Bears Spook Pennsylvania Weatherman During Newscast

Two truisms of television, never work with animals and you never know what to expect on live TV — combined to send a Pennsylvania weatherman fleeing for his safety as thousands of viewers watched.

Kurt Aaron, meteorologist for ABC affiliate WNEP-TV in Scranton, Pa., was seconds from delivering the weather forecast on Monday from the station’s outdoor studio when a mama bear and her three cubs wandered on set.

Viewers who tuned into the 11 p.m. broadcast expecting to find out whether to prepare for rain or sun, instead saw Aaron running inside for cover.

Aaron was forced to report a shortened weather forecast from inside the station’s control room while he and the newscast’s anchors watched and narrated for viewers the wildlife right outside their window.

“I walked out there, and I turn around and I hear the sound, and the bear’s literally 10 feet from me,” Aaron explained, once he was safely back inside the studio.   ”And I ran like I stole something.”

The crew left the bears alone as they explored the set through the rest of the evening’s newscast.  Even a high-pitched alarm, also heard on-air, did not immediately chase them from the area.

“We are located at the base of a mountain and we’ve had raccoons, skunks and all sorts of critters and creatures come through our backyard,” Carl Abraham, news director for WNEP, told ABCNews.com today.  “But I don’t recall us ever having a mother and three cubs roll on through.”

“Nobody was hurt,” Abraham said.  “It’s just one of those things. It’s just Mother Nature, so there’s not much you can do sometimes.  We don’t have any plans to change.  We’ll always do it outside.”

Abraham says WNEP in the 1970s became one of the first stations to report the weather from an outside set.  Rapid development in the area, he believes, is likely what sent the bears out of their natural habitat and to the news station.

“This was one of the rare times that we were forced, besides severe weather, to do the forecast from the inside of the building,” he said.

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Multi-Platinum Singer, Chris Brown - Is Now Selling Puppies

Like many modern day celebrities, Chris Brown has the entrepreneurial spirit. Rather than the typical fragrance or clothing line, however, the multi-platinum singer’s newest venture appears to be selling puppies.

On Sunday night, his mother, Joyce Brown, took to Twitter to announce her son’s new venture. “Chris Brown puppies for sale,” Hawkins tweeted.

While webs.com is a free web domain most people wouldn’t associate with a Grammy-award winning artist, it doesn’t appear to be a joke. The bare bones website lists 8 eight-week old puppies whose breeds are not mentioned, but most of whom appear to be pitbulls.


The puppies, who sell for $1000 each, are purportedly healthy and come with current vaccinations, pet registration, a health guarantee, a veterinary exam, and a four generation performance pedigree. There is no mention of spay or neuter, so the puppies are presumably intact.

In a world where countless pets, particularly pitbulls, are euthanized daily, Chris Brown’s latest effort appears to be yet another in a long line of the singer’s poor decisions.

Please do not buy puppies from websites, or pet stores. These puppies usually come from puppy mills.

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The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) - No Pet Store Puppies

The no-nonsense canine mascot of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA)’s No Pet Store Puppies Campaign is at it again! Watch as he skillfully “trains” an oblivious consumer to not shop for her pet supplies in a store that sells puppies.

Most pet store puppies come from puppy mills. Refusing to buy a dog from a pet store is a crucial first step. But we’re also asking all pet owners not to buy anything in stores that sell puppies! No kibble, no kitty litter, no toys—nothing! By purchasing anything from a store that sells puppies, you are unwittingly supporting the puppy mill industry.

Please take the pledge not to shop for anything at pet stores that sell puppies, and please use the social media tools on the site to spread the word to friends and family! It’s time to put an end to puppy mills.


Most pet store puppies come from puppy mills. Refusing to buy a dog from a pet store is a crucial first step. But we’re also asking all pet owners not to buy anything in stores that sell puppies! No kibble, no kitty litter, no toys—nothing! By purchasing anything from a store that sells puppies, you are unwittingly supporting the puppy mill industry.

