Phoenix, Arizona - A man was hospitalized after surviving a rattlesnake bite to the face while trying to show off to friends at a party by attempting to cook the reptile on a barbecue grill. Victor Pratt, 48, was bitten Sept. 7. He was first treated at a hospital near his Coolidge, Ariz., home and then transferred to Banner-University Medical Center in Phoenix. Coolidge is nearly 60 miles southeast of Phoenix. While celebrating his child's birthday with friends, Pratt said he decided to show them how to catch and cook a rattlesnake after one of the reptiles showed up in his yard during the party. Pratt, who was interviewed Friday, grabbed the venomous snake and was showing it off to friends and family, posing for several photos. But he lost his grip on the snake's head, and it attacked him. After being bit twice, once on the chest and once on the face, Pratt said he knew immediately that something was wrong, having been bitten once before when he was 19. "I said, 'We gotta go now,' because I knew what was going to happen," Pratt said. He was taken immediately to a local hospital, which doctors said saved his life. He also has received doses of antivenom. "If an airway is not established in the first few minutes, in our experience less than 15 to 30 minutes, then those patients really don't have a chance to survive,'' said Dr. Steven Curry, Banner hospital's toxicology director. Curry said getting a tube inserted into the patient's airway is vital, especially in face bites. "If they can get their airway established, they're very lucky," Curry said. "That is, you're lucky to have been bitten and been able to make it to the hospital in just a few minutes in order to have those emergency procedures done that are needed to save your life." Pratt was sedated as the procedure was being done, and remained that way for five days, including when he was transferred to the Phoenix hospital. "I lost five days of memory," Pratt said. "I didn't know where I was for five days." This kind of memory loss is common, Curry said, because the drugs needed to keep a patient under prevent memories from forming. For their own safety, patients with face bites are kept heavily sedated, and have their hands wrapped in large, bulky bandages to prevent them from pulling out the endotracheal tube. "(If) that endotracheal tube would come out, because of severe neck swelling, it would be difficult or impossible to immediately put it back in or immediately perform ... an emergency tracheotomy," Curry said. "Because if that tube were to come out, then we would expect that they would be in very big trouble immediately, and perhaps might even die in four to five minutes." Curry said rattlesnake bites are divided into two categories: bites where the victim didn't know there was a snake or tried to get away, or those where the person recognized there was a snake present but did not immediately try to get away. Most bites, he said, are the latter kind. Rattlesnake venom is toxic and can cause swelling, paralysis and numbness at the site of the bite, damaging the tissue. It can cause a person's airwaves to swell to the point of blocking air, and cause internal bleeding. Curry said seeking medical care quickly is critical, noting that home treatments are a mistake. "First-aid measures such as tourniquets, ice, incisions or taking the time to apply suctions ... are dangerous and harmful," he said. "Or completely ineffective, as in the case of suction."
The common denominator across all snake-bite deaths in Arizona, he said, was the victim not receiving medical attention immediately. Often, this is because the victim is out hiking, or in an area far from civilization, Curry said. But in other cases, it's because they thought they could treat themselves. Banner Hospital treats, on average, 70 snake-bite victims a year, Curry said. While face bites such as Pratt's make up less than 1% of them, they are often the most serious. Pratt, however, said he was done dealing with the venomous reptiles. "Ain't gonna play with snakes no more," he said.
Eshyah Selig is a former real estate appraiser and devoted cat person with a plan. In roughly one month she'll unveil the Crescent City Cat Club, a nonprofit organization devoted to bringing New Orleans cat lovers and homeless kitties together for companionship, comfort, fun and possible adoption. Here's how it's supposed to work. Let's say you adore cats, but your house mate is allergic. Let's say you're on an extended business trip and miss your tabby back home. Let's say you can't commit to the long-term care of a pet. Let's say you just want more, and more, and more cuddly contact with our whiskery friends. "For a lot of cat people," Selig said, "their idea of heaven is hanging out with cats." Selig hopes such cat people will make their way to the Marigny neighborhood, where she's busily converting a shotgun double into a kitty visiting center. For $7, guests will be able to stand at the glass windows in the kitten room, where they can watch staff members bottle-feed newborns in need of mothering. To read more on this story, click here:Would You Pay $7 to Hang Out with House cats at the Crescent City Cat Club?
