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  Aqua Goes Crazy

Aqua, went absolutely berserk and attacked his owner, Marta Hevia. Marta, 52 years of age, was exiting her bathroom when Aqua suddenly started attacking her. He started biting her knee and clawing her arm. Marta has no idea what made the 2 year old tuxedo colored cat go off its rocker. Marta called the police for help. She feared her pet was trying to kill her. He kept coming at her over and over again.

 The Police Arrive

When the police got there, they tried to catch Aqua. Cats as we all know are not easy to catch. They are use to running and jumping from spot to spot and are very good at avoiding capture. When the police were getting close to where Aqua likes to hide, a location under a bedroom nightstand, he jumped through a glass window to get away. The police officers were stunned. One mentioned he had never before seen a cat do that.

Aqua is Very Quick

Aqua is just like any other 2 year old cat. He is fast and if doesn’t want to get caught, he most likely won’t. It’s really hard to trick a cat. As I said, he most likely won’t get caught, but a cat just like a crook running from the law can make a mistake. They may not see the person standing off in the distance as another person is coming at them. Moving in the wrong direction or making a mistake can lead to their capture. That it did with Aqua. He did get caught and was placed in a cage in the end. What got into Aqua, no one knows. Marta mentioned that her female cat is in heat, but Aqua is fixed, so it shouldn’t be male hormones going crazy. She finally said that maybe it was her perfume. I don’t know if she has changed type or not, but if she did, don’t wear that kind around men. If it does that to a cat, what would it do to a man?

What would you do?

As Michael Schuler went up Deer Mountain, he did have a bit of a scare. At first he wasn’t quite sure of what he was seeing. He was approaching the summit of Deer Mountain when he spied what he thought to be a human possibly frozen in the snow, possibly dead. I am sure he felt quivers of fear of what he could be finding once he reached the object in the snow. As he did get closer, he realize that it was not a human he was seeing. It was an animal. Now his main concern was what type of animal was it. The hair was matted with snow and the head of the animal was caught in a jar.

Michael Gets a Closer Look

Michael could tell the animal wasn’t a marten. His next thoughts were that it was a wolverine or a bear cub. He was hoping for the last mentioned. A wolverine once released would be life-threatening, but a bear cub would only be frightened. If it was a wolverine, it may well lash out at him once he pulled the jar off.

One Lucky Bear Cub

Luckily it was a bear cub. The cub was lucky in two ways even though it was unlucky at getting its head caught in the jar. Michael needed to go up on Deer Mountain that day to observe and do some avalanche tests. Since it was such a beautiful day, he had decided to venture further up the mountain to the summit. His dog Josie was running along with him. He was only about 10 feet from the summit of the mountain when he found the bear cub. He then pulled the plastic jar off the small cubs head and the lucky baby was given more time to roam this earth. Had Michael not found the cub, it would have frozen to death. No idea at this time how long the cub had already been lying there or if it’s mother was somewhere close by. People who hike the mountains or live near where animals roam, need to rinse out empty jars so as not to attract the wild animals. Peanut butter jars are ones they really like to try and lick out the tasty leftovers from. More than likely this is what the baby cub had been doing. Trying to get a snack. A snack that almost took its life.

Scarlet returns

Scarlet, a parrot that had been missing for almost two days, has returned home. Some how the parrot located its 9 year old owner, Shannon at her school during her lunch break. Shannon was outside during her break on the playground when suddenly Scarlet flew up and landed on her shoulder.Shannon was close to crying she was so happy to see Scarlet again.

Two days ago

It was almost two days prior, on Saturday, that Scarlet had managed to get out of her cage at the Underhill’s home in Laleston. The Underhill’s home is a quarter of a mile away from the Llangewydd Junior School where Shannon attends. We know homing pigeons can find their way back home, do all birds have this ability? Or was it just a coincidence that Scarlet located Shannon outside in her school yard and recognize her. Are birds a bit like dogs that no matter how far from home they go, they seem to always find their way back?

Quite a surprise

Scarlet is also able to talk. When she landed on Shannon, a teacher seeing the commotion came over to check things out. Scarlet asked her,”do you want a kiss?” I can only imagine the teachers surprised look upon her face. Shannon’s father was notified by the school that their 4 year old bird had returned. When Scarlet first saw Mark, Shannon’s father, she was happy to see him and said,”hello daddy.” With Scarlet having been gone for over 24 hours, the family did not really think she would be back. It was quite a surprise that she did return, and that she found Shannon at the school yard. The school administrative officer, Charlotte Jury said, “I like to think she wanted to go home, and she found Shannon – the person who could take her there.”

The Red Fire Ant or the RIFA

A reddish brown colored ant that was brought into our country from South America. There are 6 different types of fire ants living in the United States that we are aware of. 3 of the species are located in Arizona. The ones in Arizona are called the southern fire ant and the other two species are referred to as desert fire ants. The are refereed to in shorts as the, RIFA. The RIFA are found along the states that border the states, New Mexico and California. At one time, they found one close to Yuma, Arizona but it was quickly killed.

