News Bites: Dog, Parasite, Parrot, DNA, Europe’s Shame

Dog rescued after 8 days at 13,000 ft. on a mountain peak in Colorado.  The guys who rescued her were strangers to each other and to the dog, but they weren’t going to let her die up there.  There’s a custody battle now between her rescuers and her owner, who came forward.

 

Toxoplasma gondii even creepier than previously thought.  Here’s a really good article on a study that shows Toxoplasma infection is linked to increased risk of violent, successful suicide in women.  Scientists already knew it caused birth defects, changed behavior in rats, can make us neurotic, & increase risk of schizophrenia in children born to infected mothers.  Cats usually become infected by eating animals they kill, so here’s another reason not to let your cats roam!

 

Clever bird!  Study shows African grey parrots demonstrate a level of abstract, inferential reasoning equal to 3 yr.old humans and previously only seen in primates.

 

New genetic test can tell you if your kitty descended from cats in the Middle East or 7 other regions or if she’s really purebred.  If your cat is really mixed breed, this test won’t show whether she’s part Siamese or something.  It will only work if one of her parents was purebred.

 

Disgusting!  In Europe, every summer means thousands of abandoned pets.  What the hell?  I knew Europeans took long vacations in summer.  I didn’t know that so many ditched their pets before they went.

…every summer an estimated 100,000 domestic animals are abandoned in France by owners who say they are unable to take them along or find someone to look after them.

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