Free Republic

A 45-year-old German woman died when she was attacked by a herd of 20 cows and calves on Monday afternoon on an Alpine pasture in Tyrol's Stubaital valley. Is this expat cat the world's oldest? (17 Jul 14) Horse caught on speed camera saves driver (25 Jun 14) What do Germans think of Austrians? (23 Jun 14) Police said the woman was inside the fenced area with her dog on a footpath, when around 20 of the animals became agitated and charged her. Rescuers attempted to resuscitate the woman on the spot for 45 minutes, but she finally succumbed to...

Social media is teeming with pictures of small bright blue sea creatures washing up all over California beaches, with sightings reported in Humboldt County, Monterey and Ocean Beach. Despite being described as "strange," "bizarre," "mysterious," and even "aliens," it turns out these creatures have a name. Marine researchers are calling it Velella velella, a name the Santa Cruz Sentinel said sounds "like a nominee for the Best Foreign Language Film." "Some people call them jellyfish, but they are in fact only distantly related and only superficially similar," said Rich Mooi of the California Academy of Sciences. The small delicate-looking marine...

This kitten is evidently not a fan of strangers in the house, and she knows a few kung fu moves to put some fear into the... ceramic cat. Although it's unlikely the ceramic cat will fight back, it doesn't stop this brave kitten from putting on a fight.

A new study by a UNC-Chapel Hill biology professor and a graduate student has raised questions about the nature of evolution and whether North Carolina's rarest venomous snake is now almost gone. The study by David Pfennig, who specializes in evolution, and student Chris Akcali appears in the June edition of the online journal Biology Letters. Among other things, it asserts that the eastern coral snake is now either extinct or "functionally extinct" in the Sandhills region of the state, where many science books have long shown the snake to live. This was the farthest north that heat-loving eastern coral...

American complains of barking dog, crowing cockerelAn engineer from the US, who had been residing in Jaffna has lodged a complaint with the police that his neighbour’s dog and the cockerel are creating a nuisance, barking and crowing and disturbing him. The engineer who lives in Navalar Road Jaffna has said that he has been disturbed by the noises around his house. When the owner was called in, he said he cannot control his animals from making noise. However, the police asked him to remove the dog from the premises, to which the owner said that if the dog is...

Was presenting programme on Sama Dubai TV when incident occuredA Ramadan TV programme nearly turned into a tragedy after a lioness featured on the programme attacked the host. Well known Saudi MBC TV presenter Lujain Omran was presenting a programme on Sama Dubai TV when the incident occured. The lioness leaps onto the host and drops her to the floor before other TV crew come to the terrified host’s rescue, Emarat Al Youm, who carried the video, reported.

The disappearance of an albino cobra, couple of weeks ago, and later dumped near the zoo of the Dehiwala Zoo (Sri Lanka) has caused the officials there to suspect that ten such snakes might have been stolen and sold to buyers in the recent past, though it was claimed that the reptiles had died. Meanwhile, an employee of the Dehiwala Zoological Gardens is alleged to have inquired about the albino snake before it went missing, and claimed that he had got an offer of two million rupees for it. Insiders said that their investigations have revealed that the same employee...

She has only 3 fully formed legs because of a birth defect, she's named after an "Adventure Time" character -- and she's a terror on tissue rolls. --- Today's Monday Miracle is Shoko the Pirate, a peg-legged kitten who was scooped up from a foster situation after a pet store in Connecticut deemed her damaged goods. Despite her dinky fourth paw, Shoko still manages to hop and skip around with a playful verve -- and also seems to be cultivating a burgeoning portfolio of wrecked toilet rolls. Asked about the backstory to Shoko's shortened leg, her owner Lux Alptraum says,...

In an incident recalling the film "Snakes on a Plane," hundreds of reptiles took to the skies after being smuggled onto a passenger flight — only this time the route was not Honolulu-Los Angeles but Düsseldorf-St. Petersburg. The press service for the regional branch of the animal health watchdog Rosselkhoznadzor reported Tuesday that it had stopped a passenger, who was attempting to bring 180 exotic reptiles into Russia via St. Petersburg's Pulkovo Airport. The man, who had flown in from Germany's Düsseldorf, was carrying 180 live snakes, lizards, frogs and turtles in his rucksack and cabin baggage, Interfax reported, citing...

