First Posted: 06/ 2/11 01:53 PM ET
INDEPENDENCE, Mo. -- Police responding to a rare alligator sighting in suburban Kansas City took quick action to dispatch of the beast, shooting it in the head, as instructed, while it lurked menacingly in the weeds leading down to a pond.
It wasn't until a second rifle shot bounced off the reptile's head that the officers realized they had mortally wounded a concrete lawn ornament.
A resident of a subdivision near the pond called police Saturday evening to report that his children spotted the alligator while they were playing in some nearby woods.
After consulting a conservation agent, who told them to kill the gator if they felt it posed a danger, one of the officers shot it twice in the head before realizing something was up, said Tom Gentry, an Independence police spokesman.
"It didn't move," Gentry said. "They inched up closer and closer and discovered it was a mock-up of a real alligator made to look like it was real."
In the officers' defense, it was growing dark when they shot the fake gator and it was partially submerged in the weeds.
The property owner told police that the gator was meant to keep people off his property, Gentry said. Officers told him a no-trespassing sign would have been wiser.
"Now he'll have to patch up his alligator," Gentry said.
Conservation agent Derek Cole said the department has received calls in the past about alligators that had been set free in populated areas, so there was no reason to believe the Saturday sighting wasn't valid.
"The department doesn't get involved in something like that," Cole said. "They asked if they could go ahead and dispatch it if it was a danger, and I said there's a kill shot on alligators, a small kill shot on the head. I said if they can get a shot like that, go ahead."
http://weirdnews.aol.com/2011/06/02/kansas-city-police-alligator_n_870428.html
Showing posts with label mistaken identity. Show all posts
Showing posts with label mistaken identity. Show all posts
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Appeal to trace tiger toy owner after police alert
 |
A concerned member of the public contacted police believing the stuffed toy was a real tiger |
Police are trying to trace the owner of a life-sized tiger toy which sparked a major police alert in Hampshire over fears a real animal was on the loose.
Officers were deployed and a helicopter was scrambled with specialist thermal imaging cameras over the field, near Hedge End, on Saturday afternoon.
The scare stopped play at the Rose Bowl cricket ground for 20 minutes.
Hampshire police said the toy was being treated as lost property but they were investigating whether it was a hoax.
They said they did not know how it got there but was similar to one which would be won at a fair.
Tranquiliser darts
The alarm was raised by a member of the public who spotted what they thought was an escaped white tiger hiding in a field, through a camera's zoom lens.
Officers said they had responded as if it was a real incident, close to junction seven of the M27.
 |
| The stuffed toy is being treated as lost property |
John Pullen, curator of mammals, said: "We offered advice to the police and we immediately gathered a team of staff who have been trained to deal with situations such as this.
"We were moments away from making the journey when we received a call from police to say it was a stuffed toy."
Golfers at County Golf Club were also escorted from the course and Saturday's cricket game between Hamsphire Academy and South Wilts was suspended for about half an hour.
Tony Middleton, Hampshire Cricket Academy director, added: "Rumours came round that there was a tiger on the golf course and we just carried on playing until a policeman came over and told us to clear the area.
"I assumed there was [a tiger] with everything that was going on, but we felt quite safe here."
Officers discovered it to be a stuffed toy after it rolled over in the down draft from the police helicopter.
"It is being treated as lost property but we don't know how it came to be in the field and whether it may have been a hoax.
"Police are keen to reiterate that they have a duty to protect the public and therefore take calls of this nature as serious as any other calls reporting potential dangers to members of the public," a spokeswoman said.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-13491268
(Submitted by Sherri Joyce)
Saturday, May 21, 2011
Hampshire 'tiger sighting' causes major alert
21 May 2011
A stuffed toy animal led to a large-scale police operation in Hampshire and stopped play at the Rose Bowl cricket ground.
The alarm was first raised by a concerned member of the public who believed there was an escaped white tiger hiding in a field near Hedge End.
Officers were sent to the scene along with a helicopter and thermal imaging cameras, at about 1600 BST on Saturday.
When no body heat was detected police moved in and found a cuddly toy tiger.
A police spokesperson said officers had responded as if it was a real incident, close to junction seven of the M27.
Contingency plans were even put in place to close the motorway, but that proved unnecessary.
Police enlisted the help from animal experts at nearby Marwell Zoo, who offered advice and were prepared to send a team with tranquiliser darts to overcome the tiger.
The Rose Bowl said a game between South Wiltshire and Hampshire Academy was stopped for about 20 minutes before they were given the all clear to continue.
Golfers at a nearby golf course were also told to go indoors.
Camera lens
"A member of the public reported seeing a tiger lying in a field in Hedge End.
"They had seen it through the zoom lens of a camera," a police spokesman said.
"We sent some local officers to the field and they confirmed they were looking at it and it was was looking at them.
"Everyone who had seen it, including the land owner, thought it was a real tiger."
The spokesman said although the police action could attract criticism about costs, the force would have been praised if it had been real.
"The safety of the public was the number one priority," he added.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-13486698
A stuffed toy animal led to a large-scale police operation in Hampshire and stopped play at the Rose Bowl cricket ground.
The alarm was first raised by a concerned member of the public who believed there was an escaped white tiger hiding in a field near Hedge End.
Officers were sent to the scene along with a helicopter and thermal imaging cameras, at about 1600 BST on Saturday.
When no body heat was detected police moved in and found a cuddly toy tiger.
A police spokesperson said officers had responded as if it was a real incident, close to junction seven of the M27.
Contingency plans were even put in place to close the motorway, but that proved unnecessary.
Police enlisted the help from animal experts at nearby Marwell Zoo, who offered advice and were prepared to send a team with tranquiliser darts to overcome the tiger.
The Rose Bowl said a game between South Wiltshire and Hampshire Academy was stopped for about 20 minutes before they were given the all clear to continue.
Golfers at a nearby golf course were also told to go indoors.
Camera lens
"A member of the public reported seeing a tiger lying in a field in Hedge End.
"They had seen it through the zoom lens of a camera," a police spokesman said.
"We sent some local officers to the field and they confirmed they were looking at it and it was was looking at them.
"Everyone who had seen it, including the land owner, thought it was a real tiger."
The spokesman said although the police action could attract criticism about costs, the force would have been praised if it had been real.
"The safety of the public was the number one priority," he added.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-13486698
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Illinois Residents Report Large Snake on the Loose
Posted: Monday, April 18th
BUSH -- People in Bush are begging for help after reports began circulating that there is a large snake on the loose in their neighborhood.
The animal was first spotted about a week ago Residents believe it is a boa constrictor or a python, possibly someone's pet that was released into the wild. Experts say that's not necessarily the case.
"It's the whole talk of town. Every body's scared to death. Afraid to let their kids out or their dogs," said Bush resident Lester Taylor.
"The kids are always inside. They are never let out here by themselves," Misty Gurley told News Three.
Residents say the snake is preying on animals in their neighborhood, and they want it caught before it kills again.
Most of the reported snake sightings have been in an area near 6th Street. Rumors circulated that the animal killed a large German Shepard-mix dog that lived at one home.
Lester Taylor says he spotted the snake in the alley behind his house. He describes it as about 6 inches in diameter and 12 feet long.
Taylor tried to trap the animal.
"I got a stick I pick up trash with, it has a nail in it," he said, "I poked the snake in the tail and was trying to hold it until somebody come to help me. He just ripped it out and went on in the tree."
Neighbors contacted Hurst police for help. Chief Ron Harvel spent several hours looking for the animal in the alley that runs behind 6th St. Harvel did see a snake. He calls it dark brown in color.
"The snake I saw was not a python, was not an anaconda, was not a boa constrictor," Harvel said.
Neighbors snapped two pictures of the animal. SIU ecologist Brooke Talley and Department of Natural Resources Herpetologist Scott Ballard analyzed them. Both insist the snake in the photos is not an exotic reptile
"It's not a boa or a python. What we actually have is a black rat snake, and those get really large, they go to five or six feet," Talley said.
Black rat snakes are common in Illinois. Talley says they are not dangerous to humans or pets.
