• We have updated the guidelines regarding posting political content: please see the stickied thread on Website Issues.

Out Of Place Animals

Hedgehogs may be struggling in the UK but they're flourishing in New Zealand & are a danger to native wildlife. They were deliberately introduced by European immigrants to remind them of home.

Killing machines: humble British hedgehog causes havoc in New Zealand

New Zealand is a hedgehog paradise. Whereas in Europe they are hunted by pine martens, foxes and badgers, New Zealand’s hedgehogs have few predators. Unchecked by the food chain, they meander blissfully through forests and gardens, hoovering up an astonishing number of native creatures.

With the exception of a few local bats, New Zealand has no native land-based mammals. Its bird population adapted to this state of affairs – some, like the Kiwi, are flightless, or nest on the ground. When stoats, cats, possums and rats were introduced, they wreaked havoc: crunching down rare insects, killing fresh-hatched chicks, and slurping the eggs of ground-nesting birds.

Hedgehogs are also key culprits. “It’s increasingly coming to light how much damage they can do,” says Nick Foster, a PhD candidate at the University of Otago who is researching hedgehogs. A single, dedicated hedgehog will consume numerous native lizards, bird eggs, and wētā – a kind of large flightless cricket found only in New Zealand. One study found 283 wētā legs in a single hedgehog stomach. “That means in a 24-hour period this hedgehog has guzzled up 60 or so animals,” Foster says. “It’s a banquet.”

The mission to try to drive hedgehogs from protected habitats is seen as critical in New Zealand. The country is running an ambitious campaign to eradicate introduced predators by 2050, using a mixture of trapping, hunting, and poison.

Some suggestions to capture & fly some back to boost population in the UK..
 
What is thought to be a juvenile Minke whale has got its self stuck in the Thames.

"The police, fire crews and the RNLI have worked through the night to try to free a whale stranded in the River Thames in south-west London.

The whale, believed to be a baby Minke, was spotted in Richmond Lock on Sunday evening - and has since been moved.

A vet will now assess whether it is strong enough to be released back to sea"

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-london-57052331
 
What is thought to be a juvenile Minke whale has got its self stuck in the Thames.

"The police, fire crews and the RNLI have worked through the night to try to free a whale stranded in the River Thames in south-west London.

The whale, believed to be a baby Minke, was spotted in Richmond Lock on Sunday evening - and has since been moved.

A vet will now assess whether it is strong enough to be released back to sea"

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-london-57052331
It's touch and go on whether it'll survive. I believe they've moved it from where it was lodged but they still don't know if it'll be ok :(
 
6' Monitor Lizard in Thai Supermarket

It entered the shop after emerging from a canal.

video at link.

The huge monitor lizard was filmed inside a supermarket in Thailand


During a tropical storm in Bangkok I once watched an over 10-foot long python slither out a storm drain.
 
A herd of deer have been spotted grazing on an east London housing estate

Deer graze on east London housing estate

View attachment 38386

Residents were stunned to see a herd of deer grazing outside their front doors on an estate in east London.

The animals had walked across the busy A12 in Harold Hill, Romford, from their home in Dagnam Park.

They are thought to be one of five herds in the area that have been breeding there for hundreds of years.

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-london-56819018
I was born and raised in Stratford and I would never class Romford as 'East London"
 
Almost a really awful situation. The tiger was being illegally kept in the rental house. It was taken back in by the owner after an off-duty cop nearly shot it as it was roaming loose. Unsuprisingly, the owner (with the tiger) is now gone missing and wanted not only for this crime but awaiting trial for murder.

https://www.khou.com/article/news/w...hood/285-59bc7ed9-1a8c-4537-8aaa-56ecab682c28

Houston police are still looking for the man who escaped with his pet tiger late Sunday, and now they know why he probably took off.
The suspect, whose name hasn't been released, is out on bond for a November 2020 murder in Fort Bend County, according to HPD Commander Borza.
Before police arrived to question him, the man loaded the Bengal tiger in a white Jeep Cherokee and took off. There was a brief chase, but they lost him.
The suspect is 28 years old, 5'8 and about 130 pounds. Anyone with information should contact the HPD Major Offenders Division at 713-308-3100.
He now faces an evading arrest charge and his bond on the murder charge will be revoked, Borza said. They hope to get the tiger back before it's harmed.
 
