Day Of The Animals: Tales Of Man Vs Beast (And Man Suffers)

[Mighty_Emperor]

Bat Bites Missouri Woman Sleeping In Bed

'It Was Horrible,' Woman Says

POSTED: 8:37 am EDT July 13, 2004
UPDATED: 10:30 pm EDT July 13, 2004

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- A woman is recovering after being bitten by a bat in her home early Tuesday morning, Kansas City TV station KMBC reported.


Shirley Alcorn (pictured, left) called emergency crews to her home on the east side of Kansas City around 2:30 a.m.

Alcorn said, at first, she thought she'd been bitten by a bug while lying asleep in her bed. But then she reached out and touched the creature.

"When I touched it, it was horrible. I threw it on the bed and jumped and ran, and then I saw it on the bed, and that's what it was -- a bat," Alcorn said.

The bat had bitten Alcorn on her right buttock. She dialed 911 and, wearing only a nightgown, ran from the house.

When police arrived, they found the small mammal hanging on the drapes above Alcorn's bed. It was captured and euthanized, and will be sent to a lab for rabies testing.

Alcorn said she plans on sealing up her chimney and having crews check her attic for any more of the creatures.

"They're ugly, ooh they're ugly, little rats. That's what it felt like, that a rat was eating on me," Alcorn said.

Alcorn will also have her daughter stay with her for a few weeks while she recovers from the incident.

http://www.nbc4.com/news/3526628/detail.html

 

[Mighty_Emperor]

SEAGULL ATTACK ON OAP

Jul 13 2004


A TERRIFIED pensioner told yesterday how attacks by a flock of seagulls left him too scared to leave his home.

James McNeish said the gulls would swoop and peck at him when he walked out of the door.

He also said they would stare at him through his windows.

The attacks began after a chick fell from a nest into 67-year-old James's garden, in Falkirk.

The birds would peck ferociously at James's head when he left the house and he had to use an umbrella to fend them off.

But when he phoned Falkirk Council, he was told it was not their duty to deal with the gulls.

James and his neighbours were finally forced to call in a pest control firm when the birds began to target children in a nearby playpark.

James said: 'It was getting beyond a joke.

'They knocked off my bunnet and started pecking at my head every time I left the house. I was really frightened.'

James and three of his neighbours spent £234 hiring a pest control firm to destroy the nest and put up wire mesh.

Despite the damage and fear they cause, seagulls are protected by law.

Falkirk Council said they had no duty to take action and that it was up to the homeowner to deal with the problem.

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/t...headline=seagull-attack-on-oap-name_page.html

 

[TheQuixote]

I'm not sure whether this should be considered fortean but I like the idea of an 8 ft snake on the loose... I obviously hope it is caught though, don't want it to come to any harm.

Residents on look-out for snake

Residents of a neighbourhood in a Pembrokeshire town are being warned an eight foot snake is on the loose.
The Taiwanese Rat snake was being kept as a pet at a property in Haverfordwest but its owners have not seen it for two weeks.

Although not poisonous, members of the public, especially children, have been told not to approach it.

This particular snake is olive-green with yellow stripes and is very distinctive compared with native snakes.

Some people find them a bit frightening and aggressive because when they hiss it's from their stomach
Ginny Batt

The snake disappeared in the Hywel Road and Trafalgar Road area

Both police and the county council's public protection department are urging anyone who sees it to contact them.

A council spokeswoman said: "Although the snake may still be somewhere in the owner's house, it has not been seen for nearly two weeks and there is a chance that it may have escaped.

"As a precaution, we are warning residents to be alert, particularly those with children who may be attracted by such a snake."

A police spokesman said: "It has been hand reared and is not considered dangerous by its owner."

Ginny Batt of Pembrokeshire's Silent World Aquarium once kept Taiwanese Rat snakes.

She said they generally ate rats or mice and would not be a danger to humans although if approached may strike.

"A snake will only bite someone if they smell like its food, they are frightened or hurt it.

"If someone does try to pick it up and don't know how they may get bitten.

"Some people find them a bit frightening and aggressive because when they hiss it's from their stomach - it's a real hiss - but it's what I call 'all mouth and trousers.'

"It's a very attractive snake because of its colouring.

"Even though it may be eight foot it will only be a few inches thick - its not big like a boa."

She said anyone who finds it should call the authorities.

If you spot the snake phone police on 01437 763355 or the council on 01437 775522.

BBCi News 15/07/04

 

[TheQuixote]

Beer-loving bird barred from pub

A pub landlord has had to bar an unusual regular from his premises for stealing food and beer from customers.
The trouble-maker - a magpie nicknamed Thatcher - has been told he is no longer welcome at the King's Arms in Heath Common, Wakefield.

Landlord Alan Tate said the bird's antics had been amusing to start with but the novelty had worn off.

He said: "He had started walking on people's plates while they were eating and we had to refund a few meals."

The cheeky bird first started pecking on the windows of the King's Arms several weeks ago and fast became a favourite with the customers.

Health and safety

Mr Tate told BBC News Online: "He got more and more used to people and started nicking beer out of pint glasses.

"His favourite is the Classic Blonde which we have on - he went mad for that. He used to squawk at people who used to hide their pints from him."

But Thatcher soon grew bolder and started pinching crisps and then tucking into customers' Sunday lunches.

He started coming into the pub building, where he was firmly discouraged by pub staff, who were concerned about health and safety rules.

Mr Tate said: "I couldn't have him in the pub if I wanted to so I had to bar him. If he comes in I've found the best way to get him out is to use something shiny.

