Macaw Kidnapped

I personally know Mr. Butkovich and his birds as well as the backstory on each one. To him these birds are his life and he takes them everywhere with him. He would stop by the animal hospital to show me pictures of him and the birds and the places they had been together. I especially liked the photo of Buford on a train locomotive. 

These birds mean the world to him and I am posting this story in the hopes that someone may come across Buford, the ruby macaw (as the name infers it is a big red macaw), or at least know some information about what had happened. If you have any information, notify the police or Mr. Butkovich. 

Bowmanville's 'bird man' carries on after a beloved macaw is kidnapped

Longtime pets Sam and Buford were abducted; only Sam escaped

Mary Schmich

June 8, 2012

Buford and Sam were kidnapped last Friday at approximately 5:30 p.m. in the alley behind Nick Butkovich's house.

Butkovich had turned his back to putter with some bridles and sleigh bells — he was getting ready for the neighborhood yard sale — when he heard Buford and Sam scream. He whirled around just in time to see someone — a woman? — hustling them into a black Jeep Cherokee.

• 

Butkovich, who is 65 and heavyset, dashed for his car and went in pursuit. The Jeep vanished.

By the time he got home, his neighbors, some of whom witnessed the crime, had gathered to share his dismay. There, in his despair, he got another shock.

Sam had bitten the kidnapper. The kidnapper let go. Sam fell to the pavement, and though the getaway Jeep had run over his wing, he'd managed to climb back up the wire fence from which he'd been stolen. In the rumpled splendor of his blue macaw feathers, he sat wounded and alone, waiting for his master.

"He's lucky," Butkovich said Thursday.

Under the June sun, Sam again sat with his claws wrapped on top of the backyard fence. His wing still bears the trace of the Jeep's wheel.

"He fell on his back, with his wing open. One inch closer, and he would've been finished."

But Sam's luck was only partial. A week later, and there's still no sign of Buford.

Sam without Buford, and Butkovich without both of his big parrots, is a strange sight in Bowmanville, the quiet North Side neighborhood where the three of them are a popular attraction.

"It's a real tragedy in our neighborhood," says Kristine Behof, who wept when she ran into Butkovich after the abduction. "The children adore those birds. And he treats them like they're his children. He walks them around the neighborhood and lets them say hi to everyone. He's a really nice, gentle man. I can't understand why anybody would want to do this to him."

Butkovich, who once ran a security firm, didn't know much about macaws before a business partner gave him one. That was 19 years ago, and Buford, a ruby macaw, was a little over a year old.

He later inherited Sam, a hyacinth macaw just a year younger than Buford, from the same partner. When Sam was a newborn, Butkovich fed him every four hours, even in the middle of the night.

At 4 months, Sam learned to say, "Nick!"

Butkovich lives on the second floor of his 90-year-old aunt's wood-frame cottage. In the winter, he and his birds stay inside a lot. As soon as the temperature breaks 50, they all come outdoors.

On an average morning, the three of them sit around for a while in the backyard. At some point, they head for the IHOP (Tuesdays and Saturdays) or Pauline's (Wednesdays and Sundays) or the Quick Bite hot dog stand.

Butkovich pushes them around on a stroller outfitted with a water dish and a bowl that holds walnuts and cheese fries.

"When you've got two birds, no way you can carry them both on your shoulder," he said. "They fight for your attention."

Canine Comfort : Do Dogs Know When You Are Sad?

Those of us who have had dogs (and other pets) know that they are a source of comfort to us and do sense our emotions. In fact, it is said that dogs have the closest bond to people and are really in tune with our feelings, more than any other type of animal. But here is an article I came across where they actually approached the topic scientifically. We pet owners would respond to the revelations in this study with a collective "Duh" as we already know this to be true.

Canine Comfort : Do Dogs Know When You Are Sad?
by Stephanie Pappas (LiveScience)
Plenty of pet owners are comforted by a pair of puppy-dog eyes or a swipe of the tongue when their dog catches them crying. Now, new research suggests that dogs really do respond uniquely to tears. But whether pets have empathy for human pain is less clear.

