Out Of Place Animals

[TheQuixote]

Alaskan awakens to find bear in trailer
Associated Press — March 28, 2005
JUNEAU, Alaska — Florentino Acosta has seen plenty of black bears around his Juneau neighborhood but never inside his trailer home — until now.

Acosta woke up in the living room as the bear was breaking in. Acosta had fallen asleep while watching television.

His son, Paul, was shouting, and the only thing standing between him and the bear was a wooden door that the animal soon forced open.

Paul Acosta said the bear was inside for 30 to 45 minutes Thursday night before it left. Most of the time it was moving between the two ends of the living room, where Acosta family members were chasing it back and forth.

The bear got out of the trailer a couple of minutes before police arrived. Florentino Acosta said he didn't call the police right away because he lost track of the telephone in the excitement.

The bear probably weighed 500 to 600 pounds, he said, although his son said it wasn't that big.

No one was hurt. Florentino Acosta said the bear raised some blood pressure but that he was lucky his son woke him up.

Laurie Dubish, who lives about four trailers away, said she heard the son calling for help around midnight.

Bears, she said, "were in my yard last summer. I wouldn't let my kids out."

Acosta has also seen his share of bears. At the back of the Switzer Village mobile park, there is only a creek between his property and the woods.

Acosta said he believes the break-in bear could return. It's only the beginning of spring, and the bears aren't long out of hibernation.

Police said the incident at the trailer was the second call of a reported bear sighting in the area this spring. Capt. Tom Porter said garbage didn't attract the bear to the trailer.

Acosta said the garbage was inside, secured and not touched. The only thing he could figure is that the family had fried fish for dinner and the smell must have lingered.

and from the same site:

Bear takes dip in suburban L.A. pool
Associated Press — May 24, 2005
LOS ANGELES — A 140-pound bear wandered into a suburban neighborhood and took a dip in a swimming pool before being tranquilized and returned to the wild.

The female bear ambled into the San Fernando Valley's Porter Ranch area shortly after 6 p.m. Sunday, bumping into doors and windows before taking a few splashes in a backyard pool, fire spokesman Brian Humphrey said.

Homeowner Maryam Salahael pulled her children out of the pool when the bear showed up, and she called 911.

"My dog began barking very loudly. I went to see what's going on. I see a bear in my backyard," Salahael told KTTV-TV.

Authorities cordoned off the area as wildlife officials tranquilized the bear, said Cindy Wood of the California Department of Fish and Game. The animal was then released into the Santa Susana Mountains.

"It looks like it's possibly in heat," Wood said. "She probably just made a wrong turn and ended up in a neighborhood. She belongs up in the hills and that's where she lives."

Source

 

[Min Bannister]

Eeek!

Pretty snake though! BBC

A woman with a phobia of snakes was horrified to find one wrapped around a bunch of flowers she had bought at a Cardiff supermarket in her lunch hour.

Joyce Fossett, 59, noticed the South American Kingsnake after returning to the roses and carnations after work.

The owner of a reptile shop nearby removed the foot-long reptile.

Supermarket chain Somerfield said it was unlikely that the non-venomous snake had originated from its flowers.

Mrs Fossett, from Cowbridge in the Vale of Glamorgan, had shopped at a branch of the supermarket in Canton, Cardiff.

She said: "I bought the flowers in my dinner hour. I buy flowers every week.

"When I got back to work I left them on the stairs until I was due to leave.

"When I returned about three hours later I picked them up and there was this snake coiled around one bunch.

"I just dropped them and screamed. I'm really the worst person for something like this to happen to. I can't even look at a snake on TV."

Simon Parker, the reptile shop owner who collected the snake, said it had become so agitated it tried to bite anyone who came near it.

Although the reptile shop is nearby, it does not stock that type of snake.

A spokesman for Somerfield said the flowers had been imported from Spain and Africa and neither place was home to South American Kingsnakes.

He added that the blooms were put into chilled storage for the journey and it was unlikely that a snake would survive the degree of cold.

"We have worked closely with trading standards over this incident, who have confirmed that the snake is exceedingly unlikely to have come from our store," the spokesman said.

"We have given the customer £20 in gift vouchers as a goodwill gesture and hope we will retain her custom in the future."

 

[tastyintestines]

Gator spotted in South Bend river


Associated Pres


SOUTH BEND, Ind. — When friends pointed out what looked like an alligator basking in the sun on a fallen tree along the St. Joseph River, Mel Lenig thought it was a joke. Then he saw the alligator’s head move.

