Wallaby goes on the run on Motoway

Motorway traffic was brought to a standstill in Blackpool on Sunday as police attempted to catch an escaped wallaby.
The animal, which is privately owned, was seen bouncing down a road near to Junction 4 of the M55. Police slowed traffic while RSPCA inspectors attempted to catch the animal.
A Lancashire Police helicopter was also at the scene. The drama began at 8.55am after several motorists called 999. It ended four hours later when a vet was drafted in from Blackpool Zoo to sedate the wallaby with a tranquilliser dart.
The animal, which was cornered by police in a garden, is now safely back with its owner. Insp Alistair Campbell of Blackpool Police: “We had nine officers at the scene and the police helicopter was also deployed. We slowed traffic on the motorway down to 30mph.
“Eventually we were able to usher the wallaby away from the M55. It’s fair enough to say we’ve never had a situation like this before. We had to consult the RSPCA to help us work out how to capture the wallaby.”
Wallabies are becoming increasingly popular as garden pets in Britain. Private orders for the marsupials, which are native to Australia and New Zealand, have jumped in recent years as landowners seek new ways of keeping their grass neat.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/7012129/Wallaby-goes-on-run-on-motorway.html

 

Fresh Sighting of the Beast of Cannock Chase

Jane McNally has reported spotting a large canine creature on the hills of Cannock Chase.
Miss McNally was out walking on the Chase this week with her partner and their dog when they spotted what they believe was a wolf stalking the area.
“I was walking with my partner and his dog,” Jane told the Sunday Mercury.
“We put the dog back on the lead as we thought in the distance there was an enormous `dog.’ As we approached the animal we realised this wasn’t a dog and it just stared at us for a while – I said I thought it looked like a fox, but the size of a lioness – it then turned into the wooded area, and we proceeded to walk on.
“As it turned its long, bushy black tipped tail, we realised it was definitely not a dog.
“I have just logged onto the net and went onto images of wolves, and can honestly say whatever we saw yesterday was the closet thing to a wolf.”
The Chase has a long history of beast sightings, among other strange occurrences. The area has also been notorious for sightings of giant snakes and even subterranean stone age men prowling the area.

http://www.themorningstarr.co.uk/2010/01/15/fresh-sighting-of-the-beast-of-cannock-chase/

 

Baby seal in Garden Named Rudolph

A family who found a baby seal in their back garden in Kent 18 miles from the sea named her Rudolph, saying she was a “brilliant Christmas present”.
The pup, which the RSPCA said was less than a year old, was in the Dwyer family’s garden in Benenden on Monday morning when they let out pet dog Jack.
“We could see it came from the stream at the end of the garden from tracks in the snow,” said Harriet Dwyer.
“I heard Jack barking and went over to see what looked like a huge slimy cat.”
It is thought the seal got into the stream from the River Rother, which meets the English Channel at Rye.
Storms or floods
“It got in our pond and I think it ate some of my parents’ goldfish,” said Miss Dwyer.
“Jack is a collie and rounded it up a bit and it eventually settled in the herb garden by the corner of the house.”
The RSPCA is now caring for the seal, which has been renamed Gulliver, at Mallydams Wood Wildlife Centre near Hastings in East Sussex.
Keeper Elaine Crouch said baby seals often became separated from their mothers in bad weather such as storms or floods.
“This one is a really good weight, and not starving but has been completely lost,” she said.
“She has a a tag from Belgium, probably put on by the rehabilitation centre at Ostend, then she got into the River Rother and ended up in the stream.”

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/8427436.stm

 

Wallaby Sparks M-Way Chaos

A WALLABY sparked motorway drama after he escaped and ran wild in Blackpool.
Police drafted in the force helicopter, the RSPCA and a trained veterinary marksman as stunned Marton residents reported seeing the three-foot high marsupial bouncing towards the M55.
The domestic pet, who had escaped from his home in Blackpool more than a week ago, was spotted on the slip road leading from Preston New Road at 9am yesterday.
Traffic on the M55 was slowed to 30mph as officers ushered the wallaby to a field at the top of Peel Hill.
After a near four-hour stand-off, the animal was captured when a vet from Blackpool Zoo shot him with a tranquilliser dart. The wallaby is now safely back home with his owner.
Insp Alistair Campbell of Blackpool Police said: “It’s fair enough to say we’ve never had a situation like this before.
“We got three calls in two minutes, all reporting a kangaroo or a wallaby.”

http://www.blackpoolgazette.co.uk/blackpoolnews/Wallaby-sparks-Mway-chaos.5989054.jp

 

