deaths

[spaminator]

Video shows officials yanking gator from canal after it killed Florida grandmother
Author of the articleostmedia News
Published Jun 14, 2024 • Last updated 3 days ago • 1 minute read

A gator is pulled from a canal in Florida after it fatally attacked a homeless woman.
A gator is pulled from a canal in Florida after it fatally attacked a homeless woman. PHOTO BY HANDOUT /FWC
Startling bodycam footage has emerged showing the horrific aftermath of a fatal alligator attack that involved a homeless Florida grandmother.


In September, Sabrina Peckham, 41, was killed and dragged by the gator into a canal along a residential street in Largo, just south of Clearwater.

A bystander noticed Peckham’s body in the gator’s jaws and officials used a rope and chains to pull the carnivorous animal from the water, according to video from Fox 13.

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officials can be seen laying what was measured as a 13-foot, 9.5-inch-long gator on the pavement before fatally shooting it with a rifle.



The gator was cut open so officials could remove some of Peckham’s remains.

What might have provoked the gator to snatch the woman is unclear, but the FWC report provided some clues.


Peckham was living at a makeshift campsite just 35 feet from the canal. There was no evidence the gator had been at the camp and the woman’s body didn’t show signs that she had been in the water before the giant reptile dragged her in.

But a park ranger wrote in the report that he believes he spotted her walking in the area just a week before the incident.


The canal, known as McKay Creek, is regularly used by gators to travel between Ridgecrest Lake and Taylor Lake, the report said.

Peckham had a history of trespassing on wetland property, including two months before and near the area where she was killed.

Pinellas County has since erected fencing and signs to keep people away from the canal.

WATCH: Bodycam footage shows aftermath of deadly Largo gator attack

Newly released body camera footage from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission shows the aftermath of a deadly gator attack in Largo.

fox13news.com

Video shows officials yanking gator from canal after it killed Florida grandmother

Startling bodycam footage has emerged, showing the grisly aftermath of a fatal alligator attack involving a homeless Florida grandmother.

torontosun.com

 

[spaminator]

Man beaten with bat nearly 4 decades ago dies of injuries
Author of the articleostmedia News
Published Jun 16, 2024 • Last updated 1 day ago • 2 minute read

A Pennsylvania man who was beaten nearly to death with a baseball bat almost four decades ago has died of his injuries.


And the local coroner has now been ruled his death a homicide.

Craig Tschudy died June 5 at the age of 64 while being cared for at the Inners Creek Nursing Center in Dallastown, 145 kilometres west of Philadelphia, the York County Coroner’s Office said in a statement.

“The York County Coroner was notified … of the death of … Craig Tschudy, who had been injured 38 years earlier after an assault in York City,” the coroner said. “The assault caused permanent traumatic brain injury and complications as a result.”

The coroner determined Tschudy’s cause of death was diffuse traumatic brain injury.

Tschudy was unable to identify the suspects at the time of the assault and no charges were laid.

“York City Police was the investigating police agency at the time of the initial assault, and no charges were ever able to be filed at the time of the injury due to the inability to specifically identify the assailants,” the coroner said.


Police said the attack on Tschudy, who was 26 at the time, was a case of mistaken identity.


“Due to the inability to identify assailants years ago, there will be no charges,” the coroner said. “However, this is ruled a homicide in manner of death as the injuries eventually contributed to Tschudy’s death 38 years later, and there is no statute of limitations in coroner cases.”

An autopsy will not be performed, the coroner added.

According to an online obituary in the York Dispatch, Tschudy’s nickname was “PeeWee” and he had eight brothers and sisters.

He was a “friendly person who spent all his life in York” and loved weightlifting and going around town in his wheelchair, including many days spent visiting the York City Police Department.

Obituaries in York, PA | York Dispatch

Craig "PeeWee" S. Tschudy, 64, died June 5, 2024 at Inners Creek Nursing Home, Dallastown, PA. Born in York, Craig was the son of Grace A. Hansford...

yorkdispatch.com

PR06102024TschudyHom.pdf

drive.google.com

Man beaten with bat nearly 4 decades ago dies of injuries

A Pennsylvania man who was beaten nearly to death with a baseball bat almost four decades ago has died of his injuries.

torontosun.com

 

[Tecumsehsbones]

Don't know how y'all run things in Canaduh, but in Britain and the U.S., if the victim doesn't die within a year, it's not homicide.

