a99kitten's Musings

I just made a year-end donation to The California Wolf Center. I make monthly donations to Defenders of Wildlife but I think the smaller places need a lot of help since they don’t typically get big, corporate sponsorship money like Defenders, World Wildlife Fund, etc do. Plus after visiting the Wolf Center this past summer for the first time, I LOVE it. And what to do more to help them whenever I can. Plus, they are the feral cousins to the huskies :)

I only donate to animal charities. At Thanksgiving and Christmas I will donate food to the food banks, etc (I’m not entirely heartless) but I’ve always felt human charities get a LOT of corporate dough and general donations versus animal charities. And frankly, I just prefer animals.  I know…sounds mean. Meh. My general opinion is that people (other than kids) are generally responsible for their own conditions. Animals have been put in bad conditions BECAUSE of humans. Plus, they are fluffy (well, most of them anyway.)

I was just reading articles yesterday about the first wolf who has crossed into California last week since like 1934. You know…when humans wiped them out. #wonderful And reading the “plight of the rancher” makes me want to beat their heads in with sticks. It’s not like California is being taken over by a rabid wolf packs roaming the countryside.  Reading the comments from ranchers make me SO angry. There ARE ways to protect your livestock. And 1 or 2 wolves DO not hunt down cattle. And guess what? They do NOT attack humans. That is a vicious lie aka fairy tale created by stupid humans. Gah! It’s a PROVEN fact that when the top level predators (not humans who destroy everything in their path, but nature’s predators), the eco-system is balanced and is healthy. I kinda wish they wouldn’t have even put that story out there because I can totally see some assclown wanting to hunt the wolf as “sport”. A better sport would be hunting hunters. I’m all for that. They need to make THAT video game and sell it at Cabela’s. And then stuff THAT and put it on display.

I was going to use that money to buy a new Jimmy Choo purse. It’s a great purse! But really…I don’t need it. And if I do well in the market this quarter, maybe I’ll take some cash out and buy it anyway. But I think the wolfies need it more.They need all the help they can get….

http://www.californiawolfcenter.org/  (if you can spare a few bucks!)

Comic Con Day 4! Oh wait…I didn’t go. I was sad when I left the hotel. Kinda like when football season is over. Mopey-face.

When I first saw the schedule for this year’s SDCC I saw that, as usual, there wasn’t much on Sunday in terms of panels that I cared about. I would have loved to see the SyFy Merlin panel but if there was a day to take off, this was it. Normally Sunday is my “floor day” after using the other days for mostly panels. Of course, I also used to go to Preview Night for floor time before it became a frackin’ nightmare to try and get a pass. #dontgetmestarted

So instead of staying around SDCC, I made a reservation at the California Wolf Sanctuary. I have been donating to this organization for a number of years but have never actually visited. So since the Monday tours were all booked, I booked a tour for Sunday. Had to be there at 9:30 and they are about 1.5 hours away so it was another early morning of getting ready, packing, checking out and sitting. But instead of in line or in panels, it was in a car.

Got up there on time. And wow. I can not think of enough good things to say about this experience. Was pure awesome sauce. The tour was for about 30 people-ish? A short in-room presentation about the history of wolves, hunting and their endangered status and where the packs are now that have been re-introduced. The guide was much, much more politically correct than I would have been. Basically – humans suck. We almost obliterated this species because man didn’t want first tier predators around. I hate most humans. Oh…and humans still hunt them. And still want them obliterated. And spend a lot of lobby money to get them off the endangered species list so they can hunt them. Even after there is scientific proof that with the wolves back in the eco system, all of nature actually thrives. But hunters don’t want to hear that. Yeah…humans generally suck.

Another thing we learned: a grey wolf has 1500 lbs (psi i believe is the measurement) of bite pressure. A pit bull or German Shepherd has 700. So…that wolf is ripping your arm out of your socket when they lose wookiee-style!

OH! And there was actually a species of direwolves back in the day! And they were HUGE! So they are not just a fantasy creature made up by George R. Martin in the Game of Thrones. Team Direwolf!!!