Pesky sting that burns really bad

The RIFA is a small ant but very aggressive. Their sting injects a fluid that is very painful and itches. In some people a rash develops in the sting area that requires medical treatment. Of the 5 million people stung yearly in the US, as many as 25,000 require medical care. If you run across a RIFA mound, and disturb it in any way, you will be under attack. The worker RIFA will immediately start flowing out of the mound attacking anything in their way. They will climb up your body pinching the skin and stinging you each time you move. Not just one sting happens at a time, there are possibly hundreds of the RIFA workers and they all work together stinging you over and over again. Being stung can cause health problems for people.

Incredibly strong

The fire ant is able to carry loads that weigh 10 times more than their own weight. That is like an average human male lifting a one ton truck. They are also very organized and hard workers. Now you would think that would mean they are male ants, but no, they are females. All worker ants are females. They are very good at team work. They are a good example of a productive form of teamwork we could all learn from.

Samantha the gorilla

Samantha is a 47 year old gorilla who has been living an isolated life for 7 years. Even when a male gorilla was in the enclosure with her, they didn’t really have much interaction with each other. Rudy, the male gorilla passed away in 2005 leaving Samantha alone. The zoo in Erie decided to introduce her to Panda this past February. They felt Samantha needed some company. Panda is still a youngster, a boy with a love for carrots, he is a Dutch rabbit. I am guessing he got his name from his panda like coloration.

She needs a friend

The officials felt Samantha was leading too solitary of a life. She needed to have interaction with another presence just like we need company in our lives too. Samantha’s age was a factor for not bringing another gorilla into the enclosure. That could have proven to be dangerous for Samantha who really prefers the company of humans. She was raised by humans and that tends to make her a bit shy of other gorillas. Instead of a gorilla pal, the zoo officials decided to introduce her to Panda. With Samantha being a bit fragile and aged, Panda is no threat to her. He serves only as her friend. Together they can safely interact, sharing food, water, and a spot on the rock it seems.

Introducing Panda and Samantha

The zoo didn’t just put Panda in the enclosure and walk away. They took it slow. Letting Samantha inspect Panda a bit as they held onto him. Placing him close by her enclosure at night so that Samantha could get use to his presence and smell. They also worked with Panda letting him in Samantha’s enclosure when she wasn’t around. This enabled him to investigate and start feeling at home in the enclosure. Then they put them in together. The rabbit had his own emergency exit just in case the relationship was totally wrong and he needed to get out fast. The result of the introduction has worked out great. Sam has accepted Panda. Shares food with him and she pets him very softly. It has turned out to be a great relationship. No escape hatch is needed.

Dogs typically hate bathes

My dog, a West Highland Terrier, hates his bathes. If he even thinks he is going to get a bath, he takes off running the opposite way. I use a laundry tub. It’s not a bad way to get a bath. Not as nice as this dog in the video who is taking a shower. I put him into nice warm water. I would love to have a shower head like that to use on my dog. I did have a small dog when I was younger that always hopped in the shower with me. Some dogs do like water.

They run away as soon as you mention the word, “bath”

Most dogs do not like bathes. They will do anything they can to get out of getting one. When I carry mine downstairs and put him on the floor for a bit while I get the big laundry tub ready. He keeps his distance thinking he can get away from me when it’s time. Once the tub is ready and I turn off the water, he heads back to the furnace area. Then it becomes a game of catch me if you can. I did once leave the water running in the tub and had an over flow while I tried to catch him. He knows he is going to get caught and get his bath. I don’t know why he doesn’t just sit there and let me pick him up when it’s time.

This dog seems to be enjoying it

The dog in the video only discomfort is when the shower is up above his head and he is trying to look up. No one, dog or human likes to look straight up into down falling rain or shower water. The dog is very well behaved. Just sits there and lets his owner scrub him down and then do a close up rinse. I think the dog actually likes taking a shower. They called it a depressing one, but if it was, I think he would have been howling

Cats found in condemned Indiana home

This almost sounds like a case of hoarding. Where we see people are so obsessed with items that they just cannot throw anything away. This is different. These are lives that the people were taking responsibility for. Did they honor their commitment to these cats that they took in? Maybe they gave them a warm dry place to live. I hope they fed them. We haven’t heard any horror stories about them starving, but they don’t always tell every thing. What we are concerned with, is were the cats happy?

House was full of feces

From the sounds of the situation, the cats were most likely not happy. Cats like loose dirt or litter boxes to do their needs in. Animal Control people who entered the home found feces everywhere. Fire fighters who entered the home had to wear air tanks and protective clothing because of the mess and the horrible odor. The residents had moved out of the home a year ago. They did continue to pay rent and utilities. I don’t know if this included heat or only electric. They did provide housing for these cats but not the love and cleanliness that cats need.

Close to 70 cats rescued

To some this may not seem the cats were rescued. The residents already thought they had done that. The cats were found running around the neighborhood and the people just took them in. Took them out of the cold and into a home. I do find it strange to be able to find that many cats running stray in the area. I know we have stray cats, live in a neighborhood, but not nearly that many. I wonder how many were kittens that were born in the house and had never been outside. The prior residents of the house are possibly going to be fined or face charges. The ones hurt in all of this are the cats. What is to happen to them. It’s hard to find homes for cats. There are so many and most people want a kitten.

