Researchers Study How An Elephant Does Math

Some captive elephants create paintings or even smash and consume giant pumpkins in Halloween kickoff events, but what about their mathematical abilities? Three Asian elephants named Artit (a 15-year-old male), Surya (an 18-year-old female), and Authai (a 14-year-old female) are the stars of a recent elephant math study published in the Journal of Ethology. The trio of pachyderms live in Japan's Ueno Zoo in facilities approved by the Japanese Association of Zoos and Aquariums.

Authai was the breakout performer of the group in this study, which "provides the first experimental evidence that nonhuman animals have cognitive characteristics partially identical to human counting," the study's lead author Naoko Irie noted in a news release. (Artit was removed from the study when his accuracy for the final training stage of the experiment was 49.73%, which is "below chance level," while Surya was dismissed from the study because she wasn't cooperating with the experiment after two sessions of the final training stage.)

Here's how the researchers probed Authai's math abilities and what they found.

The training stage

First, the team trained Authai how to use touch panel apparatus, according to the paper. The apparatus consisted of a liquid crystal display with touch panel, which was connected to a laptop. All of those components were mounted stabilized by a dolly. (All three elephants were involved in this training stage.)

The training sessions were held on an outdoor playground and were timed to occur right before the elephants' third meal of the day. These sessions were held outside of the view of other elephants and the training order was random for each day.

First, Authai was rewarded for touching the tip of her trunk to the screen. In the next step, she was rewarded if she touched a red start button within 30 seconds of it appearing on the screen.

The stakes were higher for the final training stage. With the zookeeper standing three meters away from Authai and facing in the opposite direction, the stage was set. Here, the elephant had to make some choices without taking cues from her keeper...

When the start button appeared on the screen, this was the keeper's cue. The touchscreen device was pushed towards Authai until it was two meters away from her. The trial began when she used her trunk to push the start button. Two images of fruits (bananas, watermelons and apples) appeared on the screen and the elephant was to choose one of them. If she chose the one with the larger number of items (either three or four things, depending on the trial), this triggered a neutral sound and image, followed by a fruit reward for Authai. If she chose the figure with the smaller number of items, the result was a three second beeping sound, five seconds of a blank screen and no treat for the elephant.

In each of the 132 training trials, the researchers varied the sizes of the fruit images, which screen side contained the image with the larger quantity of fruit and "the percentages of the total areas (of the screen) covered by the items," they note in the study. (One training session consisted of six training trials and four of these sessions were held each day. The touchscreen device was removed between sessions.)

The team's analysis revealed that Authai's accuracy was above the chance level for the two types of trials in the training stage (one with three objects versus zero and a second with four objects versus one, in which she was 72.2% accurate and 64.1% accurate, respectively). So, she was moved forward into the test trials.

An elephant math test

The testing trials had the same setup as the final training stage, except that each figure presented to Authai could contain images of between zero and 10 fruit pieces. These image combinations presented in a random order, although "each session included the comparison 1 vs 4 (case) at least once at the beginning to raise Authai’s motivation level," the researchers wrote.

In 181 cases (out of 271), Authai chose the correct response. That's a 66.8% accuracy rate, which is more often than chance. What's more, the Asian elephant's performance "was unaffected by distance, magnitude, or the ratios of the presented numerosities," Irie stated in the news release. While Authai needed more time to compare the two figures when they were smaller distances apart, this is "consistent with observations of human counting," Irie added.

Aside from the fact that the conclusions of this study are based on testing trials conducted on just one animal (so they may not generalize to other Asian elephants), there's also the matter of the two species of African elephants. Since the species diverged more than 76 million years ago, there's a high likelihood that their cognitive abilities differ from those of Asian elephants, the news release notes.

Still, it's exciting to picture elephant mathematicians, whether wild or captive, possessing math sense that's closer to that of humankind than other animals.

More dead seals wash ashore as rescuers try to save sick animals

Several more dead seals washed ashore in York County on Tuesday, adding to an unusual die-off that has local and federal experts searching for an explanation.

