Supernatural flock of birds mourn dead North Korean despot Kim Jong-Il

With video clip. Despite the snarky tone of this short item, interesting bird news:

Supernatural flock of birds mourn dead North Korean despot Kim Jong-Il: North Korean state news is now reporting that divinely anointed flocks of magpies have been flocking to a monument of Kim Jong-Il's father, Kim Il-sung. On December 18, a few dozen magpies landed near a memorial statue in Unsan county and just would not leave.

According to The Telegraph, "Locals claimed the magpies would not fly away even when the villagers approached them or shone torches into the trees."

Rare Asian bird takes "wrong turn," lands in Tennessee - Yahoo! News

NASHVILLE (Reuters) - A rare Asian hooded crane, normally seen only in Southeast Asia, China and Japan, apparently "took a wrong turn" and has joined sandhill cranes wintering at the Hiwassee Refuge in southeast Tennessee, bird experts say, drawing flocks of curious birdwatchers along with it.

"It's a great thrill," said Melinda Welton, conservation chair for the Tennessee Ornithological Society and a bird migration researcher. "People are coming in from all over the country to see this bird."

Welton said local birdwatcher Charles Murray has been keeping a log of visitors to the town of Birchwood, near the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency refuge.

"He has had more than 700 people come and visit from all over the country to see this bird," she said. "People have come from 26 states and from two countries, including Russia."

Rest here: Rare Asian Bird Takes "Wrong Turn"

Another Mass Bird Death Event

Over 30 Birds Mysteriously Die on Montgomery Co. Road | LEX18.com | Lexington, Kentucky

There's a bizarre scene in Montgomery County where dozens of birds are dead.
More than 30 birds are lying dead on Indian Mound Drive at the intersection of Grassy Lick Road in Mt. Sterling.
All the birds appear to be the same species, and seem to have died and landed at this spot all at once.
No word yet about what caused their death.
The strange sight was first spotted on Christmas morning by people who live nearby.

And on the 15th of this month, this mass bird death event in Utah. As I commented in that post, it was close to this time last year we saw many mass bird falls; are we about to witness more of these in the next month or so?

USDA found to be poisoning bird populations, causing mass die-offs involving millions of birds

Natural News brings us their top ten censored stories of 2011, including this one about the government's intentional eradication of birds and other animals: USDA found to be poisoning bird populations, causing mass die-offs involving millions of birds.

After hundreds of starlings were found dead in the Yankton Riverside Park, concerned citizens began to investigate. Before long, a USDA official called the local police and admitted they had poisoned the birds. "They say that they had poisoned the birds about ten miles south of Yankton and they were surprised they came to Yankton like they did and died in our park," says Yankton Animal Control Officer Lisa Brasel, as reported by KTIV (http://www.ktiv.com/Global/story.as...).

Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/031076_USDA_bird_deaths.html#ixzz1hgCS8jcU

Giant shrimp raises big concern as it invades the Gulf - Houston Chronicle

The Gulf will never be the same; and the invasion of giant shrimp adds to the problems in the area: Giant shrimp raises big concern as it invades the Gulf - Houston Chronicle

Though no one is sure what the ecological impact will be, scientists fear a tiger prawn takeover could knock nature's balance out of whack and turn a healthy, diverse marine habitat into one dominated by a single invasive species.
"It has the potential to be real ugly," said Leslie Hartman, Matagorda Bay ecoystem leader for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. "But we just do not know."

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Wolves in Oregon and the Journey of 'Oregon-7'

The wolf (which happens to be my totem and clan, and an animal I have a great affinity for, having come to me in dreams many times. Usually Wolf comes to me as very large, and snow white...) has made a "come back" into Oregon, and this is either beautiful news for some, and very bad news for others. Ranchers in particular see the return of the wolf as bad news.

One wolf has become a symbol; a symbolic animal hero, almost mystical in its journey. The wolf, so far unnamed save for the clinical label of "Oregon-7" wears a GPS collar. His journey is tracked. Oregon-7 is, hopefully and probably, looking for a mate:
if this wolf can locate a mate, it could help wolf recovery. All on his own, Oregon-7 is a biological dead end.

"We’re out here trying to find out which way it’s going to go," Stephenson says.
In September, the 2½ year old male left the Wallowa mountains in search of a new territory and company, a process called dispersal. The GPS collar recorded the wolf’s location every three hours. Oregon-7 traveled more than 700 miles.

This article: Field Notes: In Oregon’s Cascades, A Lone Wolf details Oregon-7's latest movements, as well as giving background and context to why "Oregon-7's" journey is important.

There was a time in Oregon when bounties were paid for wolf kills. Now, in Oregon, it is illegal to kill wolves, which are listed as an endangered species. This law is being contested however; ranchers, cattlemen, etc. are working very hard to change that law. This story from October, 2010 gives an account of an illegal wolf kill (a wolf that had a GPS collar and was being tracked by wildlife authorities) in Northeastern Oregon. About the wolf that was killed in 2010:

“It’s infuriating when any animal is senselessly and illegally killed, but the facts in this case are especially egregious,” says Wally Sykes of Northeast Oregon Ecosystems of Joseph, Oregon. “The biologists had just fitted this endangered wolf with a hard-to-miss collar and sent out photos printed in newspapers and websites across the state. Whoever shot this wolf knew what they were doing and just didn’t care that it was illegal.”

The irony is that the Wenaha wolf pack hasn’t been a problem for Northeast Oregon ranchers. The pack keeps to itself in the high country and has never attacked livestock. The Imnaha pack, on the other hand, killed at least six or seven calves this year in Wallowa County.

Ted Nugent : Sleaze bag

Nugent is a disgusting person, but we've known that for some time. The reason I'm posting this here is because, among his many sleaze-laden ideas and acts, listed in this article by Stephen D. Foster: Ted Nugent Calls For Punishing The Poor, Claims They Make Poor Decisions To End Up In Poverty is the simply tragic fact that Nugent runs a "canned hunt" operation:

Nugent owns a ranch in Michigan that offers canned hunts. A canned hunt is a hunt in which the animals cannot escape because they are trapped by high fences. I live in Missouri, and I enjoy a being out in the woods myself, and I hunt on occasion as well. What Nugent does is NOT hunting. He might as well cage the animal and shoot it point blank, because that’s pretty much what a canned hunt boils down to. A true has more respect for animals then that. It’s not fair if you gun down an animal that can’t actually get away. It’s unsportsmanlike.

Just makes me so fucking damn sad.

Cryptomundo:"New Species Being Raided For Private Pet Trade"

Not quite food porn, since it's not for gratuitously satisfying our gastronomical needs that's the issue here, but "pet" porn. Shameless exploitation in the pet trade. I'm glad Loren Coleman finds this pretty disgusting; he has a post about the raiding of habitat for the newly discovered horned viper in Tanzania:

Cryptomundo New Species Being Raided For Private Pet Trade: There is breaking news on December 15th of a new species of a uniquely-colored horned viper measuring over two feet long (643 millimeters) being discovered. But where exactly it lives in Tanzania is not being discussed.

But the shocking revelation that has been paired with this announcement is that past news of this kind has resulted in large scale raiding operations in the locations described. New species apparently have been targeted by pet collectors to supply a large-scale underground in exciting new animals for private collections. For example, due to this fact, the new viper’s location is “a closely-guarded secret,” say the discoverers.

I didn't know that the illegal pet trade was so lucrative. According to the Wildlife Conversation Society, which Coleman quotes, it's only "...second in the world" with illegal drug trafficking being number one.

P.J.Harvey: Horses in my Dreams

Jenna Marbles: "How to Talk to Animals"

Jenna Marbles is very funny. She has several clips at YouTube; here are her tips on "how to talk to animals."

Thousands of birds make crash landing in Utah - Yahoo! News

Thousands of birds make crash landing in Utah - Yahoo! News

Thousands of grebes, flying in the Utah skies, fell to their deaths yesterday. Official explanation: the birds confused snow covered parking lots for water.

