Jerry Curl

HuffPo Miami reports : An 65-year-old woman is facing charges in the case of eight emaciated animals found Sunday in Southwest Miami-Dade. Migdalia Ameller, 65, was arrested Wednesday on charges of animal cruelty, confinement of animals and disposal of bodies of dead animals. Six horses, one cow and one emu were seized by Miami-Dade Police and the South Florida SPCA on Sunday when Ameller was not home, according to a police report. According to the police report, the starving animals were discovered among the rotting bodies of others who were already dead. "There was a decaying cow which was covered by a blue tarp along with a deceased horse which was located in a pen. The horses were all emaciated with rib bones, spinal column, hip bones all showing... These animals have been diprived (sic) proper grain, hay to sustain body condition. The horses coats (fur) was falling out in chunks from lack of nutrition." Because she cares for an elderly mother, Ameller was allowed to lea...

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Just weeks after a similar incident in the area, nine emaciated animals have been found abandoned in Southwest Miami. The South Florida Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) went to two scenes Sunday with the Miami-Dade Police Department. At 14041 SW 197th Avenue, volunteers found an injured horse considered to be in “extremely critical condition,” according to Jeanette Jordan, president of the South Florida SPCA. At 15100 SW 205 Avenue investigators discovered five horses, two cows and an emu, according to a release from the SPCA. A horse and cow carcass were also found at the second location. “The one horse we picked up stray is injured and in extremely critical condition. We're just going to be taking it day to day with him,” Jordan told HuffPost Miami . “We’re not sure he’s going to make it.” The animals were found blocks away from another incident of animal abandonment that made headlines . Jordan says that 26 horses have come to the SFSPCA rescue ranch this ...

The Miami Herald [tries] to report: Eleven horses were found starving in a Southwest Miami-Dade field on Sunday. An injured dog and the skeletons of about six horses that probably died of thirst were also found with the horses. Ten of the horses got a new chance at life when rescuers saved them and transported them to a Hialeah-area ranch. The 11th, a racehorse, was identified as Moon’s Treasure by a lip tattoo, and transferred yesterday to a thoroughbred rehab and adoption center. The dog is recuperating at Miami-Dade Animal Services. Authorities were tipped off by an anonymous email, directing them to the property at SW 205th Avenue near 148th Street. The area is known as a horse dumping ground where illegal slaughter farms flourish. Miami-Dade property appraiser records show that Sandra Bermudez and Cesar I. Bedoya own the land. They could not be reached yesterday. These horses bring to the number of abused and neglected horses to 72 at the Hialeah ranch rented by the non-profit So...

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CNN reports : Poachers in search of ivory in northern Cameroon have slaughtered nearly 300 elephants for their tusks since mid-January, according to the country's minister of forestry and wildlife. Minister Ngole Philip Ngwese backed up a claim by the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) that an armed gang of Sudanese poachers had killed the free-roaming elephants in the Bouba Ndjida National Park, on Cameroon's border with Chad. Park officials say many orphaned elephant calves have been spotted, and concerns are high the babies may soon die of hunger and thirst. One park official, Bouba Jadi, told CNN the deaths are worsening the situation for Cameroon's already threatened elephant populations. According to official estimates, there are between 1,000 and 5,000 elephants in Cameroon.

Photo caption: A koala is trapped in a tarpaulin after being rescued from a bushfire in Australia. Bushfires are forecast to become more prevalent in the country due to climate change. CNN reports : The Australian government has angered koala conservationists by again delaying a decision on whether to add the national icon to the country's endangered species list. Last year, a Senate inquiry into the status, health and sustainability of Australia's koala population heard that there could be as few as 43,000 koalas left in the country. Millions have been killed since the arrival of European settlers in the 18th century. Numbers were slashed again during open hunting seasons in the early 20th century and in recent decades tens of thousands have died as a result of habitat destruction, disease -- including Chlamydia and retrovirus -- and dog attacks. On average, four koalas are admitted every week to Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital, the country's largest wildlife hospital, aft...

