At least 16 people from Hilton Head, SC who kissed and held an adopted baby raccoon are being treated after the animal tested positive for rabies. “There was a lot of affectionate handling, kissing it and feeding it," said Clair Boatwright of the Dept of Health and Environmental Control. "Part of that is it was three weeks old, and they inserted fingers into the raccoon’s mouth. Saliva is one way that rabies spreads.” In The Island Packet.
The European Fishing Tackle Trade Association (EFTTA) is alerting its members to animal welfare legislation approved by the Bundesrat--the Swiss Federal Parliament--that includes the provision: "it is not permitted to go fishing with the 'intention' to release the fish." The legislation states that fish caught should be killed immediately following capture, with a sharp blow to the head from a blunt instrument.
The Texas Department of Public Safety is struggling to keep up the with demand for concealed handgun carry licenses, which have spiked nearly 40 percent in the past year. As a result of high demand, the agency is taking a month longer than the 60 days allowed by law to process original applications and 80 days longer on renewals, which are supposed to be handled within 45 days. In The Houston Chronicle.
A mountain lion seen near a wall by the busy 210 freeway Wednesday and subsequently tranquilized by California Department of Fish and Game officials died in transport. "There is a loss factor. In this case the mountain lion did not make it through the capture," said a Fish and Game spokesman. Reported in the San Gabriel Valley Tribune.
Responding to a call from a southwest Florida angler who hooked a plastic bag containing what appeared to be illegal drugs, Bay County Sheriff’s deputies found marijuana and cocaine with an estimated street value of $1,500. According to the Southwest Florida Daily News, the sheriff's department has documented the case as a "found property" incident, which means the owner of the drugs should stop by and claim their property. Stranger things have happened.
A federal judge in Montana has rejected a request by Idaho, Montana and Wyoming to delay a lawsuit filed by animal rights groups that seeks to return the gray wolf to the endangered species list. Reported by AP.
Carl and Dena Wendel are thankful the deer that romped around their unoccupied home Monday evening did no serious damage, despite spending about 15 minutes inside. "Other than making a mess, we were really lucky," Dena said. "We have a huge 125-gallon fish tank when you first walk in the door. He ran right past that. Thank God." In the Indiana (PA) Gazette.
An Alberta hunter who claims he shot a grizzly bear in self-defense has been charged with unlawful hunting, unlawful wildlife possesion, unlawful discharge of a firearm, failing to ensure a firearm in a wildland provincial park is unloaded and fully encased and unlawfully destroying a bear. Each charge carries a fine of up to $100,000. In The Vancouver Sun.
New Jersey wildlife officials reportedly euthanized a black bear yesterday after it climbed a tree near Dennis O'Brien Elementary School in Rockaway Township and remained there for more than six hours. AP
For the third time in the past five days, a coyote has posed a threat to a small child in Southern California. In the latest incident, a Lake Arrowhead woman said a coyote grabbed her 2-year-old by the head and tried to drag her out of the family's yard before she intervened and chased the animal away. AP reports.
According to statistics released this week by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, 77 people were killed on the water in 2007. The numbers mark the 16th year in 20 that the Sunshine State has led the nation in fatalities. Via AP.
A woman who took her family to the Norwalk, CT Maritime Aquarium in April has filed a $100 claim against the city, saying her one-year-old son's shoes, along with the entire outing, were ruined after he stepped in dog feces outside the Maritime Garage. "I had to read it twice," said Norwalk City Attorney M. Jeffry Spahr, who saw the claim for the first time yesterday. "The official response is her claim is denied and poop happens," he said. In the Stamford Advocate.
On the heels of a provincial $450,000 bear awareness program announcement, a surveyor in British Columbia was attacked by a 900-pound grizzly while working in the mid-coastal bush. Brent Case, 53, suffered severe gashes to his head and upper arm. "He said that after the bear pulled him back out and chomped on the back of his head, he thought he was going to die," said his son, Dean. In the Calgary Herald.
A sheriff's deputy and a state wildlife officer in Royal Palm Beach, Fla. captured an 8-foot, 6-inch alligator lurking on the path to H.L. Johnson Elementary School. The gator was spotted about 6:35 a.m. by Palm Beach Post photographer John J. Lopinot on his morning walk.
What is believed to be the largest bighead carp taken by a recreational fisherman was bagged by Illinois bowfisher Darin Opel in the Mississippi River backwaters near Alton on Sunday. "It was real heavy, like lifting a refrigerator," said Opel, who ripped his jeans on the arrow sticking from the back of the carp's head during the ruckus. "Once he got out of the water, he started fighting hard. He beat me up pretty good. He definitely got a few licks in." Belleville News-Democrat outdoors writer Rod Kloeckner has the story.
Can Oregon authorities really be surprised that someone tried to cheat a state program that pays between $4 and $8 for each predatory northern pikeminnow caught from the Columbia River? State Police charged two men found with 88 fish in a trap with attempted theft by deception and unlawful holding of fish without a permit. This year's program, which began Monday, requires participants to register each day prior to fishing. AP reports.
The story about Tiffany Shepherd, the buxom blonde fishing charter mate who recently lost her day job as a high school biology teacher, has not only been followed by the dedicated readers of The Outdoor Pressroom, it also caught the attention of the editors at a little publication known for its photos of lovely women. The Palm Beach Post reports that Ms. Shepherd's delightful image will soon grace the pages of Playboy, where she's sure to fulfill fantasies for countless anglers.
Bird-watchers in Eugene,Ore. believe they have solid photographic evidence of a first-ever-proven cross between two of Western North America's most common species of hummingbirds, Anna's and Rufous. Mike Stahlberg of the Eugene Register-Guard writes that the apparent hybrid was first spotted about two weeks ago by a veteran birder. Peter Patricelli's 38 spectacular photos of the Anna's/Rufous cross may be viewed here.
In a 44-11 vote Monday, the California General Assembly approved a bill to ban motorists from holding dogs or any "live animal" while driving. AB 2233 had no formal opposition, but Assemblyman Martin Garrick, (R) said the measure is "overreaching." If passed, the bill would impose a $35 fine per infraction. No word on the penalty if the dog is also using a cell phone (which becomes illegal for California drivers on July 1). The Sacramento Bee reports.
Around 2:00 a.m. this morning, police in Scranton, Penn. followed a 165-pound black bear from downtown to the University of Scranton soccer field before summoning state game authorities, who subdued the animal and released it on state game lands. The Scranton Times-Tribune reports.
Global warming, indeed. Try telling that to Minnesotans who are looking forward to this coming Saturday's fishing season opener. Especially in the north, ice remains on many lakes. About a half to three-quarters of popular Lake Winnibigoshish is expected to remain ice-covered through the weekend. In the Duluth News-Tribune and Park Rapids Enterprise.
A Custer County Magistrate has ruled that outspoken Idaho anti-wolf activist Ron Gillett will stand trial for allegedly attacking pro-wolf advocate Lynne Stone. The case stems from a March 25 altercation between Gillett and Stone in Stanley. Gillett pleaded not guilty to the charges of misdemeanor assault and battery. In the Idaho Mountain Express.
For the second time in as many years, a grassroots petition drive aimed at placing an initiative on Idaho's November ballot that would mandate the removal of all introduced wolves failed to collect enough signatures by the May 1 deadline. In the Lewiston Tribune.