"I'd use my bunch of keys, he would come over and sit on it and then I could carry him out."

Confined to the beer garden, Thatcher continued to cause havoc and hilarity in roughly equal measure until Monday, when Mr Tate said he had to bar him from there as well.

Shiny keys

He said: "It was getting too much - he was too mischievous and he used to attack children.

"He used to land on them and peck at their heads, which was funny to watch so long as it wasn't your kid."

Mr Tate has resisted suggestions by some that he should call in a pest control firm or have the bird shot.

He said: "He had to go but I didn't want to do what some people suggested I do to him, He's amused us all. He's a character and I couldn't do that to him."

Instead, he has resorted to locking him in the linen cupboard when he gets too troublesome, to keep him out of customers' way.

But he admits there is usually a treat or some slops left for the bird when he is released at closing time.

BBCi News 20/07/04

 

[Mighty_Emperor]

No letup for firefighters in California

Tuesday, July 20, 2004 Posted: 0325 GMT (1125 HKT)



Firefighters battle a wildfire Sunday near Santa Clarita, California.


LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- Weather forecasters predicted little relief Monday for firefighters battling wildfires that have scorched thousands of acres and forced hundreds of people to leave their homes in California.

Firefighters tackling the 5,700-acre Foothill blaze, about 25 miles (40 kilometers) north of Los Angeles, said they hoped to contain it in a canyon Monday afternoon.

The wildfire began when a red-tailed hawk flew into power lines and caught fire, said Jim Dellamonica, a spokesman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

The bird fell to the ground, setting plants on fire, he said.

.................

http://edition.cnn.com/2004/US/West/07/19/wildfires/index.html

 

[TheQuixote]

I suppose this should be in the "Animal Attacks" thread but I kind of like the idea of a pigeon trashing a masterpiece...

Dutch pigeon shot for pecking art
Thu 22 July, 2004 17:15

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - A bird with a penchant for 17th century Dutch art has paid the ultimate price for flying into a museum gallery and pecking a hole in a masterpiece.

"We tried everything to catch the pigeon and called in experts to grab it, but in the end they had to shoot it out of the air," a museum official said.

The other victim, Thomas de Keyser's 1633 painting of a civic guard was restored and put back on display on Thursday.

"It's one of the more important 'civic guard' pieces," said the official, referring to the city watchmen depicted in the work. "Luckily the hole was in a shadowy part of the painting and not in one of the guards' faces."

A modern-day security guard was forced to spend the night in the Amsterdam Historical Museum's elegant 11-metre high gallery because the burglar alarm had to be switched off in case the pigeon triggered it.

He tried in vain to catch the bird but could not stop it from pecking the hole in the top left corner of the work.

http://www.reuters.co.uk/newsArticl...=oddlyEnoughNews&storyID=5747186&section=news

 

[TheQuixote]

I'm just bunging in here any interesting animal stories I find, not sure if that's okay or not but I'm not sure where to put this.

Monkey hits stride after near-death experience
Last Updated Wed, 21 Jul 2004 16:41:23 EDT

JERUSALEM - A five-year-old monkey at an Israeli zoo started walking exclusively on her hind legs after recovering from a serious illness.

Natasha, a black macaque, almost died of a severe stomach flu about two weeks ago, say officials at the Safari Park zoo near Tel Aviv. She had difficulty breathing and her heart wasn't functioning properly.

However, her condition stabilized and she was released from the zoo's clinic.

Workers at the zoo say that's when she started walking upright exclusively. Monkeys usually alternate between upright walking and moving on all fours.

A zoo veterinarian says he's not sure why she has altered her behaviour, speculating that the illness could have caused brain damage.

Other than walking upright, the vet says Natasha's behaviour has returned to normal.

http://www.cbc.ca/story/world/national/2004/07/21/monkey_israel040721.html

The one thing that made me ponder is, if the monkey has begun walking on 2 legs due to possible brain damage... I wonder if this is what happened with our earliest ancestors, y'know Natural Selection/Evolution and all that

Anyway enough of my rambling... this link has a nice clear photo of Natasha.

 

[lopaka]

Maybe not so Fortean by Florida standards. But I was a landcscaper for a couple years in my young adulthood (not in Florida!), and the possibility of being savagely attacked by giant reptile in someone's suburban back yard never struck me as being a likely occupational hazzard.


Alligator bites off Florida woman's arm

Thursday, July 22, 2004 Posted: 9:07 AM EDT (1307 GMT)

Police shot this 12-foot alligator in the head after it attacked a Florida landscaper Wednesday.


SANIBEL, Florida (AP) -- A 12-foot alligator attacked a landscaper Wednesday behind an island home, dragging her into a pond before a neighbor and police officers yanked the woman from the animal's jaws.

"It was kind of a tug-of-war," said the neighbor, Jim Anholt.

Part of Janie Melsek's right arm had to be amputated later during six hours of surgery. She also was severely bitten on her buttocks and thighs, but doctors believe she will walk again, her family said. She remained in critical condition.

Melsek, 54, was trimming a tree when the alligator attacked. "The lady was in the pond and the alligator had hold of her and just her face was showing," Anholt told The News-Press of Fort Myers.

He rushed to help, holding Melsek's neck to help keep her head above water, and three Sanibel police officers tried to get her out of the water.

Rescuers struggled for about five minutes to pull her from the pond. When she came free, medical workers began treating her on the shore.

Police shot the alligator in the head, killing it. It took six men to lift the 12-foot, 3-inch animal to shore.

The body was being sent to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, which will perform a necropsy.

