Bad Animal Headlines

Sometimes I think there's nothing new left for bad animals to come up with, but this morning, three unexpected and awesome headlines prove me wrong:

Police 'looking for a horse' after hay and carrot thefts

Hay and carrot thefts have been on the up this month, prompting the police to urge vigilance from farmers and those living in rural areas around Penryn.

The most recent raid took place overnight last Tuesday (March 12), when 14 bales of hay, a welder, a disc cutter, various other power tools and a pressure washer were stolen from Tretheague Farm in Stithians.

This followed a similar attack overnight the previous Wednesday (March 5) when seven hay and straw bales, a sack of carrots and a wheelbarrow were pinched from a stables at Burnthouse, Penryn.

“I think we are looking for a horse,” said Detective Constable Rick Milburn from Falmouth Police Station.

“Anyone with any knowledge of anyone who has recently acquired a horse or is trying to establish a living space for a horse, we are asking them to contact us with any information.”

 OK, apparently they expect the horse to have an accomplice, but still. It's nice to see some police with a clue about animals and their crimes for a change.

Beware the hat-snatching owl in Victoria's Beacon Hill Park

Some important evidence that owls are not as charming as they are in popular fiction comes out of British Columbia:

Somewhere in Beacon Hill Park, probably high in a tree, there’s a collection of hats.
A barred owl, swooping down on runners at dawn and dusk, has now collected at least three hats — and tugged at many more.

Cici Morgan, one of those who is now hatless, hopes the city will erect a sign in the Dallas Road and Cook Street area warning people.

“It is absolutely terrifying, and if someone had a heart condition or if it was a young child, I don’t know what would happen,” Morgan said, emphasizing she does not want any harm to come to the owl.

 Sadly, officials are currently planning to do nothing about the problem, and the same is true in this story out of India which is a warning about another animal with an inexplicable cute reputation:

Otter attacks leave villagers tottering between fear, panic

Otter attacks have left a village shivering in fear. People refuse to step into Mulavur canal in Payipra panchayat near Muvattupuzha where a few bathers were reportedly bitten by the carnivores.

Around 50 persons were bitten during the last six months, said a resident of the area. Four persons received animal bites the other day, spreading panic in the area. In another incident, the animals bit off the heel of a lady who stepped into the canal, he said.

One fisherman died in Chalakudi River three years ago following the carnivores’ attack. 

Sadly, it appears that these people will continue to be at the mercy of these vicious predators. They're a protected species, and a wildlife expert essentially blames the victims, saying that the animals had probably been attracted by waste dumped in the river.

And the newspaper is no help at all. The ominous photo above is captioned with a quote from another wildlife official: Otters usually do not attack human beings as prey. 

So good news, villagers: the otters aren't planning to completely devour you! I don't know about you, but somehow I don't think they find that much comfort.