The first World Happiness Report, drawing extensively on Gallup’s World Poll data, was published in 2012. The report is now released every year on March 20th and the 2021 World Happiness Report is the ninth in the series. The first eight reports were produced by...
Today, it is not unusual to see assistance dogs in stores, restaurants, on public transportation and in the workplace assisting their human partners to overcome the boundaries that their disabilities present. Presently, there are approximately 30,000 actively working assistance dogs making the world a better...
In 1959, Chinny Krishna, then almost fifteen years old, was one of the four founders of the Animal Aid Association in Madras, India (now Chennai). Two of the three other founders were his parents. In 1964, the Animal Aid Association morphed into the Blue Cross...
This past month, the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) issued a 168-page publication entitled Making Peace with Nature. The UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, comments in a Foreword that “Humanity is waging war on nature” and “Making peace with nature is the defining task of the...
There is minimal careful analysis of gross companion animal demographics and of the trends in animal shelter intake and outcome. The best current estimate of the USA dog and cat population is 135 million from a survey conducted every five years. Several other national surveys...
In 2013, a paper in the journal Nature Communications appeared that estimated that cat predation in the United States led to an estimated death of 1.3 - 4.0 billion birds every year. This large range in the predation estimate was due to the big uncertainties...
It seems fitting during Valentine’s week to address the mystery of how the dog became the dog and ended up as a devoted and beloved companion for billions of people over the span of 20,000 years or so. Several academic papers and one blog by...
Over the past decade, there has been an explosion of interest in the use of assistance dogs to help military veterans cope with PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) and other challenges posed by a return to civilian life. Numerous organizations have been founded to provide such...
In these Covid times, Valentine’s Day celebrations are going to differ from those of past years. As opposed to a romantic meal in a restaurant, maybe a nature walk would be more appropriate. It is certain to be a healthier option as one of our...
Over the years, the use of laboratory animals by drug companies and other commercial laboratories has elicited more than its share of criticism. In the late 1970s, animal advocates turned their attention to the testing of cosmetics and personal care products on animals, with particular...