She explains it's possible someone released a pet boa or python into the wild. But even then, she says it's unlikely that it killed a dog, cat or even ducks
"That would not happen," she said, "That's way too big for what they would prefer to eat."
Some people think that a neighbor released two pet snakes. Police tell News Three they don't have any reports of missing snakes. Authorities recommed that if you see the snake, call 911 right away and they'll come check it out.
Experts also encourage residents to leave the animal alone. Some of the people that live near the area where the snake has been spotted set up traps in their yards. Talley explains that this time of year is breeding season for snakes. The reptiles more active during that time, and that's likely why people have spotted them.
By: Emily Finnegan
efinnegan@wsiltv.com
http://www.wsiltv.com/p/news_details.php?newsID=12928&type=top
(Via Chad Arment)
BUSH -- People in Bush are begging for help after reports began circulating that there is a large snake on the loose in their neighborhood.
The animal was first spotted about a week ago Residents believe it is a boa constrictor or a python, possibly someone's pet that was released into the wild. Experts say that's not necessarily the case.
"It's the whole talk of town. Every body's scared to death. Afraid to let their kids out or their dogs," said Bush resident Lester Taylor.
"The kids are always inside. They are never let out here by themselves," Misty Gurley told News Three.
Residents say the snake is preying on animals in their neighborhood, and they want it caught before it kills again.
Most of the reported snake sightings have been in an area near 6th Street. Rumors circulated that the animal killed a large German Shepard-mix dog that lived at one home.
Lester Taylor says he spotted the snake in the alley behind his house. He describes it as about 6 inches in diameter and 12 feet long.
Taylor tried to trap the animal.
"I got a stick I pick up trash with, it has a nail in it," he said, "I poked the snake in the tail and was trying to hold it until somebody come to help me. He just ripped it out and went on in the tree."
Neighbors contacted Hurst police for help. Chief Ron Harvel spent several hours looking for the animal in the alley that runs behind 6th St. Harvel did see a snake. He calls it dark brown in color.
"The snake I saw was not a python, was not an anaconda, was not a boa constrictor," Harvel said.
Neighbors snapped two pictures of the animal. SIU ecologist Brooke Talley and Department of Natural Resources Herpetologist Scott Ballard analyzed them. Both insist the snake in the photos is not an exotic reptile
"It's not a boa or a python. What we actually have is a black rat snake, and those get really large, they go to five or six feet," Talley said.
Black rat snakes are common in Illinois. Talley says they are not dangerous to humans or pets.
She explains it's possible someone released a pet boa or python into the wild. But even then, she says it's unlikely that it killed a dog, cat or even ducks
"That would not happen," she said, "That's way too big for what they would prefer to eat."
Some people think that a neighbor released two pet snakes. Police tell News Three they don't have any reports of missing snakes. Authorities recommed that if you see the snake, call 911 right away and they'll come check it out.
Experts also encourage residents to leave the animal alone. Some of the people that live near the area where the snake has been spotted set up traps in their yards. Talley explains that this time of year is breeding season for snakes. The reptiles more active during that time, and that's likely why people have spotted them.
By: Emily Finnegan
efinnegan@wsiltv.com
http://www.wsiltv.com/p/news_details.php?newsID=12928&type=top
(Via Chad Arment)
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Are Chupacabra Recollections Real?
Thu Mar 24, 2011 07:08 PM ET
As reported here on Discovery News and elsewhere, the origin of the mysterious vampire beast el chupacabra can be traced back to an eyewitness who saw the 1995 film Species, which featured an identical monster. Most people assume that the chupacabra dates back decades, though in my research the best evidence so far is that it has only been around for about 15 years.
SLIDE SHOW: Chupacabra Inspired by Horror Film Beast
Certainly, vampire beliefs have existed for millennia all around the world, and there was a pre-existing belief that something mysterious was occasionally attacking animals prior to 1995 in Puerto Rico (and elsewhere, including Nebraska). And, as researcher Loren Coleman discovered, there was a 1960 mention of a "chupacabra" in the TV show "Bonanza," referring to a whippoorwill bird.
But so far there seems no reference to a blood-sucking monster called "chupacabra" before mid-1995 in Puerto Rico (or anywhere else).
And yet one common reaction I've gotten from readers about my chupacabra research is that the monster did indeed exist before 1995, because they heard about it as early as the 1950s. A few examples taken from recent posted comments on the story:
LeahMEseny: "I grew up in New Mexico and remember hearing stories about the chupacabra in the 80s."
Hiram Mag: "This story dates back to the 50s and 60s in Texas."
Glory Mooncalled: "I grew up hearing of it in the 70s and 80s."
Mousekakat: "I am just shy of 45, and grew up in Houston hearing about the chupacabra."
AlisonP: "I was at Arecibo Radio Observatory [in Puerto Rico] in 1993, and the legend of chupacabra was already pretty widespread then."
In all, nearly a dozen people insist that they heard about the chupacabra before 1995. (Note that even if there exists a reference to a “chupacabra” before 1995 it has no bearing on the fact that the description of the original Puerto Rican chupacabra was inspired by the film Species. The only question is if the word itself was in use earlier.) What can we make of these reports? There are only a few possibilities:
1) The "chupacabra" (vampiric monster) was known, written about, and discussed decades earlier than current research shows; or
2) We have a fascinating memory experiment in progress, in which dozens (perhaps hundreds) of people are incorrectly remembering the same thing: hearing stories about the chupacabra from decades ago.
Who's right? I honestly have no idea. Just because I didn't find any references to a vampiric “chupacabra” before 1995 doesn't mean there aren't any. I'm a pretty thorough researcher, but no one's perfect, and I might have missed an earlier reference. Surely if a chupacabra was widely known and discussed as far back as the 1950s, there should be plenty of written references in newspapers, magazines, books, folklore journals, etc., dating back decades. It seems there are none.
Then again, memory research has shown that the perception that something has been around for a long time influences our beliefs and recollections.
Experiments by researchers Kathryn Brown, Rhiannon Ellis, and Elizabeth Loftus, for example, shows how people can create false memories of experiencing things that never happened. In one experiment they found that by (falsely) telling people that they had experienced something in their youths, they came to believe it. In one study, after being prompted, adults specifically remembered meeting a Bugs Bunny character at Disney World, which could not have happened (Bugs is a Warner Bros. character). The same thing happened with Werther's Original caramels, which adults reminisced about enjoying as children in the 1950s and 1960s -- but could not have, since they were only created in 1969. (For more on this see Braun, K. A., Ellis, R., & Loftus, E.F. 2002. Make My Memory: How Advertising Can Change Our Memories of the Past, in Psychology and Marketing, 19(1): 1-23.)
As the authors write: “Remembering is often a social activity in which people come to some agreement about the past and it is much more likely to take place in the context of friends, family, or advertising than with psychotherapists. In some sense, life is a continual memory alteration experiment where memories continually are shaped by new incoming information.”
In this light it seems quite possible that people who are certain they grew up hearing tales of the bloodthirsty chupacabra beast may be merely incorrectly remembering the dates and details of when they first heard about it. The irony is, of course, that it was a Puerto Rican eyewitness’s faulty memory that confused a film monster with real life and essentially created the chupacabra.
Mass error, or incomplete research? Let’s find out! I'll offer a public $250 reward (plus a signed copy of my book Tracking the Chupacabra) for the first verifiable written evidence of a blood-sucking monster called the chupacabra (or chupacabras) that dates before 1990. It must be a published, dated reference; I can be contacted via Discovery News.
Let's see what turns up!
Illustration by Ben Radford
http://news.discovery.com/human/making-monster-memories-are-chupacabra-recollections-real-or-false-110324.html
El Chupacabra Legend Eliminated, Expert Claims
Mar 23, 2011, 12:59 by John Steele
While leprechauns and bigfoots remain on the loose across the world, one mysterious monster appears to have been nothing more than folklore.
El Chupacabra, a bipedal alien-like creature nicknamed "goatsucker" was first spotted in Puerto Rico in 1995 when two goats were found drained of all their blood. Since then, this supposed being has appeared in many different iterations from Mexico to Florida to Texas, whenever livestock turn up dead.