The discovery of at least 35 dead harbor seals on southern Maine beaches in the past two days, including 11 found Monday in Saco, comes amid an unexplained surge in the number of dead and stranded live seals in both southern Maine and New Hampshire in the past two weeks, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said. NOAA researchers are analyzing tissue samples taken from dead animals found in both states to try to determine if avian flu, harmful algal blooms or some other cause is behind the increase in the number of dead and sick seals.

"It's obviously a cause for concern," said Jennifer Goebel, a NOAA spokeswoman.

So far this month, 84 harbor seals have been found dead or stranded on southern Maine beaches, far out-pacing the 10-year average of 38 strandings in the entire month of August, NOAA said. Many of the dead and stranded seals have been pups.

Whatever is killing the seals also may be leaving others sick or weak.

Maine rescuers took in two live stranded seals Tuesday, putting a midcoast rehab facility at capacity at a time when similar facilities across New England also are filled with an unusual number of sick or weak seals found stranded along the coast.

Goebel said scientists are looking for possible pathogens that have caused seal die-offs in the past, including avian flu and harmful algal blooms. In 2011, more than 160 seals were found dead on the coast from northern Massachusetts to Maine between September and December. Tests conducted on five animals showed they suffered from a bacterial pneumonia caused by a strain of avian influenza – H3N8 – that can be transmitted to seals through contact with seabird guano.

Lynda Doughty, executive director of Harpswell-based nonprofit Marine Mammals of Maine, which responds to seal strandings, said her organization is working with NOAA to investigate the seal deaths. That work includes thinking about different types of sampling to do on the seal carcasses and who else to bring into conversations about what is happening to the harbor seal population in the area, she said.

"We're making sure we're not leaving anything out," she said.

Answers about the cause of the die-off are not likely to come quickly. Goebel said it will be several weeks before results are received from the tests being done by NOAA scientists.

Saco officials were first notified about multiple dead seals on the beach early Monday morning and lifeguards arriving for duty found a total of 11 carcasses on Bayview and Kinney Shores beaches.

Most of the seals found in Saco were harbor seal pups, though the ages of the seals varied widely, Doughty said. The seals were in various stages of decomposition and none of the carcasses were fresh, which makes it more difficult to determine when the animals died, she said.

The seal carcasses removed from the beaches in Saco were taken to Benson Farm in Gorham, which composts sea animals, including whales.

By Tuesday morning, Marine Mammals of Maine had responded to reports of four more seal deaths along the southern coast, including in Saco and Harpswell. The organization also took two live juvenile harbor seals found stranded on beaches to its facility in Harpswell for treatment.

Doughty said the arrival of those two seals put the facility at full capacity. The facility can accommodate four animals for long-term care and triages seals out to facilities in other states. But those out-of-state facilities are now also full.

"For this time of year, that's unusual," Doughty said.

Doughty said it is normal for the facilities to be full in late May during harbor seal pupping season, but less common later in the summer when juvenile seals are more independent.

Harbor seal pups can swim at birth and can dive for up to two minutes when they are only 2 or 3 days old. Mother harbor seals raise their pups in nurseries that help protect the pups from predators. Historically, about 30 percent of all harbor seal pups born in any year die that year, according to the New England Aquarium.

Delta Animal Shelter takes in 45 new animals

 Gladstone Public Safety and Delta Animal Shelter worked together to rescue 45 animals from a home in the 1300 block of Delta Avenue on Thursday. The animals owner reached out for help tending to the animals before agreeing to hand them over to the shelter.

"This person spoke to the animal shelter and they were saying that they were concerned about the animals and they wanted to do something with them," Ryan Peterson, a Public Safety Officer involved in the rescue, tells TV6. "The animal shelter people were able to convince her that it would be in their best interest to surrender the animals."

Both the animal shelter and Public Safety office said the animals seemed well cared for and in good condition at the time.

"This was a situation that was very sad, but the person did the right thing by contacting the shelter and asking for help," Director of the Delta Animal Shelter, Susan Gartland, said. "The animals were surrendered willingly to the shelter."

Gartland also reminds the public if they are in a similar situation, that reaching out to a shelter is the best option.

