WebClawer: A hamster’s mug shot, Sea Shepherd vs. Japanese whalers, controversy dogs the Puppy Bowl
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From hamsters to whales, from lip-syncing parrots to kamikaze squirrels, it’s a strange day in the animal kingdom:
- Police are on the lookout for a ... hamster? No, not really. ‘16-year-old Molly Bish disappeared in 2000 and the police have a new suspect. Unfortunately, the graphics department wasn’t on the same page.’ Huffington Post
- The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society reports being involved in a confrontation with a Japanese whaling ship yesterday. The group says two of its members were injured and accused the whalers of using a ‘military-grade weapon system that sends out mid- to high-frequency sound waves designed to disorient and possibly incapacitate personnel.’ The whalers said they acted defensively when members of Sea Shepherd threw rotten butter or paint at their ship. Outposts
- (Mock) controversy swirls around yesterday’s Puppy Bowl, the Animal Planet’s answer to the Super Bowl. Turns out Pepper, the national anthem-singing parrot, is a lip-syncer (beak-syncer?) and the anthem was actually screeched by a bird named Boozle, who’s afflicted with a nasty case of stage fright. ‘We are comparing it to the Olympics when they had one little girl sing and the other on stage pretending to sing,’ said spokesperson Erin Pryor. PeoplePets
- The other darkmeat: raccoon? Larry Brownsberger traps the critters for a living and sells them out of his car in a Missouri parking lot. Apparently raccoon meat is gaining popularity, not only because it’s inexpensive (an entire carcass goes for $3-7), but also because it’s healthy? Jeff Beringer, a resource biologist, says, ‘If you think about being green, and eating organically, raccoon meat is the ultimate organic food’ because it contains no antibiotics, steroids, or growth hormones. Kansas City Star
- A U.K. hospital has issued a warning to its nurses: Beware of rogue squirrels. After two gray squirrels attacked a nurse who was making a home visit, the hospital ordered staff to wear protective headgear and carry umbrellas as weapons to ward off the furry kamikazes. The hospital also suggests that staff members should walk in pairs ‘in case someone is injured and falls unconscious, so the other one can get help.’ Daily Mail
-- Lindsay Barnett
Video: litherrien via YouTube