“I’m thinking, ’Whoa, that’s not something you see every day,”’ he said.

At least not in a northern Indiana river, although Bill James, chief of fisheries in the state’s Fish and Wildlife Division, said wayward gators are not as rare as some might think.

Each year, he said, there are a scattering of media reports from around the state of gator sightings, most of which result from a situation where someone raised the reptile as a pet, then dumped it when caring for the animal became too difficult.

Lenig and other Penn-Harris-Madison teachers spotted the 2 1/2-foot-long alligator sunning itself along the St. Joseph River in South Bend. Officials believe that it may have been a pet that was released when it became too big to care for.

The sighting was enough of a curiosity that local Department of Natural Resources employees dispatched a boat Thursday to search for the gator. They came up empty, but they said the gator likely will turn up again, when river recreation lovers spot it sunning or chasing prey such as ducklings or fish.

St. Joseph River biologist Rod Edgell and Dave Meuninck, manager of the Bodine State Fish Hatchery, said the gator was unlikely to be a threat to humans, although it might inflict a nasty bite with needle-sharp teeth if handled.

Which probably makes teacher John Kovatch happy he didn’t lay a hand on the gator, even if it meant he couldn’t collect the pot put together by his fellow fishermen for the one brave enough to capture the reptile.

“They started at $5, but I waited until they got up to $40 before I tried,” he laughed. “I actually got pretty close.”



http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/a ... 03005/1006

 

[andy_just_andy]

Bears invade Toronto suburb

Bear leads Markham, Ont. authorities on chase

CTV.ca News Staff

If you would have gone to a Markham, Ont. park today, you would have been in for a big surprise.

A two-year-old, 150-pound black bear showed up, leading to an entertaining afternoon for spectators and a stressful one for officials.

The animal led police and wildlife officials on a three-hour chase through the suburban community perched on Toronto's northeastern border -- providing lots of photo and video opportunities in the process.

"Oh yeah, it's great. I don't think I've ever seen a bear in Markham before," one young man told CTV News.

"I don't know how in the Sam Hill he ever got here," exclaimed an older gentleman.

Bears are forest creatures, and Markham is in the heart of suburbia, with farmland stretching northward or another 100 kilometres, although the southern range of bear country in Ontario would be about 60 to 70 km north of Markam.

But a few weeks ago, Newmarket, which is north and slightly west of Markham, had its own bear visit to contend with.

That animal also led authorities on a vigorous chase. The male was tranquillized while he lounged up in a tree and had to be lowered by rope.

The Markham bear rambled through backyards and hopped fences with ease.

Shotgun-toting officers were not far behind.

"There were three policemen with shotguns. As I ran into my house, right beside the pool was the bear," one man said.

Finally, the bruin was cornered in a back yard and tranquillized and tagged.

Natural Resources officials will transport him to the northern bush where he'll be released.

While some people where excited by the day's events, others felt sorry for the bear -- especially when they saw him drugged and caged.

"You know, this is just one more sign, I think, that we're destroying their habitat," said one person.

Watched this on the six o'clock news. He was peaking over fences and hiding in flower beds and having a pretty good time till they got him.

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/s ... TopStories

 

[Melf]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/4080950.stm

Spider bites man in supermarket

A 65-year-old man has been treated in hospital after being bitten by a venomous spider as he reached for a bunch of bananas at a supermarket.

Former gardener Phillip Travenen, from Newport, south Wales, collapsed in pain after being bitten by the giant crab spider at a local Sainsbury's store.

He was taken to hospital, where he was monitored for 17 hours.

Sainsbury has apologised for any distress caused and said it was investigating Monday's incident.

Mr Travenen who suffers from emphysema said he felt something tickle his fingers as he reached to pick up the fruit.

"I picked up a couple of bananas and felt something sharp like a needle. It was the size of a 50p piece," he added.

He then said he suffered shortness of breath before being taken to hospital.

At the time he admitted he was worried he might die because he did not know the strength of the venom.

A member of staff captured the spider and it was taken to the Royal Gwent Hospital to be identified.

It later died and further tests were carried out at Bristol Zoo.

The creature, from the giant crab spider family or Sparassidae, is not generally highly venomous said head of invertebrates at the zoo, Warren Spencer.

"But it will certainly bite in defence if handled roughly.

"They are known commonly as banana spiders," he added.

In a statement, Sainsbury's said they take "all possible precautions to prevent events such as this from happening".