Anyway – after that short in room presentation, we went out to the Alaskan Grey Wolf area. But none were out. Sleepy time in the hot weather I guess. So they took us over to the Mexican wolf area. This sanctuary is a big part of the Federal project to re-introduce Mexican wolves to the wild. So they have some that are not part of the tour so that they don’t get used to humans. But they have 3 that will probably not be re-introduced to the wild and that are on occasion shown on tour.

They are 3 girls. So pretty. Because of their coloring and their smaller size (compared to the Alaskan Grey wolf) they are sometimes mistaken for coyotes. They really just look like brown Storms!

They were walking around a lot, marking the fence (which they do my rubbing on it or chewing at it), or rolling around in the dirt. So husky like! The guide was telling us a story about how because they might still be reintroduced , they don’t get the same food as the Alaskan wolves. They get more kibble than meat unless it’s meat they would hunt in the wild such as deer or rabbit. Someone asked about squirrel. He said the wolves generally don’t eat the ground squirrels or crows but they will catch them and play with them to “get their squeaker out” and then they are done with them. O.M.G. – HOW HUSKY-LIKE!!!

He said one of the other females is older and has medical (renal) issues. So she is on a very low-protein diet. But apparently she gets sick of the kibble so she takes it and spreads it out so the crows come and try and eat it and then grabs one and eats it! What a smart buddy ☺

He had funny stories about the wolves and we got some good pics. I wished I had a good camera and not just my iPhone. But oh well. Then we saw that the Alaskan wolves come out so we got to go back to see them. Wow – the first male we saw is HUGE. Huge like Angelus looks like a baby compared to him. (Angelus strongly disagrees with this comparison.) In this area they had 2 females and 2 males. They had other fenced off sections with other packs, a mom and pups, another female who kept getting into fights to try and be alpha. But they were not on tour.

We hung out and waited for the Alaskans and then the 2 females came out. They feed them raw chickens and turkey (but like the kind you get at the store, not feathered or anything), and other stuff I won’t go into because while I understand the Circle of Life, I never like seeing it.

We got to see 1 of the females really close and she was pretty funny – she would stretch for us, yawn, try and catch flies. She seemed very bored by us all ☺ The male went over and found a shady spot and stretched and then laid down like Angelus does when he is done with me and wants to lie down and not be bothered.

We got to hang out for a long time watching them, taking pictures, asking questions. The guide was great. Never felt rushed at all. And it really became clear that wolves are just feral huskies ;)

Oh! And they have the bumper sticker that I saw a long time ago and want so badly! “Little Red Riding Hood Lied” It was stuck to something and not for sale (it was made by Defenders of Wildlife years ago and they told me it was sold out and they never remade them.) I am SO getting back to my project of making this for me ☺

Basically, this tour strengthened my resolve to keep sending my donations to them and this cause. For years and years and years I have only donated to animal /wildlife causes. Mostly to Defenders of Wildlife, Best Friends Animal Sanctuary and here. My only human donation in forever was for 9/11. I will continue this and increase it. The damage humans have done and continue to do to this planet and its animal life is disgusting.

Without the ecosystem they help maintain and keep in good health, all of the starving children in Africa, landmine victims in Bosnia, the fight for gay marriage, the fight against gay marriage, human tsunami/earthquake/volcano victims in Haiti/Japan/Chili/Indonesia/Philippines/wherever and the many walks, runs, trots and bracelets to find cures for every disease under the sun, moon and stars will mean nothing in the end unless you want a gray, sterile Blade Runner world. Not to say I won’t donate elsewhere too, but it will always 100% to animals. Period.

If you have a chance to ever visit, I strongly recommend it. Private tours book up well in advance (that’s my next trip!!!) and winter tours book up early too because many people like to see the wolves in the snow (it snows up there a few times a winter.)

www.californiawolfcenter.org

We drove back through the town of Julian which is an old gold mining town. Very cute. Saw 2 coyotes and 1 wild turkey on the drive back! Stopped at a vista in the National Forest (you drive through it) and you look out over a canyon named Storm! Canyon (ok, I added that exclamation point!) Stormy wants to know why he wasn’t there too!

