Top 10 killer animal movies

by Brian Rummel

Killer animal movie have always been a staple of cinema, they go in, and out of popularity, but it's guaranteed every so often you'll see a killer animal movie make it's way into the movie theaters. Over the years the quality of the killer animal genre has been spotty to say the least, but I'll examine some of my favorites with you below.

Jaws- This movie is probably the ultimate killer animal movie, and by far the most popular ever made. Steven Spielberg crafted a very effective story of a man's fight to keep his town safe, and then added a killer shark to that mix. It's a take on Moby Dick, only with a shark, and boy is it effective. When the film was released it made people think twice about going into the ocean, and I suspect whenever people watch the film today that same sentiment goes through their minds.

The Birds- Alfred Hitchcock's seminal classic about Bird's becoming hostile toward humans is another great entry in the killer animal genre. The story starts of normal enough about a woman who is trying to get close to a man she's met, and so she follows him to his mother's house in a small fishing town north of San Francisco. Soon after the Bird's start to attack, and a memorable movie was born, and is still considered one of Hitchcock's best.

Cujo- The story of a dog who gets infected with rabies', and then attacks a woman, and her son, who get trapped in their car is another classic of the killer animal films.

Alligator- We've all have heard the urban legend about the baby Alligator who had gotten flushed down a toilet only to grow into a gigantic Alligator who eats people. Well this movie embraces that story, and takes it a step further, and I must say this movie while cheesy in some spots is one fun ride.

Grizzly- The story of a huge Grizzly bear who is wreaking havoc at a state park is another pretty good killer animal movie. Sure it's very low budget, but it's still a very fun movie to watch.

Jurassic Park- There was no way I could leave out the genetically produced Dinosaurs who run amok, and start eating people in this Steven Spielberg film.

Arachnophobia- I thought it was time for some spiders, and this movie delivers in terms of icky, creepy moments if you're a hater of spiders. It's well acted, directed, and well written, and an all around fun movie.

Kingdom of the Spiders- This little low budget flick from the 70's starring William Shatner is another fun movie.

Piranha- Joe Dante's little movie about genetically altered Piranha who accidentally get released into a river that leads to a resort is another fun little killer animal movie. It's cheesy, but it's a fun ride for people who love these types of films.

Lake Placid rounds out my top ten favorite killer animal movies. I hope you enjoyed my list, and have a great week.

Learn more about this author, Brian Rummel.

Traveling with cats

by Conny Manero

When my mother recently died and my father applied to go into a nursing home, a new home had to be found for Mickey, their ten month old cat. It was not easy. If Mickey had been a kitten he might have had a chance, but as a fully grown cat, nobody was willing to give him a new home.

Taking my parent's beloved cat to a shelter was, as far as I was concerned, not an option. There was only thing left to do; I decided to take him back with me to Canada.

My research brought a few surprises.

I started off by phoning KLM and asking them a few questions:

Would I be able to keep Mickey with me in the plane or would he be traveling in the cargo space?
What sort of carrier was required?
If Mickey traveled in the cargo space, would there be heating and was there some kind of supervision?

The representative asked me some questions:
How heavy was Mickey?
In what sort of carrier would he be traveling?

Mickey, I told her, was about five pounds and had a spacious hard plastic carrier. This qualified him to travel in the cargo space.

In the cargo space there would be suitable air pressure, heating and some supervision. One of the flight attendants would check up on the animals during flight.

The only time an animal qualifies to travel with the other passengers is when the animal is less than 2.5 pounds and travels in a soft carrier. In Mickey's case this would not be a good idea. He would be much more comfortable in his spacious carrier, where he could stretch out and sleep in peace and quiet.

One last question was if Mickey would need any sedatives on the day of the journey. "No," I was told, "sedatives do more harm than good with a cat. Dogs need sedatives when traveling, but cats can handle a plane journey very well."

To be on the safe side I decided to get a second opinion and phoned a veterinarian. She told me exactly the same thing as the KLM representative. Mickey did not need any medication.
Next I checked his passport. To my relief I saw entries required by law- inoculations and a Rabies shot.

