BANGKOK — Many Asians believe the Year of the Rabbit means good luck for those born under that zodiac sign, but conservationists warn that the furry creatures themselves are being loved to death in Asia and some species are dying away altogether.

As the Lunar New Year approaches, rabbits are being snapped up from pet stores and farms but some are warning that the animals will be dumped once the novelty wears off and the cost and trouble of keeping them kicks in.

"It's believed that feeding rabbits in their zodiac will bring luck in love and everything else, so especially young people are looking for little, cute bunnies," says Piyalak Sariya, owner of the Bunny Delight rabbit farm in Thailand.

Predicting many will eventually be cast off in Buddhist temples and parks, she recommends buying rabbit dolls instead "because these fluffy animals need more care than dogs or cats."

"People think they are small and cute, [but] they are a lot of work. They just can't be stuffed into a cage," says Ashley Fruno, Asia representative for the People for Ethical Treatment of Animals, or PETA.

Man's best friend is not a driver's best friend.

While lawmakers have been banning drivers from texting or using cellphones, many motorists are riding around with another dangerous risk -- their dogs.

Experts say an unrestrained dog -- whether curled up on a lap, hanging out the window or resting its paws on the steering wheel -- can be deadly. Tens of thousands of car accidents are believed caused every year by unrestrained pets, though no one has solid numbers.

"An unrestrained pet can be hugely distracting -- if he is seeking your attention, putting his face right in front of yours, starts chewing up the upholstery or is vomiting because he is carsick," said Katherine Miller, director of applied science and research for the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

The issue is drawing attention in some statehouses. Hawaii is the only state that specifically forbids drivers from operating a vehicle with a pet on their lap. But Oregon lawmakers are considering fining drivers who hold their pets behind the wheel. And some cities are taking action, too.

In 2009, 5,474 people were killed and 448,000 injured in crashes caused by distracted drivers in the United States, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

TAMPA, Fla. — The owner of a Florida wildlife rescue center is living in a cage with two lions, a fundraising stunt that has riled other animal rescue groups and underscores how difficult it is to keep such sanctuaries afloat.

James Jablon with Wildlife Rehabilitation of Hernando County, a semi-rural area about an hour north of Tampa, is over halfway through his month of eating, sleeping and otherwise hanging out with the carnivorous cats. Wearing a microphone, he talks with people who watch streaming video of his "captivity" online and post comments.

He maintains his unusual idea is a harmless way to raise $150,000 to keep the center -- home to 100 animals of all types -- running for the next two years. It is unclear how much money he has raised so far.

Those in the animal sanctuary world say it's extremely expensive to raise and care for exotic animals, especially when a single tiger can eat upward of 60 pounds of meat a week.

"It's been incredibly difficult for sanctuaries," said Josephine Martell, a spokeswoman for the Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries, a Washington-based accreditation group. "It's just like every other business, sanctuaries are cutting back on staff and capacity."

People have been known to pay princely sums for so-called "designer dogs" at pet stores and over the Internet, so think of little Brandy (ID #A3693890) as the bargain of the century. Brandy, a female Maltipoo, is available for adoption at the L.A. County animal control department's Carson shelter. But of course, the important thing about adopting a dog like Brandy isn't saving money -- it's saving the life of a needy pet!

Breed: Maltese/poodle mix

Age: About 4 years; Weight: 12 pounds

About Brandy: A special favorite of shelter volunteers, she is described as extremely sweet and friendly, full of puppylike fun and joie de vivre.

"Brandy loves, loves, loves everyone she meets, and the feeling is mutual," says volunteer Evelyn Conley. "She wins them over right away!" Brandy is kenneled with other dogs at the Carson shelter and "they think she is fantastic as well," Conley continues. "She gets along with all of them wonderfully!"

For more information: Meet Brandy in person at the Carson shelter, located inexplicably at 216 W. Victoria St. in Gardena, or call the shelter at (310) 523-9566 with her ID number to learn more.

Shelter staff, volunteers and 501(c)(3) pet rescue charities in Southern California: Got an adoptable pet you think we should feature here? E-mail us a short bio and photo or video embed code. We'll showcase as many pets as we can, but please note that we may not be able to post all submissions.

-- Lindsay Barnett

The San Diego County Department of Animal Services has announced a partnership with the San Diego County Crime Stoppers program through which it will offer rewards of up to $1,000 for information that leads to an arrest in felony animal cruelty cases.

"We hope that this unique partnership will help reduce animal cruelty cases in our county," Lt. Daniel DeSousa of the animal services department said in a statement. "We encourage everyone in our community to be our eyes and ears in the fight against animal cruelty."

The group San Diego Animal Advocates will donate a portion of the money used to fund the rewards.

According to the department, members of its staff typically spend hundreds of hours each month investigating animal cruelty and neglect cases. One case the department hopes members of the public can help to solve: the poisoning of a La Mesa dog named Oreo this month. Oreo, who remains at a veterinary hospital where he is receiving treatment, was apparently fed tainted meat by an unknown person or persons.

Tipsters can report suspected animal cruelty by phone at (888) 580-8477, via text message or through San Diego County Crime Stoppers' website.

RELATED NEWS ABOUT ANIMAL CRUELTY: 
• L.A. County's new dogfighting tip line is unveiled
• Pennsylvania authorities try a new tactic to stop dogfighting: Cash for tips

-- Lindsay Barnett

HARARE, Zimbabwe — Poachers are using aircraft to hunt and kill rhinoceros, Zimbabwe's wildlife chief said Tuesday, as demand in Asia for their horns' supposed medicinal benefits grows.

Seven endangered rhinos were killed in southern Zimbabwe from early December to Jan. 19, representing about one-third of all 22 rhinos poached throughout 2010, Parks and Wildlife director general Vitalis Chidenga said.

