Every year at this time a Festival of Light is celebrated in Bangladesh. It is a Hindu tradition that is held once a year, and corresponding with the festival Diwali, paying homage to Kali, the Hindu goddess of power. As beautiful as all this sounds it is actually a ritual of slaughter and death for approximately 100,000 turtles that are sacrificed to the goddess.

The slaughter is overlooked by the authorities even though many of the turtles are critically endangered and featured on Schedule 1 of the Indian Wildlife Protection Act. On paper the turtle is offered the same level of protection as a tiger. "Since the killing of turtles was made illegal, this mass slaughter has been carried out in the name of 'religion'," said Dr Rashid of Centre for Advanced Research in Natural Resources & Management in Bangladesh. Followers believe that by eating the turtle, they will take on its strength and longevity. It is because of these religious reasons that the authorities turn a blind eye fearing they will cause social unrest.

During the festival most of Bangladesh's Hindu population consume the turtle meat . The market streets are teeming with religious devotees who purchase and consume thousands of turtle meat, limbs and organs . When night falls and the festival in Dhaka, Bangladesh begins, the turtles are impaled upside down onto poles. The turtles are then brutally killed with knives and sticks. After the festival, even the thousands of turtle shells have some value. Some of it is processed and used as fish and chicken feed, but the majority of the dried shell is shipped to south east Asia where it is used in traditional medicine. It is believed that consuming turtle shell increases virility there.

Turtles have been on earth for over 220 million years. They even survived the disaster that wiped out the dinosaurs. But now turtles are amongst the world's most endangered animals. It is estimated that around half of their 300+ species are threatened with extinction. Two of the critically endangered species of turtles are the Northern river terrapin and the Black soft-shell turtle, both of which are sacrificed in the name of religion.

Over recent years Bangladesh has become a hot spot for the illegal turtle smuggling trade. The turtle trade also offers a source of income to up to 30,000 people. Many people have been eating turtles during the Festival for a long time and it is a tradition that they swear to continue even if the government tries to stop them. Therefore the outlook for these turtles appears to be very bleak unless the trade for them stops and the slaughter in the name of religion is regulated. If it is allowed to continue, a number of turtle species will soon be lost forever.

Halloween or All Hallows Eve, as it is sometimes referred to, is a lot different now than it may have been celebrated many centuries ago.

Earliest Trace
Peter Tokofsky, an assistant professor in the department of folklore and mythology in UCLA states, "The earliest trace (of Halloween) is the Celtic festival, Samhain, which was the Celtic New Year. It was the day of the dead, and they believed the souls of the deceased would be available" .

Samhain
Samhain (pronounced sah-win or sow-in) means "summer's end" by the Celts. In old Germanic and Celtic societies, what we call equinoxes and solstices marked the middles of the season, not the beginnings." Therefore if there exist an autumnal equinox, winter solstice, spring equinox and a summer solstice, there are also the beginning of autumn, winter, spring and summer. All of these eight dates were important. Summer's end which meant the beginning of winter was an important time for people who survived on plants grown in the field and animals that were kept in pastures. "This day marked the end of summer and the harvest and the beginning of the dark, cold winter, a time of year that was often associated with human death" It is most likely this reason that the Druids (Celtic pagans) believed that the spirits of those who died the preceding year roamed the earth the night of Samhain

Descriptions
The Druids celebrated this holiday "with a great fire festival to encourage the dimming Sun not to vanish" and people "danced round bonfires to keep evil sprits away, but left their doors open in hopes that the kind spirits of loved ones might join them around their hearths". On this night, "divination was thought to be more effective than any other time, so methods were derived to ascertain who might marry, what great person might be born, who might rise to prominence, or who might die". Also during the celebration, the Celts "wore costumes, typically consisting of animal heads and skins, and attempted to tell each other's fortunes". Crops were burned and animals were sacrificed. The spirits were believed to be either "entertained by the living", or to "find a body to possess for the incoming year". This all gives reasons as to why "dressing up like witches, ghosts and goblins, villagers could avoid being possessed."


Roman Influence
By 43 AD, "Romans had conquered the majority of Celtic territory." For the 400 years they occupied Celtic lands, two Roman festivals: Feralia (the commemoration of the passing of the dead) and a day to honor Pomona (the Roman goddess of fruits and trees). The apple served as a symbol for Pomona and which might have been incorporated into Samhain by the practice of "bobbing for apples".

Christian Influence
When "local people converted to Christianity during the early Middle Ages, the Roman Catholic Church often incorporated modified versions of older religious traditions in order to win converts." Pope Gregory IV wanted to substitute Samhain with All Saints' Day in 835, but All Souls' Day (Nov. 2nd) which is closer in resemblance to Samhain and Halloween today, was "first instituted at a French monastery in 998 and quickly spread throughout Europe". In the 16th century, "Christian village children celebrated the vigil of All Saints' by doing the Danse Macabre. The Seven Brethren whose grizzly death is described in the seventh chapter of the deuterocanonical book of Second Macabees" is also said to have resulted in children dressing up in grizzly costumes to signify these deaths.

Modern Halloween
Halloween came to the United States when European immigrants "brought their varied Halloween customs with them". In the second half of the nineteenth century, America was flooded with new immigrants including the Irish fleeing from the potato famine in Ireland in 1846. By combining Irish and English traditions, Americans began the "trick-or-treat" tradition. In the later 1800's the holiday became more centered on community and in the 1920's and 1930's, Halloween became "a secular, but community-centered holiday". In the 1950's leaders changed Halloween as a holiday aimed at the young to limit vandalism. This all led to what Halloween actually is like today.

Listed below are some of the most commonly asked questions concerning the origins and customs of Halloween.

1. Where does Halloween come from?

Our modern celebration of Halloween is a descendent of the ancient Celtic fire festival called "Samhain". The word is pronounced "sow-in", with "sow" rhyming with cow.

2. What does "Samhain" mean?

The Irish English dictionary published by the Irish Texts Society defines the word as follows: "Samhain, All Hallowtide, the feast of the dead in Pagan and Christian times, signalizing the close of harvest and the initiation of the winter season, lasting till May, during which troops (esp. the Fiann) were quartered. Faeries were imagined as particularly active at this season. From it the half year is reckoned. also called Feile Moingfinne (Snow Goddess). The Scottish Gaelis Dictionary defines it as "Hallowtide. The Feast of All Soula. Sam + Fuin = end of summer." Contrary to the information published by many organizations, there is no archaeological or literary evidence to indicate that Samhain was a deity. The Celtic Gods of the dead were Gwynn ap Nudd for the British, and Arawn for the Welsh. The Irish did not have a "lord of death" as such.

3. Why was the end of summer of significance to the Celts?

The Celts were a pastoral people as opposed to an agricultural people. The end of summer was significant to them because it meant the time of year when the structure of their lives changed radically. The cattle were brought down from the summer pastures in the hills and the people were gathered into the houses for the long winter nights of story- telling and handicrafts.

