Pandas feeling off colour

Both Giant Pandas at Edinburgh Zoo have developed colic, and have been removed from public view until they recover.

A Zoo spokeswoman said that the female Panda, Tian Tian, had been diagnosed with a very mild form of the condition, but the male Panda, Yaung Guang, had actually been taken out of the public eye some two weeks ago after developing a much more serious bout of colic.

However, the good news coming from the Zoo, is that both Pandas are expected to make a full recovery, and Yang Gaung is expected to come back into public view this week. Lets hope that they both make a complete recovery and can become settled in Edinburgh Zoo. After visiting them ourselves on New Years Eve, we all thought that they were beautiful creatures that were being extremely well looked after. We look forward to returning to the Zoo in the future to see both Pandas, hopefully with a their young, which would be fantastic!

At Pets in Portraits, we design and create beautiful, hand-crafted pet portraits from photos on canvas. We transform favourite photos of your cat, dog, horse, or any animal you can think of… into top-quality, stylish, digital works of pet art.  Our styles include traditional pet portraits, contemporary, and wonderful pet pop art creations, depending upon your artistic preferences!

www.petsinportraits.co.uk

Shar-pei – Why so wrinkly?

So just how, and possibly more interestingly, why, do Shar-pei dogs have such amazing wrinkles?

Research has been carried out by scientists into ten different dog breeds and they think that they have come up with the answer. Their research has identified 155 distinct locations in the animal’s genetic code that they think will play a distinctive role in the breed’s appearance. In particular, the Shar-pei has a difference in a gene known as HAS2 which has an effect on the enzyme known to be influential in the production of the skin.

But while this may have originally been caused by a genetic mutation, like all modern dog breeds, the real creator of the Shar-pei is the human being. The breeder of the puppy with that genetic mutation may have thought that the wrinkly puppy looked interesting and went forward, selectively breeding that trait into future generations, creating the Shar-pei breed.

We as dog owners, breeders and human beings, have become fascinated, and in many cases, obsessed, with meddling with the genetic makeup of dogs. We like to call it Pedigree, but in many ways, this is just a series of controls on the makeup of the breed of dog that now matches a human template which we are constantly looking to improve and enhance. The process started some 10,000 years ago with the gradual domestication of the Grey Wolf, and the selective breeding that followed has resulted in over 400 different breeds of dog, all with a unique and very distinctive physique, coat, colour, behaviour and ‘human roles’.

 

 

At pet portraits, we design and create beautiful, hand-crafted pet portraits from photos on canvas. We transform favourite photos of your cat, dog, horse, or any animal you can think of… into top-quality, stylish, digital works of pet art.  Our styles include traditional pet portraits, contemporary, and wonderful pet pop art creations, depending upon your artistic preferences!

The Big Garden Birdwatch

On the 28th and 29th of January 2012, the RSPB are running the ‘Big Garden Birdwatch. The event is designed to count and report the number and different species of birds in your area. Everybody can take part, no matter where you live. You can count birds in your back garden, in your local park or in one of the RSPB events that have been organised around the country.

So visit the RSPB site and register your intention to take part. You will need to download the recording sheet and then submit your results on the RSPB web site. It couldn’t be easier. On the day, make yourself a cup of tea, sit down and watch your garden, recording all the different species of birds that come and go in the period of one hour. You will be taking part in the worlds biggest bird survey!

At Pets in Portraits, we design and create beautiful, hand-crafted pet portraits from photos on canvas. We transform favourite photos of your cat, dog, horse, or any animal you can think of… into top-quality, stylish, digital works of pet art.  Our styles include traditional pet portraits, contemporary, and wonderful pet pop art creations, depending upon your artistic preferences!

UK native dog breeds 'at risk of extinction'

According to an article on the BBC Science web site today, Native breeds of dog such as English Setters are being pushed to extinction due to the growing popularity of more exotic breeds such as Huskies and Chihuahuas.

Read Paul Rincon’s article here.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-16665702

At Pets in Portraits, we design and create beautiful, hand-crafted pet portraits from photos on canvas. We transform favourite photos of your cat, dog, horse, or any animal you can think of… into top-quality, stylish, digital works of pet art.  Our styles include traditional pet portraits, contemporary, and wonderful pet pop art creations, depending upon your artistic preferences!

www.petsinportraits.co.uk

Pink Elephant caught on camera (from the BBC)

The BBC news web site today has an interesting article on the siting of a pink elephant calf, photographed in the Okavango Delta, which experts believe is an extremely rare, albino African Elephant. Read the article below:

A pink baby elephant has been caught on camera in Botswana.

A wildlife cameraman took pictures of the calf when he spotted it among a herd of about 80 elephants in the Okavango Delta.

Experts believe it is probably an albino, which is an extremely rare phenomenon in African elephants.

They are unsure of its chances of long-term survival - the blazing African sunlight may cause blindness and skin problems for the calf.

Mike Holding, who spotted the baby while filming for a BBC wildlife programme, said: "We only saw it for a couple of minutes as the herd crossed the river.

"This was a really exciting moment for everyone in camp. We knew it was a rare sighting - no-one could believe their eyes."

Albino elephants are not usually white, but instead they have more of a reddish-brown or pink hue.

While albinism is thought to be fairly common in Asian elephants, it is much less common in the larger African species.