Then got back into civilization and saw Captain America which was GREAT. Plus got trailers for John Carter (of Mars) staring Taylor Kitsch (who looks delicious in it) and the new Mission Impossible movie which looks AWESOME! Oh – and if you have not seen Captain America yet but plan to – stay till the credits are OVER. I have friends who didn’t – doh! Avengers Assemble…in July 2012!!! So even though I didn’t spend anytime at Comic Con today, I kept the Con spirit alive by geeking out anyway on both wolves and superheroes.

☺

I really hate when people use the term “throwing someone to the wolves” when referring to how someone wasn’t cared for properly, or how they would be on their own to fend for themselves in a harsh situation, or stuff like that.

Wolf packs actually care very much for their pack mates. Pups are cared for by not only the mother but the father and other pack mates.

So what people actually should be saying is throwing someone to the homo sapiens because you are much more likely to get a crappy parent/family/boss/etc from the humanoid world than from the Canis lupus one….

Would rather be raised by...

Farmers vs. Lions: A Battle to the Death in Kenya:

http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1989669,00.html

This story is sad. To me, this outlines yet another example that human over-population on this planet will destroy it long before space aliens, asteroids hurtling towards us, bad pop music or even the dreaded global warming.

A country of 40 million, where many are poor and starving, murdering some of the very creatures that make this planet so great is disgusting to me. No – I don’t want to hear what about them? Or they need to farm and eat. Or any other BS crap. Over-population. Period.  Humans are ruining the planet. Not the animals who are just trying to survive. Stop breeding people. Just fracking stop. Frankly, I just don’t care as much about human life since we/they are the ones who create these problems to begin with.  Yes, I know this makes me sound heartless. I’m not. But I think the world needs more lions, tigers and bears and less humans using up all of the planet’s resources.

And this happens in here is the US as well. And here – it’s more of a business situation. Ranchers have long killed wolves, to the point of near extinction, because a cow or a sheep is killed. Perhaps on a rare occasion that rancher’s existence depended on that 1 cow. But not too likely. Which is why Defenders of Wildlife did put in a program where they will compensate a rancher for lost livestock  due to a wolf so that they don’t kill them. By all reports, this program works. Market price for what you lost.

But you still have Idaho and Alaska that re-instituted wolf hunts based on lame-ass reasons. Those 2 states will never get 1 tourist dollar from me while hunting wolves or bears is still allowed. And no – I do not blame Sarah Palin for that. Sorry. That was in place in AK before she was elected AND voted on by the voters of Alaska. She is simply an easy target for the animal welfare groups (who I do generally support but disagree with on these campaigns.) Not to say she doesn’t support the plan as well or that I like her. Just not going to paint her as the first or only villain in this atrocity. That’s just stupid.

The world needs more beauty. Humans can create beauty. But quite a lot of them create nothing but chaos and ugliness.  These lions, and all other living things on this planet, deserve a better keeper of this home than humans can seem to provide…

http://myyellowstonewolves.typepad.com/myw/2010/02/valentines-day-for-wolves.html

http://www.meridiangraphics.net/lupercalia.htm

That sounds like a much more interesting celebration for February!! (excepting any of the animal sacrifice stuff  of course – yuck!)

Did anyone really celebrate wolves back then though since they are always made out (unfairly) to be the villain is so many old tales? But maybe those were all post Roman tales and these people were more enlightened.

I would much prefer a holiday where we celebrated and gave wolf-adorned cards, etc than a fat little naked cherub. But that’s me :)

So then they went on to split off from Vulcan and be bad guys, right? :)

The story of the (kinda sorta likely) origins of the original “valentines cards” (love notes) is cool.

We seem to have the Cadbury Brothers to blame for the onslaught of hearty-shaped candy (genius business move  though so I can’t really blame them.)

Chocolate entered the Valentine’s Day ritual relatively late. The Conquistadors brought chocolate to Spain in 1528 and while they knew how to make cocoa from the beans, it wasn’t until 1847 that Fry & Sons discovered a way to make chocolate edible. Twenty years later, the Cadbury Brothers discovered how to make chocolate even smoother and sweeter. By 1868, the Cadburys were turning out the first boxed chocolate. They were elaborate boxes made of velvet and mirrors and retained their value as trinket-boxes after the chocolate was gone. Richard Cadbury created the first heart-shaped Valentine’s Day box of candy sometime around 1870.

