Friday Chat w/ Vlad
Hey, it’s Vlad. Just as Jackalpalloza was settling down around here, the third musketeer has shown up and jackal mania has now been dialed up to 11. You see when JABCECC was first contacted about these black backed jackals, we were informed that there were potentially three babies that needed a perfect home. Since our motto here is “no canid gets left behind” of course we agreed to give all of them a home. This motto has roots that go to the very beginning of the center. Boris and Sophie were the first Belyaev foxes to come to JABCECC. Initially only one of them was going to be rescued. Management was told to choose which one would come to America to live the good life. This just wasn’t going to be OK so a way was found to not leave one of them behind. The same was true for me coming to the center. When a researcher fell in love with Panda, JABCECC was asked if there was a way to get her here so she could be happy. Management agreed but soon found out Panda had 8 pals. Once again, none of us were left behind. In light of this, it’s no surprise that all the jackals were offered a home. Unfortunately, before they could make the trip, one of them broke their leg. In order to allow her time to heal and have continuity of care, jackals Shaka and Zuri came first, followed by Nalla once she healed. Now that we have all gotten to see what a pistol Nalla can be, there have been discussions that her injury might have been an inside job.
It has become clear to me that if I am to have any chance of getting these guys under control, I needed to learn more about jackals. During this research I learned that Black Backed Jackals are the most basal of the dog like canids. This means they are at the base of the evolutionary tree having been around for millions of years. I told Yuri about the jackals being basal and after what appeared to be a bout of deep thought he exclaimed. “That’s great, but actually I prefer oregano”. Oh Yuri, a sweet guy but if he ever has an intelligent thought it will surely die of loneliness.
Vlad out.
Fridays Chat w/ Vlad - June 16, 2023
Friday Chat w/ Vlad
Hey, it’s Vlad. We have a very special guest for our chat today. He is one of JABCECC newest ambassadors on his first appearance on my chat. Please welcome Shaka. Hi Vlad, it’s great to finally meet you in person, I’ve heard so much about you. I know Shaka, it is great to meet me…now what exactly have you heard about me? All positive I trust. Well Vlad, let me just say everyone here has a lot to say about you. Ok Shaka, that is not exactly an answer but we can circle back to that later. So you are a black backed jackal, correct? Where are you guys from? Yes Vlad, I am a jackal and I’m from Minnesota, but if you’re asking where most black backed jackals are from, the answer is Africa. I see Shaka, let’s talk a bit about your name, does Shaka have a meaning. Well Vlad, many say the name means power. I think it was given to me because at JABCECC I will have the power to teach people about canids and hopefully get them to agree that killing us for senseless reasons is not acceptable. The name also was given to a Zulu chief that united the tribes to fight against injustices. When accompanied by a hand gesture, it has been associated with a laidback lifestyle. Legend has it that a sugar mill worker cut off all his fingers except his thumb and pinky. When he would wave he could only raise these two finger and soon others started to imitate him. Then a mayor in Honolulu started doing it while saying “Shaka Brah” and it stuck. Wow Shaka, that is a lot of information. Well Vlad, this is an education center so I’m here to educate. Excellent Shaka, now back to what the others are saying about me. I don’t know Vlad, just normal stuff. Panda said something about bringing you a ladder, and then said something else. Shaka, if that “something else” was “so he can get over himself” heads will roll. And by the way Shaka, you know what Panda calls you and your sisters??? The Jay holes. Vlad, there is a saying in Africa that goes “Uma uluma ungakhethi, ugcina usudla owakho umsila” which means when you bite indiscriminately, you end up eating your own tail. That all the time we have Shaka, ba bye.
