Friday, July 17, 2015
Police search for cobra believed to have killed owner
A monocled cobra is missing from the home of a teenager who died in Austin, Texas, on Tuesday night after possibly being bitten by the snake.
At 9:37pm, Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services and Austin police found 18-year-old Grant Thompson in a Lowe’s parking lot with puncture wounds on his wrist. Thompson was in cardiac arrest and was unresponsive, according to police.
Thompson was transported to St. David’s Round Rock Medical Center but was pronounced dead on arrival, officials said. It is possible that a snake bit him, but the cause of death will remain unknown until an autopsy is completed, EMS said. Thompson was a senior staff member at Fish Bowl Pet Express in Temple and would show exotic animals to children as part of his job.
His mother had taken him to Fish Bowl Pet Express since he was a baby and, after she bought the business a few years ago, Thompson volunteered to work there before becoming a staff member. Medics found several containers in Thompson’s car, one of which was holding a live snake. Six tarantulas and a bullfrog were also found. The animals in the car were not venomous and were transported to Austin Reptile Rescue.
YouTube link.
However, when police searched Thompson’s home in Temple, they could not find a monocled cobra that was missing from its cage. An Austin police spokeswoman did not confirm whether there is an immediate danger to the public. EMS officials said that snakebite cases are extremely uncommon in the area. EMS Capt. Darren Noak said that in his 20 years working with EMS, he has only seen one or two. Police are investigating Thompson’s death, which is not considered suspicious, officials said.
Thompson was transported to St. David’s Round Rock Medical Center but was pronounced dead on arrival, officials said. It is possible that a snake bit him, but the cause of death will remain unknown until an autopsy is completed, EMS said. Thompson was a senior staff member at Fish Bowl Pet Express in Temple and would show exotic animals to children as part of his job.
His mother had taken him to Fish Bowl Pet Express since he was a baby and, after she bought the business a few years ago, Thompson volunteered to work there before becoming a staff member. Medics found several containers in Thompson’s car, one of which was holding a live snake. Six tarantulas and a bullfrog were also found. The animals in the car were not venomous and were transported to Austin Reptile Rescue.
YouTube link.
However, when police searched Thompson’s home in Temple, they could not find a monocled cobra that was missing from its cage. An Austin police spokeswoman did not confirm whether there is an immediate danger to the public. EMS officials said that snakebite cases are extremely uncommon in the area. EMS Capt. Darren Noak said that in his 20 years working with EMS, he has only seen one or two. Police are investigating Thompson’s death, which is not considered suspicious, officials said.
Police officer shot boy's pig after it allegedly attacked neighbour's dog
A State Trooper shot a boy’s pig on Monday, in a rural area of Woodbine, New Jersey, after a neighbouring homeowner complained that the animal, which had escaped its pen, was aggressive, and had charged him and attacked his dog.
“My son had been raising that pig since February or March,” said Victor A. Hartley, a Woodbine resident.
“The pig was kept in a pen,” he said. “A couple of times he wandered out of the yard.”
The pig, a neutered boar named Hatfield, weighed somewhere between 245 and 280 pounds, and Eathan Hartley, 12, planned to show the hog at this year’s fair, the boy’s father said.
Monday was to be Hatfield’s last day in Woodbine. The pig was scheduled to be sent to the fairground on Tuesday.
After showing the swine at the fair, Hatfield would have auctioned off for slaughter, and the boy expected to net about $1,000, Hartley said. “He wasn’t a wild boar,” Hartley said. “He had a tag in his ear, and my neighbour knew it was our pig.” Area neighbours disagreed with Hartley’s benign assessment of the pig’s temperament, two different state police spokesmen said on Tuesday. According to Sgt. Siino, a trooper at the Woodbine barracks, Woodbine’s animal control office had received at least two previous calls complaining about Hatfield. “I was actually working last Thursday when we got a call at the station in reference to the pig,” Siino said. Last week’s call was referred to Shore Animal Control, Siino said.
