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.
Two men in Maryland recently achieved Internet infamy when
they were temporarily banned from hunting after they’d used crossbows to shoot
a deer on state land.
Or so they thought.
The men had actually fallen prey to the ruse of a
state-owned robotic deer, one of a growing number of remote-controlled decoys
being used by American wildlife law enforcement to stop poachers. Across the
nation, a small army of deer, elk, bear, turkey, fox and wolf dummies has been
deployed to catch people who hunt in the wrong place, in the wrong season or
otherwise illegally.
Here’s how it works: Officers truck a robo-animal out into
the wild and stage it in an area where they’ve been tipped off about illegal
hunting. Then the officers sit out of sight – in a truck, or maybe crouching in
bushes – and use a remote to move the animal’s head, tail or legs.
Think you know enough? Skip down to a quiz to find out
whether you can spot a robo-animal.
Demand for the decoys is huge, said Jim Reed of the Humane
Society Wildlife Land Trust, which donates them to anti-poaching agencies. Game
wardens are chronically underfunded, he said, and robo-wildlife is pricey: A
deer costs about $2,000; a black bear, up to $5,000. Wardens also are busy –
the Humane Society says hunters kill at least as many animals illegally as
legally.
The decoys look so alive because, well, they once were,
said Brian Wolslegel, owner of the Wisconsin-based Custom Robotic Wildlife.
Wolslegel — who does not hunt but instead raises deer in his backyard – makes
the dummies out of hides acquired legally from hunters, game wardens or online.
(You, too, can purchase a bear hide at taxidermy.net.)
Each year he sells as many as 100 whitetail deer, by far
his most popular item. Officers, he said, tell him they make as much as $30,000
in fines off each fake animal.
“To have a poacher, a wild animal and a law enforcement
officer at the same scene, it’s like winning the lottery,” he said. And then if
the poacher is caught, “the animal already died in the process.”
Robo-wildlife, it turns out, are pretty hard to kill. If a
bullet busts the motor, it’s replaceable, Wolslegel said. And most have a
Styrofoam core, so a high-powered rifle shot passes through “with minimal
damage,” Reed said. In fact, he said, some of the most realistic-looking decoys
have been shot 100 times or more.
“The typical deer in the forest is not going to appear
well-groomed. It may have a little mud stuck on its back, some hairs ruffled
from the wind,” Reed said. The best decoys, he said, “get well-seasoned.”
Think you’re more observant than a poacher? Take this quiz
to find out if you can tell a robo-animal from a live animal.
Judy Obregon knows an opossum when she sees one. There is
one who visits her porch regularly.
While driving down her block on February 20 heading to her
mother-in-law's house, she stopped as she saw what she first thought was a dead
opossum in the road.
Until the little one lifted her head. And looked toward
Obregon.
It was as if the opossum knew Obregon was there to help.
"I knew I could not walk away," she said.
As the founder of The Abandoned Ones "Saving Animals in Danger" animal rescue in Fort Worth, Texas, Obregon has been rescuing dogs mainly from
a known dog-fighting area in her city. However, if an animal needs help,
regardless of species, Obregon springs into action, as she did with the
opossum.
The opossum at first struggled to walk away before Judy
Obregon was able to get her to the side of the road.
Obregon got out of her car and walked over to the opossum
and saw a trail of blood leading from a driveway to the animal while a bloody
stick lay nearby. Her gut told her the animal had not been hit by a car and
that the opossum was a "she" carrying babies.
Helping the helpless
The opossum kept struggling to lift her head and tried to
walk, so Obregon helped gently push the animal to the side of the road to
prevent a mishap with a car. Obregon ran to her own car to grab a T-shirt to
cover the opossum for warmth.
Obregon found a T-shirt in her car and was able to wrap the
opossum in it for warmth.
She then got on the phone and started reaching out to find
someone who could help. After calling DFW Wildlife Coalition,she was given a list of numbers for local wildlife rehabilitators and finally
reached Tabatha, who lived within minutes away.
While she waited for Tabatha, Obregon knew it was most
important to find a box and get the opossum safe and warm.
Since she was a block from her mother-in-law's house and
her husband was there, she got him to watch the opossum while she ran inside to
get a box.
Obregon wanted to make sure not to hurt the animal.
The opossum was so tiny. So fragile.
And so scared.