That may be. But the timing of this tragic event is odd, just about two weeks shy of the first of several mass bird falls- from-the-skies from last year. Hopefully this isn't the first in a series of bird falls.

Ravenous Mice Eating Livestock in South Australia | Buzzesque

Mice are swarming cattle and pigs in Australia, eating them alive. Gruesome to be sure:Ravenous Mice Eating Livestock in South Australia | Buzzesque

The article doesn't give much in the way of the theories as to why. Though one can infer that there are too many mice and not enough food for them to consume, therefore, they're seeking other food sources.

Micah Hanks: Conspiracy Calls… | MOTHMAN FLUTTERINGS

Micah Hanks: Conspiracy Calls… | MOTHMAN FLUTTERINGS

UFO Disclosure Countdown Clock: MUFON Reports Becoming Jaw Dropping - This Batch Includes A Dog Abduction

Elk, cows and now dogs, abducted by aliens: UFO Disclosure Countdown Clock: MUFON Reports Becoming Jaw Dropping - This Batch Includes A Dog Abduction
Of course, that's a big huge supposedly.

Thanks to Lesley at The Debris Field for the link. Visit her blog as well and read the comments left on her post about this latest from MUFON. An organization who, while once a good thing, has just utterly lost it as an institution and I'm afraid, will never get it back.

Women Of Esoterica: Lesley: "Cult of Pet Haters!"

Lesley Gunter's new Grey Matters column is now available at Binnall of America. She comments on what Billy Meier's ETs have to say about animals and pets: Women Of Esoterica: Lesley: "Cult of Pet Haters!"

As Lesley wrote, why is this all right with his followers? Let's pretend that the ETs visiting Meier are real; so what? If their message is this screwed up, why follow them? Simply because the gods come down from the stars doesn't mean we have to listen. (Remind anyone of anything? Like, oh say, religion?)

Horses on Mars

Thread at Above Top Secret:Mars Concepcion' Crater - A Martian Horse "Statue", page 1 No, I don't think it's horse but there's no doubt in my mind Mars contains many mysterious objects and structures...

And a bit of food porn: "World’s largest insect discovered in New Zealand"

World’s largest insect discovered in New Zealand | The Sideshow - Yahoo! News

I'm not a fan of bugs. Don't much like them, and even while, sometimes, appreciating their beauty and diversity I still don't like them. Even so, I try my best to take insects out of the house and release them outdoors, when possible. I suppose we all have our boundaries; I'll kill wasps, for example, if they're in my house. But overall, I certainly don't go out of my way to kill a bug. I don't understand those - and in fact, find it creepy and telling about a person's character -- who stomp on bugs outdoors as they're casually walking along, talking with you about mundane matters, and WHAM! BUG STOMP! in mid sentence. Whatever is that poor bug doing to you on the pebbled path that you have to take the energy to step on it for no apparent reason other than it's there?

I digress, a bit. This article is both wonderfully interesting and unnerving, about the Giant Weta, a really big bug in New Zealand. What really got my attention however was this comment:

And yes, the man in the video actually eats one of the bugs (and no, bug preservationists need not be alarmed--the smaller Weta is not endangered):

With video clip, which I didn't watch, because I didn't want to add energy to a completely gratuitous act of "food porn." Because it's there, one has the right to kill it, seems to be the message. Underscoring that sentiment is the justification that it's okay, because the bug "... is not endangered."

Bright Blue Lobster saved from dinner table

A beautiful "electric blue" lobster saved from the boiling pot and given to an aquarium.
Bright Blue Lobster saved from dinner table

Phantoms and Monsters: Paranormal Phenomena, Bigfoot, Mothman, UFOs and Other Unexplained Anomalies

Bigfoot researcher Chester Moore is tonight's guest on Lon Stricklcer's and Eric Altman's podcast:Phantoms and Monsters: Paranormal Phenomena, Bigfoot, Mothman, UFOs and Other Unexplained Anomalies As I commented over at Phantoms and Monsters, I hope the issue of "No Kill" policy comes up, for Moore, when I last checked, fully supports killing Sasquatch to prove its existence. I hope this stance has changed but I'm pessimistic and doubt it.

Animal Blog Thing of the Day

Which mysterious sea monster are you? Your Result: Selkie   Selkies are shapeshifters that can change from a seal into a human by sheding their sealskins. They are said to be cursed because when they are at sea they long to be on land and when they are on land they long to be at sea. As a selkie, you are darkly beautiful with handsome features and love the sea.
Mermaid
Loch Ness Monster
Kraken
Which mysterious sea monster are you? Quiz Created on GoToQuiz

Animal Predators - Shows - Coast to Coast AM

Fortean named author and researcher Paul A. Trout will talk about Animal Predators on Coast to Coast tomorrow (Saturday) night.

piglipstick: Ah, The Northwest

piglipstick: Ah, The Northwest

Yes, lots of wind and rain, high water, trees down across roads... I don't want to say where I think this is, though I have an idea from the looks of it but no matter really. It's been crazy these past few days in some areas...

Inside the mind of the octopus | Orion Magazine

This is a beautiful, sometimes sad, piece on not just the intelligence of the octopus, but the awareness of such a mysterious and enchanted creature, in particular, one named Athena in an aquarium that moved the writer deeply: Inside the mind of the octopus | Orion Magazine

Frame 352: From Autumn Williams: "Am I the only one…" - Oregon Bigfoot Blog | Oregon Bigfoot Blog

Why the use of the term "Squatch" is . . . just not right. Frame 352: From Autumn Williams: "Am I the only one…" - Oregon Bigfoot Blog | Oregon Bigfoot Blog

Man catches 881-pound tuna, seized by feds | The Sideshow - Yahoo! News

Man catches 881-pound tuna, seized by feds | The Sideshow - Yahoo! News

Rafael and his crew were using nets to catch bottom-dwellers when they inadvertently snagged the giant tuna. However, federal fishery enforcement agents took control of the behemoth when the boat returned to port. The reason for the seizure was procedural: While Rafael had the appropriate permits, fishermen are only allowed to catch tuna with a rod and reel.

NOAA and the government take over. Proceeds go, well, somewhere, but not to the fisherman:

And while Rafael is denied the mother of all fish stories, the federal impoundment of his catch also means he's probably losing out on a giant payday. A 754-pound tuna recently sold for nearly $396,000. NOAA regulators do not share any of the proceeds from the fish's eventual sale with a fisherman found in violation of federal rules.

"They said it had to be caught with rod and reel," a frustrated Rafael said. "We didn't try to hide anything. We did everything by the book. Nobody ever told me we couldn't catch it with a net."

Rafael says he has meticulously prepared for a giant catch like this, purchasing 15 tuna permits over the past four years for his groundfish boats. He even immediately called a "bluefin tuna hot line" (yes, such things exist) to report his catch. "I wanted to sell the fish while it was fresh instead of letting it age on the boat," he said. "It was a beautiful fish."

(cross-posted at Octopus Confessional.)

H.R. 3432: And now they come for the cows � The PPJ Gazette

Chilling. And political, nothing to do with Forteana or esoterica. But it's important, and as I posted on my para-political/conspiracy blog Octopus Confessional, this is one more signal coming at us concerning the new fascism in America. From many seemingly unconnected points, the government-corporate entity in this country has been taking our property in a variety of ways. All these points converge. Like these horses and cows, we too are being herded: off rural properties, away from cash, into being plugged in. You're suspect if you don't have a cell phone, pay with cash, refuse to fly, protest against "smart" meters, live on undeveloped rural property in non-traditional dwellings, grow organic food (or in some cases, any food at all.) It's all about control:

H.R. 3432: And now they come for the cows  The PPJ Gazette: Wild horse advocates warned that cattle and cattle ranching would be next. This wasn’t about saving the environment, or water shortages or any of the other bogus fictional “scientific” reasons for eradicating to extinction the wild horse populations. The wild horses were just the first step in a systematic decimation of the agricultural sector, including cattle ranching, in the Western states.

