Animals

Life of Pi , Yann Martel's best-selling novel about a 16-year-old boy who survives for 227 days in a lifeboat in the Pacific, will make the most cynical skeptic believe in God, boasts one of its more colorful characters. It's a doozy of a claim, and it gave some pause to filmmaker Ang Lee, whose dazzling, breathtaking $100 million 3-D film version opens on Wednesday. "I'm not sure it will make you believe in God," the Taiwanese-born American director said in a phone interview.

RIO DE JANEIRO - Brazilian researchers are turning to cloning to help fight the perilous decline of several animal species. The scientists at Brazil's Embrapa agriculture research agency said this week they have spent two years building a gene library with hundreds of samples from eight native species, including the collared anteater, the bush dog, the black lion tamarin, the coati, and deer and bison varieties, as well as the jaguar and the maned wolf....

The Camden County health department has confirmed that a skunk picked up Nov. 5 in Voorhees has tested positive for rabies. A homeowner exposed to the skunk's saliva has started treatment. His dog, whose vaccination was current, also was treated. County officials urged residents to keep pet vaccinations current, avoid direct contact with unfamiliar animals, and avoid leaving open garbage cans or litter outside. Residents also should keep children and pets from making contact with wild animals.

BISMARCK, N.D. - Voters in heavily agriculture-dependent North Dakota became the first to enshrine in their state constitution the right to farm, a move that some say could have far-reaching effects on genetic modification, land use, and the way animals are raised. The amendment approved Tuesday guarantees the right of farmers to engage in "modern" agriculture and bars any law limiting their right "to employ agricultural technology, modern livestock production, and ranching practices.

FAIR HILL, Md. - In the 2000s, Kentucky Derby winners are retired for any reason or no reason. So what was trainer Graham Motion doing in his office on Oct. 20, talking about the 2011 Derby winner, a horse who has had exactly one race since the 2011 Belmont Stakes? Turns out Barry Irwin, who runs the syndicate that owns Animal Kingdom, actually likes horse racing. He especially likes to see his horses race. So when Motion suggested to his owner that he felt confident Animal Kingdom not only could make it back to the races, but could come back in top form and compete in the Nov. 3 Breeders' Cup at Santa Anita, Irwin said go. Animal Kingdom was injured in that Belmont Stakes, underwent surgery at the New Bolton Center in Kennett Square, and did not run again until winning an allowance race at Gulfstream Park in February.

A Delaware County animal shelter received an unexpected windfall Thursday, courtesy of the state Treasury. Francisvale Home for Smaller Animals on Upper Gulph Road in Radnor Township found out it is owed $35,000 in unclaimed stock. "It is a complete windfall, a glorious windfall," shelter manager Heather Hennessey said, adding that the money would be earmarked for the general fund. "We have a big gap in our day-to-day expenses. " It is not the only shelter that has money coming its way. About $100,000 of the $1.9 billion in the Treasury Department's Unclaimed Property Program belongs to 12 organizations statewide that deal with animals.

A Delaware County animal shelter will get an unexpected windfall Thursday courtesy of the state Treasury. Francisvale Home for Smaller Animals on Upper Gulph Road in Radnor Township found out it is owed $35,000 in unclaimed stock. "It is a complete windfall, a glorious windfall," said Heather Hennessey, shelter manager, adding the money will be earmarked for the general fund. "We have a big gap in our day to day expenses. " The 103-year-old non-profit facility, which sits on 16 acres, is a no-kill shelter and home to about 35 dogs and 62 cats.

HARRISBURG - The images are stark: men and teenagers drop-kicking wounded pigeons like footballs, stomping on them, slamming them against their heels until they explode. The Illinois group SHark (Showing Animals Respect and Kindness) says the photos taken at a Berks County pigeon shoot last month are evidence that the shoots - the topic of a decades-long debate in the capitol - violate state animal-cruelty laws, and it says legislators and law enforcement should stop them. "This is the worst cruelty I've seen in 20 years of doing this," SHark spokesman Stuart Chaifetz said.

HARRISBURG - The images are stark: men and teenagers drop-kicking wounded pigeons like footballs, stomping on them, slamming them against their heels until they explode. The Illinois-based group SHark (Showing Animals Respect and Kindness) says the images from a Berks County pigeon shoot last month are evidence that the shoots - the topic of a decades-long debate in the Capitol - violate state animal cruelty laws and that legislators and law enforcement should stop them. "This is the worst cruelty I've seen in 20 years of doing this," said SHark spokesman Stuart Chaifetz.

Nowadays it's not easy being Animal Collective. After more than a decade of fortuitous left turns and deft reinventions, the Baltimore-born quartet has entered that paradoxical Twilight Zone where its audience expects the unexpected - but isn't necessarily thrilled when it comes. The group's new album, Centipede Hz , is a clangorous volte-face inward from 2009's unseasonably warm and welcoming Merriweather Post Pavilion . Given the experimental troupe's reputation for seldom looking back, the Hz -heavy set list at the Mann Center on Wednesday was equally unsurprising - as was the cavernous venue's many vacant seats.