But now, well-published writer and skeptic Benjamin Radford, author of several books on monsters and paranormal phenomena, managing editor of the journal The Skeptical Inquirer and LiveScience columnist, has released what he says to be definitive proof that El Chupacabra is not real, but rather a forgotten memory from the 1995 sci-fi film Species.
According to Gawker, Radford reported noticing a strong resemblance to the alien/human hybrid in Species. When he spoke to El Chupacabra's first reported victim Madelyne Tolentino, he asked her if the thing that she saw could have been inspired by the film. Indeed, she had seen the movie in the weeks prior to making her description.
"You can make a direct connection between the film hitting theaters, her seeing the creature in the film, seeing it in the street, making the report and entering the public conscious," Radford said.
After speaking with Tolentino, Radford went on to the other reported sightings, none of which were described nearly the same as the original. One farmer in Texas even managed to shoot a predator he believed to be El Chupacabra but it turned out to be a coyote with a severe case of mange.
"By the mid-2000s, anything weird was being called El Chupacabra," he said. "Mangy coyotes. Dead raccoons. Even a dried fish in New Mexico, which looks nothing like El Chupacabra."
But that doesn't mean the myth won't live on. Every livestock death has a scapegoat, and gives the media a fun story. The myth even has a Facebook fan club. And Radford is fine with that. In fact, he hopes he is proven wrong someday.
"If next month or next year somebody finds El Chupacabra that's sucking blood from animals, I'm happy to eat my crow and add a chapter to the book," he says.
Source: Fox News
http://onlinejournal.com/artman/publish/article_7299.shtml
While leprechauns and bigfoots remain on the loose across the world, one mysterious monster appears to have been nothing more than folklore.
El Chupacabra, a bipedal alien-like creature nicknamed "goatsucker" was first spotted in Puerto Rico in 1995 when two goats were found drained of all their blood. Since then, this supposed being has appeared in many different iterations from Mexico to Florida to Texas, whenever livestock turn up dead.
But now, well-published writer and skeptic Benjamin Radford, author of several books on monsters and paranormal phenomena, managing editor of the journal The Skeptical Inquirer and LiveScience columnist, has released what he says to be definitive proof that El Chupacabra is not real, but rather a forgotten memory from the 1995 sci-fi film Species.
According to Gawker, Radford reported noticing a strong resemblance to the alien/human hybrid in Species. When he spoke to El Chupacabra's first reported victim Madelyne Tolentino, he asked her if the thing that she saw could have been inspired by the film. Indeed, she had seen the movie in the weeks prior to making her description.
"You can make a direct connection between the film hitting theaters, her seeing the creature in the film, seeing it in the street, making the report and entering the public conscious," Radford said.
After speaking with Tolentino, Radford went on to the other reported sightings, none of which were described nearly the same as the original. One farmer in Texas even managed to shoot a predator he believed to be El Chupacabra but it turned out to be a coyote with a severe case of mange.
"By the mid-2000s, anything weird was being called El Chupacabra," he said. "Mangy coyotes. Dead raccoons. Even a dried fish in New Mexico, which looks nothing like El Chupacabra."
But that doesn't mean the myth won't live on. Every livestock death has a scapegoat, and gives the media a fun story. The myth even has a Facebook fan club. And Radford is fine with that. In fact, he hopes he is proven wrong someday.
"If next month or next year somebody finds El Chupacabra that's sucking blood from animals, I'm happy to eat my crow and add a chapter to the book," he says.
Source: Fox News
http://onlinejournal.com/artman/publish/article_7299.shtml
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Red Bluff Police: Woman reports bear sighting near Oak St.
By TANG LOR -DN Staff Writer
Posted: 03/15/2011 11:20:49 AM PDT
Updated: 03/15/2011 11:20:49 AM PDT
A reported bear sighting near Brickyard Creek had Red Bluff Police searching for a brown bear Monday afternoon, which was later determined to most likely be a large dog.
An Oak Street resident said she was outside when she saw a bear come out of the creek. She grabbed her Chihuahua and went inside to call the police, she said.
Red Bluff police officers found tracks that were consistent with that of a bear near the scene of the reported sighting, Sgt. Kevin Busekist. The Department of Fish and Game was called to help with the search.
After examining the tracks, a warden was not convinced the tracks belonged to a bear and believed the prints more closely resembled that of a large dog, Busekist said.
The woman described the bear as not a being a small one, but not a really big one either.
She said she last saw it heading back into the creek, going toward Jackson Heights Elementary School.
An officer was stationed at the school in the event that the bear crossed the creek onto school grounds, but he said he had not seen the bear about 20 minutes after the reported sighting.
Bidwell Elementary School, which is north of the creek was notified of the reported sighting as well. Students at both schools were not affected by the report, which came about the time when the school day was ending.
They were allowed to go home on time.
http://www.contracostatimes.com/california/ci_17618754?nclick_check=1
Posted: 03/15/2011 11:20:49 AM PDT
Updated: 03/15/2011 11:20:49 AM PDT
A reported bear sighting near Brickyard Creek had Red Bluff Police searching for a brown bear Monday afternoon, which was later determined to most likely be a large dog.
An Oak Street resident said she was outside when she saw a bear come out of the creek. She grabbed her Chihuahua and went inside to call the police, she said.
Red Bluff police officers found tracks that were consistent with that of a bear near the scene of the reported sighting, Sgt. Kevin Busekist. The Department of Fish and Game was called to help with the search.
After examining the tracks, a warden was not convinced the tracks belonged to a bear and believed the prints more closely resembled that of a large dog, Busekist said.
The woman described the bear as not a being a small one, but not a really big one either.
She said she last saw it heading back into the creek, going toward Jackson Heights Elementary School.
An officer was stationed at the school in the event that the bear crossed the creek onto school grounds, but he said he had not seen the bear about 20 minutes after the reported sighting.
Bidwell Elementary School, which is north of the creek was notified of the reported sighting as well. Students at both schools were not affected by the report, which came about the time when the school day was ending.
They were allowed to go home on time.
http://www.contracostatimes.com/california/ci_17618754?nclick_check=1
Monday, March 7, 2011
'Severed foot' found in Powell River was not human
By Cheryl Chan, The Province
March 7, 2011 9:52 AM
The ‘severed foot’ that apparently washed ashore on a B.C. beach Saturday wasn’t human and wasn’t a foot.
A woman out for a walk on the beach in Powell River Saturday stumbled across the discovery of what looked like human remains encased in a running shoe — similar to seven mysterious cases that have washed up on various B.C. shores in recent years.
But after the news broke yesterday about the discovery, RCMP received a call from a Powell River man who said he knew where that ‘foot’ came from.
“He said he had been walking on the beach with his dog,” said RCMP spokeswoman Cpl. Annie Linteau.
During that January walk, the dog kept chewing on a piece of a bone, the man told police.
“So he took the bone from the dog to make him stop chewing on it, and he put the bone inside a shoe that has been discarded on the beach,” said Linteau.
Police informed the B.C. Coroner’s Service. The bone was later determined to be from an animal, likely a seal.
In all, 10 feet have been found in B.C. and Washington since August 2007, including on Whidbey Island and on a Richmond beach.
The most recent discovery was last December in Tacoma, Washington. Tacoma police said the Size 6 Ozark Trail brand hiking boot likely belonged to a youth or small adult.
Experts say feet encased in shoes can float great distances, and shoes and socks keep feet from decomposing, while other body parts could easily become separated through exposure to the elements or marine life.
The severed limbs last hit headlines in January, when a man on Vancouver Island alerted police after he found what he thought was a human hand.
Forensic experts confirmed the remains actually belonged to an animal.
http://www.theprovince.com/Severed+foot+found+Powell+River+human/4393114/story.html
March 7, 2011 9:52 AM
The ‘severed foot’ that apparently washed ashore on a B.C. beach Saturday wasn’t human and wasn’t a foot.
A woman out for a walk on the beach in Powell River Saturday stumbled across the discovery of what looked like human remains encased in a running shoe — similar to seven mysterious cases that have washed up on various B.C. shores in recent years.
