RADIO PROGRAM FOR THE ANIMALS

ANIMALSPEAK: A RADIO PROGRAM ON ANIMALS

                                                By Crysta Imperial Rara

  

    




There’s a new radio show in town. I conceptualized it in 2009 and finally, last October, it had its premier broadcast. The one-hour program titled “Kwentuhang Pets at Iba Pa”, goes on air every Thursday from 1-2 pm at DZUP 1602 kHz (AM).  It aims to make people aware that attitudes toward animals are changing and our fellow creatures are now viewed more as friends or part of the family and not just mere property. It seeks to enlighten listeners about new trends around the world which revolve around putting a stop to cruelty against animals.

The program is different because it’s the first of its kind in the country. No other radio program tackles animal issues. Another unique feature is that since it’s in DZUP, there are no commercials and students get an opportunity to do radio work hands-on, like writing and reading animal news. We’ve also got live audio streaming on the web which allows animal protection advocates to listen in from all over the world.

The success of radio programs on the environment and alternative health care indicates that the people’s awareness of non-traditional issues is expanding and they are ready to welcome new ideas into their lives. The growing existence of animal rights and welfare groups in the country and the expanding coverage of stories on animals (the campaign to stop travelling dolphin shows, features on rescued eagles and other wild birds, the training of local dogs to make them into security K-9, rescues of stray cats and dogs etc…) is additional proof that Filipinos are changing their attitudes toward the animals.

                One hour is never enough to talk about animal issues but at least it can raise interest and curiosity that may inspire the listener to act in favour of the animals. The program starts with a five-minute discussion of a Thought for the Day that aims to trigger insights and realizations about the different roles that animals play in our lives. Some of the quotations we have discussed are:

1.     Dogs look up to us. Cats look down on us. Pigs treat us as equals. (Winston Churchill)

2.   

        The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated. (Mahatma Gandhi)

3.    An animal’s eyes have the power to speak a great language. (Martin Buber)

4.    Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole. (Roger Caras)

5.  Until one has loved an animal, a part of one’s soul remains unawakened. (Anatole France)

The second segment features Animals In The News here and abroad. It includes scientific discoveries of new species, rescues of animals, protests against animal cruelty, etc.

            Following this segment is a lengthy discussion on the topic for the day. My co-host Malotz Quodala and I explore interesting topics and ask in-depth questions. For a clearer picture of what we’ve tackled so far, here’s a list of the guests and topics we’ve done since the show began to air three months ago:

Oct. 7 –  Topic: Marine Mammals

            The guest, Earth Island Institute Regional Director Trixie Concepcion, discussed the cruelty behind travelling dolphin shows as well as dolphin and whale shows in oceanariums here and abroad. She explained that marine mammals like the dolphins, whales and sea lions are used to swimming free in the oceans and not in steel tanks that limit their movements and stress them out. We discussed former Flipper series trainer Ric O’Barry’s brilliant documentary, The Cove, which documented the yearly mass slaughter of dolphins in Taiji, Japan. (Everyone should watch it- it’s like a James Bond movie complete with secret weapons and breathtaking suspense.)

Oct. 14 – Topic: Animal Welfare and the group Care and Responsibility for Animals (CARA)

            Vimla Mansukhani, who heads CARA’s Educational Outreach Program, believes that if you hurt an animal, you will suffer the same fate at the hands of another. Vimla talked about CARA’s main thrust which is the humane control of the dog and cat population through neutering and spaying. She stressed the need for compassion toward the animals as well as responsible pet ownership which includes making sure that the companion animal has access to basic needs like food, water, and exercise.

Oct. 21 - Topic: The Philippine Animal Welfare Society (PAWS)

            Guest Anna Hashim Cabrera recounted how she gave up a lucrative post in a private bank to follow her heart and help the animals. As head of the PAWS shelter for rescued dogs and cats, Anna knows just how depressing it is for a dog to remain in a shelter for years and not be adopted into a loving home. She talked about how to respond to dog behaviour problems. PAWS rehabilitates rescued dogs so they can be “re-homed”. But it’s much more difficult to get the cats adopted, she says. PAWS also has a Dr. Dog program that allows terminally-ill children to interact and have fun with well-trained and compassionate dogs.