The AP reports : A bobbing little pompom put on a peak performance at the Westminster Kennel Club. Malachy the Pekingese wobbled off with best in show Tuesday night, becoming America's top dog much to the delight of an adoring crowd that called his name. "He saved all his energy for the ring today," handler David Fitzpatrick said. The 4-year-old Peke won his 115th overall best in show title. He beat out a Dalmatian, German shepherd, Doberman pinscher, Irish setter, a Kerry blue terrier and wire-haired dachshund at Madison Square Garden. Fitzpatrick gave his 11-pound champ a bit of help – he carried him a short way onto the green carpet for the final lineup, shortening the long walk the ring. Malachy's pink tongue popped out from his black face, his eyes sparkling like black diamonds as he soaked in the cheers. A slide show from the 136th Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show can be seen here .

Photo caption: Albert, a 1 year old short coat Chihuahua mix, available for adoption from the Seattle Humane Society, after being shipped from California. Shelter staff described him as "full of life and fun and is bound to keep you entertained." MSNBC reports : Celebrities toting tiny Chihuahua dogs helped make them an haute couture accessory. Now — like other fashions — they are moving to the next phase: overstock. Animal shelters in California, especially in Southern California are overflowing with Chihuahuas. With many of them at risk of being euthanized en masse at facilities where animals “time out” if they are not adopted, animal rescue groups have jumped in to airlift packs of the little canines to safer homes. "There is a real problem in southern California with a lot of overbreeding of the small dogs," said Rhonda Manville, marketing director at the Seattle Humane Society. "And whenever we get extra space here at the shelter, we open up our kennels to...

The AP reports : A federal judge for the first time in U.S. history heard arguments yesterday in a case that could determine whether animals enjoy the same constitutional protection against slavery as human beings. U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Miller called the hearing in San Diego after Sea World asked the court to dismiss a lawsuit filed by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals that names five orcas as plaintiffs in the case. PETA claims the captured killer whales are treated like slaves for being forced to live in tanks and perform daily at its parks in San Diego and Orlando, Fla. "This case is on the next frontier of civil rights," said PETA's attorney Jeffrey Kerr, representing the five orcas. Sea World's attorney Theodore Shaw called the lawsuit a waste of the court's time and resources. He said it defies common sense and goes against 125 years of case law applied to the Constitution's 13th amendment that prohibits slavery between humans. Miller lis...

CNN reports : At least 81 dolphins have been found dead or died shortly after being discovered on Cape Cod in a series of largely unexplained strandings that began early last month, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. More than 100 dolphins, of the common species, have been found stranded along the rocky Massachusetts shoreline since January, said NOAA spokeswoman Teri Rowles and scientists involved in the rescue effort. The mammals have at times washed up in groups of as many as 10, added Katie Moore, a manager for the International Fund for Animal Welfare. Scientists say they are transporting the living dolphins by trailers, after they are tagged, to an outer Cape Cod coast where they are being released. Nine dolphins rescued off of Cape Cod While dolphin strandings are not uncommon on Cape Cod, the animal welfare group's program director called the recent number of dead dolphins "disturbing." "Cape Cod sees an average of 120 dolphin s...

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Rosie O'Donnell is catching some heat from environmentalists, irate at the killing of hammerhead sharks during fishing trips off the South Florida coast. The ocean predators are considered overfished around the globe. Florida banned their killing January. 1, long after O'Donnell's fishing trips. Now the TV personality Mark "The Shark" Quartiano, the famous Miami Beach shark fishermen who guided the expeditions, recently posted a photo of O'Donnell next to a dead hammerhead on his website as "This Month's Celebrity Angler." Since then, as other photos of O'Donnell shark-killing expeditions surfaced, environmentalists have attacked her via Facebook and Twitter accounts, accusing her of going after species that are struggling to survive. "Right now sharks are the most endangered animals around," said Erik Brush, a Sarasota marine conservationist who helped start the campaign against O'Donnell. "This is basically an endorsement...