But after the news broke yesterday about the discovery, RCMP received a call from a Powell River man who said he knew where that ‘foot’ came from.
“He said he had been walking on the beach with his dog,” said RCMP spokeswoman Cpl. Annie Linteau.
During that January walk, the dog kept chewing on a piece of a bone, the man told police.
“So he took the bone from the dog to make him stop chewing on it, and he put the bone inside a shoe that has been discarded on the beach,” said Linteau.
Police informed the B.C. Coroner’s Service. The bone was later determined to be from an animal, likely a seal.
In all, 10 feet have been found in B.C. and Washington since August 2007, including on Whidbey Island and on a Richmond beach.
The most recent discovery was last December in Tacoma, Washington. Tacoma police said the Size 6 Ozark Trail brand hiking boot likely belonged to a youth or small adult.
Experts say feet encased in shoes can float great distances, and shoes and socks keep feet from decomposing, while other body parts could easily become separated through exposure to the elements or marine life.
The severed limbs last hit headlines in January, when a man on Vancouver Island alerted police after he found what he thought was a human hand.
Forensic experts confirmed the remains actually belonged to an animal.
http://www.theprovince.com/Severed+foot+found+Powell+River+human/4393114/story.html
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Doggone if it's not a yeti hurtling down the ski slopes
By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 4:38 PM on 23rd February 2011
A skier in the Swiss Alps received the fright of his life when a 'yeti' seemingly came speeding down a mountain towards him.
Mikhail Kristev could have been forgiven for thinking it was the Abominable Snowman hurtling down the mountain while he was on a snowboarding trip to the Swiss Alps.
Casually making his way up the snowy mountain he feared the legendary beast was hurtling towards him - but it turned out be one man and his dog.
Keen photographer Mr Kristev, 40, couldn't believe his eyes as the skier whizzed by with the pooch on his shoulders.
He said: 'They were travelling at some speed and I'll admit I feared the worst - I thought something was going to attack me as I could hear unusual noises for a mountain.
'But as the shadow got closer to me and even bigger, the skier came round the corner with a barking dog on his shoulder.
'I found it so funny I had to take some pictures. It was an unusual sight either way in the end I suppose.'
Mr Kristev, from Moscow, Russia, likes to combine his two hobbies - photography and winter sports - together on trips.
He said he only spotted this hilarious sight because of the scary noises which later turned out to be the yelping Alsatian.
He added: 'I was just off the main ski route on my way upwards when I heard the funny pair come from behind me and speed past.
'It was the noises I heard first before the shadow started creeping round - I was very worried when I saw it.
'It's a long way up so my heart was already pounding but this sent it over the top.
'Looking back at it - it's really funny I suppose.
The Swiss Alps are the part of the Alps mountain range lying within Switzerland. The highest summit is Monte Rosa at 15,202ft while the highest mountain entirely on Swiss territory is the Dom at 14,911ft.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1359923/Doggone-yeti-hurtling-ski-slopes.html
 |
| Snowboarder and keen photographer Mikhail Kristev did a double-take when he saw a furry, bulky shadow come speeding down the mountain towards him |
A skier in the Swiss Alps received the fright of his life when a 'yeti' seemingly came speeding down a mountain towards him.
Mikhail Kristev could have been forgiven for thinking it was the Abominable Snowman hurtling down the mountain while he was on a snowboarding trip to the Swiss Alps.
Casually making his way up the snowy mountain he feared the legendary beast was hurtling towards him - but it turned out be one man and his dog.
Keen photographer Mr Kristev, 40, couldn't believe his eyes as the skier whizzed by with the pooch on his shoulders.
He said: 'They were travelling at some speed and I'll admit I feared the worst - I thought something was going to attack me as I could hear unusual noises for a mountain.
'But as the shadow got closer to me and even bigger, the skier came round the corner with a barking dog on his shoulder.
'I found it so funny I had to take some pictures. It was an unusual sight either way in the end I suppose.'
Mr Kristev, from Moscow, Russia, likes to combine his two hobbies - photography and winter sports - together on trips.
He said he only spotted this hilarious sight because of the scary noises which later turned out to be the yelping Alsatian.
He added: 'I was just off the main ski route on my way upwards when I heard the funny pair come from behind me and speed past.
'It was the noises I heard first before the shadow started creeping round - I was very worried when I saw it.
'It's a long way up so my heart was already pounding but this sent it over the top.
'Looking back at it - it's really funny I suppose.
The Swiss Alps are the part of the Alps mountain range lying within Switzerland. The highest summit is Monte Rosa at 15,202ft while the highest mountain entirely on Swiss territory is the Dom at 14,911ft.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1359923/Doggone-yeti-hurtling-ski-slopes.html
Friday, February 11, 2011
Massive rescue operation to save plastic swan
Firefighters were in a flap when they scrambled 25 men for the full scale rescue of a swan trapped in a frozen pond - only to find a plastic decoy.
Passers-by had dialled 999 when they saw the swan - left there by fishermen to scare away other birds - apparently stuck fast in the ice in Straubing, Germany.
One firefighter said: 'The information was very sketchy. We had to search for ages until we found the location. Eventually we saw the swan in the middle of the pond.
'The ice was not very thick so it was quite a dangerous rescue.
'But when we got there we found a plastic swan and not a real swan which had been put on the lake to scare birds form coming to try and eat the fish.
He added: 'Thankfully no one was injured and at least we got a bit of training in.'
http://www.metro.co.uk/weird/855313-massive-rescue-operation-to-save-plastic-swan
Monday, January 31, 2011
Wolf sighting is ruled unsubstantiated
By Miles Blumhardt • MilesBlumhardt@coloradoan.com • January 31, 2011
Was it a wolf that Ron Greenwald saw just east of Fort Collins last week, or just a big coyote?
Or could it have been a wandering wolf hybrid?
Greenwald, who lives near Colorado Highway 14 and Larimer County Road 3, is sure he saw through binoculars on Tuesday a wolf on a ridge about 100 yards away from his house catching mice in a pasture with some cut corn.
Mark Leslie, Division of Wildlife area manager for the Fort Collins-Greeley area, isn't so sure.
"I saw a wolf, but I guess I'm just a farm boy, and some people will say I saw a coyote or dog,’’ said the retired Greenwald, who worked for the U.S. Forest Service for 35 years and said he’s seen wolves in the wild in Wyoming. “I guess it could have been a wolf hybrid, but it wasn’t a coyote or dog.’’
Greenwald described the animal as the size of a good-sized dog mostly brown with some black and gray. Coyotes are mostly gray with some buff color and do not possess black coloring. Wolves are much larger than coyotes and usually are gray or black with some buff coloring.
Leslie talked to Greenwald after being informed by the Coloradoan of the sighting. After interviewing Greenwald, who did not have photos of the animal, and not finding any tracks or hair, Leslie said he has a lack of solid information that it actually was a wolf.
“The place where he saw the animal was an area with houses nearby, and that’s not typical wolf habitat,’’ said Leslie, who visited the site where Greenwald said he saw the animal. “I didn’t find anything. With nothing else to go on, the sighting is ruled unsubstantiated.’’
Wolves are classified as endangered in Colorado. The state’s wolf population was largely extirpated in the 1940s.
However, wandering wolves have made appearances from time to time in the state. Most recently, two wolves were spotted in Colorado in 2009. One died of poisoning in Eagle County.
Leslie said that’s the last confirmed sighting of wolves in Colorado of which he is aware. In February 2007, DOW wildlife managers captured brief video of what appeared to be a wolf north of Walden.
http://www.coloradoan.com/article/20110131/NEWS01/101310333/Wolf-sighting-is-ruled-unsubstantiated
Was it a wolf that Ron Greenwald saw just east of Fort Collins last week, or just a big coyote?
Or could it have been a wandering wolf hybrid?
Greenwald, who lives near Colorado Highway 14 and Larimer County Road 3, is sure he saw through binoculars on Tuesday a wolf on a ridge about 100 yards away from his house catching mice in a pasture with some cut corn.
Mark Leslie, Division of Wildlife area manager for the Fort Collins-Greeley area, isn't so sure.