Before dog licenses and leash laws; before doggie mohawks, colored hair and painted toenails; before $100 teeth cleaning, $800 vet bills, and humiliating Halloween costumes, there existed – in almost every sleepy town with a red brick school and a white church steeple – an extinct breed of canine I like to call the American dog. He (or she) went by names like Old Shep, Old Dog Tray, or Spot. This is the story of an American dog. UNCLE ROY AND HIS PUPPY: SPOT'S ADVENTURE BEGINS My mother's uncle Roy was a WWI veteran. He had been gassed in the...

Police said a costumed Bishop "put out his hand and told the woman 5s, 10s or 20s only." Police said the officer told him he could only accept tips — not require payment. Bishop yelled and cursed at the officer, police said, and told him: "Mind your own (expletive) business." Police said the officer asked for identification and, when Bishop failed to produce any, moved to arrest him. Bishop broke free and punched the officer in the face, police said, causing a cut and eye swelling. The officer, whose name was not released, was treated and released at New York...

Saucy young Beijing girls in low-cut tops and booty shorts walk their crabs down the street in Sanlitun, drawing many gawkers. We assume they didn't have time to walk their jumbo shrimp, or crayfish. Pedestrians snap pictures of the ladies and their curious "crabwalk".

OK, I do not normally go out of my way for something like this, but I cannot sit back and do nothing when a young girl asks me to help. So, I am stepping up to see if anyone is willing to help, because this is an emergency. I have a friend, has done all she can to find a home for her two black Labrador dogs, Who have been together since they have been puppies. My friend Megan is just 15, and I am a friend of her grandfather, but she friended me on facebook and has become a...

The unnamed woman called police after the “That’s So Raven” star, 26, showed up at her North Hollywood home and caused a disturbance on Monday night. In audio of the incident, a man police believe to be Brown can be heard shouting, “I’ll kill you, your mama, your daughter and everybody.” For his part, Brown claims that the woman has been stalking him and that he was only at the woman’s apartment so he could explain to her boyfriend that nothing untoward was going on between the two.

They’re the four-legged veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan – military war dogs, doing everything from sniffing out explosive devices on the battlefield to providing companionship to soldiers during wartime. Three of these dogs traveled to Washington, D.C., Wednesday with the same service members they served with on the battlefield in Iraq and Afghanistan, raising awareness about the need to reunite military war dogs with their handlers. Since 9/11, over 3,600 dogs have served in the military, with close to 2,000 dogs currently serving through various branches of the military. Earlier this year, the Army said 578 dog...

-snip- Theall told the TV station that he is less angry about the shooting since the officer was likely surprised. But what did upset him was the officer’s refusal to let Theall and his wife take Doctor for treatment for more than an hour. The officer even twice used his police cruiser to block the man from getting help for the dog, Theall claims. “No steps were taken by DeKalb police whatsoever to try to save my dog’s life,” he said. “The dog was still alive, clearly bleeding like crazy and the police officer blocked my exit,” Theall continued. “Finally...

CATHEDRAL CITY, Calif. - A 1-year-old girl was bitten today on an ear, lip and cheek by her family's pit bull in Cathedral City. ... The girl was taken to a hospital, but her condition was not immediately available

One is a lab/pit bull mix, the other is a thatchy, scruffy looking longhaired chihuahua mix. Together, they’re the best friends you’ll ever meet. The Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Police Department call the pair Joanie and Chachi. Someone noticed the two dogs wandering in a Savannah, Ga. neighborhood in mid-July and called Animal Control. The dogs did tend to attract attention — the larger dog was carrying around the smaller dog in her mouth. It didn’t take long for Animal Control to notice that Chachi, the chihuahua, had seriously hurt his left eye. .... Joanie and Chachi have found a new forever...

Grommet is trying to get his dog back. Don Grommet was able to track Matty to Fort Bragg, where Vet Services was treating the K9 for a torn ACL, and preparing him for separation from service and adoption. The Grommets said they submitted and re-submitted adoption paperwork, and were told the first set of documents were lost. “We were told several times not to worry about it; that everyone knew that Brent was going to adopt Matty” said Don Grommet. But after months of weekly calls to check on the adoption status, Grommet said his son received a call in...