Please take the pledge not to shop for anything at pet stores that sell puppies, and please use the social media tools on the site to spread the word to friends and family! It’s time to put an end to puppy mills.

Does your local pet store carry dogs?

Are they for sale or for adoption?  If a store sells puppies, don't buy anything there!  Learn why it matters and what you can do to be a responsible dog owner.

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Maryland Zoo Welcomes Baby Colobus Monkey - New Arrival Brings Colobus Count to Four at Baltimore Zoo

The Maryland Zoo in Baltimore has announced the birth of a black-and-white colobus monkey.

Mike McClure, the zoo's general curator, made a statement announcing the birth to parents Keri, age 14, and Bisi, age 19.

“We have been hoping that this pair would breed successfully, however they are secretive breeders and we were not certain she was pregnant,” said McClure. “We were very happy to see this new offspring arrive this morning.”

Found in the forests of equatorial Africa, colobus monkeys are distinguished by their black bodies and long white tails. The species is officially considered to be "in decline" due to the loss of their forest habitat, as well as the fact that they are hunted for meat and fur.

The new arrival brings the count of colobus monkeys at the Maryland Zoo to four, with the infant joining Keri, Bisi, and another adult female.

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Beekeeper Dons 73-Pound Bee Suit in China

A Chinese beekeeper donned a 73-pound coat of live bees on Wednesday in a daring record-breaking attempt.

Assistants helped cover She Ping with more than 300,000 bees, the Associated Press reported. The entire process took about one hour, and left only parts of Ping’s face exposed.

She Ping, 32, broke the previous world record for heaviest coat of bees worn in Chongqing, China, which was set by Ruan Liangming, in 2008. Liangming wore 59 pounds of bees, China Daily reported, citing local media.

But She Ping still has a long way to go before he breaks the world record. Guinness World Records’ website lists Vipin Seth of India as the wearer of the “heaviest mantle of bees.” Seth’s mantle weighed about 136 pounds. The record was set in 2009.

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Urgent! Vets Warn of New Treats from China Poisoning Dogs

Despite repeated warnings issued by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), chicken jerky treats, but this time they are being poisoned with a whole new class of treats: sweet potato treats imported from China.

The brands veterinarians say are associated with the new cases of unexplained acute kidney failure are Canyon Creek Ranch Chicken Yam Good Dog Treats (Nestle-Purina), Beefeaters Sweet Potato Treats (16 types of yam-related treats), Drs. Foster and Smith (exact item not specified in the report) and Dogswell Veggie Life Vitality (4 types of Veggie Life brands).

It is important to remember that although the type of treat most often mentioned in the press is described as a jerky treat, the treats may also be called by a myriad of other names such as stix, chips, poppers, tenders, drumettes, kabob’s, strips, fries, lollipops, twists, wraps, bars, tops and discs.

The report says that there is speculation the problems may also extend to pork treats and cat treats imported from China.

In 2010 the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued an Import Refusal Report and later issued an Import Alert for sweet potato dog treats imported from a company in China (whose main business is, oddly, in rubber and plastic raw materials) were contaminated with a highly toxic pesticide known as Phorate http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phorate.

Phorate is an extremely toxic organophosphorus compound and is among the most poisonous chemicals commonly used for pest control. It is used in agriculture as a pesticide and Phorate is identified by Pesticide Action Network (PAN) and Californians for Pesticide Reform (CPR) as one of the “most toxic” set of pesticides known (aka a Bad Actor) in the world.

Although Phorate is known primarily as a neurotoxin and not classified as a nephrotoxin and therefore unlikely to cause acute renal failure in dogs, its presence in any food item is a disturbing indication that treats of any kind imported from China could pose a risk to the health and safety of pets and to the consumers handling them.

On the Veterinary Information Network, several veterinarians have reported cases where dogs have developed symptoms of kidney failure (Fanconi’s syndrome) similar to dogs who have been poisoned by Chinese-made chicken jerky treats.