Oct. 28 -   Topic: Animal Rights and the People’s Ethical Treatment for Animals (PETA)

Lumped together under the umbrella of the animal protection movement,

animal rights and welfare groups work together to help animals in need and educate people about changing attitudes. PETA Campaigner Rochelle Regodon discussed the group’s campaigns and strategies, like the campaign to encourage people to switch to a vegetarian or vegan diet. For this, PETA invites celebrities like Joaquin Phoenix, Pamela Anderson, Alyssa Milano as well as Chinchin Gutierrez in the Philippines to champion their cause. And their campaign is definitely working – more and more young people the world over are turning vegetarian.

Nov. 4 - Topic: Rescuing Dogs from the Illegal Dog-Meat Trade

            The Animal Kingdom Foundation (AKF) has been in the news quite often because it actively pursues dog meat traders with the help of the Philippine National Police. Luis Buenaflor of the AKF believes that the dog meat trade is more of a business than a tradition. Several cases have already been filed against traders caught in the act of transporting dogs that have already been slaughtered or are about to be killed in violation of the Animal Welfare Law and the Anti-Rabies law. Luis said dog meat is not regular table fare for the Igorots – they eat a dog only when settling a blood feud. The dog is a peace offering because it is considered a member of the family. In nearby Baguio, however, the price for a dog can go all the way up to one thousand five hundred pesos. Luis also talked about the AKF shelter in Tarlac where some 500 dogs rescued from the dog meat trade are living their lives out in peace and comfort. It’s a no-kill shelter and there are no cages. The dogs live in pens where they can run around and socialize. His message for the listeners was a strong reminder – DON’T EAT DOGS.

Nov. 11 - Topic: The Joys of Birdwatching

            Happiness lies not in watching birds in cages but in seeing them fly free and go about their daily business. Wild Bird Club President Mike Lu shared his experiences from several years of birding or birdwatching and talked about how indiscriminate construction of malls and villages in bird habitats like forests and mangroves are destroying migration patterns and driving the birds away. The Philippines now attracts more birdwatchers from Japan and Europe who come here to see indigenous and migratory species.

Nov. 18 – Topic: Marine Wildlife

            Scuba diver, veterinarian and environmentalist AA Yaptinchay talked about the role of marine wildlife in the ecosystem and the need for a more sustainable use of marine resources. He cited pollution, unregulated tourism, incidental and non-targeted extraction of marine resources as well as the capture of marine mammals for use in the entertainment industry (oceanariums, shows, ocean parks, movies, etc) as the greatest threats to marine species. AA now operates an environment-friendly travel agency that promotes diving tours in the Philippines. He also set up the Marine Wildlife Watch, a website that disseminates information on marine mammal issues. He is actively helping in the campaign to stop the importation of two dolphins in Indonesia for a Christmas travelling dolphin show in the Araneta parking lot in Cubao.

            Nov. 24         - Topic: The Basics of Animal Care

            Companion animals like dogs and cats have to be cared for too, and Dr. Veronica Matawaran who heads the Veterinary Clinic at the University of the Philippines in Diliman explained how to groom animals and keep them healthy. She also talked about the various services offered by the UP Vet Clinic. Dr. Matawaran and some colleagues are now developing herbal products for animals to complement the gamut of pharmaceutical products now available in the market.

Dec. 2 - Topic: Alternative Remedies for Animals

            In line with the expanding consciousness of the times, more and more people are now seeking out alternative therapies or remedies for their animals. We had two guests who shared their experiences in this field. Dr. Jezie Acorda of UP Los Banos explained how he does acupuncture on horses, pigs, dogs and cats and how these animals respond to the treatment. Dr. Acorda said the UP Vet Clinic will soon be offering acupuncture treatments to its animal clients.

Reiki healer Leng Velasco, on the other hand, uses only her hands to pass on energy to the animal. Reiki is a Japanese form of healing wherein a person is attuned to universal energy by a reiki master. Leng pointed out that there are no tools needed to do this kind of healing. She recounted how she healed her dog Duke who was dying of thyroid cancer two years ago. Duke, now 10 years old, is still very much alive today.

Before the year 2010 ends, we will be tackling the following topics: how to spend Christmas with your animal companions, adopting a vegetarian diet for the holidays, and protecting your animals from the stress of New Year fireworks. Listen to the program on your radio or follow it online. If you have questions, suggestions or reactions, email me at crystarara@gmail.com or send your text messages to 0921.416.5538.