Last edited:
Almost a really awful situation. The tiger was being illegally kept in the rental house. It was taken back in by the owner after an off-duty cop nearly shot it as it was roaming loose. Unsuprisingly, the owner (with the tiger) is now gone missing and wanted not only for this crime but awaiting trial for murder.

https://www.khou.com/article/news/w...hood/285-59bc7ed9-1a8c-4537-8aaa-56ecab682c28

Houston police are still looking for the man who escaped with his pet tiger late Sunday, and now they know why he probably took off.
The suspect, whose name hasn't been released, is out on bond for a November 2020 murder in Fort Bend County, according to HPD Commander Borza.
Before police arrived to question him, the man loaded the Bengal tiger in a white Jeep Cherokee and took off. There was a brief chase, but they lost him.
The suspect is 28 years old, 5'8 and about 130 pounds. Anyone with information should contact the HPD Major Offenders Division at 713-308-3100.
He now faces an evading arrest charge and his bond on the murder charge will be revoked, Borza said. They hope to get the tiger back before it's harmed.

Except the probable murderer, who manhandled the tiger, bundled it into truck and drove off, now denies that the tiger is his!
 
There seems to be a lot of towns thst used to be in Kent, Essex, Surrey and Sussex which are all classed as 'London' now.
At present, the best guide to what is classed as being part of 'London' would be the post code. Romford has it's own postcode, RM, which indicates it is not part of London.
 
UPDATE

the tiger on the loose in Houston has been handed in to authorities.

"A tiger that was missing for a week after being spotted roaming around a Houston neighbourhood has been found, police confirmed.

India, the nine-month-old Bengal tiger, was turned into police on Saturday and is said to be in good health.

Footage shared on social media last week appeared to show the tiger wandering around the streets of in the west of the Texan city,

The tiger will be delivered to an animal sanctuary on Sunday."

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-57138989
 
2 brown bears were killed at Whipsnade zoo after escaping thier enclosure, not sure why they couldnt have been tranquilized.

"Two brown bears have been shot and killed after escaping from a zoo enclosure.

Whipsnade Zoo in Dunstable said the animals were euthanised by zookeepers on Friday, after using a fallen tree to get into a neighbouring enclosure.

The zoo's chief curator, Malcolm Fitzpatrick, said the two female bears, named Snow White and Sleeping Beauty, had attacked a male boar.

He said it had been "an incredibly upsetting and difficult day"."

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-57207961
 
Expect a lot more of Wally and his pals wandering south with climate change.
Update ... Wally has moved south from Wales to Cornwall.
Where's Wally? Iceberg-hopping walrus is now 2,600 miles from home

The walrus is now roughly 2,650 miles south of its usual habitat.

The Arctic walrus that likely fell asleep on a drifting iceberg and woke up in Ireland, and then turned up weeks later in Tenby, Wales, has now appeared even farther south, in Cornwall, England.

The walrus (Odobenus rosmarus), known as Wally, is the first of its species to be spotted off the coast of Cornwall, roughly 2,650 miles (4,260 kilometers) from the animal's home in the Arctic Circle.

Wally appeared off Cornwall in Padstow on April 20, swimming alongside the boat of a group on a sea safari. The Cornwall Wildlife Trust described the walrus's arrival in the area as "absolutely a first." ...

The appearance came just three days after Wally was last seen in Tenby, Wales, where it had a run-in with a lifeboat crew after blocking their lifeboat slipway, which Wally had chosen as a comfortable spot to nap. ...
FULL STORY: https://www.livescience.com/wally-the-walrus-appears-in-cornwall.html
 
Fox in washing machine

cheeky visitor had managed to sneak through the open front door.

After getting bags from the car, the couple turned around and were surprised to see a fox chilling in their hallway.

However, upon seeing Natasha and Adam, the animal bolted off inside.

Natasha said: ‘Foxes can be seen as a nuisance but like any other creature, they are simply trying to ensure their survival.

‘The fantastic fox in the washing machine seemed very relaxed and no threat to us so we treated it as such.’

fox in washing machine
 
Back
Top