Poachers break into Paris zoo, shoot rhino dead and steal its horn

Four-year-old rhinoceros named Vince found with three bullets to head at Thoiry Zoo 

Katie Forster

A rhinoceros at a zoo near Paris was shot three times in the head on Monday night by poachers who then cut off its horn with a chainsaw.

The four-year-old rhinoceros, named Vince, was found dead by keepers at Thoiry Zoo, to the west of the French capital.

One or more poachers are believed to have broken in to the zoo and forced their way into an enclosure where three rhinos lived, reported Le Parisien. 


The white rhinoceros's second horn had also been partially hacked off, indicating the perpetrators had run out of time or their equipment had failed.

They may have also planned to steal the horns of the two other white rhinos, five-year-old Bruno and 37-year-old Gracie. Both animals are said to be safe and healthy.

Vince was born on in September 2012 at Burgers' Zoo in the Netherlands. He arrived in Paris in March 2015 with Bruno.

Rhinoceros horns can be sold on the black market for around £30,000 each and are particularly sought after in China, where they are believed to have aphrodisiac qualities.



Continued


4 years old.  You callous, cowardly bastards.  Shame on you and those who pay you your blood money.  Just remember that karma has no menu; you get served what you deserve.

(Editor-TO BLOW UP TURTLES?) Kingwood Teen Seriously Injured When Plan to Blow up Turtles Goes Awry - via Herp Digest

by KHOU.com staff 

Posted on May 5, 2013 at 3:13 PM 

KINGWOOD, Texas – A 19-year-old male suffered severe injuries to his hand, lower extremities and face after a bomb he made detonated while he was carrying it in northeast Harris County, according to police. 

The Houston Police Department said that at about 7:40 p.m. on Saturday the teen and another 18-year-old male had gone down to a bayou near the 3100 block of Valley Rim Drive. The teens had materials to create what is being called a “combustible mixture” with the intention of going to go “blow up turtles.” 

Police said that at some point, the 19-year-old lit a cigar, and the ashes from his cigar fell near his pocket where he was carrying the explosive cartridges. Police said it is likely that the ashes ignited the cartridges. 

The 18-year-old was not injured in the explosion, police said. There have been no arrests or charges in connection with the incident.

Children shocked as 12-year-old classmate kills rare bird on school trip

School children were left horrified and sickened when one of their 12-year-old classmates stoned a rare bird to death on a school trip.

The boy picked up a rock and threw it at the Kea - an endangered mountain parrot - killing it instantly.

The incident happened when around 200 children from a school in Christchurch, New Zealand were on a school outing.

Killing a Kea is a criminal offence that carries a maximum fine of £50,000 or six months in prison as they are protected by law under the Wildlife Act killing one.

There are thought to be fewer than 5000 of the birds left in the world.

Staff at Porter Heights Ski Area said they had been left 'upset' and 'disgusted' by the boy's actions.

The headteacher at the boy's school said he did not think there was any 'malice' in the student's attack.

Richard Paton said he thought the boys was 'as shocked as anybody' that the rock he threw 'actually hit the kea'.

"The boy involved is very remorseful, but there will be some consequences for his actions.

"The other students on the trip were as upset as anybody and they also feel let down by the mindless actions of one person.

"It's unfortunate that the actions of one person can reflect badly on the school," he added.

A silly and mindless moment of madness, or an inexcusable act of wickedness that should be severely punished?


http://www.parentdish.co.uk/2012/07/23/children-shocked-as-12-year-old-classmate-kills-rare-bird-kea-parrot-on-school-trip/

Teenagers used bird for a game of catch

Fledgling dunnock recovering after ordeal

June 2012. A bird used as a ball by a group of teenagers in Newhaven is recovering at a wildlife rescue centre in Sussex.

A local Newhaven resident contact East Sussex Wildlife Rescue & Ambulance Service (WRAS) after taking a fledgling dunnock away from a group of teenagers who were using the bird as a ball and throwing it around to each other.

The frightened bird was taken to WRAS carer Carrie Grace who nursed the bird overnight before admitting it to WRAS's Casualty Care Centre at Whitesmith, where the bird is now being cared for.

Wildlife rescue service
The bird is now in care at East Sussex WRAS's Casualty Care Centre at Whitesmith where Assistant Manager Kate Cuddis is now looking after the bird and rearing it along with numerous other injured fledgling and baby birds.

"We are very busy dealing with the fledglings and young birds we already have in care. We have taken in more fledgling and baby birds this year than any previous year due to the news facilities at our Casualty Care Centre which has expanded over the past 18 months; they are keeping us very busy and very tired. Along with Trevor, I am working up to 90 hours a week" said Kate.

"This act is despicable, and I would urge anyone who witnessed this event to report the person involved to Sussex Police. When birds leave the nest they all spent time hopping around building up the muscle strength before being able to fly, during this time they are vulnerable and but should be left alone unless in the middle of a road for example" explained WRAS founder Trevor Weeks MBE.

WRAS's Casualty Centre is running between 90-100% capacity at the moment and WRAS volunteers are working long hours trying to keep up with the workload.

Donations required
"We really need the public's help if we are going to continue taking in this volume of casualties. With rising costs of veterinary and medical supplies plus the high costs of fuel, utility bills, food and more, we need more support. Taking out a standing order to give just £1 or £2 a month will made a huge difference to WRAS and help us budget for the future and make us more financially secure, therefore in the long term we will be able to take in more casualties, WRAS is not that big nor a rich organisation but it achieves big things and good result providing a high level of care to wildlife casualties. These creatures do not have pet insurance to pay for their care nor owner to look after them but they do have WRAS" said Trevor.

