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riada
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Re: Animals in the News...
« Reply #195 on: Aug 3rd, 2012, 12:42am » |
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Chihuahua finds 2 girls lost in Georgia forest
Thu Aug 02, 04:13 PM
A Chihuahua is being hailed as a hero after authorities say it sniffed out two girls who were lost in a Georgia forest.
The girls, ages 5 and 8, disappeared Monday for a couple of hours when they were walking on trails near their neighborhood about 30 miles southwest of Atlanta. As police and firefighters began to search for the girls, neighbor Carvin Young grabbed his 3-year-old Chihuahua and joined the search.
Young tells CBS Atlanta (http://bit.ly/QwAlwY) the dog, Bell, picked up the girls' scent and began running until she reached them.
Rebecca Parga, the girls' mother, says her children play with Bell almost every day, and the dog is very familiar with them.
The girls, Carlie and Lacey, were scared when they were found but were not hurt.
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CreepyOldGuy
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Re: Animals in the News...
« Reply #196 on: Aug 3rd, 2012, 7:31pm » |
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That's great! And I tought Chihuahua's were hideous and damn-near useless!
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"Stand and fight, live by your heart
Always one more try, I'm not afraid to die!
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Born with a heart of steel!"
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riada
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Re: Animals in the News...
« Reply #197 on: Aug 11th, 2012, 12:18am » |
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Bear family consumes 100 cans of beer
JARFJORD, Norway, Aug. 9 (UPI) -- A mama bear and her three cubs are suspected of breaking into a cabin in northern Norway and knocking back more than 100 cans of beer, officials said.
"They had a hell of a party in there," cabin owner Even Borthen Nilsen told NRK. "The cabin has the stench of a right old piss up, trash and bears."
The bear family is believed to have ripped a wall off of the cabin to gain entry, The Local.no reported.
"The entire cabin was destroyed," Nilsen told the local Finnmarken.no daily.
"The beds and all kitchen appliances, stove, oven and cupboards and shelves were all smashed to pieces," Nilsen said, adding his mother and grandmother made the discovery when they arrived at the cabin in Jarfjord.
The bears also consumed every morsel in the cabin, including marshmallows, honey and chocolate spread.
Nilsen fears the bears' pay dirt could lead them to return to the area.
"The mother has taken her young there, thus there is no guarantee that it won't happen to other cabins or to our hut again," he said.
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CreepyOldGuy
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Re: Animals in the News...
« Reply #198 on: Aug 11th, 2012, 7:56am » |
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Sounds like it's time to party with some bears! 
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"Stand and fight, live by your heart
Always one more try, I'm not afraid to die!
Stand and fight, say what you feel
Born with a heart of steel!"
*********************
Manowar - Heart of Steel 1988
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riada
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Re: Animals in the News...
« Reply #199 on: Aug 17th, 2012, 12:03am » |
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Driver swerves to avoid moose, hits bear instead
.OSLO, Norway — A Norwegian driver who swerved his car on a rural road to avoid running into a moose hit a bear instead, authorities said on Thursday.
The driver spotted the moose on a country road near Hanestad, 225 kilometers (140 miles) north of Oslo, around midnight on Wednesday, and tried to go around the animal, not realizing that a bear was also nearby.
The driver had lost a bit of speed as he tried to avoid the moose before hitting the bear," said Svein Erik Bjorke of the local wildlife authority, who was out in the forest searching for the wounded animal.
"We are currently tracking the bear and we have found traces of blood indicating internal injuries," he said.
The driver escaped uninjured while his car suffered some damage.
Norway's rugged mountains are sparsely populated and full of wildlife. The country, nearly the size of Germany but home to just 5 million people, has around 100,000 moose and 150 brown bears, authorities said.
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How red the rose leaves fall—
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CreepyOldGuy
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Re: Animals in the News...
« Reply #200 on: Aug 18th, 2012, 8:36am » |
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Time to drive a little slower, perhaps? 
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"Stand and fight, live by your heart
Always one more try, I'm not afraid to die!
Stand and fight, say what you feel
Born with a heart of steel!"
*********************
Manowar - Heart of Steel 1988
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riada
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Re: Animals in the News...
« Reply #201 on: Jan 26th, 2013, 11:48pm » |
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Worms: A Zimbabwe snack, from tree to dinner table
GWANDA, Zimbabwe, Thu Jan 24, 11:51 PM
In Zimbabwe, mopane worms are a staple part of the diet in rural areas and are considered a delicacy in the cities. They can be eaten dry, as crunchy as potato chips, or cooked and drenched in sauce. When harvest season for the worms began recently, I decided to document the process, and I found it somewhat stomach-turning. But the worms can be mighty tasty and they're very nutritious. Here's the scoop on mopane worms.