On the day of the journey I placed some food, a bottle of water, and two plastic containers in his carrier and we were all set to go. I was in for a bit of an adventure. Lugging around the airport with a suitcase (on wheels), a heavy bag, and a cat carrier was not exactly a walk in the park.

Still, at Schiphol, Amsterdam's airport, I found a trolley where I could load my suitcase, bag and carrier and this set of wheels made the walking and standing in line at the luggage check-in a lot more comfortable.

Once my suitcases were off my hands it was time to send Mickey on his merry way. For this I had to be at another counter where a KLM representative took Mickey's details and prepared the carrier with safety handling instructions.

"Not to worry," she told me. "Mickey will be well looked after." And, he must have been, because when we landed at Pearson's airport in Toronto, Mickey appeared completely relaxed. I, on the other hand, was not quite so relaxed.

Once again I was lugging around a suitcase, a bag and a heavy cat carrier, but without a helpful trolley. Suitcase trolleys were available, but required $1 for use. I didn't have $1. I had plenty of Euros, but no Canadian dollars.

Hot and sweaty I went through passport control and was then asked to present Mickey at "Live Animal Control" for inspection. Lucky this didn't take long and required no effort.
Mickey was healthy and alert and with his passport in order, he was let into the country with no problems.

Mickey was, at last, on his way to his new home.

Learn more about this author, Conny Manero.

Animal rescue: Guide to animal shelters in the UK

There are many animal shelters throughout the United Kingdom, but very few of them are as well known as the RSPCA (Royal Society for Protection against Cruelty to Animals). They usually depend on volunteers and money donated by the public to help rescue and care for unwanted and neglected animals ranging from small pets such as rabbits, guinea-pigs, dogs and cats to farm animals like cattle, donkeys and horses. There are far too many to list, but other recognised rescue centres include:

*Royal Society for Protection against Cruelty to Animals www.rspca.org.uk an internationally recognised charity whose aims include not only re-homing animals but also in educating the public in animal care.

*National Animal Welfare Trust www.nawt.org.uk based in the South West of England, the NAWT help to care for unwanted and retired animals. They have many species including farm animals and exotics as well as dogs and cats.

*Cats Protection League www.cats.org.uk a cats only charity, the CPL has many homes throughout the UK that foster cats and kittens until a permanent home can be found.

*The Blue Cross www.bluecross.org.uk almost as well known as the RSPCA, the Blue Cross not only help to re-home animals but also have several veterinary hospitals spread throughout the UK.

*Battersea Dogs and Cats Home www.battersea.org.uk based in London, Battersea is well known for taking in unwanted and neglected dogs and cats.

*Scottish Society for Protections against Cruelty to Animals www.scottishspca.org the Scottish version of the RSPCA, following guidelines set by the Scottish government.

*Greyhound Rescue www.greyhoundrescue.co.uk rescuing and re-homing racing dogs of all ages, Greyhound Rescue have many greyhounds and whippets desperately seeking suitable homes.

*Horse and Pony Protection Association www.happa.org.uk HAPPA rescue neglected horses, ponies and donkeys, using an adoption programme to help fund their care.

All animal shelters have rules and regulations that they have to legally follow. These are set by the government and can be found on the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs website (www.defra.gov.uk) and if you have any concerns it is DEFRA that you should contact.

When finding a shelter, most people will look for what is known as a no-kill policy', this means that no healthy animal is put to sleep. Sadly though this is not always the case with some shelters, especially with the increasing number of unwanted and abandoned pets. There are not enough donations or acceptable homes available to keep all animals indefinitely and there are several cases where healthy animals have been euthanized simply because they cannot find a suitable place to live.

Before re-homing an animal, a reputable shelter will ask you to make several visits to get to know the animal. They will also do home checks and make sure that the animal you have chosen to suited to your lifestyle and family. If the centre you are choosing from does not have these policies in place then it is probable that they are not as caring as they seem and it would be advisable to look elsewhere.

Learn more about this author, Charlotte Howard.