Free Republic

Bystanders armed themselves with anything they could to fend off two pit bull mixes as they brought a boy to the verge of death. A recent court filing disclosed the harrowing detail, as 3-year-old Minnesotan Covil Allen's fate is all but sealed. The court document also revealed the dogs were not full pit bulls, but a mix between a pit and an American bulldog. Known as American bullies, the dog's breed boasts especially powerful jaws that inflict more damage than those of any other breed. This likely proved fatal for Covil, who remains in critical condition. His family has made...

A huge asteroid may have hit the Earth 12,800 years ago causing global climate change and extinction, according to new evidence found in South Africa. Scientists analysed ancient soil at a site called Wonderkrater and found high levels of platinum - which they say supports the The Younger Dryas Impact Hypothesis that a disintegrating meteor hit Earth and caused a mini ice age. The resulting ice age is believed by many scientists to have wiped out dozens of mammals species including the Mammoth and giant wildebeest and decimated the human population. Scientists believe 'platinum spikes' found in ancient soil samples...

Prehistoric humans hunt a woolly mammoth. More and more research shows that this species – and at least 46 other species of megaherbivores – were driven to extinction by humans. Credit: Engraving by Ernest Grise, photographed by William Henry Jackson. Courtesy Getty’s Open Content Program ================================================================== Researchers at Aarhus University have concluded that human hunting, rather than climate change, was the primary factor in the extinction of large mammals over the past 50,000 years. This finding is based on a review of over 300 scientific articles. Over the last 50,000 years, many large species, or megafauna, weighing at least 45...

Agricultural officials in Southern California are battling an active infestation of red imported fire ants that are "highly aggressive in nature," and pose a risk to California's agricultural economy. The infestation occurred at a private property in Montecito, in Santa Barbara County, according to a recent press release from the Santa Barbara County Agricultural Commissioner’s Office. Located over 90 miles north of Los Angeles, Montecito is best known as a celebrity enclave with Oprah Winfrey, Ellen DeGeneres, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle among the town's residents. Officials did not name the owners of the private property.

A young black bear with different coloring that looked more like a Muppet than an apex predator freaked out Yellowstone tourists. But the bear, which had shaggy fur and racoon-like markings, was just a regular bear, an expert says. (Cowboy State Daily Staff) Sylvia Borgonovo and her husband, David, were trying to enjoy some quiet fishing on the Madison River in Yellowstone National Park when suddenly, somebody yelled “grizzly!” and tourists started to stampede. She shouted to them that panicking and running was not the thing to do if a grizzly is approaching, but they wouldn’t listen. Then the critter...

Sharks off the coast of Brazil have tested positive for cocaine, scientists say. Marine biologists tested 13 Brazilian sharpnose sharks taken from the shores near Rio de Janeiro and found they tested for high levels of cocaine in their muscles and livers. The concentrations were as much as 100 times higher than previously reported for other aquatic creatures. Experts believe the cocaine is making its way into the waters via illegal labs where the drug is manufactured or through excrement of drug users. Packs of cocaine lost or dumped by traffickers at sea could also be a source, though this...

July 22 (UPI) -- A Florida sheriff's office is reminding residents not to approach bears after onlookers were seen trying to snap selfies with a "depressed" bear at the side of a highway. The Walton County Sheriff's Office said on social media the bear was spotted late last week on the north side of Highway 98 near County Road 83 in Santa Rosa Beach. "Famous last words, 'If not friend, why friend shaped?'" the post said. "Because this black bear is stressed depressed lemon zest." The sheriff's office said members of the public were seen getting dangerously close to the...

FARGO, Ga. — Amazing video shows what looks like hundreds of alligators congregating in the Okefenokee Swamp in south Georgia. The video, shared by Marty Welch via ABC News, shows the perspective from a motorboat as a man tries to navigate his way through the water “There’s gators everywhere,” he says. “They’re laying on the banks. You might want to sit down!” The gators appear unphased by their visitor. “I would be panicking! Imagine that boat flips over. Instantly you will become a happy meal!” one Facebook user wrote. The Okefenokee is known for its abundance of amphibians and reptiles...

July 18 (UPI) -- The manager of a Red Lobster restaurant in Colorado said a rare orange lobster that arrived at the eatery will be taking a permanent crustacean vacation to the Denver Aquarium. The orange lobster was spotted by Jose Romero, a dishwasher at the Pueblo restaurant, and the general manager decided to spare the rare-colored invertebrate from the dinner plate. "I have been at Red Lobster for 12 years, I always unpack the live lobster shipments, and I have never seen an Orange Lobster! I noticed it right away, how different it was, and I thought, oh my...

Mr Giri rushed to the location with his team, while instructing locals over the phone on the dos and don'ts involving the snake. After a quick inspection, the officials quickly got to work, using a rod to carefully bring the snake down from the bush. They then placed the cobra into a rescue bag and released it into the wild in the presence of the locals and forest department officials. ''What a gorgeous cobra. Thank you for saving him.'' Another wrote, ''So professionally done as compared to so many videos online!!'' A third commented, ''it is so satisfying to watch...

