kabulogluanimals

[kabulogluanimals]

BIG BEND

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When you get your first bloodhound: Smile. A paramount phase of your life is about to begin... Then: take them out as soon and often as possible so they get house trained early on. If he has accident, don’t reprimand him, just take him our more often & clean very well. They are super smart so he will get it quicky. Buy lots of chewing things/appropriate bones and toys! so that he learns to chew that and not your furniture. They learn with their teeth (not like humans with our hands) so he will be learning of the world with his teeth and if he bites something just give him a bone or toy, again and again until he learns not to. I advice having a crate. As he grows older you can make it larger. Make it his free space & fun space. Locate it somewhere close to where people hang out so he feels included. Mine sleeps with me on my bed. Get him a GOOD, safe leash. That is your insurance. Bloodhounds will always follow their nose when they are out so train him since young to walk on his leash next to you, sit down at stoplights, and work on recall!!! (MAJOR). Be sure to chip him. I‘ve seen some bloodhounds in Italy that live in the country and they aren’t leashed. Get him exposed to EVERYTHING as young. Being in the car, vacuum, sand, cement, people, streets, other dogs (carefully). Also, touch his ears, paws constantly so he gets used to it. You are going to be cleaning his ears a lot and it really helps that he is comfortable with that. ALWAYS touch his ears when he is eating, they are not an aggressive breed yet can be possessive. NEVER give him chicken or small bones. If you notice he is scratching or has bald spots it might be a food allergy. Feed them small portions throughout the day, because this is a breed that can bloat. There’s preventive surgery but haven’t done it with either or mine, and they were not neutered either. Bloodhounds drink LOTS of water and they drool all the time, that is normal. Have lots of patience and they need lots of quality time with you, but it is 100% worth it. They live from 7-10 years so Enjoy EVERY SECOND, they grow too fast. They have unique personalities, care soo much, and are the most perfect, epic companion EVER.

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When Lucas was very small, one day Alfred and I went to throw the garbage out and when we came back we saw a little blood. Lucas had stolen his butcher knife and was bitting the handle without being hurt only but a scratch in his paw. That is the day I found out he has grit. —Or the day Alfred came home to the house smelling like gas because Lucas had jumped on the stove and accidentally turned the knob on. {Never a dull day with this gentle beast.} This well behaved, NAPMAN, bunny who melts my heart and brings us the biggest smiles and hardest laughs, the bloodhound that snores deliciously, and stares at birds, like his momma.

Our dear Lucas:

I always dreamed of you. You are such an egg potatœ! Such a loverrr, you are the biggest snail, full of raw, unedited feelings. I love the way you love Al. The way you catch that ball he taught you. My favorite thing is doing nothing with you.  You are an inquisitive being, always following your incredible nose. You are so big and yet so little to me...... and I love you with the heart that many dogs built. I enjoy you now, and always. And the way you are inseparable to Luther. The way you listen to my mother better than anyone else. When you wake up you still smell like a puppy, and it is no coincidence we both love prosciutto so much. Thank you for taking care of me, and following me around, to pee and when I take long 5 minute baths. For showing me not to be scared. I adore when you cuddle with my grandmother’s blanket. And the way you jump and dance with your dad. I wish you health for many many years to come. I promise to always take care of you. And learn new ways of showing you my small way of seeing this world. ♥️

[kabulogluanimals]

Chimpanzee: our closest living relatives. For me, the link between us and the magnificent animals of Earth. Here is Willie, he showed me a further understanding of the value of wildlife within the ecosystem and even within our society. And that when taken out of the balance can make it more fragile than we imagine and how we are all on the same boat. It is a privilege to share this world with them. This photo was taken in back 2012 when I thought fixing problems was a straightforward task. Today I know it takes more than that to really achieve some progress but I do acknowledge how it helped me learn that every little action counts.

