Tuesday, March 31, 2015
More than 300 chinchillas removed from home
Officials in Waukesha, Wisconsin, removed more than 300 chinchillas from a home that’s being described by authorities as “unlivable.”
Police were called out to the home on Sunday for a welfare check.
Law enforcement and Humane Animal Welfare Society (HAWS) crews worked to remove the chinchillas.
At least two dozen of the animals are reported to have been dead. Crews described a high level of ammonia in the home, likely due to the number of animals that were being kept there. “Initially when we got in there, there were elevated ammonia levels from all the urine inside the house from animals,” Mark Sweet with the Waukesha Fire Department said.
Two adults and one child were at the home when crews arrived. Two other children also live at the home. “They were raising chinchillas in there. Our fire marshal deemed it not livable in there. The parents living there found other places to live. There was an adolescent child who has been placed with other family members for now,” Sweet said.
Officials say all family members who were living in the home appear to be in good health. Chinchilla fur is considered extremely valuable. The animal is now considered to be “critically endangered.” Possible charges will likely be reviewed by the District Attorney’s Office in the coming week.
With news video.
At least two dozen of the animals are reported to have been dead. Crews described a high level of ammonia in the home, likely due to the number of animals that were being kept there. “Initially when we got in there, there were elevated ammonia levels from all the urine inside the house from animals,” Mark Sweet with the Waukesha Fire Department said.
Two adults and one child were at the home when crews arrived. Two other children also live at the home. “They were raising chinchillas in there. Our fire marshal deemed it not livable in there. The parents living there found other places to live. There was an adolescent child who has been placed with other family members for now,” Sweet said.
Officials say all family members who were living in the home appear to be in good health. Chinchilla fur is considered extremely valuable. The animal is now considered to be “critically endangered.” Possible charges will likely be reviewed by the District Attorney’s Office in the coming week.
With news video.
Quadruple amputee dog walks again thanks to prosthetic legs
A dog has been learning to walk with the four prosthetic legs fitted after he was maimed by frostbite.
Brutus the Rottweiler became disabled when his breeder amputated the damaged paws himself.
He is only the second dog ever known to have four prosthetic limbs and the way the high-stepping hound walks sometimes resembles a bucking bronco.
The two-year-old starting using the artificial legs several months ago and is now set to get an improved set of prosthetics. Laura Aquilina, who cares for him in Loveland, Colorado, said: "He just has these little peg legs to get around on and he does a pretty good job inside the home." Speaking about the prosthetics, she said: "He's able walk in them. It's not always pretty.
"We want to be able to give him a higher functioning, where he can run and play with other dogs, go on hikes." Exercises and play help him learn how to balance and his next step will involve physical therapy at Colorado State University's Veterinary Teaching Hospital in Fort Collins, Colorado. Brutus' contraptions were made by Orthopets which produces prosthetics for about 250 animals worldwide a year.
YouTube link.
Founder Martin Kaufmann: "Brutus is an amazing case of a beautiful dog who was dealt a short hand. He can get out and do normal doggy things. And it just makes you feel so good. If he ended up in a shelter they'd say he was unadoptable because he's missing his feet. I think it's good for people to know we can work with animals this."
The two-year-old starting using the artificial legs several months ago and is now set to get an improved set of prosthetics. Laura Aquilina, who cares for him in Loveland, Colorado, said: "He just has these little peg legs to get around on and he does a pretty good job inside the home." Speaking about the prosthetics, she said: "He's able walk in them. It's not always pretty.
"We want to be able to give him a higher functioning, where he can run and play with other dogs, go on hikes." Exercises and play help him learn how to balance and his next step will involve physical therapy at Colorado State University's Veterinary Teaching Hospital in Fort Collins, Colorado. Brutus' contraptions were made by Orthopets which produces prosthetics for about 250 animals worldwide a year.
YouTube link.
