State Troopers Go Out Of Their Way To Find Missing Dog After Tragic Accident

Molly was in a tragic car accident with her owner John Philippi late Thursday night.

Sadly Philippi lost his life in the accident but Molly survived, though initially authorities had no idea she had been in the accident. When state troopers discovered the man’s dog was missing they went above and beyond to find the German shepherd.

State Trooper & Molly

Philippi, a 45-year-old Minnesota truck driver, was driving his truck with Molly by his side late Thursday night. Suddenly, his truck tipped on Interstate 94 in Wisconsin and then was hit by another semi. Philippi was ejected from his truck and died.

When State Patrol officers arrived on the scene of the accident they had no idea that Molly had been involved, she was nowhere to be seen. When they contacted Philippi’s family members about the accident one of his nephews asked about Molly.

A notice went out to all law enforcement officers in the area to be on the lookout for Molly. One state trooper even went door-to-door at nearby homes to ask if anyone had seen her.

“We wanted to find that dog,” said State Patrol Lt. Jeff Lorentz. “We didn’t want it hit by another vehicle.”

Friday morning the State Patrol office received a tip, someone had seen a German shepherd near an exit. The area was searched but Molly wasn’t found.  State Patrol officers did not give up though. Later that day, trooper John Vernon started walking the interstate in the area of the crash with some volunteers when he spotted paw prints in the snow near the crash site.

Vernon followed the tracks and found Molly underneath a pine tree trying to stay warm. Vernon called out Molly’s name and the dog walked right to him.

Molly had a 6-inch gash on her leg and she let out a yelp when Vernon touched it.  Molly is now staying with Philippi’s relatives while she recovers from her leg wound. Once Molly is healed the family will decide who she will stay with permanently.

The family is incredibly thankful to the extra efforts of the State Patrol officers, especially Vernon.  Even the State Patrol office recognizes the extra effort Vernon, who has an affinity for dogs, put into the search.

“I don’t think anybody showed more determination than trooper John Vernon,” said Lorentz.

News Link:–http://www.lifewithdogs.tv/2013/05/state-troopers-go-out-of-their-way-to-find-missing-dog/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+LifeWithDogs+%28Life+With+Dogs%29

66 Very Interesting Facts About Wolves

“This is a must read for every wolf lover or those with a general interest. Having just read this myself, I thought I just had to share it! I only knew 4 or 5 facts…. it is extremely interesting & very insightful. Like, did you know that a Greek Scholar, said wolf dung could be used to treat both colic and cataracts; yuk! Did you know Wolves were once the most widely distributed land predator  …the only place they couldn’t thrive were true deserts & rainforest!! Interesting or what?? 

