MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

Hello, my Fellow Animal Enthusiasts!

And a VERY Merry Christmas Eve & Christmas to you all!! (I can't believe it all begins tomorrow!!!! Ah!!)

Which brings us to our brilliantly talented and wonderful (just as they are!) featured animal today:

Reindeer (Caribou)

Though these GORGEOUS creatures may not fly around the entire world in one night...they DO migrate during the winter to warmer places where food is more plentiful; they do it every year! 

And they may not have elven friends (well, most Reindeer are domesticated Caribou, so I suppose their human care-takers are THEIR elves. :P ) BUT they do stick together in large herds. The largest and most famous being The Porcupine Caribou Herd of North America with almost 125,000 members!! All travelling about 400 miles together every year!! SO cool!! :D

Their coats change color and thickness for both the Spring and Winter. Their winter coat is actually HOLLOW, like a human-coat, to hold in heat!! How cool is that!?

And BOTH sexes grow massive horns!!!

They ALSO have the widest feet of any deer; serving as big snowshoes for the Arctic snow!!!

AND calves are born already VERY mobile and able to run MILES...just HOURS after being born...not for delivering toys, mind you, but to run from predators (as they aren't spotted like other deer). Gotta love Mother Nature!! :D

Well, there you have it, folks!! Our Reindeer may not be the same as Santa's...but I think they are pretty damn special and deserve to be acknowledged for their own magical qualities!! :D 

And as Christmas occurs...the new year approaches. Goodbye 2015...hello a 2016 FILLED with joy, furry-critters, and love all around!! I wish it for each and every one of us!!

Wishing you FANTASTIC and safe and happy holidays this week, readers! Stay awesome!!

All the very best,

-Al :)

Hello, December!!

Hello, my Fellow Animal Enthusiasts!

December of 2015 is HERE. Can you believe it!?!? I'm not ready!!!

Well...I AM ready for snow (New York City is WAY too hot still!!)...but the year can't be over yet!! Haha...BUT...this is still a great time of joy and holiday cheer! And due to all the rabbit-guests we've recently had at the job; I've been thinking of the wild day-old bunnies my friends and I rescued from a lawn-mower on our college campus, and of all the baby rabbits that live near my parents (that they are ALWAYS aware of when pulling out of the drive-way. :) ), and of ALL the birds, cats, dogs, squirrels, rats, and aaaaalll the critters my family and friends have saved and helped over the years, and will continue to! It's a great time to be thankful and give and care for those without a voice...and I'm happy to do my part everyday! :D

ANY-who, haha...bit of a holiday-tangent there. :P Let's meet the bunny-guests I've had the pleasure of caring for recently! :D 

I LOVE Bushwick The Rabbit!! So Beautiful!!

Snowball Is Well Trained...And SO Soft!! :D

George Is SET UP!! :D He Has Such Personality!!

And on the topic of rabbits and December...I thought I'd do a segment today on the EXTREMELY gorgeous and fascinating creature...

The Snowshoe Hare

These b-e-a-utiful hares are a bit larger than rabbits and have longer hind legs and ears (like most hares), but the specific Snowshoe Hare is so named due to the pattern that their particularly large and furry back legs leave in the snow, as they are made to quickly and easily move atop the snow in the winter!! AWESOME!! :D

Their coat also changes from golden-brown, for hiding in the brush during the spring and summer...to bright white for hiding in the snow in the winter!! It changes on every hare, every year!! It takes about ten weeks for the coat to completely change color... ...SO cool! I wish I could camouflage myself like that... ;) 

Which it's GREAT that they can hide so well and move so quickly...as they have MANY predators...including the lynx, fox, coyote, and birds of prey. These little guys gotta run!! (And of course...they themselves are total herbivores...feeding at night on trees and brush. :) )

Though they primarily live in Northern regions and near mountain ranges, they can survive in many different climates...AND they only need their mother for ONE MONTH before they can start living on their own!! These furry beauties are SMART and adaptable and just great creatures! Nature is pretty badass sometimes, isn't it?? ;)

I know that the holidays, for some of us, have already begun (and are almost over!) and for some they are getting closer and closer!! Whatever you may celebrate, I hope you have a FANTASTIC holiday season and enjoy being with your beloved family members; of ALL species!! (And maybe some of you will get lucky and see a Snowshoe Hare in the snow this winter! :D ) May your holidays be FILLED with human-&-animal-love!! 

I hope you have a FANTASTIC week, readers! Stay awesome!!

All the very best,

-Al :)