Linda Gentille, public information officer for Shore Animal Control, said that her agency had fielded several calls during the last week about Hatfield, and that the pig had attacked animals on a neighbour’s property in the past. On Monday, an animal control officer responded to another complaint about Hatfield, and it was that officer who called state troopers for assistance with the pig when it escaped from its home and wandered onto a neighbour’s property. “It was the neighbour that called it in,” Gentille said. “The pig was in their yard and aggressive. The neighbour felt threatened by the pig.” Gentille said there’s no safe way to corral a 250-pound pig, and the control officer called for back-up from state police. “When the trooper responded, there was a pig on the property,” said Sgt. Jeff Flynn. “It had attacked the owner’s dog, and injured the dog.”
According to Siino, the homeowner also reported that the pig was aggressive had charged him. “When the trooper responded, the pig was trying to get into a metal fence after other animals,” Siino said. “It was charging the fence, and the trooper was worried that it was going to attack the other animals.” Flynn said that the trooper and animal control officer tried to secure the pig. “They were unable to do so, and they made the decision that they had to put it down.” Siino said the responding trooper, Sgt. Cantoni, shot the pig three times with his 9 mm handgun. Siino said the animal control officer finally dispatched the pig. “He used a knife to bleed out the animal to make sure it was deceased,” Sinno said. “I wish they had tranquilised him,” Hartley said on Tuesday. “Muzzled him, or something,” he said. “Today was the day he was supposed to be at the fair.” Instead, Hartley said the pig has been taken to a slaughterhouse to be butchered.
After showing the swine at the fair, Hatfield would have auctioned off for slaughter, and the boy expected to net about $1,000, Hartley said. “He wasn’t a wild boar,” Hartley said. “He had a tag in his ear, and my neighbour knew it was our pig.” Area neighbours disagreed with Hartley’s benign assessment of the pig’s temperament, two different state police spokesmen said on Tuesday. According to Sgt. Siino, a trooper at the Woodbine barracks, Woodbine’s animal control office had received at least two previous calls complaining about Hatfield. “I was actually working last Thursday when we got a call at the station in reference to the pig,” Siino said. Last week’s call was referred to Shore Animal Control, Siino said.
Linda Gentille, public information officer for Shore Animal Control, said that her agency had fielded several calls during the last week about Hatfield, and that the pig had attacked animals on a neighbour’s property in the past. On Monday, an animal control officer responded to another complaint about Hatfield, and it was that officer who called state troopers for assistance with the pig when it escaped from its home and wandered onto a neighbour’s property. “It was the neighbour that called it in,” Gentille said. “The pig was in their yard and aggressive. The neighbour felt threatened by the pig.” Gentille said there’s no safe way to corral a 250-pound pig, and the control officer called for back-up from state police. “When the trooper responded, there was a pig on the property,” said Sgt. Jeff Flynn. “It had attacked the owner’s dog, and injured the dog.”
According to Siino, the homeowner also reported that the pig was aggressive had charged him. “When the trooper responded, the pig was trying to get into a metal fence after other animals,” Siino said. “It was charging the fence, and the trooper was worried that it was going to attack the other animals.” Flynn said that the trooper and animal control officer tried to secure the pig. “They were unable to do so, and they made the decision that they had to put it down.” Siino said the responding trooper, Sgt. Cantoni, shot the pig three times with his 9 mm handgun. Siino said the animal control officer finally dispatched the pig. “He used a knife to bleed out the animal to make sure it was deceased,” Sinno said. “I wish they had tranquilised him,” Hartley said on Tuesday. “Muzzled him, or something,” he said. “Today was the day he was supposed to be at the fair.” Instead, Hartley said the pig has been taken to a slaughterhouse to be butchered.
Homeless jazz singer and her parrot have developed an unbreakable bond
Wende Harston is reminded of her string of bad luck every time she walks out the front door of the Gabriel Foundation in Denver, Colorado, without her best friend Sam the African Parrot.
"It kills me. It absolutely kills me," she says.
The lead singer of a jazz band in Denver, Wende spent most of the first half of 2015 homeless. She lived in an immobile RV in a warehouse district illegally plugged into a business's power to keep a few electronics powered on inside. "Things just got bad quicker than I anticipated," she said.