"I put the box down to see if the opossum would crawl
into it," she said. "I put it in front of her and used my hands to
guide her into the box." The opossum struggled but crawled inside as if
she knew she was being rescued, according to Obregon, who then carried the box
about a block back to her mother-in-law's house where she sat in front and
waited.
Wildlife help arrives
Tabatha arrived about 10 minutes later.
"It was so emotional," Obregon said. "I do
rescue work all the time, but to see another rescuer do what I do was so
heartwarming."
Tabatha, the wildlife rehabilitator, evaluated Angel the
first night she brought her home.
Tabatha is a wildlife rehabilitator who is in her fourth
year of helping to rehabilitate a variety of animals, from opossums (the only
marsupial in North America) and squirrels, to minks and raccoons. She and her
husband Ronnie each have a sub-permit (they work under someone who is
permitted) with the state of Texas, whereby they are taught everything
necessary to rehabilitate animals from feeding, triage and how to determine if
an animal needs veterinary care to nutrition, cage setup and releasing an
animal back into the wild. Tabatha is in the process of applying for her own
permit.
Angel's injuries were extensive, and Tabatha believed they
were inflicted by humans.
First Tabatha verified that the opossum was female and that
she did have joeys (or babies) in her pouch. Joeys are born blind, bald and
completely defenseless; they weigh about 3 to 4 grams and develop in their
mother's pouch for 60 days. Tabatha covered the opossum, who Obregon named
Angel, with a blanket and placed her safely in a carrier and took her home.
"I could tell she was not hit by a car from the blood
evidence and what she looked like," Tabatha said. "I could tell she
was struck by something."
A plan for Angel to recover
Upon arrival at her home, Tabatha took Angel out to check
her thoroughly and found no broken bones or heavy bleeding. "I could tell
on evaluation of her that she was struck, and I'm pretty sure she was shot with
a BB gun," Tabatha said. There were about four teeth that were damaged and
a spot on the roof of her mouth where the BB hit. Since there was no exit
wound, Angel most likely swallowed the BB.
By the second night, Angel started to show some
improvement.
Tabatha called the wildlife veterinarian with whom she
consults and talked over the case and determined Angel did not need to go into
the office. On the vet's advice, Tabatha administered some pain medication and
fluids, cleaned Angel's wounds, placed her in a cage and fed her some
vegetables, fruit and chicken. "You can tell her mouth is sore, but she
has been eating and drinking on her own, which is great news."
She also checked on Angel's babies, who were OK. However,
she was not allowed to remove them as that could be dangerous for the babies.
Opossums oftentimes get a bad rap, but a little education can go a
long way.
Angel loves being held and snuggling with Ronnie, Tabatha's
husband, who is also a wildlife rehabilitator.
For starters, it is highly unlikely for them to carry
rabies, according to Tabatha, as their blood temperature is too low to sustain
the virus. Most often they are scared of humans and are not aggressive.
Tabatha has been evaluating Angel at night because opossums
are nocturnal. She wants to ensure Angel is calm and there are no loud noises.
"Right now she is scared and you can tell she is hurting," she said.
"She is very sweet. Opossums have a very shy demeanor."
When scared, opossums will hiss and open their mouths very
wide. "If that doesn't work they can play possum, which is play dead and
they actually have glands on their anus that secrete a very stinky, horrible
smelling fluid to make them smell dead." Typically if you leave them
alone, they will leave an area, unless there is food.
Accepting help from humans
Although Tabatha feels that Angel was hurt by humans,
"She has not tried to bite me once," she said. "She knows I am
here to help, not to hurt her. I think she has a very good chance.
Angel continues to heal, and Tabatha hopes to release her
in a couple of weeks.
"My goal is to make sure she doesn't get an infection,
add a little weight to her, and release her and her babies together as soon as
possible," which most likely will be another week or two as long as Angel
continues to heal. Tabatha knows a man who loves wildlife. He has 60 acres and
hunting is prohibited, so she will release Angel on his property.
Rescuing Angel was "not one of my typical rescues
because I rescue dogs and cats," Obregon said. "This is out of the
ordinary for me, but I wouldn't have avoided her for that reason. She is still
an animal with a beating heart, and it was still beating when I got to
her."
If you find an injured wild animal, the Humane Society of the United States has information to help. You can also contact your local parks and wildlife
organization for information and a list of rehabilitators in your area, or call
your local animal control. If you ever bring wildlife to a rehabber, please
leave a donation as they are self-funded.
