In 1985, Dr. Denise Herzing launched the Wild Dolphin Project (WDP) to study dolphins in the wild and identify their social structures and interactions. Dr. Herzing's interest in knowing what dolphins might think began when she was just 12 years old. She chose to study...
A group of Oxford University faculty and health advocates launched the Oxford Longevity Project, a community interest company focused on sharing discoveries and insights regarding healthy aging with the broader public. There is growing international attention to what the IMF has labelled the “Silver Economy,” and...
The ongoing controversy surrounding outdoor cats is a genuine concern for those who care about animal welfare. Although outcries over the impact of cat predation on wildlife, especially birds, were heard as early as the turn of the twentieth century, these worries have become significantly...
Dr. Boris Levinson (1907-1984), a psychologist, reportedly coined the term "pet therapy" in 1964. However, Levinson's initiative was criticized by his colleagues. Thirteen years later, the Delta Society, founded by a group of veterinarians and a psychiatrist in 1977 (now doing business as Pet Partners),...
Around 1990, the Delta Society (now Pet Partners – an organization supporting animal-assisted activities and therapy) held its annual meeting in New Jersey. During one of the lunchtime sessions, five Jingles Awards were issued to five human-animal teams representing different areas of human-animal cooperation. The...
In 1991, DC veterinarian Earl Strimple published an article in the Journal of the Veterinary Medical Association (Volume 199(2):206-208) describing the impact of Maggie, a small Yorkshire Terrier, on Joe, the sexton at Dr. Strimple's church, Maggie was the companion of the minister at the...
As a boy, I was fascinated by tales of the Giant squid, *Architeuthus dux*, that inhabit the ocean's depths. These creatures are challenging to find and observe, and much of what we know about them comes from studies of squid cadavers, body parts recovered from...
A year ago, in May 2024, Tales of WellBeing included an article about dog longevity, which concerns many of us who live with canine companions. The article celebrated the 15th birthday of Pukka, a Labrador residing with his owner, Ted Kerasote, in Jackson Hole, Wyoming....
In her 2024 book, Not the End of the World, Hannah Ritchie (Scottish data scientist and researcher at the University of Oxford) begins by noting surveys that document how pervasively young people today feel that "humanity is doomed" and "the future is frightening." She responds...
The first day of spring is usually celebrated on March 21. However, in 2025, the spring equinox occurred at 5:01 AM EST on March 20. Additionally, the thirteenth World Happiness Report 2025 was released on March 20, coinciding with the UN-designated International Day of Happiness,...
