Newsbytes archive for October 2019

Contributors this month include 2cross2affliction, dronon, earthfurst, GreenReaper, and Rakuen Growlithe. Over half our links this month are to BBC articles for some reason.

GreenReaper: Pine martens reintroduced to the UK's Forest of Dean, potentially disrupting the spread of non-native grey squirrels that threaten ancient woodland.

GreenReaper: Tragedy strikes in Thailand as five elephants follow a calf over a notorious waterfall trying to save it, while its mother looks on.

GreenReaper: A Manuan marsupial make a leap in the dark; two real-life mudkips face off in a territorial battle; and stampeding zebras turn the Maasai Mara black and white, in shortlisted submissions for Royal Society of Biology Photographer of the Year.

GreenReaper: Chasing the dragon: how fans fly thousands of miles to Japan to obtain a hand-carved tattoo - and why some tebori artists are packing up their needles to leave.

GreenReaper: "[Huxtable's] fursonas pose for the camera. They court the pornographic, invite soft-core anthropomorphic projection, and uphold scant fidelity to mammalian constraint."

dronon: World of Warcraft patch 8.3 will include the Allied Vulpera race,
with customizations.

dronon: October is Furry Book Month! Reading anything good? Send us a book review! You can also check out (or contribute to) Zooscape, a furry fiction e-zine.

GreenReaper: A different form of coding: how Tweety Bird's Canary Row became a mainstay in gesture research - from language learners to multilingual speakers, and in sign language.

2cross2affliction: Robert Downey Jr.'s Dr. Dolittle movie, now just Dolittle, (which we covered here) will be released next January. Oh, and there's also a poster.

GreenReaper: California bans new fur products... startng in 2023. Excluded: faux fur, stuffed animals, leather/cowhides, deer/sheep/goat skins and second-hand products. The ban was criticised as part of a "radical vegan agenda" by the Fur Information Council.

GreenReaper: Brazilian boy builds body bathing with botos.

dronon: A documentary about Innis Dagg, the overlooked pioneer of research on giraffes.

GreenReaper: A morbid marmot, self-made ant-camps, and the daily life of rats: winners of the 2019 Wildlife Photographer of the Year awards.

GreenReaper: Furry art site admins breathe a sigh of relief as the UK drops plans to implement a stringent age verification regime on sites hosting adults-only content. [link via @Nidonocu] - [Disclosure: GreenReaper lives in the UK and is the admin of the Inkbunny art site, which contains adult content.]

GreenReaper: Newly-revealed sketch combines three classic British topics: railways, queueing, and Winnie the Pooh. But would you pay four figures for it?

earthfurst: Crowdfunding for 'Moonlight: A Queer Werewolf Anthology' of comics & short stories by 21 queer creators, and edited by @BonesMFleming. #Crowdfunding is 33% away from all-or-nothing goal of $11k Cdn. [link via @ComicsBeat] #furries #werewolves

dronon: There's an animated film out in Europe about bears invading Sicily.

GreenReaper: From pocket mice to celestial crustaceans: Shanghai artist Frankie Huang illustrates the colourful names for animals in Mandarin Chinese. (And remember: just say no to kitten huffing!)

GreenReaper: RSPCA decries parents' purchase of bunnies and hamsters without proper consideration for their care, in an amusingly-titled story.

GreenReaper: Researchers at the University of Richmond find that rats raised in a environment enriched by natural elements are better drivers than those from a lab cage - and all appear to be satisfied by the accomplishment of learning.

GreenReaper: "An Aladdin's cave of death" - this U.S. government facility in the shadow of the Rocky Mountains recycles seized animal trophies, ivory tusks and fashion products for use by wildlife specialists, conservationists and educators.

dronon: Migrating Russian eagles run up huge data roaming charges.

GreenReaper: If you were a mustelid, which would it be? (Low-budget, ad-supported version for non-UK readers.)

GreenReaper: Shark attacks on swimmers continue in Queensland. Australia has been trialling drone protection against sharks and crocodiles, previously clearing New South Wales beaches on 48 occasions.

Rakuen Growlithe: Man facing five years jail time for assaulting a police officer with a cat.