These Animals Are Helping to Slow Climate Change—But They’re Dying

Animals play a key role keeping forests healthy

The decline in animal populations in tropical forests may play a role in accelerating climate change, according to new research.

The study, published in the journal Science Advances, shows how the loss of animals reduces the ability of forests to store carbon that would otherwise accelerate global warming. Large animals like large primates, tapirs and toucans play a key role distributing the seeds of the large trees that store the most carbon and in turn ensuring a healthy forest. The researchers note that tropical forests store 40% of the world’s carbon, but that carbon is released into the air when forests are degraded or destroyed. The decline in those animal populations thus has a tangible effect on how well their habitat can prevent carbon from reaching the atmosphere.

Deforestation has been a hot topic in discussions about how to reduce climate change, but the focus on animals has been less prominent. The new research adds relevance to campaigns to protect endangered animals in tropical forest areas where populations are on the decline due to everything from hunting to logging.
The study also adds to a growing area of research focused on how to address climate change by restoring nature.

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Queensland farm a haven for injured animals

Storybook Farm provides a secure home for animals with disabilities, injuries and special needs.

Storybook Farm provides a home and care for injured animals.

Storybook Farm provides a home and care for injured animals.

A little farm with a big heart is helping three-legged dogs, blind horses and anxious donkeys live long and happy lives.

Storybook Farm, in south-east Queensland, houses animals of all shapes and sizes with special needs on a small plot of land in the Scenic Rim.

Lisa Jane Cameron along with her family have been helping animals for more than 30 years.


The one-of-a-kind farm began after their family dog, Mr Waddles, became paralysed and they could not find a support service for disabled animals.

“Since then we’ve welcomed brain-damaged whippets, Matthew a blind staffy and Krumb our wheelchair-bound dachshund,” she said.

“If the animals have the will, we will find a way and that’s what it’s about.”

A passion for problem solving
It is not just the animals that Ms Cameron has to assist.

Owners of the animals turn to her for emotional support too.

“Our main aim is to keep families together where possible, and if not we visit the families with their pet,” she said.

“For many of the people we help their pet is the only living thing they have seen all day and if you remove that it’s detrimental to the person as well.

“We’ve seen families who thought it was the end and they were traumatised families and now they are back together again.

“We do it because we love it and we want to help.”

One of the goats is being nursed back to health after breaking his leg. Photo: ABC

The small sanctuary focuses on giving a new lease on life to special needs animals and also severe cruelty cases.

“We’re developing wheels that can be used on the beach [for disabled dogs],” Ms Cameron said.

“With the blind dogs, we’ve learnt to place furniture in the right places and we teach them about different sounds.

“For the dogs that can’t walk we have drag bags and we’re inventing better ones that are cooler for Queensland – we’re problem solvers and we do it every day.”

Krumb the dog is one of the well-known characters on the farm. Photo: ABC

Helping animals with a strong will to live

Ms Cameron has been called many things including Molly from A Country Practice and Doctor Doolittle.

She sees her work as a way to give back to the community – and to animals too.

“Animals do so much for us, they protect us, they’re therapy dogs, they help us see and help with cancer patients,” she said.

LJ Cameron holds one of the whippet dogs who has an injured skull. Photo: ABC

“People’s blood pressure lowers when they pat a cat and nursing homes are better with an animal in it.

“We’re not here to save all animals but if they have a strong will to live we will give them a way.”

Ms Cameron’s children, Alex and Jonah, help on a daily basis with feeding, walking and working closely with each of the animals.

“I couldn’t do it without my children,” she said.

“It has taught them to respond. It makes them better people as they are more compassionate, tolerant and they have understanding.”

Making a difference

When people ask Ms Cameron why she does what she does, she tells them that she wants to make a difference.

“You get up and you make a difference, as I think that’s what we’re here for,” she said.

“I think we owe the animals more than they owe us.

Alex Cameron nurses one of the blind goats on the farm. Photo: ABC

“We find many people find the dogs confronting, especially the dogs in wheelchairs – as they see the wheelchair, not the dog in the wheelchair.

“I let people spend time with them and within minutes people are in tears.”

The blind dogs on the arm have collars detailing their vision-impairment. Photo: ABC

The future for Storybook Farm

In the future, Ms Cameron hopes to bring literacy and her animals together with storytelling sessions for children to be held at the farm.