Crocodile is living in a a bungalow in Kent

Caesar the spectacled caiman crocodile, who lives with his owner in a converted bungalow in Kent, is one of dozens of alligators and crocodiles kept as licenced pets, according to a Sunday Telegraph study.
Caesar is kept as a pet by retired civil servant Chris Weller, who has moved into the loft of his home to allow the crocodile to roam through other parts of the property eating supermarket steaks and prawns.
More than 4,000 animals are licenced under the Dangerous Wild Animals Act (DWAA), which imposes strict security rules on owners to prevent escapes.
Caesar, who is four years old, is already 4.5ft in length, although his species can live for up to 40 years and reach 7ft.
Mr Weller, 63, bought him in 2007, as a-one-year-old, when he was only 1ft long. He has spent around £20,000 converting the loft and turning the dining room and conservatory of his home in Strood, Kent, into a habitat for the crocodile, with a special pool fitted.
Mr Weller said the downstairs kitchen, bathroom and hallway were “neutral zones”, for both him and Caesar.
“He eats meat and fish,” Mr Weller said. “He really likes steaks and salmon, tuna and prawns. I get a lot of it from the supermarket, but it is only the budget ranges.
“He comes in the kitchen sometimes. When he is hungry, he will come when I call his name.”
Mr Weller has installed a cat-flap device to allow Caesar to move between rooms. Although the crocodile can push the flap himself, for safety reasons an additional shutter is usually in place to control his movements.
“He can push the flap himself but he grunts at me when he wants me to open the shutter,” Mr Weller added.
“When I first got him, he was a nightmare. He would take chunks out of me. It was quite painful and there was a bit of blood loss on occasions.
“Now he just lazes about. When I sit on the floor, he will put his head in my lap and I can stroke him. He’s as good as gold.
“The neighbours all know about him and are quite happy. They call me the crocodile man.”
Mr Weller plans to buy a female crocodile as a companion for Caesar. He also owns Hector, a 12-year-old, 7ft-long Asian water monitor – a species which does not require a licence to keep.
The two reptiles are kept apart, although they watch each other through a glass door. “They don’t show any aggression, but they are wary of each other,” Mr Weller said.
A remarkable menagerie of 4,296 animals have been registered under the DWAA, with more than 200 species represented, from antelope to zebra.
Of these, 72 are crocodiles or alligators, including seven Nile crocodiles – which can reach up to 16ft in length – kept by an owner in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire.
Shaun Foggett, a 30-year-old joiner, keeps 14 crocodiles and alligators in outbuildings at his home in a cul-de-sac in Witney, Oxfordshire.
Among the collection are three Siamese crocodiles, which grow up to 7ft in length. Mr Foggett has three children at the property under the age of seven but has no concerns about their safety.
“The oldest boy is already interested in the animals. The crocodiles are all kept safely and securely. There are three sets of locked doors to get to their enclosures,” he said.
Cheetahs and camels are among the exotic animals being kept as pets. To obtain a licence under the DWAA, owners must pay between £25 and £1,600, and must convince the authorities that their pets will not be able to escape. They must also be covered by insurance, in case the creatures should attack or kill anyone.
Among the total are 137 wildcats, including leopards and lynx, and the same number of primates, including rhesus monkeys, spider monkeys and crab eating macaques. There are also 372 poisonous snakes.
There is one red panda, living at a property in Chichester, West Sussex. The natural habitat of the endangered species is some 4,500 miles away in Nepal and they are considered “vulnerable” by conservationists.
Another private collector, from near Broxborne, Herts, owns a snow leopard, two wolves, a Mississippi Alligator, a spitting cobra, a gaboon viper, a green mamba, and three cheetahs.
Whilst the figures will reinforce Britain’s reputation as a nation of animal lovers, concerns were raised last night about the welfare of some of the animals.
The RSPCA recently called for a total ban on the trade of primates and has expressed concerns over the keeping of other exotic pets. A spokeswoman said: “Unfortunately, a lot of people who take on an exotic animal as a pet are not fully aware of its needs.
“Some wild animals, such as red pandas, have very specific requirements to maintain their health and welfare which may not be feasible in a domestic environment and without very expect knowledge of the species.”
DWAA licenses are issued by local authorities and details of the animals kept under the Act have been obtained following a request under the Freedom of Information Act to more than 350 councils in England. Around 120 authorities said they licensed dangerous animals.
Although the legislation is intended for pets or private collections, it also covers wild boar and ostriches, which are farmed commercially, and these two are the most numerous species on the list, with totals of 2,340 and 611 respectively.
The figures do not include animals kept in zoos, circuses, pet shops or for scientific research, which are all covered by other pieces of legislation.
Among the 4,296 animals licenced under the Dangerous Wild Animals Act are:
wild boar – 2,349
ostrich – 611
snakes – 372 (including at least 19 western diamondback rattlesnake, 21 vipera berus, 9 monacled cobras)
bison – 170
wildcats – 137 (including 16 snow leopards, 11 Asian leopard cats, 10 European Lynx, 10 ocelots, 8 clouded leopards, 6 common leopards, 5 pumas, 4 cheetahs)
lemurs – 141
primates – 137 (including at least 18 rhesus monkeys, 12 crab eating macaques, 9 spider monkeys)
crocodiles and alligators – 72
scorpions – 75
camels – 44
antelope – 40
wolves – 24
asian short clawed otters – 22
zebra – 13
emus – 11
racoons – 9
gila monsters – 6
palm civets – 3
reindeer – 2
genets – 2
fossa – 2
red panda – 1
*Source: local authorities. The legislation covers pets and private collections, not zoos, but the figures include some commercially-owned animals including farmed wild boar and ostriches, and exotic animals used in film production