According to the sponsor of this bill, Rep. Adam Smith [D-WA9], grazing is “impractible” on public lands. But apparently, gas and oil drilling, mining, water diversion and theft, is not. “And for other purposes”, that ubiquitous statement attached to every piece of legislative crapola that comes out of the District of Criminals which signals the insertion of non-related issues, is the red flag that while grazing will not be allowed in perpetuity, that does not mean that other more environmentally devastating activities won’t be taking place.

Overtoun Bridge's Curious 'Dog Suicides'

Lon at Phantoms and Monsters brings us a tale that is both sad and truly eerie:Overtoun Bridge's Curious 'Dog Suicides' Just what is it that is driving dogs in Scotland to jump to their deaths at a certain bridge?

Texas Cryptid Hunter: Rare Sighting of a Long-Eared Owl on Texas Coast

I share Crytid Hunter's views on animals. As he recently posted on his blog:

If you’ve read this blog for any length of time at all you know that I am interested in all manner of wildlife. While I have a unique interest in animals that would be thought of as cryptids, I am not one of those people obsessed only with animals that might exist.

I'm also intrigued by any owl sightings; while not cryptid, the owl does hold a place within that realm as a symbol, an icon, of high strangeness. From theories out of the skeptic world to debunk Mothman, aliens, and monsters (Flatwood Monster), to sightings of owls during some UFO and abduction events, the owl is mysterious, no matter if it appears in the esoteric realm or the "real" world.

But as Crytpid Hunter writes, the owl in question is of the real world, yet still out of place: Texas Cryptid Hunter: Rare Sighting of a Long-Eared Owl on Texas Coast:

This species of owl would not be considered uncommon in anyone’s book. What’s unusual about these photos is where they were taken. These images were captured in the Sabine Woods on the Texas Coast just outside of Sabine Pass. The Sabine Woods (formerly known as Grim’s Woods) is a bird sanctuary owned by the Texas Ornithological Society.

Adding to the Fortean vibe to this non-other worldly owl appearance are the names of the woods. The name "Sabine" has a mythological history. According to Wikipedia:

Legend says that the Romans abducted Sabine women to populate the newly built Rome. The resultant war ended only by the women throwing themselves and their children between the armies of their fathers and their husbands. The Rape of the Sabine Women ("rape" in this context meaning "kidnapping" rather than sexual violation, see raptio)

Then of course is the name Grim, which, while lacking the second "M" still evokes the tales of the Brothers Grimm!

Mexico to cull 50,000 wild boars from US invasion - Yahoo! News

Boars, coming primarily from Texas where they were kept as "pets" the article states (and canned hunts, they fail to note)that have escaped or set loose and become feral, are invading Mexico and damaging crops: Mexico to cull 50,000 wild boars from US invasion

"We must get rid of these European wild boars because they sleep overnight on US soil during the day and cross over to the Mexican side to feed," Ignacio Legarreta, a state official, told local media.

Food Porn: "Gastronauts feast on lamb eyeball, beaver tail "

Another food porn item, this one from New York, where the self-indulgent and gratuitous can have their fill of animal parts:Gastronauts feast on lamb eyeball, beaver tail | Reuters Exclusive you have to be a member, though it's open to anyone.

Cooked lamb eyeball, boiled fertilized duck egg and beaver tail are just a few of the more unusual dishes sampled by a club of adventurous eaters called the Gastronauts.

Started in March of 2006 by two friends who wanted to try some of the more exotic foods that could be found in New York, the first meeting of the club attracted only six people.

But it has now grown to more than 1,000 members in New York and Los Angeles and there are plans to expand to other U.S. cities.

Here's why it's called food porn:

At the October Gastronauts dinner at a Yemeni restaurant Bab Al Yemen in New York, Nicole Murray, an assistant editor at an education company, extracted a piece of eyeball from a cooked lamb skull and brought it toward her mouth as those seated around her cheered.

Cows and Magnets

I had no idea. Cows are fed magnets -- on purpose. I found this news by following this Wikipedia link - Cow magnet - which I found in this story on a study of supposed magnetic cows.

So what's a cow magnet, for those that don't know?

A rancher or dairy farmer feeds a magnet to each calf at branding time; the magnet settles in the rumen or reticulum and remains there for the life of the animal.

When the cow grazes, it often consumes and swallows what is called tramp iron: baling and barbed wire, staples, nails, and other metallic objects. These objects are indigestible and would lodge in the reticulum and cause inflammation resulting in lower milk production (for dairy cattle) or lower weight gain (for feeder stock). This condition is called hardware disease.

The cow magnet attracts such objects and prevents them from becoming lodged in the animal's tissue. While the resultant mass of iron remains in the cow's rumen as a pseudobezoar (an intentionally introduced bezoar), it does not cause the severe problems of hardware disease. Cow magnets cannot be passed through a cow's 4th bonivial meta-colon. (Wikipedia)

Since cows have magnets inside of them, this was offered as a theory as to why the cows, according to one group of scienitists, seem to align themselves so poetically, as noted in the above mentioned link:

...a group of guys with Biology and wildlife backgrounds were apparently sitting around looking at pictures taken by Google Earth, when they noticed that there seemed to be a pattern in the way some cows in a pasture aligned themselves. After looking at more pictures, a larger pattern began to emerge. Oddly enough, the cows seemed to be aligning themselves with the Earth’s magnetic field lines. The group, led by Hynek Burda wrote up a paper describing what they’d found and had it published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

And, as happens in these studies, another group came along and disputed the first study, which was disputed right back by the first group.

Albuquerque residents claim giant owls are eating their pets | Metro.co.uk

Albuquerque residents claim giant owls are eating their pets | Metro.co.uk

Pet owners living in the foothills are now concerned and are keeping a close eye on their beloved pooches and cats. 'We've seen him 3 or 4 times. He's huge. One day when we were walking, he swooped down over my husband's head. He's a huge owl,' said local resident, Cindy Hummel.

One dog owner said she found claw marks on the back of her pet and another said that an owl that lives next to her home killed her puppy.

Thanks to Professor Hex for link.

Werewolf Inspired Sexual Encounter Stabbing

Woman jailed in bizarre sex-related stabbing

A Milwaukee woman apparently interested in werewolf spirits having sex was in jail Wednesday after an 18-year-old man endured 300 puncture wounds when their sexual encounter "got out of hand," a police affidavit says.

Rebecca Chandler, 22, was being held in the incident, which may also have involved satanic or occult practices.
Once he got to the residence, he was bound and stabbed numerous times over a time frame of what he described as two days," an affidavit accompanying a search warrant states. The affidavit also says the apartment contained a book titled "Werewolf's Guide to Life," a necromantic ritual book, as well as a black folder called "Intro to Sigilborne Spirits." According to various websites, Sigilborne spirits include female werewolf spirits who engage in sexual acts.

Mutilated cow "creepy, suspicious" Teton Valley Idaho

This link at Mike Clelland's hidden experience blog where, as he comments, this mutilation took place "about two miles from my house" in Idaho. Mutilated cow creepy, suspicious - ValleyCitizen - Teton Valley's Local News Source

Zach Griggs leases pastureland for nearly 100 head of cattle near 3000 South in Teton County. Last Thursday, he arrived at this location to change the use of pastures and noticed his cows were scattered. He initially thought duck hunters had disturbed his cattle and then he noticed that one of his cows was dead.

He approached the animal and identified that its udders were removed, along with its anus, vagina and one eye. “Whoa, this is a mutilation,” Griggs determined before he called law enforcement to investigate. Nine years ago, his family had lost a bull the same way. Along with its genitalia, that bull was missing its tongue as well as an eye and an ear. With both the cow and the bull, all of the blood had been removed from the animal and there were no footprints or tire tracks in the vicinity of the dead animal.