Her parrot, Samula, couldn't stay in the RV with her due to a lack of space, so late last year she turned it over to the Gabriel Foundation, one of the largest parrot rescues in the world. What the people at the Gabriel Foundation couldn't have anticipated back then was that week after week, Wende would return to keep in touch with her bird.
YouTube link.
It's turned into quite the unusual and musical arrangement. The good news is that this week, Wende should be able to pick Sam back up. She's found a mobile home big enough to support a bird cage for Sam.
The lead singer of a jazz band in Denver, Wende spent most of the first half of 2015 homeless. She lived in an immobile RV in a warehouse district illegally plugged into a business's power to keep a few electronics powered on inside. "Things just got bad quicker than I anticipated," she said.
Her parrot, Samula, couldn't stay in the RV with her due to a lack of space, so late last year she turned it over to the Gabriel Foundation, one of the largest parrot rescues in the world. What the people at the Gabriel Foundation couldn't have anticipated back then was that week after week, Wende would return to keep in touch with her bird.
YouTube link.
It's turned into quite the unusual and musical arrangement. The good news is that this week, Wende should be able to pick Sam back up. She's found a mobile home big enough to support a bird cage for Sam.
Mosque stampede that injured over 80 people blamed on mouse
A mouse is being held responsible for triggering a stampede in a mosque in the Moroccan city of Casablanca which left more than 80 people injured, officials say.
The rush happened in the city's Hassan II mosque, which was full of worshippers on Monday evening.
It was the holiest night of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan. Officials say that the injured were mostly women who suffered light injuries and fractures.
YouTube link.
Worshippers were reported to have fainted after a mouse crossed over a woman's foot while she was praying, causing her to rush outside and creating panic among worshippers. The Hassan II mosque is believed to be the largest in Africa and the seventh largest in the world.
The rush happened in the city's Hassan II mosque, which was full of worshippers on Monday evening.
It was the holiest night of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan. Officials say that the injured were mostly women who suffered light injuries and fractures.
YouTube link.
Worshippers were reported to have fainted after a mouse crossed over a woman's foot while she was praying, causing her to rush outside and creating panic among worshippers. The Hassan II mosque is believed to be the largest in Africa and the seventh largest in the world.
Man shot for not having a size 10 spanner
A man in South Africa was shot in the leg on Tuesday evening for not having a size 10 spanner in his possession.
Port Elizabeth police spokesperson, Warrant Officer Alwin Labans, said the man, aged 59, and his son, 33, were standing outside their home in Sydenham when two unknown men approached them.
"The one man asked the father if he had a size 10 spanner on him. When the man replied he did not, the suspect drew a firearm and shot him in the upper leg," Labans said.
Labans said the men then fled the scene. Labans added that a case of attempted murder was being investigated, but no arrests had been made yet.
Port Elizabeth police spokesperson, Warrant Officer Alwin Labans, said the man, aged 59, and his son, 33, were standing outside their home in Sydenham when two unknown men approached them.
"The one man asked the father if he had a size 10 spanner on him. When the man replied he did not, the suspect drew a firearm and shot him in the upper leg," Labans said.
Labans said the men then fled the scene. Labans added that a case of attempted murder was being investigated, but no arrests had been made yet.
Artist forced to shout for help after naked tree stunt went awry
A Norwegian contemporary artist was left hanging naked in a tree for three and a half hours after an video art installation she filmed in a Norwegian forest went wrong.
Hilde Krohn Huse, who lives and works in London, ventured into the forest in her native Aukra in Norway to film a video featuring herself hanging naked from a rope in a tree.
However, when she reached the end of her filming, she realised that she was completely unable to free herself. “The video ends when the camera shuts off, but I was there calling for help for another 30 minutes,” she said. “I felt sick when I saw the video for the first time, I experienced everything anew. But I slept on it and realised that the video is quite decent."
Eventually, a friend heard her screaming for help and came and rescued Huse from her precarious position. The video, recorded during Huse’s final year at the University for the Creative Arts in London has now been selected from thousands of applicants to be exhibited in the Bloomberg New Contemporary exhibition. New Contemporaries provides a platform for recent graduated fine arts students in the UK to showcase their work.
Contains nudity.
Vimeo link.