Zeke, the cat, apparently had enough of being at a homeless animal shelter. The clever cat got on the phone and dialed 911. According to ABC news, after 911 was dialed and no one responded to the dispatcher queries, the call was disconnected. But then the emergency worker called back to make sure there wasn’t a real problem. The staff member went to the office to investigate and there she found handsome Zeke lounging across the phone with the handset off the hook. He, of course, was blissfully unaware of the hubbub he had just caused. His quirky story was...

Overjoyed dog passes out when girl returns home after two years

A bull elk is back in the wild after a wild night in Garden City. The Idaho Department of Fish and Game says someone called police to report seeing an elk in a vacant lot at 42nd and Adams Street. The responding officer called Fish and Game. A conservation officer found the elk, which appeared to be stressed. Fish and Game says people were getting too close and trying to take "selfies" with the animal. Because of the stress, the elk ran off through the neighborhood including Veteran's Parkway. "When people get this close to a wild animal, the stress...

Two pit bulls were shot on a walking trail near Slidell after they attacked a woman and her miniature collie Wednesday morning, authorities said. The woman was taken to a hospital with bite wounds to her left arm and left leg, and her dog was transported to a local veterinary clinic to be treated for its wounds. One of the attacking pit bulls was killed by a gunshot and the other was wounded and later euthanized due to the extent of its injuries and the fear that it may attack again, according to the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff's Office.

Washington (AFP) - Giant anteaters in Brazil have killed two hunters in separate incidents, raising concerns about the animals' loss of habitat and the growing risk of dangerous encounters with people, researchers said. The long-nosed, hairy mammals are not typically aggressive toward people and are considered a vulnerable species by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), largely due to deforestation and human settlements that encroach on their territory. [snip]

Those who run the city's animal control shelter say more cat foster parents are helping save feline lives. Cat euthanasia was down by 50 percent last month at The Animal Care and Control Team, the nonprofit that manages Philadelphia's animal control shelter, compared with June of 2013. "For kittens alone we actually saw a decrease of 72 percent," said Sue Cosby, executive director.

Rebecca Ehalt may have missed her dog while away in Europe, but it's clear that her pet schnauzer missed her so much that it knocked the poor pooch off her feet — literally. Ehalt visited her family's home in Pennsylvania earlier this week from Slovenia, where she's currently living, for a wedding reception that her parents had planned for Ehalt and her husband. Upon returning, she reunited with her 9-year-old schnauzer, Casey, whom she hadn't seen in two years.

So I thought that the story of the emaciated dog who was saved for a certain and cruel death in Florida would be the best animal story for the day — and it was a great story. But this one really made my day and not because it is more dramatic — it isn’t — but because it has a positive impact on many more dogs. It turns out that there is a company in Turkey called Pugedon which has come up with a creative and effective way to feed Istanbul’s numerous stray dogs. Pugedon has designed a vending machine...

If a military working dog is retired in a non-combat zone overseas, then the military does not provide transportation home since they are no longer considered military dogs, and therefore, not legally allowed to be transported on military aircraft. The solution is simple: Military working dogs should be brought home to U.S. soil before being retired. And, their former handlers, who have the strongest bond with these animals, should be given the first chance to adopt. SNIP That’s certainly true for U.S. Army Staff Sergeant James Harrington, who served for four years with Military Working Dog Ryky, a seven-year-old Belgian...

Mexican authorities searching an abandoned house were left stunned when they discovered a Bengal tiger locked in a cage. Police officers, who found the endangered animal after a tip-off from a member of the public, say it is a “complete mystery” how the tiger got there.

METAMORA TWP, MI – A Livonia man died after he was attacked by two large dogs while he was out for an evening run Wednesday evening, July 23, .. Metamora Township Police Chief David Mallett. ... Mallett said the dogs responsible for the attack are two 3-year-old Cane Corsos. A Cane Corso is described by the American Kennel Club as a "mastiff type" dog that ranges in size from 23 1/2 to 27 1/2 inches tall at the shoulder. ... Mallett said there was a report of a dog bite in May 2012 where the animal did come back to...