So far, the brands implicated are all made in China:

Beefeaters Sweet Potato Snacks for Dogs
Canyon Creek Ranch Chicken Yam Good Dog Treats (FDA has issued a warning on this product)
Drs. Foster and Smith (exact item not specified in the report)
Dogswell Veggie Life Vitality

There was also speculation that the problem may also extend to pork products (pig ears) and cat treats made in China. Australian veterinarians have reported similar symptoms from chicken jerky treats, as well as several cases associated with “Veggie Dents,” a dog treat made in Vietnam by Virbac, an American company. Virbac recalled one batch of Veggie Dents in Australia in 2009.

The FDA still claims that there is no pending recall of Chinese-made pet treats, even though it has repeatedly issued warnings about the problems associated with chicken jerky treats since 2007.

Symptoms of Fanconi’s syndrome include:

• Increased drinking and urinating
• “Accidents” in the house
• Reduced appetite
• Weight loss
• Weakness
• Blood and urine tests show azotemia (high BUN and Creatinine), dilute urine, and glucose in the urine (that isn’t diabetes).

Most affected dogs have recovered over time with good supportive care.

We strongly recommend that you check the source of all cat or dog treats you may have purchased, and do not give them to your pet if they were made in China. It would be best to avoid any pet food or treat products made in China, and probably a good idea to avoid all dried animal parts, because they are not heated to a temperature that will kill pathogenic bacteria.

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Smithsonian's National Zoo, Washington, DC - Two Young Otters Died from Dye Used for Identification Purposes

Two young otters died Thursday at the Smithsonian's National Zoo http://nationalzoo.si.edu/, and officials believe they passed after ingesting dye used on their fur for identification purposes.

The Zoo said the young adult Asian small-clawed otters were among seven that received routine quarantine exams, during which they received contraceptive implants. Officials said that they were reintroduced to the 13-member family and appeared to be eating and acting normally.

However, later that afternoon keepers said they noticed that two of the otters showed discomfort while moving and were taken to the Zoo's hospital for treatment. They later died.

The Zoo said a preliminary necropsy suggested that the otters had methemoglobinemia, a condition affecting oxygen transport by the blood, which caused liver and kidney failure.

The Zoo said in a release that the most likely cause of death is ingestion of the dye.

More from the Zoo's release:

This dye has been routinely used by wildlife researchers and professionals on birds, marine mammals, small mammals and ungulates among many others. The National Zoo has used the product for more than three decades on numerous species without incident, including golden lion tamarins, prairie dogs, black-footed ferrets and the previous group of otters that lived on Asia Trail.

Zoo officials said the excess dye was cleaned off the other otters, and all 11 remaining otters appear to be acting normally. They will remain in quarantine.

The Zoo said it has ceased using the dye.

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Peacocks Ruffle Feathers in Harford County, Maryland

In Abingdon, Maryland an unusual neighborhood dispute over what's allowed in one's back yard is ruffling feathers in a Harford County community as the County Council considers expanding a law regulating animals.

Feathers of a peacock blowing in the breeze are easily mistaken for blades of grass. But when dusk falls, there's no mistaking the noise when the peacock ascends to the roof and fans out his feathers.

Lisa McNair and her family own Petey, a male peacock, and other peacocks. They are a permanent fixture in the Bynum Overlook Community in Abingdon, a compact residential neighborhood.

"Harford County law says I can put anything I want in my yard but a chicken," McNair said.

Of course, some neighbors aren't too pleased, mostly because Petey is noisy, especially now since it's breeding season.

One neighbor, who chose not to be identified, said the noise interrupts sleep.

"They squawk all night long," the neighbor said. "At first, it was pretty unique. I took pictures. But I get up at 5 a.m., so it's not pretty anymore."

"When evening comes, he starts calling to let everybody know that this is his territory," McNair said. "There (are) other animals in the neighborhood."

