Further Confusion has bad, good and even better news about our expected
visit from Kirshner this year. First the bad news; due to a scheduling
snafu that caused a double booking of our convention weekend, Kirshner
will not be able to attend with their cats.



Now the good news! We have contacted Ron Whitfield, of Marine World
Africa fame, and scheduled a visit from him and one of his gorgeous tigers
to replace the expected visit from Kirshner's tiger!

Over 250 elephants, tigers, rare bears, and leopards have been estimated to have been killed in Cambodia and it's provinces in the last 18 months. Estimates aren't available for 21 of the 24 provinces of this war torn country, but the rare animals being removed from populations currently estimated at 500 elephants, 200 tigers and even less leopards is astounding. Many of these illegal hunting operations involve the police and military. Outsiders fear these rare tigers and elephant sub species will become extinct in the near future.

'Featheries' might be interested to know that scientists have found that some birds, like some primates, show a preference for one side of the body to the other.
Pacific crows have been studied making tools to gather insects inside holes and tunnels, like the type chimpanzees use. Unlike chimps, these birds make much more delicate, refined tools. Scientists say their results point towards handedness being a product of being able to carry out complex sequences of actions, like those in tool making or talking.

On Wednesday, the predecessor to all you're viewing now celebrated the 10th anniversary of its conception. Created by Dr Paul Kunz for the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center's information database, it helped excite other scientists about the potential of the 'world wide web' and its uses as an academic tool.
The interface, though gross and plain by our standards, was a vast improvement to its predesessors, so much so that there's now an estimated 500 million people on the 'web' in 10 short years.

Another in a long line of 'bear suits', invented by the crazy Canadian Troy Hurtubise was ripped to shreds after seeming to scare the Kodiak bear test subject. The bear's trainer didn't want to have Hurtubise in the same cage as the bear, but agreed to have a suit on a dummy tested with his bear. Mr. Hurtubise said, after the chain mail suit was ripped to pieces "I should have used shark chainmail. Instead, I sent away for butcher's chainmail from France." He's now planning a full contact test in the spring of 2002 .

FurEauction Newsletter for December 2001

This is a noteworthy event as that's where AnthroCon for the next few years is/was going to be held.

Click here to read the e-article from the Philadelphia Inquirer:

Quoted from The-Last-Unicorn.net:

Now The Last Unicorn will be soon a magical fantasy film - a complete new re-creation of the novel, newly rewritten for the screen by Peter S. Beagle. A worldwide movie event with outstanding actors, fantastic sets and locations, wildlife, and trained animals, seamlessly blended with computer-created, realistic creatures and fantasy worlds. We call it Magical Realism.

Ozy & Millie has been unreachable for the past few days, (at least by me.) Likewise both The Gneech's sites, (Suburban Jungle and Never Never.) Anybody know anything about it?

This story at Ananova tells of a reindeer, who had been part of a Christmas display, who escaped and was shot by a local hunter. Looks like Donner won't be playing anymore reindeer games.

Kinark Outdoor Centre, Ontario, Canada

Get Wild!

This year will be the 5th anniversary of Feral!, and it is shaping up to be the best one yet. With the backdrop of the Canadian forest and the glory of the nighttime starscape, Feral! is in a setting that's unrivalled. If the days' events don't tire you out, the nights are sure to *WOW* you. Feral! is undoubtedly an event like no other!

From alt.fan.furry, The Furry Critic writes: "Well, here 'tiz! After innumerable fits, false starts, hardware problems, software woes, and one partial nervous breakdown, My new site The Furry Critic is officially up and running! I invite everone to stop by and take a look!"

Kerry Packer, Australia's richest man, is negotiating with the Federal Government to establish a $50 million African game reserve in WA.

I apologize for the brief interruption of service, yesterday. Those responsible have been sacked. Well, not really, since I can't sack myself, but it sounds cool.

In a recient update to my previous story, an option to produce the Chronicles of Narnia in movie form has been purchased by Walden Media, owned by Cary Granat, producer of many films like the Scream movies and Halloween.