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/7005564/Crocodile-is-living-in-a-bungalow-in-Kent.html

 

Loch Ness death Rumour Denied

The head of the Loch Ness monster’s fan club has denied suggestions that the animal is dead following just one credible sighting last year.
A new documentary examines the possibility that the monster might be extinct as its reported appearances become increasingly rare.
Gary Campbell, president of the Official Loch Ness Monster Fan Club, said only one sighting, made just off the Clansman Hotel on 6th June, 2009, was judged by him to have been a credible report.
And according to Mr Campbell such reports are increasingly rare.
He said: “”That’s why were so relieved to have heard about this sighting.
“In June, when it was reported, nobody had seen anything for a year. If it hadn’t been for that one, we would have been really, really worried.
“There is an embarrassment factor to seeing Nessie. The first thing people say to you is, ‘Had you had a drink?’
“Ten years ago we had a lot of good sightings, but in the last two or three years, they have tailed off.”
He added: “What we regard as a dependable sighting is very much down to the person who sees it.
“This was a local chap who knows the things that Nessie isn’t – boat wakes, debris on the loch or seals in the summer. A local person will know what these things look like.”
However, there were a number of “more dubious” sightings over the course of 2009. These included a sonar contact witnessed by “‘Allo,’Allo” star Vicki Michelle and other cast members from the stage version of the popular BBC sit-com when they took a pleasure cruise on Loch Ness in May during the play’s week-long run at Eden Court.
Their boat, the Jacobite Queen, picked up five mysterious arch shapes on its sonar between Dores and Urquhart Castle.
Also claiming a possible Nessie picture was data analyst Ian Monckton from Solihull who used his car headlights and the flash from his camera, to take a picture of what he thought could be the elusive monster while driving to Invermoriston late at night.
The 2009 episode “Death at Loch Ness” of the documentary series “MonsterQuest” looked at the theory that the Loch Ness Monster might be extinct.
In this programme researcher Robert Rhines’ claim that Nessie, if it existed, may now in fact be dead and its corpse is lying somewhere at the bottom of Loch Ness is investigated.
To prove this theory wrong, Mr Campbell hopes new witnesses might come forward.
“If people start to believe this, it might start to affect tourist numbers.
“Whether you believe in Nessie or not, the Loch Ness Monster is one of the most important tourist attractions we have.
“Perhaps, though, the answers are to be found underwater instead of on the loch’s surface.
“Unknown sonar contacts happen all the time.
“Maybe Nessie is just keeping her head down.”

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/6936872/Loch-Ness-monster-death-rumours-denied.html

 

Shop Worker Finds Escaped Snake

A GREENOCK shop worker got the fright of her life after coming face-to-face with a six-foot SNAKE.
The bull snake escaped from an exotic pet shop next door and slithered into the blinds retailer, where the woman was working.
The terrified sales assistant was making up a delivery in the store room in Window Blind Design when she noticed something stir at her feet.
The shocked woman, who doesn’t want to be named, said: “I was making up a blind in the back shop. I moved a roll of polythene and I saw something move at my feet.
“It was brown and yellow and about six-foot long – I don’t know how long it had been there. I was shaking like a leaf.
“It was coiled up at the start, then it tried to stretch itself out. I ran out the shop and into the hairdressers next door.”
The snake, like the one pictured, had escaped from its box in the Pro-Exotics pet shop in Sir Michael Street, Greenock, around 1pm on Tuesday.
The creepy critter crawled into a cardboard tube and was contained by blocking each end.
Police were called to the shop and alerted Abbey Vets, whose staff placed the tube into a mailsack and took it back to the surgery until the owner collected the creature.
The woman said: “There were three police cars outside. I thought people would think the shop was getting raided.
“The police officers’ faces were whiter than mine. I didn’t think it was funny at the time but I can laugh about it now.”
William Euart, pictured, who owns Pro-Exotics, managed to shed some light on the animal’s crate escape.
He said: “Someone handed in the snake in the box to get it re-homed a couple of days ago and it got out of the box.
“I was concerned but it is a totally inoffensive animal. It wouldn’t do anyone any harm – I’ve taken it home.”
Vet Neil McIntosh, a partner at Abbey Vets, confirmed the snake was six feet long and the width of a hand.
He said: “The owner of the shop keeps getting dumped with such pets because people don’t know how to look after them.
“Bull snakes are constrictors, like pythons, and eat small mammals such as mice and rats, but they’re not poisonous.”