FOLLOW US!
Big Sur, California - In a remote, rugged valley overlooking the Pacific Ocean, researchers closely monitor an endangered icon: the California condor. The giant vultures flap their wings and circle the sky before perching on branches and observing their observers. Wildlife biologist Amy List uses a handheld antenna to track the birds, which wear radio transmitters and numbered tags. "If we don't know what they're doing, we don't know what's going wrong," said List, who works for the Ventana Wildlife Society, which manages the condor sanctuary in Big Sur. Three decades after being pushed to the brink of extinction, the California condor is making a comeback in the wild, but constant vigilance is needed to ensure the endangered bird doesn't reverse course. One of the world's largest birds with a wingspan up to 10 feet, the condor once patrolled the sky from Mexico to British Columbia. But its population plummeted in the 20th century due to lead poisoning, hunting and habitat destruction. In 1987, wildlife officials captured the last remaining 22 condors and took them to the San Diego and Los Angeles zoos to be protected and bred in captivity. Those efforts have led to a slow but steady recovery for a species that reproduces slowly compared with other birds. There are now roughly 450 condors, including about 270 in the wild in California, Arizona, Utah and northeastern Mexico. Plans also are underway to release some captive-bred condors in Redwood National Park in 2019 to establish a population near the California-Oregon border. Federal officials said in August that for the first time in nearly 40 years, condors were roosting in the Blue Ridge National Wildlife Refuge, expanding to their historical range in the southern Sierra Nevada. Another milestone was reached this summer: the first "third generation" condor was born in the wild in California since the 1980s. "We're seeing very encouraging results that the condors can become self-sustaining again," said Kelly Sorenson, who heads the conservation group. While condors still face threats from exposure to mercury and the pesticide DDT, biologists say the biggest danger is lead ammunition, which can poison the scavengers when they eat dead animals shot with lead bullets. California banned the use of lead ammunition near condor feeding grounds in 2008 and will be the first state to ban lead bullets in all hunting in 2019. "We're already starting to see fewer lead deaths. The condors are surviving longer. Their blood-lead levels are coming down," Sorenson said. Some gun owners complain that copper bullets are more expensive and less effective than lead and point to other possible sources of lead, such as paint and metal garbage. "Condors are getting lead poisoning. The question is, are they getting it from lead ammunition?" said Chuck Michel, president of the California Pistol and Rifle Association. Meanwhile, the San Diego Zoo celebrated the birth of its 200th condor this year. "While we were caring for the birds, trying to protect them and provide sanctuary, we were literally writing the book how you propagate a species, how you genetically manage it and prepare it for release back in the wild," Michael Mace, the zoo's birds curator. After up to a year at the zoo, chicks are taken to a release site such as the Big Sur sanctuary, where a flock has grown to about 90 condors that travel between Big Sur and Pinnacles National Park. They scavenge, breed and raise chicks on their own, under the close watch of List, the wildlife biologist, and her colleagues. "I hope that I'm out of a job soon because condors don't need to be managed in the future," she said. "I hope that they're self-sustaining and wild and free, and nobody needs to trap or tag or monitor them at all."
A mother-of-three has been left paralyzed after she climbed a tree to save her new kitten and fell on an exposed root. Rachel Maree, from Perth, is recovering in hospital after the horrific accident earlier this week and said she's been told she "may never use her legs again." "I'm pretty drugged up and in extreme pain," the 30-year-old wrote on Facebook. "[I have] a long recovery ahead and plenty of rehab.
An IHG Spokesperson contacted us once more to let us know that they are now requiring all their hotel brands in the areas affected by Harvey to allow pets free of charge. They made the following statement: “Many of IHG’s brands, including Hotel Indigo®, EVEN® Hotels, Staybridge Suites® and Candlewood Suites®, and many individual Holiday Inn Express® hotels, already are pet friendly. As IHG hotels continue to shelter individuals and families displaced by Hurricane Harvey, IHG has mandated that all its branded hotels in impacted and surrounding areas welcome pets free of charge during disasters. We have and continue to communicate this requirement to all hotels.” At a time when hundreds of thousands of families are without homes and struggling to survive in the wake of Hurricane Harvey, one Holiday Inn franchise isn’t budging on their “no-pets” policy, refusing to offer shelter to a family’s three dogs.