She also hopes to register Storybook as a charity in 2016 and find more people to come onboard and help.

“Inside each bit of fur, feather or scale there’s a someone and it’s not a Disney-fied sort of attitude,” she said.

One of the three-legged dogs running around the farm. Photo: ABC

“My aim is to build the sanctuary and make it secure and strong enough that it’s a legacy that goes way past me.

“We hope to get a stable property to set-up a permanent base and we want to go to more schools and hospitals next year.”

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Steamy Calendar With Vet Students And Animals Is All We Want For Christmas

With this calendar, you'll never have a bad month.
Omega Tau Sigma veterinary fraternity at Cornell's College of Veterinary Medicine recently released its 2016 Men of Vet School calendar to the public. The steamy calendar, which is an annual project, features students alongside adorable animals.

Omega Tau Sigma/Cornell University

And as if that wasn't splendid enough, 15 percent of the calendar's profits will go toward the Patient Assistance Fund to help owners in need afford veterinary care for their pets.

Omega Tau Sigma/Cornell University

Samantha Lovering, this year's calendar chair, told The Huffington Post that the calendar features 33 veterinary school students, and took a few months to shoot. She also mentioned that hours of brainstorming went into creating each scene. The toughest one was the November shoot, which incorporated chickens.

Omega Tau Sigma/Cornell University

"We had never done a shoot with chickens before and thought it would be fun and interesting," Lovering said. "But they were a challenge to hold onto!"
Of course the calendar wasn't just hard work -- it ended up being a blast to work on for many involved.

Omega Tau Sigma/Cornell University

"As veterinary students, we always love working with animals!" Lovering told HuffPost. "Many of the animals are owned by members of Omega Tau Sigma, and everyone is always excited to have their animals photographed."

Omega Tau Sigma/Cornell University

Well, now we know what to get the animal lover in our lives for Christmas!

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Australian Zoo Animals Enjoy Christmas Treats!

Animals at Sydney's Taronga Zoo enjoyed an early delivery from Santa this year and were treated to edible Christmas presents Friday.

Animals at Sydney's Taronga Zoo enjoyed an early delivery from Santa this year and were treated to edible Christmas presents Friday.

The Taronga Zoo said the chimpanzees, including babies Fumo and Sudi, woke to find gift-wrapped food treats prepared by keepers and volunteers, inside their enclosure.
Local media reported that Fumo, a 15-month-old baby chimpanzee, spent the day playing with Christmas paper and boxes.

According to the zoo, Esmeralda the Aldabra Giant Tortoise, who is the zoo's oldest resident, also enjoyed a festive treat in the form of watermelons carved in the shape of Christmas trees.
Zoo officials said the treats, while edible, were also educational in nature, designed to challenge and encourage the animals' natural skills.

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The Reindeer

The first thing you need to know about reindeer is that, like a spy or a pro wrestler, they go by different names depending on where they are. If you're reading this in the Russian taiga or in the fjords of Lapland, you're familiar with reindeer, rangifer tarandus, the antlered species of deer that roam around munching on lichens and growing a crown of antlers that can range in size from cute to terrifying. If you're reading this in Greenland or the Canadian tundra, however, you only know of Caribou, rangifer tarandus, those hooved cuties that roam around avoiding wolves and hanging out in sometimes massive herds.

 Just kidding! Everyone knows about reindeer. Due to their place in the pagan-Christian Santa Claus mythology of the western world, they are a pop culturally protected species, disproportionately beloved and sought after, especially in the winter months. There's the song, of course, then there's the Rankin/Bass Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer, then there's the 1989 film Prancer which I remember sending me into a spiral of existential despair sometime in the second grade. There's also a reindeer sidekick in the extraordinarily popular Disney film Frozen, which you know kicked up its numbers on Google Trends.

But what's really the difference between a reindeer and a caribou? This should be obvious by now: a reindeer is a charismatic and charming celebrity animal, a caribou is that gross moose type thing you skip at the zoo.

That's not the only thing reindeer have going for themselves. Reindeer get to live in objectively the best part of the world (the Arctic circle), and unlike some of their neighbors up there, they're not even close to endangered. Part of this is just because most of their predators (wolves, bears) only pick off the smallest and weakest of the herd, and part of this is that like so many deer species, reindeer have a handy way of breeding way past the point of practicality. I mean, if you were this cute and glamorous, you would too.

