Encyclopedia of wild dangerous Animals

An African Animal safari in the rain

2012-05-23T04:04:00.001-07:00

Animal safaris are as good as they can get. With the right animals to see in any given habitat, wildlife is the ultimate goad for any safari destination in the world. While natural phenomenon such as weather, animals are not deterred with any weather conditions as far as the rains concerned.

The animals which prey on other animals find courage to hunt in the rain so long as their easy prey is just lingering around and scared by the rain. As strange s it can be, some animal safari adventures are always very pleasant if you happen to be in one.

Driving on the red volcanic soil in the African Savannah lands is as thrilling as the animals in the wilderness themselves. Despite the fact that these beautiful safaris come at a cost of time and money, for those who have nothing to fear.

The animal action is always there. lions chase other animals to eat. Hyenas on the other hand will steal the lions meat if the lioness is the only lion which has hunted the animal down and the rest of the lion heard is away. The cheetah on the other hand will try to get whatever food it can get as much as possible without being seen while still making sure it is not falling prey to other dangerous animals in the same habitat as well.

This vicious cycle of the hunters and the hunted prey and predator is just fascinating when you come to think of it. Its that animal safari travelers who needs to make use of the adventure that has presented itself. If fear of getting stuck in the mud while going off-road which is always the case while travelling in the 4by4 wheel drives, the African long rains sometimes can render these weather roads to be inaccessible.

That being the case, other possibilities are here to be flown out of the area if the rains persists. This is not the casein may of the national parks in the African Savannah where they also have air rescue. With the prevailing weather conditions, someone should be able to access the situation and also get some advise from his travel agent or tour guide as to whether the animal safari at hand is as perfect as it can be.

If you are lucky to be passing some-of the major rivers along the African Savannah, you might just be lucky to see the basking Nile crocodiles and what a great moment to see these beautiful dangerous animals in their own natural habitat. Despite the fact that weather conditions always condition someone to like or not to like a safari, one should be pondering about the amazing animals in the rain forest of different parts of the world.

When you talk of rain, it rains day in and day out. Showers here an showers there, That has not stopped the dedicated animal researchers to venture into these rain forest wilderness to come up with amazing research and information about exotic animals, reptiles birds species and other endangered animal species found in these beautiful habitat which is now being encroached by the general populations as people keep on looking for timber to feed their industries, farming to feed the hunger of the growing population and the continuous hunting of the different animal species found in the rain forest as a souse of food or bush meet all together.

For the local person this is not a surprise for him as his ancestors have been hunting and walking in may of the forest and jungles of these habitat where animals have always not been a threat to them as there was always plenty to eat and a lot of ground to cover while marking their territory.

But with the advent or roads in these beautiful animal habitat have pushed these endangered animals deep in the forest an sometimes a clash between man and animal takes place. With modern arsenals, man has been able to hunt down these animals down with the pretext that they had destroyed his land or property.

When such episodes of who is right and who is wrong start to emerge, there is always one victor and that is the person who have a voice. If all animals had their own rights to defend themselves, the carnage of some of the most beautiful animals in the word would not have been taking place.

Despite the fact that thee is a great hue and cry about the plight of rare and endangered animal species, a few good men and women are on the fore front to see such gestures are not taking place through animal awareness programs and the plight of the environment and the endangered animals a swell. If the while world would have learned that there is a need to preserve these beautiful animals, people would not have had to travel miles and miles just to see these beautiful animals in different parts of the wild.

But since the carnage had started centuries ago and was mainly conducted by the rich and the royal, many of these same people through their constant visits have seen the change in the lives of these wild animals they visited while they were in these beautiful animal habitat.

Wild Animal Dangerous Breeding Grounds

2012-02-05T09:35:00.002-08:00

Wild animals have a lot to teach us as conservation and protection of the environment is considered. Different wild animals have always been moving from places to places in search of beautiful pastures and fresh water there by settling and creating their natural breeding grounds and hence protect their herds and families as well. With all the modern technology, man has tried to conquer the wilderness for his own good.

There is little which has been done in the plight of dangerous wild animals which has really had a great impact with the clash of dangerous wild animals and the current unwanted animal attacks and loss of habitat loss for these beautiful dangerous animal

Its not than man has not been benefiting from these wild animals but by the time people start making the hue and cry, the damage is always way to far and with the existing credit crunch, Geo politics and Geo economics, many people and sectors of the society have managed to take advantage of many of the situations that hinder the proper conservation and protection of wild animals not only while they are in the wild but also in many of the worlds natural reserves and conservation centers and while in captivity.

With little resources for wild animal protection and conservation, many of the dangerous wild animal natural breeding grounds are not given the proper protection hence many of the wild plants and natural forest have resulted in the unwanted movement of animals in new territories and find themselves victims of circumstances as they stray into human natural habitat thereby bringing a clash resulting in many of the wild animals being hunted down and put down just because they have strayed in to places where humans have encroached and with little protections its the wild animals which end up being victimized within their homestead which they used to move freely.

With different people and cultures still making use of animal parts and animal products, there are many thins which don't just hit home as a rule of thumb. Despite our technological advancement, people while trying to cope up with the complexities of the modern world, they tend to find answers back from nature and while some take the monopoly of the existing natural resources and wild animals, there has always been an ever exploitation of both the animals and the environment and when natural calamities prevail, the beautiful earth which was blessed with its bounty

As the number of wild animals keep on dwindling, different ongoing research which is carried for the sake of breeding these endangered and near extinction wild animals has to come at the right time. With little awareness of many of the dangerous animals which are almost being wiped out due to traditions or medicinal value, you get that there has to be a yardstick so that the rule of law regarding dangerous animals should apply so as to have a conformity of how to handle wild animals and the environment instead of letting it being degraded while little is left for the coming generation.

While a collective effort is needed by creating awareness from the ground level, finances and the willingness of the masses has to be steered in order to gain their faith for any ongoing natural preservation of both plants and animals before they reach heights of no return in terms of conservation. With the ever natural phenomenon which are ever unpredictable, rising up after the great falls is just the way forward in making these living creatures and plants be able to fend for themselves as they keep on adopting to the natural vegetation and the very resources available to them.

The ecosystem and the different animal breeding grounds have always been able to sustain themselves if they are not interfered with man made habitats and movement. This has been the focal point of many of the losses of these breeding grounds of animals as there has always been the lust for more and exploitation of resources for the ever growing population of the world. While people tend to blame it on nature, people have brains to help alleviate the already existing natural problems of different parts of the natural habitat which engulf these beautiful dangerous wild animals just across our state and national boundaries.

We have been crossing paths with dangerous animals from time and memorial and with man ever changing personality and his search for knowledge and information, lines are crosses hence the clash of man verses animal and with all the human and animal rights, the one with superior weapons in the modern world is just at he top of the list despite many conventions and treaties which have been ratified and keep on being ratified. While such a move to protect and preserve these dangerous animal breeding grounds is still having some hopes due to the endless efforts from a few good people and organizations worldwide, the snail pace is tiresome and time consuming while many of the dangerous animals are being depleted day in day out.

What does the future hold for the wilderness and the plight of wild animals at large is something which both men and women big and small have to ponder. Fore those who have managed to go on an African Safari might have a ground reality of the true facts of what needs to be done and the extent of damage being caused and what is being done to help protect these precious breeding grounds of such beautiful wild animals despite dangerous hash weather conditions which keep on lashing across the great African continent with already depleted natural and financial resources to pull itself together when such natural calamities sweep through.

The best Pictures of 2011 animal photos of endangered animals

2011-12-08T09:55:00.001-08:00

2011 Best Pictures of Animals

Decades of hunting in the Great African Continent

2011-12-07T12:05:00.001-08:00

Dangerous animal hunting of the decades in Africa

What is a safari or game hunting when it comes to Africa game hunting? Is Africa being the continent with all its glamour of visiting and being depicted as what would be a safari with out hunting for game? All over the globe man has slowly tamed the wilderness all the way from the Arctic circle to the Cape of Good hope in Africa and deep in the Australia jungles. Just for the sake of animal hunting, man has pushed deeper in many of the world tropical rain forest piping his nose against the ruthless terror of the jungles which are richly infested with animals of different sizes big animals small animals venomous insects, poisonous plants and dangerous animal attacks along the way.

In many of the African jungles, many have made safaris come hunting for game in these hunting territories resisted man with miles of dangerous jungles, swamps infested by the African Nile crocodiles and the great hippopotamus, grassland full of lions, leopards cheetahs rhinos buffaloes and many of the beautiful animals roaming the African Savannah south of the Sahara Desert just for the sake of game hunting and reasons best known to them as to really what is a safari for them.

Having an access a safari to these hunting areas, many hunters while on their hunting outfitters would battle rapids, waterfalls and crocodiles of different sizes. Their great African safari dugout canoes would be just too flimsy and would easily tip over in these dangerous African great rivers if one had opted to get into the deep jungles of Africa for the best hunting places.

From the early 1900s Africa for hunting safaris was "The Place" for the rich and the royal to go hunting.........READ MORE ABOUT ........Dangerous animal hunting of the decades in Africa

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DANGEROUS ANIMAL VOYAGE

2011-11-21T11:07:00.001-08:00

May wild animals just as humans have faced different natural calamities. Just as big and small they are, different wild animals do struggle to make sure that the have a nice family and a continuation of their generation as well. Have you ever seen a wild animal in times of diversity with all the global warming and different natural calamities coupled with deforestation and loss of animal natural habitat?.

With different natural and ananimal habitats, dangerous animals stinging insects and crowling reptiles would emberk on a journey as they make their breeding grounds, hives, holes and nests which depending on the natural habitat go diffentet ways just to gather that special building material from long distance to make it a home.

When these beautiful animals whether snakes who could have gathered dry grass or an eagle which could have flown with great speed and covered miles back and forth just to complete the nesting place or a home and ready to lay eggs or give birth to live ones in terms of different snake species the dangerous weather conditions, or the unforgiving exploitation of our natural habitat by man in different parts of the world, you find that humans and may of the other animals species just as the natural food chain and survival for the fittest, these animal shelters end up being destroyed just keeping in mind how much effort these animals have made just to prepare that breeding grounds or a place to lay these precious eggs or to give birth

Dangerous animals such as elephants are some of the most intelligent animals in the world. The do not forget things and will always remember every inch of the way just as a dangerous lion will mark its territory with its scent to protect its pride.

These exotic animals, stinging insectes and venomous reptiles do not give up wheether its an endagered turtle which is going back to the shores Mauritious or the warm shores of the Australian coast. Giving up is not just a part of their vocabulary or they just didnt have to go to an animal school to learn it but just the sheere animal instinct is that they are born with it and the moment they set foot on this dangerous but beautiful animal habitat which is there for them to live and flourish. These sophisticated intelligent animals of the times will

start over from scratch building and rebuilding their breeding space, den or even look for another enclosure or the grass thacthed nest again and again day in day out

until they have those little tinny cubs, babies, eggs in the den, hive, crevices, cave or nest again

The Great Horn of Africa and the Plight of the endangered Flora and Fauna

2011-11-13T17:40:00.001-08:00

Saving a Life is a decision.

Our decisions have always determined our directions in terms of need in different parts of the world. Droughts, wild fires, tsunamis, earthquakes are just part of our embedded lives. Wild animals are killed, animals are attacked and the most endangered animals perish as a result of the fore seen and unforeseen global events and end up being reported in the worlds animal news while some great inspiring news about saving the animals and lives of many just perish with the ill wind that sweeps across.

We all need to Decide to be positive in the different natural and man made calamities that engulf the different places that we live in. We have all witnessed just within our different spheres of living with animals who are destitute and without rain, the situation is blown in different proportions. Humans scavenge for the slightest twig they can get to enable them utilize it as a basic need. Animals on the other hand with little or no protection at all find grass or the little foliage with its last steps being observed by other dangerous animals hovering above the sky waiting for any kind of flesh that fumbles and is left for the mercy of the earth to consume it.

Its only by Deciding to move onward in terms of helping the needy and giving a helping hand despite any ongoing events then and only then do we humans move upward. The Horn of Africa has its own great history. The African Bush Elephants was home to this beautiful land for centuries and little did the world know that many of the elephants had to move south of the Sahara desert well never to come back again just because of national boundaries and the restriction of animals by the relevant authorities. Lions and many of the Big five animal population thrived for decades. what went wrong is just a matter of another finding yet to be presented. Does the horn of Africa has a role to play in terms of bringing back some of the lost heritage of wild animals? With constant monitoring of the current refugee status and the civil conflict around the Horn of Africa little is expected and the little help available just makes all the baby step needed to help conserve the future animals of the Horn of Africa. As far as the remaining endangered or near extinct animals are concerned, the world has to take the initiatives so that when such animals are re introduced in the wild, change is always there.

Saving a life is the same as saving humanity and Deciding to save a child or any child in any part of the world as many would have said is just what we humans do. Animals also have feelings. They need love and affections as well was for the betterment and giving hope for more people to be aware that something can be done at large with the collaboration of many hands with limited resources. Its not just the money, prayers and communication just mends it all and to be positive in spite of what the rest of the world is talking about. If the world managed to save the Serengeti Natural wonder of the wildebeest animal migration what more can that helping had provide to the few million of the Horn of Africa which need all the help just like any other situation we live and have lived in.

You do not have to join in.

Get out of the negative feedback loop.

Decide in favor of helping as you have also been blessed in your own world at large with all the abundant of opportunities whether achieved or ascribed. Lets all give happiness whether it’s a war torn area or a flood denudated region, peace for all those who seek it and deserve it to progress just as you and me have experienced it, abundance of the basic necessities which WE TAKE FOR GRANTED JUST AS THE FRESH DEW DROP EARLY IN THE MORNING and with all our support physically, mentally , spiritually emotionally financially psychologically they are sure to succeed. It’s just a WIN-WIN situation.

It is your decision whether to save a child while the rest of the clan is looting and plundering.

It's just a decision.

Lets all achieve that PEACE NEEDED PIECE BY PIECE

Threatened Species

Threatened Species: The following list includes all mammals which occur in Somalia and are rated as Critically Endangered (CR), Endangered (EN) or Vulnerable (VU) in the2004 IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals.

• Critically Endangered:

African Wild Ass(Equus africanus).

Hirola (Hunter's Antelope or Hartebeest(Damaliscus hunteri).

Somali Golden Mole(Chlorotalpa tytonis). (Endemicto Somalia.)

• Endangered:

Somali Elephant Shrew(Elephantulus revoili). (Endemicto Somalia.)

• Vulnerable:

African Elephant(Loxodonta africana).

Ammodile (Gerbil Family)(Ammodillus imbellis).

Beira Antelope(Dorcatragus megalotis).

Cheetah(Acinonyx jubatus).

Dibatag(Ammodorcas clarkei).

Dorcas Gazelle(Gazella dorcas).

Dugong(Dugong dugon).

Greenwood's Shrew(Crocidura greenwoodi). (Endemicto Somalia.)

Lion(Panthera leo).

Mouse-tailed Bat Species(Rhinopoma macinnesi).

Red Bush Squirrel(Paraxerus palliatus).

Silver Dikdik(Madoqua piacentinii). (Endemicto Somalia.)

Soemmerring's Gazelle(Gazella soemmerringii).

Speke's Gazelle(Gazella spekei).

Save the Elephant, its big Tusk and the Elephant Tail

2011-11-09T07:20:00.000-08:00

Halt the Buying of Elephant Goods and the Killing of Elephants Stops 2

Baby elephants need all the help from feeding mother elephants

Why do elephants attack people? Is it genetic or a revenge from the elephant’s fore fathers who were parched to extinction during the slave trade and the ivory trade centuries ago? Did the African Elephants deserve what they they got. These are just part of what nature has to offer in the elephant world. Do we really know anything about elephants? Do we know what goes on in the minds of the elephants.

The Elephants just like humans are very intelligent

Well for those who have spent many years with these beautiful elephants with an aim of saving the elephants have some insight about how elephants need to be saved and as a matter of fact saving all the elephants of the world wherever they are; in zoos, animal sanctuaries or just in captivity or as pets in circuses or elephants who have been tamed ad are considered part of the farm animals with many of the Asian elephants. What don’t we know about the elephant's habitat and their breeding grounds? With many of the worlds elephants residing in the African Savannah and in the national parks of Kenya Uganda Tanzania and South Africa, some of these elephants which need to be saved have seen the worst as far as elephants poaching is concerned and there is a hue and cry to save the elephants not from within but from outside as well. Despite the fact that the global ban on international trade in ivory imposed in 1989 remains and is being adhered to, many of the different African governments are yet to understand the implications of reading between the lines as the same goes to those countries which allow such elephants ivory enter in their countries. As far as the utility value of the elephant tusks remains high, the elephant ivory lucrative market will still lure more to venture into this illicit trade and thereby exposing the elephants to even staggering low numbers as is the casein many of the West African countries.

Many elephants have been killed as their habitat dwindles

Have we reached a stage where we can say no to the killing and poaching of elephants while at the same time we keep on buying expensive ornaments and artifacts made from the endangered elephant ivory and other tusks from animals such as the endangered beautiful white rhino and the black which is also on the verge of extinction? When is the demand of the elegant elephant accessories, goods and expensive jewelry going to stop so that the killings of these beautiful God given African and Asian elephants can stop too?

How many more elephants to we need to save

Can the world help save the elephant by bolstering anti-poaching patrols, by providing the relevant different elephant neigbouring villages/communities and organizations the needed tools and equipment needed to help save the endangered African and Asian elephants? While still water runs deep some subjects which cross national boundaries become too complex which renders helpless exotic animals of the wild without any spokesman to dare vocalize the plight of the elephants and the dire need to save them. Has a lot been done to save the African elephant and the Asian elephants? Is something being done to save these elephants in different parts of the continent? Many elephants and animal activist have gone miles and to create elephant awareness, elephant education, the different elephant behavior and two thumbs up for those who have been able to put the elephants into better use as far as farming and helping the community in the Asian region is concered.

The elephant tusks belong to the elephants just as our teeth in us

Well on the other hand, with the demand of timber on the rise and degradation of the fauna of the Asian region, the elephant has played much of the role in bringing the trees to our homes in terms of furniture, construction and all the fitting which comes up from the logs where the elephant is used as a beast of burden. Should people be optimistic in saving the worlds climate or saving the elephants on a need come basis?

With vast open lands poachers hunt elephants and day in day out

Male & female African elephants have horns unlike Asian Tusks

With so many vehicles which are deemed un road worth saving the elephants with such an asset with these vehicles being impounded in bonded warehouses and underground parking just because they were not cleared or didn't have enough papers would these vehicles serve as a helping had to speed up the patrols in such elephant risk prone areas if the vehicles are repaired or purchased and given to the needy organizations so that they can be able to stand on their feed with all the economic crunch. I guess the economics and laws of the land have to be tabulated and be considered as well. But with little bargaining power saving the elephants or such endangered animals not forgetting the near extinct flora and fauna of the elephant habitat will just perish just within our blinking eyelids spectrum.
For the protection of all endangered animals, the great African elephants, the Rhino, the lions, the cheetahs and the leopard just to mention a few in most third world countries where there is an abundant of wild life and animals which need to be protected, vehicles to patrol are some of the simplest ways to be used to pave way in apprehending the culprits. On the other hand, two way radios or effective communication to enhance surveillance saves all the time and energy in saving the elephants and the other wild animals which might also fall prey in the hands of poachers as well equipment.

Is that just enough to save the elephants and the story just ends with a happy ending? With proper elephant protection legislation being implemented and ratified, that just a mile stone in saving the elephants which are remaining in the wild. Do we have any success stories about elephants in the different parts of the wild. The yard stick for the protection, conservation and breeding of the elephants is way complicated as part of the data is not forth coming. Despite the fact that Google maps help locate most of the elephants which have been flitted with collar tracking devices, the protection and saving of the elephants though still on its hay stages some people have been made proud in seeing many more active role in terms of active elephant research being carried out and people with the elephant passion getting involved and understanding the minds of the elephants the way they associate with other elephants, the way elephants migrate and the way they respond to natural calamities seconds before disasters as well.

If people managed to save the Serengeti animal migration highway, what would it cost to save the rest of the worlds elephants. On the other hand the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) has played a very big role in creating awareness in terms of the elephant numbers where by the number of the Africa's elephant population was 1,300,000 in the 1980. Just a few years later the number plunged to around 625,000 in African countries. Kenya and Mali were the only countries which had refused to sell their stock pile of the ivory captured in different parts of the world in the illegal ivory trade. While most of the elephants still become endangered its through proper involvment of the general masses through education of the elephants, sharing of elephant information and above all imparting or giving information about elephants to those who need it and those it might be intended for.

This painstaking episode of saving the elephant and all the wild elephants at large started almost 20 years ago when the ban on the sale of Ivory was brought about but has the sailing been easy? With all the deep waters which cover the vast area of the Savannah and the worlds great oceans and seas, mankind has played part in bringing the elephants to a grinding halt just because of the glamour and fashion. With the little awareness which ensued, most of the countries against the illegal trade of ivory had no better way of ending the elephants onslaught just because of its elephant utility it provides while female elephants and the young elephants are left without any hopes of their forefathers being there to trace back their elephant train from the tip of Africa way down to the Kruger plains in South Africa.
With less animal migration corridors being on the verge of near extinction due to the population boom, many families living within the elephant natural breeding grounds have had problems with elephants. Many of the elephants end up dead as a result of DDT and some other chemicals easily available in many of the local shops in the villages or cities which is thrown in many of the animal water holes or ponds while some are just killed with poisonous arrows and are left to die as a result of their movement which meanderings to people farms and residential areas. That being part of nature, many of the victims of animal and elephant attacks have well been compensated in terms of animal being injured as a result of the elephant attacks, people being killed or wounded as a result of the elephants and property as well which is way well in place.
and renovate ranger housing. With your help, we partner with local governments on projects that educate local communities on the value of protected areas and parks, defuse human-elephant conflicts and improve the infrastructure needed to better protect these magnificent ecosystems.

Aliens, Androids, puppets or the slowest animals on earth the Slow sloth

2011-11-01T05:05:00.000-07:00

Animals on earth the Slow sloth of its kind

Sloth, just the sound of it sounds strange. How strange is the world we live in? What is a sloth? What is the meaning of a sloth? How did this name come about? Different parts of our lives have been taken with many untold events such that when they come to the limelight, there is always a different story to share.

The sloth is just one of the mammals of the rain-forest. If you are lucky to spot a sloth in its natural habitat, you will be perplexed in the first place as to how complex the sloth is in its movement as compared to many other land mammals. Just like the Kangaroo and the other apes, the baby sloth acts in similar way the way the baby sloth will cling to its mother on its belly for months to come until lit gets all the vitality to be on its own. With little known about the sloth in many of the urbanity the people who live around the rainforest are very accustomed to the different types of sloth in their natural habitat and there are many people who have taken a step forward to taming the sloth and even have sloths as pets. There are sloth breeders and to a very large extent sloth on sale are just another way of earning some people a living while in real sense getting the right living condition in captivity is just left for nature to handle this maturing of the sloth in their own natural heritage

Given the abundance of flora and fauna in many of our natural habitat, many nice adorable animals have either gone extinct while some have found refuge in dolls or just part of the media games which have all the animal animation and sound effects. Just as all the dangerous animals are always reigning terror in many parts of the world, the Big Five are always on the fore front while the grizzlies bears and the white sharks follow soon not forgetting some of the venomous snake, the giant tarantulas and the imperial scorpions of Africa.

But when it comes to some of the most exotic animal species, the rare animals which are only found in the deep forest of the Amazon and the rainforest of South America, its more than impossible for one to see them unless their cable operator is there to let them have a glimpse of their favorite program in the national geographical channel, animal planet and discovery just to mention a few.

The sloth just like the slow Loris is no doubt the world's slowest animal or mammal you can ever think of. The sloth with its slow movements lives up to its name such that algae of different kinds depending on its animal habitat will find ways to grow on its furry coat. You might be wondering what happened to the coat of the sloth on the back. The sloth and all the sloth pictures which have been taken or sloth movies which a have been produces show one and the same thing about the sloth. Well the big patch explains all the mystery of the sloth not having part of the body amour it needs just because of its slowness. The big variegated parth on the back of the sloth has worked for the sloth and at the same time has been a symbiotic process for the entire species of the sloth in the rain-forest and around the world.

Sloths like apes who have gone astray

One should be wondering what the green coloring on the back of the sloth should be doing. The plants which grow on its back gives it a greenish tint depending on the color of the sloth itself which is a plus point while out in the wilderness with different predators both big and small looking for the latest creature to feed on not forgetting humans who have been wiping these beautiful animals up to near extinction not just for their meat but for medicinal reasons, cultural and with reasons best known to them. The greenish plants don't have roots that grow deep inside the sloth but just on the surface and what a beautiful how the sloth blends with nature without making any changes to it. If people would go green well not with the extent of not taking a shower just because the sloth are doing it in the rain-forest but not to upset our natural environment, the sloth would be the forerunners in the campaign of saving the rain forest oandall the endangered exotic rare animal species as well.

Sloth Animal Facts

Family Bradypodidae (Three-toed sloths)

Bradypus

Pale-throated Sloth (Bradypus tridactylus))

Brown-throated Sloth (Bradypus variegatus)

Maned Sloth (Bradypus torquatus)

Pygmy Three-toed Sloth (Bradypus pygmaeus)

Have you even wondered what you would do with only three fingers? Like many of the different land mammals which have paws and sharp claws designed for protection holding grabbing digging fighting for their natural survival, our friend the rare exotic anima pale-throated sloth is found only in the tropical forests of northern South America, including Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, western Venezuela and Colombia, and Brazil north of the Amazon River. Having your first glance at such an animal would make you think otherwise the idea of Aliens, Androids, puppets or the slowest animals on earth the slow sloth will not have been in your medulla oblongata had you not been able to see such a beautiful creature

The slow sloth are mostly recognized and identified by the number of long sharp, prominent claws that they have on each front foot or paws. The ones which are available in different parts of the world are the two-toed sloths and three-toed sloths. Sloths are always a babe in the woods and forest full of green lush leaves and buds are their favorite places to make their homes and where not if not at the treetops. These creatures have very good strength when it comes to holding and clinging on to branches. Just like many of the apes and monkeys, sloths use most of their lifetime alone hanging from one branch to another

Clinging for life after death
Just like a drowning man catches the straw, with no water to cling on in demes of desperate measures or when their days are numbered, these sloths will cling to a branch and hold it while it’s dead and remain suspended for as long as the body decomposes. If nature has a way of taking care of itself, some things are just left the way they are and trying to understand the mysteries of nature is a sea of knowledge which will never end.

Animal hunting the Prey and the Predator

2011-10-31T12:25:00.000-07:00

Animal hunting the pray and the predator

Do people need this sport of moose hunting or its just the other way round. What do we need to hunt or curl the moose, dear, elk and the caribou population in a given animal habitat.

I guess to many the meat is just a delicacy. For my learned friend and for the animal rights groups it might be just the perfect reason to work on a new research while for most of the animal lovers in the vicinity of these moose, dear elk and caribou territory is just a way to go by the books to control the population as it is done or has been done in many parts of the world to control the spread of animal diseases and for the balance of nature which can only be done by man. You have to control the population or they will die in a widespread disease that could wipe out most of the moose in on area. Moose have been hunted since the beginning for the meat and will continue to case the different arsenals used in moose and dear hunting for the generation and generations to come.

Season

Another option is to quickly accelerate to get past the animal. It is difficult to choose this option fast enough to be effective because accelerating feels very counter-intuitive at this point. However, in the right circumstance, it can be your best option to avoid a collision.

Sometime deer will freeze in car lights as you approach even if they are not directly in the roadway and then suddenly bolt into the roadway as you drive close by them. In some instances this will result in the deer hitting the side of the car. This is tough behaviour to encounter as slowing down could result in the deer being even more likely to hit your car. The best advice for this may be to keep driving at the speed you are going without any rapid change in speed or direction and let the deer's natural instincts take care of both of you. It obviously helps to moderate speed in circumstances where this might happen.

Think ahead about how you would personally react in the situation of a deer or moose appearing before you. This pre-preparation mentally can make your reactions better and calmer.

One deer means more deer. Deer travel in herds and if you see one, slow right down as there will be many more. Moose are less gregarious, so one moose may simply mean one moose but it is still suggestive that more moose are in the area. And cows are frequently with a calf.

Use the headlights of other cars to help you scan for deer or moose. Watch for moving shadows within the beams of the other cars for signs of deer or moose.

Watch for water intersecting with the road - creeks, swamps, and wetlands are moose and deer attractants. The road is an easy pathway out of these waterways for an animal, so there is a higher possibility that they may be around them.

Get a motel room, pull over and rest or stay where you are and leave later if you feel that driving around deer/moose is too dangerous. It is better to arrive alive and late than to be injured or killed in the name of punctuality.

Be extra aware if there is a fire. Deer and other animals will move quite a distance away from the fire and will cross roads far from their usual areas. Even if the fire is miles away, watch for the animals at any time to be leaving the fire areas.

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These tips will NOT work on other hoofed quadrupeds such as horses or reindeer and can only be used safely on deer or moose.

Do not drive if you are sleepy or you have had alcohol. Being sober is not only a prerequisite for driving safely, it is also essential for avoiding collisions with animals.

Deer whistles are somewhat of a gimmick; do not expect them to work.

The eyes of a moose do reflect light like those of a deer. The problem is that since moose are so tall, their eyes are often above the beams of most passenger vehicles, making it less likely that they will reflect head lights, which can make them especially hard to see at night. Also, moose are dark coloured, increasing the difficulty of seeing them at night. Always drive with caution if you believe there are any moose nearby.

Fences along the roads are not an assurance of safety. Deer or moose can walk around them, through them or over them. Don't rely on them; for peace of mind, drive carefully instead.

If you swerve away from a deer or moose in the road and hit something else, like a safety rail or tree, your automobile insurance may charge you for an at-fault accident and make you pay your collision deductible. If you hit the animal you will pay your comprehensive deductible, which is often lower than your collision deductible. Don't switch on the vehicle's internal lights. This causes glare on the inside of the windshield which could reduce visibility and make the animals harder to see.

Lions at Tsavo benefit analysis of the Man Eaters: a Window of Opportunity to the Ohio USA Exotic Animals

2011-10-23T01:53:00.001-07:00

The dangerous Tsavo lions at
Tsavo the man
eater of the Kenya Uganda
Railway Attacks

Lions The untold story of The Man-eaters of Tsavo benefit analysis. What do we know about these big cats? What legend lies behind the Tsavo lions? Are they animals to be feared or revered?

Are the Tsavo lions famous? How about the dangerous exotic animals at Ohio in USA? With the turn of events history has its own way of repeating itself but with good warning systems and preparedness I am glad there is always a way of preemptive measures which have made man come to terms with our day today living.

Tsavo lions at Tsavo the man eater the Dangerous weapon which for the lions

Would they have been famous had they not been taken out with the big guns and the latest night visions arsenal as compared to the one and only Colonel Patterson who had to endure a lot pain while in the wilderness with one or no helper at all and with the the only weapon of the time? How long would it have been taken to track down such a huge migration of these exotic species from their enclosed comfort zones to the wild which would be steaming with human beings from all walk of life.

Ohio USA African lions which were brought down after they were let lose

While in the wilderness during the Tsavo lion hunt, all the Tsavo railway workers run for the hills or up the trees and a good guess in our Ohio incident would have been to get a closer look at the animal not knowing whether it was a tamed animal, a scare tactics from any of the prominent TV animal commercial or just a scene from Hollywood and a good chance to pet these wild animals had it not been the quick response team to educate, inform and communicate to the masses through both the print and electronic media about the Lions, tigers and bears which were on the loose.

Tsavo railway workers building the Tsavo bridge during many of the attacks

What would have been the reality? What was the reality living in the Tsavo area? Should the Tsavo lions be returned to the country where they brought a reign of terror as a few people would have thought it was a national treasure? What if the Ohio dangerous lions in USA would have become an epic of another maneater reign of terror in this new millennium. Was the window of opportunity on the side of the people of Ohio as compared to the natives of Tsavo? The Wataita, the Wakamba, the Maasai and the bigger community of the Kenya Uganda railway workers at large?

Tsavo men gathering to look for the Tsavo man eaters

Were the lions of Tsavo lucky enough to endure a lot of freedom to move and live to fight another day as compare to the lions, Siberian Tigers and the Black bears of Ohio. Well I guess with different natural and animal habitat we could have seen a wave of man eaters on the rumpage given a big window of opportunity as compared to the difficult conditions in the Savannah of African, the Tsavo lions lived a story to tell.

Black bear attacks in USA and Canad

Well with many evens taking place and with many animal attack taking place, in our modern society such as the dangerous grizzly bear attacks in USA, the big cat attacks in Asia and not forgetting the dangerous elephant attacks in Asia as well. The lions of Tsavo may have had their part in the history of man eaters and made many forgiving and unforgiving events of animal rights to take place and at the same time bringing havoc too the killing of many of the great African natural wildlife almost to a grinding halt.

Boma which was used to fence the fend the lion

At nearly 22,000km2, where the great man eaters of Tsavo were destined to benefit the from their distant ancestors yet know to man, the present Tsavo lions are located at the largest national park in Kenya and one of the largest in the world.. With its immense size, The Tsavo National Park was divided into two - Tsavo West and Tsavo East with one of the world's largest game reserves, providing undeveloped wilderness homes to vast numbers of animals where many Africa Safari lovers from all walk of life East or West have had the greatest privilege to dine with these African lions , elephants and rhinos among the Big Five in the comfort of their 4 and 5 star hotels under the skies of the African jungles.

Tsavo Animals that fed the Man Eaters all the year round.

Year in and years out , come rain come sunshine, a great number of many kilos and pounds of flesh were consumed by the Tsavo lions just like any other lion in the wilderness today.

African elephants which were hunted during the elephant hunts by the rich

A comprehensive list of the animal types found in Tsavo East National Park today includes the aardwolf, yellow baboon, bat, cape buffalo, bush baby, bushbuck, caracal, African wildcat, cheetah, African Civet, dik-dik, African hunting dog, African dormouse, Blue Duiker, bush duiker, Red duiker, eland, African elephant. Who would have thought that these beautiful animals would be wiped out by the natural environment and natural calamities. Well with the balance of nature and the ecosystem, the rinderpest a dangerous disease came and wiped out many of the African animals from the North of Africa to the Cape of Good hope and mainly Kruger National Park in South Africa which was then known as Sabie Game Reserve as Africa's oldest National Park way back in the 1898.

Cheetahs endangered species

Millions of rare and exotic endangered animal species in Africa eaten by the man eaters or Tsavo lions perished. The African and specially the Tsavo lions having been denied their daily bread had to look for greener pastures elsewhere for food, and the results were attacks on humans which increased across the continent.

How many people were eaten by the Tsavo lions or the man eaters of Tsavo? Had all the people being eaten or killed by the lions of Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania alone been documented, I guess many of the world's museums would have a share of the African lions in their museums and a sizable treasure of $s and pounds to take home.

But with such freedom of hunting which was prevailing during that era today a good number of people in many corners of the world have some of the best collection of well preserved animal heads with their skins looking very well alive than dead in a sense ranging scary lion mats, elegant tiger skins, scary grizzly bear heads and some of the largest elephant tusks hanging in their best decorated walls or well tiled floors as a sight of prestige or with a history to tell. How they got there or how they got the beautiful animal heads and skins goes way back when their great grand fathers once visited the Dark Continent as it was called by then and took as the order of the day was, hunted or just bought them from the merchants who dealt with animals during the hay days of hunting. As the events unfolded, the African elephants' population also reduced drastically due to big game hunting which was a sport for the rich and the royals and the inevitable had to set in.
The demise of the African Flora and fauna; No pasture no game

The African forest and woodlands started expanding and the African Savannah's grazers mostly the herbivorous were being driven away or just hunted down as history might tell and as a result once more all these animals were not spared once more. Bat-eared fox, greater galago, gazelle, large-spotted genet, small-spotted genet, gerenuk, giraffe, African hare, springhare, Coke's hartebeest, hunter hartebeest, East African hedgehog, spotted hyena, striped hyena, rock hyrax, tree hyrax, impala, black-backed jackal, side-striped jackal, klipspringer, Lesser Kudu, leopard, lion, banded mongoose, dwarf mongoose, Egyptian Mongoose, marsh mongoose, slender mongoose, white-tailed mongoose, black faced vervet monkey, Sykes' monkey, fringe-eared Oryx, clawless otter, ground pangolin, crested porcupine, cane rat, giant rat, naked mole rat, ratel, bohor reedbuck, black rhinoceros, serval, spectacled elephant shrew, bush squirrel, East African red squirrel, striped ground squirrel, unstriped ground squirrel, suni, warthog, waterbuck, common zebra and Grevy's zebra were reduced in great numbers.

What would have the Tsavo lions feasted on if almost all the animals in the wilderness had been wiped out? Well my good guess same as yours would have been that; there would have been some other carnivores animals too. But for the sake of big game hunting, scores of lions, cheetahs and leopards were also being hunted down in a large numbers too in the name of again Big Game hinting. Thanks be to God and all the awareness that something is now being done to reduce the |"Big Game Hunting" In this regard, the best solution for them would have been to get what they could only if there was less competition from other predators.

Since most lions, leopards, tigers, cheetahs and hyenas are dangerous predators and scavengers they too had a bad time roaming the great African plains as far as their habitat is concerned just to make their vicious cycles a success story.
Tsavo Lions a Destiny in The Making

The Tsavo lion as the name says is located just a few hundred kilometers from Mombasa and Nairobi. The friendly tribes are mostly the Wataita and the Kambas who have been coexisting. Were the Tsavo lions destined to be hunt down and become part of history or was it just sheer destiny. We find that in Mombasa the Waswahili or Swahili merchants the datives of the coastal area traded with the people as far as Uganda people on their way passing through Tsavo while trading in Ivory from most of the Tsavo elephants which would be hunted down at will, precious leopard, cheetah and lions hides and skins, and probably slaves as early as 700 AD. With all the benefits furnishings the man eaters in the making, the transport of goods and people with all the commerce which was as old fashioned as the barter trade trade this process was chauffeured from the Swahili Coast through a network of extended kinsmen.

When you go to Tsavo do what the Taitas do

With the scramble for Africa still at its hay stage around the 19th century the British and German explorers visited the Orma and Watata during their big game hunting, expedition and what was the outcome, they ended up being viewed them as hostile toward their interests. It was only a matter of time that the British began to double their efforts to colonize the interior of Kenya and built a railway through Tsavo in 1898. What ensued was what has become one of the best sellers of those days as the "man-eating lions" terrorized the construction crews. Was there any other factor which could have kick started the man eating? Well there are many stories and you be the judge as modern scholarship attributed the Wataita for kidnapping and killing Indian and British laborers in an attempt to stop the unwanted intrusion into their territory. Was that the order of the day or were the Wataita just playing their Gorilla tactics as they were the babes in the woods with all the mane less lions roaming in their midst?

The Pride of the Mane Less lions

It was at this Tsavo animal habitat where the famous slave trade rout in some way contributed to the eating of the living dead in this part of Tsavo. Humans dead or alive were being eaten. The kind of people or slaves who could not make it along with the caravan train walking all the way home to the port of Mombasa just ended up in the mouth.

Both Man eaters were huge Tsavo lions while some say they were enormous brute how about”, “powerful beast in every way", These are just some of the perfect true qualities of a Tsavo lion or the greatest man eaters of all which is also one of the reason as to why the lion is always crowned as the king of the beast or the king of the African jungle. With staggering lengths of 9’8” long (nose to tail) and 44” in height at the shoulder, the Tsavo lions had all the power, the energy and the courage to take any kind of prey whether humans which came with ease as had been the tradition in many remote areas of the Kenyan great plains and enchanted territories.

When did the man eaters start being man eaters at Tsavo, well the natives could have a better scientific proof but due to communication lag from the Mombasa coast with the famous ort Jesus or way west to the Ruwenzori Mountains of Uganda where the railway line was destined had little to do with the modern data collection. These Tsavo lion’s attacks incidents have been part and parcel of the even before the Tsavo lion attacks on a caravan in 1896 at the very crossing point of the Tsavo River over which the railway bridge was subsequently constructed.

When Preston arrived in Tsavo as far as his duty with regards to the construction of the railway line is concerned, by January of 1897 he started putting all the lion bookings with a great hit of d the deaths of two railhead workers due to the dangerous Tsavo lions. This was just the beginning of the famous Tsavo man eaters coming to the limelight of the Tsavo lions to the railway workers and the world at large. Little was it known that these dangerous lions of Tsavo would end up devouring between them no less than twenty-eight Indian coolies who were working with the railway construction which had Tsavo.

Death of the First Man eater

On the morning of December 9, an African man came running to Colonel Patterson, shouting "Simba! Simba!" ("lion" in Swahili). Patterson learned that a lion had tried to capture a man from his camp a short distance away and had failed. So, the lion killed a donkey and was busy eating it. The Superintendent of police had left Patterson a heavy rifle, so he grabbed it, and ran off with the man. After a patient stalk, Patterson and this man were nearly on to the lion. But the man stepped on a rotten stick, which broke with a snap. The lion was scared off into a thicket.

Patterson then rounded up his remaining Coolies, and instructed them to bring along things with which to make noise. They surrounded the thicket. Patterson then stood near an animal trail coming out of the thicket. On his signal, the Coolies advanced, making all sorts of racket. It was then that Colonel Patterson actually saw one of the maneaters for the first time—a huge maneless male. He lifted his weapon, a Martini-Enfield chambered in .303 caliber, to fire. Click! The twin-barreled rifle had misfired! Intimidated by the noise, the lion jumped past Patterson and started to run off. Suddenly remembering he had another shot in his rifle, Patterson fired. He managed to hit the lion in the back, but it got away.

Dismayed, Colonel Patterson went back and looked at the donkey. The lion had just begun it's meal on the hindquarters. A nice donkey like this would be too good a meal to abandon. The lion might return to finish his meal.

Then, Patterson had an inspiration. Taking 4 poles, and a plank of wood, he constructed a platform close to the donkey carcass. This platform, called a machan, would serve as an artifical "tree" from which to hunt the lion—there were no nearby trees to sit in. He lashed the donkey carcass to a nearby tree stump with wire, so it couldn't be dragged off. Normally, Colonel Patterson, an experienced big game hunter, would stand vigil with his gun-bearer, but tonight the gun-bearer was sick. So, Patterson began that night's vigil alone.

It wasn't long before Patterson heard a twig snap and a sigh of hunger. The lion had indeed returned! But, as he watched, he determined the lion had detected him. Now, the lion was stalking Colonel Patterson! For two hours, it circled the rickety platform. All the lion would have to do was knock out a pole or jump at the platform to dislodge Patterson. Instant easy meal! The whole situation made Patterson's flesh crawl.

Suddenly, something hit Patterson on the head! It turned out to be a large owl that had confused him for a tree branch. He quickly recovered his wits. Below, the lion growled, and moved in for the kill! Very carefully, Patterson raised his rifle, this time a .303 Lee Enfield, and fired. There was an angry growl, and the lion began jumping around all over. Then it leapt into the bush. Patterson fired away into the brush. The growls continued, but were growing weaker. They finally ceased altogether. One of the maneaters was finally dead!

Word quickly spread to the camps, and a wild celebration ensued. The next morning, the body of the lion was recovered. He was a maneless male, 9 feet 8 inches long from tip of nose to tip of tail. The lion had taken two shots—one in the shoulder penetrating the heart (probably the first shot), and another in one of the hind legs. It took 8 men to carry it to camp, and soon it was in the skinning shed.

The Death of the Second Tsavo Maneater

There was peace for a few days. Then, a railroad Inspector in the Tsavo camp was paid a visit one night by a lion outside his house. Thinking it was just a drunken Coolie, he ignored it and didn't open the door. Robbed of a human for dinner, the lion made a quick meal of two of the Inspector's goats.

The next night, Colonel Patterson camped out in a shanty close to the Inspector's home. He tied three full-grown goats to a 250 pound piece of railroad rail. He then entered the shanty, and watched and waited. Just before dawn, the lion came. He killed one of the goats and began to carry it off...along with the railroad rail and the other two still-live goats. Patterson fired, but only managed to kill one of the goats!

When morning came, it was not hard to follow the trail of the goats and the railroad rail. The lion was quickly found, still feasting on goat-meat. Upon being discovered, the lion charged Patterson and the men that were with him. Luckily, the lion was more concerned with getting away than with attacking, so he ran right by Patterson and another man, escaping into the bushes. From there, the lion slunk away, and could not be tracked.

Colonel Patterson had a strong platform erected near the goat carcasses. That night, he and his gun-bearer took turns watching from the platform. The lion did indeed return, and Patterson was able to get two shots into the lion's shoulder. Unfortunately, the lion got away. Some more shots were fired into the bushes, but nothing more happened.

The next morning, the blood trail was easily spotted and followed. However, it soon grew faint and disappeared altogether. 10 days passed without any further incident. Everybody hoped the lion had gone into the bush and quietly died. Nevertheless, no one lowered their guard.

This turned out to be a good thing, for on the evening of December 27, the lion was discovered trying to get at a man sleeping in a tree close to Colonel Patterson's boma. Because the night was so dark, nothing could be done but fire some warning shots. The next day, an inspection revealed the lion had explored all of the tents in the camp (which were empty because most of the workers had fled), and had stalked the man in the tree at length.

The next night, Colonel Patterson and his gun-bearer took up a position in the same tree. (Patterson was almost bitten by a poisonous snake in the process!) He took turns standing watch with his gun-bearer. At 2 AM, Patterson handed the watch over to his gun bearer, and dozed off. An hour later, he suddenly woke up, sensing something was wrong. At first, nothing was seen, but eventually, the man-eater came into view, patiently stalking them! With great fascination, the two men watched the lion stalk them, taking advantage of every bit of the sparse cover in their vicinity. Just as patiently, Patterson readied his .303 Lee Enfield rifle. When the lion was 20 yards away, he fired. It was a hit, but it failed to knock down the lion. The now-angry lion ran off, growling fiercely. Three more shots were fired, one of which also hit him.

The next morning, Colonel Patterson, his gun-bearer and a native tracker set off after the lion. The bloody trail was easy to follow. About a quarter mile away, they found him. He was hiding in the grass, glaring at the men with bared teeth.

Patterson aimed carefully, and took a shot. The lion then charged him with all the muster it had left. Another shot knocked him over, but he got up and continued his charge. A third shot had no effect. Patterson reached for another rifle, only to discover his gun-bearer had abandoned him to the safety of a tree. Patterson had no choice but to follow suit. If one of the shots hadn't broken one of the lion's hind legs, Patterson never would have made it. Once in the tree, the Colonel grabbed a carbine from his gun-bearer and shot the lion once more. It collapsed.

Rather foolishly, Patterson quickly climbed down. To his complete surprise, the lion charged again! A shot in the chest and another in the head finally did the brute in. Even so, the lion bit savagely at a branch until the last bit of life drained out of him.

Colonel Patterson had all he could do to prevent the dead lion from being torn apart by the workers. He had it carried to his nearby boma for examination. This lion (also a maneless male) had taken at least six shots. There was also a slug buried not far into the flesh of the back. This was the slug from the shot fired 10 days before. In any case, this lion measured 9 feet, 6 inches from tip of nose to tip of tail. Soon, this lion took it's turn in the skinning shed.

Just like a fairy tale, this story has a happy ending. The workers returned, the bridge was finished, and the railhead reached what would soon be Nairobi. On January 30, 1899, the workers presented a silver bowl to Colonel Patterson in return for the bravery he had shown in relentlessly hunting down the maneaters.

The day after the bridge was complete, and all of the temporary rigging removed, a torrential downpour washed away both of the trolley bridges that had been constructed to move the stone from the quarry to the bridge!

Colonel Patterson left East Africa in late 1899. He returned in 1906 and spent several years there as Chief Game Warden in Kenya. It was during this time that he wrote The Man-Eaters of Tsavo. The book was published, and became immensely popular. He later served with the British Army in World War I. He published four books and lectured widely on his adventures.

THE LIONS COME TO THE CHICAGO FIELD MUSEUM

After speaking at The Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago, Illinois in 1924, Patterson sold the museum the lion skins and skulls for the then-sizeable sum of $5,000. After two-and-a-half decades as Patterson's floor rugs, the skins arrived in less-than-perfect condition—in real life the lions were even larger than they appear as taxidermy mounts. The skins were also blemished by gunshot wounds and thorn scratches. Museum taxidermist Julius Friesser did an extraordinary job creating the life-like mounts, which were first put on display in 1928. They have been on permanent display along with the original skulls ever since.

Although both of these lions are male, neither has much of a mane. Lion manes vary from place to place in color and thickness; Tsavo-area lions are often maneless. This may be a "family trait" common in the area—although it is not known if these two lions were closely related.

World's top Latest wild Animal Attack News around the world

2011-10-21T12:48:00.003-07:00

ANIMAL ATTACKS NEWS FROM AROUND THE WORLD: THIS LINK FOR RESENT AND OLDER ANIMAL ATTACKS NEWS

Apr 20, 2012. Debbie Emery. Escaped Bears From Animal Park Maul Two Women To Death

A mass bear escape from a Japanese animal park ended in tragedy when two female employees were mauled to death by the marauding animals.

At least half a dozen bears were on the loose from the Hachimantai Bear Farm in Kazuno City in northern Japan on Friday for five hours before they were hunted down and killed by a local group that was aiding the police and firefighters, reported ABCNews.com.

There was no chance to tranquilize the huge animals, explained the authorities, so killing them was the only option. “We could not get anywhere near the animals, but could not afford to let them escape,” explained Akita Prefectural Police spokesman Haruki Itou.

Sadly the six escapees had already claimed two victims by the time they were stopped. The body of a 76-year-old woman was found near one cage, and police later discovered the body of another woman, 69, nearby.

The grisly attacks sparked a total shutdown of the area, with nearby roads closed as the police went door to door calling on residents to stay indoors, while schools located 10 miles from the park were placed in lockdown, according to a city official.

It is not known exactly how the animals escaped, but Japanese public broadcast network NHK reported that there had been so much snowfall overnight that the drifts were high enough near the iron bars to allow the them to climb out.

April 19th, 2012. Andrew Adams . Attacks against guide dogs have owners offering warnings

BOUNTIFUL -- Two recent dog-on-dog attacks against guide dogs in Utah are prompting the dogs' owners to caution people to be careful. The attacks left dogs in Weber County and Davis County unnerved and with injuries.

"You need to be really careful with them because you don't ever know when it could be a guide dog, it could be someone else's dog, it could be a small child," said Brad Badger of Bountiful.

Badger was walking along 200 West near 1200 North Saturday morning with Sanborn, his guide dog of 7 years, when two dogs got loose from a nearby property. Sanborn said one of the dogs, a pit bull, attacked Sanborn.

The pit bull's owner, according to Badger, quickly rushed to the scuffle and pried his dog away. Sanborn suffered three puncture wounds to his ear.

"That's the concern, is after an occurrence like this they could be psychologically rattled," Badger said. "But he seems to be doing fine."

He is urging other dog owners to stay on top of their pets, particularly when the animals are aggressive.

Patti Ehle of Ogden is offering additional advice regarding keeping pets at a significant distance from service animals when they are in sight.

On Mar. 25, Ehle was on 29th Street near the east bench when a couple passing dogs bit into her guide dog, Sonoma. The golden retriever subsequently started secreting from the neck and has suffered infections and a rash. Ehle said Thursday her dog has only been well enough to guide her on four occasions since the attack.

"This is really impactful on many levels," Ehle said.

Patty Mueller is a long-time guide dog owner based in Riverton and is now an advocate who has started "Greatest Paws on Earth"--what she describes as an "alumni" chapter of guide dog owners in the state. Mueller said many times guide dogs suffer severe enough physical and psychological damage and they have to be retired.

Fully training a new guide dog is costly both in terms of time and money. Mueller said the two years of training runs in the $50,000-$80,000 range. Costs are often offset to varying degrees by charitable donations. Even so, the toll on the guide dog user is often significant.

"When the dog gets taken out by a dog attack - if they get hurt or injured - then it takes them time to heal, so that puts the person, the user, out of commission for a while."

Badger said Sanborn assists him as he walks his son to school, or as he walks to the gym, or goes for a bagel, or completes countless other tasks.

"He's pretty much my vehicle to get where I need to go once I leave the house," Badger said. "Without him I'm not as easily able to go and function."

In Sanborn's case, Davis County Animal Services director Clint Thacker confirmed the pit bull's owner was handed a notice of violation for no license and no rabies shot. The owner, according to investigators, was not cited for the dog-on-service dog attack because of his actions following the ordeal.

Badger said he was very pleased with how the owner reacted. He said he expressed remorse for his dog's attack and has offered to pay for all medical expenses for Sanborn.

Ehle said she filed a police report related to her dog's attack. She said she did not get the owner's name and does not know where he went.

There are laws designed specifically to protect service animals. To be covered under the law, a service animal must be trained or be in training to assist a person with disabilities. A person who or whose pet chases or harasses a service animal can be charged with a class B misdemeanor.

That charge is moved to a class A misdemeanor if you or your pet knowingly, intentionally or recklessly cause injury or death to a service animal.If convicted, the penalty is up to a year in jail and restitution - which could include replacing the animal and vet costs.

An attack by a rabid bear was ended by an Albemarle County farm worker’s point-blank shotgun blast, fired from the roof of a Gator utility vehicle, police said.

The bear killed Tuesday is the first-ever recorded case of a rabid bear in Virginia and only the second case on the East Coast that state officials are aware of, said Jaime Sajecki, bear project leader with the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries.

“It’s almost unheard of,” she said.

Police believe the bear was drawn by the movement of two men, who were using the vehicle to move stones on a large farm northeast of Rockfish Gap, said county police Sgt. Darrell Byers.

The roughly 120-pound female bear first attacked the vehicle itself, biting one of the tires, before pursuing the men, Byers said.

One of the men climbed into the bed of the Gator, then onto its roof, taking a shotgun loaded with birdshot with him, Byers said.

The other man left the cab, but when the vehicle started to roll downhill, he leaned back into the cab to set the parking brake, according to Byers.

The bear had come into the cab and was climbing into the bed when the man atop the Gator put his shotgun to her head and pulled the trigger, Byers said.

No one was injured in the attack or directly exposed to the rabies virus, Byers said.

The bear was decapitated, and its head sent to a state lab, where it tested positive for rabies, according to police.

But authorities doubt there are any more rabid bears out there.

“Just to have one is really unusual, and it would be, I think, near impossible for another bear to have it,” Sajecki said.

Rabies is transmitted through contact with saliva, brain matter or spinal fluid of infected animals. The infected tissue must contact an open wound or mucous membranes to infect a new host.

The virus alters the behavior of afflicted creatures, making them more likely to bite, Sajecki said.

The most likely way for a bear to get rabies is, just as for a human, a bite from some other animal that’s already infected, said the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries’ wildlife veterinarian, Dr. Megan Kirchgessner.

There’s a vanishingly slim chance that the bear could have contracted the disease eating an infected carcass if she had a cut on her paw or in her mouth, Kirchgessner said.

Health officials will try to type the rabies in question in the hopes of figuring out what sort of animal it came from, but the test isn’t sure to work, Sajecki said.

Bears are solitary most of the time, Sajecki explained, so they aren’t likely to transmit rabies to one another. The bear killed Tuesday wasn’t lactating, which indicates she probably didn’t have cubs that could have contracted the disease, she said, and breeding season won’t really get under way until summer.

The state of the bear’s teeth leads authorities to believe she was an older animal, Byers said.

“It’s really unlikely that she was around any other bears,” Sajecki said.

Officials will send the bear’s body to Harrisonburg, where it will be incinerated at the state veterinarian’s office.

The other East Coast case of rabies in a black bear was reported in 2007 in Maryland, Sajecki said.

People encountering a bear should keep a respectful distance and enjoy watching it from afar, according to the department.

The wild animals most often found with rabies include raccoons, skunks, foxes and coyotes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Signs that an animal may be rabid can include excess drooling and odd behaviors (either overly aggressive or overly easy to approach among them), though there’s no sure way to tell without a medical test, according to the CDC.

There was one tested and confirmed case of rabies in Albemarle County and Charlottesville last year, but five the year before that, according to officials at the Thomas Jefferson Health District. The testing is only done in cases where there’s an exposure to a person or a domestic animal, so the actual number of cases could be much higher. So far this year there have been three confirmed cases, according to officials.

Sajecki added that, when possible, it’s best to shoot a suspected rabid animal somewhere other than the head, to avoid spreading contaminated tissue.

April 19, 2012. TED STRONG . Rabid bear attacks in Albemarle; shot dead by victim

Sajecki cautioned that bears out in the middle of the day should not be assumed rabid. Given that they’re bears, they are vastly more likely not to be rabid.

“We want to make sure that it’s not going to cause a lot of unnecessary concern,” she said.

She said people should instead only become alarmed if the bears exhibit highly unusual behavior, as the one in Albemarle County did.

The area where the attack occurred, near the Blue Ridge Mountains, has long held bears, Sajecki said.

“We’ve had a pretty healthy bear population in that area for a long time,” she said.

Attempts to contact those involved in the shooting were unsuccessful.

April 10 ,2012 | Sapa-AFP. Jellyfish put the bite on Nicaragua

It was a bad week for plenty of beachgoers in Nicaragua and a slightly better week for jellyfish, who stung at least 855 bathers who hit the beach on Holy Week break, authorities said.

MANAGUA - It was a bad week for plenty of beachgoers in Nicaragua and a slightly better week for jellyfish, who stung at least 855 bathers who hit the beach on Holy Week break, authorities said.

The vacationers were treated for jellyfish stings on Nicaragua’s Pacific coast, most of them at the crowded beaches of Jiquilillo, Masachapa and Pochomil, the local Red Cross said.

Authorities chalked up the high number of bites to the large crowd of Easter holiday beachgoers

APRIL 2, 2012. The Detroit News: Briefs: Rescued pit bull attacks, injures girl, 6

Rochester Hills — A 6-year-old girl is recovering from severe bites to the face and thigh Saturday evening from the family pet, a rescued pit bull.

She was taken to Royal Oak Beaumont Hospital shortly after it happened Saturday night.

"We found that a 6-year-old girl had been bitten in the face and thigh by a pit bull adopted by her family. She was found to be in a lot of pain and heavily bleeding," said Sgt. Chad Allan of the Oakland County Sheriff's Office.

The office did not have an update on her condition Sunday.

Allan said the family asked that the dog be taken to the Oakland County Animal Control.

APRIL 2, 2012. The Detroit News: Biologists probe deaths of two moose in U.P.

Marquette— Michigan wildlife biologists are looking into the deaths of two moose found along roads in western Marquette County but said foul play isn't suspected.

The cow and yearling were spotted Wednesday near the community of Republic. They didn't appear to have been shot or struck by vehicles.

Brian Roell of the state Department of Natural Resources said both moose had heavy tick infestations, which can be fatal.

Roell said the moose were X-rayed for gunshots and examined for internal and external injuries. Tissue samples were sent to a laboratory in Lansing for analysis.

April 02, 2012. Dana Hertneky. Family Concerned Over Pit Bull Attacks In SE OKC Neighborhood

OKLAHOMA CITY - Residents in a southeast Oklahoma City neighborhood are complaining of a major Pit Bull problem. This after a family's dog was almost killed yesterday.

According to the family, the dogs broke though a fence into their back yard, the yard where their children play. They say this is the latest in a five-year ordeal.

Boudrow, a two-year-old English bulldog, was recovering from surgery Monday afternoon.

"He didn't know where he was, he was hurt so bad," said Billy Shahan, the dog's owner.

"I yelled at my grandmother 'three big pit bulls in the yard'," said Shahan's six-year-granddaughter as she explained how she walked into her back yard and saw the dogs fighting.

The dogs have been picked up by animal control. But the family says that likely won't solve the problem. Because it's all happened before. Dogs who belonged to the same owner bit Shahan's ex-wife last year.

"They've attacked her, they've tried to attack my friend in his garage three houses up the street," said Shahan.

Oklahoma City Animal Control says they have been called to the house at least three times on vicious dog calls and have confiscated and destroyed some animals. But Shahan says his neighbors just go and get more dogs.

"The process is the same for each incident, so there's nothing in the ordinance that we can do to require they don't get another dog," said Jon Gray, with the Oklahoma City Animal Control.

By this afternoon, there was a new dog in Shahan's neighbor's yard,

Boudrow will be okay, but Shahan has a $2,000 vet bill. And a fear that there will be a next time and it will be worse.

" We can't live in fear everyday that one of these dogs is going to hurt one of our children," said Shahan.

News 9 did try to contact the Shahan's neighbors but we were told the dogs' owners were not home.

Animal control tells us since the pit bulls were involved in attacking another animal, they will a probably be destroyed.

Mar 26, 2012. Todd Leskanic. Robeson County Animal Shelter reopens following distemper outbreak. ST. PAULS - The Robeson County Animal Shelter reopened March 19 following a distemper outbreak that began last month.