"It is extremely unfortunate that this spider got through all the rigid controls and we apologise to the customer concerned.

"We sell millions of bananas every week and it is an extremely rare occurrence.

"The customer has not been harmed from the bite, and we believe he is now fine.

"We arranged for his shopping to be dropped at home after the incident, and are extremely sorry that this may have caused him distress."

The Welsh Ambulance Service confirmed that they were called to the store in Wyndham Street at 1759 BST on Monday and took the man to the Royal Gwent Hospital.

(c) bbc 05

(first snakes, now spiders! :hmm: seems like a conspircy to me :madeyes: )

 

[feen5]

Out of place Budgie

I was fishing at a small lake in the midlands (Ireland) last Friday, and over the space of half an hour i kept hearing a familar bird sound that i couldn't quite place. Suddenly out of a bush on my left a yellow budgie came flying out and started hawking for flys over the lake.
Now i know that the bird was more than likely an escapee from someones house but i think this bird has been wild for a while and surviving pretty well because of the ease with which it seemed to be catching flys over the lake.
I watched it for about 5 minutes before it was chased off by a pair of grey wagtails. I know that budgies are now offically listed as a wild species in Britain as i have seen them on Bill Oddie's excellant birding programme but does anyone else have any similar experiances from Ireland.

 

[lopaka]

The irresponsible teenager in me rather likes the idea of a flock of migratory flamingos living between the eastern edge of the Great Basin and the Rocky Mountains. But of course the grown-up Lopaka concedes one bird is plenty. I do have to say, seventeen years is pretty impressive.

Flamingo on the loose in Utah

Sunday, July 24, 2005

By Becky Cairns
Standard-Examiner staff
[email protected]

Pink Floyd hangs around the Great Salt Lake during the winter months

No, you're not seeing things if you've spotted a large pink bird at the Great Salt Lake.

That's Pink Floyd, Utah's most famous flamingo.

Floyd isn't out there now, but he'll likely return this winter, as he has for nearly 17 years.

Before becoming a local celebrity, Pink Floyd lived at Tracy Aviary in Salt Lake City. He escaped in 1988 due to an oversight in keeping his flight feathers clipped.

Floyd started hanging out at the Great Salt Lake, not an unusual choice of homes for a Chilean flamingo, says Jennifer Evans, aviary aviculturist.

Chilean flamingos live in the mountains of South America where it gets cold and snowy, Evans says. And the Utah lake provides Floyd with the same brine-shrimp diet he'd eat in the wild.

"We wish he wasn't out there," Evans says, yet the flamingo appears healthy, given his pinkness.

Floyd flies north for the summer and has been spotted at a refuge near the Idaho-Montana border, according to information at www.utahbirds.org.

A Salt Lake City man once launched a campaign to import more flamingos to keep Pink Floyd company.

Not a good idea, says Lee Shirley, president of the Wasatch Audubon Society.

"It's best not to fool around with Mama Nature; she has her own agenda," says Shirley, of North Ogden.

Meanwhile, Tracy Aviary now has a flock of 20 Chilean flamingos in its new Destination Argentina! exhibit.

Evans says, "If (Floyd) wanted to come home, there's plenty of birds for him here to hang out with.

Copyright ©2005, Ogden Publishing Corporation

http://www2.standard.net/standard/features/56913/

 

[oll_lewis]

Here comes the sunfish, do do do do
Here comes the sunfish, and I say
It's all right

Little darling
It's been a long cold lonely winter
Little darling
It feels like years since it's been here

with appologies to the estate of george harrison

Boy struck by giant tropical fish
A four-year-old boy fishing off the west Wales coast with his parents was knocked over by a metre-long tropical fish which leaped aboard their boat.
The Grey family were fishing off the coast of Pembrokeshire when the ocean sunfish - weighing around 30kg - landed on top of their son Byron.

"It knocked him flying," said Vivienne Grey, from Little Haven.

Sunfish - the world's largest bony fish - are native to warm, tropical waters and are less common in the UK.

Mrs Grey and her husband Andrew had taken Byron and his brother Owen, 12, fishing for lobster in their 14ft boat. They were about 150m off the coast of Little Haven when the incident happened.

"My husband said he was glad we went with him, because he's sure we wouldn't have believed him if he'd come home and told us about it," she said.