Ecologist Dr Mike Chase, who runs conservation charity Elephants Without Borders, said: "I have only come across three references to albino calves, which have occurred in Kruger National Park in South Africa.

 Surviving this very rare phenomenon is very difficult in the harsh African bush 

Dr Mike Chase, Elephants Without Borders

"This is probably the first documented sighting of an albino elephant in northern Botswana.

"We have been studying elephants in the region for nearly 10 years now, and this is the first documented evidence of an albino calf that I have come across."

He said that the condition might make it difficult for the calf to survive into adulthood.

"What happens to these young albino calves remains a mystery," said Dr Chase.

"Surviving this very rare phenomenon is very difficult in the harsh African bush. The glaring sun may cause blindness and skin problems."

However, he told BBC News that there might be a ray of hope for the pink calf as it already seemed to be learning to adapt to its condition.

 I have learned that elephants are highly adaptable, intelligent and masters of survival 

Dr Mike Chase, Elephants Without Borders

Dr Chase explained: "Because this elephant calf was sighted in the Okavango Delta, he may have a greater chance of survival. He can seek refuge under the large trees and cake himself in a thick mud, which will protect him from the Sun.

"Already the two-to-three-month-old calf seems to be walking in the shade of its mother.

"This behaviour suggests it is aware of its susceptibility to the harsh African sun, and adapted a unique behaviour to improve its chances of survival."

He added: "I have learned that elephants are highly adaptable, intelligent and masters of survival."

Pets in Portraits
pet portraits

pet portraits from photos

See the full gallery on Posterous

Woody Woodpecker Returns

For many months we had two beautiful Woodpeckers visiting and feeding in our garden. Then, much to our delight,  they had a young Woodpecker and it came to feed in our garden as well. We felt very priveledged every day when we watched the woodpeckers feed their young and spend t

via petsinportraits.co.uk

Purple calf?

Now we come to expect us humans to have weird and wonderful hair cuts along with often extremely unnatural hair colours. But with cows and calves you always expect either brown, grey, black or ginger. Don’t we?

So here is a calf that has been born purple. A very pale purple, but purple all the same. Why I hear you ask? Well I have no idea and I think that the farmer who owns the calf also has no idea. (Any specialist opinion would be gladly received). But the famer has realised that he has got a news worthy story on his hands and an opportunity to make some money through YouTube, although I really can’t think of a link up for a product to advertise alongside the purple calf........! All ideas should be directed to the famer in question, somewhere in Serbia.

pet portraits from photos

www.petsinportraits.co.uk

Crow out sledging.

This is an amazing video from Yahoo tells us many things that we maybe don’t associate with animals and birds. They are quick to learn and they like to have fun!

This crow has found an old jam jar lid and has worked out that it can use it to slide down the roof. The amazing thing is that it seems to enjoy it so much, it does it again and again and again!

So even if you do have wings, why fly when sledging is so much more fun!

video--clever-bird-toboggans-down-snowy-rooftop.html

pet portraits from photos

Special circulation in dogs paws, keeps them warm in winter

According to scientists, dogs can keep warm, even on frozen ground, due to a highly specialised circulation system in their paws.

Researchers in Japan have studied the internal structure of dogs paws. They found that cold blood cold or cooled blood could not be returned to the body because heat was transferred from the artery to the network of veins. Dogs are not the only animal to benefit from this system. Many other animal extremities such as Penguin’s beaks and Dolphins fins also benefit from the same type of evolved system. Artic foxes and wolves who live in extremely cold conditions almost year round are also known to have been able to adapt their circulation to keep them constantly warm, even in the coldest of conditions.

Amazingly, previous studies have shown that dogs and other canines species, are able to keep their feet from freezing in temperatures as extreme as –35 degrees. Now you can imagine that this system will be life saving to may creatures who live in freezing conditions year round, but what about the domestic dog? Is this system necessary for the domestic dog to stay warm year round, or is this an interesting link back to the ancestors of our furry pets, that has remained with them even though it is no longer required. This is quite possibly a link which ties our current domestic breeds to wild dogs from thousands of years ago who lived in very cold climates which required such specialised adaptations.

pet portraits from photos

www.petsinportraits.co.uk

Pony moves into owners home

Now we all love our pets and would do pretty much anything for them. But would you go as far as a woman living in the Western isles of Scotland who, due to a lack of stable or grazing in her area, has decided to transform the ground floor of her house into a stable so that her pony can be inside for the winter.

Pensioner Stephanie Noble has been sharing her home with her pony, called Grey lady, since Christmas. She claims that there is no grazing land available as farmers and crofters in the area like to keep their grass land for sheep and cattle and will not allow horses on their land. So she has made her lounge into a stable and the front room into a hay store for Grey lady. Stephanie now lives upstairs in her bedroom.

According to reports, the local RSPCA has been notified and they have offered to provide Grey lady with a home for the winter which Mrs Noble has declined.

So how far would you go for your pets and how would your neighbours feel if you moved your prized pony into your home?

pet portraits from photos

www.petsinportraits.co.uk

Edinburgh Zoo - My favourite photos from our visit.

While at Edinburgh Zoo on New Years Eve, we not only looked at the Giant Pandas, but took the time to wander round the rest of the Zoo. I have to say that I don't always feel comfortable walking around zoos. Seeing animals in cages instead of their natur

via petsinportraits.co.uk