4. What does it have to do with a festival of the dead?

The Celts believed that when people died, they went to a land of eternal youth and happiness called Tir nan Og. They did not have the concept of heaven and hell that the Christian church later brought into the land. The dead were sometimes believed to be dwelling with the Fairy Folk, who lived in the numerous mounds or sidhe (pron. "shee") that dotted the Irish and Scottish countryside. Samhain was the new year to the Celts. In the Celtic belief system, turning points, such as the time between one day and the next, the meeting of sea and shore, or the turning of one year into the next were seen as magickal times. The turning of the year was the most potent of these times. This was the time when the "veil between the worlds" was at its thinnest, and the living could communicate with their beloved dead in Tir nan Og.

5. What about the aspects of "evil" that we associate with the night today?

The Celts did not have demons and devils in their belief system. The fairies, however, were often considered hostile and dangerous to humans because they were seen as being resentful of men taking over their lands. On this night, they would sometimes trick humans into becoming lost in the fairy mounds, where they would be trapped forever. After the coming of the Christians to the Celtic lands, certain of the folk saw the fairies as those angels who had sided neither with Gor or with Lucifer in their dispute, and thus, were condemned to walk the earth until judgment day. In addition to the fairies, many humans were abroad on this night, causing mischief. since this night belonged neither to one year or the other, Celtic folk believed that chaos reigned
and the people would engage in "horseplay and practical jokes". This served also as a final outlet for high spirits before the gloom of winter set in.

6. What about "trick or treat"?

During the course of these hijinks, many of the people would imitate the fairies and go from house to house begging for treats. Failure to supply the treats would usually result in practical jokes being visited on the owner of the house. Since the fairies were abroad on this night, an offering of food or milk was frequently left for them on the steps of the house, so the homeowner could gain the blessings of the "good folk" for the coming year. Many of the households would also leave out a "dumb supper" for the spirits of the departed. The folks who were abroad in the night imitating the fairies would some- times carry turnips carved to represent faces. This is the origin of our modern Jack-o-lantern.

7. Was this also a religious festival?

Yes. Celtic religion was very closely tied to the Earth. Their great legends are concerned with momentous happenings which took place around the time of Samhain. many of the great battles and legends of kings and heroes center on this night. Many of the legends concern the promotion of fertility of the earth and the insurance of the continuance of the lives of the people through the dark winter season.



8. How was the religious festival observed?

Unfortunately, we know very little about that. W.G. Wood-Martin, in his book, "Traces of the Elder Faiths of Ireland" states, "There is comparitively little trace of the religion of the Druids now discoverable, save in the folklore of the peasantry, and the references relative to it that occur in ancient and authentic Irish manuscripts are, as far as present appearances go, meagre and insufficient to support anything like a sound theory for full development of the ancient religion." The Druids were the priests of the Celtic peoples. They passed on their teachings by oral tradition instead of committing them to writing, so when they perished, most of their religious teachings were lost. We DO know that this festival was characterized as one of the four great "Fire Festivals" of the Celts. Legends tell us that on this night, all the hearth fires in Ireland were extinguished, and then re-lit from the central fire of the Druids at Tlachtga, 12 miles from the royal hill of Tara. This fire was kindled from "need fire" which had been generated by the friction of rubbing two sticks together as opposed to more conventional methods common in those days. The extinguishing of the fires symbolized the "dark half" of the year, and the re-kindling from the Druidic fires was symbolic of the returning life hoped for, and brought about through the ministrations of the priesthood.

9. What about sacrifices?

Animals were certainly killed at this time of year. :( This was the time to "cull" from the herds those animals which were not desired for breeding purposes for the next year. Most certainly, some of these would have been done in a ritualistic manner for the use of the priesthood.

10. Were humans sacrificed?

Scholars are sharply divided on this account, with about half believing that it took place and half doubting its veracity. Caesar and Tacitus certainly tell tales of the human sacrifices of the Celts, but Nora Chadwick points out in her book "The Celts" that "it is not without interest that the Romans themselves had abolished human sacrifices not long before Caesar's time, and references to the
practice among various barbarian peoples have certain overtones of self-righteousness. There is little direct archaeological evidence relevant to Celtic sacrifice." Indeed, there is little reference to this practice in Celtic literature either. The only surviving story echoes the story of the Minotaur in Greek legend. The Fomorians, a race of evil giants said to inhabit portions of Ireland before the coming of the Tuatha de Danaan, or "people of the Goddess Danu",demanded the sacrifice of 2/3 of the corn, milk, and first born children of the Fir Bolg, or human inhabitants of Ireland. The De Danaan ended this practice in the second battle of Moy Tura, which incidentally took place on Samhain.


11. What other practices were associated with this season?

Folk tradition tells us of many divination practices associated with Samhain. Among the most common were divinations dealing with marriage, weather, and the coming fortunes for the year. These were performed via such methods as ducking for apples, and apple peeling. Ducking for apples was a marriage divination. The first person to bite an apple would be the first to marry in the coming year. Apple peeling was a divination tosee how long your life would be. The longer the unbroken apple peel, the longer your life was destined to be.(9) In Scotland, people would place stones in the ashes of the hearth before retiring for the night. Anyone whose stone had been disturbed during the night was said to be destined to die during the coming year.

12. How did these ancient Celtic practices come to America?

When the potato crop in Ireland failed, many of the Irish people, modern day descendents of the Celts, immigrated to America, bringing with them their folk practices, which are the remnants of the Celtic festival observances.

13. We in America view this as a harvest festival. Did the Celts also view it as such?

Yes. The Celts had 3 harvests: Aug 1, or Lammas, was the first harvest, when the first fruits were offered to the Gods in thanks. The Fall Equinox was the "true harvest". This was when the bulk of the crops would be brought in. Samhain was the final harvest of the year. Anything left on the vines or in the fields after this date was considered blasted by the fairies, or "pu'ka", and unfit for human consumption.

14. Does anyone today celebrate Samhain as a religious observance?

Yes. many followers of various pagan religions, such as Druids and Wiccans observe this day as a religious festival. They view it as a memorial day for their dead friends, similar to the national holiday of Memorial Day in May. It is still a night to practice various forms of divination concerning future events. Also, it is considered a time to wrap up old projects, take stock of ones life, and initiate new projects for the coming year. As the winter season is approaching, it is a good time to do studying on research projects and also a goot time to begin hand work such as sewing, leather working, woodworking, etc. for Yule gifts later in the year.

15. Does this involve human or animal sacrifice?

Absolutely NOT! Hollywood to the contrary, blood sacrifice is not practiced by modern day followers of Wicca or Druidism. There may be some people who THINK they are practicing Wicca by performing blood sacrifices, but this is NOT condoned by reputable practitioners of the modern day NeoPagan religions.

Source: Rees, Alwyn and Brinley, "Celtic Heritage, Ancient Traditions in Ireland and Wales", New York: Thanes & Hudson, 1961

A dark Cave. In the middle, a Caldron boiling. Thunder.

Enter the three Witches.