The Hyatt Regency in Orlando, Florida is proud to be a pet-friendly hotel, but they took hospitality to a whole new level in the wake of Hurricane Irma. With thousands of displaced families seeking shelter from the damage and catastrophic flooding this past weekend, Hyatt opened their doors to nearly 900 four-legged friends! Their typical pet policy involves a $150 cleaning fee and restricted access to the property. In order to make the 4,500 human guests and their canine companions feel at home, Hyatt reduced their fees to just $50 per room and offered free reign of the entire hotel. They even opened up a large media room equipped with a pool table, movies and games to help keep the families entertained. One guest, Mia Gallow, who stayed at the hotel with her Golden Retriever Scout, told the Orlando Sentinel: “I’m actually from California, so I’m used to earthquakes and fires. This is my first hurricane. It reminds me of that book ‘Go, Dog. Go!’ because there are so many dogs here.” Several guests took to social media to express their gratitude to the Hyatt chain and the Orlando staff. “Thanks to the @hyattregencyorlando for your hospitality towards people and the 900 pets during #hurricaneirma,” one Instagrammer wrote. The post included a photo of her pup cradled in the arms of a hotel employee. The Hyatt isn’t the only hotel to extend heroic acts of hospitality to weary travelers. Stories of businesses going above and beyond to accommodate displaced Irma victims have been widely shared across social media.
When our beloved pets pass on, this is often a very sad moment for the family involved. There are no words that can be said that will bring the pet back and there is no magic wand to be waved to make the pain go away. All we can do in these instances is keep the animal’s memory alive in our hearts and minds and do our best to carry on in this world without them. One couple decided that this was not enough and they spent a great deal of money to ensure that their pet would not become a mere memory. Nina and Edgar Otto were not willing to accept the loss of their Labrador without a fight and they made a decision that some would call crazy and others would call downright adorable. They decided to spend a boatload of money to clone the animal. If you were considering cloning a fallen pet, be sure to remember that this couple was willing to shell out a sum of $150,000 in order to make their dream come true. Once they became aware of the fact that animal cloning would become a viable option, they decided to set aside some of Sir Lancelot’s DNA in order to provide themselves with the ability to do so. BioArts, a firm in San Francisco, is responsible for this amazing story and they worked in conjunction with a South Korean team at the Sooam Biotech Research Foundation. The new dog was named Lancelot Encore (because of course it was) and the animal was created by injecting DNA into the eggs of a surrogate pup. This all sounds so high tech, we find ourselves wondering how it is even feasible. There are many who are vehemently opposed to what this family has done and they believe that the family should have spent this significant sum of money to assist other dogs who are in need or provide a home to those who cannot find one of their own. However, these opinions are all moot and this family is certainly free to spend their money in any way that they see fit. It is not up to any of us in any way.
West Palm Beach, Florida -- Officials are calling it animal cruelty like they've never seen before. As Hurricane Irma’s outer bands inch closer to Florida, animal control officers said they are hustling to rescue abandoned animals. And these aren't pets who are just being left inside, Director of Animal Care Diane Suave said. “They are left in a yard, in a pen they cannot escape from or tethered to trees or poles,” she said. Palm Beach County Animal Care reports animal control officers have rescued 49 dogs and two cats in the last 48 hours. “Even a tiny bit of sand can hurt an animal when it’s traveling through 100-plus mph winds,” Sauve said. Animal control officers were slowly pulled off the road at 2:30 p.m. Saturday. Sauve said once winds reach a sustained 35 mph, no officers will be permitted to rescue animals. “We are asking the public, if it is safe, consider sheltering any animals you see left outside,” she said. Both Sauve and State Attorney Dave Aronberg said they promise to prosecute anyone who left their animals outside to fend for themselves during Hurricane Irma. “This is a prime example of animal cruelty,” Aronberg said. “We will find you, and we will prosecute you.” Sauve said officials will use every paper trail imaginable to track down animal cruelty offenders. “It’s unconscionable,” she said. “We will not stand for it here in Palm Beach County.”