The Pride awaits

The lions quietly awaited the buffalo to approach along the side of the lake. They blend in with their surrounding. Watching the unknowing buffalo walking right into their pride. It all happened in the Krugar National Park located in the southern part of Africa.

The Capture

As the buffalo approach, one sees the lions and turns about to run. The lions are geared up and ready for the fight about to come. They are hungry and food has arrived. A baby buffalo is amongst the herd. As the herd is running from the pride, the baby proves to be an easy catch. They always seem to capture the weaker of the herds. The babies are often caught. The baby is defenseless against the pride of lions. It falls into the water only then to be attacked from behind by a crocodile. How much pain must this poor baby endure upon its death. The lions then play tug of war with the crocodile which eventually looses as the lions pull the baby upon the ground.

The Unexpected

The lions crowd around and start doing the death kill on the baby who has managed to still be alive. As the lions are so absorbed in the kill, they don’t notice the herd of buffalo returning to save the baby. I have never experienced such a amazing effort by animals to prevent the death of one of their own. They catch the lions attention. Then they began to attack the lions. One actually picked up a lion with its horns and threw it. The lion had to be hurt a bit. The rest of the herd starts chasing at the lions. They are determined to get that baby back. One lion seemed to be still intent on trying to kill the baby, but also is chased off by a buffalo before it can do the final kill bite. The baby returned to the herd. It isn’t known if it survived or not.

A Hero

The dog is a hero, there is no doubt about that. She is a small dog but took on a big job when she saw the young girls were in danger. Kabang, the dogs name, put herself in a life and death situation. She dove into the path of the on coming motorcycle as it was close to running into the two girls. The log lives with her family in Zamboanga City, Philippines. It happened in December. The two girls are cousins. Dina Bunggal who is 11 and Princess Diansign who is only 3 years old.

They were out walking.

The two girls were out walking along the Nunez Extension. They did not see the motorcycle that was coming right at them. Kabang, did see it. A dog is very devoted to its family and typically will let them come to no harm. That is what Kabang did that day in December. She risked her own life to save the lives of these two girls. The girls fell but weren’t harmed. The rider did get a few bruises but nothing serious.

Kabang lands in front of motorcycle

Kabang must have been trying to stop the motorcycle. Or at least trying to get the rider to see what was about to happen. She threw herself in front of the bike to keep it from hitting the two girls. Kaband landed right on the front wheel of the bike. She did manage to stop the bike, but in the process her nose got caught in the wheel. As a result, little Kabang no longer has a good deal of her snout left. She lost the top piece of her jaw and face. She is under the care of a veterinarian. Kabang has learned to use her paws to help her eat. She has not let the accident stop her from doing what she loves to do. She is already back up on her feet and playing with Dina and Princess. I do hope that maybe there will be some kind of help offered to rebuild this dogs jaw and let her return to a normal life. She deserves it.

What is an Emu?

An Emu is a bird that can not fly. It is the 2nd biggest bird in the world. Only the Ostrich is bigger. They are very fast at running reaching speeds of 50kph. When they run, the have a bit of a bounce along with a swaying type movement. The are typically wandering birds. The adult Emu has lengthy, thick droopy feathers. Their color is a grayish brown and they look unkempt.Their legs are long, which helps them to run at top speeds and they are 6.6 feet in height and weigh as much as 45 kg. The female Emu is bigger than the male. They have rather big bright eyes and many times a blue throat. On the Emu’s head, there are short, downy type feathers along with a pointy beak. The Emus live in Australia in all areas except the rain forests .

What do they eat?

An Emu eats mostly green pastures. They eat grass, flowers, different types of seeds, and some bugs such as grasshoppers. They aren’t big drinkers and try to make it to the water hole two times a day to drink.

Predators

When the Emu is young, they have to be protected from dingos, eagles, dogs, cats and foxes that have come from areas other than Australia. The eggs of the Emu are desired by lizards. When hatched, that babies bodies are covered with brown and black stripes going from their heads to their tales. Their heads are spotted. While still in the eggs, the young Emu’s are sat on by their father for 8 weeks. The dad usually never leaves the nest unattended during this time. He doesn’t eat, but before the eggs are layed, the father builds up layers of fat to help him through the incubation time. After the eggs hatch, the babies are still cared for by their father for about 6 to 9 months. An Emu can live as long as 10 to 20 years in the wild.

Emu on the loose in Vermont

This Emu is very out of place. Since an Emu as we stated above is very fast, it is going to be very hard to capture it. The people living in the area are not bothered by it’s being on the loose, they are actually amused by all of it. The Emu has been seen wandering near schools and a principals office window in the Grand Isle and South Hero area. The bird escaped form the farm it lives on about 5 weeks ago. The owner of the Emu had purchased 3 Emu’s for his grandchildren but later discovered that they don’t make very good pets. In fact, there is an ad placed by him in the newspaper saying that the Emu is free to whoever can catch it.