http://www.greenocktelegraph.co.uk/news/greenock/articles/2010/01/14/395954-shop-worker-finds-escaped-snake/

 

Fresh sighting of UFO’s and Werewolves on Cannock Chase

Fresh sighting of UFO’s and Werewolves on Cannock Chase

Jan 13 2010

Hound of the Cannock hills?

A wave of paranormal and mysterious episodes in the town have helped usher in a new decade of spooky sightings, with readers encountering UFOs and wild wolves in the first week of the year.
The area has a long standing association with paranormal activity – with websites across the World recording spooky incidents in the area.
Resident, Jane McNally, recently had a run-in with a mysterious canine creature while out walking with her partner on Cannock Chase.
“I was walking with my partner and his dog,” Jane said.
“We put the dog back on the lead as we thought in the distance there was an enormous ‘dog.’ As we approached the animal we realised this wasn’t a dog and it just stared at us for a while – I said I thought it looked like a fox, but the size of a lioness – it then turned into the wooded area, and we proceeded to walk on.
“As it turned its long, bushy black tipped tail, we realised it was definitely not a dog.
“I have just logged onto the net and went onto images of wolves, and can honestly say whatever we saw yesterday was the closet thing to a wolf.”
The area has also become a hotbed of UFO sightings, with dozens of people claiming to have witnessed strange lights in the sky.
Christie Oliver became the latest person to experience a close encounter, when she spied mysterious lights over Heath Hayes at the turn of the year.
“Me and my partner came home from celebrating New Year in Cannock and I let the dog out, turned to my left and saw four red dots in the sky,” she said.
“I have never seen anything like this before. I immediately called my other half out to look at it. I could not believe my eyes.
“They then flew north and two of them disappeared. The last one went around six seconds later. I can’t believe what I saw, and I would like to find out if anyone else saw it too? It was around 00.37 on New Years Day.”
http://www.sundaymercury.net/news/midlands-news/2010/01/13/fresh-sighting-of-ufo-s-and-werewolves-on-cannock-chase-66331-25589705/

 

Venemous Woodlose Spider Sightings Increase in Noth Wales

SIGHTINGS of a venomous spider species that are migrating to the region are on the increase.
The Woodlouse Spider, which has a round red body and looks like a baked bean, has a giant jaw and is one of the few species in the UK that can bite humans.
The spider, from Europe, has traditionally resided in the southern part of England but due to global warming started to move further north ten years ago.
Now, reports have been pouring in across Cheshire and North Wales of concerned people who have spotted the spider.
Experts say that although the spider’s bite can be painful its venom is not harmful to humans.
Their jaws are enlarged to enable them to pierce the hard shell of the woodlouse, its main source of food.
The spiders can be anywhere from 9-15mm long and have a dark red thorax and legs, while their abdomen is a creamy yellow-brown.
They are fairly common across Britain but are locally distributed. They are also nocturnal and do not build webs. During the day, they rest in a silken cell.
General manager at Liverpool-based The BugWorld Experience, Jenny Dobson, recommended people who find the spider in their homes not to touch it.
“The Woodlouse Spider is found mainly under logs in warm places, usually anywhere where woodlice might be found as they feed almost exclusively on them,” she said.
“However, here at the BugWorld Experience we are finding more and more people in the North West are finding them in their houses and gardens and calling us due to their red body which is often associated with more dangerous species.
” If you do find one of these spiders and are concerned as to what to do then call us as we are happy to help.”
This spider is not protected in the UK. For more information visit www.bugworldexperience.co.uk/
http://www.leaderlive.co.uk/news/80877/venomous-woodlouse-spider-sightings-increase-in-north-wales.aspxhite Stag Seen In Gloucestershire Forest Posted:

07 Dec 2009 08:14 AM PST dailymail

White stags have long been associated with mythology and legend, an elusive yet magnificent beast. King Arthur was left frustrated by his attempts to capture one, as were the Kings and Queens of Narnia, who chased the creature through the woods and found themselves tumbling out of a wardrobe.