Vlad out
Fridays Chat w/ Vlad - June 2, 2023
Friday Chat w/ Vlad
Hey, it’s Vlad. Well, it’s past Memorial Day and I guess that means everyone can wear white again until Labor Day. I’m not sure who made this rule and I’m quite sure it doesn’t apply to foxes. Even if it did, I’m a cross fox which means I am mostly orange, black and silver. I do have a white tip on my tail which I would proudly display before summer just to stick it to the man. Arctic fox Freddie snowball on the other hand is white during the whole winter, a walking fashion faux pas. He is a color morph called a shadow, so at least he gets to be white in the summertime. Most Arctic foxes lose their white fur and turn dark in the spring.
This “fashion rule” is just one of the many things that makes no sense to me. Like why a fly is called a fly but an ant is not a crawl, or an orange is an orange but a lemon isn’t a yellow or why do you bake cookies but cook bacon? Of course the most nonsensical of all, the thing I just can’t wrap my head around no matter what is a platypus. I will admit I don’t understand the need for fashion altogether. The fashion rules are probably made by someone sitting in some ivory tower figuring out ways to get you to buy more stuff. These are the same people trying to convince you that my fur, looks better on you, than it does on me.
Another thing to look forward in summer is barbecues. When management fires up the grill they always will share with us hard working ambassadors… I say “hard working” but the truth is we do have a few slackers in our ranks, I’m sure you could guess who they are. Anyway, as far as the BBQ, chicken hot dogs are the favorite around here. Now I know what you are thinking, “Vlad aren’t those full of chicken parts like beaks and chicken combs?”. You bet they are, the best parts. You know what they say about chicken combs? “Bet you can’t eat just one”.
It will be an exciting summer at JABCECC. Between the opening of the healing path dedicated to dogs, to the arrival of some new rescued ambassadors… FYI, management did tell me about these new arrivals, probably due to the hissy fit I threw about being left in the dark about Shaka and crew, the jackals.
Vlad out.
Viktor’s Foxumentaries
Foxumentary 1:
The Pink Pig: A Love story
The Verge Science
The center had the privilege of being interviewed for a piece on the Russian Domesticated foxes. The short documentary came out on 9/11 and we defiantly have gotten some visibility!!! We are currently adding encounter dates at the center to accommodate the demand.... we are so excited to be able to share the Belyaev foxes with so many people!!
What we also really need are some sponsorship of the foxes, donations, and construction help.
If you are looking for an amazing chance to be part of a nonprofit or to support a nonprofit from the beginning, let us know!!
BONNIE - Our latest RESCUE!! She needs your help
Bonnie needs our love and support to help her heal after years of neglect!!! She needs EMERGENCY VETERINARY CARE!!!
Bonnie was obtained by a "dog breeder" who traded a pair of her "dogs" for a pair of New Guinea Singing dogs. She thought she could make a lot of money breeding and selling these rare dogs... but the male was ill and they never had a litter. The male died and the lady listed the female on Craig's List!!!!
https://huntsville.craigslist.org/pet/d/new-guinea-singing-dog/6654683953.html
She was unwanted, unloved, and not cared for! She was useless because she couldn’t be used as a puppy mill for this lady!! Look at her nails!!! This “breeder” wanted to exploit the fact that she was rare to sell her puppies for a lot of $$- but once she couldn’t have puppies, she figured she would try to sell an 8 year old female for $500!!! Of course, she said she would only take CASH!!! But we convinced her to take receipt through Paypal, because we are a non-profit (501c3) and needed the paper trail!!! We required a Health Certificate and requested confirmation of her health and that she was up to date on all of her shots/vaccinations!! She confirmed she had no medical history and was up to date!!! WELL!!!!!!
As part of our effort in the conservation of New Guinea Singing dogs and their rescue, we raised the money to purchase her from this lady and found placement in a sanctuary with another rescue Singer.
When we went to pick her up, we discovered that she was so sick that she could barely walk. She just laid on the ground and wanted to be picked up!!
She likely has a nail bed infection from years of neglect!!
She has scars on her leg
She also has a horrible infection in her mouth, with many missing teeth- from years of poor veterinary care and even worse food!!!
The infection will definitely require she have teeth extracted, but possibly part of her bone and we don't even know if the infection has spread to other parts of her body or bone!!
