When You Feed a Raccoon One Too Many Times
October 2024
I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase: No good deed goes unpunished. A woman learned this lesson the hard way after a band of furry critters held her hostage inside her own home after she fed the local raccoons.

The woman had been feeding a handful of raccoons for decades without incident. But then all of a sudden the number of them showing up on her doorstep exploded. “Somehow, the word got out in raccoon land and they all showed up expecting a meal,” said a police spokesman. She found herself surrounded by a mob of more than 100 raccoons, trapping her inside her house and forcing her to call the sheriff’s department for help.

Frozen Cows In A Cabin
In the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, authorities were contemplating the use of explosives to dislodge a herd of cows that apparently wandered into an old ranger cabin at 11,000 and got stuck there.  They died and froze solid, creating a giantblock of frozen cows.  The carcasses were discovered in late march by a pair of Air Force Academy cadets that were snow shoeing.  It appears the animals had sought the cabin out as shelter during a snow storm and then could not get out.  The cabinis near Conundrum Hot Spring, a nine mile hike from the Aspen area.  (USA Today, 4-18-2012, p. 4A)

Painting Donkeys Into Zebras
In 2010, a Gaza Zoo made headlines when it used masking tape and black hair dye to paint a donkey and turn it into a zebra after an Israeli embargo prevented them from getting the real thing. “The children don’t know,” said Mohammad Dargouthi, “and they are happy to see something new.” Yet another reason to feel sorry for the poor children of Palestine, as if another reason were really needed.

Cat Causes Mercury Scare
In Greeley, Colorado, a frisky cat ended up knocking over a vile that contained about 2 tsp. Of Mercury, prompting a response by the Greeley Fire Department HazMat  Unit. (2/3/2014)  Though no one was hurt in the incident, it’s a reminder that if you have pets, make sure that candles, space heaters, and any other potentially hazardous items aren’t left in a spot where an animal could knock them over.

Owl Attack
In Salem, Organ, a man was attacked by an owl while on his morning run in the city center park.  Fifty eight year old Ron Jaecks said the attack, which was believed to have been perpetrated by a great horned owl, felt like being hit by lightening. (1/20/2015)