Copyright 2004 The Associated Press.

http://www.cnn.com/2004/US/South/07/22/arm.alligator.ap/index.html

 

[TVgeek]

this link has a nice clear photo of Natasha.

If the photo was just a BIT
more out of focus, we'd
have a classic bigfoot!

Cool!
TVgeek

 

[Mighty_Emperor]

The bipedal monkey is now being discussed in its own thread (but I'll leave that here anyway):

forteantimes.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=16566
Link is obsolete. The current link is:

https://forums.forteana.org/index.php?threads/bipedal-monkey.16566/


The pigeon pecking the art fits right in here ("Animal Attacks" is for attacks on animals - this thread is for "Animals Attack" i.e. animals attacking us and our posssessions).

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

30-Pound Barracuda Jumps On Fishing Boat, Bites Man

POSTED: 11:55 am EDT July 22, 2004
UPDATED: 9:06 pm EDT July 22, 2004


TYBEE ISLAND, Ga. -- A man fishing off the Georgia coast has discovered that when the fish are biting, it can really hurt.

A 30-pound barracuda jumped into his boat and bit him.

The Coast Guard says the 65-year-old man was aboard a charter fishing boat about three miles off Tybee Island on Wednesday when it happened.

The boat owner says the fish wasn't hooked or anything -- it just leaped about 30 feet from the water to the boat. She says the barracuda was "sailing like he had wings."

The man was treated at a hospital for a serious cut on his finger.

http://www.wftv.com/news/3564609/detail.html

 

[TheQuixote]

The pigeon pecking the art fits right in here ("Animal Attacks" is for attacks on animals - this thread is for "Animals Attack" i.e. animals attacking us and our posssessions).

Emps-
Thanks for clarifying that for me

Rescuers save fisherman from bees

Emergency services in south Wales have rescued a man who was trapped on his boat by a swarm of bees.
The 51-year-old man was fishing two miles off Penclawdd on the Gower peninsula when the insects arrived.

He was forced to take refuge in the vessel's cabin, where he called for help by radio.

A lifeboat from Burry Port rescued the fisherman and a second boat was later despatched with a beekeeper on board to clear the bees and recover the vessel.

The boat-owner is a 51-year-old from Llanelli, west Wales.

"He said he was lucky when the swarm landed on the deck he managed to dive into the cabin and take cover and call us the radio," said Steve Jones, watch officer at Swansea Coastguard.

"I have never heard of this before. It is amazing."

It is not clear why the swarm was attracted to the boat.

BBCi News 24/07/04

 

[Mighty_Emperor]

Quixote: No worries. If anyone is every concerned about classification then give me a message or just post it and I'm sure if it needs moving I'll spot it or someone else will. the important thing is that it gets posted and we can sort any filing issues out later (if need be).

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

Giant eel attacks diver

A Scottish diver escaped death when he was attacked by a giant eel.

George Telfer was exploring a shipwreck in the North Sea when a 12ft conger eel bit his hand and then dragged him towards the sea bed.

The 42-year-old said: “The eel was so strong it managed to drag me several feet into the ship.


It was sheer muscle, the eels are known for their ability to drag divers off without any bother.”


The experienced diver managed to squeeze the eel with his free hand and the giant beast let go and swam away.

Telfer was left with bite marks and a bruised face after being slammed against the shipwreck.

He added: “I am lucky to be alive because eels that size can easily pin a diver to the seabed.”

http://www.femalefirst.co.uk/entertainment/1852004.htm

 

[TheQuixote]

Texas Boy Hurt in Shark Attack While Fishing
Mon Jul 26, 2004 02:30 PM ET

HOUSTON (Reuters) - An 11-year-old Texas boy was in guarded condition on Monday after a shark attacked him at a beach on the Gulf of Mexico where was fishing.
The boy was attacked Sunday evening as he stood in the water at Bryan Beach in Freeport. He was flown by helicopter to a Houston hospital with bite wounds to his right arm and leg.

"It hit him and took a bite, swung around and attacked him again," said Freeport Fire Chief John Stanford. Officials did not know what type of shark attacked the child.

The boy was holding a net full of fish, which probably attracted the shark, said Stanford. It was the first shark attack ever reported at the beach.

Fourteen shark attacks have been reported this year in the United States, and 29 have occurred worldwide, leading to four deaths, according to George Burgess, director of the International Shark Attack File at the University of Florida.

Last year, a total of 55 attacks were reported, and four of those were fatal.

© Reuters 2004. All Rights Reserved.

http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=domesticNews&storyID=5775947

 

[lopaka]

Follow-up: Gator Attack Proves Fatal

Originally posted by lopaka Alligator bites off Florida woman's arm

Part of Janie Melsek's right arm had to be amputated later during six hours of surgery. She also was severely bitten on her buttocks and thighs, but doctors believe she will walk again, her family said. She remained in critical condition.

Woman dies after alligator attack

Monday, July 26, 2004 Posted: 12:03 PM EDT (1603 GMT)


FORT MYERS, Florida (AP) -- A professional landscaper died Friday after being mauled by a 12-foot alligator that dragged her into a pond and nearly tore off one of her arms.

Janie Melsek, 54, was attacked Wednesday by the alligator as she worked on landscaping behind a home on Sanibel Island, just off the Florida coast in the Gulf of Mexico. After the animal pulled her into the water, a neighbor and police officers engaged in a fierce "tug-of-war" to pull her from the reptile's jaws.

Melsek died in surgery at Lee Memorial Hospital to treat an infection caused by the reptile's vicious bites. Doctors said her body simply shut down in response to the infection.