We have to take her immediately to a vet!!! One of our team members is currently driving her through horrible storms to get her to the vet as quickly as possible. He estimates that her veterinary care will cost a minimum of $3000 to start, plus we need to find a place for boarding and care until she is able to go to her new sanctuary!!
BONNIE NEEDS YOUR HELP!!!
Please help us make Bonnie walk and eat again by donating either through our website, the GoFundMe (see link above) we set up, or contact us directly. If you can just donate $10 to help get her a fighting chance at life!!! We rescued her from this horrible situation, now we need to show her she matters!!!
Center updates - The Verge and all the good stuff
Clearly I have been negligent with updating the Blog... Things are definitely moving in the right direction.
Yesterday we had the pleasure of having the Science Team from The Verge out to film and interview us for a documentary they are doing on the Russian fox program. We had a great time sharing our Ambassador foxes with them. Viktor was definitely hamming it up all day and was the Super Star!!
The documentary will likely air in Sept and we will be sure to post and share with everyone. It will also include interviews by world renowned experts in canine cognition and genetics, Dr. Clive Wynne and Dr. Anna Kukekova.
If you are a news company or researcher and want to come visit our Ambassadors, let us know!
Singer Conservation Babies are HERE!!
Please join us to welcome a very important New Guinea Singing Dog conservation litter. This litter was planned as part of our center's commitment to applying the latest technology and advances in science to ensure the genetic integrity of the NGSD captive population.
Mama Luxxy tending to her new babies
Luxxy had 5 precious babies. 3 boys and 2 girls. We named them after the nail polish used to distinguish them: Where's my Chauffer (m), Heavenly (m), Chanel Vernis (f), Positively hot (f), and Forget me not (m).
Please follow us as we share their little lives with everyone!!!
THE BABIES ARE COMING!!! Luxxy's Story and SINGER BABY COUNTDOWN!
The JABCECC has some super exciting news to share with the JABCECC family! As many of you know, Amy and Dave Bassett are a part of a group of conservationists committed to ensuring the continued existence of the New Guinea Singing Dog (NGSD). Currently, there are around 250 NGSDs in the worldwide captive population and it is unknown how many, if any, are still present in the wild. The NGSDs provide insight into not only domestication, but they are also shedding light on human social bonding disorders.
LUXX: The Canadian Sweetheart
About a year ago, Amy and Dave learned about a few NGSDs that needed forever homes, so they adopted Luxx and Archie. Luxx was rescued by some amazing women from a zoo in Canada and just hadn't found her home. Through fate alone, She found her way to Amy and Dave and they fell immediately in love with her. They were so mesmerized by her and knew immediately how special this girl was. She was the girl that fought against all the odds in frigid temperatures in Canada to survive - and that fight didn't make this girl bitter, it made her strong, sweet, and loving. She greets people with a kindness not common these days - she melts hearts - and she mends broken souls. Luxxy is no ordinary girl!!
Amy and Dave Bassett engrossed themselves in understanding the genetics of the singers and how to best affect the conservation efforts of the NGSDs. They were able to bring people together from various conservation groups through the love of Luxxy to put together a plan for breeding Luxx, the Canadian Sweetheart!.
Today we learned that Luxx is pregnant with 5 precious babies. These babies will be so full of her love, sweetness, and healing. We cannot wait to share her journey and the countdown to the babies. Check back for daily updates on Luxxy, the Daddy, and her babies!!
Baby Luxx
NPR Colin McEnroe Show features the RDFs and interview with the Founders of JABCECC
http://wnpr.org/post/teaching-old-fox-new-tricks
The Founders of the JABCECC were interviewed by Colin McEnroe from NPR on their experience with the Russian domesticated foxes. The show airs today (July 26th) at 1 PM ET.
Tune it to learn more.
Want to meet the Russians - schedule a private encounter on Aug 5th - or set up a separate private event with them!!!
Stay Foxy!!