OCEAN SUNFISH FACTFILE
Its scientific name is Mola Mola - also known as the moon fish
It is flat and disc-shaped in appearance, with a distinctive fin
It can grow up to 3m long and weigh 1,360kg
It is found in most of the world's tropical and temperate waters - often along the coastal areas where gulls can rid them of parasites
Like many other unusual sea creatures, it is becoming more common in Welsh waters
It has a has a small brain - a 200kg specimen may have a brain the size of a nut

"We spotted the fin of the sunfish in the water and, because we knew they were rare, we thought we'd take the boat a bit closer to let the children have a look.

"But as we got closer, it just disappeared. The next thing we knew, it had leaped out of the water and landed in the boat, right on top of Byron.

"We grabbed him from under the fish, and both boys were just shouting to their dad to get the fish out of the boat.

"It was very heavy, but Andrew managed to lift it and heave it over the side.

"Luckily, Byron got away with cuts and grazes.

"I didn't realise there were fish that big in our waters."

The experience has not put the family off sailing, and the boys were back out in the boat within days.

Marine-watchers said several sunfish - which normally live in warm, tropical waters - had been seen off the Pembrokeshire coast in recent months.

'Not dangerous'

Cliff Benson, who runs Sea Trust, the marine branch of the Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales, said sunfish could grow up to 3m long and weigh up to 1,360kg (3,000lb).

"We get them through the summer months, but normally all people see is the distinctive grey fin," he explained.

"They float about eating jellyfish, and our waters are particularly rich in jellyfish at the moment.

"They're not considered dangerous. In fact, only one man has ever been killed by a sunfish - and that was because it landed on him and squashed him."

Wildlife photographer Janet Baxter, from Borth, who took the picture of the fish above, said sea creatures leapt out of the water for all kinds of reasons.

"I saw two young sunfish jumping around last year," she said.

"The usual reasons things jump out of the water are because of food, sex, or parasites - but sometimes they just do it for the fun of it, because it's a nice feeling."


Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/wales/4192566.stm

Published: 2005/08/28 11:35:42 GMT

© BBC MMV

 

[Anome]

Here comes the sunfish, do do do do
Here comes the sunfish, and I say
It's all right

Little darling
It's been a long cold lonely winter
Little darling
It feels like years since it's been here

with appologies to the estate of george harrison

Surely Sun King (from Abbey Road I think) would have been a better choice, as it would scan better?

 

[ArthurASCII]

Sunfish are more common around British waters than you might think, and a trip to Billingsgate fish market will often reward the curious observer with the sight of a Sunfish for sale.

I used to do a lot of sea fishing as a lad. I remember one Skipper telling us that he'd seen a large Sunfish basking on the surface of the water. He and a pal had tried to gaffe it, but it dived, almost taking him with it.

 

[Kondoru]

Sunfish are unusual in these waters, but not at all unknown.

I have seen several stuffed examples.

Did they mention the fishes distinctive habit of sleeping on its side?

 

[oll_lewis]

Sunfish are more common around British waters than you might think, and a trip to Billingsgate fish market will often reward the curious observer with the sight of a Sunfish for sale.

Indeed, but not in the Irish sea, nor off the coast of Scotland where a sunfish caused a bit of a stir by being caught last year.

 

[Kondoru]

No, they are more often off of the south coast.

Are they good to eat?

 

[rynner2]

Giant centipede 'was escaped pet'

A giant venomous centipede captured by a man at his home may have been bought in a pet shop by one of his neighbours.
Aaron Balick handed over the nine-inch Scolopendra Gigantea to the Natural History Museum after finding it behind his TV set in Islington, north London.

The largest species of centipede, it was thought it may have arrived from America in a cargo of fruit.

But after media coverage, a neighbour who collects exotic pets has come forward claiming to be the owner.

A spokeswoman for the museum said that if checks show the man to be its rightful owner, his pet would be returned.

'Potentially dangerous'

She said a local pet shop had vouched that it had been bought there.

"The centipede is venomous and potentially dangerous.

"It is essential that the museum takes the best possible advice, before proceeding with any action for the sake of all involved and the wider public," she said.

Museum entomologist Stuart Hine said he had heard reports of one such creature growing to 18 inches in Venezuela.

Their sting, which is given through the front claws, can result in a blistering rash, nausea and fever.

No antidote to the venom exists, but the sting is very rarely life-threatening.

Mr Balick, 32, earlier told of how he discovered the creature.

"The sound was coming from under some papers which I lifted, expecting to see the mouse scamper away," he said.

"Instead, I saw this prehistoric-looking animal skitter away behind a stack of books.