            HAPPY NEW YEAR or as the French say, Bonne Année!

Author with Exec. Producer Mel Estonilo

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Published in my column AnimalSpeak in the ANIMAL SCENE magazine, Jan. 2011 

            

Kwentuhang Pets Atbp DZUP 1602

This is the first radio program in the country that focuses on animals. Host Khrysta Imperial Rara is a print, broadcast and online journalist, animal protection advocate and faculty member of the Dept. of Journalism in the University of the Philippines, Diliman. 


Co-host Malotz Quodala is a legal researcher, researcher of History as well as a media and image consultant.


Executive Producer Mel Estonilo is a veteran radio journalist. DZUP is managed by the Dept of Broadcast Communication at the College of Mass Communication in the University of the Philippines, Diliman. It is a member of the KBP .


The program, which airs every Thursday at 1-2pm, can be accessed through live streaming at www.dzup.org.

Kwentuhang Pets Atbp is the first animal rights and welfare program in the Philippines. Its maiden broadcast was on Oct. 7, 2010. The program seeks to make people, specially Filipinos, aware that attitudes toward animals are changing all over the world. Animals are viewed more now as friends or part of the family and not just mere property or possessions. The program aims to enlighten people on changing trends around the world in order to stop cruelty toward animals. It also explores the world of companion animals, farm animals, laboratory animals and those exploited in the entertainment industry as well as wildlife from the point of view of experts and advocates.

Host Khrysta Imperial Rara (right) and co-host Malotz Quodala (left)
 with guest Dr. Mundita Lim, Director of DENR's Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau
 

'Aspins' Trained for Bomb Sniffing

SEE VIDEO (CLICK here)

by KHRYSTA IMPERIAL RARA

VERA FILES

EVERY day at 6:30 a.m., Pacman goes to his training area for a 30-minute run. Egged on by his trainer, he goes through his morning routine with the focus and determination of a top-seeded athlete. But this Pacman doesn’t spar with his coach. This Pacman chases his trainer around instead.

Pacman the puppy is bound for stardom, just like world-renowned

boxer Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao. And Pacman the puppy may never know it, but in the future, human lives will depend on him.

Pacman the puppy is one of five aspins or asong pinoy (native Filipino dog) at present undergoing puppy training so that, in a year’s time, he could sniff bombs and narcotics in passenger ships and ports. He is one of 90 dogs in the kennel of the Philippine Coast Guard: Forty of them are under training, while the rest will undergo screening before starting doggie school next month.

The PCG, an armed and uniformed service attached to the Department of Transportation and Communications, is tasked with securing sea-going public transport vehicles like ships and ferry boats. Part of its job is detecting explosives and narcotics for which it used to procure foreign breeds like the German Shepherd, Labrador, Belgian Malinois and Golden Retriever.

But since budgetary constraints do not allow the purchase of these expensive breeds, PCG personnel have resorted to breeding and training their own and accepting donated canines. The only budget allotted is about P5,000 spent monthly on each dog for food and other needs. The cheaper table food is not an option because the dogs might go after provisions in passengers’ bags.

Native Filipino dogs were never considered before for security work because they are “independent, survivors and can be mean if feral” or left abandoned in the streets, said Lieutenant Commander Famela Aspuria, veterinarian of PCG’s K9 unit.

But experience gained from the training of mixed breeds told them it just might work.

“Intelligence is not based on breed. There are mixed breed and native dogs that are intelligent,” Aspuria said.

The training of aspins is the brainchild of PCG Admiral Wilfredo Tamayo and PCG K9 Unit Commander Allen Dalangin, who keeps 20 dogs at home.

“The commandant is under pressure to provide 200 dogs for ports all over the country and the idea to train the aspins came up during several discussions,” Dalangin recalls.

Seventy-two active working dogs are now deployed with their handlers in 30 K9 detachments along the nautical highways and ports in the country’s primary destination spots. K9 teams also check the vessels plying the Pasig River route as they enter the Malacanang area.

Native dogs, the PCG top brass thought, would be easier to feed and maintain. They would be more resistant to local diseases and are used to tropical weather. Small dogs would also be able to enter cramped spaces like the cargo compartments of buses on board sea vessels.