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“In the forest, death is not hidden, it is all around you all the time, a part of the endless cycle of life. Chimpanzees are born, they grow older, they get sick and they die, and always there are the young ones to carry on the life of the species. Louis Leaky sent me to Gombe with the hope that a better understanding of chimpanzee behavior might provide us a with a window on our past. Our study of chimpanzee helped us to pinpoint not only the similarities between them and us but also those ways in which we are most different. Admitedly, we are not only the only beings with personalites, reasoning powers, altruism, and emotions nor are we the only beings capable of mental as well as physical suffering. But our intellect thas grown mightily in our complexity since the first true men branched off from the eighth man stock and we and only we have developed sofisticated spoken language. For the first time in evolution a species evolved that was able to teach its young about objects and events not present, to pass our wisdom lean from our successes and mistakes of the past. With language we can ask as can no other living being those questions about who we are and why we are here, and this highly developed intellect means surely that we have a responsibility towards the others life forms of our planet whose existence is threatened by the thoughtless behavior of our very own species.” 🙌🏻

[kabulogluanimals]

Hola.

[kabulogluanimals]

"..but when so many animals are dying illegally, the costs of a few legal hunts outweigh the potential benefits. Legal hunting sends a message not about conservation, as the pro-hunting groups argue, but that animals are ripe for the taking. As long as that message exist, animals will continue to suffer."

[kabulogluanimals]

It all began when I was 4 at the México Zoo when a polar bear and me stared at each other in an empty exhibit for the longest time. After that I never strayed far from every single animal encounter.  Thirty years after that I find myself in Minnesota looking at just about the biggest polar bear, and I wonder if this will be the last time I will ever see one. If my kids ever will. Then I stop myself and remember there are incredible people doing small, precise steps to protect wildlife, and it is never too late.

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That wonderful day we went to visit the silverbacks at the Houston Zoo.

[kabulogluanimals]

Why donating all the money in the world to wildlife conservation won't solve the root of the problem.

A few years ago, after I had read Redefining Man, It became clear to me that I would be forever obsessed with the fact that while we are struggling as a species, we cannot seem to fathom that some of our most important companions in this journey called Life on Earth are disappearing in front of our very eyes ( and, mostly because of archaic practices that cannot seem to be corrected ) due to overpopulation, misinformation, religion and just basic human kindness.

Younger and naive as I was then ( a little less than now perhaps) I wondered if it had something to do with not being aware of all the efforts currently been done throughout many countries and extensive protection from people doing amazing work, and that was enough. That if we could just spread the word then, through managing resources and changing the current status quo, things would correct themselves eventually. We, (in my limited mind) would stop the savage mass extermination that happens every minute. It seems that I could not understand the complexity of the situation. How, nevertheless of the small, precise changes that are helping, there was still a bigger, intrusive problem eating us from the inside out in the way we deal with non planning or as I call it The procrastination of our time. Kevin Richardson explained it very well in a quote I can’t seem to find after I erased it years back and have been trying to find forever, but it went something like: believing we can just throw money at the problem, which can mean using canned hunting resources, as an example, for supporting non profits against poaching and fooling ourselves that represents some kind of help is simply as bonkers as it is irresponsible. The billions of dollars spent yearly on retrieval and destruction of ivory in Asia doesn’t compensate for the sales happening in front of our very eyes here at home in Central Park, or even DC. At the end of the day, wildlife trade is the third largest illegal industry worldwide. Big business that is hard to stop when the demand is so high I think should be tackled with caution, intelligence and the use of technology to our advantage. But there is another vital side, analysis of human behavior which I wish could be carefully molded through education. In a time where information is everywhere and you can’t trust what you read, I wonder how that could be possible even. When I look at specific examples of communities in Africa where each region that is next to each other, has a unique set of problems/needs, and nevertheless can’t even get it together to apply the same strategy, is when I feel it might be too late. Because we have built our reality as diverse as our thoughts. Our beautiful diversity becomes a handicap in not being able to at least agree on what is out of bounds for our future as a whole. Regulations as well as education, must work hand in hand with the monetary assistance we so eagerly request.

Where lies the answer? Nature is such a precious, magically renewable universe that always seems to surprise us. I wish I could be able to travel vastly through the most remote wilderness, and witness the places where these extraordinary creatures, ->our friends< still thrive, observe silently from afar, be selfish and breathe the fresh air enjoying them first hand knowing that my children might not have that opportunity in a not some distance future, instead of watching documentaries that leave me filled with worry or the horrible bombarding adverstisements non profits use and only promote a sense of fatalism. Which helps no one. At the end of the day, the future is open and unknown, and I dream of the human spirit challenging our ego and joining to start anew.