1 WITCH. Thrice the brinded cat hath mew'd.
2 WITCH. Thrice and once, the hedge-pig whin'd.
3 WITCH. Harpier cries:—'tis time! 'tis time!
1 WITCH. Round about the caldron go;
In the poison'd entrails throw.—
Toad, that under cold stone,
Days and nights has thirty-one;
Swelter'd venom sleeping got,
Boil thou first i' the charmed pot!
ALL. Double, double toil and trouble;
Fire burn, and caldron bubble.

2 WITCH. Fillet of a fenny snake,
In the caldron boil and bake;
Eye of newt, and toe of frog,
Wool of bat, and tongue of dog,
Adder's fork, and blind-worm's sting,
Lizard's leg, and owlet's wing,—
For a charm of powerful trouble,
Like a hell-broth boil and bubble.
ALL. Double, double toil and trouble;
Fire burn, and caldron bubble.

3 WITCH. Scale of dragon; tooth of wolf;
Witches' mummy; maw and gulf
Of the ravin'd salt-sea shark;
Root of hemlock digg'd i the dark;
Liver of blaspheming Jew;
Gall of goat, and slips of yew
Sliver'd in the moon's eclipse;
Nose of Turk, and Tartar's lips;
Finger of birth-strangled babe
Ditch-deliver'd by a drab,—
Make the gruel thick and slab:
Add thereto a tiger's chaudron,
For the ingrediants of our caldron.

ALL. Double, double toil and trouble;
Fire burn, and caldron bubble.

2 WITCH. Cool it with a baboon's blood,
----------------
brinded - having obscure dark streaks or flecks on gray
gulf - the throat
drab - prostitute
chaudron - entrails
Then the charm is firm and good.

Lafayette, indiana is no stranger to ghost stories. But in 1872, one event in particular put this town on the map of the most haunted places in indiana. The story of the White Wolf is still told around Halloween each year all over the town.

In the 1800s, one of the most influential newspapers in the area was called the Evening Courier. Early in the summer of 1872, the paper published a widely read article titled “Among the Spirits.” This story recounted an alleged dark, supernatural experience that occurred in the lives of William Lingle and his friends.

Lingle lived on a spectacular house overlooking the Wabash Valley, and had invited the town judge, a professor from London, and two reporters from other newspapers over for an evening visit. During this lively gathering, the men began to talk of ghosts and other unexplainable phenomena, as all were very interested in the topic.

Lingle’s tale of a haunted house that graced the site of an old abandoned yard of bricks garnered the most interest, so the men decided to go check it out themselves to see if they could spot any unearthly spirits or spooks. They arrived at the house after dark had fallen and inspected it carefully for any hidden passages. They found none; there weren’t any closets in the crumbling structure.


The men sat amongst the rubble and talked amongst themselves about the ghostly ghouls and goblins they hoped would come out of hiding. Finally, their patience was rewarded–after a couple of hours, a bright bluish light burst into the room. As the men watched in stunned silence, the light abruptly took on the form of a stunning, blindingly white wolf.

The wolf seemed unconcerned with the presence of his visitors, and lifted his head for a long, mournful howl. Then, before his audiences’ transfixed eyes, he transformed again, this time into a strange-looking creature that resembled a giant frog. While the men could do no more than gape open-mouthed, the creature took one final shape, that of a tomahawk-wielding Native American, then vanished before their very eyes.

The stunned group made the quick trek back to Lingle’s residence to retrieve a metal wand that one of the men had brought along. They then returned to the site that had transfixed them earlier. The professor, who quietly dabbled in the dark arts, drew a large circle in the dirt with the wand and sketched a series of mysterious images inside.

Once again, as the men observed in silent awe, the Native American, fiercely adorned in war attire, rose from center of the circle in a puff of smoke. The professor, to the shock of his companions, began a dialogue with the spirit in a language not known to any of the others.

After several unnerving minutes, the professor turned to his friends and translated that their ghost, in life, had been referred to as “White Wolf.” On his right arm was the clear mark of the frog-shaped creature the Native American had become earlier in the night. According to Native American legend, the animal came from western rivers.

The spirit, anguished, told the men of his peaceful burial in a reservation cemetery just outside of Lafayette. Before his spirit could be fully settled, development began on the city and his soul was brutally disturbed by the metal shovels digging into the dirt where he lay.

As two of the men that heard the Native American’s story that fateful night were reporters, it became headline news the next day, not just in Lafayette but all over indianapolis and the hoosier state. The frightening tale was published in the Evening Courier as well as other newspapers.

The Courier soon received an ominous letter from another resident of Lafayette, who had an employee of Native American heritage. The employee claimed to have conversed many times with the White Wolf, who told him his spirit would never achieve peace until there was a fence built around the cemetery that housed his grave.

The only way to find out for sure if these respected men of the community truly encountered the supernatural is to find out for yourself if the White Wolf exists. Head just outside of Lafayette city limits, on the northeast side of town, and pay a visit to the grounds of Sunnyside Junior High. The school now occupies the space that was once home to the tortured soul of the White Wolf–and might very well still be today.

WOLVES are thriving in Germany and could soon become part of its natural wildlife.

One hundred years since hunting nearly wiped them out, they are moving back from forests on the Polish border. While 11 years ago there was one pack, there are now 12, and the return of the wolf to all of Germany is ''unstoppable'', says Professor Beata Jessel, the head of Germany's Federal Agency for Nature Conservation.

A two-year study by the agency surprised experts by disclosing that the grey wolf had started to adapt to the modern environment

''Wolves do not need wilderness, rather they can rapidly spread in our landscape and fit into the most varied habitats,'' said Professor Jessel.

GPS tracking of one female showed that it built a lair 450 metres from a busy road and raised cubs undisturbed by the traffic.

Two packs, 18 animals in total, live just 60 kilometres from Berlin.

''One should thus be prepared for the appearance of wolves across Germany, and use management plans to establish the most conflict-free relations between people and wolves as possible,'' the professor added.

Wolves have a reputation forged in folklore and stories that cast them as sinister and ruthless killers, hunting down man or beast. This has made them a target for hunters.

Official figures put the total of illegally shot wolves since 1990 at 13 but experts believe the figure is much higher owing to hunters hiding the carcasses.

Road accidents also take a toll, with 17 reported deaths since 2000.

Source

It has been told in legends and tales that humans can shape-shift into wolves. But in reality it is the wolves that are disappearing and being replaced by a new hybrid of coywolves. This hybrid is the crossbreeding of coyotes and wolves. It has always been thought that hybridization between canid species is rare, but a new study in the Journal of Mammalogyas has proven that it can occur. The study was done by analyzing the coyote scat left behind on their trails. The theory is that hybridization may happen when individuals have trouble finding mates from their own species.

The study found that coyotes have been migrating eastward from their native homelands of the southwestern deserts and plains areas along 2 routes of the U.S.for the last 150 years. One route was through the southern states and the other was through the northern states. The fact that coyotes are moving eastward is a situation that has been caused by humans due to habitat encroachment, hunting, pollution and more.

