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ramonmercado AKA Dora Kaplan Joined: 19 Aug 2003 Total posts: 7414 Location: Dublin Gender: Male |
 Posted: 23-10-2009 18:42 Post subject: |
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| Quote: | Russian circus bear kills manager
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8320849.stm
Trained bears are popular in Russian circuses
An ice-skating bear with a touring Russian circus has killed a circus manager and seriously injured a trainer in the Kyrgyz capital, Bishkek.
Kyrgyz officials said the bear turned on the manager, 25-year-old Dmitry Potapov, during a rehearsal.
The bear, who had skates on at the time, severely mauled another circus worker who tried to rescue the manager.
Kyrgyz police shot and killed the bear when they arrived on the scene. It is not clear what caused the attack.
The five-year-old bear attacked Mr Potapov, dragging him across the ice and leaving him with fatal injuries.
A 29-year-old circus employee who tried to rescue Mr Potapov was badly injured and is in a critical condition, said Kyrgyz doctor Gulnara Tashibekova.
The director of the circus arena in Bishkek said Russian circus workers dragged the two men away from the bear and closed the arena's exits until the police arrived.
Bears on ice are common in Russian circuses. Some are equipped with helmets and sticks and trained to play hockey.
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rynner2 What a Cad!
Great Old One Joined: 13 Dec 2008 Total posts: 3899 Location: Under the moon Gender: Male |
| Posted: 27-10-2009 14:22 Post subject: |
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This is an amazing story - see the pics:
Meet the wiliest of all coyotes: Hit by a car at 75mph, embedded in the fender, and dragged for 600 miles - but Tricky SURVIVED
By Mail Foreign Service
Last updated at 4:30 PM on 26th October 2009
When a brother and sister struck a coyote at 75mph they assumed they had killed the animal and drove on.
They didn't realise this was the toughest creature ever to survive a hit-and-run.
Eight hours, two fuel stops, and 600 miles later they found the wild animal embedded in their front fender - and very much alive.
And - as if to prove the point - the wily coyote later escaped from where it was being kept to recover.
Daniel and Tevyn East were driving at night along Interstate 80 near the Nevada-Utah border when they noticed a pack of coyotes near the roadside on October 12.
When one of the animals ran in front of the car, the impact sounded fatal so the siblings thought there no point in stopping.
'Right off the bat, we knew it was bad,' Daniel explained. 'We thought the story was over.'
After the incident around 1am, they continued their 600 mile drive to North San Juan - even stopping for fuel at least twice.
But it was only when they finally reached their destination at 9am did they take time to examine what damage they may have sustained.
At first it looked as though it was going to be quite gruesome.
'[Daniel] saw fur and the body inside the grill,' Tevyn East said. 'I was trying to keep some distance. Our assumption was it was part of the coyote - it didn't register it was the whole animal.'
Daniel East got a broom to try and pry the remains out of the bumper and got the shock of his life.
'It flinched,' Tevyn East said. 'It was a huge surprise - he got a little freaked out.' 
The pair immediately phone Wildlife Rehabilitation and Release.
'We could see a little bit of blood, not a lot, and we couldn't see any wounds,' Tevyn East said. 'We didn't know if it was suffering and we should put it out of its misery, or if we could rescue it. But we realized we were going to have to take the front end of the car off to get to it.'
The coyote had been thoroughly embedded between the front fender and radiator of their Honda Fit car - and had amazingly survived the journey without any broken bones or internal injuries.
'It just had some scrapes on its paw,' Daniel East said.
The coyote - which was nicknamed Tricky - became active while trying to escape the car space so, fearing severe internal injuries, wildlife rescue worker Jan Crowell managed to snare a loop around its neck.
Jan took the coyote to a kennel in her yard while figuring out where to release it.
But three days later the coyote saw its chance - and escaped by wriggling beneath the bottom bar of the cage. 
'Now it's a local coyote,' Tevyn East said.
'This coyote is amazing. If you look at the front of our car, the grill broke and acted like a net to soften the impact. It's pretty insane ... somehow the conditions were just right for it to survive the trip. We're trying to tell the story to people, to family and friends back home, but people can't wrap their minds around it.'