"I was shocked. I thought, 'there's no way this thing is in my house, this is not for real'."

He trapped the centipede with a container against a wall and left it there overnight.

The next day he took it to the Natural History Museum who have been caring for it ever since.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/4207726.stm

 

[ramonmercado]

Gator Found in Flood Channel in L.A.

LOS ANGELES - One urban alligator down, one to go. A 3-foot-long gator dubbed Little Reggie was caught Thursday night in a Harbor City flood control channel, but its wily, much bigger namesake remained on the loose.

Word of a gator sighting drew firefighters to the channel, where one leaned out on a truck-mounted ladder to snare Little Reggie in a hand-held net, Los Angeles city fire spokesman Jim Wells said.

"We've gone out on (calls regarding) boa constrictors, snakes. I cannot recall a rescue of an alligator," Wells said.

The gator was discovered Tuesday by a resident of the Harbor City Estates mobile home park when he ventured down to feed turtles and ducks that live in the channel.

The gator avoided several attempts by would-be wranglers to lasso it with a noose-like device on Wednesday. It used its powerful tail to zoom away at the last moment, ducking under masses of floating primrose.

Little Reggie was named for a 7-foot-long, 150-pound alligator named Reggie that was dumped in a nearby lake several months ago and has not yet been caught.

Source

 

[ramonmercado]

Scorpion found walking in kitchen

Scorpion found walking in kitchen

A woman found a small scorpion that has a sting like a bee wandering around her Wiltshire kitchen. Helen McNair alerted wildlife experts after finding the European yellow-tailed scorpion, which is usually found in the south of France.

Hannah Price from the Wiltshire Wildlife Trust who identified the creature at the house.

Although not native to the UK, the yellow-tail has set up colonies in dock areas in south England.

"I don't think she'd quite seen anything like it in her kitchen before," said Ms Price.


We've brought some live crickets for her and we've been recommended to give her meal worms as well
Wiltshire and Swindon Biological Records Office spokesman

"But her kids are quite the amateur entomologists so they knew Cynthia wasn't anything native and they picked her up and put her in a pot and gave us a call."

Despite being just two centimetres long, the creatures can still cause a bite akin to a bee sting.

The scorpion has new been moved to the Wiltshire and Swindon Biological Records Office

"We're going to keep her here," said a spokesman.

"We've brought some live crickets for her and we've been recommended to give her meal worms as well. So we're going to keep her here in the biological records centre."

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/e ... 318322.stm

Published: 2005/10/07 08:45:02 GMT

© BBC MMV

 

[Kondoru]

<shrugs> not in Swindon?

 

[MaxMolyneux]

Snake found in Mchester toilets and sewer pipes

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/manc ... 351490.stm

Snake hiding in sewers is caught

A 10ft (3m) snake thought to have been living in sewage pipes in a block of flats for three months has been caught on a bathroom floor.
The boa constrictor, named Keith, is thought to have been abandoned after the resident was evicted owing £5,500 in rent to his landlord.

It has been slithering out of toilet bowls thoughout the flats in Manchester since August.

In the wild the snake lives close to rivers or swamps.

The creature has been spotted on several occasions and homeowners have put bricks on toilet seats in a bid to keep the beast from popping out of the pan.

Previous sightings of the animal were treated with scepticism but firefighters were called to the block of flats on Clyde Road, West Didsbury, Manchester after it confronted a resident going to the toilet in the middle of the night.

Despite using hi-tech fibre optic equipment to check sewage pipes, no trace of the snake was found.

However a resident who came face-to-face with the snake - thought to be female - on his bathroom floor managed to trap it by coaxing it into a bucket.

A spokesman for the Royal Society for the Protection of Animals (RSPCA) said it was not uncommon for snakes to be found in household sewage pipes.

RSPCA regional exotic animals co-ordinator Jimmy Ratcliff said: "It would have no problem travelling up and down the waste pipe and has probably been eating rats from the sewer."

Imagine that popping up when your taking a no 2. :lol: :shock:

 

[rynner2]

Fugitive rat sets distance record

The swimming ability of a rat which crossed open sea to find new territory has impressed New Zealand scientists.
The rodent had been radio tagged and its movements tracked by researchers to learn more about pest species and how they invade small islands.

The rat was released on the uninhabited island of Motuhoropapa but refused to be captured at the project's end.

The NZ team tells Nature magazine the animal finally turned up on the nearby Otata Island - a mighty swim of 400m.