It's dog days on Capitol Hill — or, more precisely, dogs have had their day there. Five in particular — all war dog veterans. The canines joined their human advocates at a Capitol Hill briefing Wednesday, "Military Dogs Take the Hill," to spotlight an effort to require that all military working dogs be retired to the U.S. Congress passed a law last year saying the military may bring back its working dogs to the U.S. to be reunited with their handlers, but it does not say they must be brought back. Carlos, one of five war dog veterans at a...

A New York cartoonist named Brittney creates touching comic strips from the point of view of cats who often get overlooked in the shelter. I really think you should take home the animal you fall in love with, regardless of physical qualities or age. An animal is going to love you unconditionally, so why put conditions on them?

Art Sherman, a career race tracker who rose to the pinnacle of the sport this past spring when he guided the mercurial colt California Chrome to the edge of racing immortality in a thrilling Triple Crown run, has been named the 2014 recipient of the Laffit Pincay, Jr. Award. Sherman will receive the award and its distinctive trophy Sunday, July 27, in winner’s circle ceremonies at Del Mar between the day’s fourth and fifth races. The Pincay Award, given annually for the past 10 years to those who have served the sport “with integrity, extraordinary dedication, determination and distinction,” will...

They served in the Civil War. They were there for American soldiers during both world wars. One was even on SEAL Team Six, the military team that killed Osama Bin Laden. But military dogs do not always get to go home with their military handlers after serving together in war. During a Capitol Hill event on Wednesday, legislators argued it should be easier for these veterans to reunite with their dogs.

The Architect of the Capitol took emergency measures Wednesday to handle a bed bug problem in a Senate Office Building, including closing off a restroom for a couple of days with yellow police tape. So watch out Senate aides and tourists approaching the sixth floor of the Dirksen Senate Office Building. Bedbugs are not easy to shake. The trouble began prior to a Senate Indian Affairs Committee hearing held Wednesday in which some attendees—lobbyists, presumably—employed people to wait in line for them. This is a common practice and sources tell us it falls under the jurisdiction of the Rules Committee...

It is either the funniest thing on the internet, or the creepiest, but one thing is for certain: a guy called Owen Mundy knows where your cat lives.No matter where you are in the world, if you have posted a photo of your feline friend on social media, chances are Professor Mundy’s supercomputer has captured it, collated it, and pinpointed your location.Professor Mundy combines art, design and computer programming in his addictive site – simply titled iknowwhereyourcatlives.com - highlighting our obsession with cats and the trends of the internet.On his website, Mundy reveals that there are 15 million photos tagged with the...

A 48-second YouTube video catching the swift reactions of a Sitka float plane pilot went viral this past week. KCAW tracked down the pilot and the man who took the video to bring us the full story of how a routine flight in Southeast Alaska made waves on news programs and websites around the world.

A Massachusetts teenager charged with raping and murdering his teacher last year after following her into a bathroom followed a chillingly similar plan when he attacked a female jail counselor last month in the youth detention center where he was being held, authorities say. Chism's attorney, Denise Regan, did not challenge the bail or conditions of bail. She asked that her client be excused from his next scheduled court appearance on September 19 because of the stress it causes him.

Lee McDougal saved his Golden Retriever from an alligator attack. WOFL reports that the alligator attacked the dog when McDougal was out walking her. “With all the rain the swamp area filled up a little more, she decided to jump in on the swamp side, instead of the lagoon side, and the gator didn’t want to share it with her,” McDougal explained to the station. “I reached down to grab her and grabbed the gator and just jerked him up, and when I did, I seen a big head and she went back that way and as soon as I...

The moment Paul Trott let his two dogs out in the backyard he could see a problem. Someone had broken the gate at the rear of the yard, and the dogs made a dash for the opening and into the alley beyond. As his partner Josh Lyczkowski ran out the door to collect the dogs, they heard someone in the alley shout “No! Don’t! Stop!,” according to Lyczkowski. Then they heard a gunshot. Their largest dog, Tito, a Cane Corso that weighed about 120 pounds, had been fatally shot in the head. Lyczkowski arrived so soon after the shooting that...

After reports that wandering elks were scaring the public, police on the island of Frösön have decided not to open fire on the animals, but have urged locals to exercise caution instead. Swede killed after crashing into an elk (12 Jul 14) Curious elk breaks into house in Sweden (07 Jul 14) Kids flee as elk breaks into woodwork class (02 Jun 14) The authorities on the island in northern Sweden were flooded with calls from concerned members of the public saying that elks were roaming the streets of a residential area and terrifying people. Witnesses reported that two elks...

