Animal Hospital

Plans for a new veterinary hospital were discussed during Monday night's meeting of the East Whiteland Zoning Hearing Board, a meeting that was the debut for a new board member. The board voted, 2-0, to postpone a decision on veterinarian Charles G. Cantrell's plan to turn a stone house on a one-acre lot into a veterinary hospital. The vote was the first cast by A. Joseph Rubino, who has filled the position vacated in May by Thomas O'Neil. Board member Frank R. Gordon was absent.

For the Philadelphia Zoo - and all zoos - to flourish in in the 21st century, a change of course is required. Technically sophisticated theme parks, multimedia facilities and home entertainment centers now increasingly compete for the public's recreational time and money. Amid the commercial hype and electronic clatter, zoos must devise new and creative ways to engage people that will stimulate their imaginations and their wonder of nature. Zoos have a unique ability to inspire a conservation consciousness among visitors and enlist them in their mission to protect the natural world.

The Pennsylvania SPCA is offering a reward for information leading to the arrest of the person who doused a young pit bull with gasoline and then set her afire. The dog, named Chloe, died about an hour after being taken to an animal hospital in central New Jersey. "This is an extreme case of animal abuse," said Lisa Germanis, head veterinarian at the Pennsylvania SPCA's Shelter Hospital. Investigators, who say that several people witnessed the vicious incident, have offered a $500 reward.

This week's Adopt-a-Pet at the Pennsylvania SPCA is Luna, a 1-year-old pit bull mix. Luna came to the Pennsylvania SPCA after being found emaciated and alone in North Philadelphia. She has made a wonderful recovery and is in need of a loving home. For more information about Luna, contact the PSPCA, 350 E. Erie Ave., at 215-426-6300 or visit www.pspca.org . Please provide her tag #1164629, when inquiring. The $75 adoption fee includes spaying, vaccinations, microchipping, three weeks of care at the PSPCA's animal hospital and 45 days of ShelterCare pet insurance.

Nobody here thinks much about Philadelphia. When they do, they tend to think about crime and other city problems, and they say they haven't visited the city and are not planning to do so. Take Kermit Laub, 39, a mechanic, and his wife, Cindy. They've lived in Keystone for a decade and have two sons, 7 and 10. As they stood in front of their ranch house recently overlooking a deep valley and a range of the Appalachian Mountains, they talked candidly about Philadelphia. Asked what comes to mind when the city is mentioned, Laub said, without hesitation, "the usual, crime.

The Lower Merion Township Zoning Hearing Board is weighing a request by Philadelphia Flyers and Spectrum owner Edward Snider to build a 6-foot-high security fence around his Bryn Mawr estate. The case was presented to the three-member board Tuesday night. After the meeting, the board spoke favorably about Snider's request. A final ruling is expected next month. In another case, which has drawn opposition from Ardmore residents, the board reserved its decision on a request to open an animal hospital on East Athens Avenue.

A rabbit tested for rabies after biting a 2-year-old Jenkintown boy did not carry the disease, health officials said last week. Tests on the rabbit were completed Thursday at the state Board of Health's lab in Lionville, said Charles Gray, Jenkintown's health officer. Gray called for tests after the rabbit bit the boy about 9:45 a.m. May 19, when the child wandered into a neighbor's back yard in the 100 block of Walnut Street. The rabbit bit an index finger as the boy reached into an open hutch, Jenkintown police said.

The Pennsylvania SPCA is offering a reward for information leading to the arrest of the person who doused a young pit bull with gasoline and then set it afire. The dog, named Chloe, died about an hour after being taken to an animal hospital in central New Jersey. "This is an extreme case of animal abuse," said Lisa Germanis, head veterinarian at the Pennsylvania SPCA's Shelter Hospital. SPCA spokeswoman Wendy Marano called it "a heinous crime. " Investigators, who say several people saw the incident, have offered a $500 reward.

Daniel Culligan offered apologies at his sentencing in Bucks County Court yesterday but no explanation as to why he doused his cat with lighter fluid, set it on fire, and threw it from the deck of his Bristol Township apartment in December. Judge David W. Heckler gave him six to 23 months in Bucks County prison to think about it. "Your conduct went beyond a mistake, it went beyond misjudgment," Heckler said. "You displayed a callous disregard for the enormous pain you caused another living creature.

Emilie Busch de Hellebranth, 86, a generous contributor to the Philadelphia Zoo and local charities, died yesterday at her apartment in Philadelphia. A small and vigorous woman, she had stayed active until developing cancer several months ago. Mrs. de Hellebranth, who also had a home in Ventnor, maintained a lifelong interest in horticulture and traveled the world when she was a young girl, said zoo president Alexander "Pete" Hoskins, who became a close friend. He told of the time he and Mrs. de Hellebranth came upon a lion necropsy in progress while visiting the zoo's former animal hospital, which dated to 1902 and which Mrs. de Hellebranth donated money to replace.

