It’s not about the new pet. It’s about how the old one feels. When preparing for a new pet, owners often focus on food, toys, and bedding. The emotional well-being of the pet already at home is what determines the success of introductions. Dogs and cats rely on scent, routine, space, and emotional safety. Research from Dogs Trust and RSPCA shows that gradual, structured introductions reduce stress and unwanted behaviors in over 80% of pets. This guide provides step-by-step, actionable instructions so your pets can coexist safely and calmly. Why This Matters Rushing introductions can cause hiding, avoidance, freezing, chasing, barking, territorial disputes, and stress. For example, a new puppy exploring your home may cause your cat to hide under furniture for days. Structured introductions prevent this and help pets adapt comfortably. Studies show pets introduced gradually exhibit 30–50% fewer stress behaviors during the first two weeks. The goal is calm coexistence and emotion...
A fish that can kill and cause harm to humans has been found in UK waters for the first time.
The creature which scientists identified as lionfish is a carnivore that is native to the South Pacific and Indian Oceans.
Lionfish is a colourful aquatic creature with 13 venomous spines. The fish can “deliver a venomous sting that can last for days” using the spines, explained the National Ocean Service. In humans the sting can cause “extreme pain, sweating, respiratory distress and even paralysis.” The intensity of the effects depends on an individual’s sensitivity to the toxins and how many spines have stabbed them.
In addition to their fearsome reputation, they are also an invasive species, meaning their presence has the potential to threaten entire ecosystem. Over the past fifteen years Lionfish have flourished in Atlantic Ocean, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Caribbean Sea, which are all far from their native range.
Lionfish are primarily carnivores and have few predators in this non-native areas. With the increase in their population, there is a rising concern among scientists that the species will pose a big threat to the ecosystem of the United Kingdom if they are allowed to thrive.
Arfon Summer, 39, caught the six-inch lionfish on Thursday at Chesil Beach in the south of England, the first in the region, reported The Independent.
Many are of the opinion that the lionfish may have travelled to Britain from as far as Italy, but it is possible that it could have been kept in an aquarium and dumped in the sea. If it has travelled all the way from the western Mediterranean, it will likely have huge consequences on native species.
“It is important to establish the circumstances of the catch, and to obtain the body if possible to establish which species of lionfish it is,” explained Dr. Oliver Crimmen, the Senior Curator of Fish at London’s Natural History Museum. He added: “If it arrived in the UK by itself from more southerly latitudes, this could be a bad news since it is such a potentially invasive species.”
Global warming and the rising water temperature could be the cause of spread in the species population.
“Anything caught in the Mediterranean can be found as a vagrant in the UK,” said Dr. Crimmen.
“The first instances of arm water fish from more southerly latitudes being found in the UK are a subject of a great interest, as they may represent populations moving northward in response to higher coastal water temperature.”
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