Archive for the ‘animals’ category
October 20, 2011
– – Neither in their native habitat nor near Oz, dozens of wild and exotic animals kept in private ownership escaped from a farm near Zanesville, Ohio Tuesday night when an animal farm owner described as a “collector” released 56 animals from their cages and then killed himself. Of the released animals which included lions, tigers, bears, mountain lions, wolves, and a baboon, 49 were killed by local authorities who deemed such necessary to ensure the public safety. Six animals were captured alive while at least a baboon remained unaccounted for.
Counted among the slain animals were 18 tigers, nine male and eight female lions, six black bears, three mountain lions, two grizzly bears, two wolves, and a baboon. The owner/operator of the wildlife farm had been previously convicted of multiple firearms and animal regulations violations, including cruelty to animals.
This horrendous and unnecessary tragedy underscores the need for strict and nationally standardized regulations governing the sale and ownership of exotic animals; Ohio is one of the states that currently has no such laws…
Categories: animal abuse, animal occurrences, animal rights, animals, deplorable practices, furry, furry causes
Tags: exotic animals slain in Ohio, wild and exotic animals escape
Comments: 3 Comments
October 12, 2011
– -For several decades now, state wildlife officials across the country have been rolling out roadside robotic decoys to nab unscrupulous hunters who seek to poach deer out of season or beyond established hunting hours.
Often placed near a road where they can be seen by passing cars, the robotic deer can be outfitted with remote controls that make it possible to move the decoy’s head and tail to make it look as realistic as possible. When a poacher takes the bait and pegs a shot at the mechanical deer, authorities are not far away and the would-be deerslayer gets nailed with something like a misdemeanor citation, punishable in Utah by up to six months in jail, up to a $1,000 fine, and seizure of the offender’s weapons. Robot decoy programs are in place not only in Utah but also in Georgia, Florida, and elsewhere.
In some cases, offenders have repeatedly fired shots and even arrows at the mechanical deer, apparently amazed that they don’t go down! A robotic deer decoy used in Georgia had to be replaced in 2006 after being shot more than 1,000 times. Perhaps videos could be made of such occurrences and sold with proceeds going to add to state wildlife conservation funds…
Categories: animals, conservation, cool things, furry, furry causes
Tags: robodeer, robotic deer decoys
Comments: 2 Comments
October 10, 2011
– – Farmers Insurance as part of its “University of Farmers” advertising campaign reveals their finest agents receiving road-kill expertise training under the watchful eye of Professor Nathaniel Burke (actor J.K. Simmons) at a university setting in which a real deer, caribou, turtle, porcupine, and other creatures appear in the classroom setting alongside the agents-in-training. For the filming, living animals rather than CGI or animatronic creations were actually in the room together with the cast at the same time.
The commercial playfully highlights the in-depth training that its agents receive at the actual University of Farmers in Agoura Hills, California which enables them to dispense expert advice...
Categories: animals, furry, furry commercials, television
Tags: animals of Farmers Insurance, Farmers "critters" commercial
Comments: 1 Comment
October 7, 2011
– -They are not Photoshopped or the product of trick photography; meet Frank (left) and Louie (right), the world’s longest surviving Janus cat. Named for the figure in Roman mythology with two faces on one head, Janus cats seldom survive due to congenital defects that include cleft palate, often causing the afflicted animal to starve or choke to death. Frank and Louie, however, beat the odds handsomely, using only one mouth to feed and making it to the ripe old feline age of 12 years.
Originally taken by his breeder to be euthanized at the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University, Frank and Louie were instead adopted by a worker there, and have fared well since. Residing in Worcester, Mass. the exotic blue-eyed rag doll cat boasts two faces, two mouths, two noses, and three eyes, and is a friendly soul who walks on a leash and loves car rides…
Categories: animal oddities, animals, anomalies, furry, rare animal, science
Tags: Janus cats
Comments: 2 Comments
September 25, 2011
– – I, for one, can sleep better at night knowing that Franklin, the Fair-Housing Fox is on the job! Just as McGruff the Crime Dog represents the fight against crime and Homeland Security has Rex, the Ready Kids Mountain Lion, Franklin is meant to help make fair housing everyone’s responsibility, and he looks great while doing it! It’s good to know that we vulpines haven’t been excluded from the guild of anthropomorphic animal awareness cartoons representing federal agencies. Created in 2007 to celebrate the 39th anniversary of the Fair Housing Act, Franklin even has an e-mail address and of course, a Facebook page!
Your tax dollars are never harder at work than when they’re funding the creation of an animal mascot, and Franklin Fox has got to be far ahead of some other actual creations such as Energy Ant or Thermy the Thermometer…other creations might include Edward, the Illegal Immigration Eagle, and Arnold, the Anti-Terrorist Armadillo! 