But to be honest, I like Valentine’s Day. Mostly because I love all holidays and any reason to do something different.  I loved giving out and receiving little cards in school. I saw some cool Star Wars ones at the store last week and *almost* bought them. I did buy the Chewie GRRRAAAW Valentine’s card and sent it to my brother who will get a kick out of it.

Do I think it should be as big of deal as it is. Probably not. Especially when I see all the stupid, cheesy crap they pump out for people who have no imagination or forethought. I think proposing or getting married on Valentine’s Day sounds like a very bad, bad idea. When I was single, my friends and I would just plan something fun. Celebrating the “Day of Love doesn’t have to mean only romantic love.  Just a reminder to be extra nice, eat some chocolate, buy some pretty flowers (even if for yourself – they are pretty and smell nice!) and drink a glass a bubbly (which I am always a fan of!)

A good friend’s birthday is on February 14th. She hated it when she was younger but no longer minds it. Would be much worse to have a birthday on Christmas I think! Unless you’re a baby Jesus I suppose… ;)

But my Valentine’s Day celebration is to donate money to some wolves today…they need the help a lot more than I need the cash. No matter how much or how little, it’s MY monthly ritual. “Civilized” Man has done their best to try and wipe out this awesome animal instead of celebrate it as another creature who deserves to live on this planet just as much (and in many cases much more) than humans…

http://www.defenders.org/support_us/index.php

http://www.californiawolfcenter.org/links.htm

So a Happy Valentine’s, Lupercalia, Sunday or 3rd day of Olympics to you! :)

Wolf pup - an amazing creature

This is disgusting. DISGUSTING. In the typical logic of the government, they put an animal, that man has nearly wiped out, on the Endangered Species list and then once they actually start to reproduce and thrive a LITTLE bit in the wild, they remove the protections so hunters can hunt them again. I HATE THE GOVERNMENT. I HATE HUNTERS.

The only reason I think Democrats are useful at all is so they at least enact laws that benefit animals. Nope – this President and administration can’t even get that right.

Man has done its best to wipe out the predators at the top of the wild life food chain due to man’s own inability to accept that without guns, they would be the ones wiped out. Except that bears, lions, wolves, great white sharks, etc do NOT want to kill humans. They hunt to eat. They eat to survive. They don’t go out and kill things for some perverse joy, or to mount human heads on their den walls and pound their chest as they point to it “Look what I did. Look how strong I am.” No assclown – you had a high-powered rifle. Only man is as sick and twisted and evil as this. To seek out creatures solely for the purpose of destroying them is man’s claim to fame. It’s been long proven that if you can be cruel and inflict pain on animals for joy, then you are 1 step away from doing it to people. Hunting for sport is this. Hunting to eradicate a species is this. Look into the abyss and see yourself.

I sincerely hope with all of my heart that anyone who participates in this type of thing gets a horribly disfiguring disease. Or better yet – shot in the face by your hunting buddy. And I mean this. Completely.

The below is from Defenders of Wildlife…if you can sign the petition – great. If you can donate money to their cause – awesome! But at the very least read it….

Hi,

This is outrageous.

This winter, Cabela’s and Sportsmans Warehouse, two major outdoor retailers , sponsored predator derbies in Idaho where formerly protected wolves were targeted by contestants who vied to see who could kill the most wolves and other animals over a two-day period.

Worse, the entry fees for these brutal competitions were then funneled to support anti-wolf lawyers working to keep wolves in Greater Yellowstone off the endangered species list.

Wildlife-loving people fought too hard for too long to rescue wolves in the northern Rockies from the brink of extinction to silently tolerate corporate sponsorship of bloody competitions like this.

That’s why I’ve joined Defenders of Wildlife’s fight to get Cabela’s and Sportsman’s Warehouse to withdraw their support for predator derbies that target wolves, and I am hoping you will too.

Please sign the petition online at

https://secure.defenders.org/site/Advocacy?JServSessionIdr004=tr3987i3w2.app223a&cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=1667

Thanks for helping…