66  Very Interesting Facts About Wolves; I bet you didn’t know!!

1. In order for a new wolf cub to urinate, its mother has to massage its belly with her warm tongue.e
2. The Vikings wore wolf skins and drank wolf blood to take on the wolf’s spirit in battle. They also viewed real wolves as battle companions or hrægifr (corpse trolls).f
3. The earliest drawings of wolves are in caves in southern Europe and date from 20,000 B.C.b
4. Wolves do not make good guard dogs because they are naturally afraid of the unfamiliar and will hide from visitors rather than bark at them.g
5. The autoimmune disease Systemic Lupus Erythmatosus (SLE), or lupus, literally means wolf redness, because in the eighteenth century, physicians believed the disease was caused by a wolf bite.f
6. Wolves are the largest members of the Canidae family, which includes domestic dogs, coyotes, dingoes, African hunting dogs, many types of foxes, and several kinds of jackals.a
7. Wolves run on their toes, which helps them to stop and turn quickly and to prevent their paw pads from wearing down.e
8. Wolves have about 200 million scent cells. Humans have only about 5 million. Wolves can smell other animals more than one mile (1.6 kilometers) away.b
9. A wolf pup’s eyes are blue at birth. Their eyes turn yellow by the time they are eight months old.e
10. Wolves tend to mate for life
11. A male and female that mate usually stay together for life. They are devoted parents and maintain sophisticated family ties.c
12. Wolf gestation is around 65 days. Wolf pups are born both deaf and blind and weigh only one pound.d
13. Under certain conditions, wolves can hear as far as six miles away in the forest and ten miles on the open tundra.a
14. Wolves were once the most widely distributed land predator the world has ever seen. The only places they didn’t thrive were in the true desert and rainforests.e
15. Among true wolves, two species are recognized: Canis lupus (often known simply as “gray wolves”), which includes 38 subspecies, such as the gray, timber, artic, tundra, lobos, and buffalo wolves. The other recognized species is the red wolf (Canis rufus), which are smaller and have longer legs and shorter fur than their relatives. Many scientists debate whether Canis rufus is a separate species.e
16. Immense power is concentrated in a wolf’s jaw. It has a crushing pressure of nearly 1,500 pound per square inch (compared with around 750 for a large dog). The jaws themselves are massive, bearing 42 teeth specialized for stabbing, shearing, and crunching bones. Their jaws also open farther than those of a dog.g
17. The North American gray wolf population in 1600 was 2 million. Today the population in North America is approximately 65,000. The world population is approximately 150,000.b
18. A hungry wolf can eat 20 pounds of meat in a single meal, which is akin to a human eating one hundred hamburgers.b
19. A wolf pack may contain just two or three animals, or it may be 10 times as large.e
20. Though many females in a pack are able to have pups, only a few will actually mate and bear pups. Often, only the alpha female and male will mate, which serves to produce the strongest cubs and helps limit the number of cubs the pack must care for. The other females will help raise and “babysit” the cubs.a
21. Lower-ranking males do not mate and often suffer from a condition of stress and inhibition that has been referred to as “psychological castration.” Lower-ranking females are sometimes so afraid of the alpha female that they do not even go into heat.d
22. An average size wolf produces roughly 1.2 cubic inches of sperm.b
23. Wolves evolved from an ancient animal called Mesocyon, which lived approximately 35 million years ago. It was a small dog-like creature with short legs and a long body. Like the wolf, it may have lived in packs.g
24. Wolves can swim distances of up to 8 miles (13 kilometers) aided by small webs between their toes.b
25. Between 1883 and 1918, more than 80,00 wolves were killed in Montana for bounty.d
26. Adolph Hitler (whose first name means “lead wolf”) was fascinated by wolves and sometimes used “Herr Wolf” or “Conductor Wolf” as an alias. “Wolf’s Gulch” (Wolfsschlucht), “Wolf’s Lair” (Wolfschanze), and “Werewolf” (Wehrwolf) were Hitler’s code names for various military headquarters.f
27. In the 1600s, Ireland was called “Wolf-land” because it had so many wolves. Wolf hunting was a popular sport among the nobility, who used the Irish wolfhound to outrun and kill wolves. The earliest record of an Irish wolfhound dates from Roman times in A.D. 391.f
28. Recent scientists suggest that labeling a wolf “alpha” or “omega” is misleading because “alpha” wolves are simply parent wolves. Using “alpha” terminology falsely suggests a rigidly forced permanent social structure.c
29. Although wolves are usually afraid of humans, they will respond to human howls
30. Biologists have found that wolves will respond to humans imitating their howls. The International Wolf Center in Minnesota even sponsors “howl nights” on which people can howl in the wilderness and hope for an answering howl.b
31. Wolves have historically been associated with sexual predation. For example, Little Red Riding Hood, who wears a red cape that proclaims her sexual maturity, is seduced off the moral path by a wolf. The sex link endures in common clichés, such as describing a predatory man as “a wolf” or a sexy whistle as a “wolf whistle.”f
32. Biologists describe wolf territory as not just spatial, but spatial-temporal, so that each pack moves in and out of each other’s turf depending on how recently the “no trespassing” signals were posted.d
33. The Greek god Apollo is sometimes called Apollo Lykios, the wolf-Apollo, and was associated with the wind and sun. In Athens, the land surrounding the temple of Apollo became known as the Lyceum, or the “wolf skin.”f
34. In 1927, a French policeman was tried for the shooting of a boy he believed was a werewolf. That same year, the last wild wolves in France were killed.f
35. When Europeans arrived in North America, wolves became the most widely hunted animal in American history and were nearly extinct by the beginning of the twentieth century. The U.S. Federal government even enacted a wolf eradication program in the Western states in 1915.a