'We named it Tricky for a reason,' Daniel East said.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1223087/Pictured-The-coyote-hit-car-75mph-embedded-fender-dragged-600-miles--SURVIVED.html#ixzz0V8MlMrGu
I reckon it was a were-coyote! |
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| ramonmercado AKA Dora Kaplan Joined: 19 Aug 2003 Total posts: 7414 Location: Dublin Gender: Male |
| Posted: 27-10-2009 17:45 Post subject: |
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| Quote: | Military honours for Nova, a lost dog of war
http://www.theage.com.au/national/military-honours-for-nova-a-lost-dog-of-war-20091026-hgr2.html
Date: October 27 2009
Brendan Nicholson
AUSTRALIAN soldiers serving in Afghanistan gathered at the weekend to conduct a farewell ceremony to honour another comrade killed in action in the long-running war.
Medical personnel had tried to save the Australian Defence Force's life-saving bomb-detection dog, Nova, but she was too badly hurt and had to be put down.
Two-year-old Nova was injured when she was hit by a military vehicle in Oruzgan province on Friday during a training exercise.
Commander of the 2nd Mentoring and Reconstruction Taskforce Peter Connolly said bomb-detection dogs had saved countless lives by sniffing out improvised explosive devices, which have become a major killer of coalition troops and civilians in Afghanistan.
Lieutenant-Colonel Connolly said the loss of Nova was keenly felt by the soldiers, especially the specialist dog handlers. He said the unit gathered with the chaplain to farewell their mate.
The dog was ''recruited'' from an animal shelter to join the Townsville-based 3rd Combat Engineer Regiment. She was trained at the School of Military Engineering in Moorebank, NSW, to seek out explosives.
The dogs' highly sensitive noses enable them to detect minute quantities of explosives.
The ADF said they were much better at finding bombs than were humans. Several other Australian Army explosive-detection dogs dogs have been killed or injured in Afghanistan over the past two years.
The first bomb dog to die was Merlin, a veteran of the security operation surrounding the 2006 Commonwealth Games and operations in East Timor and Afghanistan. Merlin, who was killed in a vehicle accident in August 2007, was buried on high ground outside the base at Tarin Kowt which is home to the Australian troops.
In September 2007, three Australian soldiers were hurt and a black Labrador called Razz was killed in two separate roadside bombings. Razz discovered a bomb with a sensitive trigger mechanism that detonated the explosive, killing the animal instantly. A handler was slightly wounded in the blast.
Two soldiers from the special operations group were wounded earlier that day when their vehicle was hit by a roadside bomb.
Andy, a dog serving with Australian Special Forces, was killed in a vehicle accident in November 2007. Another Australian dog was hurt when an improvised bomb exploded in January this year while it was working with the Mentoring and Reconstruction Taskforce. |
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| ramonmercado AKA Dora Kaplan Joined: 19 Aug 2003 Total posts: 7414 Location: Dublin Gender: Male |
| Posted: 28-10-2009 17:14 Post subject: |
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| Quote: | Two cats die after four poisoned
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/glasgow_and_west/8329789.stm
The Scottish SPCA has appealed for information about the poisoning
A pet owner has been left devastated after her four cats were poisoned with a banned pesticide in Cumnock, Ayrshire.
Two of animals died after ingesting the highly toxic substance, Carbofuran. The other two survived the poisoning.
Animal welfare officers said they believed the cats were deliberately targeted.
They have appealed for information from the public to help identify those involved.
The cats, who died on 13 September, belonged to 17-year-old Stacey Galloway from Townhead Street.
Her mother Margaret Galloway told the BBC Scotland news website: "Stacey is in such a state over this. She is devastated.
"It is absolutely shocking that someone would do this to small innocent animals.
If a cat rolled in Carbofuran and then went home and a small child touched and ingested the substance then it could be fatal
Ch Supt Mike Flynn
Scottish SPCA
"Whoever did this needs to be caught and face some sort of punishment."
Carbofuran has been banned since 2001.
It is highly toxic to animals and humans and can pose a risk through swallowing, eye contact and from breathing in the dust. It is recognisable by its distinct purple granules.
Chf Supt Mike Flynn from the Scottish SPCA said:"Due to the type of poison used in this case, we suspect that it has been a deliberate act.
"We are therefore asking people to contact us with information to help us identify who has caused the death of these much loved pets.
"This poison is extremely dangerous. If a cat rolled in Carbofuran and then went home and a small child touched and ingested the substance then it could be fatal and the police would be looking at an even worse crime."
He added: "It is an offence to knowingly poison an animal and anyone found guilty of doing so can expect to face up to six months in jail, a £5,000 fine or both."
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| rynner2 What a Cad!
