Wednesday, September 12, 2007
A quarter of the world’s mammal species is headed towards oblivion - Times (London)
More animals and plants than ever before are on the brink of extinction or are threatened with catastrophic population crashes, a survey of endangered species shows.
One in four of the world’s mammal species, one in eight bird species, a third of amphibians’ and more than two thirds of those plant species that have been assessed are under threat of extinction.
The findings were described as “a wake-up” call and have prompted a demand for action to protect wildlife amid warnings that the rate at which they are being lost is increasing.
The total number of animal and plant species categorised as under threat on the World Conservation Union’s (IUCN) Red List for 2007 is 16,306, an increase of 188 on last year. ...
More animals and plants than ever before are on the brink of extinction or are threatened with catastrophic population crashes, a survey of endangered species shows.
One in four of the world’s mammal species, one in eight bird species, a third of amphibians’ and more than two thirds of those plant species that have been assessed are under threat of extinction.
The findings were described as “a wake-up” call and have prompted a demand for action to protect wildlife amid warnings that the rate at which they are being lost is increasing.
The total number of animal and plant species categorised as under threat on the World Conservation Union’s (IUCN) Red List for 2007 is 16,306, an increase of 188 on last year. ...
Labels: animals
Spanish festival celebrates slow, painful killing of bull - Guardian (UK)
Pursued across open countryside, jabbed at with spears and finally stabbed to death by a man wielding a lance, the bull called Enrejado died a long, frightening and sadistic death in front of an eager crowd at Tordesillas, northern Spain.
Pictures of the wounded, blood-drenched animal being stabbed were published on the front page of El País, Spain's biggest selling daily newspaper, as it denounced the primitive, medieval spectacle. ...
Pursued across open countryside, jabbed at with spears and finally stabbed to death by a man wielding a lance, the bull called Enrejado died a long, frightening and sadistic death in front of an eager crowd at Tordesillas, northern Spain.
Pictures of the wounded, blood-drenched animal being stabbed were published on the front page of El País, Spain's biggest selling daily newspaper, as it denounced the primitive, medieval spectacle. ...
Labels: animals
Friday, July 06, 2007
The cat came back — after crossing the Pacific - A.P.
Calico kitty spent 3 weeks without food or water in shipping container
A cat that spent nearly three weeks crossing the Pacific inside a shipping container with no food or water appears to be just fine.
Pamela Escamilla lost sight of her 3-year-old calico, Spice, while packing a large container with household goods in Waikoloa Village, Hawaii. The container was shipped June 15 to Southern California.
...
When Escamilla opened the container, she and family members noticed fluffs of cat hair on the floor. They started removing items, and Escamilla climbed into the container to search.
She said she saw Spice poke her head out from behind some bicycles.
“I started to scream,” she said. ...
Calico kitty spent 3 weeks without food or water in shipping container
A cat that spent nearly three weeks crossing the Pacific inside a shipping container with no food or water appears to be just fine.
Pamela Escamilla lost sight of her 3-year-old calico, Spice, while packing a large container with household goods in Waikoloa Village, Hawaii. The container was shipped June 15 to Southern California.
...
When Escamilla opened the container, she and family members noticed fluffs of cat hair on the floor. They started removing items, and Escamilla climbed into the container to search.
She said she saw Spice poke her head out from behind some bicycles.
“I started to scream,” she said. ...
Labels: animals
Wednesday, July 04, 2007
A new scourge strikes Florida: Big, airborne fish - International Herald Tribune
... It may seem bizarre, but it is no joke. Leaping sturgeon have injured three people on the Suwannee so far this year, including a woman on a Jet Ski and a girl whose leg was shattered when one of the big fish jumped aboard her boat. Eight others were hit last year, and with traffic growing on the storied river, sturgeon are joining alligators and hurricanes on the list of things to dread in Florida.
"These injuries are very impressive," said Lawrence Lottenberg, director of trauma surgery at the University of Florida College of Medicine in nearby Gainesville. "You've got people sitting on the front of an open boat, and the boat is going 20, 30, 40 miles per hour. The fish jumps up and usually slaps these people right across their face and upper chest. Almost every one of them, universally, has been knocked unconscious. If you're not wearing a life jacket, you're going to fall in the water and potentially drown."
...
Sturgeon have been around since the dinosaur age, and they look it.
