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Whilst I love this time of year; bonfires, fireworks and kicking huge piles of golden leaves…spare a thought for the pets and wildlife in this season.
Before lighting up your bonfire, have a look to make sure some hibernating hedgehogs haven’t made a home there. Ideally, if you can, build the bonfire on the day to prevent animals from setting up camp there.
Also the RSPCA has some great advice for pet owners to cope with the scary noises of bonfire night.

Photo : Andrew Milligan/PA Wire

At last, some good news from Ohio after the devastating recent killing of 49 animals released into the countryside…six exotic animals have survived and are now readjusting to life at Columbus zoo. The grizzly bear, three leopards and two monkeys are said to be ‘calm’ and not aggressive.
The events have led many people to question whether members of the public should be allowed to keep such animals after it’s thought the owner, suffering from severe debts, released them all before committing suicide.
If you want to help the rescued animals, a special web page has been set up to donate towards their upkeep.

Photo : Grahm S. Jones / Columbus Zoo and Aquarium

London Zoo’s Lucifer and Abi have had another pair of cubs! The Asian lion cubs are important to their conservation with only around 350 animals left in the wild. Although they are yet to be sexed, they have been given the Halloween-inspired names Pumpkin and Spook.
If you’re lucky you might be able to see them with their mum in their den…before they’re let out into the rest of the enclosure in November.

Lion are more likely to attack you just after a full moon scientists have found. Using the data from 500 lion attacks, they found that most attacks occurred when the moon is waning, just after full moon. As lions use the cover of darkness to hunt, this lack of moonlight aids their chances of attack. Scientists also found attacks were more likely to occur in the rainy season when the clouds obscured the moonlight, also helping the lions.

Today begins the animal charity RSPCA Week! This vital organisation help rescue animals all over the country every year…but they need our help. Find out what’s going on near you and see what you can do to get involved. I’ll be popping down to the London Pet Show (for the rabbit show jumping and pig agility!) where they will have a stand giving out useful pet info and advice.

The RSPCA are looking for more people to help with their Pet Retreat campaign. They receive hundreds of phone calls from people trying to escape domestic violence with the extra problem of how to look after their pets. Pet Retreat provides a temporary foster home for their pet, so they know they are safe and cared for while they sort their lives out. Then, when they’re ready, their pet is returned to them! But at the moment, there are only 80 foster families in the country. Find out more on their website and see if you could provide a lifeline for not just these pets but their owners too.

The Eastern Cougar, which once lived across 21 American states, has now officially been delcared extinct.
Although sightings of the animal have been recorded until quite recently with over 100 possible sightings between 1900 and 2010, it’s thought the species has probably been extinct since the 1930s. The disappearance of this predator is causing problems with local ecosystems as they are being overpopulated by the prey they would normally reduce; an abundance of white-tailed deer foraging means the forests cannot regenerate.

With some scientists claiming we could be on the brink of Earth’s sixth major mass extinction…there are fears for the mighty lion. They are facing extinction not, for once, due to environmental issues, but because they are hunted for trophies.
Demand is particularly high in the US, with two thirds of hunted lions being brought to the country.
Numbers of animals is estimated to have dropped from 200,000 to 23,000 in the last 100 years. As the ‘King of the Jungle’ (even though they live in the Savannah and not jungles!) it’s incredible they are already extinct in 26 countries. A coalition of wildlife organisations is hoping to ban the import of lion trophies by naming the animals as endangered.

Scientists have found that the rare Sunda Clouded Leopard has two subspecies; for Borneo and Indonesia. The species was only discovered in 2007 and this recent news means zoos and wildlife researchers must be careful with any breeding programmes. It’s thought the different species evolved after being separated by rising sea levels after the last Ice Age. The big cat remains on the endangered list as they need large hunting areas which are currently threatened by logging and plantations.

Some good news…Wibble, Battersea Dogs and Cats Home’s longest feline resident, has finally found a new home. In her 299 days at the rehoming centre, she watched 1,200 other cats find their new families until she was discovered by a lovely couple.
The Battersea staff spent those days bringing out the shy and nervous cat that arrived
It’s the Battersea staff Wibble has to thank…spending hours working with her to make the shy, nervous cat who arrived into the big ball of purring fur who eventually left.
Find out how you can help this invaluable charity…!