In a study published online May 30 in the journal Animal Cognition, University of London researchers found that dogs were more likely to approach a crying person than someone who was humming or talking, and that they normally responded to weeping with submissive behaviors. The results are what you might expect if dogs understand our pain, the researchers wrote, but it's not proof that they do.

"The humming was designed to be a relatively novel behavior, which might be likely to pique the dogs' curiosity," study researcher and psychologist Deborah Custance said in a statement. "The fact that the dogs differentiated between crying and humming indicates that their response to crying was not purely driven by curiosity. Rather, the crying carried greater emotional meaning for the dogs and provoked a stronger overall response than either humming or talking."

Humans domesticated dogs at least 15,000 years ago, and many a pet owner has a tale of their canine offering comfort in tough times. Studies have shown that dogs are experts at human communication, but scientists haven't been able to show conclusively that dogs feel empathy or truly understand the pain of others. In one 2006 study, researchers had owners fake heart attacks or pretend to be pinned beneath furniture, and learned that pet dogs failed to go for help (so much for Lassie saving Timmy from the well).

But seeking out assistance is a complex task, and Custance and her colleague Jennifer Mayer wanted to keep it simple. They recruited 18 pet dogs and their owners to test whether dogs would respond to crying with empathetic behaviors. The dogs included a mix of mutts, Labrador retrievers, golden retrievers and a few other common breeds. [What Your Dog's Breed Says About You]

The experiment took place in the owners' living rooms. Mayer would arrive and ignore the dog so that it would have little interest in her. Then she and the owner would take turns talking, fake-crying and humming.

Of the 18 dogs in the study, 15 approached their owner or Mayer during crying fits, while only six approached during humming. That suggests that it's emotional content, not curiosity, that brings the dogs running. Likewise, the dogs always approached the crying person, never the quiet person, as one might expect if the dog was seeking (rather than trying to provide) comfort.

"The dogs approached whoever was crying regardless of their identity. Thus they were responding to the person's emotion, not their own needs, which is suggestive of empathic-like comfort-offering behavior," Mayer said in a statement.

Of the 15 dogs that approached a crying owner or stranger, 13 did so with submissive body language, such as tucked tails and bowed heads, another behavior consistent with empathy (the other two were alert or playful). Still, the researchers aren't dog whisperers, and they can't prove conclusively what the dogs were thinking. It's possible that dogs learn to approach crying people because their owners give them affection when they do, the researchers wrote.

"We in no way claim that the present study provides definitive answers to the question of empathy in dogs," Mayer and Custance wrote. Nevertheless, they said, their experiment opens the door for more study of dogs' emotional lives, from whether different breeds respond to emotional owners differently to whether dogs understand the difference between laughter and tears.

Slideshow of the 10 Mile Parrot Walk on Memorial Day

These are a series of slides taken before, during and after the Parrot Walk on May 28th, 2012. The walk was to raise funds for the birds at "A Refuge for Saving the Wildlife" and there was quite a corps of enthusiastic humans and birds who braved the 90 degree heat to make the event a great success. (Our staff was taking bets that I would not make the full ten miles...but I did, as well as the other walkers).

Thanks to the donors, walkers and volunteers who helped to make a difference for the birds at the shelter, as this is what it is all about.

The song selected for the slideshow soundtrack is "You Raise Me Up" by Josh Groban and is very fitting, especially so as he grew up in the northern suburbs of Chicago, not far from the Refuge.

You may contact the Refuge at www.rescue the birds.org.

The link to the video http://youtu.be/9LVCfQUH7vw

Federal Lawsuit Filed over Chicken Jerky Treats from China

From DVM 360 Magazine....(the beat goes on).

May 25, 2012

Dog's death leads to federal lawsuit over chicken jerky treats from China

By Heather Biele, DVM

Case highlights ongoing concerns of veterinarians and pet owners over FDA warnings.

A dog owner in the Chicago area has filed a class action lawsuit alleging that his 9-year-old Pomeranian died as a result of eating Nestlé Purina’s Waggin’ Train Yam Good dog treats. The fatality and resulting lawsuit are the most recent in a series of events illustrating the public’s growing anxieties over an apparent connection between chicken jerky treats from China and a surge of unexplained illness in dogs.

