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My brother got a new phone and was trying out the camera. Out of all the beautiful photos of my animals I found these and lost my mind.
I promise they are beautiful
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My brother got a new phone and was trying out the camera. Out of all the beautiful photos of my animals I found these and lost my mind.
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So, there’s apparently research coming out now about microplastics being found in people’s bloodstreams and the possible negative effects of that and I feel the need to get out ahead of the wave of corporate sponsored “be sure to recycle your bottles!” or “ban glitter!” campaigns and remind everyone:
It’s fishing nets. It’s fishing nets. It is overwhelming fishing nets It always has been fishing nets. Unless regulations are changed, it will continue to be fishing nets.
The plastic in the ocean in largely discarded nets from industrial fishing. The microplastics are the result of these nets breaking down. The “trash islands” are also, you guessed it. Mostly fishing nets and other discarded fishing industry equipment.
Do not allow them to continue to twist the story. Do not come after disabled people who require single use plastics. Do not come after people using glitter in art projects and makeup. These things make up a negligible amount of the issue compared to corporate waste, specifically in the fishing industry. Do not let them shift the blame to the individual so they can continue to destroy the planet and our bodies without regulation.Industries are incredibly resistant to taking responsibility for their own waste, to the point where “consumers are responsible for industrial waste” is somehow considered a sensible, ethical, worthy sentence.
It is actually perfectly reasonable to say that “industries are responsible for industrial waste” and “the effects of industry can, should and must be fixed by industry” and “Industry can, should and must be held responsible for its impacts on the commons, such as air, water, oceans and land.”
(via fantarays)
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the whole “alpha male” thing is so funny because like. one scientist was like “hey i noticed this thing in wolves” are people were like “cool. that applies to humans too and a whole bunch of people who seem to be acting seriously are going to construct an entire psychosocial hierarchy around it” and the scientist is like “hang on wait i actually think i was wrong. about the wolves”
that scientist is L. David Mech. he’s considered an authority on wolves around the world, and the reason he thought ‘alpha theory’ was a thing is because he was, at the time, studying wolves in captivity.
the captive wolves were unrelated animals that had never met before, and therefore their behavior was radically different. you see, in the wild, wolf packs are actually families; the dominant pair are usually the parents, and subordinate adults are almost always their grown pups from past years.
adding to this, wolves are intensely territorial animals. packs have massive territories that they patrol often, and they will absolutely chase or even kill intruders. in fact, the leading cause of death in adult wolves is actually wolves in other packs.
because the captive wolves were not related and had no preexisting relationships, they were put under a great deal of stress. this resulted in a physical power struggle, including fighting. so basically, these captive wolves were basically put in an enclosure with complete strangers in neutral territory and biologists expected them to behave as they would in the wild. hence ‘alpha theory.’
it wasn’t until Mech studied wild wolf packs that he realized how wrong he was, and he’s been trying very had to challenge what the world thinks of wolf behavior. if you’d like to read more about L. David Mech and his findings, his website is here. it’s a fascinating read.
wolves are intelligent and fascinating animals. they are shy, flighty, and anxious, but when it comes to their families, they are fiercely loyal. they’re infinitely more likely to run from humans than attack, yet they’ve been painted as bloodthirsty monsters throughout history.
the hatred humanity has for wolves has led to near-extinction as well as mass cull orders in states like Idaho, where politicians are planning to wipe out 90% of the existing population with almost no regulations. Governor Brad Little signed a law that will kill up to 1,350 wolves in a state with a population of just 1,500.
Idaho wolves will be hunted, trapped, and killed because Republicans believe they’re evil. while it’s true hunting has its place in conservation, this is not that. this is blind, seething hatred for animals that play a key part in their ecosystems. it’s ignorance and a blatant disregard for science.
if we are to protect wolf populations, we need to arm ourselves with the truth. understanding the true nature of wild wolves is key to dispelling the lies put forward by centuries of misrepresentation. by educating yourself, you’re already helping the cause.