Harford County inspectors have responded to complaints about the peacocks, which county law limits to five per property.

WBAL-TV 11 News I-Team lead investigative reporter Jayne Miller counted eight birds altogether, but any under 6 months old aren't affected by the limit.

"How do you keep a peacock on your roof and not everybody else's?" Miller asked.

"That's why the kids are chasing him," McNair said.

The county prevents the McNairs from caging the peacocks because the houses in the neighborhood are so close.

"If people would stay out of my business, my birds would be penned, but they didn't. So, zoning came and said, release the birds," McNair said.

The county considers the peacocks domestic animals, albeit noisy ones.

When asked whether she's keeping her peacocks at her home, McNair said, "Yes, they're my pets."

Harford County officials told the 11 News I-Team that the County Council is considering a proposal at a meeting Tuesday night that could increase the number of animals property owners can have...peacocks included.

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Hero Dog Saves Puppy From Drowning

A Golden Retriever mother rescues a puppy from potentially drowning in the swimming pool.

Seeing her helpless pup in distress, the dog jumps into the pool and, using her nose, tries to lift the puppy out of the pool. When that fails, however, she runs out of the pool, ultimately lifting up and dragging her pup to safety.

While many are praising the Golden Retriever as a hero, there are also people condemning those filming the video for failing to take action to save the puppy, which may have been much quicker than having the mother dog save her pup.

Comments on the video raise the question of whether the puppy was in fact thrown into the water at the start of the video in order to set up footage of our hero dog. Such an act could severely traumatize the puppy, not to mention, place a damper on the seemingly heartwarming nature of the video.

The divide amongst viewers is clearly illustrated through the top comments on Youtube as the top ranked comment notes how the video borders on animal cruelty, while the next highly rater comment deems any calls of animal cruelty unwarranted.

Regardless of the motives behind the video, however, it is clear that this Golden Retriever exhibited fierce courage and natural retriever intelligence in her quick actions to save the pup. The fact that she is a hero is not even debatable.

What do you think about the video? Do you find it adorable or does the filming of the video disturb you? Is there any doubt that the Golden Retriever is a hero? Share your thoughts in a comment.

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Man, Distracted by Texting, Almost Walks into Bear Attack (video)

A man was texting and walking, when he looked up to see a 400-pound black bear right in front of him. The crazy scene was captured on video by California-based station KTLA 5.

The clip below shows the man, apparently shocked and scared, running as fast as he could away from the bear.

Authorities were able to subdue the bear with tranquilizers.

The animal was taken to a nearby forest and released into the wild.




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Texas Man Claims Police Killed His Dog When Responding to Wrong Address

A Texas man claims that his beloved dog Cisco was shot point blank by a police officer who responded to a call at the wrong address.

Michael Paxton, 40, said he and his Australian Cattle Dog, Cisco were relaxing and playing Frisbee in his Austin backyard on Saturday afternoon when he decided to go get something from his truck in the driveway.

As he approached his truck, he said he saw something from the corner of his eye and looked up to see a police officer who immediately drew his weapon, and told Paxton to put his hands up.

"He had a Taser. He had pepper spray. I don't understand why, in broad daylight, he pulled a gun on me. I wasn't running. I wasn't hiding," Paxton told ABCNews.com today. "I was just saying, 'I live here.' I was panicking. I was afraid for my life."

Paxton said he heard Cisco, who weighed about 50 pounds, barking and coming towards him from the backyard.

"I said, 'Don't shoot him. Don't shoot my dog. He won't bite you.' But he shot him, just like that. It all happened in under 30 seconds," Paxton said. "There was no attack on the officer other than barking and challenging him."

Austin Police Cpl. Anthony Hipolito told ABCNews. com that the officer did respond to the wrong address, but it was the address provided by the 911 call. The call came from the house next to Paxton's.

Hipolito said that dashcam footage shows the dog barking and attacking the officer.