"I saw a wolf, but I guess I'm just a farm boy, and some people will say I saw a coyote or dog,’’ said the retired Greenwald, who worked for the U.S. Forest Service for 35 years and said he’s seen wolves in the wild in Wyoming. “I guess it could have been a wolf hybrid, but it wasn’t a coyote or dog.’’
Greenwald described the animal as the size of a good-sized dog mostly brown with some black and gray. Coyotes are mostly gray with some buff color and do not possess black coloring. Wolves are much larger than coyotes and usually are gray or black with some buff coloring.
Leslie talked to Greenwald after being informed by the Coloradoan of the sighting. After interviewing Greenwald, who did not have photos of the animal, and not finding any tracks or hair, Leslie said he has a lack of solid information that it actually was a wolf.
“The place where he saw the animal was an area with houses nearby, and that’s not typical wolf habitat,’’ said Leslie, who visited the site where Greenwald said he saw the animal. “I didn’t find anything. With nothing else to go on, the sighting is ruled unsubstantiated.’’
Wolves are classified as endangered in Colorado. The state’s wolf population was largely extirpated in the 1940s.
However, wandering wolves have made appearances from time to time in the state. Most recently, two wolves were spotted in Colorado in 2009. One died of poisoning in Eagle County.
Leslie said that’s the last confirmed sighting of wolves in Colorado of which he is aware. In February 2007, DOW wildlife managers captured brief video of what appeared to be a wolf north of Walden.
http://www.coloradoan.com/article/20110131/NEWS01/101310333/Wolf-sighting-is-ruled-unsubstantiated
Wolf sighting is ruled unsubstantiated
By Miles Blumhardt • MilesBlumhardt@coloradoan.com • January 31, 2011
Was it a wolf that Ron Greenwald saw just east of Fort Collins last week, or just a big coyote?
Or could it have been a wandering wolf hybrid?
Greenwald, who lives near Colorado Highway 14 and Larimer County Road 3, is sure he saw through binoculars on Tuesday a wolf on a ridge about 100 yards away from his house catching mice in a pasture with some cut corn.
Mark Leslie, Division of Wildlife area manager for the Fort Collins-Greeley area, isn't so sure.
"I saw a wolf, but I guess I'm just a farm boy, and some people will say I saw a coyote or dog,’’ said the retired Greenwald, who worked for the U.S. Forest Service for 35 years and said he’s seen wolves in the wild in Wyoming. “I guess it could have been a wolf hybrid, but it wasn’t a coyote or dog.’’
Greenwald described the animal as the size of a good-sized dog mostly brown with some black and gray. Coyotes are mostly gray with some buff color and do not possess black coloring. Wolves are much larger than coyotes and usually are gray or black with some buff coloring.
Leslie talked to Greenwald after being informed by the Coloradoan of the sighting. After interviewing Greenwald, who did not have photos of the animal, and not finding any tracks or hair, Leslie said he has a lack of solid information that it actually was a wolf.
“The place where he saw the animal was an area with houses nearby, and that’s not typical wolf habitat,’’ said Leslie, who visited the site where Greenwald said he saw the animal. “I didn’t find anything. With nothing else to go on, the sighting is ruled unsubstantiated.’’
Wolves are classified as endangered in Colorado. The state’s wolf population was largely extirpated in the 1940s.
However, wandering wolves have made appearances from time to time in the state. Most recently, two wolves were spotted in Colorado in 2009. One died of poisoning in Eagle County.
Leslie said that’s the last confirmed sighting of wolves in Colorado of which he is aware. In February 2007, DOW wildlife managers captured brief video of what appeared to be a wolf north of Walden.
http://www.coloradoan.com/article/20110131/NEWS01/101310333/Wolf-sighting-is-ruled-unsubstantiated
Was it a wolf that Ron Greenwald saw just east of Fort Collins last week, or just a big coyote?
Or could it have been a wandering wolf hybrid?
Greenwald, who lives near Colorado Highway 14 and Larimer County Road 3, is sure he saw through binoculars on Tuesday a wolf on a ridge about 100 yards away from his house catching mice in a pasture with some cut corn.
Mark Leslie, Division of Wildlife area manager for the Fort Collins-Greeley area, isn't so sure.
"I saw a wolf, but I guess I'm just a farm boy, and some people will say I saw a coyote or dog,’’ said the retired Greenwald, who worked for the U.S. Forest Service for 35 years and said he’s seen wolves in the wild in Wyoming. “I guess it could have been a wolf hybrid, but it wasn’t a coyote or dog.’’
Greenwald described the animal as the size of a good-sized dog mostly brown with some black and gray. Coyotes are mostly gray with some buff color and do not possess black coloring. Wolves are much larger than coyotes and usually are gray or black with some buff coloring.
Leslie talked to Greenwald after being informed by the Coloradoan of the sighting. After interviewing Greenwald, who did not have photos of the animal, and not finding any tracks or hair, Leslie said he has a lack of solid information that it actually was a wolf.
“The place where he saw the animal was an area with houses nearby, and that’s not typical wolf habitat,’’ said Leslie, who visited the site where Greenwald said he saw the animal. “I didn’t find anything. With nothing else to go on, the sighting is ruled unsubstantiated.’’
Wolves are classified as endangered in Colorado. The state’s wolf population was largely extirpated in the 1940s.
However, wandering wolves have made appearances from time to time in the state. Most recently, two wolves were spotted in Colorado in 2009. One died of poisoning in Eagle County.
Leslie said that’s the last confirmed sighting of wolves in Colorado of which he is aware. In February 2007, DOW wildlife managers captured brief video of what appeared to be a wolf north of Walden.
http://www.coloradoan.com/article/20110131/NEWS01/101310333/Wolf-sighting-is-ruled-unsubstantiated
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Wisconsin DNR says animal sighted not a cougar
Updated: 01/27/2011 12:04:22 PM CST
The state Department of Natural Resources says there is no evidence that an animal sighted in southern Wisconsin last week was a cougar.
DNR Warden Ryan Ellifson says the possible sighting happened last Thursday about 7:30 a.m. in the town of Koshkonong. The animal was seen about 200 to 300 yards away, toward the center of a field.
A motorist — who usually looks for deer — saw something that "did not look like a deer."
A Jefferson County sheriff's deputy went to the scene, but by the time he arrived, there was nothing to see.
The DNR warden who investigated tells the Daily Jefferson County Union that he found "nothing that looked like it could be a cougar or even cat-like." He says it could have been a coyote.
http://www.twincities.com/outdoors/ci_17216492?nclick_check=1
Wisconsin DNR says animal sighted not a cougar
Updated: 01/27/2011 12:04:22 PM CST
The state Department of Natural Resources says there is no evidence that an animal sighted in southern Wisconsin last week was a cougar.
DNR Warden Ryan Ellifson says the possible sighting happened last Thursday about 7:30 a.m. in the town of Koshkonong. The animal was seen about 200 to 300 yards away, toward the center of a field.
A motorist — who usually looks for deer — saw something that "did not look like a deer."
A Jefferson County sheriff's deputy went to the scene, but by the time he arrived, there was nothing to see.
The DNR warden who investigated tells the Daily Jefferson County Union that he found "nothing that looked like it could be a cougar or even cat-like." He says it could have been a coyote.
http://www.twincities.com/outdoors/ci_17216492?nclick_check=1
Monday, January 24, 2011
Georgetown man shoots creature: Chupacabra or hairless bear?
Dave Marquis
Posted: 1/19/2011
SLIDESHOW: Some images of the animal may contain graphic content
GEORGETOWN, CA - To handyman Frank Gallo, the creature that almost attacked him beside his rural trailer several days ago looked like the legendary Chupacabra.
"Scared the hell out of me," Gallo said. "It crouched and faced me and I shot two warning shots at it - 357-magnum, from 20-feet."
The shots seemed to have no effect and Gallo kept firing during the encounter.
"He looked down at where he'd been shot and let out a cry that sounded like, maybe a six year old girl. Ahhhhhh, really loud," Gallo said.
When Gallo saw the animal up close, it was even stranger.