After a month-long state-sanctioned hunt for invasive
Burmese Pythons in Florida, 106 snakes were killed, with the longest measuring
15 feet.
This year's annual Python Challenge enlisted more than
1,000 people from 29 states to cull the python population between January 16, - February 14.
A team of four killed a nearly a third of the overall tally
with 33 pythons, taking home the $5,000 cash prize. They won an additional
$3,000 for capturing the longest snake, clocking in at 15 feet.
The competition was started in 2013 by the Florida Fish and
Wildlife Conservation Commission in order to keep the creatures from 'posing a
threat to native wildlife'.
FWC Commissioner Ron Bergeron said, “Each python that is removed makes a
difference for our native wildlife, and the increased public awareness will
help us keep people involved as we continue managing invasive species in
Florida.”
The python, which was once allowed to be kept as a pet, is
believed to have been introduced into Florida's ecosystem in 1992 when they
escaped from a breeding facility during Hurricane Andrew.
Researchers have predicted that there are at least 30,000
pythons in Florida's everglades, with some suggesting as many as 300,000 occupy
southern Florida.
All the snakes captured in the Python Challenge were turned
over to researchers who are trying to find clues to help control the
population.
Some animal rights groups have blasted the event for the
unethical way the snakes are killed.
While they are not opposed to the hunt itself, PETA
President Ingrid Newkirk, said, “Pythons who have had their heads hacked off
remain alive and will writhe in agony for hours if their brains are not
immediately destroyed.”
“PETA is calling on Florida officials to stop authorizing
snake decapitation and make it clear that this egregiously inhumane killing
method is unacceptable.”
It has suggested the hunters use bolt guns and fire arms to
'instantly kill the animals'. It has also condemned the 'bounty like' system to
reward the killing of snakes.
The Burmese python, a native of south east Asia, is “wreaking
havoc on one of America's most beautiful, treasured and naturally bountiful
ecosystems,” U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Director Marcia McNutt said in a
2012 report.
“Right now, the only hope to halt further python invasion
into new areas is swift, decisive and deliberate human action.”
But the reptiles are notoriously difficult to find in the
Everglades. In the first Python Challenge three years ago, around 1,600 hunters
caught just 68, CNN reported.
The state's wildlife commission trained more than 500
people before the competition, teaching them how to identify, and locate, and
capture Burmese pythons in a safe and humane way.
Participants were also required to complete an online
training module.
In addition to the training, favorable weather conditions
and a larger geographic area for the competition led to this year's success.
“We are excited to see so many people contribute to this
important effort to conserve Florida's natural treasure, the Everglades
ecosystem,” said Bergeron. “We need to keep this momentum going now that the
competition is over.”
Team captain, Bill Booth, along with Duane Clark, Dusty
Crum and Craig Nicks took home the $5,000 prize for first place for the team
category after they killed 33.
The team of four also captured the longest python, which
measured 15 feet and was awarded an additional $3,000.
Daniel Moniz captured 13 pythons, the most by any
individual, and received $3,500.
Brian Wood, who owns All American Gator Products in
Hollywood, Florida, pays up to $150 apiece for the snakes, about the same price
he pays for python skins imported from Asia.
Florida holds an annual, month-long hunt for Burmese
Pythons in an attempt to keep the snake's populations in control. This year's
competition saw 106 killed, and a third of those will be turned into
accessories.
FWC Commissioner Ron Bergeron, said, “Each python that is
removed makes a difference for our native wildlife.” Pictured, Jake Wood
removing a purchased python from a cooler.
The python, which was once allowed to be kept as a pet, is
believed to have been introduced into Florida's ecosystem in 1992 when they
escaped from a breeding facility during Hurricane Andrew.
Researchers have predicted that there are at least 30,000
pythons in Florida's everglades, with some suggesting as many as 300,000 occupy
southern Florida.
The 'invasive' animals have been blamed for the near
'complete disappearance of raccoons, rabbits and opossums' since their
introduction.
Some animal rights groups have blasted the event for the
unethical way the snakes are killed. PETA suggested hunters use bolt guns and
fire arms to 'instantly kill the animals' rather than have their heads cut off.
The reptiles are notoriously difficult to find in the
Everglades. In the first Python Challenge three years ago, around 1,600 hunters
caught just 68, CNN reported.
