300 guinea pigs take over flat

Friday, October 30, 2009

It was a dirty job but someone had to do it. Police officers broke into a flat to discover it was overrun by 300 guinea pigs.

There were droppings 10cm high in some rooms of the apartment in Aachen.

Police were alerted when neighbours complained about the smell after the pets' owner vanished.

The rescued animals have been sent to a local animal home.

http://www.metro.co.uk/news/world/article.html?300_guinea_pigs_take_over_flat&in_article_id=759793&in_page_id=64

Thief stuffs weapon-ferret down trousers

By TOM PHILLIPS - Friday, October 30, 2009

Police say a Florida man stole a live ferret from a pet shop by stuffing it down his trousers.

Thirty-eight-year-old Rodney Bolton is charged with theft of the $129 (£78) animal that police say he took from a pet store in Jacksonville Beach, The Florida Times-Union reported.

A 17-year-old witness confronted Bolton about the ferret-theft in the car park as he tried to leave - and was bitten by the animal after Bolton allegedly pushed it in the teen's face.

Technically, under Florida law, that makes the ferret a 'special weapon', with the result that Bolton also faces battery charges for dangerously wielding the animal.

http://www.metro.co.uk/weird/article.html?Thief_stuffs_weapon-ferret_down_trousers&in_article_id=760149&in_page_id=2

Drunk hedgehog rescued in Devon

Friday, October 30 2009, 15:28 GMT
By Mayer Nissim, Entertainment Reporter

A hedgehog has been treated in an animal hospital after getting drunk on fermenting apples in an orchard.

The creature was discovered lying on its back and squealing last Wednesday and was helped by local wildlife rescue expert Ann McCormack at The Prickly Ball Hedgehog Hospital in South Devon, the North Devon Journal reports.

McCormack said: "They had placed it in a guinea pig cage and it kept going round in circles. The hedgehog kept falling over and was on its back with its legs up in the air for most of the time.

"It was legless. This is definitely the first drunk hedgehog I have found. The next morning I came in and turned the light on and she squealed really loudly. She obviously still had a big headache."

The hedgehog, nicknamed Tipsy, will be fed up to a healthy weight of 600g before being released back into the wild in the spring.

http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/odd/news/a184487/drunk-hedgehog-rescued-in-devon.html

Photo by G L Wilson

Lost cat found in aircon unit

Sat Oct 31, 2009

The RSPCA has found a cat trapped in an air conditioner at Coorparoo on Brisbane's southside.

The female cat had been inside the air-conditioning unit for at least five days before RSPCA officers freed it yesterday.

The animal welfare group says the owner of the property had heard strange noises coming from her 1970s air conditioner but thought it was rats.

Louise Campbell says the officers were not expecting to find an adult cat.

"They actually were worried it was kittens in there, and there was no way they expected to find a cat," she said.

"They said a cat wouldn't fit in there and all of a sudden when they did find it it was, 'oh my goodness, it's a full grown cat'."

The tabby is now receiving veterinary treatment and RSPCA spokeswoman Katrina Farmer says they are looking for its owners.

"We're hoping that someone will ring up in regards to a lost cat in the Coorparoo area," she said.

"She is desexed, so she is owned by somebody ... so all phone calls in regards to that would be very welcome."

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/10/31/2729443.htm

Spare a thought for a Stroud hedgehog

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Help a Hedgehog Hospital founder Annie Parfitt wants people to keep a look out for prickly creatures confused by global warming.

Annie, whose rescue centre is in Brimscombe, says milder winters and pesticide use mean hedgehogs are on the decline.

She says those that remain are getting confused about hibernation times.

At this time of year a hedgehog seen out in the day needs rescuing and taking to the hospital.

Mother hedgehogs are also having second litters late in the year due to the mild weather and the babies are unlikely to survive winter.

Annie, 41, says hedgehogs are being attacked by badgers and are vanishing from the landscape in certain areas.

She said: "They also climb into people's dustbin bags to shelter and get thrown away with the rubbish.

"Of course, at this time of year they hide in bonfire woodpiles made for Guy Fawkes' Night."

Annie has been fascinated by hedgehogs since childhood and, on turning 40, she decided to set up her hospital and do something positive to help support dwindling numbers in the Stroud area.

Annie works under the umbrella organisation the British Hedgehog Preservation Society. She can be contacted on 07867 974 525 or annieparfitt@sky.com.

http://www.thisisgloucestershire.co.uk/stroud/news/Spare-thought-little-hedgehog/article-1458097-detail/article.html