"My mom showed more courage than fear, and I could not be more proud of her," said Melsek's daughter, Joy Williams, 29. "She's just absolutely amazed me and our whole community with the fight she put up."

Police killed the 457-pound alligator, which required six men to lift it to shore.

She was the 14th person known to have been fatally attacked by a Florida alligator since record keeping began.

Florida's alligator population had once dwindled to the point that the reptile was placed on the federal list of endangered species.

They have since rebounded to perhaps a million or more across the entire state, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. They can now be killed during seasonal hunts conducted by the commission.

Copyright 2004 The Associated Press

http://www.cnn.com/2004/US/South/07/26/alligator.death.ap/index.html

 

[lopaka]

Next thing he'll be skipping school and smoking...

SeaWorld Killer Whale Roughs Up Trainer

SAN ANTONIO (AP) - A killer whale at SeaWorld repeatedly slammed its trainer underwater during a show that was captured on home video in dramatic footage aired this week.

The trainer, Steve Aibel, was not injured in the Friday incident.

The whale began slamming Aibel during the show, and other trainers rushed to the side of the tank. Aibel, who has trained the whale for 10 years, said he was surprised and is unsure what prompted the behavior.

But he said the whale, named Ky, is near breeding age and may have just been feeling his adolescent hormones.


07/27/04 22:54

© Copyright The Associated Press.


http://cnn.netscape.cnn.com/ns/news...20040727/2254072263.htm&photoid=20040624GR105

 

[TheQuixote]

Flying ant colonies sweep cities

The public has been urged not to panic after millions of flying ants appeared in Glasgow and Edinburgh.

The switchboards of Glasgow City Council were jammed by hundreds of callers alarmed by the swarms of winged insects, which can deliver a tiny bite.

The local authority said that there was no need to worry as the airborne pests would soon die.

The "hatch" began on Tuesday during a spell of warm weather and will continue for the next few days.

The swarms in Glasgow city centre, its suburbs and parts of Edinburgh have been caused by a "nuptial flight" from ants' nests of a new queen pursued by ants and would-be suitors.

At one point, some cars in Glasgow city centre were entirely covered by ants.

The flying ants are capable of delivering a tiny nip, which can be equally alarming
Glasgow City Council spokeswoman

Once a single male has successfully mated with the female, all the males perish and, if the new queen survives, she finds a spot to build a new colony.

The council advised the public to close windows and buy an ant powder from the local garden centre or supermarket for when the inevitable colonies appear.

Such colonies are likely to crop up in gardens, parks, under slabs, in pavement cracks and roads or even in homes after the mating season, said the council.

A spokeswoman said: "The hatch happens every year but not usually all at once and therefore in such numbers.

"With no wind either, the insects were not dispersed and alarmed people by landing on them as they died.

"As with the ants most people recognise from picnics outside, the flying ants are capable of delivering a tiny nip, which can be equally alarming."

Anyone with an infestation inside their home can call the council's pest control service on 0141 287 4210.

BBCi News 28/07/04

 

[TheQuixote]

Herd of cows trample woman's car

A woman was treated for shock after her car was trampled by a herd of cattle.

Barbara Epps, 52, was driving to work when scores of cows stampeded into her Toyota Yaris near Edge in Gloucestershire.

Some of the animals stamped over the vehicle's bonnet and roof as the startled motorist cowered inside.

Mrs Epps, from Quedgeley, escaped without injury and was treated for shock by paramedics - but her car was left mangled.

She said: "I was just driving along when all of a sudden these cows came hurtling out of a garden and flew over the car then crashed onto the road.

"Some came over the bonnet and others went right over the roof. I can still see their faces smashing into the glass as the windscreen shattered."

BBCi News 29/07/04

 

[TheQuixote]

Dangerous dog makes overtime for victim
Wed 28 July, 2004 15:04

BERLIN (Reuters) - A snarling Staffordshire terrier trapped a German railway worker at his post for hours and even bit through metal trying to elude capture.

At first the arriving shift change at a signalman's box in the western city of Essen tried to get past the cranky canine without success. The police were called, but when their efforts were unsuccessful they turned to an animal specialist.

"At the slightest approach the terrier gave vent to its displeasure by growling and snapping its jaws," police in the western city of Essen said in a statement on Wednesday.

Eventually the specialist caught the dog after several attempts, but even then the terrier's ferocity remained so intense that it bit through a metal restraining rod.

The dog was then taken to a home for animals and the railway signalman was free to apply for overtime.

http://www.reuters.co.uk/newsArticle.jhtml?type=oddlyEnoughNews&storyID=5800160&section=news

 

[Mighty_Emperor]

Giant Snails Infest Local Lake

Big Snails Destructive, Reproducing And Moving

POSTED: 4:16 pm EDT July 26, 2004
UPDATED: 4:48 pm EDT July 26, 2004

LAKE BRANTLEY, Fla. -- It may sound like science fiction but it's true -- snails the size of a fist are causing big problems for state officials.

They fear the channeled apple snails from South America are spreading in Central Florida, and the damage they can do to area lakes is serious, WESH NewsChannel 2 reported.

In Lake Brantley, tens of thousands of the snails have made themselves at home. The snails are destructive, quickly reproducing, and on the move.

"Maybe somebody had it in their aquarium and released it, maybe they came in on some aquatic plants," said Dana Denson with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.

He said they are not even concerned with how they got into Lake Brantley anymore because there are bigger problems. "We did some experimenting and they just consumed every type of aquatic plant we gave them -- very quickly."

He said this could quickly set up a disastrous chain of events. Aquatic plants absorb fertilizer run-off so if the plants are gone, the algae will use the run-off. This leads to algae bloom on the lake, and in turn, algae blooms lead to murky water, which possibly can kill the fish.