While the coyotes were moving along the northern route they came across the Great Lakes wolves and interbred before continuing on to the east coast of the U.S. Eventually they headed south along the Appalachian Mountains towards the Mid-Atlantic region. The Mid-Atlantic region is significant because it appears that this is where both the coyotes of the northern route and those of the southern route converged. It is referred to as the Mid-Atlantic coyote melting pot.

This hybridization does not mean that there are huge wolf-like coyotes roaming around on the east coast. Coyotes with wolf ancestry have differently shaped jaws, which allows them to hunt smaller prey and scavenge large game which can make them helpful in controlling the overly abundant deer population. The real problem with these hybrids is that it may cause a major threat to the recovering wolf population. This is extremely critical as they emerge onto the area of recovery of the extremely endangered Red Wolf population in North Carolina. Should the inbreeding continue it could threaten how many true North American wolves are left in the wild on the east coast and maybe someday beyond.

Long ago, as the sun began to rise one morning, he came to close to Earth and got tangled up in the top branches of a very tall tree.

The harder Sun tried to escape, the more he became caught. So, the dawn did not come.

At first, all of the birds and animals did not notice. Some of them woke up, then went back to sleep, thinking that they had made a mistake, and it was not time to get up.

Other animals, who loved the night, like the panther and the owl, were really glad that it stayed dark, so they continued to hunt.

But, after a while, so much time had passed that the birds and animals knew that something was wrong.

They gathered together, in the dark, to hold a council.

"Sun has gotten lost," said the eagle.

"We must look for him," said the bear.

So, all of the birds and animals went out to look for Sun.

They looked in caves and in the deep forest and on the mountains and in the swamps.

But, Sun was not there. None of the birds and animals could find him.

Then, one of the animals, a small brown squirrel had an idea. "Maybe Sun is caught in a tall tree," he said.

Then, the small brown squirrel began to go from tree to tree, going further and further toward the east. At last, in the top of a very tall tree, he saw a glow of light.

He climbed up and saw that it was Sun. Sun's light was pale and he looked weak.

"Help me, Little Brother," Sun said.

The small brown squirrel came close and began to chew at the branches in which the Sun was caught. The closer he came to Sun, the hotter it got. The more branches that he chewed free, the brighter Sun's light became.

"I must stop now," said the small brown squirrel. "My fur is burning. It's all turning black."

"Help me," said Sun. "Don't stop now."

The small brown squirrel continued to work, but the heat of Sun was very hot now and it was even brighter. "My tail is burning away," said the small brown squirrel. "I can do no more."

"Help me," said Sun. "Soon I will be free."

So, the small brown squirrel continued to chew. But, the light of Sun was very bright now.

"I am growing blind," said the small brown squirrel. "I must stop."

"Just a little more," said Sun. "I am almost free."

Finally, the small brown squirrel chewed the last of the branches free.

As soon as he did, Sun broke free and rose up into the sky.

Dawn spread across the land and it was day again. All over the world the birds and animals rejoiced.

But, the small brown squirrel was not happy. He was blinded by the brightness of Sun. His long tail had been burned away and what fur he had left was now all black.

His skin had stretched from the heat and he clung there to the top branches of that tall tree, unable to move.

Up in the sky, Sun looked down and felt sorry for the small brown squirrel. It had suffered so much to save him.

"Little Brother," Sun said. "You have helped me. Now, I will give you something. Is there anything that you have always wanted?"

"I have always wanted to fly," said the small brown squirrel. "But I am blinded now, and my tail is all burned away."

Sun smiled "Little Brother," he said, "from now on you will be an even better flyer than the birds. Because you came to close to me, my light will always be too bright for you, but you will see in the dark and you will hear everything around you as you fly.

From this time on, you will sleep when I rise into the sky and when I say goodbye to the world each evening, you will wake."

Then the small animal which had once been a squirrel dropped from the branch, spread its leathery wings and began to fly.

He no longer missed his tail and his brown fur and he knew that when night came again, it would be his time. He could not look at Sun, but he held the joy of Sun in his heart.

And so it was, long ago, that Sun showed his thanks to the small brown squirrel, who was a squirrel no longer, but the first of the Bats.

America's first dog was the Native American dog. During the earlier times when Native Indian tribes inhabited all of North America, canines of unknown origins accompanied them everywhere. 

The Native Americans were aware of how important it was to prevent inbreeding to keep their dogs healthy. In order to prevent this, the tribes would introduce new blood from other tribe's dogs which accounted for the many types of dogs that were often portrayed in history books.

The northern tribes of Native Americans developed a dog with more of a wolf like appearance while in the western regions the smaller Plains dog was developed. These dogs were very intelligent and versatile as they were expected to fill many roles in a Native American village. In some tribes, dogs pulled a travois carrying the nomadic family’s belongings as they followed their food supply. Dogs were used to hunt for food and as faithful and protective watch dogs over the village. They were even reliable as “babysitters” for the children and elderly when the women were gathering roots, berries and herbs. In certain tribes ,some of the dogs even played important roles in the tribes’ religious ceremonies.

Although it was a wonderful and versatile dog, the Native American dog has become nearly extinct due to the tragic treatment of Native Americans during the last couple hundred years. They were forced to move onto reservations and the traditional lifestyle which relied on the native dog so heavily was lost. Today there are some breeders that are trying to recapture this wonderful dog of the past. By mixing several northern breeds, such as huskies, malamutes, chinooks and also german shepherds with some current Indian reservation dogs, they have been able to selectively breed for the appearance, characteristics and traits of the original Native American's dogs.

The results of these selective breedings has come up with a dog that is friendly and good with other animals and children. It is a very intelligent dog that is eager to please and affectionate and loving with familiar people. This dog does need a yard to exercise in and some good long walks to keep it happy as the original native american dog was able to go for long distances and pull heavy loads. It also has a fluffy coat but it is easy to maintain. All the wonderful characteristics that the early Native Americans valued so much in a trusted friend, companion and working partner that their dogs signified for them.

1- You can't name a North American mammal that's more endangered than the Mexican gray wolf. There isn't one.

2- Right now, there are only about 50 Mexican gray wolves in the wild and about 300 in captivity. Widespread trapping and poisoning in the early to mid 1900s nearly made them extinct.

3- Mexican wolves live in the mountain forests and grasslands in remote areas of Arizona and New Mexico. At one time, they also lived in Mexico, but there hasn’t been a wild Mexican lobo sighted south of the border since 1980.

4- Guess what? Mexican gray wolves are not totally gray. Their fur is a mix of gray, rust, black and buff, a color pretty close to vanilla ice cream.

5- The Mexican wolf weighs between 50 and 85 pounds, which is a little more than half the size of its northern cousin, the North American gray wolf and about the size of a German shepherd or Labrador retriever. It lives to the ripe, old age of 10.

6- Interesting social habits of Mexican gray wolves include tail wagging, howling, yipping, growling, playing, and marking territory with urine.

7- The Mexican wolf never has to eat its vegetables! A wolf is a carnivore, so a balanced meal consists entirely of meat. Wolves eat elk, deer, and small mammals like rabbits and…fur, bones and all.