He said the poachers, including local recruits, were well-equipped with sophisticated weapons. Five of the rhinos were shot in one park in the southwestern Matabeleland province, he said.

Rhino horn is prized in Asia as a traditional cure for everything from colds to impotence and it is used to fashion ceremonial dagger handles in oil-rich countries in the Middle East.

Chidenga said the southern African nation has about 1,000 surviving rhinoceros, and that extra rangers and soldiers are being sent into their habitats to protect them.

Evidence from sites of the recent killings in Zimbabwe showed poachers were "well-organized and well-funded." Some "big money" syndicates even used light aircraft for poaching missions and reconnaissance.

ANCHORAGE -- A highly endangered whale that spends summers in Russian waters has crossed from the Bering Sea into the Gulf of Alaska.

American and Russian researchers have tracked the 13-year-old male western Pacific gray whale, dubbed "Flex," from Russia across the Bering Sea, through the Aleutian Islands into the Gulf of Alaska about 400 miles south of the Alaskan fishing community of Cordova.

Bruce Mate, head of Oregon State University's Marine Mammal Institute, called the whale's location "pretty darn amazing." No one has documented winter habits of western gray whales, he said. Others of the species may spend winters elsewhere, but a route over deep water in the Bering Sea and the Gulf of Alaska is "something of a paradigm shift" given that eastern gray whales are considered near-shore animals.

"Flex is writing a new chapter for western gray whales, but there may be several chapters to be written yet," he said.

Ellie, a young river otter pup who was orphaned or abandoned by her mother, is thriving despite her ordeal, thanks to the efforts of volunteers with the group Dorset Wildlife Rescue in southern England.

According to the group, Ellie will soon begin an extensive rehabilitation program, expected to last about a year, through which she'll learn the skills necessary to survive in the wild. When she's "graduated" from the program, she'll be released.

Ellie joins another young otter orphan named Niamh and a host of other rescued animals in various stages of rehabilitation, ranging from bats to deer to birds of prey, at Dorset Wildlife Rescue. 

RELATED CUTE OTTERS:
• Your morning adorable: Hungry Asian small-clawed otters jump for joy, blow our minds
• What's better than one keyboard-playing otter? Two keyboard-playing otters, of course

-- Lindsay Barnett

Video: Dorset Wildlife Rescue via YouTube

LACEY TOWNSHIP, N.J. — Animal welfare authorities are offering a $1,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person responsible for dumping a group of soft-shell turtles by the roadside in northern New Jersey.

The animals, which are from the south and cannot survive in the northeast climate, were spotted by a motorist along the Passaic River in West New York on Thursday. A woman stopped her car when she saw a flock of seagulls attacking them, shooed them away, and called for help.

Four of the 10 turtles had frozen to death; the remaining six were taken to an animal shelter and are recovering from wounds they suffered in the bird attack.

John Bergmann, general manager of Popcorn Park Zoo in Lacey Township, said the animals are native to Florida, Georgia and Alabama.

"They definitely would not survive in our climate," he said. "That is why we believe all 10 turtles were dumped here."

SAN FRANCISCO — A new federal proposal to tighten leash rules on parkland in and around San Francisco has many dog owners barking mad.

The 2,400-page plan released this month by the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, the country's largest urban national park, would mandate leashes in open spaces where dogs currently roam untethered. Some popular dog-walking areas would be closed to canines entirely, partly to protect wildlife and native plants.

The proposed rules cover about 14,000 acres of the 75,000-acre recreation area, which includes portions of San Francisco, San Mateo and Marin counties and is the only national park in the country to allow dogs off-leash.

Since it was published Jan. 14, the document has triggered a flurry of blogging, newspaper columns and calls to action among the dog-owner community. Many expressed concern that recreation officials are trying to push dogs out of the 39-year-old park entirely.

"I have a feeling they don't want us in there at all," said Suzanne Valente, who takes her dog to Ocean Beach, one of the few remaining off-leash areas. Under the proposal, one section of Ocean Beach would still allow unleashed dogs, but another would become a dog-free zone.

The game of fetch is not just for dogs, as a parakeet named Chi-Chi once taught us.

Driving home that point is Twiglet, a domestic rat who has been taught a series of impressive tricks (jumping through a hoop, for one) by YouTube user MasterOfTheMidgets.

"My rats used to run off with the ball," MasterOfTheMidgets says, "but with persistent training they seemed to decide they would rather have the treat."

You can see more of Twiglet's tricks and watch rat-training tutorials at MasterOfTheMidgets' YouTube channel.

RELATED SMART RODENTS:
• Sniffer rats prepare to deploy in Colombian minefields
• Your morning adorable: Hamster completes a tiny agility course

-- Lindsay Barnett

Video: MasterOfTheMidgets via YouTube

BILLINGS, Mont. — Wild bison allowed to migrate north of Yellowstone National Park for the first time in decades have strayed off their new grazing grounds three times since their arrival this week, park officials said Friday.

The 25 animals will be hazed back onto the Gallatin National Forest if they leave again, officials said, but it was uncertain what would happen if they continued to enter areas where they could encounter cattle.

Wildlife officials fear cows could be infected with a disease carried by the Yellowstone bison. Brucellosis can cause animals to prematurely abort their young.

For years, bison trying to leave Yellowstone to graze at lower elevations in Montana were captured and slaughtered to prevent the spread of brucellosis. The 25 bison on the Gallatin -- part of a pilot program that was years in the making -- tested negative for the disease.

Those animals are part of an initiative to expand areas outside the park where bison can roam.

Hundreds of bison attempt to leave the park during harsh winters. With snow piling deep this year, 63 of them that tried to leave the park in recent days have been captured at the park's northern boundary.