animals – Love Is Amor

Mute Swans have beautiful babies in Prospect Park, Brooklyn.

Posted on June 13, 2021June 13, 2021 by Javier

Sunday, June 13, 2021. New York City – In April and May 2021, I saw mute swans incubating their eggs in the beautiful Prospect Park, in the borough of Brooklyn; New York City.

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The first time I noticed them was on Friday, April 2, 2021. The second time I filmed one of the swans incubating the eggs was on Thursday, April 8, 2021. The third time I filmed a swan in the nest was on Friday, April 30, 2021. The four time I filmed the swan incubating the eggs was on Thursday, May 6, 2021. The fifth time I filmed the mother swan was on Wednesday, June 2, 2021. More than two months have passed and they already have babies, 6 beautiful cygnets.

VIDEO: Mother swan and her six baby cygnets.

A male swan is called a Cob. The female is called a Pen and the young are called cygnets (pronounced ‘sig-nets’) until they are a year old. Cygnets are not ducklings. Swans are not ducks, they are much bigger than most ducks, and cygnets are a bit larger than ducklings.

According to the information I found online, female and male swans take turns incubating the eggs, which hatch after 35-45 days.

On Wednesday, June 2, 2021, I also saw a beautiful double-crested cormorant and turtles sharing an “island”, well, it is not an island, it is a rock in the lake of Prospect Park. Several turtles and the double-crested cormorant sharing a small rock. Gorgeous!

I love swans, Canada geese, raccoons, squirrels, ducks, northern cardinals (also known colloquially as the redbird, common cardinal, red cardinal, or just cardinal), and other animals in Prospect Park and other public parks in New York City. Animals should be free in their natural habitats and not in prisons (zoos, aquariums, circuses, etc.).

Unfortunately, some people do not like animals. Sometimes I see people harassing animals in parks. Sometimes it is the government that kills animals in parks and other places.

Canada geese used to have babies (goslings) in Prospect Park, in the borough of Brooklyn. The last time Canada geese had goslings in Prospect Park was in 2011. Watch the video below.

Baby Canada geese (goslings) in Prospect Park. Brooklyn, NYC.

On July 8, 2010, nearly 400 Canada geese and goslings in Prospect Park were captured, gassed and thrown into trash bags.

For several years, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the NYC government killed thousands of Canada geese. They killed geese in Prospect Park, Central Park, Inwood Hill Park, Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge and other places.

A petition (that is closed now) by GooseWatch NYC says, “Since 2009, thousands of New York City’s Canada geese have been killed each summer by USDA Wildlife Services in the name of air safety. The killing is inhumane and lacks scientific merit.”

GooseWatch NYC became inactive at the end of 2016, but for several years, GooseWatch NYC, Friends of Animals and other organizations had rallies to protect Canada Geese, turkeys, deer, coyotes, swans and carriage horses.

7/8/2011. Mary Beth Purdy- Artz singing “This Land is Your Land” with the lyrics adapted to the Canada Geese issue.

On July 8, 2011 was the commemoration of the 1 year anniversary of the slaughter of the Prospect Park Canada Geese.
Mary Beth Purdy- Artz sang “This Land is Your Land” with the lyrics adapted to the Canada Geese issue.

On Wednesday, June 26, 2013, GooseWatch NYC and In Defense of Animals had a press conference and rally at Merchant’s Gate (Columbus Circle) Central Park to speak out against the killing of Canada geese in New York City.

Speakers included David Karopkin, Founder and Director of GooseWatch NYC; Ken Paskar, President of Friends of La Guardia Airport and former lead safety representative for the FAA Safety Team; Anja Heister, M.S. Biologist and Director of the Wild and Free-Habitats Campaign; Brian Shapiro, NY State Director of The Humane Society of the United States; Edita Birnkrant, NY Director of Friends of Animals; Suzanne Soehner, resident of the Inwood Hill Park community and Mary Beth Purdy Artz, NYC Wildlife Advocate.

Wednesday, June 2, 2021. Brooklyn, New York City – Mother swan with her 6 babies (cygnets) in Prospect Park. Photo by Javier Soriano/www.LoveIsAmor.com

In 2018, “a family of mute swans in upstate Oneida was killed by U.S. Department of Agriculture wildlife staff after a kayaker complained to state DEC about an “aggressive” male swan. The two adults were shot and the four cygnets were captured and intentionally drowned. In Brooklyn, the seven swans that make their home in Prospect Park Lake have been missing since June 2, according to signs posted this week.

