20-JUL-2007
0002JM002929E - Lunch time for kid goats - Kingston JAMAICA
It's lunch time for these two kid goats. --- Goats, as many other domesticated animals, roam freely the streets in the suburbs of Kingston, Jamaica. Usually these animals, especially goats, pigs and chicken, don't belong to an individual but to a community. As I was building a house in Trench Town with other Canadian volunteers, goats often interfered with our work such as climbing on our new floor, chewing our working gloves or even eating our lunch. By the way, after the kids goats severe from the mother, goat milk is reserved for feeding the kids, human kids.
20-AUG-1989
8908CA001E - Seal pup in Cavendish, PEI, CANADA
As spring approaches, about one-third of the seals gather on the ice around Canada's Magdalene Islands, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Labrador to give birth. Within a week or so around March 1st of each year about 500,000 seal pups are born on the ice floes, providing one of the most spectacular wildlife events in North America. The white-coated pups are only about 60 cm long when they are born and weigh about 7 kilograms, but they grow quickly. Their mother's milk is 45% fat (compared to cow's milk at 4%) and the pups gain about two kg a day. In 12 days they weigh about 34 kilograms. After about three weeks, the females will abandon the pups, which will now weigh between 50 and 60 kg. The pups remain on shore for another two to three weeks during which time they molt, shedding their white coat for a mottled grey one. Once molted and having depleted their reserves of fat, the grey seal pups enter the waters and start to forage. For a large number of these pups, their foraging brings them to the shores of Nova Scotia. These seals, once they have fed, will come out of the water and rest for periods as long as 48 hours. So, it is quite normal to see a young seal resting on the shore, which inevitably brings them in contact with humans.
This baby seal was rescued by children when its mother has been butchered by the seal hunters which is still legal in Canada. With world attention, recent tours have begun bringing thousands of wildlife lovers to the ice floes to hunt the seals with cameras rather than clubs.
2001-10
0110CN0117419E - Last trip to the market, - Chengdu, CHINA.jpg
It's a common scene in Chengdu streets to see farmers walk their animals to the market where they'll be sold. For some farmers, it's their only income for family survival. Pigs are usually fed corn, grass and leftovers until ready to be butchered. The farmers, walking from 2 to 20 km away, receive between 4 to 6 yuans ($0.50 to $0.90) per kg. All parts of the pig, from head to tail, cut in small pieces give flavor and protein to many Chinese dishes.
30-JUL-2007
0707MX184E - Little Blue Heron hunts for food at Lake Chapala MEXICO
This Little Blue Heron is a young one, less then 6 months. How do I know? - because it now has white plumage. The Little Blue heron gradually acquires blue-gray plumage as it matures except for the head and neck which turns blue later. Non-breeding adults have dark blue head and neck plumage and paler legs. Young birds are all white except for dark wing tips and have yellowish legs.
The Little Blue Heron stalks its prey methodically in shallow water, standing innocently motionless as a dead tree. It eats fish, crustaceans, amphibians, insects and reptiles. It stands in shallow water and waits for its prey to go by, and then it grabs its prey with its pointed bill. For another source of food, the more aggressive ones often follow farmers as they are plowing fields and then grabs the insects that are disturbed by the plow. The little blue heron makes its home in freshwater swamps, lagoons, coastal thickets and islands. Here, on the Lake Chapala shore, there's plenty of frogs, I know....... I heard them almost every night as they sing their lullaby.
Range
Life Cycle
03-OCT-2004
0410TH2146E - Three-legged dog in Chiang Mai, THAILAND
One day this dog sat on the doorsteps of the Wat Phra Singh, licking its wound. A compassionate monk gave it refuge, food and medical attention. He told me that the dog never complained of the pain of its front leg which had been cut off. Never whined, never cried; it just accepted its condition unconditionally and made the best out of it. --- "A real Buddhist dog", he told me jokingly.
4 SEP 2007
0709CA567 - Chipmunk hauls another peanut for winter storage, Ottawa, CANADA
Chipmunks like this one favor deciduous forests with plenty of beech and oak trees, and may be seen most often around suburban yards and gardens and often dig burrows around rocks, woodpiles, retaining walls, and fallen logs. While they're expert climbers, they spend much of their time foraging along the ground—preferably close to their burrows, should a quick escape be necessary. Their vocalizations range from high-pitched whistles and chips to lower "chuck" sounds. They depend primarily on plants for food—concentrating on seeds, berries, acorns, and other nuts which they forage most intensely in the fall as they gather food to store and eat over the winter. Transporting food is facilitated by expandable cheek pouches, into which quite a lot of material can be crammed—as anyone who watches these animals for long can attest Most people enjoy watching these attractive, lively animals and for these people, the enjoyment outweighs any nuisance chipmunks may cause.