23 of the Funniest Finalists in the 2021 Comedy Wildlife Photo Awards

 

The Comedy Wildlife Photo Awards has announced the finalists for its 2021 contest, which honors the funniest wildlife photographs captured over the past year.

Launched in 2015 by a pair of professional photographers who wished to promote wildlife conservation through humor, the Comedy Wildlife Photo Awards received over 7,000 entries from around the world this year, and 42 of those submissions have been selected as finalists. 10% of the net revenue from this year’s awards will be donated to the charity Save Wild Orangutans.

To read more on this story, click here:  23 of the Funniest Finalists in the 2021 Comedy Wildlife Photo Awards

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Kinkajous: Yes, They’re Cute — But How Difficult Is It to Care Them?

Kinkajous have long lifespans and curious dispositions. Learn all about caring for them in this article.

Kinkajous are small mammals that are native to the rainforest.

They’re intelligent, vocal and curious animals — and they’re among the latest in the growing trend of exotic pets.

Kinkajous grow to be 2–12 pounds, depending on their subspecies, and can live for roughly 20 years. In other words, this is not a short-term pet.

To read more on this story, click here: Kinkajous: Yes, They’re Cute — But How Difficult Is It to Care Them?

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Can Raccoons Be Pets?

With adorable little hands and inquisitive expressions, pet raccoons have become trendy. Pumpkin, the most famous trash panda, has 1.5 million followers on Instagram. Through sunny filters, fans get a glimpse of Pumpkin’s high-class lifestyle — lounging poolside, massaging his dog companions and savoring tasty bowls of edamame.

These dumpster divers are smarter than dogs, and their antics can be endlessly entertaining, but like all Instagram celebrities, looks can be deceiving.

To read more on this story, click here:  Can Raccoons Be Pets?

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Artist Turns Old CDs Into Amazing Lifelike Animal Sculptures

We all talk about recycling and repurposing, but one young artist is walking the talk by transforming broken, discarded CDs and DVDs into gorgeous animal sculptures.Sean Avery is an art teacher in Western Australia who began experimenting with CD and DVD art while he was still at university. He has created dozens of the brightly colored, sparkling sculptures since then.

To read more on this story, click here: Artist Turns Old CDs Into Amazing Lifelike Animal Sculptures

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An Extremely Rare Albino Raccoon Was Captured in Tennessee When Trappers Responded to a Memphis Home

Nashville, Tennessee - An extremely rare albino raccoon was captured in Tennessee when trappers responded to a Memphis home.

Alpha Wildlife, a company which specializes in animal trapping, prevention, and repairs, responded to a Collierville home to remove raccoons.

Co-owner Matt Caldwell says he was ready for the first raccoon trapped and removed but the second one was a surprise. "I was excited and taken aback at the same time," Caldwell says. "I've seen pictures online but never in person."

That's because it was a rare albino raccoon. Caldwell says biologists tell him finding an albino raccoon is a 1 in 750,000 chance. Caldwell and co-owner David Parrish took the raccoon to Meeman-Shelby Forest State Park as is protocol when releasing animals.

To put the rarity in perspective, the odds of being struck by lighting in your lifetime is 1 in 14,600 according to the NWS.

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A Woman Found a Baby Raccoon and Took it Into Her Home: 21 People Were Exposed to Rabies

Fort Collins, Colorado  — A baby raccoon that tested positive for rabies in Weld County, Colorado came into contact with 21 people before being tested.

A woman found the raccoon on her property and took it into her home after it was abandoned by its mother, according to a news release.

The raccoon was frequently held and would climb and lick the exposed individuals, Weld County health communications supervisor Rachel Freeman said.

Everyone who was exposed has already begun post-exposure treatment, the release stated.

“It is very important that people not touch or go near wild animals," Mark Wallace, Weld County health department executive director, said.

How to prevent being exposed to rabies:

• Don't touch, feed or handle wild animals and be cautious around stray dogs and cats.

• Leave orphaned animals alone. Baby animals often appear to be orphaned when they are not. The parent animal may not return if people are too close.

• If you find a wild animal that appears to be sick, injured, or orphaned, contact your local animal control or a local veterinary clinic.

• Do not feed, touch or handle wild animals and be cautious of stray dogs and cats.

• Have dogs, cats, horses and livestock vaccinated regularly by a licensed veterinarian.

• Keep food inside. Feed pets inside and do not feed wild animals.

• Spay or neuter your pets to reduce the number of stray animals.

If you think you have been exposed to rabies, contact your doctor immediately. Rabies is almost always fatal if left untreated, but medicine is available if treatment is started before symptoms appear, according to a news release.

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One Raccoon in a Chicago Suburb Apparently Ate So Well it Got Caught in a Sewer Grate

Turns out the feeling many people relate to after a big meal isn't unique to humans.

Authorities said they found the creature stuck while trying to climb out of a Zion sewer grate. The officers had been called to the area for assistance when they discovered the unexpected scene.

“It seems this little guy has been eating a little too well and got caught in the sewer grate,” the Zion Police Department wrote on Facebook.

The raccoon was so big officers couldn’t help it out of the grate, so they called the Zion Public Works Department.

