Critters Archives

Critters|

October 26, 2016

The Beaumont Man Who Killed Two Whooping Cranes Fined And Barred From Owning Firearms For Five Years

Whooping crane advocates hope that the sentence will deter future incidents.

By Sonia Smith

Critters|

August 24, 2016

Ruffled Feathers

When a teenage boy brazenly shot two endangered whooping cranes outside Beaumont, his act unleashed widespread anger and resulted in a quick arrest—and revealed just how difficult it can be to save a species.

By Sonia Smith

Critters|

July 20, 2016

Something in the Way They Move

Millions of creatures migrate to, from, and through Texas every year. Here are a few not to miss.

By Dan Oko

The Culture|

April 20, 2016

The Doctor Is Out

A day in the life of a mobile large-animal veterinarian.

By Sterry Butcher

Critters|

April 11, 2016

Are We Too Hard on Fire Ants?

Finding love through the pain.

By John Nova Lomax

Critters|

January 27, 2016

Cattle Call

Taking stock of small-town stock shows.

By Jordan Breal

Critters|

January 20, 2016

Dallas Is Cracking Down On Its Stray Dog Pandemic

The city launched an initiative to address the loose dog problem of South Dallas.

By H. Drew Blackburn

The Daily Post|

December 22, 2015

What You Should Know About H3N2, The Dog Flu Strain That Hit Texas

H3N2 is ”highly contagious,” according to veterinarians, but with a low mortality rate—so be aware, but don’t panic.

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Critters|

December 3, 2015

The Green Anole, Your Resident Backyard Lizard, Is Being Pushed Out By Its Uglier Cousin

The green anole is being displaced by its faster, fiercer relative, the brown anole.

By John Nova Lomax

A green monk parakeet perched on a branch.

Critters|

November 18, 2015

We’ve Got the Monk (Parakeet)

An (extremely) amateur ornithologist’s examination of the monk parakeet and its time in Texas.

By John Nova Lomax

Critters|

October 21, 2015

Hundreds Of Animals Have Been Saved From The Hidden Pines Fire

A little good news amidst the devastation.

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Critters|

October 21, 2015

Sanctuary City

Will border politics crush Mission’s attempt to brand itself as the butterfly capital of America before that dream takes wing?

By Michael Hardy

Critters|

September 18, 2015

Furry Friday: Balam The Jaguar Cub Is The Reason You’re Going To Lufkin

Jaguar cub! Jaguar cub! Jaguar cub!

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Critters|

July 31, 2015

A Dallas Cat Lost Half of Its Body Weight, Making A Cat Named Skinny Much More Svelte

Today in cat-shaming/fat-shaming: the tale of Skinny, one of the world’s heaviest cats, who is now just one of the world’s cats.

By

Critters|

July 17, 2015

Let Us Remember The Austin Cobra

The cold-blooded killer met its unceremonious end off of I-35 and was found early on Friday morning.

By

Critters|

July 15, 2015

A Tyler Man Is Suing the City After He Was Arrested for Swearing When He Picked Up His Missing Bird

A colorful man with a colorful bird had a hard time in the Tyler police station.

By

Critters|

July 6, 2015

Texas Gator Kills Man in Orange, Ending a 179-Year Streak

Shipyard worker breaks every rule of gator safety and pays the ultimate price.

By John Nova Lomax

Young boy looking at alligator in water.

Critters|

July 1, 2015

A Family Fights Off an Angry Alligator, Keeping State Fatality-Free

There are gators aplenty in East and South Texas, yet no Texan has ever been killed since records have been kept, despite close calls like what happened recently with a Chambers County boy.

By John Nova Lomax

Critters|

June 19, 2015

Meet the Official Cat of the Alamo, Miss Isabella Francisca Veramendi de Valero

Long may Bella keep the grounds free of rodents.

By

The Daily Post|

June 11, 2015

Cirilo Castillo Jr. Busted Again After Allegedly Trying to Have Sex with a Horse

Time to double-check the locks on your barns.

By

Critters|

June 4, 2015

Inspiring Earthworms Form Artful Herds After Heavy Rain

Park rangers in Eisenhower State Park discovered something odd and awe-inspriring in the wake of recent flooding.

By Hannah Smothers

Critters|

May 22, 2015

Cowboy Family Rescues Horses in Raging Flood, Proves Cowboys Still Exist

When torrential storms brought raging flood waters to their ranch in Eastland, the Barrett family took to the muddy waters to rescue their prized horses.

By Hannah Smothers

Critters|

May 13, 2015

Our Toad to Ruin

Can we save our beloved ant-eating, blood-spurting, quickly disappearing state reptile?