(via sabertoothwalrus)
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Rescued baby seal’s first swim lesson
(via)
(via mikkidarling)
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not to hop in on the Hottest Discourse but:
age gaps aren’t inherently bad between adults, but they are incredibly suspect in instances where one party has significantly more agency and experience due to their age. a thirty year old dating a forty year old, for instance, isn’t all that big a deal. but an eighteen year old should be VERY suspicious of a thirty year old wanting to get with them. they’ve had twelve years to establish themselves as an adult. an eighteen year old has had maybe a few months to do so.
i’m saying this as a person who briefly dated a thirty year old at age 19 (it wasn’t good lol), and also as a person with happily married parents who have a 12 year age gap. the difference is that my mom was in her thirties when she met my dad; she’d had plenty of time to find a career and a name for herself in the world.
stay safe, love urself, try to make good decisions but don’t beat yourself up if you’ve ever been the victim of an unbalanced or abusive relationship
I need yall to understand that healthy 30 year olds look at 19-year-olds and see kids. Not in a demeaning way – but in a way that automatically removes that 19-year-old from romantic consideration. And even if you “look very mature for your age,” a healthy 30 year old will learn you are 19 and back out of that crush at 90 mph no matter how good your contour game is.
(via joshpeck)
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raccoons make no sense because they will leave your birdseed and garbage and garden and compost pile alone but they WILL open a barrel and pull out an empty 5 gallon gas canister and unscrew the lid and leave it in your yard and also untie the dog tether from your porch beam for no reason
one time I watched a raccoon pull up plastic tent stakes at a campground and just walk away, content with causing mischief
another time at camp I woke up to find a raccoon had grabbed the yarn that connected the string telephones my neighbor and I had strung up between our cabin windows and was just yanking on it… I grabbed one end and ended up in a tug-of-war over the string phone while this beefy raccoon pulled and pulled, hand over hand, making direct eye contact with me
and sometimes they’d sneak into cabins and just…. touch people while they slept
why!!! who said you could act like this!!!
god gave them hands but not shame
It is a beautiful night, and you are a horrible raccoon
(via hummingbird-hooligan)
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mrositonegro-deactivated2020110:
If it helps it helps
I swear to god I will never forget my sister unpacking her stuff from that big black trash bag when she moved in with us. JFC. She never complained or said anything but I remember. I remember clothes and journals and little bits and bobs spilling onto the carpet because she couldn’t really keep it closed. I remember and it wasn’t even my life.
Please donate your luggage to foster kids and any kid you know who may have to leave home but isn’t officially in the system (because they’re out there too). Anything you can do matters.
[ID: Text that reads “If you are getting rid of any kind of luggage - do not take it to Goodwill. Clean it up and drop it off at your local foster care agency. Foster kids are often asked to transport their belongings from place to place in a trash bag. I don’t ask you to share often but if you could share we can help just a little bit with the self esteem of these young people. Just a thought as we get a little closer to our Spring cleaning.” Beneath it are images of a red clip art suitcase and a gray trash bag. End ID.]
(via mikkidarling)
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i’m gonna be real with you guys i do not give a shit about people “stealing” outdoor cats. i don’t feel bad for people who let their cat free roam and found out that someone down the block unknowingly took it in because it was neglected enough for them to think it was a stray.
it’s funny you know because when i made this post i wasn’t even necessarily pro stealing cats i was simply saying “i don’t feel bad for you if you neglect your cat to the point of someone thinking it’s a stray”. but now after hundreds of notes from absolutely dumbass outdoor cat owners wailing about how they’re good owners for letting their cat outside after getting run over by cars/stolen by people/killed by animals i have to say that i think all of you should have your cats stolen and i, personally, am beginning a road trip to steal them all
The outdoor car debate gets people SO riled up. And like.
Look. I GET IT, no one wants to think they are a bad pet owner. You love your cats. You arent intentionally being awful. And you probably grew up with outdoor cats, or indoor/outdoor cats. (I did! They were feral as hell and we lived in the woods and all of them disappeared without a trace eventually. )
But, its 2021. You are responsible for learning and growing and doing your damned best by the animals in your care.
Listen- do not let your cats free roam outside. It’s bad for them and it’s bad for the local ecosystem.
Give them enrichment inside. Train them with a harness. Build a catio. I dont care. But dont let them free roam if you want the best possible life your your cat.