But photographer Ken Grindle has managed to get a little bit closer, taking this picture of the animal in the Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire. The majestic wild animal – long associated with mystery and good luck – was filmed by the wildlife enthusiast. Ken, 66, has been filming and photographing wildlife in the area for the past six years – but had never seen a white stag.

 ’I was very surprised to see it,’ he said. ‘I was camped in a shelter and was really fortunate. It just strolled right in front of me and calmly wandered around. ‘He is a beautiful creature and it’s really nice to be able to show people who perhaps can’t make it into woodland what beautiful animals roam out there.

‘I was lucky to be able to get some footage of it as well as the battery on my camera was running out.

 ’I wasn’t sure I’d actually got it until I got home. ‘I take the pictures to share with everyone as a lot of people can’t get out into the woods to see this.’

The Forest of Dean is thought to be home to an array of unusual and wild creatures including wild boar, big cats and white stags. Retired builder Ken added: ‘There’s a lot of talk about big cats in the Forest and that really would be something to see.

‘I managed to stand my ground when some wild boar came out into the path in front of me but it might be a bit different if I saw a big cat.’ Last year a white stag was spotted in the Scottish Highlands and was photographed by a member of a nature charity while she was on an expedition on the west coast.

Fran Lockhart, of the John Muir Trust, a charity which protects wild land, said she was “thrilled” to spot the majestic beast, which is closely identified with the unicorn.

In October 2007, a wild white stag was shot by poachers on the border between Devon and Cornwall, where horrified locals had known it by the name Snowy. ‘Ghostlike’:

A white stag among a group of young red stags, spotted in the Scottish Highlands last year It was decapitated and its 300lb carcase found hanging from a tree in a yard.

It is thought the stag’s head, along with its antlers, had been claimed as a trophy and could be mounted and possibly sold for thousands of pounds.

White deer, closely identified with unicorns, have been potent figures in the mythology of many cultures. It is said to be bad luck to kill one. According to the Scots legend, in 1128, David I, King of Scotland decided to go hunting on the Feast Day of the Holy Rood, against the wishes of his priest. While hunting he saw a huge white stag, or “hart”, and while giving chase he was thrown from his horse. The white hart charged forward to kill him, so David – son of Malcolm Canmore and St Margaret – called on God to save him. As the king grasped the hart’s antlers, they miraculously turned in to a large cross, and the beast raised its head and vanished. Inspired by his vision, King David built a shrine to the Holy Rood – meaning Holy Cross – on the spot where the miracle occurred. The ruin of Holyrood Abbey can still be seen today, at the foot of the Royal Mile next to Holyrood Palace.

The White Hart Inn in Edinburgh’s grassmarket, reputedly the oldest pub in the capital, took its name from the legend. The Celts considered white stags to be messengers from the “other world” and their appearance was said to herald some profound change in the lives of those who encountered them.

In the Chronicles of Narnia, the White Stag is fabled to grant wishes to whoever catches him. And in the Arthurian legend, the white stag is the creature that can never be caught. King Arthur’s repeatedly unsuccessful pursuit of the white stag represents mankind’s quest for spiritual knowledge. In Christianity a white stag was said to be instrumental in the conversion of the martyr Saint Eustace after he saw a vision of the animal that told him he would suffer for Christ.

 

Beastwatch expert called in after frozen locust found

Saturday, January 09, 2010, 09:30

An unexpected visitor greeted staff at a logistics company when they unloaded a pallet.

The employees were surprised to discover a frozen locust among the cargo – and were shocked when it began hopping about after thawing out.

Staff at the company, which did not want to be identified, contacted Chris Mullins of Beastwatch UK – which deals with unexpected creatures – for help.

Mr Mullins, of Loughborough, said: “They had thawed it out and were going to pin it on a board but then it started hopping around.

“I’ve fetched it. It’s alive and in a proper container.

“We think it has come from Turkey and is a migratory locust. You don’t see many of them over here.

“I’m not an expert on locusts but I’ve been investigating.

“I don’t know what I’m going to do with it – I might keep it as a pet.”

 

Chris Mullins with the locust found frozen in a pallet at a logistics company. The insect woke up when it thawed out.

(Source: Leicestershire Mercury – 9th Jan 2010)

http://www.thisisleicestershire.co.uk/news/Beastwatch-expert-called-frozen-locust/article-1690402-detail/article.html