Teton County Sheriff’s Deputy Blake Fullmer could confirm that the cuts removing the cow’s body parts were not made by another animal, but it has been difficult to find any additional clues in the case to help explain what happened. Between Satanic cults and extraterrestrial activity, Fullmer was not comfortable making a determination.

“It’s hard to throw those terms out there,” Fullmer said. “I don’t know a lot about that stuff.”

Cattle mutilation is a subject with which Don Griggs, Zach’s father, is very familiar. As a cattleman as well as a former sheriff’s deputy with Madison County for more than 20 years, Don worked on a number of different cases in which animals were mutilated in the exact same manner, with blood drained from the bodies and the same parts removed with a surgeon’s precision.

“It’s a cult thing, has to do with devil worship,” Griggs said. “These people are very professional, they’re slick and sophisticated. No one has ever been caught, but that doesn’t mean that it’s UFOs.”

Mountain lion killed on State Highway 81 studied by biologists | NewsOK.com

Mountain lion killed on State Highway 81 studied by biologists | NewsOK.com

Biologists from the state Wildlife Conservation Department are examining the body of a mountain lion that was struck and killed by a vehicle Tuesday.

Authorities examine a male mountain lion that was hit by a vehicle and killed near Minco at the Lake Arcadia Conservation Center Wednesday, Nov. 2, 2011. Provided. ORG XMIT: KOD

The 130-pound male was hit somewhere along State Highway 81 near Minco and was turned in to the department by a passerby.

Wildlife Conservation Department biologist Erik Bartholomew said the animal was probably about 2 years old based on the condition of his teeth, though an exact age cannot be determined until a sample tooth has been fully analyzed.

(thanks to Strange State for link.)

Oregon Bigfoot Blog: Stand for Sasquatch

Join Autumn and others. Stand for Sasquatch. I do, do you?
Please Stand For Sasquatch - Oregon Bigfoot Blog | Oregon Bigfoot Blog

"Empathy" on What’s All This, Then?

On What’s All This, Then?, a nice post about rats. Yes, rats. I actullay like rats; as pets, they are very friendly and intelligent. I'm not saying I want rats running around my place, but I wouldn't mind the "domesticated" variety as a pet. My cats might have other ideas though. And the whole notion of "domesticated" animals as pets raises other questions and issues. Anyway... a very good post. Not surprising to me, as Iggy says, we often don't give animals enough credit or respect:

I thought this was rather fascinating. Animals are so much more substantial than your average person gives them credit for.

As you will see below, even the much-derided rat seems to have a high level of development.

Japanese Monsters & Open Lines - Shows - Coast to Coast AM

Japanese monsters! The subject on tonight's C2C:
Japanese Monsters & Open Lines - Shows - Coast to Coast AM

Two women encounter a flock of starlings...

Two Women Encounter a Flock of Starlings While Canoeing

Pretty amazing...

Three eyed fish found in Argentinian Lake

In a frightening life imitates art moment, a three eyed fish is found in a lake near a nuclear facility where water from that facility is routinely dumped. With photo: Three-Eyed Fish Discovered Near Argentinian Nuclear Facility
 

Texas Is Shooting Donkeys, Stirring Burro Backlash

One word: bastards. All right, two words: fucking bastards. Texas Is Shooting Donkeys, Stirring Burro Backlash

'Bat Boy: The Musical' takes stage Nov. 4 | Local & Regional News for Eugene, Springfield Oregon | Eugene News, Weather, Sports, Breaking News | KVAL CBS 13

'Bat Boy: The Musical' appears here in Eugene, Oregon, on the University of Oregon campus at the Robinson Theater. With photos, video and short interview with the director, John Schmor:

3. Are there any special effects or theatrical elements that are compelling?

Umm. Yes. There is a BAT BOY in it – who must drink fresh blood to survive, but who also self-educates and evolves so rapidly he’s doing a time step and in command of both great and pop works of art. In Act Two we go from a totally rousing full-out gospel number to a bizarre visit from Pan and many other creatures of the forest and mythology – they are not converging at Pan’s behest in order to draft a piece of legislation.

Ohio Exotic Animal Law: Right Thing, Wrong Message

Ohio Republican Governor Kasich:Ohio governor to sign order on "dangerous animals"

COLUMBUS, Ohio (Reuters) – Ohio Governor John Kasich plans to sign an executive order on Friday covering "dangerous wild animals," days after a collector caused a panic by releasing dozens of tigers, lions, bears and other animals.

The governor's office said Kasich, a first-term Republican, planned to sign and discuss an executive order on Friday afternoon, a day after two state lawmakers said they would propose legislation to restrict private ownership of dangerous exotic animals.

Which is good, no argument. But I wonder at the perspective: "dangerous animal" is the focus, not the moral issues involved concerning keeping exotic animals as pets or small, privately owned "zoos" and so on. And it appears this "executive order" doesn't go far enough:

A spokesman for Kasich said Strickland's rule was correct in principle but not enforceable and raised doubts about whether Ohio could restrict ownership of non-native wild animals. It also made no provision for dealing with seized animals.

I don't know why they say it'd be hard to enforce: why the hell not?

Ohio is one of the seven states that don't have any exotic animal laws; here are the other states that need to change their laws:

• North Carolina
• South Carolina
• Alabama
• West Virginia
• Nevada
• Wisconsin

Return of the Bird Falls

October 21, 2011, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina: dozens of birds fall from the skies. No explanation yet. And something I noticed in the news cast posted here, no mention at all of the several stories of birds falling dead from the skies that the U.S. and other places across the planet witnessed at the end of 2010 and Jan. of 2011. Impossible to say if there's a connection or what the cause of the current deaths is, but it is interesting this die-off also occurred in the south. The first bird die-offs we heard of last year, in early January, was last year, when over a thousand birds fell from the skies in Bebe, Arkansas.




Ontario, Canada, October 22, 2011: hundreds of birds and fish dead and dying on the shore of Wasaga Beach. Link has video clip with article:

The Ministry of Natural Resources is investigating after hundreds of birds and fish washed up on the shores of Georgian Bay near Wasaga Beach.
Police say that the wildlife is scattered along a nearly three-kilometre stretch north of Wasaga Beach.

"You just want to cry," resident Faye Ego told CTV Toronto.
Locals said they noticed some dead fish on the beach a few weeks ago and a few dead birds earlier in September.
"But now this is just multiplied," Ego said, adding that the situation is "absolutely devastating."
Ontario Provincial Police Const. Peter Leon said that the number of dead birds is estimated to be between 5,000 and 6,000.

At this point, authorities are theorizing Botulism is the cause of the deaths.

(thanks to Above Top Secret for the links.)

Beware the Green Reptilians!

I was going through my blog posts here and found that this was in draft mode, from some time ago. So here it is:

 
This is from October, 2008. I had posted it on Women of Esoterica and Author's Den; I think it's up at Mothman Flutterings as well.



After retiring for the night reading Gray Barker's The Silver Bridge, the classic UFO/paranormal book about Mothman, I had an astral experience with Reptilians. . .

I'm posting this here because the following dream (I know, snore) has a bit of something to do with my previous post here about my OOBE. My Utterly Completely Wondrous New Age OOBE)

That first dream/OOBE was wonderful, fantastic, amazing, and positive. This one, while almost silly sounding, was creepy and scary.

I'm reading Gray Barker's The Silver Bridge. It's been reissued by Andrew Colvin, author of Mothman's Photographer, so we all have him to thank for this. (I urge anyone interested in Mothman, or anyone just interested in Fortean stuff to read both Colvin's and Barker's books.) Copies of The Silver Bridge have been rare, and, if lucky enough to find a copy, you'd have to pay upwards of $400! Now you can get it for about $10.00. I'm enjoying the book very much. I have a fascination with Mothman that I can't explain; I've never been back east (except for one brief visit to North Carolina once) let alone West Virginia, so I don't know what's that all about. (My grandfather, part native American, was from Virginia, ... but that's a very thin connection, if any.)

