"A bear attacked and killed its caretaker at the home of a man who kept a menagerie of dangerous, exotic beasts and ran afoul of animal regulators a few years ago by staging wrestling matches between bears and humans....
An exhibition “wrestling match’’ in 2006 involving employee Lance Palmer and another bear owned by Sam Mazzola. (Jamie-Andrea Yanak/Associated Press/File)
I guess there is no accounting for the level of idiocy in AmeriKa.
--more--"
Related: Bear that killed caretaker euthanized
Also see: Boston Globe Fight Night
I'd rather see that.
So what other animals did he have on the farm?
"Abused animals found at 2 farms; Five arrested in Westport raid; police suspect commercial use" by Brian R. Ballou, Globe Staff | August 13, 2010
Incessant animal yelps and the putrid smell of burnt trash permeated the heavily wooded Westport neighborhood, prompting residents of Shannon Drive and Jillian Way to call police, authorities said.
Late last month, officials obtained search warrants for tenant farms at 465 and 449 American Legion Highway and found numerous malnourished dogs left to wallow in their feces, cattle suffering from open wounds in rat-infested shanties, several dead calves, and other indications of animal abuse....
Westport police Detective Jeff Majewski said most of those arrested know one another and are members of the same church, which he did not specify....
--more--""Animals living in ‘squalor’ of Westport lot" by Travis Andersen, Globe Staff | July 16, 2010
Westport police Detective Jeff Majewski said a hog and two cattle were found dead with flies on them. A tenant told police that the animals had been dead for several days, Majewski said.
He said no criminal charges have been filed.
“Unfortunately, the way the law is worded with regard to [animal cruelty], as deplorable as it is, these people are meeting the most minimum of requirements,’’ he said.
He said Medeiros told him the animals had been slaughtered for an upcoming feast and that many of the tenants belong to the same organization. He added that neighbors have heard animals “screaming at night.’’
“The shocking part of all of this is that most of the tenants felt that they were taking good care of their animals,’’ he said....
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Can't you hear the barking?
"Gray wolf protected again in Idaho, Mont." by Kari Lydersen, Washington Post | August 22, 2010
WASHINGTON — The gray wolf will have federal protection again in Montana and Idaho, much to the ire of ranchers and hunters who say the animals kill too much livestock and game....
Opponents of the listing are directing their anger at Wyoming....
“Unfortunately we’re not in a position to reward [Montana and Idaho] for their responsible behavior, because Wyoming is the outlier,’’ said Tom Strickland, assistant interior secretary for fish, wildlife, and parks.
Yeah, nothing like COLLECTIVE PUNISHMENT for states here in the U.S.
This government ever been hanging around Israel WAAAAAAYYYY too much!
Montana and Idaho officials, legislators, and ranching groups say they will seek to reverse the ruling by US District Judge Donald Molloy and will pressure Wyoming to change its policy.
But the Wyoming wildlife agency and Governor Dave Freudenthal say they don’t plan to revise the state’s wolf policy, which the federal listing overrides.Yeah, states rights is a thing of the past.
A Wyoming Game and Fish Department spokesman said wolves should be considered predators that can be shot at will in the nine-tenths of the state that is largely agricultural land....
Northern Rockies gray wolves were delisted in 2007. (US Fish And Wildlife Service)
--more--"Okay, let me put the cat out and throw out the trash before settling in for the evening:
"Keep the family cat indoors: that is the message from MassWildlife to residents in cities and towns around Boston after a recent spike in reports of fisher sightings.
Okay, get back in here, kitty.
--more--"
Let me just throw out the garbage then.
"Bear incidents attributed to food scarcity
Bear biologists said a scarcity of natural food is driving hungry black bears to dumps, campground trash bins, and even homes. Fish and Game Colonel Martin Garabedian said many bear complaints are coming from the White Mountains, where black bears are most common. The state’s bear project leader, Andy Timmins, told the New Hampshire Union Leader that the problem has everything to do with food. Biologists said there were late frosts this year and bears are foraging now, waiting for blackberries to ripen (AP)."
What, in the AGE of GLOBAL WARMING and the HOTTEST YEAR on record?
Pffft!
"Bear hidden in dumpster slashes N.H. man; Victim escapes with 16 stitches" by Jeffrey Fish, Globe Correspondent | August 25, 2010
A New Hampshire man got a dangerous surprise when he tossed a bag of trash into the dumpster outside his apartment Sunday night: He startled a large black bear, which slashed his arm before it escaped....
The bear’s head and left forepaw popped out of the dumpster, and the bear swiped Jeff Allard’s arm, leaving three 5-inch scratches, one of which needed stitches, Allard said yesterday.
“He came out with a really loud roar, swinging,’’ Allard said. “His nose and mine were probably no more than 12 to 16 inches apart.’’
Allard scrambled backward to dodge the bear and, after regaining his footing, took out a pistol he carries for self-defense.
So much for the gun control.
Allard said his adrenaline was flowing and “the urge to shoot was incredibly strong,’’ but he realized the bear did not intend any harm. He said the bear looked at him as if it were saying, “Don’t shoot me.’’
The bear took several minutes to squeeze its way out of the bin, Allard said....
Allard said that his mother, who lives in a nearby apartment, had heard the sound of metal smashing against metal a few nights before, which he guessed was the bear rummaging through the dumpster.
Related: The Boston Globe Dines on Garbage
Yeah, maybe DUMPSTER DIVING is NOT SUCH a GOOD IDEA, you insulting piece of....
The dumpster had a metal lid with a latch designed to prevent access by pests. The bear was able to break the latch and climb into the dumpster but had more difficulty getting out because a metal bar prevents the lid from opening all the way, according to Allard....
Allard considers himself lucky that he sustained only minor injuries.
I would agree.
“Had [the bear swiped] 6 inches to the left, it would’ve been the side of my throat, and if it were an inch deeper, it would’ve hit an artery,’’ he said. “It could have been a lot worse.’’
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Maybe I should wait until morning.