36. Dire wolves (canis dirus) were prehistoric wolves that lived in North America about two million years ago. Now extinct, they hunted prey as large as woolly mammoths.e
37. A wolf can run about 20 miles (32 km) per hour, and up to 40 miles (56 km) per hour when necessary, but only for a minute or two. They can “dog trot” around 5 miles (8km) per hour and can travel all day at this speed.g
38. The smallest wolves live in the Middle East, where they may weigh only 30 pounds. The largest wolves inhabit Canada, Alaska, and the Soviet Union, where they can reach 175 pounds.e
39. Wolves howl to contact separated members of their group, to rally the group before hunting, or to warn rival wolf packs to keep away. Lone wolves will howl to attract mates or just because they are alone. Each wolf howls for only about five seconds, but howls can seem much longer when the entire pack joins in.c
40. A light-reflecting layer on a wolf’s eye called the tapetum lucidum (Latin for “bright tapestry”) causes a wolf’s eyes to glow in the dark and may also facilitate night vision. While a wolf’s color perception and visual acuity maybe be inferior to a human’s, a wolf’s eyes are extremely sensitive to movement.d
41. Ravens, or “wolf-birds,” seem to form social attachments with wolves
42. Where there are wolves, there are often ravens (sometimes known as “wolf-birds”). Ravens often follow wolves to grab leftovers from the hunt—and to tease the wolves. They play with the wolves by diving at them and then speeding away or pecking their tails to try to get the wolves to chase them.g
43. In ancient Rome, barren women attended the Roman festival Lupercalia (named for the legendary nursery cave of Romulus and Remus) in the hopes of becoming fertile.f
44. According to Pliny the Elder, a first-century Greek scholar, wolf teeth could be rubbed on the gums of infants to ease the pain of teething. He also reported that wolf dung could be used to treat both colic and cataracts.f
45. The Aztecs used wolf liver as an ingredient for treating melancholy. They also pricked a patient’s breast with a sharpened wolf bone in an attempt to delay death.f
46. During the Middle Ages, Europeans used powdered wolf liver to ease the pain of childbirth and would tie a wolf’s right front paw around a sore throat to reduce the swelling. Dried wolf meat was also eaten as a remedy for sore shins.f
47. The Greeks believed that if someone ate meat from a wolf-killed lamb, he or she ran a high risk of becoming a vampire.f
48. During the reign of Edward the Confessor, which began in 1042, a condemned criminal was forced to wear a wolf-head mask and could be executed on a “wolf’s head tree” or the gallows where a wolf might be hanged next to him.f
49. Werewolf (wer “man” + wulf “wolf”) trials (which can be distinguished from witchcraft trials) led to hundreds of executions during the 1600s. Men, women, and children—many of whom were physically and mentally handicapped—were put to death.f
50. The Cherokee Indians did not hunt wolves because they believed a slain wolves’ brothers would exact revenge. Furthermore, if a weapon were used to kill a wolf, the weapon would not work correctly again.f
51. In approximately the year 800, Charlemagne founded a special wolf-hunting force, the Louveterie, which remained active until 1789. It was reactivated in1814, and the last French wolf was killed in 1927.a
52. Britain’s King Edgar imposed an annual tax of 300 wolf skins on Wales. The Welsh wolf population was quickly exterminated.a
53. In 1500, the last wolf was killed in England. In 1770, Ireland’s last wolf was killed. In 1772, Denmark’s last wolf was killed.a
54. After hearing of “frightening spirits” in the woods with human features that walked on four legs, Reverend Singh in 1920 discovered a den with two cubs and two human girls, one around age 7 or 8, the other around 2. After being brought back to “civilization,” the younger one died within a year. Recently, authors have questioned the validity of this story as modern knowledge has revealed that wolf-like behavior is often seen in autistic or abused children.d
55. Sextus Placitus, in his fifth-century B.C. Medicina de quadrupedibus (Medicinals from Animals), claims that sleeping with a wolf’s head under one’s pillow would cure insomnia.f
56. In 1934, Germany became the first nation in modern times to place the wolf under protection. Influenced by Friedrich Nietzsche’s (1844-1900) and Oswald Spengler’s (1880-1936) belief that natural predators possessed more vigor and virility than their prey, the protection was probably more for an “iconic” wolf than the actual wolf, particularly since the last wolves in Germany were killed in the middle of the nineteenth century.f
57. Wolves are one of the few animals that communicate using a great range of facial expressions
58. Unlike other animals, wolves have a variety of distinctive facial expressions they use to communicate and maintain pack unity.c
59. The Japanese word for wolf means “great god.”f
60. Between 6,000 and 7,000 wolf skins are still traded across the world each year. The skins are supplied mainly by Russia, Mongolia, and China and are used mainly for coats.a
61. In India, simple wolf traps are still used. These traps consist of a simple pit, disguised with branches or leaves. The wolves fall in and people then stone them to death.a
62. Wolves were the first animals to be placed on the U.S. Endangered Species Act list in 1973.a
63. John Milton’s famous poem “Lycidas” derives its title from the Greek for “wolf cub,” lykideus.f
64. In the Harry Potter universe, werewolf Remus Lupin’s name is directly related to the Latin word for wolf (lupus) and suggests an association with one of the founders of Rome, Remus, who was suckled by a wolf. The dual nature of Lupin’s werewolf nature suggests that in the Potter realm, there are two sides to everything.f
65. The last wolf in Yellowstone Park was killed in 1926. In 1995, wolves were reintroduced and, after just ten years, approximately 136 wolves now roam the Park in about 13 wolf packs.b
66. Currently, there are about 50,000 wolves in Canada; 6,500 in Alaska; and 3,500 in the Lower 48 States. In Europe, Italy has fewer than 300; Spain around 2,000; and Norway and Sweden combined have fewer than 80. There are about 700 wolves in Poland and 70,000 in Russia.b

