sisu: "We haven't seen any purple baby squirrels yet"

Recent news of a purple squirrel had me trying to remember an item I blogged about a couple of years ago about a purple squirrel. I can't find the blog item, but did find this article from 2009:sisu: "We haven't seen any purple baby squirrels yet" Here's another from January of 2009. There have been albino and white squirrels, which are natural characteristics. Not so sure about the purple squirrels. I just had a horrid thought: that purple squirreling will become a sport.

Here's the current story of a purple squirrel found in Jersey shore, PA.

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.

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?)

"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.

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.

(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.

Squirrel Update

The squirrel has just left the building.

We had called a few places, but didn't get anywhere. Willamette Wildlife Rehabilitation (who do great and important work, but really, thinking my husband was going to set the squirrel on fire was ridiculous) couldn't help, it's not what they do exactly, but turns out we found a fantastic pest removal guy. So I'm giving him a free plug.

Ellis Wildlife Removal in Alvadore, Oregon. If you find yourself in need of this service and are in the Eugene/Junction City area, use him.

We had to take apart our fireplace; remove the bricks, take off the metal, etc. We have a sooty mess with an unusable fireplace, but thankfully we aren't in need of the fireplace and the mess is nothing. The squirrel is safe; alive and relocated.

A Squirrely Day

An odd day so far...

Jim hits his head, starts to bleed.  Not good, because he's on medication that affects bleeding and bruising --  the simplest cut bleeds profusely and takes a long time to heal. Scary but we think it'll be okay. Keeping a watch on it of course.

A few minutes after that, we're sitting in the living room, reading, when we hear strange sounds from the side of the house. Loud, scrambling scratching sounds. It sounded close to the sound a cat makes when it scratches its claws on wood. I had a fleeting thought it was one of our cats outside scratching on the side of the house, which has never happened, and, that would be one huge cat to make such a loud noise.

Then we hear something falling down the chimney and into our fireplace. Yep, a squirrel! Fortunately for us we have a wood stove insert, and the squirrel can't get out into the house. But the poor thing is stuck inside, terrified of course, and we're sitting here listening to its frantic scrambling. We wouldn't try to do anything ourselves; Jim can't afford to get bit or scratched, we have four cats, and the last thing I want in this crazy house of ours is a loose squirrel running around.

I've called Willamette Wildlife Rehabilitation and left messages. Our neighbor tells us they respond no matter what the hour or day of the week so we're hoping they call us back soon.

This is not the first time this has happened; a squirrel fell down our chimney a few years ago. Jim climbed up on the roof and put a cap on the chimney at the time. We've had a few storms and snow so no doubt things got out of alignment up there.

Superbowl Sunday. Not that I care about that, I don't, not one bit, but Jim does, (as I realize half of America) and all he wanted to do was relax and watch the game. Poor sweetie.

image: courtesy of Public Domain Image.

Radioactive Rabbit

Highly radioactive rabbit trapped at Hanford.

TRI-CITIES, Wash. (AP) - A radioactive rabbit was trapped on the Hanford nuclear reservation, but there is no sign any people were exposed to the animal.

Washington state Health Department workers with the Office of Radiation Protection have been searching for contaminated rabbit droppings. None have been found in areas accessible to the public, regional director Earl Fordham said Thursday.

Radioactive animals in the area are not uncommon. Radioactive wasps and nests have been found through the years, along with other animals:

Hanford has an extensive program to check for contaminated animals. In 2009, 33 contaminated animals or animal materials such as droppings were found on the site, the Tri-City Herald reported.

In Hanford's earlier years, contaminated animals were more common.

Liquid waste with radioactive salts was discharged into the ground near central Hanford during the Cold War. Rabbits and other animals were attracted to the salts and spread radioactive droppings across as much as 13.7 square miles of sage-covered land before the waste sites were sealed to keep out animals in 1969.

As the article mentions, there is on-going testing to this day to find radioactive animals in the area.

Two Foot Long Rats Found

Two 'giant rats' found in East Midlands factory' I assume that's counting the tail within the two foot measurement. Funnily enough, I was thinking about giant mutant rats for some reason today. That's how my mind works: random, geeky and esoteric.