"The officer was basically in retreat and asked the owner to grab the dog," Hipolito said. "He was unable to and the dog continued to attack and that's when the officer discharged his firearm."


An apology was issued at the scene, according to Hipolito, but Paxton said no one apologized to him.

"Officers have to do everything they can to protect themselves, up to and including the use of deadly force," Hipolito said. "It's something that we don't ever want to do. To shoot and kill an animal is very unfortunate and tragic. The officer is distraught and did not want to do it, but at the same time, he had to protect himself."

As a shocked and horrified Paxton stared down at his dog's lifeless body, he said he was confused when the officer started asking him if he had a girlfriend.

"I was saying, 'You just killed my dog. I can't believe you just killed my dog. What is going on?'" Paxton recalled.

Paxton said the officer said he was responding to a domestic issue report of a man choking a woman. Paxton does not have a girlfriend and believes the report came from his neighbor's house.

Paxton said the officer did not apologize and when his sergeant arrived, he was unsympathetic and told Paxton the officer was within his right to shoot the dog. He said he has not heard from the police since the incident.

"I was in shock for probably almost 24 hours," Paxton said, choking up. "I wasn't crying at that point, but when I picked my dog up out of the driveway, I lost it."

Paxton's friends started a Facebook page called "Justice for Cisco" that has nearly 14,000 supporters. Hundreds of people have left messages of support, outrage and anger.

"How heartbreaking and so uncalled for. Tears just fall for the fallen. So very sorry for your lost over a mistaken address," one supporter wrote.

Another wrote: "How dare any officer make a mistake & not apologize? If that were a citizen they would be made to apologize immediately. A life was taken & even though some might look at it only being a dog; it was somebody's pet that they loved dearly."

"The only thing that has brought me comfort is the response and outpouring of emotion for him," Paxton said. "I'm sure he heard the yelling. He's a dog. This is his territory. He's going to be territorial to some extent. To me, it's pretty typical dog behavior. He's not a viscous dog. He was a good boy. He was a real good boy."

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Pet Experts Caution about Parasite Problems - Mild Winter to Blame

Veterinarians and other pet experts are worried the mild winter will present serious problems for dogs and cats this spring and summer.

"This spring came very early, back in February people started sending me ticks, and I was a little surprised, quite surprised," says University of Georgia veterinary entomologist Dr. Nancy Hinkle.

She isn't the only one.

Vets nationwide are worried the early arrival of ticks and mosquitoes will cause outbreaks of pet diseases like heartworms.

Chris Carpenter and Byron Blagburn are with the Companion Animal Parasite Council, and both say the exceptionally warm winter is to blame.

"We anticipate that we'll have more mosquitoes and, of course, since heartworm is moved from an infected dog to a non-infected dog by the mosquito, the mosquito plays a pivotal role," Blagburn says.

The council has set up a free website, Pets and Parasites.org, where you can look at county-by-county monthly updates on frequency of pet diseases.

"For you to see just how prevalent it is and it's not just limited to heartworm, we'll give you updates on tick diseases and other parasitic diseases that are prevalent throughout the country," Carpenter explains.

The council's forecast calls for extremely high levels of heartworm population in the South, with high to moderate levels elsewhere.

They advise that pets get parasite prevention medication year-round.

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Wausau City, Wisconsin - Leaders Consider Changing Animal Ordinance

Wausau City, Wisconsin leaders are taking a look at the city's animal laws after finding out many people aren't following the rules. The discussion was sparked when a Wausau family found out they have two more dogs than the city allows.

Public Health and Safety Committee Chair, Lisa Rasmussen said according to some estimates, there could be a lot of other households in the same boat. "There may be as many as 3,000 households that are currently in excess of the ordained limit."

That includes Melissa and James Lecker. In February, a public service officer noticed the couple has four dogs. That's two more than the city allows. The Leckers told Newsline 9 they'd rather move than lose any of their pets.

"I didn't want to be breaking any laws or hiding anything," Melissa Lecker said during an interview earlier this year.

