As Spc. Matthew Tattersall prepares to leave the U.S. Army, he wanted to make his last jump as a paratrooper a memorable one. So last weekend, he jumped with Willy MakeIt, his pet Siamese fighting fish. A selfie Tattersall took of his fish, not out of water, but out of an airplane, went viral on U.S. Army W.T.F.! Moments, a Facebook community popular among troops. "The picture got way more popular than I thought it would," Tattersall said. Although social media users were hooked on the image (the photo got more than 15,500 likes), bosses upstream at Fort Bragg, N.C., thought the move was all wet. Tattersall, who's assigned to 2nd Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, said he's waiting for the final fallout from his aerial actions. Meanwhile, he has written a 1,000-word essay on the importance of airborne safety and professionalism in the Army. "When it's all said and done, it wasn't all that safe or professional for me to have done that," Tattersall said.
But the 23-year-old, who calls himself "23 years stupid," said he has no regrets. "It was worth it," he said. "I'm fully willing to embrace any consequences that come of it, and I hope they're lenient." Tattersall, an infantryman with a deployment to Afghanistan, joined the Army in 2011, shipping to basic training in January 2012. He will complete his enlistment on May 20. His last jump was April 11. "It was a daytime combat jump, but with me being so close to getting out, I didn't have any gear, so it was a Hollywood jump for me," Tattersall said. He and his friends have long talked about doing something special for their last jump, but "no one actually went through with it," he said. So when his turn came, "I wanted to make it awesome, and I did just that," he said. The night before the jump, Tattersall went to Walmart and bought the fish he named Willy MakeIt. "It's so random to have it be a fish," he said, crediting a friend for the idea. Tattersall poked holes in the top of a water bottle so Willy could breathe. "I had his little pod ready," he said. On jump day, no one knew about the plan Tattersall was hatching, he said. "I kept it in my pocket, and I was as nonchalant as I possibly could be," he said. "I knew the jumpmasters wouldn't have let that fly. I knew none of the NCOs or other leaders would have let me jump. It was completely on me." As he jumped from the C-17 and fell to the ground under the canopy of his parachute, Tattersall took a quick selfie. "I had to be quick, but paratroopers get the job done," he said. "... Conditions were perfect. I made sure I wasn't around anyone where it would have been a hazard," he said. "But I guess that's famous last words for anyone." Tattersall and Willy MakeIt made it safely to the ground, and the hardy fish earned a middle name. He's now Willy Did MakeIt, and he has big dreams. "Willy and I are trying to go to space," Tattersall said. But first, Tattersall hopes to be able to move on from the Army honorably. "I have big hopes and big plans for the future," said Tattersall, who aims to start college in the fall. "I'm proud to be a paratrooper. I wouldn't change a thing about it."
A young bull elephant killed professional hunter Ian Gibson early on Wednesday as he tracked a lion for an American client in a rugged part of north-east Zimbabwe. Mr. Gibson, 55, one of Zimbabwe's best known big game hunters, died scouting for prey in the Zambezi Valley after a young bull elephant charged, then knelt on him and crushed him to death. "We don't yet know the full details of how 'Gibbo' as we called him, died, as the American client and the trackers are still too traumatized to give us full details," said Paul Smith, Managing Director, of Chifuti Safaris' which employed Mr. Gibson for the hunt. The American hunter was on his first trip to Zimbabwe, and only has one leg, but was "fit and strong" and had already shot a leopard. Mr. Gibson was scouting for lions when he encountered the elephant. Mr. Gibson's trackers said the young bull had been in a musth period, which means it was producing much more testosterone then usual. "We know 'Gibbo' shot it once, from about 10 yards away, with a 458 rifle. He would never have fired unless he had no alternative. He was a hunter, yes, but he was also a magnificent wildlife photographer and conservationist. "He was so experienced and this is a most unexpected tragedy." Mr. Gibson was accompanying his client in an area known as Chiwore North, in the southern part of the Zambezi Valley, which Mr. Smith said is overpopulated with elephants.
Working at Disney World exposes you to everything imaginable. It’s not just castles, fairy tale characters, and insane rides you see on a daily basis, but all types of people as well. Sometimes people do strange things, but nothing prepared park employees for a woman trying to enter with her pet tiger. On April 6th, 2015, an unidentified woman tried to enter the park with her pet tiger, and was promptly stopped by park employees. The tiger had been staying with the family in their hotel room, and walked to the park on a leash. While service animals are allowed in the park, the woman could not prove that it was an “emotional support animal,” according to employees. After a long winded argument at the parks entrance, Central Florida Zoo was called to retrieve the baby Bengal tiger until the end of the woman’s vacation. However, for the “inconvenience,” Disney gave reservations at a restaurant on site, and gave them fast passes for the rest of their trip. This situation highlights just how easy it is to acquire an exotic animal as a “pet,” and the cavalier attitude people have towards them. Far too many animals are adopted while they are “still cute,” only to be abandoned or killed when they become too difficult to take care of. Hopefully it will become impossible for these wild creatures to be bought and traded with impunity. Thankfully, we can all pitch in to help. As with many news stories, things are constantly changing. As it turns out, the animals was a bengal CAT, which is a semi-domesticated exotic breed of cat. However, many parts of the United States outlaw or regulate bengal cats, considering them exotic, and in the same category as an actual tiger. While there is some comfort in knowing the details, it still stirs up the questions of morality and safety of trying to “own” exotic animals and treating them as house pets.
Canine influenza has reached Lafayette, according to the Purdue University's Pet Wellness Clinic. Clinic director Steve Thompson said Friday that several tests on Lafayette dogs came up positive for the virus Thursday evening. It's unclear how many dogs have been diagnosed with the virus locally. Thompson said Purdue will be releasing more information later today. Indiana State Board of Animal Health spokeswoman Denise Derrer said the board has heard of about a dozen cases of the virus in Indiana dogs. The board last week had asked veterinarians to informally notify the board of any cases they diagnose. "But that's not an official count by any means," Derrer said, noting that the virus isn't considered "reportable," meaning that veterinarians aren't required to report canine influenza cases to the state. The virus has swept Chicago in recent weeks, sickening more than 1,000 dogs and killed five dogs between January and March. Experts originally thought it to be the H3N8 dog flu virus already found in the United States. They now believe it is a new strain, H3N2, that likely originated in Asia and hasn't been seen before in the U.S. Though a vaccine is available for the H3N8 virus, it's unclear yet whether it will ward off the H3N2 virus, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The virus is rarely fatal, but young and old canines can be especially at risk. About canine influenza What is it? Canine influenza is a very contagious respiratory infection in dogs. How is it transmitted? The virus can be transmitted from dog to dog via the air (coughing or close proximity), by contaminated objects such as food bowls or toys, or by humans moving between infected and healthy dogs. What are the symptoms? The signs of this illness in dogs are coughing, runny nose and fever. A small portion of infected dogs can develop severe disease. What to do if dog shows symptoms? Though there is a vaccine for the older H3N8 virus, but it is unknown whether that vaccine will protect against the new H3N2 virus currently sweeping the Midwest. Veterinarians still recommend receiving the H3N8 vaccine. Contact your vet for details. Treatment largely consists of supportive care including fluids and making the dog comfortable. Is it fatal? The percent of dogs with the disease that die is very small. Eighty percent of infected dogs will have a mild form of the virus. Sources: Purdue University School of Veterinary Medicine, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