Mothman sketch by Regan Lee

So I'm reading the book before going to sleep, and as I'm turning out the light, I had this weird thought pop into my head: that I better do some protection around me, because I don't want to encounter any negative entities or energies. Then I thought, "well, I wasn't planning to, and I'm tired." I turn off the light, and go to sleep. I don't know why I had that thought: I was enjoying The Silver Bridge, and not at all feeling creeped out or "scared," and certainly not thinking anything about Reptilians. As far as Mothman goes, I don't know what Mothman is/was, but I've never felt it to be Reptilian, not sure it's alien as in from outer space, or even convinced it's a negative energy. In fact, I think it's often perceived as "evil" even demonic, but I don't believe it is at all. It's an unfortunate misinterpretation. I have nothing to go on really; as I mentioned, I've had no direct experience concerning Mothman. My feelings on this are intuitive.

I have a dream. It's almost funny at first. I'm very happy, very excited about something good that's happened, and I'm running down the street in joy. I run pass a glass apartment building kind of thing, and I notice that there are little toy aliens everywhere, mostly green. Little rubber and plastic alien faces, and toys, and my first thought is: "That's so cute! How neat they have a sense of humor!" But then I quickly see that the building is empty, and the thought occurs to me that it isn't funny, not one damn bit. We don't know what's going on, who the aliens are --  if they're really even aliens, as in ET -- and yet we're running around making cute little cartoons out of them. We're playing with fire!

But I don't have much time to dwell on that, because I'm happy, and running down the street to a local coffee shop to share my news. I go inside, and there are a lot of people in there, and at first, I'm glad to be there. Then I realize: "Goddamn!!!!! These aren't people, they're aliens! They're not just aliens, they're Reptilians!" And I see their faces change from human to a subtle olive green color, and their features change a bit. Not too much however, if you weren't paying attention, you wouldn't notice. And then they quickly change back. I'm freaked! I'm scared! And then they notice that I notice . . . and they're very angry about that. I try to deny that I've noticed anything, but they're not buying it. Then I get angry my own damn self, and say really intelligent things like, "Who do you Reptilians think you are, anyway?!" which of course, just pisses them off even more. Suddenly I realize how really dangerous they are.

Here the dream changes. I wake up, scared to death, and don't want to go back to sleep. But I'm an adult and have to wake up at six in the morning, so tough for me. I try to go back to sleep. I immediately begin to experience that rushing, roaring sensation, and see whirls and swirls of green scales, just that, green and scales and the knowledge lizard intelligences are afoot. They won't stop, just swirling rushes of Reptilian green, and I know that that's what it is, and "they" are trying to get me to come out and play.

I say to myself that, as much as I would love to have another out of body experience like I had here, and trip the astral plane fantastic, not like this! I literally said to myself "I'm not going there!" and with great effort, woke myself up.

One more thing: I noticed earlier in the evening, while cooking dinner, there was a large green ink smudge on my hand, like something you'd get from a marker. It could have happened anywhere, and I do work in a school, but I hadn't noticed during the day,  and I have nothing like that at home that I can think of that would have caused that mark.  A perfectly natural explanation, but a very weird bit of synchronicity.

Pictures: Lucky Few Exotic Animals Saved From Ohio Shootings

Pictures: Lucky Few Exotic Animals Saved From Ohio Shootings

Bittersweet news, for the six surviving animals are, for now, safe and alive. But "by law" as the article states, the animals technically belong to the owners; the widow of Terry W. Thompson and family members. I'm surprised authorities are even considering that technicality in the context of what's happened... let's hold good thoughts that the animals will find a responsible and caring place to live the rest of their lives.

---

Visit my other blogs: Animal Forteana, Frame 352: The Stranger Side of Sasquatch, Mothman Flutterings.

Animal Sacrifice: Two Sad, Strange Events of Animal Slaughter | MonsterTracker.com since the year 2000 has been investgating cryptozoology, cryptids, and other mysterious creatures.

My new article for Monster Tracker:
Animal Sacrifice: Two Sad, Strange Events of Animal Slaughter | MonsterTracker.com since the year 2000 has been investgating cryptozoology, cryptids, and other mysterious creatures.

Two weird and very sad events, hard to read about, juxtaposed in animal news. This one in Ohio, a state that has its share of spooky, Fortean events in general: Ohio wild-animal killings renew call for ban on exotic pets - latimes.com.
The owner of Muskingum County Animal Farm in Zanesville, Ohio, apparently flung open the reserve's cages, slashed open its pens and then killed himself. Dozens of wild and dangerous animals -- including grizzly bears, lions, tigers and a baboon -- were then free to roam the area. Most of them were gunned down by public safety officers.

Exotic Animal Zanesville Carcasses Hunted by Exploiters - ABC News

The sacrifice of the animals...
Exotic Animal Zanesville Carcasses Hunted by Exploiters - ABC News

Trophy hunters sick bastards are calling Ohio authorities in order to obtain the dead bodies of the animals killed. Fortunately, the local authorities aren't having any of it:

People hoping to profit from the death of nearly 50 exotic animals that escaped from a farm in Zanesville, Ohio, after the preserve owner shot and killed himself, have been contacting the sheriff's office, interested in taking the animals to a taxidermist.
"We've gotten calls and e-mails about what [is] going to happen to the animals ... could they be obtained for these types of things," said Muskingum County Sheriff Matt Lutz. "There's a lot of people who would pay a lot of money to get these animals."
But Lutz is cracking down.
The location of the 49 animals buried on the property has not been disclosed, Lutz said, adding, "Anybody caught on that property looking for it will be charged with criminal trespassing."
Earlier this week officers stopped a group of people from stealing the dead body of a lion.

That individual, thankfully, was right busted.

As much as I am against people keeping exotic animals, I do believe that Terry Thompson, the owner of the "sanctuary" and man who released the animals and then killed himself, meant well and cared for the animals. Clearly he was very disturbed. I feel for his wife, who is now on the property according to reports, and keeping vigil, making sure there are no thrill seekers trying to trespass. My compassion for Thompson doesn't condone what happened or the issue of keeping exotic animals, but I think we should remember that this is a tragic, tragic case all around. Hopefully some good will come of this, in terms of laws passed banning the practice of keeping exotic animals.

Cyclops Shark & Other Cryptic Creatures Make October Creepy - Yahoo! News

Sad, creepy, crypto:Cyclops Shark and Other Cryptic Creatures Make October Creepy - Yahoo! News

The Kraken Rum

Black Spice Rum: The Kraken. Wish I liked rum! And I know it's a huge marketing gimic, but it's a very cool marketing gimic! The Kraken Rum.

Training vs. Balance: What’s the Difference? | CesarsWay.com

Good insights and advice from Ceasar Milan. I don't have a dog companion yet, but hope to someday. And when I do, I'll be following Milan's advice.
Training vs. Balance: What’s the Difference? | CesarsWay.com

Bigfoot Research: Demonizing Long Term Witnessess | MonsterTracker.com since the year 2000 has been investgating cryptozoology, cryptids, and other mysterious creatures.

I have a new article at Monster Tracker:Bigfoot Research: Demonizing Long Term Witnessess

Goat-Man Terror! | Mysterious Universe

Nick Redfern's latest at Mysterious Universe on one of my favorite Fortean stories: the Goat Man of Texas: Goat-Man Terror! | Mysterious Universe

I've pointed out in my articles and as yet unpublished book about "Flix" the white Bigfoot like creature event in Oregon that there are similarities to the Fort Worth, TX creature. But, there are also huge differences. All just weird enough to make a truly classic Fortean tale!