— Posted November 15, 2009 “Which would mean any figures given can’t be true, numbers of wolves around the world have fallen drastically; so bear this is mind when reading figures etc.”

References

a Bailey, Jill. 2005. Animals under Threat: Gray Wolf. Chicago, IL: Heinemann Library.

b Brandenburg, James and Judy Brandenburg. 2008. Face to Face with Wolves. Washington, D.C.: National Geographic Society.

c Dutcher, Jim and Jamie Dutcher. 2005. Living with Wolves. Seattle, WA: Braided River.

d Grambo, Rebecca L. 2005. Wolf: Legend, Enemy, Icon. Buffalo, NY: Firefly Books, Inc.

e Leach, Michael. 2003. Wolf: Habitats, Life Cycles, Food Chains, Threats. New York, NY: Raintree Steck-Vaughn Publishers.

f Ménatory, Anne. 2005. The Art of Being a Wolf. New York, NY: Barnes & Noble Books.

g Reid, Mary E. 2005. Wolves and Other Wild Dogs. Chicago, IL: World Book, Inc.

Link:–http://facts.randomhistory.com/interesting-facts-about-wolves.html

 

Firestone man, 73, sentenced to 9 1/2 years in dogs’ deaths, witness intimidation

Posted on behalf of mum!

GREELEY — A Weld District judge sentenced a 73-year-old Firestone man to 9 1/2 years in prison for the 2011 fatal poisonings of his neighbor’s two dogs and subsequent intimidation of a witness in the case.

Joseph Losinski appears for sentencing on Wednesday, Dec. 12, 2012, at Weld County District Court in Greeley

Joseph Losinski pleaded guilty to one count of felony aggravated cruelty to animals and one count of intimidating a victim or witness, also a felony, in October. Weld District Judge Todd Taylor said Losinski failed to take responsibility for the crimes and would be a risk to the community if not incarcerated.

The sentence came after the judge listened to arguments that Losinski had so terrorized his neighbors in Firestone that many armed themselves and had installed security cameras.

“This offense seemed to be motivated by cruelty and some sort of sadistic pleasure in causing harm to the dogs and ultimately to their owners, and that is a grave offense,” Taylor said. “That hurts people, that hurts the community, and it is as real as any other crime.”

Losinski fed strychnine-laced meatballs to his neighbors’ dogs — Dozer Boy, a chocolate Labrador; and Kyera, a German shepherd — on Aug. 8, 2011, while they were in their own backyard, according to police reports. Both dogs died. Police reported that the dogs were found about 20 minutes after they had been allowed outside at the home on the 500 block of Fifth Street. Losinski and his neighbors share a fence line.

Losinski used an Alford plea in the case, which means he acknowledged that there was enough evidence to convict him at trial but that he maintained his innocence, according to Weld County District Attorney spokesman Heath Montgomery. The Alford plea is still a guilty plea, he noted.

Losinski and his wife moved to Firestone from Minnesota a few months before Travis and Tesla Dougherty’s dogs were poisoned. The couple had moved in next door only two weeks prior to their dogs’ deaths.

Photos of the crime scene shown in court showed that the dogs died with their muzzles nestled close.

From left: Dog owners Travis and Tesla Dougherty fight to hold back their emotions while listening to statements at the Joseph Losinski sentencing, Wednesday, Dec. 12, 2012, at Weld County District Court in Greeley

Tesla Dougherty said she found the dogs just before Kyera died. She said the dog tried to comfort her even as she died.

Defense attorney Jeffrey Larson said he is client did not kill the dogs and took the plea agreement only to put the case behind him. He said Losinski suffered from cancer and that his wife is entirely dependent on him.

“To incarcerate Mr. Losinski would surely be a death sentence in this case,” he told the judge.