Great Old One Joined: 13 Dec 2008 Total posts: 3899 Location: Under the moon Gender: Male |
| Posted: 29-10-2009 11:13 Post subject: |
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You wait ages for a coyote story, then two turn up within two days...
This one, however, is not so happy:
Coyotes kill Canada woman singer
Two coyotes have attacked and killed a 19-year-old folk singer in a national park in eastern Canada, officials say.
Taylor Mitchell, 19, a promising musician from Toronto, died in hospital after the animals pounced as she hiked alone in Cape Breton park, Nova Scotia.
Walkers alerted park rangers after hearing her screams. The rangers shot one coyote, but were still searching for the second.
Attacks by coyotes on humans are rare; they usually prey on deer and hares.
Bleeding heavily from multiple bite wounds, the singer-songwriter was airlifted to a Halifax hospital, but died of her injuries on Wednesday morning, authorities said.
"Coyotes are normally afraid of humans. This is a very irregular occurrence," Brigdit Leger, a spokeswoman for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, told Reuters news agency.
She said the two coyotes were "extremely aggressive" when authorities arrived at the scene.
The small wolf-like animals are found from Central America to the United States and Canada.
Ms Mitchell - touted as a rising star in the folk music scene - was nominated for a Canadian Folk Music Award earlier this year in the youth category.
"Words can't begin to express the sadness and tragedy of losing such a sweet, compassionate, vibrant, and phenomenally talented young woman," Lisa Weitz, Ms Mitchell's manager, said in an e-mail to AP news agency.
"She just turned 19 two months ago, and was so excited about the future."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/8331106.stm |
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| rynner2 What a Cad!
Great Old One Joined: 13 Dec 2008 Total posts: 3899 Location: Under the moon Gender: Male |
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| ramonmercado AKA Dora Kaplan Joined: 19 Aug 2003 Total posts: 7414 Location: Dublin Gender: Male |
| Posted: 29-10-2009 17:12 Post subject: |
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I feel really mad about this. Why disn't she get a water pistol? That would have kept them out of her garden.
| Quote: | Neighbour killed cats with poison
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/tayside_and_central/8330414.stm
Katherine Hall poisoned the cats to stop them urinating on her stawberries
A woman who killed her neighbour's Abyssinian cats with tuna laced with anti-freeze has been ordered to pay £1,500 in compensation.
Katherine Hall, 57, from Airth, near Falkirk, said she had acted to stop the pets from urinating on her strawberries.
Falkirk Sheriff Court heard that the five-and-a-half year old felines died in agony days later.
The cats owner, Andrew Boyd, described the sentence as a "disgrace".
When Mr Boyd contact police after the vet told him his cats had been poisoned, officers found the remnants of the deadly meal and a cat-scaring machine still in Hall's garden
Hall was found guilty of causing unnecessary suffering to the pets, named Nush and Mr Baz, by feeding them a drug or substance knowing it to be poisonous or injurious.
'More severe'
Defence agent Murray Aitken said: "Mrs Hall knows she put out the tuna, and she highly regrets that decision.
"She's had death threats because of it, and it's negatively affected her health, so it's definitely a decision that will live with her for the rest of her life."
During the proceedings it emerged that the pedigree animals were valued at £700 each.
Mr Baz and Nush died after eating the tuna laced with anti-freeze
Sheriff Craig Caldwell ordered Hall to pay Mr Boyd £1,500 in compensation, but stopped short of imposing a fine or calling for background reports as a preliminary to imposing community service or jail.
He told her: "I take a dim view of cruelty to animals, and you should have known mixing tuna with anti-freeze would cause serious damage."
Mr Boyd said he and his wife Wilma had been devastated by the deaths of their pets and said Hall had got off lightly.
He said he had paid more than £500 in vet bills to try and save the animals, which were put to sleep on 2 and 6 October 2008.
He said: "I think the punishment should have been more severe.
"I don't want to see anyone going to jail, but she should have been banned from having animals, and given community service at least.
"I just wonder what kind of person does that sort of thing. People need to stop getting away with this.
"The sentence was a disgrace. Money was the last thing I wanted out of this."
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| rynner2 What a Cad!
Great Old One Joined: 13 Dec 2008 Total posts: 3899 Location: Under the moon Gender: Male |
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| ramonmercado AKA Dora Kaplan Joined: 19 Aug 2003 Total posts: 7414 Location: Dublin Gender: Male |
| Posted: 03-11-2009 17:26 Post subject: |
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| Quote: | Bear kills militants in Kashmir
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8339549.stm
By Altaf Hussain
BBC News, Srinagar
The bear population has grown in Kashmir in recent times
A bear killed two militants after discovering them in its den in Indian-administered Kashmir, police say.