Denson said there are indications that the snails are leaving the lake and heading toward the Wekiva River.

The huge snails have few predators. Denson said the good news is that residents can pitch in. If you see the big snails, crush them. If that's not your style, put them in a plastic bag, freeze them, and then place the bag in the garbage.

He said residents can also destroy the snails' hot pink eggs on docks and sea walls. Females lay many large clusters of up to 1,000 pink eggs, especially during the warm months. However, do not scrape off the whitish or lighter pink eggs -- those are the native apple snails, which are smaller and not a threat.

As for the big snails? "We won't get rid of them, but we can control them and protect the water quality of Lake Brantley," said Gloria Eby, a Seminole County biologist.

The large snails are edible if fully cooked, but because of a parasite in them, officials said consumption is probably not a good idea.

Seminole County is planning an event in September when residents can go out to Lake Brantley and go on the offensive against the snails.

For more information, contact Dana Denson, Aquatic Biologist with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection at (407) 894-7555, ext. 2355 or [email protected]

http://www.wesh.com/news/3579035/detail.html

 

[Timble2]

Mooove out of the way...

Herd of cows trample woman's car


A woman was treated for shock after her car was trampled by a herd of cattle.
Barbara Epps, 52, was driving to work when six cows stampeded into her £9,000 Toyota Yaris near Edge in Gloucestershire.

Some of the animals stamped over the vehicle's bonnet and roof as the startled motorist cowered inside.

Mrs Epps, from Quedgeley, escaped without injury and was treated for shock by paramedics - but her car was left mangled.

She said: "I was just driving along when all of a sudden these cows came hurtling out of a garden and flew over the car then crashed onto the road.

"Some came over the bonnet and others went right over the roof. I can still see their faces smashing into the glass as the windscreen shattered."


Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/england/gloucestershire/3934889.stm

Published: 2004/07/29 05:43:14 GMT

© BBC MMIV

 

[TheQuixote]

I would so love to see these in action.

Crafty sheep conquer cattle grids

Hungry sheep on the Yorkshire moors have taught themselves to roll 8ft (3m) across hoof-proof metal cattle grids - and raid villagers' valley gardens.


The crafty animals have also perfected the skill of hurdling 5ft (1.5m) fences and squeezing through 8in (20cm) gaps.

They have destroyed several gardens and even graze on the village park, bowling green, cricket field and graveyard.

The grids were installed 10 years ago after a gardener in Marsden, near Huddersfield, held stray sheep hostage.

Dorothy Lindley, an independent district councillor in the former textile town on the edge of the Pennine uplands in West Yorkshire, said: "They lie down on their side, or sometimes their back, and just roll over and over the grids until they are clear.

"I've seen them doing it. It is quite clever but they are a big nuisance to villagers.

Sheep are quite intelligent creatures and have more brainpower than people are willing to give them credit for
National Sheep Association

"They eat plants, flowers and vegetables in gardens.

"It is soul destroying.

"Registered commoners", who can claim rights of open grazing going back to medieval times, pasture the sheep on moorland owned by the National Trust.

Mrs Lindley added: "What amazes us is they are not frightened.

"When you try to move them on they look at you as if to say it is their patch and you are not right in the head.

"You can shout at them and even if they see a dog they are not frightened.

"Several drivers have had to swerve to avoid hitting the animals and damaged their cars or been given a terrible shock.

"What we really need is more fencing to stop them. But they would probably find another way out before long.

"They must find more tastier morsels down here."

A National Farmers' Union spokeswoman in York said: "We have never seen anything like it.

"We have looked at ways of improving the situation but it is very difficult. The grids are substantial bits of kit."

A National Sheep Association spokeswoman said: "Sheep are quite intelligent creatures and have more brainpower than people are willing to give them credit for."

BBCi News 30/07/04

 

[Mighty_Emperor]

Curious black bear opens pipeline valve cover; causes oil spill in N.W.T.



FORT SIMPSON, N.W.T. (CP) - A curious black bear caused an oil spill near this town in the Northwest Territories, say officials.

About 12,000 litres of oil, equal to about a dozen household tanks, leaked out after the animal accidentally opened a valve at an Enbridge Pipelines site.

Nick Larter, a biologist for the Department of Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development in the Deh Cho, said bears are naturally curious and especially like to play with anything soft and rubbery.

"And this apparently was some Styrofoam material covered by a black bag," he said.

The bear pulled off the lid covering the valve and yanked on the bag, causing it to open a bit but not enough to drop pressure in the line.

Workers were cleaning up on Thursday.

Enbridge officials say from now on, they will lock the lids on pipeline covers.

Fort Simpson is about 400 west of Yellowknife.

http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/WeirdNews/2004/07/29/562272-cp.html

 

[Yithian]

Comando Sheep

Crafty sheep conquer cattle grids

Hungry sheep on the Yorkshire moors have taught themselves to roll 8ft (3m) across hoof-proof metal cattle grids - and raid villagers' valley gardens.

The crafty animals have also perfected the skill of hurdling 5ft (1.5m) fences and squeezing through 8in (20cm) gaps.

They have destroyed several gardens and even graze on the village park, bowling green, cricket field and graveyard.

The grids were installed 10 years ago after a gardener in Marsden, near Huddersfield, held stray sheep hostage.

Dorothy Lindley, an independent district councillor in the former textile town on the edge of the Pennine uplands in West Yorkshire, said: "They lie down on their side, or sometimes their back, and just roll over and over the grids until they are clear.