Taylor sentenced Losinski to 18 months in prison for felony aggravated animal cruelty and eight years for felony intimidation of a witness. Taylor said the sentences are to run consecutively because the crimes were distinct and involved different victims.

Court records from 2010 show that a restraining order was filed against Losinski by one of his neighbors in Minnesota. The neighbor told police that Losinski once told him that he used poisoned meat to kill animals on his property. The neighbor also said his cat went missing shortly after he filed harassment charges.

Prosecutor Jennifer Hill argued that Losinski was terrorizing his Firestone neighbors just as his former Minnesota neighbors said he terrorized them. His former neighbors believed he poisoned animals and tossed the bodies of slaughtered animals in their yards after disputes. She said investigators found Internet postings in which Losinski offered instructions on poisoning animals and how to fake innocence.

Taylor said he did not have much hope for Losinski rehabilitating.

Losinski also sent a threatening letter to a neighbor of the Doughertys who was a witness in the case, according to the Weld County District Attorney’s Office

News Link:-http://www.dailycamera.com/ci_22179048/firestone-man-73-sentenced-dogs-deaths-joseph-losinski?source=most_viewed

 

64 Wolves Killed In Opening Days of Hunt: Protect Red Wolves

Duluth, Minn. — Minnesota wolf hunters have killed 64 wolves as of 8 p.m. Monday in the first weekend of the state’s first regulated wolf hunt.

The DNR set a quota of 200 wolves for this first season, which runs concurrently with the deer rifle-hunting season. The opening weekend harvest is in line with the agency’s expectations, said DNR wolf expert Dan Stark.

Bryan Heiney of Duluth killed this wolf at about noon Monday, Nov. 5, 2012 in southern Koochiching County, Minn., on the third day of the state’s first wolf hunting season. (Photo courtesy of Bryan Heiney)

“Typically about 50 percent of the harvest occurs the first weekend, and that’s when most of the hunters are out there,” Stark said. “We aren’t going to know exactly until the end of the season, but it’s likely to track that pattern.”

The number of wolves killed so far in Minnesota is higher than at the beginning of other states’ hunts, Stark said. He also said the agency will survey hunters about their methods and how long they hunted. That information will be used to make any needed changes to next year’s hunt.

At the end of Monday, the DNR closed the east-central wolf hunting zone around Lake Mille Lacs where eight of the zone’s allotted nine wolves were killed over the weekend. Hunters will be able to kill another 200 wolves during a second season beginning at the end of the November. That season will include trappers as well as hunters.

News Link:-http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2012/11/05/environment/wolf-hunt/

Fewer than 100 Wild Red Wolves Remain in the world

The North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission recently approved a temporary state rule that allows the hunting of coyotes at night using spotlights, including in the area inhabited by the only wild population of red wolves, one of the world’s most endangered animals.

Take action now! Sign our petition calling on the commission to halt all coyote hunting — day or night — within the red wolf recovery area.

Red wolves once roamed most of the Southeastern United States, but harsh predator control programs and habitat loss resulted in their near elimination — and in 1980 red wolves were declared extinct in the wild.

After a small population of captive red wolves was reintroduced into the eastern part of North Carolina, the species slowly began to repopulate and today about 100 red wolves have regained a fragile foothold in the wild.

Red wolves and coyotes are similar in size, coats and coloring, so red wolves are frequently mistaken for coyotes, even in daylight. In nighttime conditions it is nearly impossible to tell them apart.

Please take this urgent action today!

At least two red wolves have already been killed within the eastern North Carolina area designated for red wolf recovery. Defenders of Wildlife has joined two other conservation organizations to file suit in the Superior Court of Wake County, North Carolina to prevent nighttime coyote hunting throughout North Carolina, including within the red wolf recovery area.

The groups have also put the North Carolina Wildlife Commission on notice that we will seek a federal enforcement action unless it stops all coyote hunting — daytime or nighttime — in the area where these critically endangered wolves live.

That’s why we need supporters like you to speak out on behalf of these wolves and tell the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission to halt all coyote hunting in the red wolf recovery area!

The red wolf only exists in the state of North Carolina, and with a population so small and fragile, an increase in red wolf shooting deaths could mean they’ll never recover

Petition link:-https://secure.defenders.org/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=2503

Tell DNR Commissioner and Min. Gov. Mark Dayton : To Stop The Nov 3rd Wolf Hunt!