By Alex Dropkin

Critters|

May 6, 2015

Up to 4 Percent of Africa’s Rhinos Might Relocate to South Texas

With an endangered population that continues to be poached for its horns, every preventative measure—even odd ones—should be considered.

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Armadilidium vulgare, the big commonly nicknamed a doodlebug.

Critters|

April 29, 2015

They Are Called Doodlebugs, Dang It

A rant about the proper Southeast Texas name for the little armadillo-like critters in our backyards.

By John Nova Lomax

Critters|

April 27, 2015

A Herd of Central Texas Cows Braved Friday’s Floodwaters

In the midst of a storm that brought heavy rains and flash flooding to parts of Central Texas, a herd of cattle was swept away from their pasture.

By Hannah Smothers

Critters|

April 22, 2015

Facebook Is Not Letting the Story of the Vet Who Killed a Cat With a Bow and Arrow Go

Kristen Lindsey, the Brenham veterinarian who bragged about killing a cat with a bow and arrow on Facebook, is persona non grata on social media now.

By

Critters|

April 13, 2015

You Can’t Even Ride a Horse Through a Taco Bell Drive-Thru in North Texas Suburbs Anymore

What is the world coming to?

By

The Daily Post|

April 7, 2015

SeaWorld Released a Video From Five Years Ago of One of Its Critics Using Racial Slurs

As part of the floundering company’s ongoing image rehabilitation project, it has taken to some Nixonian dirty tricks.

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Critters|

March 27, 2015

It’s a Bird, It’s a Plane, It’s a Dog-Locating Drone Flying Over Houston

The World Animal Awareness Society is using camera-equipped drones to film a pilot episode of a stray-dog-related television show in Houston.

By Hannah Smothers

The Daily Post|

March 10, 2015

Texas Considers a Law Mandating Training for Police on How to Deal With Dogs

Few things rally people to a cause more quickly than the unjustified shooting of a dog.

By

Critters|

February 27, 2015

Meet the Woman Trying to Open Texas’ First Cat Cafe

Austinite Rebecca Gray has big plans to open the first cafe in the state where humans and felines can peacefully coexist.

By Hannah Smothers

Critters|

February 19, 2015

Eight Reasons Grackles Are Awesome

Maybe it’s time we kick the mockingbird off its perch as the state bird and replace it with an avian friend with even more personality and visibility.

By John Nova Lomax

The Daily Post|

February 18, 2015

Richard Linklater Thinks You Should Be a Vegetarian

In a new video for PETA that spoofs his own Boyhood, Linklater explains why spending the past thirty years as a vegetarian has been such a great decision for him.

By

Critters|

February 18, 2015

Fido Is Survived by His Water Bowl and Six Chew Toys

Considering the pet obituary.

By Jeff Winkler

Critters|

January 30, 2015

More Than Forty Dogs Have Gone Missing in Wise County

Pet owners in the northwest side of the DFW metroplex, be careful.

By

Critters|

January 9, 2015

The Dogs of War

The lives of military dogs.

By Brantley Hargrove

Critters|

December 5, 2014

Furry Friday: Humane Society Shows Video of Dog Euthanasia Procedure to Harlingen City Commission to Encourage Spay/Neuter Laws

That is a pretty stark way to get the point across.

By

Critters|

November 26, 2014

A Man Being Sued by the Owner of the Dogs Who Killed His Beagle in His Yard Won’t Settle

The case has sparked predictable outrage.

By

Critters|

November 21, 2014

Furry Friday: A Mason County Rancher’s Dog Is the Most Loyal Pooch You’ll Read About This Week

Buddy hopped aboard the ambulance his owner was riding in to make sure his human was okay.

By Lauren Caruba

The Daily Post|

November 14, 2014

A McAllen-Based Pets Website Is Being Sued for Selling People Sick Dogs

People who paid as much as $3,500 for purebred puppies allegedly found themselves receiving dying animals instead.

By

Critters|

November 7, 2014

Somebody Paid $50,000 to Name the New Baby Giraffe at the Dallas Zoo

Our new get-rich-quick scheme involves acquiring a bunch of baby giraffes.

By

Critters|

October 24, 2014

Furry Friday: Dog Costume Contest

Austin Dog Rescue is honest about how voting works. The dog that gets the most money wins.

By

Critters|

October 20, 2014

Horrible Video Shows a Cleburne Police Officer Calling To, Then Shooting, a Tail-Wagging Dog

Police violence toward humans is very much a topic in the news right now, so why does a video of an officer shooting a dog trigger a different sort of outrage?

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