“They were able to free him and our friend was no worse for wear,” the police department wrote.


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Fairfax County, Virginia - A Raccoon that Was Discovered Inside a Fairfax County Home Has Tested Positive for Rabies

A raccoon that was discovered inside a Fairfax County, Virginia, home has tested positive for rabies, according to the Fairfax County Police Department.

A release from the public affairs bureau said the victim, a man from Clifton, Virginia, was notified and is receiving medical treatment. The raccoon was one of three reports of wild animals coming in contact with humans in the county this week.

The Clifton man found the raccoon in his home around 11 a.m. on March 3. Police said he fought off the animal and was bitten during the struggle. The man was able to kill the raccoon and transport it to the Fairfax County Animal Shelter.

Earlier in the week, a woman was running on a trail in Great Falls, Virginia, on Wednesday, March 2, around 8 a.m. A fox attacked and bit the woman. She underwent preventative treatment for potential exposure to rabies at the Reston Hospital Center.

On that same day, another woman was checking on her chickens around 9 a.m. in the 9100 block of Potomac Woods Lanes, near Riverbend Park. She confronted and was bitten by a fox. She also sought treatment at the Reston Hospital Center.

The fox has not been captured.

Animal Control would like to remind residents that it is unknown, at present, whether or not the fox is rabid. However, aggressive tendencies, such as those exhibited in these cases, are one of the signs of rabies.

Rabies is a disease caused by a virus that can infect both people and animals. People usually get rabies when they are bitten by an animal that is sick with the disease.

If bitten or scratched by an animal, wash the wound thoroughly with soap and water and seek medical attention right away. In Fairfax County, residents should also immediately report animal bites, as well as sick or injured animals, to Animal Control Services at 703-691-2131, TTY 703-877-3715.

More information on the rabies virus, exposure prevention tips, and what to do if an animal bites, is available: http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/hd/rabies/

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Two People Are Recovering from Recent Raccoon Attacks in Fairfax County

Springfield, Virginia  - Authorities are warning residents of possible rabid raccoons after two people are recovering from recent attacks in Fairfax County.

Raccoon tracks are still visible along a creek nearby South Run Rec Center where a 75-year-old woman was attacked during her morning walk. Officials said she stopped to take a photo of the animal and it charged at her.

“It bit her severely on her right leg and it attacked both of her hands and her forearms,” said Fairfax County Animal Control Sgt. Mary Zambrano.

Her bloody handprints mark the railing along the footbridge. The raccoon eventually ran off and two joggers came to her aide. An ambulance took the victim to the hospital to be treated for rabies exposure.

“If there is an animal that is vocalizing, whether it is whimpering, crying, that is wet or heavily matted, that might have an obvious injury or bite wound, a lot of times they will act like they are drunk and disoriented and they will stagger around -- those are classic symptoms of an animal that might have rabies,” said Sgt. Zambrano.

The attack happened on the trail not far from the Lee Chapel Road overpass between Burke Lake and South Run parks where children play just steps from the woods.

The trail has been closed to the public, but we saw some bike riders and joggers ignoring the signs notifying people of the closure.

“I've been running on this trail for about ten years and this is the first time I have ever seen this happen,” a resident told us. “I have never seen the trail closed.”

Just a few miles away in the Kings Park area, a man out gardening on Sunday was viciously attacked by a raccoon which later tested positive for rabies.

While it is not uncommon to spot raccoons, even during the daytime, residents are asked to look for signs that any area wildlife may be sick.

“They are attracted to movement and to noise,” said Zambrano. “If you have the ability to take a big step back and turn and run, you definitely want to get away from the animal. But if it is right there at your feet … you can use your shoes to protect yourself and kick it away from you and leave as quickly as possible.”

Falls Church has also issued a rabies alert after a spike in raccoon attacks in the city. Police say a rabid raccoon was euthanized after an attack on two dogs on June 4 in the 100 block of E. Jefferson Street.

For more information about rabies and what to do if an animal bites you, go to www.fairfaxcounty.gov/hd/rabies.

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An 88-year-old Hamden, Connecticut Woman Who Opened Her Sliding Door to Let in Her Cat Was Attacked by a Raccoon

An 88-year-old Hamden woman who opened her sliding door to let in her cat was attacked when the animal she was petting turned out to be a raccoon.

The woman had opened the door of her Brinsmade Road home at 11 p.m. Sunday after hearing a sound to let in her cat, but unbeknownst to her, a raccoon followed her cat inside, police said.

The raccoon attacked her while she petted it, thinking it was her cat, and it bit her elbow, hand, forearm, lip and chin, police said.

"She's a tough old bird," said the victim's son, Malcolm McKernan. "She fought it off and was able to call on the phone. That's pretty remarkable."

Police said the raccoon charged at two officers when they arrived on scene. They were able to get it outside, where the animal was euthanized.

Hamden's Animal Control Division took the raccoon to the Connecticut Public Health Laboratory to be tested for rabies.

The victim was taken to Yale-New Haven Hospital, and she was treated and released.
She received a round of rabies shots just in case, and McKernan said they should receive the test results within the next day or so.

The victim spoke to NBC Connecticut at her home Monday and said she was doing well.





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