“I’m posting this on behalf of my dear friend & fellow animal warrior Carol Crunkhorn. Whilst signing the following petition, Carol came across a comment which quite rightly should be shared & heard with all who are fighting for the rights of Wolves.”

“This is such an impressive plea from someone who truly is a voice for the wolves. It would be too heartbreaking to think this woman’s comments may not even be read by those who receive the petition!  For that reason, I want to share it and I hope you will all share with your friends”….Carol

18:41, Aug 26, Mrs. Louise Kane, MA

It’s impossible to express the outrage, anger and disillusionment that I experience when it comes to wolf policy in the west and midwest. Its also difficult to believe that this is 2012 in a world where entire ecosystems are disrupted and degraded by the livestock , agriculture and sports trophy hunting industries. Despite the science that shows the contributions that apex predators make within their ecosystems our state and federal governments still routinely target and kill large carnivores for suspected or real cattle and other livestock depredations.

In MInnesota this is particularly relevant as your population of wolves has been stable over the last ten years with no appreciable harm to the livestock or hunting industries. In fact these wolves illustrate that naturally occurring populations of predators do self limit without the need for trophy hunting or public trapping and snaring, which are horrifically and outrageously cruel, barbaric, and inhumane. I am quite sure you have seen these words used in the context of trapping and snaring and while they may be overused they are perhaps the most appropriate words that come to mind.

I believe as do many Americans that we need a better, more advanced and realistic approach to human predator conflicts or potential conflicts. There is no requirement or mandate in place for ranchers and livestock producers to regulate their cattle, employ predator avoidance tactics and or to retire grazing lands and permits.

Instead wolves, coyotes, bobcats, cougars and bears are routinely shot, poisoned or trapped at the behest of special interests while the rest of America sends petitions, places calls, writes letters and otherwise protests at the shortsighted policies and pandering that are passed off as “management”.

While I reside on the East Coast I am an ardent conservationist, and the not the type with a rifle in hand that only wants to see elk, deer or other ungulates roaming in our forests, rangelands and wilderness areas. Nor do I enjoy killing animals for sport and try and pass this activity off as conservation.

I have read widely on the subject of wolf reintroduction, the loophole in the ESA (section 10J) that allows for killing wolves ( even while listed), and understand the issues. I have also read most of the comments that were submitted in response to the midwest proposals as well as Idaho’s, Montana’s and Wyoming’s comments in response to their wolf management plans. I have also read the comments online submitted to the US Fish and Wildlife service in response to delisting proposals.

I am writing to you because I have seen evidence through these comments and through polls and petitions that Americans were and are against delisting wolves and hunting them for sport, they want to see wolves protected and they are largely unaware of the cruel and shoddy treatment that wolves and other carnivores receive in the west and midwestern states.

When I speak about the state “management” plans that call for killing all but 150 wolves in three of our largest states with huge tracts of federal lands, people look at me like I must have my facts wrong. When I tell people about Minnesota and that the wolves have remained stable but are now to be subjected to trapping and snaring at the behest of trophy hunters they are incredulous. Most people do not believe that trapping and snaring are legal.

The way our wildlife in America is managed is a terrible travesty. The way wolves were delisted using a sleazy non-germane rider attached to a spending bill was disgraceful and undemocratic. I can not think of anything that is more disturbing than the way wolves are being treated in the midwest and west. The states are supposed to be protecting wildlife and wolves instead of subjecting them to the whims of trophy hunters.

Its time to stand up to the livestock, agriculture and trophy hunting industries and to set a policy of no compromise when it comes to killing wolves and large apex predators. In order for the livestock , agriculture and trophy hunting industries to treat wolves with respect they must see that our state and federal agencies listen to all their constituents, they must know that Americans want our agencies to start doing the right thing, not the most politically expedient by catering to special interests that don’t represent mainstream America’s interests but whose archaic and inhumane ideas about wildlife management are implemented regardless of their effect on our earth and its ecosystems.

I am tired of watching the federal and state governments be browbeaten by these industries and tired of watching our wildlife perish in traps, snares, and being shot from helicopters or tracked by trained killers. I respectfully ask that you stop the Minnesota wolf hunt and and seek public comment from the American public on this issue.

I believe you will be dissuaded from this terrible and shortsighted decision. The states of Idaho and Montana have shown that killing wolves does nothing to appease special interests it only heightens the frenzy around killing these animals, makes wolf killing easier, and reinforces irresponsible stereotypes that need to be shelved instead of rekindled in a vicious, unproductive and destructive cycle of killing.