8- A wolf pack is like an extended family of brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles and cousins. Each pack is led by an alpha pair—two parents who protect the family and teach their pups the ways of the world.

9- Each spring, the alpha female gives birth to a litter of pups in a burrowed-out den. She’s the only pack member who has pups, but the whole pack helps raise them by bringing food to the den in their own stomachs and regurgitating it for the pups (Regurgitating is the same as throwing up).

10- The Mexican gray wolf’s official scientific name is Canis lupus baileyi. But now that you know so much about it, feel free to call the Mexican gray wolf "lobo."

Reptiles are known as the Earth's first truly terrestrial vertebrates. They all have scaly skin and they lay eggs with hard shells on land. They are connected to the land rather than the water. Since they are land animals they have a developed lung system. Reptiles include such creatures as turtles, lizards, crocodiles and snakes.

When we think of reptiles we then think of very primal creatures with not very large brains and lacking the ability to feel emotion and concern for each other. We think of them as having the basic instincts only with their ancient reptilian brains such as hunger, reproduction, thirst, sleep and fight or flight mechanisms.

On the other hand we have seen wonderful examples from the higher intelligence animals such as dogs, cats, horses, dolphins, elephants, of helping out their fellow animals in what seems to be altruistic actions. These animals seem to have a very similar emotional makeup to ourselves as humans with the ability to love, nurture and protect each other.

So the idea that a reptile might also share concern for another creature seems very far fetched. But that is exactly what had taken place between two turtles. Watch the video below and be prepared to feel awe and wonder once again at the friendship and attempts to help a fellow creature in trouble.

The puma is also known as jaguar, panther, cougar, mountain lion, cheetah, leopard and more names than just about any other mammal. Male pumas are solitary cats and their domain vary in size between 30 to 125 miles, but ranges do overlap the ranges of the smaller female. Pumas 'communicate' with each other by leaving feces, urine, scratches on logs or in the dirt or snow. Only females make a den and males tend to roam. Pumas are powerfully built and have sharp paws and large paws. Even though they can run very fast and have a flexible spine to help them maneuver around obstacles and change direction quickly, pumas are mostly ambush hunters. Pumas have been known to down large elks and moose. American Indians successfully lived beside the puma and appreciated their power and grace.

Though the puma is smaller, some species are more fierce than lions and tigers. They are expert climbers and swimmers. Their speed hold the teachings of quick decisive action.

Pumas are graceful and fast runners, but not for long distances. If puma arrives at your doorstep it may be a reminder to measure or pace your movements according to the goal to be achieved and not run too hard.

The puma have over 410 voluntary muscles that can be used when the needed. This characteristic symbolizes the ability to move into different realities.

Pumas have built-in sensors that enhances its ability to see and feel its prey. The whiskers and hair on its face can detect faint vibrations at long distances and its sense of smell is phenomenal. If you sense puma in your dreams it may mean there is a need to be more sensitive the people and situations around you. Becoming more perceptive of ones surroundings is sometimes needed to achieve a heightened sense of spiritual awareness.

The Puma spirit represents power, grace and stealth in darkness, but its real power lies in the silence of its eerie, unblinking stare that seems to bore deep into one's soul. This teaching can help us to discover the benefits of concentration, deep contemplation and prayer. As we peer into the darkness of the unknown to feel its power, we can be guided by our puma friend to the light on the other side.

The puma is extremely quiet during the hunt. It knows when to be invisible and when to make its awesome presence known. Silence is its sword and power. Silence is highly respected among American Indians and is seen as a holy state of consciousness as we quietly behold the grace and glory of the Creator. It is said that silence speaks words of the Great Mystery. When the student is ready, the puma teacher may bring knowledge of this powerful medicine.

When his fellow firefighters carried an unconscious Labrador retriever out of a burning house on Tuesday, Jamie Giese had no medical equipment to revive him. So he went with something he had only seen on tv.

The Wasau, Wis., firefighter leaned in for a close encounter of the canine kind, providing mouth-to-snout respiration to help the struggling yellow Labrador breathe, after it had inhaled a substantial amount of smoke. Kim Carlson watched as her dog was saved by Giese’s unorthodox heroics.

“I have never been trained in that,’’ Giese told TODAY’s Matt Lauer Friday. “I’ve seen it on TV and pictures in the newspapers and things like that. We thought (the dog) was dead. We could tell he was trying to breathe, and our training for humans is airway, breathing, circulation. We had no tools handy, so it was mouth-to-snout.’’

After Giese’s successful revival, firefighters placed a human oxygen mask over Koda's snout. He was rushed to the VCA Companion Care Animal Hospital in Wasau and then the Central Wisconsin Animal Emergency Center, where he received fluids and advanced medical treatments. On Wednesday morning, Koda returned to his owners, who are currently staying with family and friends while the damage to their home is assessed.

The 7-year-old Labrador was breathing just fine when he appeared on TODAY Friday. Koda is one of four pets that escaped the fire; Carlson's fiance's 17-year-old son, Dwight Borchardt, helped Cooper the border collie and a pair of cats, Lavender and Mocha, make it out of the burning house.

The fire is believed to have been caused by a malfunctioning box fan, according to the Wasau fire inspector. Dwight Borchardt was the only one home when the fire started spreading around 4 p.m. Tuesday; the blaze causing an estimated $25,000 to $30,000 in damage to the home and another $25,000 in lost belongings. Most of the second floor was ravaged by fire, while the first floor suffered heavy water and smoke damage.

Koda was found under a rocking chair in a room on the second floor as the blaze began to get out of control. When Carlson, who shares the home with her fiance Todd Borchardt, arrived on the scene and found out the dog was still inside, she almost ran towards the fire.

“My first reaction was to go upstairs and check upstairs, but it was just entirely too smoky,’’ Carlson said. “It was so black that you couldn’t see anything in front of you. My first reaction was that I wanted to cover myself in water and cover my face and mouth and go up and get him myself, knowing that’s not the right thing to do.’’

After the dispatcher told firefighters that a dog was trapped upstairs, the men searched the entire second floor.
“They found Koda in the very last room they searched, which happened to be the room that was actually on fire,’’ Giese said.

The dog was rushed out of the house and carried to the front lawn, where Giese and Thompson improvised. “I told Jared that we’ve got to work this dog,’’ said Giese, who owns two dogs himself. “(We) laid him down in the front yard, and we started assisting breathing.’’

The family had only owned Koda for four days before they almost lost him. They fell in love with him, they said, the instant they saw him in a newspaper advertisement. Thanks to the quick thinking of Giese and his fellow firefighters, he remains part of the family.

By Scott Stump

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Wolves have always been one of Sweden's most magical and iconic animals - mysterious, charismatic, wild and powerful, they fire our imaginations and awaken our primal spirit.

After centuries of persecution, the wolf was finally driven to extinction in Sweden in the 1970s. But, for this most resilient and wild-spirited of animals its Swedish story was not over, and in 1977 wolves again began to appear in Sweden. DNA analysis has shown that these wolves originally crossed over from Finland and Russia. Since then they have gradually increased in population, especially in central Sweden.

