For some reason Fiona loves smelly boots

SeaWorld and Busch Gardens Grant $700,000 To Help Protect At-Risk Animals

ORLANDO, Fla. – Endangered species and habitats under stress will get a much-needed lift this week thanks to $700,000 in grants being awarded by the non-profit SeaWorld & Busch Gardens Conservation Fund to wildlife protection projects in the U.S. and around the world.

The Fund’s board of directors approved grants to 83 projects, including wildlife rescue and rehabilitation efforts, research of little-known species, protection of critical habitat, and grassroots education efforts aimed atincreasing awareness and changing behaviors.

One of the Fund’s 2009 grant recipients, Save the Elephants, is working to protect the Earth’s largest land animal, using technology in unexpected and effective ways to reduce conflicts with humans.

“Rising human populations and expanding agriculture often are in conflict with elephants,” said Iain Douglass-Hamilton, founder of Save the Elephants. “It is essential to find new ways of lowering the strife. Save the Elephants, with support from SeaWorld and Busch Gardens, has a highly innovative project that sends out an alarm every time a tagged elephant approaches a virtual fence line protecting farmers’ crops. This is done when a text message is sent straight from the elephant’s collar onto the project’s cell phones. SeaWorld and Busch Gardens’ support has been vital in developing the application of this high-tech conservation approach. Read more here.

"The Outdoor King"

We've just completed a program to capture, treat, neuter, vaccinate and release the feral cats in our neighborhood (four kittens and one sweet young cat that was tame and had been abandoned and was struggling and being injured in fights outdoors will be adopted into good homes). Here are two pictures of our "great white whale," the cat we'd seen for years and had been unable to capture, but who now is on his way to a healthier and better life.

An interesting site that seeks to "connect animal lovers with zoos":

World Zoo Today

Outrageous!!!

Boston Zoo May Close, Euthanize Hundreds of Animals

The Franklin Park Zoo, a Boston landmark for nearly a century, may be forced to close and euthanize up to a fifth of the animals in its care due to devastating budget cuts.

New England's largest zoo and its counterpart, the Stoneham Zoo, saw their state funding cut from $6.5 million to $2.5 million by Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick, the Boston Globe reported, and expects to run out of money by October. Read more here.

Duncan likes his new toy

Happy July 4!

Happy Independence Day, everyone in the U.S. I hope you have an opportunity to enjoy some quality time with family and friends. Remember, some animals are frightened of fireworks. If your dogs or cats get scared, make sure to bring them inside (if they're outdoors) and, whether they are indoor or outdoor pets, keep them away from the festivities if there's a chance they could get hurt. (And keep yourselves safe, too!)

Enjoy your holiday!

Red Pandas Shan Tou and Yukiko Welcome Triplets at North Dakota Zoo

Three cheers for Shan Tou and Yukiko! The rare red panda couple are the proud parents of triplets born at the Red River Zoo in Fargo, N.D., on June 11.

And the still-to-be-named panda babies are quite the big deal. "The last time triplets were born in North America was ten years [ago]," the zoo's animal keeper, Marcy Thompson, tells PEOPLE Pets, adding that the pair had twins last year, two of the five red pandas born in all of North America in 2008. Read the rest HERE.

Photo credit: Marcy Thompson