New deal to rescue Borneo orangutans

Orangutan taken in Zoo Negara by Homebiz Photography

AP reported from KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 28. Conservationists said today they were planning a big push to protect Borneo's orangutans, pygmy elephants and other endangered wildlife by purchasing land from oil palm producers to create a forest sanctuary.

The deal is meant to help stave off the demise of orangutans, whose numbers have dwindled amid illegal logging and the rapid spread of oil palm plantations in Malaysia and Indonesia, the only two countries where orangutans are found in the wild.

The Malaysian-based LEAP Conservancy group is in talks to buy 90 hectares of tropical jungle land in Sabah from oil palm operators, said Cynthia Ong, LEAP's executive director.

The territory is needed to link two sections of a wildlife reserve that is home to an estimated 600 orangutans, 150 Borneo pygmy elephants and a vast array of other animals including proboscis monkeys, hornbills and river otters.

Read More

The beauty of Dogs

Photos by Chris Y...These are the pictures taken on a dog
competition recently.There are many doggies, big and small.
The dog owners dressed and carried their dogs around like
their pampered children.

Taking at the lobby of a shopping complex with a Canon 30D
with a 17-55mm zoom lens. The close up was taken with a
100mm F2.8 Macro lens

I like the close up shot. Click on the images to view larger version

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

How to train your dogs

Story by: Andrei Smith

One of the reasons for doing an obedience dog training is to establish a foundation between you and your dog. Many dog owners believe that dog training is only for those who wish to compete in obedience trials, but they are wrong.

Dog training requires only a simple persistence to be successful and can be useful to help fulfill some of your dog's basic and social interaction needs. Here are some dog training tips to guide you along the way.

1. Firm and Friendly

When you give commands such as come, you want to use a happy and friendly voice. While on the other hand, you'll want a lower firmer voice for sit, down, and stay commands.

2. Praise & Reward

Always praise your dog or offer him when he learned new commands.

3. Be Patient

Patience is the key when you are training your dog. Focus on a single command a session and end it on a positive note. Dog's are incredibly smart and will pick up all your commands. After each session, spend some time playing. He will associate the time with you as positive and anticipate his training again. Read More

The white and pink flamingos at Zoo Negara

You can find these The white and pink flamingos if you go to visit Zoo Negara.

Well, I don't know how these birds are having two colors but I believe there must relate to the food they eat. Anyway this may give us a good photo shooting of their vibrant and bright colors

Feeding animals at Zoo Negara ( 1 )

The deer is having their meal every morning from the zoo workers.
Grass and leaves for most of the ruminants (such as cattle and deer)

Feeding animals at Zoo Negara

Animals eating inside the fenced compound at Zoo Negara.

Zoo Negara planting a lot of fruit tress and also some vegatebles of
its own. They plant some of the trees in the enclosures so that
the herbivores can have direct access to the food. This will reduce
work and time spent harvesting and cutting up the food for
the animals.

They don't have to screen the food unlike those sourced from
outside to see if it is safe for the animals.

The talking little pet -The common Mynah

The Common Mynah feeds on insects and fruits and discarded waste from human habitation. It forages on the ground among grass for insects, and especially for grasshoppers from which it gets the generic name Acridotheres, “grasshopper hunter”. It walks on the ground with occasional hops.

Many people like to keep this common mynah as a pet as it can be trained to talk like humans.

Pairs of mynahs stay together year after year. In the breeding season they are strongly territorial. The nest is a cup of dry grass, twigs and leaves, usually in a hole in a tree, cliff, or building. They are very aggressive birds and will compete for nesting boxes which farmers put out to encourage starlings.

The painted stork got the fish

Got the fish and fly away....This is another shot of painted stork
that I took when I visited the Zoo Negara.

There are many free flying lake birds in the Zoo. They
know the Zoo keeper will deliver food to them
in the morning.

Some of these birds are not staying there and they will
fly away to the jungle nearby after their meal.

My pet corner

This is my cat katie. She is the pet of everyone in the family.
She has all the freedom at home. She can walk everywhere
except my computer room.

She like home cook food if my wife has the time.
Otherwise we just bought her the cat food in the super
market.

But one thing I have to make sure to my family members
not to give her our food. She must learn to know that
her food is different from us. This to develop her not
eating our food on the table.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
How to take Great Photos of your pets

Kelly Paal is a Freelance Nature and Landscape Photographer, exhibiting nationally and internationally.
This is an article how to take great photos of your pets like cat, dog or bird.

We all love our animals. They do such funny, adorable, and cute things. But somehow when that camera comes out they run and hide or they just seem to always be pointed away from the camera when you push the button. Well here are some tips to help you have a better chance at getting great photos of your pet.

1. Don't wake your pet out of deep sleep and attempt to coerce him into performing for the camera. It won't happen. Try to take photos of your pet during their routine playtime.

2. If there is enough daylight to take photos then turn the flash off. My cat has learned to close his eyes just before the flash goes off. He learned that little trick quick too! Many times a camera flash is just too bright for them, that's why they point away from you when they know that you're taking photos. Read More

Feeding Time at the Zoo

These painted storks are fighting for their meals
when the zoo keeper throw the fish to them.

When they got their food, these painted storks will fly away
leaving the others to have their shares to get them.

It was a fast moment of these flying lake birds to get
their catches. And I got this picture using a Canon 1D
mark lll and a 70-200 mm zoom.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

This is an article on Secrets For Creating Tack Sharp Shots by Pat Lye and she would like to share with you the tips how to take a sharp and focus picture.

There are lots of ingredients to making a spectacular photograph, but the most important is for the picture to be in sharp focus. Even the slightest blur takes away from the picture, no matter how good the subject, lighting and color.

Photographers have somewhat varying opinions on what constitutes a tack sharp picture, but generally, a tack sharp photograph has good, clean lines. The picture has clear definition, instead of a soft blending of lines, or even downright blurry.

There are several things you can do to increase your chances of getting that coveted tack sharp picture.

Hand-Held Digital Photography Tips

If you’re hand-holding your camera, brace your arms against your sides to help steady the camera. If your camera has anti-shake technology such as Vibration Reduction (VR) or Image Stabilization (IS) lens that can be switched on and off, this is the time to have it turned on. continue reading