The shelter, on Landfill Road, was closed for 19 days beginning Feb. 29 after an outbreak of the deadly virus resulted in the deaths of more than 60 dogs, adoption coordinator Sara Hatchell said.

The county veterinarian recommended euthanizing any dog running a fever above 102 degrees or showing distemper symptoms, which include runny nose, discharge from the eyes, coughing, fever, vomiting and diarrhea.

The disease attacks a dog's respiratory, gastrointestinal and central nervous systems and can be prevented with a vaccine. But vaccinated dogs still can carry and shed the disease for up to three months.

Shelter officials believe the dog that started the outbreak was adopted Feb. 2.

Because symptoms of the disease can take up to two weeks to manifest themselves, any dog that had been in the shelter since late January could have been exposed, including the 218 dogs that were adopted during February. Many dogs that had been adopted had to be euthanized.

Last year, the shelter had a similar outbreak after a dog entered the shelter with the disease. Only nine dogs out of 70 survived the quarantine, which lasted about three weeks.

Shelter officials have said they believe warmer temperatures and wind caused the disease to re-emerge.

March 25, 2012. Scott Smith. Dangerous-dog ordinance gets council hearing

Board will consider the measure Monday evening.

After months of discussion, the Kokomo Common Council is ready to move ahead on a new animal control ordinance.

Council members received a copy of the draft ordinance this week, in advance of Monday’s council meeting, 7 p.m. in council chambers at City Hall.

The measure largely concentrates on potentially dangerous dogs, and would replace the current ordinance, which has been in place since 1982.

Under the new ordinance, decisions on impounding and destroying dangerous dogs would be left to the discretion of whoever the city contracts to perform animal control services. Currently, the city contracts with the Kokomo Humane Society.

Council attorney Corbin King said the new ordinance doesn’t directly address the issue, but said there shouldn’t be any lingering confusion over which agency is in charge of dangerous animals.

As the debate over changes to the city’s animal control practices started last year, council members received mixed messages as to whether the humane society or the Howard County Health Department had final say in impounding or destroying animals.

“That was a total miscommunication of [the health department’s] role. All they had to do was check for rabies, and there hasn’t been a case of rabies in something like 50 years,” King said. “I think it was clear, once [the roles] were explained.”

The measure would make it illegal to harbor a “dangerous dog,” defined as a dog that has “aggressively bitten, attacked or endangered” a human, or which has been bred for dog fighting.

The new law would also place restrictions on the owners of “potentially dangerous dogs.”

A dog could be deemed potentially dangerous if it engages in any unprovoked behavior that causes a person to perform a defensive action, assuming the animal is off his or her owner’s property.

Any dog that bites a human, unprovoked, could be deemed potentially dangerous, even if the bite doesn’t cause serious injury. A dog that shows aggression toward a person could be considered potentially dangerous, even if it doesn’t bite.

A dog that attacks and injures another domestic animal, or runs loose, or chases or menaces a person, could also be considered potentially dangerous.

Such dogs would have to be kept inside a secure enclosure on the owner’s property, marked with “Beware of Dog” signs. If a potentially dangerous dog would be taken off the owner’s property, it would have to be muzzled, and the owner would have to submit to having the animal microchipped and photographed, to make it easier for the Department of Animal Services to identify.

Finally, the measure would place restrictions on tethering animals, requiring that the leash or tether be less than a certain weight, and at least 10 feet long, and that the animal could access shelter, food, water and shade while on the tether.

Violations could be punished by civil fines starting at $250 and rising to between $500 and $1,500 for a third offense.

The new ordinance would also eliminate the city’s current dog licensing requirements.

King said council members felt the public was largely ignoring licensing, and didn’t feel licensing was an effective way of encouraging responsible pet ownership.

“If you weren’t going to enforce it, and you were hoping to get people to register in good faith, well, those are the good pet owners,” King said. “If you’re trying to make people responsible dog owners, registration wasn’t something that was going to help you reach that goal.”

• Scott Smith is a Kokomo Tribune staff writer. He may be reached at 765-454-8569 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 765-454-8569 end_of_the_skype_highlighting or via email at scott.smith@kokomotribune.com

March 24, 2012. William C. Wadsack. Area shelters clear of parvo

A reported case of canine parvovirus infection — commonly referred to as parvo — in Fannin County hasn’t affected the Bonham Animal Shelter, according to Animal Control Officer Jimmy Gilbert.

A recently adopted puppy was found to have the virus following an examination by a veterinarian.

“Every dog we get comes in unvaccinated, and we tell people they need to take them to the vet to get checked out,” Gilbert said. “We have no idea what they have.”

Parvo is a highly contagious viral illness that can infect dogs, with the most common victims being puppies between the ages of six weeks and six months old. The common form of the virus sees an infection in the intestine and exhibits symptoms such as bloody diarrhea, vomiting and lack of appetite.

“Parvo is the scourge of publicly owned and private shelters,” Grayson County Health Department Director John Teel said. “What often happens is a young dog that’s healthy in every aspect can be brought home, and if it’s not checked by a veterinarian, either through a stool test or blood test, that virus can infect the dog and it can result in death.”

A second form of the virus can also manifest in a cardiac form that attacks the heart muscles of very young puppies and can often lead to death.

“When it first came out in the late 70s, there was no dog that had any protection to the virus,” Dr. Leldon Locke, of the Animal Health Clinic in Sherman, explained. “As the disease has evolved, most middle-aged dogs are vaccinated, or they’ve been naturally exposed, so they have protection. Puppies haven’t had a chance to be vaccinated or they have a less developed immune system, so they have less ability to fight off the infection.”

Following regularly scheduled vaccination guidelines for puppies is the best prevention for parvo. Vaccination in young puppies has greatly reduced the number of cases.

“It’s like anything,” Dr. Locke continued, “if you do your preventative care, which is vaccinating on time, we don’t see much of it then.”

While vaccination is the best method of prevention, there’s still a chance the infection could spread.

“Parvo is a part of life at an animal shelter,” Teel said. “You could go a year without a case, but if you bring one in — even with an intense effort to prevent infection — the disease can spread through the population of the shelter very swiftly.”

That doesn’t seem to be the case in Bonham, as Gilbert said the infection hasn’t spread amongst the other animals in the shelter.

“It was fine when it came in, but we had it for a very short time,” Gilbert said of the puppy found to be infected. “It was an owner surrender and had no shots at all. The people that surrender the animals, they usually don’t know how to take care of them.”

Generally, the virus is transmitted by contact with a previously infected dog or ingestion of an infected dog’s stool. Researchers have found that the virus can live in ground soil for a year and be resistant to weather changes and most cleaning products. Household bleach is the only disinfectant known to kill the virus.

“If the area isn’t treated with a strong disinfectant, the virus can survive for days or weeks,” Teel said. “Veterinarian bills to hydrate young dogs at an animal shelter could run in excess of $1,000 per animal. I’ve heard stories of a shelter having to euthanize all the dogs under a year old because city government shelters just don’t have the funds to pay for the vet bills.”

Gilbert said his animal shelter gets a dog with parvo “every now and again,” but they haven’t seen one in a while. The Bonham Animal Shelter is presently open and has animals available for adoption.

Dr. Locke explained that there are rigid protocols that come into effect if an infected dog is brought into his clinic.

“We have an isolation ward and we’re real strict on isolation,” Dr. Locke said. “Because it’s a communicable disease, we have to take special steps.”

Parvo can be diagnosed with a physical examination by a veterinarian with tests including urine analysis, abdominal ultrasounds and biochemical tests. A sample of the dog’s vomit or stool is usually helpful in making a diagnosis.

“Occasionally some dogs, (such as) Dobermans seem to have a little less than that robust immune system,” Dr. Locke said.

There are several dog breeds which are especially vulnerable to parvo, those include rottweilers, pit bulls, Labrador retrievers, Doberman pinschers, German shepherds, Alaskan sled dogs and English springer spaniels.

Once an animal contracts parvo, there is no cure for it as it’s a viral infection. Treatment usually includes intravenous fluid and nutrition therapy to help battle dehydration and diarrhea.

“We see it more in younger dogs and older dogs,” Dr. Locke said. “But it can affect dogs of all ages.”

Following recovery from parvo, an infected dog will still have a weakened immune system and could easily catch other illnesses. Dogs that survive parvo will also be a contagion risk to other dogs for at least two months. Dogs that recover usually develop a long-term immunity against the virus, but future infection is still possible.

“We see parvo regularly in this area,” Dr. Locke said. “It’s here. It’s pretty much an endemic disease now.”

March 23, 2012. Pit Bull Attacks, Bites 11-Year-Old Girl Riding Bicycle In Street

BROWNWOOD, Texas -- An 11-year-old girl riding her bicycle on a street in Brownwood was bitten several times in an attack by a pit bull.

The girl was treated for at least three bites on her arm and leg. The dog was put down by its owner and was to be tested for rabies.

The incident occurred Monday evening at 6:12 p.m. near Ash and Main streets.

The dog, which was on a chain, was captured and taken to the animal shelter where it was quarantined.

The father of the girl said the dog was on a chain when it bit his daughter while she was riding her bicycle in the street.

According to Brownwood police, the dog bit the 11-year-old girl on her left forearm and when she tried to kick the dog, it bit her two to three more times on the left leg.

The girl’s injuries included a one-hal inch cut behind her left knee, a 2-inch cut on the outside left knee, and a one-quarter inch cut next to the larger cut along with puncture wounds on her arm. The leg wounds required nine stitches, and the puncture wounds were glued.

A man came to the animal center the next day looking for his pit bull. The owner lives next to where the dog bite took place, police said. He was issued a citation for animal at large and given his options regarding the dog, to quarantine it or to have the dog put down and tested for rabies at the city of Brownwood’s expense, according to the police report.

The owner chose to have the animal put down and tested, police said.

March 21, 2012. Jana Barnello. Pitbull Attacks 7-Year-Old, Family Wants Answers. A 7-year-old Ringgold boy is recovering from a pit bull attack. His parents say it could've been prevented, if animal control dealt with the dog earlier.

7-year-old Tanner Eaves will be OK, but he has some pretty serious injuries from a dog attack on Monday. According to his parents, this dog has attacked before, and even after Tanner's attack, the owner got to keep his pet until we started asking questions.

Tanner says he and a friend were playing fetch with the dog at a house on Sparks Street in Ringgold. Tanner chased down the ball, and says the dog wasn't far behind.

"I got there first and then the dog head butted me," Tanner told us.

The dog knocked him over, and bit Tanner's face, side, and groin. He had to have surgery, and spent the night in the hospital. The dog, got to stay at home, under a 10 day quarantine.

"With this serious of an injury, I feel like the dog should've been picked up at the pound and held at the pound," said Tanner's dad, Gerald Eaves.

Eaves said this dog has attacked before, and has spoken to the owner. We tried to, as well, but no one answered the door.

When we went to Catoosa County Animal Control on Wednesday afternoon at 3:45 for a copy of the incident report as well as why the dog wasn't taken into custody, they told us to file an open records request. The Eaves family received a phone call at 4:09 p.m. from animal control telling them the dog is now at the shelter.

Eaves said if that's what happened in the first place, he wouldn't be angry.

"I felt like my son didn't matter. That, that dog is more important. That dog attacked a kid. Not one kid, but several kids," said Eaves.

We filed an open records request with Catoosa County to get the incident report and any previous records on the dog. They told us the woman who normally handles those requests is out of of the office, so we'll have to wait to get the records until the proper personnel returns to work.

February 14, 2012. BBC. Lioness attack kills South Africa zoo keeper

A lioness has attacked and killed a 65-year-old South African zoo keeper at a farm owned by Johannesburg Zoo.

Joe Ramanata, who had worked for the zoo for more than 40 years, was taken to hospital but was declared dead on arrival, the zoo said.

"He was either feeding or cleaning an enclosure when he was attacked by a lioness," zoo spokeswoman, Letta Madlala, told the AFP news agency.

The 11-year-old lioness was tranquilised after the incident.

Ms Madlala said zoo managers planned to meet and decide on the fate of the lioness, AP news agency report.

She said Mr Ramanata was an experienced animal handler.

The incident happened on Parys Zoo Farm, a breeding farm in the Free State Province, about 120km (75 miles) south-west of Johannesburg.

Another spokeswoman for the zoo, Louise Gordon, said the incident may have been down to human error as it appeared that one of the enclosures was not locked at the time of the attack, reports South Africa's Pretoria News newspaper.

Police are have opened an investigation into the death.

FEBRUARY 7, 2012. AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE. Tigers attack tourist bus in China

BEIJING - A group of tourists visiting a wildlife park in eastern China had a narrow escape after Bengal tigers attacked their bus, puncturing its tires and destroying the windscreen, state media said Tuesday.

A worker in charge of the enclosure at Jinan Wildlife World in Shandong province was at lunch when the incident happened last Saturday and it took officials 10 minutes to open a gate so the tourists could escape, reports said.

None of the 27 tourists on the bus were injured, but the driver's hand was hurt when the tigers jumped on the vehicle and broke the windscreen, the official Xinhua news agency said.

Terrified visitors hid under their seats as a group of up to eight tigers bit the vehicle's tires, destroyed its windshield wipers and broke windows, the Global Times reported.

Attempts to call police failed because there was no mobile phone reception, it added.

"We are deeply sorry for the accident," Wu Yanfei, deputy manager of Jinan Wildlife World, was quoted by Xinhua as saying.

The park has launched an investigation into the attack and compensated the tourists, Xinhua said.

China says it has nearly 6,000 endangered tigers in captivity, but just 50 to 60 living in the wild in its northeast.

In the 1980s, China set up tiger farms to try to preserve the big cats, intending to release some into the wild.

But the farms have come under the international spotlight, with some conservation groups saying they use the cats for their body parts, while media reports have exposed poor conditions at zoos and animal parks.

A number of attacks on humans by captive tigers have been reported in recent years.

Last year, a tour bus driver was mauled to death by a Siberian tiger at a breeding centre in the northeastern province of Heilongjiang after he got out of his vehicle to check on a mechanical problem.

In 2010, a zookeeper was killed by a Bengal tiger at Shanghai Zoo after apparently forgetting to lock the animal's cage.

January 2, 2012. Las Vegas: PETA, owner at odds on fate of retiring MGM lions

LAS VEGAS (AP) — The owner of 40 lions losing their jobs at a Las Vegas Strip casino dismissed a call by an animal rights group to send them to a sanctuary instead of a Nevada ranch.

The reaction from owner Keith Evans came after the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals wrote a letter commending the MGM Grand for announcing it would close its lion habitat attraction on Jan. 31.

The glass-enclosed exhibit, which is free to the public, is being phased out as part of a $160 million renovation.

Evans is solely responsible for the care of the animals, according to MGM Grand officials. Evans told the Las Vegas Review-Journal (http://bit.ly/vb2moA ) he has held a U.S. Department of Agriculture license for keeping the lions for 40 years.

PETA officials criticized Evans for a plan to take the animals back to his eight-acre ranch, where he has said he wants to develop an attraction called “The Cat House.”

The officials said the animals wouldn’t have enough space to roam as freely as they do in the wild, and cited two lion attacks as reasons the animals shouldn’t be in direct contact with human trainers.

“In their natural habitats, lions roam many miles of territory, hunt, raise their young, and avoid contact with people,” wrote Delcianna Winders, PETA’s director of captive animal law enforcement. “It is detrimental to the mental and physical health of these animals to be confined to tiny, barren, artificial environments without any opportunity for privacy.”

Winders told the newspaper she recommended a sanctuary operated by the Galt, Calif.-based Performing Animal Welfare Society.

Evans countered that PETA has a bad track record for trying to put lions in sanctuaries. The newspaper did not provide further details.

The $9 million, 5,000-square-foot habitat opened in 1999 at the MGM. Visitors can watch the animals at play through glass on the perimeter, or from inside a glass tube that runs through the enclosure.

MGM officials said they are always looking for fresh attractions for visitors, and the attraction wasn’t the critical element of the casino’s appeal.

“It isn’t carrying the brand of the MGM Grand,” Alan Feldman, MGM Resorts International senior vice president, told the Las Vegas Sun. “The brand rests on many other attributes.”

January 2, 2012.FOX31 DenverAurora Police: dogs involved in attack at least part pit bull

AURORA, Colo. -- Animal Care officers in Aurora now believe two dogs responsible for a vicious attack on another dog and three people last Friday were at least part pit bull and perhaps purebred, according to police.

The dogs were found dead along E-470 near E. 64th Ave. Saturday morning after apparently being hit by car, said Aurora Police Sgt. Cassidee Carlson.

Authorities are still trying to locate the owner, or owners, who could face prosecution. Pit bulls are banned in Aurora except in cases where they are used as service animals.

Carlson said the necropsy reports would not be available until after the holiday weekend.

On Friday, the dogs attacked a smaller dog in the 19200 block of E. Gunnison Circle and then wounded three people, including the owner of the smaller dog, who tried to intervene.

Two of the victims were hospitalized and the smaller dog was being treated at a local veterinary clinic.

In passing the 2005 pit bull ban, the City Council of Aurora declared that “Pit Bulls tend to be stronger than other dogs, often give no warning signals before attacking, and are less willing than other dogs to retreat from an attack.”

“The Council finds Pit Bull attacks, more often than other types of dogs, result in multiple bites and attacks of greater severity,” the city ordinance states. (Read the ordinance)

December 31, 2011. Alejandro Dominguez,State requiring rabies vaccine for dogs, cats and ferretsNew law order all dogs, cats and ferrets to get the vaccinationMost pets must have rabies vaccination under a new state rule that goes into effect Jan. 1.

The vaccinations already are required in some cities and counties. This is the first time there's a rule at the state level that mandates that all dogs, cats and ferrets receive the vaccine.

The rule makes the rabies vaccine mandatory, but it will be up to local agencies to decide how it will be enforced.

The idea is to protect pets and their owners from the rabies virus, which is still found in the wild.

"It's one of the most fatal disease for humans," said Ron Wohrle, a veterinarian for the Washington state Department of Health. "The best measure to protect ourselves and our pets is to have them vaccinated."

The issue left to resolve is how the vaccination rule should be enforced, including whether violators will face a penalty. Those decisions are being left to each jurisdiction, Wohrle said.

It is likely proof of vaccination would be asked after a pet attacks or when an owner applies for pet licenses, he said.

Vaccinations can be administered by any veterinarian. Cost varies. Pets can get their first shot when they are 12 weeks old. A booster shot should be administered one year after the first vaccination and then three years after that, Wohrle said.

Cases of rabies in animals have been rare in Washington, but the risk of exposure has increased. Pets are now more mobile than ever, traveling with their owners to other counties -- and even other countries -- where rabies may be more common.

The last known case of rabies in a domestic animal in the state was a cat in 2002, but the disease is still found primarily in bats. Over the past eight years, Snohomish County typically has seen about two bats each year reported with rabies, Wohrle said.

Bats can transmit the disease to pets and livestock, including horses and llamas.

The Everett Animal Shelter already is complying with the new rule, but discussion is ongoing over enforcement, spokeswoman Kate Reardon said.

All animals adopted from the shelter receive the vaccines, she said. The shelter does not provide vaccinations to pets brought in by members of the public.

December 29, 2011. Stephanie Loder. After attacks, official calls for muzzles for pit bulls in Plumsted

PLUMSTED — Residents who own pit bulls and let them outside would be forced to muzzle their dogs if the township animal control officer has his way.

A 3-year-old girl was attacked Wednesday by a pit bull as she played in her yard at 412 E. Millstream Road, and a 34-year-old woman on Park Avenue was bitten by a pit bull that was ordered to attack her on Dec. 2, police said.

“There have been too many bites,” said John Klink, who provides animal-control services for the township.

He said he was going to ask a judge for a court order mandating that residents with pit bulls muzzle the animals when they are outside.

The township has no ordinance regarding the restraining of pit bulls, he said.

He said other township residents have pit bulls and some of them live in the area where the attacks happened.

“There have been other bites this year,” he said.

He identified the dog involved in the Dec. 2 attack as Bam Bam, a 60-pound pit bull that was older than seven years, and the dog involved in the Wednesday attack as Hemi, an 80-pound pit bull that was younger than five years.

The 3-year-old girl was airlifted to a trauma center after being attacked in her yard and severely bitten on the back and head by a pit bull, authorities said.

The child was taken to Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune. Her condition was not available.

She was bitten by the same pit bull police say was involved in a another attack Dec. 2 on a 34-year-old township woman.

Hemi, the pit bull that bit the 3-year-old girl, was captured by Klink on Wednesday and taken to the Ocean County Animal Shelter in Jackson. The dog will be euthanized after 10 days at the shelter, he said.

Bam Bam, the pit bull that attacked the 34-year-old woman on Dec. 2, will be euthanized at a later date, Klink said.

Shaun Hunt, 40, and Andrew Dockery Jr., 26, were charged with second-degree aggravated assault in connection with the Dec. 2 attack, police said.

No criminal charges have been filed in the Wednesday attack, and Patrolman Vince Doell is investigating.

December 28, 2011. DAVE ITZKOFF. Associated Press. Cheetah, Chimpanzee in ‘Tarzan’ Movies, Has Died.

Cheetah, a chimpanzee who was one of the most famous animal stars of the 1930s and appeared with Johnny Weissmuller in such Depression-era adventure films as “Tarzan the Ape Man” and “Tarzan and His Mate,” has died, The Tampa Tribune reported. Debbie Cobb, the outreach director at the Suncoast Primate Sanctuary in Palm Harbor, Fla., where Cheetah lived, told The Tribune that Cheetah was about 80 years old and died of kidney failure on Saturday.

In the Tarzan film series, whose golden age spanned 1932 to 1948, Cheetah was said to have appeared in the films made between 1932 and 1934, as a comic and sympathetic animal sidekick whose intelligence sometimes seemed to rival that of his human co-stars, Weissmuller (who played the titular jungle lord) and Maureen O’Sullivan (who portrayed his civilized love interest, Jane).

Ms. Cobb told The Tribune that the Suncoast Primate Sanctuary received Cheetah from Weissmuller’s Ocala estate around 1960. Of the 15 chimpanzees kept at the sanctuary, Cheetah, she said, was the most famous and an outgoing ape with a gentle personality, who had long outlived the 35 to 45 years that chimpanzees typically survive in captivity.

“He was very compassionate,” Ms. Cobb said. “He could tell if I was having a good day or a bad day. He was always trying to get me to laugh if he thought I was having a bad day. He was very in tune to human feelings.”

She said Cheetah was soothed by Christian music and also enjoyed fingerpainting and football, though she was unsure if the chimpanzee had any favorite teams.

“I couldn’t ask him that,” Ms. Cobb told The Tribune. “I’m not a chimp psychic.”

Agence France-Presse reported a previous instance in which the owners of a chimpanzee named Cheeta believed that their ape had appeared in the classic “Tarzan” films, but later learned that Cheeta was younger than they thought. “It is also difficult to determine which movies, if any, our Cheeta may have been in,” these owners wrote on their Web site.

Eve Golden, an archivist at the Everett Collection, which owns images from many films including the “Tarzan” movies, said it was difficult if not impossible to identify a chimpanzee as Cheetah from his old movie stills. “All chimps basically look like George Burns to me,” she said.

In a post on her Twitter account Mia Farrow, who is O’Sullivan’s daughter, wrote: “Cheetah the chimp in Tarzan movies died this week at 80. My mom, who played Jane, invariably referred to Cheetah as ‘that bastard.’ ” In a later post she added that “he bit her at every opportunity.”

December 5, 2011. Cumberland animal shelter considers 'bully breed' adoption ban

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. — Cumberland County officials are considering halting adoptions of so-called "bully breeds" of dogs that are linked with frequent attacks on people and other animals.

The county's Animal Control Advisory Board discussed the issue Monday night. Any policy change would have to be approved by the county Board of Commissioners.

The idea has created a backlash among animal rescue groups, and even Cumberland County Animal Control Director Dr. John Lauby said he considers it ill-advised.

"I have never said I wanted to ban a breed or any specific breed, and the reason is I know from statistics (that) banning breeds doesn't work," Lauby said.

He said he would prefer to do more screening of people upfront to ensure breeds like rottweilers, pit bulls and chows are going to people who know how to care for them and won't use them for breeding or allow them to roam freely.

But Cristóbal Berry-Cabán, chairman of the animal control board, said the animal shelter doesn't have the resources to check up on all potential adopters. He said the shelter would try to send such breeds to rescue groups, but if no group can be found to take the dogs, the shelter would have to kill them.

The Cumberland County Animal Shelter kills about 1,000 animals a month.

Lauby said he has gotten death threats since word of the adoption ban surfaced, even though he doesn't support it.

"I have 15,000 emails waiting for me," he said.

"I think it's the craziest thing I've ever heard," Shelby Townsend, director of advocacy group Unchain Cumberland County, said of the proposed ban. "It's not going to happen. People aren't going to stand for that. It's not the bully breeds that are the problem; it's the people who own them."

County Commissioner Charles Evans said he won't support a breed-specific kill policy at the shelter if the idea comes to the Board of Commissioners for approval.

"I don't think that's sensible, to simply euthanize all these animals," Evans said. "No, we can't do that. We can't do that."

DANGEROUS ANIMAL ATTACKS NEWS
December 5, 2011. Smith. Henry official: Wild animal attacks low ‘Bat bites new rabies concern’

Rabid foxes, raccoons, and other wild animals, have not attacked local residents, or their pets, with as much frequency as in previous years, according to recently released figures from Henry County animal-control workers.

#However, the same animal control officials said they are concerned about the rabies threat bats are posing, if they bite.

#“It’s not a common thing, but we’ve probably answered five or six calls this year, where bats had gotten into somebody’s house,” said Vince Farah, supervisor and rabies control officer for the Henry County Animal Care and Control Department. One resident was “bitten on the foot,” after getting out of bed.

#Farah’s remarks came as he spoke to members of the Henry County Board of Commissioners, Monday, on animal-bite cases from December of last year, to the present.

#Farah said his department responded to 276 animal bites, a total which is 20 more than last year. Dogs produced the most bites, 213 of them; followed by cats, 60, and three involved wild-animal attacks. Not all of the incidents involved bites that led to rabies.

#During rabies threats, Animal-control officers, this year, quarantined three one-mile areas of the county. Those quarantines took place in the Martin’s Creek subdivision, off

Fairview Road

, in the northern portion of the county; the Crown Corners subdivision, near Price Quarters Road, in McDonough; and the Willow Hill subdivision off Eagle’s

Landing Parkway

, in Stockbridge.

#The number of rabies cases in the county, as a whole, was down from previous years. In 2009, there were 11 rabies cases, followed by six cases in 2010, and four cases this year, said Farah.

#“We submitted 32 animals for testing, 16 of which were domesticated,” said Farah. “Sixteen were wild animals. Only four of these animals tested positive for rabies — two less than last year. The ones that tested positive were one fox, two raccoons and one bat. Three of the animals were killed by the victims. One of them was able to capture it, and we put it down,” said the rabies control officer.

#“We executed 123, ten-day, animal shelter quarantines, and 122 home quarantines,” said Farah. “We had 38 animals that were unavailable for testing. In those cases, we directed victims to seek medical advice from a physician for the possibility of rabies treatments.”

#There were no reports this year of domesticated animals with rabies locally. Farah said in rabies cases, animals are tested for the virus at the animal shelter, in McDonough, and the tests are sent off to the Georgia Public Health Laboratory’s Department of Community Health.

December 4, 2011 200. Justin Graeber .Pit bull defenders: blame the owners, not the dogs

Bridgewater attack renews debate over breed with dangerous reputation

BRIDGEWATER — It’s a familiar story: The family dog suddenly and viciously attacks a child.

Except in this case, it wasn’t a pit bull but a Labrador Retriever, a breed normally thought of as docile and safe for families with small children.

Whitman Animal Control officer Bob Hammond recalls this story every time a pit bull makes news like the one in Bridgewater that bit off part of a woman’s face.

The incident rekindled the debate on online comment sections and elsewhere over whether pit bulls are particularly dangerous dogs.

Hammond believes it’s not the breed that makes a bad dog, but rather a lack of training, a bad owner or poor breeding.

“There are other dogs that do it,” Hammond said. He’s been working in animal control since 1972. “The people are more dangerous than the dog is.”

News of the attack inside a Bridgewater home on Thursday quickly spread across the country. A pit bull named Rex bit 71-year-old Normanda Torres in the face, tearing off half her nose and part of her mouth and chin.

The dog was destroyed at New England Animal Medical Center in West Bridgewater so that the body parts could be retrieved from the animal’s stomach. The tissue was cleaned, packed in ice and rushed to Brigham and Women’s Hospital where Torres underwent facial reconstructive surgery.

The Boston hospital earlier this year performed the first face transplant in the U.S. and has performed two others since.

As of Friday, Torres was listed in critical condition. The family has since requested that the hospital not release her condition.

Bridgewater police have not yet filed any charges in the case. Torres relatives told police that the dog had bitten two people prior to attacking her. The previous bites were not reported to police before Thursday.

Merry Young, who runs a pit bull rescue organization called Brave Heart Rescue in Lakeville, is a defender of the breed.

“Every breed of dog has some dogs that are aggressive and some that aren’t,” she said.

She blamed media reports of other pit bull attacks on humans as the reason the breed gets a bad rap.

But reports describing horrific, sometimes fatal attacks by the dogs known for their muscularity, unsurpassed jaw strength and biting ability are not uncommon. Neither is the stereotyping that extends to pit bull owners as people seeking to be thought of as tough guys, or worse.

Diane Chimbur, a volunteer at Brockton Blue Dog shelter said pit bulls have an undeserved bad reputation. “They’re just big babies, most of them,” she said.

Yet studies show that pit bulls attack people more than other breeds. A 2000 study, that looked at fatal human attacks, found that pit bull-types and Rottweilers were involved in more than half of dog-bite related deaths between 1979 and 1998.

The study also noted, however, the difficulty in determining a dog’s breed, and concluded that breed-specific ordinances may not be the most effective way to prevent attacks on humans.

“Fatal attacks represent a small proportion of dog bite injuries to humans and therefore, should not be the primary factor driving public policy concerning dangerous dogs,” the study’s authors wrote in the Journal Of The American Veterinary Medical Association.

Pit bulls are an increasingly popular breed, despite their reputation. An officer at Brockton Animal Control said that pit bulls are the “dominant breed” his department deals with each day.

Technically, pit bull is not a breed. American Staffordshire terrier is just one of a number of breeds lumped into the pit bull category.

At the Blue Dog shelter, Chimbur said she sometimes sees the eyes of a potential adoptive family “go wide” when they learn a certain dog is a pit bull.

“If they met this nice dog, they might feel differently,” she said, noting the shelter does extensive training and education.

Young said she understands the seriousness of dog bites.

“Your heart goes out to their families,” she said. “But most of the time it was a dog that wasn’t raised properly.”

December 5, 2011. KREM.com.Woman tries to stop pit bull as it attacks, kills her dog

SPOKANE—A woman in northwest Spokane is recovering after wrestling with a pit bull that attacked and killed her dog.

The victim says she even bit the pit bull’s ear to try to get the dog to let go.

The victim says she was on her routine morning walk along I street with her neighbor and two dogs. She says the pit bull came right at them.

Laurinda Snow’s 4-year-old Yorky named Beethoven was attacked by a pit bull that came out of an alley. Snow says the pit bull grabbed Beethoven in his mouth and would not let go.

Surveillance video captured the entire attack. Snow’s neighbor grabbed a hold of Snow’s other dog. At the same time, she tried to hit the pit bull to try to get it to let go of Beethoven. She even tried to bit the dog’s ear.

The pit bull finally took off after another neighbor ran to help, but it still had a hold of Snow’s small dog. They say the pit bull eventually dropped Beethoven in a yard. Snow says Beethoven was dead when they found him with a broken back.

Snow says she went to urgent care Monday afternoon to be treated for a dog bite to a finger.

The pit bull’s owner caught the dog and turned it over to SpokAnimal. Officials say the pit bull’s owner has several options of what to do because of the attack. Officials say the owner of the pit bull can have the dog euthanized, appeal the case, or take out dangerous dog insurance and other protective measures on the animal.

November 30, 2011. Mike Koozmin. Bloody vigilantism: Angry mob attacks alleged dog choker at Occupy SF

A man who bystanders say choked a dog at the Occupy SF encampment in Justin Herman Plaza was beat up by an angry mob Wednesday afternoon.

San Francisco police took the bloody man into custody while waiting for animal control to show up to determine if the injuries to the dog warranted a felony arrest.

Paramedics were called to attend to the man's injuries, which included bleeding from the left eye.

November 30, 2011. Angela Delli Santi Associated Press. Animal groups aim to halt N.J. black bear hunt

During an appeals court hearing, they argued that the rationale for the annual event was based on faulty data.

TRENTON - Animal protection groups seeking to stop New Jersey's black bear hunt from getting under way told an appeals court Tuesday that the hunt was based on faulty data - exaggerated numbers of bear-human incidents and unreliable population counts that put too many pregnant female bears at risk of being hunted.

Two animal-rights groups sued the state last year, challenging the bear management policy that allows an annual six-day hunt. The activists failed to stop last year's hunt, in which 592 black bears were killed, but the lawsuit was allowed to continue on its merits.

Last year's hunt was the first in five years. A similar legal challenge succeeded in 2007, and no hunt was held. An appeals panel found flaws with the management policy and ruled that the 2005 hunt should not have taken place.

Tuesday's oral arguments before a three-judge panel focused on the Division of Fish and Wildlife's 2010 comprehensive bear management policy, which includes a hunt. The state maintains that a hunt is needed to keep the black bear population of around 3,400 in check.

A ruling is expected before Monday, the hunt's scheduled start date. An appeal to the state Supreme Court is possible.

Bears have been spotted in 19 of 21 counties this year. The Department of Environmental Protection has recorded 2,667 reports of bear activity through October, a number that includes bear sightings, attacks on livestock, 46 home entries, and 516 reports of bears picking through garbage.

Doris Lin, a lawyer for the Animal Protection League of New Jersey and the Bear Education Resource Group, asked the appeals panel to cancel the hunt and invalidate the bear management policy. She maintains that the policy is based on skewed data and is therefore unreliable.

For example, the number of bear complaints reported by the state rose in the years from 2007 to 2009, but Lin says that's because data were being collected from 32 police departments in 2009 but just 17 departments two years earlier.

The state didn't dispute the discrepancy or the fact that pregnant bears don't enjoy absolute protection during a hunt. But Deputy Attorney General Dean Jablonski, who argued for the state, said the bear management policy was based on reasoned decision-making and the best data available at the time.

For example, he said, the state now recognizes that there are more female bears than males in New Jersey, which wasn't true a decade ago, and that about half are of breeding age, a smaller percentage than previously thought. Such changes in the local bear population help guide the policy, he said.

Anna Seidman, a lawyer for the New Jersey Federation of Sportsmen's Clubs and Safari Club International, told the panel that recreational hunting helps maintain a sustainable, genetically sound bear population. She also said the data collected from hunted bears helped wildlife officials better understand and manage the bear population.

The hunt is held concurrently with the firearm deer season. Bear hunting is allowed in the northwestern part of the state, north of I-78 and west of I-287.

Larry Ragonese, a spokesman for the state Department of Environmental Protection, said the hunt could be halted early if enough bears were killed.

With about 900 bear cubs born in the last year and an estimated 80 percent of them surviving, last year's hunt essentially kept the black bear population stable, he said.

Besides a hunt, the Comprehensive Black Bear Management Policy developed by the Division of Fish and Wildlife includes education, a bear feeding ban, and aversive conditioning.

November 27, 2011. Wolfgang's Kenya conservation news – 87 more tusks found in container destined for China
VIGILANT OFFICIALS SEIZE 87 ELEPHANT TUSKS

A Hong Kong bound container with 87 elephant tusks was seized over the weekend in Nairobi, when alert customs and security officials opened the container for a physical spot check, after various inconsistencies rang the alarm bells and raised suspicion of illicit contraband being hidden amongst the consignment of handicraft for importers in China. The entire container was subsequently scanned before being opened, at which stage the blood ivory was discovered hidden amongst other export items in the various crates.

Chinas reluctance in joining Africa to combat poaching with more draconian measures has been largely blamed for the rocketing rise in poaching across the continent, with rhino horn and ivory the main targets of poachers, costing South Africa alone over 300 rhinos this year, with one reportedly being killed ever 21 hours for the prized, but otherwise useless horn. Importers attribute healing properties to the ground horn, but experts say it would just be as good if the beneficiaries of such concoctions would bit off and eat their own finger nails, which is made of the very same substance as rhino horn.

African wildlife managers, conservationists and globally active NGOs have sharply critizised African governments too of dragging their feet in significantly raising the stakes in terms of fines and sentences for poachers and smugglers, and while making every effort within the resources available, seem to be fighting a losing battle against organized commercial poaching and smuggling operations.
Meanwhile though full kudos to the Kenyan officials who intercepted this latest shipment of blood ivory, while mourning the loss of at least another 44 elephant.

Nov. 22, 2011Lindsey Morone Expert: Pit Bull attacks are quite rare

MILWAUKEE- There is a pit bull problem in Milwaukee. Cities across the country are banning pit bulls after numerous vicious attacks. It is a controversial issue. Some say pit bulls are misunderstood and get a bad rap. TODAY'S TMJ4 set out to find the truth about pit bulls.

In a Waukesha neighborhood, there is hope that good fences make good dogs, especially after what happened six months ago.

"I just remember yelling and screaming and jumping over the fence," says Chris Bartosz.

Bartosz now has scars on his arms and legs. Though his wounds have healed, he has not forgotten the pain of being bit. He was attacked when he helped save his neighbor from two angry pit bulls.

"There was blood all over the floor and all over her," remembers Bartosz.

Sergeant Gerald Habanek with the Waukesha Police Department remembers the attack too. He remembers how a woman was almost killed by a family pet named Prince.

"The dog nearly chewed apart a 52-year-old woman," says Sergeant Habanek.

Police say Prince continued to be aggressive long after the woman was taken to the hospital. They say Prince lunged at the fence. They feared the fence would not hold. Newly released dash cam video shows an officer climbing up on top of his squad car, shooting, and killing Prince.

"In this case, it was a threat from a vicious animal that had already mauled a human being. You absolutely have to put the dog down," explains Habanek.

Waukesha is not alone. In Sheboygan, a 9-year-old was attacked when walking his Chihuahua. There was another pit bull attack in Racine. Most recently, there was another attack in Sheboygan. A 2 year-old was attacked by the family pit bull.

"They just get a lot of press, a lot of media attention," explains Officer John McDowell with Milwaukee Area Domestic Animal Control (MADAC).

There are a lot of opinions about pit bulls. TODAY'S TMJ4 looks at the facts. Since 2008, the top three breeds that bit the most, that were taken in to MADAC are as followed: Labs, with 40 bites, then, German Shephards with 68 bites, and coming out on top, Pit Bulls, with 302 bites.

However, there are a lot of pit bulls at MADAC. In fact, there are more pit bulls than any other breed. They make up 40% of the population at MADAC. But of all the 302 pit bulls that were brought to MADAC, only 4% of them came to the facility because they hurt someone. What the numbers actually show is that pit bulls bite just about as often as any other dog. 3% of the Labs taken in were because they bit someone. German Shephards came out on top at 5%.

Via Skype, Colleen Lyn, who created Dogsbite.org, says a pit bull's bite is worse than other dogs." She was attacked by a pit bull 4 years-ago.

"They are born with a dangerous toolset," explains Lyn. "They have a very unique bite style: lock, and hold, and shake. That is what causes extreme damage to victims," says Lyn.

It is true. Pit bulls are terriers and terriers are known to be maulers.

"That means they grab a hold of someone or something and they don't let go. They start to shake," says Officer McDowell.

That was the case of the pit bull attack in Waukesha six months ago.

"Officers when they responded said that they saw blood and muscles, fatty tissue on the ground in the kitchen after the attack," says Sergeant Habanek.

Without question, the attack in Waukesha was brutal. However, Officer McDowell says what happened was extremely rare.

"If we were to look at the records right now we would find out that the average pit bull bite is no better or no worse than the average German Shepherd bite or Rottweiler bite. In other words they bite and they let go like most other dogs," says McDowell.

The numbers do reveal that there is a pit bull problem in Milwaukee. Though, it is not because of how often the breeds bite. It is because they are so popular and owners are over-breeding them. Experts say when the over-breeding occurs at this magnitude, that is when you can really start to see problems with the breed.

November 21, 2011. Treatment of Traumatic Tiger Attack in a Child

Source: American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS)

Newswise — Charlottesville, Va. (Nov. 18, 2011) – Exotic animals—wild animals unsuited to domestication—are increasingly housed in domestic settings. This sometimes leads to traumatic attacks suffered by owners or visitors. An example of a tiger attack on a child is described in the November issue of the Journal of Neurosurgery: Pediatrics.

In their article, “Traumatic tiger attack. Case report,” authors Marvin Chum and Wai Pui Ng (University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada) describe the neurosurgical, vascular, otolaryngological, and psychological injuries sustained by an 11-year-old boy who was attacked by a Siberian tiger housed at a private home. The boy, invited to view the animal, made a sudden unexpected movement, and the tiger responded by pouncing upon and mauling the child. Swift action by the trainer, who was holding the animal on a leash, saved the child from death.

The boy sustained multiple linear lacerations over his left posterior temporal scalp and puncture wounds in his left parietal, temporal, and neck regions. He had a comminuted depressed skull fracture of the left temporal lobe as well as a left occipital condyle fracture. Further investigations also revealed an underlying temporal lobe contusion and dissection of his left internal carotid artery. Not surprisingly, the child suffered greatly from anxiety over the event and its immediate physical consequences, including left facial weakness and swallowing difficulties.

The authors describe surgical procedures and medical therapies needed to treat the child. Special attention was made to avoid infection from the unique bacteria housed in the tiger’s mouth together with the potentially dangerous, normal flora of the patient’s lacerated skin. Chum and Ng provide a detailed description of the mode of injury in a traumatic tiger bite and the therapies required to respond to these bites.

The child recovered well, although the facial weakness, aspiration, and hoarseness persisted two years after the attack.

The authors emphasize that the most important lesson to be learned from this case is prevention, and they encourage that government policy—in their case, that of the Canadian government—be updated to “minimize inappropriate contact between animals and the public and ban private ownership of large cats.”

Chum M, Ng WP. Traumatic tiger attack. Case report. Journal of Neurosurgery: Pediatrics 8:530–¬534, 2011; DOI: 10.3171/2011.8.PEDS10593.

November 11, 2011. Charli Engelhorn. Local residents raise concerns about illegal dumping of animal carcasses

Animal carcasses illegally dumped near two popular trails have raised the concerns by local residents living near those areas. In the last two weeks, four elk carcasses were dumped at the side of the Hidden Valley Trail and a number of cow hides and carcasses and a deer carcass were found off the road behind the Moab Rim RV Campground. Both areas are south of Moab off U.S. 191.

“Typically, illegal dumping issues go with the county,” said T.J. Robertson, conservation officer for the state Division of Wildlife Resources Southeastern Region. “If I get a call, then I will go out and look for evidence and take photos of footprints and tire tracks to find the person responsible. It’s not our policy to remove the carcasses, but we know it’s not a good thing for visitors and residents using the trails to see that.”

Dan Rusk, who has been living at the RV campground for two years, said that the carcass dumping is an eyesore for tourists coming to town but also poses a number of other concerns as well.

“When the wind is blowing the right way, the smell blows down into the campground and into town and stinks to high heaven,” Rusk said. “It has been amazing how many people say that Moab is a beautiful place, but there is a lot of garbage lying around. These are tourist dollars that support the community, and we want them to keep coming back.”

Rusk said the illegal dumping issue extends beyond cow and elk carcasses. Last year, in addition to three elk carcasses, a number of dead skunks were dumped behind the RV park, and members of the recycling center came and picked up three couches discarded behind the property and buckets of animal innards that had been left there, as well. Rusk said he believes local residents are responsible for the dumping, based on the items he has seen.

Grand County resident Marvin Day lives down the road from the beginning of the Hidden Valley Trail. He said his concerns regarding the carcasses go beyond the negative aesthetic aspects.

“It’s a little aggravating. Coyotes are coming down and feeding on the carcasses. And people have pets they are trying to walk here. Most people turn their dogs loose, and they go straight for the carcasses. A coyote probably wouldn’t think twice about leaving the carcass and going after a smaller dog,” said Day, who said that earlier on Monday morning he was told by a hiker that he had just seen a coyote chewing on one of the carcasses. “We don’t need that to happen. It was reported over two weeks ago, and I’m not sure why they’re not moving them. If they don’t move them soon, I’m just going to do it myself.”

Robertson said he and a Grand County Sheriff’s deputy went and investigated the Hidden Valley carcasses. He said the deputy told him he was going to follow up on the issue. The Grand County Sheriff’s Department said this week that the matter is still under investigation.

A number of motives may be behind the illegal disposal of animal carcasses, according to Robertson. Hunters may be avoiding paying the $5 fee to discard their animals at the Bob’s Sanitation transfer station, or they simply may not want to wait through the weekend to rid themselves of the carcass, as the transfer station is not open on Sundays. Robertson said hunters may also be using the animal incorrectly or may be poachers who are trying to avoid punishment.

“They are supposed to take every usable part and piece of meat so there is no wasting on the animal,” Robertson said. “If they took the animal illegally, then there are more charges they could face, some leading up to a felony.”

Rusk said he would like to see the hunters disposing of their game according to what they are required to do by law and be responsible and considerate of the community. Robertson agreed, saying he wished the hunters would consider taking the animals to a location where they will not be in view of the public or near trails.

“We don’t enforce illegal dumping, but we try to move the carcasses into another area,” Robertson said. “These hunters are giving law-abiding hunters a bad name.”

November 10, 2011. Clifford Ward. 2 arrested in animal hoarding of more than 40 cats and dogs in Elmwood Park.

Charges are pending against two people in the hoarding of more than 40 cats and dogs in an Elmwood Park home, police said Thursday

Authorities were alerted to the situation when a small fire was reported around 7 p.m. Wednesday at the home in the 1600 block of

76th Avenue

, Elmwood Park Police Chief Frank Fagiano said Thursday.

Firefighters were able to put out the minor blaze quickly, and then alerted police to the many animals inside, he said, Elmwood Park police alerted the Cook County Animal Control department, which took possession of 22 dogs and 21 cats, some of which were in poor condition, the chief said.

The animals have been taken to a shelter, Fagiano said.

The village ordinances allow a maximum of three cats or dogs, said the chief, who said the investigation is ongoing.

November 09, 2011. The Democrat. Dog attacks create fear

Following a recent rash of animal attacks in Senatobia, the city is looking at its options for acquiring an animal control officer.

According to Senatobia/Tate County Animal Shelter director Heidi Terrell, the shelter received call after call in October from people needing assistance with animals. The police department responds, but officers aren't trained to handle animal control situations, she said.

"It's not just in the county; it is in the city constantly. There's so many times when we have no one to respond. Then when we do have people responding, they're not trained animal control officers. Our police department is doing the best they can with vicious animals and other complaints," Terrell said.

Terrell told the Board of Aldermen that in the month of October alone, the police department captured and brought eight dogs in to the shelter, and some of the dogs were vicious.

"Of these eight dogs, two of them were deemed vicious. When I say they were deemed vicious, they were not very nice boys. They would absolutely bite you unprovoked," Terrell said. One Senatobia police officer was bitten by a pit bull last month, according to Terrell.

"There were actually two pit bulls that they were chasing, and we don't know what happened to the other one, but it was not captured. The first one was captured and had to be shot to keep it from further attacking the police officer," Terrell said.

Terrell made mention of two other incidents: one in which a vicious Rottweiler had three men pinned on public property inside the city. She said the dog had to be darted and brought in to the shelter. The other story was about a teenager being bitten by a neighbor's dog, which, unprovoked, had escaped a chain that was tied to a garage, which according to Terrell is against the city's animal ordinance code in the first place. The dog was deemed vicious and Terrell said the shelter is following up to assure that it is being kept properly according to the ordinance.

"I just recommend that the city start thinking about a trained animal control officer to enforce our ordinance. Right now, it's only partially being enforced. I feel like we could solve a lot of these animal problems if we had someone," Terrell said. The animal control officer would also be able to respond to calls for investigations into animal cruelty to determine whether there is neglect.

Senatobia Mayor Alan Callicott asked Terrell about the salary range for an animal control officer, and Terrell mentioned two separate approaches to acquiring one.

"We can approach it from different directions. We can hire someone and they can be a part of the shelter, or we can use somebody that's already working for the city, whether it's a police officer or maybe a utility department person," Terrell said.

In order to be trained for animal control, one would need to be sent to a National Animal Control Association (NACA) course. According to Terrell, the first level of training is one week long.

"They're trained in how to capture these animals, to look at the body language of the animals. They know how to fill out reports and they'll know how to go to court when these people are fined for breaking the ordinance," Terrell said. "They can respond to these issues and they're trained to do so." Someone already employed by the city would have to attend the training and would be on call seven days per week, but the position would be a pay increase incentive.

The board tabled the matter in order to conduct salary research.

The matter may be revisited at a later time. Terrell said she could look into animal control officer salaries in DeSoto County and Southaven as they each currently have about three animal control officers on staff.

"I just think that we need to think about being proactive before someone is not just bitten, but before they're mauled by an animal," Terrell said. "They're out there doing a job that they're not trained for."

November 1, 2011. Lauren Williams. Coyote badgers jogger, dogs near Back Bay

Animal Control recommends keeping dogs on leashes and securing pets' food to prevent interactions. An equestrian rescued a man and his dogs from a coyote Tuesday in Newport Beach.

Brian Clarkson, 37, said he was jogging on a trail near the Back Bay with his two Yorkie mixes when a man on a horse spotted a coyote running toward them.

About 8 a.m. near

University Drive

and

Irvine Avenue

, Clarkson met up with the coyote, which he said "seemed hungry and desperate." The rider yelled at the coyote, which was only momentarily deterred, according to Clarkson, who added that the animal continued to follow him and his dogs from bushes across the street.

Seeing this, the rider escorted Clarkson part of the way on the trail, until Clarkson could report the incident to park rangers. "I've never been chased by a coyote looking for a kill before," Clarkson said. Newport Beach Police Department Senior Animal Control Officer Valerie Schomburg said that the city typically sees an increase in coyotes in the fall stemming from the birth of pups in the spring.

Although the city doesn't trap the animals, if animal-control workers hear of erratic behavior from a coyote multiple times, they involve the state Department of Fish and Game.

There have been no known attacks on people in Newport Beach, Schomburg said. "Usually, they're startled, just like people are," she said. "Most wild animals are going to flee rather than fight you." Schomburg recommends not letting dogs off the leash, and keeping pet food secured at home.

October 31 2011. AP, Published: Wyoming hunter escapes Grand Teton National Park grizzly bear attack with minor injuries

MOOSE, Wyo. — A grizzly bear has attacked another person in the Yellowstone region, this time a Wyoming hunter who said the animal came at him with so little warning he had no time to use the pepper spray he was carrying for defense in just such a predicament.

This has been a dangerous year in grizzly country: The big bears that can weigh more than 450 pounds have attacked about 10 people in and around Yellowstone National Park, killing two hikers in separate attacks in Yellowstone.

Elk hunter Timothy Hix, 32, of Jackson, was listed in good condition after being attacked in nearby Grand Teton National Park on Sunday. Park officials expected him to be released Monday from St. John’s Medical Center in Jackson.

Hix told rangers he surprised what he believed was a grizzly bear about five to 10 yards away south of Glacier View overlook on Sunday. He said the bear ran at him but he wasn’t able to grab his pepper spray, so he dropped to the ground, covered his head and remained still.

“He reported that the bear bit him a couple times and might have swiped him,” park spokeswoman Jenny Anzelmo-Sarles said Monday.

Park officials said rangers believe the attack was a surprise encounter with a lone grizzly bear but noted that the investigation was still continuing. Authorities closed off an area measuring about a half-mile to a side after the attack.

Unlike most national parks, Grand Teton allows hunting during part of the year. The park’s annual elk hunting program began Oct. 8. Hix hadn’t killed any elk before encountering the bear.

The hunter responded appropriately to the attack, Anzelmo-Sarles said. “Sounds like he was doing everything right,” she said. “We want to commend him for doing the homework ahead of time.” There have been six recorded bear attacks in the history of Grand Teton National Park. Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

October 27, 2011. John West, Special to CNN. Putting Australia's shark attacks in perspective

John West is currently the Manager of Life Sciences Operations at Taronga and Taronga Western Plains Zoos. He is been the Curator of the Australian Shark Attack File supported by the Taronga Conservation Society Australia (TCSA) for the last 30 years.

(CNN) -- There is no doubt that the three recent fatal shark attacks in Western Australia involve great white sharks. This species is known to inhabit the shallow waters along this coast and are known to migrate south around this time of the year to the seal colonies on the southwest coast.

While they may stay around seal colonies -- their natural prey -- for months, they are not noted for sitting off a beach waiting for food to turn up. They are mostly individual, transient, inquisitive animals that will investigate objects in the water. Swimming, surfing or diving alone near aquatic animals (including seals and dolphins) far from the beach early in the morning or late in the evening may well attract a curious shark and increase the risk of encountering one. As the population increases and water-related activities become more popular, the number of people who go into the water every day also increases. But the chance of encountering a shark still remains very low.

American killed in shark attack off Western Australia

Most Australians understand the risk when they enter the ocean.

Over the past 50 years, only one person has been killed by a shark each year in Australia on average, compared to the 87 people who drown at Australian beaches on average each year, according to Surf Life Saving Australia (SLSA). Therefore, the hysteria in the media surrounding a shark attack seems disproportional to other fatal incidents. Shark attack victim 'one of a kind' Historically human-shark interactions predominantly occurred in the summer months. But in recent decades, swimmers, surfers and divers are continuing to pursue these activities outside of the traditional summer season because of improvements in wetsuit technology.

This is reflected in the occurrence of shark attacks throughout the year since the 1950s; particularly for surfers, snorkelers and SCUBA divers who can enter the water at any time of the year and extend the time they spend in the water in areas that, in earlier decades, were likely to be too cold for recreational purposes. In the past 20 years, 49% of all shark-attack victims were wearing a wetsuit. There have been 26 attacks recorded in the cooler months (May-August) during the past two decades, resulting in six fatalities compared with 15 incidents -- resulting in four fatalities -- during the same months in the previous 20-year period. There is no suggestion that wetsuits in themselves are the cause of an attack, but rather that their use has allowed people to extend their time in the water, increasing the risk of encountering a shark.

The frequency of attacks also reflects the popularity of water-based activities in harbors, estuarine areas and rivers, with people more likely to encounter species such as bull sharks, which have a propensity to inhabit shallow nearshore coastal areas, bays, harbors and rivers in summer months.

In the vast majority of cases, sharks involved in an attack on humans do not stay around the area and can swim 80 to 100 km away by the next day. Unfortunately other sharks may later swim into the area and may be blamed for the attack. Hunting down and killing sharks on suspicion of being responsible is unjustifiable.

However, if the animal can be identified and has not left the area, it would be appropriate to remove it. But once the animal swims away it would be almost impossible to know which shark was responsible.

Shark attacks are a reality of entering the ocean, but it is worth emphasizing that they are very rare events.

Even If you do encounter a shark, the chances of being attacked are very small.

October 27, 2011. BRYAN WALSH | Time.com. Why Coke Is Going White for Polar Bears

The 125-year-old Coca-Cola Company doesn't like to mess with its brand image. That's in part because it's so valuable — according to Interbrand Coke has the best brand in the world — but also because previous efforts to tweak its image haven't always worked out so well, and sometimes lead to things like this.

So perhaps it's a measure of the company's dedication to the environment that Coca-Cola has decided to change the color of its iconic cans for the holiday season — white, to draw attention to the plight of the polar bear. Coke and the environmental group World Wildlife Fund (WWF) have joined together to promote the Arctic Home project, which will involve turning 1.4 billion Coke cans white, emblazoned with the image of a mother polar bear and her cubs pawing through the Arctic. There will also be white bottle caps on other Coke branded drinks, all running from the beginning of November to February. "In 125 years we've never changed the color of the Coke can," says Katie Bayne, president and GM of Coca-Cola Sparking Beverages. "We really see this as a bold gesture." (See the top 10 bad beverage ideas.)

Bold gestures are exactly what the polar bears needs. There's a reason the planet's largest land carnivores have emerged as the symbols of climate change — perhaps no species is more directly impacted by warming temperatures than the polar bear. They depend on Arctic sea ice as a major habitat and hunting ground, but sea ice is vanishing rapidly, shrinking to its second-lowest level on record this past summer. As the ice melts, polar bears are forced to swim further and further for food — and some, especially young cubs, simply won't make it. "We're watching the ice shrink in front of our eyes, and if there is no ice, there are no bears," says Carter Roberts, the president and CEO of WWF. "The polar bears need our help."

One way to help them, of course, is to reduce carbon emissions and blunt the worst effects of global warming. That's ... not really happening all that quickly. So that leaves adaptation, which for polar bears means locating the areas of Arctic sea ice that might be less vulnerable to warming.

That's exactly what WWF is trying to do, identifying the Last Ice area that may remain solid long after other areas of the Arctic have melted. The group is working with Canadian government and the local Inuit community to create a kind of climate refuge in the Last Ice capable of supporting polar bears for decades into the future. "We aren't creating the Last Ice area — climate change is," says Geoff York, the WWF's polar bear expert. "We just want to make sure that the conditions are there to support the polar bears and the people who will be living with them." (See pictures of Germany's Latest Polar Bear Celebrity.)

That's going to take a lot of research — York points out that the high Arctic area is "one of the least understood places on Earth" — and that research is going to cost money, potentially as much as $10 million. (It's not cheap operating in the remote ice.) That's where Coke comes in. The company — which has used polar bears in its holiday ads for decades — is donating $2 million to WWF, and will match consumer donations through March 15 up to $1 million. Individuals will be able to text donations at a dollar apiece to 357357, or donate online at Arctichome.com. "Coke has made a kind of foundational commitment that has never before been seen in our history," says Roberts. "They're taking their biggest promotional season and dedicating it to this cause."

It'll take a lot more than soda to save the polar bears, which are already listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. But a little highly carbonated holiday cheer won't hurt.

Oct 27, 2011. Anniston Star. Pit bull attacks man's farm animals west of Anniston, police say

A brown pit bull Tuesday attacked a llama and two goats and was found eating a third goat at a

Bagley Drive

residence, Anniston police said.

Investigators Wednesday were looking into the incident after the 56-year-old man who owns the residence and the livestock reported the animal attacks to police. The man told officers that he first noticed a problem when he went outside Tuesday morning around 5 to feed his llama. The animal was suffering from injuries and bite marks to its left leg, a police report shows.

Then the man noticed that two of his goats were missing. He reported that he saw a brown pit bull with a spiked collar running through his yard in the 600 block of Bagley Drive, a street west of Anniston but in the police jurisdiction near Bynum-Leatherwood Road. As he walked through his yard, the man found one goat with both of its ears torn off and another with severe throat injuries, police Capt. Richard Smith said.

Then, in another area of the property, the homeowner caught the pit bull as it ate the third goat, Smith said. The man told police he retrieved a rifle from his house and shot at the dog but doesn’t know whether he hit it. Investigators Wednesday were gathering information about whether the dog has owners and who they are. Smith said the owner could be prosecuted for letting the pit bull run loose, a misdemeanor crime whose perpetrators “shall be fined not less than double the damages sustained by the injured party or parties,” according to the Alabama criminal code.

Persons convicted of the crime can also be sentenced to jail or hard labor for up to six months.

October 25, 2011. Group: Last Javan rhino in Vietnam killed for horn

By MIKE IVES, Associated

HANOI, Vietnam (AP) — Vietnam has lost its fight to save its rare Javan rhinoceros population after poachers apparently killed the country's last animal for its horn, pushing one of the world's most endangered species closer to extinction, a conservation group said Tuesday. Vietnam's Cat Tien National Park has had no sightings, footprints or dung from live rhinos since the last known animal living there was found dead last April, shot through the leg with its horn chopped off, the WWF said. Genetic analysis of rhino feces had confirmed in 2004 that at least two rhinos were living in the park, raising hopes that Vietnam's population might survive.

Only 40 to 60 Javan rhinos now remain in Ujung Kulon National Park in Indonesia. They are the last known living members of the species, with none in captivity. Vietnam's Javan rhino population had been shrinking for decades as land conversion and a rising local population threatened the animal's habitat, but poaching and a lack of effective park management and patrols hastened the decline, said Christy Williams, coordinator of WWF's Asian Elephant and Rhino Program. "It appears that protection is not being given a high priority by the Vietnamese government," he said.

