaming.

- Since an open gate is the usual escape route, be sure everybody knows that it must be shut securely.

- If your dog is tempted by visual cues, try to block his view with landscaping or solid fencing.

- Making sure your dog is well-exercised and has amusing toys will also help keep him in the yard.

- If you have a persistent climber or digger, consider stringing electric pet fencing along the top or bottom of your fence to deter him.

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While this practice offends human sensibilities, a dog's perspective is different. He is exploring and enjoying new tastes and smells. However, beyond the mess that the dog can make, garbage may contain dangerous chemicals, bacteria-laden food and sharp objects that can cause serious harm. Deterrence works best.

- Securely latch garbage cans and remove them from the dog's area.

- If you catch your dog in the act, say, "No," and reward his compliance with praise -- not food.

- A head halter can be a great help when walking your dog in areas where litter or refuse is present. With good reflexes, you can usually steer the dog's head away before he picks up a piece of garbage.

- If your dog is faster than you are, say, "No!" or "Out!"

 

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Your dog will naturally be interested in human food. It tastes and smells good, and besides, his humans are eating it. But that cute, begging puppy very quickly becomes a nuisance as his size and appetite increase.

The only way to stop begging is to never reward your dog with that one little snack because he looks so adorable.

Occasionally giving your dog a taste from your plate provides strong reinforcement for a behavior you want to stamp out. So when your dog begs, put him in a "down" or "sit-stay" position some distance from the table.

LION

               lion

Lion Classification and Evolution
The Lion is one of the largest, strongest and powerful felines in the world second only in size to the Siberian Tiger. They are the largest cats on the African continent and are unique among felines in a number of ways but the biggest difference between Lions and other cats is that they are incredibly sociable animals that live together in family groups known as prides. Lions are also part of the big cat family meaning that both males and females are able to roar. Despite having once roamed across much of Africa and even parts of Europe and Asia, the world's remaining Lion population now resides in sub-Saharan Africa. However, with Lion numbers thought to have dropped by 30% over the past 20 years these enormous predators are sadly becoming more and more vulnerable in their decreasing natural environment.

Lion Anatomy and Appearance
Lions have a short coat of tawny or golden fur with a long tail that has a tuft of longer fur at the end. The markings on their coats are much fainter than the bold stripes and spots displayed on other felines which helps these large carnivores in going unseen when stalking prey in the long grasses. The Lion is one of the largest cats in the world with males being taller and heavier than females and displaying a mane of long hair around their faces (in fact, it is the only case in the feline world where males and females actually look different). Thought to be connected with testosterone levels, the mane of the male Lion ranges from blonde, to red, brown and black in colour and covers their head, neck and chest. Lions have strong and powerful jaws that contain 30 teeth in total which includes four fang-like canines and four carnassial teeth that are perfectly designed for slicing through flesh.

Lion Distribution and Habitat
Historically, Lions would have been found throughout much of Africa and even in parts of Europe and Asia as well. Today however, they have been pushed into more isolated pockets of their once vast natural range with the remaining African Lion population now only found in countries in sub-Saharan Africa. There is also still a small population of Asiatic Lions found inhabiting a remote part of the Gir Forest in India where there are an estimated 300 individuals remaining. Despite their dwindling numbers, Lions are actually incredibly adaptable animals that can and will inhabit very dry climates as they get most of the moisture they need from their food. They prefer areas of open woodland, scrub and long grasslands where there is not only plenty over cover but also a wide variety of prey. They are only not found in areas ofrainforest or far into deserts.

Lion Behaviour and Lifestyle
Lions are unique among cats as they live together in strong social groups. A pride is made up of 5-15 related females and their cubs along with a generally single male (small groups of 2 or 3 though are not uncommon). Male Lions patrol a territory of around 100m² marking trees and rocks with urine and roaring to warn off intruders. Although male Lions can defend their pride to great effect, their position in the pride is constantly under threat from other males who try to take over their patch and if successful, they will kill any cubs that were sired by the previous male. Despite their enormous size, male Lions actually do hardly any of the hunting as they are often slower and more easily seen than their female counterparts. The Lionesses in the pride hunt together meaning that they are not only more successful on their trips, but they are also able to catch and kill animals that are both faster than them and much bigger.