Founder Martin Kaufmann: "Brutus is an amazing case of a beautiful dog who was dealt a short hand. He can get out and do normal doggy things. And it just makes you feel so good. If he ended up in a shelter they'd say he was unadoptable because he's missing his feet. I think it's good for people to know we can work with animals this."
Mystery over sparrows being killed by someone adorning them with trinkets around their necks
Sparrows are being killed in Wellington, New Zealand, by someone putting trinkets around their necks, the SPCA says.
Five dead sparrows with wire rings round their necks have been found.
Each wire ring had a trinket attached. Wellington SPCA spokesman Mark Collyns said a dead sparrow was found in the eastern Wellington suburb of Kilbirnie a week ago, and by this weekend, four more had been found. One of the sparrows found dead in Wellington, strangled by a trinket placed round its neck. Trinkets included a pair of dice as well as a star, heart, and triangle cut from plastic.
"We can only assume that these were made and attached as some sort of decoration in mind, but the result is that they are becoming trapped in the birds' beak when they are trying to remove them, and the bird is dying as a result," a SPCA spokesperson said. "These birds will be suffering tremendously and having a slow death from starvation."
The SPCA received another couple of calls about dead sparrows on Monday morning. Collyns said it was assumed the person behind the killings had no sinister intent but "you just don't know do you". "It seems a bit far-fetched to think it's being done because of dislike. It's obviously a slightly warped way of showing care," he said. It was unclear how the sparrows had been trapped and decorated in the first place.
There's an audio news report here.
Each wire ring had a trinket attached. Wellington SPCA spokesman Mark Collyns said a dead sparrow was found in the eastern Wellington suburb of Kilbirnie a week ago, and by this weekend, four more had been found. One of the sparrows found dead in Wellington, strangled by a trinket placed round its neck. Trinkets included a pair of dice as well as a star, heart, and triangle cut from plastic.
"We can only assume that these were made and attached as some sort of decoration in mind, but the result is that they are becoming trapped in the birds' beak when they are trying to remove them, and the bird is dying as a result," a SPCA spokesperson said. "These birds will be suffering tremendously and having a slow death from starvation."
The SPCA received another couple of calls about dead sparrows on Monday morning. Collyns said it was assumed the person behind the killings had no sinister intent but "you just don't know do you". "It seems a bit far-fetched to think it's being done because of dislike. It's obviously a slightly warped way of showing care," he said. It was unclear how the sparrows had been trapped and decorated in the first place.
There's an audio news report here.
One woman killed and several people injured by rhinoceros on the rampage in Nepalese town
A rhinoceros that escaped from a nature reserve charged into a town in southern Nepal on Monday, killing a woman, injuring several others and chasing panicked people through the main market and a hospital.
YouTube link.
Attempts to force the rhino out of Hetauda city by honking car horns and beating drums were unsuccessful, with the animal running from one area to another, government administrator Ram Prasad Thapaliya said.
Teams with tranquilliser guns were on their way to attempt to capture it, he said. Thapaliya said the rhino gored a 61-year-old woman on the outskirts of Hetauda. An unknown number of people were injured, he said.
YouTube link.
It chased people around the main market and the city bus station, he said. “The whole town is terrorised by this animal. It even entered the local hospital, forcing terrified people to jump over the fences,” Thapaliya said. Hetauda is about 50 miles south of Kathmandu, Nepal’s capital.
YouTube link.
Attempts to force the rhino out of Hetauda city by honking car horns and beating drums were unsuccessful, with the animal running from one area to another, government administrator Ram Prasad Thapaliya said.
Teams with tranquilliser guns were on their way to attempt to capture it, he said. Thapaliya said the rhino gored a 61-year-old woman on the outskirts of Hetauda. An unknown number of people were injured, he said.
YouTube link.
It chased people around the main market and the city bus station, he said. “The whole town is terrorised by this animal. It even entered the local hospital, forcing terrified people to jump over the fences,” Thapaliya said. Hetauda is about 50 miles south of Kathmandu, Nepal’s capital.