Lair of Ancient 'Kraken' Sea Monster Possibly Discovered - Yahoo! News

There just might have been a Kraken after all . . .

Lair of Ancient 'Kraken' Sea Monster Possibly Discovered - Yahoo! News: A giant sea monster, the likes of the mythological kraken, may have swum Earth's ancient oceans, snagging what was thought to be the sea's top predators — school bus-size ichthyosaurs with fearsome teeth.

The kraken, which would've been nearly 100 feet (30 meters) long, or twice the size of the colossal squid, Mesonychoteuthis, likely drowned or broke the necks of the ichthyosaurs before dragging the corpses to its lair, akin to an octopus's midden, according to study researcher Mark McMenamin, a paleontologist at Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts. [Rumor or Reality: The Creatures of Cryptozoology]

Bigfoot From Space: Oregon Encounters and High Strangeness

Not much there yet, but links to a freebie:
Bigfoot From Space: Oregon Encounters and High Strangeness

Colin Andrews: Its More Than The Creatures or Even Global Warming, Its About The Assholes Among Us.

Colin Andrews has a post on elephants in captivity, and KoKo.
Colin Andrews: Its More Than The Creatures or Even Global Warming, Its About The Assholes Among Us.

Animal Symbolism in Dreams: Baby Elephant

I visit What's Your Sign.com now and then and thought I'd share a link about animal symbolism in dreams: Animals In Dreams - What Animals Symbolize in Dreams.

I was particularly interested in the above because it seems I've been having animal dreams lately. Like yesterday's silly and enigmatic Penguin Moons dream.

Last night, a very disturbing dream about a baby elephant that I was keeping as a "pet" (something I would never do, and I am adamantly against keeping exotic animals as pets, or even in most zoo like situations/captivity.) Jim reminds me that the elephant hasn't been fed for a long time, and it's really hungry. This surprises me because I thought he was fine. He's in the backyard. So I go out to check, and feel bad I hadn't realized he would need to eat elephant food, and he follows along my side but then starts to nip at me like a dog would, and the elephant is pissed. Again I'm surprised, for the baby elephant is so cute! But he's behaving very aggressively. He's really hurt me by bumping into me and nipping at me.  Somehow I try to get him over a wall or something -- where food is-- but it ends up tragically and he falls from pretty high and crashes to the ground. He's bleeding, hurt, really injured. I feel terrible, just horrible, I'm crying. I try to feed him vegetables, things he might like. He feels better but it's temporary, he's dying. And in pain. I also worry about the neighbor's, because he landed in their house, and there's blood and a mess everywhere and how do I explain that? Jim hands me a gun and tells me I have to kill the elephant, put him out of his misery, it's the only right thing to do. I know it is but I just cannot bring myself to it. I am so miserable, so sad, and feel so bad that I've created this by thinking I could take care of a baby elephant in my backyard in the city and nothing would happen.

 What's Your Sign has a lot about elephants, animal meanings and symbolism connected with chakras, totems. I found interesting insights regarding elephants but not baby elephants specifically and obviously the fact the elephant in my dream was a baby is significant. I'm thinking this has something to do with health and life changes on one level but I need to explore this more.

But if you are curious about dream imagery and meaning in the context of animals, have fun exploring the site, which offers a lot of information on many symbols from different cultures and systems.

Invasion of the Hairy Crazy Ants

Report on the "hairy crazy ants" invading the southeast and south west regions in the states. From Florida to Texas, these small "hairy" ants that move very fast have caused a lot of problems. 'Hairy crazy ants' invade from Florida to Texas :

And they're on the move in Florida, Texas, Mississippi and Louisiana. In Texas, they've invaded homes and industrial complexes, urban areas and rural areas. They travel in cargo containers, hay bales, potted plants, motorcycles and moving vans. They overwhelm beehives — one Texas beekeeper was losing 100 a year in 2009. They short out industrial equipment.

If one gets electrocuted, its death releases a chemical cue to attack a threat to the colony, said Roger Gold, an entomology professor at Texas A&M.

Thousands more ants rush in to defend their fallen kin. The ants have caused a lot of damage to computers, beehives, industrial equipment, etc. They live in areas where there is moist debris (rotted tree trunks, leaf and wood piles, etc.) and "...eat just about anything -- plant or animal." They're very difficult to eradicate and seem immune to conventional pesticides.

Artist ordered to paint over mural beaver - UPI.com

I wasn't sure where to post this (maybe I'll post it at Pulp Jello which badly needs to be updated anyway) but since it has to do with animals, in a round about way, sort of, I'm posting it here. It seems art has offended bureaucrats in Martinez, Calif who commissioned an artist to paint a mural for the city. They demanded the artist, Mario Alfaro, paint over a beaver he included in the mural: 

Artist ordered to paint over mural beaver -Martinez officials said they had artist Mario Alfaro paint over the beaver because the animal, while beloved by city residents, does not belong on the downtown mural alongside images of Martinez natives including John Muir and Joe DiMaggio, the San Francisco Chronicle reported Friday.
"Everyone's saying we hate beavers, but this is not about liking beavers or not liking beavers," Public Works Director Dave Scola said. "We went through a lengthy planning process, and never once did anyone ask for a beaver. Not one person said, 'Hey, I have an idea, let's put a beaver in there.'"

Understandably, the artist is upset and has painted over his name on the mural.

New pet cemetery graces Eugene - Breaking News, Local News, Local Weather, Local Sports

Just down the road from me about five miles: New pet cemetery graces Eugene - Breaking News, Local News, Local Weather, Local Sports

Frontiers of Zoology: Chupacabras SOLVED

In-depth, insightful, and very interesting, and goes way beyond the pop culture, pedestrian, and  non-esoteric attempts by skeptic Benjamin Radford:Frontiers of Zoology: Chupacabras SOLVED, by Dale Drinnon.

There's much there, and this is just a little bit from Drinnon's post:

For the most part, the traditional creatures later being CALLED chupacabras in Mexico are referred to under the blanket terms of 'Nahual' or 'Nagual.' This was originally the name of an Aztec magical practitioner and healer but more usually means the same thing as witch or demon any more. The term 'Brujo' is also used. The idea behind Naguals originally was that they had certain animal totems, which granted them powers and allowed the practitioners to assume animal form - any of a number of different forms. I suppose even hairless coyote would count. So more recently the term includes shapeshifters in general AND the totem power animals as well. The name also has a more positive meaning of protective spirits in animal form. In the case of the reptilian chupacabras, I am not certain as to what the native name of the totem power animal supernatural lizard originally was, but different recent references call it the King Lizard or King Iguana, Dragon or Dragon Lizard, Cipactli and possibly Chan. 

I chose the above because it resonated with me: totem animals, Naguals, shape-shifters. Note Dale's remark about shape-shifters: "...allowed the practitioners to assume animal form ... I suppose even hairless coyote would count." Interesting take, given the number of hairless canine creatures seen, and all too often killed, that fit this description. I've always looked at the two types of chupacabra from a more social-folkloric perspective concerning the way language (names and labels) change. But Drinnon's theories go further, and deeper, presenting us with a parallel esoteric, or living myth via symbolism in the shape of a chupacabra.

Flesh Eating Equines?

Came across this book listed on Amazon.com: Deadly Equines: The Shocking True Story of Meat-Eating and Murderous Horses .

