Rangers reaction says goodbye to Yaz, a triple crown winning cat

 

TORONTO - I've had pets all my life so I've dealt with the heartbreak of their death. It's never easy, especially for those pets with a great disposition, the ones who really seemed loyal and loving. Those kinds of pets are why we have them in the first place.

That describes our cat, Yaz, who passed away Friday afternoon. He had been sick for a couple of months and his death does not come as a total shock, but that no lessens the blow because he was such a wonderful companion.

I've had many cats in my life. My parents always had a cat, sometimes two, along with dogs. I've loved having both as pets. I understand why many people dislike cats, especially compared with dogs. Cats aren't as needy as dogs and don't show their affection as readily as dogs will. I'm fine with that.

But Yaz wasn't like that. Yaz was more like a dog. He would fetch toy mice. He'd drop a toy at your feet and expect you to throw it for him. He'd do it over and over until he got tired. He also wanted your affection, whether you were sitting at your desk, on the couch or in bed. He wanted to sit on your lap, curl up and sleep contently. He loved a good scratch session on his neck and under his chin. I could get him so relaxed that his legs would eventually start stretching out in different directions.

Yaz was named after Red Sox legend Carl Yastrzemski. Yaz's brother is named Fenway. My wife Laura is a Red Sox fan, if that wasn't obvious. (She also likes the Rangers, so back off.)

Yaz had to have a cancerous leg amputated in November 2015 and it was awfully expensive. If he could live pain-free, however, it was a no-brainer decision. He healed up and eventually was back to his old self, fetching mice and happy to be alive. We don't regret the expense at all.

Life goes on, of course. We'll move on and remember him fondly. The videos and pictures of him will probably bring sadness for a while but hopefully we'll be able to eventually remember him for who he was, a one-of-a-kind cat.

One more thing: Thanks so much to all of you who sent your well-wishes on Twitter. If I did not reply with a thank you know that I saw your message and it was much appreciated. I was running out of time before the game started and also I did not want to start annoying people with a bunch more tweets about my cat. Thank you for your thoughts!

Here's the Rangers reaction from a loss at Rogers Centre:

1. More than a loss — A.J. Griffin's intercostal strain, which will send him to the disabled list Saturday, may not seem like a massive problem with Tyson Ross waiting in the wings but consider this: Ross hasn't pitched in a major league game since Opening Day 2016 and he's unlikely to go deep in his starts the rest of the year. Dillon Gee will join the team from Triple A Round Rock and be used out of the bullpen, according to manager Jeff Banister. Depending on how long Griffin is down, the Rangers' rotation, which had been the rock of the club through most of the first two months, is now dealing with its second injured starter (also Cole Hamels).

2. Rougned's return — Rougned Odor downplayed the rivalry and history with the Blue Jays before the game and he sounded and looked genuine. Odor is trying to distance himself from the infamous punch thrown at Jose Bautista, refusing to sign memorabilia relating to it and generally has tried to downplay any lingering animosity. That's all understandable and respectable. Plus, you can understand why the same tired topic would get annoying for Odor.

3. Rougned's revenge — Having said all that, there was no doubt some massive satisfaction for Odor when he quieted Blue Jay fan boos with a three-run homer in the ninth inning that pulled the Rangers to within 7-6. The Rogers Centre crowd booed every time Odor came to the plate. They booed him before the game when the starting lineups were announced. Odor was 0 for 3 with a strikeout before his homer.

4. Stop, or not — Elvis Andrus appeared to run through a stop sign by third base coach Tony Beasley in the third inning and was thrown out at home plate. In Andrus' defense, the stop sign may have come late, and in the moment perhaps Andrus thought he could beat the throw. He wasn't and instead of having runners at second and third with one out, the Rangers had a runner at second with two outs. Odor lined out to left to end the inning, a fly out that would have scored Andrus from third on a sac fly.

5. Big bulllpen lift — Reliever Austin Bibens-Dirkx was forced to replace Griffin in the second inning and did an honorable job of saving the bullpen with four innings of relief. He allowed three runs (including two solo homers) but if he's unable to get the Rangers deep in the game before Jeremy Jeffress came on in the sixth, the already staggering bullpen would have been decimated for the rest of the series. Jeffress, allowed the third run against Bibens-Dirkx to score on a wild pitch but otherwise turned in his best outing in nearly two weeks. The Rangers needed that. He needed that.

Animals in medicine cared for like the heroes they are

The animal research industry has a history of silence that we are beginning to understand must be broken. The public doesn’t have the information needed to understand what happens in our facilities. They’ve been inundated by propaganda that, at best, misrepresents us and at worst, spreads hate and fear. The public is almost exclusively exposed to this nearly always false, fantastical, fanatical misleading information. This isn’t fair to the public, to those of us who work in this industry, or to our animals.

During a recent interview, I was asked what I wanted the public to know about my job in animal research. My answer may have been too simplistic. Please allow me to give a more complete answer.

What I want the public to know is the truth.

I chose a career in animal medicine initially because I believed in ensuring the good health of animals and animal welfare, and because I believe in the great value of serving as an advocate.

When I was in vet tech school, a facility visit was arranged as we prepared to graduate and choose our career paths. One of our instructors urged us strongly to consider a path in animal research. He said we would never see the level of animal suffering in the research setting as we would in private practice. I have years of experience in both settings, and I can tell you without hesitation that he was absolutely right.

Some of the public hates us and our industry for what they think we do, because they’ve been misinformed. In an animal medical research facility, there are two groups of employees — the research group and the husbandry group. The researchers are kind to the animals and treat them with the utmost dignity. They want them to be happy and healthy. The animals do not make very good models if they are sick or depressed, and also the researchers want them to be treated as the heroes they are for leading patients to hope and healing.

