Dolphins Call One Another By Names

And the Dauphin‘s Name Is…

A new study was published this week that puts further evidence towards the theory that dolphins call each other by names. Researchers at the University of St. Andrews, Scotland played recordings of dolphins’ signature whistles—acoustic signals they emit to announce themselves to one another—and discovered the dolphins replying in kind.

The Animals Behind the Tests

You Rat, You Generous, Selfless Rat

“Can you believe they used to do experiments on live animals?” Fifty years from now, this could be a phrase repeated with the same incredulity we voice today when talking about various atrocities humans  inflicted on one another in the past. At least I hope it will be. News this week that the number of experiments on animals  in Britain actually increased by 8 % put a bit of a damper on my optimism, but it also provided all the more reason to revisit the issue.

The “Pet” Debate

What Is the Role of Companion Animals Today?

This week, the CBC Radio aired a program entitled “Do we love some animals too much?”. The program was the third episode in the CBC’s new series “Tooth and Claw,” which aims to address the modern complications of our relationships with (non-human) animals. Two of the guests, Globe and Mail columnist Sarah Hampson and author Jon Katz, suggested the answer to the above question is yes, by raising their concerns that an intense love for a pet may be a sign of misanthropy or our reluctance to form deep relationships with other people.