Two other militants escaped, one of them badly wounded, after the attack in Kulgam district, south of Srinagar.
The militants were armed with AK-46s but were taken by surprise - police found the remains of pudding they had made to eat when the bear attacked.
It is thought to be the first such incident since Muslim separatists took up arms against Indian rule in 1989.
Bodies found
The militants had made their hideout in a cave which was actually the bear's den, said police officer Farooq Ahmed.
The dead have been identified as Mohammad Amin alias Qaiser, and Bashir Ahmed alias Saifullah.
News of the attack emerged when their injured comrade went to a nearby village for treatment.
"Word spread in the village that Qaiser had been killed by the bear," another police officer said.
A joint party of the police and army personnel went into the forest and collected the bodies of the two militants.
Police say they also recovered two AK-46 rifles and some ammunition from the hideout.
Animal attacks
Wildlife experts say the conflict in Kashmir has actually resulted in an increase in the population of bears and leopards.
Following the outbreak of the insurgency people had to hand in their weapons to police - which put a halt to poaching.
As a result, there has been a greater incidence of man-animal conflict, say experts.
There have been many reports of bears and leopards killing or mauling humans in different parts of the Kashmir valley in recent years.
Three years ago, residents of Mandora village near the southern town of Tral, beat a black bear to death which had strayed into the village.
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| rynner2 What a Cad!
Great Old One Joined: 13 Dec 2008 Total posts: 3899 Location: Under the moon Gender: Male |
| Posted: 05-11-2009 12:54 Post subject: |
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Milk snake's sudden arrival shakes up van crew
Home Staff
A telecommunications engineer made “a pretty sharp exit” from his van when a 4ft snake emerged from under the bonnet. James Denton and his colleague Morne Aspeling were driving back to their office when the snake slithered up the windscreen.
“It took me a moment to realise it was real,” Mr Denton said, but added that when its tongue flicked out the two men jumped out and called for help.
The Jersey Animal Shelter, which is caring for the snake, said it was a non-venomous corn or milk snake, probably an escaped pet that went under the bonnet for warmth.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article6903910.ece
The only comment so far:
max martin wrote:
Looks like a windscreen viper.  |
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| tonyblair11 Joined: 28 Jan 2002 Total posts: 1971 |
| Posted: 05-11-2009 13:14 Post subject: |
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| Cool I came across a couple of these guys near the lake this spring. They are a false rattle snake and come across and even sometimes sound a bit scary. They really are a harmless and very pretty snake. |
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| ramonmercado AKA Dora Kaplan Joined: 19 Aug 2003 Total posts: 7414 Location: Dublin Gender: Male |
| Posted: 06-11-2009 14:19 Post subject: |
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| Quote: | Chimp victim seeks to sue state
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8345030.stm
Police shot and killed the animal after the attack
The family of a US woman attacked by a chimpanzee has sought permission to sue Connecticut state for $150m (£90m) for failing to prevent the attack.
Lawyers for the family of Charla Nash, who is still in hospital, say the state failed to address a "serious public safety issue".
Ms Nash, 55, lost her hands, nose, lips and eyelids in the attack in February.
The state's claims commissioner office will now have to decide whether the lawsuit can go ahead.
In March, Ms Nash's family filed a $50m lawsuit against the chimp's owner, Sandra Herold, accusing her of negligence and recklessness.
The 12-minute attack happened after Ms Herold invited Ms Nash, a friend, to her house to help her entice the 14-stone chimpanzee, known as Travis, back into the house.
Police shot and killed the animal when they arrived on the scene.
The Associated Press news agency said it had seen court records that showed a biologist from Connecticut's Department of Environmental Protection had warned state officials before the attack that the animal could seriously hurt someone if it felt threatened.
The state's attorney general, Richard Blumenthal, said he was sympathetic to Ms Nash and her family for what he called a "horrific tragedy" but that the planned lawsuit seemed "unprecedented in size".
Reports quoting police shortly after the attack suggested the animal had been ill with Lyme disease and had been on medication.
The animal had been trained to ride in the family's vehicles, had appeared in commercials for Coca-Cola and Old Navy and had also appeared in a television pilot.