"If you could feel this thing, if you could touch it, it's skin is like an elephant," Gallo said.
The animal had huge claws, canine-like teeth and almost no fur on its body. However, it was the animal's lack of fur that tipped off California Department of Fish and Game Warden Patrick Foy.
"(It's) probably a juvenile bear and has developed some type of an ailment that's caused it's skin to shed all of it's fur," Foy said.
To Gallo, it looked more like, the supposedly, mythical creature known in Mexico as a Chupacabra.
Gallo scoured the Internet, looking for images and information on the Chupacabra.
"Something like this (animal) will hit an animal, knock it down, grab it and suck the blood out of it. That's where the name Chupacabra comes from, it's Spanish for goat-sucker,"Gallo said.
"Could be a fairly new species, you know. Could be a mutation," Gallo said.
However the pictures told Foy it was more likely a bear. Late Tuesday evening, a game warden picked up the animal and confirmed Foy's suspicions that it was a young bear.
It may take several days to determine what caused the bear to lose it's fur.
"Somebody with an untrained eye would look at this and think that this was a pretty creepy-looking character," Foy acknowledged.
Gallo is not convinced.
"Doesn't move anything like a bear, didn't act like a bear. Doesn't make sounds like a bear," Gallo said. "There are skeptics and there are people that are open-minded."
http://www.news10.net/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=118394&catid=2
Posted: 1/19/2011
SLIDESHOW: Some images of the animal may contain graphic content
GEORGETOWN, CA - To handyman Frank Gallo, the creature that almost attacked him beside his rural trailer several days ago looked like the legendary Chupacabra.
"Scared the hell out of me," Gallo said. "It crouched and faced me and I shot two warning shots at it - 357-magnum, from 20-feet."
The shots seemed to have no effect and Gallo kept firing during the encounter.
"He looked down at where he'd been shot and let out a cry that sounded like, maybe a six year old girl. Ahhhhhh, really loud," Gallo said.
When Gallo saw the animal up close, it was even stranger.
"If you could feel this thing, if you could touch it, it's skin is like an elephant," Gallo said.
The animal had huge claws, canine-like teeth and almost no fur on its body. However, it was the animal's lack of fur that tipped off California Department of Fish and Game Warden Patrick Foy.
"(It's) probably a juvenile bear and has developed some type of an ailment that's caused it's skin to shed all of it's fur," Foy said.
To Gallo, it looked more like, the supposedly, mythical creature known in Mexico as a Chupacabra.
Gallo scoured the Internet, looking for images and information on the Chupacabra.
"Something like this (animal) will hit an animal, knock it down, grab it and suck the blood out of it. That's where the name Chupacabra comes from, it's Spanish for goat-sucker,"Gallo said.
"Could be a fairly new species, you know. Could be a mutation," Gallo said.
However the pictures told Foy it was more likely a bear. Late Tuesday evening, a game warden picked up the animal and confirmed Foy's suspicions that it was a young bear.
It may take several days to determine what caused the bear to lose it's fur.
"Somebody with an untrained eye would look at this and think that this was a pretty creepy-looking character," Foy acknowledged.
Gallo is not convinced.
"Doesn't move anything like a bear, didn't act like a bear. Doesn't make sounds like a bear," Gallo said. "There are skeptics and there are people that are open-minded."
http://www.news10.net/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=118394&catid=2
Georgetown man shoots creature: Chupacabra or hairless bear?
Dave Marquis
Posted: 1/19/2011
SLIDESHOW: Some images of the animal may contain graphic content
GEORGETOWN, CA - To handyman Frank Gallo, the creature that almost attacked him beside his rural trailer several days ago looked like the legendary Chupacabra.
"Scared the hell out of me," Gallo said. "It crouched and faced me and I shot two warning shots at it - 357-magnum, from 20-feet."
The shots seemed to have no effect and Gallo kept firing during the encounter.
"He looked down at where he'd been shot and let out a cry that sounded like, maybe a six year old girl. Ahhhhhh, really loud," Gallo said.
When Gallo saw the animal up close, it was even stranger.
"If you could feel this thing, if you could touch it, it's skin is like an elephant," Gallo said.
The animal had huge claws, canine-like teeth and almost no fur on its body. However, it was the animal's lack of fur that tipped off California Department of Fish and Game Warden Patrick Foy.
"(It's) probably a juvenile bear and has developed some type of an ailment that's caused it's skin to shed all of it's fur," Foy said.
To Gallo, it looked more like, the supposedly, mythical creature known in Mexico as a Chupacabra.
Gallo scoured the Internet, looking for images and information on the Chupacabra.
"Something like this (animal) will hit an animal, knock it down, grab it and suck the blood out of it. That's where the name Chupacabra comes from, it's Spanish for goat-sucker,"Gallo said.
"Could be a fairly new species, you know. Could be a mutation," Gallo said.
However the pictures told Foy it was more likely a bear. Late Tuesday evening, a game warden picked up the animal and confirmed Foy's suspicions that it was a young bear.
It may take several days to determine what caused the bear to lose it's fur.
"Somebody with an untrained eye would look at this and think that this was a pretty creepy-looking character," Foy acknowledged.
Gallo is not convinced.
"Doesn't move anything like a bear, didn't act like a bear. Doesn't make sounds like a bear," Gallo said. "There are skeptics and there are people that are open-minded."
http://www.news10.net/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=118394&catid=2
Posted: 1/19/2011
SLIDESHOW: Some images of the animal may contain graphic content
GEORGETOWN, CA - To handyman Frank Gallo, the creature that almost attacked him beside his rural trailer several days ago looked like the legendary Chupacabra.
"Scared the hell out of me," Gallo said. "It crouched and faced me and I shot two warning shots at it - 357-magnum, from 20-feet."
The shots seemed to have no effect and Gallo kept firing during the encounter.
"He looked down at where he'd been shot and let out a cry that sounded like, maybe a six year old girl. Ahhhhhh, really loud," Gallo said.
When Gallo saw the animal up close, it was even stranger.
"If you could feel this thing, if you could touch it, it's skin is like an elephant," Gallo said.
The animal had huge claws, canine-like teeth and almost no fur on its body. However, it was the animal's lack of fur that tipped off California Department of Fish and Game Warden Patrick Foy.
"(It's) probably a juvenile bear and has developed some type of an ailment that's caused it's skin to shed all of it's fur," Foy said.
To Gallo, it looked more like, the supposedly, mythical creature known in Mexico as a Chupacabra.
Gallo scoured the Internet, looking for images and information on the Chupacabra.
"Something like this (animal) will hit an animal, knock it down, grab it and suck the blood out of it. That's where the name Chupacabra comes from, it's Spanish for goat-sucker,"Gallo said.
"Could be a fairly new species, you know. Could be a mutation," Gallo said.
However the pictures told Foy it was more likely a bear. Late Tuesday evening, a game warden picked up the animal and confirmed Foy's suspicions that it was a young bear.
It may take several days to determine what caused the bear to lose it's fur.
"Somebody with an untrained eye would look at this and think that this was a pretty creepy-looking character," Foy acknowledged.
Gallo is not convinced.
"Doesn't move anything like a bear, didn't act like a bear. Doesn't make sounds like a bear," Gallo said. "There are skeptics and there are people that are open-minded."
http://www.news10.net/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=118394&catid=2
Monday, September 27, 2010
Unidentified object in water: China's 'Nessie' or just big fish?
 |
| A picture of Kanas Lake's "water monster" from the footage shot by Ma Lin on Sept. 23. |
After taking the most complicated vacation in China, many photography lovers brought back not only pictures recording beautiful natural views, but also some surprises. Here is the account of one of those photography lovers who brought back footage of an unidentified object swimming in Xinjiang's Kanas Lake.
Ma Lin went to Kanas Lake for her three-day vacation with several companions. When she looked at the surface of the lake, she saw a strange thing swimming in the water, so she took out her video camera immediately and recorded what she saw.
Because she was not quite familiar with her camera, she missed the unidentified object the first time. However, fate offered her a second chance. The thing came back in front of her lens 10 minutes later, and this time she did not miss it. However, she could not make the footage much clearer because of the long distance.