Just last night we had another visitor from “Mystery Cat”, a very sweet girl who’s been coming up to our house periodically for the past year. She’s really sweet and has let me pet her before, and she seems healthy and well fed, and the fact that she’s been coming by for so long tells me she lives nearby. She comes up to the door and looks at us almost like she’s asking to be let in.
The problem is, one of my cats goes absolutely nuts every time he sees her, and lashes out at our other cats when he’s in his freaked-out state. Three weeks ago we had to take one of our cats to the vet because a scratch on his head became so swollen and abscessed that he couldn’t even open his eye, and it cost us over $600 to have it drained. He still has a funny little bald patch on his head from where they had to shave his fur.
It’s becoming a problem. Mystery Cat seems like a very sweet girl, but we have to deal with the consequences of her owners not keeping her inside.
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it’s baby bat season!
it’s early summer, momma bats are having their pups. pups often fall and are abandoned by their mothers; this happens when they’re moving their babies to a roost. these bats cannot fly.
remember that less then .5% of bats carry rabies, but it’s always better safe than sorry. if bitten, you have to be given rabies shots. make sure you have some gloves.
make sure the bat is safe from predators. pets and wild animals alike pose a threat to the safety of the bat. wait until the bat is quiet and still. if the bat panics, bat world has a handy rescue locator! contain the bat. hold it securely in your gloved hands or a towel (be very careful!) and transfer it to a box,
if the bat is calm, use a stick (not your hands!) of two or more feet in length to pick it up. bats have a reflex that causes their feet to grab onto whatever they touch. once you have the bat, inspect it for injuries. if it has injuries, contact a rescuer.once you find you have a healthy bat, use a ladder slowly return it to a nearby tree. secure the branch in the tree so it cannot fall out and the bat is concealed. be careful not to scare the mother away, or she will abandon it. make sure the bat is away from the trunk, at least eight feet up, and there are no nearby bird nests.
mission accomplished! check the following morning to see if the bat is gone. if it is not, contact a rescuer.
you can read more here.(via kasaikasaikasai)
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i think i cracked the code on why people are reluctant to admit cats are an invasive species, like okay i used to be in the same boat bc i was like “what cats arent bad theyd never disrupt an ecosystem!” and i think its because we ascribe human morality to animals all the timeeee and like an invasive species doesnt say “time to ruin this ecosystems whole day >:)” theyre just…doing their thing and it has negative repurcussions for the world around them, theyre not “bad” in a moral sense. but yeah. keep your kitties indoors if you can, save some birds lives
& if “save some birds lives” isn’t reason enough for u to keep your cat inside…
Your cat can get FIV+ (incurable) outside, it’s transmitted through spit, mostly deep bite wounds but also if they eat or drink together. if a pregnant cat has FIV+ her kittens will most likely have it.
Your cat can get heart worms (incurable) because it’s from *gasp* mosquitoes. As well as other worms, and can give worms to your other animals.
“But they get bored” get a toy then? put some effort into keeping your cat happy and healthy.
(via mikkidarling)
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#supernatural #castiel -
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There is a challenge where you put your hand near your dog like you’re going to pet them but don’t actually pet them. Someone tried it on their bird and it was adorable.
(via equius)
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The problem with forcibly seizing the assets of, say, Jeff Bezos is that his net worth of $161 billion does not mean he has that in cash. That’s the worth of everything he owns, including stock in his own company.
And the problem with seizing THAT is that it isn’t real. It’s based on confidence and what people might conceivably pay for it. And if you just seize it, that confidence tanks. And then that wealth evaporates.
The problem with capitalism isn’t that there’s a bunch of old dudes sitting on hoards of cash. It’s that they’ve collectively created a system by which they have ludicrous social and economic power based on the PROMISE of hoards of cash. That don’t exist. They have created a social stratum in which debt is money.
That’s why the exhortation is to SEIZE THE MEANS OF PRODUCTION, not GO GRAB ALL THE MONEY. Because the money isn’t real, and the need to go out and get it is blinding people to the fact that it doesn’t need to exist.
(via tyleroakley)