 

[spaminator]

California woman killed by black bear that was stalking her for months
Author of the articleenette Wilford
Published Jun 17, 2024 • Last updated 1 day ago • 1 minute read

A California woman was repeatedly harassed by an aggressive black bear she nicknamed “Big Bastard” before it burst into her home and killed her.


Patrice Miller, 71, of Downieville, Calif., claimed the beast had been stalking her for months.

Deputies with the Sierra County Sheriff’s Office were dispatched to Miller’s home on Nov. 8, 2023 to conduct a welfare check.

They arrived to find her dead, and the sheriff’s office said evidence suggested she died of natural causes and the bear had broken into her home afterwards.

But the California Department of Fish and Wildlife revealed last week that the autopsy report confirmed the bear killed Miller.

“It appeared that the bear had probably been there several days and had been feeding on the remains,” Sierra County Sheriff Mike Fisher told KCRA.

The bear is believed to have pulled Miller from her bed into her living room, according to the coroner’s report, obtained by the San Francisco Chronicle.


“We’re in new territory,” Capt. Patrick Foy, of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Law Enforcement Division, said to the publication about the bizarre and unprecedented nature of the case.


Neighbours had reported seeing the bear repeatedly returning to the victim’s home.

“Every time I’d see her, something would be brought up about the bear trying to get into the house,” Cassie Koch, the victim’s friend, told the Chronicle.

“At first, it was like, ‘Oh, this pesky bear.’ But then she seemed scared about it.”

It was Koch who called police to check on Miller after she had not heard from her for a few days.

Miller’s death is the first documented fatal black bear attack on a human in the state.



Before her death, Koch said Miller wanted the bear removed but not injured.

The bear was eventually trapped and euthanized.

http://sfchronicle.com/california/article/downieville-black-bear-death-19507724.php

First deadly black bear attack on human in California documented in Sierra County

The first documented case of a deadly black bear attack on a human in California history took place in Sierra County, according to the Department of Fish and Wildlife.

kcra.com

California woman killed by black bear that was stalking her for months

A California woman was harassed by a black bear she nicknamed “Big Bastard” before it burst into her home and killed her.

torontosun.com

 

[Tecumsehsbones]

Willie Mays, the "Say Hey" Kid, 18 June 2024, aged 93.

 

[spaminator]

 

[spaminator]

Cops probing disturbance in west Hamilton over dog's death
Alleged assault, break-and-enter, dog theft part of investigation

Author of the articleostmedia News
Published Jun 20, 2024 • Last updated 3 days ago • 1 minute read

Police are investigating an alleged assault with a weapon, break-and-enter and dog theft following a chaotic disturbance in Hamilton’s Westdale neighbourhood on Wednesday.


Hamilton Police were called to the Bond St. N.-Norwood Rd. area for a street disturbance. Police alleged in a news release issued Thursday that a “large crowd of people were gathered around a car and trying to pull a woman from her vehicle.”

Police said the woman was allegedly assaulted and her phone was stolen.

Cops arrived and escorted the woman to safety.

During the investigation, it was discovered that the woman’s home had allegedly been broken into and her dog was stolen.



Police said the group had gathered to protest the death of a dog in the individual’s care. That incident and subsequent reports of animal abuse at the home are under investigation, police said, adding the provincial Animal Welfare Service is taking over that investigation as it’s the agency responsible for enforcing the Provincial Welfare Services Act.

The Hamilton Police forensics unit was on site Thursday to process evidence in the break-and-enter, police said.

The incident came amid allegations made on Facebook about a dog’s death at a pet daycare in the Westdale area.

Anyone who was in the area and has information on what took place on Wednesday is encouraged to call 905-546-3833. Information can also be provided anonymously through Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or crimestoppershamilton.com.

Animal Welfare Service is asking anyone with information regarding Kippen Cares to call 1-833-926-4625.