Officials say monkey attacking train drivers is seeking revenge for death of sibling
Over the past week a monkey in the West Champaran district of Bihar, east India, has attacked three train drivers.
AK Jha, a railway official in the region, says the money is determined "to take revenge for the death of one of its siblings." Last week, a monkey was run over by a goods train near the Valmiki Nagar Train Station.
Since then, his avenger has been busy. The driver of a goods train was attacked on Saturday and had to be rescued by railway officials. The monkey then attacked another goods train driver but he was able to lock himself in the engine cabin.
"Another goods train driver attacked by the monkey flashed a distress message on his walkie talkie to the station staff to rescue him," Mr Jha said. Now, train drivers have been asked to be alert when they stop their trains at the station.
AK Jha, a railway official in the region, says the money is determined "to take revenge for the death of one of its siblings." Last week, a monkey was run over by a goods train near the Valmiki Nagar Train Station.
Since then, his avenger has been busy. The driver of a goods train was attacked on Saturday and had to be rescued by railway officials. The monkey then attacked another goods train driver but he was able to lock himself in the engine cabin.
"Another goods train driver attacked by the monkey flashed a distress message on his walkie talkie to the station staff to rescue him," Mr Jha said. Now, train drivers have been asked to be alert when they stop their trains at the station.
Intoxicated Good Samaritan found attempting to give kiss of life to inflatable dinghy
A good, but very drunk, Samaritan spent the night in prison after police found the man trying to breathe life into an inflatable dinghy in Brittany, western France.
The 22-year-old man was found by police in a shipyard just after 4am on Sunday in the western town of Vannes. Officers noticed the man kneeling by an inflatable boat and went to investigate.
"He was underneath a boat, on his knees, trying to resuscitate a rubber dinghy," local police said. The man told officers that someone was unconscious inside the vessel, but upon closer inspection officers discovered the young man was instead performing CPR on the inflatable boat itself.
To make matters worse, he had already called out firefighters to the scene, an emergency call that the police promptly cancelled. Police took the man to prison to sleep off his hangover and recover his senses.
The 22-year-old man was found by police in a shipyard just after 4am on Sunday in the western town of Vannes. Officers noticed the man kneeling by an inflatable boat and went to investigate.
"He was underneath a boat, on his knees, trying to resuscitate a rubber dinghy," local police said. The man told officers that someone was unconscious inside the vessel, but upon closer inspection officers discovered the young man was instead performing CPR on the inflatable boat itself.
To make matters worse, he had already called out firefighters to the scene, an emergency call that the police promptly cancelled. Police took the man to prison to sleep off his hangover and recover his senses.
Drunk defendant ordered to pay compensation after falling down and smashing court toilet
A defendant who drank vodka to calm his nerves before appearing in court ended up knocking back too much and fell down the toilet.
Magistrates heard how Naheem Gorsi was so drunk he crashed into the public lavatory at Pennine Magistrates Court in Burnley, Lancashire, smashing it into three pieces and causing damage to the tune of £450.
Gorsi had been drawing attention to himself in the waiting room because of the state he was in. He went to use the toilet and a security guard heard some young people, who had opened the door, laughing at him, and a smash. The officer then found the lavatory in bits on the floor. The defendant, who had been due at a fines court over a drink driving conviction, ended up back before the bench for a further hearing, where he admitted damage at the court.
Gorsi, 34, of Nelson, was ordered to pay £300 compensation. Prosecutor Mrs Alex Mann told the court it appeared the defendant had “spent the day” drinking vodka and coke, hidden in a coke bottle. He became more and more disruptive and had been told off for playing his music too loud on his phone and smoking in the wrong place outside the court, Miss Mann said: “It seems he was nervous about his court hearing.
“He did acknowledge he shouldn’t be in front of the court drunk.” Mr John Rusius, for Gorsi, said he had had a drug problem in the past and had managed to resolve that after his family put him through a detoxification programme. He had only recently come out, wasn’t feeling great and had some drink because he had pain in his legs. The defendant came to court, had to wait rather longer than expected and drank more than he should have.
