WebClawer: Around the world in animal news 1/23/09

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We claw the Web so you don’t have to. Animal stories that grabbed our attention today:

• Unusually cold weather in southern Florida caused wild iguanas to fall out of trees. ‘Experts say the cold-blooded reptiles go into a deep sleep when the temperature falls into the 40s. Their bodies basically shut off and they lose their grip on the tree,’ according to an Associated Press story. NBC Bay Area

• A Pennsylvania dog groomer who sold ‘Gothic kittens’ (kittens with ear, neck and tail piercings) over the Internet has been charged with animal cruelty and conspiracy. The groomer, Holly Crawford, has said she’ll plead not guilty. ‘When I did it, it wasn’t with any cruel intentions,’ said Crawford, of rural Ross Township. ‘They were definitely loved, well-fed, no fleas, clipped nails. And they were happy.’ Associated Press

• Bird vomit is good for you. At least, two men who spent 25 days lost at sea after their fishing boat sank think so: They say they survived on rainwater and pre-digested fish. One of the men told the Sydney Morning Herald through an interpreter that they had only water for the first 10 days until ‘... two big seabirds came and vomited some small fish — about six or seven little fish, and that’s all.’ Associated Press (But some have raised doubts about their account. BBC News)

• The cat who survived being shot with an arrow is recovering, but vets also found a pellet in her chest and diagnosed her with feline immunodeficiency virus. A shelter called Simply Cats plans to care for the decidedly unlucky stray until she’s well enough to be adopted. Idaho Statesman

• Long Beach authorities are looking for the person responsible for wrapping a dog in a bag and setting it on fire in Houghton Park on Thursday. It was unclear whether the dog, believed to be a chihuahua or chihuahua mix, was already dead when the fire was set. ‘The case, [arson investigator Pat Wills] noted, is very similar to an unsolved arson case that left two Chihuahuas dead on Nov. 4, 2006. ... In that incident, which occurred about two miles from Houghton Park, the two small dogs were found burned inside a portable dog kennel, Wills said.’ Witnesses or those with information are encouraged to call the arson hotline, 562-570-2582, or the police department’s non-emergency line, 562-435-6711. Daily Breeze

-- Lindsay Barnett