As luck would have it, the petty-officer-in-charge of the PCG detachment in South Harbor Manila had adopted and raised a native female puppy abandoned by a Superferry passenger three years ago. The passenger had to leave the pup behind because he had no quarantine clearance to bring her to the Visayas.

The dog, named Azumi after the lead character in a Japanese manga series who happened to be a young woman trained as an assassin, is the mother of the five PCG pups. Their father, according to Dalangin, was a stray dog, known in Filipino as askal (short for asong kalye), roaming the area.

After they were weaned off their mother’s milk, the five pups were taken to start training. A few days ago, mother and babies had a happy reunion at the base. In two weeks, the puppies will join 35 other dogs who will pass the screening test and together they will comprise “Class 7” of the K9 unit.

The more refined among the Class 7 dogs will be taught to sit when they find explosives, while the rest will learn to scratch at containers hiding illegal substances. And the only reward they will seek is their handler’s praise and pat on the head.

Azumi’s pups are all named after Filipino celebrities who have hit it big overseas. Four-month-old Pacman and siblings Manny and Pacquiao are all named after the world’s best pound-for- pound boxing champ, another brother Arnel after Arnel Pineda of the American band Journey, and only sister Charice after Charice Pempengco, now a guest star on the hit American TV series “Glee.”

Oblivious to the curious eyes of onlookers, the fat and short-haired young canines carry on with their half-hour daily puppy training, which is actually more play than work. They need no second prodding as they make a mad dash for a plain red rubber ball that their trainer swings and bounces around.

The trainer makes it more exciting for them by uttering commands in an encouraging tone and praising the ones that manage to grab the ball with their teeth and hang on to it. Their level of “ball drive” will indicate their potential as bomb or narcotics sniffers.

Four months from now, this harmless ball and others like it will be laced with the odor of bomb components and illegal drugs like opium, hashish, marijuana, shabu and heroin to sensitize the dogs’ noses to their smell.

“We are not breed-conscious,” Aspuria said. “Mixed breeds perform just as well.”

Cola, for instance, is a black, white and brown Beagle and aspin mix. She’s barely 8 months old. Donated only a month ago, she is still in the conditioning phase but has constantly surprised her handler with her amazing ability to find at first try the ball hidden under one of the overturned pots, or “pot search” in Coast Guard parlance.

Cola’s owner donated her to the PCG because he thought she had special skills that could be tapped. Back home, she would steal his socks, hide them and then retrieve them for him.

The K9 unit is rooting for Cola. But if she doesn’t make the grade, then she’ll just be sent back home or maybe given a second chance. Flunkers are allowed to go through another year of dog schooling, and if they don’t make it the second time, they are either sent back to their owners or adopted by PCG officers.

But for now, Coast Guard personnel are letting the puppies be puppies. They eat puppy kibble three times and play twice a day. The adult canines, on the other hand, are fed twice daily.

“I’m still adjusting to the aspin puppies because they behave differently from the foreign breed pups. But looking for their potential is a challenge for me,” Seaman 2^nd Class Ryan Philip Ventura, trainer of the pups, confides. “It’s good to train our native breed so we can show people what they can do.”

Dalangin, meantime, has no second thoughts about the project he has initiated. He is convinced that like their namesakes, the aspins will do their country proud. “We just have to start them off at an early age,” he stated.

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Published in The Philippine Star Sept. 21, 2010 and other Manila newspapers (Manila Times, Malaya, etc.)

Also published online at YAHOO - http://ph.yfittopostblog.com/2010/09/20/coast-guard-trains-aspins%E2%80%99-to-sniff-bombs/

at GMANEWSTV: http://www.gmanews.tv/story/201602/coast-guard-trains-asong-pinoy-to-sniff-bombs

at MALAYA: http://www.malaya.com.ph/09202010/news10.html

at VERA FILES: http://verafiles.org/main/focus/coast-guard-trains-aspins-to-sniff-bombs/

and other sites.

CAT MAMAS

Cats are like people. And oftentimes, they think like people.

It is simply amazing to see how mother cats act just like human mothers. I’ve observed my cats for 10 years now and I have seen that each female has her own ideas about mothering. But the unique ways with which they prepare for motherhood, give birth and raise their kittens really remind me of different women with children.