Louise Kane

Petition Link:-http://www.thepetitionsite.com/317/502/678/tell-dnr-commissioner-and-min-gov-mark-dayton-to-stop-the-nov-3rd-wolf-hunt/

In Defense Of Animals Doubles Reward In Minneapolis Cat Cruelty Case

Reward fund now totals $2,000 to convict person(s) who stabbed and set cat on fire

Minneapolis, Minn. (August 16, 2012) – In Defense of Animals (IDA), an international animal protection organization based in California, has added $1,000 to a reward fund for information leading to the arrest and conviction of whomever stabbed, then burned to death a cat in a Minneapolis park. This brings the total reward to $2,000.

On August 12, police responded to a call from park employees who found a dead cat in the Longfellow Park and Recreation Center, a voting location used in Tuesday’s primary election. The cat’s throat had been slit, she had been set on fire, and a small American flag had been stabbed into her body. There was also an Obama/Biden lawn flag stuck in the ground at the site. That prompted interest from the FBI, Secret Service, and the Department of Homeland Security, who are also investigating.

The Minnesota Federated Humane Societies (MFHS) has posted a $1,000 reward for the arrest and conviction of the person(s) responsible. “This despicable act of animal cruelty will not go unpunished,” said MFHS General Council Representative Tim Shields to WCCO, the local CBS affiliate. “Those responsible for this cruel, torturous death of a house pet will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

IDA has pledged to double that reward to encourage someone to come forward with information. “Whoever would commit this grotesque crime is a danger to us all.” said Jack Carone, Communications Director of IDA. “We know beyond a doubt that animal cruelty is a precursor to violence against humans. Someone knows something, and we ask them to come forward, both in the interest of justice for this poor animal and for the safety of the community.”

IDA urges anyone with information about this brutal killing to contact the Minnesota Federated Humane Societies at 612-866-8663. To contribute to the reward fund, please call IDA at (415) 448-0048, ext.0.

News Link:-http://www.idanews.org/ida-breaking-news/in-defense-of-animals-doubles-reward-in-minneapolis-cat-cruelty-case/

Howling for Wolves; Help Us Howl

Have you wondered why your emails and calls to stop the senseless hunt of our iconic Minnesota wolf go unanswered?

Why does the DNR ignore the 80% of respondents in their own survey who oppose the hunt, yet extend the killing season by 25 days in response to the desires of a few in the same survey?  The rapid push to hunt the newly delisted wolf, after almost 40 years of federal investment and protection, has been stunning. Why the rush? The answer is becoming clear.

In an email dated 4/23/2012, DNR Chief of Wildlife Management Dennis E. Simon wrote, “…we owe it to our primary clients, hunters and trappers, and to livestock producers as secondary clients, to do what we can to establish a legitimate harvest opportunity now that the wolf is under our management authority.” In short, the DNR “owes” their “clients” -the special interest groups– the wolf.

Howling for Wolves gained access to this email, and more, in an earlier Government Data Practices Act request. On Monday, we served an expanded request to the DNR going back further in time and identifying specific groups and individuals. We seek answers on why the DNR rushed the process using emergency rule making, which truncated public comment.

This week we launch a major campaign to stop the hunt, before the hunt. Renewedmedia attention is on Minnesota. Tomorrow our first billboard calling to stop the hunt will go up in the Twin Cities area, with more to follow. We will add billboards across the state if we can raise more funds. This is a very expensive campaign, and we need your financial support. Donations, both large and small, will help us get more billboards up, and keep them up. All donations go straight to the purchase of more media. Please donate by either credit card or check. Checks may be sent to: Howling for Wolves, PO Box 4099, Hopkins, MN  55343

Your time, talents and energy are also needed –please volunteer! We have a very aggressive schedule planned, with a number of public actions. Please join us!

News Link:–http://us4.campaign-archive2.com/?u=2e3fcdebee302eff62a2e3d86&id=7f71ab9d8b&e=64dccc87b9

Please sign this petition to help the wolves:–http://signon.org/sign/protect-americas-wolves?source=s.em.mt&r_by=1955801

Put Kennel Owner that Drowns Puppies Out of Business

 

Target: Hastings City Council

Goal: Revoke kennel owner’s business license for inhumane drowning of puppies.

Dayna Bell of Bell Kennels and Farm faces 16 counts of animal cruelty for drowning puppies at her kennel in Minnesota. The woman has found a potential loophole to the charges, claiming that the animals were commercial and are therefore protected under different laws. The woman must be stopped from her cruel and inhumane practice by having her business license revoked.

