A Devil of a Program
In parts of Tasmania, up to 90 percent of the Tasmanian devil population has been wiped out by a contagious cancer-like facial tumor disease, reports the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
After being reared in captivity at Tasmanian Devil Conservation Park, orphans of infected devils are being released into the wild with GPS tracking collars.
The GPS tracking program will give valuable information on the likely effectiveness of long-term plans to return perhaps thousands of hand-raised orphans and healthy captive bred devils back to the wild.
Since the late 1990s, the tumor disease has reduced the devil population significantly and now threatens the survival of the species, which may soon be listed as endangered.
“These are really precious healthy devils that have been hand raised by dedicated carers then kept in quarantine at our park for about a year,” said Park Director John Hamilton. “The hand-raising and aftercare has been so successful that they now can be sent back to the bush to breed to keep up the genetic diversity of the wild Forestier Peninsula population.”
World Leaders Seek Direction
Russia’s President Putin has expressed interest in buying a GLONASS device for his pet dog.
A GLONASS pet tracker is expected to be launched this year on the heels of Russia’s first GLONASS/GPS personal navigation device (see The Business), as reported by European news agencies. “I’ll be able to buy one for my dog, Connie, so that she doesn’t run away,” Putin said.
In 2005, the black Labrador became a famous author with the publication of Connie’s Stories, a collection of children’s stories in English for young students that recount her adventures.
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert gave President George W. Bush a bicycle GPS device on January 9 during the U.S. leader’s visit, according to AFP. The unit is fitted with with trail maps around his Texas ranch and Israeli biking routes, and is imprinted with “To my friend George Bush from one athlete to another. Happy trails.”
Kosher Made Easy
Looking for a kosher restaurant using your GPS has gotten a lot easier with the launch of www.KosherRestaurantsGPS.com. The site provides a database of glatt kosher and dairy restaurants that can be downloaded into a GPS point-of-interest list, reports the Jewish Press.
Founder Yitzie Katz started creating the database after having difficulty locating kosher establishments using his GPS. It now covers the U.S. and Canada and contains more than 1,000 establishments. KosherRestaurantsGPS keeps users current with monthly updates.