Here’s is a list of the various kinds of feline female behavior I have observed through the years:

NATURAL MAMA

This cat is the ideal mama. No one, neither elder cats nor concerned humans, teaches her how to take care of the babies yet she does it like a real pro. She gives birth alone, without any fuss or sound, and instinctively knows that she has to eat the umbilical cord and sack like her cousins do in the wild (no Lamaze lessons, no nurses, wet nurses nor doctors to assist at the moment of birth). She then grooms the newborns, lets them suckle and never leaves them for the first 24 hours.

TEEN MAMA

cheira and toy

Like human teenage moms, cats less than a year old usually make bad mamas. They just aren’t mentally and emotionally prepared to be mothers. My white Persian cat Cheira got pregnant when she was just 7 months old. When she gave birth, she did not know what to do. She left the kittens in a corner and refused to nurse them despite my repeated attempts to force her to lie down and let them suckle. Needless to say, the babies lived for just a day. But when she gave birth again a year later, she knew exactly how to care for her babies.

PROTECTIVE MAMA

Mama cats are very protective of their offspring. Like their wild cousins the lions, tigers, cheetahs, etc., they feel the need to protect the babies against predator species or, as in the case of my cats, from the other adult cats at home. In the wild, male lions kill cubs to eliminate competitors for food and females. So the mother lion keeps on changing dens to make sure her pups will not be found. My cats still follow this instinct. A few weeks after giving birth, they always move their kittens to a different area or room.

PROUD MAMA

These mothers are so proud of their kittens that instead of sticking to their maternal instincts and hiding the babies, they bring out the litter and place them in an open area for all to see. It worries me when they do this a day or more after giving birth. My cat Mignonne is guilty of this. She enjoys the attention when the rest of the family come to check out her babies.

THE KIDNAPPER (OR KITTEN NAPPER?)

Kidnapping – or in this case, kittennapping - occurs when a cat is either about to give birth or has just given birth. Strangely, the mothers of the kidnapped kittens do not raise a fuss except for another white Persian, Xerea, who scolded her kitten and refused to let him suckle for a day when he (the kitten) agreed to stay with his aunt Bast and did not try to escape. When they are kidnapped, the reluctant and often screaming little victims are taken by the scruff of the neck by the expectant or new mother and brought to her chosen den. Perhaps the expecting mom is so excited about her coming babies that she gets impatient and decides to mother someone else’s kitten. The kidnapped kittens are then expected to babysit or teach the newborns a few things.

THE TEACHER

Ishtar, a pewter-colored Persian, trains her daughters to care for the babies. She makes them stay and watch over the kittens while she socializes with the other cats or inspects the house. The daughters usually don’t mind as long as they, too, get to suckle even if they are already six months old or more.

COLLABORATING MAMAS

I first noticed this apparent agreement between feline mothers to cooperate and share responsibilities some seven years ago when sisters Mau and Bast gave birth at the same time to a litter of 3 kittens each. The sisters took turns eating so that one of them would always be with the kittens. They groomed and nursed each other’s babies.

Last year, the phenomenon was repeated when Filipino (or American Shorthair) cats Spider and Pouncival gave birth weeks apart. I had rescued Spider two years ago from under the back tire of a Pajero parked along Times Street in Quezon City. Pouncival, on the other hand, just walked into my garden one day and refused to leave. I gave her away to a neighbor but every morning I would find her back in my garage in time for breakfast. Like Bast and Mau, Spider and Pouncival care for each other’s litter, groom each other’s babies and watch over them.

PEOPLE-FRIENDLY MAMA

Not all cats become attached to people. Some keep an independent attitude and do not wish to be petted nor stroked. But Barbie is quite the opposite. She always wants to be near me and makes sure that her babies become close to me. In fact, she moved her babies from under the bed to under the bedside table so they would always have easy access to me. Thus her three babies Aslan, Simba and Pocahontas grew up climbing in and out of my bed and even sleeping with me. But not all my female felines teach their kittens to be close to me.

SEEKER OF HELP

ARTEMIS and her kittens

Some cats even go further by literally asking for help when they need it. Eleven-year-old Artemis always experiences a delay in kitten delivery. Her stomach gets so big and heavy that sometimes she doesn’t want to stand anymore. When it’s time to give birth yet her babies won’t come out yet, she comes to me for a healing. So I place my hands on her stomach and give it Reiki energy. Or I gently stroke and massage it. She loves it and usually wants to stay all day on the bed. The babies come out usually a day or two later.