The state's wildlife commission trained more than 500
people before the competition this year, teaching them how to identify, and
locate, and capture Burmese pythons in a safe and humane way.
Tiny monkeys no bigger than a thumb are being sold
illegally in China and used as accessories by the country's nouveau riche.
These little primates are thought to be pygmy marmosets,
the world's smallest monkey, they are being priced at up to 30,000 Yuan
(£3,140), reports the People's Daily Online.
Pygmy marmosets are native to rainforests of Western Amazon
Basin in South America, but they are becoming increasingly popular as exotic
pets in China especially as gifts to celebrate the Year of the Monkey.
According to the report, the tiny animals have been given
the nickname of 'thumb monkeys' in China and they have become the new star pet
among wealthy people in the country.
One such man surnamed Chen is the owner of a jewelry
business.
He showcased what he referred to as a 'New Year mascot' on
China's Twitter-like social media platform Weibo.
His post said: “Snow skin leopards and red-crowned cranes
have nothing on my New Year's gift. Please meet Xiao Shen.”
A wave of comments among his friends on WeChat came after
the post.
The monkeys are smaller than mice and cling on to a
person's thumb as if to be hugging it.
An official expert who was not named spoke to local
reporters: “Buying and selling are certainly not legal. Not only one governmental
bodies are supervising this.”
The official also said the monkey is not native to China,
so it not only involves the protection of wildlife, but also quarantine.
They have to be able to adapt to the environment, as pygmy
marmosets are native to the Amazon, survival in China could be extremely
difficult.
What You Need to Know About Pygmy Marmosets:
Pygmy marmosets are the smallest monkey's in the world.
They average about five inches, with a tail that grows to
about eight inches.
Native exclusively to rainforests of Western Amazon Basin
in South America.
They like to eat grasshoppers and make high pitched clicks,
squeaks and whistles.
The pygmy marmoset is becoming increasingly popular as an
exotic pet, but they are very hard to keep.
International Union for Conservation of Nature's have
listed them on their red list of endangered species.
They are undergoing some localized declines, due mainly to
habitat loss in the rainforests and international trade.
Source: International Union for Conservation
The tiny monkeys are becoming increasingly popular as
exotic pets for their cuteness and size but they are very hard to keep.
According to a-zanimals.com, when a baby pygmy marmoset is
taken away from the family it can often die quickly due to depression.
What a spokesman from the World Animal Protection said about
keeping these animals as pets:
“It is obvious to see why these incredibly endearing
animals have appeal but people must remember they are wild animals and they
must live out their lives in their natural environment – not as a curio for
someone as a pet.
They have specific needs that cannot be met in a domestic
environment and keeping them as pets is not only cruel but highly
irresponsible.”
Pigmy marmosets are on the International Union for
Conservation of Nature's red list of endangered species.
They are listed as 'Least Concern' as the species has a
relatively wide distribution range, and there are no major threats resulting in
a significant population decline.
However, the report said they may be undergoing some
localiSed declines, due mainly to habitat loss in the rainforests and
international trade.
This is the monster-sized rabbit who is on the look-out for
a loving new home in Scotland.
The continental giant rabbit - appropriately named Atlas -
could no longer be taken care of by his former owner.
And staff at the SPCA's centre in Glasgow have taken the
seven-month-old in until they can find him a new home.
Anna O'Donnell, the centre's manager, thinks Atlas will be
a great pet for any potential owner.
She said: 'Atlas is already about the size of a Westie
[west highland terrier] and is still young with some growing to do.
'He is a very friendly rabbit who loves attention and
getting cuddles.
'Atlas is also an inquisitive boy who makes everyone laugh
with his mischievous character.'
Anna stressed that only experienced owners will be
considered for Atlas.
She added: 'We are looking for a specific home for Atlas
due to his breed and size. A standard rabbit hutch won't do so his new owner
will need plenty of space for him.
'Atlas needs an owner with the knowledge to properly care
for him, so ideally someone who has kept a continental giant before.'
If anyone is interested in offering him a home they should
give the centre on 03000 999 999.
McLean, Virginia - Animal control officers in Fairfax
County are warning residents about a possibly rabid fox that bit a woman
Tuesday afternoon in McLean.