The Scandinavian wolf population grew by around 25% in the 1990s, and in 2005 Sweden’s wolf population was put at around 150 – more wolves than there have been in Scandinavia for almost 100 years. The wolf is an animal that inspires strong feelings on both sides, a symbol of the wilderness and untamed natural forces, but through careful conservation measures and ongoing education, the future looks much brighter than it did.

Wolves are social animals which live in a nuclear family – perhaps one reason why humans throughout the ages have had such a special relationship with them: they remind us of our own social groupings: two parents, often known as the alpha pair, together with their offspring from one or more years. The majority of cubs leave the pack before they reach sexual maturity, but some remain, and may act as babysitters for new arrivals.

The well marked-out territory is defended passionately against invaders – fights between rival groups are not uncommon and sometimes result in death. The size of a territory is generally between 800 and 1000 sq km – access to food seems to be the most decisive factor in determining territory size. Dung, urine and scratch marks are used to mark boundaries, but it is only the alpha pair who take part in territory marking.

Howling at the moon?

Wolves have been the subject of many myths and legends throughout history – one of which is at they love to howl at a full moon. In fact, there is no evidence that wolves prefer a full moon, but perhaps one explanation could be that sound carries further in cold, clear weather. Or perhaps that humans also prefer to be out and about on moonlit nights!

A wolf howl is a song full of meaning and function – and each wolf has its own distinctive voice. When wolves howl together it is often very difficult to estimate numbers, in the same way that a human choir often sounds more than the sum of its parts. Howling clearly helps to bond together the members of a pack, but also serves as a signal to other wolves, an announcement that ”We live here and this place is ours”.

he howl of a wolf is both an extraordinarily emotive and at the same time emotional sound – should one of the alpha pair die, the remaining alpha wolf may come to the place of its death to take up what sounds, to human ears, a particularly mournful howl. The pack also howls together to ready itself for a hunt, like a sports team ”psyching itself up” – and this sounds very different. The wolf vocalises for many reasons – a short barking may signal a warning, for example. But, perhaps ironically, wolves are for the most part very quiet animals.

Howling with wolves – a unique experience deep in the Swedish forest

Many words have been used to describe that unique sound, the howl of the wolf: spine-tingling, spiritual, awe-inspiring, thrilling. Whatever adjective you may choose, one thing is for certain: the experience of hearing the howling of a wild wolf pack echoing through the forest around you is unforgettable, a memory to be cherished and the stuff of dreams for many years to come.

A hair-raising walk on the wild side and chance to learn more about this fascinating predator
Wildlife holidays in Sweden: Bergslagen

Duration: 2 days/1 night, extra nights optional.
Accommodation: Tipi in the heart of the wolf territory.
Required: Good general health. Participants should be able to walk on rough terrain through forest. Minimum age 12 for scheduled tours.
More Info

Grandmother spider is a wise old teacher and weaver of many stories. Her unique tapestry of life offers many paths to the center of oneself and creation. Her medicine speaks of connections and unity of spirit.

Spiders are light, delicate and not hostile to humans unless threatened. To those who require this special of the spider, it teaches us to maintain a gentle and kind nature.

A poisonous spider signifies death and rebirth. As the poison of age and life's perils threaten our life, we use the venom to ward off future attacks or die.

The spider's web connects itself by silky threads to physical objects creating a net creating its home and place for harvesting food. The web reminds us of our connectedness to all things on earth - that we are related to everything in creation. The spokes of the web remind us to build links between ourselves and the Creator and all things.

When the spider appears, it is a sign to connect with the ways of spirit in the ways designed by the Creator.

The eight legs of the spider are unique from other insects who have only six legs. And unlike other insects, their bodies are divided into two parts instead of three. Two represents unity and a union of polarities.

In American Indian tradition, the first dream catcher was made by Grandmother Spider to catch the bad dreams of children. This legend reveals our belief that negative elements of ones life may be screened out if we remember to keep the links between the Creator and ourselves strong and to always remember that all things in creation are one.

Last week Terry Thompson of Zanesville, Ohio ended his own life and caused the deaths of 49 of the 56 wild animals that he had been harboring on his property. Thompson had opened the cages of all his animals and set them loose before he turned a gun on himself. He was deep in debt and most likely this was the cause of this despicable act on his part. Sadly eighteen of the animals killed by the local sheriff department were Bengal tigers which is an extremely endangered animal in the wild.

Although it would be easy to blame the local law enforcement for the deaths of these animals, it was a story that never needed to happen. Ohio has some of the weakest regulations in the U.S. that made it perfectly legal to own all these animals. Much controversy and anger has erupted since then particularly at the Governor of Ohio, John Kasich. It was Governor Kasich who had refused to sign an emergency executive order that was expiring after being put in place by his predecessor, banning new ownership of exotic animals. Gov. Kasich told wildlife officials not to enforce the ban because "it would hurt small businesses." Those types of "small businesses" were roadside zoos and events like bear-human wrestling matches.

To make sure this never happens again, Ohio native and university student, Liz Dumler, has started a petition that calls for the banning of sales and ownership of wild and exotic animals. Currently over 96,000 people have joined Liz and signed the petition. In response to this, Gov. Kasich has issued a new executive order emphasizing the importance of enforcing current laws around animal cruelty and public safety and asking for a temporary moratorium on animal auctions. He has however still made no effort to ban the sales and ownership of wild animals, but is taking proposals for a new statute to regulate exotic animals in the state by November 30th. Liz Dumler has vowed to keep up the pressure on the Governor towards the banning of wild animals.

While all this legal wrangling is going on, there are the 6 surviving animals from the farm that are now recuperating at the nearby Columbus Zoo. They consist of a young grizzly bear, three leopards and two monkeys and they are being held in isolation away from the other zoo animals and the public. The reports coming from the zoo are that they are adjusting nicely and eating well. They are also very quiet as they adjust to their new surroundings, being neither upset or aggressive. The zoo is receiving many calls of support and offers of help from around the country. A special zoo web page has been set up if anyone is interested in helping to support these innocent animals.

This was a tragedy that no one wanted to happen causing the deaths of 49 beautiful wild animals. They should never have been confined in cages on a farm in the first place. Let us hope now that their deaths are not in vain and that the proper legislation will be set up and enforced so that this will never have to happen again. Please take a minute to sign the petition to ban ownership of wild animals in Ohio if you have not already done so.

*Here is the link for the PETITION: 96,000 people have signed it

*Support the animals recovering from Muskingum County exotic animal farm( The LINK to donate to the zoo)

If you like to collect stamps, or just want to support wild wolves in New Mexico, you can purchase this new wolf stamp from the New Mexico Wilderness Alliance. It is not a postage stamp, so it can’t be used to send mail, but is available for collectors and fundraising for the organization. If you don’t collect stamps the 2011 Wolf Stamp could make a good gift for someone who does. It is larger than a typical postage stamp at 3 x 5 inches. The wolf stamp was designed by New Mexico artist Virginia Maria Romero.