TEMPLE TERRACE, Fla. (WSVN) — A Central Florida woman is on the road to recovery after surviving an alligator attack on the Fourth of July. Rachél Thompson said she went for a morning run and decided to take a dip in the river when danger struck. “I’m basically standing in shallow water and I look from the dark water, out of nowhere appear the ripples of a giant alligator head,” Thompson recounted. The gator lunged and bit down on Thompson’s leg. She started fighting for her life, punching the animal in the snout and trying to free herself. “The thought...

About 1.8 million people worldwide are bitten by snakes each year. Of those, up to 138,000 die and another 400,000 end up with permanent scarring and disability. Many cobras have tissue-damaging venoms that can't be treated with current antivenoms. We have discovered that cheap, readily available blood-thinning medications can be repurposed as antidotes for these venoms. Using CRISPR gene-editing technology we learned more about how these venoms attack our cells, and found out that a common class of drugs called heparinoids can protect tissue from the venom. Our research is published today in Science Translational Medicine. Snakebites are a serious...

The Wyoming Game and Fish Commission on Tuesday voted to eliminate the catch limit on most lake trout at Flaming Gorge Reservoir because they are diminishing the kokanee salmon population. Lake trout at Flaming Gorge (Tony Valdez, Buckboard Marina) ========================================================================================= Lake Trout in Flaming Gorge Reservoir have gotten so numerous they’re out-competing other fish species, and even each other, prompting Wyoming and Utah to call for no-limits and a fishing free-for-all for them. If things go as planned, starting Oct. 1 there will be no limit on how many lake trout under 28 inches anglers can pull from the reservoir,...

NATIONAL CAVIAR DAY On July 18, National Caviar Day recognizes a seafood delicacy with roe on toast. The day also raises awareness about the survival of the sturgeon. #NationalCaviarDay In simple terms, caviar is Sturgeon fish eggs. There are several species of Sturgeon fish. As a result, the caviar produced varies in colors depending on the species. Caviar is full of protein and vitamins making the delicacy a healthy meal. The United States led distribution at 600 tons per year until around 1900. However, due to the over-harvesting of Sturgeon fish for the caviar, the U.S. banned harvesting for a...

Neigh-sayers galloped outside Manhattan Criminal Court Monday afternoon to call for a shutdown of the city’s carriage horse industry as a handler of a horse that died two years ago faced his first day of trial — or so they thought. Ian McKeever, who is facing animal abuse charges in connection to the death of his carriage horse Ryder in 2022, was not able to appear in court Monday due to a scheduling conflict with his attorney, The Post learned. Despite the adjournment, roughly 30 demonstrators remained in the scorching heat for the “Criminal Horse Abuse Trial for Ian McKeever”...

Whale watchers were treated to a rare sight on Sunday afternoon. After a trip to Monterey Bay to see humpback whales, the captain aboard a Discovery Whale Watch boat noticed a spout and saw it belonged to a sperm whale. Sperm whales spend between 30 and 60 minutes underwater at a time and can be hard to predict, but the company's drone was able to catch a video of the whale surfacing, per a spokesperson from Discovery Whale Watch. When it dove underwater, they could hear it on the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute hydrophone, an underwater microphone that can...

Notice is being given to swimmers, kayakers and paddleboarders to "swim at your own risk" after five harbor seals were attacked by a shark or sharks in Pacific Grove. “Any time we see that and we see multiple ones, we like to set out an advisory to the swimmers in the local areas just to protect them and let them know that we've seen this. Now, the shark may not even be in the waters here anymore,” said Kim Akeman, a shoreline docent at Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuaries. Advertisement Those monitoring the harbor seal population say five were attacked...

Ancient Egyptians, 2000-3000 thousand years ago, not only worshipped crocodiles, offering them bread, meat and wine, but also sacrificed and mummified them, a new study confirms. Published in the journal Digital Applications in Archaeology and Cultural Heritage, the research purports to have gained a deeper understanding of a religious practice behind the mummification of crocodiles in ancient Egypt. The specific crocodile mummy examined for the study that led to the conclusions was 2.2 meters-long and is housed at the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery. The team of experts conducted various scans on the mummified crocodile, which revealed a fish hook...

File Photo: An alligator suns itself at Jarvis Creek Park on Hilton Head Island. Staff photo After taking an excess of acid and avoiding sleep for multiple days a man took a swim in Jarvis Creek Park’s pond looking to fight an alligator. At 3:30 p.m. Thursday, Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office deputies were called to the Hilton Head Island park about a man acting erratically and swimming in the pond. The man, who wasn’t arrested, told deputies that he was in the water and “wanted to see if he could take on an alligator,” the incident report says. The man...

Don't be so blue, buddy. Image credit: J. Barker / AWC The aptly named magnificent tree frog is typically green with a yellow belly, so you can imagine the surprise when scientists stumbled across a member of the species with blue skin. The shocking blue frog is an incredibly rare discovery, most likely caused by a rare genetic mutation that affects the production of yellow pigments. It was recently photographed by a team from the Australian Wildlife Conservancy (AWC) while exploring the Charnley River-Artesian Range Wildlife Sanctuary along the Kimberley coast of north-western Australia. “It was after dark when we...