Categories: animals, anthropomorphic, furry heroes
Tags: federal agency mascots, Franklin the fox
Comments: 2 Comments
September 5, 2011
– – On August 28th in Juneau, Alaska, Brooke Collins let her two dogs out later to hear her dachshund, Fudge, barking. Investigation revealed that the dog had good reason to bark as a black bear had scooped the wiener dog up, and was biting it on the back of its neck! This did not bode well for the wiener…
Fearing for her dog’s life, the young woman then decided to deploy five-fingered Mary against the ursine invader, punching the bear on its snout until it relinquished its hold on the pooch. Her boyfriend then entered the fray, chasing the bear until it disappeared into the bushes.
Ms. Collins said her instincts got a hold of her. “It was a stupid thing but I couldn’t help it,” she explained. “I know you’re not supposed to do that but I didn’t want my dog to be killed.” Fudge survived his ordeal with minor injuries, and a biologist with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game felt that hunger might be driving bears into residential neighborhoods due to a poor berry crop…
Categories: animal behavior, animal occurrences, animals, furry
Tags: woman defends dog from bear attack
Comments: 2 Comments
September 3, 2011
– – Republican presidential aspirant Rick Perry, described by another Texas Republican as being “…like Bush only without the brains,” recently drew attention for reportedly shooting a coyote dead that he felt menaced his daughter’s Labrador while he was jogging on a trail near Austin.
Now Perry claims that he always carries his .380 Ruger handgun in undeveloped areas because he’s afraid of snakes, and felt that either he or the dog were in imminent danger from the coyote, so the governor plugged him. It should be noted that the governor was without his security detail at the time, so the incident or the degree of threat posed can’t be substantiated. Coyotes usually, however, are wary predators that shun human contact, and when some Austin locals protested that Perry’s reaction was excessive and dangerous, Perry shrugged it off. “Don’t attack my dog,” Perry said, “or you might get shot – if you’re a coyote.”
Dunno about this Perry, but I’d vote for Perry the Platypus…and had the coyote been Wile E., properly supplied and supported by Acme, the incident might have had a very different outcome…
Categories: animal occurrences, animals, furry
Tags: Perry shoots coyote
Comments: 4 Comments
August 30, 2011
– – Someday, we may awaken to find our streets taken over by gigantic plushies, such as this 13-meter-high yellow bunny crafted by Dutch artist Florintijn Hofman in Orebro, Sweden. Although he looks like he’s had a less than favorable encounter with the Cloverfield monster, the Big Yellow Bunny is part of the openART festival in Orebro, where the art is in town, and you can walk around it! “Open Art” may not sit well as a concept with those who regard art as something to be possessed and hung on the wall…
…the Big Yellow Bunny questions the purpose of the public space, and changes the perspective of the monuments within. One can also imagine the even more enormous child owner of the bunny coming to claim it in a Twilight Zone type scenario! The work will be for sale, should you want a 13-meter yellow rabbit.- -Perhaps we could set up a steel cage wrasslin’ match for the BYB with Clifford, the Big Red Dog, or the 16-foot high pink and white wrecking ball bunny featured in an H & R Block commercial in the past; it’s all good…
Hah! – – And to think that they said art was dead!
Categories: absurdities, animals, Brilliant but twisted, cool things, furry art
Tags: Open Art, the Big Yellow Bunny
Comments: 2 Comments
August 26, 2011
– – While Washington’s humans continued to yammer into their cell phones prior to the August 23rd earthquake, those of the furry persuasion at the National Zoo may have known what was coming. Zoo staff reported that before the 5.8 magnitude earthquake hit, lemurs were seen to have sounded an alarm, apes abandoned their food, flamingos rushed into a huddle, and a gorilla let out a shriek. Even ducks and beavers interrupted feeding and other activities to jump into water. The zoo’s giant pandas, however, did not appear to respond to the earthquake.
Similar agitated behaviors have long been reported from captive animal populations prior to earthquakes elsewhere…
Categories: animal behavior, animals, furry
Tags: animal anticipation of earthquake
Comments: 4 Comments
August 24, 2011
– – I, for one, can never get enough of mystery roadkill! One such dead white mammal was found on a Douglas County road in Minnesota that boasts five claws, dark tufts of hair on its back and head, and long toenails.- -Well actually, it’s not boasting anything, such being one of the limitations of being dead…
While the head suggests a canine, the right front leg appears to have five toes, which is not typical for canines. The long toenails are also not typical for an active canine. While the creature is similar to a badger, the tail is much longer than usual for such. Other guesses about the identity of the mystery carcass have ranged from a skunk to a wolverine to a wolf or, of course, the mythical chupacabra! The usual rumors are also flying about secret government testing, without which I wouldn’t be here.
…while the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has been unable to conclusively identify the carcass, further testing is planned. Meanwhile, guinea hens and cats in the area are missing, and burrowed holes from four to ten inches in size were spotted near where the animal was found. The best guess on the identity of the deceased at this point is that it’s a badger with mange…or is it?! Dramatic Fox
Categories: animals, anomalies, mysteries, unexplained, unidentified
Tags: mystery roadkill, unidentified Minnesota creature
Comments: 4 Comments
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