Alex Reid

Organizers of the Plastic Pollution Coalition (PPC) pulled off a stunt this morning in Vancouver, strangling sculptures of fish and birds with gigantic plastic six pack rings to highlight pollution from plastics.

The PPC want to eliminate single use plastics and its impact on marine and wild life, pointing to the horrendous Great Pacific Garbage Patch as an example.

Special kudos go to award-winning Vancouver ad agency Rethink (they went national with a Toronto office just recently) which worked up the smart idea with the PPC.

The Nova Scotia Veterinary Medical Association has banned its members from docking, or cutting a dog’s tail or ears – often done by breeders for cosmetic purposes. This follows a similar ban passed in neighbouring New Brunswick in late 2008.

The BBC reports that a city in Israel (population 180,000) is setting up a DNA database to match dog poop left in their streets to their owners in order to fine them. In the UK, some towns have resorted to using surveillance cameras and undercover patrols to identify offenders in particular trouble spots.

Tika Bar-On, the city’s chief veterinarian who came up with the idea for the DNA experiment, told Reuters the DNA database could also help veterinarians research genetic diseases in dogs, investigate canine pedigree and identify stray animals, replacing the need for electronic chip identification.

“The sky is the limit on how far we can take this,” she said.