THE MOPANE WORM
The worm is the large caterpillar of the Gonimbrasia belina species, commonly called the emperor moth. It's called a mopane worm because it feeds on the leaves of mopane trees after it hatches in summer. It has also burrowed into literature, finding its way, for example, into the pages of Alexander McCall Smith's series about The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, set in neighboring Botswana. At least one of the characters munches on dried mopane worms.
THE HARVEST
After six weeks of rain, the mopane worms cling to mopane trees in rural Gwanda, an arid cattle-ranching area in southern Zimbabwe. Amanda Ncube normally fetches firewood to sell and looks after the family cattle, but when it's worm-harvesting season she joins other women and a few men in collecting the worms and piling them into buckets. The worms are as long as a hand and as thick as a cigar. Ncube carefully plucks them from the lower branches before climbing partway up the tree to shake off the higher worms. The more stubborn ones are pried loose with a long stick. The worms excrete a brown liquid once they make contact with skin, leaving the pickers' hands wet and slippery. As they harvest the worms, the women and men move from one tree to another until their buckets are full. A thick slimy green fluid comes out as Ncube carefully squeezes out the entrails from a mopane worm she has just plucked from a tree. During harvest season, the porches of mud-walled homes are covered with thousands of worms, laid out to dry in the hot sun.
THE MARKET
At the local market, mopane worms are popular with residents who buy a cup or two of them and eat them immediately. The market is abuzz with activity, with most stalls strategically displaying the delicacy so people cannot miss them. Vendors offer free samples. The mopane worms are graded according to size and the area where they were harvested. Picky buyers ask about their provenance before buying, favoring worms from one district over another because of barely discernible - at least to all but the connoisseurs - differences in taste.
HIGH PROTEIN
The mopane worm is a healthful and cheap source of nutrition.
A Zimbabwean nutritionist, Marlon Chidemo, says the worms are high in healthy nutrients and contain three times the amount of protein as beef. He says eating worms is less taxing on the environment than consuming beef because it takes far fewer leaves to produce worms than it does feed to produce the same amount of beef.
WORMY BUSINESS
Dried mopane worms have become a multimillion-dollar industry, even exported to countries like South Africa and Botswana. They can be found in African restaurants in Paris.
PREPARATION
Once they've been dried out, they can be eaten straight away. They can also be cooked in a spicy or peanut butter sauce and served with pap, a maize porridge.
Having grown up eating the mopane worms, I have never had the opportunity to see how they harvest and prepare them until now. While the process is rather disgusting, the worm can be a pleasure to eat as a starter or a side dish. The taste is reminiscent of salty potato chips. Malawi's first President Hastings Kamuzu Banda preferred his just like that, simply dried and then eaten as a snack like chips. Banda was known for carrying around pocketsful of worms that he would also offer to children.
A RECIPE
Here is a Congolese recipe that AP's special Africa correspondent Michelle Faul describes as "one of the tastiest" for mopane worms.
Mopani Worms for four people.
Ingredients: 500 grams dried mopane worms; three tomatoes, diced or 1 can of tomatoes; two onions, diced; 1/2 teaspoon turmeric; three fresh green chilies, finely chopped; three cloves of garlic, finely chopped; tablespoon of fresh ginger, finely chopped. Soak dried worms in water for 3-4 hours to reconstitute. Fry onions in groundnut oil on medium heat until translucent. Add turmeric, chilies, garlic and ginger. Fry for about five minutes. Add tomatoes and cook on low for about 20 minutes until spices are well blended. Add drained worms and cook until they have softened a bit but still are a little crunchy. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve with pap, called sadza in Zimbabwe. Enjoy.
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riada
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Re: Animals in the News...
« Reply #202 on: Feb 3rd, 2013, 11:48pm » |
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Cannonball! Fat cat goes swimming to shed pounds
Holly, a 13-year-old cat who weighs 18 pounds, has been swimming in the pool at the Olde Towne Pet Resort in Dulles, Va., in an attempt to lose weight.
The owner of Holly the cat is hoping some regular exercise in a swimming pool might help change the hefty feline's favorite show from "Maury'' to "The Biggest Loser.''
Weighing in at 18 pounds, the 13-year-old cat has been taking regular swims since May of last year at the Olde Towne Pet Resort in Dulles, Va., while wearing a life vest. The pool is usually only used by dogs for exercise, mobility and therapy, but Holly has joined the action and occasionally shows the dogs how it's done by kitty-paddling.