But back to the predators — why will nobody step to the reindeer? Is it their antlers? I mean, if you think about it, antlers are pretty fucking crazy. Just close your eyes, and forget that reindeer have antlers and moose have antlers and there are antlers on the wall of that artisanal whiskey bar in your neighborhood. Now open your eyes and look at a reindeer.

Antlers are so weird! What are antlers, you ask? Well, they're just a bone like any other bone ... if any other bone grew into a massive biological chandelier covered in a soft layer of skin which then molted off. And if that bone then died and hung around on top of your head for a while before falling off. And if that happened every year. Antlers are used for combat and sexual selection (a.k.a. fightin' and fuckin'), two of the greatest hobbies of the animal kingdom.

So maybe that's freaking out all the would-be reindeer eaters. But you know who's not freaked out? Mosquitoes.

Yes, believe it or not, one of the greatest threats to the modern reindeer are mosquitos. Not bears. Not wolves. Not idiot humans looking for decorations for their billiard rooms. Mosquito bites, especially in the summer, can cause so much stress to reindeer that they stop feeding — both adults and calves. Here is a picture of some reindeer huddling on snow to avoid their bites. Look at it and try to imagine anything more pathetic.

Look, I can sympathize. I'm the kind of person who gets ten times as many bug bites as everyone else during an average summer picnic; when I cry out in disgust and shame at my befouled limbs, at least one person always says, "aw, it's just ‘cause you're so sweet." I'm sure all those reindeer have heard the same line. Well, guess what: just because you're sweet and wonderful doesn't mean that's an invitation for bloodsuckers and users to feed off all your positive energy. Maybe it's not the toughest thing to be brought low by a tiny biting insect, but the stress is real.

But the fact that this is one of the only real Achilles heels of the reindeer just goes to show how resilient they are. And did I even mention how many flavors they come in? My personal favorite is the Svalbard reindeer, one of the northernmost subspecies, which looks like a sporty little dog or jackalope. Look at it go!

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Are Wild Animals Really Grateful When People Rescue Them?

We’ve all seen those heartwarming viral videos where a deer tangled in a fence or a fox with its head stuck in a jar suddenly become calm and “grateful” when a human approaches to save them from their predicament.
For example, take this rescue of a wild deer:

But, as much as we might like to believe that these wild animals are indeed showing gratitude for their rescuer, experts say that’s not really the case.

“Since the animal that is being rescued rarely feels better immediately, it is unlikely that they understand they are being helped,” Dave Zahniser, rescue manager at the Marine Mammal Center, told Discovery.com.

The reason the animal becomes so calm could be due to something called “capture myopathy syndrome,” which is a form of shock.

This is not, however, the cause of that well-known frozen “deer-caught-in-headlights” look, which is due to a deer’s inability to see in bright light, causing it to freeze. It is also not why some animals, like possums, “play dead.” Scientifically referred to as thanatosis, animals use this as a defense mechanism only when escape from a predator is impossible.

So what exactly is capture myopathy?
According to “Zoo & Wild Animal Medicine” by University of California, Davis researcher Murray Fowler, it is “probably an inherent mechanism that hastens the death of an animal following capture by a predator, thereby reducing pain in the prey and conserving energy for the predator — a mechanism which is, in a way, beneficial to both.”

Karen Emanuelson, director of veterinary services at the Oakland Zoo in California, told Discovery.com the syndrome causes an animal to go into a form of shock that “may fill their lungs with fluid and lead to later death, even if they are saved from an immediate threat.”

But what about those cases where wild animals seek out humans to help them like in the video above?
Emanuelson told Discovery.com those animals have usually already become habituated around people.

For example, Emanuelson said that two years ago, a dolphin caught in a hook approached people on a night dive in Hawaii. The divers helped the dolphin free itself. She said the dolphins there “have learned people have capabilities that could benefit them.”

And in those cases of, say, a mother duck quacking loudly when one of her ducklings falls into a sewer, the experts say that’s just a mother’s natural instinct. She is not necessarily trying to get the attention of a potential human rescuer, but merely attempting to maintain communication with her offspring.