BAST and her kitty

Her sister Bast also had the same idea. She usually keeps her babies hidden and well-protected. But one day, when a good friend who happens to be a doctor came to do acupuncture on our cat, Sam, Bast brought out her three babies and laid them out in front of him. It was the first and only time any of the cats did that to a visitor. We thought it was rather cute and we didn’t know what it meant at the time. It was only after the babies died two days later that we realized she was asking for medical or acupuncture help.

ULTIMATE MAMA

ISHTAR with Mau and Bast

This type of cat gives up whatever little food she has to her kittens. Not all mothers do this. But I’ve seen this admirable trait among some of my cats. When the kittens want more food or milk, Ishtar, Spider and Pouncival give them their share. It’s very much the same for human mothers. My mom does it for me. She buys clothes for herself and then gives them to me if I like them. Now that’s what I call the ultimate mother.

THE CHANGED CAT

Motherhood, I am told, changes many women. I had the chance to observe this first hand with Xerea who used to be a timid cat who feared all the other cats. Xerea made her home in my bathroom perhaps thinking that the closed-in walls would provide her better protection from her siblings who just loved to tease and harass her. She often stayed on top of a tiled wall dividing the shower from the toilet area. For several years, none of our Prince Charming cats could lay their paws on Xerea, our “wall tower princess”. After giving birth to two kittens, Xerea first nursed them inside the bathroom cabinet and later moved them out to my room. More than a month later, she began making excursions to the dining room and kitchen. She must have liked it there because she brought her babies there. Now, Xerea goes all over the house. She has lost her fear of the other cats and she now fights back when they try to boss her around.

Animal behavior indeed mirrors human behavior. Or is it the other way around? And when it comes to mothering, humans do not have a monopoly on love for their babies. Mother cats and other species give the same attention and sacrifice to their offspring. Scientists may refer to it as the instinct to ensure “survival of the species”. But anyone who has the opportunity to observe animals up close will know that this is too simplistic an explanation. Animals are intelligent and they have a way of knowing which we do not completely comprehend. And mothering, for them, generally seems to be a special experience. (end)

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Published in Mr. & Ms. magazine (May-June 2008) under my column: ANIMAL TOTEMS

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HEALING ANIMALS – WITHOUT STRESS AND TRAUMA

By Khrysta Imperial Rara

Alternative healing methods are now legitimately practiced in the United States, Europe, Australia, Japan and China. In these places, hospital officials of state-run hospitals ask their patients whether they want to see regular doctors or alternative healers. The same goes for the animals. People can choose either to bring their pets to regular veterinarians or to alternative pet healers. A growing number of pet owners opt for the latter mainly because alternative healing turns out cheaper in the long term. Another reason is that more people are becoming health conscious and they no longer want to fill their pets’ bodies with chemical products (like antibiotics, chemical flea killers, de-wormers, etc…) Many pet owners would rather use natural ingredients and methods to heal their animal companions. Others combine homeopathic and allopathic methods. It all depends on what works best for you and your animal companion.

Healing pets the non-conventional way protects them from traumatic experiences.

A trip to the vet often causes fear and panic to an animal particularly if he or she had been previously subjected to injections, physical exams, blood tests and mishandling by a vet’s assistants.

Alternative healing methods also help humans bond with their animal friends. Everything that lives and exists in this world is composed of energy. Humans and animals are made up of energies, each vibrating at a different level. So when you try to heal a sick pet, he will immediately feel that you are trying to manipulate his energy field and he will love you the more for it.

I rarely go to the vet nowadays because it has become quite expensive. With 14 cats in the house, I have opted for energy healing to cut costs.

I practice several kinds of methods. My favorite is REIKI healing. Reiki, which means universal life energy in Japanese, is a method of healing that uses extremely fine energy tapped from the universal source. Practitioners are initiated so they can gain easy access to the life force. As a second-degree REIKI healer, I just put my hand on the part of the cat’s body that is bothering him and pass on healing energy to him. I can see the relief from pain in the cat’s eyes and actions. It’s either he falls asleep or he suddenly bounces off from my lap, completely energized. The results can be seen immediately or after a few sessions.