Ma said it was her sixth time to come to Kanas Lake, but the very first time of seeing the "Nessie."
Expert: it might be a huge Hucho taimen
Yuan Guoying, an ecologist and environmental protection researcher, believes the so-called "Nessie" in Kanas Lake might be a huge Hucho taimen, a kind of fish that could be as long as more than one meter. He said he believes it might be a fish based on the so-called Kanas water monster that he himself witnessed 20 years ago.
Yuan also said there were eight kinds of fish living in the Kanas Lake, and only Hucho taimen and another kind of fish can grow as long as one meter or more. However, only the Hucho taimen would emerge out of water.
Yuan had been to Kanas Lake for ten times, and had two experiences of seeing the "water monster" in 1985 and 2009 and he even took some pictures of fish living in the lake.
Huang Renxin, a retired professor of Xinjiang University, said there's nothing surprising about discovering so-called "water monsters" in the Kanas Lake. They might only be some big fish. He said the public should pay attention to something more important and significant.
See more at: http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90782/90872/7152036.html
Unidentified object in water: China's 'Nessie' or just big fish?
|
| A picture of Kanas Lake's "water monster" from the footage shot by Ma Lin on Sept. 23. |
After taking the most complicated vacation in China, many photography lovers brought back not only pictures recording beautiful natural views, but also some surprises. Here is the account of one of those photography lovers who brought back footage of an unidentified object swimming in Xinjiang's Kanas Lake.
Ma Lin went to Kanas Lake for her three-day vacation with several companions. When she looked at the surface of the lake, she saw a strange thing swimming in the water, so she took out her video camera immediately and recorded what she saw.
Because she was not quite familiar with her camera, she missed the unidentified object the first time. However, fate offered her a second chance. The thing came back in front of her lens 10 minutes later, and this time she did not miss it. However, she could not make the footage much clearer because of the long distance.
Ma said it was her sixth time to come to Kanas Lake, but the very first time of seeing the "Nessie."
Expert: it might be a huge Hucho taimen
Yuan Guoying, an ecologist and environmental protection researcher, believes the so-called "Nessie" in Kanas Lake might be a huge Hucho taimen, a kind of fish that could be as long as more than one meter. He said he believes it might be a fish based on the so-called Kanas water monster that he himself witnessed 20 years ago.
Yuan also said there were eight kinds of fish living in the Kanas Lake, and only Hucho taimen and another kind of fish can grow as long as one meter or more. However, only the Hucho taimen would emerge out of water.
Yuan had been to Kanas Lake for ten times, and had two experiences of seeing the "water monster" in 1985 and 2009 and he even took some pictures of fish living in the lake.
Huang Renxin, a retired professor of Xinjiang University, said there's nothing surprising about discovering so-called "water monsters" in the Kanas Lake. They might only be some big fish. He said the public should pay attention to something more important and significant.
See more at: http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90782/90872/7152036.html
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Basking sharks are fascinating beasts who may just have launched the legend of Nessie
Published Date: 30 August 2010
By Kath Gourlay
Being classed as a hotspot for sharks doesn't always make for a tourist area, but visitors to the Western isles need have no worries. The bus-sized basking sharks cruising through the Minch this month have no interest in snacking on limbs or torsos. In fact, they're the ones who can be at risk, from the boatloads of tourists and film crews that gather to watch their activities.
"Basking sharks are slow-moving and harmless to humans and their sheer bulk makes them vulnerable when it comes to outmanoeuvring fast boats and the people in them," says Suzanne Henderson, marine advisory officer for Scottish Natural Heritage, Nets from fishing boats, and creel ropes are also a hazard, and SNH has published leaflets and water-resistant maps highlighting the areas around the West coast where large groups of these massive sharks are likely to be at this time of year. "These sites are really important, both nationally and globally, and consistently high numbers have been seen in the sound between Coll and Tiree, and the seas round Canna and Hyskeir," says Suzanne.
In recent summers, SNH recorded the presence of more than 80 basking sharks around Canna and even more around Coll. Shark expert Colin Speedie, who carried out much of the work, says that people have a lot to learn about the habits of these gentle giants.
"Basking sharks are huge – the size of a double decker bus – but they feed entirely on plankton. These minute creatures drift through the water and are filtered through comb-like gills in the shark's enormous gaping mouth.
In one hour an adult shark filters enough water to fill a 50m Olympic-sized swimming pool."
Basking sharks are most often seen in coastal areas during the summer and early autumn, when plankton are plentiful and they get their name from being seen "basking" at the surface of the water. The hotspot areas round the Western Isles are known to be mating sites and keen observers might get lucky and spot rare displays of courtship behaviour, such as "breaching" where huge sharks 20 or 30ft long and around six tonnes in weight leap clear of the water.
Another fascinating sight – again, rarely seen, though observed in the Western Isles – is when pairs of courting basking sharks swim along nose to tail for miles and miles in a seemingly trance-like state. This is the time, says SNH, when the sharks are most vulnerable and boat owners and fishermen need to be vigilant around these mating areas.
Previous generations were not so considerate. Basking sharks have been following the plankton drifts up the west coast for centuries, and in the 18th and 19th centuries were highly valued for the high oil content in their huge livers.
The curious story of a creature dubbed "the Stronsay Beast" suggests that a basking shark might have been behind the origins of the Loch Ness Monster legend. In 1808, an enormous carcass was found washed up on the Orkney island of Stronsay. It was measured in front of witnesses and found to be 55ft long. A drawing was made of it which is now in the Orkney museum. In the drawing, the massive creature appeared to have a very long neck.
Stronsay was a thriving herring fishing port, and trade flourished round the coasts and through the Caledonian Canal, where travelling fisherfolk told and retold the story.
A piece of the vertebrae stored in the Royal Museum of Edinburgh showed it was made of cartilage, not bone, so it had to be a shark. If the gill arches had fallen off and the soft tissue had rotted, then the backbone leading to the head and neck would be left looking just like a long neck with a huge body behind it.
Did "the Stronsay Beast" launch the legend of Nessie? We may never know.
Visit www.whalewatchscotland.com/trips for more information
This article was first published in The Scotsman on Saturday, August 28
http://living.scotsman.com/outdoors/Kath-Gourlay--Basking-sharks.6499739.jp
By Kath Gourlay
Being classed as a hotspot for sharks doesn't always make for a tourist area, but visitors to the Western isles need have no worries. The bus-sized basking sharks cruising through the Minch this month have no interest in snacking on limbs or torsos. In fact, they're the ones who can be at risk, from the boatloads of tourists and film crews that gather to watch their activities.
"Basking sharks are slow-moving and harmless to humans and their sheer bulk makes them vulnerable when it comes to outmanoeuvring fast boats and the people in them," says Suzanne Henderson, marine advisory officer for Scottish Natural Heritage, Nets from fishing boats, and creel ropes are also a hazard, and SNH has published leaflets and water-resistant maps highlighting the areas around the West coast where large groups of these massive sharks are likely to be at this time of year. "These sites are really important, both nationally and globally, and consistently high numbers have been seen in the sound between Coll and Tiree, and the seas round Canna and Hyskeir," says Suzanne.
In recent summers, SNH recorded the presence of more than 80 basking sharks around Canna and even more around Coll. Shark expert Colin Speedie, who carried out much of the work, says that people have a lot to learn about the habits of these gentle giants.
"Basking sharks are huge – the size of a double decker bus – but they feed entirely on plankton. These minute creatures drift through the water and are filtered through comb-like gills in the shark's enormous gaping mouth.
In one hour an adult shark filters enough water to fill a 50m Olympic-sized swimming pool."
Basking sharks are most often seen in coastal areas during the summer and early autumn, when plankton are plentiful and they get their name from being seen "basking" at the surface of the water. The hotspot areas round the Western Isles are known to be mating sites and keen observers might get lucky and spot rare displays of courtship behaviour, such as "breaching" where huge sharks 20 or 30ft long and around six tonnes in weight leap clear of the water.