Although it might go against our instincts, the experts warn us civilians not to go near wild animals in distress.
“An animal that is injured, ill or orphaned is already experiencing great stress,” notes Wildlife International. “It may be in pain, dehydrated, starving and fearful.”

To minimize further stress, “be prepared and have a plan of action, as well as all the necessary equipment,” Wildlife International recommends.

“A well-meaning action to assist could actually even be illegal, depending on the species and location,” Zahniser told Discovery.com, “so always call a local rescue hotline or animal control to assist.”

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Animals that hate humans for no reason

We assume all animals like all humans but unfortunately after watching this video you will realise that this is not the case.

What is that famous saying again?

‘Some people aren't animal people and some animals aren't people animals.’

This hilarious compilation of animals that hate humans was captured on film for our entertainment.

Warning: Do not ever and we mean ever mess with an angry goat.

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Origami Animals Spring To Life From One Piece Of Paper

It's like the tale of a superhero: By day, Gonzalo García Calvo is a musician in Madrid, but by night, he's an amateur origami artisan.

You might be familiar with the art of origami from reading Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes in elementary school, or from folding our own clumsy frogs and cranes and flowers as kids. But the vast array of objects and creatures that can be summoned from one piece of origami paper is truly unfathomable to the non-expert.

Origami Duck, design by Katsuta Kyohei

Origami Rooster, original design by Satoshi Kamiya

There's no design too complicated and out-there for Calvo to attempt; he says it takes around "three hours for a complex model, and maybe more for the most detailed ones." At this point, he's been practicing his folds for four years.

Calvo told The Huffington Post via email, "I find it fascinating that by changing the steps in the folding process you end up with a totally different model, so in essence, a square of paper has inside of it all the possibilities to be anything you can imagine." 

As demanded by the rules of the art form, only folding of the paper is allowed to achieve the stunning transformations, making the results all the more remarkable. "You can fold almost anything with a single square of paper without gluing or cutting it," he said.

Origami Mammoth, design by Artur Biernacki

Origami Papillon Dog, design by Miyajima Noboru

Origami Simple Dragon, design by Shuki Kato

Origami Hippocampus, design by Román Dí­az

Origami Tree Frog, original design by Satoshi Kamiya

Origami Common Loon, design by Artur Biernacki

Origami Wolf Spider, design by Brian Chan

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See Giant LEGO animal sculptures unveiled in new trail

A collection of giant LEGO birds have been unveiled today at WWT Martin Mere. The 10 characters that form part of a LEGO brick animal trail were made from 123,200 LEGO bricks and took over 965 hours to build. This is the first time these amazing sculptures, especially created for WWT, have been seen in the North West among the real life animals which inspired them. A brand new addition to the trail was also unveiled, Kate the Kingfisher, who the CBBC Blue Peter presenter Barney Harwood helped to build. She has been made especially for the Martin Mere trail and is being featured on Blue Peter, along with her other giant brick friends who Barney also helped put out on the trail on CBBC on Thursday, December 3.
Through the giant brick animal trail, the nature reserve in Burscough, Lancashire is using the world’s most popular toy to encourage kids to build a better future for nature.

What animals can you see on the trail?

Visitors to Martin Mere Wetland Centre can enjoy the 10 individually-designed LEGO brick characters revealed for nine weeks over the winter including the Christmas holidays from this Saturday, November 28 to Sunday, January 31.
You will be able to see all sorts of animals including:

• Kate the Kingfisher
• Flavia the Andean flamingo
• Benedict the Bewick’s swan
• Emily the Emperor dragonfly
• Lottie the otter
• Bruce the Red Breasted goose

Lottie the Otter

Nick Brooks, Martin Mere’s general manager said: “Here at Martin Mere Wetland Centre, we take particular pride in helping to conserve the Hawaiian goose (Nene) the world’s rarest goose, which was originally identified as a species that needed protecting by our founder Sir Peter Scott.
“Today, we are using LEGO bricks to inspire the next generation to continue Sir Peter’s work of saving threatened wildlife.”

Mac the Mallard

What else can you do when you visit the trail?

As well as the trail, budding sculptors can take part in creative fun and games at exclusive LEGO brick workshops at weekends and daily through the Christmas holidays, build minifigures and buy limited edition mini LEGO brick animal models, only available at WWT.
All proceeds will support WWT’s essential conservation work in the UK and around the world.
There is no extra cost to meet the giant LEGO brick animals at Martin Mere Wetland Centre, the trail is included in the admission price.