The new "Black Jesus" comedy has some protesting the depiction of Jesus as a marijuana-smoking, beer-drinking character in the show. Paul Scott, a self-proclaimed minister of the Messianic Afrikan Nation, has called for a boycott of the upcoming comedy, arguing that it "[makes] a mockery of the concept of a Black Messiah." ADVERTISEMENT According to his blog, the North Carolina-based minister argues that "the show does a disservice to the Black leaders and theologians who have dedicated their lives to advancing a Black Liberation Theology," adding that he believes "the Black community needs to see a proper image of a...

“I was actually scared that it was so close to home, literally, it’s right here on my block,” said Allyson Deihl. “I’ve heard it on the news nationally and it’s scary to think that it’s happening in Jacksonville, in Riverside.” According to the police report, the man and woman spotted three men walking in their direction, then realized they were being followed. The report said that the woman grabbed her can of Mace from her purse, and then her boyfriend was punched, causing him to stumble to the ground. The woman told police that she tried to spray the men...

Joel Vasquez Rojas, the mayor of San Pedro Huamelula, married the reptile – dressed in a white gown – at the city hall and then shared a dance in front of packed party of local residents. According to local tradition, the crocodile is a princess whose marriage to the town mayor will bring in an abundance of seafood for fisherman on the Pacific coast. ‘As young people, this means a lot,’ said local resident Eduardo Zarate 'It’s the greatest treasure our ancestors have left us.’ For safety, the crocodile’s jaw was wired shut for the day. ‘It is my wish...

A Saudi farmer seeking revenge for the loss of his sheep chased two wolves for most of the day and killed them before hanging their bodies on a sign board in the area. Qayed Al Mutairi said he was determined to kill the two wolves after they devoured 18 of his sheep over the past few weeks. He told Sabq daily that he chased the two predators to the mountains by his four-wheel vehicle most of the day and shot them. “Mutairi then hanged the two animals at a signboard so other farmers and people will see them. This is...

TAMPA Fla. (Reuters) - A 4-year-old Florida boy was mauled to death by two pit bulls at his uncle's home, said authorities on Sunday, who suggested the child may have let the dogs out of their cage to play with them.

Grumpy Cat, Oskar the Blind Cat (and his buddy Klaus), Hamilton the Hipster Cat, and Nala Cat have teamed up with Friskies on a new song and video, "Cat Summer," in honor of their late friend Colonel Meow. Watch as Oskar enjoys the sprinklers on a slip 'n slide, Hamilton and Nala disrupt a game of croquet, and Grumpy Cat looks grumpy despite sitting in a pot of beautiful flowers—and know that you're doing it for a good cause: For every view through September 1, Friskies will donate one meal of its Grillers dry cat food to shelters across the...

The internet is full of pets and also full of people doing showy-off yoga (Hilaria Balwin et al, we’re looking at you), and now the two have been hilariously brought together in video form. As anyone who owns a cat or dog will know, as soon as you try to do anything except lavish attention on them, they are overcome with jealousy and do all they can to sabotage it. And, while it’s deeply frustrating when your cat sits on your laptop’s keyboard, and just straight creepy when your dog insists on staring at you and your partner doing the...

A 6-day black rhino was already seen trotting around the exhibit on Friday morning -- in adorable fashion. The baby rhino alternated between staying close to his mother and running and exploring the exhibit. Mom Lembe showed her protection of the calf by keeping her tail pointed up, a cue that lets her baby know she’s on high alert and watching him. The male calf, born on July 12, was a significant birth for the San Diego Zoo, as black rhinos are critically endangered species and only 5,000 are left in the wild because of poaching. A news release Friday...

Did a sea turtle “hug” a surfer who rescued it from fishing nets? Call it what you will, but the moment caught by a GoPro camera on the stunning video shows there was a connection there. When kite surfer Cameron Dietrich and Colin Sutton spotted the distressed sea turtle off the Mexican coast, they quickly dived in the ocean to try to rescue it. “When I saw the turtle tangled up I jumped in the water and began to cut it free