Park director Tran Van Thanh said that while some of his rangers failed to fulfill their duties, it is impossible for them to stop all of the estimated 100,000 people living near the park from hunting exotic animals when the average farmer there earns around 150,000 dong ($7.50) per day. "We're not trying to avoid our responsibility in the death of the rhinos, but we've done our best to protect them," Thanh said. Demand for rhino horn has surged in recent years among

Vietnamese and Chinese who believe it can cure an array of ailments. Horns can now fetch up to $50,000 per pound (about $100,000 per kilogram), the WWF report said Tuesday. A small amount of ground-up powder can bring hundreds of dollars on the black market. Global demand has also increased in the last four to five years as some people have begun to consider rhino horn a remedy for cancer, Williams said.

WWF, along with the International Rhino Foundation, confirmed that the last rhino had died in Vietnam by collecting and analyzing its feces. Twenty-two of the rhino's dung piles were found in Cat Tien from October 2009 to February 5, 2010, but no dung piles or fresh rhino footprints were seen in the subsequent nine weeks, the 44-page report said.

Before 1988, the Javan rhino was believed to be extinct from mainland Asia. A small population was then discovered in Vietnam's park, and for the past 20 years, a number of wildlife conservationists have worked closely with the government to try to prevent the species from dying out in Vietnam. But the rhino's habitat has been cut in half since 1988 to about 74,000 acres (30,000 hectares) today. South Africa is a prime source country for rhino horns. According to the South African government, a record 333 rhinos were poached in 2010 — a nearly threefold increase from 2009.

In September, Vietnamese officials traveled to South Africa to address the problem, three years after Hanoi recalled a diplomat from its embassy there after she was caught on tape receiving illegal rhino horns. Ha Cong Tuan, an environmental affairs official, called on Vietnamese medical researchers to study what he called the "rumor" that rhino horn cures cancer and then publicize their findings. The WWF report said Vietnam is on the verge of an "extinction crisis" with several other species — including the saola and the Tonkin snub-nosed monkey — threatened by deforestation, widespread poaching and a "largely uncontrolled" illegal wildlife trade.

Cat Tien was established in 1998 as a composite of three existing protected areas. From 1998 to 2004 WWF invested $6.3 million in the park, with up to $600,000 earmarked for rhino conservation work. In Hanoi, the Vietnamese capital, 100 grams (about 7 ounces) of crushed rhino horn retail for about 43 million dong ($2,150), with the average prescription costing 200,000 dong ($10), a rhino horn vendor in the city's bustling old quarter said Monday, requesting anonymity because the practice is illegal here.

October 25, 2011. Dogs Attacks - One Quarter of All Homeowners Claims

Tall dogs, fuzzy dogs, dogs that fit into purses; all of them are called man’s best friend. Fortunately, that is true of most house dogs, but sometimes we are sadly reminded that dogs are animals and are not rational. For this reason liability and casualty insurance companies are charging higher rates to cover dogs or just not covering some breeds.

Dog attacks account for about 25% of home owner claims. The cost of coverage has gone up about 6.4% more in 2009 than in the prior 12 months, with the average claim exceeding $24,000 for the third straight year, an industry group said.

This is why many insurance carriers are not even covering certain breeds (rottweilers, dobermans, pit bulls, etc.) and dropping coverage on animals if they have any history of violence. One reason for the change in

U.S.

home insurance practices is the exposures presented by rising medical costs, plastic surgery for permanent dog bite scars and long-term emotional harm these animal attacks can cause, according to a Bloomberg Report.

The Herndon law firm ABRAMS LANDAU, Ltd. has recently been contacted by several victims of dog attacks in the Mid-Atlantic region. Doug Landau, an experienced attorney in canine attacks, notes “In some car accidents, the injured plaintiff never sees the defendant trucker or hit and run motorist. But in dog attack cases, the innocent victim feels the teeth, claws and grabbing; sees the dog, hears the sounds of the attack, and can even smell and sometimes taste the dog's saliva on her face. These are nightmarish experiences for anyone. The results the Landau Law Shop has had throughout the East Coast suggest that juries and judges take these harms and losses very seriously.”

Landau adds, “These are not ‘accidents,” they are usually intentional attacks and should be treated differently from an ‘accident case.” If you have questions regarding dog attacks or animal bite injuries, please e-mail or call us (703-796-9555 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 703-796-9555 end_of_the_skype_highlighting ) at The Herndon Law Shop, as there are legal time limits to bringing a claim for the losses caused by a dangerous dog's attack.

October 24, 2011 Australia Issues Kill Order After Shark Attacks

Baltimore Aquarium Director Hopes Australians Will Call Off Shark Hunt

BALTIMORE -- A series of shark attacks off the waters of Australia triggered a government kill order Monday, and local officials said they are hunting for the animal that killed an American over the weekend.

Great White Sharks are easily spotted from the air off the coast of Western Australia, but it's almost impossible to see them coming underwater.

Officials said that American Thomas Wainwright encountered a Great White while scuba diving Saturday and surfaced with fatal wounds, prompting the government to issue a kill order for the shark.

Some fear it could be the same predator that killed two other people in the same waters in recent weeks. Australian officials said they are baiting hooks throughout the area to catch the Great White that killed Wainwright, and the mission is alarming conservationists and marine biologists, including a shark expert from Baltimore. "Once the shark realizes it's not its intended prey, the shark swims away in 90 to 95 percent of attacks and bites. We're not really good food. We're not fatty. I would say in this case, we're not dealing with a rogue shark, we're dealing with a couple different sharks," Andy Dehart, the director of fisheries at the National Aquarium in Baltimore, said.

While Dehart doesn't agree with hunting great whites, he said he does understand why so many people seem to have a primal fear of the predators, because they can grow up to 20 feet long and have row upon row of teeth set into a massive jawbone. "My personal bet is that the shark is long gone -- moved a couple hundred miles up or down the shore tracking its normal prey items: seals and sea lions," Dehart said. Dehart pointed out that, despite the size advantage, sharks are more endangered by humans.

"Sharks are fished out of the ocean at a rate of 73 million per year. When you compare that to the 100 humans that are attacked every year with five to six fatalities, (it's almost nothing)," Dehart said.

Dehart said he hopes the Australians will call off the shark cull and rely more heavily on aerial surveillance to steer swimmers to safety.

While Dehart and other scientists see the shark attacks as accidents, many Australians in the tourism trade said they are pushing officials to take steps to make visitors feel safe enough to keep streaming into the waters Down Under.

October 24, 2011. Policies dictate handling of dangerous animals

BUCHANAN — Buchanan City commissioners took action Monday night in hopes of curbing animal attacks in the area.

The commission had been discussing the possibility of drafting a local dangerous animal ordinance after three residents were seriously injured in two pit bull attacks in September.

But the commissioners elected to keep the issue in the hands of the county, which already has an ordinance on the books.

Instead, the commission approved a series of policies to address the dangerous animal issue.

Four actions

The four policies are: to enhance the city’s police officers’ understanding of the county ordinance; have the county animal control agency provide additional animal control training to law enforcement; provide community education to animal owners; and request that the county commissioners consider changes to the county’s dangerous animal ordinance.

The commission had a work session last week to discuss the issue and City Manager Bill Marx recommended those policies based on the discussion.

Marx, who also serves as the city police chief, said officers have already had some additional training from animal control recently. The training included how to best approach and manage aggressive animals and how to streamline reports and citations to the prosecutor and court system regarding animal violations.

“It was very good training, a lot of good information,” Marx said.

Commissioner Pat Moore said the commission should contact the school board to encourage them to host training sessions from animal control for students as well.

The Buchanan commissioners also agreed to encourage the Berrien County board to consider stiffening the penalties for violations of the ordinance, although they won’t make any specific suggestions for changes.

Shades of gray

“The ordinance is very vague,” said commissioner Joe Scanlon. “There are a lot of gray areas in it. I’d like to see it tightened up a little bit. But it’s not the city of Buchanan’s place to tell the county what exact changes to make.”

Currently, violation of the ordinance is a 90-day misdemeanor with up to a $500 fine, according to Marx.

Oct 21, 2011,. BY MARA STINE. County animal control officials bait trap to catch alligator Creature reportedly seen on

Birdsdale Avenue

Gresham officials hope a heavily baited trap is enough to catch an alligator reported near a local stormwater collection pond on Friday, Oct. 21.

A business tenant near the pond in a wetland area in the 2200 block of

Northwest Birdsdale Avenue south

Burnside Road

, told Oregon Fish & Wildlife officials that he saw the 4- to 5-foot-long creature, said Laura Shepard, Gresham spokeswoman.

Multnomah County Animal Services responded by setting a trap in the stormwater pond, which acts as a basin to hold rainwater from the surrounding area.

City officials “haven’t positively identified it,” but suspect the creature is either an alligator or a Caiman, Shepard said. Caimans are a smaller, less-dangerous-to-human alligator native of Mexico and Central and South America.

Considering that neither one is native to the Northwest, “We suspect that someone has dumped a pet, and it could be hungry,” Shepard said.

Anyone experiencing a similar sighting is encouraged to call Multnomah County Animal Control, 503-988-7387 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 503-988-7387 end_of_the_skype_highlighting (PETS).

October 20, 2011. Exotic Animal Zanesville Carcasses Hunted by Exploiters Seeking Trophies.

By CHRISTINA CARON (@cdcaron) People hoping to profit from the death of nearly 50 exotic animals that escaped from a farm in Zanesville, Ohio, after the preserve owner shot and killed himself, have been contacting the sheriff's office, interested in taking the animals to a taxidermist.

"We've gotten calls and e-mails about what [is] going to happen to the animals ... could they be obtained for these types of things," said Muskingum County Sheriff Matt Lutz. "There's a lot of people who would pay a lot of money to get these animals."

But Lutz is cracking down.

The location of the 49 animals buried on the property has not been disclosed, Lutz said, adding, "Anybody caught on that property looking for it will be charged with criminal trespassing." Earlier this week officers stopped a group of people from stealing the dead body of a lion.

"They were taken into custody," Lutz said.

Marion Thompson, the widow of farm owner Terry Thompson, who was found dead in the driveway after shooting himself and setting his animals free, is now manning the property, watching out for thieves.

"Hopefully nobody would be that morbid that they will want to go to do that," said Lutz. "I can guarantee you one thing, if it does happen we will pursue them to the greatest length to charge them."

Thompson's wife, he said, is "very distraught" about the loss of her husband and animals, many of which "were like kids to her," Lutz said. "She probably spent more time with these animals than some parents do spend with their kids."

Farm Animals May Have Come from Auctions

Officers avoided a potentially catastrophic disaster, using pistols and high-powered rifles to take down nearly 50 of the dangerous animals. Only one animal remains unaccounted for -- a macaque monkey that Lutz says was probably eaten by a large cat.

It's unclear where preserve owner Terry Thompson found his menagerie of exotics.

"I've heard that some were rescues," Lutz said. "I've heard that some were bought at auction." Officers didn't find any evidence that Thompson had been trying to breed them.

Great White sharks

2011-10-10T00:26:00.001-07:00

For the latest Animal Attack news from
October 25, 2011 more news can be found on this link:

World's top Latest wild Animal Attack News around the world

Shark Attacks Prevention and safety

There are three kinds of attack:
1 Hit and run: usually a single strike in a surf area as a result of mistaken identity or territorial dominance. Injuries are minor.

_{2 Bump and bite: the animal is hungry and surveys the prey in decreasing circles, bumping it to get an initial flavour. After the bump comes the bite, if you're tasty enough. Neoprene probably wouldn't fit the bill. Repeat visits are common and injuries severe.}

_{3 Sudden strike: often by the Great White. Repeat visits are common and injuries severe.}

_{Avoiding an attack in shark waters:}

_{Don't go alone - these animals tend to go for lone prey as their senses can tune in better on the target and they like easy meat. Sharks, like all predators, tend to go after solitary individuals, the weak and the infirm, and are less likely to attack people or fish in groups.}

_{Furthermore, since great whites and tiger sharks tend to retreat after the first bite it's useful to have victim assistance nearby.}

_{Don't go in deep - while it is true that some attacks happen in shallow water, more often sharks travel around steep drop offs or near river mouths, as that is where their natural food congregates.}

_{Don't swim or surf in murky water - mistaken identity is generally the reason that people are attacked and in surf and/or murky water hungry critters can see you less well. Then again, you can't see them at all!}

_{Don't go for dawn/dusk/night swims - the favoured hunting time and poor vision time for you.}

_{Don't go in if there's blood - sharks can smell it many miles away so don't enter the water with open wounds, near where people are fishing/spear fishing, or near ocean garbage, and ladies should not go in during their monthly cycle.}

_{Don't wear jewellery - a shark's vision is not that great as they rely on vibrations or electrical signals in the water. However they do pick up on contrasting tones of dark and light very well which help them catch shiny fish.}

_{Highly contrasting wetsuits [e.g. black and white], swimsuits or jewellery may get part of you mistaken for a fish.}

_{Don't go bare - wear a wetsuit, nothing like the taste of neoprene to put you off your dinner!}

_{Don't panic - if you see a shark, leave the water as quietly and quickly as possible, or stay still and vertical [i.e. unlike a seal]}

_{Don't swim where others have been attacked - sharks do strike twice, unlike lightning.}

_{The recreational groups most attacked are surfers, with bathers second. Surfers splash a lot in surf conditions which making it easier for sharks to mistake their identity. Surfers also spend the greatest proportion of time in the water. Since 1980 over 300 surfers worldwide have been mauled by sharks.}

_{If you're being circled or otherwise hassled by a shark:}

_{Swimmers and surfers - if the shark is circling you it may be just curious and checking its territory but if it continues circling and seems hungry try to look the opposite of its regular entreé - a seal. In other words don't splash and get/stay vertical.}

_{Another preventative measure is to join hands with another person, making your combined profile much bigger than the shark will wish to attack. Japanese pearl divers used to take off their loincloth and trail it in the water, increasing the apparent size of the swimmer.}

_{If you're attacked:}

_{Swimmers and surfers - look around the surface and below for a shadow, punch and kick at the animal's nose and eyes if a repeat attack occurs*. Shout for help and if you think surf savvy bathers or lifeguard are present, the sign that you are in trouble is one arm raised high - do not wave with one arm, you may just get greeted back.}

_{If you need to wave use both arms or try the international divers shark sign of finger tips together - like a dorsal fin.}

_{Get out of the water as fast as possible but without panicked splashing; swim smoothly and you will go faster.}

_{Your flippers will work best and attract fewer predatory fish if they don't splash, so learn how to use them properly.}

_{*Yes really! Some surfers at a competition in Florida 2001 were attacked repeatedly by several sharks. They literally punched and kicked the menacing fish away from their boards because they wanted to get on with the competition. Some lacerations resulted but all the surfers lived to tell the tale.}

_{A British surfer was attacked by a Great White in South Africa in 2005. It grabbed his leg and dragged him along, however he punched and kicked the beast and lived to tell the tale on national television!}

_{Give a helping hand to a shark attack:}

_{If you see someone under attack, go to help them. It's unknown for a shark to go for the help, they like to focus.}

_{Scuba divers - If you have weapons, use them. If not, try to hit the shark's eyes or nose with anything - your camera, a rock or your fist.}

_{Look Great Whites in the eye. Really! They prefer to attack things that are not looking at them!}

_{These animals like to attack from the side or below so you could find cover protected by rocks.}

_{If you see the shark going around in ever decreasing circles, and even brushing you, expect an attack. If it then heads for you, twitching and jerking - unlike the usual smooth glide - make yourself into a small ball. When the big fish is closer, suddenly snap into a maximum size starfish shape. This apparently confuses the fish's primitive visual apparatus.}

_{If you have a dive buddy - which you should have- holding him/her gives the beast the impression that you are bigger than it.}

_{Remain calm and remember a panicked resurface could give you the bends and kill you.}

_{The most reported attacks:}

_{1. The USA has the highest incidence of shark incidents in the world but one of the reasons for this is the large amount of recreational marine activity that goes on in the region.}

_{Florida is worst affected with around 60% of all cases in the country; the entire east coast has a growing problem with aggressive sharks. California follows at around 15%.}

_{2. Africa}

_{3. Central and South America}

_{4. Australia and the Pacific Islands}

The Red Elephant and the Land of a Million Elephants

2011-09-21T09:40:00.000-07:00

For the latest Animal Attack news from
October 25, 2011 more news can be found on this link:

World's top Latest wild Animal Attack News around the world

Red Elephants

Kenya has the largest habitat of elephants with a grand
population of 11,600 which is 1/3 elephants of the world's

Red Elephants are some of the pride of a safari at Tsavo

The famous African Forest Elephant and the notably African Bush Elephant are collectively known as referred as the African elephant. From around 37 African countries mainly Tanzania Uganda, South Africa, Zaire, Malawi and many more, including Kenya have managed to sustain the number of the world's African elephants which is about 470,000 to 690,000 elephants.

A male red African elephants of the savanna species grow up to 25 feet
long, stand up to 11 feet tall and weigh up to 14,000 pounds

The dangerous beautiful red elephants just as the white elephants and the gray or born elephants have lived in the two different continents for thousands of years. The red elephant with little ritual rights as compare to the white and the elephants from the land of a million elephants have had a lot of privileges and have taken part in both human economics, religious and cultural importance. The elephant with its elegant tusks has always been on the forefront in the continuation of the red elephants as the dominant male who has the power to protect the heard and as the head of the pride

Taming of the red elephants

Female red elephants can usually breed by age ten
and give birth to one young every four years

The red elephants which were very aggressive and proved difficult to be tamed were lucky enough not to take part in the ancient dangerous wars which took decades to vanquish and the casualties were immense. Would it have been a great honour for the majestic red elephants to take part? Well it was only a matter of time before to decide the fate of the great red elephants in the wilderness of Tsavo that roamed the whole of the African continent on the hay days of slavery and during the construction of the Kenya Uganda Railway. On the other hand, the land of a million elephants had the privilege raising the status of their white, gray or brown elephants to serve as beasts of burden in war and peace and as a symbol of royalty and fame.

The average life span of a red Tsavo elephant in the wild is 60 years

While very few beautiful and strong red Elephants have managed to be taken into the modern world of entertainment such as in circuses, these red elephants had to endure a lot of pain to discover the new world which was there in store for them. These red elephants had to be attacked by poachers in the dead of the night or when most of the young elephants were born. With their massive bodies, there was always little chance for the red elephants to hide in the bushes or run for the hills deep in the African forest and the surrounding savannah vegetation. The little elephants would be transported or be sold in far away countries where they could be part of a breeding program or to be kept indifferent zoon. If the her of elephants is spared, many of them succumbed to the bullets, machetes or poisonous spears and arrows which were used to attack the red elephants in order to get their massive tusks or ivory which were used for making carvings.
The red elephants and the ivory trade

Older and larger males—especially those in musth (condition of
heightened testosterone levels) —dominate the breeding,
winning the acceptance of females in heat.

The red elephant ivory has been called "white gold". With little known about the white gold rush the ivory is highly prices due to the fact that it is beautiful. Who wouldn't want a beautiful animal, item, commodity a home or a friend, easily carved? The elephant ivory according to many experts is very durable, and pleasing to the touch in the markets of China, Thailand, Hong Kong, Japan, and other Asian countries If the buying of such endangered species accessories and items stops, the killing of the red, the white and the gray elephants also stops. We need to communicate and change our lifestyle moralities for the sake of these beautiful animals. If wild animals can adopt to change, why not humans who have the most advance brains.

Problems engulfing the world's elephants.

Red females elephants and young males live in cohesive herds of
about ten related adults and their offspring.

Elephant ears have infrasound capabilities for long-range
communication

With an abundant appetite the red elephants, the white elephants and the brown elephants consume a gross amount of vegetation comprising of herbs shrubs twigs and barks of trees s need up to 250 kilograms a day. With plenty of land to roam about, the red elephant is king in its habitat as all what is in store in the vast Savannah land with proper food at its disposal. On the other hand many of the elephants from the land of a million elephants have little confinement as lad has become scarce and the feeding grounds have been turned into farmlands and logging which is part of the order of the day, many of the elephants do take part in their own natural habitat unknowingly as man has been able to tame these beautiful animals but in the long run, its just the end of many of the white and the Asian elephants which might be missed decades to come. Very few people live in forest in many parts of the world where some of these dangerous elephants are found.

With many of the forest also being out of bound and also being protected by law, very little is left for the people who have co existed withe the red elephants and the white elephants. With plenty of game parks and national parks along the African Savannah, the Tsavo red elephants have enjoyed the modern advanced luxury of medical experts and the latest medial help. With frequent game parks and park patrols within the red elephant’s natural habitat experts and well trained veterinarians always come to the aid of these elephants. With the advent of modern tracking and marking most of the red elephants in and around the Tsavo national parks, many elephants have been rescued and their movement has been traces which has also given more insight on how these beautiful animals wonder these great lands of the African continent.

On the other hand you find that elephants from the land of a million elephants don’t get that much of a better treatment but to some extent, many elephants owners or in many of the parks have a number of limitation in terms of veterinary doctors and very well experienced mahout. The number of elephant specialists in the land of a million elephants is not sufficient enough and when experts are called for, the overall handling of the elephants is not as what is expected of as it has been the case from their own experience as many of these experts cannot be gotten onetime due to their other occupation, proximity and the logistics involved and the nature of the animal health and the state the animal doctor when he observes the animal.

The big budget for the big elephants

The African elephant species are considerably bigger
and have larger ears than their Asian elephants

Big national parks come with big budgets and big elephants to feed come with big money and when these red elephant and white elephants get sick or need medical help, very big elephant size budgets are needed but are not handy for the sick elephant at hand. Most of the elephant injuries require high tech equipment and animal doctors which is one of the greatest problem faced in many countries who which to have these giant animals as pets and as a pride of their countries as well. When elephants get sick or injured, veterinarians and all equipment have to get ready including budget paid for the urgent cases as well.

The red elephants have the largest tusks in the

world weighing over 50kg each

There are many organizations which have been supporting different wild animals such as save the elephant or adopt an elephant which have contributed endless amount of money manpower and both media and research in order to make these elephants and many of the world animals at large have a better place to graze, hibernate and reproduce and to defend their territory as well. With little or no work to do apart from bulldozing trees and trampling on the natural vegetation in the Tsavo national parts and the surrounding areas as far s the Tsavo red elephants are concerned, their counterparts which have been domesticated for the last 5000 years have to do all work and no play with poor health surroundings and conditions which have less health care services despite all the general improvement which is always being spearheaded but there is always hope and headway should be made with greater awareness to help quell the problem.

The Tsavo red soil and the makeup of the red elephants

Elephants of Tsavo East National Park are famous for their colour

The Tsavo red elephants don’t have the problems to be registered as their counterparts. In many of the Asian countries the problem of elephant registration hinders the proper conservation of the Asian elephant species and hence the loopholes which prompt s illegal cross-border trading of working Elephants within the neighboring countries of Asia and which results in the loss of many unaccounted Asian elephants from the borders and the jungles of China, Thailand and the Land of a million elephants (Laos). With around 2000 elephants now remaining in “Lane Xang” today (Laos) or the land of a million elephants as compared to the Tsavo elephants, these beautiful elephants do need a helping hand from all angles of the world.

The red elephants are the largest bodies in the world

With the destruction of more natural environment due to human activity, the ones who sufferer the most and these Asian elephants who have to be engrossed in lifting the heavy load rather than the little cultural village work they had been accustomed to. Despite all these, those who manage to get a ride on these elephants when they visit Laos do have great stories to tale and at the same time a dire need for action as has been the case for the Tsavo red elephants who came too the rescue from the local government in Kenya as a result many of the red elephants are flourishing and there is a steady rise in the red elephant population which is a welcoming sight as one of the wonders at the Tsavo National Park in Kenya.

A red elephant herd going home to roost

Though the matter of fact is that there are no red elephants and these elephants of Africa are not really red. People who go to Tsavo national part and always amazed to see these beautiful elephants walking majestically grazing and bathing in the nearby ponds. With the natural soil of Tsavo being dark red, the Tsavo elephants have been bathing themselves in the red mad while in the ponds and at the same time scooping the red sand on their bodies. As a result, these red elephants appear red as red pepper and while you are out there on a safari, these great creatures are worth every photograph and a memory of a life time.

Tsavo National Park is known for being the natural
habitat to the world's only red elephants

These elephants can only continue to flourish be part of nature so long as their by products are not hitting the worlds markets. If the buying stops the killing of the red elephants, the white elephants and the brown elephants stops too

snakes in the modern world

2011-09-01T22:52:00.001-07:00

For the latest Animal Attack news from
October 25, 2011 more news about animalscan be found on this link:

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Snakes and their beauty.

Why do people fear snake? what kind of snakes are dangerous? What do I do if I am bitten by a snake? where are the most dangerous snakes found? These are some of the question many people tend to ask all about snakes their habitat, their food and how too protect oneself from dangerous snake attacks as well. A snake is never called by its name at night in many cultures, because it would hear.

Many people fear snakes. Snakes are not secretive creatures that usually retreat at the slightest disturbance. Is it that all snakes are dangerous, well depending on the type of snake in your locality and from the snake history of your area, one should not be that astonished to get a snake bite of any sort.

People have managed to tame these dangerous creatures. They sleep with snakes, they play with snakes and they even swim with snakes. That is just for the chosen few who have the sheer guts to be part of the inner world which find no harm with being in contact with snakes in their living rooms or just around their body or body parts. How a bout some snake dinner, or snake soup. Will that spoil your appetite for the rest of your entire humanity. As they say one man's meat is another man's poison but one mans snake is another mans friend for sure. As friendly as snakes can be, their venom can be as deadly as your enemy can be with all things left aside as you don't have to judge the book by its cover.

Despite the fact that many people always have instilled minds to kill a snake the moment they see it, some of these snakes are revered in many parts of the world and with many cultural differences, these dangerous snakes are not things to recon with when they show their true colors if they are provoked. Omweri, the 16-foot-long python which was originally revered by the inhabitants of the village of Wasare, in western Kenya, for its fortune-bringing powers started proving to be less of a blessing to the inhabitants of Western Kenya. The 16-foot-long python had hatched dozens of eggs, prompting fears that Wasare may be swamped by its offspring and due to the fact that heavy floods might wash Omweri (the 16-foot-long python) and its eggs away.

People with different religious background worship snakes which have many folklore's and traditions which can only be understood by the pones practicing snake worship or the powers associated with snakes. Many people try reasoning it in their eyes of their education and modern thinking it doesn't make sense to them.

You get that these are a people who still have the old blended way of temperament culture in them and it takes time for them to digest the changes that have gone on in modern life On the other hand, snakes have gone miles in making some great contributions in the ecology as far as our flora and fauna is concerned.

Snakes are found in many habitats such as the rice and paddy fields of Africa just like the Nile Crocodiles who come in close contacts with many of the biggest snakes and Asia fields, The tropical rain forests, the great wetlands of North and South America, ponds, lakes, streams, the cold and hot deserts, farmland and residential areas. Within those habitats, snakes are probably some of the most recognizable animals in the world and tend to travel along the ground, swim, climb trees and bushes, and venture below ground. Although some snakes do burrow, most "snake holes" are produced by chipmunks, mice, shrews and other small mammals. Snakes have an order. Maybe it should be called a "hunting" order since large species of snakes often prey upon smaller snake species. Most of the snake species utilize these burrows for the sake of food, shelter and for laying but most species don't dig holes or burrows.

The biggest Nile Crocodile

The Biggest African Nile Gustavo crocodile leads while the Crocodile Dandee follows

2011-08-26T10:59:00.001-07:00

October 25, 2011 for the latest animal attacks news click on the link below

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The Largest African Nile crocodile in the world

Way back in the Eocene Epoch era, the Largest African Nile Crocodile was already destined to be hatched among the greatest African fresh water rivers infested with man eating deadly crocodiles.

From the crocodile and the alligator family Africa was blessed with this monster crocodile which has not only been the center of all crocodiles in Africa and the world but among the crocodile world and among the Africa’s Hole of Fame among being the Great Lake Victoria which is infested with giant Hippopotamus, the biggest Tilapia fish in the world which is the source of River Nile, the longest river in Africa notably the River Nile, The famous great Pyramids along the River Nile in Egypt natural wonder of the world: the biggest natural land formation being the Great Eastern and Western Rift Valley which is a natural habitat for all the beautiful flora and fauna of the African Continent.

The Largest crocodile an ambush predator

With the Nile crocodiles figures reaching around 250000 to 500000, these sharp African crocodiles have managed to attack scores of people and the largest crocodile in the African continent has lived to its name being the worlds worst and deadliest crocodile in the world: Gustavo.

Like any other crocodile, Gustavo the largest Nile crocodile comes from the Crocodylidae species. Being a true crocodile, Gustavo like any other great Crocodylus niloticus was hatched in the crocodile habitat south of the Sahara desert where most of the deadly Nile crocodile are roam the African rivers, lakes, wetlands ponds and estuaries. Today many of the African Nile crocodiles are not in the endangered species list as crocodile hunting for its skin and meat has been restricted by many international bodies of animal protection which has resulted in proper data collection and monitoring of the Nile crocodile species.

Hunting tactics adapted to swimming and camouflage along the crocodile rivers

While In Burundi by the year 2004 Gustavo with plenty of food to eat and maturing with age, this great Nile crocodile was cloaking almost 60 years old measuring around 6.1 meters in length weighing approximately 1000kgs. Gustavo became to be known as the largest crocodile ever in Africa.

Gustavo became to be known as a man-eating crocodile as his sheer size and weight could not be sustained by the small fish to satisfy his huge appetite and also him being in the top hierarchy of the crocodile habitat in its native waters. Gustavo was well acquainted with these waters and could swim for miles as is the case with most crocodiles in search of females to mate and the urge to explore and expand its territory.

The supper size crocodile fore test carnivorous appetite of man

This Super size Nile crocodile resorted into claiming and attack bigger preys mainly larger zebras, water buffalo, hippopotamus, wildebeest and people who waded the infested waters which were full of these dangerous animals. While rumors has it that this greatest Nile crocodile started to get accustomed to eating people as a result of the people who were thrown in many along the rivers during the Burundi civil war

Back in the mid 1950s the largest saltwater crocodile in the world ever hunted down “Krys the Savannah King” was shot on the head in 1957 by Krystina Pawlowski on the banks of the Norman River. An 8.64m alleged replica of a crocodile shot in the area in the 1950s sits proudly on the town's main street. Gustavo also faced the same fate. With many attacks on top of its list, this killer crocodile was being pursued to be put down. Spears, arrows and guns were used to subdue Niloticus crocodile but the Nile crocodile proved to be the winner. The crocodiles head has bullet marks one on his head and three on his right side with wounds which which have healed and have a lot of history to tell

Territorial predator and scavenger

Being able to adopt in fresh water, the saltwater crocodile cousins are on top of being the largest from the rest of the crocodile species as they can swim perfectly well in search of small any marine animals big or small for its appetite in any of the Indian, Australia and the far East waters. Booth in Asia and Australia some staggering saltwater crocodiles (Crocodylus porosus) of 6 metres (20 ft) long are also topping the list among the longest crocodiles in the world. A glimpse of individuals astonishing lengths of 7 meters long crocodiles have been put on record. Once again the eastern parts of India according to the Guinness Book of World Records has entered and confirmed the existence of a 7 meters salt water crocodiles as some of the biggest crocodiles in the world.

Despite the fact that the largest Nile crocodile is still on the lose among the African rivers, case of crocodile attacks will keep on coming up as people become aware of the giant African killer crocodile is till on the run out there. Will Gustavo still be the largest African crocodile as time goes bye just like the famous Crocodile Dandee? Well only time will tell as the crocodile habitat gradually comes into contact with man during fishing, farming and transportation the crocodile movements will have to be put under check as in many parts where Gustavo set foot, scores of people lost their lives. With the existing crocodile farming, we are yet to see many more larger crocodiles with time both in captivity and in many crocodile and animal sanctuaries and national parks.
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The Red Elephant and the Land of a Million Elephants

The Polar bear: Who listens when they talk?

2011-08-21T07:33:00.000-07:00

The Polar Bear do we really listen when they talk.

No wild animal in the wilderness has been able to grace the winter and colder temperatures of the Arctic like the polar bear. With cold weather for almost half the year and with dwindling population, the polar bear has entered the threatened species list and has not officially and endangered species and is under strict protection according to the United States Law.

The Polar Bear Blaming Game

Since Man is always the cause of all the extinction of many of the endangered species, the polar bear is not going for extinction because of hunting of the polar bear but because of the natural phenomenon brought about by the retraction of the ice bergs at the Arctic sea. With the bear’s source of food mainly composed of seals, penguins and fish and other marine animals found within the polar bear environment, the polar bear. While most of the brown or grizzly bear hibernate and wait for the high protein salmon eggs to arrive from the lower parts of the rivers coming home to lay eggs, these polar bears with the global warming have to adopt with the shortage of food and with less stepping ground to tread on thus many feeding polar bears with bear cubs end up without food.

The Bear family sniffing up the global changes
Since polar bears are well acquainted with their natural bear surroundings many polar bears will always sleep on the ice, give birth to bear cubs in the burrows under the snow mainly comprising of two to three baby bears and all the hunting and training will take place in the polar bear environment. How long will the polar bears going to endure the global warming.

The polar region is already changing and it will continue to change for a period which no body knows. Should all the bears be rounded up and take to higher ground or should every bear use their own survival tactics and brave the changing global warming conditions? How about the natives who live in those regions where polar bears are the source of protein, clothing and even shelter? What should their plight be? Though in the whole and in the main and being in the bear natural environment with depleted food sources, there are things which need to be changed. With many nations scrambling for natural resources in the polar embedded region something needs to be done in order to alleviate this already problem in the near distant future.

The way polar bears need to talk
While the grizzly bear is already spreading havoc in many parts of its habitat as has been in many part of the news, are we going to see more animal attacks in our vicinity, Well time will only tell as it has been man's natural behavior that: A lot of people spend time talking to the Wild Animals, but not that many people listen. Giant crocodiles are hunted for their trophies, dear face the same fate while goose are also not spared.

Polar bears like any other wild animals also have feelings, they need love & affection just as we all have families, their rights should not be infringed the way we humans need out rights to be protected by law and as a rule of law. We should take care of polar bears and other wild animals as they are part of us as it has been from the primitive age to this modern world. I know it’s a bear jungle out there but if we all know how our modern jungles are; it’s just the courage to make our world friendly.

Whether we need to put our dogs, cats, snakes, lions in a nice comfortable house with a strong fence to keep a check on them if we are of sound mind, putting a muzzle on the animals while in the public assures the safety of the masses as its only through information, education and communication which can instill the dangers of such animals at bay hence a peaceful society that we should all cherish and adhering to both human and animal rights as well.

The same way applies to people venturing in any bear habitat. Though the preventive means of any bear attacks are always perceived as true, many a times people don’t heed to this bear attack warnings and end up being victims of circumstances. We just need to expect the unexpected despite all odds now that we are living in a world where even the polar bears have to face changes the way nature portrays it.

October 27, 2011. BRYAN WALSH | Time.com. Why Coke Is Going White for Polar Bears

One way to help them, of course, is to reduce carbon emissions and blunt the worst effects of global warming. That's ... not really happening all that quickly. So that leaves adaptation, which for polar bears means locating the areas of Arctic sea ice that might be less vulnerable to warming. That's exactly what WWF is trying to do, identifying the Last Ice area that may remain solid long after other areas of the Arctic have melted. The group is working with Canadian government and the local Inuit community to create a kind of climate refuge in the Last Ice capable of supporting polar bears for decades into the future. "We aren't creating the Last Ice area — climate change is," says Geoff York, the WWF's polar bear expert. "We just want to make sure that the conditions are there to support the polar bears and the people who will be living with them." (See pictures of Germany's Latest Polar Bear Celebrity.)

It'll take a lot more than soda to save the polar bears, which are already listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. But a little highly carbonated holiday cheer won't hurt.

Graphic footage of an Elephant resuscitating a baby elephant the first ever elephant birth filmed in Bali, Indonesia.

2011-07-29T18:56:00.000-07:00

Graphic footage of the first ever elephant birth filmed in Bali, Indonesia.

The founder of the Elephant Safari Park at Taro, Bali, Nigel Mason talks us through the experience. You won't regret watching this. Message from Nigel: For all the kind people who have watched this video and asked various questions, particularly, how is the mother and baby doing. Here is a little bit more information. The mother Nicki and her baby are both doing extremely well and Riski has turned out to be quite a character. This is 18 year old Nickis first baby, Nicki herself being one of the group of nine elephants that were first rescued from the island of Sumatra in 1997 and brought to Bali. She was then an orphan of four years old and is now part of the herd of 30 elephants that live at the Elephant Safari Park & Lodge. Nicki has turned out to be a very caring and protective mother to her new very cheeky baby, who is now almost one month old. Riski has now joined the other two babies in our Nursery Area and enjoys playing with them and swimming twice a day in one of the parks lakes.

To answer the question, were we going to help the mother the answer is of course yes. However I felt that under the situation it was best to let nature take its course first, as often babies taken from mothers at birth are later rejected by them. I had allowed for three minutes for Nicki to sort it out before we intervened. However she brought the baby to life herself in just under 2Â½ minutes after the birth. Of course all elephants would be best left in the wild in a perfect world, but in the case of the lesser known sub-species of Sumatran elephant, this is far from reality. Massive deforestation has depleted their island of jungle and the few highly endangered remnants of the thousands that originally lived their are in big trouble.

When they roam onto the newly cultivated land areas that were originally their home they are killed usually be poisoning or by cruel traps that give them a slow and painful death. The government tries to help by capturing them before this happens and putting them into camps, but the life expectancy there is not good, as they lack funds for food, medicine and other care needed for the captives. Its from these camps that we rescued twenty seven elephants when we first created the Elephant Safari Park, at Taro village in Bali. This being documented in the acclaimed TV film Operation Jumbo, which has been aired on the Discovery Channel. Although the park cannot be a re-creation of their former jungle homes, it is a tropical environment where they are looked after very well, (or we wouldnt have had three babies born this year), and they can live out a comfortable and full life, by helping to support themselves as part of a tourism and educational facility. For the people who want to know more about where Riski was born let me explain.

The park was created in 1997 and is a full elephant experience where guests can get to know all about Sumatran elephants. Tourists can hand feed, touch and even ride the elephants and watch daily elephant talent shows and generally get up close and personal with them, unlike zoos where you can only view elephants from a distance. The park also includes many facilities for guests and elephants alike. For instance there are two lakes set in botanical gardens, shade houses and a laboratory amongst other elephant facilities and for guests there is an elephant museum, restaurant, shop, arena and even a 25 room 5 star lodge (hotel) to stay at overnight with the elephants. Guests can either visit in the daytime or come for a Night Safari ride with dinner. For information regarding this please go to our website www.elephantsafariparklodge.com or www.baliadventuretours.com I hope this answers some of the questions asked or others that people are wondering about. Nigel Mason, Managing Director, Elephant Safari Park & Lodge.

The African Elephant 6 Major muscle unit and the Nile Crocodile Jaws

2011-07-27T22:58:00.000-07:00

October 25, 2011 for the latest animal attacks news on the link below

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Wild animal greatest wits in nature along the African Savannah
African Elephants and the River Nile crocodiles have co existed in the rich Savannah grass lands of the African continent. Both these animals have long history of being on the top in terms of hunting for their tusks as far as the elephant is concerned while the Nile crocodile and the rest of the species have been a delicacy to and a source of food for those living around the swamps, lakes and navigable rivers of the continent. Their products have ended up into the world's unending lucrative markets while the supply keeps on changing with the global and policies due to the love of such wild animals. Although there is little data about the African elephants and the African crocodiles fatalities and information about their numbers, deforestation, land encroachment and loss of habitat has paved way for such animal species to be endangered by humans

In the light of the above it might be very interesting to note that elephants with all their brains which are a second to none from humans can be put in such strange situations. Despite the fact that the elephant trunk has 6powerful major muscles, one would think that just as we humans we always want to gamble with the lives our families instead of insuring them. The elephant's trunk as a grasping tool can lift loads of up to 250kg as far as a grown up elephant is concerned. The elephant trunk being the most important part of the elephant and is used for smelling and a tool to resuscitate its young ones when they are not breathing, One would wonder and concur that curiosity really killed the cat.

Our dear Nile crocodile while waiting for the wildebeest migration to pass through the Mara River at the Masai Mara National Par kin Nairobi Kenya or for any other easy pick on prey to come along after a long waiting, the Nile crocodiles will wait for the amazing parade of the zebras and the wildebeest to come found it right to pick on the elephant. The months of July have seen major bookings in all hotels along the Masai Mara river as people from all walk of life flock these beautiful animal habitat to share what nature has to offer. As the saying goes every visit has its own experience no matter how many times you go and see the wildebeest animal migration. No matter the size, crocodiles will always want to grab and bring down their prey in the water. The crocodile will them role in the water with its prey clinging to the mouth and for such a powerful elephant, the odds were turned and the crocodile became the one being rolled. The Nile crocodiles will always hold whatever goes into their mouth until they find or sense that there is harm coming their way. Just as people tend to stick to things without changing their ways and vies as circumstances changes. The baby elephant knows that there is only one mother she can trust on. In the simple essence trust is the glue of life. It's the most essential ingredient in effective communication. It's the fundamental principle that holds all relationships.

The only good reason why the Nile crocodile was subdued by the baby elephant was just the old animal instinctive trick which has been grind over and over into our complex brain unknowingly. The baby elephant poked its baby trunk with its two finger like structures at the tip and with that simple manoeuvre, the mother elephant was able to move for safety bellowing and perambulating with a cloud of water showering the ground after being denied the fundamental right of breathing. People like to share good stories and good animal pictures but the bottom line is we should all share information educate and communicate with one another in keeping these wild animals alive. For all the tourist and nature loving people, animals can stop to be endangered if we only stop buying items in the local shops. If the buying stops the poaching decreases hence the preservation of more wild and rare species.

The Serengeti Natural Wonder Wildebeest Animal Migration Highway

2011-07-06T22:42:00.000-07:00

October 25, 2011 for the latest animal attacks news click on the link below

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July 7. 2011. The Serengeti Natural Wonder Wildebeest Animal Migration Highway: A Win Win! Situation For Tanzania, Kenya, Africa, Humanity and the Wildebeest at long last.

Peace loving animals come together a show of Gratitude to animals of Africa

When the Tanzanian Government stated that it wanted to build a superhighway from the shores of the Indian Ocean cutting across the Serengeti plains to t he Lake Victoria vicinity, there was a huge hue and cry. This was not from the Animal Rights, Green Peace Movement or the local and international tours and travelers association but humanity as a whole. When the Tanzanian Government announced that it had done away with the construction of the highway which would cross the Serengeti, this was one area where peace was being achieved piece by peace on settling the conservation and halting of the African rich wild animals species along the mount Kilimanjaro, Serengeti and Masai Mara National Parks. This giant step also saved a great biodiversity of both natural and human events that would have changed African Safari and tour loving people.

Why was such a move important?

With a bounty of the best animal safaris in the world the Serengeti and Masai Mara plains are places where someone has to visit if they wanted to have a safari of their lifetime. The news of wanting to change the ecosystem of these beautiful wild animals roam free in their natural habitat would have upset many a generation to come. The timing was just perfect as this would have been the Last Migration of African Wildebeest. Would have the movie industry make a movie out of it?

Well there have been many already made about the last of this and the end of that. If we go to the time line, Money would have been poured, the Road would have been built, Money would have been a blessing to the constructors, the local workers and all the supporting staff. That’s just a part of the picture. What’s the end result? If we mean to build roads, see that what we wanted to accomplish. Here is the other side. If I were a wildebeest and my cousins the Zebras, We wildebeest would have to sit, No! Stand and think of making our own road across the Serengeti highway for our generations to come. We would have to call the African elephant to come and clear the land with its huge elongated tusk and trunk, Monkeys would have too be deployed to keep on checking for incoming traffic while the rest of the small animal and insect species will have to relocate to sis and places and in the end bring about the extinction of their species as well as the flora and fauna.

The Masai art of brushing shoulders with the Big Five

The wildebeest natural cycle migration along the Kenya Tanzania border as simple and un known to many brings natural harmony with within itself and it has some cross border effects between the two countries. Masai of Kenya and Tanzania a pastoral tribe have been living for decades in these African wilderness along with the Africa lions, the giant African elephants, the African Crocodiles and any dangerous animals along these plains. It would have been a new era for this cultured tribe to start stopping blending with these animals they have been brushing shoulders with for ages but also from all those African holiday makers around the world. Its not only the wildebeest which were saved but the African crocodiles, the African ape species and the rest of the diverse animals in Africa.

African tourist and safaris way forward

For all those animal loving souls, good memories are always made when one has a great time. Good pictures and animal attacks in their natural habitat will continue to be forthcoming, there will be a conglomeration of future bodies of thoughts geared to heisted such ventures from escalating out of hand while in the whole people will keep on enjoying animal safaris without being endangered as it would have happen when animals are reared in captivity as has been the story in many parts of the world. The conservation of The Serengeti Natural Wonder Wildebeest Animal Migration Highway: A Win! Win! Situation For Tanzania, Kenya, Africa, Humanity and the Wildebeest at long last.

Endangered species animal attack in the modern world: conservation and protection of rare species.

2011-05-17T16:44:00.001-07:00

October 25, 2011 for the latest animal news click on the link below

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Endangered animals

Many parts of this planet were blessed with an abundant flora and fauna. With mechanization and the onset of industrialization, these born free animals and the natural vegetation stated to be depleted as a result of human activity and what was the end phenomenon, the extinction or near extinction of most of the animal and plant species. On the other hand, an endangered species is any species of animal or plant threatened with extinction as a result of the ongoing human activities to nature.

Pollution and the spillover effect destruction of habitats is the single and the greatest threat to many species around the world. Man has overexploited many of the animal and plant species and degraded most of the animal habitat and the ecology of many natural vegetation around the world. On the other hand, the natural habitat degradation due to human activities is also part of the main cause for losses in biodiversity and may effects which results in many dangerous animal attacks.

Common Name Location

Addax North Africa

African Wild Ass Kenya, Ethiopia, Somalia, Sudan

African Wild Dog East Africa, West Africa, Central & South africa

Asian elephant Sri Lanka, India, Philippines, Malaysia, Bali,

Aye-aye Malagasy Republic (Madagascar)

Barbary Serval Algeria

Black Rhinoceros East Africa, West Africa, Central & South Africa

Cameroon Clawless Otter Cameroon, Nigeria

Cheetah Africa and South Asian counties

Chimpanzee African countries

Clarke's Gazelle Ethiopia, Somalia and Sudan

Coquerel's Sifaka Madagascar

Cuvier's Gazelle Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia

Dama Gazelle Africa

Dorcas Gazelle Algeria,Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Morocco, Somalia

Dugong East Africa Mauritious, Sri Lanka Southern Japan

Ethiopian Wolf Ethiopia

Fork-crowned Lemur Madagascar

Golden jackal Sri Lanka, Maldives, Bhutan, Bangladesh

Hairy-eared Dwarf Lemur Madagascar

Leopard Africa, Asia, Middle East

Malagasy Giant Jumping Rat Madagascar

Mediterranean Monk Seal Mediterranean Sea, NorthAfrican Black Sea

Mountain Zebra Namibia, South Africa, Angola, Botswana

Pygmy Chimpanzee Congo Brazzavile Democratic Republic of Congo

Pygmy Mouse Lemur Madagascar

Red-eared Nose-spotted Monkey Cameroon, Fernando Po, Nigeria

Rodrigues Fruit Bat Indian Ocean (Rodrigues Island)

Sand Cat Africa, Asia, Europe, Middle East

Slender-horned Gazelle Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Sudan

Striped Hyena Asia, Africa, and the Middle East, Europe

Western Giant Eland Senegal, Nigeria, Benin, Ghana,

Ivory Coast

Western Lowland Gorilla Central and Western Africa countries

White-throated Guenon Western Nigeria

Zanzibar Suni Zanzibar and pemba islands

Dangerous animals protection

On the Friday May 20^th , 2011 according to the Companion Animal Access and Rescue Act (CAARA) its main objectives and was to find ways and means to Seek an End to Convenience Killing of Homeless Animals in New York Shelters. PRNews Wire News Releases. Many animals in many communities were on the run, some had the potential of not being vaccinated and posed a threat of rabies while the rest of the animals could be a source of many animal attacks which was a health and a life threatening to many.

As far as The Companion Animal Access and Rescue Act (CAARA), is concerned, it was a bill that was intended to save the lives of over 25,000 homeless pets every year, had been put on the forefront and gotten its chance to be introduced in the famous New York by State Assembly Member Micah Kellner. As far as animals are concerned, the CAARA was to insure the crucial protection for all the homeless pets in New York, and to a greater extent to put an end to all "convenience" killing by animal shelters (killing when there are empty cages) and this act would make it illegal to kill any animal if at any point some rescue groups were willing to save these animals.

As far as animal facts and figures are concerned, statewide survey on animals conducted found that 71% of all New York State rescue groups surprisingly had been turned away by many of the shelter groups and with reasons best known to them had gone forward and killed the very same animals they had offered to save.

"There are tens of thousands of animals in New York State shelters waiting to be adopted and most are healthy, well-behaved and just in need of a loving home," Assembly Member Kellner said. "When a humane organization volunteers to take these animals, they should not be denied. A shelter should work with them to the fullest extent possible. States like California and Delaware have already passed similar legislation, and now it is time for New York to step up to the plate."

With the advent of time and general with many animal attacks on the rise, animal rights awareness being on the forefront as animal safety and awareness is being achieved at a snail speed the modern society has pondered and questions arise if there is a future for all animal rescue, adoption, education and protection?

Animal rescue, adoption, education and protection

As far as the media is concerned of 19th May 20011, The Jeanne Marching Vet Traing was inaugurated. The Jeanne M Marching International Center for Animals Welfare Education was to be part of the University of Edinburgh's Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary study for veterinary Study.

Since its main aim of the project was to extend its collaborate with its international partners with the aim of delivering a wide range educational initiatives catering for different people and cultures in different parts of the world.

With the diverse of different animal species from different animal habitat, this initiative was geared to give all loving animal people power to all the veterinary students too work all over the world as the core objective was to create and strengthen education on animal welfare for its students and thereby creating awareness and bring about the forum which would be geared to spear head all animal rescue, adoption, education and protection and any other animal related issues for the days to come. Political debate on animal welfare and protection issues were to be part and parcel of the centers involvement.

Africa's big five protection a clash with African Safari

On the African continent on Wednesday, May 18 2011, it was reported that Cattle and wildlife clash over tourism. Tourism as far as Kenya is concerned was among the second foreign exchange earner and for the county.

With the frequent time to time clashes over animal habitat which had been encroached and people property were lost and dangerous animal attacks and encounters were reported, the sheer allure of huge incomes from tourism had created panic among livestock farmers and traders in Taita Taveta County.

The Kenyan Government schemes to set up disease free zones in the native habitat where the Masaai live along with the Kenya big five to boost livestock farming especially for the lucrative export market had hang in the balance as ranchers had no alternative but to set their sights instead on the value of conservancies.

The official said turning the ranches into conservancies which to the world at large in terms of preservation of animals for the future was to be part of the conservation of endangered species and rare species of animals while on the contrary this would prove to be a very big blow to the Government’s plans but if that is what the owners wanted there was very little that could be done.

The majestic African Wild Dog only found mainly in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Sudan, Somalia, Malawi South Africa and a few other countries in of the Sub-Saharan Africa. With very few African wild dogs remaining, these endangered animals are protected by law and can only be hunted with special permission. The Black Rhinoceros just as the African Rhino is considered an endangered species and on the brink of extinction in may parts of Kenya, Tanzania, South Africa, Namibia, and Angola where their number used to be plenty. This dangerous animal species has made come back thanks to the ongoing conservation in the sub Saharan Africa and many parts of the world.

With plenty of the African Cheetah research going on, the number of cheetah in East Africa where there is plenty of wild animals to attack and feed on, the African cheetah which is regarded as the fastest land animal in the world is part of the endangered species list. With little range to search for food and the demise of its territory and reported attacks, there are cases where animal water holes have been poisoned in order to stamp out or wipe out some of the dangerous animals to man.

Ethiopian Wolf only found in Ethiopia and the northern parts of Kenya is an exotic species of its own in the Ethiopian peninsula. With less than 300 in number, the Ethiopian wolf with very huge difference unlike the snow wolf and the ray wolf. This wolf species has undergone worse as far as its general feeding grounds are concerned. It has managed to withstand extreme weather conditions, diseases, and the general population as a whole.

One of the most dangerous animals which is feared by other animals mainly for its ability to crack bones with a single bite is no other than the Hyena. Lions, tigers, cheetahs and leopards always fear this animal when it searches for food. As far as its cousin “The Striped Hyena” which inhabits; Asia in areas of Pakistan, Bhutan, Africa, and the Middle East; Algeria, Arabian Peninsula, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Morocco, Somalia, Syria, Tunisia and many parts of Europe is facing the same fate unless drastic actions are taken to conserve this stripped hyena before it becomes extinct.

The Myth behind animal attack in the modern world.

Wild animals attacks on humans by endangered animals such as lions, tigers, elephants, alligators, crocodiles, bears, snakes, mountain lions and all animals that are in the endangered species list have caused harm to people, property and the environment and above all have become more common as people and animals start sharing the same animal and human habitat.

As many people continue to occupy the animal’s world, many animal attacks will continue to rise as both plants and animals’ environment will continue to be destroyed from the Arctic polar bears to the dangerous poisonous snakes of Africa and Asia. People who love animals know what it takes to raise animals. Many animal loving people know that animals have feelings and they need love and a family too.

When the CAARA was formed in the USA, it was geared to undertake comprehensive measures that would go beyond giving rescue groups the access to take care of animals. The knowledge about animals and animal health qualifications and guidelines were it sets for both animal shelters and rescue groups as a whole. Outlining the responsibilities of those who work directly with the animals will help ensure that the animals receive proper care. These provisions ensure that animals are given fresh food and water on a daily basis, exercise and socialization with other animals, clean living environments, and prompt veterinary care.

"Animal loving Americans would be shocked to know the reality of what's happening in our nation's shelters– including abuse, horrific conditions and unnecessary killings," says Debi Day, Director of No Kill Nation.

"Most shelters are mired in the status quo and unwilling to change, so CAARA is designed to mandate lifesaving policies at these facilities, and ensure safety, proper care and a chance at a good home for all shelter pets. We are thrilled that this legislation has been introduced in New York, as well as elsewhere across the US. CAARA is a crucial step on our road to a No Kill Nation."

Benefits of animal attacks, animal fights and mauling

Many pictures of animals including dangerous animal attacks have been portrayed or caught on video depicting dangerous animals mauling people, many animal attacks indifferent parts of the world and in the normal natural animal environment while to some extent innocent people and zoo keepers fine themselves attacked by zoo animals.

The African animals including the big five, the great sea animals such as the great white shark and not forgetting the Australian dangerous crocodiles, alligators and snakes have come to the limelight of being some of the most dangerous animals facts. The top dangerous animals have always lived to their expectations and the same animals have now become animals in danger.

Despite the fact that there is always awareness as to where to get animals information, the national geographic society has done extensive research on animals around the world. According to animal attack statistics, it’s amazing now to see recent stories all over the world to hear animals abuse, pet attacks, and dog attacks and recently in India where it was caught live on video animals.

When animals attack on humans is aired on TV, this is the time when others are inspired to make animal games while to some extent funny animal videos which are humorous and very graphic animal pictures and animal photos come up In the end, you find all breath taking Oscar wining animal attack movies and armature home made animal attacks movies on you tube which can be easily accessed.

Adapting with nature from different animal attacks.

For the scientist, there is always a new way of finding why different animal attack takes place in different environment whether it is a provoked attack or a nun provoked attack the beginning. Different animal species with their evolved natural habitat and surroundings always determine the provocation and the intent of the attack.

On the other hand, for the people who love dogs, snakes, lions, bears, monkeys just to mention a few you get that many of them have kept them as pets while to some its just a mere necessity as a watchdog without prior knowledge of how to take care of dogs and other pets as well. What is the ramification, you find that expensive unwanted dog bite lawsuits and people seeking the services of dog bite attorneys are also on the rise.

Most government has come up with different animal attack laws and animal attack compensation so that both the owner and the person attacked by animals are protected by law. Should the dog be blamed for such an animal attack just because it’s a dangerous animal, should the dog or animal owner be punished because proper care and animal precaution and protection was not take care of? How about people who provoke the animal both knowingly or unknowingly.

A good guess would be many of these animal attacks are so sudden such that there is always no time to foresee such animal encounters until they happen. Children who are bystanders or just inquisitive to play or the seemingly harmless dog just end up being the victim of animal attacks which could be very fatal

Endangered Species: Compensation for Wild Animal Attacks

The Pros and Cons

In the recent news posted on the Hindu Times dated 15th May, the Indian Government announced the compensation to its people of all walk of life and mainly to the kin of people killed in attacks by wild animals as there have been devastating recent incidents which had prompted such a move for those people who are faced with permanent disability, deaths of domestic animals and crop loss as a result of the deadly and dangerous animal attacks which had come to be part of human rights and the need for the protection of the same dangerous animals roaming the jungles of Asia.

As far as the legality and the do and don’ts regarding the compensation and payments are concerned, the Order clearly state that the compensated amount of money will be handed over to the victims of the animal attacks if the person or people died, or those who got permanent disability or were injured during the event while they were in a restricted area or land which belonged to the government while the same goes to the loss of crops and farm animals too.

The persons killed during the animal attack incident should not have indulged in unlawful activities in forest or restricted and protected natural habitat areas. Since curiosity killed the cat, you get that in this world which we are living in, survival for the fittest is always the order of the day. Man has evolved from being a hunter and a gatherer to sophisticate all rounded egoistic being looking for greener pastures in the rain forest, savannah, prairies and the pampas where he is not intended to, there by exploiting and destroying our beautiful flora and fauna.

There are numerous cases where animals have become extinct and very rare animal species are becoming extinct due to poaching hunting, wild fires and as a result of global warming and the loss of wild animals breeding grounds. The ecological misbalance as a result of the food chain has districted the natural food cycle of many of the animal species. Rare species of animals are on the brink of being wiped out and the list of endangered species keep on rising.

Despite the fact that there is always a very big hue and cry from different animal rights groups and animal rescue and animal shelter groups you find that such animal attacks take place in these localities hence a certified medical doctor should ascertain and confirm during post-mortem that the death was caused by a wild animal attack. With difficult scarce resources to investigate the cause of death in many third world countries, many incidences are not reported due to fear of being found to be the culprit or on the wrong by the concerned agencies whereas you get that for those who are in this business, this is the price they will always have to pay. Since man has not been able to understand the really secrets of nature and all its wild animals mythology, it’s the common person who ends up being devastated by wild animals.

If you find yourself being in the migratory rout of the Canadian Bison, Kenyan wildebeest and the Indian jumbo elephant makes you prone to animal attack. In many third world countries where majority of the communities are agrarian nomadic pastoralists all or almost all dwellings are not permanent houses, you find that most farmers’ dwellings offer little protection over animal attacks. Thus you find that many people find themselves vulnerable and if a mud or grass thatched house, animal, water shed, pump house, pipeline or fence is damaged in a wild elephant attack, the owner will be paid and for loss of cattle and other domestic animals too

Animal protection. A new chapter for endangered species.

Since there has been a lot of animal protection programs in may countries, animal parks, animal shelters and animal sanctuaries have been able to bring all endangered and rare species loser to man.

The big question come where by are people or have people been able to bring the same natural habitat into the zoos and animal sanctuaries which does not affect their living space as they would have been in the wild? These animals have now started to be on the animal watch list of endangered species and most of the endangered animals have been bred and released back in the nature. With the increased awareness of animal rights and protection policies in many social institutions in many countries, many beautiful land and sea animals like crocodiles, foxes and monkeys in India weren’t that plenty.

As hunting and the demand for animal hides and skins and other different animal parts just to mention a few has led to the decline of such animal species to be wiped out. At the same time, flooding and changes in the environment have resulted in many animals finding themselves in new animal habitats. Are we to blame in such changes in our natural environment. Well animals have to adapt to it as we get to know these animals as time goes by.

Changing weather conditions rise with animal attack

Despite the boom in these animals, many localities and states continued to prevent and to label some of the animals as endangered species. Feeding of Foxes, Coyotes, bears and wild dogs say an increase in such animal population due to the easy availability of food which didn’t have any competition. With the changing climate conditions, most animals have been forces to look for water over long distances and that’s where nature collides with man.

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Animal Attack ExperTs Views and How to Defend and React to Threats and Accidents

2011-05-05T22:00:00.000-07:00

October 25, 2011 for the latest animal attacks news click on the link below

World's top Latest wild Animal Attack News around the world

Dangerous Animal Attacks Seconds from Disaster and the Attack

Top Cats and Man Eaters:
The Most common animals or Cats which are big enough and to pose a threat to people all over the world are the King of the African jungle, The famous African Lion, The Leopard, the Cheetah and the Asian Tiger. These dangerous animals attack people who live close to these animal habitat and mainly farmers and people who are out on safari hence precaution is always necessary. People on safaris on 4Wheel Drives are not spared with the African Elephant, the hippopotamus and the Nile crocodile which can spread havoc to the entire crew on safari and leave everyone running for their lives thereby prompting more harm to the individuals.