Haven't read the book, don't anything about the premise. Here's some from the blurb:

There is widespread belief in a warm and comforting story which states the horse is a gentle herbivore. What if a Rosetta Stone had been found to unlock the dark secrets of the horse's past? An international multi-million dollar industry serviced by horse whisperers, glossy magazines and popular culture preaches that horses are meek prey animals who fear predators. What if evidence demonstrated horses have slain lions, tigers, pumas, wolves, hyenas and humans? Contemporary writers have successfully airbrushed murderous and meat-eating horses out of literature. What if Shakespeare, Sherlock Holmes and Steve McQueen provided artistic evidence to refute that claim? Thanks to global equestrian amnesia, the crucial role played by horses in recent history has been lost to mankind. What if testimony revealed meat-eating horses had been used to explore the Poles and photographs had been discovered of Tibet's blood-eating horses? Deadly Equines is a revolutionary departure from equestrian romance. It is a fact-filled analysis which reveals how humanity has known about meat-eating horses for at least four thousand years, during which time horses have consumed nearly two dozen different types of protein, including human flesh, and that these episodes have occurred on every continent, including Antarctica.

I don't know much about horses -- I'm not a horse person and while I think they're beautiful animals and I wish them no harm in any way, I admit I'm afraid of them. The book seems almost like a put-on. Yet a brief bit of searching does reveal some interesting things about meat eating horses. Like here. But mostly, searching revealed more links to places that insist horses do not eat meat, or sites discussing the ethical and health pros and cons of humans eating horse meat.

On Binnall of America: White Haired Guardian, Animal Ally

My new Trickster's Realm column is now available at Tim Binnall's site:White Haired Guardian, Animal Ally.

Baptizing the Animals

The other night elements in the dream shifted a bit. I’m on a hill and decide to shoot at a bottle on top of a tree stump that’s sticking up out of the river. I aim a rifle, shoot, and hit it right off the first time. I’m pretty surprised I hit it, and even more surprised I wanted to in the first place. I kind of wonder, what am I doing with this gun? I don’t like guns! Then I see a man enter the water and hold down what at first I think is a cat, but becomes a black panther. Beautiful animal, but silent and moving so gracefully. I worry it’s dead, or drowning, yet the man’s intent doesn’t seem to be of harm. More like he’s performing some kind of ritual. Then the black panther turns into a large black and brown dog. Again, very very beautiful, and large, and I worry about it’s safety but the man doesn’t seem to be about harm. It’s some kind of message; some sort of ritual.

I think I'll have the fish for lunch: Pet praying mantis tucks into goldfish after LIFTING it out of bowl | Mail Online

Praying mantis, dead goldfish, photographer's pics:

I think I'll have the fish for lunch: Pet praying mantis tucks into goldfish after LIFTING it out of bowl | Mail Online

Stephen Wagner: Skinwalker in Idaho

Stephen Wagner at About.com on a skinwalker story from Idaho: Skinwalker in IdahoAlso links to other similar stories.

I woke up some time between 3:00 and 4:00 a.m. to hear very deep breathing. At first, I thought it was my dad or brother, but then it got louder and closer. I finally got enough guts to get up and investigate, but I wish I hadn't because the mere thought still scares me. I saw the wolf 10 feet away from me eating the remains of a deer. When the wolf saw me, it sprinted into the bushes. I expected to see the wolf come out the other side, but instead the fur-covered Indian walked out!

Research on chimpanzees must end - TheHill.com

"The real question at issue here is not whether imprisoning and experimenting on chimpanzees is scientifically useful to humans or not; it is whether doing so is right to begin with.~ Justin Goodman; "Research on Chimpanzees Must End"

Chimpanzees are social creatures. They have culture, they have emotions, feelings, care for their families... the following is very difficult to handle (I cried when reading this) but neccessary to know in order to help change the U.S. practice of experimenting on chimpanzees. The U.S., as the article points out, is only one of two countries who do so.

As a result of having to endure the terror and pain of having their bodies routinely violated for experiments and the loneliness of their tiny, barren steel-and-concrete prison cells, many chimpanzees exhibit abnormal behaviors indicative of depression and post-traumatic stress. They suffer from symptoms including social withdrawal, anxiety and loss of appetite. They pull out their own hair, bite themselves and pace incessantly. I recently met a sanctuary-living chimpanzee who spent years being tormented at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control Prevention and other government laboratories. His medical records show that on several occasions, he almost died during experiments, only to be revived and tormented further. Years later, he still has violent screaming fits several times daily, during which he scratches and tears into the flesh on his head and chest. This is the real legacy of chimpanzee experimentation in the United States.

Research on Chimpanzees Must End

Texas Approves Aerial Hunting of Pigs and Coyotes | Care2 Causes

Wild and feral hogs are a problem in Texas, and that state has come up with a solution: legalizing aerial hunting killing of hogs -- and coyotes, as Care2Causes reports.:Texas Approves Aerial Hunting of Pigs and Coyotes | Care2 Causes

The language used (twilight language, subliminal controls, etc.) is interesting. Example: the bill, signed into law by Governor Rick Perry, is called the "pork chopper bill." Adding to the gratuitous innate blood lust factor is the annual "Get the Hogs Outta Texas”" event slaughter, in which "where the top five hog-killing counties win a total of $60,000 in grant money."


While this new law isn't exactly one that falls into the canned hunt category, it is interesting to point out that Texas has over 750 canned hunt sites, according to Advocacy for Animals.  


At least there are 20 states that either ban canned hunts outright, or have restrictions on them. Oregon, where I live, is one of those states. It bans canned hunts, but sort of. You can kill if you are "hunting" the animal in order to eat it as long as it's not an exotic animal.  Little solace, but it's something.



It is unlawful to hunt, kill, or attempt to hunt or kill, exotic mammals (as defined in OAR 635, Division 56) or game mammals (as defined in OAR 635, Division 45) held or obtained by private parties; however:
(1) Any person may slaughter such an animal for meat, leather, or fur production;
(2) Any person may euthanize such an animal for scientific, health, safety or other valid husbandry concerns; and
(3) The department's Wildlife Division Director may authorize any person to hunt or kill such an animal if the Division Director determines it would be in the best interest of sound wildlife management. The Division Director may impose conditions on such authorizations.
Stat. Auth.: ORS 496.012 & ORS 496.138
Stats. Implemented: ORS 496.012 & ORS 496.138
Hist.: DFW 26-1999, f. & cert. ef. 4-26-99
OAR 635-064-0010, OR ADC 635-064-0010

Giant red crabs invade the Antarctic abyss

Three years ago, scientists predicted that giant red crabs (King Crabs) would invade the Antarctic within a hundred years. Their prediction was too conservative; the crabs are already in there:

Giant red crabs invade the Antarctic abyss - environment - 07 September 2011 - New Scientist: They are laying waste to the landscape. Video footage taken by the submersible shows how the crabs prod, probe, gash and puncture delicate sediments with the tips of their long legs. "This is likely to alter sediment processes, such as the rate at which organic matter is buried, which will affect the diversity of animal communities living in the sediments," says Craig Smith of the University of Hawaii at Manoa, whose team discovered the scarlet invaders.

More exotic snakes seized in Longview

One city in Washington state is coming down on people who think snakes are pets. Boa constrictors, alligators, etc. considered exotic animals and you need a license to keep one. Many of the "pet"owners in the article are males in their twenties, thirties, who, according to the article, would normally have had pit bulls in the past. In one instance the snakes were removed from the home because there was a five year old child in the home.

How happy can an animal be that is kept in a large glass box? And it wants living food for, not a frozen rabbit. Yet feeding it live animals is also abhorrently gratuitous. Snake, young males, hmmm. Calling Dr. Freud.

More exotic snakes seized in Longview

Cougars in the Park

Local news reports a cougar sighted near Spencer's Butte park, a popular hiking area (and, local lore goes, somewhat of a UFO hot spot) -- there are rattlesnakes up there, and the occasional cougar report. I can see the Butte if I walk to the corner of my street... not far from me at all. With video and photo.

Giant crocodile captured alive in Philippines - Yahoo! News

They say it's 21 feet in length. Plans for the animal: the "star attraction" in an ecopark.