Cops probing disturbance in west Hamilton over dog's death

Hamilton Police are investigating an alleged assault with a weapon, break-and-enter and dog theft.

torontosun.com

 

[spaminator]

Family of deceased Hamilton dog out for justice amid reports of second death
Author of the articleenette Wilford
Published Jun 21, 2024 • 3 minute read

Cartelo, a dog that died in allegedly deplorable conditions at Hamilton sitter's home.
Cartelo allegedly died in deplorable conditions at a Hamilton sitter's home. Photo by Jenuen Monroe /Supplied
A Hamilton family is seeking justice after their dog died while in the care of a pet sitter last weekend.

Jenuen Monroe said she left her two dogs with Jessica Kippen, the owner of Kippen Cares in the Westdale neighbourhood — but returned home only with one.

Cartelo, an American pocket bully puppy, left the dog daycare in a body bag, as seen in video taken outside of the home and posted on a local Facebook page.

It also shows angry and shocked community members at the scene protesting the business.



Police also investigated an alleged assault with a weapon, break-and-enter and dog theft following a disturbance in the area on Wednesday.

The home owner of the doggy daycare was reportedly the victim of the alleged assault and the dog in care was allegedly stolen.

A second dog owner has since come forward claiming her pet died in the care of the same business within hours of Cartelo, CHCH reported.

Cassandra Almeida told the local TV station that she also dropped off her dog Sammy on Friday, but picked up the dog’s dead body on Sunday.

“It’s scary to have thought my dogs would be safe there and trusted someone that didn’t keep them safe,” Almeida said.

Almeida told the Toronto Sun that Sammy was dropped off Friday morning in Guelph to start the process of the necropsy.


She alleged that “more and more disturbing information is being brought forward from other pet owners.”

Almeida launched a GoFundMe page to “help bring justice to all the dogs (allegedly) harmed by Kippen Cares.”

Sammy, a rescue believed to be a Samoyed/Malamute mix, who allegedly died under the care of a Hamilton dog daycare.
Sammy, a rescue believed to be a Samoyed/Malamute mix. (GoFundMe) GoFundMe
No charges have been laid but Hamilton Animal Services told the outlet that at least six bylaw penalties were issued for the business address since 2021, including “keeping more than four animals and operating without a licence.”

Monroe explained to the Sun that her husband booked the dogs’ care through the Rover app for one day of overnight care on June 15 at the boarding business.

That was the last day they would see Cartelo alive, Monroe said.

Cartelo, a dog that died in allegedly deplorable conditions at Hamilton sitter's home.
Cartelo, an American pocket bully puppy. (Supplied/Jenuen Monroe) Photo by Jenuen Monroe /Supplied
Monroe said Kippen contacted the couple through the Rover app, asking them to call her, and when they did, she told them she found their dog deceased.


A spokesperson for Rover told the Sun that they have no record of the service booked and paid through their platform but added that their team is investigating the situation and will take appropriate action.

“This pet sitter’s profile has been permanently removed from our community, and they are no longer able to offer pet care services through the Rover platform,” the spokesperson said.

“As pet parents ourselves, our hearts go out to this family, and we are deeply sorry that they had this heartbreaking experience.”


Kippen has not responded to any of the Sun’s attempts to reach her but in a statement to CHCH, she said, “The death of Cartelo is a tragedy and my thoughts are with his family at this time of loss.”


She did not mention Sammy.

Ontario’s animal welfare services organization, PAWS, is conducting an investigation into the matter, a spokesperson for the Ministry of the Solicitor General confirmed to the Toronto Sun, but was unable to provide more details.

Monroe also started a GoFundMe to help “get Cartelo the justice he deserves.”

The family hopes to get closure as they proceed with Cartelo’s cremation as well as launch investigations with government agencies and take care of legal fees as they look into a possible civil suit.

“Our goal is to bring awareness but also get justice for Cartelo and all the other pets and families that have fallen victim to Jess Kippens who never cared.”