In many parts of North America which is blessed with a variety of many wild animals the Mountain Lion, Tiger, and Puma cause a lot of danger to people who are on the move on camping or just on the natural world. The Mountain Lions according to the cat family in the USA is known as the Cougar. This illusive dangerous animal works on stealth, speed and power. Although many people think of the cougar as a lion, it closely related to the panther family Animal statistics show that the number of Mountain lion attacks in the USA have increased dramatically despite proper animal protection, warnings and education in the US in recent years, more and more people still want to venture in these animal habitat which has been encroached living the wild animals feeding grounds with little or no food as a result of fear into contact with human beings. While literally seeing a tiger in such environment might be difficult, such surprise animal attacks should not be ruled out.

The grizzly bears are also on the fore front form many animal attacks despite the warnings and restrictions made on how to protect bear attacks. Our friends from Asia follow the same suit. Animals such as the Asian Tiger, the Tibetan tiger, sported leopard, and the Black Panther not forgetting the Indian Elephant are some of the animals which are a cause of many deaths to some of the animal attacks which are latest animal attacks information.

On the other hand, it’s not just the big land animals which are responsible to many attacks of the world, the different snake species such as the King cobra snake or the cobra family which is found in many parts of Asia, Africa Australia and the America is also a very poisonous snake. Although not that many snakes are poisonous, it’s just the sheer luck of knowledge of distinguishing venomous snake and non venomous snakes which can help keep some of the deadly snake attacks at bay.

Since most of the people who go out in the wilderness are always prepared, it’s always out of curiosity which makes one become vulnerable to wild attacks and accidents. Any one who goes in the animal habitat either on foot or on a bicycle depending on the animal encountered will determine the animal defense mechanism of either run to fight another day or defend and stay its ground.

People who are in a vehicle in the wilderness watching animals should not Step out of their 4by4 wheel drives, land rovers or safari vehicles, just to take a close-up picture of the beautiful flora and fauna which is just before you. Moving closer to big animals such the elephant, rhino and hippopotamus will only provoke them and put the entire crew in dangers these animals can pounce with lighting speed and can catch people off guard and cause fatalities.

Mountain Lions attacks prevention:

Walking the dog is not a good idea. Unless it’s properly trained to obey commands, if the dog instincts just kicks in the dog will always try to protect its owner or chase the mountain lion, hence the onset of a dangerous encounter as the cougar will also be thinking of an easy catch or its animal territory has been violated.

Walking solo and being adventurous is just another recipe for getting in to any animal attacks with little help if needed. Being a lone ranger is advantageous to the mountain lion as they tend to attack people who are alone. The bigger the number of people the lesser chances for an animal to dare to attack. Be wise and stay with the pack and you wont be attacked.

A snake grabber stick, a bear pepper spray, a whistle and a canister horn are some of the simple items which can help prevent many animal attacks. Since many animals use their sense of smell to detect their prey, the pepper spray when used ageist the animal at the correct time and intensity will make the animal think otherwise and run for the hills. The sudden loud bust of noise which they are not accustomed to will make them destructed as you also sound the alarm for help.

Pepper spray becomes handy bears and all other bear species are very a fast animal but has a very sensitive nose that is most impressed by refined, multiplied jalapeño peppers. You need to have practice how to use the bear pepper spray or any animal pepper spray otherwise you will find yourself looking for it with little time to use it as most dangerous encounters take place in split seconds.

If you see a dangerous animal nearby:

Look at them straight in the eyes and don't look away.
You should shout loudly to make the animal confused and break their concentration.
Please do not bend, crawl, crouch, and dangerous animals like small targets.
Running is not good, it's a kind of attack trigger, and they can run much faster than any human being on earth..
If there is warning growl from a mountain lion, shout and generally look as big as possible with your arms raised high. Throw sticks and rocks and shout abuse. They hate that.

If dangerous animals attack you:

You should fight back, unlike their more dangerous African lions which are massive; the smaller dangerous mountain lion will usually take an adult human animal with ease. Mountain lions always hide and pounce or creep up on their victims, with the aim of attacking and biting the jugular vein and breaking the spine which will leave you helpless.

Punch, kick and hold and grab their snouts and eyes, or testicles if it's a dangerous male animal. Shout and scream to confuse the deadly animal, in addition to calling for help.

Dangerous Crocodile and Alligators safety

Crocodiles:

Many parts of the world have crocodiles and alligators but twelve species in the crocodile family, thee estuarine crocodile, Nile crocodile and North American crocodiles are the most dangerous due to their large size.

In Australia where tourism becoming a very popular activity and recreation in the northern areas of Western Australia, the Northern Territories and Queensland along with large estuarine crocodile’s saltwater or salt water crocodiles living there in both fresh and saltwater means that some crocodile attacks are inevitable. Eleven people have been killed by salt water crocodiles in north Australia since 1982.

Australia has many freshwater crocodiles that are less aggressive, but hard to see and may attack anyone or any other animal if they are surprised or threatened.

Saltwater vs. Freshwater crocodiles:

Salt water crocodiles are bigger, have rounded snouts and are extremely dangerous. Fresh water crocodiles are smaller, have narrow snouts. These fresh water crocodiles don't want to eat humans and are themselves eaten by salt water crocodiles. In fact some people believe that if fresh water crocodiles are around, then salt water crocodiles won't be.

Alligators:

The American alligator, alligator mississippiensis is known to cause many dangerous alligator attacks on people. Many alligator attacks are extremely rare; So far there dangerous attacks are almost four attacks on people per year on average. Florida alone has the biggest number of alligator attacks with over 12,000 alligator complaints from local people. Many of these alligator attacks have come by due to the endless contraction of houses in or around alligator habitats and breeding grounds.

All alligators are protected by USA law and the feeding of wild alligators is illegal with a maximum penalty of five hundred dollars. Those who feed these dangerous animals will always make the animals to come for easy food just like bears that have been moving to places where they can find food and hence a cause for many bear and crocodile and alligator attacks in many parts of the world

Reasons for crocodile and alligator Attack:

Defense - crocodile and alligator want to protect their territory, nests and themselves. Crocodile and alligator are highly territorial, especially males at certain times of the year and females with nests and young.
Appetite- crocodile and alligator get hungry will attack people even elephants to fill their hunger.
Accidental - crocodile and alligator like to feed on other animals but sometimes they don’t choose it just takes place. if your in the wilderness where other animals reside
Bad attitude - a few, particularly estuarine crocodile and alligator with heir animal instincts are bad tempered animals and will always be attracted and attack anything that moves within its natural proximity habitat.

How crocodile and alligator Attack:

Crocodiles and alligators like to stay around in pools, lakes and rivers. People should be aware of their presence and report these dangerous animals to avoid any dangerous attacks. Crocodile and alligator can stay for days without any food and will wait and stalk they prey for the right moment. While stalking a lone swimmer, crocodile and alligator will wait for the swimmer to walk or move in the water and the crocodile and alligator will move overhead before striking and attacking from below.

Once the crocodile or the alligator has bitten or held firmly held its prey, the animal rolls its body over and over. This is what is called the Death Spin/Roll. On land this is fairly slow but in the water it's more like the speed of a tumble dryer. The result is that the prey becomes totally disoriented. Inmost cased, the part which is grabbed by the dangerous animal is a limb there is a good chance of dislocation or complete severance. The crocodile or alligator will keep on rolling until the prey is dead by drowning or blood loss.

The death roll mechanism which all crocodile and alligator use is very effective and has worked in many cases on quite large animals such as elephants, buffaloes, zebras and many other the rest of the big five and the big cats as well.

The big crocodile beheads its prey under water by spinning over and over again. If you are in this attack, just hung in there and hope you get the chance to pinch or punch the nose if you get the slightest chance which might just save you

_{Dangerous attacks can be avoided from dangerous areas.}

_{You should not swim or paddle in lakes, streams, ponds or in the sea near a river mouth if you're in a crocodile or alligator areas zone whether you are in East Africa where there are plenty of Nile crocodiles or in the Americas where the great alligators are there or coast of northern Australia.}

When you are camping in the woods or near the forest such as the Amazon or near the famous national parks Australia park of USA you should pitch your tent 50m from any water. You should not leave food or garbage around as other dangerous animals such as the grizzly bears might make a meal out of you too.
Never get water from the same area while you are out in the animal habitat every day as you might be an east target for any animal attack who might be stalking you day in day out. While you are swimming and having fun never dangle legs or arms in the water as this will attract other animals to attack. When see a crocodile or an alligator stay at least thirty foot or away on land and teasing them will just make them angry and you might be the next meal out of them.
You should only swim in areas that are designated safe or posted with signs as safe to swim. When you hear a crunching or a hissing sound in the area or any undergrowth in the night while camping, scout the area with caution and get out of there with caution.
Crocodiles and alligators can move at lightning speed out of the water hence keeping your loved ones, pets and your belongings from the edges of the boats or the banks of rivers will do you some real good. When you spot a crocodile or an alligator baby, the chances that the mother or father crocodile might be near are very high.
Taking or feeding the baby crocodile will but you at great risk while in the vicinity of such a dangerous crocodile or an alligator. Crocodiles and alligator are nocturnal animals and swimming at night is just not a good idea no matter how good or romantic it might be. All your romance might end up in the mouth of these dangerous crocodiles or alligators because you might not be able to see these deadly creature but they will surely see you as bait.

When dangerous crocodiles or alligators attack you:

_{You should run very first in a straight line. Dangerous and ambitious crocodiles or alligators can outrun you for about thirty foot and they can swim better than the strongest swimmer in the world.}

_{When dangerous crocodiles or alligators catch you:}

_{You should punch it repeatedly on its sensitive nose or poke it in the eyes and shout for help.}
_{Crocodiles and alligators don't like resistance which might just save you from their sharp and dangerous teeth.}
_{While playing dead does not work for crocodiles or alligators and will only top shaking their prey when they think you are dead.}

_{Bear Attacks}

_{The brown bear the polar bear the grizzly bear and the most dangerous the black bear attacks take place very quickly. These bear family are very powerful and have the guts to take on any living creature on earth when threatened. The beautiful Brown bears or 'Grizzly Bears are smaller than the polar bears but are as dangerous as any dangerous bear in the wild.}

_{The Grizzly bears or the black and the polar bears will only attack when they are caught by surprise and will attack humans only if startled or they want to defend their cubs with young or if they are hungry and are stalking you as it has been the tactics for most black bears.}

_{When you are attacked by a black bear, a grizzly bear or a polar bear you should curl into a ball and play 'dead'. If it continues to attack and you have an item with you to defend or injure the animal the best chance for you is just to fight back}

_{The Bear Facts:}

_{In the USA, British Columbia and many parts of, Canada there are around ten dangerous bear attacks a year on average with about five fatality every year. Grizzly bears account for half of these despite there being ten times as many Black Bears.}

_{One swipe of a paw can cause a very dangerous bodily harm and render a person to be in a very critical condition. Starving bears are always dangerous animals, and much of this is through our own doing. For instance the small and normally passive Sun Bear of Borneo, Indonesia has recently started launching itself at people. Logging and non-fruiting of their trees are blamed for their recent aggression.}

_{North America countries and many parts of Canada are the best places for bear watching while other polar bears can also be of good interest for watching larger bears.}

_{When any kind of bear is standing on their hind legs it could be trying to find who the intruder is in the bear habitat or breeding ground. the best thing to do is just not to panic and to slowly back off.}

_{Avoiding Attacks}

_{There are two kinds of attacks:}

Defense - where you surprise or upset the animal, perhaps a mother with cubs. In this case it will show anger, but simply wants you removed as a threat, not to kill you.

Hunger - where the bear sees you as meat and two legs. It may stalk you and will not display anger symptoms, but it's intent is deadly. So the bear necessities are

Pack your food in airtight containers, and/or store it at least from your campsite.

Never feed wild animals this will make them keep coming for more.

Avoid areas where bears feed such as fruit groves and streams with fish.

Do not hike alone, and make noise when on the move so the bear is not surprised by you.

Carry a bear repellent pepper spray with you if you can get it. It always comes handy and effective 75% of the time.

Never approach a mother bear or her cubs at any cost.

If the animal has yet to see you and is wandering by or is up on its hind legs sniffing the air but still has not noticed you, stay absolutely still and make no noise whatsoever, or leave the scene very quietly if you think you can without being spotted by the dangerous animal.

_{If the bear does see you it will probably not bother you anyway in such a case don’t bother the bear either or try to take close up pictures of the bear.}

_{- Never run from a bear. Bears are good runners whether up hill or down hill and running may trigger a chase response from the animal that would otherwise not bother.}

_{When a dangerous bear approaches aggressively:}

_{When a bear approaches slowly experts suggest two differing ploys. Try either or both:}

Talk calmly and firmly, back away, don't make eye contact, don't threaten the bear in any way and it may lose interest. If not:

Be aggressive, make a noise, wave your hands.

If the bear does run at you and is up on its hind legs making unpleasant noises including puffing, teeth chomping, and snarling then here are your options:

It may be a 'bluff' charge, which is not uncommon, in which case the critter will veer off or stop at the last moment if you stay still. Then slowly back away.

Run to safety,

_{When you are absolutely sure that you can reach it in time before the creature. These animals can travel at the speed of a top sprinter.}

_{Trees are not a good refuge depending on the height of the tree and the type of the tree. Black bears climb them all day long and so do young brown bears too. Older grizzly bears are excellent tree shakers. Polar bears live in the Arctic Circle where trees are thin on the ice.}

_{Brown and Polar bears spend most of their time in water and they are good swimmers as well. The best choice is to crown and roll up in a ball to protect your vital organs and pretend to be as dead as possible. Dangerous bears who do not want to make a meal out of you may roll around on you for a bit and move on. When a dangerous bear is not showing anger but plain hunger the chances for you are slim.}

_{If you have your bear pepper spray pepper, use it on the bears face which will be painful to the bear. Run for your life as when the pain shrugs or wears of, the bear might attack once more with a deadly force but with caution.}

_{When a bear attacks you, fighting back is probably not the best possible option with a Polar bear or Grizzly bear in your face unless you have some kind of weapon. people who are out in the bear country or bear territory should respect the natural bear habitat. Only then can such dangerous bear attacks can be avoided at the minimum with less contact with them}

Snakes Bites

Avoiding dangerous and venomous snake bites:

_{You should not aggravate a dangerous animal or provoke it into an attack.}

_{Never try to capture or hold a snake without a snake grabber or unless you are an experienced herpetologist. as in most cases its always three people who can be of help One person is the person who got the snake bite by chance or by sheer negligence. The person is to stay with snake victim and the last one who is to seek help for the snake bite.}

When you are entering a snake habitat you should look down and be wise to wear proper protective shoes with a torch while at night can prevent any dangerous snake attack or warn you from any dangerous animals as well.

You should put on heavy socks and boots to prevent any unforeseen snake bites while walking in the long grass or fallen leaves and undergrowth.

You should not lift or pick stones or fallen vegetative matter or firewood unless its necessary but cautiously.

Don’t panic if a snake is within striking distance but stay absolutely still. The king cobra and the rattle snakes are very quick and may strike in defense.

_{Snake Bite Symptoms:}

_{Severe pain, swelling, discoloration around the bites; later comes fluid build-up, secondary infection, dead tissue, extreme skin and neural sensitivity. This may continue for several days.}

_{If the venom contains neurotoxins the victim may experience nausea, vomiting, blurred vision, slurred speech, and difficulty in breathing.}

_{Snake Bite Treatments:}

_{Snake bite wounds should not be cleaned unless the snake has been firmly identified whether it’s a poisonous snake or any other non venomous snake from its color the shape and the size. Many medical centers around the world have a venom detection kit that need small specimen around the snake bite area to be taken.}

_{Standard and the best snake bite treatment:}

_{Many snake bites do not end up with any venom entering the body in most cases.}

The snake bite victim should not panic but lie down to slow down the spread of venom in the body or bloodstream.

You should let the snake bitten area bleed freely for less than a minute.

You should wrap a light clean piece of cloth or bandage above and below the wound and while doing so make sure that you get two fingers under the bandage otherwise that will be very tight].

All jewellery or tight fitting clothing have to be removed.

You should immobilize/splint the bitten limb and keep it at heart level or gravity-neutral. It the snake bite area is very high, it can cause venom to move to the heart and if its too low it might cause severe swelling.

Drinking alcohol to calm your nerves is of no use. You just need to stay awake than pass out.

Taking medication can bring complications while eating and filling your stomach might bring havoc to your present situation due to the venom reaction with your body.

_{Take the snake bite victim the nearest medical center within 3 hours and tell snake involved in the attack so as to get the best snake antidote.}

_{Cold pack: You should quickly tie a light bandage below and above the snake bite area and place a cold pack such as frozen peas over the wound so as to reduce the swelling, pain, and slow the travel of venom and permanent tissue damage from frostbite.}

_{Cutting and sucking the snake bitten area.}

_{It should be done if the hospital or help is 3 hours away and the snake was venomous. Cutting and sucking the snake bitten area is ok but not normally recommended because:}

_{It’s dangerous to perform in such a panicky weird situation}

_{The cut may do more damage than the original punctures if secondary infection starts.}

_{The increased blood flow from the cut may increase the flow of venom too.}

_{The best way to treat snake bite wounds}

_{Wrap a light bandage above and below the wound quickly.}

_{clean the snake bitten area with antiseptic and repeat every few minutes.}

_{Cut with a short sharp blade around the bite site and start to suck the snake venom which feels tasteless and is harmless in the mouth for a maximum of 15 minutes}

_{Follow the last 3 steps of #1.}

_{Venom: the venom is a specialized form of saliva and its primary purpose is to immobilise or kill the prey - sometimes also to begin digesting the meal before consumption.}

_{The secondary purpose is as a defence. Different species will vary in their level of aggression when provoked.}

_{Toxicity: the level of toxicity of any particular venom is in all practicality irrelevant as the amount injected makes the difference. This will depend on the size of venom sacks, the amount they contain if the animal has bitten something else recently, and the amount the creature decides or manages to inject.}

_{The location of the bite will also influence the speed of the effect, depending on the proximity of the bite to main veins and arteries through which the venom travels to vital organs.}

_{Travel safety stats:}

_{The countries where most people die from snake bites are India and Sri Lanka with around 20,000 fatalities annually in India alone and some parts of Africa and south America.}

_{In the USA the state with most snake bites is Arizona.}

_{Australia hosts nine of the world's top ten deadly snakes.}

_{Some venom can kill a strong male, elephants even tigers in a couple of hours.}

_{The world's most deadly snakes are:}

_{in USA, The Coral Snake, Mexican Moccasins, The water snake, the copperhead snake, the cottonmouth snake, and the Western Diamondback Rattlesnake.}

_{In Australia: Inland Taipan which is the world's most toxic snake but fortunately rare to see or to find, the Australian Brown snake which is Australia’s biggest snake killer, The Taipan snake, the Tiger snake, Black and the Sea snake.}

_{South East Asia: The Malayan Krait, Blue Malayan Coral Snake, Equatorial Spitting Cobra, Banded Krait.}

_{India: The Indian Cobra and the Russel's Viper.}

_Africa: _{The Black Mamba, The} _{Boomslang snake, Egyptian Cobra, Puff Adder and Saw Scaled Viper, Eastern Green Mamba. Central and South America the Fer-de-Lance}

_{Dangerous Scorpion attacks}

_{Scorpions are some of the smallest animals which can kill with slpit seconds and without warning while some scorpions are as harmless while some like the blue scorpion is as useful to the extent of being used as a treatment for cancer. Scorpions like to move in the night to hunt or feed. These dangerous insects are also hunted by lizards, mice snakes even small cats in the wild. The largest South African Scorpion is about over 8 inches long.}

Most scorpion bites are not recorded or reported due to the nature of the bite, proximity and communication which is hard to come by. With about 1,200 scorpion species in the world only 20 scorpion species are considered to be very dangerous and life threatening man. Many scorpion death results in babies and the elderly who might be weak or sick or result from hypersensitivity due to the venom through anaphylactic shock and hence the death as a result of the dangerous scorpion bites. Scorpions inject their venom through a barbed stinger on the end of the beast's tail. All scorpions are unable to sting what they are standing on if they are on a flat surface.

_{How to Avoid Scorpion dangerous stings:}

_{Scorpions and Clothing You should shake them well before putting them on.}

_{Scorpions and Beddings You should check where you sleep if you are in an area where scorpions are found in plenty and around their natural habitat.}

_{Scorpions and Water: Many scorpions like water mainly in cold dark places and its good to be on the watch out for scorpions on these dangerous locations.}

_{Scorpions and Footwear: Scorpions like to hide in dark places and your shoes can be a very nice and cozy place for a scorpion and a very painful bite from dangerous scorpion.}

_{Scorpion stings Symptoms:}

_{Minor scorpion attack, the local effect: swelling and Intense pain at the sting site, numbness, and tingling with light muscle spasms. The pain usually goes away within one hour and all symptoms subside within 24 hours.}

_{Moderate scorpion attack, the whole body effect: Intense pain including the groin area and armpits. There is swelling and numbness of the face and throat with breathing difficulties, agitation and high temperature.}

_{Severe scorpion attack, the body and central nervous system effect: nausea, vomiting, fever, convulsions and frothing at the mouth,}

_{Death as a result of a scorpion bite are rare and are always as a result of heart or respiratory failure several hours after somebody got the scorpion bite.}

_{Scorpion Bite Treatment:}

You should clean affected site with soap and clean water and put on an ice-pack if available to reduce the swelling. Being calm and relaxed is the best medicine as any sudden movements will make the scorpion venom react faster in your body.

_{Level the place where you have been bitten by the scorpion to the heart level.}

Bees, Wasps and other flying creatures.

Most stinging insects are relatively safe to be near, even in large numbers, so long as they are not aggravated. A pain killer or an antihistamine pill should help alleviate the pain before medical help is sought. In 1989 32 people in the southern US died from fire ant stings while wasps, yellow jackets and bees and rack up up to 100 deaths a year in the USA. However, dozens of people a year die from insect stings, mostly due to anaphylactic shock, some as a direct result of the toxins.

_{Prevention of Bee and Wasp Stings:}

_{you have to be very careful when using a noisy garden tool while out in the wilderness.}

_{You should scout for bee hives, nests or dangerous insect activity in the area. Using a noisy tool within 50 yards of a hive or 150 yards of a wild bee colony is a good recipe for a dangerous bee attack.}

_{You will enrage bees or wasps if you swat them. Only do so if you are dead sure to kill the bee or wasp because when you strike or kill a bee you will invite danger as all other bees will come for revenge.}Food and drinks outdoors should be covered.

_{Other insect might cling to your towel trying to cool off on your damp beach towel}

_{You can trap the wasps by putting something sweet in a jar such as jam, honey or beer a couple of inches of water in, cover it and punch a wasp-size hole in the cover. The bee or wasp will crawl in, buzz around, fall in the water and drown.}

_{Safety tips for dangerous Killer Bees: Africanized bees have 27% less venom than regular European honeybees - and thus are less dangerous individually, but these can be very grumpy, sensitive and seem to have a 'one out, all out' defence policy!}

_{Dangerous Killer Bees:}

_{These killer bees look just like regular honey bees, and are honey bees and reproduce five times faster than ordinary honey bees.}The killer bees colonies can number up to 60,000 bees. As far as statistics are concerned, over 1,000 people so far have been killed by killer bees.

_{Killer bees tend to swarm and aggressively defend their nests when approached or disturbed from a distance of 100 yards. The biggest cause for killer bees attacks are noise and vibrations from power mowers and cutters. Killer bees will chase invaders as far as a quarter mile and will go on attacking for about 10 hours.}

_{While in flight, killer bees look like a small cloud and would sound like a power tool and may cluster anywhere on their path even car bumpers.}

_{If the bees become irritated, they often warn off intruders by bumping heads with them, not stinging. If that happens to you, don't swat them, just turn around and leave!}The chances of being killed by a bee these days in the USA are less than being killed by lightning.

_{In the event of a massed bee stinger attack:}

_{Always try to stay calm and cover your head with your shirt and run steadily to safety in a straight line.}

_{enter anything that is sealed such as a tent or a carwhich does not to allow insect to get in.}

_{Do not:}

_{Screaming irritates bees and wasps and makes them increase the severity of the attack.}

_{Running towards other people will also make them get attacked.}

_{hiding under water is not a good idea as these bees will still be swarming above the water and go attack you when you surface for air and if they are killer bees, they will attack for 10 hours.}

_{Ripping your clothes off makes more attacks from rest of the bees.}

_{Treatment of bee and wasp stings:}

_{Always get away from a nest or hive with all speed as all bee stings include an alarm pheromone which incites their mates to attack.}

_{scrape off or pull out stings as soon as possible. method and speed is of the essence as a honey bee sting has a pump attached that continues to introduce venom for 1 minute after stinging. A wasp doesn't leave its stinger.}

_{You should apply an ice pack to minimize swelling and pain.}

_{Always adjust you limb to heart level to reduce swelling.}

_{Its advisable to swallow some an antihistamine medication to reduce itching and swelling.}

_{Taking an anti-inflammatory pain killer is preferred.}

_{The redness and the swelling and may be worse the next day which is a normal allergic reaction. If however the swelling is still painful with a persistent fever there may be chances secondary infection and you should consult your physician.}

_{Taking any antibiotics will not help.}

_{Severe bee stings and wasp reactions:}

_{At any circumstances that the person might have been stung multiple times mostly for young children and the weak and the elderly you should be aware of 1% that is super-sensitive to stings, watch for signs of systemic allergies. These may include:}

_{Swelling of the tongue or throat, difficulty in breathing, headaches, fever, nausea, vomiting, cramps, drowsiness and unconsciousness.}

_{Severely allergic people should carry an epinephrine kit and use it, followed by an ice pack and hospital}

_{Blue-Ringed Octopus}

_{These dangerous octopuses are only found along the dangerous waters of Australia.}When the Blue-Ringed Octopus mature they are the size of a normal hand, 10-20cm in diameter with tentacles extended and a yellow or brown colour and occasionally with some brown bands. When the blue ringed octopus appears on its body, it is always late to warn people as will always strike only for its effects to be felt later. The Blue-Ringed Octopus is mainly found near shoreline or banks of the ocean or in rocky pools looking and hunting for crabs.

_{If someone picks the Blue-Ringed Octopus or walks on it, it will bite with a little beak in the mid-underside of its body.}

_{The Blue-Ringed Octopus bite may not be noticed immediately, but pain followed by severe breathing difficulties, nausea and paralysis will show the dangerous effects although not so many deaths have been reported as a result of the Blue-Ringed Octopus.}with many inquisitive fingers and eyes while out there on the seashore, the Blue-Ringed Octopus also releases venom into the water surrounding it and caution should be taken to avoid any accidents while out there.

_{Avoidance of Blue-Ringed Octopus dangerous attacks}

_{You should not date touch, poke, play with or stand on any blobby animals near or on beach whether they are Jellyfish crabs or Blue Rings. All animals have the right to be left alone whether dead or alive.}

_Symptoms:

_{Within ten minutes of the bite, vision problems, numbness, muscular weakness, severe breathing difficulties, nausea with some vomiting, extreme pain is experienced, nausea and sometimes floppy paralysis.}

_Treatment:

Make sure the victim who is bitten does not panic.

Wrap a light bandage above and below the bite quickly

Try to Immobilize or splint the bitten area and keep it at heart at all cost as this might save a life. Too high causes venom to travel to the heart, too low causes more swelling.

No self medication should be administered, nothing should be taken by mouth and the victim should be take to hospital without fail.

Mouth to mouth resuscitation might be administered if need be.

_{For the moment, its hard to know if there is any known antivenom to the Blue-Ringed or the Blue Ring Octopus}

Stonefish

Like any other dangerous animal, the stonefish is the kind of fish which has no borders. From the snow caped continent in Alaska to the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa and the Australian continent, the stone fish is well know for its deadly attacks when someone steps on it. The stone fish has had a lot of fatalities in many of the warm waters regions and beaches where people flock to swim or just hang out. With its deadly attack maneuvers, the stonefish which hides itself on the seashore or in shallow waters leaves its poisonous spines protruding up and when someone steps on it, he gets the pain of a life time if he is barefoot and had stetted on this deadly stonefish

Avoidance:
How to avoid a stonefish injury is just simple mare knowledge of the animal habitat you are in. Stepping on the seashore with bare feet is just inviting danger to yourself. While walking along such coastal areas special attention has to be identified as to the reasons where someone is venturing into. Taking good precautions is the key to prevent any unwanted accidents and injuries which could be caused the stonefish. Wearing proper footwear such as sandal or shoes will just do the trick. Pocking of hand into the hand or sitting on the sand without looking is just one way of aggravating and causing unwanted poisonous stings entering your body with no good reasons. You just have to respect these animal natural habitats.

Stonefish Sting Symptoms:
Pain is what you get when you become a victim of a stonefish sting. This is usually accompanied by swelling of the foot or the body part which has come into contact with the sting. Some people experience some weakness on their muscle weakness, paralysis and dying skin may go on for some time while the swelling may disappear later.
Treatment for stinging fish:
dipping the affected place in hot water should solve one of the problem. With the pain increasing, a pain killer should be taken to alleviate the pain while if the main persist, you should consult your doctor. In most cases, prevention of other diseases is also important. A tetanus injection could be taken while an X-rays may be taken to rule out any Stonefish spine fragments which could be embedded in the victim’s body

Dangerous Animals videos

2011-05-03T14:58:00.000-07:00

Dangerous lions on the attack eating, biting mauling attacking their owners and trainers. Viewer’s discretion is advised. This video may contain scenes which might be offending to some viewers. Viewer’s discretion is advised

Many animal attacks incidents in circus have made circus owners get killed or injured. These wild animals are either killed on the spot if involved in human animal attacks or they escape from animal circuses or animal zoos. When wild animals escape, they go on the rampage and this always results resulting in property damage, injuries, and death for both humans and animals. People should not forget that wild animals have their own animal instincts which we humans have yet to learn and how to be able to recognize and perceive it.

Animal lawsuits, compensation and medical bills are left to be paid for the injured people and trauma with an extended period of shock for those caught in the scene. Wile animals can be tamed but to what extent is what people need to find out within themselves. These brave men and women are there to entertain after long painstaking hours of enduring and nurturing of these animals. Had it not been in their blood to reach such excellence as envisaged in the animals’ performance and acts, people would not have dared to venture into such breath taking acts even to dare watch news regarding animals.

But because of animal education and the love of nature, having known the importance of these natural predators and their amazing acts it comes a time when freedom needs to be given and it comes at a price as in many animal attacks around the world which people can be able to see in the most top tem amazing animal attack videos. With modern technology, people are now seeing the heroes of these animal being attacked and attacking other human beings. This raises questions of animal rights, animal cruelty and animal freedom.

Dangerous Man eating Predators

Many animal attacks and acidents world wide occure in different environments. Some lives are lost, shattered, devastated and some peole end up to be hiros. Animal attacks when fully utilesed for educationand not for entertainment but for coonservation is only when we can get the best outof iit. Dangerouse animals attacks comeinmay forms as given in this dangerouse encounter.

Leopards have long been preyed upon by man. Their soft, dense, beautiful fur has been used for ceremonial robes and coats. Different parts of the leopard the tail, claws and whiskers are popular as fetishes. These cats have a reputation as wanton killers, but research does not support the claim. In some areas farmers try to exterminate them, while in others leopards are considered symbols of wisdom. Leopards do well in captivity, and some have lived as long as 21 years.

Animal Fact File:

Swahili Name: Chui

Scientific Name: Panthera pardus

Size: About 28 inches at the shoulder

Weight: Up to 140 pounds

Lifespan: 21 years in captivity

Habitat: Bush and riverine forest

Diet: Carnivorous

Gestation: Approximately 21/2 months

Predators: Humans

Leopard Deadly Attack

Wild Dangerous Dingoes maul girl on Fraser Island

Two dingoes have been destroyed after mauling a three-year-old girl on Queensland's Fraser Island, renewing debate over how the wild animals are managed.

Worlds top Latest wild Animal Attack News worldwide

2011-04-30T20:39:00.000-07:00

ANIMAL ATTACKS.

October 20, 2011. Associated Press . Animal Rights Advocates Agree There Was Little Authorities Could Do After Exotic Animals Escaped.

ZANESVILLE, Ohio – Amid expressions of horror and revulsion at the killing of dozens of wild animals in Ohio -- and photographs of their bloody carcasses -- animal rights advocates agreed there was little local authorities could have done to save the dangerous creatures once they began roaming the countryside after their owner released them before taking his own life.

Sheriff's deputies shot 48 animals -- including 18 rare Bengal tigers and 17 lions -- after Terry Thompson, owner of the private Muskingum County Animal Farm near Zanesville, threw their cages open Tuesday and then committed suicide.

"What a tragedy," said veterinarian Barb Wolfe, of The Wilds animal preserve sponsored by the Columbus Zoo. "We knew that ... there were so many dangerous animals at this place that eventually something bad would happen, but I don't think anybody really knew it would be this bad."

As the hunt winded down on Wednesday, a photo showing the remains of tigers, bears and lions lined up and scattered in an open field went viral provoking visceral reactions among viewers, some of whom expressed their anger and sadness on social networking sites.

Some local townspeople also were saddened by the deaths. At a nearby Moose Lodge, Bill Weiser said: "It's breaking my heart, them shooting those animals."

Authorities said the slain animals would be buried on Thompson's farm.

Will Travers, chief executive of the California-based Born Free USA animal welfare and wildlife conservation organization, said police had no choice but to take the action they did.

"It's a tragedy for these particular animals, for no fault of their own they've been shot, and I can see how difficult that decision was for the police," he said.

Jack Hanna, TV personality and former director of the Columbus Zoo, also defended the sheriff's decision to kill the animals, calling deaths of the endangered Bengal tigers especially tragic.

The animals destroyed also included six black bears, two grizzlies, a baboon, a wolf and three mountain lions. Six -- three leopards, a grizzly bear and two monkeys -- were captured and taken to the Columbus Zoo.

"It's like Noah's Ark wrecking right here in Zanesville, Ohio," Hanna said.

Officers were ordered to kill the animals instead of trying to bring them down with tranquilizers for fear that those hit with darts would escape in the darkness before they dropped and would later regain consciousness. A wolf was later found dead, leaving a monkey as the only animal possibly still unaccounted for in the mostly rural community of farms, widely spaced homes and wooded areas about 55 miles east of Columbus.

"These animals were on the move, they were showing aggressive behavior," Sheriff Matt Lutz said. "Once the nightfall hit, our biggest concern was having these animals roaming."

Veterinarian Wolfe had tried to save a tiger in a heavy bramble by using a tranquilizer dart, but the animal charged her then tried to flee. It had to be shot and killed by sheriff's deputies.

"I was about 15 feet from him and took a shot, and it didn't respond too much, and I thought we were OK, but within about 10 seconds he roared and started toward me," she said.

Sheriff's Deputy Jonathan Merry, among the first to respond on Tuesday, said he shot a number of animals, including a gray wolf and a black bear who charged him from 7 feet away. He said he's an animal lover and only took pride in knowing he was protecting the community.

"All these animals have the ability to take a human out in the length of a second," he said.

The Humane Society of the United States criticized Gov. John Kasich for allowing a statewide ban on the buying and selling of exotic pets to expire in April and called for an emergency rule to crack down on exotic animals until the state comes up with a permanent legal solution.

"Every month brings a new, bizarre, almost surreal incident involving privately-held, dangerous wild animals," Wayne Pacelle, president and chief executive of the Humane Society, said in a statement. "In recent years, Ohioans have died and suffered injuries. ... Owners of large, exotic animals are a menace to society, and it's time for the delaying on the rulemaking to end."

"Surely, after this latest incident, enough blood has been shed for the state to take action," the group said in a statement.

Activist group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals also called for emergency regulations and pointed the finger at Gov. John Kasich, saying the incident should serve as his "wake-up call."

Ohio has some of the nation's weakest restrictions on exotic pets and among the highest number of injuries and deaths caused by them.

Born Free USA says it has tracked 1,500 attacks on humans or other animals, and escapes by exotic animals since 1990, with 86 being in Ohio. Travers said there's an urgent need for legislation that addresses the competency of Ohioans seeking to own exotic pets and owners' ability to provide for the animals' welfare as well as public safety.

"Legislation should be there to protect the animals from the people and to protect the people from the animals," he said.

Kasich spokesman Rob Nichols said Wednesday the governor had called on Lutz to commend the job he had done and to ask him to be part of the process of putting into law what the executive order failed to do.

"Clearly, we need tougher laws. We haven't had them in this state. Nobody's dealt with this, and we will. And we'll deal with it in a comprehensive way," Kasich said earlier in the day at a meeting of Dix Communications editors at which The Associated Press was present.

The Ohio Veterinary Medical Association also called for exotic animal regulations. U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich of Cleveland called the deaths of the escaped animals preventable.

"By enacting more stringent restrictions on owning exotic pets in Ohio, tragedies like this one can be avoided in the future," he said in a statement.

He had gotten out of federal prison just last month after serving a year for possessing unregistered guns.

Thompson, 62, had had repeated run-ins with the law and his neighbors. Lutz said that the sheriff's office had received numerous complaints since 2004 about animals escaping onto neighbors' property. The sheriff's office also said that Thompson had been charged over the years with animal cruelty, animal neglect and allowing animals to roam.

Thompson had rescued some of the animals at his preserve and purchased many others, said Columbus Zoo spokeswoman Patty Peters.

It was not immediately clear how Thompson managed to support the preserve and for what purpose it was operated, since it was not open to the public. But Thompson had appeared on the "Rachael Ray Show" in 2008 as an animal handler for a zoologist guest, said show spokeswoman Lauren Nowell.

October 19, 2011. Wolf and monkey only two animals still on the loose in Ohio

ANDY BROWNFIELD and KANTELE FRANKO, Associated Press

ZANESVILLE, Ohio (AP) — Sheriff's deputies shot nearly 50 lions, tigers and other beasts in a big-game hunt across the Ohio countryside Wednesday after the owner of a wild-animal park threw their cages open and committed suicide in what may have been one last act of vengeance against neighbors and police.

As homeowners nervously took cover indoors, officers spread out through fields and woods to hunt down about 56 animals, including bears, wolves and monkeys.

After an all-night hunt that extended into the afternoon, 48 animals had been gunned down and six captured alive and taken to the Columbus Zoo, authorities said. As of mid afternoon, the only animals still on the loose were a wolf and a monkey, according to the sheriff's office.

Schools closed in the mostly rural area of widely spaced homes 55 miles east of Columbus. Parents were warned to keep children and pets indoors. And flashing signs along highways told motorists, "Caution exotic animals" and "Stay in vehicle."

Muskingum County Sheriff Matt Lutz said at an afternoon news conference that the danger had passed and they could reopen. The animals killed included 18 Bengal tigers, 17 lions, eight bears and a wolf, he said.

The only animals not found were a wolf and a monkey. Authorities said the monkey should be shot if caught because it could be carrying a disease.

The owner of the privately run Muskingum County Animal Farm, Terry Thompson, left the cages open and the fences unsecured before committing suicide, Lutz said earlier.

Authorities would not say how he killed himself, and Lutz wouldn't speculate on why he did it or why he went out with what appeared to be one last act of vengeance.

But Thompson had had repeated run-ins with the law, and Lutz said the sheriff's office had received numerous complaints since 2004 about animals escaping from the property. Thompson had gotten out of federal prison just last month after serving a year for possessing unregistered guns.

"This is a bad situation," the sheriff said earlier. "It's been a situation for a long time."

OCTOBER 19, 2011. HSUS blames Ohio governor for not halting wild animal operator

With wild animals still on the loose in southeastern Ohio, animal welfare advocates are pointing the finger of blame at Ohio Gov. John Kasich.

The Humane Society of the United States said today Kasich allowed the expiration of an emergency order forbidding the preserve's owner - a convicted animal abuser - from operating.

After about 50 wild animals such as lions, bears and wolves escaped the home of Terry Thompson of Zanesville, with dozens already killed by authorities,

Authorities say Thompson let the animals loose and then committed suicide.

Ohio has some of the weakest laws governing exotic pet trade; it is one of fewer than 10 states that does not regulate exhibitors, it allowing the auction of wild animals and dozens of exhibitors to operate. Since 2003 the HSUS has documented 23 incidents involving attacks by captive wild animals in Ohio that have included a fatal mauling of a man by a black bear in Lorain County last year.

Wild animal keepers are supposed to have an exhibitor license issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, but Thompson for unknown reasons was not licensed.

The HSUS is calling on state officials to issue an emergency rule to crack down on keeping dangerous exotics until the Ohio Department of Natural Resources or the Legislature can adopt a permanent legal solution.

According to HSUS:

A previous emergency order issued by former Gov. Ted Strickland, which expired in April, prohibited people convicted of animal cruelty from owning exotic animals. Terry Thompson, found dead on his Zanesville property, had been convicted of animal cruelty in 2005, and would almost certainly have had his animals removed by May 1, 2011, if the emergency order had not expired.

The Kasich Administration has convened a stakeholder group to develop standards, including The HSUS, but immediate interim action is required given the public health and animal cruelty concerns. Ohio law authorizes the DNR to regulate the ownership of wild animals, and the governor has broad constitutional authority to issue emergency orders to protect public health and safety.

HSUS president Wayne Pacelle decried the failure of the state to protect animals and its citizenry by allowing unfit - and in some cases unlicensed - operators to continue.

“Every month brings a new, bizarre, almost surreal incident involving privately held dangerous wild animals,” said Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of The Humane Society of the United States. “In recent years, Ohioans have died and suffered injuries because the state hasn’t stopped private citizens from keeping dangerous wild animals as pets or as roadside attractions. Owners of large, exotic animals are a menace to society, and it’s time for the delaying on the rulemaking to end.”

The previous emergency order had banned the sale and acquisition of certain dangerous exotic animals such as bears, big cats, primates, wolves and large constrictor and venomous snakes, but grandfathered in existing owners, as long as they registered with the state by May 1, 2011, and had not been “convicted of an offense involving the abuse or neglect of any animal pursuant to any state, local, or federal law.” Thompson was convicted in December 2005 on one count of having an animal at large, two counts of rendering animal waste without a license, one count of cruelty to animals.

October 19, 2011. Ohio escape renews call for exotic-animal crackdown.

James Eng. msnbc.com. 'Owners of large, exotic animals are a menace to society,' Humane Society says

The case of an Ohio man who set loose his collection of wild bears, lions, tigers and other beasts before apparently killing himself has animal-welfare organizations renewing their call for a clampdown on ownership of exotic animals.

“Exotic, dangerous animals simply do not belong in private hands. It’s not worth the risk,” said Adam Roberts, executive vice president of Born Free USA.

Authorities believe Terry Thompson, owner of a 73-acre exotic-animal farm near rural Zaneville, Ohio, opened the cages to free his collection of animals before shooting himself Tuesday. Muskingum County sheriff’s deputies frantically raced to track down the 50-plus animals that escaped before they could harm anyone. Deputies fatally shot 49 of the animals — including 18 rare Bengal tigers.

By late Wednesday afternoon, authorities said only one animal remained missing — a monkey carrying potentially deadly herpes B virus.

Thompson, 62, had a criminal record. He was released from federal prison just last month, after serving a one-year term for weapons violations stemming from the discovery of more than 100 guns on his property in 2008, according to the Columbus Dispatch.

Story: Sheriff defends order to shoot bears, tigers

He was also convicted in municipal court in 2005 of cruelty to animals, having an animal at large and two counts of rendering animal waste without a license, according to the Dispatch. His preserve was home to a menagerie of lions, tigers, bears, wolves, giraffes, monkeys and

Animal-welfare groups say Ohio is notoriously lax when it comes to wild-animal ownership. It's one of fewer than 10 states that have no rules regulating the sale and ownership of exotic animals.

Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of The Humane Society of the United States, said Thompson would have been barred from owning exotic animals had a state emergency rule on keeping dangerous exotics animals been in effect.

An executive order issued by former Gov. Ted Strickland just days before he left office in January prohibited people convicted of animal cruelty from owning exotic animals. The administration of current Gov. John Kasich allowed the order to expire in April, noting concerns about its enforceability and its impact on small businesses.

Story: Animal advocates defend shootings on Ohio farm

Kasich has convened a stakeholder group to develop standards, but Pacelle said immediate action is needed until the Ohio Department of Natural Resources or the Legislature can adopt a permanent legal solution.

“Every month brings a new, bizarre, almost surreal incident involving privately held dangerous wild animals,” Pacelle said in a statement. “In recent years, Ohioans have died and suffered injuries because the state hasn’t stopped private citizens from keeping dangerous wild animals as pets or as roadside attractions. Owners of large, exotic animals are a menace to society, and it’s time for the delaying on the rulemaking to end.”

The Humane Society says it has documented 22 "incidents" with dangerous exotic animals in Ohio since 2003, including the widely reported killing last year in Lorain County of a 24-year-old man, Brent Kendra, by a captive black bear he reportedly was feeding.

Animal-welfare activists wanted the bear's owner, Sam Mazzola, charged with reckless homicide, but Kendra's death was ruled a workplace accident. The bear was later euthanized.

Mazzola was found dead in July, face-down on a water bed and restrained with handcuffs and chains, in his Columbia Station home. Authorities said he apparently choked on a sex toy.

Born Free says it has tracked more than 1,598 reported attacks and incidents since 1990 across the United States, including 86 in Ohio. The most recent incident prior to this week was on Sept. 22, when an 80-year-old man was injured after reportedly being attacked by his 6-foot-tall, 200-pound kangaroo at an exotic animal farm near Green Camp.

Laura Jones, director of comminations for the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, said a stakeholders group hopes to have a wild-animal proposal completed by the end of the year for the state Legislature to consider early next year.

"We’ve been working aggressively on having this proposal in place. I’m sure yesterday’s situation will be uppermost in their (lawmakers') minds as they consider this legislation," Jones told msnbc.com.

Roberts said the mass-escape of wild animals from Thompson's compound is particularly troubling because animal-welfare groups have been trying for years to get Ohio to strengthen its exotic-animal laws. Thompson had been warned about animals wandering off his property.

"The bottom line is, because Ohio like many other states didn’t have necessary laws in place to prevent this kind of exotic animal ownership, it really sets the stage for a potential catastrophic incident," Roberts told msnbc.com.

According to Born Free, Ohio is one of eight states that have no or extremely lax regulations on exotic-animal ownership. Twenty-one states ban private ownership, eight have partial bans and 13 have permitting or licensing regulations, the animal-welfare group says.

"The biggest lesson is, when groups like Born Free and others advocate against keeping of exotic animals as pets and the general reaction is we’re nothing more than Chicken Little going around saying the sky is falling, that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure," Roberts said.

October 19, 2011. Police Kill Dozens of Animals Freed on Ohio Reserve

BISHOP and TIMOTHY WILLIAMS. ZANESVILLE, Ohio — The woman’s voice sounded a little annoyed. “There’s a bear and a lion out,” she told the 911 operator on Tuesday. “Right up behind us.” Come again? the operator said. “Yeah,” the caller replied. “They’re chasing Terry’s horses.”

Both the woman and the operator seemed surprisingly calm considering that it was not merely a bear and a lion but 56 exotic creatures — a fierce menagerie that included wolves, monkeys and 18 Bengal tigers, an endangered species whose numbers total less than 3,000 in the wild — that had fled their cages on a 73-acre private reserve. Friends described the couple who ran it as animal lovers, but they also had a history of run-ins with the authorities.

By late Wednesday, a day after the hunt began, the authorities in this central Ohio city of 25,000 said they had killed or captured all but one of the animals, a monkey. It had not been seen all day, and officials believed that it might have been killed by one of the other animals, said Tom Stalf, assistant director of operations at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium.

The creatures had been freed on the reserve, a few miles west of downtown Zanesville, after one of the owners apparently cut open their wire cages or opened the doors and then fatally shot himself, the authorities said.

The animals’ release set off a day of tense watches, frantic searches and a news media frenzy in the rain-soaked hills along Interstate 70 an hour’s drive east of Columbus.

And while there were multiple sightings of wild animals on farmland in and around Zanesville, there were no reports of any people being attacked.

Terry Thompson, 62, who officials said let the animals out, had assembled the exotic collection, creature by creature, with his wife, largely out of their love of wild animals, friends said. But there had been trouble in their lives: Mr. Thompson was released from a federal prison three weeks ago after a serving a year for possessing illegal firearms, and friends said he and his wife were estranged.

The creatures were eventually hunted down and killed by Muskingum County sheriff’s deputies and other law enforcement officials — at first with handguns, and later with assault rifles — as the animals wandered the property or ventured out of nearby woods.

At least 49 had been killed by Wednesday afternoon, most of them within 500 yards of their pens, including 17 lions and at least one animal described as a big cat that was hit by a car as it tried to cross a street. It was later euthanized by the authorities.

Six other animals — three leopards, a grizzly bear and two monkeys — were shot with tranquilizer darts and sent to the Columbus Zoo, where they were placed under quarantine. And various species of monkeys, found alive in cages inside the Thompson house, were also spared.

Mr. Thompson’s wife, Marian, arrived at the property on Wednesday and pleaded with officials not to kill her animals.

Jack Hanna, the director emeritus of the Columbus Zoo, was helping the authorities at the scene and said that Ms. Thompson had begged them, “Please don’t take my babies,” as they tracked down the wild creatures.

Animal rights advocates criticized the Muskingum County Sheriff’s Department for killing so many of the animals, but Sheriff Matt Lutz took pains on Wednesday to illustrate the danger of using nonlethal force in such circumstances.

He said that a veterinarian had tried to shoot a fleeing Bengal tiger with a tranquilizer dart, but that it either missed or only enraged the 300-pound animal. “It just went crazy,” Sheriff Lutz said. “We had to put it down.”

The sheriff described some of the animals that had been killed as “mature, very big, aggressive” with “high potential” for being dangerous to humans. “We could not have animals running loose in this county,” he said. “We could not have that.”

The Sheriff’s Department shut down all roads leading to Mr. Thompson’s sprawling farm, where most of the animals were kept in pens and cages at the top of a hill, although some were also in the garage and in the house. Neighbors gathered at the blockade, more excited than frightened about the unusual proceedings in their normally quiet town, perhaps best known as the birthplace of the Western writer Zane Grey. Schools were closed for the day out of fear that children might be attacked.

Mr. Thompson, who had run afoul of the law dozens of times over questions of whether his animals were being fed regularly and kept in sanitary conditions, pleaded guilty to federal charges in April 2010 of possessing eight illegal firearms — five automatic weapons and three short-barreled guns whose serial numbers had been filed off, according to court documents.

He spent a year and a day in prison, said Fred Alverson, a spokesman for the United States attorney’s office in Columbus. (It was unclear who took care of the animals while Mr. Thompson was imprisoned.) When he was arrested, federal agents confiscated more than 100 firearms from the property, and they believed he had been illegally selling the weapons, according to documents filed in federal court in Columbus.

The Thompsons also had liens of about $56,000 for back taxes and penalties from the Internal Revenue Service, records showed.

Local law enforcement officials said they repeatedly visited the Thompson farm after receiving complaints, but could do little more than make sure that Mr. Thompson had the proper permits for keeping the animals. He did.

“We’ve handled numerous complaints, numerous inspections,” Sheriff Lutz said. “This has been a huge problem for us.”

Dave Sacks, a spokesman for the United States Department of Agriculture, said that under the federal Animal Welfare Act, the agency monitors exotic animal owners only if they exhibit the animals to the public for compensation.

“The rub in Ohio is that U.S.D.A. does not regulate that sanctuary because Mr. Thompson does not exhibit his animals to the public for compensation,” Mr. Sacks said.

Will Travers, the chief executive of Born Free USA, a nonprofit advocacy group that supports wild animals and opposes the exotic pet trade, said that Ohio is one of only eight states that does not regulate exotic animals. It did briefly after a bear mauling, but Gov. John Kasich allowed the ban to expire.

“Ohio has a particularly bad record when it comes to exotics,” Mr. Travers said.

Although many details remained unclear, the authorities described a chaotic, bloody scene on Tuesday after deputies first responded to two 911 calls about Mr. Thompson’s animals running free — not an unusual occurrence.

But when deputies arrived about 5:30 p.m. , they were confronted by several of the animals.

Sheriff Lutz said that with night falling he had little choice but to give his deputies permission to shoot. They do not normally carry tranquilizer darts, he said.

During the height of the confusion on Tuesday night, Sheriff Lutz said, it was unclear how many animals had been killed. “When they’re shooting animals in all directions, it’s hard to keep track,” he said.

On Wednesday, he told reporters that his officers were unprepared to deal with large, frightened animals. “I had deputies that had to shoot with sidearms,” Sheriff Lutz said. “These are 300-pound Bengal tigers that we had to put down.”

Once the extent of the danger to his deputies became apparent, he said, deputies were given high-powered rifles and stationed in the beds of pickup trucks, where they shot the animals as they cornered them.

During the night, deputies found Mr. Thompson’s body in the driveway of the house with a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

The authorities and friends of Mr. Thompson said most of the animals had been purchased legally at local auctions. One friend, Quentin Krouskoupf, 38, said that at one point Mr. Thompson had owned two lions that had belonged to the boxer Mike Tyson.

As rain poured down on Wednesday, Mr. Hanna of the Columbus Zoo defended the sheriff’s actions. “What was he supposed to do?” he asked.

To the sheriff, though, the pressure of the previous 24 hours was evident. “It’s just terrible,” he said. “These killings were senseless. It was nonsense. It was crazy.”

Mr. Krouskoupf also found no sense in the tragedy. Mr. Thompson had loved his animals, Mr. Krouskoupf said. It was inconceivable to him that Mr. Thompson had freed them, knowing what would happen. “He would have known if he let them out they would be killed.”

October 13, 201. David Challenger. Thais race to shore up Bangkok defenses against floods.

(CNN) -- Workers in Thailand are racing against time Thursday to shore-up protective floodwalls in Bangkok with sandbags and mud to stop the country's devastating floods from engulfing parts of the capital.

So far, 281 people have been killed and two people are missing in Thailand, according to the government website Thaiflood.com. Some 61 of the country's 76 provinces have so far been affected, impacting more than eight million people.

More than 500,000 square kilometers -- an area the size of Spain -- are affected by the floods in Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos, according to CNN meteorologist Jenny Harrison.

Following significant floods in Thailand's northern and central plains, Bangkok is now being hit, where officials and citizens are scurrying to beef up prevention measures as waterways, including the main Chao Phraya River, become bloated by rising water.

"Between seven and eight billion cubic meters of water a day is being released from the Bhumibol dam in the north of the country, which is heavily affecting provinces like Nahkon Sawan and Ayutthaya," government official Wim Rungwattanajinda tells CNN.

Flood walls reinforced to protect Bangkok Rain, flooding wreak havoc in Thailand Bangkok fears worst flooding in decades Thailand flooding impacts economy

"From that, about one to 1.2 billion cubic meters of water is reaching Bangkok every day."

Wim believes that inner city Bangkok will not flood and is confident the defenses that have been built will hold, though he's worried about a low weather depression that's expected to arrive in the next couple of days.

"It's a race against time, as Bangkok is only two meters above sea level," reports CNN's Paula Hancocks.

"Of particular concern is that the waters that are coming down from the north may merge with predicted high tides from the south, expected from Thursday onwards."

Hancocks also reports that the country's economy may be badly affected from the floods. Manufacturing areas just north of Bangkok have been particularly hard hit hard, including a Honda factory that has been submerged ruining hundreds of cars.

The giant Rojana Industrial Park has also halted operations for the time being, director Amara Charoengitwattanagun told state-run news agency MCOT, and the facility may be further damaged if the flooding worsens. One plant in the park, Single Point Parts, evacuated all workers from the premises and built flood prevention embankments around its building.

"The Thai finance ministry says overall damage from the floods could be more than $2 billion, with the worst yet still possibly to come," Hancocks says.

Meanwhile, the UNESCO-listed Ayutthaya historical park, where the ruins of the old city of Ayutthaya are located, has been submerged since last week, according to local authorities.

"This is the worst flood in our historical site in 16 years," said Somsuda Leeyawanich, from the Thai Fine Arts Department. She said the water level in the park is almost three meters, compared to levels of around 80-90 centimeters during the floods of 1995.

"We are very concerned that if the site is under water for more than 30 days it may cause serious damage," she added. "The temples are over 400 years old."

October 13, 2011. Deer me: Tourists tangle with stags at London park

BUSHY PARK, England (AP) — They call it the Beast of Bushy.

For the past week, this massive, short-tempered stag has been charging into British headlines, goring a man in the middle of a picnic and chasing one woman through the brush.

The stag's rampage has cast a shadow of fear over Bushy Park, a quiet suburban expanse of tree-lined avenues and ponds popular with retirees and stroller-pushing parents some 13 miles (21 kilometers) southwest of central London.

"I've been in and out of the park for 20 years, and this is the first time I've heard of people being attacked in such quick succession," said Robert Piper, a sports and wildlife photographer whose dramatic shots of the angry deer have kept it in the headlines.

The beast didn't seem so fearsome Wednesday, when it was seen lazing in the mud and long grass across from the park's model boat pond.

"He's had a rough couple of weeks," joked Piper. But as he inched forward to take a few last photos, the stag lifted a pair of sharpened antlers into the sky.

"Let's not push our luck," he said.

Bushy Park holds 320 deer, which roam freely across a 445-hectare (1,100-acre) area of meadows and forested areas that look much as they did when King Henry VIII used to hunt there.

They are generally gentle creatures — until fall's rutting season.

"Every year there's the odd incident," says park veteran Dick Hill, a 64-year-old retiree with binoculars dangling from his neck. "There have been quite a few of them this year."

Hill said a shortage of female deer could be to blame for the aggressive behavior, although a park official said the unseasonably warm weather — which drew large numbers of visitors at the height of the rutting season — was the deciding factor. The official asked not to be named.

Whatever the cause, this year's stag attacks have produced some dramatic photos. One showed a middle-aged man being bowled over by a charging deer in a picnic area. Hill, who was there, said the man emerged covered in blood.

Another incident, this one witnessed by Piper, showed a woman racing for her life, with the stag so close that its antlers lifted up her black leather jacket. She managed to escape after Piper distracted the animal.

"It was a happy ending," he said. "But it could easily have been a goring."

London's feisty press have traced the path of the stag's rampage under articles bearing names such as "Stag Fright."

Hill said the fuss was a bit overdone, and in any case, the Beast of Bushy's days may be numbered.

The park's deer are regularly culled.

October 4, 2011. Associated Press. When Animals Attack! Bear Mauls Couple In Pennsylvania.

NEWPORT, Pa.— A married couple was injured early Monday when a bear followed the family dog into their rural central Pennsylvania home and went on the attack, state Game Commission officials said. Rich and Angie Moyer suffered back and leg injuries, respectively, but they weren’t considered life-threatening, said Rich Moyer’s mother, Leeann Moyer. Their 10-year-old son was at home at the time but was not involved, she said.

Tue Oct 04 2011, Express News Service. Rhino attacks photographer in N Bengal forest.

A male rhino which strayed from Gorumara Reserve Forest on Sunday attacked a photographer and flung him in the air several times while he was trying to click the animal’s pictures.

According to Forest officials, the incident happened after the photographer, Deepankar Ghatak tried to click the animal’s pictures by going very near to him. Prior to this incident, the rhino had frightened the villagers in Fatakpara to death by charging at them menacingly. A large number of onlookers at the spot made it difficult for the forest officials to push the animal into the forest.

On Monday, the one-horned rhino was escorted deep inside the Gorumara Forest Reserve with four trained Kunki Elephants. “Our patrol party and the animals followed the footsteps and the animal was left deep inside the Forest,” Raj K Mahtolia, the chief conservator of Forest (wildlife), North Bengal told The Indian Express over telephone. Mahtolia said the photographer was lucky to have saved his life. He has sustained injuries in thighs and back and is admitted in a nursing home. No internal injuries have been reported.

The rhino had come out of the Gorumara Reserve Forest on Sunday morning and had taken shelter between Jaldhaka and Betegada areas of Mainaguri block of Jalpaiguri. The photographer along with a few others took a boat ride and crossed two streams to locate the animal. While he was taking the pictures, the animal rushed to him and flung him high

October 1, 2011. Hairy, crazy ants invade from Texas to Miss. NEW ORLEANS (AP) — It sounds like a horror movie:

Biting ants invade by the millions. A camper's metal walls bulge from the pressure of ants nesting behind them. A circle of poison stops them for only a day, and then a fresh horde shows up, bringing babies. Stand in the yard, and in seconds ants cover your shoes. It's an extreme example of what can happen when the ants — which also can disable huge industrial plants — go unchecked. Controlling them can cost thousands of dollars.

