HEALTH

Critically endangered but available for selfies at Japanese pet cafes

Published

7 hours ago

March 17, 2023

In Japan, you can drink coffee while an owl sits on your head, or sit in a bar where live penguins watch you from behind a plexiglass wall. Exotic animal cafes in the country are popular with both locals and visitors looking for novelty, cuteness and selfies. Customers can even buy animals from some cafes and bring them home.

But visitors to these places may not realize that many of these cafes endanger wildlife conservation, their own and public health, and animal welfare.

In an exhaustive japan animal survey cafe, published earlier this year in the journal Conservation Science and Practice, researchers found 3,793 individual animals belonging to 419 different species, 52 of which are endangered. Nine of the exotic species they have discovered, including the endangered slow lorises and endangered radiation turtles, are strictly prohibited from international trade.

“Some of the species we saw are of very dubious origin,” said Marie Sigot, now a veterinarian and wildlife biologist at the National Museum of Natural History in Paris, who did the research as a postdoctoral fellow at Kyoto University. Many animals are “likely to be caught in the wild and this affects their long-term survival.”

Potential animal-to-human transmission of the disease is also a concern, dr. Sigo said.

In a typical cafe, individual animals of different species crowd together in a small room where people are allowed to touch them while drinking, says Cecile Sarabian, a cognitive ecologist at Nagoya University and co-author of the results. Many animals are under stress and “this is a great interface for exchanging potential pathogens,” she said.

Laws governing pet cafes are “quite lax,” says Dr. Sarabyan added that the researchers are calling on the Japanese government to strengthen them.

Representatives of the Japanese Ministry of the Environment did not respond to requests for comment.

Cafes with exotic animals are not exclusively Japanese. Ever since the first known pet cafe featuring cats and dogs opened in Taiwan in 1998, the concept has quickly spread throughout the region. A 2020 study identified 111 such enterprises in Asia, mainly in Japan, but also in China, Thailand, Taiwan, Indonesia, South Korea, Vietnam, the Philippines and Cambodia. Japan, however, seems to have become “the epicenter of this phenomenon,” the doctor said. Sigo said.

The researchers personally visited some cafes in Japan and also searched the Internet and social media in English and Japanese for keywords such as “pet cafe”, “otter cafe” and “petting zoo”. They found 142 exotic animal cafes in the Japanese archipelago and compiled a list of all the species they saw in photos posted on cafe websites and social media, excluding insects.

The number and variety of animals came as a surprise to the doctor. Sigo said. Birds made up 62 percent of the species, and 40 percent of those were owls. But the researchers also recorded dozens of reptiles and mammals.

Thirty-eight cafes also offered options to purchase their exhibited animals—primarily owls, but also species as diverse as sugar gliders—for $150–$300; ball pythons $455 to $1290; secretary birds for $20,500; and red-tailed black cockatoos for $23,250.

Some of the species were of particular concern, including endangered species such as the pancake turtle and the Central American river turtle. The rest were of dubious origin. The Bengal slow loris and the Sunda slow loris, for example, are endangered species from South and Southeast Asia that are often poached and are strictly banned from international trade. They are difficult to breed in captivity, dr. Shigo said that there are no professional facilities for these species in Japan.

“So where are they from?” doctor, Seago said. “It’s hard to believe they’re legal.”

International trade in 60 percent of the species found by researchers in cafes is regulated by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, or CITES, and most of these animals were registered as coming from nurseries when they were introduced to Japan. Only 14 percent have been noted as coming from the wild, although the researchers say this is likely an underestimate as no records exist for the 40 percent of non-CITES species. Wild animals such as otters are also known to be laundered as captive-bred to make their trade legal, they note.

Searching the CITES database from 1975 to 2019, the researchers also found no record of imports into Japan of seven highly trade-controlled species found in pet cafes, including the Bengal slow loris, the spotted pond turtle, and the striped eagle. owl

“These gaps raise more questions than they answer,” says Dr. Sarabyan said.

