Free Republic

Golden Gate Estates - Two Collier County teens had a frightening encounter when they were walking their dog. The sheltie -- named Sparkle -- got into a fight with black bear. The bear was guarding its cub and Sparkle wanted to guard his owners. If the dog wouldn't have been there we would have probably walked right into the bear," said Matt Wojciechowski, 18. Matt and his brother were in the backyard when Sparkle began to bark, they then say the bear just feet away. "It was probably 8 feet tall, I've never seen one that big." Sparkle and the...

A bear-lover who would creep up to grizzlies in the wild chanting "I love you" to prove that they posed no danger has been killed by them. What remained of Timothy Treadwell, 46 - author, filmmaker and celebrity for his unorthodox views on the animals - was recovered from the Katmai National Park in Alaska this week. His bear attacker had buried part of him in a so-called food cache. "This is unfortunate, but I'm not surprised," said Deb Liggett, the park's superintendent. "It really wasn't a matter of if, it was just a matter of when." Mr Treadwell's girlfriend,...

A California author and filmmaker who became famous for trekking to Alaska's remote Katmai coast to commune with brown bears has fallen victim to the teeth and claws of the wild animals he loved. ...The fearless former drug addict from Malibu, Calif. -- who routinely eased up close to bears to chant "I love you'' in a high-pitched, sing-song voice --

Last Updated: Monday, 7 July, 2003, 13:17 GMT 14:17 UK Saboteurs 'punched by huntsman' The incident happened on private land in West Sussex A huntsman dismounted from his horse and punched a woman hunt saboteur in the face before attacking her husband, a court has heard. The jury at Chichester Crown Court was shown footage taken by Simon Wild as his wife Jaine was allegedly being hit by hunt leader Jonathan Broise. Mr Broise, 46, of London Road, Petworth, West Sussex, denies assault causing actual bodily harm to Mr and Mrs Wild on 9 October last year. Richard Cherrill, prosecuting,...