iheartvmt

[iheartvmt]

while we're talking about it this is your friendly PSA that uncharacteristic friendliness and lack of fear of humans is just as much of a sign of a rabies infection as overt aggression. and if you're bitten by a wild animal (or have any reason to believe you were unknowingly bitten ex. bats found in your home) DO NOT TAKE THE FUCKING RISK.

[iheartvmt]

A new behavior has been documented in the Southern Resident Killer Whales—“allokelping!” Via drone footage, the whales were observed biting off pieces of kelp and rolling it between their bodies. The Center for Whale Research hypothesizes this behavior may be performed to aid skin exfoliation—similar to the “rubbing beaches” frequented by Northern Resident orcas—and aids in strengthening social bonds between pod members.

“Allokelping” has only been observed in the Southern Resident population. This particular group of orcas is unique culturally and is classified as critically endangered, with only 73 individuals remaining.

Read the study here: https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(25)00450-6

[iheartvmt]

So I had a panic attack yesterday which absolutely fucking *sucked*...

Was listening to System Collapse this morning and this popped into my brain and made me laugh.

These books *really* are my Sanctuary Moon.

[iheartvmt]

how busy are you guys that you can't spend a few days sorting beetles?

[iheartvmt]

They “still won’t say why” because finalized necropsy reports with full histopathology takes weeks to finalize.

Also the only way to end orca captivity is to immediately euthanize all captive specimens. Because a sanctuary, if one even existed, is still captivity. It’s just captivity with good branding.

[iheartvmt]

As a society we have benefited so much from successful public health measures that we now have the privilege of declaring that we must not need them anymore

Bitch before enriched flour, neural tube defects like spina bifida were far more common. Even now, spina bifida clinicians and researchers are begging to have salt and maize fortified to reach groups that don’t use as much flour. Before iodized salt, the United States had a fucking GOITER BELT. Eleven years after the introduction of fluoridated water, a city in Michigan found the rate of dental caries among school children dropped a staggering 60%— in an era where tooth decay regularly fucking killed people

I’m literally not even going to start on vaccines, which are among the most successful and robustly studied public health measures in world history

You might say “oh well today we all have access to vitamins and toothpastes and dentists so we don’t need those things in our food supplies” and boy do white people on social media loooove to fucking say that. But here’s the thing: no, people don’t all have easy access to those things. That’s privilege talking yet again

[iheartvmt]

had a long discussion at our compliance committee meeting this morning about the growing use of AI "resources" like chatGPT in medicine and medical documentation, and may I just say, from the bottom of my heart ... yikes

[iheartvmt]

Why are you using chatgpt to get through college. Why are you spending so much time and money on something just to be functionally illiterate and have zero new skills at the end of it all. Literally shooting yourself in the foot. If you want to waste thirty grand you can always just buy a sportscar.

[iheartvmt]

The Faces of Cat Attacks | Wildlife Center of Virginia

“My cat only scratched it—it'll be fine!”

“My cat was just playing.”

We hear these words all the time. But if you could spend even one day in our wildlife hospital, you'd see the reality behind them.

When cats are allowed to roam freely, they don’t just catch mice and rats—they decimate populations of local wildlife. Pictured here are some of the patients we've admitted due to cat attacks in only one week.

Animals attacked by cats have a very low chance of survival, even with immediate veterinary care. The injuries are often severe, and the infections caused by bacteria in a cat’s mouth and claws are fast-moving and deadly. Without treatment, survival is nearly impossible.

We don’t hate cats—we love them! But we hate the toll they take on wildlife.

If you own an outdoor cat, please consider transitioning it indoors and encouraging others to do the same. We offer helpful resources on our website to support this transition. And for cats who struggle with life indoors, an outdoor “catio” can give them safe access to the outdoors while protecting the wild animals who live there.

>> Bringing Your Cat Indoors

[iheartvmt]

Why are you using chatgpt to get through college. Why are you spending so much time and money on something just to be functionally illiterate and have zero new skills at the end of it all. Literally shooting yourself in the foot. If you want to waste thirty grand you can always just buy a sportscar.

[iheartvmt]

there’s a post on tumblr about like. if you could do something to bring people a little relief, why wouldn’t you do it? which has unironically informed my practice as a nursing student and patient care tech

[iheartvmt]

if you are going to need some kind of sedative for 4th of july fireworks for your pets NOW IS THE TIME TO SCHEDULE THOSE APPOINTMENTS TO ASK FOR THEM

NOT WHEN ITS 2 DAYS AWAY

[iheartvmt]

if you are going to need some kind of sedative for 4th of july fireworks for your pets NOW IS THE TIME TO SCHEDULE THOSE APPOINTMENTS TO ASK FOR THEM

NOT WHEN ITS 2 DAYS AWAY

[iheartvmt]

listening to the murderbot audiobooks the way it would have wanted: on the job

[iheartvmt]

Oh yes, this is clearly a good and healthy stance, very powerful, very good for movement and working, it's just something they're trained to do

This is not a backyard bred dog

[iheartvmt]

for the past two years i have been sponsoring a tuberculosis detection rat in tanzania, her name is carolina. she sniffs sputum samples & alerts her handlers when she detects TB. recently she turned 8 & aged out of the program, so they held a retirement party for her & sent me photos.

while carolina moves on to live a life of rest & luxury in the retirement kennels, her role is being passed on to her successor, tamasha. she is 2 years old & was named after the grandmother of one of her handlers.

(with her handler priscus)

here is a description of tamasha:

"Tamasha is also quite playful! She enjoys jumping, climbing, and sometimes does a joyful little dance when placed in the TB evaluation enclosure – as if celebrating her enthusiasm for the work ahead. She’s also a big fan of avocado, her favorite treat for a job well done."

im not afraid to admit that this email made me cry like a stupid baby. you can sponsor your own big beautiful TB- or landmine-detecting rat through APOPO HeroRATS. they send you an update on how your rat is doing each month, including photos.

[iheartvmt]

very controversial opinion here, but sometimes customer service workers are the problem 😶