"I've seen them doing it. It is quite clever but they are a big nuisance to villagers.

"They eat plants, flowers and vegetables in gardens.

"It is soul destroying.

"Registered commoners", who can claim rights of open grazing going back to medieval times, pasture the sheep on moorland owned by the National Trust.

Mrs Lindley added: "What amazes us is they are not frightened.

"When you try to move them on they look at you as if to say it is their patch and you are not right in the head.

"You can shout at them and even if they see a dog they are not frightened.

"Several drivers have had to swerve to avoid hitting the animals and damaged their cars or been given a terrible shock.

The cattle grids are 8ft (3m) wide

"What we really need is more fencing to stop them. But they would probably find another way out before long.

"They must find more tastier morsels down here."

A National Farmers' Union spokeswoman in York said: "We have never seen anything like it.

"We have looked at ways of improving the situation but it is very difficult. The grids are substantial bits of kit."

A National Sheep Association spokeswoman said: "Sheep are quite intelligent creatures and have more brainpower than people are willing to give them credit for."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/3938591.stm

 

[SoundDust]

I thin we should keep an eye on those sheep, they're obviously plotting to take over the world . . . first they manage to roll over cattle grids, next we're going to see them attempting to get weapons of mass destruction why do you think the government was keen to cull so many following foot and mouth?

puts on tinfoil farmers hat

 

[Leaferne]

Anything which prevents golf-playing is A-OK by me

Bushy bandits having a ball

By JILL MAHONEY
From Friday's Globe and Mail

UPDATED AT 2:14 AM EDT Friday, Jul 30, 2004

Edmonton — As they teed off on the 10th hole, Ron Nimchuk and Fred Paranchych could only shake their heads at the menace lurking in the shadows of the evergreens lining the picturesque fairway.

A band of quick and determined thieves has taken residence at the Riverside Golf Course in Edmonton's lush River Valley.

Squirrels. Yes, squirrels.

A couple of weeks ago, one of the furtive critters stole a ball from one of the two golfers' friends as they were practising before tee time.

“We were so shocked,” Mr. Nimchuk, a 61-year-old retiree, said yesterday. “We couldn't believe how brazen he was.”

The enterprising squirrels that have made a career out of filching balls have the course virtually under siege. The pests have long squatted at the public course, but this year is the worst in recent memory.

“The Sunday hackers, they don't mind it. But the individuals that spend or on a golf ball, they get upset from time to time,” said assistant pro Chris Toth.

The squirrels, which focus on the 10th and 18th holes, which are side by side, usually snatch balls as they roll to a stop. Some players have lost more than one on the same hole.

In a split second, often without the golfer's knowledge, the sharp-toothed rodents make their move and spirit the orbs up trees where they deposit them in magpies' nests. Some balls also end up in the squirrels' caches.

So many balls are hidden on the course that dozens have fallen to the ground when workers shake trees.

Speculation about the rodents' motive rages among Riverside regulars. Some think they mistake golf balls for mushrooms, eggs or a new kind of nut. Others think they're just pesky.

James Hare, a University of Manitoba zoologist who recently did a study on squirrel communication, said the animals' behaviour is “totally bizarre” and “really mind-boggling.”

Prof. Hare said the squirrels might be trying to foil magpies, which sometimes prey on their young, or possibly are just overzealous hoarders. He also said their behaviour could be an example of “cultural transmission” — where one started to steal golf balls, causing a copycat reaction.

Jenny Smits, a 58-year-old self-employed businesswoman, joked that the animals are the administration's way of increasing sales.

“I think they put them there so we buy more balls in the pro shop,” she said with a laugh.

Indeed, the balls are useless once the squirrels are done with them. As regulars know, they chew them up.

The infestation has resulted in a special Riverside rule. Golfers whose balls are taken can replace them if their partners can agree where they came to a stop. If no one sees the robbery, the player must tee off again and take a one-stroke penalty.

“That's not fair is it?” Letta MacDonald, who played in the senior ladies club championship yesterday, said as she finished lunch with her friends.

But Mr. Nimchuk figures the squirrels are collecting a ball tax on bad shots.

“It's usually because you hit a bad shot and you're lying in the trees anyway,” he said.

Despite the annoyance, the course will not call in an exterminator, saying squirrels moved into the river valley before golfers.

“This is their home, so we can't do anything about it,” said Mr. Toth, who has been on the receiving end of unusual suggestions — including smearing balls with everything from Tabasco sauce to oil — to combat the pests.

Regular golfers have got savvy to the squirrels' ways. Most carry two sets of balls: old ones for holes 10 and 18 and expensive ones for the rest of the course.

But the critters do not merely target golf balls. They also steal players' lunches.

“They're very cheeky,” said Eva Vriens, 65, who once watched a squirrel cart a chocolate bar up a tree, dropping the wrapper along the way.

Another chewed through two zippers in her friend's golf bag looking for something to eat.

Edited to add: That picture is so cute I could scream.

 

[lopaka]

It's Like, Biblical, Dude!

Crickets Invade Airport

NICE, France (Reuters) - Millions of crickets have invaded Nice airport in southern France, causing no direct threat to air traffic but attracting birds who could pose a danger, airport officials said.

Frederic Gozlan, head of technical services at the airport, said efforts were under way to clear the crickets who are believed to have flown in from Italy or North Africa.

"The crickets look for and love the sun, but we have to hunt them down before they eat all the grass by the runways," he said, adding that the grass was needed to hold dust and gravel in place when planes land and take off.

"If the insects are not a real danger for the jet engines, what is more serious is that they attract birds who are very dangerous for air traffic."