They have long, flat snouts and hefty bodies covered in sharp, bony plates. Gulf sturgeon can grow up to 8 feet long and weigh 200 pounds, or 90 kilograms, but even the smaller ones can inflict serious harm.
In recent years, injuries have included a broken pelvis, a fractured arm and a slashed throat.
Brian Clemens was motoring down the Choctawhatchee River in the Florida Panhandle in 2002 when a sturgeon "jumped up and hit him dead center in the chest," his wife, Joy, said. It broke his ribs and sternum, caused one of his lungs to collapse and put him in intensive care for three days, she said.
"There's a permanent dent in his chest," she said, "where that fish hit him."
Wildlife officials have posted signs warning boaters to slow down. Leah Daniel, a friend of Carter's, said there was only one other precaution to take: "Pray." ...
... It may seem bizarre, but it is no joke. Leaping sturgeon have injured three people on the Suwannee so far this year, including a woman on a Jet Ski and a girl whose leg was shattered when one of the big fish jumped aboard her boat. Eight others were hit last year, and with traffic growing on the storied river, sturgeon are joining alligators and hurricanes on the list of things to dread in Florida.
"These injuries are very impressive," said Lawrence Lottenberg, director of trauma surgery at the University of Florida College of Medicine in nearby Gainesville. "You've got people sitting on the front of an open boat, and the boat is going 20, 30, 40 miles per hour. The fish jumps up and usually slaps these people right across their face and upper chest. Almost every one of them, universally, has been knocked unconscious. If you're not wearing a life jacket, you're going to fall in the water and potentially drown."
...
Sturgeon have been around since the dinosaur age, and they look it.
They have long, flat snouts and hefty bodies covered in sharp, bony plates. Gulf sturgeon can grow up to 8 feet long and weigh 200 pounds, or 90 kilograms, but even the smaller ones can inflict serious harm.
In recent years, injuries have included a broken pelvis, a fractured arm and a slashed throat.
Brian Clemens was motoring down the Choctawhatchee River in the Florida Panhandle in 2002 when a sturgeon "jumped up and hit him dead center in the chest," his wife, Joy, said. It broke his ribs and sternum, caused one of his lungs to collapse and put him in intensive care for three days, she said.
"There's a permanent dent in his chest," she said, "where that fish hit him."
Wildlife officials have posted signs warning boaters to slow down. Leah Daniel, a friend of Carter's, said there was only one other precaution to take: "Pray." ...
Labels: animals
Saturday, June 30, 2007
For Poor Families, an Added Burden of Too Many Pets - N.Y. Times
Phillip Swetman is an accidental owner of 13 dogs. Most, Mr. Swetman said, came from “drive-bys.” “They hear a dog bark and they throw theirs in the ditch,” he said. “Then for us, it’s either let them starve or get hit by a car, or take them in.”
Midnight dumping of unwanted dogs is common here on the southern tail of the Appalachian Mountains, where large numbers of poor people are attached to multiple pets but cannot afford to sterilize or vaccinate them, and where impoverished county governments do not maintain animal shelters, require licensing or enforce requirements for rabies shots.
...
“I’d do without food myself before they do,” Ms. Swetman said. But they say with some despair that veterinary care, which can run $100 a year per animal for vaccines and $100 or more for spaying or neutering, is far beyond their reach.
...
Alicia Swetman looked especially anguished because she learned that one of her puppies, the one with one blue eye and one brown eye, had a health problem that made surgery too dangerous. To Ms. Swetman’s relief, as the puppies were brought out, their tails wagging furiously at the reunion, Dr. Love said it was probably a curable worm infection.
“I’d happily give these two away to a good home, where they’d be loved,” Ms. Swetman said, not entirely convincingly, as she hugged the afflicted puppy.
Phillip Swetman is an accidental owner of 13 dogs. Most, Mr. Swetman said, came from “drive-bys.” “They hear a dog bark and they throw theirs in the ditch,” he said. “Then for us, it’s either let them starve or get hit by a car, or take them in.”
Midnight dumping of unwanted dogs is common here on the southern tail of the Appalachian Mountains, where large numbers of poor people are attached to multiple pets but cannot afford to sterilize or vaccinate them, and where impoverished county governments do not maintain animal shelters, require licensing or enforce requirements for rabies shots.
...
“I’d do without food myself before they do,” Ms. Swetman said. But they say with some despair that veterinary care, which can run $100 a year per animal for vaccines and $100 or more for spaying or neutering, is far beyond their reach.
...
Alicia Swetman looked especially anguished because she learned that one of her puppies, the one with one blue eye and one brown eye, had a health problem that made surgery too dangerous. To Ms. Swetman’s relief, as the puppies were brought out, their tails wagging furiously at the reunion, Dr. Love said it was probably a curable worm infection.
“I’d happily give these two away to a good home, where they’d be loved,” Ms. Swetman said, not entirely convincingly, as she hugged the afflicted puppy.
Labels: animals, compassionate people
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
'We' the 2-headed snake's long odd life ends - A.P.
It died of natural causes at age 8; others like it live about a week or two
A two-headed snake named “We,” the main attraction at the World Aquarium, has died. ...
Children were especially fascinated by the snake, wondering how two heads could coexist on the same body as We sometimes strained to slither in two directions at once. ...
It died of natural causes at age 8; others like it live about a week or two
A two-headed snake named “We,” the main attraction at the World Aquarium, has died. ...
Children were especially fascinated by the snake, wondering how two heads could coexist on the same body as We sometimes strained to slither in two directions at once. ...
Labels: animals
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Group pays more than $3,000 to liberate 300 lobsters - A.P.
Three hundred lobsters have a new lease on life thanks to an anonymous group that secured their release in Maine. The episode unfolded in the midst of a lobster shortage and record prices when a group of young people arrived at New Meadows Lobster Pound declaring that lobsters are "God's creatures" and deserved a shot at freedom, said owner Pete McAleney.
...
"We told them they're going to get caught again and they said, 'That's OK. We just want them to have a chance before they get caught again,'" McAleney said. "
...
One group that claims no credit is People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.
"We never encourage people to give money to the lobster industry, even if it's for the laudable goal of releasing them," said Bruce Friedrich, PETA's national vice president. ...
Three hundred lobsters have a new lease on life thanks to an anonymous group that secured their release in Maine. The episode unfolded in the midst of a lobster shortage and record prices when a group of young people arrived at New Meadows Lobster Pound declaring that lobsters are "God's creatures" and deserved a shot at freedom, said owner Pete McAleney.
...
"We told them they're going to get caught again and they said, 'That's OK. We just want them to have a chance before they get caught again,'" McAleney said. "
...
One group that claims no credit is People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.
"We never encourage people to give money to the lobster industry, even if it's for the laudable goal of releasing them," said Bruce Friedrich, PETA's national vice president. ...
Labels: animals
Tuesday, June 05, 2007
What Were They Thinking? More Than We Knew - Washington Post
...The provocative new experiment indicated that dogs can do something that previously only humans, including infants, have been shown capable of doing: decide how to imitate a behavior based on the specific circumstances in which the action takes place.
...
"Every day, we're discovering surprises about animals and finding out animals are far more intelligent and far more emotional than we previously thought," said Marc Bekoff, an animal behaviorist who recently retired from the University of Colorado. "We're really breaking down the lines between the species." ...
...The provocative new experiment indicated that dogs can do something that previously only humans, including infants, have been shown capable of doing: decide how to imitate a behavior based on the specific circumstances in which the action takes place.
...
"Every day, we're discovering surprises about animals and finding out animals are far more intelligent and far more emotional than we previously thought," said Marc Bekoff, an animal behaviorist who recently retired from the University of Colorado. "We're really breaking down the lines between the species." ...
Labels: animals
Monday, June 04, 2007
Going for the Throat - Newsweek
Though illegal, dog fighting continues to draw crowds hungry for the sight of blood and the gambling thrill. A law enforcement officer takes us inside this underground world.
...
How do you know who wins? ... If you get a dog with a broken limb or a broken leg, it’s over. Broken limbs are common. You just see how much punishment the other dog will take until he just gives up or he's incapacitated so he can't fight any more.
...
How do they train the dogs? These dogs are conditioned, not trained. That entails such things as treadmills, or cat-mills—they'll either use a caged cat or a rabbit. They’ll simply tie a cat or rabbit to a hot walker like for a horse—it’s a big thing that looks like a merry go round with spokes on it. They’ll tie a dead cat or a live cat to one of the spokes and tie the dog to one of the other spokes and let him tug that around all day. They use weight training where they have the dogs pull weighted sleds. ...
Though illegal, dog fighting continues to draw crowds hungry for the sight of blood and the gambling thrill. A law enforcement officer takes us inside this underground world.
...
How do you know who wins? ... If you get a dog with a broken limb or a broken leg, it’s over. Broken limbs are common. You just see how much punishment the other dog will take until he just gives up or he's incapacitated so he can't fight any more.
...
How do they train the dogs? These dogs are conditioned, not trained. That entails such things as treadmills, or cat-mills—they'll either use a caged cat or a rabbit. They’ll simply tie a cat or rabbit to a hot walker like for a horse—it’s a big thing that looks like a merry go round with spokes on it. They’ll tie a dead cat or a live cat to one of the spokes and tie the dog to one of the other spokes and let him tug that around all day. They use weight training where they have the dogs pull weighted sleds. ...
Labels: animals
Saturday, June 02, 2007
How instant road repairs keep army ants marching - The Independent
A new study has shed light on the selfless heroism and teamwork displayed by army ants, long considered to be among the most belligerent small carnivores in the animal kingdom.
New research has found that the ants, on their way back to their nest after a feeding trip, co-operate to plug potholes on bumpy rainforest floors, "selflessly" using their bodies to smoothly pave the way for their fellow ants.
The insects, which often forage in large groups, even "choose" which of them is best to fit in different-sized gaps, and co-operate over how to fill bigger holes ...
...
* Army ants are nomadic and make temporary nests from their own bodies. The ants form walls by fastening to each other using their jaws and claws.
* Nests are hierarchically divided. The larger soldiers focus on defence, the medium-sized workers forage and the smallest tend the queen's brood.
* The ants migrate to find food, "marching" at night. Acting together, they can kill lizards, snakes, chickens, pigs, goats, scorpions and even birds.
A new study has shed light on the selfless heroism and teamwork displayed by army ants, long considered to be among the most belligerent small carnivores in the animal kingdom.
New research has found that the ants, on their way back to their nest after a feeding trip, co-operate to plug potholes on bumpy rainforest floors, "selflessly" using their bodies to smoothly pave the way for their fellow ants.
The insects, which often forage in large groups, even "choose" which of them is best to fit in different-sized gaps, and co-operate over how to fill bigger holes ...
...
* Army ants are nomadic and make temporary nests from their own bodies. The ants form walls by fastening to each other using their jaws and claws.
* Nests are hierarchically divided. The larger soldiers focus on defence, the medium-sized workers forage and the smallest tend the queen's brood.
* The ants migrate to find food, "marching" at night. Acting together, they can kill lizards, snakes, chickens, pigs, goats, scorpions and even birds.
Labels: animals
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Sea lion attacks Australian girl - BBC News
A teenage girl has been attacked by a sea lion while surfing behind a speedboat off Australia's west coast.
Ella Murphy, 13, suffered cuts to her throat, a broken jaw and lost three teeth when the mammal leapt out of the sea and mauled her.
She is in a stable condition in a Perth hospital after having surgery.
A marine scientist said attacks by sea lions were rare and it may have been trying to play with the girl. Sea lions can grow up to 300kg (660 pounds). ...
A teenage girl has been attacked by a sea lion while surfing behind a speedboat off Australia's west coast.
Ella Murphy, 13, suffered cuts to her throat, a broken jaw and lost three teeth when the mammal leapt out of the sea and mauled her.
She is in a stable condition in a Perth hospital after having surgery.
A marine scientist said attacks by sea lions were rare and it may have been trying to play with the girl. Sea lions can grow up to 300kg (660 pounds). ...
Labels: animals
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Owner Says Dog Saved Her With 'Heimlich' - A.P.
Toby, a 2-year-old golden retriever, saw his owner choking on a piece of fruit and began jumping up and down on the woman's chest. The dog's owner believes the dog was trying to perform the Heimlich maneuver and saved her life.
...
That's when the apple dislodged and Toby started licking her face to keep her from passing out, she said.
"I literally have pawprint-shaped bruises on my chest. I'm still a little hoarse, but otherwise, I'm OK," Parkhurst said.
"The doctor said I probably wouldnt be here without Toby," said Parkhurst, a jewelry artist. "I keep looking at him and saying 'Youre amazing.'" ...
Toby, a 2-year-old golden retriever, saw his owner choking on a piece of fruit and began jumping up and down on the woman's chest. The dog's owner believes the dog was trying to perform the Heimlich maneuver and saved her life.
...
That's when the apple dislodged and Toby started licking her face to keep her from passing out, she said.
"I literally have pawprint-shaped bruises on my chest. I'm still a little hoarse, but otherwise, I'm OK," Parkhurst said.
"The doctor said I probably wouldnt be here without Toby," said Parkhurst, a jewelry artist. "I keep looking at him and saying 'Youre amazing.'" ...
Labels: animals
Monday, March 19, 2007
Live turtle retrieved from retriever's tummy - A.P.
Florida girl's quick thinking saves both pets after dog swallowed reptile
A palm-sized pet turtle and the golden retriever that gobbled it up survived the misadventure thanks to the quick actions of a 12-year-old girl, a veterinarian said.
The saga of Pepper the red-eared slider turtle and Bella the golden retriever started last week. Shelby Terihay, 12, moved her pet pond turtles indoors to protect them from a cold snap — a plan that worked well until Bella found some of the turtles in a bathtub, The Tampa Tribune reported.
A quick head count confirmed Bella had swallowed one of the turtles. Shelby insisted on a rescue mission, and on the advice of a vet, her parents made Bella vomit. Out came Pepper, still alive despite a shattered shell and an estimated 10 minutes inside Bella's belly.
[The vet] patched up Pepper's shell and credited Shelby with saving Bella too.
"The turtle would definitely have caused an obstruction," [the vet] said. "Without cutting it out directly, it eventually would have killed the dog." [end]
Florida girl's quick thinking saves both pets after dog swallowed reptile
A palm-sized pet turtle and the golden retriever that gobbled it up survived the misadventure thanks to the quick actions of a 12-year-old girl, a veterinarian said.
The saga of Pepper the red-eared slider turtle and Bella the golden retriever started last week. Shelby Terihay, 12, moved her pet pond turtles indoors to protect them from a cold snap — a plan that worked well until Bella found some of the turtles in a bathtub, The Tampa Tribune reported.
A quick head count confirmed Bella had swallowed one of the turtles. Shelby insisted on a rescue mission, and on the advice of a vet, her parents made Bella vomit. Out came Pepper, still alive despite a shattered shell and an estimated 10 minutes inside Bella's belly.
[The vet] patched up Pepper's shell and credited Shelby with saving Bella too.
"The turtle would definitely have caused an obstruction," [the vet] said. "Without cutting it out directly, it eventually would have killed the dog." [end]
Labels: animals
Sunday, March 18, 2007
Tigers prowl where bombs fell in Cambodia's Ho Chi Minh Trail - A.P.
Four decades after U.S. warplanes plastered it with bombs, a remote corner of the old Ho Chi Minh Trail in Cambodia is making a comeback as a treasure trove of endangered wildlife.
Tigers prowl imperiously down tracks where weapons-laden North Vietnamese trucks once rolled. Elephants shepherd their young past giant bomb craters to drink at jungle water holes, and rare apes call from trees that once hid communist forces from U.S. pilots. ...
Four decades after U.S. warplanes plastered it with bombs, a remote corner of the old Ho Chi Minh Trail in Cambodia is making a comeback as a treasure trove of endangered wildlife.
Tigers prowl imperiously down tracks where weapons-laden North Vietnamese trucks once rolled. Elephants shepherd their young past giant bomb craters to drink at jungle water holes, and rare apes call from trees that once hid communist forces from U.S. pilots. ...
Labels: animals
Saturday, March 17, 2007
Monkey and dog fast friends after flood - 9news.com
A monkey and a dog in northern Mozambique have surprised locals by becoming firm friends after flooding in 2002.
Villagers in Caia are not sure how the unlikely pair met, but think they bonded as they fought to survive the raging waters in the area. The monkey, Kiko, and dog, Billy, eat, walk and even sleep together. The sight of the skinny dog emerging from the bush with a tiny monkey on his back is now a common sight in the region. The two friends live with a family that runs a bar in Caia. While the pair avoid getting too close to people, they will wander happily around the yard. Billy isn't the only one looking out for the monkey. He has other siblings who help protect Kiko from hungry neighboring village dogs, who have tried to turn the little monkey into a breakfast snack. [end]
A monkey and a dog in northern Mozambique have surprised locals by becoming firm friends after flooding in 2002.
Villagers in Caia are not sure how the unlikely pair met, but think they bonded as they fought to survive the raging waters in the area. The monkey, Kiko, and dog, Billy, eat, walk and even sleep together. The sight of the skinny dog emerging from the bush with a tiny monkey on his back is now a common sight in the region. The two friends live with a family that runs a bar in Caia. While the pair avoid getting too close to people, they will wander happily around the yard. Billy isn't the only one looking out for the monkey. He has other siblings who help protect Kiko from hungry neighboring village dogs, who have tried to turn the little monkey into a breakfast snack. [end]
Labels: animals
Thursday, March 15, 2007
Pig Out - N.Y. Times
With some fanfare, the world’s largest pork producer, Smithfield Foods, recently announced that it intended to phase out certain cages for its breeding females. Called gestation crates, the cages virtually immobilize pigs during their pregnancies in metal stalls so narrow they are unable to turn around.
Numerous studies have documented crated sows exhibiting behavior characteristic of humans with severe depression and mental illness. ...
Of the 60 million pigs in the United States, over 95 percent are continuously confined in metal buildings, including the almost five million sows in crates. In such setups, feed is automatically delivered to animals who are forced to urinate and defecate where they eat and sleep. Their waste festers in large pits a few feet below their hooves. Intense ammonia and hydrogen sulfide fumes from these pits fill pigs’ lungs and sensitive nostrils.
...
They were crowded into pens and cages, never allowed outdoors, and never even provided a soft place to lie down. Their tails had been cut off without anesthetic. ...
Keeping animals in such barren environments is a serious deprivation. Pigs in nature are active, curious creatures that typically spend 10 hours a day foraging, rooting and roaming.
Veterinarians consider pigs as smart as dogs. ...
This slightly larger cage, called a farrowing crate, severely restricts a sow’s movements and makes normal interactions between mother and piglets impossible. ...
With some fanfare, the world’s largest pork producer, Smithfield Foods, recently announced that it intended to phase out certain cages for its breeding females. Called gestation crates, the cages virtually immobilize pigs during their pregnancies in metal stalls so narrow they are unable to turn around.
Numerous studies have documented crated sows exhibiting behavior characteristic of humans with severe depression and mental illness. ...
Of the 60 million pigs in the United States, over 95 percent are continuously confined in metal buildings, including the almost five million sows in crates. In such setups, feed is automatically delivered to animals who are forced to urinate and defecate where they eat and sleep. Their waste festers in large pits a few feet below their hooves. Intense ammonia and hydrogen sulfide fumes from these pits fill pigs’ lungs and sensitive nostrils.
...
They were crowded into pens and cages, never allowed outdoors, and never even provided a soft place to lie down. Their tails had been cut off without anesthetic. ...
Keeping animals in such barren environments is a serious deprivation. Pigs in nature are active, curious creatures that typically spend 10 hours a day foraging, rooting and roaming.
Veterinarians consider pigs as smart as dogs. ...
This slightly larger cage, called a farrowing crate, severely restricts a sow’s movements and makes normal interactions between mother and piglets impossible. ...
Labels: animals
Dog’s severed head left on owner’s doorstep - A.P.
A 17-year-old girl who spent weeks looking for her missing dog unwrapped a box left on her doorstep and found the pet's severed head inside, authorities said.
...
After Crystal Brown's 4-year-old Australian shepherd mix wandered away last month, she put up "missing" posters in her neighborhood and went door to door looking for him. She called the St. Paul animal shelter and rode the bus there several times.
"I felt empty," Crystal told the Star Tribune of Minneapolis. "I couldn't talk to anyone. He was my dog. It was just me and him. ... I told him everything and he never shared any of my secrets."
'One sick, twisted person'Two weeks ago, a gift-wrapped box was left at the house Crystal shares with her grandmother. The box had batteries on top, and a note that said "Congratulations Crystal. This side up. Batteries included."
Crystal opened the box and found her dog's head inside. The box also contained Valentine's Day candy.
Crystal screamed when she saw her dog's face. ...
A 17-year-old girl who spent weeks looking for her missing dog unwrapped a box left on her doorstep and found the pet's severed head inside, authorities said.
...
After Crystal Brown's 4-year-old Australian shepherd mix wandered away last month, she put up "missing" posters in her neighborhood and went door to door looking for him. She called the St. Paul animal shelter and rode the bus there several times.
"I felt empty," Crystal told the Star Tribune of Minneapolis. "I couldn't talk to anyone. He was my dog. It was just me and him. ... I told him everything and he never shared any of my secrets."
'One sick, twisted person'Two weeks ago, a gift-wrapped box was left at the house Crystal shares with her grandmother. The box had batteries on top, and a note that said "Congratulations Crystal. This side up. Batteries included."
Crystal opened the box and found her dog's head inside. The box also contained Valentine's Day candy.
Crystal screamed when she saw her dog's face. ...
Labels: animals
Friday, March 09, 2007
Dog dies saving family from burning home - MSNBC
Lassie wakes up owners, enabling them to escape; perishes in fire herself
A collie named Lassie roused her owners and enabled them to escape their burning home but died in the fire, relatives said.
"The dog saved their life," said Judi Thompson after her parents' home burned Wednesday morning. "Even the firemen said that. Isn't that amazing? It gives me goose bumps."
Thompson said her parents, Robert and Elsie Whitson, were asleep in their bedroom at the rear of their home in the city about 30 miles northeast of Indianapolis when the fire broke out. The dog, which slept at the foot of the couple's bed, licked and nibbled at their hands until 81-year-old Robert awoke and the couple went outside, she said.
Anderson Fire Department Battalion Chief Larry Towne said firefighters found the dog's remains underneath some collapsed roofing.
"They thought Lassie was out, but she wasn't," said Naomia L. Gooding, another daughter of the couple. ...
Lassie wakes up owners, enabling them to escape; perishes in fire herself
A collie named Lassie roused her owners and enabled them to escape their burning home but died in the fire, relatives said.
"The dog saved their life," said Judi Thompson after her parents' home burned Wednesday morning. "Even the firemen said that. Isn't that amazing? It gives me goose bumps."
Thompson said her parents, Robert and Elsie Whitson, were asleep in their bedroom at the rear of their home in the city about 30 miles northeast of Indianapolis when the fire broke out. The dog, which slept at the foot of the couple's bed, licked and nibbled at their hands until 81-year-old Robert awoke and the couple went outside, she said.
Anderson Fire Department Battalion Chief Larry Towne said firefighters found the dog's remains underneath some collapsed roofing.
"They thought Lassie was out, but she wasn't," said Naomia L. Gooding, another daughter of the couple. ...
Labels: animals
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
Hero dog wakes couple, saves them from blaze - A.P.
Plucky pooch senses fire and rouses sleeping owners, who escape
Greg Weaver, a resident of this western Ohio town, said the family dog likely saved him and his fiancee from a weekend fire at their home.
The dog, named Katie Bell, was sleeping near the couple after they went to bed in an upstairs room. She woke them around 4 a.m. Sunday by whining and acting restless, said Weaver. ...
Plucky pooch senses fire and rouses sleeping owners, who escape
Greg Weaver, a resident of this western Ohio town, said the family dog likely saved him and his fiancee from a weekend fire at their home.
The dog, named Katie Bell, was sleeping near the couple after they went to bed in an upstairs room. She woke them around 4 a.m. Sunday by whining and acting restless, said Weaver. ...
Labels: animals
Friday, January 26, 2007
Sharks 'should be shown compassion' - BBC News
Conservationists are calling for compassion to be shown towards great white sharks after an Australian diver was attacked in waters south of Sydney and survived.
...
Eric Nerhus said being half-swallowed by a great white shark earlier this week was like being trapped in a "dark cave".
Veteran Australian wildlife film-maker Valerie Taylor knows what it's like to be at the mercy of a giant shark after surviving an attack off the coast of California.
"I just felt a gentle bump and I looked down and my leg was in quite a large shark's mouth - that was a startling sight," she told BBC News.
"It moved its head once and its teeth went into my leg. I knew that if it did it again I would lose my leg and I just punched it in the gills as hard as I could and it let go."
Despite this lucky escape, Ms Taylor has devoted her life to conservation. ...
Conservationists are calling for compassion to be shown towards great white sharks after an Australian diver was attacked in waters south of Sydney and survived.
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Eric Nerhus said being half-swallowed by a great white shark earlier this week was like being trapped in a "dark cave".
Veteran Australian wildlife film-maker Valerie Taylor knows what it's like to be at the mercy of a giant shark after surviving an attack off the coast of California.
"I just felt a gentle bump and I looked down and my leg was in quite a large shark's mouth - that was a startling sight," she told BBC News.
"It moved its head once and its teeth went into my leg. I knew that if it did it again I would lose my leg and I just punched it in the gills as hard as I could and it let go."
Despite this lucky escape, Ms Taylor has devoted her life to conservation. ...
Labels: animals, compassionate people, karma
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