She and her colleagues also reported welfare issues at the café. Animals can be stressed from constant handling, birds of prey are chained to perches, and nocturnal species are forced to interact with visitors during the day. Sarabyan said. Almost all species are kept in small cages and artificial conditions, and are cared for by people who do not have special training or qualifications for working with wildlife.

Kohei Kimura, owner of Funny Creatures Forest, a Kyoto-based animal cafe that specializes in reptiles, said he has often heard criticisms similar to the one that sparked the new study, including that the cafe houses protected species and that animals are mistreated there. Mr Kimura, whose cafe features about 40 species of reptiles, as well as three owls and several tropical fish, said he was taking extra care not to exacerbate these problems. He buys all his animals from wholesalers in Japan or breeds them himself. He says he forbids clients from touching owls while they sleep and has built his own specialized reptile cages because “commercially available cages are too small.”

Mr. Kimura, who has loved cold-blooded creatures since childhood, said he opened his café to share “the charm of reptiles” with others. “A big lizard can make you feel like you’re raising a dinosaur.”

“In Japan, reptiles are often disliked and considered scary, but in fact, many of them are gentle,” he added.

Timothy Bonbrake, a biologist at the University of Hong Kong who was not involved in the study, said the new study showed the need for stricter regulations and oversight of Japanese exotic animal cafes. “Overall, I think the analysis clearly shows that there are an alarming number of endangered species of dubious origin in these cafes,” he said.

But he noted that with proper regulation, animal cafes can play an active role in conservation, as many zoos do: by raising public awareness and love for wildlife. “I often wonder about the possible benefits,” he said.

Related Topics:cafes Critically endangered Japanese pet selfies

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Alison Hammond to co-host Great British Bake Off next season

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HEALTH

Alison Hammond to co-host Great British Bake Off next season

Published

10 hours ago

March 17, 2023

Irene Skeete

leading ITV Alison Hammond has been selected as the new co-host on “great british pastries“, replacing Matt Lucas.

Hammond confirmed the news on Friday morning by releasing a short clip showing the full line-up of the Bake Off hosts in frosted figurines. “It’s official!! It’s the Great British Contest! Let’s get it – the cake that [emoji] so excited,” she tweeted.

The news of her appointment was first reported on Thursday evening by the Daily Mirror. Channel 4 confirmed Hammond’s hiring on Friday.

The broadcaster’s chief content officer Jan Katz said of the latest host of the show: “Alison is very well liked, easily funny and has the best laugh in Britain. She became a hit when she appeared on ‘Celebrity Bake Off’ and we’re thrilled to have her back in the tent.”

Hammond, who featured on the acclaimed 2020 version of “Bake Off,” will join Noel Fielding as co-host for the next season of the cult cooking show. She is the first black woman to host a long-running cooking show that launched in the UK in 2010.

Lucas, who himself replaced Sandi Toksvig in 2020, announced his departure as co-host in December, citing problems with other projects alongside Bake Off.

Hammond is best known in the UK as the host of ITV’s This Morning. She recently co-hosted the BAFTA Film Awards with Richard E. Grant. The Birmingham host is known for her sunny speaking style, loud laughs and her ability to make even the most irascible interlocutors feel at ease on the air. Sources said Diversity that it became a hit backstage at BAFTA, where Hammond interviewed celebrities for the show’s new studio segment.

The Great British Bake Off first aired on the BBC in 2010 but was moved to Channel 4 in 2017. The show ended its 13th season in November. He will return on his Channel 4 celebrity special on Sunday.

HEALTH

‘We Shed Many Tears’: A Day in the Life of an NHS Nurse – Photo Story | NHS

Published

17 hours ago

March 17, 2023

Irene Skeete

Bejoy Sebastian doesn’t work as a nurse for the money, but he is one of the most dedicated, enthusiastic and compassionate people you could ever meet.

He works as a chief nurse at University College London Hospitals owned by the NHS Foundation (UCLH) and travels back and forth from his home near Heathrow in the far west of the city, where he lives with his wife, Divia, and their eight-year-old son. , Emmanuel. Sebastian is part of a large specialized team of intensive care specialists who travel from the poorest parts of London to care for the very sick.