Gorsi had been drawing attention to himself in the waiting room because of the state he was in. He went to use the toilet and a security guard heard some young people, who had opened the door, laughing at him, and a smash. The officer then found the lavatory in bits on the floor. The defendant, who had been due at a fines court over a drink driving conviction, ended up back before the bench for a further hearing, where he admitted damage at the court.
Gorsi, 34, of Nelson, was ordered to pay £300 compensation. Prosecutor Mrs Alex Mann told the court it appeared the defendant had “spent the day” drinking vodka and coke, hidden in a coke bottle. He became more and more disruptive and had been told off for playing his music too loud on his phone and smoking in the wrong place outside the court, Miss Mann said: “It seems he was nervous about his court hearing.
“He did acknowledge he shouldn’t be in front of the court drunk.” Mr John Rusius, for Gorsi, said he had had a drug problem in the past and had managed to resolve that after his family put him through a detoxification programme. He had only recently come out, wasn’t feeling great and had some drink because he had pain in his legs. The defendant came to court, had to wait rather longer than expected and drank more than he should have.
Dog chasing cat got head stuck in car engine
A dog that chased a cat under a car got its head stuck in the engine.
Woody the Bedlington Terrier got himself jammed in the workings of a neighbour's Vauxhall Corsa after the pursuit in Plymouth, Devon, on Friday evening went horribly wrong.
Woody scrambled under the car but then went up through the undercarriage and was only found when the owner opened the bonnet.
He spotted the dog's head perfectly wedged inside the engine. Woody's owner Mike Tracey, said: "My neighbour opened up the bonnet of his car Woody was just sat there looking at me. It was almost like he was saying, 'I'm stuck dad'". After trying to free him, with the help of fellow residents, the 52-year-old owner was forced to call the fire service for assistance. Mike added: "We thought about using a jack to try and get him out but we were worried about something going wrong.
"I didn't really want to call the fire brigade and be one of those 'cat stuck in a tree kind of people' but they turned up and were absolutely brilliant." A crew from Crownhill fire station attended and helped free a bashful Woody by removing one of the leads within the engine, to allow him to be pried out of the top. The three-year-old dog was covered in oil but didn't sustain any injuries during his mini-ordeal and was right as rain after a good bath.
But Woody may need a bit longer to deal with the embarassment after his unique ordeal. Mike added: "I think he was feeling a bit sheepish as there was a bit of a crowd to watch the firefighters get him out. Even the firemen said 'well, this is a new one' when they turned-up. I plan to go up to the station and say thank you to them because they didn't take the mick at all and were really good about the whole thing. Woody does seems a bit sulky but I suppose he has been through a lot."
He spotted the dog's head perfectly wedged inside the engine. Woody's owner Mike Tracey, said: "My neighbour opened up the bonnet of his car Woody was just sat there looking at me. It was almost like he was saying, 'I'm stuck dad'". After trying to free him, with the help of fellow residents, the 52-year-old owner was forced to call the fire service for assistance. Mike added: "We thought about using a jack to try and get him out but we were worried about something going wrong.
"I didn't really want to call the fire brigade and be one of those 'cat stuck in a tree kind of people' but they turned up and were absolutely brilliant." A crew from Crownhill fire station attended and helped free a bashful Woody by removing one of the leads within the engine, to allow him to be pried out of the top. The three-year-old dog was covered in oil but didn't sustain any injuries during his mini-ordeal and was right as rain after a good bath.
But Woody may need a bit longer to deal with the embarassment after his unique ordeal. Mike added: "I think he was feeling a bit sheepish as there was a bit of a crowd to watch the firefighters get him out. Even the firemen said 'well, this is a new one' when they turned-up. I plan to go up to the station and say thank you to them because they didn't take the mick at all and were really good about the whole thing. Woody does seems a bit sulky but I suppose he has been through a lot."
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)