“Experts: Gators in northern waters probably pets - Tacoma News Tribune” plus 3 more |
- Experts: Gators in northern waters probably pets - Tacoma News Tribune
- Tips to keep pets cool in hot weather - San Jose Mercury News
- Pets should be under control and in appropriate locations: Parma Sun Post Letter to ... - Cleveland Plain Dealer
- Iowa woman gets probation for pet-damaged house - Pioneer Press
| Experts: Gators in northern waters probably pets - Tacoma News Tribune Posted: 24 Aug 2010 03:09 PM PDT Two gators in the Chicago River. One strolling down a Massachusetts street. Another in bustling New York City. And that's just in the past few weeks. CHICAGO – Two gators in the Chicago River. One strolling down a Massachusetts street. Another in bustling New York City. And that's just in the past few weeks. From North Dakota to Indiana, alligators are showing up far from their traditional southern habitats - including a 3-footer captured Tuesday in the Chicago River. But experts say it's not the latest sign of global warming. Instead the creatures almost certainly were pets that escaped or were dumped by their owners. "People buy them as pets and then they get too big and at some point they decide they just can't deal with it," said Kent Vliet, an alligator expert from the University of Florida who tracks media reports about the reptiles. In the past three years, he said, there have been at least 100 instances of alligators showing up in more than 15 states where they're not native. North Carolina is the farthest north that alligators are found naturally, Vliet said. A 3-foot-long, collar-wearing alligator was found Sunday strolling down a street in Brockton, Mass. On Monday, a 2-foot-long gator was spotted under a car in New York City. In fact, since spring, gators also have been found in Fargo, N.D., eastern Missouri, upstate New York, rural Indiana, Ohio and a Detroit suburb. After being spotted by boaters on Sunday, Chicago's rogue gator drew scores of gawkers to the banks of the river. It peered from the water at the people staring back through binoculars, and swam away when a duck got too close. "It's not scary," 8-year-old Caleb Berry said Monday. "It was a baby and it wasn't eating anything." The alligator eluded capture and apparently ignored traps baited with raw chicken until Tuesday, when a volunteer from the Chicago Herpetological Society was able to snare it with a net. Three weeks ago, the volunteer captured a 2 1/2-foot gator in the same area. Vliet said such small alligators don't pose much of a threat to humans - preferring to dine on fish, snails, crayfish, frogs and small snakes - though they probably would bite if handled. "It's not like it's going to hunt you down," he said. The greater risk is to the reptiles, which probably wouldn't survive long in northern climates, experts said. "The animal is going to die a slow death," said Franklin Percival, a wildlife biologist for the U.S. Geological Survey in Florida who says alligators most often are abandoned when they reach 3 feet or so and "people wonder why they made the early decision" to buy them. "Ecologically, it's not responsible and maybe ethically it is not a good idea, either," Percival said. Alligators can be kept as pets in some states as long as the owner gets the proper permits, though some municipalities - like New York City - ban them outright. Illinois stopped issuing such permits three years ago because of problems with illegal ownership and people releasing unwanted pets, said Joe Kath, endangered species manager for the state Department of Natural Resources. Cherie Travis, executive director of Chicago Animal Care and Control, said owning an alligator is a bad idea. "No one in Illinois needs to own an alligator. Period," Travis said. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php |
| Tips to keep pets cool in hot weather - San Jose Mercury News Posted: 25 Aug 2010 07:01 AM PDT From wire service reports Posted: 08/25/2010 07:04:20 AM PDT Updated: 08/25/2010 07:04:33 AM PDT
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| Posted: 25 Aug 2010 06:39 AM PDT Published: Wednesday, August 25, 2010, 9:07 AMTo Brody's owner: As a lover of animals and pet owner of a cat and two ferrets, I understand wanting to be with them. I don't even mind when dog owners bring their pets to State Road Park for a walk, even though there are signs clearly stating, "No Pets Allowed." In the three years that I have walked several miles in this very well-maintained park, I have not had any problems until recently. While you were walking two dogs on very long leads and talking on your cell phone, Brody leaped on me as I passed and bit my side. You interrupted your conversation long enough to tell the person on the other end that you were in the "dog park." Actually, State Road Park is a "people park." Fortunately, I was more startled than injured. The large bruise on my side will heal. My biggest concern is that if I had been a child playing in the park, which happens often, Brody would have clamped down on my face rather than my side. In the future, I hope you enjoy the park, but please, please make sure your dogs are under control and your attention is on them. I know that if you are someone who cares about your animals, as I believe you do, you would be mortified if something happened to a child. Lauren Persons Parma This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php |
| Iowa woman gets probation for pet-damaged house - Pioneer Press Posted: 24 Aug 2010 06:41 AM PDT CHARLES CITY, Iowa — A woman has received probation because of pet damage to a house in Charles City. Brandy Harris was accused of moving out of the house and leaving the pets behind after her husband was deployed to Iraq. Damage due to pet waste was $2,500. A judge in February found Brandy Harris guilty of second-degree criminal mischief. She was sentenced last week to a five-year suspended sentence and put on probation. Court records show Brandy Harris and the couple's children moved to New Hampton in April 2007. She left behind two dogs, two ferrets and a cat because her new lease didn't allow animals. Court records say she didn't return regularly to feed the pets. Rodney Harris, who was with the Iowa National Guard, returned home in July 2007. The couple divorced in 2008. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php |
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