At 8 am, Bejoy Sebastian takes part in the morning transfer of shifts.

He leaves the house at dawn to arrive before his shift starts at 8 am. He is due to finish at 20:30 but is more often than not an hour or two late due to his sense of responsibility and concern for patients and staff.

“A team member may have a problem with a patient or just need to talk. A lot of tears have been shed in our office over the past couple of years.”

He usually returns home around 10:30 pm, and sometimes at midnight he sees Divya and looks in on his sleeping son.

The work day begins as night falls into the hands of the day team in a room full of notepads, coffee and focused faces, some fresh, others tired, some talking and some listening. After a while, everyone either leaves for their patients, compartments, and work stations, or picks up their coats and bags and sets off on the long journey home against the stream of arriving passengers.

8.3oam shows Sebastian caring for a sedated and intubated patient while simultaneously demonstrating the techniques to two younger colleagues, Kiran Inti and Anju Joyce.

Sebastian works at an incredible pace throughout the day, moving from job to job, constantly stopping to talk to colleagues and offer information, help and advice. One moment he’s in a tense meeting, the next he’s clearing an intubated patient’s airway, and then writing a proposal to help colleagues thrive in a multicultural work environment. His last job of the day I spent with him was emptying the faeces bags of a patient with kidney failure.

Sebastian walks fast. Here he goes to the hospital building on Grafton Way to check on patients there.

Sebastian and his wife arrived in the UK from Kerala in India in March 2011. He and Divya are both nurses and are very fond of the UK and its healthcare system.

“I love this country, my job and my colleagues, but there may come a time when I have to consider whether I can afford to live here longer.” This problem is related to wage rates and the cost-of-living crisis. Sebastian admits that as a head nurse he is in a better position than many of his peers and understands that young, newly qualified nurses may be having more difficulty than he is.

By evening, Sebastian is working with staff nurse Jenny Jade Dellosa, caring for a post-op patient with kidney failure.

Of the group of 11 nurses who got off the plane from India with Sebastian 12 years ago, only three are still working for the NHS, and in all cases this is due to the ever-widening gap between wages and the cost of living in the UK. and especially London.

“One of the group desperately tried to buy a house, but it turned out to be impossible. I tried to talk him into staying, but he moved to Australia.” According to Sebastian, many nurses who find it difficult to make a living in London either go to work in care agencies or move to Australia, Canada or the US.

Sebastian is having lunch during one of his shifts at the hospital.

After a 10-minute lunch break, Sebastian heads off to meet with matron Elaine Thorpe.

For Sebastian, who went on strike at the Royal College of Nursing, going on strike was a difficult decision.

Many nurses have a moral obligation to their patients and colleagues, and it is widely believed among them that if they did not go on strike, more patients would die and nurses would burn out or leave the profession.

“Ten years ago we used to have a farewell party every six months, now it’s five or six times a month. They always leave in tears, saying the same thing: “I love you all and our patients, but I can’t do this anymore.”

“Young nurses came to me and said they couldn’t afford to pay their pension contributions. It breaks my heart, but they say, “It’s about this or about the products.”

Sebastian and his wife understand the problem. Even on their combined salary, life is a constant struggle to make ends meet. Sebastian decided that he would have to work extra shifts, which meant that he would spend even less time with his son.

At his last shift job, Sebastian empties faeces bags from patients with kidney failure. “As a head nurse, I can't offer to do this as I'm just going home, but we have an emotional and moral obligation to each other. We all survived the pandemic together, and I can’t then look in the face and say: “You do it.” We laugh and cry together. — At his last shift job, Sebastian empties faeces bags from patients with kidney failure. “As a head nurse, I can’t offer to do this as I’m just going home, but we have an emotional and moral obligation to each other. We’ve all been through the pandemic together, and I can’t look you in the eyes and say, “You’re doing it.” We laugh and cry together.”

At his last job of the shift, Sebastian empties feces bags for patients with kidney failure.