Lion Reproduction and Life Cycles
Both male and female Lions are able to reproduce between the ages of two and three but despite this, they will often not breed until the pride has been firmly established. After a gestation period that lasts for nearly four months female Lions give birth to between one and six cubs that are born blind and are incredibly vulnerable in their new surroundings. The fur of Lion cubs is covered in darker spots that help to camouflage them into their den to protect them whilst the adults have gone out to hunt. Sadly however, less than half of cubs make it to be a year old and four out of five have died by the time they are two, generally either from animal attacks or starvation. Remarkably though, the female Lions in the pride will have their cubs at around the same time and will help to suckle and care for the cubs of other females. Lion cubs suckle on milk until they are about six months old and although they won't begin actively hunting until they are about a year old, Lion cubs start to eat meat after 12 weeks or so.

Lion Diet and Prey
The Lion is a large and carnivorous animal that survives only by eating other animalsin order to sustain itself. Unlike other felines, Lions are not solitary hunters but instead the Lionesses work together in order to chase down and catch their prey with each female having a different strategic role. This strategy allows them to kill animalsthat are both faster and much larger than they are including Buffalo, Wildebeest and even Giraffe. Depending on the abundance and variety of prey species within their territory, Lions primarily catch Gazelle, Zebra and Warthog along with a number ofAntelope species by following the herds across the open grasslands. They will not turn their noses up though at hunting alone should the situation arise and will happily steal the kill of another animal. Once the animal has been caught though, circumstances change as the females will allow the male Lion to eat first before indulging themselves. The cubs however are at the bottom of the pile and have to be content with what remains once the adults have finished.

Lion Predators and Threats
The Lion is the most dominant predator within it's environment meaning that otheranimals pose little or no threat to them, with the exception of Hyena packs that can cause fatal damages to Lions particularly when they are on their own and food is about. Lions are seen as a great threat by many other species including both Giraffesand Elephants which are easily capable of fatally injuring a Lion to try and warn it off. The biggest threat to Lions though is people who not only kill them out of fear (and historically as trophies), but have caused severe declines in Lion population numbers due to growing Human settlements and the clearing of land for agriculture. Lion numbers have also been severely affected by diseases passed through Hyenas from Wild Dogs, with more than 1,000 Lions having died from canine distemper between 1993 and 1997.

Lion Interesting Facts and Features
Young Lion cubs spend a great deal of time playing together which actually helps them to develop their hunting techniques. This method of role-playing in cubs also helps females to determine whether or not they would be suited better to chasing and cornering prey, or catching and killing it. Although Lions are able to make a number of different sounds it is their roar that is most distinctive and not only serves to warn off strange males, but also allows members of the pride to find one another as it's sound can travel up to six miles! The Lion has large paws with soft pads underneath and sharp retractable claws on the end of each toe which aid them in running, climbing and catching their prey along with also being good defence mechanisms. The structure of their feet and legs means that they are also able to jump distances over 10 meters.

Lion Relationship with Humans
Lions have been admired and feared by people for centuries but due to both hunting and growing Human settlements, Lions have been wiped out from a vast portion of their historical natural range. Although they do not naturally see people as prey, African Lions have been known to sneak into villages (sometimes of great size) to find food, and are known to attack up to 700 people every year, with Lions being responsible for 100 human fatalities annually in Tanzania alone. In 1898, two Lions in Kenya (known as Tsavo lions - a species of mane-less Lion) became famous for killing and eating over 130 rail-road workers over a period of around 9 months. These powerful predators are largely feared by people who once hunted them as trophies and have also always done so out of fear.

Lion Conservation Status and Life Today
Today, the Lion is listed by the IUCN as an animal that is Vulnerable from extinction in it's natural environment in the near future. Although population numbers would have been vast in comparison to what they are now, over the past 20 years we have lost around 30% of the Lion population from sub-Saharan Africa with estimated population numbers ranging between 16,500 to 30,000 individuals (half of what they were in the 1950s). The main reason for the rapid demise of Africa's remaining Lion population is thought to be due to habitat loss as they are not only loosing big chunks of their native ranges, but are also often then forced onto farmland or into settlements to find food meaning they are often killed.