Airport workers were trying to pulverize the crickets and destroy them with chemicals that would not damage the environment.


07/30/04 09:54

© Copyright Reuters Ltd. All rights reserved.


http://cnn.netscape.cnn.com/news/st...dd&idq=/ff/story/0002/20040730/0954227037.htm

 

[TheQuixote]

Tiger flees circus

Chaos in Qns. as beast roams wild

BY JOSE MARTINEZ, KERRY BURKE and JONATHAN LEMIRE
It was written by TRACY CONNOR
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERS

It could have been a cat-astrophe.

A tiger escaped from a circus in Queens yesterday, taking a mile-long romp through Forest Park and local streets, scattering screaming people in his wake and causing two traffic accidents.

But after a half-hour of freedom, the 450-pound white Bengal named Apollo was simply lured back into his cage with a juicy chunk of raw meat.

"Me and my wife never ran so fast in all our lives," said Luis Martinez, 45, a neighborhood resident who had a too-close encounter with the big cat.

"We found an open door to a private house and ran in. I was in shock. It was incredible."

The tiger got loose from the New Cole Brothers Circus, which had set up in the Forest Park bandshell parking lot on Woodhaven Blvd., when workers tried to transfer him from a large cage to a smaller one on wheels in the parking lot, police said.

A wheel chock moved and the small cage rolled far enough to create an opening for Apollo, who was to be featured at the 1:30 p.m. performance under the big top.

The cat hit the ground running, with panicked circus workers, including trainer Cheryl Haddad, trailing behind as he trotted across the park's crowded lawn.

"It's like, you know, you could see a big dog run by, but a live tiger on the move! It was awesome!" said Mary Mason, 59, of Crown Heights, one of more than 100 members of the Berean Baptist Church of Brooklyn at their annual choir picnic in the park.

"A lady was sitting on the grass and the tiger trotted right past her, just a few feet away," Mason said. "The trainer was running right behind him with her wand, saying, 'Stop! Stop!' The tiger turned around and looked at her as if to say, 'Are you serious?'"

"Even the clowns were running after him," said Deborah Faulk, 48, another church member. "There was a guy with a clown nose and big shoes running after him. I don't know what he would have done if he'd caught him."

Raynalda Millord, 36, was celebrating her daughter's first birthday nearby. "There was even a guy with raw meat running behind the tiger," she said. "It was just crazy."

The majestic beast loped briefly along the Jackie Robinson Parkway, triggering two smashups, one involving three cars and the other two, on the westbound side. Five people were taken to Jamaica Hospital with minor injuries.

Martinez, a microbiologist who lives at Myrtle Ave. and 88th Lane, was enjoying the afternoon with his wife, Nina, when they heard the crashes. "We looked down from the overpass, and there was a guy running and waving his hands, yelling for people to get out of the way," Martinez said.

But then the tiger went up a slope toward the Martinezes. "We turned around and there was a tiger coming after us. He was about 10 feet away, and he was big, with white, black and gray stripes," Martinez said.

By this time, there were police helicopters overhead, and patrol cars converging on the park. Cops and circus workers surrounded the big cat on 88th Lane.

"He was a beautiful animal. But I think he was exhausted. He was tired of running," said witness Alice Douglas.

Circus President John Pugh said he loaded a tranquilizer gun himself, but the weapon proved unnecessary.

A trainer with some raw meat lured Apollo into a cage - and his great adventure in the concrete jungle was over.

"The tiger just walked in," Pugh said. "You could see it on his face: 'Thank God I'm home.'" Pugh said it was unlikely Apollo would have attacked any passersby because he was raised by humans.

"But make no mistake," he added. "These tigers have all their claws and teeth. They're full tiger."

None of the tigers performed in yesterday afternoon's show, and Pugh said they will stay in their cages until they calm down. The circus is scheduled to end its weeklong run in the park with three shows today.

"We've never had this happen before," he said. "I don't want this to happen again."

Yesterday's tiger scare wasn't the first time wild animals have escaped from a traveling circus in Queens.

On July 10, 1995, two elephants ran amok in midperformance at the Clyde Beatty-Cole Brothers Circus, also in Forest Park, touching off a stampede in which 12 people were slightly injured.

The other tiger making news in the city was Ming, the 200-pound Bengal-Siberian cat found in a Bronx public housing project apartment last summer.

Originally published on August 1, 2004

http://www.nydailynews.com/front/story/217984p-187473c.html

 

[Mighty_Emperor]

Ugly cause of electrical brownouts

Turkey vultures’ habits called a power problem

By Kathleen Burge, Globe Staff | August 1, 2004

GARDNER -- The turkey vulture has never had much going for it in the looks department, with its hulking body and tiny, naked head. And it has never been known as an avatar of taste, with its diet of roadkill and other dead animals.

Now the bird is suffering another blow to its reputation: as a decades-long interrupter of electricity, provoking countless computer crashes and blinking VCR clocks.

National Grid USA, the parent company of Massachusetts Electric Co., is finishing a .4 million project designed partly to protect electrical lines from turkey vultures. Company officials say that a growing population of the birds, with wingspans of 5 feet or more, has prompted many of the unexplained outages over the years as they lifted off from the electrical towers where they like to perch and scan their territory for food.

"Without hard and fast evidence, it was always difficult to get anybody to believe that birds caused this much of a problem," said Richard E. Dupre, a consulting engineer for National Grid who has been trying for years to outwit the turkey vultures.

The latest tactic involved lowering workers from helicopters in remote parts of the state to attach spikes and other vulture deterrents to the steel electrical towers.