Less than fifty Mexican gray wolves are left in the wild, making them the world’s most endangered wolves, and there might only be two breeding pairs. There used to be thousands in the Southwest. Mexican gray wolves were nearly wiped out by extermination campaigns. In 1973 they were placed on the Endangered Species list and efforts to trap and re-introduce the few remaining wolves were undertaken.

One of the management strategies has been a captive breeding program which is supposed to keep over 200 wolves alive and healthy in captive living situations like zoos or animal research centers. With a larger number of wolves in captivity there is sort of an insurance against all the wild ones being wiped out by poachers using guns or poison. Even though Mexican gray wolves are smaller, weighing only 60-80 pounds, than gray wolves they still are perceived as being very dangerous to livestock and humans by some misinformed people. That is to say, there is more irrational fear in some people than factual knowledge of the Mexican gray wolf, which leads to the desire to kill them, though they are not harmful. They still are being shot in Arizona and New Mexico, even though their numbers are extremely low.

A federal program allowed ranchers to have tracking devices to follow the movements of the wolves wearing radio collars. Critics have said the program surely is being exploited by ranchers to find and kill wolves.

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One usually tends to think that it is the female with the strong nurturing instinct when it comes to youngsters. But just as men are playing a more important role in the rearing of their children these days, so it is becoming more apparent that many times adult male animals also can play an important role as caregivers to baby animals that are orphaned. It runs across the board when it comes to the species of the males who form loving bonds with orphaned babies. From tigers to chimpanzees to dogs and cats - it does not seem to matter.

Recently a one week old baby red fox was discovered on the roadside by a family who was afraid to leave him there all alone as his eyes were not even open yet. The baby fox was taken to the New England Wildlife Center to care for and rehabilitate him. This wildlife center cares for over 2,000 injured and orphaned fox, rabbits, bats and just about any kind of wildlife per year.

At first the wildlife center was not sure if he was a baby fox or coyote since he was so tiny. The concern of the veterinarian there was that the baby would end up imprinting with his human caretakers, therefore making it harder to return him to the wild. However another orphaned fox was also brought in to the center and before long both the baby fox and the older kit were adopted by a recuperating adult male fox.

When all three had recovered and were ready to be returned to the wild, the staff waited with baited breath as the foxes were released all together on the North Shore of Massachusetts. The wildlife staff was hoping that there was a strong enough bond between them that they would form a new pack. But they need not have worried. The adult male and the older kit ran off at first but then waited as the younger fox hesitated to follow them out of confusion. But in a matter of moments, he too was off and running with his new family headed up by the adult male fox as the foster dad.

Snow Bird, the Caddo medicine man, had a handsome son. When the boy was old enough to be given a man's name, Snow Bird called him Braveness because of his courage as a hunter. Many of the girls in the Caddo village wanted to win Braveness as a husband, but he paid little attention to any of them.

One morning he started out for a day of hunting, and while he was walking along looking for wild game, he saw someone ahead of him sitting under a small elm tree. As he approached, he was surprised to find that the person was a young woman, and he started to turn aside.

"Come here," she called to him in a pleasant voice. Braveness went up to her and saw that she was very young and very beautiful.

"I knew you were coming here," she said, "and so I came to meet you."

"You are not of my people," he replied. "How did you know that I was coming this way?"

"I am Buffalo Woman," she said. "I have seen you many times before, from afar. I want you to take me home with you and let me stay with you."

"I can take you home with me," Braveness answered her, "but you must ask my parents if you can stay with us."

They started for his home at once, and when they arrived there Buffalo Woman asked Braveness's parents if she could stay with them and become the young man's wife. "If Braveness wants you for his wife, we will be pleased," said Snow Bird, the medicine man. "It is time that he had someone to love."

And so Braveness and Buffalo Woman were married in the custom of the Caddo people and lived happily together for several moons. One day she asked him, "Will you do whatever I may ask of you, Braveness?"

"Yes," he replied, "if what you ask is not unreasonable."

"I want you to go with me to visit my people."

Braveness said that he would go, and the next day they started for her home, she leading the way. After they had walked a long distance they came to some high hills, and all at once she turned round and looked at Braveness and said: "You promised me that you would do anything I say."

"Yes," he answered.

"Well," she said, "my home is on the other side of this high hill. I will tell you when we get to my mother. I know there will be many coming there to see who you are, and some may provoke you and try to make you angry, but do not allow yourself to become angry with any of them. Some may try to kill you."

"Why should they do that?" asked Braveness.

"Listen to what I am about to tell you," she said. "I knew you before you knew me. Through magic I made you come to me that first day. I said that some will try to make you angry, and if you show anger at even one of them, the others will join in fighting you until they have killed you. They will be jealous of you. The reason is that I refused many who wanted me."

"But you are now my wife," Braveness said.

"I have told you what to do when we get there," Buffalo Woman continued. "Now I want you to lie down on the ground and roll over twice."

Braveness smiled at her, but he did as she had told him to do. He rolled over twice, and when he stood up he found himself changed into a Buffalo.

For a moment Buffalo Woman looked at him, seeing the astonishment in his eyes. Then she rolled over twice, and she also became a Buffalo. Without saying a word she led him to the top of the hill. In the valley off to the west, Braveness could see hundreds and hundreds of Buffalo.

"They are my people," said Buffalo Woman. "This is my home."

When the members of the nearest herd saw Braveness and Buffalo Woman coming, they began gathering in one place, as though waiting for them. Buffalo Woman led the way, Braveness following her until they reached an old Buffalo cow, and he knew that she was the mother of his beautiful wife.

For two moons they stayed with the herd. Every now and then, four or five of the young Buffalo males would come around and annoy Braveness, trying to arouse his anger, but he pretended not to notice hem. One night, Buffalo Woman told him that she was ready to go back to his home, and they slipped away over the hills.

When they reached the place where they had turned themselves into Buffalo, they rolled over twice on the ground and became a man and a woman again. "Promise me that you will not tell anyone of this magical transformation," Buffalo Woman said. "If people learn about it, something bad will happen to us."

They stayed at Braveness's home for twelve moons, and then Buffalo Woman asked him again to go with her to visit her people. They had not been long in the valley of the Buffalo when she told Braveness that the young males who were jealous of him were planning to have a foot-race. "They will challenge you to race and if you do not outrun them they will kill you," she said.

That night Braveness could not sleep. He went out to take a long walk. It was a very dark night without moon or stars, but he could feel the presence of the Wind spirit.

"You are young and strong," the Wind spirit whispered to him, "but you cannot outrun the Buffalo without my help. If you lose, they will kill you. If you win, they will never challenge you again.

"What must I do to save my life and keep my beautiful wife?" asked Braveness.

The Wind spirit gave him two things. "One of these is a magic herb," said the Wind spirit. "The other is dried mud from a medicine wallow. If the Buffalo catch up with you, first throw behind you the magic herb. If they come too close to you again, throw down the dried mud."

