cc` !DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd"> My Dragon's Lair Sharing is the reason for my being...

My Dragon's Lair Sharing is the reason for my being...

Altered and added new content 10-4-07 Important 5-4-07 No longer Child safe because of the links inside sites included here. Adult Humor is posted here. Template errors still. E shows wrong, and Netscape shows mostly correct. Activly learning HTML to correct and improve. Be it fun or serious I hope you enjoy and take away with you what I find to share. LI

Saturday, October 20, 2007

Taku: Killer whale at SeaWorld in Texas dies

SAN ANTONIO - A killer whale at the SeaWorld in San Antonio has died unexpectedly.
SeaWorld spokesman Fran Stephenson says Taku (tah-KU'), a 14-year-old male killer whale, died Wednesday night. Taku had been showing signs of infection for the three days before his death, but he was responding to treatment, Stephenson said.
A cause of death has not been determined. Results of an examination will be available in six weeks.
Stephenson said there is a wide disparity on estimates for the life expectancy of killer whales.

Taku died unexpectedly on October 17, 2007, at the age of 14 and weighing over 7000 lbs. Authorities said that a post-mortem examination will be performed, but results will not be available for six weeks.
Taku is a male killer whale, born at SeaWorld in Florida. After birth, he spent most of his time, being with Katina or Nyar, his half-sister. After 3 years of his mothers' care, she gave birth again. When his little sister was born he was very interested and since that moment they were inseparable! Mostly Unna, Katina and Taku were in a tank, doing laps together. On August 25, 2002 Katina gave birth again.

He became nervous and had to be moved into another tank. Unna was later moved to SeaWorld Texas in December of 2002 and since then, Ikaika and Taku started bonding. Ikaika even can swim in mother-calf-position with Taku.

Family Members/Breed

(Asterisk indicates a deceased relative)

Meeting Takara: When Takara and her daughter Kohana arrived at SeaWorld, Taku took some romantic interest in her. At first, Takara would swim away from him when he was too close to him but later took romantic interest in Taku and began to be close to him. Takara had made a good impression on Taku - love at first sight! Visitors were commenting on Taku's persistence in following Takara and Kohana everywhere after their arrival. Now things have settled down a bit and Takara actually enjoys Taku's company a lot. She would often initiate contact with him by swimming with him or just rubbing. They're a cute couple. Soon Taku mated with Takara in May 2004 and she became pregnant by him.

Birth of Taku's son Trua: On November 23, 2005 around 21:50 EST (4:50 PM), Takara went into labor with her second calf with her daughter Kohana beside her. An hour later around 22:22, Takara gave birth to a male calf (Taku's son/first calf) who was later to be named Trua. Source: Wikipedia

Orcas - SeaWorld's main attraction is its Orcas, several of which are housed in 7-million-gallon habitats that are each known as Shamu Stadium. Shamu was the name of the first Orca brought to SeaWorld San Diego in the 1960s. 'Shamu' is now used as a stage name for adult Orcas in performances at SeaWorld parks. The Orcas all have real names. Currently, Sea World houses 22 Orcas in its three parks. Seven Orcas live in the San Diego park: Corky, Kasatka, Ulises, Orkid, Sumar, Nakai, and Kalia. Nine live at SeaWorld Orlando: Katina, Kalina, Tilikum, Taima, Takara, Kayla, Trua, Nalani, and Malia. SeaWorld San Antonio holds six Orcas: Taku, Kyuquot, Keet, Unna, Tuar, and Halyn. Wikipedia History of SeaWorld

Dedicated to Taku on Webshots.com Taku published by orcalover109 Rest In Peace, Taku . . . I've uploaded some old pictures I had of Taku. I apologize for any duplicates. I chose this one for the dedication given. Photos and comments posted.

From Texas Liberal, a Wordpress Political site. The highlighted links show what is included.

An orca, or killer whale, has died unexpectedly today at Sea World in San Antonio, Texas. This whale was called Taku.

Taku is an interesting name for this whale. Gyotaku is a Japanese art form where an impression in paper made over a dead fish in order to preserve an image of the fish. In this way, fishermen could prove how big a catch they had made to others. It is also practiced by some as an art form.

The photo above is gyotaku art. Gyo means “fish” and taku means “rubbing or “impression.”

Of course, gyotaku is not what Sea World is doing with the deceased so-called Taku. Everybody already knows that Sea World puts huge killer whales in little tanks. Nothing to prove on that account.

Please click here for a previous Texas Liberal post on what is done with Shamu whales when they die at Sea World.

Please click here for a post on when a Shamu attacked her handler.

About Author: Neil Aquino. Since you’re at a political blog, please click here for a great article on helping America’s middle classes. We’ve got to find a way to help people live decent lives in the Global Economy. October 19th, 2007 - Posted by Neil Aquino Art, Sea Life, Texas , , , , , ,

Labels: , , , , ,

posted by LadyIrene @ 10/20/2007 10:09:00 PM 0 comments

Saturday, August 04, 2007

Firehouse mourns their 21 year old cat, Maxine

Illness strikes down firefighters' feline queen By Gloria Negri, Globe Staff August 4, 2007

She was born in an alley outside the Oliver Street firehouse, the only survivor of a litter. The firefighters found her when she was 5 weeks old, a scrawny tiger cat, with a mangled tail and one eye barely intact. They fed her and took her to a veterinarian who amputated her tail. They named her Maxine and gave her their hearts, as well as her own miniature condo, they made out of styrofoam and fleece. At the holidays she had her own Christmas tree.

Maxine, the diva of firehouse cats, died after a 21-year reign at Division I Fire Department Headquarters near South Station.

A photo of firehouse cat Maxine hangs at Division I Fire Department Headquarters. Her scratching posts and brush stand as memorials to her 21-year presence at the station.A photo of firehouse cat Maxine hangs at Division I Fire Department Headquarters. Her scratching posts and brush stand as memorials to her 21-year presence at the station. (DAVID L. RYAN/GLOBE STAFF)
Also called Max or Maxie, the petite orange and gray cat was put to sleep Thursday after failing health and the ravages of age made that the only humane thing to do, Lieutenant John Forristall said yesterday.

Members of Engine 1 were mourning, particularly retired firefighter Robert Beals of Wellesley, who was around when she was found hiding in a concrete block in the old firehouse in 1986. She made fast friends even among firefighters who professed to not be cat lovers.

They treated Maxine like a queen and in return, she cuddled up in their coats and on their beds. She rid the old Oliver Street firehouse of mice but had more time for napping when they moved to the rodent-free high-rise station on Purchase Street in the early 1990s.

Maxine was no daredevil, Beals said, and preferred hanging out in the firehouse to riding out to fires. "As soon as the truck lights went on, Maxine ran the other way," he said.

In the Oliver Street station where she lived for seven years, Maxine fed her wanderlust and became "well-traveled" around Boston, Beals said.

"She'd walk over the footbridge over the Expressway down to Northern Avenue. We had to pick her up in the conductor's booth at South Station a number of times. Once a woman picked her up at an outdoor event and took her home to Framingham. I had to go out and get her the next day."

In the mid-1990s, Maxine had a tumor on her thyroid, Beals said. "We took her to Angell Memorial and they told us it would cost $1,100 to treat her. Everyone in the firehouse contributed, and she was cured."

There were no plans for a memorial for Maxine, he said, nor for a replacement.

But an oil painting of Maxine hangs in Beals's home, a reminder of his feline pal.

© Copyright 2007 Globe Newspaper Company.

Labels: , , , , , ,

posted by LadyIrene @ 8/04/2007 11:46:00 PM 0 comments