Hannah Clifford from WWT Martin Mere with Kate the Kingfisher

Places for the workshops can be pre-booked online HERE.
To find out more about the Giant LEGO brick animals and other brick activities visit wwt.org.uk/legobrickanimals or follow #LEGOBrickAnimals.

Win a LEGO experience day at WWT Martin Mere

The prize is free entry to Martin Mere for a family of four, a Lego animal kit, free Lego workshop for the children (one hour at the centre doing fun activities plus build your own Lego duckling to take home) plus lunch at the centre.
Five runners up will win family tickets to visit the centre to see the Lego brick animals. The competition closes at 3pm on Friday, December 4. Winners will be informed by email.
The prize must be redeemed anytime on or before January 31, 2016.

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The Leopard Gecko

This column is part of a series where Verge staffers post highly subjective reviews of animals. Up until now, we’ve written about animals without telling you whether they suck or rule. We are now rectifying this oversight.

 Lizards can sit unnaturally (or super naturally) still, stare, and then move in a flash — alien movements at alien speeds. Our feeble human desire to anthropomorphize everything is stymied at almost every turn, and somehow this makes the creatures all the more compelling.

Then there's the leopard gecko (Eublepharis macularius, which is basically Latin for "good eyelid, spotted"). The leopard gecko is a lizard that evolved away the things you expect from a gecko. It has no sticky lamellae on its feet for wall climbing, it has blinking eyelids, it tends to be more docile around humans. The leopard gecko is strange to its brethren, but in ways that make it more approachable to us. It's become a popular pet — one that can live for 20 years if you treat it well — because it's an otherworldly creature that you can keep in your home. One you think you can know.

But let's get this out of the way: the leopard gecko is still weird as hell.

You've probably heard that geckos have tails to store fat and they can detach them to run away from predators, then regrow them later. In fact, you don't need to and actually shouldn't feed an adult leopard gecko every day — that's why the tail is storing fat. Leopard geckos also detach their tails; as they do, a specialized muscle clenches up to prevent blood loss. They lose their energy reserve, but they live to grow another one later. They're chill, they got this.

But it gets crazier than that: the detached tail can flop around to attract the predator while the gecko makes its getaway. It doesn't just do it once, either, as Wired notes. No, instead it just goes and goes, an unholy unliving thing scampering around so that its former host can skitter away to survive another day. Behold:

Leopard geckos shed and then eat their skin, too, the better to avoid getting tracked. Their ear canal goes straight through their tiny little skulls — shine a flashlight and you can basically see right through. It's thought to have spectacularly good eyesight, able to see color in the dark.

Most of the leopard geckos you'll encounter are bred in captivity — and because we can't leave well enough alone, there are morphs with stripes and stipples and other weird skin characterizations. But they're originally from a swath of land running from Iraq to Pakistan. That doesn't necessarily make them desert creatures, but they're optimized for arid and dry land. One of those optimizations is that they hang on to as much water as possible. Instead of excreting nitrogenous waste in liquid urine, they drop little powdery white crystals called urates.

As pets, leopard geckos feed on crickets (usually coated with a nutritional powder) and astonishingly named pinkies — tiny little baby mice. Watching any predator hunt is mesmerizing and horrible, and watching a lizard do it even more so. Don't watch this video:
You watched, didn't you? You saw that right foot hover over the ground and watched that lizard brain plot. You couldn't look away, all the way through to the awful and disturbing end.

Here's the thing about the leopard gecko. It seems custom designed as a "starter reptile" pet, the kind of animal that's easy to care for and more approachable than a snake. Those tiny little feet with their harmless claws. Those eyes with actual lids that make you believe that you understand the expressions it's making. The fact that it won't grow massive and ornery like an iguana.1 They're not slimy. They'll hang out on your shoulder. They'll blink those quiet eyes at you like a contented cat and you will feel like you have made a connection.

Seriously, iguanas live longer and get meaner than most people realize and thus end up either abused or abandoned into hostile environments — environments which they often end up damaging themselves.