But the story is real, told by someone who's been studying ants for a decade. "Months later, I could close my eyes and see them moving," said Joe MacGown, who curates the ant, mosquito and scarab collections at the Mississippi State Entomological Museum at Mississippi State University. He's been back to check on the hairy crazy ants. They're still around. The occupant isn't.

The flea-sized critters are called crazy because each forager scrambles randomly at a speed that your average picnic ant, marching one by one, reaches only in video fast-forward. They're called hairy because of fuzz that, to the naked eye, makes their abdomens look less glossy than those of their slower, bigger cousins. And they're on the move in Florida, Texas, Mississippi and Louisiana. In Texas, they've invaded homes and industrial complexes, urban areas and rural areas.

They travel in cargo containers, hay bales, potted plants, motorcycles and moving vans. They overwhelm beehives — one Texas beekeeper was losing 100 a year in 2009. They short out industrial equipment. If one gets electrocuted, its death releases a chemical cue to attack a threat to the colony, said Roger Gold, an entomology professor at Texas A&M.

"The other ants rush in. Before long, you have a ball of ants," he said. A computer system controlling pipeline valves shorted out twice in about 35 days, but monthly treatments there now keep the bugs at bay, said exterminator Tom Rasberry, who found the first Texas specimens of the species in the Houston area in 2002. "We're kind of going for overkill on that particular site because so much is at stake," he said. "If that shuts down, they could literally shut down an entire chemical plant that costs millions of dollars." And, compared to other ants, these need overkill. For instance, Gold said, if 100,000 are killed by pesticides, millions more will follow.

"I did a test site with a product early on and applied the product to a half-acre ... In 30 days I had two inches of dead ants covering the entire half-acre," Rasberry said. "It looked like the top of the dead ants was just total movement from all the live ants on top of the dead ants." But the Mississippi story is an exception, Rasberry said. Control is expensive, ranging from $275 to thousands of dollars a year for the 1,000 homes he's treated in the past month.

Still, he's never seen the ants force someone out of their home, he said. The ants don't dig out anthills and prefer to nest in sheltered, moist spots. In MacGown's extreme example in Waveland, Miss., the house was out in woods with many fallen trees and piles of debris.

They will eat just about anything — plant or animal. The ants are probably native to South America, MacGown said. But they were recorded in the Caribbean by the late 19th century, said Jeff Keularts, an extension associate professor at the University of the Virgin Islands. That's how they got the nickname "Caribbean crazy ants." They've also become known as Rasberry crazy ants, after the exterminator.

Now they're making their way through parts of the Southeast. Florida had the ants in about five counties in 2000 but today is up to 20, MacGown said. Nine years after first being spotted in Texas, that state now has them in 18 counties. So far, they have been found in two counties in Mississippi and at least one Louisiana parish. Texas has temporarily approved two chemicals in its effort to control the ants, and other states are looking at ways to curb their spread.

Controlling them can be tricky. Rasberry said he's worked jobs where other exterminators had already tried and failed. Gold said some infestations have been traced to hay bales hauled from one place to another for livestock left without grass by the drought that has plagued Texas. MacGown said he hopes their numbers are curbed in Louisiana and Mississippi before it's too late. The hairy crazy ants do wipe out one pest — fire ants — but that's cold comfort. "I prefer fire ants to these," MacGown said. "I can avoid a fire ant colony."

September 24, 2011. Bear attacks Idaho bow hunter near Yellowstone park. SALMON, Idaho (Reuters) - A bear, possibly a grizzly, attacked an Idaho elk hunter armed with a bow and arrows who may have startled the animal near Yellowstone National Park on Saturday, wildlife officials said.

The 40-year-old man was airlifted to a hospital suffering from a broken arm and wounds to his hand that required surgery, but his injuries were not life-threatening, said Gregg Losinski, regional conservation educator with the Idaho Department of Fish and Game.

The attack was the latest in an unusual spate of bear attacks in the Yellowstone area this year. Losinski said the man and a hunting partner were seeking elk near Island Park, Idaho, south of the Montana border, when they startled a bear.

The bear charged at the hunter, who was nearer the animal than his partner. The partner used a bear spray canister, which shoots an aerosol mixture of hot pepper, as the animal retreated.

Idaho conservation officers said early indications suggested the bear was a grizzly but they were awaiting confirmation from DNA evidence gathered from the scene.

Wildlife officials decided not to capture the animal, based on the description of the attack provided by the hunters, both from Island Park, and an investigation of the scene.

"It's very clear from the incident that the bear was surprised and ran away. It did not intend to kill or consume the men," said Losinski, who is a member of a federal-state task force on grizzly bears.

Thousands of black bears roam Idaho but their out-sized, hump-shouldered grizzly cousins are fewer in number. There are about 600 grizzlies in the greater Yellowstone area, which spans parts of Wyoming, Idaho and Montana.

Grizzly attacks on humans are rare in the Northern Rockies, where the vast majority of conflicts between people and bears involve damage to property -- from trash cans to livestock -- by the bruins.

Even so, the number of deadly grizzly encounters in the region so far in 2011 is higher than the average of one every two years, government figures show.

In July, a female grizzly in Yellowstone killed a hiker it perceived as a threat to its two cubs in the park's first fatal mauling since 1986.

Then last month, park officials said a grizzly had also killed another hiker whose body was found on one of the park's backcountry trails amid circumstances that remained under investigation.

Earlier this month in Montana, a grizzly attacked a hunter in what has been described as the state's first such incident in a decade to result in a death.

In that case, a Nevada man hunting black bears in the rugged mountains of northwest Montana was assaulted by a wounded grizzly on September 16. He was then inadvertently shot and killed by a friend targeting the attacking bear in an attempt to save him, officials said.

Grizzly bears are protected in the Lower 48 states under the U.S. Endangered Species Act, making it illegal to kill them unless they are threatening human life.

Sep 23, 2011. Kangaroo that attacked Ohio man will be euthanized

COLUMBUS -- A kangaroo attack Tuesday in Green Camp is adding fuel to the debate on laws about exotic animals in Ohio. John Kokas, 80, was attacked by a kangaroo at Kokas Exotics Animal Farm. On Wednesday, he was in fair condition at Grant Medical Center in Columbus. On Thursday, Grant had no listing of a patient with that name. The kangaroo will be euthanized, the Associated Press reported.

Laura Jones, of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, said no one government entity in Ohio controls exotic animals and that there is no way to keep track of these animals.

Jones said Gov. Ted Strickland signed an emergency administrative rule to ban the possession, sale or transfer of exotic animals in Ohio before the end of his term. That rule has expired since.

"There was no framework in place to do that," Jones said. "Gov. Kasich asked our agency to take the lead in putting together a work group to take a look at this issue."

The work group, which includes organizations like the Association of Zoos and Aquariums and the Humane Society of the

United States

, aims to ensure public safety.

"They are the voice of the issue," Jones said. "Whatever recommendation they come up with will then go to the legislature."

Jones said local governments may have ordinances against exotic animals, but there is nothing for the state.

Chad Grody, the Marion County wildlife officer, said ODNR has no regulatory authority over non-native animals.

"We regulate the fish and wildlife native to Ohio. The Ohio Division of Wildlife does not license exotic animals."

Grody said he conducts annual inspections at Kokas Exotics, and that the owners have the required permits for their animals.

Sen. Dave Burke, R-Marysville, represents Ohio's 26th District, which includes Marion. He said he, ODNR, zookeepers and other interested parties are working on statewide legislation to address incidents like the attack in Green Camp.

"There is a problem. We want to make sure this doesn't happen again," Burke said.

September 16, 2011. jmickley@njherald.com.Bear attacks, kills pony in Frankford

FRANKFORD – Nick Civitan awoke just before 6 a.m. Friday to a combination of animal noises, all warning him that something was wrong.

One of his two dogs was whimpering at the foot of Civitan’s bed, while the other paced across the room.

The worst sound came from outside.

“I heard this screaming noise. It turned out it was the pony,” Civitan said.

When he stepped outside, with shotgun in hand, Civitan saw a bear on top of the 250- to 300-pound, 16-year-old pony. He shot at the bear twice, which then fled. Though the wounded pony was breathing, it was “pretty chewed up” Civitan said, and later passed away.

According to Civitan, the Department of Fishing and Wildlife confirmed that bear blood had been found near the location of the incident. The department also said that the bear was a good size, and likely a mature male.

State police were called and officers responded about 6 a.m., police confirmed.

The Civitans acquired the pony, named Peewee, along with a miniature donkey, from the Turtle Back Zoo in West Orange about five or six years ago. The two animals, Civitan said, were not show animals and were at the back of the exhibits.

Civitan’s daughter, now almost 10, had always wanted a pony, so the family took the animals in.

In the years to come, the Civitans also acquired two riding horses,which were unharmed by the bear.

Civitan’s last major run-in with a bear on his property was seven or eight years ago when a goat was attacked.

“It’s been relatively quiet until this morning,” Civitan said.

Civitan went out about 5 p.m. Friday for another tour of his property, with hopes of finding the wounded bear.

“It was quite a way to start a Friday morning, I’ll tell you,” Civitan said

September 15, 2011. Commissioners Change Dangerous Animal Resolution

Shawnee County pet owners now have greater incentive to keep their animals under control.

TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW)- Shawnee County pet owners now have greater incentive to keep their animals under control.

County Mommissioners Thursday made a change to the Dangerous Animal Resolution. People now can be ticketed the first time their pet attacks another animal or person. The fine for a first offense is $100.

"Additionally, the judge is going to have the ability to order restitution be paid," said Aimee Betzen, Assistant County Counselor. "So if somebody's injured by another person's animal, the judge may require that person to pay for any damages that person incurred, like hospital bills and things like that. And those can be substantially higher than a fine."

Before this change, pet owners were given a warning the first time their animal attacked

Sep 15, 2011. USA TODAY. Bee swarm attacks farm, kills 1,000-pound hog

Killer bees attacked several farm animals at an Arizona animal farm, killing a 1,000-pound hog, Tucson's KOLD News 13 reports.

Freelance videographer Al Signori provided KOLD News 13 with some footage of the attack, saying it was one of the worst bee attacks he has ever filmed, the station says.

Signori was with "The Bee Killer," Reed Booth, responding to the call of a huge hive found in an outbuilding of the farm in Bisbee, KOLD says. Booth says the hive weighed about 200 pounds and was home to more than 250,000 Africanized killer bees.

The video showed a big swarm of bees buzzing around a hog and stinging it. Farm owner Jane Hewitt was stung several times on her face and arms when she tried to save the animal, the station says.

"I jumped into a car, but the passenger side window was down, and they came in a black cloud towards me," she tells KOLD. Hewitt says at least three bees went into her ears, and one got stuck between her glasses.

Booth says he has responded to several killer bee attacks this year, and they seem to be much worse. "They're much ornerier this year for some reason. This is the worst I've seen in 10 years," he says.

Sep 15, 2011Emily Le Coz/NEMS Pit bulls eyed in Tupelo crackdown

TUPELO – Large-breed dogs with a dangerous reputation could come under stricter control if a proposed ordinance passes the City Council.

A group of municipal leaders and other stakeholders who have studied the issue will recommend the measure within the next few weeks. It aims to reduce hundreds of monthly calls about aggressive dogs – especially pit bulls – and prevent future attacks.

But some animal advocates blast the measure for unfairly targeting specific breeds, saying it punishes responsible pet owners whose dogs have done nothing wrong. They want an ordinance against aggressive animals without identifying pedigree.

“Unfortunately you need a first-bite incident to say that’s a dangerous dog,” said Tupelo veterinarian Stephen King, who opposes breed-specific legislation. “On the flip side, if you do a breed specific, you’ve penalized responsible dog owners of that type of breed who show no aggression or dangerous behavior.”

Dogs, from pit bulls to teacup poodles, are only as aggressive as their owners allow, he said.

Those in favor of the ordinance agree with King about owner-induced aggression but argue that Tupelo’s specific pit-bull problem can’t be ignored. The bloodline has a history of violent behavior perpetuated by some of the owners who typically choose this type of pet, said Tupelo-Lee Humane Society Debbie Hood.

“I blame the irresponsible owners of these pit bulls for the ordinances to come down on the other, responsible owners,” Hood said. “We agree it should be a dangerous dog ordinance, but the city doesn’t want to wait until a dog is deemed dangerous.”

Hood said the animal shelter fields about 200 calls monthly, and the vast majority involve errant and aggressive pit bulls.

In addition to pit bulls, other breeds also could be singled out in the proposal, said the subcommittee’s chairman and Ward 5 City Councilman Jonny Davis. He wants to recommend mandatory registration and annual permit fees for owners of Rottweilers, German Shepherds and Doberman Pinschers, too.

Owners of these animals would face stricter requirements for confining their pets and higher fines for failure to comply than would owners of non-dangerous pets.

Other dogs would fall into the dangerous category only after having shown signs of aggression, like biting a person or another pet or acting in a threatening manner. Such incidents would be investigated by the city’s animal control officer before a dog could be deemed dangerous.

Tupelo’s current ordinance requires all dogs be kept on a leash or in a pen with a maximum $50 fine for violations. With only one full-time animal control officer, though, it’s hard to enforce.

“We’re trying to make the city a safer environment for other citizens and still respect dog owners,” Davis said. “We don’t want to wait until a citizen gets hurt or, God forbid, a child gets killed.”

In the past two years in Northeast Mississippi, pit bulls have attacked at least four children and four adults – two of them fatally. One of the incidents happened on Feemster Lake Road in Lee County, where a family pit bull ripped into the face of an 18-month-old girl. She survived.

Communities across the region have wrestled to deal with the situation. Many now are considering ordinances similar to the one floated in Tupelo. But it’s not an easy matter, as evidenced by Tupelo’s own struggle to adopt a solution.

The city had launched a task force about five years ago to recommend a vicious dog ordinance. It never gained enough steam to pass a council vote and eventually died.

Ward 3 Councilman Jim Newell said he’d like to see it pass this time, as long as it doesn’t target specific pedigrees. He also wants to see a citywide pet registration requirement for all cat and dog owners. The permit fees would raise much-needed revenues for the Tupelo-Lee Humane Society, while the registration would help reunite lost pets with their owners.

“I would support a citywide pet registration, a dangerous dog act and a leash law with teeth in it,” Newell said. “But I’m opposed to breed specific.”

September 12, 2011.Amy Calder. Waterville police chief wants big dogs kept away from children

Request comes after two pit bull attacks by same dog at same house

WATERVILLE -- Police Chief Joseph Massey is on a mission to keep dogs known to be aggressive out of homes with children. "Putting big dogs, aggressive by nature, in with your child -- you're putting that child at risk," Massey said. He put out the request last week after a 2-year-old Waterville boy was bitten in the face Sept. 1 by a pit bull and had to be taken to Maine Medical Center in Portland for surgery. The child reportedly is back at home and recovering from his injuries, and the dog was euthanized after a 10-day quarantine, Massey said.

That same dog on Aug. 18 bit a 6-year-old boy in the same Louise Avenue house, Massey said. The dog was quarantined for 10 days after the first incident, he said. Massey said the 2-year-old's mother told police that before the dog bit the boy, she asked the child to go into the bathroom to wash up for dinner. "She said when the 2-year-old comes out, he falls next to the dog and she said they kind of started rough-playing and the dog ended up biting the 2-year-old on the face," Massey said. He said the woman pulled the dog off the boy. He was taken to the hospital, and then to Maine Medical Center in Portland.

Norman St. Michel is registered as the dog's owner and it was his 6-year-old son who was bitten Aug. 18, Massey said. He said police officers and Animal Control Officer Chris Martinez went to the home and spoke with St. Michel. St. Michel, 42, was summoned for keeping a dangerous dog and is scheduled to appear in Waterville District Court Dec. 6, Massey said.

The civil infraction carries a fine of between $250 and $1,000, he said. St. Michel's stepdaughter is the mother of the 2-year-old who was bitten Sept. 1, he said. Police did not release the woman's name, but her Facebook page lists it as Crystal Cougle. On the page, Cougle wrote that the toddler had surgery Wednesday and would be home the next day. Someone asked on her Facebook page if the boy was OK.

"Yeah. He's fine," Cougle replied. "He's getting plastic surgery next week."

Cougle did not return calls placed to her cell phone; St. Michel's telephone number did not work. No one answered either the front or back door at their Louise Avenue home Thursday after repeated knocking, although a child was crying loud enough to be heard outside. Meanwhile, Massey said he has a strong interest in making sure law enforcement officials do everything possible to protect children, and dogs with a history of biting should not be kept in homes with children.

Massey said he has seen many maulings by dogs during his career. "Every time one of these maulings happen, I get self-proclaimed dog experts who will immediately respond that it's not the dog's fault; it's the owner. I don't doubt in some cases they may be, but the bottom line is, there are some breeds we have that are more aggressive by nature than others. You cannot predict with certainty that they won't turn on not just a child, but other people."

He said the size and temperment of the dogs can be a dangerous mix. "These are powerful dogs -- they cause a lot of damage," he said. "They're powerful wounds, ripping of skin and muscle and tissue. They're disfiguring in some cases." Several years ago, Massey worked to help amend a law that ultimately allowed police to report dog bites; before that, a complainant had to be someone other than police, he said.

"Parents or anybody who's going to consider getting a family pet and who have small children living in an apartment block or area with a lot of children should do their research on what pet would be suited to your environment," he said.

Paula Mitchell, executive director of the Humane Society Waterville Area, said that a smaller dog can also be a biter but does not do as much damage as a pit bull. Pit bulls get more publicity because they do more damage, she said. "They do have that tendency, especially now, because they're bred to be fighters, protectors -- that's what people breed and train them for," she said.

She said a Humane Society policy prohibits the Webb Road shelter from allowing people to adopt pit bulls if children under 12 live in the household "just because you never know." "A lot of dogs we get are strays and we don't know their background, so we err on the side of caution," she said. "We've had some really awesome pit bulls -- they're absolutely wonderful dogs. Families don't tend to want the pit bulls. They're harder to place than any other dogs we have. They are an aggressive dog and they're trained that way."

Mitchell says she believes someone can raise a pit bull as a puppy and train it properly to be a wonderful pet. Most of the time, she said, it can live in a home with a family that has no children or other pets. "But we've had some we'd never place because of their behavior," she added. Arthur Clement of Clinton is adamant that pit bulls can be family-friendly pets. His daughter's two pit bulls were shot and killed Tuesday by a neighbor after one of the dogs got into the neighbor's turkey pen, Clement said. Clinton Police Chief Craig Johnson said the dogs attacked the turkeys and the neighbor used a rifle to shoot them.

Clement said his daughter and her 16-month-old child moved in with him recently, and the dogs were gentle with the child. "They were good-natured dogs -- both of them," he said. He said the 1- and 2-year-old dogs, who were let outside without a leash, had always stayed in the back yard, until this time when they wandered. "These were the family pets," Clement said. "They're not ugly dogs. They never bit anybody -- ever."

September 10, 2011. Reuters. Tiger in "love triangle" kills mate at Texas zoo

EL PASO, Texas (Reuters) - A female tiger has killed her mate at a West Texas zoo, authorities said on Friday, in a rare attack that came after months of simmering jealousy in a feline love triangle.

Three-year-old Malayan tiger Seri killed 6-year-old Wzui at about 4 p.m. on Thursday in an enclosure at El Paso Zoo, zoo spokeswoman Karla Martinez said on Friday,

As soon as the incident was reported, zookeepers closed the tiger exhibit and veterinary staff were called. They examined Wzui, and found he was dead.

"Tragic incidents such as this are not unheard of but we don't consider this common," zoo Director Steve Marshall said. Marshall described the deceased tiger as very down to earth and loving and said it would "be greatly missed."

Malayan tigers are a critically endangered species, with just 500 or so of the animals remaining in the wilds of Thailand and Malaysia, according to the World Wide Fund For Nature.

Both Seri and Wzui were on loan from other zoos as part of the American Zoo Association's Species Survival Plan to aid in their conservation through captive breeding.

Marshall said keepers had not observed any signs of aggression leading up to the attack, and that the two cats had been seen playing affectionately at the exhibit earlier in the day.

However, in June, zoo authorities reported what they called a "tiger love triangle" between Seri, Wzui and a 15-year-old female called Meli, who was transferred to El Paso from a zoo in Fresno, California, in 2001.

"The male tiger Wzui likes both females, but the two females don't like each other," the zoo said in a press release dated June 14. "The girls are jealous of each other," collections Supervisor Griselda Martinez said.

Staff expect that another tiger will be transferred to the El Paso Zoo to replace Wzui for breeding purposes.

September 7, 2011. Bill Lindelof. Animal control shoots three raccoons after attack

Three raccoons were shot last night by animal control after another Sacramento resident was attacked by the animals.

The attack at 21st and D streets was the third recent attack on a Sacramento resident by a raccoon. The previous attacks occurred many blocks away at Ninth and P streets and Fourth and P streets.

All of the attacks occurred as residents were walking their dogs. Aggressive behavior by raccoons is not typical and it was reasonable to suspect that raccoons that display such behavior have rabies, said Dr. Glennah Trochet.

In the most recent incident, the city received a call about 8:30 p.m. Tuesday. A woman said her dog had been attacked by raccoons.

The woman was scratched trying to separate her dog from a raccoon but not bitten. The raccoons retreated up a tree.

An Animal Control officer hoisted up in a bucket truck lift shot three raccoons. They will be transported today to a Sacramento County lab for testing, said Gina Knepp, acting animal care services manager for the City of Sacramento.

September 07, 2011. Kassata Edwards. Dog attacks in Schenectady spark change

Schenectady -- After two recent dog attacks in Schenectady officials are looking at the best ways to control all the unlicensed dogs running around city streets. Some say create a dog census while others say raise licensing fees for unneutered pups. Regardless of your take on the issue everyone agrees that a lot of strays are running free and something needs to be done immediately.

"This isn't just a pop up problem the pit-bull situation's been going on ever since the 90's when the drugs were so prevalent out here in Schenectady" says Shirleen Lucas who is slowly recovering after three pit-bulls attacked her in Hamilton Hill last month. The dog's owner was issued an appearance ticket for having an unlicensed dog and for harboring dangerous dogs. As the city starts to look at ways to improve animal control those laws could change, something Lucas would love to see.

"No fine should be good enough for this situation. I think she should be criminally prosecuted" adds Lucas.

"There are also jail penalties for some sections" says Acting Mayor Gary McCarthy.

Meantime last week two pit-bulls attacked a mail carrier on Bluff Ave in Schenectady. CBS 6 crews could still see those pit bulls out there Wednesday tied up to a porch.

"They were already on top of her and sitting there shaking her and I'm running down the street screaming to get the dogs off of her" says Bluff Ave. Resident Robert Peek.

Since the attack on Bluff Ave. mail delivery has been cancelled for all residents meaning mail boxes could be empty for a few months.

"This is the second time we can't have mail delivered here because of a dog incident with the mail lady" adds Peek.

An ongoing problem tough to battle with only two animal control officers for the entire city. The Animal Protective Foundation in Scotia helps out by taking in stray dogs found roaming the streets --70 percent of those are pit-bulls. Now the foundation is at capacity and hopes Schenectady will open its own shelter at some point.

"Now that we're seeing more dogs in the community at large, possibly more dangerous dogs at large it needs more attention by the city. It's the responsibility of each municipality to manage an effective dog control program and we're doing as much as we can but we can't fully meet the need" says Marguerite Pearson, Director of Communications for the Animal Protective Foundation.

CBS 6 asked McCarthy if there’s a chance that Schenectady will build its own animal shelter. "I don't see that scenario happening" McCarthy told us.

Right now Schenectady's Police Chief is studying how other communities around the Capital Region deal with animal control and plans to create a 'best practices' plan to be released at a later date.

September 5, 2011. HOUSTON (AP). Newborn fatally mauled by family dog near Houston.

A two-week-old Houston-area boy has died after being mauled by the family dog.

The incident happened Saturday night as the baby sat in an infant carrier on the floor of a room in the family house. Harris County sheriff's spokesman Thomas Gilliland says the dog, a Labrador mix, began sniffing the child and attacked him before the parents could pull it away.

The child was airlifted to Memorial Hermann Hospital, where he died early Sunday. Animal control officers have taken custody of the dog for quarantine.

September 5, 2011. AP. NY seeks stop to wild hogs; may ban captive hunts.

VALLEY FALLS, N.Y. (AP) — Wildlife officials in New York may ban captive boar hunts as they try to curb a growing feral hog population before it gets as bad as it is in Southern states, where roaming droves have devastated crops and wildlife habitat with their rooting, wallowing and voracious foraging.

Feral swine are breeding in three counties in central New York, according to a federal study done last year with funding from New York's Invasive Species Council. The wild population statewide is likely in the hundreds , said Gordon Batcheller, head of the state Department of Environmental Conservation's Bureau of Wildlife.

That's small compared with Texas, where biologists estimate the feral hog population at around 2 million, but Batcheller said any number is bad because they're certain to multiply. Damage becomes more noticeable when the population reaches the thousands and the hogs stake out home territories rather than wandering widely.

Eurasian wild boars have become popular on private hunting ranches throughout the U.S. in recent years as an addition to deer and elk. Ranch owners deny they're the source of the free-roaming pigs, but Patrick Rusz, director of wildlife programs for the Michigan Wildlife Conservancy, said the animals started showing up in the wild soon after hunting preserves began importing them. Their distribution is clustered near preserves, he added.

"We're not talking about Porky Pig getting loose from the farm," Rusz said. "These are Russian wild boars. Those animals are Houdini-like escape artists and they breed readily in the wild. We've had domestic pigs for centuries and never had a feral hog problem until the game ranches started bringing these in."

Wild pigs are intelligent and adaptable, eating almost anything and able to live in a wide range of habitats. They dig up cropland and lawns. They damage ecosystems by rooting and digging for food and devouring roots, stems, leaves, fruit, nuts, bark, bird eggs, mice, snakes and fawns. They compete with native wildlife for food such as acorns, carry diseases that can be transferred to wildlife, and destroy wetlands with their wallowing.

Feral swine multiply rapidly, with sows producing several litters a year of four to six piglets, so as with any invasive species, it's crucial to mount aggressive eradication efforts before the population is widely established, Batcheller said. They're also wily and secretive, and become even more so when people try to shoot or trap them.

New York trapped and removed 44 feral swine in Cortland and Onondaga counties in 2008 and 2009, but that effort ended when the state's budget got tight. Now authorities are working to build public awareness of the problem and encourage people to report sightings, as well as urging hunters with small-game licenses to shoot them, any time of year.

"Stopping escapes is the biggest and most important issue we're challenged with," Batcheller said. "It might require legislation so we can shut down the source of these animals before they get on the landscape."

A number of states have banned the captive wild boar hunts as a first step in controlling the wild population, including Michigan, with a population of boars estimated at 2,000 to 7,000. But ranch operators have lobbied the Michigan legislature to overturn the state's ban. While politicians argue, Rusz says the ban has been postponed and won't be fully in place for perhaps four years.

"That's a travesty," he said. "We need an aggressive, common-sense approach.

"Delays are just working in favor of the hogs."

Other northern states concerned with the spread of feral pigs include Maryland, Ohio, Wisconsin, Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, Oregon and Pennsylvania. The animals are well-established in Southern states.

The boars are seen as a scourge for livestock, too. USDA wildlife biologist Justin Gansowski traps feral swine in New York and tests them for diseases that can be transmitted to domestic livestock. Several have tested positive for pseudorabies, a viral disease that's not fatal to humans but can sicken dogs, cats, goats and cattle.

Another problem comes when preserve operators don't take adequate precautions to keep hogs from escaping, said Dave Vanderzee, owner of Easton View Outfitters, a game-hunting and breeding ranch about 20 miles northwest of Albany in Valley Falls. He keeps his Eurasian wild boars behind an 8-foot-tall wire mesh fence encircling about a quarter-acre, with the bottom of the fence buried to prevent burrowing out.

"As an operator, you don't want to lose your livestock," Vanderzee said. They're too valuable."

While deer are hunted from September through January, when they have nice racks of antlers, boar provide an exciting hunt and tasty meat year round, making them popular with hunters and valuable to preserve operators, he said.

"With the cold winters and deep snowpack in the Northeast, I don't think New York is going to have quite the problem people think it will have with feral hogs," Vanderzee said. "But let's not find out. We should nip it in the bud."

Rusz said no fence is foolproof, and the only sensible solution is to ban captive boar breeding and hunting, just as it's illegal to propagate other exotic invasive species.

In Michigan, the Wildlife Conservancy is training volunteers to operate wild hog traps and working with landowners to ferret out and eliminate pockets of wild hogs.

"Biologists will tell you, once they get established, they're going to come to a neighborhood near you," Rusz said. "The hogs will find you. That's the situation we're in."

September 4, 2011. Altus Times. Animal Shelter issues to be discussed at Altus City Council meeting Tuesday. The Altus Municipal Authority (AMA) and City Council will meet Tuesday, Sept. 6 at 6:30 p.m.

Main items to be discussed during the AMA will be adding another $4,000,000 in MAPS funds, and decreasing the Economic Development Corporation compensation by $80,000. This amount will later be considered for the new City Business Development Director position.

The council will discuss the situation at Altus Animal Control since they received a letter from Altus Animal Aid to terminate their annual agreement. Many citizens are concerned regarding whether the facility would still be able to remain partly a "no kill" shelter.

The council will vote on a resolution concerning two workmen's comp cases. Other items concern a Federal Aviation Administration grant for $6,500, and consideration of True Steel LLC of Ada to do roofing and sidewall repairs to the former Quartz Mountain Aerospace facility

September 3, 2011. THOMAS LESKIN. Pit bull bites woman; is shot, killed

TOWER CITY - A man shot and killed a pit bull after it reportedly attacked his wife Friday afternoon, according to initial police scanner reports. Borough police, with state police assisting, were dispatched to 507 E. Grand Ave. about 5:35 p.m. after the man reported his wife was bitten and that he had shot the animal. While initial reports said the dog was injured and lying near the street at the front of the property, a trooper on scene said the animal had died.

The trooper said the dog's owner lived about one block away at 500 E. Colliery Ave.; however, he declined to give more information and said Tower City police were investigating the incident. Attempts to reach Tower City police were unsuccessful.

Brittny Eichert, Tower City, who was standing across the street from 507 E. Grand Ave., said there were children in an alley playing with a cap gun, which she believed may have scared the dog. She said the dog had jumped over a fence before it bit the victim.

Eichert wasn't aware of any problems with the dog previously. The incident joins a string of other dog attacks that occurred in the county this summer, including one other in Tower City, which prompted several local municipalities to revise or adopt dangerous dog ordinances.

September 1, 2011. Sam Cohen. FOX40 News. Raccoon Attacks Prompt Warning from Animal Officials

SACRAMENTO. Don’t feed the wildlife. The warning is familiar to picnickers and campers, but now the message is coming from Sacramento city officials after two attacks.

Last week two people were attacked by a raccoon at 9th and P Streets, and at 4th and P Streets. Health officials say they assume the animal has rabies because aggressive behavior is not typical of raccoons. Both victims are being told to undergo rabies prevention treatment.

County Health Officer Glennah Trochet, MD says stray and wild animals living in Sacramento are feeding on food left outside by residents. People living downtown are being asked not to leave food outside and not to feed stray animals. Also, pet owners are being asked to make sure their animals are vaccinated against rabies.

Traps have been set up in both of the attack areas, and they are being checked throughout the day by Sacramento Animal Care Services.

The raccoon attacks follow recent incidents involving skunks near 4th and J Streets. The skunk that was chasing people at a parking garage was captured and tested positive for rabies. Read FOX40's story about the skunks here.

Three other skunks have been captured since, however these three tested negative for rabies.

If you see a wild animal near your home, call city services at 311.

August 30, 2011. Man Shoots Neighbor’s Pit Bull After It Attacks His Dog. A pit bull shot and killed near Greeley has caused problems before. This time a neighbor shot the animal when it attacked his dog.

The Evans man who shot the dog won’t face any charges, but the owner of the pit bill will face charges because the animal has had many run-ins with the law.

The dog, named Deuce, was a good dog gone bad, according to his owner, Robert Delarosa.

“He got into an incident with a little coyote in the back yard,” Delarosa said. “Ever since then he started attacking every little dog.”

Deuce apparently jumped his fence and attacked a neighbor’s dog.

“I witnessed it. It happened right in front of me. I (saw) him shoot the dog,” neighbor Ruben Mengia said. “I felt it wasn’t right. I felt something else could have gone on instead of just shooting it right away.”

Deuce’s criminal record includes a capture running loose, attacking a beagle and woman, another dog and its master, and now the latest attack.

Evans has no ban on pit bulls like some other towns.

“It’s not really been a topic of discussion in council since I’ve been here. I don’t know that we have had significant problems with pit bulls,” Evans Police Chief Rick Brandt said.

Delarosa will end up going to court over the matter. He said he probably would have also shot the dog if he was in his neighbor’s shoes.

“Yeah I probably would have done same thing, he had no choice,” Delarosa said. “I wish I would have been there. I would have broke it up.” Delarosa faces charges of unlawful ownership of a dangerous dog.

August 30, 2011. News Channel 36. Dogs found dead at Lincoln County Animal Services

LINCOLNTON, N.C. – Two dogs were found dead last week at Lincoln County Animal Services, and the employee responsible for the incident has been fired.

The dogs were found around 12:15 p.m. on August 22 at 650 John Howell Memorial Drive.

The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office and a veterinarian investigated the incident and concluded the dogs had signs of being suffocated and suffered from heatstroke.

“The dogs had been tied up in the outside, fenced-in, grassy holding area during the regularly scheduled cleaning activities of their inside, temperature controlled enclosures,” said Lincoln County EMS in a statement Tuesday.

But animal services does not think a person choked the dogs.

“It was determined that the dogs became hyperactive/excited due to the other dogs in the yard and they choked themselves by pulling on the leashes that were attached to the fence.”

The name of the fired employee who was responsible for the care of the dogs in this incident has not been released.

August 30, 2011. WVEC.com

NORFOLK -- Firefighters are searching for a third dog inside an apartment on East Ocean View after it caught fire. Two dogs were discovered dead Tuesday afternoon.

The fire was reported about 3:00 at 2016 E. Ocean View. No people were hurt.

Crews got the fire under control in about 25 minutes. The cause is still under investigation but fire chief Harry Worley believes it may be a kitchen fire.

East Ocean View was closed in both directions.

AUGUST 27, 2011. Kashmirdispatch. Boy killed, 5 injured in wild animal attacks in Kashmir

A boy was killed and five people injured during attacks by wild animals separately on Saturday, an official said here. He said, Ishtiyaq Ahmad Famda son of Mohammad Younis resident of Shelnagh was mauled to death by a leopard at Shelnagh, Dooru, in south Kashmir's Anantnag.

Ishtiyaq succumbed to his injuries on way to hospital.

Meanwhile, Tariq Ahmad Sheikh, Mohammad Ayub Najar, Riyaz Ahmad Najar, Adil Zargar and Haja Begum residents of Drager Basant Wader, in central Kashmir's Khansahib, were injured by a bear.

All the injured were hospitalized.

Aug ust 23, 2011. Amanda Goodman. Dog mauled to death by pit pulls

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) - A morning walk turned deadly for a small dog in northwest Albuquerque Tuesday morning. A man was out with his dog when he said two pit bulls came out of nowhere and attacked his dog. The results were horrific. “They just came from behind and attacked her,"said the dog’s owner Julian Paco. "The male just attacked her, wouldn’t let go of her throat. It was terrible,”

He said it all happened so fast. While returning home from the park, Paco said two pit bulls pounced on his 1 1/2-year-old terrier mix. “Just attacked my baby," Paco said. "The female started in on her. The neighbor hit them with a baseball bat. They wouldn’t break up and wouldn’t let go till she died, just kept on grabbing on to her throat." When there was nothing left the dogs took off.

Paco said he has never seen them in the neighborhood before. An off-duty Albuquerque Police Department detective was in the area and saw the pit bulls walking down the street after the attack.

“He saw two dogs full of blood. He opened up his car door and the dogs hopped in,” said Lt. Earl Baca with Animal Welfare. The dogs had no collars or microchips. They were taken to the West Side Animal Shelter and deemed dangerous. Early last month there was a similar situation in another northwest Albuquerque neighborhood. “He just got a hold of the little dog and just ripped him to pieces,” said Marsha Ewantis. A neighborhood bull terrier attacked Ewantis’ Chihuahua Julius killing it.

Animal Welfare officers said during the summer, animal-on-animal attacks increase, mostly because there are more chances of running into other animals. “Just be vigilant, be aware of your surroundings. Some people like to carry some type of protection as they're walking,” Baca said. Paco said his dog’s death was horrific, and the vicious attack was unlike anything he had ever seen.

“They didn’t even bark, nothing. They jus--boom--attacked my dog,” Paco said. Animal Welfare believes the pit bulls belong to someone because they look healthy and are people-friendly. It hopes the owners will come forward and claim the dogs. They have three days to do so or the dogs could be put down. Anyone with information about who the dogs may belong to can call the city’s 311 hot line.

August 21, 2011. Aspen Daily News Staff Writer. Bears attack two campers near Crater Lake over weekend

After two bear attacks in the Maroon-Bells Snowmass Wilderness in the past two days, wildlife officers and specialized hunters on Saturday were searching the area of Crater Lake to locate and kill the animal.

Two men were attacked in separate incidents early Friday and Saturday mornings while camping near Crater Lake. Both men were bit in the leg and were able to hike out of the backcountry. One camper, who was bit seven or eight times in the lower leg, required surgery at Aspen Valley Hospital. The other camper didn’t require medical attention, according to Pitkin County Sheriff’s Deputy Jeff Lumsden.

The first incident occurred at approximately 5:30 a.m., Friday when a bear jumped on a tent housing two men near Crater Lake. One was bitten on his left side but was not seriously hurt.

Those men reported that they saw the bear raise up on its hind legs, then stomp the tent. The man it landed on lay still, but when he moved, the bear bit him, causing small puncture wounds. Those campers started shouting and the bear ran off. In that incident, the two campers reported that all food items were properly secured, hanging in a tree, at least 75 feet from the tent, according to Colorado Division of Wildlife spokesman Mike Porras. They reported that there were no food items in the tent.

The second, more serious attack occurred about 1 a.m. Saturday. John Stewart, 51, who lives on the Front Range, was attacked by a bear while sleeping in his tent alone above Crater Lake. He was awoken from sleep when the bear ripped into his tent. The unprovoked attack occurred in a backcountry campsite in the Minnehaha Gulch area above Crater Lake, approximately 14 miles southwest of Aspen. Stewart, one member in a climbing group of three, was staged to climb North Maroon later in the morning, according to the sheriff’s department.

After the bear made entry into the tent, it repeatedly bit Stewart in his lower right leg, through his sleeping bag. He was able to fight the bear off and call to the other nearby members of the group for help.

The bear lingered around the campsite after the attack, despite many efforts to scare it away. The campers threw rocks at the bear and even lit a fire, which eventually was enough to send it away.

Using first aid supplies on-hand, the bleeding was controlled and the group began a slow descent back to the trailhead at Maroon Lake. The Pitkin County Sheriff’s Department was first notified of a problem by an emergency transmission originating from a personal GPS transmitter. Members of Mountain Rescue Aspen immediately deployed into the field, meeting the injured man along the trail and escorting him back to the trailhead. He was able to walk out under his own power, and was transported to Aspen Valley Hospital. By Saturday evening, Stewart was on his way back home to the Front Range, Lumsden said.

Stewart told officials that he had an empty wrapper of freeze-dried food in his backpack in the tent, which may have attracted the bear.

“That certainly is enough to attract the bear,” Porras said. “It was a very determined fashion to get into that tent.” Porras said wildlife officials are concerned that the bear now sees tents as an opportunity for food.

DOW officers are working with hounds that track the scents from the campers to locate the bear, as well as relying on the assistance of USDA Wildlife Services, which part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. If located, the bear will be put down.

“These situations indicate that the bear is associating tents with food and has become dangerous to even campers that are doing things correctly,” said Perry Will, area wildlife manager. “We’ve got lots of good camping weather left this summer and it continues to be important for everyone to do their part to keep wild bears wild.”

Porras said the DOW contracts with USDA Wildlife Services, which employs specialized hunters for matters such as this. “They are good at it; it will be done in a humane way,” Porras said of euthanization. “We don’t feel like we have any choice.”

Last Monday, a third bear attack happened at the Difficult campground close to Aspen. In that attack, campers saw a black bear attack an unoccupied tent and they scared it away.

After the sighting, the Forest Service put an indefinite ban on tents and soft-sided campers at the Difficult campground, but did not close it.

About a half dozen employees of the Forest Service were going through the Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness Area on Saturday to tell hikers and campers about the attacks.

But as Porras noted, people have a better chance of getting struck by lightning or being bitten by a dog than attacked by a bear. Regardless, hikers and campers were being given information about alternate camping areas if they choose to leave. There is plentiful natural food for bear in the area, but Forest Service employees were being frank that bear attacks remained a danger.

August 19, 2011. Roanoke man kills pit bull after it attacks his dog

Roanoke Police say no charges will be filed.

ROANOKE, Va—A man's dog was beaten to death by another man who told police the pit bull attacked him.

It happened Thursday afternoon in the 700 block of 9th Street in Roanoke.

Thomas Rakosky told Roanoke Police that he was walking his border collie on the sidewalk when he passed Steve Butler's home on Elm Avenue.

Two of Butler's pit bulls escaped from the yard and went up to Rakosky.

“I got a hold of them and I asked the people if they were alright and they kept coming toward me with their dog while I'm holding my dogs back," says Butler, "Well, next my other dog got out."

August 18, 2011. The Lookout. A mysterious rodent turns up. Yoo-hoo! Anybody missing a jumbo rodent?

In Paso Robles, California, a giant South American rodent was spotted lurking around a wastewater-treatment facility before disappearing back into the surrounding area. The news unleashed a flurry of searches on the furry creature. The video above and photos below are courtesy of Kion46/Fox35, where you can read more about the elusive creature.

Witnesses estimate the creature, called a capybara, weighs at least 100 pounds. According to an article from Reuters, the capybara has the dubious honor of being the world's largest rodent. This is the third sighting in three years. Experts believe it is the same creature.

California is a long way from South America, so how did this king-size creature get to the Golden State? The most likely explanation, according to Todd Tognazzini of the California Department of Fish and Game, is that the big beast is an escaped pet. The capybara, which resembles a huge guinea pig, eats vegetation and, despite its intimidating size, is not considered dangerous. It's also kind of cute.

News of the odd animal's appearance sparked a flurry of searches on the Web. Over the past 24 hours, online interest in the animal surged an astounding 9,553%. Related lookups on "capybara pets" also spiked. According to Tognazzini, people have been known to keep the rodents as pets. "The Internet is fraught with examples of people scratching them on the belly and thinking they're cute and making pets of them," he said.

But don't go thinking these things are easy to care for. You need a special permit to have one in California. We imagine it's also a good idea to buy a collar with a nametag. You know, just in case the creature wanders over to a wastewater facility, freaks people out, and causes an online uproar

August 16, 2011. GALLUP, N.M. (AP) Reservation dogs roam unchecked; attacks common

The 55-year-old man was found lying on the side of the road on the Navajo Nation, a pack of dogs mauling him relentlessly. Emergency workers chased them away, but the pack — their ribs sticking out — kept trying to circle back. It was not determined whether the dogs or a seizure felled Larry Armstrong as he went for a walk near his rural home last December. An autopsy report said he died from the bites, but investigators were unable to determine if he was even conscious when he was attacked. Regardless, the case vividly underscored the problems the Navajo Nation — and many other tribal lands — have with stray, feral or just neglected and loose dogs. On the vast Navajo Nation, wildlife and animal control manager Kevin Gleason estimates there are four to five dogs for each of the more than 89,000 households — or as many as 445,000 dogs, most of which roam unchecked, killing livestock and biting people with alarming regularity.

"They kill everything," Gleason said in a recent interview. "Cats, dogs, cattle, sheep, horses. We've also had people severely injured by them. We've had people with horrendous bites. We just had a case ... where a man lost 37 sheep to a pack of dogs. "We have that going on all the time. Our officers respond to more than 25 bite cases a month, and 25 livestock damage cases a month." Attempts to diminish the problem with round-ups by animal control officers, weekly spay and neuter clinics in Gallup, and ongoing efforts by small group of volunteers to ship a few healthy puppies and dogs to shelters in Albuquerque and Colorado have had virtually no impact.

"You look at the Sundance area where that gentleman was killed, we went in and removed 79 dogs after that and it looked like we never touched it," Gleason said. Dogs roam the sides of highways, restaurant, gas station and store parking lots and just about anywhere else they might find food. Their carcasses in various stages of decomposition litter spots along the sides of the main roads and interstates. After Gleason added the animal control operations to his duties in October, he said he ordered his officers to conduct a series of roundups. Between October and April, he said officers picked up 2,332 dogs. Of those, only 79 were adopted and 313 were released back to their owners. The rest were euthanized. The roundups were cancelled shortly after that, he said, "because we ran out of money." On average, he said, the Nation euthanizes about 6,000 dogs a year. In McKinley County and the city of Gallup, which are surrounded by tribal lands, nearly 4,000 dogs, cats and other animals were euthanized last year.

The problem goes back to a contrasting mix of cultural and socioeconomics issues. For some tribes, respect for dogs dates back to a time when canines served as pack animals and protectors of the camp. Others believe dogs belong to the spirits and should not be killed. But care for the animals varies widely. On the Navajo reservation, many people are too poor to even get their dogs to a vet — if there was one around — let alone pay for medicine or a spay or neuter procedure. Dogs are referred to as feces eaters, and children are taught to never cry for or bury a dog. At the Navajo Nation shelter in Fort Defiance recently, there was no emotion as two kids and a woman unloaded three seemingly well-taken care of family dogs from the back of their truck, dragging and eventually having to carry them into the small, dilapidated building where they huddled together in a cage, waiting to be euthanized for attacking the neighbor's sheep.

Donna Damon, a Navajo who is a vet tech at the Gallup Humane Society, said her father still doesn't understand why she chose a career taking care of animals. "He said, 'Why can't you be a nurse,'" she said. Animal rescue groups say dog overpopulation is a problem on most reservations. "They have varying levels of seriousness," said John Polis, a spokesman for the Best Friends Animal Society, a rescue group that runs a sanctuary for thousands of animals in rural Utah, "but they are all kind of dealing with the same problem. "We get calls from people all over the place who happen upon a reservation during their vacation or have taken in a reservation dog and want to know how to socialize it," Polis said.

He said the group has worked with the Navajo Nation and occasionally takes some of its animals but "it is such a gigantic problem we haven't been able to tackle it with enough resources to make a huge impact." Both Polis and Gleason cited cultural barriers and mistrust as impeding efforts by rescue groups and tribes to work together. Gleason said the Navajo Nation has no choice to but to continue to euthanize dogs at a high rate. "Prior to me coming here, we weren't really doing adoptions. We are trying to get as many dogs out as we can. But the thing is, we don't pick up one or two dogs. We pick up 50, 60, 70 at a time." After the sweep that netted 79 dogs in Sundance in December, he said, only 12 were claimed by owners. Gleason said he has tried to work with off-reservation rescue groups, but many don't want to deal with the tribe, he said, because of its high euthanasia rate.

Polis said there are also problems with outsiders going on tribal lands and "stepping on toes." "A lot of people think they should round them up and take them off. But a lot of them are people's pets. Sometimes people take a dog and we tell them you are stealing." While the problems are pervasive across many reservations, Polis pointed to a project on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota as an example of a progressive community-based effort to stem unwanted breeding. "We don't have a big problem with (attacks on people) although we do occasionally have dogs that are hungry and will pack up and kill young livestock," said Virginia Ravndal, who started the Lakota Animal Care Project. "Probably a bigger issue for us is disease, starvation and freezing. Mange is a huge problem. And going into South Dakota winters without hair, a lot of dogs don't make it." Ravndal said the project has worked to train tribal members to provide basic care like treatment for mange and worms. After they gain the trust of pet owners, they talk to them about spay and neutering. "You can't just go in and say your animal has to be spayed and neutered. You really have to develop a relationship," she said.

She has also developed a kids program called Shunka Scouts (shunka means dog in Lakota), in which children can interact with animals and earn "acts of kindness badges" that help teach them basics of animal care. Part of the message: "Animals are our relations and no one should go hungry, no one should go cold, no one should be sick."

The program, which also works with rescue groups and no-kill shelters, has had to temporarily shutter some of its programs because it has run out of money, Ravndal said. She hopes to host a gathering of nations next summer to help other tribes set up similar programs designed to make long-term changes to how tribal members view and care for their pets.

When the project started, she said people who could no longer care for a starving or freezing dog would call and say, "'Can you shoot the dog for us.' Now they call and say, 'Can you help us find it a home.'"

Aug 15, 2011. (Reuters). Pregnant woman killed by pit bull died from blood loss, shock.

Preliminary autopsy results show that a pregnant San Francisco-area woman who was killed by her pit bull died from blood loss and shock, police said on Monday.

An autopsy on 32-year-old Darla Napora, along with analysis by dog bite experts, also concluded that only one of her two dogs, a 2-year-old male named Gunner, took part in last Thursday's fatal attack.

Police say Napora's husband returned to the couple's home in the Bay Area village of Pacifica about noon on Thursday to find his pregnant wife's mauled body, with the bloodied pit bull standing over her.

First responders failed to revive Napora, who was suffering from massive trauma to her upper body, police say, and she was pronounced dead at the scene, along with her unborn baby, Pacifica police said.

Gunner was shot and killed by officers in the front yard of the couple's home after he apparently got free from a back room, where Napora's husband had tried to confine him, police said.

A second pit bull, a female, was found cowering in a corner.

Impressions taken from both dogs show that all of Napora's injuries were consistent with bites from Gunner and that there was no evidence that the female dog took part in the attack, Pacifica police said.

Pacifica Police Capt. Dave Bertini said that authorities were still trying to determine why Napora's dog attacked her.

"We may never know why it happened," Bertini said, adding that the couple was keeping both pit bulls as pets. Bertini said there was so far no evidence to indicate that the dogs had been trained to be aggressive.

August 14, 2011 AFP. Smuggled Dogs Rescued From Slaughter By Thai Authorities

Over one thousand dogs intended for consumption were rescued by Thai authorities on

Four trucks were stopped in the Nakhon Phanom province of northeastern Thailand. According to the Daily Mail, police swooped in with two raids near the Laos border. The trucks were stacked high with dogs stuffed into tiny cages, and 119 dogs were already dead.

According to a Nakhon Phanom livestock development official, the dogs died either from suffocation, or from being thrown from the trucks when the alleged traffickers tried to flee the scene.

The dogs were being sent across a Laos river and into Vietnam. Police case officer Captain Prawat Pholsuwan told AFP that two Thai men and a Vietnamese man have been charged with trafficking and illegally transporting animals. The men face a maximum punishment of one year in jail and a fine of up to $670.

According to police, traffickers are known to round up stray dogs in rural Thai villages, and sell them for up to $33 per dog in Vietnam. The Daily Mail reports that these dogs were “destined to be cooked and eaten.” According to the news source, there are 13 countries that still consume dog meat. In Indonesia, the Batak Toba culture is reportedly known to cook a dog meat dish named “saksang."

In April, hundreds of dogs were rescued from slaughter in Beijing, China thanks to a group of animal activists. According to the Associated Press, the activists blocked a truck transporting the dogs, and negotiated for their release in exchange for $17,000.

While most reactions to these incidents are ones of horror, and many cultures are disturbed by the thought of eating a dog, some have asked -- what is the real difference between eating dog meat and cow meat? Or eating any other animal for that matter? While the condition that these dogs were found in is considered atrocious, many other animals face similar mistreatment in the United States.

Earlier this summer, Mercy for Animals, a Chicago-based animal welfare group, unveiled to the public undercover videos of livestock mistreatment. The Associated Press reported that in the video, “sows are shown in small cages, known as gestation crates, that limit their ability to move, and workers are shown castrating piglets and removing their tails without anesthetics…There are repeated shots of workers tossing piglets across a room.”

August 13,2011.Mike Manzoni. Pit bull attacks Albany man, takes chunk out of arm, Dog's owner, victim tell conflicting accounts of attack

ALBANY, GA -- An Albany man is recovering after a pit bull attacked him, taking a chunk out of his arm and leaving him bleeding profusely in his driveway.

Walter Braswell, an Army veteran, was no match for the pit bull that came charging at him Aug. 3 while he was working on his car outside at 102 Wescott Drive.

Braswell said someone who was visiting his neighbor let the pit bull – and two dachshunds – out of an adjacent house.

“Out charged the pit bull along with two dachshunds, and the distance is so short, and as fast as the dog was charging out, I had virtually nowhere to go,” said Braswell. The pit bull, he said, jumped to bite him, and he tried to protect himself by shielding his neck and face with his left arm.

Braswell said he intends to sue the dog’s owner, John Sowell, in civil court.

We were unable to reach Sowell, but he told The Albany Herald that Braswell provoked the incident by kicking one his dachshunds. Braswell denies that claim.

Sowell was charged with leaving an animal at large and having no rabies tags on the dog, according to the Herald.

Braswell was taken to Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital where he received several stitches.

August 11, 2011. LA Times. Seven coyotes killed after attacks on dogs in Laguna Woods

Aggressive coyotes have kept Laguna Woods residents on edge for weeks, but authorities said trapping efforts are working and seven of the animals have been killed, including two on Tuesday.

The news comes days after an 82-year-old woman said a coyote snatched her small dog off its leash as she was stepping out of her patio for a morning walk. The dog, a parti poodle named Mocha, was killed, the woman's daughter told the Orange County Register.

Police and animal control officers stepped up their efforts to prevent such attacks after two incidents in which women were injured while trying to protect their dogs from coyotes. Extra traps were set for the wild animals, and the city hired a professional hunter to shoot any coyotes he saw. So far, seven coyotes have been removed from the area, said Jim Beres, a civilian supervisor for the Laguna Beach Police Department, which oversees animal services in Laguna Woods. Six of the animals were caught in traps and euthanized. One was shot and killed by the licensed hunter on Tuesday.

Still, Beres said, authorities believe there is one more aggressive adult male coyote still prowling the area, and they hope to catch him.

"After we find him, we're going to reassess and see if the attacks stop, and if they do then we know we've gotten all of the problematic coyotes," Beres said.

The goal isn't to remove all of the coyotes from the area, Beres said. Instead, authorities want to make sure the overly aggressive animals -- the ones who stalk the neighborhoods and attack pets in broad daylight -- are gone.

"You want them to have that fear of humans," Beres said. "When they lose that, that's not good."

It's standard industry practice to euthanize captured coyotes rather than relocate them, Beres said. Otherwise, the animals would just continue the dangerous behavior somewhere else.

"It just relocates the problem to another community," Beres said. "They propagate so quickly -- they're not an endangered species by any means -- and once they've learned to come in contact with humans, that doesn't go away."

Beres said the trapping operations would continue until authorities were satisfied the problem was solved, but pointed out that coyotes are par for the course in Southern California. People can reduce the risk of having coyotes near their homes by not leaving food out for outdoor pets, making sure garbage cans are secured and keeping small pets indoors, but ultimately the wild animals are here for good.

"Coyotes are endemic," Beres said. "They've been here and will continue to be here."

August 10. 2011. Nick Lawton. NewsWest 9. Million Dollar Punishment For Dangerous Dogs

MIDLAND - To cut down on dangerous dog attacks, the Midland City Council approved the first reading of an amendment to the Dangerous Dog City Code, making the punishment for the owners as tough as possible.

"The ordinance amendment would increase the amount of liability insurance from $250,000 to $1 million," City of Midland Director of Animal Services, Paul O'Neill, said.

A million-dollar liability insurance policy would have to be bought in order to keep the dog. Charges to keep the dog at the Midland Animal Shelter during its 10-day quarantine are also increased and add that to court fees.

Officials said if a dog attacks someone enough to be dangerous, they want to make it nearly impossible for them to get the dog back.

"The vicious ones, where there's serious injury, those are the ones we look heavily at filing," O'Neill said. "The dog comes out and bites them multiples times, two, three, four times, knocks them down, that to me is a dangerous dog."

Midlander Leslie Hahn spoke in support of the increase at the City Council meeting after her granddaughter was attacked by a dog years ago, when she was just two-and-a-half years old.

"She turned around to run, to get away from the dog, and the dog chased her, knocked her down, got on top of her, and then just, just chewed on her," Hahn said.

Harley was playing in the front yard of her home in Midland when a dog squeezed through the spaces in the fence and attacked her.

Now, seven years later, Hahn said Harley still has scars on her body and her mind.

"She has scars in her hair lining where the hair won't grow back and she has scars under her arms, and not just that but mentally," she said. "She's afraid of dogs. She'll take that with her forever, I'm sure."

Hahn said the dog's owner was never found, and if that happens, the dog is euthanized.

Hahn said she is just happy that the dog did not test positive for Rabies and wants the City Council to push the increase through.

"I felt like it was very important that this amendment needed to be passed," she said. "I think that people need to understand that the dogs do get out. Children do not understand that these dogs are not friendly."

A concern that Tall City officials are now trying to echo.

The proposed change to the dangerous dog ordinance in Midland has to go through one more final reading by the Council on their August 23rd meeting before it's approved. As for the City of Odessa, the owner has to take out a $100,000 liability insurance policy, and they have to have a dangerous animal tag that costs $50 a year

Aug 10, 2011. Dog attacks, injures two in Elkhart County

Elkhart County, Ind. Police are trying to catch a dog that bit and injured its owners in their home Tuesday night.

Police are trying to catch a dog that bit and injured its owners in their home Tuesday night.

The attack occurred just after 10:30 p.m. at their home in the 2600 block of Leland Road just off SR 19 near Simonton Lake.

The Elkhart County Sheriff's Department says the dog bit a man on the hand. He was transported by ambulance to Elkhart General Hospital and received stitches.

The dog also bit a woman on her thigh, leg and hand. Police say all of the bites were minor. The woman drove herself to the hospital, where it was discovered she was intoxicated.

Police are still looking for the dog. They say it ran off after the attack. The dog is a mixed breed. Once the animal's caught, police will investigate whether it's up-to-date on its immunizations.

August 9, 2011. Hi-Desert Star. Two children bitten in dog attacks

YUCCA VALLEY — Dogs bit two children in separate incidents here Saturday and Monday. The first attack occurred about 2 p.m. Saturday in the community center’s playground when a 5-year-old boy approached a 1 1/2-year-old pit bull-Labrador mix. According to a witness, the dog bit the child in the face.

The boy was flown to Loma Linda University Medical Center and the dog was collected by an animal control officer. The animal is being held under quarantine pending a hearing to determine whether it is potentially dangerous or vicious

At 3:38 p.m. Monday, a male shepard-chow mix was in its own fenced yard in the 6800 Palisade Way when it bit a 6-year-old family member. The girl was driven to Hi-Desert Medical Center for evaluation. The dog is being held at the Yucca Valley Animal Shelter on a 10-day rabies quarantine.

“In Yucca Valley we have zero tolerance for dogs that display overly aggressive behavior,” Melanie Crider, the town’s animal care and control manager, said. Two pit bulls attacked two people in Twentynine Palms early Sunday morning and two pit bulls attacked a woman in Yucca Valley July 25. All of the attacks are being investigated.

August 8 2011. BBC.. Beached baby humpback whale returns to sea in Australia.

A baby humpback whale that beached in Australia has been returned to the sea.

The week-old mammal was found on Surfers Paradise beach early on Monday, not moving freely.

It had been separated from its mother. Lifeguards and staff from the nearby SeaWorld searched by air and sea but couldn't find the whale's mum.

It took around 50 rescuers to haul the whale back into the water, with the help of two jetskis.

A digger was used to clear a path in the sand, while rescuers poured water over the whale to keep it cool and wet. Once back in the sea, the calf swam into deeper water, where it's hoped it will be able to find its mum.

August 8, 2011. Guy Kilty. Polar bear attack: British survivor had animal's teeth removed from his skull

One of the British teenagers injured in a Norwegian polar bear attack last week had an operation to remove some of the animal's teeth from his skull, his father has revealed.

Patrick Flinders, from Jersey, suffered a fractured skull and arm injuries after the 19-stone beast entered the campsite where he was staying on the Norwegian Arctic island of Svalbard.

Horatio Chapple, 17, died in the bear attack, while three others were hurt, including 16-year-old Scott Bennell-Smith. Trip leaders Michael "Spike" Reid, 29, and Andrew Ruck, 27, were severely injured, but are now stable. Patrick's father Terry said his son was being treated at Southampton General Hospital, where doctors had removed sections of the bear's teeth from his skull.