Cymbrowitz and Avella sponsored legislation to protect New York’s mute swans from extermination, with input from Friends of Animals, which was signed into law in 2016. The law established a two-year moratorium on the DEC’s controversial mute swan management plan—which was basically a government sanctioned death sentence. The law also requires DEC to demonstrate that the swans have caused actual damage to the environment or to other species, including humans.”

Swans

“Swans are birds of the family Anatidae within the genus Cygnus. The swans’ closest relatives include the geese and ducks. Swans are grouped with the closely related geese in the subfamily Anserinae where they form the tribe Cygnini. Sometimes, they are considered a distinct subfamily, Cygninae. There are six living and many extinct species of swan; in addition, there is a species known as the coscoroba swan which is no longer considered one of the true swans. Swans usually mate for life, although “divorce” sometimes occurs, particularly following nesting failure, and if a mate dies, the remaining swan will take up with another. The number of eggs in each clutch ranges from three to eight.

Swans are the largest extant members of the waterfowl family Anatidae, and are among the largest flying birds. The largest living species, including the mute swan, trumpeter swan, and whooper swan, can reach a length of over 1.5 m (59 in) and weigh over 15 kg (33 lb). Their wingspans can be over 3.1 m (10 ft). Compared to the closely related geese, they are much larger and have proportionally larger feet and necks. Adults also have a patch of unfeathered skin between the eyes and bill. The sexes are alike in plumage, but males are generally bigger and heavier than females.^[9] The biggest species of swan ever was Cygnus falconeri, a flightless giant swan known from fossils found on the Mediterranean islands of Malta and Sicily.

The Northern Hemisphere species of swan have pure white plumage, but the Southern Hemisphere species are mixed black and white. The Australian black swan (Cygnus atratus) is completely black except for the white flight feathers on its wings; the chicks of black swans are light grey. The South American black-necked swan has a white body with a black neck.

Swans’ legs are normally a dark blackish grey colour, except for the South American black-necked swan, which has pink legs. Bill colour varies: the four subarctic species have black bills with varying amounts of yellow, and all the others are patterned red and black. Although birds do not have teeth, swans, like other Anatidae, have beaks with serrated edges that look like small jagged ‘teeth’ as part of their beaks used for catching and eating aquatic plants and algae, but also molluscs, small fish, frogs, and worms. In the mute swan and black-necked swan, both sexes have a fleshy lump at the base of their bills on the upper mandible, known as knob, which is larger in males, and is condition dependent, changing seasonally.”_Wikipedia.org

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Double-crested cormorant in Prospect Park, Brooklyn; New York City.

Posted on June 4, 2021June 8, 2021 by Javier

Friday, June 4, 2021. New York City – On Wednesday, June 2, 2021, I saw this double-crested cormorant and some turtles in Prospect Park, one of the most beautiful parks in Brooklyn, New York City.

The double-crested cormorant and some turtles were on a small rock in the lake in the park.

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VIDEO: Double-crested cormorant, turtles, swan babies, duck babies, and other friends in Prospect Park, Brooklyn, NYC.

Double-crested cormorant

“The double-crested cormorant is all over the place—the lake in Prospect Park, the Central Park Reservoir, and sometimes the Japanese Hill-and-Pond Garden at Brooklyn Botanic Garden. This large black waterbird is one of the most common birds in the New York City area, and it’s often seen near bodies of water—both large and small, freshwater and saltwater—perching on rocks and small trees spreading its wings out to dry. An excellent fisherman, the double-crested cormorant’s diet consists almost entirely of fish.”_Brooklyn Botanic Garden

“The double-crested cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus) is a member of the cormorant family of water birds. Its habitat is near rivers and lakes as well as in coastal areas, and is widely distributed across North America, from the Aleutian Islands in Alaska down to Florida and Mexico. Measuring 70–90 cm (28–35 in) in length, it is an all-black bird which gains a small double crest of black and white feathers in breeding season. It has a bare patch of orange-yellow facial skin. Five subspecies are recognized. It mainly eats fish and hunts by swimming and diving. Its feathers, like those of all cormorants, are not waterproof and it must spend time drying them out after spending time in the water. Once threatened by the use of DDT, the numbers of this bird have increased markedly in recent years.

The double-crested cormorant is a large waterbird with a stocky body, long neck, medium-sized tail, webbed feet, and a medium-sized hooked bill. It has a body length of between 70–90 cm (28–35 in) long, with a wingspan of between 114–123 cm (45–48 in). Double-crested cormorants weigh between 1.2–2.5 kg (2.6–5.5 lb). Males and females do not display sexual dimorphism.

