This One is for the Birds (and the Sea Kittens)

Things may be looking up for creatures of the air and the sea. While animal rights are nothing new, new protections have largely only been afforded to animals that are cuddly and/or endangered (if both, these animals can enjoy an additional 24/7 webcam footage, a hit children's film, and loads of merchandise) or those that could have theoretically been on Old McDonald’s farm. This past November, farm animals in California won passage of Proposition 2 that established new standards for animal confinement.  But what about the finch and the trout?  Birds and fish do not command the same audience as do pigs and pandas (college-educated young professionals/10 year old girls/fans of Pamela Anderson), but there a few people who are working to improve their lot.

Last week, PETA launched a new campaign to rename fish “sea kittens” in an attempt to show that fish are not much different from our beloved domestic companions. It seems ridiculous at first and it is highly doubtful that Webster will seriously consider their request, but the idea behind the campaign is commendable. It may not be such a large logical leap; after all, there already is a fish named after a cat. If PETA’s argument doesn’t convince you, maybe the “create your own sea kitten” game will.  But it’s not all about the fish.  This one’s for the birds. After a trip to Costa Rica and some internet sleuthing, eight grader, Charlie Sobcov, invented a film that prevents birds from flying into kitchen windows, or any window really. An adhesive decal is coated with an ultraviolet paint that is undetectable by humans but bright and alarming to birds and then stuck to a window.  There’s no word yet on the availability (as of now it’s still just a science project), but Sobcov’s invention has the potential to reduce the nearly 500 million unnecessary avian deaths per year caused by window collisions.