WebClawer: Around the web in animal news 1/24/09

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From Nigeria to India to right here in Southern California, there’s a lot going on in the animal kingdom today:

-- Nigerian police have taken a goat into custody on suspicion of an armed robbery attempt. Vigilantes told police that they’d chased two robbery suspects who’d tried to burglarize a car; one suspect disappeared while the other, they explained, turned into a goat. ‘We cannot confirm the story, but the goat is in our custody. We cannot base our information on something mystical. It is something that has to be proved scientifically, that a human being turned into a goat,’ said police spokesman Tunde Mohammed. Reuters

-- Stray dogs in Mumbai can breathe a little easier following an Indian Supreme Court ruling that outlaws the killing of dogs unless they are rabid, mortally wounded or incurably ill. Activists including actress Pamela Anderson have been vocal in urging Mumbai to consider spay/neuter programs for stray dogs rather than euthanasia. ‘Dogs cannot use condoms, but with the municipality’s help, they can be ‘fixed’ -- painlessly, quickly and permanently,’ Anderson wrote in a letter to the city council. AFP

-- A Boston terrier came to his owner’s aid by biting the attacker who attempted to rape her in her Pompano Beach, Fla., apartment. The attacker gained entry by pretending to be a repairman and fled when the dog bit him on the right shoulder. Broward County police are searching for the suspect. South Florida Sun Sentinel

-- A necropsy on the chihuahua or chihuahua mix found in a Long Beach park, wrapped in a bag and set on fire, showed that the dog had died (probably of suffocation inside the bag) before the fire was set. Officials say this information might warrant the addition of a second count of animal cruelty to charges filed against the dog’s killer, should he or she be found. Anyone with information about the dog (believed to be a 1- to 2-year-old unneutered male), his owner, or a suspect is encouraged to call the Arson Hotline at (562) 570-2582. A reward has been offered. Long Beach Report --Lindsay Barnett

Pamela Anderson photo: Steve Marcus/Reuters