Several former employees have come forward to report the unscrupulous business practices of Dayna Bell. These individuals have witnessed firsthand Bell drowning puppies in buckets and also throwing them into a pool with cinder blocks tied around their necks.

Bell also admitted to employees on one occasion that she had broken the neck of a small dog that bit her. Authorities that investigated the kennel found the bodies of 10 dogs in Bell’s freezer. It is abundantly clear that this woman should not be working with animals.

Bell has posted bond and continues to work at her kennel while awaiting legal proceedings.

She seeks to have all charges dropped on the basis that her animals are commercial and not covered under laws that protect pets. Bell must not be allowed to continue practicing business, regardless of the court’s pending decision. By signing the petition below, you can ask the Hastings City Council to revoke Dayna Bell’s business license.

Please sign here:–http://forcechange.com/27760/put-kennel-owner-that-drowns-puppies-out-of-business/

 

PETA Demands Legal Action After Zoo Animal Drownings

DULUTH, Minn. (WCCO) – The animal rights group PETA is pressing for legal action after a number of animals at a Duluth zoo were killed amid flash flooding.

PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) issued a press release calling for “appropriate charges” in response to the deaths of several animals at Lake Superior Zoo earlier this week.

Zoo workers reported several barnyard animals — which included a donkey, sheep, and goats — were killed Wednesday morning.

The only barn animal from the zoo that survived was a mini-horse named Darla.

A number of other animals escaped their enclosures during the flooding, including Berlin the polar bear and Feisty and Vivian, a pair of seal sisters.

Some of those animals were relocated to the Como Zoo in St. Paul.

PETA argued that workers at the Lake Superior Zoo should have been aware of the danger their animals faced due to flooding from the nearby creek two years ago.

“The zoo failed to take necessary action to safeguard these animals’ lives, and those responsible must be criminally charged,” said Daphna Nachminovitch, vice president of cruelty investigations with PETA.

PETA says the zoo violated Minnesota’s cruelty-to-animals statute.

You can help families affected by the flooding by donating to the American Red Cross. The phone number is 1-800-RED-CROSS. Or text the word “REDCROSS” from your cell phone to 90999 to make a $10 donation that will go directly on your phone bill.

News Link:-http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2012/06/22/peta-demands-legal-action-after-zoo-animal-drownings/?hpt=us_bn9

Zoo’s polar bear escapes, seals ‘washed away’ in Duluth flooding

The rains and flooding in northeastern Minnesota have devastated a local zoo, killing at least 14 animals. Amid the chaos, a polar bear had to be tranquilized after escaping her enclosure, and two seals “washed away” and wound up on a Duluth thoroughfare.

That may have been how passersby knew there was a problem at Lake Superior Zoo, said spokeswoman Holly Henry — they drove past Feisty and Helen out on Grand Avenue. Escaped seal pictures were even popping up on social media.

The two seals survived the ordeal, but officials at the small Duluth zoo were mourning the loss Wednesday of the animals that died — and the death toll may grow, Henry said.

“We’re still not entirely sure how many animals were lost,” she said. Animals killed in the severe flooding included “all but one of the barnyard animals” — those in the petting zoo. Six sheep, four goats, one raven, one vulture, one snowy owl and a donkey died in the flooding.

The zoo has a creek that flows through the 16-acre property, Henry said, and when torrential rains hit, there was “severe, severe flooding.”

The drama began to unfold in the early hours of the morning. Overnight security at the zoo contacted the director of animal care about 3 a.m. to report flash flooding, she said.

Making sure the large, dangerous animals were contained was officials’ top priority, Henry said. She stressed that the zoo’s polar bear, Berlin, never escaped the zoo’s perimeter fence. The animal did, however, leave her enclosure.

“When they first spotted her, she was on her exhibit — but on the wall of her exhibit,” Henry said. At that point, the animal was not agitated — “she was really quite pleased with herself.”

The police were on hand, as were two zoo officials.

Henry said zoo personnel shot the animal with a tranquilizer dart. Then, Berlin became agitated, and “it takes a few minutes after they’re darted to go down.”

“Even though it’s a large white object, it’s pretty nerve racking,” police spokesman Jim Hansen told the Associated Press of the attempt to corral Berlin.

Henry said of the zoo property itself: “It’s a disaster.” Officials won’t know the extent of the damage to the zoo until the rain stops and they’re given a chance to inspect and begin the clean-up process.

Video & rest of news:–http://www.latimes.com/news/nation/nationnow/la-na-nn-minnesota-zoo-escape-20120620,0,4081626.story