James Russell, from the University of Auckland, and colleagues think this may be the longest distance recorded for a rat swimming across open sea.

"Norway rats can supposedly swim up to 600m but, to our knowledge, this is the first record of a rat swimming hundreds of metres across open water," they write.

In total, the rat was free for 18 weeks. It was eventually killed in a trap baited with penguin meat.

Invasive species are second only to habitat loss as the major driver of extinctions.

Rodents, in particular, have wrought havoc to many small islands around the world. They prey on native birds, hunting their chicks and eggs for food, and destroying nests. They also compete with native species for essential seed, insect and plant food.

Eradicating them once they have established themselves has proved extremely difficult. This particular rat evaded a diverse arsenal of traps, baits and even sniffer dogs.

The team says that rodent pests are even harder to eliminate when they occur in small numbers, perhaps because of the lack of competition for food.

Keeping on top of the invading aliens is a constant battle for the New Zealand authorities.

The uninhabited and forested Noises Islands (Motuhoropapa and Otata) off northeast New Zealand were reinvaded by Norway rats at least six times between 1981 and 2002.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4356980.stm

 

[nataraja]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/hamp ... 359584.stm

Boffins baffled by possum puzzle
Possums
The nocturnal creatures are native to Australia and Brazil
A wild possum has baffled experts after turning up in an inner city garden in Southampton.

Oz, the bush-tailed possum was found in Marie Young's back garden. His is not thought to be a pet as he is feral.

Ms Young, 25, captured the harmless marsupial, which feeds on fruit, with a fishing net and put him into her shed to keep him safe overnight.

The RSPCA said the discovery was "bizarre" and are now caring for Oz until he can be rehomed.

Wardens from the RSPCA's Stubbington Ark centre in Fareham picked up the possum from Ms Young's home in Woolston.

Deputy manager Helen Freeston said: "It's bizarre that this possum was found on the streets of Southampton.

"It appears to be in good health and we are hoping that someone will miss it as it obviously escaped from somewhere.

"If no one claims him we will look to finding him somewhere to live like a zoo."

Australia and Brazil? Seems a bit odd for the same species of marsupial to be found in both continents, let alone for one to be turning up in England...

 

[Anome]

They seem to be getting the Australian Possum and the related American Opossum confused. The Opossum isn't just in Brazil, it can be found in the Southern United States as well.

The Brush tailed possum is an Australian species. Also Australian possums are much cuter, so are much more likely to have been kept as pets than Opossums.

 

[ramonmercado]

Nazi racoons invade the wineland

Nazi racoons invade the wineland
By Roger Boyes
Vineyard owners across Germany are hiring bounty hunters to kill furry animals with a taste for grapes



HUNTERS are being hired to prevent a plague of raccoons with Nazi-era ancestry from munching their way through the German wine harvest.
“Raccoons wiped out almost the entire harvest in a matter of days,” Werner Kothe, who runs a small vineyard in Brandenburg, said. The small, bushy tailed animals invaded his attic, cellar and storage sheds.



The area most at risk is around Kassel, where raccoons are in easy striking distance of some of the best white wine harvests in Germany.

Kassel has been regarded as the raccoon capital of Europe ever since Baron Sittich Von Berlerpsch released two of the animals into the wild in February 1934. The move was encouraged by Hermann Goering, the Nazi leader who, apart from being the head of Hitler’s air force, was the chief forester of the Third Reich. The raccoons, known as wash-bears in Germany, were seen by Goering as an enrichment to German woodland.

The first raccoons were brought from North America in the 19th century. Their population grew by leaps and bounds when an Allied bomb hit a raccoon farm in 1945, releasing more into the wild. Since then they have thrived around Kassel, which claims to have a hundred for every square kilometre. The town has appointed a raccoon control inspector, and in outlying villages local residents are urged to tie chicken wire to their dustbins.

Raccoons eat almost anything and are very dextrous, capable of opening dustbins in search of food or turning on water taps. They are also known to raid birds’ nests. Their favourite haunt remains a cool cellar — hence the lure of vats full of grapes or apples being prepared to make wine.

A decision to hire bounty hunters was taken last year, resulting in a cull of 3,471 animals. This year the bounty, and the number of hunters, is to be increased.

Farmers regard the creatures as pests while biologists regard them as an interesting addition to the German landscape. As a result, some are being trapped and others are being tagged by scientists in the same stretch of woodland.