Medical research doesn’t include the types of things that people see in extremists’ photos and videos. There are no cosmetics involved, no uncontrolled pain and no drug overdoses. Researchers are not going room to room inflicting pain on every creature in their path. The reality is researchers are seeking cures and comfort for humans and animals alike. How could this group of professionals whose careers are focused on helping possibly be focused on spreading cruelty? I challenge the doubting public to justify this misconception.

The other group is the husbandry group, which provides food, shelter, health, peace, love, toys and so much more to the animals. The husbandry group does not conduct research on animals. Instead, we take care of them as if they were our own. We refer to them as our own because we feed them every day, play with them, give them treats and as many special things as we can — every single day. Caring for these animals is the sole reason the husbandry group exists. We grieve when we lose them and celebrate when we send them to a new forever home. We know everything about them — which toys are their favorites, which foods they like, who is their favorite person and even their favorite music.

I want the public to understand everything we do in a research facility is guided by many, many regulations. We undergo inspections several times a year — often unannounced — by several different agencies, including the United States Department of Agriculture.

I want the public to know environmental conditions are strictly controlled. For example, if an animal room’s temperature gets even a degree out of range, we must respond and correct it immediately — no matter the hour of the day or night. Recently, I drove in to work to check on a mouse whose water valve had stopped working at 1 a.m. Now tell me people like me feel nothing.

Telling the public about those of us who work in animal research may not change opinions, but I want to break the silence.

I want real information to be available so, no matter what opinions are formed, they are formed only after considering and knowing facts.

Finally, I also call on others in this industry to follow me and tell the story from our side, to be transparent and open the door to the truth to dispute and dispel the myths about animals in medical research.

Kendal Museum project reveals extinct, endangered and rare birds

A METICULOUS project to identify and catalogue every single specimen of bird at a South Lakeland museum has been completed after almost 10 years.

All 1,681 specimens of the impressive bird collection at the World Wildlife Gallery in Kendal Museum have been catalogued for the first time with help from Museum and Gallery Skills students, staff and volunteers.

The work has highlighted the existence of some extremely rare, critically endangered and extinct birds from all over the world in a collection that boasts 717 different species.

Much of the collection dates from the 19th century and Kendal Museum is now working to refurbish the gallery to make it possible for every single specimen to be on public display.

“This is really quite a remarkable feat," said museum curator Carol Davies. "It’s been 10 years of work and now we’ve got this incredible scientific record at the museum, which is unique in the UK.

"We had to check, update and in some cases, correct the identities of the specimens and add their current scientific names. Sometimes this involved identifying specimens that didn’t have any previous label or record such as a case of 61 hummingbirds. This was certainly a challenge as there are over 300 species – many with different male and female plumages - to choose from.

“We couldn’t have completed this project without the support of our dedicated volunteers, none more so than Judith Robinson who consistently shared her expertise to catalogue this collection for posterity and of course for all of our visitors to enjoy.”

The fully catalogued collection includes a note of 2017 International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources status, which shows that there are more than 10 specimens of birds on the red list as being endangered or critically endangered and many more classed as vulnerable or near-threatened.

There are also specimens of the extinct Huia from New Zealand and the possibly extinct Eskimo Curlew and the Ecuadorian Turquoise-throated Puffleg hummingbird.

Poorly horse found covered in faeces

A young, poorly foal covered in faeces has been found straying near Rugby.

The RSPCA was contacted on Saturday, February 18 by a woman who found the young colt in Millers Lane, in Monks Kirby near Rugby, after he nearly got hit by a vehicle while straying on the road.

The horse, thought to be around six months old, was underweight, lethargic, in poor body condition and had an infection on his genitals when he was rescued. He is also being treated for redworm burden, a parasite which can be fatal in horses.

RSPCA inspector Nicky Foster, who is investigating, said: “The poor horse was covered in faeces all down his rear legs and his tail was thick with it.

“He really was in a very sorry state. It is worrying that he was wandering down a road, vulnerable and near to traffic. At this stage we can’t say if he was abandoned or was straying, but either way he was in a bad state and is possibly even too young to be away from his mum.

“The foal had no form of identification and clearly hadn’t been kept very well at all. He is now recovering at our equine centre in Shropshire, where he has been called Blackjack. He will be cared for there until he’s made a full recovery.

“We are very keen to find out where he came from and how he came to be in this way.

End of species extinctions is in sight as we bring animals back

Unleash the long-gone beasts. We won’t see a woolly mammoth in 2017, but a host of schemes to bring animals back from the brink of extinction will kick in next year.

Genetic and stem cell technologies are on the cusp of letting us clone even infertile endangered animals when intact DNA is available. And some extinct species could be brought back by tweaking the genome of a living close relative. It should also be possible to engineer lost traits into a population.

One initiative involves the northern white rhino, which is now down to three infertile individuals living in Kenya. This year, a plan was announced to use stem cell technologies, frozen specimens and assisted reproduction to make new rhinos.

Similarly, genetic rescue could help the black-footed ferret (pictured), one of the most endangered mammals in North America, to make a comeback. The first in vitro experiments are set to begin in 2017, and will tackle inbreeding and disease resistance, because a type of plague and an untreatable virus are in danger of wiping out the animals.

Another project is using gene editing to make a chimeric rooster of prairie chickens to help bring back their extinct relative the heath hen. If it works, they hope to revive the passenger pigeon next.

Woolly mammoths are a little further over the horizon. A project is under way to endow Asian elephant eggs with mammoth DNA. After the legwork is done over the next year, the first cloning attempts are scheduled for 2018.

Jurassic Park is still beyond us, but Pleistocene Park, full of ice age animals, might soon be a realistic dream.