Anyone wanting to make a donation to WRAS should call 01825-873003 or on line at  www.wildlifeambulance.org/  or post a donation to East Sussex WRAS, PO Box 2148, Seaford, East Sussex, BN25 9DE.

http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/wras-rescue.html#cr

Seals heads nailed to Irish Seal Sanctuary door

The wrong way to highlight a problem

June 2012. Last week a fishing boat in Dingle (Ireland) arrived home with roughly 20 boxes of monkfish, the majority of which had been damaged by seals. This incident is one of many which fishermen claim proves that seals need to be culled. 

On the morning of 7th June, an incident took place, which is to nobodies benefit, and indeed harms the reputation of the coastal community of Dingle and the fishing industry in general.

Dingle is internationally famous as the home of Fungie the friendly bottlenose Dolphin, and the town has benefited hugely from his presence.

Heads nailed to the entrance
As the staff of international and local volunteers arrived at the Dingle Wildlife and Seal Sanctuary they found the heads of a common seal and a Grey Seal nailed to the entrance sign into the Sanctuary, with the words Cull and RIP written in red alongside.

Read on:  http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/seal-fish.html

Disagreeable People Prefer Aggressive Dogs, Study Suggests

ScienceDaily (May 22, 2012) — Aggressive dog ownership is not always a sign of attempted dominance or actual delinquency. A study carried out at the University of Leicester's School of Psychology has found that younger people who are disagreeable are more likely to prefer aggressive dogs, confirming the conventional wisdom that dogs match the personality of their owners.

Researchers found that low Agreeableness was the best predictor of a preference for those dogs seen as more aggressive, such as bull terriers or boxers. Individuals low in Agreeableness are typically less concerned with others' well-being and may be suspicious, unfriendly and competitive.

However, the study found no link between liking an aggressive dog and delinquent behaviour, or the possibility that liking an aggressive dog is an act of 'status display' to show off or attract romantic partners.

Dr Vincent Egan, lead researcher on the study, said: "This type of study is important, as it shows assumptions are not the whole picture. It is assumed owners of aggressive dogs (or dogs perceived as aggressive) are antisocial show-offs. But we did not find persons who expressed a preference for aggressive dogs had committed more delinquent acts, or reported showing off more.

Read more:  http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/05/120522084326.htm

Utah wants to kill coyotes – Usual rubbish logic applied

More Elkonomics, this time from Utah
May 2012. According to the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (UDWR), "A new effort is underway to help mule deer in Utah". Now, given that more than 85,000 male deer are legally shot by hunters every year in Utah, you might have thought that the obvious way to ‘help mule deer' would be to reduce this number. But, in another classic case of Elkonomics, UDWR are offering a $50 reward for killing coyotes.

The effort is called the Predator-Control Incentive program. The program has one goal: To reduce and control the number of coyotes in areas in Utah that are inhabited by mule deer.

Cruel targeting of coyote with pups
The UDWR give advice on when to most effectively target Coyote. The basis of their advice is to target coyote with pups, so that it isn't just the coyote that is killed that dies, the pups won't survive either, presumably because they will starve to death.

UDWR website advises "Breaking up pairs in April is important because breaking the pairs up makes it difficult for the remaining adult to successfully raise a litter of pups. May and June are also important months to remove coyotes, especially those that are raising pups. Removing coyotes during this time period reduces the number of coyotes that are on the landscape before fawns are born and during the time the fawns are being born."

The basis of this programme is that, so hunters can have more fun (and UDWR more cash) hunting mule deer, they need to kill coyote that are hunting for food, and starve their pups. It just isn't fair that that coyote want to eat; they are spoiling hunter's fun.


Continued: http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/utah-coyote.html

Polish vandals scare two giraffes to death

Two female giraffes have died of heart attack and stress caused by a night rampage by a group of vandals in a Polish zoo. The zoo is now struggling to find a mate for the only survivor, six-year-old Tofik from the endangered Rothschild subspecies.

The staff discovered the dead body of one female giraffe early in the morning amid the havoc that several unidentified vandals had left after their malicious hooliganism. The gang broke into the zoo in the city of Lodz on Saturday. They overturned benches and signs and threw garbage cans into the cages, stressing the animals. 

A post-mortem showed that the three-year-old giraffe died almost immediately after the incident. 

The second female giraffe died on Monday. Though it was being treated for an infestation of parasites, zoo officials believe that stress contributed much to the death.

"These are wild animals and very skittish," said zoo Director Ryszard Topola, adding that the incident was an irrevocable loss.

The zoo in the city of Lodz, one of Poland’s 20 zoos, had only three giraffes from the endangered Rothschild giraffe subspecies. Now, after two females tragically died, the zoo’s breeding section is struggling to find a companion giraffe for the male Tofik in other European zoos.

Police have opened an investigation into the act of vandalism, but the fact that the zoo is not equipped with security cameras is hampering the search.

Meanwhile, the Polish national Animal Guard, together with city authorities, has offered a $1,500 reward for any help in finding the culprits, who face prison sentences of up to five years for this crime.

http://rt.com/news/poland-zoo-giraffes-heart-attack-397/

Snout of order

A maniac terrorising residents of a Swiss town with severed pigs heads is being hunted by police.

Horrified customers in a posh cake shop in Lucerne ducked for cover when the mystery attacker threw three porkers' heads into the displays splattering pastries and blood everywhere.

And in an earlier attack he threw a head at what witnesses say was a group of non Swiss tourists.

Cake shop owner Matthias Bachmann said: "It was clearly upsetting for customers and we can only apologise."

Police say they are checking local abattoirs and farms for anyone buying large numbers of pigs' heads.

http://web.orange.co.uk/article/quirkies/snout_of_order