He went on to reveal that his son punched the animal on the nose and used his rifle "like a baseball bat" to fight it off. Mr Flinders admitted he was concerned about his son's mental health following the incident. "I imagine the horrors of seeing his friend savaged and killed by a polar bear just inches away will play through his mind time and time again," he remarked. "It would be bad enough for an adult, let alone a young lad."

August 4, 2011. Toronto Sta. Livid llama attacks woman at petting zoo.

Christine Pendleton remembers the sound of bones “popping and crushing.” The mother of two young boys was standing outside the fence of a B.C. petting zoo when a llama suddenly reared back its legs and knocked a 75-year-old woman down to the ground. Pellets of food scattered out of her hand. Pendleton watched from a metre away as two goats rushed to get the food, trampling the small woman in the process. “I could hear the bones popping and crushing. She cried out, ‘I think I broke my hip.’ And I thought, ‘Yeah, she’s broken,’ ” Pendleton told the Star. “It was a crazy moment.” France Pilotte has spent more than nine hours in the operating room at Langley Memorial Hospital since the July 28 attack, according to the Vancouver Sun. Surgeons inserted metal rods and plates to mend her shattered right femur, hip, elbow and arm. She still needs surgery on her broken knee. The enclosed petting zoo where animals roam free alongside visitors is billed as a family-friendly place to feed and touch baby animals. Pilotte was there with her daughter and grandson. Pendleton had gone to Krause Berry Farm, about 50 kilometres east of Vancouver, to pick up crates of blueberries and raspberries. She brought her sons, 1 and 3, along with their 4-year-old friend to look at the animals, but decided not to go inside when she notice the llama acting “aggressive.” “It was nibbling at (Pilotte’s) backpack and following her really closely. At one point she even batted it away,” said Pendleton. “I didn’t feel it was safe for the children to be inside the pen.” She said the children were not too shaken up after witnessing the attack. “The kids didn’t seem very aware. I don’t think they understood the gravity of her injuries,” Pendleton said. Pendleton watched staff bring the woman ice and an umbrella to shade her from the hot sun while they waited for an ambulance. She said the animals were put in the barn after the attack. Farm owner Alf Krause said this is the first time an animal has turned on a petting zoo visitor. The llama in question is seven months old, he added.

“An unfortunate accident happened. That’s all I can say,” Krause told the Star. The Abbotsford SPCA is investigating the attack. Pendleton questioned why visitors were allowed to roam free alongside the llamas in the first place. “The llama was not a good idea to have in a petting zoo,” Pendleton said.

Lionel’s Farm in Stouffville has llamas at its petting zoo but visitors can touch and feed them only through a chain-linked fence. Even though the petting zoo animals are domesticated, “there’s always a chance” they could react aggressively an unusual scent, colour or desire for food, said Blair Purcell, who works at the family-run farm. “Animals have a mind of their own,” Purcell said

August 3, 2011. USA TODAY. U.S. ski champ survives bear attack.

Ani Haas went jogging last Friday on a trail near Missoula, Mont. Suddenly she came face to face with a female black bear, on the attack. Why? Because the former U.S. ski team member, known for freestyle, inadvertently came between the mother and her two cubs, she told NBC's Today show. London's Daily Mail reported on the interview , saying Haas first felt like fleeing, then decided to stand her ground.

"I realized running from wild animals is the worst thing you can do," she said on the show. She had grown up being told what to do when animals attack. Her instinct was to run, and she took steps away but then stopped. The bear caught up with her and clawed her chest and left arm, she said.

And she said that while she was told to lie down in a fetal position and protect her vulnerable parts if encountering a grizzly, that she should face a black bear and stay strong. So she made herself look as big as possible and confronted the angry mother. "Running from wild animals is the worst thing you can do," she said, according to msnbc.com.

She told Today she punched the bear on the head, threw a rock and started backing up slowly. The bear left her alone, went back to her cubs, and Haas had time to escape back to her car

August 3, 2011.BBC. Peacock escapes from New York zoo.

A peacock has been strutting his stuff on the streets of New York after escaping from a city zoo.

The male bird later attracted big crowds as he rested on a window ledge several storeys high, at a building across the road from Central Park Zoo.

His keepers said the exotic escapee wasn't a risk to anyone and they're hoping he'll fly home soon. If he doesn't, they'll go and get him.

The peacock is the third animal to escape a New York zoo this year.

August 3, 2011. Tehran Times. Snakes masquerade as poisonous vipers to avoid attacks

Harmless snakes can apparently squish their heads to look like venomous vipers and avoid getting eaten, scientists find. Vipers such as rattlesnakes are notorious for their venom. They also have distinctive triangular head shapes, due to how their venom glands fill up the backs of their heads.

Scientists noticed that many grass snakes (Natrix natrix), viperine snakes (Natrix maura) and a number of other nonvenomous serpents could flatten their normally rather narrow heads into triangular shapes.

Researchers suspected they might do so in order to mimic their more dangerous brethren, which many predators would reasonably want to avoid — indeed, viperine snakes also have a zigzag pattern on their backs, something commonly seen in European vipers. Protective mimicry is common in the animal kingdom. A number of spiders resemble ants, mimicking them not only physically but in the way they walk, and the extraordinary mimic octopus can shift its color and shape to impersonate anything from sea snakes to stingrays.

To investigate whether these harmless snakes were contorting their heads to protect themselves, evolutionary biologist and herpetologist Janne Valkonen at the University of Jyvaskyla in Finland and his colleagues experimented with fake snakes made of modeling clay. Some had triangular heads while others had narrower heads; some had zigzag patterns on their backs while others were plain.

The researchers took nearly 600 replica serpents into Coto Doñana Natural Park in southern Spain. The ""place is perfect for this kind of experiment because there is a large amount and variety of raptors (birds of prey) nesting in the area,"" Valkonen explained.

The scientists left the clay snakes out for up to three days and found that replicas with triangular heads got attacked a lot less often than ones without them. Only about 6 percent of the fake serpents with either viper heads or zigzag patterns or both were assaulted, while nearly 15 percent of snakes with neither viper heads nor zigzag patterns were clawed at by raptors Saving snakes

The fact that nonvenomous snakes can benefit from mimicking their more lethal relatives could prove important when it comes to conserving both kinds of serpents. ""Harmless mimics cannot gain the benefit of avoidance of predators if the venomous snakes that they are mimicking are not common enough,"" Valkonen told LiveScience. ""If the real thing becomes too rare, predators 'forget' the danger.""

These fake snakes did not fool mammals — the scent of modeling clay seemed to give them away, the researchers said. In fact, the researchers had to spray the replicas with insect repellent to deter foxes, as past field work revealed they apparently enjoyed biting the fake snakes. Future research with scent-disguised replicas could test whether this snake head shape mimicry tricks mammals. The scientists detailed their findings online July 27 in the journal PLoS ONE

Monday 1st August 2011.BBC. Chimpanzee feeds baby tigers in Thailand zoo.

A two-and-a-half-year-old chimpanzee called Dodo has been trained to feed tiger cubs out of a bottle.

He's been feeding the cubs every day for more than a year at the Samut Prakarn Crocodile Farm and Zoo in Thailand.

Dodo's trainers say that he wasn't afraid of the tiger cubs, so they taught him how to feed them.

But sometimes he ignores his feeding tasks, and just wants to play!

"He just fed the cub but he also teased the tiger by taking away the milk bottle," said 10-year-old Raksika Chueawong, who visited the zoo.

Zoo workers say tourists love taking pictures of Dodo and the cubs, but they'll have to be separated soon when the cubs get too big.

July 30, 2011. FOXNY. Dog Attacks Girl in the Bronx.

A pit bull dog bit a 4-year-old girl in the Bronx on Friday afternoon, authorities said. It happened near 3rd Avenue and East 170th Street in the Claremont section of the borough.

Medics rushed the girl to Lincoln Hospital shortly after 4:30 p.m., according the FDNY. She suffered bites to her face and was listed in serious condition.

The NYPD said the dog has been caught.

August 2, 2011. LINH LY. HAVE YOUR SAY: Dog attacks unleashed in Brimbank. A SAVAGE dog attack in St Albans that left a small terrier dead has provoked calls for better dog management by owners.

Keilor Downs resident Andrew Watters said his father-in-law, who wished not be named, was taking the family’s dogs for a walk on July 22 when they were set upon by two wandering dogs. His father-in-law, 77, was bitten on the hand by one of the dogs - thought to be a pit bull terrier or pit bull cross - and his chihuahua cross jack russell terrier, Jesse, was badly mauled and had to be put down because of her injuries “I’m a dog lover but if it was a child (that was attacked), where do you go from there?” Mr Watters said.

Brimbank Council acting general manager of city development Stuart Menzies said despite patrols the dogs had not been found. Dogs Victoria spokeswoman Sylvia Power said it was a serious problem that a dog was running around out of its owner’s control. “It’s the owners’ fault,” Ms Power said. She said some dogs were placed in inappropriate situations. Ms Power also warned against stereotyping breeds, saying it was the “deed, not the breed” that was the problem.

Last year, 84 dog attacks were reported to Brimbank Council. In just four of those cases dog owners were issued with fines. “The frequency of dog aggression incidents in public places is of concern,” Mr Menzies said. Councils have the right to ask for attacking animals to be euthanised and matters of a more serious nature are brought before the Magistrates Court. The State Government introduced tougher laws against dangerous dogs in 2010, providing councils more power to prosecute.

The maximum penalty for the owner of a declared dangerous dog that has attacked a person or animal, causing serious injury, is $14,334 and six months imprisonment. The maximum penalty for a dog which is not declared dangerous is $4778.

August 02, 2011. Bridget Albert. Attacks on small animals, caution and vigilance urged

Bethany Veterinarian Kimberly McClure Brinton and Woodbridge Animal Control Officer Paul Neidmann are urging residents to keep a close eye on small companion pets. This past Friday a small dog was attacked and had to be euthanized.

The wild animal attack occurred on Amity Road in Bethany McClure Brinton said. “The dog was less than 10 pounds and in the front yard for less than five minutes,” McClure Brinton said. The owner, who was not identified, contacted McClure Brinton that an animal had grabbed the canine. McClure Brinton said the injuries were so extensive the canine could not be saved. Both Niedmann and McClure Brinton said various animals

could have been responsible for the attack including bobcats, fishers as well as coyotes. McClure Brinton said that because the animal was not dragged off it may not have been attacked by a coyote as they tend to take their prey away. McClure Brinton said small domestic animals – including dogs and cats – are easier prey.

She cautions never to leave your domestic animals outside unattended. The veterinarian has canines of similar size and always takes them outside on a leash due to the fact that she lives in a community were attacks do happen. According to Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection coyotes were not originally found in Connecticut. They were first reported in the state in the mid 1950s.

According to the CT DEP a typical coyote resembles a small, lanky German shepherd, but several characteristics distinguish it from a dog. Coyotes tend to be more slender and have wide, pointed ears; a long, tapered muzzle; yellow eyes; slender legs; small feet; and a straight, bushy tail which is carried low to the ground. Most adults are about 48 to 60 inches long from nose to tail and weigh between 30 and 50 pounds, with males typically weighing more than females. Coyotes are opportunistic creatures and will dine on a variety of habitats, including developed areas, parks, beaches, and office parks. Some coyotes will also prey on small livestock, poultry, and small pets. In Connecticut, unsupervised pets, particularly outdoor cats and small dogs (less than 25 pounds) are vulnerable to coyote attacks.

Fishers can weigh 4 to 16 pounds and measure approximately 2 to 3 feet from head to tail. With the tail accounting for approximately 1/3 of the total body length. Fishers are shy and elusive animals that are rarely seen even in areas where they are abundant. They can be active day or night. Their primary foods include small rodents, squirrels, rabbits, birds, eggs, fruit, porcupines, and carrion. However they are opportunistic and will prey on poultry and domestic cats. McClure Brinton and Neidmann urge animal owners to keep cats inside and small dogs on a leash when outside always in attendance. In addition, the CT DEP recommends that homeowners eliminate other sources of attraction including pet food left outdoors, table scraps on compost piles, and decaying fruit below fruit trees.

Bethany and Woodbridge residents should direct questions to Woodbridge Animal Control at 203-389-5991. Milford and Orange residents should direct questions to Milford/Orange Animal Control at 203-783-3279.

July 30, 2011. FOXNY. Dog Attacks Girl in the Bronx.

A pit bull dog bit a 4-year-old girl in the Bronx on Friday afternoon, authorities said. It happened near 3rd Avenue and East 170th Street in the Claremont section of the borough.

Medics rushed the girl to Lincoln Hospital shortly after 4:30 p.m., according the FDNY. She suffered bites to her face and was listed in serious condition.

The NYPD said the dog has been caught.

JULY 29, 2011. The Edmonton Journal. Dog owner charged after couple mauled

An Alberta couple were "down to their last ounce of fight" when they escaped a vicious dog attack at their home near Didsbury. A 27-year-old man and his 28-yearold girlfriend suffered wounds to their chests, hands, forearms and thighs when they and their beagle were attacked by two Akitas Tuesday night at the property where they rent a suite. The man received more than 600 stitches.

The Akitas and a litter of seven puppies belonging to Andrea Strang, a 34-year-old who also rents at the home, were being kept in a common garage at the property when the attack happened at about 10 p.m. The father of the female victim, who called for the dogs to be euthanized after Strang was charged Friday, said the injuries are horrific. Speaking on the couple's behalf, Terry Stewart struggled to hold back tears as he described the attack. The victims have to pass through the garage to get into their suite and were heading inside with their beagle when the Akitas attacked, he said.

Akitas are a Japanese breed of dog, which can range anywhere from 58 to 70 centimetres in length. They're renowned for their loyalty, but are also known to be aggressive. The couple struggled to defend themselves. Fending off the attackers with metal rods, he said they barely escaped through a side door.

Stewart arrived shortly after neighbours called emergency services and said it was like looking at a murder scene. "It's devastating as a father to see your child moments away from death," he said. "They were down to their last ounce of fight by the time they got out of the garage. "They're not just dog bites," Stewart said. "They're rips and tears and hunks out of them." Some of the wounds are 10 to 15 centimetres long, he added.

The couple required an overnight stay in hospital before being released Wednesday. Mountain View County has charged Strang under its local bylaws with two counts of a dog biting a person and one count of causing damage to another dog. Because the case is so serious, the county is exercising its option to take the case to court, where the maximum penalty is a $10,000 fine or six months in jail. Strang is scheduled to appear in court on Sept. 2. Now that they've tasted blood, Stewart said he'd like to see the dogs euthanized. "They were out to kill," he said. "Once they've done that, they have to be put down."

Amanda Stuhl, a peace officer for Mountain View County, said the county also wants to have them euthanized. She said Strang is expected to surrender the dogs to them on Tuesday. "For this attack to happen is just unbelievable," she said. Although the Akitas have a litter of newborn puppies, Stuhl said she doesn't believe the attack was motivated by protective instincts directed at the couple and their dog. "These people had interaction with these dogs every day. Their beagle had contact with these dogs every day," Stuhl said, adding the victims have lived at the property since April and it was common for them to feed the Akitas and play with them. The victims had been feeding the dogs as a favour to Strang while she was out of town, but Stuhl said they were simply on their way home when the attack happened. "They were just passing through the garage," she said. Animal control officers who went to seize the dogs following the attack were able to trap the female, but Stuhl said the male Akita was still aggressive. It took several tries for officers to catch the male with a long snare pole. "The male kept grabbing the end of the snare pole. It was like a tug of war," said Stuhl. Didsbury veterinarian Janice Reid said the couple's beagle, an older female named Kiwi, suffered bite wounds in five places including the neck and shoulders. Reid said she expects Kiwi to recover in four to six weeks. The Akitas are now under a 10-day quarantine at the City of Calgary's animal services kennel so authorities can test for rabies.

July 29, 2011. CBC News .Couple and their beagle escape bloody dog attack

Two dogs will likely be put down after a bloody attack on a man and woman and another dog north of Calgary on Tuesday. The couple was badly bitten while trying to feed the two Akita dogs, who were being kept in the garage adjacent to their rental suite at a house southwest of Didsbury.

The female Akita had had puppies four days earlier. "It looked like a murder scene," said Mountainview County Protective Services officer Amanda Stuhl, adding that she had never seen such severe injuries in an animal attack incident.

One of two akitas which officials said might be destroyed after a bloody attack. Meghan Grant/CBCThe attack began while the 27-year-old male victim was tending to the dogs. As his 28-year-old girlfriend entered the garage with her beagle, the female Akita immediately mauled her and her dog. The male Akita joined in the attack and turned on the man, police said. "All three were bleeding badly from their wounds and had to fight their way out of the garage and shut the door on the dogs to keep them inside," police said in a release.

The couple had left their cellphones inside the garage, but neighbours overheard the commotion and called 911, police said. The victims were taken to Didsbury for medical attention and released the next morning. The man and woman suffered bites and tear wounds to their chests, forearms, hands, and thighs, police said.

"It looks like someone took an ice cream scoop to her, there are huge chunks of flesh missing," said Terry Stewart, the father of the injured woman. The injured couple had to struggle to escape the attacking dogs. Meghan Grant/CBC"It's going to take a long time for the physical and emotional wounds to heal." The beagle sustained bites and tears to its entire back. Officers from Mountainview County Protective Services have laid charges against Andrea Strang, 34, the owner of the Akitas, under bylaws governing dangerous dogs.

Strang has been cooperative and has offered to "do anything to rectify situation," said Stuhl. Her first court appearance has been set for Sept 2. The maximum penalty is $10,000 or six months in jail. The dogs are being held in Calgary for a 10-day quarantine to check for rabies. Strang has tentatively agreed they should be euthanized after that

July 28, 2011.The Canadian Press. Four-year-old boy badly injured in sled dog attack in Saskatchewan

SOUTHEND, SK - A four-year-old boy was in hospital with serious injuries on Tuesday after being attacked by a sled dog on a northern Saskatchewan reserve.

RCMP say the boy and a care-giver from the Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation were helping feed 14 musher dogs in the bush near Southend last Saturday.

The boy, identified by relatives as Kalvin Jobb, had been told to stay in a truck while his care-giver, also identified by relatives as the boy's grandfather Daniel Jobb, finished feeding the dogs. Sgt. Paul Dawson said the boy got out of the vehicle and met one of the dogs that was off its leash.

"And that was the dog that did inflict some injuries on the youth before the care-giver was able to separate the dog from the child."

Dawson said community members in Southend acted quickly to help the little boy, who was taken to the medical clinic before being flown by air ambulance to Saskatoon. "His injuries are serious but not life-threatening," said Dawson.

Kalvie's uncle Ronnie Jobb says his nephew has lost the use of an eye and is undergoing skin grafts to his face at Royal University Hospital in Saskatoon.

Dawson said the dog was struck by a motorist a short distance away and died.

The dog's remains are being sent away for analysis. The remaining 13 animals were destroyed by their owner. Southend is 220 kilometres northeast of La Ronge.

28 July 2011. RIA Novosti. Russian circus goes unpunished after leopard attacks girl. The circus accused the girl's parents of extortion after they attempted to gain compensation for the incident.

Russian police said on Thursday they would not be charging the owners of a circus where a leopard mauled a small girl, as the law failed to provide adequately for such an event.

The incident took place in Smolensk, a city some 400 km to the southwest of Moscow on July 8. The leopard bit the girl's thigh and scratched her shin before being restrained by circus staff.

"Russian law does not provide any clear description of how to act with regard to wild animals, including in a circus, and does not state any punishment for the owner of an animal that attacks a person," said Alexander Borovikov, a senior aide to the prosecutor for the Smolensk Region. The circus accused the girl's parents of extortion after they attempted to gain compensation for the incident. Police have refused to open an investigation.

Jul. 27 2011. CP. Shark Attack in North Carolina: 6-Year-Old Survivor Forgives Animal

A six-year-old girl, who was ferociously attacked by a shark while on a family vacation, has declared she forgives the shark for biting her.

Lucy was in 18-inches of water at Ocracoke Island, North Carolina, when her right leg was bitten twice by the shark.

Craig and Jordan Mangum, Lucy’s parents, took immediate action. Mr. Mangum, an emergency room doctor, moved his daughter onto the beach and quickly realized the seriousness of her injuries. Mrs. Mangum reported that Lucy asked, “Am I going to die? Am I going to walk?” Lucy then asked her parents to say a prayer just before she was rushed to the hospital via helicopter, according to ABC News.

The attack caused a 90 percent tendon tear, a 90 percent muscle tear, as well as a damaged artery, and the wound needed more stitches than doctors could count. However, Lucy avoided severe nerve damage and will keep her right foot and leg.

“She’ll be in a wheel chair for a little bit… But she’s going to walk and function pretty well, dance and run and play like she should,” Mr. Mangum told ABC. Lucy will undergo physical therapy, and doctors expect she will be fully recovered in six to eight weeks. Lucy stated in the past, “I hate sharks. I like dolphins way better.”

However, Mrs. Mangum recently relayed to the Today Show that Lucy was now maturely saying, “I don’t care that the shark bit me, I forgive him”.

With Lucy’s parents’ explanation that the shark made a mistake in biting her, the family told ABC that the attack will not prevent Lucy from getting in the water again, or deter them from beach vacations in the future.

The U.S. averages less than 40 shark attacks a year, according to the International Shark Attack File (ISAF), located at the Florida Museum of Natural History.

Wildlife experts say shark attacks are extremely rare, and ISAF research finds: “The growth in the shark attack numbers does not necessarily mean that there is an increase in the rate of shark attacks, rather it most likely is reflective of the ever-increasing amount of time spent in the sea by humans, which increases the odds of interactions.”

North Carolina ranks fifth behind Florida, Hawaii, California, and South Carolina in states with the most unprovoked shark attacks.

Lucy’s bite was the fifth unprovoked shark attack in the state since last summer, and the second in the area in the last month, local media groups have reported. Beach goers are warned to avoid the water between dusk and dawn, when sharks are most likely to be in shallow water feeding

July 27, 2011. Richmond Times-Dispatch. Two fox attacks in Richmond early Sunday

A Richmond man fought and killed a rabid fox during an early morning walk Sunday along the James River, just hours after another man reported being bitten by a fox at Belle Isle.

Richmond City Health District officials said they strongly suspect the same fox attacked both people but cannot be certain.

"If you look at the locations on Belle Isle and (the Lee Bridge path), it could have been the same fox," said Kenneth W. Smith, environmental health manager for the Richmond City Health District.

Smith said both fox bite victims are being treated with a post-exposure rabies vaccination.

In the first fox attack, the man went to VCU Medical Center for treatment after being bitten at about 1:30 a.m. at Belle Isle. Hospital officials reported the case to the health department.

Hours later, at around 4 a.m., a man walking his dog on a path along Riverside Drive near Belle Isle encountered an aggressive young fox.

Smith said the man told authorities he kicked at the fox numerous times to try to shoo it away before the animal bit him on his lower leg.

Smith said the man subdued the animal and killed it. The man called emergency communication, which notified city animal control.

The dead fox was taken to a state laboratory for testing, which confirmed it was rabid.

Smith advised people to stay away from wild animals, and if bitten by a potentially rabid animal, not to panic.

"Wash and clean the wound with soap and water," he said. Seek medical attention, call animal control and report the bite to your local health department, he added.

If possible, restrain the animal so that it can be tested

July, 26 2011. AP. Australian police use pepper spray on kangaroo

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Two Australian police officers used pepper spray to fight off a rogue kangaroo that had attacked an elderly woman in her backyard in an Outback town, an official said Tuesday.

Kangaroos rarely attack humans. Senior-Sgt. Stephen Perkins, head of police in the Queensland state town of Charleville, said he had never before heard of police using pepper spray against one — but that the tactic worked.

"It did subdue the animal and drew its attention away for the officers, so it worked," Perkins told The Associated Press.

The 94-year-old victim, Phyllis Johnson, was taken to a hospital for treatment for cuts and bruises after the attack Sunday afternoon. She told The Courier Mail newspaper that she tried unsuccessfully to fight the kangaroo off with a broom after it attacked her while she was hanging her laundry.

"I thought it was going to kill me," she told the newspaper from her bed in Charleville Hospital on Monday. "It was taller than me and it just plowed through the clothes on the washing line straight for me."

She said the kangaroo knocked her to the ground before she crawled to her house, where her son called police. The AP could not immediately contact her for comment Tuesday.

Perkins said the first police officer to reach the backyard was forced to spray the kangaroo to avoid being injured.

"The animal jumped away, then saw another officer at the back of the police car and went for that officer, and he also had to deploy his capsicum spray — so the roo had to get sprayed twice," he said. "After that, it hopped away from the scene, but police could still monitor its location — it didn't go too far."

Wildlife rangers trapped the kangaroo, Perkins said. State wildlife authorities could not be immediately contacted Tuesday for comment on its fate.

Perkins said it was described as a male red kangaroo, the world's largest marsupial. Red kangaroos, named for their ginger fur, can stand as tall as a man and usually weigh around 200 pounds (90 kilograms).

July 26, 2011. 48NEWS . A Decatur Animal Services traps coyote

DECATUR, AL (WAFF) -Decatur Animal Services caught a young female coyote over the weekend where several pets were killed earlier this year. Animal Services Director Carol Wicks said the coyote was caught in a "large dog" or box-style humane trap in southwest Decatur. She said the coyote went into the trap to reach a chicken carcass used as bait. She was taken to the animal shelter where she was put down.

The coyote was a little over a year old and weighed about 18 pounds.

"The fact that this coyote deliberately went into a box trap indicates how habituated to humans this particular pack of urban coyotes have become, as it's not common to actually catch coyotes in such an obvious trap" said Wicks. "We believe she is one of a pack of some seven to nine coyotes that have become so accustomed to people that they target human houses and pets, and also the ‘outside' or feral cats that some people feed, as an easy source of food."

Wicks said that Decatur Animal Services will continue trapping the particular coyotes that are targeting pet animals, but since the City of Decatur borders the Wheeler Wildlife Refuge, residents will always have to deal with coyotes within city limits.

The following guidelines will help residents keep coyotes from individual homes and neighborhoods.

Don't leave your pet's food dish out at night, especially with food still in it.

Make sure your trash containers are closed so coyotes cannot get to garbage.

Don't leave pet cats or small dogs outside at night unless they are in a roofed kennel with an animal proof lock.

Take down your bird feeder. Birds are not the only animals that eat the contents of your feeder. Mice, chipmunks, squirrels, skunks, raccoons and other animals also feed on this type of food. These animals are a natural food source for the coyote.

Install a six foot fence, possible with roller bars at the top to prevent coyotes from jumping in.

Coyotes are night animals so it is also suggested that motion sensor lighting in the yard and on the house may discourage them.

Gardens in the yard are another banquet for wild predators such as coyotes. Be sure to keep gardens and compost piles well enclosed.

Keep bushes trimmed so there is no available place for predators to hide. Be sure the yard has no convenient den spots. This would be a cave like place that provides shelter, rather than keeping coyotes away, including culverts.

Talk to neighbors about following these same tips for keeping coyotes away from the yard. If the whole neighborhood is working to keep coyotes away, the area becomes a safer place.

July, 25.2011. Matt Ellerbeck - Snake Conservationist. Is The Only Good Snake A Dead Snake? Not At All!

Many people have a natural aversion of snakes, while many others simply hate them. However, the negative stigma that surrounds snakes is completely undeserved. Snakes are in fact extremely beneficial animals to have around.

Many snake species prey heavily on insects and rodents. When snake populations decline the populations of these prey items increases, often causing serious problems to people.

Insects and other arthropods can destroy gardens or enter people’s homes where they will be undesired. When rodent populations serge they can destroy crops at an alarming rate, effecting supplies of food and industries. They can also spread many harmful diseases. It is well documented that rodents are also a common cause of house fires, started by the chewing of wires in walls and attics. Snakes do humans a tremendous service by helping to minimize all of these threats.

Snakes are extremely valuable because they are efficient at keeping the number of rodents and insects in check, without relying on damaging chemical pesticides which can degrade the environment and harm other animal species. Snakes are very effective at hunting such prey because they can crawl into small burrows and other areas that rodents use as shelters. These places are too small for other predators to get into. Snakes are also helping to save the lives of millions of people every year, as the venoms from snakes are being used to treat many serious health ailments like cancers, heart & stroke disease, Parkinsons, and many more. However, despite these benefits legions of snakes are directly killed by fearful people every year. Human fear of snakes is mainly derived from the fact that some species have the ability to inject toxic venom, or from the belief that snakes are notoriously aggressive. However, the snake’s horrible reputation is not deserved. Snakes are very shy, timid, secretive, and generally docile creatures that try to avoid conflict when ever possible.

Snakes will not make unprovoked attacks on people. When a person comes in contact with a snake, the animal’s first instinct will be to rapidly flee the area and find shelter. If the snake doesn’t do this, it may just stay perfectly still to try to blend in with the surroundings. Even if the snake is captured, it may still not resort to biting – proof of its gentle demeanor. The snake has several harmless tactics it can resort to as an alternative to biting. The snake may hiss, make mock strikes with a closed mouth, or flail around to try and escape.

The following excerpt from University of Georgia Professor Dr. Gibbons speaks for itself:

All the snake species tested have had the same initial response to human presence. If given the opportunity, they escape–down a hole, under a ledge, or in the case of cottonmouth snakes, into the water. Escape is even the standard behavior of enormous diamondback rattlesnakes, which will immediately disappear if they have enough warning before they think a person can reach them. The snakes just want us to leave them alone. Snake bites on humans usually only happen when someone is deliberately trying to provoke or harm a snake, and the animal bites purely in self defense.

According to NC State University, almost 80% of snake bites happen when someone is trying to capture or kill the snake. All these facts show that snakes are not aggressive or evil animals. If you provoke and capture a wild animal, what can you expect but to be bitten since the animal is going to try to defend itself?

The key to being safe around snakes is to simply leave them alone. Edward R. Ricciuti’s The Snake Almanac (Lyons Press 2001), states that venomous snakes do not look for people to bite and Mark O’ Shea’s Venomous Snakes of the World (Princeton University Press 2005), proclaims that people must realize that snakes are not out to bite them but prefer to be left alone.

This is why co-existing with snakes in a respectful manner is the best policy.

July 25, 2011. News Channel 36 Staff. Report: Fewer animals in Mecklenburg County being euthanized

Mecklenburg County Animal Control released numbers of the pet population in the Charlotte area and they show that fewer pets are being euthanized.

Not only are numbers down from animals being euthanized, but they also show that fewer animals are being brought to shelters. These numbers are at the lowest rate they've been in the past nine years, according to the report.

"It goes back to a large part of spayed or neuter," said Melissa Knicely of CMPD Animal Care and Control. "When you have less animals coming in your euthanize rate is going to follow that trend."

July 24, 2011 Camping teens mauled by grizzly bear in Alaska

(CBS/AP) ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — A grizzly that was with her cub attacked a group of seven teens participating in a survival skills course, badly injuring two in the group. reports local CBS affiliate KTVA.

The teens were towards the end of a 30-day backcountry course by the National Outdoor Leadership School when the attack occurred Saturday night about 120 miles north of Anchorage. They were rescued early Sunday. NOLS spokesman Bruce Palmer says another group of seven students and three instructors has been waiting about six miles away for a helicopter hired by the Lander, Wyo.-based organization. Palmer says 17-year-old Joshua Berg of New City, N.Y., and 17-year-old Samuel Gottsegen of Denver were the worst injured with bear bite wounds.

KTVA reports that the two are in serious condition at an Anchorage hospital. Teens told troopers that the bear was first spotted around 8:30 p.m. Saturday while crossing a river single file, KTVA reports. Those at the front of the line screamed the news of the approaching bear to those at the back. Troopers said that the two teens at the front of the line received the brunt of the bear attack. National Geographic describes grizzly bears, a subspecies of the North American brown bear, as "powerful, top-of-the-food-chain predators, yet much of their diet consists of nuts, berries, fruit, leaves, and roots. Bears also eat other animals, from rodents to moose. Despite their impressive size, grizzlies are quite fast and have been clocked at 30 miles an hour. They can be dangerous to humans, particularly if surprised or if humans come between a mother and her cubs."

July 24, 2011. CHARLOTTE, N.C. Dog placed in quarantine after biting a child

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- A child bitten by a dog Sunday afternoon in north Charlotte is expected to be alright.

A witness says the child reached down toward the dog as the animal was eating a pork chop, and the dog bit the child's arm.

It happened at a transitional house on Beatties Ford Road.

We're told the dog will be placed under quarantine

July 23, 2011. WHAS11. Former highway worker, sheriff’s deputy face alleged animal cruelty charges

LOUISVILLE, Ky.

A former Kentucky sheriff's deputy and a state highway worker accused of beating a dog and unknowingly burying it alive are now facing animal cruelty charges.

Former Kentucky State Highway Worker Adam Decker found a dog that had been hit by a car on Highway 69 in Ohio County in June and called for a deputy.

Former Ohio County Sheriff's Deputy Randy Taylor showed up and road workers say Taylor hit the dog on the head with a garden hoe.

The workers buried the dog, thinking it was dead, but another road worker later found the dog alive after it struggled out of the grave

July 23, 2011. Joe Rubino Enterprise Staff Writer. Coyote killed suspected of attack on Broomfield toddler .Wildlife officials say species' territorial nature ups the odds they tracked down right animal

Colorado Parks and Wildlife officials on Thursday shot and killed a coyote believed to be the animal that attacked a toddler on a trail in the northern Broomfield earlier this week.

Thursday's announcement ended a three-day search for an animal that on Monday evening reportedly jumped out of tall grasses on a trail in Broomfield's Anthem neighborhood, knocked down a 2-year-old boy and bit him on the lower back and buttocks. The 2-year-old, who was walking a few feet ahead of his father and 9-month-old sister when he was attacked, received a rabies vaccination and is recovering well from his minor injuries, according to his father. Parks and Wildlife spokeswoman Jennifer Churchill on Friday confirmed that several department staff members located and killed a coyote early Thursday morning in roughly the same part of the Anthem neighborhood where Monday's attack occurred. Churchill said, that, while they can't be sure it was the same coyote responsible for the attack, the species' territorial nature ups the odds they tracked down the right animal.

"You know, unless we shot it on sight when the injury took place, there is no guarantee we got the right animal," she said. "We certainly hope we did. In an area where there are a lot of coyotes, we did our best."

Because of the size of the coyote population in Colorado, Churchill said Parks and Wildlife does not relocate animals after they display aggressive behaviors towards humans. The coyote shot Thursday is being tested for diseases or health abnormalities that might have led it to attack a person, she said.

Monday's bite was the first reported coyote attack on a human in Broomfield since a pair of attacks in late 2008 and early 2009. One of those attacks occurred near the intersection Lowell Boulevard and Colo.7 near Anthem. Those attacks lead to the killing of an entire pack of coyotes in Broomfield County Commons in 2009 for aggressive behavior, and also led Broomfield to adopt a wildlife coexistence policy in 2010.

Kristan Pritz, Broomfield's Open Space and Trails director, said this week's events demonstrated the value of the coexistence policy, which states explicitly that any "dangerous coyote behavior" means the offending animal will be shot on sight.

Broomfield staff will step up public education efforts in the light of the attack, Pritz said, running advertisements and an educational video on coyotes on the city's Channel 8 TV station. They city also will post additional signs warning of coyote presence around Anthem, which will include tips on how to deal with the animals, Pritz said. The city over the next few weeks also will use paintball guns to haze other coyotes in that area in an effort to make the animals more fearful of people.

"When something like this happens, we want to make sure (residents) are given the appropriate information on how to deal with these situations," Pritz said of the educational campaign. "And we sure hope this little boy is doing fine. Let's keep the good thoughts going that family's way."

July 23, 201. DEKALB COUNTY NEWS. DeKalb considers lifting pit bull ban

Animal advocates say problems begin with owners, not the breed.

G.K. Simpson’s love of animals started young, when he used to sneak sick rabbits and squirrels into his house and nurse them back to health. He loved playing with neighbors’ cats and dogs. But all he ever wanted for his own pet was a pit bull. “We’re both looked at like bad guys, but we can’t help how we look,” said Simpson, who sports tattoos and dons hip-hop-style baggy pants. “They’re sweet dogs that just look that way.” That look — the boxy head, strong jaw and muscular body — is only part of the problem. DeKalb County joined many jurisdictions nationwide to ban the dogs about a decade ago because of well-publicized attacks by pit bulls and pit-mixes.

Now DeKalb is considering lifting its ban of pit bulls as household pets as part of a larger overhaul of its animal services department. The County Commission is scheduled to vote on the issue next month.

The county shelter cannot offer the animals for adoption, driving up DeKalb’s euthanasia rate at the expense of many dogs that, if not for their suspected breed, meet temperament tests to be pets. “There are more animals that are dangerous than just pit bulls,” said DeKalb Animal Services Director Kathy Mooneyham. “We have a dangerous-animal ordinance, and we need to focus on that and educating people on being responsible pet owners.” Those who want to keep the ban wonder if the restriction doesn’t help with that focus. They worry most about public safety, the same concern cited in similar bans in Denver and Miami that go back decades.

Even the Army and Marine Corps have restricted pit bulls in base housing in recent years. No other metro county has a ban on the breed, though proposals have raged in Georgia for years. The Legislature proposed a ban of the animals statewide in 2005, but that failed. Douglasville narrowly avoided a ban last year, which was proposed after three loose pit bulls bit a woman who was out for a walk.

“My concern is not so much the breed but that this breed is most often associated with aggressive behavior,” said County Commissioner Elaine Boyer. “The issue is those breeds are sold and trained for aggressive behavior, and we need to deal with that.” Animal rights advocates, who have pushed for lifting DeKalb’s ban, argue that dog fighting and animal attacks are the result of bad owners, not any breed of dog. A March dog attack near Lithonia seems to underscore that point. Two dogs mauled an 8-year-old girl who was playing in her own yard, injuring her so badly that doctors had to amputate one arm below the elbow. One dog in the attack was a pit bull. The other was a mutt. Both were destroyed after the attack. DeKalb Solicitor-General Sherry Boston is prosecuting the owner, Twyann Artrell Vaughn, on charges of reckless conduct, failure to provide the dogs with rabies vaccines and owning vicious dogs. The case is expected to go to court in August.

“My focus is on the vicious-dog statute, and we will prosecute for any dog, regardless of breed, we can show is aggressive or trained to be aggressive,” said Boston, who did not take a stance on the proposed lifting of the ban. Mooneyham said she was unaware of anyone ever being charged with violating the pit bull ban in DeKalb, largely because “pit bull” is too vague a description. The breed actually encompasses at least three different types of terrier mixes, including the Staffordshire pit, a mix of terrier and a Georgia icon, the bulldog. Petey, the dog that trailed the Little Rascals in the 1920s and 1930s movie shorts, was reportedly a Staffordshire mix. It’s the terrier part that can make the dogs somewhat hyper and aggressive, said Byron Haygood, a dog trainer who has six dogs, four of them pit bulls. His company, B. Good Dog Behavior Modification, works with all dogs but mostly pit bulls. Haygood recently moved from central DeKalb to Smyrna, not to avoid the pit bull ban but to have a big enough yard to run and work his dogs, and he prefers to work at someone’s own home for training. That’s because all terriers, whether a pit or a Jack Russell, need to stay active to be happy household pets, he said. Getting them used to exercising in their own environment can create another Mama, Haygood’s chunky 2-year-old pit bull who will stop whatever she’s doing if she hears his 3-month-old son crying. “Mama will fuss to make sure he’s OK because she knows we claim her and she claims us,” Haygood said. “People need to learn how to treat dogs the way they do people.”

Simpson learned about pit bulls after his father presented him with his first one, Tank, when he was 14. Simpson and his father began breeding the dog, hoping someday to have their own kennel. They never fought their dogs and would refuse to sell a puppy if they knew it would be used that way. Years later, when Simpson had moved from up North to DeKalb, he realized he had been part of the problem. He saw people abandoning pit bulls because they didn’t take time to train them. Pit-mix puppies were being taken to the pound for not looking rough enough. “When I saw how many were dying, you could say I saw the light,” Simpson said. Simpson, who works at the spay-neuter clinic Lifeline, has since become an advocate that all pets be fixed. He and Haygood work with community groups in poorer neighborhoods, urging responsible pet ownership and care. He also has become a pit bull rescuer. Mercy is the bulky baby who always begs for belly rubs. Prada is the goofy puppy. And China is in love with Simpson’s 14-year-old stepdaughter, Kiki Milton, who has cerebral palsy. “She will get right up on the wheelchair and stretch out to kiss Kiki,” Simpson said. “Pit bulls love people. They love everybody,” he added. “More people need to see that side of them.”

July 22, 2011. FOX11. Rattlesnake conference in Tucson. TUCSON, Ariz. -- They rattle, they bite and can even kill you.

For the next three days, experts will discuss the biology of the rattlesnake. More than 250 experts from around the world have gathered at the Marriott University Park to discuss a serpentine subject: rattlesnakes.

"Basically its a collection researchers and biologists that all study rattlesnake biology and they're here to discuss the different studies and the things they have been working on," said event organizer Bob Ashlely.

Doctor Jonathan Campbell the chair of the biology department at the University of Texas at Arlington, and his team, have made an exciting series of discoveries, a new species of rattler.

"It does sound strange perhaps, it is very exciting to still discover new species including new species of rattlesnakes in this day in age," said Dr. Campbell. The research has taken Campbell and his team to remote areas of Mexico. "This species of rattlesnakes that tend to be mountain, that is they live up in the mountains and they have very restrictive distribution. One of thing that makes them so interesting is that they are adaptive to a variety of habits," said Campbell.

The thing that makes them dangerous is their bite and venom. "If the snake actually catches you with a full bite, you will experience of puncturing of the skin. The venom is actually delivered through the venom duct through the fangs and down into the tissues of the human body," said Dan Keyler. Dan Keyler from the Minneapolis Research Foundation is an expert on snake bites. He says you will feel pain from a bite in the first 30 minutes.

Antivenin is used to treat bites and scientists are looking for ways to improve it.

"One of the things that has happened in recent years is reactions to allergic complication with the administration of antivenin, that has been greatly approve and that used to be a major medical concern when people treated for snake bite," said Keyler.

Officials at the Arizona Poison Center say they average about 200 snakebite calls each year.

July 21, 2011. Asher Moses. Dog bites shark: Russ makes a fuss about 'amazing' video

Russell Hood-pen believes his viral video showing dogs "herding" and biting sharks is the perfect way to market Australia to the world but the boss of the Tourism and Transport forum claims it may do more harm than good.

The video - "dog has a ride on a shark" - has racked up 1.5 million views in a week and Perth construction worker Hood-pen is now in high demand with media around the world.

He believes this sort of bizarre natural beauty is better marketing for Australia than "cheesy" official efforts featuring the likes of Lara Bingle, but John Lee, chief executive of the Tourism and Transport Forum, was blunt in his response.

"That certainly is an amazing piece of footage, but I don't think vision of sharks practically on the beach is the right image to entice people to Australia," said Lee.

Hood-penn, 32, and his wife, Naomi, have spent the past four months travelling around Australia with no caravan - just their "tent and swag" - allowing them to access the more remote communities.

One of their stops was One Armed Point, an indigenous community about 200km north of Broome in Western Australia. They paid their fee to visit the community and one of the locals informed them of an interesting attraction.

"The lady said if you're lucky and you go down the boat ramp at high tide you might get to see the dogs swimming with the sharks, so off we went down there and sure enough ... there were these two dogs and they were swimming with the sharks, they were swimming out maybe 50 or 60 metres and it almost looked like they were rounding the sharks up and bringing them to the shallows," Hood-penn said in a phone interview.

"We were there watching it for 20 or 30 minutes ... and right when I decided to take the video the dogs swam in and then one of the dogs just dove down and grabbed hold of the shark's tail and went for a swim in the water with him."

The sharks are believed to be lemon sharks, which have sharp teeth, grow to three metres and are common in tropical water at moderate depths. There have been just 22 reports of lemon shark attacks on humans with no deaths.

But Paul McGreevy, professor of animal behaviour and welfare at the University of Sydney's Faculty of Veterinary Science, said there was "no evidence" the sharks were tamed.

"Terriers enjoy hunting for things below the surface of the ground and they get pleasure from that, they don't need to be trained to do that. So if the dogs in question have any terrier in them they may enjoy the chase," he said.

"The sharks would've been there for their own reasons presumably something to do with foraging."

At the end of the clip a dead dugong is pictured on the beach, which could be what enticed the sharks into shallow waters.

Hood-penn published the clip on YouTube last month to show family and friends but about a week ago it began spreading virally across the internet and since then has racked up about 1.5 million views.

He is an avid fisherman who has his own fishing blog and regularly publishes videos of his exploits. But this is his first viral hit.

Hood-penn said the media interest was immense and he had received interview requests from Sweden, Brazil, Britain and all over the US. This morning he appeared on Sunrise.

"I've had people messaging me saying how could you let your dog swim with the sharks, a lot of people assumed the dogs were mine," he said.

Hood-penn said his video was better marketing for Australia and remote indigenous communities like One Armed Point than Tourism Australia's efforts.

"A lot of these communities are doing it really tough and could really use the tourism," he said.

He said the official tourism advertisements designed to sell Australia had "too much cheese". "I think they should sell it for what it is - a beautiful rugged land - why sell it with cheese when there's these amazing stories out there and these people and animals that are doing amazing things."

But the Tourism and Transport Forum's Lee said he would stick with Tourism Australia's approach for selling Australia.

He said the current campaign - There's Nothing Like Australia - promoted our unique attributes and assets and was backed by substantial research.

"While dogs swimming with sharks is unusual and interesting, it's not a marketing strategy and i'll stick with Tourism Australia's approach," said Lee.

July 22,2011. YNN Staff. Rabid animal attacks in Oneida County

ONEIDA COUNTY, N.Y. -- The Oneida County Health Department is warning about attacks by rabid animals.

A Clinton boy was recently bitten in the leg by a grey fox on the family's property and a cat in Floyd was cornered and bitten by a raccoon. The health department is reminding everyone to have their family pets vaccinated against rabies.

The next in a series of rabies clinics sponsored by the Oneida County Health Department is scheduled for Tuesday, August 2nd at the Cassville Firehouse from 5 to 7 p.m. Pets must be leashed or in a pet carrier.

A ten dollar donation per pet is requested to help defray costs. For more information on rabies treatment and prevention, or for a complete schedule of rabies clinics, call the Oneida County Health Department at (315) 798-5064 or visit their website at ocgov.net.

July 21, 2011. Martin van den Hemel - Richmond Review. Pet owners report rash of raccoon attacks on cats.

Sara Dubois still can't believe that raccoons in Richmond are attacking and eating cats.

"I'd literally have to see it to believe it," said the manager of wildlife services for the B.C. Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. While raccoons and cats are known to fight, raccoons aren't aggressive by nature, and she's never heard of them acting in a predatory fashion like coyotes, which hunt and stalk their prey before eating it.

Nicole Thibault said her 17-year-old cat Kokanee was attacked by two raccoons early Saturday morning at the family's Springthorne Crescent home.

Nicole's mother, Wendy, heard her male Siamese cat's distinctive cries around 5:30 a.m., and walked out to the carport, where two raccoons were fighting with Kokanee. Using a garden hose to try to fend off the raccoons, they eventually scurried away, but carried the fight with Kokanee into the dark. Kokanee's body was never found.

Three days earlier on Wednesday, July 13, Nicole's friend, Tara-Lee Lovo, found the family's cat had apparently gotten into a skirmish with a raccoon, which chewed up its hind legs. The cat was brought to the vet, but later died. Letter-to-the-editor writer Bryn Nixon detailed how four raccoons were seen eating the lifeless body of their cat right before their eyes on the evening of Sunday, July 3.

Cats and raccoons can fight over food, but SPCA's Dubois said they're just as likely to sit side-by-side to share a meal. Raccoons are known as scavengers, and are erroneously blamed for killing an animal by people who see them hunched over an animal's carcass, she said.

And she questions what the eyewitnesses actually saw.

Did they see the cat being killed by the raccoon, and subsequently eaten? Or did they stumble upon the scene, where their already dead pet—which succumbed some time after an animal attack, such as by a coyote—was being scavenged for food by a raccoon?

University of Nebraska-Lincoln's Stephen Vantassel, who runs its Internet Centre for Wildlife Damage Management, said raccoons can aggressively go after live prey, and has seen the aftermath of a raccoon reaching into a metal cage and pulling out a trapped squirrel.

But most predators don't go after prey that are about the same size, as is the case between raccoons and cats, he said. University of B.C. zoology lecturer Wayne Goodey, who researches animal behaviour, agreed.

While they'd prefer better sources of protein, it's unlikely the omnivorous raccoons are turning en masse toward cats. But Goodey said the step from scavenging a dead cat's carcass to killing one for food is a small one. Dubois said the best advice is for cat owners to keep their animals inside. "I have an indoor cat for a reason," Dubois said

July 20, 2011.Illegal ivory set ablaze

July 20, 2011. AFP. Kenya's President Mwai Kibaki sets ablaze an illegal ivory stockpile at the Tsavo National Park. 335 tusks and 42,553 pieces of ivory were destroyed some of which were stockpiled in the country since being seized in Singapore nearly a decade ago.

July 19,2011. AFP A leopard attacks a forest guard at Prakash Nagar village near Salugara on the outskirts of Siliguri. Six people were mauled by the leopard after the feline strayed into the village area before it was caught by forestry department officials. Officials made several attempts to tranquilised the leopard that was wandering through a part of the city when curious crowds startled the animal.

July 19, 2011. WTKR-TV3. 5-year-old girl attacked by shark in Ocracoke

OCRACOKE, NC— Authorities say a 5-year-old girl was attacked by a shark in Ocracoke, NC shortly after 5pm.

Hyde County EMS, Ocracoke Fire Department, and the Nation Park Service responded to a call at Ramp 72 on Ocracoke Island. Bystanders said that it appeared to be a shark attacking a child in the South Point area, according to Hyde County Emergency Services Director Brian Carter.

The young girl was transported to an area hospital via EastCare helicopter, the critical care transportation service of University Health Systems of Eastern North Carolina.

There is no word on the extent of her injuries, according to Hyde County spokesperson Jamie Tunnel.

July 19, 2011. Woman, 64, attacked by captive bear in Michigan

McMILLAN TOWNSHIP, Mich.— A 64-year-old woman survived an attack Monday by a captive, nearly 400-pound black bear while feeding two of the animals on private property in Michigan's remote western Upper Peninsula, state law enforcement officials said.

Authorities said the woman from Ewen was attacked by the 19-year-old bear named Daisy while feeding the bears in a large, fenced-in area in Ontonagon County's McMillan Township. Police say the woman, who was alone and helping another woman who owned the bears, drove a short distance home and called 911.

She was taken to an Ironwood hospital and airlifted to Aspirus Wausau Hospital in Wisconsin. Police say she had back, neck and arm injuries, including bites and cuts from claws but is expected to be released Wednesday.

The bear escaped and was killed by a state trooper, authorities said. The woman's name was not released.

"It's an unfortunate accident," said Sgt. Steven Burton of the Department of Natural Resources' law enforcement division, adding the DNR-licensed facility was "very clean and well-run."

Burton said the area contains three pens, and people can lock bears out while feeding the animals. The woman didn't see Daisy and thought the pen she was entering was clear.

"That's when Daisy heard her, most likely felt threatened and attacked her," Burton said.

The bears, much larger than average wild bears in Michigan, came from a wildlife center in Colorado and lived in a fenced-in area built exclusively for them, he said. The animals were kept as pets and not on public display.

Daisy's head will be tested for rabies, but Burton said it's not suspected. The second bear, a 17-year-old 350-pounder, was not part of the attack and remains at the property.

Burton said black bears can be dangerous and aggressive but usually do not attack people. He said they are "more of a nuisance than anything.

July 18th, 2011.CNN. No Shih Tzu! Pug-nosed dogs banned on airlines.

Hong Kong– Flat-faced canines can no longer fly Cathay Pacific. And their feline friends need to make other travel plans, too. As of Monday, the airline has banned the so-called brachycephalic breeds due to concerns that certain types of short-nosed animals have an increased risk of breathing problems and overheating due to the stress of flying.

According to the airline’s travel advisory, the ban comes out of concern for the “negative health impact to the animal” caused by air transportation. Banned are popular breeds such as pugs, bulldogs, and boxers, as well Himalayan, Persian and exotic short-hair cats. Cathay Pacific is the latest airline to ban snub-nosed dogs, following similar moves by Singapore Airlines and several American carriers.

The move comes a year after the U.S. Department of Transport (DOT) released figures detailing the number of in-flight canine deaths between May 2005 and May 2010. Their results, compiled from monthly reports by U.S. airlines, showed that short-faced dog breeds such as pugs and bulldogs represented about half of in-flight dog deaths. English bulldogs accounted for 25 of the 108 deaths of known breeds far more than any other pedigree.

In a statement, the DOT advised owners of short-faced breeds to review the data before shipping them as cargo, and urged owners to consult veterinarians before flying their pets. Brachyphalic dogs are at a higher risk of death because their breathing is more restricted than that of a dog with a longer muzzle. This restricted breathing makes it harder for a short-faced dog to cool itself down by panting. American Airlines imposed a complete ban on the travel of snub-nosed cats and dogs in its cargo holds or as checked luggage, limiting their travel to in-cabin only.

The airline also established a ban on eight breeds – including boxers, pugs and Boston terriers –between the summer dates of June 30 and September 1. Delta Airlines, United Airlines and Continental Airlines offer similar temperature-contingent restrictions for the cargo and checked-baggage travel of pets. Singapore airlines has issued a complete ban on snub-nosed dogs as well as their cross breeds. Thomas Lau, Cathay Pacific’s assistant manager of public affairs, said that the move was necessary. “The ban is to bring Cathay Pacific into line with industry practice because it has been found that there is quite a bit of danger,” Lau said.

Lau said that aside from media inquiries, to his knowledge Cathay Pacific has not received any passenger complaints regarding the ban so far. Whilst Cathay Pacific’s measures appear to have the animals’ best interests at heart, Hong Kong’s Society for the Protection of Animals (SPCA) believes that the ban is an over-reaction. “We understand that they must have some statistics that certain breeds of dogs are more problematic in the cargo cabin, but there are cases when air travel is unavoidable, especially when owners need to emigrate,” said Rebecca Ngan, PR and communications manager of SPCA Hong Kong. “If owners cannot send them in the cabin they may have to abandon them or put them to sleep.” As it stands, dogs already need a veterinarian-issued health certificate before they can board a flight from Hong Kong, with countries differing on travel requirements worldwide.

“A complete ban is quite difficult as it limits the routes where snub-nosed animals can travel,” said Stacy Tucker, director and owner of Ferndale Kennels & Cattery, a Hong Kong pet shipping company. Tucker echoed the SPCA’s concern that the new travel ban would increase the number of dogs being euthanized or abandoned. Dragonair and British Airways are among the airlines still allowing pets to be carried as cargo, but it seems that the days of flying pugs are over.

July 18, 2011. Associated Press. Maiden man pleads guilty to abusing dogs

A Maiden man accused of abusing beagles has pleaded guilty to five counts of cruelty to animals in Catawba County.

The Observer News Enterprise of Newton reports that 63-year-old Billy Hewitt pleaded guilty Friday and will pay a $100 fine and $1,000 restitution.

Hewitt pleaded guilty to charges of killing three dogs and depriving others of food.

About 20 beagles were rescued from Hewitt's property in March and taken to the Catawba County Animal Shelter.

Animal shelter Director Jay Blatche says one dog was euthanized and several others needed extensive veterinary treatment.

Hewitt says an extended illness left him unable to care for the dogs, and an assistant he hired did not do an adequate job. Hewitt says he does not plan to own dogs again.

July 17 2011, Owner of Iowa zoo attacked by tiger during feeding.

MANCHESTER, Iowa – The owner of a small Iowa zoo has been hospitalized with injuries from a tiger attack.

The Delaware County sheriff's office says 52-year-old Tom Sellner suffered lacerations to his head and torso in the Sunday morning attack at Cricket Hollow Zoo in Manchester. He was flown to an Iowa City hospital. His condition wasn't immediately available.

The sheriff's office says Sellner was attacked while feeding an adult tiger. The tiger was not put down after the attack.

A message left Sunday with the zoo wasn't immediately returned.

The zoo's website says it has more than 300 birds and animals, including tigers, African lions and other exotic cats.

July 17, 2011. khou.com. Spring family fighting to keep pet pig says HOA won't budge, despite petition. HOUSTON – Bad news for Wilbur the pot-bellied pig.

A Spring family fighting to keep their pet pig says their HOA isn’t budging on its decision to give the animal the boot.

The Sardo family, who lives in The Thicket subdivision, started a petition to keep their 60-pound, 8-month-old pet after their HOA said he violated deed restrictions concerning livestock.

At a homeowner’s association meeting last week, Missy Sardo said she was told if she had 51 percent of the 250 homeowners in The Thicket community sign a petition agreeing to allow the pig, they could change the deed restrictions.

The Sardos went right into action, circulating a petition and starting a Facebook page for Wilbur in a bid to keep him. But now, Missy Sardo says her HOA has sent her a second letter, saying the petition won’t help, and Wilbur has to go.

July 16, 2011 CNN . Wildlife officials kill bear that bit teen

Wildlife officials in Colorado say they have killed a bear believed to have been involved in an attack on a teenage boy Friday morning. Park officials used 10 tracking dogs to hunt for the brazen black bear, which wandered into a heavily-populated campsite overnight.

They established a scent trail by late afternoon, said spokesman Randy Hampton of Colorado Parks and Wildlife. At the end of the trail, they discovered a 200-pound bear that matched the description of the one involved in the early morning attack. It was shot and killed.

Officials had said earlier they would have to kill the bear, pointing to the bold and aggressive behavior it exhibited when it wandered into the site with so many campers. The incident occurred in an encampment filled with hundreds of people participating in a bow-hunting event, Hampton said.

"We manage wild bears for a healthy and thriving population," said Dan Prenzlow, regional manager for wildlife with Colorado Parks and Wildlife. "But when an individual bear enters a tent and attacks a sleeping person, we manage that animal to protect the public safety." The bear entered a tent occupied by a teenage boy and at least one other person early Friday. It bit the boy on the leg, but the teen fought it off. The bear was then chased away by the teen and other campers at the site.

Wildlife officials who responded to the scene determined that the black bear had been poking around the campsite before it attacked the teenage boy. Investigators said they found a ransacked cooler and evidence that food had been eaten before the bear entered the tent. The teenager was taken to a hospital in nearby Leadville, Colorado, Hampton said. He was treated for deep lacerations on one of his legs and released. He is expected to recover but will receive followup treatment.

Hampton estimated that there are around 12,000 black bears on Colorado's 23 million acres of public land. There are no known brown bears or grizzlies in the state. Earlier this month, a man was killed in a grizzly bear attack in Wyoming's Yellowstone Park. But park officials said the man, who was hiking with his wife, surprised the female grizzly while she was with her cubs. They determined that she was acting defensively and decided not to put the bear down.

July 16, 2011. Animal cruelty charges due for owner of Cumberland Gap horses.

CUMBERLAND GAP, Tenn. — Claiborne County sheriff's officials say they plan to file animal cruelty charges against the owner of five malnourished horses found in Cumberland Gap.

The owner's name has not been released, pending the charges. The sheriff's office says it turned over the information in the case Thursday to the district attorney general's office.

The horses, which were running free in Cumberland Gap, were picked up by Horse Haven of Tennessee and taken to its facility in West Knoxville.

Two of the confiscated horses are a mare and her three-month-old colt. Horse Haven says public donations to help with the care of these horses and others are greatly appreciated. Send donations to Horse Haven of Tennessee, P.O. Box 22841, Knoxville, TN 37933

July 15, 2011. Charlotte White, H&H Are horse attacks on the increase?

Shock and anger surrounded the death of a pony drowned in a Hampshire lake as H&H went to press last Monday (11 July).

But the incident was just one of a frighteningly large number of attacks on horses this month.

Initial reports were that the pony, harnessed to a trap, was forced into Hawley Lake on 9 July in what appeared to be a travellers' feud. A passerby jumped into the lake to try to save the animal, but was kicked and was taken to hospital. The pony's body was later recovered by divers.

A spokesman for Hampshire Police said: "Conflicting reports surrounding the exact circumstances of the incident were given to officers. This incident may have been a tragic accident, not a deliberate act." Police and welfare groups are appealing for witnesses. But there have been other, conclusively cruel attacks in the past two weeks.

On 5 July a young Shetland pony was euthanased in Gravesend, Kent, after it was found with an ear cut off and slice wounds all over its body. The RSPCA is at a loss to explain why the pony was targeted in this way. A spokesman said: "Any deliberate act of cruelty is shocking and one incident is one too many. It's beyond belief why anyone would want to harm animals in this way."

And on 2 July two ponies and a cow were shot dead as they grazed in a field near Tideswell, Derbyshire (news, 7 July). A 52-year-old man was arrested by police, who described it as a "senseless act". Other attacks this year include a mare shot with a crossbow in Surrey in April, a Shetland allegedly sexually assaulted then hacked to death in Essex and a man seen attacking a horse in a field in Liphook, Hampshire, in May.

