Extinct? Not So Fast....

The second Hula frog, a frog species unique to Israel and thought to be extinct fifty years ago was found in Israel's Hula Nature Reserve. An opposite gender Hula frog was found in the very same area just two weeks prior. Hula Nature Reserve warden Yoram Malka spent a great deal of time and effort searching for additional Hula frogs since the discovery of the first one two weeks ago.

The recent frog finding, a female specimen, was found hanging out in a swamp. Both frogs will be re-released into the wild following a bit of study to learn more about these creatures.

The discovery of the first frog came as a shock to conservationists who had deemed the Hula frog to be extinct decades ago. It is believed that the recent discovery of these frogs is linked to environmental improvements in the Hula Nature Reserve, specifically, improving the water quality by pouring water from nearby fish ponds and nearby springs into the reserve.

I sure wish I had a job looking for frogs in nature preserves, don't you?
Until next time....rrrrribbit!
J

Source: Haaretz

Israel Considers Ban On Cat Declawing

Israel's parliamentary committee in charge of animal rights voted in favor of banning cat declawing, paving the way for the ban to become Israeli law.

The bill is sponsored by multiple Israeli political parties, including Kadima and Meretz. It is also supported by the Agriculture Ministry, which is responsible for animal rights in Israel.

The bill would render illegal the surgical declawing of cats, which permanently removes their claws, except in rare cases in which the owner's health could be compromised if scratched.

The bill has tremendous support in Israel, making it likely to pass, in which case Israel would join various European nations which have already banned the practice.
Read more about it here.

Off to pet my two cats, hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving Holiday. Till next time,

J