The Pennsylvania SPCA is offering a reward for information leading to the arrest of the person who doused a young pit bull with gasoline and then set it afire. The dog, named Chloe, died about an hour after being taken to an animal hospital in central New Jersey. "This is an extreme case of animal abuse," said Lisa Germanis, head veterinarian at the Pennsylvania SPCA's Shelter Hospital. SPCA spokeswoman Wendy Marano called it "a heinous crime. " Investigators, who say several people saw the incident, have offered a $500 reward.

The Pennsylvania SPCA is offering a reward for information leading to the arrest of the person who doused a young pit bull with gasoline and then set her afire. The dog, named Chloe, died about an hour after being taken to an animal hospital in central New Jersey. "This is an extreme case of animal abuse," said Lisa Germanis, head veterinarian at the Pennsylvania SPCA's Shelter Hospital. Investigators, who say that several people witnessed the vicious incident, have offered a $500 reward.

Marvin Rothman, 84, of Cherry Hill, a longtime South Jersey veterinarian known for his ability to connect with animals and for treating abandoned creatures and finding them homes, died March 17 at Our Lady of Lourdes Medical Center from complications after heart surgery. Since 1955, when he opened the Rothman Animal Hospital in Collingswood, Dr. Rothman had been a savior of thousands of furry, feathery and scaly animals. He saved many from near death, took them into his Cherry Hill home, and, once they were healthy, found them permanent homes, said his wife, Betty.

This week's Adopt-a-Pet at the Pennsylvania SPCA is Luna, a 1-year-old pit bull mix. Luna came to the Pennsylvania SPCA after being found emaciated and alone in North Philadelphia. She has made a wonderful recovery and is in need of a loving home. For more information about Luna, contact the PSPCA, 350 E. Erie Ave., at 215-426-6300 or visit www.pspca.org . Please provide her tag #1164629, when inquiring. The $75 adoption fee includes spaying, vaccinations, microchipping, three weeks of care at the PSPCA's animal hospital and 45 days of ShelterCare pet insurance.

A fire broke out yesterday afternoon at a South Jersey animal hospital, but a veterinarian technician's quick reflexes ensured that no harm came to the animals inside. Swedesboro Animal Hospital was closed when the fire alarm went off around 3 p.m. But Melissa Magazu, 22, whose father owns the facility and lives in a house behind the building, acted fast. Once the alarm company called the house to say something was wrong, she dashed in, retrieved the three animals (a dog and two cats)

Kenton Shawl Stokes, 64, a veterinarian and former chairman of the Westtown Township Board of Supervisors, died of an apparent heart attack April 23 at Wakefield Manor Farm in Westtown. Dr. Stokes grew up on the farm, near his home and veterinary practice. Since his father's death in 2006, he was there every day, visiting his mother, Lucille, and caring for the horse and Angus cattle, said his wife, Carolyn Kramer Stokes. His father, Milton, had also been a Westtown supervisor, and father and son served the township for more than 60 years combined.

Kenton Shawl Stokes, 64, a veterinarian and former chairman of the Westtown Township Board of Supervisors, died of an apparent heart attack April 23 at Wakefield Manor Farm in Westtown. Dr. Stokes grew up on the farm, near his home and veterinary practice. Since his father's death in 2006, he was there every day, visiting his mother, Lucille, and caring for the horse and Angus cattle, said his wife, Carolyn Kramer Stokes. His father, Milton, had also been a Westtown supervisor, and father and son served the township for more than 60 years combined.

Daniel Culligan offered apologies at his sentencing in Bucks County Court yesterday but no explanation as to why he doused his cat with lighter fluid, set it on fire, and threw it from the deck of his Bristol Township apartment in December. Judge David W. Heckler gave him six to 23 months in Bucks County prison to think about it. "Your conduct went beyond a mistake, it went beyond misjudgment," Heckler said. "You displayed a callous disregard for the enormous pain you caused another living creature.

The bison are going to get soaked. And the famous free-range peacocks at the Philadelphia Zoo need to find a place to hide. Otherwise, the majority of animals residing at area zoos are expected to weather the wind and rain from Hurricane Isabel just fine, zookeepers said this week. "Basically, we are going to batten down the hatches," said Steven K. Marks, executive director of the Elmwood Park Zoo in Norristown. "We'll just have to ride the storm out like everybody else. " All the animals will be brought into the holding shelters built on the exhibit sites, Marks said.

If animals can talk to one another on Christmas Eve, as legend holds, some of them might have a few kind words for Sandy Levine. For seven years, Levine has been the producer and host of Homeless Tails on NJN, New Jersey's public-television network, helping to find homes for hundreds of cats and dogs in shelters around the state. The two-minute weekly feature, which has no set schedule but airs about 16 times a week, also has given Levine a platform to spread a message aimed at reducing the number of stray animals.