[kabulogluanimals]

[kabulogluanimals]

Be gentle, friendly. And never let go

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The Grey Line

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Happy Birthday Lucas.

I have loved you since before you were born, and I love you now and every minute in between. You represent all the good things in this crazy life: nature, laughs, goodness and hope. I love our family, the space of harmony you have brought that invites us to dream about beautiful new adventures.

I drool watching how Alfred falls in love with you and you adore him immensely, lick his beard forever, how you are the kindest to my Mum. How you wrestle Luther, kiss him always and let him eat your food, only when you want to. You have grit!

You’ve opened a new door in my heart that was waiting for you. Every day when you wait for me patiently outside while I shower, while you ignore my call until you know I really mean it, when you come steal my spot in the bed and lay exactly where you knew my back hurt, I realize all the luck I have. When you jump of excitement and scream like the world is about to end EVERY time I come back from work, you make me feel so loved. You are the most stubborn – like me, sleepyhead napman, funniest bunny that loves stealing underwear just for the sake of getting caught, who has to jump and grab the hose every time I fill up your pool and whose amazing smell that was meant to catch rhino poachers can detect the exact spot I put for an instant my midnight retainers.

I will never stop trying to show you, Beatle Boy Lucas, how not run away, but I know now more that ever that you don’t want to. You can spend hours waiting for me behaving amazing, let me do anything to your ears and neck, wait in the shower while I finish shaving and then, suddenly not give me 5 seconds to trim your nails because you just hate the feel of it.

Thank you for your eyes, always following me around, being my pillow, letting me be your pillow, giving me your heart. You inquisitive gentle, beast. For teaching me how to not be afraid, and waiting for me while I heal. I have always loved animals, and each one has taught me how to enjoy you now and it is an amazing feeling to be totally obsessed with happiness. I promise to take care of you, Always.

I wish you many amazing years with us, and I promise the next time I hug you I won’t ever l let go.

[kabulogluanimals]

Monkeys are captured in India through a bottle that is big enough to fit their hand in and out of, with a banana placed inside. The monkey is so consumed by having the goods inside of the bottle that before a capturer comes to throw a bag over its head, the monkey does not release the banana even though he’s terrified he’s about to get captured. The hole is large enough for the monkey’s hand, but not large enough for his hand and the banana together. The monkey gives up his life for the sake of hanging on to this stupid banana when if he’d just let go, he’d be free.

[kabulogluanimals]

Willie, circa 2011

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The lion looked at me as if I was fire. We both then realized that time, was over. It had been an amazing opportunity to be up close and personal with such a unique majestique being, this wise and patient creature that taught me love.  Love for you and for me. Love for all, and for the people that breathe. 

 He had untameable eyes. A passion for life I've never seen, not this way. Yet as Aladdin's cave I could see him disappearing, jumping off to Islands where the Dodo and Black Rhino will live forever. 'Imagination Land' is what I call this virtual place that seems strangely mythical and where everything appears to be fair game.  Where information fools. One that has made me forget countless times that as humans we carry an egoless precious tool which teaches us we need lions, and they need us, that he needs more, many more of his species for there to be an organic balance. Where nature and men feed each other, are equals and grow. Making me dream our wondrous, unique encounter could be multiplied by infinity and help improve the new world.

 But he seemed gone, and as I watched him turn his head, I recalled how important us meeting had been. How a tangible moment can be worth a thousand texts in this century.

 This Lion is in danger, not only of disappearing, but also of losing his most wanted song. The one that comes easy as the laughs that we once shared which made the sun come out. The one that sings the natural equilibrium of

P A U S E. Paws that resemble one serene man's hands.

 Come with “io" the Lion whispered, and yet I didn't exactly know what that meant. I wanted to tell him the opportunity was still there and that men may still choose over the sacred. That we won’t let religion ruin us, that the biggest unknown secret is time can be kept still, sometimes… for Magic. That peace remains. But I kept silent.  You see some things you have to find out for yourself..

 After our brief last meeting the Lion walked freely into the last cage on Earth and as I watched him go, I pondered about tomorrow.

    There are only 20,000 lions left in the wild.

Conservation starts through information.

Get involved. 

www.lionaid.org 

www.lionwhisperer.co.za

www.144.io