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| ramonmercado AKA Dora Kaplan Joined: 19 Aug 2003 Total posts: 7414 Location: Dublin Gender: Male |
| Posted: 12-11-2009 18:50 Post subject: |
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Chimp attack woman relates ordeal
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8356088.stm
Travis pictured in 2003
Ms Nash said she had warned her friend about the chimp
A woman who was mauled by a chimpanzee has revealed her severely damaged face on the US TV show Oprah, nine months after the savage attack.
Charla Nash lost her nose, lips, hands, and an eyelid in the February attack in Connecticut, and doctors have since removed her eyes because of infection.
She eats through a straw and cannot breathe through her nose.
She said she could not remember the attack. "I want to get healthy. I don't want to wake up with nightmares."
The 12-minute attack took place after Sandra Herold invited Ms Nash, a friend, to her house in Stamford to help her entice the 200lb (90kg) chimpanzee, known as Travis, back into the house.
I'm the same person I've always been - I just look different
Charla Nash
Police shot and killed the animal when they arrived on the scene.
In the TV interview, talk show host Oprah Winfrey removed a veil covering Ms Nash's head to reveal a badly swollen, inflamed face with most features unrecognisable.
Ms Nash says she wears a veil so as not to scare people and to avoid insults.
"I'm the same person I've always been. I just look different."
Ms Nash said she does not touch her face often.
"I know that I have my forehead. It feels like just patches of tape or gauze or covering, covering my face."
Ms Nash said she does not think about being angry about the attack.
"There's no time for that anyways because I need to heal, you know, not look backwards."
Speaking to the Associated Press news agency, she said she had warned Ms Herold that the animal was dangerous, and added that he could break out of his cage.
"I always told her you have to get rid of him, he's going to hurt somebody someday. He's too dangerous," Ms Nash said.
Lawyers for Ms Nash filed a $50m (£30m) lawsuit against Ms Herold, accusing her of negligence and recklessness.
The lawsuit also claims that Ms Herold gave the animal medication that exacerbated its violent behaviour. |
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| rynner2 What a Cad!
Great Old One Joined: 13 Dec 2008 Total posts: 3899 Location: Under the moon Gender: Male |
| Posted: 16-11-2009 17:35 Post subject: |
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Oops, they weren't logs after all: The moment a crocodile was killed after taking a foolish shortcut across a herd of hippos
By Mail Foreign Service
Last updated at 1:55 PM on 16th November 2009
Their bone-crushing jaws, 24 razor-sharp teeth and armour-plated skin are enough to ensure most animals keep their distance.
But, as our incredible pictures show, even crocodiles are no match for a herd of angry hippos.
This reptilian predator was brutally killed after he tried to take a shortcut - over the backs of a mother and her calves.
As 50 hippos gathered into a defensive circle around them, the incautious crocodile raced over their backs in a bid to snare his prey.
It was the last mistake he ever made. The beast’s defences were no match for the maze of angry mammals, who proved their bite is every bit as lethal as his.
The spectacularly rare battle of the beasts was captured by Czech wildlife photographer Vaclav Silha.
He had set up his camera on the banks of the River Nile in the Serengeti national park, Tanzania, when the unbelievable scene unfolded before him.
But the 45-year-old got more than he bargained for when a colossal fight broke out between the group and a sneaky crocodile he had spotted earlier.
‘Mutual respect between these animals means fights occur very rarely,’ he said.
‘One of the only reasons you might see a conflict is if the hippos have young and they think the little ones are under threat. That’s exactly what happened here.
‘The incautious croc got too close to a female who had calves and the whole group gathered into a defensive circle around them. It was a strong message for the crook to clear off.
‘I have absolutely no idea why but the crocodile suddenly raced across the backs of the hippos. I think it might have panicked and thought it was a possible escape route. I couldn’t believe my eyes.
‘It was the worst choice the reptile could ever have made and it was definitely its last.
‘The island of hippos suddenly erupted with teeth and all I could see was the crocodile being repeatedly crushed in their huge mouths.’
Described as one of the most aggressive creatures in the animal kingdom, an adult hippo can apply several tons of pressure in a single bite.
‘Even the toughest crocodile could not have withstood being repeatedly bitten like that,’ said Mr Silha, from Prague.
‘There was no way for him to escape. I few seconds later his lifeless body slipped below the water and I didn’t see him again.’
One of these pictures was originally published in the November issue of BBC Wildlife Magazine.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1228242/Oops-werent-logs-The-moment-crocodile-killed-taking-foolish-shortcut-herd-hippos.html#ixzz0X26fzISG |
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