"It's the only physical activity this cat has,'' Olde Towne publicist Mayra Ruiz-McPherson told TODAY.com. "Otherwise, she is a one thousand percent couch potato.''
Holly's owner and Olde Towne employee Dani Lawhorne was trying to figure out a way to get her obese kitty some activity when she gave the pool a try.
"It was more an experiment than anything,'' Ruiz-McPherson said. "(Lawhorne) saw that the cat didn't get too upset when she gave it baths, so she thought, 'I wonder what would happen if I placed her in the pool?'"
Holly's owner is hoping the cat can drop six or seven pounds to get down to a healthy weight from her current 18 pounds.
The cat comes to the pool about every other week, according to Ruiz-McPherson. The rest of the time, she enjoys watching Maury Povich's daytime talk show and moving as little as possible.
"When I was talking to the owner, she said what the cat loves to do is lay in blankets all day long and watch TV, and her favorite show is when Maury Povich does the paternity test,'' Ruiz-McPherson said.
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Obie the obese dachshund is at the center of custody battle
Who exactly should be taking care of a morbidly obese dachshund named Obie? A judge in Oregon may make that decision.
Obie's foster mom Nora Vanatta says he's down to 62 pounds today, from 77 in August. Obie is at the center of a doggie custody battle between his foster mom, Nora Vanatta, and the woman who runs the dachshund rescue organization that originally saved him, Jenell Rangan. Vanatta wants to keep Obie, and Rangan wants him back.
Their once-cooperative relationship disintegrated in recent weeks as Obie skyrocketed to fame on television and the Internet. The matter has become so contentious that a hearing about Obie’s fate is set for Monday in Washington County Circuit Court.
Back in August, Obie was so astonishingly overweight that he could barely move. The 5-year-old dog weighed 77 pounds, and the elderly couple who owned him in Puyallup, Wash., relinquished him because they realized they could no longer care for him. Rangan’s organization, Portland-based Oregon Dachshund Rescue, stepped in and offered to care for the rotund pup.
Rangan herself was overwhelmed caring for her elderly father at that time, so she sent out a call for a volunteer who might be able to provide a temporary foster home for a severely overweight dachshund. Vanatta offered to help — and was astounded when she saw Obie in person for the first time.
“I had no idea what to expect,” Vanatta posted on Facebook in late August. “I thought a basset hound would show up. ... Well, he arrived Saturday, Aug. 18 and to my astonishment he IS a dachshund and he actually weighs 77 pounds.
“He is extremely sweet and loving,” Vanatta continued. “He was obviously loved and is a joy to work with.”
Vanatta created a Facebook page for Obie and called it “Biggest Loser, Doxie Edition.” As she posted oodles of irresistible photos of Obie and chronicled his weight-loss regimen, support came pouring in from dachshund lovers in more than 20 countries. Hundreds wrote messages of encouragement, and many made monetary donations toward Obie’s care.
Before long, Obie became a media darling, and made an in-studio appearance on TODAY in New York on Sept. 12.
During her TODAY appearance with Obie, Vanatta told Al Roker that she expected to spend at least a year helping Obie slim down.
“We are putting him on a high-protein, high-fiber, low-energy diet,” Vanatta told Roker. “Our goal is 1 percent weight loss a week. So far he’s lost about 2 pounds a week, which is perfect.”
Vanatta brought Obie to New York in September and appeared on TODAY with Al Roker and veterinarian Dr. Andrew Kaplan. Meanwhile, back in Oregon, Rangan was growing increasingly frustrated with Vanatta’s care of Obie. She didn’t think the dog was healthy enough to be traveling across the continent for media appearances.
In a complaint filed Tuesday in Washington County Circuit Court, Oregon Dachshund Rescue alleges that Vanatta, a former veterinary technician, has not been providing Obie with proper veterinary care for his obesity. Instead, the rescue organization says Vanatta has been “exploiting the dog for the sensationalistic promotional value of its unusual obesity” and “earning money off of the dog’s public exhibition.” The complaint seeks the immediate return of Obie to Rangan.
Vanatta has turned to her thousands of supporters online in advance of Monday’s court hearing. As of Friday morning, an online petition asking Rangan “stop fighting to take Obie away from his home” had almost 12,000 supporters.
In a status update on Obie’s Facebook page, Vanatta described the way Obie has bonded with her and her two other dogs, a 9-year-old black Labrador retriever and a 5-year-old dachshund.
“It is very upsetting that Jenell is using doxie-saving money to take him away from me,” Vanatta wrote. “She clearly doesn’t have his best interest in mind and is only interested in him now that he is famous.