There seems no link or reason for this spate of horse attacks but it has shocked welfare organisations. Thames Valley Police equine liaison officer Helen Evans said: "You should visit your horse at least once a day. Report any suspicious sightings to the police and make sure your neighbours are also on the look out."

Jul 14 2011. Robert Kirby. The Salt Lake Tribune. Kirby: Surviving animal attacks — miracle or madness?

Killer’s youngest son left on an LDS mission last week. Ricky’s in Tennessee now. No word yet on whether he’s been mauled by a raccoon. It’s a legitimate concern after Monday’s animal attack on an LDS missionary at a Guatemalan zoo. According to news reports, the missionary scaled a wall for a better picture of himself with some lions.

While the missionary posed, the lions got to thinking, “Ooh, lunch.” A couple of them grabbed the missionary and gave him a serious gnaw. He survived thanks to what some see as a miracle.

I’m no expert on miracles but I have read the Bible, and it occurs to me that a bona fide miracle would have been not getting bitten at all. That’s what happened to Daniel in the Old Testament. When he was caught worshipping contrary to Persian law, King Darius had him tossed into a den of lions.

The next morning when Darius found Daniel alive, he was so moved by the mercy of Daniel’s god that he rounded up Daniel’s accusers, their wives and all their kids and fed them to the lions.

Darius then decreed that henceforth the god who had delivered Daniel from the lions would be revered by his entire kingdom. This change of heart was, of course, entirely lost on those being eaten. Spiritually diminished creatures, the lions at the Guatemalan zoo probably hadn’t read the Bible and therefore didn’t know they weren’t supposed to eat servants of the Lord. Instead, they should wait for the less worthy.

I’m not exactly sure how an animal attack (or lack thereof) gets parlayed into God’s business. All I know is that it’s never happened to me. I wasn’t chewed by lions on my mission in South America, but I was attacked by other animals. I got bitten a couple of times by dogs, knocked down by a cow, spat at by a llama and peed on by monkeys.

To the best of my knowledge, none of these events had any religious connotation outside the fact that I was a 20-year-old missionary. For example, after we knocked on a door one afternoon, a huge dog charged out. When he started growling, I yelled at him to leave. But it was his porch, and so he bit me on the thigh instead.

Maybe it’s how my mind works. I never stopped to consider that it was a miracle I hadn’t been bitten higher on my anatomy, or even the possibility that I’d been chomped as a penalty for spreading the wrong faith. Instead, I focused all my spiritual energy on wishing that I had hit the dog harder with my briefcase and that I wouldn’t get rabies. If there was a heavenly lesson to be learned from what happened with the monkeys, the only one I got was not to throw rocks at them anymore. Likewise, not to tease llamas or get too close to cows.

I suppose it’s possible that God (or the devil) shows his hand in mysterious ways through animal attacks. But if there’s a lesson to be learned or a price to be paid, I’m betting that it has more to do with acknowledging our own foolishness.

July 14th 2011. LUKAS I. ALPERT.DAILY NEWS. Killer python crushed 2-year-old girl to death in her crib and tried to swallow her whole.

A killer python crushed a 2-year-old toddler to death in her crib and tried to eat the child whole, bone-chilling testimony revealed at the trial of the girl's parents.

"There were also several clusters of puncture wounds ... that represent bites from the snake as the snake was trying to ingest her, basically," medical examiner Wendy Lavezzi testified in Sumter County court in Florida.

The shocking tragedy unfolded in the Oxford, Fla., home of Jaren Hare, 21, and her boyfriend, Charles Darnell, 34, in 2009 when their pet albino Burmese python slithered into the Shanianna Hare's crib.

The couple have been charged with manslaughter and third-degree murder and face up to 35 year in prison if convicted. Snake handlers have testified that the couple failed to properly house the 8-and-a-half-foot-long snake and that the creature seemed underfed and malnourished, the Orlando Sentinel reported.

The snake, named Gypsy, hadn't been fed in a month and escaped from the 200 gallon fish tank it was kept in just hours before the horrible attack. Darnell had placed it into a mesh laundry bag with a hole in it and put it back to the tank, but the snake managed to escape again.

The tank was kept just 12 feet from Shanianna's room, which did not have a door.

July 14th 2011. Caroline Connolly TV5. Animal Behavior Expert Says Pit Bulls Not the Problem.

Bangor - According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC), attacks by pit bull 'type' dogs are not uncommon. A study done over a twenty year period, ending in the late nineties, shows pit bulls were responsible for more than twenty-seven percent of deaths caused by dog bites. But a local animal behavior expert says the breed has gotten an undeserved reputation.

Don Hanson, of Green Acres Kennel in Bangor, says pit bulls aren't inherently violent, and attacks they're responsible for get more attention than they should. He believes people should look at the animal's surroundings before pointing fingers.

"I don't think it has as much to do with the breed as it does the individual dog, the environment in which it has been brought up in. In a perfect world, when we get a dog, we like to know what Mom and Dad are like because their temperament may be similar, but when it comes down to it I know some really wonderful, sweet pit bulls."

The CDC says that while fatal dog attacks appear to be breed specific, it's hard to determine a dog's breed with certainty. Which they say could mean other breeds may actually cause bite related deaths at a higher rate.

July 14, 2011. Tae-Yi Kim. Reuters. Dog on the menu in Korea to beat the heat. SEOUL (Reuters Life!)

Thursday was not a good day to be a dog in South Korea. That's because it was one of the three hottest days according to the Korean lunar calendar and dog soup is one way to beat the heat.

On "Chobok," people seeking to protect the body from overheating eat traditional healthy foods such as ginseng chicken soup, broiled eel, and "bo-shin-tang," literally "body preservation stew."

Dogs are bred to be eaten in South Korea, and advocates say bo-shin-tang, which consists of dog meat boiled in a mix of hot and strong spices and vegetables, is good for the health. It is considered a delicacy by some.

"The reason why I eat dog soup is because it boosts my energy, even when I'm most tired," said 56-year-old Shin Gwan-sup, sitting in a dog soup restaurant.

"Compared to other meats, it has more protein and less fat. I think it is healthy and clean, a more suitable meat for us."

The Korean practice of eating dog has drawn criticism from overseas for its cruelty, with French actress and animal rights activist Brigitte Bardot among some of the most vocal critics.

But Korean dog meat connoisseurs remain undaunted, with long lines forming on Thursday outside dog specialty restaurants.

Beating the heat was painful for diners this year, though, with the price of the ginseng chicken soup, or sangyetang, jumping. Severe rain has also pushed up the price of vegetables used in the soups.

July 13, 2011. BBC. 'Feisty' cheetah attacks Eagle Heights keepers

Eagle Heights has several cheetahs at its park. A cheetah has attacked two members of staff at a Kent wild animal park.

The big cat scratched and bit the two keepers when they went in to the enclosure to film it at Eagle Heights in Eynsford on Sunday.

They managed to escape after spraying one-year-old Zena in the face with a fire extinguisher.

Alan Ames, owner of Eagle Heights, said although she was a "bit feisty" and boisterous at times, the attack was "very much out of character".

The incident happened in front of visitors, including children, who were the other side of the safety barrier and enclosure and in no danger, he said.

Mr Ames said one of the workers was his son, who owns one of the cheetahs at the park having reared him from three months old.

He said in the light of the incident, procedures at the park would be re-evaluated and amended accordingly

July 13, 2011. (CNN) -- "Uno de enero, dos de febrero,

tres de marzo, cuatro de abril,

cinco de mayo, seis de junio,

siete de julio, ¡SAN FERMÍN!"

Like schoolchildren on a field trip, my friends and I excitedly sang this song on a bus from León to Pamplona in 2005. All I knew about the festival of San Fermín was that it involved people running with bulls, and that it took place every year from July 7 to July 14.

Here are some tips:

Dance, dance, dance. Pamplona turns into one big 24-hour-a-day party for the festival of San Fermín. Everyone's dressed in white clothes with red bandanas, and everyone is there to have a good time. There is live music everywhere, so it's a great opportunity to groove to the most popular Spanish hits. I remember dancing to Melendi's "Caminando por la Vida" around 3 a.m. at one of the outdoor concerts.

Don't expect to sleep (much).

If you're making last-minute plans to go to Pamplona, don't be surprised if you can't find a bed. My friends and I didn't even try. It seems like everyone sleeps outside in public places, or doesn't sleep at all. In fact, Pamplona is the only place where I've ever slept in a public park. I brought a foldable sleeping bag in my backpack -- handy, since northern Spanish nights can get cold -- but most people just lay on the grass, huddled together to stay warm. If you go this route, hang on tightly to your belongings. I used my purse as a pillow, but at least one person from my group had his backpack swiped while he was asleep.

Running is risky.

Every year, there are serious injuries or even deaths among people who try to run with the bulls. In 2010, I spoke with cancer survivor Michael Lenahan, who got gored in the leg by a bull; his brother got hurt in the left buttock. In fact, between 200 and 300 people are injured annually, according to the Council of Pamplona. Proceed with extreme caution if you are planning on getting near the toros. There are so many people trying to watch and run that you might not know a bull is near you until its horn scrapes your arm.

Check out the bullfighting ring.

There are so many people stretching their necks to see over the fences that line the streets of Pamplona -- not to mention sitting on the fences, too -- that it's actually hard to see people and bulls running. "No vamos a ver nada" (We're not going to see anything), my friend M. lamented. We decided to go instead to the Plaza de Toros. With everyone pushing and shoving each other to get tickets to this event, it seemed almost as dangerous as chasing bulls in the streets. But we finally got our passes and made our way inside the enormous arena, which is the ending point of the bull run. There, we watched hundreds of people run around the bulls, including one member of our group who emerged proudly with a large cut or two.

Don't wander off.

One of the girls in my group didn't show up at the agreed-upon time that morning. A half an hour went by, and she still hadn't shown up. We all started worrying, and had no idea how we would ever find her in a sea of thousands of people, since she didn't have a cell phone. Finally, she appeared two hours later -- she apparently made some new friends the night before and lost track of time. Don't do this to your traveling companions!

Check out San Sebastián afterward.

If you're looking for a place to chill out after a crazy night in Pamplona, head about 51 miles northwest to San Sebastián, a beautiful small city on the Bay of Biscay where you can lie on the beach, admire medieval architecture and actually sit down for a yummy Basque meal.

July 13, 2011. Emily Downing. Props & Disses. A better bear solution PROP

People can get pretty uppity after deadly human-animal encounters. The automatic death sentence for a wild animal that kills a human, while sometimes necessary, rarely addresses the root of the problem. That’s why the decision made by Yellowstone National Park officials to spare the bear involved in last week’s attack is so refreshing.

Hiker Bryan Matayoshi of Torrance, Calif., was killed last Wednesday by a mother grizzly bear he and his wife ran into on the park’s Wapiti Lake Trail. Instead of deciding to track and kill the bear, park officials determined the animal was acting in defense of her two young cubs and limited their response to a temporary closure of the south rim of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone.

In an area like Yellowstone, where the population of grizzly bears sits around 1,000 and where the annual tourist count exceeds three million, incidents like this one should be far from surprising.

If humans want to enjoy the natural wonders of this prime bear habitat, they should expect to run into grizzlies from time to time. In reality, we have little to no control over whether or not these encounters will be fatal. When they are, taking action against the offending animal accomplishes little more than diminishing the region’s grizzly population.

As is the case with most things, proactive action is much more beneficial than reactive action when it comes to animal attacks. If every single person that enters bear habitat is fully prepared to come across and maybe even be attacked by a bear, there will ultimately be less inclination to kill the offending animal in order to appease the public. The park’s decision in last week’s attack reflects this logic beautifully and should be emulated in other areas where humans and wild animals share the landscape.

Tusker dies in collar attempt

July 11, 2011. Coimbatore, (PTI): A 20-year-old elephant tumbled down a gorge and died as it tried to flee an attempt to put a radio collar by a team of World Wildlife Fund and district forest officials.

The team, in search of elephants frequently straying into human habitations, attempted to radio collar the animal late last night. But it tried to escape, slipped and fell into the gorge and died on the spot, the forest department said in a release.

The elephant was buried in after post-mortem, it added.

Radio collaring entails fixing a collar fitted with a small radio transmitter which when attached to an animal can be used to track its movements.

Jul. 10, 2011. Ohio owner of bear involved in fatal mauling dies

COLUMBIA STATION, Ohio -- The owner of a bear that fatally mauled a caretaker last year has been found dead in bed at his property in northern Ohio.

The Lorain County sheriff's office says an employee of exotic animal owner Sam Mazzola found the 49-year-old dead Sunday in Columbia Station, about 15 miles southwest of Cleveland.

A deputy coroner says there were no signs of an animal attack or other violence. An autopsy is planned for Monday. A bear owned by Mazzola killed 24-year-old Brent Kandra in August after he opened its cage for feeding at the Mazzola home, where wolves and tigers also were kept. It was ruled a workplace accident. The bear was euthanized. Animal-rights activists had wanted Mazzola charged with reckless homicide. They previously targeted him because he staged wrestling matches between bears and humans.

July 10, 2011. Patrick Oppmann, CNN. Yellowstone ranger says respect, don't fear, bears

Having spent an hour walking the trails in Yellowstone National Park, Erin Prophet suddenly heard the words that every hiker dreads.

"Bear! Twelve o'clock! He's heading towards you!" yelled a man paddling a kayak on the small lake behind her Friday.

Prophet, who lives in Boston, scanned the hill she had just begun to climb. She couldn't see anything, but then heard the thick brush in front of her begin to crackle. A bear emerged from the forest. Prophet began slowly walking backwards. "I was pretty afraid," Prophet said. "Especially after what happened a couple of days ago." "A couple of days ago" was Wednesday, when Brian Matayoshi, 57, and his wife Marylyn were hiking in a different part of the park and encountered a grizzly bear. The bear, a female with cubs, according to National Park Service rangers, charged the couple.

Brian Matayoshi was bitten and clawed by the bear repeatedly. Then the bear latched its mouth onto Marylyn Matayoshi's backpack, hoisting the woman up before throwing her onto to the ground. She lay still until the bear left. By the time help arrived, Brian Matayoshi had died of his wounds. He was the first bear fatality in the park since 1986. A ranger on the scene at the lake said he believed the bear to be a juvenile grizzly. But Ranger Kerry Gunther, who saw video footage of the bear, said he is certain it was a black bear. That species is smaller and typically less aggressive than grizzlies, but is known to occasionally attack humans.

Gunther, who has studied bears at Yellowstone for nearly 30 years, said the park usually has roughly 600 of both kinds of bears roaming its approximately 3,500 square miles. Typically, more than 3 million people will visit the park each year. Despite the ample opportunity for humans to cross paths with bears, Gunther said there is usually only one bear-related injury each year. In the park's 140-year history, he said, six people are known to have been killed in bear attacks. "Bears are really very tolerant of people," Gunther said. "I have had a few times where I was bluff charged but the bear always pulled up short. You don't really know if you are a 'runner' or a 'stander' until that happens."

Gunther said the park tries to keep visitors and bears a safe distance apart.

But more often than not it's the humans that don't follow that plan. "We can have hundreds of visitors alongside the road filming and viewing bears," he said. "When the bears want to cross the roads you'd think to a big, 200 pounds-plus bear people would show a little bit more respect (and) get back to their cars or let the bear cross the road. Sometimes people are letting the bear walk just feet from them." If a bear does show signs of aggression, Gunther said there are a series of steps people can take to survive the attack.

"That nanosecond before the bear hits you we recommend dropping to the ground and playing dead," he said. "Put your hands behind your neck so your elbows are protecting the sides of your face. Bears bite to the head and face a lot. By going passive usually they'll let you alone." Gunther differentiates between defensive and predatory attacks by bears. If a bear shows signs of hunting and eating humans, Gunther said rangers will attempt to track down and euthanize the animal. But rangers don't typically kill a bear --like the grizzly that attacked the Matayoshis for defensive behavior.

That decision to let the bear live, Gunther said, has drawn both praise and criticism from the public. But, so far, Gunther said he is not aware of anyone canceling their stay at the park as a result of the mauling. "People shouldn't fear bears," he said. "They should respect them." Respecting bears, Gunther said, means traveling in large hiking parties, leaving an area where bears are and carrying bear spray, a supersized can of pepper spray to ward off attacks.

As she watched the bear advance down the hill toward her, Prophet said she was all too aware that she was alone and had neglected to bring bear spray on her hike. She discarded the backpack she was carrying food in and retreated into the icy lake water while wondering what to do next. "Grab on," said a voice behind her. The two men in the kayak who had first warned Prophet of the bear, now about 30 yards away from her, had reached the shore. Prophet grabbed onto the kayak as the two men pulled her through the water and away from the bear.

The bear appeared not to pay attention and took a quick swim around the lake before disappearing again into the woods. Shaking from the cold lake water and adrenaline, Prophet was relieved to find herself on the far shore from the bear.

"There's a lot that runs through your head," she said. "What you've seen and heard about bear attacks. But I felt as long as I was not threatening him, he would go away."

Jul 10, 2011.TNN . Jumbos kill father-son duo in Lakhimpur

JORHAT: Wild elephants killed a man and his one-year-old son in the Dhekiajuli forest range of Lakhimpur district early on Sunday. The jumbos also injured his wife and damaged seven houses in the locality.

Barely 25 days ago, a woman and her eight-year-old son were killed by elephants in Sivasagar district.

Forest range officer (Dhekiajuli) P K Barma said, "Digambor Hemrong (45) and his son, Luhit, died in an elephant attack in the Pabhomari area around Sunday. Digambor's wife, Mira, was also critically injured and is being treated in Tezpur Kanaklata Civil Hospital."

He added, "A herd of jumbos comprising more than 30 elephants damaged seven houses of the area and then vanished in Sonai Rupai Wildlife Sanctuary of the district. On Saturday morning, the pachyderms came out of the sanctuary in search of food. As soon as we got the report, our staff rushed to the spot and chased them away to the forest. But they came back again later and went on the rampage."

Barma said the bodies have sent for autopsy and an immediate compensation of Rs 10,000 has been paid to the relatives of the deceased. He added that the jumbos taking shelter in the Sonai Rupai Wildlife Sancturary have been bearing the brunt of food shortage for the last few years due to encroachment in the forest reserve. Earlier, two persons were killed in elephant attacks in Dibru Dorrong and Belsiri area in 2009 and 2010 respectively.

7/9/11. Goat Attacks Lead Olympic Park To Urge Against Peeing Near Trails.

PORT ANGELES, Wash. -- Olympic National Park in Washington State is urging hikers not to urinate along backcountry trails to avoid attracting mountain goats who lick urine deposits for salt.

The advice is part of a plan to avoid aggressive goats like the one that gored a Port Angeles, Wash., man to death in October.

The Peninsula Daily News reports the popular park also may close trails where goats follow people or enter camp sites.

Backcountry campers are advised to urinate 200 feet away from trails to prevent the trails from turning into "long, linear salt licks."

July 09, 2011.Three elephants electrocuted in UP's Dudhwa national park

Three wild elephants were on Friday electrocuted after they came in contact with a dangling live high voltage cable in the thick confines of Uttar Pradesh's famous Dudhwa National Wildlife Park.

According to the state's Chief Wildlife Conservator, B K Patnaik, "the electrocution was the result of an accident caused by a marching herd of elephants that led to toppling of an electric cable pillar, which brought the live wire down on to the path of the animals".

"While three of the herd of some 15-odd tuskers were electrocuted, the others promptly withdrew from the scene as they sensed trouble," Patnaik said.

He said the mishap occurred near Bodhiya-kalan village situated on the periphery of the core area of the wildlife sanctuary where the elephants had been spotted a couple of times over the past few days.

A team of six veterinary surgeons were arranged to carry out autopsy on the three elephants. "However, no sooner than the surgeons got down to their job, the remaining herd made an attempt to charge at them. The forest guards and other staff, however, somehow managed to thwart their attempt," said Patnaik.

Eventually, the post-mortem was completed on Saturday morning after which the animals were buried in the forest area, he added.

This was stated to be the first incident of its kind in Dudhwa national park. However, a similar tragedy was witnessed at the world famous Corbett Park where as many as 11 elephants were electrocuted in 1980, say official records.

Dudhwa National Park has been rated as the second biggest wildlife reserve after the Corbett Park in north India

July 09, 2011. Zanu thugs slaughter Lowveld elephants

The Commercial Farmers Union is investigating the slaughter of two young elephants in the Lowveld, allegedly by marauding Zanu (PF) supporters targeting wildlife conservancies in the area.

The union said in a notice to members last week that the elephants had their heads hacked off and were left with their tusks intact, showing that the attackers were not professional poachers after the ivory.

“Investigations are underway into the callous slaughter of two elephants (a young bull and a lactating cow) that were left with their heads cut off in a blatant show of defiance,” the union said.

The elephants were part of a popular herd that had become a tourist attraction as it after being started with beasts orphaned in the 1982 drought and reared by hand. “It could be likened to the ‘Presidential Herd’ in Hwange. The elephants are very docile as they trust humans due to having been bottle-fed as youngsters,” the CFU added.

The union also reported a surge in new mass invasions in wildlife conservancies in the Lowveld.

“This is of great concern because many of those properties are currently entertaining clients from overseas. The current lawlessness could have a detrimental effect on their business and in particular future client’s willingness to visit these internationally popular resorts,” it said.

Top officials in President Robert Mugabe’s Zanu (PF) party, the army and police have since January muscled into conservancies and ranches in the Save Valley area.

Affected safari operators have been forced to surrender between 50 and 80 percent shareholding in their properties to Zanu (PF) officials, top police and military officials, and traditional chiefs in a renewed crackdown on white-owned businesses.

The Save Valley Conservancy is the world’s biggest private game reserve.

July 8, 2011. Ruffin Prevost, Reuters. Grizzly roams free after fatal Yellowstone mauling

The female grizzly bear that attacked and killed a hiker when apparently startled with two cubs will be allowed to continue roaming free in Yellowstone National Park after officials determined the animal had acted to protect its young. A probe of Wednesday's fatal bear mauling, the first in Yellowstone since 1986, suggests the mother grizzly was provoked by a perceived threat from the hiker and his wife when they encountered the animal and its cubs foraging for food.

"The bear's behavior is consistent with a bear who was in a defensive posture," Yellowstone Superintendent Dan Wenk said during a news conference at park headquarters in Mammoth Hot Springs, Wyoming. "We did not see anything predatory in terms of the bear's actions." The grizzly believed to have been involved in the attack is being monitored from the air by Yellowstone rangers for now to keep tabs on its movements, park officials said.

The bear has never been captured or tagged and has no record of previous aggression or interactions with humans. The decision not to capture or kill the animal was announced as additional details of the attack were made public by the National Park Service. The victim, Brian Matayoshi, 57, of Torrance, California, near Los Angeles, was hiking with his wife, Marylyn, on the Wapiti Lake Trail and happened on the family of bruins as the couple emerged from a forested area into an open meadow. The hikers first spotted a bear about 100 yards away and began walking in the other direction, but when they turned to look back they saw the female grizzly charging at them down the trail, according to an account issued by park officials.

WIFE SURVIVES BY PLAYING DEAD

The couple began running, but the bear caught up to them and attacked the husband, then approached the wife, who had fallen to the ground nearby. "The bear bit her daypack, lifting her from the ground and then dropping her," the park statement said, but the woman remained still and the grizzly lumbered off. The woman then walked back toward the meadow, and began shouting for help, attracting the attention of a distant group of hikers who managed to call for assistance by cell phone. Two park rangers arrived on the scene within 20 minutes, but the man was dead from his wounds, which included multiple bite and clawing injuries.

The bear and her two 6-month-old cubs had been spotted in the area before the attack, and have been seen since. A warning sign had been posted at the trailhead based on known bear activity in the area, which is not uncommon. Park rangers have gathered samples of feces and hair left behind by the bear for DNA fingerprinting to check against any potential future incidents. Park officials say bears that become aggressive toward people and pose a continuing threat to human safety are captured and either removed from the park or destroyed. But the bear linked to Wednesday's incident is not believed to have had any previous contact with park visitors.

The fatal attack occurred about a mile and a half from the start of the Wapiti Lake trail as the couple hiked west back toward their parked vehicle. Trails throughout a 6,400-acre (100-square-mile) backcountry area around the site of the incident, will remain closed until rangers are confident they are safe for hikers, officials said. The closure represents a tiny fraction of Yellowstone's 2.2 million acres. The South Rim Road had been closed overnight as a precaution, but has since reopened. The road leads to Artist Point, a popular overlook offering unobstructed views of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River and the Lower Falls.

July 7, 2011 Lindsay Buckingham FOX8.Cleveland Police: Officer Fatally Shoots Dog After Attack

Cleveland police officer fatally shot a dog Thursday after the animal allegedly attacked him, Fox 8 News reports. According to Stephen Loomis, President of the Cleveland Patrolmen’s Association, it happened just before 5 p.m. in the 1400 block of West 48th Street. Officers responded to a residence in that area for a domestic violence incident. While searching for the suspect, two officers entered the backyard through a fence -- unaware that two dogs were on the property. "The dogs were sleeping when [the officers] went into the yard, and [the dogs] woke up when [the officers] were several feet into yard," Loomis said. At that point, police say one of the dogs -- a Shar Pei-Shepherd mix -- charged one of the officers and bit down on one of his legs. Loomis says the officer first tried to taser the animal to get him to release his grip.

When that failed, the officer shot the dog twice. Neighbors told Fox 8 News the homeowner was not present when a family member called police about a domestic dispute. George Kaschak was reportedly devastated when he returned home and learned that his dog, "Cisco," had died. "He's not sure how he feels right now, and what to do," said neighbor and family friend, Carol Smith. Kaschak told Fox 8 News that Cisco was a "loving and gentle" dog, but also very protective.

While he "understands what happened," Kaschak said he wished he had been home to tie the dogs up. Loomis says the officer who fired the fatal shots is also experiencing heartache about what transpired. "This is not something anyone takes any joy in doing." Smith agreed, saying, "I know the policeman was very remorseful and very genuinely upset." Cisco was taken from the scene in a police van. He will undergo rabies testing as standard procedure. The injured officer was taken to Metro Health Medical Center for severe bite wounds to his left calf. Another officer, who was hurt while jumping over the fence to get away from the dogs, was also treated at Metro for minor injuries. "The dog was doing his job in his yard. He was just reacting," Smith said, as she struggled not to cry. "There was a lady inside with a baby so [Cisco] was extra protective. It's just really sad." The suspect in the domestic violence call fled the scene in all of the chaos. The incident in under investigation.

July 7, 2011. David Bale, Teenager witnesses attack on family pet by another dog in Sloughbottom Park, Norwich

A teenager witnessed an horrific attack on the family’s pet by another dog in which the animal’s skin was ripped off – but police are not taking any action against the owner because they say no criminal offence was committed. Amanda Chase, 35, and her two foster children Chay Evans, 18, and Betsy Hoffman, 17, were walking with their crossbreed dog, Troy, in Sloughbottom Park, Mile Cross, on Monday morning when the attack took place. Ms Chase, who lives off Aylsham Road, said: “Troy was running away from the dog, a pointer cross, when he was attacked. The other dog ripped the skin off him and he cried out – something he never does.

“My foster son, Chay witnessed it and he said that Troy was missing a huge flap of skin after the attack. There was blood all over Troy’s body and it was horrible. “It’s a bit frustrating that the police cannot do anything about it.” She said that the other dog was with its owner, who refused to come to their aid. However, two other men helped lift Troy into their car and he was immediately taken to a vet where his 20cm wounds were stitched up.

The cost of the veterinary bills to the family are currently about £400, she said, and the family has been told that Troy might not fully recover from the attack. Ms Chase, who works with children in care, said the family is considering taking civil action against the other dog owner in the courts, as police said that no criminal offence had taken place. A Norfolk Constabulary spokesman said: “We can confirm that we were alerted to an incident involving two dogs at Sloughbottom Park, on Drayton Road, Norwich on Monday, July 4 at approximately 9.55am. “Investigations have established that no criminal offences have taken place and both dog owners have been advised accordingly.”

July 07, 2011. Tuquyen Mach. Community Meets with Animal Control After Vicious Dog Attack in East Savannah.

SAVANNAH, Ga. --

More than two weeks after a 7 year-old was attacked by two pitbulls at a playground, people in the neighborhood where it happened are asking authorities if more safety measures are needed. The Chatham County District Attorney's Office looked at the case and said the owner of the two pitbulls involved in the attack last month did not violate any laws. News 3 first brought you this story just hours after 7 year-old Javon Roberson was attacked by two pitbulls as he played with other children in Treat Park in East Savannah. Some good Samaritans saw what happened and stepped in to help save the boy's life.

The owner told police she was taking the dogs to a relative's house while the family moved, when a child who was in the car accidentally let the dogs out. "That's a catastrophe that I hope will never happen again, and I'm sure that because it has happened that those people who pass by the park or who are near the park will be more vigilant in watching and monitoring the kids that are in the park," said Ella Marie Harmon, president of the East Savannah Community Association. Metro Police Animal Control officials talked to neighbors at Thursday's East Savannah Community Association meeting. Officials said they're working with the city council to strengthen the city's ordinances about dangerous animals. Right now, animal control officers ask that neighbors notify them immediately if they believe a dog is dangerous. Also, neighbors heard a letter written by the owner of the pit bulls.

According to the letter that was read aloud at Thursday's meeting, the owner wrote: "Words cannot express how truly sorry I am for the hurt the animals caused. This accident is especially saddening because an innocent child was involved..." "I never expected my dogs to behave in this manner. These were family pets raised in a home around children," the letter continued. The woman wrote that she had surrendered the pit bulls to Animal Control. "I am very sorry for what transpired. I humbly ask that you accept my sincere apology.

Please forgive me and my family," it concluded. One of the dogs from the attack was killed at the scene, while the second animal was euthanized.

July 5 2011. CNTV. Remarkable rescue saves antelopes from wild animals attack. The breeding season of the Tibetan antelopes are also the most dangerous time for them to fall prey to their predators. Staff at local wild life protection center are working hard to save as many antelopes as they can.

On Sunday, in a remarkable rescue, a group of new-born Tibetan antelopes have been saved by staff at a protection station in Hoh Xil, or Keke Xili in western China's Qinghai province. They are now under intense care.

Our reporter Wang Guan is now in Hoh-xil.He travels to the protection place to check out how these babe antelopes are recovering.

These baby Tibetan antelopes never thought their first time to feel the warmth of their mothers was also their last. Shortly after they were born last Saturday, a herd of wild animals attacked their mothers and killed them in a split second. These infants ran as far as could until they were discovered by staff at this wild life protection center. In this protection center in Hoh-xil,

Han Zongping is the chief care-taker. She is the only female volunteer working here. Every morning, she wakes up before dawn to prepare breakfast for these animals. She and her husband lived in a comfortable townhouse in central China's Hubei province. Leaving the comfort of modernity and come thus far to help protect the Tibetan antelopes, this, she said is the life she wanted. "When I first came here I had a hard time adapting--the high altitude and lack of oxygen. But I still love it. I read a lot Tibetan antelopes and struggles to protect them. I was moved by those who worked hard to protect them. That's why I came here too."

There are dozens of volunteers working at five protection sites in Hoh-xil, China's largest nature reserve area Preserving Tibetan antelopes is one of their major tasks. The number of this species has dropped over 90 percent to just around 70 thousand. They need protection against harsh weather conditions, illegal poachers and other predators since the survival rate of these babies is only 25 percent. Locals told us the monitoring and protection network have been expanding. The government, the enterprise as well as NGOs are all playing their part.

"Local government helps set up protection sites such as this one. Most of the staff here are paid employees of the government. Secondly, enterprise such as Heng Yuanxiang, a major wool-product manufacturer, donates one million yuan a year to this protection center. Also, lots of environmentalists and volunteers call us and say they want to join us, for nothing." But professor Wang Hailin, an expert studying the preservation of Tibetan antelopes for over 20 years believes protection alone is not enough to save this endangered species. He said it's also important to treat the problem at its roots. "The main manufacturing center and consumer market of Tibetan antelope fur is China's neighboring countries and a few western countries. I hope they can stop consuming the antelope skin and fur-made products. Because when consuming stops, killing can stop too."

He also said environmental degradation is another killer. Receding grassland left antelopes with little to eat while rising temperatures, a result of global warming, turned many solid earth into swamps. Therefore, protecting the animal indigenous to this land for thousands of years remains an uphill battle.

July 3rd, 2011. Elle Dickinson. Crossbow attack on hedgehogs. An assailant believed to be armed with a crossbow has killed six hedgehogs in Cambridge in what the RSPCA has condemned as "one of the most malicious incidents of animal cruelty". The dead creatures were found lined up in a row on Yarrow Road in the Cherry Hinton area of Cambridge on Tuesday night. This comes a week after three hedgehogs were found stabbed to death also in Cherry Hinton.

Richard Lythgoe, RSPCA inspector, told the Cambridge News: "This is one of the most malicious incidents of animal cruelty which I have had to deal with. The bodies of six adult hedgehogs have been found lined up in a row on clear display for everyone to see."

He added that there were "hole marks on each of their bodies which could not have been caused by an animal attack. Our initial thoughts are that these hedgehogs could have been shot with a crossbow - which is clearly very worrying."

Tracy Okten, a local resident who was contacted by the finder of the hedgehogs, was "horrified" by the discovery, stating that ""They are obviously deranged psychopaths, whoever is doing it."

A police spokeswoman said: "We had a call at 7.50pm on Tuesday from a member of the public reporting six dead hedgehogs along Yarrow Road near to a bus stop. The animals had been left in a row."

Police are currently working with the RSPCA in gathering evidence to find the perpetrators.

July 3, 2011. HUMANITY SAVES THE AFRICAN WILDEBEEST MIGRATION WONDER OF THE WORLD OF SERENGETI NATIONAL PARK AND SAFARI MASAI MARA

Wild Zebra

The welcoming news of conservation and halting of the African rich wild animals species along the mount Kilimanjaro, Serengeti and Masai Mara National Parks has saved a great biodiversity of events that would have altered African Safari and tour loving people just like the flow of ice in the northern hemisphere which has brought challenges to our general survival level. People like Africa with all its african tradition and wild animals. African safaris are the best animal safaris in the world and the idea of tempering with the beauty of wild animals the need to conserve animals is a priority in the peaceful animal world loving people. As a matter of fact this unpredictable and spontaneous natural event has saved the wildebeest migration and made African safaris to be appreciated even more. We human beings of superior brain advancement do have all what it takes to have alternatives without disturbing the flora and fauna. This natural cycle along the Kenya Tanzania border brings harmony and cross border effects which only need to be appreciated not only by the Masai who have been living with the Africa lions, giant elephants and any dangerous animals along the Savannah but also from all those African holiday makers around the world. Its not only the wildebeest which were saved but the African crocodiles, the ape family and the great Big Five as a whole. We only need to blend with nature as nature has its own ways of healing and sustaining itself as it has always done for thousands of years. Great and inspiring animal pictures will continue to be taken, ongoing animal facts and figures and statistics will continue to be obtained, preservation and conservation of African animals will enhance the animal and plant population and above all its just a big WIN! WIN! SITUATION FOR THE GREAT WILDEBEEST MIGRATION and the African World animals and the African Safari Human Species. For all those who mentally physically, financially, emotionally and spiritually contributed made this gigantic move to save animals of Africa, endangered species and the African wild beast migration wonder of the world to these African animals have their own undisturbed natural habitat.

GRATITUDE IS ALL WHAT YOU DESERVE.

Jul 2, 2011 CBC News B.C. woman's remains seemingly eaten by bear

4 bears in area killed as precaution Police in Lillooet, B.C., are investigating the suspicious death of a woman that could be linked to a black bear.

Conservation officials say it appears a black bear was involved in a Lillooet, B.C., woman's death. (Roy Musitelli/Associated Press) Acting Sgt. Cheryl Simpkin-Works with the Stl'atl'imx Tribal Service said officers found the woman's remains on a remote property on Thursday while investigating a missing person's complaint. "There was some evidence of some blood, and some articles of clothing were located on the east side of the residence down an embankment," Simpkin-Works said of their initial search.

She said dogs were brought to the scene and found the body about 45 metres from the home. The body was emaciated, she said, and appeared to have been eaten by animals. "It was advised at that point that this possibly was an animal attack," Simpkin-Works said. The B.C. Conservation Officer Service "called in their specialized team, who came to the location and took over the scene at that point." Conservation officer Rod Olsen said tracks, scat and hair found near the body are believed to be that of a black bear.

"It appears there was significant feeding on the remains by wildlife, most likely a bear," he said. "All we can say is contact was made by a bear, but that's as far as we can go at this point." Cause of death not determined The woman's body has been taken to Ashcroft, B.C., where an autopsy is scheduled for Monday. "Until autopsy confirms the cause of death is not suspicious, it's still deemed a suspicious death at this point," Simpkin-Works said. The B.C. Conservation Officer Service "is doing their best to locate bears in the area, as there's been a number of complaints that they locate the suspected bear and have it destroyed for the safety of the community," she said. Simpkin-Works said police believe they know the woman's identity, but are awaiting autopsy results for confirmation.

Lillooet, B.C.

Four bears have already been caught and killed in the area. Officials are awaiting the results of necropsies to determine whether the animals were involved. Simpkin-Works said the incident has been hard on the community. "The community has banded together, and there's been some spiritual ceremonies in the area as well to try to calm everyone and bring some peace to this situation." Olsen said black bear attacks are extremely rare — since 2000, there have been two fatal incidents involving black bears in B.C. "Bear attacks are usually broken into two issues: a defensive attack of their young or their food or their territory, or it's a predatory attack. So that's what we're trying to determine,… if that's what caused this," he said.

June 24, 2011. National Geographic News Christine Dell'Amore. Hybrid Cuban-American Crocodiles on the Rise Rare Cuban species in danger of being bred out of existence.

There's a new Cuban crisis—the island country's rare crocodile is being loved to death by its American cousin, a new study suggests.

Mating Cuban crocodiles and American crocodiles are creating hybrid offspring that threaten the survival of the Cuban species, which has dwindled to about 4,000 wild animals in two isolated Cuban swamps. The ten-foot-long (three-meter-long) reptile is listed as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

"That means any loss of animals—be it loss in fact or loss through hybridization—is a grave concern," said John G. Robinson, executive vice president for conservation and science at the Wildlife Conservation Society.

American crocodiles, which are found throughout the Caribbean, are not considered threatened by IUCN. The animals have increasingly moved into the Cuban crocodile's remaining freshwater habitat as it becomes more brackish—or salty—due to agricultural activities, said Robinson, who was not involved in the research.

The Cuban crocodile is the most terrestrial of the crocodiles—walking instead of waddling on their bellies like other croc species, he added. "They're very cool beasts."

For the study, scientists led by Yoamel Milián-García, of the University of Havana, took DNA samples from 89 wild-caught crocodiles and 2 captive crocodiles.

Surprisingly, the results showed that American crocodiles living in Cuba are more closely related to Cuban crocodiles than to other American crocodile populations in Central America.

This suggests that the American and Cuban species are mating much more than thought. When different species mate to create hybrids, genes mix, and eventually one lineage can cause the extinction of the other. The scientists haven't done behavioral studies to find out if the hybrids are stronger or more aggressive, which can sometimes happen when species interbreed.

Yet the study "will be a wake-up call" for conservationists in Cuba, who have already put a lot of effort into protecting the Zapata swamp—home to about 3,000 of the Cuban crocodiles, WCS's Robinson said.

One obvious strategy, he said, would be to restore the flow of fresh water into the swamps, which would make the habitat less palatable for the American crocodile.

June 22, 2011. WTKR-TV3CHESAPEAKE— A horse named Missy was the victim of a bear attack.

An attack left Missy with a ten inch gash on her stomach and two claw marks streaking down her hips. "They jump from the back and start biting," says owner Susan Lampert. Missy has been rapidly recovering since she was attacked Monday. She will be on medication for the next week.

"It's amazing what animals can endure," says Lampert.

The dense forest behind the farm provides ample hiding spots for the bears. They think that in this case on Monday the bear just jumped over the fence and attacked Missy. The bear attack happened mid-day while Lampert was running errands.

When she returned, she saw Missy limping near the fence with blood dripping from her side. Animal Control arrived, and judging by the scars, they are certain this is the work of a black bear. The bears are extra active this time of year as summer crops haven't fully come in - so they're constantly looking for available food. Lampert has corn on one side on her yard and it is enough to attract the bears out of the woods. Everyone at the farm is keeping an eye out and hoping this is the last time one of their horses falls victim.

Thursday, June 23, 2011. Sun Sentinel. Pit bull attacks Delray fire fighter outside apartment blaze

A Delray Beach firefighter was taken to the hospital Thursday afternoon after a pit bull attacked him outside an apartment on fire, authorities said.

Smoke was billowing from the apartment windows when firefighters arrived around 2 p.m. to the 600 block of

SW Third Street, Delray Beach

Fire-Rescue Lt. Curtis Jepsen said. The pit bull bit one of the fire fighters as he walked outside toward the back of the apartment to help someone get out, Jepsen said. He was taken to a nearby hospital with injuries that are not life threatening.

No one was injured in the fire, and Palm Beach County Animal Control has quarantined the dog.

Jun 22, 2011.SAVANNAH, GA (WTOC) -Dogs attack children in park. A group of children were attacked in an East Savannah Park on Tuesday. Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Police Patrol Officers and Animal Control Officers spent several hours Tuesday evening searching for one of two dogs involved. The attack happened in Treat Park at Treat and Gable streets just before 8 p.m.

Neighbors had to beat one pitbull unconscious to get her to release a 7-year-old boy who was bitten on the face. A neighbor fired shots at the larger pitbull to get her away from the other children that she had chased to the top of a sliding board. An animal control officer was able to shoot that pitbull with a tranquilizer gun, but the dog was able to get away before officers could catch her.

The dog disappeared into a heavily wooded area. The 7-year-old was transported to Memorial University Medical Center with serious facial wounds. His wounds were not considered to be life-threatening. SCMPD's Violent Crimes Division has begun an investigation to identify the owner of the two dogs.

June 21/2011. Possible Animal Attack In Logan Township Investigated. The Pennsylvania Game Commission is investigating a report of an animal attack in Blair County this morning.

According to the game commission office in Huntingdon, a Logan Township police officer requested a game commission officer be dispatched to look into the incident. There is very little information being released at this time but it appears the call came into the 911 center a little after 6am. Initial information seems to point to a possible coyote attack on a woman. Logan Township officials are not releasing any information at this time but WRTA News has received confirmation from the game commission that there is an investigation underway.

June18, 201. Two Pit Bulls Maul 75-Year Old Woman PARADISE HILLS - Two pit bulls maul a 75-year old Paradise Hills woman. The victim's husband tells San Diego 6 his wife will probably lose one of her legs, and possibly a hand.

75-year old Emako Mendoza is in critical condition at Scripps Mercy. Her husband, James Mendoza, tells us the dog attack left his wife bloodied all over. The stress caused her a minor heart attack. Animal control officers now say the owner of the pit bulls may face felony charges. James Mendoza pointed to the spot in his backyard where two pit bulls attacked his 75-year old wife Emako. Mendoza says the dogs went through a hole in his next door neighbors backyard fence, and mauled his wife.

Mendoza said, "I hope she pulls through ok. She's not going to have a leg."

Animal control officers say at around 6:30 Saturday morning Emako went out to get the morning newspaper. Mendoza didn't hear his wife's cries for help. He eventually called 911.

Mendoza said, "I couldn't here her screaming, because I am way out in the front bedroom. What woke me up was the girls next door looking for her dogs."

Investigators say this is one of the worst dog maulings they've seen in a long time. Animal control euthanized the two pit bulls. Investigators are talking to the dog's owners.

Lt. Dan DeSousa with the County Animal Control, said, "We are looking at anything ranging from just a simple violation of the leash law for the dogs being on the neighbors property. Up to possible felony charges for the animals attacking and severly injuring a person."

The owner of the dogs Alba Cornelio was not home when we tried to get comment about the attack. James Mendoza says he plans on filing a lawsuit against his neighbor.

June 17, 2011. A couple in Grain Valley, Mo., has each been charged with endangering the welfare of their infant son after their pet ferret ate seven of the child's fingers down to the knuckles.

Ryan and Carrie Waldo both pleaded not guilty to the charges in Jackson County Court Wednesday.

This incident is the most recent in a series of exotic pet attacks that have occurred in the past year. Others include a fatal bear attack in Ohio, a chimpanzee assault in Connecticut and the death of a 2-year old girl in Florida after her family's pet python squeezed her to death.

Keeping exotic animals as pets is legal in nine states; 30 other states impose a few restrictions or require permits, according to The Associated Press. But some doctors believe exotic pets pose a serious threat to children in the home. A 2008 report from the American Academy of Pediatrics found that exotic pets may be more prone than cats and dogs to do harm -- including biting, scratching or clawing -- to children under the age of 5.

"Any wild animal not normally considered a domestic pet is a risk," said Dr. Lara Zibners, a pediatrician at Long Island Jewish Medical Center in New York, who has treated children's pet wounds in the past. Zibners said such pets pose two types of danger: infectious and traumatic. Animals that carry infectious diseases, such as ferrets, can pose a risk to children even if they do not come in direct contact with them.

June 15, 2011 From David McKenzie, CNN Uneasy truce between Maasai and nature Maasailand, For tourists visiting Kenya, elephants represent the majesty of nature -- but for those living on the land the animals are often seen as pests. At the foot of Chyulu Hills in Kenya, an area famous for its wildlife and the Maasai people that call it home, getting the balance right between the two has always been a delicate task. As more people farm in the region the strain on wildlife increases. Around 80% of Africa's elephants live outside of protected parks in the wild. One conservation group has turned to local communities in an attempt to find solutions to everyday problems so man and beast can live peacefully.

"You know, that elephant that we are seeing down there now, the chances are that last night he was out raiding a field -- or if you go out and see a lion I guarantee you within the last week he has probably killed something belonging to one of the landowners here," explained Richard Bonham, conservationist and founder of the Maasailand Preservation Trust. The Maasai people are a pastoral tribe living along the border of Kenya and Tanzania. Their long-preserved culture and traditional way of life has made them one of the area's most famous tourist attractions.

But conflict between the Maasai tribe and the region's elephants is on the rise and can lead to tragedy. If this elephant problem doesn't get any better then we should just kill all the elephants.

--Reuben Silati, Maasai elder

One of the locals, Ndiari Ole Lemungur, was walking in a group near his homestead at night when he heard something moving.

"We were really scared ... at first we didn't know what was happening. But when we realized that it was an elephant two of us ran away and two stayed behind," he said.

He explained that one boy hid and narrowly escaped but another member of the tribe, Onetu, couldn't get away and was trampled to death.

"My son was young," said Onetu's father, Maasai elder Reuben Silati. "He had a long future ahead of him and I was hoping that he would take care of my homestead when I was gone. I am getting older every day and my son should have been the one to help me." Silati called the trust and rangers tracked down and killed the elephant within hours. But this was not an isolated incident. As domestic animal and human populations grow conflict between animals and humans is more likely.

June 13, 2011 Rachel Garrett, CNN Mountain lion killed by car on Connecticut highway

A mountain lion was killed in a car accident in Milford, Connecticut, on Saturday and authorities say the cat may have been the same one spotted this week in nearby Greenwich.

The Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection says it responded to a State Police call about 1 a.m. Saturday morning reporting a collision between a 2006 Hyundai Tucson SUV and a mountain lion in the area of Exit 55 of Route 15 in Milford. The mountain lion died of injuries in the crash, but the SUV driver was uninjured.

Connecticut DEP says it's possible and even likely that the mountain lion killed early Saturday morning is the same cat that's been roaming around Greenwich this month. The animal was last seen Sunday on the campus of a college prep school.

The 140-pound male cat is at a DEP facility where his body, along with paw prints and other specimens are being analyzed and tested to determine if it is the same cat seen in Greenwich.

June 10, 2011By Julie Cannold, CNN

Possible mountain lion spotted around Greenwich, Connecticut. There is no native population of mountain lions in Connecticut. Authorities believe a large cat that has been spotted around the town of Greenwich, Connecticut, is a mountain lion that either escaped or was released from captivity.

The cat was last spotted on the campus of the Brunswick School in the King Street area of Greenwich, according to a police report filed this week. Based on photographs and paw prints left behind, authorities say, it appears the animal is a mountain lion, according to the state Department of Environmental Protection. There is no native population of mountain lions in Connecticut, and the eastern mountain lion was declared extinct in March by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

"Although there is no population of mountain lions in the Northeast, we believe that this animal may very likely be a mountain lion that has been held in captivity and either escaped or was released," Department of Environmental Protection Deputy Commissioner Susan Frechette said in a statement.

Denise Savageau, director of the Greenwich Conservation Department, is warning residents to stay smart and aware in the event they come across the animal.

"We don't anticipate that this is a threat in terms of any likelihood of attack," Savageau said. "Mountain lion attacks are very rare. That said, it is a predator, so you have to be cautious. Make sure that young children and pets are always supervised outside." No sightings of the cat have been reported since the one at Brunswick School on Sunday, according to Savageau. She also noted that mountain lions have a very large range and the animal could have traveled up to 300 miles since it was last seen. No damage or injuries have been reported from the cat's presence in the town, Lt. Kraig Gray of the Greenwich Police said.

06.10.2011. by Michael Henrich Monkey attack prompts calls for wild animal pet ban

The president and CEO of The Humane Society of the United States called Friday for a ban on exotic animal pets in the wake of a monkey attack in Fremont one day earlier.

Wayne Pacelle said "cute and agreeable baby animals become aggressive and territorial as they mature," which is why he wants Ohio to reinstate rules that forbid private citizens from owning wild animals as pets.

Earlier this year, Gov. John Kasich directed the Ohio Department of Natural Resources to set up a process for public comment on the issue of wild animal pets. An Executive Order banning several kinds of wild animals expired when Gov. Kasich took office.

On Thursday, a grivet monkey took off its own leash and escaped from its owner in Fremont, police said. The monkey then attacked two young girls, leaving them with scratches, they said. During a nearly three-hour pursuit, officers unsuccessfully fired two live rounds at the monkey, who was later caught by its owner, police said.

The owner was cited with a minor misdemeanor for allowing an animal to run at large and faces a fine of up to $150.

9 June 2011. BBC. Abergavenny boy, 10, in tractor saves father from bull Tom Phillips climbed into the tractor and nudged the bull away from his father.

A 10-year-old boy who watched a bull attack his father may have saved his life by driving a tractor at the beast. Tom Phillips watched as the animal attacked his father Andrew at their farm in Abergavenny, Monmouthshire.

After driving off the bull, which left Andrew with 10 broken ribs and internal injuries, Tom raised the alarm. "Andrew only survived because of Tom's amazing reactions," said Tom's mother Amanda. "He's my little hero. I can't tell you how proud I am of him."

Tom was with his father in a field when they were charged by the 2,000lb (907kg) Limousin bull. While the bull mauled Mr Phillips, 46, and then stood over him, Tom climbed into the tractor's cab for safety. Despite not being allowed to drive the tractor, Tom started it up and drove slowly towards the bull.

He managed to nudge it away from his father, then believing his father might be dead, ran back to the farmhouse to alert his mother I was a bit worried about driving the tractor but I just did what I had to do” Tom Phillips A trained first-aider, Mrs Phillips, 39, dialled 999 and then ran to her stricken husband, but failed to find a pulse.

An RAF rescue helicopter flew to the field on the family's Cross Ash farm to take Mr Phillips to intensive care in hospital. After two weeks he was finally allowed home on Thursday. Mrs Phillips said it must have been horrific for Tom to see his father being attacked by the bull.

June 8th, 2011. CNN. A wild elephant trampled a man to death in Mysore, India, Wednesday, creating panic in the city.

Four elephants bore through the city around 6 a.m., straying from the town of Tirumakudalu Narsipura, about 35 kilometers (21 miles) from Mysore, according to The Times of India. One elephant was seen trampling to death a 55-year-old security guard at a bank ATM.

The elephant also attacked a cow in the market and a moving bus in the street. “The forest guards and officials from the Mysore zoo were alerted,” State Higher Education Minister S.A. Ramdas told the Times. “They rushed to the spot to control the jumbos by tranquilizing them.”

Two of the more destructive elephants were tranquilized, the Times reported, citing local officials. One barged into a women’s college compound and roamed the grounds while the other wreaked havoc in a residential area. As a precaution, schools and colleges were closed for the day and extra police deployed

,June 05,2011. Four injured in wild bear attack

Balasore (Orissa) India, Four people were injured, one of them critically, in a wild bear attack today at Machada village, about 45 km from here."Three bears from nearby Debagiri forest entered the village and attacked the passers-by when villagers spotted them near a bush and started throwing stones at them," officer-in-charge of Khaira police station Anil Mohanty said."The animals became aggressive due to gathering of a large number of villagers who started pelting stones," he said."Because of the large gathering they could not return to the local forest and became violent, he said.Forest officials from Oupada have reached the spot to rescue the animals hiding in a mud structure.The injured were admitted to nearby hospitals.

June.3.2011. Sheriff's Office Searching For Dog Pack Behind Attacks. Residents in the Deer Park area are extremely concerned about a violent pack of wild dogs roaming through the area that have killed and maimed several goats and other animals.

The Stevens County Sheriff's Office is investigating multiple reports over the last several days regarding domestic animal attacks allegedly perpetrated by a pack of wild dogs.

The attacks are reportedly happening in the Bittrich Antler, Scotts Valley Road and Casberg Burroughs Road areas as well as between the 6800 and 7200 block of Hwy 291 in Southern Stevens County.

The sheriff's office has been unable to locate either the dogs or their owners. A game camera set up at one farm was able to get pictures of dogs during a previous attack, though its not believed the dogs they were able to get pictures of are the same dogs involved in the recent attacks.
Dogs that are isolated or confined for long periods of time become bored and restless. They may try to escape to find entertainment elsewhere. The escape act itself may be a form of entertainment. Many dogs escape just for the fun and challenge of it. Schedule daily exercise, play and training sessions with your dog. A good, hardy play session especially with other dogs will tire your dog and give him the exercise he needs. A happy, well-exercised dog will contentedly sleep the day away while you are not home.

3 June 2011 Adam Catherick sentenced over Wingham meerkat theft

A teenager who stole a meerkat from a Kent wildlife park to take home as a pet after watching an insurance advert has been given a suspended jail term. Adam Catherick, 19, from Sandwich, took the animal during a visit to Wingham Wildlife Park in December. The meerkat was later found dead after it was hit by a car.

Catherick told Folkestone magistrates it was a "spur of the moment decision". He was given a 60-day suspended term and told to pay £1,000 compensation. The park said the animal died because of his actions.Russian accent Tony Binskin, owner of the park near Canterbury, said: "I'm happy that he got sentenced. "I think he should have got done for cruelty to animals as well. The animal died because he stole it. If he hadn't have stolen it, it would still be alive and still be here." Catherick, of Laburnum Avenue, had admitted theft at an earlier hearing.

After the meerkat went missing, park staff feared it had been stolen because of a surge in the animals' popularity following a TV advertising campaign for the Compare the Market insurance comparison website. The campaign features an animated meerkat with a Russian accent. Body in binAfter leaving the wildlife park, Catherick took the animal home and kept it in a dog cage until it escaped and was hit by a car.

Appeals to find the missing meerkat led to the wildlife park receiving a telephone call from someone who had seen it being hit by a car in St Bart's Road, Sandwich. The body was later found in a council dog waste bin in nearby Birch Avenue. A microchip confirmed the animal, worth between £1,200 and £1,500, came from Wingham. In addition to the suspended term handed to Catherick on Thursday and the order to pay the park compensation, he was told to carry out 150 hours of unpaid work.

He also admitted a separate charge of cannabis possession, for which he was handed another 60-day suspended sentence, to run concurrently with the first. The park said meerkats were among its most popular attractions. It said it would be installing CCTV as an extra security measure to protect the animals.

June 3, 2011. PHNOM PENH : A gang of big, "sharp-toothed" monkeys have been caught at a Phnom Penh temple as part of a crackdown on the unruly animals after a spate of attacks on visiting tourists, a zoo official said on Friday.

"Phnom Penh authorities asked us to remove the violent monkeys from the temple... The guards there said many visitors had been bitten by big monkeys," Nhek Rattanak Pich, director of Phnom Tamao Zoo and rescue centre, told AFP.

Veterinarians from the zoo tranquilised 13 macaques at the Wat Phnom pagoda on Tuesday and Friday and the operation is set to continue.

The temple is crowded with some 200 semi-tame macaques who occasionally cause havoc when they stray towards nearby homes and hotels, tearing tiles off roofs, destroying laundry and making off with items left lying around.

Cambodian police have described the macaques as "gangster" monkeys in the past after a failed attempt to trap them with eggs laced with sleeping pills. Authorities even put a US$250 bounty on several of the animals' heads.

A violent 20kg monkey was shot dead in 2008 at the temple after it attacked visitors.

Pich said blood samples from the monkeys would be tested to check for diseases before the animals are sent either to the zoo or freed in remote forests near Tonle Sap lake, far away from the capital

Jun 2, 2011. The Times of India. Panther captured in Kunjpura.

KARNAL: With a panther finally landing in the trap laid by the district wildlife department, residents of villages around Kunjpura finally heaved a sigh of relief on Wednesday. With this, a month long panther scare, which had enveloped dozen odd villages near the forest reserves of the district, finally came to an end.

District wildlife inspector has shifted the captured panther to Yamunangar where he would be released in the forest reserves of Kaleshar. Enquiries revealed that the panther was first spotted on April 28. Since then, police officials as well wildlife department had placed four cages with prey at different locations in the area. "The preys (goats) were given fodder in the cages.

This morning, the panther might have been attracted to prey and got caught in the trap," said DWI Karnal Azad Singh. "The panther is a young male and got injured in an effort to free itself from the cage. We would be sending him for medical treatment before releasing in the forest reserves," he added.

June 01, 2011 These sleepy Sumatran tiger cubs made their public debut in Frankfurt,

Sleepy Sumatran Baby Tigers

Sumatran tigers are a critically endangered species, with only about 400 remaining in the wild, according to the Sumatran Tiger Trust. About 350 live in captivity. The tiger is named for its home, the island of Sumatra in Indonesia. The other two Indonesian tiger sub-species, the Javan and Bali tigers, are both extinct.

These sleepy Sumatran tiger cubs made their public debut in Frankfurt, Germany on May 25, 2011.

Human impact and deforestation are the main reason for the decline of the Sumatran tiger population, and all tiger populations as a whole.

BABY TIGERS MAKE PUBLIC DEBUT

Their mother is the Frankfurt Zoo's Sumatran tiger, Malea, who can be see in the photo giving one of the cubs a bath. Tiger cubs often stay with their mothers for about a year and a half, before going venturing off on their own.

Tigers occupy 97 percent of their remaining potential habitat, or about 55,141 square miles, according to the researcher's map. Tigers ranged from the coast to the highland forests 10,500 feet above sea level.

But only 29 percent of tiger habitat on Sumatra is protected, which makes developing conservation strategies important. Since 1998, human pressures, such as hunting for sport and use in traditional medicines in Asia, have led to a 50 percent drop in world tiger populations. They have also lost tremendous amounts of habitat to human agricultural and urban development.

Tiger populations now stand at an estimated 3,200-3,600 individuals in the wild. In effort to double tiger populations by 2022, 13 countries agreed to improve conservation measures at a November meeting of theInternational Tiger Conservation Forum in St. Petersburg, Russia.

May 31, 2011, The Hartford Courant. Trap Set For Pig-Killing Bear In Winchester

Dawn and Ted Iffland knew something was wrong when their neighbor contacted them Monday night to say she'd seen one their pigs running loose. The Ifflands went to check the pig pen a short distance from their Newfield Road home and found one live pig and a dead one. Then they noticed a bear a short distance away, eating a third pig.

Dawn Iffland said the bear appears to have clawed the pigs, then lifted them over a fence around the pen. One of the pigs, the one the neighbor spotted, got away from the bear and ran free until Ted Iffland caught him later Monday night.

"The one that survived, he was probably too fat for [the bear] to get," Dawn Iffland said Tuesday. "The one he was eating was probably 20 pounds. The Ifflands called Winsted police. State Department of Environmental Protection officials were notified and responded, too . Discovery News ..,

May 31 2011. Dramatic decline in Mara’s wild animals

Implala decline in the Mara Park

Scientists have sounded the alarm over

declining wildlife numbers in Kenya’s

Maasai Mara. Impala, warthog, giraffe,

topi and kongoni have declined by

more than 70 per cent. Even fewer

survive beyond the reserve, where

buffalo and wild dogs have all but disappeared, says Dr Joseph Ogutu, a senior statistician in the Bioinformatics unit of the University of Hohenheim,Germany. But illegal cattle grazers in the reserve have increased by more than 1,100 per cent. This explosion in the number of livestock grazing in the Mara region, including within the Maasai Mara reserve, is one of the reasons wildlife has disappeared, say the scientists.