According to the lawsuit, filed on April 18 in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois by Dennis Adkins of Orland Park, Ill., the dog became ill and died of kidney failure less than two weeks after consuming the treats in March. Adkins says he gave one of the treats to his dog daily for two days and that no other changes were made to the dog’s diet. His other Pomeranian was not fed the treats and did not become ill. The suit names as defendants Waggin’ Train LLC, the manufacturer of the product; Nestlé Purina Petcare Co., the corporation that owns Waggin’ Train LLC; and Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., the distributor.

The lawsuit states that although Nestlé Purina and Waggin’ Train had received complaints of more than 500 incidents in which dog treats containing chicken jerky imported from China caused dogs to become sick or die, they continued to market their product as being “wholesome” and placed no warnings concerning the product on the packaging. Additionally, it states that Nestlé Purina and Waggin’ Train knew there was a substantial risk of death or harm associated with its dog treats and intentionally concealed known facts concerning the safety of the dog treats in order to increase or maintain sales.

Keith Schopp, spokesperson for Nestlé Purina and Waggin’ Train, states, “We believe the claims made in the lawsuit to be without merit and we intend to vigorously defend ourselves. We can say that Waggin’ Train products continue to be safe to feed as directed.”

The lawsuit brings eight counts against the defendants by Adkins and on behalf of all consumers who purchased the chicken jerky dog treats. The allegations include breach of implied and express warranty, consumer and common law fraud, unjust enrichment, negligence, and strict products liability with defective design or manufacture and failure to warn. Adkins is seeking an excess of $5 million for compensatory and punitive damages and costs of the suit.

The case is just one of many reported incidences of illness in pets in association with the consumption of chicken jerky products. Numerous complaints concerning Waggin’ Train chicken jerky treats sickening or killing dogs can be found on the Internet and have sparked the creation of petitions and social media groups by and for pet owners who have lost their pet to illness that they believe is associated with the treats.

Dating back to 2007, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has been investigating a potential connection between the illnesses reported and the treats and has tested a number of samples for contaminants and toxins. However, according to the FDA, scientists have been unable to determine a definitive cause for the reported illnesses. Unless a contaminant is detected and there is evidence that a product is adulterated, the FDA is limited in the regulatory actions it can take.

The FDA did issue cautionary warnings to the public concerning chicken jerky treats in September 2007 and issued a Preliminary Animal Health Notification in December 2008. The number of complaints declined during the latter part of 2009 and most of 2010, the agency reports, but an increase in consumer complaints prompted the FDA to issue a cautionary update again in November 2011. Since that issuance, there has been a steady rise in complaints regarding the chicken jerky products,with more than 900 cases reportedly affected by consumption of these treats, the FDA says.

No recalls have been issued for Waggin’ Train or any brand of chicken jerky treats to date. On the company’s web site, Waggin’ Train addresses consumer concerns and continues to maintain the integrity and quality of their chicken jerky treats, asserting a comprehensive food safety program and strict quality assurance teams dedicated to overseeing the various steps of the manufacturing process.

Despite the absence of a formal recall, the FDA recommends that pet owners monitor their dogs closely for signs of illness if they choose to feed chicken jerky treats. Symptoms of disease include vomiting, lethargy and anorexia, and based on preliminary data, the problem appears more likely to occur in small-breed dogs that are fed the treats regularly or in amounts exceeding the labeled feeding recommendations. Veterinarians who suspect a pet illness associated with the consumption of chicken jerky treats are urged to report the case to the FDA immediately.

Recall of Raw Scraped Raw Tuna Used in Sushi

I checked the CDC  (Center for Disease Control) site and there have been at least 27 cases in Illinois, 20 in Wisconsin and 1 in Indiana.

Multistate Outbreak of Salmonella Bareilly and Salmonella Nchanga Infections Associated with a Raw Scraped Ground Tuna Product

Recall

On April 13, 2012, Moon Marine USA Corporation (also known as MMI) of Cupertino, California voluntarily recalled 58,828 lbs of a frozen raw yellowfin tuna product, labeled as Nakaochi Scrape AA or AAA. Nakaochi Scrape is tuna backmeat, which is specifically scraped off from the bones, and looks like a ground product.
On May 10, 2012 Moon Fishery (India) Pvt. Ltd., the manufacturer of the frozen yellowfin tuna Nakaochi scrape recently recalled, expanded the voluntary recall to include  its 22-pound boxes of “Tuna Strips”, Product of India, marked as “AA” or “AAA Grade” because the product has the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella.