“I am going to fight for (Obie) and I need your continued support. I am not in a position to spend money on a lawyer but it is just not right to make Obie adjust to a new home now. I am asking for your continued support to help Obie stay with me.”
FOLLOW-UP:
After months of back and forth in a doggie custody battle, Obie the obese dachshund finally has a permanent home. Foster mom Nora Vanatta will get to keep the portly pooch, whom she’s helped diet down from 77 pounds to a healthier 49.
“Everybody is thrilled,” Vanatta told TODAY.com. “It’s time to move on and focus on Obie, continuing our message and his journey.”
Vanatta said she reached a settlement in the case on Wednesday, just a few months after Washington County Circuit Court in Oregon allowed her to keep caring for Obie until the dispute could be resolved. That October decision denied a request to return Obie to Oregon Dachshund Rescue’s founder Jenell Rangan.
The saga started when Portland-based Oregon Dachshund Rescue let Vanatta give the morbidly obese Obie a temporary foster home. But after Obie became an Internet sensation with a much "liked" Facebook page and an appearance on TODAY, Oregon Dachshund Rescue filed a complaint claiming that Vanatta had been “exploiting the dog for the sensationalistic promotional value of its unusual obesity.”
Obie’s (former) foster mom said Thursday that she couldn’t share specific details of the settlement. Rangan of Oregon Dachshund Rescue confirmed that the settlement took place.
"We're both going our own ways, but that's OK," Rangan told TODAY.com "That's what we needed."
Vanatta said she's eager to put the legal battle behind her.
“We’re really excited to move on,” she said with a laugh. “I don’t want to put more time and energy into that.”
So what’s next for Obie? According to Vanatta, skin-reduction surgery and a little community service.
“He’s so great with people,” she said. “I’m hoping to get him out to meet with kids and educate people on obesity prevention.”
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CreepyOldGuy
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Re: Animals in the News...
« Reply #203 on: Feb 11th, 2013, 7:09pm » |
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Poor fat doggie! I hope he regains use of his vestigal limbs soon, lol!
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"Stand and fight, live by your heart
Always one more try, I'm not afraid to die!
Stand and fight, say what you feel
Born with a heart of steel!"
*********************
Manowar - Heart of Steel 1988
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LionelTrainGuy
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Re: Animals in the News...
« Reply #204 on: Feb 13th, 2013, 9:18pm » |
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poor little dog...he's a cutie though!!
i hope for the best.
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my whole world is falling, going crazy
there is no escaping now I'm crackin' up
my front porch light is on but the bulb has burned out.
Greetings from beautiful downtown Riverside, New Jersey!!!
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riada
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Re: Animals in the News...
« Reply #205 on: Mar 18th, 2013, 10:57pm » |
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Fat cat in Texas now slims down, adopted by vet
An obese stray cat found wandering six months ago near Dallas has slimmed down to 34 pounds and been adopted by the veterinarian overseeing his care.
Dr. Brittney Barton said Friday that the orange tabby dubbed Skinny is doing well on a special diet to help lose weight and increase his metabolism.
Barton says she became attached to the onetime 41-pound cat she was treating at an animal orphanage and last month he became part of her family. Skinny joins Barton's husband, three children, a dog and another cat at her home.
Barton says Skinny gets along great with the other animals, can jump up on a couch and runs to his food bag at feeding time. She says the house has long hallways that provide good exercise for Skinny
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How red the rose leaves fall—
Fall and like blood remain
Upon the dial's disc, whose pedestal,
Black-mossed and dark with stain,
Crumbles in sun and rain.
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riada
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Re: Animals in the News...
« Reply #206 on: May 2nd, 2013, 10:56pm » |
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Obie, the overweight dachshund Update:
2 pounds of loose skin removed from fat Oregon dog
PORTLAND, Ore., Thu May 02, 10:10 AM
Obie the formerly obese dachshund is recovering after surgery at an Oregon veterinary clinic that removed 2 1/2 pounds of loose skin.
Owner Nora Vanatta told KGW (http://bit.ly/YdQvgy ) the surgery this week at the Emergency Veterinary Clinic of Tualatin went well.
The loose skin was dragging after the dog lost 40 pounds in eight months on a diet. Obie had weighed 77 pounds. He was down to 37 before the surgery. He now weighs about 35 pounds and Vanatta wants him to lose about 5 more.
Obie fans have been following his weight loss on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/BiggestLoserDoxieEdition .
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How red the rose leaves fall—
Fall and like blood remain
Upon the dial's disc, whose pedestal,
Black-mossed and dark with stain,
Crumbles in sun and rain.
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