In the film ‘Hanging in the Woods’, the viewer can witness the breakdown between performance and reality as the intended performance goes wrong and the performer is stuck hanging from the tree without being able to free herself or having any visible means of help or escape. Huse said it was fortunate that one of her friends was within earshot. “For me, it’s natural to be naked in front of the camera, but it was probably a bit out of the ordinary for her when she was getting me down," she said. "Luckily, someone I knew came.”
However, when she reached the end of her filming, she realised that she was completely unable to free herself. “The video ends when the camera shuts off, but I was there calling for help for another 30 minutes,” she said. “I felt sick when I saw the video for the first time, I experienced everything anew. But I slept on it and realised that the video is quite decent."
Eventually, a friend heard her screaming for help and came and rescued Huse from her precarious position. The video, recorded during Huse’s final year at the University for the Creative Arts in London has now been selected from thousands of applicants to be exhibited in the Bloomberg New Contemporary exhibition. New Contemporaries provides a platform for recent graduated fine arts students in the UK to showcase their work.
Contains nudity.
Vimeo link.
In the film ‘Hanging in the Woods’, the viewer can witness the breakdown between performance and reality as the intended performance goes wrong and the performer is stuck hanging from the tree without being able to free herself or having any visible means of help or escape. Huse said it was fortunate that one of her friends was within earshot. “For me, it’s natural to be naked in front of the camera, but it was probably a bit out of the ordinary for her when she was getting me down," she said. "Luckily, someone I knew came.”
'Drunk' squirrel caused hundreds of pounds of damage at private members' club
A 'drunk' squirrel flooded a bar at a private members' club with ale and ransacked the room when it held an unofficial lock in which caused over £300 worth of damage.
Sam Boulter, branch secretary of Honeybourne Railway Club near Evesham in Worcestershire, thought it had been ransacked by burglars when he opened up on Sunday evening.
Beer was spilled on the floor, money and straws were scattered about and glasses and bottles had been knocked off the shelves of the club. But the real culprit soon made an appearance when the squirrel finally came out of its hiding place, albeit a little more sluggish than expected. Mr Boulter said: "When I opened the door it was absolutely ransacked. At first I thought we'd been burgled but I realised it was all still locked up and that's when we saw the squirrel.
"I'd never seen anything like it before, he had ran around the shelves and across the bar. There were bottles scattered around, money scattered around and he had obviously run across the bar's pumps and managed to turn on the Caffrey's and also managed to ruin some barrels too. He must have flung himself on the handle. I think we lost about £300 worth of stock but it is just one of those once in a lifetime things, I hope!"
It took an hour for Mr Boulter and two customers to capture the rodent who was returned to its more usual environment and a further hour to clean up the mess it had left behind. Mr Boulter added: "I saw a squirrel in the club on Saturday morning and I chased him through the bar, he jumped over the counter and I thought he'd gone through the door but obviously he was still in there. He was a bit slow moving when we found him on Sunday evening so he may have drank a bit of the beer. But he had completely ransacked the place."
Beer was spilled on the floor, money and straws were scattered about and glasses and bottles had been knocked off the shelves of the club. But the real culprit soon made an appearance when the squirrel finally came out of its hiding place, albeit a little more sluggish than expected. Mr Boulter said: "When I opened the door it was absolutely ransacked. At first I thought we'd been burgled but I realised it was all still locked up and that's when we saw the squirrel.
"I'd never seen anything like it before, he had ran around the shelves and across the bar. There were bottles scattered around, money scattered around and he had obviously run across the bar's pumps and managed to turn on the Caffrey's and also managed to ruin some barrels too. He must have flung himself on the handle. I think we lost about £300 worth of stock but it is just one of those once in a lifetime things, I hope!"
It took an hour for Mr Boulter and two customers to capture the rodent who was returned to its more usual environment and a further hour to clean up the mess it had left behind. Mr Boulter added: "I saw a squirrel in the club on Saturday morning and I chased him through the bar, he jumped over the counter and I thought he'd gone through the door but obviously he was still in there. He was a bit slow moving when we found him on Sunday evening so he may have drank a bit of the beer. But he had completely ransacked the place."
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