The reproduction rate is high. “They could soon be a presence across the country,” Ulf Hohmann, a wildlife biologist, said. Some studies estimate that there are already a million raccoons in Germany and that the European raccoon population stretches from the Netherlands to the Urals.

MISCHIEF-MAKERS IN A MASK


The opposable thumbs of raccoons allow them to make mischief, including unlocking doors and getting into rubbish bins

They can swim across rivers and lakes but only venture into deep water if threatened

Adult raccoons may be up to three feet long. Their tails can grow to 15 inches

The name is derived from an Algonquin Indian word meaning “he scratches with his hands”


http://www.timesonline.co.uk/newspaper/ ... 78,00.html

 

[Anonymous]

Nazi raccoons and their allied friends

I have responded to the Times, but I suspect that they might not publish it. What is interesting is that in the past month we have had two "wild raccoons" killed in the UK. Neither made the national newspaper, neither were recent escapes. One was killed in Lincolnshire (near Market Rasen) and the other in Cornwall (near Penzance). It is possible that the Penzance one escaped two years+ ago from a local collection - but not certain.

In the past 20 years at east 15 of these animals have been captured, killed or photographed whilst living wild in the UK. There appear to be two main centres in the UK, Devon and Cornwall, and a sort of triangle made up of South Yorkshire, Lincolnshire and Northampton. Whether they are breeding in the wild, or are regular escapes of unlicensed animals is not clear.

To keep a raccoon you need either a zoo licence or a Dangerous Wild Animals Licence - however a lot of people, (and one national association), do not consider them to be dangerous and do not get licences. If unlicensed animals escape the keeper is unlikely to report them missing, for fear of prosecution, and therefore is pretty much on their own in trying to recapture them.

A review of the Dangerous Wild Animals Act 1976 which took place in 2001 did suggest that they should not require licensing (on the basis that although they can give a nasty nip potentially a dog is more dangerous), but nothing was done.

Now seeing what is happening in Germany I do wonder whether in 60 years time we will have a similar number of raccoons with a range of problems as a result (the one in Market Rasen had killed a lot of pigeons in a pigeon loft, one found near Huddersfield had killed pet guinea pigs).

If anyone is aware of any raccoons living wild I would grateful if they could contact me (in confidence)

 

[Anonymous]

Nazi raccoons

Against all expectations the Times has published my letter, today, in a slightly edited from, together with one about the dangers of introducing beavers.

Is the publication of 2 letters in the (other) Times, on essentially cryptozoological subjects a sign that cryptozoology is finally being recognised by the "old school" - I hope so.

Chris. M. Moiser

 

[rynner2]

Tropical bird blown to UK shores

A tropical seabird has appeared in the UK for the first time after being blown thousands of miles off course from its home in the Caribbean.
Experts believe the male magnificent frigatebird was pushed towards Britain by disorientating hurricane activity.

It is now being cared for at Chester Zoo after being found exhausted at a farm in Whitchurch, Shropshire.

"It is an amazing find here in the UK," said Mike Jordan the zoo's curator of birds and mammals.

"And it is an incredible coincidence that the bird should find its way to us here in Chester Zoo which is a major force in bird conservation," he added.

He said it was ironic that some of its zoo keepers were on tropical islands helping with the breeding of threatened birds.

Mr Jordan said the birds are known as the pirates of the ocean as they hound other birds for their fish but do not normally land on the sea.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/mers ... 421568.stm

 

[rynner2]

Common seal makes uncommon visit

Seal experts in Cornwall were called in to remove a seal rarely seen in the county from a lifeboat station's slipway on Wednesday.
Staff from the National Seal Sanctuary were called to the RNLI station at St Ives where they found the seal basking in the sunshine.

Apart from a few grazes under his flippers he was very healthy.

Experts say they have not seen common seals in Cornwall before. They are usually found in Scotland and the Wash.

'Never in Cornwall'

Sanctuary staff assessed the animal and decided the grazes were superficial so no treatment was needed.

Tamara Cooper from the Sanctuary said: "On closer inspection it became more apparent that this seal was a common seal and not a grey.

"The Cornish coast is well known for its grey seals but has never seen a common seal in these waters.

"Common seals can be found in Scotland and the Wash, and we know of a small colony in Bournemouth, but never in Cornwall."

Grey seals and common seals differ in a number of ways including size and colour but the most obvious is the nose.

Grey seals have a longer face and snout and their nostrils do not meet at the end like the common seal.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/cornwall/4423864.stm

 

[Human_84]

Zebra mussles can now be found thruout the great lakes surrounding michigan. Those were a sea creature many years ago who lived only in brackish waters as i understand. They must have adapted somehow.