There are lots of animals with tiny brains that we believe we're forming relationships with (R2D2 budgies 4 life), but with the leopard gecko it's just a trick. It's not a cat-level brain-altering chemical trick, but you're being fooled nonetheless. These evolutionary traits aren't there to warm your heart, they're there to make the gecko a more efficient killer — one who adeptly evades other predators.

Reptiles do not think the same way you or I do — they're mysterious in ways that go beyond the cliche of "tiny lizard brains." But because of how it looks, the leopard gecko is the lizard that most makes you believe that you have bridged the implacable void between the minds of mammals and reptiles. But sorry, it isn't true. You do not know the leopard gecko, it does not know you.

Waking at 4AM to soundless dark — where the leopard gecko can see things you cannot — you might realize that it's not just reptiles you cannot truly know. Your friends and lovers are also inscrutable, in their way. Their minds and modes of thought belong to another world — their own. Are you fooling yourself, when you think you understand their hearts?

While you wait for the light to strengthen, think of the leopard gecko; maybe the difference between pretending you know a creature and actually knowing the creature doesn't matter. You can sate the gecko's hunger and make it feel safe enough to keep its chubby little tail attached. It can rest upon your warm palm and close its eyes and make you feel like you have helped another creature find its way in a harsh, cold, and uncaring world. Maybe that should be enough. Maybe you don't need objective proof that there is more than that.

Also, let's be honest, the little lizards are super cute.

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The healing power of animals

The growing field of animal-assisted therapy has helped many anxiety and depression sufferers cope with their symptoms, writes Katie Byrne

She tried prescription medication, psychiatry and therapy, but nothing could tame the black dog that gnawed at her very essence.

As she descended into a state of hopelessness, she decided to do "one hopeful thing". She bought a Golden Retriever puppy called Bunker. Little did she know how much solace he would provide...
"Bunker didn't ask me to tell him how I was feeling," she recalls. "He didn't need me to label my emotions, to tell him what had happened or why I was so sad. He just met me where I was.

"He met me physically, on the floor, and pressed his body into mine, licked my face, made me take deeper breaths than I had in days, made me laugh even. He had no expectations. He didn't care if I felt better. He just wanted me."

There is a quote often found on the waiting room walls of veterinary surgeons that reads: "There is no psychiatrist in the world like a puppy licking your face". It's a sentiment that resonates with Barton. She calls Bunker her "lifeline".

 

Ciara Morrison with her turtle Stomp

"That unconditional acceptance is so very freeing for someone suffering from a dire sadness," she continues. "And it's something a human can very rarely do for another human. Only an animal can consistently do this for us."

Barton's relationship with Bunker is the subject of a memoir, Dog Medicine, which was released last week.

Dublin-born healthcare assistant Ciara Morrison is one of the many people looking forward to reading it.

Morrison can relate to the story. She suffers from acute anxiety and has been attending psychiatric services since the beginning of 2012.

"Throughout the first year of being in and out of hospital, I had a little dog called Teeny and I absolutely adored her," she explains.

"She used to know when something was wrong. If she ever heard me crying, she would come running like some sort of mini superhero! When she'd reach me, she'd lick the tears off my face until I laughed and then dutifully curl up in my lap and stay there until I'd move her.
"If I was very depressed and struggling to get out of bed, she'd be there licking my face and nudging me until I moved."

These women's stories aren't unusual. Dogs are well known to promote healing. Studies show that just a few minutes of bonding with a canine can lower blood pressure, slow the heart rate and reduce shallow breathing.

 

Julie Barton, author of the much-anticipated memoir, Dog Medicine, and her dog Bunker.

However, while the therapeutic effects of dogs are the most studied and documented, there are many more animals proven to provide comfort and support.

Vlogger Melanie Murphy, who was diagnosed with generalised anxiety disorder at 19, believes that cats can help reduce stress and ease tension. And she should know - she once owned five feline friends.

"When you're stressed, hug an animal. That is the best advice I can give to the world," Melanie (pictured below) says.

Emerging research suggests that a cat's purr, like other low-frequency vocalisations in mammals, may have healing properties. It's better known as "purr therapy".

Equine-assisted therapy is another growing field. Therapeutic riding coach Sandra Schmid of Hairy Henry Therapeutic Riding (hairyhenry.com) in West Cork has many success stories.

"There's one young girl who started with me when she was eight. She'll be 11 soon. When she first came to me, she struggled with separation anxiety and panic attacks.