According to police, the fox bit and scratched the woman
outside her home in the 1400 block of Laburnum Street. Animal control officers
could not find the fox when they responded to the woman's home.
The fox is described as a red fox with bloody paws and
nose. Police say the fox was last seen on Copely Lane.
Animal control is asking anyone that sees the fox (or any
animals with symptoms that could indicate rabies) to call animal control at
703-691-2131.
Bunny loves to spend her days in front the sliding door,
especially when the sun is nice and hot. That day, the wild rabbits were
running around outside, “chasing each other because it’s mating time,” When one
particular wild rabbit saw Bunny, and decided that she was the love of his
life. whenever Bunny leaves the room, he waits anxiously for her return.
It’s adorable to see these two make contact and give each
other bunny kisses… but it’s probably best that they are separated by the
screen door. It wouldn’t be a wise idea to let the rabbit in.”
The scene in Washington, D.C. on Saturday is a sea of
white, thanks to a crippling storm that could dump up to 30 inches of snow in
some areas.
While the potentially historic blizzard is extremely
dangerous, the local wildlife in D.C. seem to be enjoying themselves. A video
captured in Cleveland Park in the early morning hours on Saturday shows a herd
of deer frolicking carelessly in the snowy conditions.
A New Jersey woman who took in two abandoned baby squirrels
said she saw the animals taken away and was slapped with a fine after wildlife
authorities saw images of the critters that she had posted online.
Maria Vaccarella and her husband were surprised to find in
July an injured squirrel they had come upon in a neighbor’s yard had given
birth to two healthy babies and left the pair to fend for themselves.
“We left the babies out for 24 hours. No mom (came back) so
I decided to take them in,” she said.
Vaccarella treated the pair— whom she named Lola and
George— like her pets as she cared for them.
“I read up on them… I started feeding them puppy milk with
whipping cream for three months and started introducing other foods,” she said,
telling CBS New York that she fed them every two hours to build up their
strength.
Vaccarella posted photos of the siblings on social media to
the delight of her friends, who expressed how happy they were to see the
squirrels thriving.
“How sweet is that!” one person commented on a photo.
“You did a beautiful thing… saving those little babies!”
another person wrote.
But those pictures attracted the attention of state
wildlife officers, who visited Vaccarella on October 31.
“I was proud to tell them the story (of) how I saved them,”
Vaccarella said.
“I even asked if they would like to come in and see them…
If I had known it was illegal to have them I would have never let them (the
squirrels) in my home,” she said, noting that she reached out to a
rehabilitation specialist who had been unable to immediately take the pair.
Vaccarella told CBS New York she was happy to give the
squirrels to professionals and thought that was the end of it, but was
surprised to receive a summons in the mail for what she had done.
She pleaded not guilty to possessing captive game animals
and said she faces a fine up to $1,000 and up to six months’ jail time, she
wrote in an online petition to have the charges dropped and to find out where
the squirrels were taken.
“All I did was help these babies,” she wrote on the
petition.
Bob Considine, spokesman for the state Department of
Environmental Protection, which oversees the Division of Fish and Wildlife,
told Inside Edition that the civil penalty carries a fine of $100 to $500, but
no jail time as it is not a criminal penalty.
“We understand there are many people who take in wildlife
and have the best intentions, as clear was the case with Mrs. Vaccarella…
However, domesticating any wildlife for an extended period of time, which was
the case here, also puts these animals at great risk of being unable to survive
in the natural habitat, where they belong,” he told Inside Edition.
After the case was referred to the Division of Fish &
Wildlife by a New Jersey licensed wildlife rehabilitator who saw it on
Facebook, the department was obligated to follow through with an official
notice of violation of law. If they had not acted, they stood to be legally
challenged by the licensed wildlife rehabilitators, or anyone else, who reports
an infraction.
He said this is not a case the department is “focusing any
energy on.”
Wildlife officials are trying to figure out exactly how a
shark got into the swimming pool at a South Florida condo complex.
The South Florida Sun Sentinel reports that Florida Fish
and Wildlife Conservation Commission officers responded to the Mariner's Cay
condominium in Hypoluxo last week after a woman found a live five-foot blacktip
shark in the pool.
The woman told officers she saw two young men running from
the pool, which is located near the shoreline of the Intracoastal Waterway. The
officers removed the shark from the pool and returned it to the ocean.
Blacktip sharks are among the most common species in
coastal South Florida.