End of Sebastian's 12 hour shift. His shift officially starts at 8am, but he arrives early. It officially ends at 8:30 pm, but in reality, he often leaves the hospital somewhere between 9:30 pm and 10:00 pm.

This country needs people like Sebastian and his family.

We need them and our teachers and guardians to live and work in our cities, towns and villages so that our society remains a place worth living in.

Back at the hospital, the evening is already in full swing, and Sebastian finally stuffs his work uniform into a small backpack. Just a couple of quick conversations with colleagues tonight as he walks to the ski lifts.

Rush hour is indeed over and Sebastian is heading home to the West London suburbs.

22:00 and Sebastian stops to buy a few groceries before walking from the station to the house. There are often times when supplies run out by the time it reaches the supermarket.

Rush hour is long past when he boards the train to Feltham, and as we speed through the suburbs, his eyes are finally heavy at the nearly empty carriage. He has a 15-minute walk from the station to his house via the supermarket, and although he walks quickly, he finds it unlikely that Emanuel will still be awake when he enters.

Bejoy's son, Emanuel, is often asleep by the time he comes home, but sometimes, as a special treat, he is allowed to stay awake and read until his father returns. — Sebastian’s son, Emanuel, is often asleep by the time he gets home, but sometimes, as a special treat, he is allowed to stay awake and read until his father returns.

Maybe it’s the thought of the photographer coming home with dad tonight that kept him awake because there’s time for a short story in bed before bed.

HEALTH

Proper disposal of massage oil after its expiration date

Published

18 hours ago

March 17, 2023

Irene Skeete

After the expiration date, the massage oil should be disposed of responsibly. Proper disposal is important to ensure that the oil is not only removed from the massage area, but safely removed from the environment. It is also important to ensure that the oil is disposed of in a manner that does not create health or safety issues. Proper disposal of massage oil ensures that not only is it removed from the site, but it also has no negative impact on the environment.

It is important to properly dispose of massage oil when it reaches its expiration date. Massage oil is a product that can be hazardous to the environment if not properly disposed of. To ensure that recycling massage oil done safely, masseurs should check product packaging for disposal instructions. In many cases, massage oil must be taken to a hazardous waste collection center for proper disposal. It is also important to ensure that the massage oil is stored in an airtight container if it needs to be delivered to a hazardous waste collection center. In some cases, massage oil can be recycled in accordance with local regulations.

Check the massage oil expiration date before disposal.

When it comes to massage therapy, there are several factors to consider to ensure the safety of your clients and yourself. One of the most important factors to consider is the shelf life of massage oils. Check the expiration date before disposal and replace the expired oil as soon as possible. Not only is this important for safety and hygiene reasons, but it can also help you save money and keep your massage practice running smoothly.

Before disposing of massage oil, it is important to make sure that the product has not expired. Checking the expiration date is the best way to make sure the oil is still safe to use. All massage oils must have an expiration date on the packaging and it is recommended to check this date before use. If the expiration date has passed, the oil may have deteriorated and cannot be used safely. It is important to dispose of any expired massage oils in accordance with all applicable laws and regulations.

Never pour massage oil down the drain

Regular massage always requires massage oil or lotion. This oil is an essential element of massage as it allows the massage therapist to manipulate your muscles and provide a pleasant sensation. While massage oil is essential for massage, it comes with a few drawbacks, especially when it comes to cleansing. For example, if you are giving a massage at a client’s home, never pour the massage oil down the drain. This is not only harmful to the environment, but can also cause plumbing problems.

Never pour massage oil down the drain, as this can lead to clogging and other plumbing problems. When massage oil comes into contact with water, it can harden and cause clogged pipes. In addition, unwanted debris can build up along the pipe walls, leading to plumbing problems and eventually clogging. Massage oil should be disposed of in the trash and not down the drain to prevent these problems. In addition, it is recommended to wipe up spilled oil immediately, because oil can damage porous surfaces by seeping into them. Never pour massage oil down the drain; instead, put it in the trash according to proper disposal procedures.