It used to be that no one complained much about brief power gaps, usually less than a minute. But that changed once houses became cluttered with digital clocks, computers, and other electronic equipment that needs to be reset whenever power stops flowing.

"Momentaries weren't acceptable anymore to our consumer," Dupre said.

Turkey vultures can briefly interrupt electricity in two ways: when they relieve themselves on the lines or when their immense wings touch two different electrical lines as they take off.

"If they touch those two wires together with their wing tips, pop," said Thomas French, assistant director of the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife.

For years, Dupre and other engineers have wrestled with the mystery of unexplained electrical outages on a 47-mile stretch of line, now owned by National Grid, that delivers juice from a hydroelectric station in Vernon, Vt. to Central Massachusetts. The outages had no telltale causes: no trees fallen across the lines, no broken wires.

The line that delivers power to about a dozen communities -- including Gardner, Sterling, Fitchburg, and Leominster -- are the oldest in the state, built in the first part of the 1900s.

"Some of it's in extremely remote areas," said Jackie Barry, spokeswoman for National Grid. "The line, when it was built, was built with men and donkeys."

The wires were originally strung mostly through rights-of-way on open farmland. But as the farms went fallow, forests took over much of the land, and different species of birds moved into the territory.

-------------
Meanwhile, turkey vultures made their arrival in Massachusetts, with the first breeding pair recorded in 1954. The vultures, part of a group of birds often called buzzards, have gradually been expanding their territory northward.
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Although turkey vultures build their nests on the ground, they like to soar or rest high above and survey the vista.

"They do tend to be creatures of habit," French said. "All they're looking for is a big, tall vantage point where they're exposed enough that they can get a good view."

A decade ago, engineers at National Grid began to suspect that birds might be causing some of the unexplained power outages. They tried adding hollow, triangle-shaped devices they call "bird deterrents" on the crossbars where the vultures perched.

But the birds still managed to crouch inside the triangles. With the birds resting for long stretches, another problem arose. "Big birds go to the bathroom in a big way," Barry said.

A few years ago, officials at National Grid hired a Colorado consulting company that specializes in birds to consider more closely whether the vultures were causing the outages.

When researchers charted the turkey vulture population over the past few years and compared it to the number of outages from unknown causes, the rate of increase was almost identical.

Meanwhile, changes in populations of red tail hawks and blue herons, which have leveled off or even dropped, didn't correspond to the outages.

Researchers also discovered that the outages tended to decrease when the turkey vultures migrate south for the winter and spike when the birds return, said Mark Knight, a senior engineer at National Grid.

Finally, there was a hint from the vultures' penchant for basking in the sun. Researchers found more outages on the southern line in the morning, when it catches the sun, and on the northern line in the afternoon.

Vultures are not the only birds that create electrical problems. In other parts of the state, ospreys have built their nests on power lines, sometimes starting fires. The wildfires that swept through California this month are believed to have started when a red-tailed hawk flew into a power line and ignited, its flaming body dropping into a pile of dry brush.

But in Central Massachusetts, power company officials say they are mostly plagued by turkey vultures. Workers have added fiberglass spikes along the crossbars on the steel electrical towers that drew the vultures. Workers also added plastic covers that fit over each of the conductors to insulate them. The project, which officials expect to be completed this fall, also aims to better protect the lines from lightning.

http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2004/08/01/ugly_cause_of_electrical_brownouts/

 

[TheQuixote]

Dead whale poses shipping threat

Sailors are being warned to be on the look-out for the body of a large dead whale seen floating in the Solent.

The huge creature, 80 feet (25 metres) in length, poses a danger to vessels in one of Britain's busiest shipping areas, Solent coastguards say.

The mammal is off Stokes Bay, near Gosport, Hampshire, and was first spotted at the weekend.

"We are fairly concerned that nobody hits it, although they should smell it someway off," a spokesman said.

"It's unusual to have such a thing in the Solent.

"We are more used to trees floating down the river at Lymington or 40 ft containers in the Channel as hazards.

"We have put out a local navigation warning," he said.

BBCi News 02/07/04

 

[TheQuixote]

A follow-up on this story:

Texas Boy Hurt in Shark Attack While Fishing
Mon Jul 26, 2004 02:30 PM ET

HOUSTON (Reuters) - An 11-year-old Texas boy was in guarded condition on Monday after a shark attacked him at a beach on the Gulf of Mexico where was fishing.

Shark victim 'saved by TV lesson'

An 11-year-old boy has told how he fought off a shark with techniques he learned from the Discovery Channel.

Aaron Perez was bitten so badly that a surgeon at the Memorial Hermann Children's Hospital in Houston spent four hours re-attaching his arm.

But on Monday he appeared at a news conference in Texas, wearing a T-shirt with a picture of a shark open-mouthed.

The boy described how he punched his attacker in the gills after learning how to do it from the television.

"I was watching TV the day before and I saw that on the Discovery Channel," he said on Monday.

Father joins in

He described the shark as "big and ugly", adding: "He was bigger than my dad."

Aaron's father, Blas Perez, witnessed the attack at Bryan Beach in Brazoria County, on Texas' Gulf of Mexico coast.

He said his son was wading in a school of trout on 25 July when the shark struck.

"Aaron picked [a fish] up and he turned around to tell me, and when he did that the shark was right there and the dogfight was on," he told NBC's Today show.

Mr Perez and a friend weighed into the tussle and hit the animal with their fishing rods.

"I've never been that violent in my life," Mr Perez said.

Local fire chief John Stanford said the animal was a bull shark, which is aggressive and swims in shallow water.

BBCi News 02/07/04