This species has dark-colored plumage with bare supra-loreal skin and gular skin that is yellow or orange. An adult in breeding plumage will be mostly black with the back and coverts being a dark grayish towards the center. Nuptial crests, for which the species is named, are either white, black or a mix of the two. These are located just above the eyes with the bare skin on the face of a breeding adult being orange. A non-breeding adult will lack the crests and have more yellowish skin around the face. The bill of the adult is dark-colored. The double-crested cormorant is very similar in appearance to the larger great cormorant, which has a more restricted distribution in North America, mainly on the Canadian maritime provinces; it can, however, be separated by having more yellow on the throat and the bill.

The plumage of juvenile double-crested cormorants is more dark gray or brownish. The underparts of a juvenile are lighter than the back with a pale throat and breast that darkens towards the belly. As a bird ages, its plumage will grow darker. The bill of a juvenile will be mostly orange or yellowish.

The double-crested cormorant’s numbers decreased in the 1960s due to the effects of DDT. Colonies have also been persecuted from time to time in areas where they are thought to compete with human fishing.

Recently the population of double-crested cormorants has increased. Some studies have concluded that the recovery was allowed by the decrease of contaminants, particularly the discontinued use of DDT. The population may have also increased because of aquaculture ponds in its southern wintering grounds. The ponds favor good over-winter survival and growth.”_Wikipedia.org

Prospect Park

Prospect Park is an urban park in Brooklyn, New York City. The park is situated between the neighborhoods of Park Slope, Prospect Heights, Prospect Lefferts Gardens, Flatbush, and Windsor Terrace, and is adjacent to the Brooklyn Museum, Grand Army Plaza, and the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. With an area of 526 acres (213 ha), Prospect Park is the second largest public park in Brooklyn, behind Marine Park.

First proposed in legislation passed in 1859, Prospect Park was laid out by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux, who also helped design Manhattan’s Central Park, following various changes to its design. Prospect Park opened in 1867, though it was not substantially complete until 1873. The park subsequently underwent numerous modifications and expansions to its facilities. Several additions to the park were completed in the 1890s, in the City Beautiful architectural movement. In the early 20th century, New York City Department of Parks and Recreation (NYC Parks) commissioner Robert Moses started a program to clean up Prospect Park. A period of decline in the late 20th century spurred the creation of the Prospect Park Alliance, which refurbished many parts of the park starting in the late 1980s.

Main attractions of the park include the 90-acre (36 ha) Long Meadow; the Picnic House; Litchfield Villa; Prospect Park Zoo; the Boathouse; Concert Grove; Brooklyn’s only lake, covering 60 acres (24 ha); and the Prospect Park Bandshell that hosts free outdoor concerts in the summertime. The park also has sports facilities, including the Prospect Park Tennis Center, basketball courts, baseball fields, soccer fields, and the New York Pétanque Club in the Parade Ground. There is also a private Society of Friends (Quaker) cemetery on Quaker Hill near the ball fields. In addition, Prospect Park is part of the Brooklyn-Queens Greenway, a network of green spaces that stretch across western Long Island.

Prospect Park was designated a New York City scenic landmark on November 25, 1975, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on September 17, 1980. The park is operated by the Prospect Park Alliance and NYC Parks.”_Wikipedia.org

Wednesday, June 2, 2021. New York City - Double-crested cormorant and some turtles in Prospect Park, Brooklyn; New York City. Photo by Javier Soriano/www.JavierSoriano.com — Wednesday, June 2, 2021. New York City – Double-crested cormorant and some turtles in Prospect Park, Brooklyn; New York City. Photo by Javier Soriano/www.JavierSoriano.com

Rally for elephant Happy’s Freedom in front of the Bronx Zoo. Saturday, June 1, 2019.

Posted on June 12, 2019 by Javier

Bronx, New York City. Wednesday, June 12, 2019 – On Saturday, June 1, 2019, there was a rally in support of Happy’s freedom in front of the Bronx Zoo. Happy is a wild-born elephant held alone in captivity at the Bronx Zoo.

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The rally was organized by the Nonhuman Rights Project and it was joined by Change.org, CompassionWorks International, Voters For Animal Rights, In Defense of Animals, and Animal Cruelty Exposure Fund. Activists called for recognition of Happy’s fundamental rights and her transfer to sanctuary. During the rally, NhRP attorney gave updates on their litigation on behalf of Happy and other efforts to obtain rights for autonomous nonhuman animals.