All dogs and puppies have been since visited by a veterinarian for vaccines since being brought in. They will soon be neutered and spayed before they go up for adoption. The shelter will also work to socialize the more shy pups before they become available. The animals are all looking at spending a few more weeks at the shelter before that happens.

During their time there, the shelter is reaching out to the public for help taking care of their newest residents.

"Right now, the greatest way to help the animal sheltor is financial, to do donations, or our second greatest need is supplies," Gartland said.

Those supplies include cans of wet dog food, puppy pads and garbage bags.

Grieving dad takes in 300 cats after the loss of his son

If you dream of one day quitting your job and becoming a full-time cat person, you might want to model yourself after Chris Arsenault.

The retired train conductor has taken in hundreds of cats in need, building his own dang dream world for his feline friends.

He called it the Happy Cat Sanctuary and right now it’s chockers with cats.

The facility, located in Long Island, is massive.

It includes a main shelter and a big, open yard with specially-built fences design to keep the cats from climbing out.

There are fountains, heaters, air conditioners and a whoooooole lot of cat lounges.

According to a recent report from The Dodo, the sanctuary currently has roughly 300 cats.

But it’s not overcrowded.

“It’s so big that even if a cat isn’t that fond of others’ company, he can claim whichever area he likes as his own,” Arsenault told Dodo journo Kristen Warfield.

“The most important thing to me is that they’re comfortable and that everything is kept clean.”

But it wasn’t always like this.

Arsenault started rescuing cats while grieving the loss of his 24-year-old son Eric, who died in a motorcycle accident.

While dealing with the tragedy, Arsenault came across 30 kittens in a very bad way and nursed them back to health.

It was this during process, in the wake of such loss, that he found his calling.

So he opened his heart - and his doors - to felines in need.

Now, the sanctuary cares for cats that have been rescued from hoarders or abusive owners. And even poor kitties used as bait in dog fighting rings.

With their trauma in the past, the sanctuary gives the cats the freedom to safely “roam, scratch, lounge, and climb”.

“All cats are neutered, have access to vet care, and are regularly brushed and given lots of love and attention,” the sanctuary website says.

Arsenault’s story is now picking up traction after featuring on sites like The Dodo and college journos Anna Brooks and Kyle Kucharski making a doco short about him, which you can watch on Vimeo.

The sanctuary takes donations to keep the lights on and the breakfast bowls full, and adopts out cats and kittens to new, loving homes.

You can keep up with the facility on social media by following the Happy Cat Sanctuary Facebook page.

Why dog lovers should never buy puppies from pet shops

Pet shops are to be banned from selling puppies, under tough new rules to prevent so-called “puppy farming”.

Many are familiar with the image of a puppy in a pet shop window, but behind the cute image often lies a story of exploitation and even abuse.

Michael Gove, the environment secretary, acted after the RSPCA warned of a "puppy crisis."

Third-hand sales of puppies often mean that sick dogs can be sold as healthy, and it is difficult for the consumer to find out the health of the mother. Animals are often also taken away from their mother far too soon, which can cause problems, and bred in sub-standard conditions.

The Telegraph spoke to David Bowles, Head of Public Affairs at the RSPCA, about why this new piece of legislation is so important, and what potential pet owners should look for before buying a dog.

The truth behind pet shop pooches

Mr Bowles said: "The trade in puppies in England is probably something like 700,000 dogs coming on to the market every year.

"And some of those dogs are being sold by what we call third party sellers and you get very poor conditions, being sold in lay-bys, the dogs have poor welfare and they're very badly adjusted."

Never buy dogs from a pet shop

Mr Bowles was very clear that dogs should only be bought from the breeder.

He said that research should be done to find an appropriate breeder, explaining: "So if you want a specific breed just get it from a breeder that you trust, do your research and certainly work out whether you have the energy, the money, the time to exercise that dog, give the dog the right food and water, give it the right veterinary care."

The checks you should do when buying a puppy

The RSPCA chief explained: "They shouldn't be giving you the dog on the first time you get there, you certainly should not be getting the dog anywhere apart from the breeder's house. You should be asking to see the dog's mother because that shows that the person has bred the dog themselves.

"Ask where it's come from if it's microchipped, if it's vaccinated. All of those things the breeder should be very happy to give you the information and you should walk away with a well-adjusted dog.

"Ask if the breeder has the puppy contract. Ask if they are Kennel Club registered. Those are all fairly good signs to show that the breeder knows what they're doing and is breeding responsibly.

"So a dog should be well adjusted and well socialized; if it looks scared, it doesn't look like it knows how to react around humans then it may be badly socialized. "

The new measures mean it should be easier to buy a healthy puppy

Many of the warnings the RSPCA has given about purchasing a puppy are covered under the new measures.

These include banning licensed sellers from dealing with puppies and kittens under the age of eight weeks; introducing compulsory licensing for breeders who sell puppies, which they must have bred themselves, and requiring puppy sales to be completed in the presence of the new owner, preventing online sales.

Adams County SPCA reports seizing 133 animals in deplorable conditions

Adams County SPCA closed unexpectedly Friday following the seizure of more than 100 animals, according to the organization's social media accounts.

Most of the animals seized were birds, including pigeons, ducks, geese and chickens. The organization also took in pigs, rabbits, cats and miniature donkeys from a residence in Adams County, the post states.

With a search warrant, the SPCA seized a total of 133 animals from the residence on Dec. 7. None of the animals are available for adoption at this time because of the pending court case.

A Facebook post depicts alleged "deplorable conditions" with the animals confined to small spaces and living in unsanitary conditions. (Warning: Some might find the photos disturbing.)

The Adams County SPCA could not release more details at this time because the investigation remains open.

The organization is asking the community for donations — both monetary and in the form of Tractor Supply gift cards, bagged straw and bales of hay — to help care for the animals in the coming days.

Here's how you can help animals affected by the California wildfires

Last week, as the Skirball Fire burned up more and more of Southern California, Los Angeles Police Department Officer Tae Kim was helping with evacuations.

Kim's focus was to "get people out," LAPD spokesperson Sergeant Hector Guzman told TODAY. But while going door to door in west Los Angeles, Kim found a cat that seemed to be in trouble.

The cat was in a house whose front door was open. No one appeared to be home, so Kim carried the cat to his patrol car to make sure the feline would be safe.

"For somebody it's their companion, family member," said Guzman. "It could be their everything."

The six wildfires tearing through Southern California have burned up 175,000 acres and counting. A reported 90,000 people have been evacuated from their homes. On Friday, authorities confirmed 70-year-old Virginia Pesola as the first person to be killed in connection with the fires.

Heroic individuals are working around the clock to save animals from these harsh conditions — and the good news is you can help.

A big way to do that is by supporting animal shelters in the affected areas.

Randy Friedman, spokesperson for Ventura County Animal Services — in the area where the Thomas Fire has spread across 148,000 acres — told TODAY that the shelter has taken in far more animals than usual in order to provide a "safe space" for the community's pets.

That includes those who are lost and stray, and those who need refuge while their human family members are evacuated. VCAS' usual capacity is about 400 pets; they are now caring for more than 1,000, both at the regular shelter and at the evacuation shelter at the Ventura County Fairgrounds.

On Friday, an elderly woman came to VCAS with her three dogs, one of whom is 17 years old. She was evacuating to an emergency shelter, but her dogs weren't allowed. Full to the brim already, staff quickly built a new kennel in the shelter director's office so the dogs would have someplace to stay until their owner could reclaim them.

"That's our main mandate," Friedman said. "To keep people's pets safe."

To help in this mission, VCAS is maintaining a fire wish list, updated regularly as needs change. They're also posting updates on the VCAS Facebook page.

Friedman said another priority is to have animals go home as quickly as possible to free up much-needed space. Families who have left pets at the shelter while they are evacuated should retrieve them as soon as they are able. While the shelter has been closed to adoptions due to the fire, that should change early in the week at the latest, Friedman hopes — and "adopt right away once we're back open," he said.

The Humane Society of Ventura County is also working "in full-throttle crisis mode," said spokesperson Franki D. Williams. "We have been open 24/7 since Monday and have been intaking animals as well as going out on animal evacuations since that time."