Since that story came out, city officials decided to take another look. Now, they're moving forward with plans to try and change the rules. Under a proposal, people could apply for a permit to house more than two dogs as long as the pets are already living there.

"If it goes to the permit where we have to let our dogs die and then we can't replace them, no we will not stay in the city," Lecker said over the phone Monday night. She was out of state on vacation, but spoke to us over the phone.

Other people weren't afraid to speak out in front of the Public Health and Safety Committee and ask them to change the law.

"You want me to take two of my dogs that have a good home and put them in a shelter until they...they can sit there for months until they find a good home when they're taken out of one," one animal owner said.

But some people said the limit is in place for a reason. "I'm not naive to think that there aren't good pet owners out there, we've definitely heard some here tonight, but there are also those that aren't."

Even if city leaders change the law and adopt a permit process, they'll need to figure out how to enforce it. Right now, the police department handles animal complaints, but officials propose working with the Marathon County Humane Society http://www.catsndogs.org/ to handle animal issues. "If folks who are currently out of compliance adopt this compromise solution, come forward and get those things done it will help us at least partially fund an animal control program without doing it purely off tax levy dollars," Rasmussen said.

But this is just the beginning. City leaders said coming up with a solid proposal could take months. Police said they know people are violating the law, but they say they'll only respond to animal complaints as they're called in, at least while city leaders work on developing a new process.


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Love of Dogs May Cause Wisconsin Couple to Lose Their House

Melissa Lecker is walking outside her three-bedroom home in downtown Wausau, Wisconsin, and talking about her dogs.

“These dogs are our family,” she says as she looks down at two 13-year-old Golden Retrievers, Abbie and Jesse.


Right behind her are her 1-year-old Yorkie, Archie, and Chester, her 3-year-old Shih Tzu.
“They are just like our children,” she says.

In fact, she says emphatically her four dogs are more important to her than her money or even her home.

“This house doesn't mean as much to us as they do.”
Ironic because it’s the house she and her husband are set to lose because of their love for their pups.

James and Melissa moved to Wausau in early January, buying a new home and what they thought was the beginning of a great life in Wausau.

What they didn’t know is Wausau has an ordinance limiting the number of pets.
In Wausau, for instance, you can’t have more than three cats, three gerbils or three rabbits. And, unfortunately for the Leckers, you can’t have more than two dogs.

“I couldn’t believe it,” she said when a police officer told her she was over the dog limit and subject to a fine of more than $100 per day. “I had never heard of anything like that.”
She says town officials have given her an unbearable choice.

“They told us that the ordinance clearly states they cannot work with us… that it's either two dogs or that you have to move, as you can't have four dogs here.”

No one from Wausau would return repeated calls from Fox News for comment. Not Mayor James Tipple. No one from the Wausau City Council. Not even Lisa Rasmussen, chair of the Public Health and Safety Committee, which oversees the pet ordinance.
But in local articles town officials have said their hands are tied.

"Our current ordinance doesn't allow for a variance," Wausau city attorney Anne Jacobson told WAOW.com.

Other city officials say the ordinance was passed in 1989 to curb animal “nuisance” complaints like dog bites.

And one municipal attorney from New Jersey says he understands the purpose of the ordinance, particularly when it comes to dogs.

“They smell. They bark. They have excrement,” explained attorney Jeff Gold, who fully supports laws limiting pets.

“You’re not punishing [the Leckers], he explains. “You're regulating society.” He says animal regulations are some of the oldest regulations on the books. “Animals used to be in houses,” he explains. “They used to be in front yards. Society gets to regulate it.”

“Well," counters Melissa while holding Chester in her arms, “I believe there are other ways to handle the nuisance complaints.”

“They should punish the nuisances, not responsible pet owners.” Melissa says she has put her house on the market and is willing to take a $15,000 loss in order to keep her dogs.

“I hope we can work something out,” she said. “But they are just being so mean. My dogs didn’t bother anyone.”

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