That gives me a question. Does anyone know how long a salt-water creature could live in non-salty-water???

 

[Quake42]

Crocodile is seen on county canal
A British Waterways survey has uncovered rare wildlife, including a crocodile, on Warwickshire's waterways.
Volunteers on the canal and river network helped the research, finding an osprey by the Oxford Canal and a small crocodile on the Cotswold Canal.

The survey is aimed at encouraging more people to enjoy the animals and plants.

Hannah Graves, ecologist for British Waterways South East, said: "We have spotted some amazing wildlife on Warwickshire's waterways."

'Haven for wildlife'

She said mallards and swans were most commonly seen, but there also reports of otters.

"Lakes, rivers and rocky or coastal areas are otters' natural habitats but they can also be spotted hunting their prey in quiet stretches of the canals.

"Canals and rivers are a haven for wildlife and provide vital green corridors that connect the countryside with the hearts of our towns and cities."

The information from hundreds of people will be used by British Waterways to help manage and protect the wildlife in and around the canals and rivers.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/cove ... 443742.stm

 

[ramonmercado]

Giant predatory owl spotted in NI
It is the world's biggest owl - a powerful hunter with a two-metre wingspan.
Thought extinct for more than 100 years, the eagle owl is now reappearing in parts of the UK and one may not be that far away from where you are.

It has been re-establishing nesting sites in Yorkshire, and there have even been sightings in Northern Ireland of the predatory bird which rules the skies, dealing ruthlessly with rivals and its prey.

Yet for all its power and aggression, the eagle owl is a secretive bird, adopting a low profile.

Owl expert Don Scott said one was spotted in County Antrim a few years ago.


"I remember speaking to a chap from the Forestry and it flew at him one morning in Woodburn Forest in Carrickfergus," he said.
"Apparently it is still hanging around Kilroot. There are lots of pheasants and rabbits in that area and apparently it is still alive and well.

"I also heard of one down around the Crossgar direction."

Any eagle owls which have escaped into the wild here are likely to have lonely lives, and such efficient hunters rarely travel far.


Mr Scott said eagle owls would be dangerous in the wild as they are "very territorial" in protecting their nests.
"Captive bred birds, if they did fly for you, they would probably fly to that human thinking they were going to get fed," he said.

"That would probably be the only reason - other than that they will not attack."

Few will be lucky enough to catch a glimpse of an eagle owl in the wild, but if you know where to look, these owls will be watching out for you.

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/n ... 444296.stm

Published: 2005/11/17 07:20:36 GMT

 

[ramonmercado]

Lough invasion being investigated
The authorities are scouring Lough Neagh to see if the UK's largest freshwater lake has been colonised by an invasive alien species.
Five zebra mussels have been found on the hull of a boat in Kinnego Marina.

The mussels affect lake ecology and the Department of the Environment wants to see if the lake has been colonised.

Bob Davison of the Environment and Heritage Service said the boat had not been in any other lake such as Lough Erne where the mussel is established.

"No other zebra mussels have yet been seen in the lake," he said.

"We have started an investigation into how widely they have colonised the lake. We do not know if the mussels are confined to Kinnego Bay or if they are already present throughout the lough.

"We are very concerned that zebra mussels may be established in Lough Neagh.

"Invasions of alien species are the biggest threat to native biodiversity after habitat destruction and the zebra mussel is ranked among the world's 100 worst invasive species."

Zebra mussels first invaded Ireland in 1994 and have spread rapidly throughout the Shannon-Erne waterway and connected navigable waterbodies.

In July, the DoE expressed major concern that zebra mussel sightings have been confirmed in Carran Lough, Derrygonnelly, which is not connected to the navigable Shannon/Erne system.

This was the first confirmed sighting of zebra mussels outside the Erne Navigation in Northern Ireland since they were discovered in Lough Erne in 1997.

Should a zebra mussel population become established in Lough Neagh there will be unpredictable implications for fish, birds, water abstraction, navigation, sand dredging and other interests, the DoE said.

The zebra mussel is a stripy, freshwater mussel native to the Caspian sea area of eastern Europe.

They form large colonies that attach to almost any hard surface and have already affected private and public water abstraction stations on Lough Erne, resulting in modifications at the Killyhevlin Water Treatment Plant costing over £100,000.


Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/n ... 472298.stm

Published: 2005/11/26 09:41:09 GMT