As climate change progresses, the planet may lose more plant and animal species than predicted, a new modeling study suggests. This is because current predictions overlook two important factors: the differences in how quickly species relocate and competition among species, according to the researchers, led by Mark Urban, an ecologist at the University of Connecticut. Already evidence suggests that species have begun to migrate out of ranges made inhospitable by climate change and into newly hospitable territory. "We have really sophisticated meteorological models for predicting climate change," Urban said in a statement. "But in real life, animals move around, they compete, they parasitize each other and they eat each other. The majority of our predictions don't include these important interactions." These are important because some species may not be able to move fast enough to survive, or they may have to compete with new species or species better able to adap...

From the video information : They were crossing the street until a car hit the black cat. The cat tried to revive the friend for 2 hours. This video is just 4 minutes. People tried to help but the white cat didn't allow them to come closer, he was protecting his friend. After 2 hours he gave up and they brought the dead cat to a vet. So much pain in this world that we don't see...

The gray wolf populations in Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin have recovered from near extinction and as a result will be removed from the endangered species list, the Obama administration announced Wednesday. Citing a "robust, self-sustaining wolf population" in those states, the Fish and Wildlife Service finalized a proposal first made last May. The formal delisting will take place next month. The decision follows a trend of the federal government wanting to get out of the wolf protection business after devoting four decades and tens of millions of dollars to saving the species. Instead, individual states are being given control over the future of the legendary predator. Wolf populations will be monitored for at least five years and can be relisted at any time if it appears they cannot sustain themselves, the Interior Department stated. More at MSNBC .

The Marquee Blog reports : Ryan Gosling is coming to the aid of egg-laying hens. According to Change.org , the actor is petitioning McDonald's on behalf of the animals that help make the chain's breakfast sandwiches. The Drive star has joined celebs like Zooey Deschanel, Bryan Adams and Alicia Silverstone in the campaign to convince McDonald's to stop using “battery cage” hens to obtain their eggs and other products. Ryan and his fellow animal-loving actors have partnered with Mercy For Animals to write McDonald’s CEO Jim Skinner about the issue. According to the Washington Post , the fast food chain recently cut ties with a supplier that was found to display cruelty against chickens (thanks to a video released by MFA), but Gosling wants Mickey D’s to do more. The petition urges McDonald’s to “stop torturing hens for McMuffins" and asks for comprehensive changes across the board, including switching to a cage-free system it says are better for birds. At the time of th...

Photo caption: A polar bear swims underwater in the St-Felicien Wildlife Zoo in Quebec on Oct. 31. According to Environment Canada, Canada is home to around 15,000 of the estimated 20,000 polar bears in the world. The United States (Alaska), Russia, Greenland and Norway are the other four countries where polar bears can be found. [ Editor's note ] MSNBC has compiled some of the most gripping images of the past year. As we near the end of a tumulous and noteworthy year, it seems fitting to pause and reflect on some of the things that-- for better or worse-- kept us riveted. Below are some more of my favorites: Photo caption: Bridesmaid Grace Van Cutsem, 3, reacts to the noise of the cheering crowd as Britain's Prince William kisses his wife Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, on the balcony of Buckingham Palace after the royal wedding in London on April 29. Photo caption: President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden, along with members of the national security team, receive...

Pedro and Buddy, two male African penguins, formed a close bond since coming to the Toronto Zoo about a year ago. They shared a nest and even displaying signs of mating rituals. Their relationship made headlines and fueled jokes about "Brokeback Iceberg." But because the survival of their species is no laughing matter (African penguins are endangered), the zoo announced that it would separate them and encourage them to make little penguins. And now it appears as if a female has come between one of Canada's celebrity couples. The zoo said yesterday that Buddy and Pedro have been officially separated and Buddy has mated with a female. Pedro has yet to get lucky, but officials say it's not for lack of trying. Curator Tom Mason described Pedro and Budd's bond as social — not sexual — and said that when the birds rejoin the general population, they are likely to stay with their female mates. The story of the pair, who came to be known as Toronto's gay penguins, wen...