The next day was the day of the race. At sunrise the young Buffalo gathered at the starting place. When Braveness joined them, they began making fun of him, telling him he was a man buffalo and therefore had not the power to outrun them. Braveness ignored their jeers, and calmly lined up with them at the starting point.

An old Buffalo started the race with a loud bellow, and at first Braveness took the lead, running very swiftly. But soon the others began gaining on him, and when he heard their hard breathing close upon his heels, he threw the magic herb behind him. By this time he was growing very tired and thought he could not run any more. He looked back and saw one Buffalo holding his head down and coming very fast, rapidly closing the space between him and Braveness. Just as this Buffalo was about to catch up with him, Braveness threw down the dried mud from the medicine wallow.

Soon he was far ahead again, but he knew that he had used up the powers given him by the Wind spirit. As he neared the goal set for the race, he heard the pounding of hooves coming closer behind him. At the last moment, he felt a strong wind on his face as it passed him to stir up dust and keep the Buffalo from overtaking him. With the help of the Wind spirit, Braveness crossed the goal first and won the race. After that, none of the Buffalo ever challenged him again, and he and Buffalo Woman lived peacefully with the herd until they were ready to return to his Caddo people.

Not long after their return to Braveness's home, Buffalo Woman gave birth to a handsome son. They named him Buffalo Boy, and soon he was old enough to play with the other children of the village. One day while Buffalo Woman was cooking dinner, the boy slipped out of the lodge and went to join some other children at play. They played several games and then decided to play that they were Buffalo. Some of them lay on the ground to roll like Buffalo, and Buffalo Boy also did this. When he rolled over twice, he changed into a real Buffalo calf. Frightened by this, the other children ran for their lodges.

About this time his mother came out to look for him, and when she saw the children running in fear she knew that something must be wrong. She went to see what had happened and found her son changed into a Buffalo calf. Taking him up in her arms, she ran down the hill, and as soon as she was out of sight of the village she turned herself into a Buffalo and with Buffalo Boy started off toward the west.

Late that evening when Braveness returned from hunting he could find neither his wife nor his son in the lodge. He went out to look for them, and someone told him of the game the children had played and of the magic that had changed his son into a Buffalo calf.

At first, Braveness could not believe what they told him, but after he had followed his wife's tracks down the hill and found the place where she had rolled he knew the story was true. For many moons, Braveness searched for Buffalo Woman and Buffalo Boy, but he never found them again.

The Caddo* Nation is a confederacy of several Southeastern Native American tribes, who traditionally inhabited much of what is now East Texas, northern Louisiana and portions of southern Arkansas and Oklahoma

On October 18th of this year, a 7 day old baby river dolphin washed up on the shores of Uruguay’s Punta Colorada beach. The baby dolphin is a female and is so young that the umbilical cord was still attached to her. How she became separated from her mother is unknown but the fact that the cord was still attached most likely means something happened to her mother as they usually remove it at birth. The baby was near death at the time she was found.

At this time it is unknown whether she will survive because the prognosis is usually poor for these baby dolphins that are separated from their mothers. She is currently in stable but weak condition though and is with the rescue organization, SOS Rescate de Fauna Marina rehabilitation center in Punta Colorada. The plan is to rehabilitate her if she survives at the center and then release her back into the wild. In order to rehabilitate her she must stay with the rescue organization for about 2 years and then she can be set free.

The baby dolphin is what is known as a La Plata river dolphin. They are found in the coastal Atlantic waters of South America and are able to live in both the ocean and saltwater estuaries. This species is listed as “vulnerable” in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. The La Plata is constantly under threat from incidental capture from fishing gear, especially gill nets. It is estimated that 2000-4000 La Plata dolphins die each year from overfishing, damming, and sub-aquatic sonar pollution.

The hope is that this baby will survive and be able to join others like herself someday. Currently she is unnamed. If she does survive, the rescue organization has promised to provide updates on her progress. Our hopes and prayers are with this little baby dolphin.

Apache Tear Drop is a form of black obsidian. It is a calming translucent stone, found in Arizona and other parts of the U.S. It is composed of feldspar, hornblende, biotite and quartz. It was formed by rhythmic crystallization that produces a separation of light and dark materials into spherical shapes, and is a form of volcanic glass.

There is a haunting legend about the Apache Tear Drop. After the Pinal Apaches had made several raids on a settlement in Arizona, the military regulars and some volunteers trailed the tracks of the stolen cattle and waited for dawn to attack the Apaches.

The Apaches, confident in the safety of their location, were completely surprised and out-numbered in the attack. Nearly 50 of the band of 75 Apaches were killed in the first volley of shots. The rest of the tribe retreated to the cliff's edge and chose death by leaping over the edge rather than die at the hands of the white men.

For years afterward those who ventured up the treacherous face of Big Pacacho in Arizona found skeletons, or could see the bleached bones wedged in the crevices of the side of the cliff.

The Apache Women and the lovers of those who had died gathered a short distance from the base of the cliff where the sands were white, and for a moon they wept for their dead. They mourned greatly, for they realized that not only had their 75 brave Apache warriors died, but with them had died the great fighting spirit of the Pinal Apaches.

Their sadness was so great, and their burden of sorrow so sincere that the Great Father imbedded into black stones the tears of the Apache Women who mourned their dead. These black obsidian stones, when held to the light, reveal the translucent tear of the Apache.

The stones are said to bring good luck to those possessing them. It is said that whoever owns an Apache Tear Drop will never have to cry again, for the Apache Women have shed their tears in place of yours.

The Apache tear drops are also said to balance the emotional nature and protect one from being taken advantage of. It can be carried as an amulet to stimulate success in business endeavors. It is also used to produce clear vision and to increase psychic powers.

Black obsidian is a powerful Meditation stone. The purpose of this gemstone is to bring to light that which is hidden from the conscious mind. It dissolves suppressed negative patterns and purifies them. It can create a somewhat radical behavior change as new positive attitudes replace old, negative, egocentric patterns.

Penguins tend to be long-lived as do most seabirds so they may take up to anywhere from three to eight years to reach sexual maturity depending on the species. On average though breeding does not begin until the fifth year of life. Most penguin species have an annual breeding season which is usually spring through summer.

Penguins also tend to be monogamous and mate selection tends to be up to the female. It is the females that compete for the males. If a female chooses another mate it is usually because her previous mate has not returned to the breeding site or they arrive at the site at different times and miss each other.

Penguins also for the most part remain faithful to the same breeding sites or rookeries year after year and many return to the same place that they were hatched. Some rookeries will have up to millions of penguins returning there. It is the males that return first to the rookeries to establish and defend their nesting sites. In many species of penguins it is the males that actually build the nest for the female and most nests are made up of pebbles sometimes lined with feathers.

The following video shows the nest building activity of two male penguins, however one of the penguins is doing all the work while the other one is stealing pebbles from his fellow penguin's nest. All the while the little thief is making sure that no one else follows suit and steals from him. This very human like behavior is quite entertaining to watch - enjoy!