Sometimes, I do pranic healing. It’s basically the same principle of energy (prana) manipulation, but this time the pranic healer uses his hands to “sweep away” all negative energies within the animal’s energy field. Pranic healing is an ancient healing art. Animals tend to get impatient, though, so you might have to hold him with one hand while the other does the sweeping. Two of my cats have been healed with pranic energy. Aswad, a black stray cat, was going blind when he was dumped in my garage by some neighbors. His eyes were in a sorry state either because he didn’t get the proper care and nutrients or he had been scratched in the eyes. Veterinary doctors said both Aswad and Tuxedo, a black and white stray cat who had blood oozing from her eyes, were “hopeless” and would definitely go blind. Well, they did not. They recovered their eyesight within two weeks with the help of pranic healing and of course, a lot of love, attention and clean food. Fauna, a sleek jet black stray, was cured by REIKI energy – and Vitamin C. Another vet had taken her x-ray and said she was dying of lung and stomach infection. In 1999, my white Persian cat Horus suddenly started walking like a drunkard. He acquired a glazed look as if he were high on drugs and he could neither jump up nor come when called. The reason? A vet had prescribed a high dosage of antibiotic to stop his diarrhea. Well, the sickness stopped but Horus got even worse. I gave him lots of REIKI treatments and he is now one sweet fat independent cat.

Now, when my cats get diarrhea, I give homeopathic tablets in addition to the usual alternative treatments. Homeopathy cures an illness by treating the whole being rather than just the symptoms. It is holistic. Its medicines come from plant, mineral and animal sources and are used in extremely diluted amounts. The tablets I give my cats are for diarrhea and they are very effective.

My feline friends also love the spinal flush, so-called because it flushes the toxins out from the body. To do it, apply thumb pressure along the canals on both sides of the spine but not on the spine itself. Do this from the back of the neck all the way down to the edge of his body. To balance a pet’s energies when she’s feeling too aggressive or too weak, trace the number eight (8) sideways a few inches from her body. Do this several times.

Quartz crystals can also be a big help. When any of my Persian cats gets sick, I put the appropriate crystal in his or her sleeping corner. Once when pewter-haired Ishtar was stricken with diarrhea and throwing up everything she ate, I placed a pink quartz under her stomach while she slept the whole night. By the time I woke up the following morning, she was busy playing with her two-month kittens.

Often, like people, animals get sick due to stress. They are so sensitive to the energies around them that they easily get affected by negative energy waves. When there’s a lot of anger in the home, pet behavior can turn erratic. Some animals even absorb the negative energies released by their human companions. When this happens, stressed people usually say they always feel better when their pet is around. Problem is, it could be toxic for their animal friends.

Wildlife, or animals who don’t know you, are a different story. Long-distance mental healing would work best for them. When I was still a student in France, I used to spend my afternoons watching the swans as they gracefully glided along the Ill River in Strasbourg. I would give them bread and it came to a point when they would come rushing to shore as I approached the bridge. One day I noticed that one of the swans was limping and having a hard time coming to shore. For three days I did mental healing on him and at the same time I sent him a lot of love energy. I wasn’t sure I was getting anywhere but on the fourth day, he came to shore with the others and even stayed behind as if to thank me.

Sometimes, though, there are animals who can no longer be healed. For some of them, it’s simply time to leave. On such occasions, I just thank the animal for the love and company he shared with me. Often, they come back or reincarnate and end up with me again.

In China, Japan, Thailand, Australia, the United States and Europe, vets already use acupuncture on their animal patients. Acupuncture cures almost all diseases including arthritis and mental disorders. It is an ancient Chinese therapy that requires the insertion of needles into the skin at specific points in the body. Sluggish animals usually regain their energy after an acupuncture session.

There are still more kinds of alternative cures but nothing beat prevention. Exposure to the morning sun does a lot of good for the animals. And of course, lots of love and attention works wonders for them. It’s always the best way to heal – and protect – them from disease.

ON DOLPHIN TIME

Revered in ancient cultures because of their awesome grace and power, the dolphins inspired so much respect and admiration that the Sumerians and Egyptians thought they had direct connections to the gods. Classical Greek writers, on the other hand, believed the dolphins to be the King of Fishes, with the power to guide the souls of the dead into the Underworld. Dolphins came to symbolize powers, speed and freedom, and they were often called upon to lend their magick to the Celtic warriors and even the coastal Native Americans.

