Have you ever wondered what your dog or your cat would say if they could talk back to you? I'm certain my dog, Kia would tell me she doesn't care if she has her own chair, she'd rather sit in mine! I also have no doubt that as I type this, she is trying to say "Hurry up, let's go outside for a tug of war!"

And what would animals say to each other? I really hope this video is close to the truth ;)

A biologist from the Bahamas might be on her way to discovering what animals really have to say. Denise Herzing has been working with dolphins for years and has devised an amazing way for humans and dolphins to communicate. Using symbols, and a keyboard synthesizer that creates sounds similar to those naturally produced by dolphins, they can actually ask each other for particular objects, like a ball or a scarf. How incredible! And she thinks it's only a matter of time before more complex interactions get started.

So just what will dolphins tell us?

And what about less fortunate animals? What would foxes and rabbits raised for their fur say? Or chimps and rats in labs? Or pigs and chickens in factory farms?

(Alright Kia, I'm nearly finished!) But I'd love to know, what do you think animals would say to us?

Following similar bans in ACT and Tasmania, Victoria has done something great for animals too by changing cruelty laws to ban the use of glue traps by farmers and individuals, taking many mice out of some very sticky situations! Unfortunately, they can still be used commercially by ‘pest control’ companies (ie. peeps who kill animals on a large scale!) until the end of 2009, but with a bit of luck (and public pressure) it will also be banned commercially, and we will be one step closer to being nice to mice :)

Glue traps are one of the most inhumane traps around! They are made of a board with extremely sticky glue that traps animals and leaves them stuck for days until they slowly dehydrate or die of starvation! The injuries and distress of these traps is extreme, with some mice breaking limbs, pulling out patches of fur and skin, and suffocating as the glue covers their face. The Department of Primary Industries identified glue traps as “one of the most inhumane methods of rodent control.” To make it worse, it’s not just mice – many domestic and wild animals such as cats and birds are also caught in these contraptions.

But it’s not just mice who have got the thumbs up in Victoria, the new regulations also:

If you have a little mouse problem at home, there is a way to stop them eating your food without hurting them. You can build humane mousetraps or purchase them online or at most hardware stores. These alternatives will spare the lives of our little furry friends, and then you can release them back into the woods away from your home, and everyone lives happily ever after - literally.