Another fascinating sight – again, rarely seen, though observed in the Western Isles – is when pairs of courting basking sharks swim along nose to tail for miles and miles in a seemingly trance-like state. This is the time, says SNH, when the sharks are most vulnerable and boat owners and fishermen need to be vigilant around these mating areas.
Previous generations were not so considerate. Basking sharks have been following the plankton drifts up the west coast for centuries, and in the 18th and 19th centuries were highly valued for the high oil content in their huge livers.
The curious story of a creature dubbed "the Stronsay Beast" suggests that a basking shark might have been behind the origins of the Loch Ness Monster legend. In 1808, an enormous carcass was found washed up on the Orkney island of Stronsay. It was measured in front of witnesses and found to be 55ft long. A drawing was made of it which is now in the Orkney museum. In the drawing, the massive creature appeared to have a very long neck.
Stronsay was a thriving herring fishing port, and trade flourished round the coasts and through the Caledonian Canal, where travelling fisherfolk told and retold the story.
A piece of the vertebrae stored in the Royal Museum of Edinburgh showed it was made of cartilage, not bone, so it had to be a shark. If the gill arches had fallen off and the soft tissue had rotted, then the backbone leading to the head and neck would be left looking just like a long neck with a huge body behind it.
Did "the Stronsay Beast" launch the legend of Nessie? We may never know.
Visit www.whalewatchscotland.com/trips for more information
This article was first published in The Scotsman on Saturday, August 28
http://living.scotsman.com/outdoors/Kath-Gourlay--Basking-sharks.6499739.jp
Basking sharks are fascinating beasts who may just have launched the legend of Nessie
Published Date: 30 August 2010
By Kath Gourlay
Being classed as a hotspot for sharks doesn't always make for a tourist area, but visitors to the Western isles need have no worries. The bus-sized basking sharks cruising through the Minch this month have no interest in snacking on limbs or torsos. In fact, they're the ones who can be at risk, from the boatloads of tourists and film crews that gather to watch their activities.
"Basking sharks are slow-moving and harmless to humans and their sheer bulk makes them vulnerable when it comes to outmanoeuvring fast boats and the people in them," says Suzanne Henderson, marine advisory officer for Scottish Natural Heritage, Nets from fishing boats, and creel ropes are also a hazard, and SNH has published leaflets and water-resistant maps highlighting the areas around the West coast where large groups of these massive sharks are likely to be at this time of year. "These sites are really important, both nationally and globally, and consistently high numbers have been seen in the sound between Coll and Tiree, and the seas round Canna and Hyskeir," says Suzanne.
In recent summers, SNH recorded the presence of more than 80 basking sharks around Canna and even more around Coll. Shark expert Colin Speedie, who carried out much of the work, says that people have a lot to learn about the habits of these gentle giants.
"Basking sharks are huge – the size of a double decker bus – but they feed entirely on plankton. These minute creatures drift through the water and are filtered through comb-like gills in the shark's enormous gaping mouth.
In one hour an adult shark filters enough water to fill a 50m Olympic-sized swimming pool."
Basking sharks are most often seen in coastal areas during the summer and early autumn, when plankton are plentiful and they get their name from being seen "basking" at the surface of the water. The hotspot areas round the Western Isles are known to be mating sites and keen observers might get lucky and spot rare displays of courtship behaviour, such as "breaching" where huge sharks 20 or 30ft long and around six tonnes in weight leap clear of the water.
Another fascinating sight – again, rarely seen, though observed in the Western Isles – is when pairs of courting basking sharks swim along nose to tail for miles and miles in a seemingly trance-like state. This is the time, says SNH, when the sharks are most vulnerable and boat owners and fishermen need to be vigilant around these mating areas.
Previous generations were not so considerate. Basking sharks have been following the plankton drifts up the west coast for centuries, and in the 18th and 19th centuries were highly valued for the high oil content in their huge livers.
The curious story of a creature dubbed "the Stronsay Beast" suggests that a basking shark might have been behind the origins of the Loch Ness Monster legend. In 1808, an enormous carcass was found washed up on the Orkney island of Stronsay. It was measured in front of witnesses and found to be 55ft long. A drawing was made of it which is now in the Orkney museum. In the drawing, the massive creature appeared to have a very long neck.
Stronsay was a thriving herring fishing port, and trade flourished round the coasts and through the Caledonian Canal, where travelling fisherfolk told and retold the story.
A piece of the vertebrae stored in the Royal Museum of Edinburgh showed it was made of cartilage, not bone, so it had to be a shark. If the gill arches had fallen off and the soft tissue had rotted, then the backbone leading to the head and neck would be left looking just like a long neck with a huge body behind it.
Did "the Stronsay Beast" launch the legend of Nessie? We may never know.
Visit www.whalewatchscotland.com/trips for more information
This article was first published in The Scotsman on Saturday, August 28
http://living.scotsman.com/outdoors/Kath-Gourlay--Basking-sharks.6499739.jp
By Kath Gourlay
Being classed as a hotspot for sharks doesn't always make for a tourist area, but visitors to the Western isles need have no worries. The bus-sized basking sharks cruising through the Minch this month have no interest in snacking on limbs or torsos. In fact, they're the ones who can be at risk, from the boatloads of tourists and film crews that gather to watch their activities.
"Basking sharks are slow-moving and harmless to humans and their sheer bulk makes them vulnerable when it comes to outmanoeuvring fast boats and the people in them," says Suzanne Henderson, marine advisory officer for Scottish Natural Heritage, Nets from fishing boats, and creel ropes are also a hazard, and SNH has published leaflets and water-resistant maps highlighting the areas around the West coast where large groups of these massive sharks are likely to be at this time of year. "These sites are really important, both nationally and globally, and consistently high numbers have been seen in the sound between Coll and Tiree, and the seas round Canna and Hyskeir," says Suzanne.
In recent summers, SNH recorded the presence of more than 80 basking sharks around Canna and even more around Coll. Shark expert Colin Speedie, who carried out much of the work, says that people have a lot to learn about the habits of these gentle giants.
"Basking sharks are huge – the size of a double decker bus – but they feed entirely on plankton. These minute creatures drift through the water and are filtered through comb-like gills in the shark's enormous gaping mouth.
In one hour an adult shark filters enough water to fill a 50m Olympic-sized swimming pool."
Basking sharks are most often seen in coastal areas during the summer and early autumn, when plankton are plentiful and they get their name from being seen "basking" at the surface of the water. The hotspot areas round the Western Isles are known to be mating sites and keen observers might get lucky and spot rare displays of courtship behaviour, such as "breaching" where huge sharks 20 or 30ft long and around six tonnes in weight leap clear of the water.
Another fascinating sight – again, rarely seen, though observed in the Western Isles – is when pairs of courting basking sharks swim along nose to tail for miles and miles in a seemingly trance-like state. This is the time, says SNH, when the sharks are most vulnerable and boat owners and fishermen need to be vigilant around these mating areas.
Previous generations were not so considerate. Basking sharks have been following the plankton drifts up the west coast for centuries, and in the 18th and 19th centuries were highly valued for the high oil content in their huge livers.
The curious story of a creature dubbed "the Stronsay Beast" suggests that a basking shark might have been behind the origins of the Loch Ness Monster legend. In 1808, an enormous carcass was found washed up on the Orkney island of Stronsay. It was measured in front of witnesses and found to be 55ft long. A drawing was made of it which is now in the Orkney museum. In the drawing, the massive creature appeared to have a very long neck.
Stronsay was a thriving herring fishing port, and trade flourished round the coasts and through the Caledonian Canal, where travelling fisherfolk told and retold the story.
A piece of the vertebrae stored in the Royal Museum of Edinburgh showed it was made of cartilage, not bone, so it had to be a shark. If the gill arches had fallen off and the soft tissue had rotted, then the backbone leading to the head and neck would be left looking just like a long neck with a huge body behind it.
Did "the Stronsay Beast" launch the legend of Nessie? We may never know.
Visit www.whalewatchscotland.com/trips for more information
This article was first published in The Scotsman on Saturday, August 28
http://living.scotsman.com/outdoors/Kath-Gourlay--Basking-sharks.6499739.jp
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