Advice to Consumers

Raw Scraped Ground Tuna

• Do not eat the recalled frozen raw yellowfin tuna product, known as Nakaochi Scrape, from Moon Marine USA Corporation. This product is tuna backmeat that is scraped from the bones of tuna and may be used to make sushi, particularly "spicy tuna" sushi.
• If you purchase "spicy tuna" or other sushi, sashimi, ceviche, or similar dishes that might contain Nakaochi Scrape tuna product from a restaurant or grocery store, check with the establishment to make sure that it does not contain raw recalled product from Moon Marine USA Corporation. When in doubt, don't eat it.
• Persons who think they might have become ill from eating possibly contaminated raw Nakaochi Scrape tuna product should consult their healthcare providers.
• Infants, older adults, pregnant women, and persons with impaired immune systems are more likely than others to develop severe illness and should not eat raw or partially cooked fish or shellfish. If you are unsure of your risk, ask your healthcare provider.

Advice to Retailers and Establishments

• Do not serve raw recalled frozen raw yellowfin tuna product, known as Nakaochi Scrape, from Moon Marine USA Corporation. If you do not know the source of your raw scraped yellowfin tuna product, check with your supplier.

« Read the full Outbreak Investigation

Costco, Diamond Pet Foods sued over contaminated dog food

I received this posting from the American Veterinary Medical Association. If you have been following the recall postings, you kinda knew this action would soon be following.

It is disturbing that there have been so many recalls on pet foods (dog, cat, small mammal and bird) lately and emphasizes that we must be sure of our sources, store the food properly and handle it safely. It really makes me wonder about some of the imported foods for humans that are on our grocery store shelves.as well. I hate to be a Debby Downer, but it doesn't take much of a stretch to surmise that many of these foreign countries do not follow sanitation and food preparation standards we have to meet in this country. Also how well can this massive amount of food be adequately inspected? I am sure many of you saw the expose on television where they showed that even supposedly organic foods raised in the US was coming from China. This was from a high end food store which charged premium prices for their goods. As the Latin phrase states, "Caveat emptor" (let the buyer beware).

Costco, Diamond Pet Foods sued over contaminated dog food

Posted by Neena Pellegrini

Costco and Diamond Pet Foods have been sued in connection with the dog-food Salmonella infantis outbreak in what is believed to be the first lawsuit against the Issaquah-based company and the pet-food processor.

Diamond has issued a massive recall of dog food made at its Gaston, S.C., plant after Salmonella was found at the facility. At least 15 people who had contact with the contaminated food or the animals who ate it have been sickened in nine states. Earlier this week, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said a second Diamond plant, in Meta, Mo., is being investigated after a different strain -- Salmonella liverpool -- was found there.

The suit was filed this week in U.S. District Court in New Jersey by national food-safety law firm Pritzker Olsen on behalf of an infant who was hospitalized for three days after contracting Salmonella. The baby developed severe diarrhea, fever and loss of appetite, according to the complaint. The bacteria cultured from the child was the same rare type of Salmonella found in samples of contaminated kibble recalled by Diamond. Some of the recalled products were the Kirkland brand, Costco's private label store brand that is made by Diamond.

According to the suit, the baby's father had purchased one of the recalled varieties -- Kirkland Signature Super Premium Healthy Weight Dog Formulated with Chicken &Vegetables -- for the family dogs.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said the bacteria spreads when people come into contact with the contaminated food or with an animal that has eaten the food.

The Parrot Walk for A Refuge for Saving the Wildlife

Great turnout this morning. Pretty warm but all the walkers and birds (plus one dog) did just fine. Kudos to all those who took part walking and raising funds as well as a big thank you to all those who donated. You helped support a wonderful organization and expedite their mission of saving the birds.

I took plenty of pictures which I will post.

For more info www.rescuethe birds.org