"She has grown hugely in confidence over the years. She still suffers from panic attacks at school and at home, but she has never had one when with me, despite two falls off the horse and a couple of other minor incidents."

While equine-assisted therapy can be an investment, there are many more forms of animal-assisted therapy for those that can't afford it.

Even the passive act of watching fish swim has been proven to reduce anxiety, while smaller, less time-consuming animals can be just as therapeutic.

Morrison has since bought two tortoises called Stomp and Brutus. "I find it so relaxing to tend to their table. It's like my own mini, indoor garden," she explains. "I spend ages arranging it and placing nice stones around, building little mounds for them to climb. It's a great way to stay present in the moment and practice mindfulness with very little effort."

She adds that those suffering with mental health issues should be mindful of the upkeep required with certain pets.

"Don't take on a complex animal that requires stringent care if you are still in an early phase of your recovery," she says. "Taking on too much could actually stress you out more. Start small."
It's a point echoed by Barton. "I caution against a severely depressed person rushing out and getting a dog, especially if they've never had a dog or didn't grow up with them.

"When I adopted Bunker, I was in a particularly rare and privileged position of having no job, no kids, two capable caretakers in my parents and no immediate financial concerns."

She also reminds that animal therapy can come from all manner of sources. "There's all kinds of medicine out there in the animal kingdom. It's merely our job to be vulnerable and open enough to see it and accept it."

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Dog Sets Dog Skateboarding Record For Dogs

It’s been a weird year for skateboards. As foretold, hoverboards are here, but they’re either really limited in what they can do or they’re not actually hovering. Fortunately, Peru’s Otto the Skateboarding Bulldog is here to set us straight: What matters isn’t how the board moves, it’s how cool it looks when a dog is the one riding it.

Yesterday, Otto skateboarded through a human tunnel 30 people long, setting the “longest human tunnel travelled through by a skateboarding dog” record, a very important feat. The event was part of Guinness World Record Day 2015, when a bunch of people (and animals, I guess) do weird unique things more so than other people (or animals) have ever done them before. We live in a strange and beautiful world that encourages and praises this behavior.

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The funniest animal photos of 2015 revealed

The best entries in the inaugural Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards have been named

This year's winning photograph, by Julian Rad Photo: Julian Rad

The above image of a wild hamster, cheeks filled with food, expression of quiet determination writ large across its furry brow, has been named the funniest animal photo of the year at the inaugural Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards.  



The hamster, or rather Julian Rad, the Austrian who captured it, beat hundreds of rivals to the top prize, earning himself a one-week holiday in Tanzania and a Nikon D750 camera in the process.

This stag took second place  Photo: William Richardson

Second and third place went to a pair of Britons: William Richardson, for his photo of an impeccably camouflaged stag in Richmond Park, and Oliver Dreike, for an image of a gorilla that swears it was just scratching its nose. Honest.

This gorilla swiped third  Photo: Oliver Dreike

Given that the award is in its first year, the number of entries - more than 1,500 - was impressive, as has been its global reach, with those entries coming from as far afield as Iraq, Macedonia, Uruguay, Belize and Sri Lanka.

This distressed hippo was one of 10 "highly commended" entries  Photo: Marc Mol

Images of animals looking foolish clearly hold a special place in everyone’s heart - regardless of nationality.

So too was this graceful cheetah  Photo: Mohammed Alnaser

 Among the judges were Hugh Dennis, the actor and comedian best known for his role in BBC’s Outnumbered, and Kate Humble, the broadcaster and regular contributer to Telegraph Travel, as well as several respected wildlife photographers, such as Will Burrard Lucas and Tom Sullam.

This ninja squirrel  Photo: Julian Rad

  “It was a pleasure to judge the inaugural Comedy Wildlife Awards,” said Hugh Dennis.

This amused seal  Photo: Julie Hunt

He added: “The number and quality of the entries was fantastic. The finalists should be very proud of themselves, as should the animals they photographed, simply for looking so funny. Sadly there is no way of telling them.”

This flapping bird  Photo: Charlie Davidson

In addition to being extremely entertaining, the awards aim to raise awareness of the work of The Born Free Foundation, the conservation and animal rights charity.

Photo: Megan Lorenz

And these clumsy owls

read more "The funniest animal photos of 2015 revealed"