Dr Ogutu conducted the study with colleagues there and at Nairobi’s International Livestock Research Institute. Of the 13 large species, only ostriches and elephants had not fared badly outside of the reserve, while inside only eland, Grant’s gazelle and ostrich showed any signs of population recovery. The declines are particularly surprising, the scientists say, as they expected animal populations to have recovered since 2000-2001 when major conservation efforts began.

“The great wildebeeste migration now involves 64 per cent fewer animals than in the early 1980s,” he says.

There appear to be three main causes of the dramatic declines — poaching, changing land use patterns in ranches within the Mara and an increase in the number and range of livestock on these ranches.

Wounded Tiger in a cage

May 30 2011. Adam Schreck. Injured
cheetah found in Abu Dhabi.
Dubai - An injured cheetah was
captured on Sunday while prowling
among residential villas in the
Emirati capital Abu Dhabi, according
to an animal activist. Raghad
Auttabashi of the Al Rahma Animal
Welfare and Rescue Society said

the big cat appeared to be seven or eight months old and had an injured
front left paw.
It also had a broken metal chain around its neck, suggesting it was
being kept as a pet. It's not clear how the cheetah got free in Abu Dhabi's
Karama district, a short drive from the gleaming skyscrapers that line the
capital's waterfront. Auttabashi said some residents keep pets -
occasionally including exotic animals - on the roofs of their villas. She
speculated it might have broken free and hurt its paw by leaping from its
owner's home.

Animal control authorities rounded up the cheetah, which was later handed over
to a wildlife conservation centre, Auttabashi said. Photographs she took at the
scene showed the spotted animal being held in a cage in the back of a van with
its injured paw held off the ground. Cheetahs are the fastest land animals and
once lived across wide areas of Africa, the Middle East and Asia. But they are
no longer believed to have any native habitats on the Arabian Peninsula.
They are listed as a vulnerable species, meaning they are at risk of
becoming endangered. International trade in the animals is restricted, though
some limited export is allowed from certain African countries. It's not the first
time an
exotic animal has been found roaming streets in the Emirates. In December,
a cheetah was captured near a mosque in Sharjah, the emirate just north of
Dubai. Witnesses saw that cat swimming off a port and then prowling past a
hotel and offices.

Endangered skinned Pangolin

May 29 2011. Something scaly about
fishy shipment. Jakarta - Tons of
dead pangolins, an endangered
scaly animal, were seized by Indonesia
n customs on Thursday, foiling an effort
by smugglers to ship the meat to
Vietnam, officials said on Thursday.
Indonesia's customs office found 309
crates each containing between six

to 10 adult and baby pangolins, weighing a total of 7.5 tons, at the country's
biggest port in Jakarta, said a customs official. It also found 65 kilograms of
pangolin scales. “The most outrageous thing here is they even
exterminate the young pangolins, the ones that when curled up are about
20 centimetres long,” Rahmat Subagio, the head of the port's customs and
excise office, told Reuters. Pangolins, or scaly anteaters, are meant to be a
protected species in Indonesia. The endemic wildlife of the sprawling
archipelago of tropical forests, from orangutans to Javan rhinos, is
under threat from widespread logging and poaching.

Endangered Mother Pangolin with pup

The exporting company had covered
up the illegal shipment with frozen
smelly fish, but customs received a
tip-off and X-rayed the container to
discover pangolin shapes. Local media
reported earlier this month that a
customs office in northern Sumatra
island had also foiled an attempt to
illegally smuggle about 1,700
pangolins to Vietnam, where eating
the creature is believed to improve health.
A 2010 report by TRAFFIC, a wildlife trade monitoring network, and
conservation group the WWF, said trade in pangolins is well established in
Southeast Asia and seized specimens were just a fraction of the actual
wildlife trade. - Reuters
May 28, 2011. Family dog kills Brooklyn child, police say .

New York (CNN) -- A 4-year
-old boy was killed after being mauled
by his family's dog inside their Brooklyn,
New York, apartment, according to
police spokesman Joseph Gallagher.
Jayelin Graham was bitten multiple
times in the head, neck and torso by
his family's Cane Corso Mastiff, a
large muscular breed of canine
commonly used as a guard dog or
hunting companion.
They were used as fighting dogs for sports like bear-fighting. The dogs were
put in a pit with bears and allowed to fight to the death. Other times lions were used
for dog-fighting sport. The sheer size of the dog makes him a good deterrent to
burglars. Big strong dogs like English mastiffs need consistent training from puppyhood,
or they will overpower their master. Height: males 76 cms or more at the shoulders,
females 70 cms. Weight: The English mastiff is the heaviest of the mastiffs, and is the heaviest known breed. An English mastiff weighing 286 lbs got into the Guiness Book of Records. The head is large, wrinkled, with black muzzle, ears and nose. The rest of the body can be brindle or light brown, with short hair.

The deadly attack Friday night sent the boy to a nearby hospital where he was
pronounced dead upon arrival, according to Brookdale Hospital spokesman Andrew Rubin.
Two other small children, a 2- and 5-year-old boy, were in the home at the time
but were unharmed.
Police say they are continuing to investigate the incident and that New York's Animal
Care and Control have removed the dog as well as another dog -- a German shepherd
-- from inside the apartment

24 May 2011. Girl bitten on face in Bracknell dog attack. A three-year-old

girl has been bitten on the face by a dog in Berkshire. The girl was

walking past the Staffordshire bull terrier-type dog, which was tied up outside

Londis in Great Hollands Square, Bracknell. The animal attacked the child,

who was treated for bites to her face at a nearby doctor's surgery on Thursday

afternoon.

Sunday, May 22, 2011. Police in Thailand have arrested a man suspected of being a key

Bengal Tiger bred in captivity

player in one of the country’s largest tiger

trafficking rings, police and a wildlife

conservation group. The man is suspected

of being a key player in one of Thailand’s

largest tiger trafficking rings, police and a

wildlife conservation group said Sunday

Wildlife experts say the number of tigers

in Asia has plummeted over the years due

mainly to habitat loss and poachers who sell

their skins and body parts to booming medicinal and souvenir markets, mostly in China.

Conservationists say the government needs to do more to eliminate trafficking networks.

5/19/2011 7. WEEK-TV. By Nick Perreault . East Peoria Serious About Animal Attacks. Terry and Kay Teegarden of East Peoria were watching their son's dog Monday evening when the animal jumped their fence, knocked down their neighbor's seven year old daughter and scratched and bit the girl's shoulder. Police responded to the report of a dog attack at the home on Campus Street.. .

The Teegarden's say the animal is not dangerous and must have gotten spooked. But, East Peoria has a zero tolerance policy for animal violence. Officers called animal control and had the dog taken away.

"Now the owner of the dog has the right and has been notified to request a hearing with the city and the purpose of that hearing is to determine if the officer's decision was right or overturning the officers decision," said East Peoria Police Deputy Chief Chris Hutt. The Teegardens want a hearing with the city. Until then the dog is being held at a Tazewell County Animal Shelter.

May 18, 2011 -- An elephant calf made his public debut at Zoo Hellabrunn in Munich,

Standing more than three feet tall and weighing nearly 260 pounds, the calf was born to 9-year-old first-time mother Temi on May 6

Temi’s pregnancy lasted 670 days, the usual 22-month gestation period for the species. The actual birth took about 20 minutes, according to the zoo.

Elephants in the wild are often assisted during the birthing process by other females of their species and have been known to harm their calves in the frenzy of giving birth. After zookeepers recognized Temi was in labor, they kept close watch on her to ensure her safety and that of the calf.

There were no complications and the baby took his first steps within four minutes.

Mother and baby will be allowed to make short trips outside, weather permitting, to help the zoo’s newest resident adjust to the elephant enclosure

Wednesday, May 18 2011. NATION. Cattle and wildlife clash over tourism. The allure of huge incomes from tourism has created panic among livestock farmers and traders in Taita Taveta County. Government schemes to set up disease free zones to boost livestock farming especially for the lucrative export market now hang in the balance as ranchers set their sights instead on the value of conservancies. Livestock traders use the disease free zone status of the ranches to fatten cattle for export to the Middle East and Mauritius.

One trader and a director of Global Livestock Traders, Taita Taveta and parts of Kinango has been the lifeline of the business because even during the dry spell these areas have been providing the relief. More land need to be set aside for the livestock sector where the disease free zones will be consolidated so that no animals can come from another area that is not protected from diseases

The ban was lifted about four years ago, leading to the licensing of companies such as Global Livestock Traders to start exporting live animals, with Mauritius being the sole market at the moment.

The official said turning the ranches into conservancies would deal a big blow to the Government’s plans but if that is what the owners wanted there was very little that could be done.

European investors with interests in tourism industry were believed to want to turn the entire area into conservancies, like in Laikipia

May 16, 2011. Local Puppy Survives Coyote Attack. Helen Woodward Animal Center Says 'Rocky' Was Snatched Away By Coyote. A local puppy that survived a coyote attack is now up for adoption. Helen Woodward Animal Center spokesman John Van Zante said a coyote snatched the puppy, named "Rocky," from his litter and ran away with him in its mouth. Somehow, Rocky managed to escape, but not without receiving a gaping wound down the length of his left side. Van Zante said that Rocky's wound has been stitched up and that he doesn't seem to be showing any long-term negative effects. "Our staff veterinarian, Dr. Heather Carter, says that Rocky will have some scar tissue from such a large wound. The skin on his left side might be a bit tight as he matures, but we're confident that he'll grow up to be a happy, healthy, 40-pound family dog," he said.

May 16, 2011. Flooding -Animals. Please don't feed the animals. Or touch them. Or do anything to keep them from crossing levees to escape rising floodwaters. At a time they already under stress, Louisiana wildlife officials say, deer, bear, turkeys and other animals don't need further interference from humans. Wildlife rehabilitators are being called in to care for injured and orphaned animals, but the state said the slow rise of water, as opposed to 1973, will give wildlife a chance to cope on their own. Still, humans can provide the largest risk as they move to higher ground. In Natchez, Mississippi, the Humane Society of the United States is assisting critters of the domestic kind, as residents prepare to evacuate. The residents are dropping off pets at a temporary shelter until the crisis passes. CNN Wire Afternoon Outlook By the CNN Wire Staff. 12,May.2011 sumatran tigers on brink of extinction. Bengukulu (ANTARA News)The Sumantran Tiger (Panthera Tigris Sumatrae) in Bengkulu province is on the brink of extinction due to human activities harming their natural habitat. There are about 50 tigers leftin the area covering six districts where massive logging activities harmed their habitats.The tiger are found in Seluma, Kaur, Central Bengkulu, North Bengkulu, Muko-muko and Lebong districts. The tigers often appeared in residential areas in the rain forest border often killed livestock thus threatening and attacks people working in their farms. these wild animals are also often trapped and hunted in Bengkulu by the local residents for their skin and body parts. Hunting the endangered species in Bengkulu province is the lack of forestry manpower and resources. In early March 2011 the Bengkulu conservation authority caught a female Sumatran tiger that roamed the Talang Baris Village, Seluma district, Bengkulu Province. The tiger killed 22 goats and also attacked the farmers on February 22, 2011. The captured two meters long and 79 centimeters high tigers were treated by the conservation`s medical personnel and sent to the Rescue Center run by the Lampung Tambling Wildlife Nature Conservation (TWNC) in South Bukit Barisan National Park.

Friday, May 13 2011 Elephant ivory to go to Flames in Kenya. Africa to torch seized ivory in show of disgust at the killing of elephants. The burn, what conservationists describe as a “leap of faith in the conservation of the elephant”, will cap a series of activities to include a meeting of ministers from countries teeming with wildlife, that include Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia, Ethiopia, Sierra Leone, Dr Congo, Zambia and Lesotho. The ministers will then launch the first African Elephant Law Enforcement Day as well as the African Wildlife Enforcement Monitoring System in Nairobi. It is still not clear the quantity of tusks to be reduced to ashes. But the source said “over 10 tons”, to include the 6.5 ton (531 elephant tusks) consignment seized in Singapore in June 2002 and later traced to Zambia, will be set ablaze.

Kenya

’s elephant population had plunged from 130,000 to 26,000 in just 10 years prior to the ban, at the hand of poachers. Since then, Kenya has made huge seizures of contraband ivory. Today it has 65 tons of ivory stockpiles.

That the country is sternly opposed to resumption of trade in ivory, some or most of this pile will be destructed to send a message to the world that any dealings in elephant tusks would be detrimental to Africa’s wildlife. Exactly 22 years separate the planned event in Tsavo and the historical torching by President Moi. Yet those in the conservation circles predict another round of controversy drawing the pro-elephant lobby against an emerging voice by a host of African countries, Tanzania included, pressuring the international community to lift the ban on trans-boundary trade in ivory.

Tanzania

is a key source. Not just for the ivory trafficked through Kenya but also in terms of seizures worldwide. Two years ago, the country accounted for half of the world’s 24-tonne seizure of ivory. Most of it came from the 54,600 square kilometers Selous Game Reserve and is shipped through Dar es Salaam and Mombassa ports. Two years ago, Tanzanian authorities appealed to the Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), the global agency that slammed the ban on trade in ivory and rhino horns, to temporarily lift the moratorium to enable it dispose 89.8 tons of ivory stockpile.

Wednesday 12 May 2011. Sumatran Tiger on brink of extinction. Bengkulu (ANTARA News) The Sematran Tiger (Panthera Tigris Sumatrae ) inBengukulu province is on the brink of extintion due to human activities harming their habitat according to one official. There are only 50 tigers left in the area covering 6 districts where massive logging activities harmed their habitats. The tigers are always found in Seluma, Kaur, Central Bengkulu, North Bengkulu, Muko-muko and Lebong district. The tigers often appeared in residential areas in the rainforest border often kill livestock thus threatening and attaking people working in their farms. These wild animals are often trapped by porchers in their natural habitat and hunted and in other places these animals have almost become extinct. The local residents hunt these wild animals for their skin and body parts which fetch a very good price at the back market. Hunting the endangered species in Bengkulu province is due to lackof manpower and availability of resources to moniter and control the natural habitat with all its flora and fauna. In early March 2011, the Bengkulu conservation authority caught a female Sumatran tiger that roamed the Talang Baris Village, Selumadistrict and the Bengkulu Province. The dangerous tigers killed 22 goats and also attacked the farmers on February 22,2011. The captured two meters long 79 centimeters high tigers were treated by the animal conservation's medical personnel and sent to the Rescue Center run by the Lampung Tambling Wildlife Nature Conservation (TWNC) in South Bukit Barisan National Park.

May 11, 2011. What Dog Bite attorneys have say about Dog Bites and Animal Bites.

Thu May 19, 2011. ABC News Woman hurt in bull attack. Police say it is not yet clear how a woman in her 60s came to be injured by a bull in a remote fishing spot in the central Kimberley. The 67 year old, from Fitzroy Crossing, was attacked by the animal yesterday morning, during a fishing trip with family. The Royal Flying Doctor Service says she has sustained serious chest injuries and was flown to Royal Perth Hospital at 7:30pm (AWST) last night. She remains in a critical condition.

Most leopards avoid people, but humans may occasionally be targeted as prey. Most healthy leopards prefer wild prey to humans, but injured, sickly, or struggling cats with a shortage of regular prey may resort to hunting humans and become habituated to it. In areas with high tiger populations, such as in the central parts of India’s Kanha National Park, panthers are not permanent residents, but transients. They were common near villages at the periphery of the park and outside the park.

Making dangerous dog owners carry a minimum of $250,000 in liability insurance addresses a compensation problem that many Michigan dog bite victims face, Bloomfield Hills personal injury attorney Thomas L. Stroble says.

Bloomfield Hills, MI (PRWEB) May 11, 2011

An Oakland County personal injury lawyer who represents Michigan dog bite victims has praise for a recently enacted Rochester Hills ordinance that will require dangerous dog owners to carry a minimum level of liability insurance.

Under Ordinance No. 561, which took effect April 1, a person deemed to be the owner of a “dangerous dog” must register the animal. One of the requirements to obtain a registration certificate is proof the owner has at least $250,000 in liability insurance coverage that covers animal bites.

“Even when a dog owner’s liability is established, it may be difficult securing compensation when the owner lacks adequate liability insurance or has no insurance at all,” said Thomas L. Stroble, an experiencedOakland County dog bite attorney and founder of the Bloomfield Hills personal injury law firm, The Stroble Law Firm, P.C.

“That’s a serious problem when a dog bite victim needs that compensation to pay for medical bills and other expenses, including disfigurement and disability,” Stroble said.

“That’s why I applaud the City of Rochester Hills for passing this ordinance. It doesn’t ban dangerous dogs or single out specific breeds, but it does force dangerous dog owners to take responsibility for owning a dangerous animal.”

Dog bites and animal attacks have become a serious problem in Michigan and throughout the country. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an estimated 4.5 million people are bitten by dogs each year in the U.S., with nearly 20 percent of those victims requiring medical treatment for their dog bite injuries. Children face the highest risk of being the victim of a dog attack, the CDC states.

In response to this problem, some cities and counties have passed ordinances that ban certain breeds of dogs, such as pit bulls, Rottweilers, German shepherds, presa canarios, Alaskan malamutes and Doberman pinschers.

However, the Rochester Hills ordinance doesn’t prohibit the ownership of a particular breed of dog or deem a dog to be “dangerous” based solely on its breed.

Instead, the ordinance defines a “dangerous dog” as one that has bitten, attacked or inflicted injury on a person or caused serious physical injury to a person’s dog, cat or livestock. The dog is not deemed dangerous if the attack occurred while the victim was committing a crime, trespassing on the dog owner’s property or provoked the attack.

Stroble pointed out that the Rochester Hills ordinance, as well as other local laws, may be used to establish a dog owner’s liability in a personal injury lawsuit.

The attorney also said that dog bite victims may pursue relief through Michigan’s strict liability dog bite statute. Under the law, a dangerous dog owner can be held liable for a bite or attack even if the dog had previously displayed good behavior and wasn’t known by the owner to bite.

Because establishing liability and securing compensation can be complicated issues, Stroble said it’s important to consult with an experienced Michigan dog bite lawyer after being attacked.

“Being attacked by a dog can be a traumatic and painful experience,” Stroble said. “At The Stroble Law Firm, P.C., we thoroughly review each dog attack case and review all legal options that are available to obtain funds that victims need to recover and move on.

May 13th, 2011. Leopards, panthers, bear, other animals saved from luggage at Thai airport. Endangered animal species on the extinct. Thai police confiscated two leopards, two panthers, an Asiatic black bear, one macaque monkey and one marmoset from the luggage of a man as he tried to board a flight from Bangkok to Dubai on Friday, Thai authorities and an anti-trafficking group reported. The animals were alive and received immediate veterinary care, according to the group, the FREELAND Foundation, which monitored the arrest. The suspect, Noor Mahmoodr, a citizen of the United Arab Emirates, was charged with possessing endangered wildlife and smuggling endangered wildlife

May 8, 2011. Talk about a big fish—an expedition crew has hauled up—and released—what the team says is the biggest great white shark yet caught.

The 17.9-foot-long (5.5-meter-long) male behemoth was found off Mexico's Guadalupe Island (map) in fall 2009.

The animal breaks the team's previous record of 16.8 feet (5.1 meters), set when they caught a female great white named Kimel. (Both records are unofficial and not maintained by a formal organization.)

The new titleholder was named Apache after the dog of Brett McBride, boat captain on the National Geographic Channel show Shark Men. (The National Geographic Channel is part-owned by the National Geographic Society, which owns National Geographic News.)

Shark Men chronicles the work of scientists and fishers who catch and release great whites in an effort to figure out where the mysterious giants breed and give birth. The scientific team is led by Michael Domeier, president and executive director of the Marine Conservation Science Institute.

The two-ton Apache put up a fight—at one point breaking free from his barbless hook, said expedition leader Chris Fischer

May 6,2011 .It turns out a lot of big whales have a taste for the Big Apple area, including the 100-foot (30-meter) blue whale, the largest animal on Earth, scientists say.

A network of ten underwater sound recorders in place off the length of the south coast of Long Island and throughout New York Harbor (map) between 2008 and 2009 detected a surprising density of ocean giants across an unexpectedly vast area, experts say.

These "open mikes" picked up the ballads of the fin whale, blue whale ,humpback whale, minke whale, sei whale, and the rare North Atlantic right whale, said Christopher Clark, Bioacoustics Research Program at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology in Ithaca, New York.

The fin, humpback, right, and sei whales are on the

U.S.

endangered species list, meaning the federal government considers them to be "on the brink of extinction.

May 6, 2011. An Amazon stingray known as the tiger ray has finally earned its scientific stripes: It's been officially recognized as a new species. For more than a decade, aquarium traders in the upper Amazon River Basin of Peru have caught the freshwater fish, whose name—Potamotrygon tigrina—is inspired by its orange-black coloration and banded tail.

Up to 31 inches (80 centimeters) wide, the species is distinct from other stingrays based on, among other features, its conspicuous colors and its tail spines, which are lower and not as closely grouped as those of its relatives.

May 6,2011. A Child Attacked By Leopard At Kansas Zoo. 7-Y ear-Old On School Visit To Sedgwick County Zoo. A chiild on a school outing was attacked by a leopard at a Wichita, Kansas, zoo, authorities said Friday. The boy, a student from Linwood Elementary, was with classmates on a field trip at the Sedgwick County Zoo when, around 1:15 p.m., witnesses said, he went over a railing" and approached the Amur leopard .The exhibit, said Lt. Jay McLaurian of the county sheriff's department. e leopard was able to reach into the mesh covering of its enclosure and grab the boy by his head, McLaurian said. The child was rescued by bystanders who rushed in and "beat the animal" away from the boy, officials said. According to McLaurian, the boy received injuries to his face and neck and was taken to a hospital for treatment.
BY Antoinette Campbell CNN

May 3,2011. When giant squid were found dead off Spain about a decade ago, scientists suspected that powerful sound pulses from ships had harmed the animals. Now the evidence may be in.

A new study says low-frequency sounds from human activities can affect squid and other cephalopods, not just whales and other marine mammals, which have long been thought to be vulnerable to such pulses. (See "U.S. Navy Sonar May Harm Killer Whales, Expert Says.")

The finding suggests noise pollution in the ocean is having a much broader effect on marine life than previously thought, said study leader Michel André, a marine bioacoustician at Barcelona's Technical University of Catalonia.

"We know that noise pollution in the oceans has a significant impact on dolphins and whales [which use natural sonar to navigate and hunt]. ... but this is the first study indicating a severe impact on invertebrates, an extended group of marine species that are not known to rely on sound for living," André said in a statement

Thursday 5th May 2011. Girl, two, undergoes surgery after a Staffordshire bull terrier dog mauling A TWO-year-old girl had to have facial surgery after being mauled by a dog. Natasha Marriett was visiting a relative's home with her mother when she was savaged by a Staffordshire bull terrier. The little girl was nearly blinded after the animal sank it's teeth into her face, just centimetres from her right eye.

Natasha required three hours of surgery after she was left with a broken nose and had two teeth removed so surgeons could stitch wounds inside her mouth

05 May 2011. Putting Dog Owners on a Leash After a Brutal Attack.
With a series of dog attacks making the headlines in recent months, the State Duma approved a bill in a first reading in March that would require dogs of "potentially dangerous " breeds to be walked with a leash and muzzle and their owners to pass a class on keeping the dogs.
The attack on Monday afternoon lasted for just a few seconds.
But when it was over, 12-year-old Nastya Sakharova lay crumpled on the ground with serious injuries to her face, arm and hip.
Her small Yorkshire terrier, which she was walking outside her apartment building in southwest Moscow, was dead.
The attacker, a massive bullmastiff, only halted its frenzied assault when frantic passers-by managed to pry it off the girl.
The dog had no leash or muzzle, and its 57-year-old owner, who stood by watching, was drunk, the girl's mother said.

May 4, 2011. Australian fisherman taken by crocodile . A FUNERAL was being planned on Wednesday for an Australian fisherman believed to have been taken by a large crocodile while standing in chest-deep water. The 54-year-old's belongings, including his wallet and fishing rod, were found on Elcho Island, some 515km east of Darwin on Sunday, the Northern Territory News said.
At least three large saltwater crocodiles had been seen in the area. One was shot during a search and cut open, but no human remains were found inside.

May 2, 2011. Boars Invade Berlin

City hires a hunter to try to control population

Wild boars are increasingly intruding into Berlin, rummaging through garbage bins and destroying lawns and property, reports the BBC. Shooting boars is dangerous in cities, and the smart animals quickly learn to avoid traps. But now Berlin has hired a wild boar hunter to try to control the pests. "They go through gardens and parks, and sometimes they bite people," said the hunter. Despite the trouble they cause, however, some Berliners enjoy the boars and feed them. "I'm very fond of them," said one woman, "They're my friends."

April 1, 2011 .Missing cobra found alive in New York's Bronx Zoo. Egyptian cobras grow as big as 8 feet long, though a more normal range is 5 to 6 feet long. The Egyptian cobra is a type of Naja species, specifically Naja haje, found in Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. It is one of the largest Naja species. The reptile house at the Bronx Zoo was opened after it remained closed while the search went on for during its escape. Staff noticed the 20-inch Egyptian cobra was missing Friday afternoon, March 25, 2011, and immediately sealed the Reptile House. Officials say the Egyptian cobra is known to be uncomfortable in open areas. There’s no word if the snake poses a danger, though venom from Egyptian cobras can sometimes be dangerous. Officials say the snake is likely somewhere in a non-public area within the Reptile House.

Zoo officials conducted around-the-clock searches for the 3-ounce, 20-inch long reptile, he said. Breheny said the cobra had sought a secure hiding spot within the holding areas of the zoo's reptile house -- a complex environment with pumps, motors and other mechanical systems.
But it was lured out after zoo officials sprinkled wood shavings from exhibit beds across areas where they guessed the cobra was hiding

April 30,2011 . Wild animal attacks, injures woman in Kashmir Srinagar,: A woman was injured critically when a wild bear attacked her in north Kashmir district of Baramulla, official sources said here todayThey said a woman Shareefa Begum was working near her house at Khoimoah when a wild bear suddenly appeared from nearby forest and attacked her. However, other villagers rescued her and shifted her to hospital in a critical condition.The bear later escaped back into forest.

On April 28, a five-year-old girl was killed by a wild animal in south Kashmir district of Anantnag. The man-animal conflict has claimed more than 90 lives in the Jammu and Kashmir during the past three years.
More than 15 wild animals were also killed by agitated people in retaliation during the period

Thursday, April 28, 2011. The Hindu Times. Wild elephants trample woman to death . THEVARAM (THENI): A herd of five wild elephants trampled sixty-year-old woman to death in a farm near Pirambuvetti Odai area near Thevaram Reserve Forests on Western Ghats here on Wednesday. According to Forest Department officials, the victim, P. Karuppayee Ammal of Thevaram, was sleeping in a thatched shed in a farm to safeguard four bags of groundnut seeds meant for sowing. She had plans to sow the seeds tomorrow. Having sniffed the food available inside the hut, the elephants destroyed the hut to grab the food in the early hours of Wednesday. The wild animals attacked Karuppayee and trampled her to death.

23 Apr 2011. Pig attacks boy, 13, at Cofton Holiday Park in Devon. Cofton Holiday Park's owner has called for his local council to tackle the pig problem . A 13-year-old boy was attacked by a pig at a holiday park in Devon, suffering a bite on his arm. Jordan Stock, from Pontypridd, south Wales, suffered the injury at Cofton Holiday Park at Teignbridge. Park owner Chris Jefferey said it was the latest in a series of attacks on people by pigs roaming in the area

April 25, 2011. Shark bite: The first of the year for New Smyrna Beach. A 49-year-old man was coming back to shore at mid-afternoon Friday was bitten while standing in three to four feet of water. The man suffered only minor puncture wounds, and officers said he declined to be hospitalized. Though the man didn't see the shark, officials said it was a small one — probably only one or two feet long, based on the wounds

April 20, 2011, Coyote bites 2-year-old at Phoenix city park .PHOENIX – A 2-year-old girl has to undergo rabies treatment after a coyote bit her while she was sitting with a group of children in the playground area of a Phoenix park.It happened Friday evening at Cave Creek Park, which is near 23rd Avenue and Thunderbird Road

12th April 2011. Kangaroo castrated in sick attack. A KANGAROO has had to be put down after being hit by a car and then castrated while it was still alive. Police believe the marsupial was initially injured by a vehicle at Yarrambat, north of Melbourne between last Saturday night and Sunday morning. "Whilst laying on the ground injured it is then believed an unknown person or persons has attacked the animal, castrating it and removing the area below the tail called the mound," police said. They say the missing body parts may have been souvenired by the mutilators. The kangaroo was found at around 4pm (AEST) on Sunday and was put down by a wildlife officer. It is the second case of extreme animal cruelty to be investigated by Victorian police within a week, following the stoning death of a nesting female black swan at Queens Park, Moonee Ponds

9th April 2011. Andrew Korne. Chooks killed in savage dog attack. NORTH Booval retiree John Raatz’s awful run of luck since the floods has continued, with 10 of his chickens, roosters and fowls torn apart by roaming dogs this week. The retired police officer, who hasn’t been able to live in his house since January, has nonetheless maintained the small adjoining farm which he uses to grow fruit and vegetables, keep various birds and breed tasty red and blue claw crayfish. Up to a month ago he used to have sheep too, but five out of the six he had on the property were killed by what he suspects were the same dogs. The six laying hens, two bantams, the purebred Belgian Bantam rooster and the Guinea Fowl that fell victim to the dogs late on Tuesday night each had their heads torn off after the killers ripped a hole in the chicken wire fence and jumped through. “I think I know whose dogs they are but I’ve got no proof,” the 64-year-old said. “I’ve had this little farm for 31 years and I’ve become sort of self-sufficient. It’s a great spot here but when things like this happen all the time it’s a bit upsetting.” Having lost most of his chickens in the January flood, the animals killed this week had been donated to Mr Raatz by a sympathetic friend. None of the birds was eaten in the attack, which points more to domestic rather than wild dogs as the culprits. Mr Raatz said he just wanted members of the public to be aware of what was happening in the area.

19 Apr 2011.A WILD otter attacked a farmer in a rampage across a village yesterday. The furry beast pounced on farmer Joe Burke and bit his hand before he managed to trap him in a canvas sack.But the creature then chewed through the bag and started munching on Joe's VAN.Joe,52, had to run full PELT to escape the furious otter when it turned on him as he tried to shepherd it back to water

April 18,2011. New Delhi, : Leopards suspected to be deliberately attacking humans will be killed and their trans-location will be discouraged under India’s first guidelines to manage a vexing human-wild cat conflict.

The guidelines released today by the Union environment and forests ministry are intended to ensure that man-eating leopards are never released into the wild and reduce the risk of crowds killing every leopard trapped after being caught in a human environment.

28th March 2011. Steve Schmadeke. Man cries fowl over rooster attack. A MAN who alleges he was attacked by a rooster at a US suburban animal center has filed a lawsuit seeking more than $US50,000 for injuries he says were caused when the territorial chicken repeatedly pecked his right leg. Mark Lovett says he was putting up a fence at the Big Run Wolf Ranch in Lockport Illinois two years ago when the fearless fowl struck, causing him "great pain and anguish, both in mind and body," according to the lawsuit filed in Will County circuit court this week. The lawsuit did not detail what injuries allegedly were caused by the bird, which Lovett says was "not provoked" before plunging its curved beak into his leg. Calls to Lovett's lawyer and the ranch were not returned. Personal-injury lawsuits involving angry birds are unusual but not unheard of. A woman filed a similar lawsuit in Massachusetts in 2007 alleging a rooster had attacked her when she tried to buy some eggs from a roadside stand.

Mar 20, 2011. Tiger Kills Man In Naggbhid Tehsil, India.

CHANDRAPUR: A tiger killed a person and partially ate his body in the fields near Menha Kirmiti village in Nagbhid tehsil during midnight hours of Friday. Body of Shriram Atram (55) was recovered later in the same night by the villagers, but the reason of his visit to the remote area away from the village could not be ascertained. Sources in forest department informed that Atram left his house at around 11pm and went into the fields around a kilometre away from the village. As he reached the nullah near the farm, a tiger lurking there pounced on him. The beast later dragged the body to some distance and devoured it before going back into the jungle

March 15, 2011 .Animal Keeper Recovering From Panda Attack. San Diego Zoo Animal Keeper Attacked, Bitten By Panda SAN DIEGO .An animal keeper at the San Diego Zoo was injured after she was bitten by a panda on Sunday, zoo officials said on Monday. A zoo spokeswoman told 10News the incident happened around 7 a.m. Sunday when a group of panda keepers working at the exhibit before the park opened had an unexpected visitor.

Mar 10, 2011. Lion Attack on the rise in India .GANDHINAGAR: A total of 162 attacks on humans and 6,237 attacks on cattle have been reported from in and around the Gir sanctuary since the past three years. The government has paid Rs 50 lakhs per year as compensation for the attacks.

These attacks were mainly in the Gir sanctuary, Veraval, Sutrapada and other costal areas. The attacks on the humans were on the rise, while those on the cattle were declining.

A senior officer who refused to be quoted said that the decline in the attack on the cattle was because of chital, sambhar and neelgai leaving the sanctuary and being spotted moving in the outskirts of villages. The official also attributed this to the increase in population of these animals.

03 March 2011. Namibia: Leopard Attacks First Two Cheetahs Released at Okonjima TWO cheetahs that were released on the Okonjima Private Nature Reserve in June 2010 were attacked by leopards early in February. Trish was killed while Charlie, the stronger of the two, survived with injuries. A mortality signal was picked up by one of the Okonjima guides while out tracking and upon further investigation Trish was found dead. She had deep wounds all over her body, indicating that a leopard had attacked and killed her.

28 Feb 1128 Feb 11; Tigers on East Coast of Malaysia on the rampage. From wild macaques living in suburban areas to tigers in the east coast, more and more animals are turning on humans. TAMBUN Gediu was hunting for squirrels in the fringes of Belum Forest last week when a tiger pounced on him. The hunter had become the hunted.

The Orang Asli escaped the tiger’s deadly jaw-grip after his wife hit the big cat repeatedly on its head with a big ladle. Tambun is a lucky man. Not so for first-time parents V. Nehru and V. Revathy of Seremban, whose 4-day-old daughter died after being bitten by a long-tailed macaque last year.In the last three years alone, the Wildlife and National Parks Department recorded close to 35,000 cases of wildlife attacks. The human casualties did not reflect the shocking number of cases as only five deaths were recorded between 2008 and last year, and 28 were injured.

Most cases involved monkeys (long-tailed and pig-tailed macaques) and snakes (cobras and pythons). Attacks by bigger and rarer species such as elephants, tigers and civet cats occurred mostly in rural areas, especially villages or plantations

15th February 2011 Woman saves husband from tiger attack by beating it with a wooden ladle in Malaysian jungle. A woman used a wooden soup ladle to save her husband from attack by a tiger in a Malaysian jungle. Han Besau charged towards the animal screaming as she brandished the 'weapon' while it clawed at 60-year-old Tambun Gediu. The 55-year-old woman used the spoon to beat the animal on the head - and remarkably it ran away.

14 February 2011.Rare black rhino born at Port Lympne Wild Animal Park

A black rhino calf has been born at a Kent wildlife park and is preparing to face the outdoors.

The three-week-old calf, who is still unnamed at Port Lympne Wild Animal Park, near Hythe, is likely to be moved to an outside enclosure next week.

Keepers said the birth brought the number of critically-endangered black rhinos housed by The Aspinall Foundation to 19.

The foundation also runs Howletts Wild Animal Park, near Canterbury.

February 4, 2010. Sharks kill man at Florida beach. Sharks attacked and killed a 38-year-old man near Stuart Beach in southern Florida on Wednesday. The man was kite-surfing before the attack, said Capt. Mike McKinley, a spokesman for Martin County Sheriff's Department.

A lifeguard spotted him struggling in the water and large number of sharks in the area, a rescue official said. The man had been bitten several times and was bleeding profusely

Jan. 19, 2011 -- Taj, a 71-year old elephant and 33-year resident of Six Flags Discovery Kingdom in Vallejo, Calif. died yesterday, the park announced.

Taj was thought to be the oldest living elephant in North America

Born in 1940, Taj, who was previously known as "Trixie" and also as "Tadji," was a circus elephant before coming to Six Flag's Discovery Kingdom in 1978.

According to park reports, Taj enjoyed painting and was a trainer favorite.

Taj, an Asian elephant, weighed more than 9,000 pounds. Asian elephants are an endangered species and can live up to 60 years in the wild, according to the National Zoo.

January 10,2011. India, Man injured in monkey attack in Shimla: A man was seriously injured Monday in a brutal attack by a monkey on the premises of the historical Hanuman Temple on the picturesque Jakhu hills of Shimla

5 December 2010.Shark attack kills German tourist at resort in Egypt.A German woman has been killed in a shark attack while snorkelling off the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, officials say. The death comes after four people were injured in similar attacks at the resort earlier in the week. The authorities had reopened the waters after saying they had captured the sharks involved in the earlier attacks.

4 November 2010 Last updated at 14:17 GMT Zimbabwean eaten by lions while having a showerConservationists say poaching and illegal hunting in the national parks is upsetting the animals A Zimbabwean man has been killed by a pride of lions while having a shower in a safari camp near the Zambezi River, a conservationist group has said

12 November 2010 . Mountain lion trapped up tree by Jack Russell dog. A mountain lion found it was no match for a Jack Russell terrier which trapped it up a tree on a farm in the US state of South Dakota.

27 October 2010, Man found with facial injuries in Musselburgh cemetery. Man was found unconscious in a cemetery with hand and facial injuries which could have been caused by an animal such as a fox, police have said. The 37-year-old was discovered by police at St Michael's Parish Church Cemetery in Inveresk, near Musselburgh, in the early hours of Sunday morning.

Oct 25 2011.Mumbai's top snake-man falls to cobra attack

Mumbai, : Mumbai's well-known snake-catcher and conservationist Sunil S. Ranade, credited with rescuing over 15,000 snakes in the past 15 years, died after he Ranade, 37, was rescuing snakes, reptiles and other wild creatures since over two decades. He was working as animal inspector with the 136-year old Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, in its Parel hospital was bitten by a cobra Sunday.

15 October 2010 , Tiger that killed eight Indians caught at last. Officials in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh say they have captured a tiger that had killed eight people. The male tiger was tranquilized and taken to Lucknow Zoo on Thursday evening after a chase lasting several months. Vets are monitoring the animal's behavior and health. The tiger claimed his first human in May near the India-Nepal border. Officials say he was not a typical "man-eater" as he had been killing wild animals as well as humans.

7 October 2010. A Malaysian baby girl has died after being snatched by a monkey which bit her then dropped her from a roof. The four-day-old was sleeping in the living room of her home in the central Malaysian state of Negeri Sembilan when a macaque monkey entered. The baby had been briefly left alone. Wildlife officials said the monkey had probably been searching for food. The officials said it was the first case of an attack by wild monkeys on a human in the state. The child's mother, 26-year-old V Revathy, said she had left her baby to go to the bathroom and the baby's grandfather had gone to get a glass of water.

4 August 2010, Officials investigate suspected tiger attack in Bhutan Officials in Bhutan say a man found dead in forest near the Royal Bengal tigers are the only sub-species to be found in Bhutantown of Trongsa may have been killed by a tiger. If confirmed it would be the first tiger attack in the remote Himalayan kingdom in 15 years. Forestry officials said the severity of the wounds led them to conclude that they had been inflicted by one of Bhutan's Royal Bengal tigers

July 29, 2010. Bear attacks leave one dead, two injured at Montana campgrounds Bear attacks on separate campsites in Montana left one person dead and two others injured Wednesday, according to wildlife officials. Ron Aasheim, a spokesman for Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks, told CNN that authorities are still trying to determine what type of bear attacked the campers at the remote Soda Butte campgrounds outside Yellowstone National Park, and whether multiple bears were involved

Tuesday, 20 July 2010. Cameroon farmers doubt elephant chilli ball idea. Farmers in Cameroon have expressed doubts over a UN suggestion to use pepper spray guns to stop stampeding elephants destroying crops. Frightened villagers often respond to attacks by killing the animals.

June 22, 2010. Alligator attacks man diving at Florida amusement park. A 55-year-old researcher was attacked by an alligator Tuesday while diving on his job at Silver Springs Amusement Park in Ocala, Florida, authorities said.

The victim, identified as Peter Butt with the St John's Water Management District, was bitten around the head and neck, and may have suffered a broken jaw, said Miranda Iglesias, a spokeswoman for Marion County Fire Rescue.

Emergency personnel were able to keep him alert and he was transported to Shands Hospital in Gainesville. His condition was not immediately known

Monday, 7 June 2010 .Mother's 'nightmare' after baby twins 'mauled' by fox The twins' mother Pauline Koupparis told the BBC that the fox would not leave the room. The mother of nine-month-old twin girls has described her "living nightmare" after her daughters were apparently mauled by a fox as they slept in their cots in east London. Lola and Isabella Koupparis were attacked at about 2200 BST on Saturday. A police source said the fox apparently entered the house through an open ground-floor door before attacking the twins in an upstairs room. Both girls suffered arm injuries and one is thought to have facial injuries.

How common are fox attacks on humans. The University of Bristol's Mammal Research Unit estimates there are 225,000 adult rural foxes and 33,000 urban foxes across Britain. the overall number of urban foxes in Britain is probably much the same as a decade ago. Red foxes, or vulpes vulpes, first colonised British cities in the 1930s and the highest fox densities are found in cities. Foxes belong to the dog family, will eat anything and can live up to 15 years in captivity. But wild foxes live very short lives, on average about two years. foxes kill very few pets and rifle through very few dustbins, and it seems the majority of people like them. In a poll of nearly 4,000 households, 65.7% liked urban foxes, 25.8% had no strong views and only 8.5% disliked the creatures.

Monday, 21 June 2010 Child aged three bitten by fox at playgroup in Brighton . A three-year-old boy was taken to hospital after being bitten on the arm by a fox at a playgroup in Brighton. Jake Jermy was attacked while attending a party on Saturday at the Dorothy Stringer playgroup, next door to Dorothy Stringer High School. It is believed the fox turned on the boy when he saw the animal's tail sticking out from under a building and tried to stroke it. His parents described him as a "brave little boy" who was recovering well

Monday, 5 April 2010 08:07 . Kenya rangers begin major animal relocation. .Wildlife rangers in Kenya have begun what they say is the biggest relocation of animals ever attempted. Some 7,000 zebras and wildebeest are being moved after a drought killed off tens of thousands of antelope across the country. One of the hardest hit areas is Amboselli National Park, where starving predators have been attacking neighbouring cattle.

Thursday, 25 February 2010. Killer whale attack at SeaWorld: Your comments. A trainer at the SeaWorld park in Orlando, Florida, has died after being attacked by a killer whale. A SeaWorld executive said the trainer was rubbing the whale's head, when the seven-metre, six-tonne male orca grabbed her and pulled her into the water. The Orange County Sheriff's Office said it was too early to tell if she had been attacked by the whale, adding that early accounts indicated she could have slipped and fallen into the tank.

January 07, 2010 . Mother And Daughter Killed By Elephant. An American tourist and her one-year-old daughter have been trampled to death by an elephant at a game reserve in Kenya.

The woman, aged 39, was travelling on foot as part of a guided tour when the attack happened. The four other people in the group including the woman's husband escaped unhurt after managing to run to safety.
The incident occured on Monday near the Castle Lodge in Mount Kenya National Park, where the family had been staying.
Godfrey Wakaba, a senior warden at the park said the victims' bodies had been flown to the Kenyan capital, Nairobi.
The national park with its world heritage status mountains and population of elusive forest elephants have made it a popular trekking and safari destination for tourists.

January 6th 2011 . Siberian tiger attacks and kills bus driver in China as tourists watch in horror. A file photo of a Siberian tiger crouching on top of a tourist bus at a branch of Harbin Siberian Tigers Breeding Center in Shenyang in northeast China’s Liaoning province. A Siberian tiger mauled and killed a tour bus driver in China as his passengers watched helplessly in horror.The vicious animal attacked driver Jin Shijun after he got out of his vehicle to check on the bus, which got stuck in the snow at a tiger breeding base in the northern province of Heilongjiang, Chinese media reported Thursday.

The animal then dragged Shijun into the woods. Park employees tried to distract the tiger with firecrackers and tranquilizer darts, but by the time they got to the driver, he was dead

Tuesday, 8 September 2009 ,Indian villagers flee elephants Hundreds of villagers have been forced to take shelter in camps in the Indian state of Orissa after repeated attacks by a herd of elephants. Seven people have been killed and several others injured in attacks by a herd of 12-13 elephants over the past few weeks in Kandhamal district. Over 2,500 people living in 45 villages have been affected by the attacks, district chief Krishen Kumar said.

Top ten Dangerous Animals

2011-04-25T11:33:00.000-07:00

October 25, 2011 for the latest animal attacks news click on the link below

World's top Latest wildAnimal Attack News around the world

Top Ten World’s Dangerous animals.

Why do we call them dangerous animals? To many, these beautiful animals have been a source of inspiration; Love such as the lion king or the famous Man eaters of Tsavo, livelihood for the African safari industry, medical breakthrough for the cure of cancer by the blue scorpion, a source of food from the crocodile meat, shelter and clothing for the Arctic and grizzly bears and Asian elephants as a course of man power

The amazing list of the top most dangerous animals

The ten most dangerous animals in the world come with different of animal facts as different parts of the world would have their own list of the ten most dangerous animals in the world. While some call them the top ten deadliest animals in the world, many of the animals which top the top ten most dangerous animal list mainly the Mosquito, the African Lion and all the cat family which include the Asian tiger, the spotted leopard, the cheetah, the jaguar, the black panther, the mountain lion, the cougar, the Nile crocodile and the salt water crocodile, the bear family which is composed of the Arctic snow bear, the brown grizzly bear and the beautiful black bear.

While the African elephant and the Indian elephant a very little difference, they are part of the top ten worlds most dangerous animals of the world as they also take the title as the biggest land mammals in the world. The different rattlesnake species the venomous cobra top the list in many parts of the world while the Giant hippopotamus and the giant jellyfish are topping the list of the top most dangerous animals to opinions of many people. The top ten worlds’ most dangerous animals is not complete if the great white shark is not part of this special top ten list of the most dangerous animals of the world.

These top ten great animals of the world earn their great names as the champions of the worlds greatest animals in the world because they have what it take. They have the greatest bodies in the world, they have the strongest muscles, trunks in the world, they possess the deadliest poison in the world, with stealth, and they surprise their prey with the greatest speed which leaves their opponent at their mercy.

When do these animal attack, how do this animals attack and why do these animals attack is still what puzzles many but with the demise of the animal habitat, animal feeding grounds and with little knowledge about animals.We still need to have very good animal facts as too why these dangerous animals attack and how to best protect ourselves from these animals.

Reasons why these dangerous animals in the world attack.

Animal hunger, protection of the animal’s territory, protection of the baby animals and the sheer animal protection negligence or unforeseen incidences and how to handle and to act within a wounded animal environment are some of the best reasons as to why these dangerous animals attack. These are just part of the big game as to why these top ten ferocious animals of the world top the list. While its takes a provocation for an animal to attack, other dangerous animals such as the great white sharks do not need a provocation to attack. You just need to learn how these animals operate and be safe from these dangerous creatures on earth

The mosquito topping the list of the most deadly animal in the wide world.

With over 40 children dying every day of malaria in the countries of Asia e.g., India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, South America such as Peru, Columbia, Bolivia etc, Africa mainly Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Somali, Rwanda, Chad and the rest of South and central Africa, the mosquito is the most deadliest dangerous animal/ insect/ creature in the world killing over 750000 killed every year and rendering a quarter billion cases to be reported every year worldwide. The cure for the most dangerous animal causing malaria is still yet to be perfected as this deadliest killer has been difficult to eradicate in our natural environment. With other mosquito related viruses such as the dengue virus is just another form of attack which has caused many death to many parts of Brazil, Thailand, Cuba, Indonesia, Colombia, Mexico, Philippines, Honduras, China, Malaysia, Vietnam, Myanmar, Puerto Rico, Nicaragua, India and Pakistan.

The most deadly snakes in the world

The biggest and the most Venomous Snakes in the greatest African jungles, the Australian desert snakes, the vast Asia farm lands such as India, China, Pakistan and North America such as Mexico, United States, Canada, Jamaica, Haiti, Panama the Amazon jungle and rainforest possess the deadliest and most venomous snakes in the world. Many deadly snake bites are not being reported while snake bite treatment doesn’t come when needed proper diagnostics and medication is not available in many of the areas where these dangerous animal attacks are located. With many snake attack cases not being reported in many of the third world countries due to proper logistics, a lot more dangerous snake bites are always unaccounted for

The most dangerous king of the jungle
The lion is second in size only to the tiger. The proverbial “king of beasts,”. King of the Jungle" "Man Eater" Lions are most active at night and live in a variety of habitats but prefer grassland, savannah dense scrub, and open woodland. Like many other wild animals, wild animals can be prevented and help can be provided is one is prepared to match the intelligence, power, defence and attack mechanism between Man & the Beast

The lion know as the King of the jungle works hard to protect of his pride and family as well. The male lion can move long distances looking for food and will not hesitate to kill any other animals which comes into its territory or if its hungry.

The deadliest African Nile and Salt water crocodiles.

The biggest African Nile crocodile and the Asian salt water crocodile not forgetting the Australian giant crocodile have been on the top as the biggest or largest crocodiles in history. Blessed with the greatest powerful jays and teeth and stealth cores of dangerous animal attacks have been reported in many of the African rivers, Indian Great lakes and the waters of Australia which possess some of the largest and longest crocodiles and alligators in the world responsible for many deaths to people who thong these dangerous and deadly waters and succumb to their death and become part of history in the greatest dangerous animal encounters of the decade.

The Longest animal teeth from the beautiful African Hippopotamus

Its funny to know that the beautiful Hippopotamus is in the brink of being extinct and its one of the greatest animals which cannot jump. The animal with the longest canines in the world, the great African hippopotamus has gone on record in taking some of the most dangerous crocodiles to their death in many rivers and lakes of Africa.The hippopotamus is mainly found in Kenya, Uganda Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, Malawi, South Africa and some pockets within the African countries. People and other land and sea animals that come in between the mother hippopotamus and the baby hippopotamus are always in danger just like the grizzly bear which out of its animal instinct will attack without warning to defend its family. Boats have been toppled, farmers have been chased from their homestead while these nocturnal creatures forage for food and land animal of the great ricers and lakes of Africa deserves to be part of the Top ten most dangerous animals not only in Africa but of the world as well.

The dangerous brown, the black, the snow Grizzly bears

Despite the fact that teddy bears portray a lot of love and affection when held close, wait until you come face to face with a giant grizzly bear. The Arctic snow bear, the black bear and the brown bear all share part of the top ten most dangerous animals of the modern world. With their protection being enforces in many states, The Grizzly bears just like the African lion have very powerful paws and clays in the world and when you are clobbered with them, you will automatically lose part of your body. These dangerous animals have found easy access to many parts of human environment. Caution and neglect has lead to many animal or bear attacks which could have been prevented both in Canada and USA. Unlike the African and lion which will maul you and finish you, the bear will only end its dangerous attack if it perceives there is no threat or imminent danger and if the old saying goes when you play dead as the same goes with the dangerous African and Asian elephant. Already in the endangered species list, bears in different parts of the country whether in zoos, animal sanctuaries or in the wilderness will always portray their animal instincts as they have a very sharp sense of smell and hearing great distances. Caution I the bear habitat is always advice to minimize casualties.

The biggest untamed dangerous African and Asian giant elephants

The greatest African Savanna elephant unlike their already extinct North African forest elephants have not been tamed fully and this goes way back to the great Maurya Empire in 305 BC when the elephants were difficult to tame for the purpose of war. On the other hand, Sri Lankan elephants were larger, fiercer and better for war than local elephants. Given all these elegant elephant qualities, these tamed and untamed elephants have all the qualities of possessing danger instilled in their natural brain hence their ferocious attacks when they come in to contact when angered. These natural predators have killed many people in India, Africa, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Myanmar and many parts where these giant elephants have set foot. The Elephant stampede and kicks would incapacitate a human being within no time. Being dragged with the giant trunk up in the air only to lands in the open ground where as the giant elephant tusks will not spare an inch of you and live you hanging on the thread, These creatures are nothing to dare with as there is still more we need to learn from them despite the fact that a good natural African safari is not complete with out the sight of an elephant.

The most deadliest African Black Scorpion

With some of the most beautiful colors, the scorpions with their tinny size have brought more pain to people in may parts of the world without knowing what really bite them. Being considered as one of the most dangerous animal or insect in the world, many different parts of the world from the African Savannah to the cold and hot desert of Australia and many regions of the north and South America and Europe. The deadly poisonous scorpion sting will kill you f you don’t get proper medication. Handling, walking and stepping into scorpion infested areas are some of the causes of many scorpion bites. Don’t take a chance to consider them small in size, They are extremely dangerous and poisonous in nature. Though they are found all over the world but particularly in Africa, Americas and Central Asia the black scorpion, blue scorpion and the brown scorpion are among the most dangerous scorpions in the world..

The moon jelly topping the most dangerous animals in the jellyfish family

Do you ever wonder why such beautiful names of the jellyfish species could end up being in the list of the most dangerous animals in the world. Moon Jellyfish, Lion's Mane/Winter Jelly, Cannonball Jelly/ Cabbage Head Jellyfish, Mushroom Jelly, Southern Moon Jelly, Sea Nettle Sea Wasp , Portuguese Man-of-War, Bluebottle, Immortal Jellyfish, Irukandji, Flat Jellyfish. These aquatic beautiful animals come in different sizes, big and small, blue, red, pink rainbow colored jellyfish. These seamless beautiful sea animals are some of the most dangerous animals to encounter for swimmers and fishermen. With many attacks mostly found in beautiful beaches of Florida, Miami, Darwin, Papua New Guinea, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Japan, Thailand and Indonesia Vietnam

The great dangerous white sharks

The most dangerous oceans in the world have produced the most dangerous creatures not to mention the dangerous jellyfish and the great Sharks. The great tiger sharks, the great white sharks, oceanic Whitetip sharks and the bull sharks top the list in human attacks and other marine animals too. Whether provoked or unprovoked sharks have the highest sense of smell and will not hesitate to attack with the faintest drop of blood. With over one hundred death reported every year in the whole world in many parts of the world such as the south African coast at Gansbaai, South Africa (aka “Shark Alley”) Kosi Bay, Kwa-Zulu-Natal, South Africa, New Smyrna Beach, Florida, USA, Bolinas, California, Recife, Brazil, Lake Nicaragua, Nicaragua, Reunion Island, West End, Grand Bahamas, Mombasa, Japan, Pakistan, Hawaii. Surfers, fishermen, lone swimmers with yellow or orange colors do attract theses dangerous sharks and many end up to be victims of dangerous attacks which results into over one hundred most dangerous shark attacks in the world.

Lion Attack Files-News, Around the World species attacks on human

2011-04-23T23:44:00.004-07:00

October 25, 2011 for the latest animal news click on the link below

World's top Latest wildAnimal Attack News around the world

Big cats

These big cats certainly mean business. With destruction of their natural habitat and a decline in prey species, particularly concerning the tiger and North American mountain lion or cougar, attacks on humans are increasing.

The African lion is the biggest and most feared of big cats, but holidaymakers on safari are 100 per cent safe viewing from a vehicle, unless they decide to take a closer look and step down.

Mountain lions are found in many national parks and are responsible for six attacks a year in the USA and Canada. The are responnsible for over 800 deaths each year in many parts of the world and especially many parts of North America where thre are alot of wild animals who sometimes leave their natural habitate and wonder around from the national parks.

The lion known in history during the Kenya Uganda railway is pretty well known as the man eater. Plenty of good men and women working on the railway track succumbed to their death due to the wild animals in the places where the railway line passes mostly at Tsavo National Park.

Their mode of attack is generally to attack from the back and concentrating to bite the jugular or break the neck. With the cover of tall grass in most savanah land, lions stalk their prey and often attack from a vantage point while they are alone or in groups.

Prevention techniques of being

attacked: Since most attacks take place in the jungles, avoid a surprise attack by a lion or any of the big cats, one should aware of the location where these cats are located. Going into the wilderness without protection or without a guide is to openly invite to danger with open hands. When you find yourself in a frightful position, trying to run away is not the best solution unless you have a place to hide in where the big cats can not reach you. Staring the lion in the eye and not moving will deter the lion from attacking. Most animals always make themselves appear bigger than their real size.

Extending or opening your arms wide open and appearing rather larger inhibits the lion to make a judgement but makes its mind rumble as to what kind of strange creature is and from where as they are unlikely to attack a larger animal, particularly in the case of a mountain lion. Shouting for help will do the trick while seizing an object to protect yourself will work. When the worst come to the worst, you just have to wrestle with the animal and striking the eyes or the nose do do some little harm to give you a chance to run for your life. If stones are nearby afew throws with a great aim might make a difference between life and death.

The Indian Lion

This breed of lion which is similar to the African lion also known as Asiatic Lion is another type of the lion which lives in the South Asian Subcontinent and mainly the Gir Forest of Gujarat in India. Hunters, luck of water and animals of pray has led almost to extinction of this Prestigious animal of the state of Gujarat.

The Puma

This small African kinsman is among the most reared animal in the American continent, Some where it is also known as a puma, cougar, and catamount. This big cat of many names is also found in many habitats, from Florida swamps to Canadian forests, the Andes mountain range and along the west coast of North America. This kind of Mountain lions like to catch on deer, though they also tend to eat smaller animals such as coyotes, porcupines, birds and whatever comes in its line of food chain and they like to hunt during the night or during the gloaming hours of dawn and dusk.

This type of lion or cats moves with a blend of stealth and power with given advantage of their tan brown color, stalking their prey until an opportunity arrives to pounce, then going for the back of the neck with a fatal bite.

For their counterparts in the colder regions of Canada, they do have a thicker coat which keeps them warm during the colder months. When it is not hungry or if there is abundant of food supply it will hide large food and feed on it later. With every danger which comes along the way while in Safaris, On a journey, Research or in unfriendly territory the only way to get out of it with proper medical help:

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Animal Fact File:
Swahili Name:	Chui
Scientific Name:	Panthera pardus
Size:	About 28 inches at the shoulder
Weight:	Up to 140 pounds
Lifespan:	21 years in captivity
Habitat:	Bush and riverine forest
Diet:	Carnivorous
Gestation:	Approximately 21/2 months
Predators:	Humans

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Dangerous lions on the attack eating, biting mauling attacking their owners and trainers. Viewer’s discretion is advised. This video may contain scenes which might be offending to some viewers. Viewer’s discretion is advised

Dangerous Man eating Predators

Animal Fact File: Swahili Name:Chui Scientific Name:Panthera pardus Size:About 28 inches at the shoulder Weight:Up to 140 pounds Lifespan:21 years in captivity Habitat:Bush and riverine forest Diet:Carnivorous Gestation:Approximately 21/2 months Predators:Humans

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Worlds top Latest wild Animal Attack News worldwide

girl has been bitten on the face by a dog in Berkshire. The girl was

walking past the Staffordshire bull terrier-type dog, which was tied up outside

Londis in Great Hollands Square, Bracknell. The animal attacked the child,

who was treated for bites to her face at a nearby doctor's surgery on Thursday

afternoon.

Sunday, May 22, 2011. Police in Thailand have arrested a man suspected of being a key

player in one of the country’s largest tiger

trafficking rings, police and a wildlife

conservation group. The man is suspected

of being a key player in one of Thailand’s

largest tiger trafficking rings, police and a

wildlife conservation group said Sunday

mainly to habitat loss and poachers who sell

their skins and body parts to booming medicinal and souvenir markets, mostly in China.

Conservationists say the government needs to do more to eliminate trafficking networks.

January 10,2011. India, Man injured in monkey attack in Shimla: A man was seriously injured Monday in a brutal attack by a monkey on the premises of the historical Hanuman Temple on the picturesque Jakhu hills of Shimla

Oct 25 2011.Mumbai's top snake-man falls to cobra attack

Top ten Dangerous Animals

Lion Attack Files-News, Around the World species attacks on human

The Indian Lion

Lions at Tsavo benefit analysis of the Man Eaters: a Window of Opportunity to the Ohio USA Exotic Animals

Animal Fact File:

Swahili Name: Chui

Scientific Name: Panthera pardus

Size: About 28 inches at the shoulder

Weight: Up to 140 pounds

Lifespan: 21 years in captivity

Habitat: Bush and riverine forest

Diet: Carnivorous

Gestation: Approximately 21/2 months

Predators: Humans