Those were the days when Nature ruled the Earth. Humans evolved to become masters of the land while the dolphins became masters of the sea. Because of the conditions on the land, man developed his sense of sight and smell. But since these senses count for naught in murky waters, the dolphins evolved into sonar or echolocating beings whose low- and high-frequency sound emissions allow them to locate and identify objects out of visual range, up to a distance of 1,000 meters away.

While man hunted, built bridges and cities, the dolphins also hunted as well as swam, frolicked, mated and defended themselves from predators. But unlike men who multiplied rapidly and colonized other lands to satisfy their needs for space and more food, dolphins multiplied at a slower pace and therefore never felt the need to colonize. Besides, their domain, the oceans, occupy 2/3 the Earth's surface area.

But the free-roaming dolphins are not so free anymore. Man has taken it upon himself not only to invade dolphin territory but to plunder and destroy it as well. Man's technological advances have made sure of this. Commercial and military ships have raised the noise pollution level in the high seas. Since water is a very good conductor of sound, this noise pollution has jammed echolocation signals exchanged by dolphin pods, whales and other sea creatures as well. Oil spills, nuclear experiments and the indiscriminate throwing of garbage into the sea has affected their social behavior and even endangered their lives. Dolphins are now hunted and slaughtered for food, fertilizer and pig feed. Thousands drown when caught in purse seine nets used by tuna-fishing boats. Those not killed could end up as disposable soldiers trained to hunt mines, sabotage nuclear submarines or ram enemy frogmen with explosive devices tied to their bodies.

To top it all, many are turned into reluctant and unhappy pets, seaquarium prisoners or show dolphin clowns. They are confined to tanks where many succumb to stress-related diseases and depression. Since they communicate by sonar, many become neurotic in a steel tank where every sound ricochets back. Add to this the stress of travel. In the sea, they are weightless. When transported by land or air, gravity pulls the weight of their 500-lb. bodies down on their lungs. They become confused and helpless. But they cannot be tranquilized because if they lose consciousness, they die.

Yet despite all the abuse humans subject them to, dolphins never harm people. Their 96 sharp cone-shaped teeth and powerful flukes could easily kill, but dolphins have been known more to save drowning or marooned people.

Richard O'Barry, former trainer of all dolphins used in the hit FLIPPER series, turned activist when he could no longer stand to see the dolphins suffer. He realized that dolphins in captivity are at odds with their true nature. "Dolphins who are full of human impressions are virtually cripples. They need de-programming, and they would also have to re-learn how to hunt live fish," he said in one of his books.

Scientists, like neurophysiologist Dr. John Lilly, discovered that dolphin memory is equal to human memory and they do better in many tests than the chimpanzee. They can also mimic us, even our laughter, at a rate 8 times faster than human speech. Lilly had to use a computer to keep pace with them. Not surprising, if we consider that they have a brain mass / body mass ratio equal to humans’. According to scientific studies, one of the foremost criteria for intelligence is the brain mass / body mass ratio.

Non-scientists have been conducting their own "experiments" in interspecies communication. But this time, they realize the importance of interacting with the dolphins in their natural habitats, in order to observe their natural behavior and learn from them. Musician Jim Nollman has made many dolphin friends by playing classical and ethnic music in the high seas. Like the Pied Piper of Hamlin, they have followed his music to specially-designated coves where adults and children wait to play with them. Is this the making of a human-dolphin community? Why not? Pregnant women claim they felt blasts of energies directed at their stomachs while interacting with the dolphins, while manic-depressive people say they had never been happier than
when they were in contact with the dolphins.

For such interspecies projects to work, Nollman and others like him first had to gain the trust of the dolphins, who had by now learned to be wary of most humans. Communication between species can only work if we do not force the other to learn English or undergo intelligence tests. It will only work if we go out of our way to harmonize with them like the people of Mauritania who called on the dolphins to bring them fish, as documented by French oceanographer Jacques Cousteau. Peaceful interaction between man and species either in the wild or the high seas can be re-learned, and it will surely help to re-establish our lost link with the natural world.
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Published in The Philippine Post, July 3, 1999