Once upon a time, there was a family of raccoons who lived in a suburban neighborhood. Their home was a beautiful tree (perhaps a hickory tree) with a large hole about halfway up and a mysteriously built wind breaker next to the entrance. It made...
Have you ever wondered what effect end-of-year seasonal rituals have on well-being? Here is a brief description of what the celebrations are about and where they occur. The end of the Western calendar year (Gregorian – established in 1582), based on the Earth’s revolution around the sun, brings a variety of...
WellBeing International extends warm Seasons Greetings to all and encourages everyone to be creative and safe in their family rituals and celebrations. Let the traditions continue, albeit with some modifications. We also wish to offer our thoughts and heartfelt condolences to the families and friends who have endured the ravages of Covid-19. As...
In 2012, the cosmetics company Lush – self-described as a campaigning manufacturer and retailer of fresh handmade cosmetics with shops in 49 countries, started the Lush Prize project. The program bestows awards on scientists and animal advocates for advancing the science and also the cause...
In our September 2020 Tales of WellBeing, we wrote about the increased funding for domestic abuse shelters to expand their programs to include the pets of individuals seeking to escape from domestic abuse. Each year Domestic Violence Awareness Month is recognized in October. This October,...
On November 12, 2014, Oliver, an Asian Brown Bear, died in the Animals Asia bear rescue center in Chengdu, China. Animals Asia, who rescued Oliver from a desperate situation in a bear bile “farm” in Shandong, China in 2010, was around 37 years old when...
The stars of the new Netflix documentary, My Octopus Teacher, are Craig Foster, a film maker, and a small boneless creature, Octopus vulgaris or the Common Octopus. For most humans, the only view of an octopus will be in an aquarium. However, Craig Foster visited...
Pets provide constant companionship, emotional support and security for individuals who are homeless. It is estimated that approximately 10% of the homeless have one or more pets. Thirty or more years ago, it was commonly argued by animal advocates that, if a person cannot take...
Mostly, the news featuring orangutans is very depressing. In just sixteen years (1999-2015), wild Bornean orangutan populations have declined by over 100,000 according to a recent estimate. CITES reports that the Bornean orangutan population (changed to “critically endangered” in 2016) has declined by 86% since...
In this, the first and only modern full-length biography of Henry Bergh, founder of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, historian Ernest Freeberg offers a thorough, balanced, and human portrait of his subject. Freeberg’s lively treatment puts Bergh’s courage, resilience and...