Bronx, New York City. Saturday, June 1, 2019 - Rally in support of Happy's freedom. Happy is a wild-born elephant held alone in captivity at the Bronx Zoo. The rally was organized by the Nonhuman Rights Project and it was joined by Change.org, CompassionWorks International, Voters For Animal Rights, In Defense of Animals, and Animal Cruelty Exposure Fund. Activists called for recognition of Happy's fundamental rights and her transfer to sanctuary. During the rally, NhRP attorney gave updates on their litigation on behalf of Happy and other efforts to obtain rights for autonomous nonhuman animals. Credit: Photo by LoveIsAmor.com — Bronx, New York City. Saturday, June 1, 2019 – Rally in support of Happy’s freedom. Happy is a wild-born elephant held alone in captivity at the Bronx Zoo. The rally was organized by the Nonhuman Rights Project and it was joined by Change.org, CompassionWorks International, Voters For Animal Rights, In Defense of Animals, and Animal Cruelty Exposure Fund. Activists called for recognition of Happy’s fundamental rights and her transfer to sanctuary. During the rally, NhRP attorney gave updates on their litigation on behalf of Happy and other efforts to obtain rights for autonomous nonhuman animals. Credit: Photo by LoveIsAmor.com

The Nonhuman Rights Project, the organizers said on Facebook before the event: “Please join the Nonhuman Rights Project on June 1st as we rally in support of freedom for our elephant client Happy, a wild-born elephant held alone in captivity at the Bronx Zoo.

We will be joined by Change.org, CompassionWorks International, Voters For Animal Rights, In Defense of Animals, and Animal Cruelty Exposure Fund as we call for recognition of Happy’s fundamental rights and her transfer to sanctuary.

During the rally, NhRP attorneys and staff will give updates on our litigation on behalf of Happy and other efforts to obtain rights for autonomous nonhuman animals. Representatives from supporting organizations will also speak about the work they are doing on behalf of nonhuman animals.

We’ll provide signs for attendees but feel free to bring your own. Please remember that this is a peaceful and respectful demonstration. This is an event where we band together to advocate for the end of Happy’s imprisonment.

INFORMATION ON HAPPY AND NHRP’S LITIGATION

With the NhRP’s landmark elephant rights litigation on Happy’s behalf headed to Bronx County, home of the Bronx Zoo, we are calling for recognition of Happy’s right to liberty and her release to an elephant sanctuary.

As we have argued in court with the support of world-renowned elephant experts, elephants are autonomous beings who suffer deeply when deprived of their freedom and prevented from interacting with other elephants (https://www.nonhumanrights.org/client-happy/). Thirteen years after the Bronx Zoo and the entity that operates it, the Wildlife Conservation Society, acknowledged it would be “inhumane to sustain an exhibit with a single elephant,” Happy still spends every day alone. In the winter months, she lives in a cage in a holding facility (https://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/07/nyregion/bronx-zoo-plans-to-endelephant-exhibit.html).

Happy is the first elephant in the world to demonstrate self-awareness via the mirror self-recognition test (https://www.livescience.com/4272-elephant-awareness-mirrors-humans.html). In December of 2018, two months after the NhRP filed a habeas corpus petition on her behalf, she became the first elephant in the world to have a habeas corpus hearing to determine the lawfulness of her imprisonment (https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2018/12/happy-elephant-personhood/578818/). Happy’s court case is ongoing, and we hope the Bronx County Supreme Court will promptly order a hearing to consider the injustice being visited on her as an imprisoned autonomous being.

In February, the Orleans County Supreme Court decided to transfer Happy’s case to Bronx County, which we continue to view as a serious legal error; we make clear in our court filings that, according to New York habeas corpus procedure, we had the right to file in any county in the state and that we filed suit in Orleans County because the New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division, Fourth Judicial Department of which the Supreme Court is a part had correctly rejected tying legal personhood to being human.

In April, the Fourth Judicial Department denied appellate review on the issue of venue in Happy’s case, meaning the transfer will move forward and the ball is now in the Bronx County Supreme Court.

As with all our clients, we are fully confident in the justice of our arguments and prepared to continue the fight for Happy’s right to liberty and her release to a sanctuary wherever it takes us.

Whether through litigation or mounting public pressure, the Bronx Zoo must do the right thing for Happy and release her to one of the two operational sanctuaries in the US: the Performing Animal Welfare Society or the Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee.