Cruelty To Animals

[Mighty_Emperor]

Menaced by holy monkeys, Indian villagers call in the contract killers

By Justin Huggler in Delhi

02 September 2004

The strange case of 60 monkeys whose carcasses were found dumped and with their throats slashed has exposed a growing conflict between man and nature in India.

It was a contract killing. The mystery started when villagers in Basana, Haryana state, saw two young men drive to a spot near the village in a blue Jeep and throw out bags. When the villagers, questioned them, the men fled. In the bags, the villagers found the bodies of rhesus monkeys. "They were fed poison and their necks were slashed," a wildlife official said in The Statesman newspaper. "Then they were squashed into bags and disposed of."

Police inquiries revealed that the killers had been paid to get rid of the monkeys by the inhabitants of Chang, a village 20 miles away. The growing monkey population had become a serious problem there but the villagers could not ask the government to control them because, according to Hindu belief, monkeys are holy to the god Hanuman, and no one would dare to interfere with them. So the frustrated villagers resorted to more drastic measures.

Monkeys roam freely across India, in major cities as well as in the countryside. The animals sitting on Delhi's grandest buildings regularly make it into tourist snapshots but the monkeys are, in fact, a menace. They have sharp teeth and often bite people, inflicting nasty wounds, even biting noses off. They can carry rabies; they also break into homes, steal food and run riot.

In Delhi, they famously once got into government buildings where they tore up a wealth of important documents. The incident was captured on security cameras as terrified civil servants fled from the marauding beasts.

In most societies, such a menace would be controlled: the monkeys would be trapped and removed from population centres. In the more upmarket neighbourhoods of Delhi, when the monkeys invade, residents club together to hire a larger monkey, a langur, to patrol the area. The smaller monkeys are terrified of the tame langurs and move on.

But that option is beyond the budget of the poorer parts of society, and, to those people, the monkeys are becoming a more serious problem. The animals are beginning to compete with India's vast masses of poor for the same food, taking fruit from the trees and crops from the fields, and breaking into homes and stealing the little food that people have.

In Chang, north-west of Delhi, the villagers had had enough. Several traffic accidents had occurred after drivers were forced to swerve to avoid monkeys running into the road. The monkeys had taken to stealing clothes as well.

"We suspect that extreme anger and frustration must be behind this killing," the deputy commissioner of police in the nearby town of Rohtak said. "The monkeys are known to wreak havoc in the villagers' fields and damage crops."

Indian environmentalists are now calling on the government to do more to prevent wild monkeys and people coming into such direct conflict.

http://news.independent.co.uk/world/asia/story.jsp?story=557403

 

[Mighty_Emperor]

And a story I was meaning to post a da or so ago:

Prosecutors must prove defendants intended to torture dog

ROB TUCKER; The News Tribune

The animal cruelty case against two Wilkeson men became more difficult to prove after a pretrial ruling Tuesday in Pierce County Superior Court.

Prosecutors must show that Troy Loney and Steven Paulson intended to torture a stray Siberian husky in early March when they tied it to a tree and killed it using a bow and arrow, Judge Thomas Felnagle agreed with defense attorneys.

"This will make it harder," deputy prosecutor Dennis Ashman acknowledged afterward.

The defendants have admitted to pulling the arrow out of the dog's body and reusing it. They said they did it one to three times. A witness told authorities they did it about 10 times.

A Superior Court Judge jailed Loney, 19, and Paulson, 21, in lieu of bail on April 2, on suspicion of felony animal cruelty. If convicted, they face up to a year each in prison.

Their trial could start today or Thursday.

On Tuesday, at least 20 demonstrators turned out at Tacoma's County-City Building waving signs with messages like "Convict the cowards" and "Bow and arrow killers deserve jail."

"We still want to keep the pressure up," said Susan Michaels, head of the Pasado's Safehaven animal protection group in Snohomish County. "This is a case that needs to be taken seriously."

Those who stayed until the afternoon learned new details of the small-town police investigation, which resulted in the jailing of the mayor's adult son and the son's friend. The details emerged during defense arguments to suppress statements the men gave police soon after they killed the dog.

The testimony of Wilkeson deputy marshal Tom Greene gave a picture of how the part-time law officer put the case together.

Greene, who has another job as a full-time sheet metal worker, said he answered an animal cruelty call about 6 p.m. March 8. He drove to Wilkeson Elementary School where an upset janitor told him he saw Loney and Paulson shooting a dog repeatedly with a bow and arrow before dumping the body into Wilkeson Creek.

Greene stopped the two men, who were walking nearby. They denied knowing anything. He asked them to return to the school, where Greene separated the two from the janitor, fearing a physical confrontation.

Greene, Paulson and Loney then walked the area that the janitor pointed out along the creek and found nothing. The men again denied wrongdoing, Greene said.

He let them go and left the scene but returned within 15 minutes when the janitor's wife reported pounding on the school door. Greene found several younger boys, who pointed out a 6-inch circle of blood on a nearby tree. Drops of blood led to the creek, but the dog's body was never found.

Greene said he went to Paulson and Loney's residence, where both finally admitted feeding the dog and later killing it when they couldn't find it a home.

Greene went to the police station to research whether the dog killing might constitute a crime. Lacking updated law books, he logged onto the Internet and read up on animal cruelty.

He contacted the two men March 9 to pick up their statements and read them their rights.

The deputy, who works 10 hours a week as a cop, continued to investigate. He returned to the Loney-Paulson residence March 11 and asked them to rewrite their statements more legibly. He said he needed more answers and read them their rights for a second time.

"The townspeople were pretty riled up," he testified Tuesday.

Some people believed Paulson's father, Town Mayor Doug Paulson, ordered the two to kill the dog, Greene said, but they told him that wasn't true. The mayor just said they couldn't keep animals on his property, they told Greene.

Wilkeson's town marshal, Jim Osborn, has said the mayor stayed clear of the investigation.

On Tuesday, defense attorneys argued their clients should have been advised of their rights before they wrote their first statement to police March 8.

Judge Felnagle said the statements were admissible because the men wrote them voluntarily when they weren't in custody.

But the other key pretrial motion swung in the defense's favor Tuesday.

Ashman, the deputy prosecutor, argued the state had to prove only that they intended to kill the dog and that the means they used were inherently cruel.

The judge, however, said he would instruct the jury that to find the defendants guilty of a felony, the prosecution must prove they intended to make the animal suffer unduly. Jury selection begins this morning in Superior Court.

http://www.tribnet.com/news/crime_safety/story/5494609p-5432922c.html

Friday, September 3, 2004

Two men convicted in torture-killing of dog

SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER STAFF AND NEWS SERVICES

TACOMA -- Two men convicted of first-degree animal cruelty will be sentenced Oct. 1.

In Pierce County Superior Court yesterday, Judge Thomas Felnagle found Troy Loney, 19, and Steven Paulson, 21, guilty of killing a stray Siberian husky by tying it to a tree near a Wilkeson school, then shooting it with a bow and arrow.

The men had said they shot the dog only twice, aiming to kill it humanely after unsuccessful attempts to find it a home.

But a janitor at the school watched the killing March 8 and testified in court that the men used one arrow repeatedly and shot the dog nine times.

The dog, believed to have been tossed into Wilkeson Creek, was never found.

The case caught the nationwide attention of animal rights advocates. Many of them have attended the court hearings.

Paulson is the son of Wilkeson Mayor Doug Paulson.

Animal cruelty is a Class C felony, punishable by up to five years in prison.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/189312_dog03.html

 

[Leaferne]

Bastards.

 

[Mighty_Emperor]

Dog left to die after torture by evil owner


Copyright © 2004 Newsquest (Herald & Times) Limited. All Rights Reserved


A DOG owner bound and gagged his pet before hanging the animal with its lead.
Ronald Bennett killed the alsatian after becoming depressed on the anniversary of his father's death.
The 41 year-old today pleaded guilty to torturing the dog by causing unnecessary cruelty and pain.
At Glasgow Sheriff Court, Sheriff Lindsay Wood told him: "This is one of the most despicable things I have ever heard in a court and it beggars belief you would commit such an act."
The incident happened after Bennett had arrived at his former flat in Earl Street, Scotstoun, on February 2 this year.
Soon after, he had become annoyed at the dog and smothered it by wrapping tape around its face and head. He then clipped on its lead and hung it from a door.
The court was told Bennett, of Jedworth Avenue, Drumchapel, then tried to torch a table with candles.
Emergency services arrived after the fire was reported and discovered the dog.
Brian Lannigan, defending, said: "There is no real accounting for such a bizarre offence.
"It did happen on the anniversary of his father's death - a day which the accused had often found hard to cope with."
In a separate incident, Bennett also admitted aiming a gun at a woman who had almost knocked him down.
Caroline Hutton had been driving in the city's Knightswood last August when Bennett and a friend walked into the path of her car.
As Miss Hutton rolled down her window to complain, Bennett, who was later caught with an air pistol, brought out a weapon and pointed it at her head.
The petrified woman sat ducked in her vehicle until he eventually fled.
Bennett was remanded in custody until next month for reports.
A DOG owner bound and gagged his pet before hanging the animal with its lead.
Ronald Bennett killed the alsatian after becoming depressed on the anniversary of his father's death.
The 41 year-old today pleaded guilty to torturing the dog by causing unnecessary cruelty and pain.
At Glasgow Sheriff Court, Sheriff Lindsay Wood told him: "This is one of the most despicable things I have ever heard in a court and it beggars belief you would commit such an act."
The incident happened after Bennett had arrived at his former flat in Earl Street, Scotstoun, on February 2 this year.
Soon after, he had become annoyed at the dog and smothered it by wrapping tape around its face and head. He then clipped on its lead and hung it from a door.
The court was told Bennett, of Jedworth Avenue, Drumchapel, then tried to torch a table with candles.
Emergency services arrived after the fire was reported and discovered the dog.
Brian Lannigan, defending, said: "There is no real accounting for such a bizarre offence.
"It did happen on the

------------------
anniversary of his father's death - a day which the accused had often found hard to cope with."
In a separate incident, Bennett also admitted aiming a gun at a woman who had almost knocked him down.
Caroline Hutton had been driving in the city's Knightswood last August when Bennett and a friend walked into the path of her car.
As Miss Hutton rolled down her window to complain, Bennett, who was later caught with an air pistol, brought out a weapon and pointed it at her head.
The petrified woman sat ducked in her vehicle until he eventually fled.
Bennett was remanded in custody until next month for reports.
A DOG owner bound and gagged his pet before hanging the animal with its lead.
Ronald Bennett killed the alsatian after becoming depressed on the anniversary of his father's death.
The 41 year-old today pleaded guilty to torturing the dog by causing unnecessary cruelty and pain.
At Glasgow Sheriff Court, Sheriff Lindsay Wood told him: "This is one of the most despicable things I have ever heard in a court and it beggars belief you would commit such an act."
The incident happened after Bennett had arrived at his former flat in Earl Street, Scotstoun, on February 2 this year.
Soon after, he had become annoyed at the dog and smothered it by wrapping tape around its face and head. He then clipped on its lead and hung it from a door.
The court was told Bennett, of Jedworth Avenue, Drumchapel, then tried to torch a table with candles.
Emergency services arrived after the fire was reported and discovered the dog.
Brian Lannigan, defending, said: "There is no real accounting for such a bizarre offence.
"It did happen on the anniversary of his father's death - a day which the accused had often found hard to cope with."
In a separate incident, Bennett also admitted aiming a gun at a woman who had almost knocked him down.
Caroline Hutton had been driving in the city's Knightswood last August when Bennett and a friend walked into the path of her car.
As Miss Hutton rolled down her window to complain, Bennett, who was later caught with an air pistol, brought out a weapon and pointed it at her head.
The petrified woman sat ducked in her vehicle until he eventually fled.
Bennett was remanded in custody until next month for reports.

http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/hi/news/5030566.html

 

[Mighty_Emperor]

What a pile of horseshit their explanation is:

Fur flies over cat-killing film

Animal rights activists have held a protest in Canada at the premiere of a documentary about three art students who videoed themselves killing a cat.

Demonstrators urged ticket-holders at the Toronto Film Festival to boycott Casuistry: The Art of Killing a Cat.

The documentary shows interviews with artists, police and activists - but not the animal's mutilation and death.

The three men taped the skinning and decapitation of a cat in 2001 and later pleaded guilty to animal cruelty.

Director Zev Asher chose to show the court transcript of the text of their videotape throughout the documentary.

He told Reuters news agency that this was the best way to convey "the stark horror that these guys were involved in".

Threat

However animal rights activists say the film gives a platform to the cat killers.

"Shame on the international film festival for allowing this to go on," said Suzanne Lahaie of Freedom for Animals, a Toronto group.

Festival organisers declined to drop the documentary, saying it did not glorify the torture of animals.

Two scheduled screenings are going ahead, organisers said, despite the fact that a staff member was told by an anonymous phone caller that he would be skinned alive.

The students - Jesse Power, Anthony Wennekers and Matt Kaczorowski - said their intent was to make an anti-animal cruelty film, reasoning that skinning a cat would expose the slaughter of factory-reared animals.

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/entertainment/3657582.stm

Published: 2004/09/15 07:32:46 GMT

© BBC MMIV

Cat-Killing Outrage

By Emanuella Grinberg
Court TV




Kensington the cat before being tortured and brutally killed by three men who videotaped the incident.

One death threat and thousands of angry letters could not stop a documentary about three men who eviscerated and decapitated a cat in the name of art from being screened at the 2004 Toronto International Film Festival.

Organizers for the annual gala, which opened Thursday, decided to show the 91-minute documentary in spite of a flood of angry e-mails, faxes and phone calls demading that the film be dropped on claims it glorifies animal cruelty.

Canadian director Zev Asher's film, 'Casuistry: The Art of Killing a Cat,' investigates one of Canada's most infamous animal-cruelty cases.

In 2001, 21-year-old Toronto art student Jesse Power and two friends videotaped the gruesome killing of a stray cat, which was posthumously named Kensington by animal rights activists.

Asher's documentary does not show footage from Power's original 15-minute gory clip.

In that video, Power and his friends hang the cat from the ceiling by a cord. They slit its throat as it struggles in the noose, then kick, beat, and disembowel it. Finally, they skin the body, cut off the head and store it in a small refrigerator.

The documentary, however, only shows footage from other "art" videos Power made, including on in which he beheads a chicken, along with readings of court transcripts that describe the cat killing and interviews with police and animal rights advocates.

"These people are just carrying on Jesse Powers' evil and cruel intentions," said Suzanne Lahaie, co-founder of Toronto-based animal rights group, Freedom for Animals.

Lahaie claims the film's director and producer knew Power before they made the documentary.

"When you commit a crime on video, it's for you to replay to shock yourself and shock others, so when will this end?" Lahaie said. "First, they find this cat and torture it, then his associates make the film, shocking more people, and now it's going to the film festival, where it will shock even more people."

Lahaie's group plans to protest the film for the duration of the festival, for which the Toronto Police Department has announced there will be an increased security presence, especially on the two days 'Casuistry' will be shown.

Lahaie expects hundreds to show up from across Canada and the United States for the protest on the 14th, its opening day.

"Everybody wants to stand up for Kensington the cat, who represents all animals," Lahaie said.

Organizers for The Toronto International Film Festival, which is afforded blanket exemption from censors, defended their decision to not pull the documentary, even after one its programmers received a death threat.

"Basically, this is a journalistic essay," festival director Noah Cowan told CBC Radio. "This incident has happened, and they're trying to figure out what would motivate someone to do something so sick and stupid, and at the same time, try to figure out the social context of the explosion that took place around the case."

The film's supporters also claim that if anything, it is an arm's-length portrait of the horrific acts that occur in the name of art.

"The obscure word 'casuistry' means 'specious argument' — or an attempt to rationalize the irrational — and the film makes it clear there is no excuse, artistic or otherwise, for animal cruelty," Toronto Sun columnist Bruce Kirkland wrote. "So the call for the film to be pulled is an overreaction, perhaps naive and foolish, and certainly misguided."

Power, an ex-vegetarian who once worked in a slaughterhouse, said he intended to eat the cat after he killed it, but one of his roommates called police upon discovering the head in the refrigerator.

In court, Power's attorneys said he intended the video to be an art project showing the hypocrisy of society for allowing the killing of some animals for meat, but not others.

Power and his friend Anthony Wennekers, 22, pleaded guilty to animal cruelty and mischief charges midway through their 2001 trial.

Power was handed a 90-day sentence, to be served on weekends, followed by 18 months of house arrest. Wennekers was sentenced to time served and released after 11 months in custody.

The third cohort, Matthew Kaczorowski, became a fugitive for 18 months until his arrest in April 2003. He pleaded guilty to one charge of mischief and was sentenced to four months in prison and three years' probation.

Katie Woodward was so incensed after seeing footage of the video in court, she launched the Web site FindMatt.org, which ultimately led police to Kaczorowski in Vancouver, British Columbia.

"It's disgusting that we're making celebrities out of convicted criminals," Woodward told Courttv.com. "I'm encouraging people not to go there, not even to protest. With a Broadway play, if no one shows up it gets closed down. That's the best possible thing that could happen."

The trial catalyzed efforts to pass a bill to increase the maximum penalty for cruelty to animals to five years, which has not yet been passed.

"If someone wants to do something productive out of all this negative stuff going on, they should go home instead of going to this film and write to government to request tougher animal cruelty laws," Woodward said.

http://www.crimelibrary.com/news/ap/0904/10_01_cat_kill.html

 

[Mighty_Emperor]

Monster 'python' savages pet dog

by Angela Zigler and Helen Greener

A HUGE snake that bit a dog in the face dog has been living for the past two years on a football field used by youngsters.

Experts are hunting for the 10ft snake, possibly a Burmese python, at Otham near Maidstone, after the Kent Messenger newspaper raised the alarm.

Janice McNaughton, of Fielding Drive, Larkfield, believes the snake may be an abandoned pet. Mrs McNaughton, who owns Otham Sports Club, near Bearsted, let it live wild because she did not want to harm it.

But this week Mrs McNaughton’s 16-year-old collie, Mona, had a stand-off with the brown and black snake underneath the football pavilion and came off worst when it bit her face.

Mona had to have emergency surgery to remove one of her eyes. Mrs McNaughton is now desperate to find someone to remove the snake.

The first time she spotted it she thought it was a rolled up carpet. She said: “I am not scared of snakes, but when it moved the first time I saw it, it frightened the life out of me.”

A local reptile expert told her he believed it was a Burmese Python.

Mrs McNaughton said: “Two years ago the snake found a foxhole so it was happy. It had 17 acres to enjoy. He seemed fine, I called him Monty. But I have just had a new car park put down so we made him homeless”

She added: “I really didn’t think he was dangerous. Now I just want him to be rescued.”

She added: “I have tried to get people to help me - the RSPCA, the police, the council - but nobody wants to know.”

However, both Maidstone Council and the RSPCA promised action after being contacted by the KM.

A council spokesman said: “We will be working with the relevant authorities to safely catch it. We have an exotic pets expert on standby to help with its capture. We have advised the club, and we would advise everyone else, not to approach it.”

Peter Couchman, groundsman for Bearsted Football Club which plays on the ground, said he had spotted Monty early one morning last year, curled up. He said: “It's a big old thing.”

Mark Brann of the Exotic Pet Centre in Union Street, Maidstone, said: “It is big enough to eat a dog if it is 10ft long.”

Mr Brann, who said he would be prepared to visit the site to catch the snake, added: “Burmese pythons get so big - if it is a python and 10ft long, it will be five or six years old. They can grow to 24ft.”

-----------------
Anyone who spots the snake should call the council on 01622 602202 or, out of hours, on 01622 212700.

http://www.kent-online.co.uk/news/default.asp?article_id=16892

 

[Mighty_Emperor]

I missed this one but my cousin saw it and the sheer size of the whale is rather obscured by the massive ship but it was a good 8 tonnes (and it stank).

Tugs pull body of 40ft whale from prow of ship

Jul 21 2004


By Chris Brown, Daily Post


A WHALE killed on the bow of a giant container ship was brought up the Mersey yesterday.

The Atlantic Cartier hit the whale several days ago, but it could only be removed when it arrived at Seaforth Docks.

The minke whale died after being struck by the bow of the 56,000-tonne vessel as it was en route from Canada to Liverpool across the Atlantic.

.........

http://icliverpool.icnetwork.co.uk/...f-40ft-whale-from-prow-of-ship-name_page.html

Seems to have happened again:

Whale discovered impaled on bow of cruise ship


CP 2004-09-27 02:05:12





SAINT JOHN, N.B. -- A gruesome discovery was made yesterday when a cruise ship pulled into port in Saint John -- a 20-metre whale had been impaled on its bow. The crew of the Jewel of the Seas apparently wasn't aware of the whale's presence until the roughly 300-metre-long vessel pulled alongside the wharf.

The ship's crew spotted the whale about the same time as officers in a small utility boat who had been dispatched to help tie up the ship, said Bruce Fiander of the coast guard's traffic operations centre.

"It's not a right whale," he said, referring to the endangered whale species. "That's the biggest concern people had, because there are so few in number."

Fiander said it's believed it was a finback whale.

The whale was towed out to sea by a coast guard vessel.

http://www.canoe.ca/NewsStand/LondonFreePress/News/2004/09/27/645063.html

 

[TheQuixote]

Evil, evil, evil...

Pet owners fear serial cat killer

Pet owners in West Sussex say they are living in fear amid reports that 19 cats have been killed and mutilated after being snatched.

Sussex Police say they are taking seriously reports that 19 cats, along with four rabbits and a fox, have been found dead in 10 months.

In some attacks, in towns including Burgess Hill and Haywards Heath, cats have had heads, tails or legs cut off.

A police spokesman said he thought more than one suspect was involved.

The chances of a wild animal being responsible are pretty remote
Trevor Weekes, East Sussex Wildlife Rescue and Ambulance Service

In one of the latest incidents, a teenage girl said she saw a man grab a cat in Chichester.

When she confronted him, he dropped the animal and ran off.

Attacks on pet cats have also been reported in Rustington, Angmering, Littlehampton and Portslade.

The reports are being collated by pet detective June Bailey, who lives in Rustington.

She told BBC News Online that lots of people had been reporting attacks on their animals.

'Distressing' incidents

She said: "We are all living in fear - it's like playing Russian roulette."

She said in one incident, a cat's head was discovered buried in a flowerpot, while a decapitated animal was found in a carrier bag with two dead rabbits.

Another cat, a British blue, had both its head and tail cut off, and was reportedly dumped over a wall with a decapitated fox.

Mrs Bailey said all the attacks had happened between midnight and 0300 BST.

Strange circumstances

Trevor Weekes, of the East Sussex Wildlife Rescue and Ambulance Service, said the cases were not consistent with fox attacks.

"The chances of a wild animal being responsible are pretty remote," he told BBC News Online.

Insp Kim Hudson, of Sussex Police, said: "The incidents have been very distressing to owners and we want them to know that we are concerned about the animals' deaths.

"We are reviewing the allegations, however we do not believe they are all linked to one individual."

He said police were keen to hear information from anyone whose cat had died in strange circumstances other than road accidents.


Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/england/southern_counties/3710324.stm

Published: 2004/10/02 16:24:52 GMT

© BBC MMIV

 

[Mal_Adjusted]

It's the new sport for tourists: killing baby seals

Hi

not sure if this belongs here on in the "hunting" thread - one can hardly call shooting stationary animals at short range "hunting"!

source:

It's the new sport for tourists: killing baby seals
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,6903,1318571,00.html
Juliette Jowit and Hildegunn Soldal
Sunday October 3, 2004
The Observer

quote:

------------------------
Wildlife and animal rights groups have condemned Norway's culling holidays

It is the ultimate form of extreme holiday 'fun'. Tourists, bored with SAS
survival weekends, trekking trips in the Antarctic and booking space flights
with Richard Branson, will soon be able to fly to Norway - and shoot baby seals.

The decision to launch the vacations - which have aroused the fury of animal
rights groups - follows the recent move by the Norwegian government to expand its annual culling of seals so that amateur enthusiasts can join in.

The aim is to bring about a dramatic increase in the number of deaths of seals, which are blamed by fishermen for devastating drops in the North Sea marine stocks. But the effect has been to outrage conservation groups.

'Killing a baby seal is about the easiest thing you can do if you're inclined to
be sadistic; you certainly can't say there's any sport in it - the animal is
totally defenceless,' said Paul Watson, founder and president of the radical Sea Shepherd group.

The expansion of Norway's seal cull comes into force in January, following
intense lobbying by fishermen, who say the country's large seal population is
not only devastating cod and other fish stocks but is infecting other marine
life with parasites.

Companies are already offering holidays to both experienced hunters and beginners to take advantage of this relaxation of rules. NorSafari is
advertising on the internet for trips that start at 1,400 kroner - about £110 -
for a day's hunting and one seal. This rises to 8,200 kroner, or £650, for four
days and the guarantee of two seals.

The company's website shows photos of hunters posing with their kill and offers trips that not only include accommodation and food but help with cutting up and preserving seal carcasses. Training is available for beginners, it adds.Some packages offer a refund to disappointed hunters who don't kill the advertised catch. Extra seals shot will cost another 500 kroner, while another company, Polar Events, advertises: 'We will make sure that your hunt is one not soon forgotten.'

Professional seal hunters have traditionally used clubs to kill seals, but Polar Events' boss, Kjetil Kristoffersen, said tourists would be given rifles to hunt their prey.

'Seals have been hunted in Norway for many years and it's part of the culture,'
said Kristoffersen. 'We want people who are interested in hunting, not people who just come to shoot the animal... the tradition up here in Norway [is] we hunt the seal to eat it; it's food.'

Animal rights activists and conservation groups fear that helpless baby seals
will become the prime, easy targets of tourists. They also warn that seals are
in danger of being over-hunted.

Seal hunting has been a tradition in Norway for thousands of years, but has
dwindled recently with only about half the annual 1,200 quota being killed each year. Despite this, under pressure from fishermen the quota was raised to more than 2,000 a couple of years ago.

The decision to include tourists in a practice which, until now has been
confined to local experts, is designed to help meet that quota.

Announcing the plan, Norway's Fisheries Minister, Svein Ludvigsen, said the move would 'restore the balance' between fish and seals along Norway's coast and claimed that the hunting of seals was no different from hunting moose. Others liken the practice to hunting foxes, big game or even fish and birds. 'This could be a big hit,' added the minister, whose father was a trawler captain.

This optimism is not shared by many others outside Norway, however, and last week the government appeared to be backing down from its enthusiastic
endorsement of seal-hunting holidays on its shores. Ministers worry that the
move, even if popular with hunters, will damage the country's image for the
majority of tourists.

'This is certainly not an image we are keen to be portrayed with,' said Eirik
Bergesen, an information adviser for the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, although he stressed that 'for ordinary hunting you can come to Norway and hunt, so what we're doing is actually bringing the rules for seal hunting in accordance with those other hunting laws and guidelines'.

The idea of the holidays was also attacked by the International Fund for Animal Welfare. 'Tourists should be encouraged to enjoy and protect wild animals in their natural habitat rather than kill them,' said spokeswoman Gill Sanders.

Some campaigners have disputed the fishermen's claims that there is a link
between seals and the decline in fish stocks. 'That's never been scientifically
proven,' added Maren Esmark, marine conservation officer for the Norwegian
branch of wildlife charity WWF.

Some argue that over-fishing is the cause of devastated fish stocks. Seals, they point out, have happily coexisted with other marine life for most of their
history.

'Our position is more seals, more fish,' said Watson. 'The biggest predator of
fish like cod is other fish - and seals keep fish like that in check.'

So far, it is unclear how popular the hunts will prove with visitors, however.
Polar Events has had no overseas bookings yet. But the website for NorSafari says 'many of the people we have spoken to would like to come to Norway to go seal hunting. Already there is sufficient interest for us to invite hunters to an exciting hunt.' And the Norwegian Hunting and Fishing Association told Jeger (Hunter) magazine there was expected to be interest abroad, especially from
Germany.

Other tasteless trips

Iraq: thrill-seeking travellers visit the war zones

US: trophy-hunters shoot old zoo animals such as lions and elephants, sometimes when they are chained up

Africa: safari hunters compete to shoot the most big game - often including
endangered species

Britain: tour company offers the chance to sleep rough like a homeless person

Norway: trippers spend a day whale-watching ... then tuck into whale steak for supper

Faroe Islands: visitors go out in boats to watch local whale hunters

------------------------

endquote

Mal F

 

[Mighty_Emperor]

I saw that news and was pretty horrified - next flensing on Japanese whalers?? Hunting humans?

OK someone has probably organised both no I think about it - I was thinking about when it goes more mainstream.

 

[TheQuixote]

Skinned badger found at roadside

Animal cruelty officials on the Shropshire-Wales border are investigating the death of a badger, found skinned by the side of a road.

The animal was discovered near the A495 between Oswestry, Shropshire, and Llansantffraid, Powys.

The RSPCA is appealing for information about how the badger died.

Inspector Barry Williams says the injuries sustained were horrific and he believes the animal could have been used as bait.


Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/england/shropshire/3727170.stm
Published: 2004/10/08 14:05:01 GMT

© BBC MMIV

 

[Mighty_Emperor]

Its an impressive sentence:

Man who beheaded dog sentenced to 25 years to life

Saturday, October 9, 2004 Posted: 0257 GMT (1057 HKT)



SANTA ANA, California (AP) -- A man who beheaded a German shepherd he had named for his girlfriend was sentenced Friday to 25 years to life under the state's three-strikes law.

James Abernathy, 43, was convicted in June of felony animal cruelty for killing the dog, named Marie, after a fight with his girlfriend.

Abernathy would have faced a maximum of six years if not for two prior convictions in 1986 for assault with a deadly weapon.

"The community is much safer after the judge's ruling," said Deputy District Attorney Heather Brown.

Defense lawyers claimed Abernathy suffered from schizophrenia and psychotic delusions. The judge, however, ruled he was sane at the time of the January 2002 violence.

"In the two years I've known him, he's been on anti-psychotic medication and he's probably one of the calmest, most rational, pleasant people I've ever dealt with in this system," said Abernathy's attorney, William Morrissey.

He must serve at least 20 years before he becomes eligible for parole, Brown said.

http://edition.cnn.com/2004/LAW/10/08/dog.killing.ap/index.html

 

[Mighty_Emperor]

10-Foot Boa Constrictor 'Bifurcated' By Metro-North Train[

POSTED: 9:28 am EDT October 13, 2004
UPDATED: 4:46 pm EDT October 13, 2004

YONKERS, N.Y. -- Even jaded commuters would agree: A boa constrictor, two deer and five fishermen were pretty unusual reasons for their delay in getting home.

The 10-foot boa constrictor was observed lying across the tracks at 6:35 p.m. Tuesday by commuters waiting for a train at the Ludlow station in Yonkers, said Metro-North spokesman Dan Brucker.

While Metropolitan Transportation Authority police were deciding what to do about it, a train rumbled into the station and "bifurcated the reptilian trespasser," Brucker said. In layman's terms, the snake was severed by the train.

Further north along the Hudson Line in Irvington, at about the same time, an engineer stopped his train because he believed he had spotted someone crossing in front of it. He requested that power be turned off and two conductors stepped outside to see if the train had struck anyone, Brucker said.

They searched underneath the cars and 600 feet down the tracks and found nothing. But MTA police, who also took part in the search, found five fishermen at a fishing hole near the tracks and asked them to move off the railroad's property.

A short time later, also near Irvington, police found two dead deer alongside the tracks, said MTA spokesman Tom Kelly. It wasn't clear if the deer had been hit by a train.

In all, nine Hudson Line trains were delayed up to one hour, affecting more than 1,000 commuters, Brucker said.

-----------------
© 2004 by The Associated Press.

http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/3805343/detail.html

 

[Mighty_Emperor]

Weird:

Article Published: Sunday, October 17, 2004

Wired moose

By TIM MOWRY, Staff Writer

It's a bird. It's a plane. No, it's a bull moose hanging by its antlers from an electrical power line in the middle of the Alaska wilderness.

In one of those only-in-Alaska stories that will shock even the sourest of sourdoughs, a trophy-sized bull moose was accidentally strung up in a power line under construction to the Teck Pogo gold mine southeast of Fairbanks. The moose apparently got its antlers tangled in electrical wire before workers farther down the line pulled the line tight about two weeks ago.

The moose was suspended 50 feet in the air when workers, recognizing something was wrong, backtracked and found it.

The moose was alive when it was lowered to the ground but was later killed when officials from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game decided against tranquilizing it to remove the wires because they were worried the moose, already stressed, would die and the meat would not be salvageable as a result of the drugs.

The incident happened Oct. 5 at about 40 Mile Pogo Mine Road, which leads to the gold mine about 80 miles southeast of Fairbanks.

"It's just an unbelievable story," said Gabriel Marian, president of City Electric Inc., the contractor erecting the power line to the mine. "The only unfortunate part is we had to shoot the moose.

"It would be more of a feel-good story if we had let it down and it ran off," he lamented.

The moose reportedly had an antler spread of 62 inches, a trophy bull by Alaska's big game standards, though Dave Davenport, a technician for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game in Delta Junction who handled the original call on Oct. 5, is still in the process of finding the antlers, which are state property.

"I haven't seen the antlers," said Davenport. "I'm in the process of trying to get City Electric to turn over the antlers."

The prevailing theory is that the moose came across the sagging and swaying wires and, in a testosterone-filled moment, decided to challenge the power line to a fight, as bull moose are known to do during the rut, or mating season.

"My guess is he was in full rut and probably seen that line moving out there," and decided to fight, said Marvin Pickens, line construction manager for City Electric in Anchorage.

Workers didn't know the moose was tangled in the line until they tightened it and detected a problem.

"There was nobody there to observe this happen," said Marian, noting that workers were much farther up the line when they tightened it.

Crews can lay up to five miles of line at a time before tightening it with a giant hydraulic winch, said Pickens. It's similar to stringing fishing line through the eyes of a fishing pole, he said. The line is pulled through leaders on the crossties at the top of the power poles and then winched tight with as much as 5,000 pounds of pressure, he said.

"As you're pulling, it constantly droops up and down," said Pickens. "My guess is that he was right in the middle of one of the sections when it got pulled up."

The moose, which probably weighed in the neighborhood of 1,200 pounds, was likely suspended in the air for only a matter of minutes, said Marian.

"They figured it out right away," he said. "It was just kind of hard to pull and it didn't feel right to them, so they went out and investigated."

The moose actually was tangled in what is known as static, half-inch cable that is strung up next to the power lines to serve as a lightning rod, said Pickens.

"I've been in this state 28 years and I've never seen anything like that," said Pickens. "City Electric has been in business for 52 years and never had an incident like this.

"I can't see how it could happen but it happened," he said.

A pair of photos showing the moose hanging by its antlers began circulating on the Internet on Thursday. The first time Davenport saw a picture was Friday.

"Nobody told me he was hanging 50 feet in the air," said a surprised Davenport.

"That's one heck of a meat pole," he quipped. "No bear is going to get that moose."

State wildlife biologist Tom Seaton thought it was a hoax when he first saw the photos.

"If you believe in UFOs you might believe in this," Seaton said on Thursday.

After being told the photo was authentic on Friday, Seaton was still skeptical. "I still find it hard to believe," he said.

Fish and Game information officer Cathie Harms' first thought when she saw the picture on Thursday was that it was computer-enhanced.

"I thought somebody did a Photoshop thing," said Harms.

When she found out it was real, Harms still had a hard time fathoming it.

"Absolutely bizarre," she said. "It's unbelievable the combination of factors that came together for this to happen. That moose was just in the wrong place at the wrong time."

It's not uncommon for bull moose to challenge inanimate objects to a battle during the rut when testosterone has taken over. Most Alaskans have seen pictures of bull moose with swing sets, tire swings, lawn chairs and Christmas lights tangled in their antlers at this time of year, said Davenport.

"We've had them running down the main streets of Delta with shirts and pants hanging from their antlers after they get caught up in clotheslines," he said.

Likewise, both Davenport and Harms have seen moose that died after getting tangled up in old telegraph wire that is strung through the woods.

Karl Hanneman, manager of public and environmental affairs for Teck-Pogo, called Davenport with the news. Hanneman had gotten a call from City Electric on Oct. 5 informing him "they had a problem" and he called both Fish and Game and the Alaska Bureau of Wildlife Enforcement in Delta Junction.

Davenport talked to Hanneman about two hours later and made the decision to have City Electric workers shoot the moose, based on reports he got about the animal's condition.

"It was in pretty rough shape in talking to them," said Davenport. Tranquilizing an animal at that point can be deadly, he said.

"If they're really wore down, they'll succumb to (the drugs) and die," Davenport said. "Then you can't salvage the meat because of the drugs in it."

The meat was salvaged and donated to a local resident, he said.

City Electric workers did everything they could do to try and free the moose once it was lowered to the ground, but that proved impossible, said Marian, the company president. The moose was thrashing about trying to free itself, posing a threat to anyone who got near.

"They did their best to untangle it, but there wasn't any possibility of doing that," he said.

It remains to be seen how quickly the photos will spread on the Internet but there's little doubt they will be a big hit, ADF&G's Harms said.

"It's going to go nuts," she said.

Now that the news is out and photos have hit the Internet, Marian is worried animal rights groups will get involved.

"There's going to be people who figure we've done something wrong," he said. "There's no way we would ever have done this on purpose.

"This was a phenomenal surprise to everybody," Marian said.

http://www.news-miner.com/Stories/0,1413,113~7244~2474424,00.html

 

[tastyintestines]

sorry, couldn't resist

quote

"That's one heck of a meat pole," he quipped.


quote

 

[Mighty_Emperor]

Cause Of Baby Seal's Death Under Investigation

SeaWorld: Fishing Net Contributed To Seal's Death

POSTED: 8:08 am PDT October 25, 2004
UPDATED: 2:14 pm PDT October 26, 2004

LA JOLLA, Calif. -- A baby seal that was reportedly tortured by some people at a La Jolla beach after getting tangled in a fishing net over the weekend died Monday, officials said.

The sea mammal succumbed to its injuries overnight at SeaWorld, where animal care experts took it in hopes of nursing it back to health, said Dave Koontz, a public information officer for the aquatic amusement park.

At about 9 p.m. Saturday, San Diego police received a report several beachgoers were harming the young female seal at La Jolla Children's Pool.

The alleged attackers were part of a group of four, two men and two women, who apparently had been drinking, San Diego Police Department public information officer Dave Cohen said.

Laura Pinderski, a tourist from Alabama, said they were jabbing the animal.

Pinderski said she and her male companion asked them to stop, and when they didn't, the male companion took out his cell phone to make an emergency call. The men then grabbed the device along with his car keys and threw them in the ocean.

Despite her report, however, authorities said they had found no direct signs of abuse of the animal, which came ashore with monofilament mesh tightly wrapped around its neck.

"The only evidence of injury was what was caused by the gill net," Koontz said, describing the wound as a "pretty severe laceration."

Nonetheless, animal activists called for a thorough probe into the seal's demise.

An animal rights group, San Diego Animal Advocate, offered a ,000 reward Monday for information leading to prosecution of the persons who may be involved in the death of a harbor seal.

Postmortem tests are scheduled, Koontz said. The results, including an official cause of death, are expected within 10 days or so.

Children's Pool, a cove protected from heavy surf, got its name decades ago, when city leaders set it aside as a place where parents could safely take youngsters into the water.

Seals have long frequented the area, and some years ago, the officials declared the beach off-limits to people to protect the seals, and it became a breeding area and tourist attraction.

Recently, the City Council eased the rules so people could visit the area as long as they didn't bother the animals.

-----------------
Copyright 2004 by 10News.com.

http://www.10news.com/news/3847233/...d_12pm&ts=T&tmi=sand_12pm_2508_02000110252004

 

[Mighty_Emperor]

Elvis the gator is stabbed in the head

This is weird - a picture (which might be considered too graphic) is attached.

Popular Alligator Found Swimming With Knife Stuck In Head

Wildlife Officials Investigating Attack On Gator

POSTED: 1:14 pm EDT October 26, 2004
UPDATED: 1:36 pm EDT October 26, 2004

Florida Fish and Wildlife officers in Sarasota, Fla., are investigating the discovery of a popular alligator swimming with a large knife stuck in its head, according to Local 6 News.

The alligator, nicknamed Elvis by local residents, was apparently attacked this week in the pond he lives in. The alligator was spotted by residents swimming with the blade in its head.

Residents are angered by the attack, since Elvis has never been a problem and does not bother the ducks living in the pond.

Wildlife officials are trying to determine if the alligator can be saved.

If the attacker is caught, the person faces fines and prison time, according to the report.


---------------
Copyright 2004 by Internet Broadcasting Systems and Local6.com.

http://www.local6.com/news/3852514/detail.html

 

[Mighty_Emperor]

Navy in Firing Line As Baboon is Mutilated



Cape Argus (Cape Town)

November 3, 2004
Posted to the web November 3, 2004

John Yeld

A young female baboon had to be put down after being found wandering dazed in Da Gama Park with two broken arms and gangrenous wounds.

She appeared to have been caught in a trap, and had possibly mutilated herself to get free, believes Jenni Trethowan, who has been helping to monitor and manage baboon troops in the South Peninsula for many years.
Subscribe to AllAfrica

This latest act of cruelty in Da Gama Park near Simon's Town - the latest in a long litany of similar incidents - has prompted a demand that the authorities firmly condemn the perpetrators.

The SA Navy in particular has been challenged to discipline its personnel who live in Da Gama Park and who are allegedly responsible for much of the cruelty to the particular baboon troop which inhabits the area.

But the managers of the Table Mountain National Park, CapeNature (formerly Cape Nature Conservation) and of the City of Cape Town's nature conservation department should also be much more vocal and proactive in their condemnation, says Trethowan.

She described the attack on the baboon as "one of the worst incidents of cruelty to the baboons that I've ever seen".

Last week, she was found wandering around in front of a Da Gama Park cafe. Both her front arms had been broken around the elbows, her flesh was gangrenous and putrid, and she had a septic infection in her left leg.

Fortunately for the stricken animal, a SA National Parks vet was in the area for the klipspringer release, and he quickly put her down.

The vet estimated that her injuries were at least 10 days old, Trethowan said.

"The pain must have been unbelievable."

From the deep cuts and lacerations around her arms, it would appear that the baboon had been trapped or somehow caught.

"The torn flesh and injuries indicated that perhaps she had mutilated herself in an attempt to get free - it was shocking."

Trethowan said that during the past three years she'd seen continued and increasingly cruel abuses of the baboons. "But there's not been a single investigation or any effort whatsoever from any of the authorities to say 'This is unacceptable behaviour and perpetrators cannot treat our wildlife in this way'."

There was no doubt that SA Navy personnel were committing most of the abuses, Trethowan claimed.

"The Da Gama Park troop is a really sad reflection of that specific community. There have been two amputees, the alpha male - George - is missing an ear where someone clubbed him, there have been stab victims, there are females who have lost front limbs in traps, there've been shootings and the use of pellet guns, dog attacks, injuries from cars, and more."

Trethowan sympathised with Da Gama Park residents - and particularly those who lived in the naval flats where the baboons roost on the roof.

"The folks who live in those flats do get cheesed off. But as long as five years ago, (baboon expert) Dave Gaynor suggested putting in an electrified wire to keep the baboons off their roof - it would have been so easy and inexpensive, but it still hasn't been done.

"The authorities just react too slowly, and the developments now in Murdoch Valley are going to create exactly the same sort of problem," said Trethowan.

The SA Navy, Table Mountain National Park, CapeNature and the City of Cape Town have been asked to comment.

http://allafrica.com/stories/200411030471.html

 

[Mighty_Emperor]

Probe into seals 'slaughter'

Up to 60 grey seals have been killed off the west coast of Ireland in what the government has described as a "cruel and barbaric slaughter".

The Irish Seal Sanctuary said the seals appeared to have been bludgeoned, shot or had nails driven into their heads. Some had been disembowelled.

Divers alerted the sanctuary after spotting dead seal pups on Beginish Island, off the coast of County Kerry.

Police have confirmed they are investigating the killing of about five adults and 30 pups.

Pauline Beades of the Irish Seal Sanctuary said a representative in Kerry had travelled to the scene after they received a report of a suspected unofficial cull of 17 seals on Wednesday.

I appeal to anyone who has information about the perpetrators of these killings to contact the gardai
Dick Roche
Irish Environment Minister

She said: "The animals were slaughtered. We found almost 60 animals, mostly pups with around four adults, killed.

"It would appear some were shot, some bludgeoned and some may have had nails driven into their heads.

"A person who can do a thing like that to an animal can do it to a human."

Ms Beades said the dead seals were found on the western side of Beginish Island, one of the Blasket Islands.

Seals are a protected species under Ireland's 1976 Wildlife Act and it is an offence to hunt or kill them.

The sanctuary said the pups killed would account for most of the seals born in the colony this year.

Irish Environment Minister Dick Roche condemned the killing and said an investigation was under way by his department.

"I was shocked and disgusted to hear reports of the sheer brutality of the slaughter of the seals," he said.

"The cruel and barbaric slaughter of these seals has a de-humanising effect on society. The sight of seals being bludgeoned to death is repugnant.

'Washed up'

"I appeal to anyone who has information about the perpetrators of these killings to contact the gardai in County Kerry."

The Irish Seal Sanctuary confirmed that the Blasket Islands grey seal colonies, which were once the biggest in Ireland, have been decimated in recent years.

It estimated from a count taken last December that the seal population is now possibly lower than 250, down from 700 in 1998 and 2,000 over 50 years ago.

Killings of the protected species have been reported on other occasions but no one has been charged.

Ms Beades said that 18 seals had been reported dead in an official cull last year.

"They are only the ones that have been washed up on beaches. A lot more could have been killed and sank," she added.

"It is ironic that the people who carried out this attack can't recognise their eco-tourism potential."


---------------
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/europe/3986639.stm

Published: 2004/11/05 16:23:38 GMT

© BBC MMIV

 

[Mighty_Emperor]

Serves the little scrotes right

I'm sure there was a previous story on this where some idiots were kicking around an animal (pos. badger) with rabies:

Texas Teens Play Hacky Sack With Rabid Bat

Friday, November 05, 2004

NEW BRAUNFELS, Texas — Comal County health officials were searching for two teenagers who were seen playing with a sick bat that tested positive for rabies.

The boys were using the bat instead of a bean bag in a game of hacky sack (search), in which players try to keep a bean bag off the ground by kicking it to each other, Comal County Health Department (search) nurse Karon Preiss said.

The teenagers ran away after a nurse saw them, told them to stop and called Animal Control officers. The bat tested positive for rabies at the Texas Department of Health laboratory.

It was not known if the boys touched the bat with their bare hands or if they were bitten or scratched, the San Antonio Express-News reported Friday.

The rabies (search) virus affects the central nervous system of warm-blooded animals and can be transmitted through the saliva of infected animals.

Rabies can be prevented with a vaccine after initial exposure, but health officials can do little for victims once symptoms set in.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,137698,00.html

 

[Mighty_Emperor]

Teens Arrested In Killing Of Sharks At Aquarium

POSTED: 10:11 am EST November 10, 2004

LONG BEACH, Calif. -- Four young teens have been arrested after the torture and killing of two sharks and a ray at a California aquarium.

Vandals broke into the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach Sunday night. When aquarium staff arrived Monday, they found debris in the shark tank and the cow-nose ray on the concrete pool deck.

A two-foot-long, striped bamboo shark was found dead in a bird exhibit and a three-foot-long nurse shark was found in the bushes. They had been stabbed or poked with plastic pipes.

An aquarium spokeswoman says the staff was "all very sickened" by what happened.

Police say three 13-year-olds and one 14-year-old were arrested while trying to break into the aquarium a second time Monday night. They're being held on suspicion of animal cruelty and trespassing.

---------------------
Copyright 2004 by The Associated Press.

http://www.wftv.com/news/3906233/detail.html

 

[Mighty_Emperor]

W.Va. Woman Accused in Parakeet Killing


Nov 11, 5:44 PM (ET)

MARTINSBURG, W.Va. (AP) - A woman has been charged with animal cruelty for what police call a retaliatory killing of a parakeet. Witnesses told police that Andrea Grantham, of Martinsburg, brandished a knife during a weekend property dispute with a neighbor.

Grantham then allegedly killed a pet parakeet that the neighbor had given her, police said.

Police found a dead parakeet in Grantham's back yard, "and she still had feathers in her hair when she spoke to police," Patrolman Scott Funkhouser said.

Grantham, 39, was arrested Wednesday and released after posting 0 bond.

http://apnews.excite.com/article/20041111/D869UME01.html

 

[Rrose_Selavy]

Man Bites Dog

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/4009567.stm




Man bites dog (and a policeman)
Police say an officer and his dog were bitten by a man resisting arrest in Kansas City.
Officer David Magruder tried to arrest the man, suspected of dodging a cab fare, early on Friday morning.

The man began to punch Mr Magruder, who then released police dog "Soty" from the patrol vehicle using a remote control, a local newspaper reported.

Soty bit the man, who then bit back, according to police, nearly taking off the dog's ear. He also bit Mr Magruder.

The fight is said to have finally ended when support officers arrived on the scene and used a Taser stun gun to subdue the suspect.

The dog's ear had to be stitched back on by a vet, but he has lost a small piece, according to the Kansas City Star newspaper, which carried the story.

Mr Magruder also received bite injuries and was treated in hospital.

"I've had people fight my dog before, but not bite him," Mr Magruder told the Kansas City Star.

The suspect has been charged with stealing, resisting arrest and assaulting a police officer.


Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/world/americas/4009567.stm

Published: 2004/11/13 18:45:19 GMT

© BBC MMIV

 

[Anonymous]

*shakes head in disbelief*

 

[Mighty_Emperor]

More advanced bastardry

Man Accused Of Burning Dogs Enters Plea

Turtura To Be Sentenced In January

POSTED: 8:11 am MST November 12, 2004
UPDATED: 5:37 pm MST November 12, 2004

GOLDEN, Colo. -- A Littleton man who pleaded not guilty to charges of stealing puppies from the Colorado Humane Society, binding them with duct tape and then setting them on fire, abruptly changed his plea Friday morning in Jefferson County District Court.

Ryan Dean Turtura, 20, was to go on trial Monday on 10 felony counts, including theft, arson, burglary and animal cruelty. Instead, he plead guilty to to aggravated animal cruelty for stealing five puppies and burning two of them to death.

"There's somebody else involved that he's so afraid of him and his family that he's willing to take a chance and go to prison, rather than give that name up," Defense Attorney Wilfredo Rios said after the hearing.

The district attorney's office said that the investigation is still ongoing and there may be someone else that they are looking for at this time, 7NEWS reported.

District attorney's spokeswoman Pam Russell said prosecutors had a strong case but were concerned that a judge might not have allowed Turtura's statements to law enforcement officers to be used at trial.

"Any time you take a case to court you have to believe you have a substantial likelihood of conviction and weigh that against the possibility of acquittal," Russell said. "But there has to be accountability and responsibility, so we believe this was appropriate."

Authorities alleged that Turtura broke into an Englewood animal shelter in February and stole five puppies, then burned three of them. Police say Turtura initially admitted to the crimes but entered a not guilty plea during his arraignment in June.

A worker at an Arvada movie theater was taking out the trash when he found two of the dogs in a burning portable kennel. They had been bound with duct tape. Another dog was found on fire in a stairwell behind a Jefferson County gym. He said he saw a man escape carrying two other dogs.

Two of the burned animals died. An injured black Labrador puppy that survived was adopted.

Police later found a drug store surveillance video showing a man purchasing duct tape and rubbing alcohol the night the dogs were killed. The video was from a Walgreens drug store near the crime scene. Officers released an enhanced copy of the video, which aired on local TV stations and then received a phone call from the mother of Turtura's girlfriend, who recognized him.

"Since my daughter is dating him, if there was a remote chance this might have been him, I wanted to make sure that all of that activity was stopped," said the mother, Rhonda Redgate.

Turtura now faces 10½ years in prison and faces fines of up to 0,000. He'll be sentenced on Jan. 25.

A bail-reduction hearing was scheduled for Tuesday. Turtura has been jailed on ,000 bail.

Turtura also pleaded guilty Friday to contributing to the delinquency of a minor in an unrelated case. Prosecutors said he provided methamphetamine to two teen girls.

http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/3913733/detail.html

Man pleads guilty in dog-burning case

By Sue Lindsay, Rocky Mountain News
November 13, 2004

A man who admitted setting puppies on fire pleaded guilty to reduced charges Friday amid concerns that his confession to police wouldn't hold up in court.

Ryan Turtura, 20, was charged with stealing five puppies from the Colorado Humane Society shelter and setting them on fire in February. Two of the puppies died.

Turtura now contends another person was involved.

"Someone else is involved," said his defense attorney William Rios. "He is so afraid of him and his whole family that he'd rather do this and go to prison than give it up."

Turtura made no mention of an accomplice when he was arrested March 3 and gave a statement to police.

Two burning dogs were discovered at the Olde Towne movie theaters in Arvada on Feb. 16 by an employee taking out trash. A dead dog with burns over 90 percent of its body was found in a blazing dog carrier. The other burning dog was bound in duct tape.

Turtura told police that he left the dogs burning and later returned to the shelter, at 2760 S. Platte River Drive, to steal two more dogs.

He allegedly bound one dog with duct tape and set it on fire in a stairwell at Bally's Total Fitness on West Bowles Avenue. That dog died. Turtura was dragging another dog by the scruff of its neck when he was spotted. He dropped that dog and ran off.

Prosecutors agreed to the plea bargain rather than risk acquittal if the judge barred Turtura's statement from being used in the trial, set to begin Monday.

Prosecutor Kathy Sasak said there were questions about whether Turtura was in custody when the statement was made, whether it was voluntary and whether he was properly advised of his rights. She also said the statement fell short of a complete confession.

Turtura pleaded guilty to three counts of aggravated cruelty to animals and contributing to the delinquency of a minor by supplying methamphetamine to two young teenagers in an unrelated case.

Charges of arson and burglary were dismissed as part of the plea bargain. Those charges could have sent Turtura to prison for more than 30 years.

He now faces up to 10 1/2 years in prison when he is sentenced in January.

Turtura will be evaluated before he is sentenced by specialists for his use of fire and cruelty to animals.

"We're really pleased that the charges that were important to us, the three cruelty charges, were upheld," said Bob Warren of the humane society. He said his staff, traumatized by the treatment of dogs they cared for, was relieved not to have to go through a trial.

"This way, we know he's not going to get away with it," he said.

Warren said the case was watched by animal activists throughout the country and abroad.

"This is the kind of case that typically gets pled to a misdemeanor the first day and never sees the light of day," Warren said. " . . . Animal abuse is what spousal abuse used to be: the dark secret nobody talked about."

http://rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_3325091,00.html

 

[Mighty_Emperor]

Article Published: Monday, November 08, 2004 - 6:48:51 PM PST

Vandals torture and kill Aquarium shark

Ray also dead, 2nd shark expected to die from overnight attack.

By Tracy Manzer
Staff writer

LONG BEACH — One shark and one ray were discovered dead at the Aquarium of the Pacific early Monday, and a second shark was barely alive following a case of brutal animal cruelty.

Staff members arrived early Monday before the Aquarium opened its doors and were having their usual walk through the plant when several people made the gruesome discovery at Shark Lagoon, said Perry Hampton, director of animal husbandry. A nurse shark, named Michelle, and a bamboo shark and cow-nosed ray — a relative of the sting ray — were dragged from their touch tanks and tortured, then left for dead by unknown vandals.

A ,500 reward is being offered for information that can lead to the arrest and conviction of the person, or people, responsible for the animals' deaths. News of the killings shocked visitors. Staff members many of whom have developed close bonds with the animals were horrified, Hampton said.

"We were all very sickened by what happened to these animals," said Aquarium spokeswoman Cecil Fisher.

The crime occurred sometime between the point when the Aquarium closed Sunday at 6 p.m. and opened Monday at 9 a.m. The bamboo shark, which measured about 18 inches, was found barely alive and is not expected to survive. The nurse shark, which was about 3-feet long, and the ray, which was slightly larger than a laptop computer, were already dead when they were discovered outside their tank.

Shark Lagoon and its inhabitants of touchable critters is a serene environment and the most popular exhibit at the Aquarium, Fisher said.

The sharks and rays some with slick skin and others rough to the touch swim all day among the fluttering fingers of children and adults. Designed to educate people about the true nature of sharks, the exhibit demonstrates that the majority of the feared fish are absolutely no threat to humans.

Unfortunately, humans can sometimes be a threat to the sharks.

"It's really horrible, when you think about the point of the touch pools," said Sandy Collins, a regular visitor to the Aquarium who brought her 3-year-old daughter for lunch and a day of learning.

"It shows you how they're not a real threat to you and me; too bad there isn't something that can protect them from us."

Michelle was one of the first animals in the exhibit when it was introduced in 2002, which is why the staff named her.

"She has been with us since Shark Lagoon opened, millions of people touched her," Fisher said.

Nurse sharks, like the rays and the bamboo sharks, zebra sharks and epaulette sharks that live in the touch tanks, are bottom feeders who prefer crabs and snails to fish, or people's fingers.

Michelle was about 5 or 6 years old, Hampton estimated. She could have lived to be 30 or 40 years old, and would have reached about 9 feet.

The bamboo shark is full grown, as was the ray, Hampton said.

The touch pools are one area of the Aquarium that is outside, although they are protected by high walls and fences. Hampton said he was told not to discuss the building's security system. Pending the outcome of the investigation, the Aquarium may consider making changes to the area, Fisher added.

Detectives in the Long Beach Police Department Burglary Detail are investigating the violent crime, and offered no possible motive Monday.

"I guess a senseless act of cruelty would be the best way to describe it," Hampton said. "One of the things that make it especially horrible is that these animals never expected to be harmed by people."

http://www.presstelegram.com/Stories/0,1413,204~21474~2522300,00.html

 

[Mighty_Emperor]

What a scumbag:

Dad kills cat as kids watch, police say

By J. JANECZKO JACOBS
REGISTER STAFF WRITER
November 16, 2004

After drinking three-quarters of a bottle of vodka Sunday night, a Des Moines man beat a house cat to death in front of his young children, infuriated because the animal had scratched him, police say.

John Edward Peterson, 26, of 612 S.E. Sixth St. was arrested and charged with three counts of child endangerment and cruelty to animals, according to Des Moines police.

It's unusual for someone to go to prison in Iowa in a case involving the killing of an animal. The felony child-endangerment charges, filed because Peterson allegedly was too impaired to care for the children, raise that prospect.

Peterson's 6-year-old daughter and 8-year-old stepson told police their father had been drinking vodka all night from a 1.75-liter bottle. When Pebbles the cat clawed him, he threw the animal against the wall, trapped it in the corner of the bedroom and punched it with his fist until it was dead, police reported.

Then Peterson chased the family's other cat, Ricky, and tried to kill it, too, the children told police.

A psychiatrist and animal-rights activist were stunned by the incident and deeply concerned for the children.

"I have a sense of outrage and a sense of pity not only for the cat but for the kids that had to witness such a thing," said Tom Colvin, executive director of the Animal Rescue League of Iowa. "There should be a great deal of concern for the children. If he could do this to an animal, he could do this to a child as well."

The children will probably be bothered for some time, said Donner Dewdney, a Des Moines child psychiatrist.

"Animals are dependent. They're smaller creatures," Dewdney said. "And in a child's mind there's always an association between myself and the pets we have in the home."

When officers arrived at the Southeast Sixth Street home at 11:45 p.m., Peterson was standing in the middle of the room, bloody and wearing only jeans.

"All he had to say was that he was very drunk," states the police report, written by Officer Dave Krehbiel.

Earlier, Peterson had telephoned the 6-year-old girl's mother, Roxanna Ethington, 25, of 3901 E. Tiffin Ave. in Des Moines, and told her he was going to take their daughter away for good, the report says. The girl had been living with her father since September.

At 11:30 p.m. Sunday, the 6-year-old girl told her mother over the phone "that her dad was very drunk and had killed one of the house cats," said Ethington, who then called police.

Candy Peterson, 25, the mother of Peterson's 8-year-old stepson and 4-year-old son, let officers in the door, saying, "Please come in and help us," police said. She had just returned home from work, she told police.

Ethington picked up her 6-year-old daughter; the two boys stayed with Candy Peterson, police said.

John Peterson was in the Polk County Jail on Monday on ,450 bond.

His wife said Monday afternoon she has no intention of bailing him out.

"He's in trouble," said Candy Peterson, whose eyes were ringed with dark circles after a sleepless night. "I'm very upset with him. He's paying for this. And the kids are paying for this, and I'm paying for this."

The second cat, Ricky, saw a veterinarian Monday and may have internal bleeding.

Ethington said she and John Peterson are fighting over custody of their daughter. The girl was ordered in September to stay with her father because of problems in Ethington's home, Ethington said. She was working with a social worker Monday in hopes that her mother could obtain custody of the girl.

Ethington took the child to the doctor Monday for a cough, but she seemed fine otherwise, she said.

"She keeps seeing (the cat) and thinking about it," the mother said. "She keeps asking about her dad and how long he's going to be in jail."

Colvin, of the Animal Rescue League, said he hopes the courts "will take this very seriously and not only seek punishment for this individual but counseling as well."

Jail time for animal crimes is becoming more common in Iowa, he said.

One of Iowa's best-known animal cruelty cases occurred in 1997 when a group of teenagers killed 16 cats and injured seven others at a Fairfield animal shelter. The teens, who were fined and served 23 days each in jail, escaped felony convictions because the jury concluded the cats were worth 0 to 0 instead of the more-than-0 value required for a felony classification.

Source

 

[Mighty_Emperor]

Villagers eat ravenous lion


Sun 28 November, 2004 12:23

HARARE (Reuters) - Villagers have taken revenge on a lion that killed their livestock by barbecuing and eating it, Zimbabwe's state-owned Sunday Mail says.

"It ate our animals, so it is only fair that we eat it too," a villager said. The paper said on Sunday some believed they would get lion-like bravery and strength from the meat.

The lion -- part of a pride that terrorised the Zimbabwean village for more than six months -- was shot dead by parks authorities. In an unusual move, villagers demanded the carcass.

Source

 

[MagikBug]

GOAT KILLER WALKS FREE AFTER 'FRENZIED' ATTACK

11:00 - 11 December 2004
A teenager who carried out a "frenzied" killing of two family pet goats during a crime spree in the Westcountry escaped custody yesterday.

Wayne Elder, 18, from Ashburton, has admitted his actions were fuelled by alcohol and Ecstasy when he and a friend "horrifically" slaughtered pet goat Poppy and her kid Storm.

When the Turp family, who own a smallholding near Ashburton, went to check on their animals the next morning, they found the goats dead, with horrific injuries, said Clifford Howard, prosecuting.

The family also discovered a car on the site had been tampered with, which Elder and his companion admitted trying to steal.

Elder's 14-year-old accomplice cannot be named for legal reasons.

The pair entered a smallholding at Chuley Bridge, Ashburton, on September 29.

They stole a pitchfork from the barn and repeatedly threw it at the animals, eventually killing them.

At South Devon Youth Court at Newton Abbot, Elder admitted burglary at the farm, trying to "hot wire" a car and criminal damage to the two goats.

He also admitted three offences of stealing alcohol from shops in Ashburton.

The 14-year-old was sentenced separately last month, when he received a ten-month referral order and was ordered to pay £134 costs.

Yesterday, Elder was put on a curfew order for three months and ordered to attend alcohol and drug abuse courses as part of an 18-month supervision order.

He was also ordered to pay the goats' owners £126 compensation.

Speaking in Elder's defence, Emma Patterson said: "To this day, he does not know what came over him. It started as mucking about, chasing goats which were running away.

"But for some bizarre reason, it turned into a frenzied attack."

In psychological reports carried out when he was 14, Elder was diagnosed as having attention deficit disorder. "But despite identifying his problem, he never received help."

Miss Patterson said he had been "badly let down".

He "drank heavily" to combat anxiety attacks. She suggested he was an alcoholic, for which he was prepared to seek help.

And she said his family had received "hate mail" since the attacks.

Miss Patterson said Elder first realised what he had done when his mother entered his room the next morning and mentioned the dead goats, about which the whole community was already "outraged".

When he realised he was responsible, Elder felt "immediate empathy", she said.

Elder himself addressed the court yesterday. He said: "I'm really sorry for what I have done. I do want to get help and I won't do anything like this again."

In passing sentence, head of the bench of magistrates Barbara MacEachern told him: "The goats must have been absolutely terrified and they suffered barbaric deaths.

"One cannot imagine the trauma and distress it must have caused the owners."

In earlier hearings, a statement made by the Turp family was read out in court.

In it, Michael Turp said the "awful" attack had deterred the family from visiting the smallholding, where they used to camp at weekends.

The statement read: "If they can do that to animals, what can they do to us?"

Mr Turp said Storm and Poppy were "two friendly, harmless animals who trusted people".

He said the deaths had "traumatised" the whole family.

Source

Sickening :cry:

 

[TheQuixote]

US woman 'strangles Rottweiler'

A Florida woman is under investigation for allegedly strangling a neighbour's Rottweiler after it attacked her Yorkshire terrier.

Rox, a 130-pound Rottweiler lunged at the demure eight-pound terrier, called Candy, in the street.

Candy's owner admits she then threw a beer bottle at the dog and kicked it.

A witness statement from Rox's owner says the woman then grabbed the animal by it collar and choked it, slamming its head against the side of the house.

The woman, who says she weighs about the same as the dog, says her actions were in self defence and she did not intend to kill the animal, who died of strangulation.

"The dog was as big as me, it seemed," she told South Florida's Sun-Sentinel newspaper.

"I was afraid to let go of the dog because I thought it was going to hurt me."

Rox's owner said the late dog appeared to think the woman was playing with him.

Police are reviewing an animal cruelty warrant application to determine whether to issue a warrant for the assailant's arrest.

Candy suffered only minor injuries but was "traumatised", according to its owner.


Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/w ... 087415.stm
Published: 2004/12/11 00:31:43 GMT

© BBC MMIV