Giant crocodile captured alive in Philippines - Yahoo! News:

Elorde said the crocodile killed a water buffalo in an attack witnessed by villagers last month and was also suspected of having attacked a fisherman who went missing in July.
He said he sought the help of experts at a crocodile farm in western Palawan province.
"We were nervous but it's our duty to deal with a threat to the villagers," Elorde told The Associated Press by telephone. "When I finally stood before it, I couldn't believe my eyes."
After initial sightings at a creek, the hunters set four traps, which the crocodile destroyed. They then used sturdier traps using steel cables, one of which finally caught the enormous reptile late Saturday, he said.

Image source: French Factrice (visit this site, it's full of vintage goodness, including a film clip from the 1940s of a children's alligator farm.)

Fish-catching trick may be spreading among dolphins - Yahoo! News

PERTH, Australia (Reuters) - Dolphins in one western Australian population have been observed holding a large conch shell in their beaks and using it to shake a fish into their mouths -- and the behavior may be spreading.

Researchers from Murdoch University in Perth were not quite sure what they were seeing when they first photographed the activity, in 2007, in which dolphins would shake conch shells at the surface of the ocean.

Fish-catching trick may be spreading among dolphins - Yahoo! News

(Warning; dead rat pic) Giant rat killed by pitchfork in Marcy Houses is believed to be Gambian pouched rat

I don't want rats, especially giant ones, running around my place, who does? But there's an air of old fashioned exploitation and titillation in this report on a giant rat killed -- by pitchfork, no less! -- in New York: Giant rat killed by pitchfork in Marcy Houses is believed to be Gambian pouched rat.The article gladly shows the color photo of killed, giant rate hanging from the prongs of the pitchfork. The article describes the rat's tail: "... [which is] hideously dangling." The rat is, specifically, a Gambian pouched rat, illegal in the U.S. since 2003, because the rats carried monkeypox which affected humans.

The rats are, as anyone who's had rats as pets knows, very intelligent, and sweet. These rats can be "... trained to sniff out landmines or even tuberculosis." That's as pets. In the urban wild they're not . Another sad contrast and fact of animals and humans living in the same space.

Raven Flocks Killing Lambs

Very sad, weird and even scary news from Europe, of ravens killing sheep, calves, and other animals: Attack of the killer ravens: Flocks are suddenly slaughtering lambs - what is going on? 

. . .  instead of hanging around for a few discarded bones or a forgotten carcass to pick and claw at, they've started killing live farm animals - by pecking them to death, in horrific scenes reminiscent of Daphne du Maurier's The Birds, turned by Alfred Hitchcock into one of the most chilling movies of all time.

Throughout Britain, traumatised farmers have reported a sudden and disturbing rise in the number of livestock being attacked by ravens.

Farmer John Kirk, 50, from Nethybridge, near Aviemore, has lost more than 40 animals in the past few weeks.

"It's like something out of a horror film. They are horrible, horrible birds. They see the young lambs and just fly down and help themselves," he said.

"Sometimes you find a carcass with the eyes and tongue pecked out, but sometimes all you find is the skin. They peck away until nothing is left." And while some animals have been pecked to death, others have been left to die in agony after birds have feasted on their eyes, tongues and the soft flesh of their underbellies.

Signals; look to the animals as guides to what is happening on our planet. Warnings, to be sure.

Video of "Chupacabra" Capture

Another hairless, blue-gray hued creature that's become known as "chupacabra" has been captured. No one can say what the animal is, (at times it looked like a fox, or some kind of strange little fawn, etc.) Fortunately, no one took a shot at it and they let even let it go. Which annoyed the hell out of the highly irritating hostess on the clip, but typical MSM patter and trivializing of events. That aside, (what else can we expect) interesting to have film of one of these creatures: Chupacabra Captured? Recap - Yahoo! TV

Data Mapping, Cryptids, ET and Us: Nickell Provides the Answers

The ever disingenuous Joe Nickell, self-described "paranormal investigator" debunker, has discovered answers to all myths of a crypto nature in the following article by Ed Grabianowski:  Paranormal Investigator Joe Nickell Reveals the Truth Behind Modern Cryptozoological Myths. (All of them? Impressive.)

Regarding Bigfoot, Nickell combines finding patterns in sightings data, his theories, and the usual skeptic based psychology: us humans love to make stuff up. We create myth and don't want to solve mysteries -- well, you know the routine.

"Bigfoot is our stupid cousin from the past."

That's humans for you, projecting our fears and dreams onto made up entities. As far as ET goes:

"The alien is the future version of ourselves."

Which alien version would that be? Reptilian? Bug eyed gray? Gigantic praying mantises? Good looking long haired blond Nordic Space Brothers and Sisters? Lizard Men? Hairy dwarf? I don't know about you, but that's a future self I want nothing to do with. (Well, maybe the good looking Space Sister but I don't look good as a blond. And I prefer the swarthy types to Nordic guys.)

Nickell looked at "convergent iconography" which led him to the conclusion we've simply created Bigfoot and aliens out of our own heads; the two are modern living myths. We did the same with Santa Claus and Jesus:

"The same convergent iconography can be seen in artists' depictions of Jesus Christ and Santa Clause."

There is some truth in the idea that we shape our gods and heroes and they ultimately morph into a sort of set version dependant on the culture. To suggest to a religious person however that Jesus, the BVM, or angels are just in their head, based on agreed upon cultural imagery is both insulting and missing the point. And while I am not a Christian or believe in any sort of monotheistic god that watches over us like a somewhat authoritarian parent, using Jesus Christ and Santa Clause in the same sentence subliminally suggests they are one and the same in terms of fantasy.


Grabianowski asks Nickell about cryptids that don't look anything like human beings. Using  "data mapping" once again, Nickell finds that reports of water monsters coincided with otter activity.  People mistaking otters for a sea serpent: "It really happens," (I love that) Nickell says. Of course it "really happens" people mistake things all the time. Not every weird light in the sky is a UFO, not all strange creatures in the forest are Sasquatch and so on. 


Nickell distances himself from combative skeptics and says he treats witnesses with respect; they're not liars or insane, just mistaken.

The article ends with a dismissal of paranormal programming which is "like wrestling" Nickell says. I'll agree with much of that sentiment, to a point. All TV is "like wrestling" when you think of it. For his arguments on how he's treated by producers as a skeptic, UFO researchers and other paranormal investigators can cite the same. It's about ratings, and whatever angle the show wants to present. Researchers and skeptics both can be damned; it's not about the individual ghost hunters, UFO investigators or cryptid chasers, it's about the producers, the station owners and their own agendas. Skeptic, paranormal investigator, or witness: they're all just the talent. Fodder for the program.

For some reason, most programs that deal with fringe topics believe that having skeptics on is "balance." To me it's just annoying. But it's not balance they want; it is, indeed, "like wrestling." There's an innate belief that conflict and tension is necessary for entertainment. Like wrestling.

Stoned Wallabies Make Crop Circles

Years ago a British scientist offered the theory that crop circles were made by "mating hedgehogs." Now we have another animal related theory to explain crop circles: wallabies. Stoned wallabies, who've had their way with the poppies in the poppy field, then, loaded out of their little mammal minds, flop about, creating crop circles. ;Stoned wallabies make crop circles

Australian wallabies are eating opium poppies and creating crop circles as they hop around "as high as a kite", a government official has said.

My new article on Monster Tracker: Monsters Creating Monsters

I have a new piece at Monster Tracker: Monsters Creating Monsters.

 I love the History channel's Ancient Aliens; this article isn't a criticism against the program, but I found two segments in the recent episode: Aliens and Monsters, aired August 4th, disturbing.  I understand the episode's context: they included two segments concerning "Dr. Evils" as part of that program's speculations concerning alien manipulation of humans and animals, resulting in hybrids monsters and entities that we call myth today. Nonetheless, those two segments were extremely disturbing.  I couldn't look at those images of animals abused in this way and I'm not including images of these experiments in this article. (You can easily find related information and images by Googling.) 

I'm referring to experiments done, not by extraterrestrials,  but by humans.