571K views · 3.1K reactions | Hamilton Police have attended at 22 Parkside Drive to assist in recovering the body of Cartelo from Jessica Kippen of “KippenCares” freezer. Cartelo’s... | By Hamilton Neighbourhood WatchFacebook

Hamilton Police have attended at 22 Parkside Drive to assist in recovering the body of Cartelo from Jessica Kippen of “KippenCares” freezer. Cartelo’s...

facebook.com

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1803797278521524554

Donate to Helping get Cartelo get the justice he deserves ️, organized by Jenuen Monroe

Hello, my name is Jenuen and I am raising money to help my family brin… Jenuen Monroe needs your support for Helping get Cartelo get the justice he deserves ️

gofundme.com

Donate to Help bring justice to all the dogs harmed by Kippen Cares, organized by Cassandra Almeida

Hi, my name is Cassandra and I am raising money to help bring… Cassandra Almeida needs your support for Help bring justice to all the dogs harmed by Kippen Cares

gofundme.com

Family of deceased Hamilton dog out for justice amid reports of second death

A Hamilton family is seeking justice after their dog died in the care of a pet sitter.

torontosun.com

 

[spaminator]

Court revives lawsuit over Detroit-area woman who was found alive in a body bag
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Ed White
Published Jun 28, 2024 • 2 minute read

DETROIT — A Michigan appeals court revived a lawsuit against Detroit-area paramedics after a woman who had been declared dead gasped for air with her eyes open when a body bag was unzipped at a funeral home.


A judge was wrong to dismiss the lawsuit in favour of Southfield paramedics before the parties could conduct interviews and gather other evidence, a process known as discovery, the court said in a 3-0 opinion Thursday.

Timesha Beauchamp, who had cerebral palsy, was struggling to breathe when her family called 911 in August 2020.

The medical crew tried to resuscitate her but ultimately called a doctor, who declared the 20-year-old dead without going to the home. Beauchamp was never taken to a hospital.

Later that day, a funeral home unzipped the body bag and found Beauchamp had her eyes open. She was rushed to a hospital but died two months later.

Beauchamp’s family accused the medical crew of gross negligence. Oakland County Judge Nanci Grant dismissed the lawsuit, saying the Southfield employees had governmental immunity.


An attorney for the medical crew, Kali Henderson, acknowledged that it “sounds really bad” to say there’s no liability for the paramedics and emergency medical technicians.

“Where do we have the facts that anything they could have done would have changed her condition?” Henderson told the appeals court on June 12.

But Judge Brock Swartzle said lawyers for Beauchamp’s estate haven’t yet taken depositions and gathered more information.

“Discovery might show that they are not responsible for her passing two months later,” he said of Beauchamp’s death. “Just focusing on her being in a body bag for a certain amount of time _ that would frighten, shock, humiliate anyone, wouldn’t it?”

“Certainly, your honour,” Henderson replied, “and I don’t disagree with that.”

The lawsuit now will return to Oakland County court.

Immediately after Beauchamp was found alive, the Southfield fire chief said it might be a case of “Lazarus syndrome,” a reference to people who come back to life without assistance after attempts to resuscitate have failed.

Court revives lawsuit over Detroit-area woman who was found alive in a body bag

A Michigan appeals court revived a lawsuit against Detroit-area paramedics after a woman was found alive in a body bag at a funeral home.

torontosun.com

 

[spaminator]

400 feral cats killed in controversial New Zealand hunt held annually
The event originally began as a wild pig hunt but then grew to include feral cats due to their growing population

Author of the article:Jane Stevenson
Published Jul 02, 2024 • 2 minute read

Nearly 400 feral cats have reportedly been killed in a controversial New Zealand culling competition.
Nearly 400 feral cats have reportedly been killed in a controversial New Zealand culling competition.
Nearly 400 feral cats have reportedly been killed in a controversial New Zealand culling competition.


The annual hunt allows children and adults to kill mainly feral cats for cash prizes although deer, pigs, ducks, possums and rabbits are also on the hit list, the New York Post reported.

The U.K. Times reported that over 1,500 people, including 440 children, participated in this year’s event despite backlash that greets the hunt each year.

Animal rights groups like the Animal Justice Party think there are other ways to manage the feral cat population including a trap-and-neuter program.

But Hunt organizer Matt Bailey defended the event and called the country’s feral cat population “possessed by the devil.”

“Out here in the country, we do things a bit differently,” Bailey said on Tuesday after the event.

Bailey added the publicity generated by protesters has “been the best thing that has happened to the competition. These (feral cats) are possessed by the devil or like the devil on methamphetamine. These are feral wild beasts. They will try and attack you, if you get your hand near the cage, they will try and have you, you can see the evil in their eyes.”


One person dispatched of 65 cats, winning the $500 prize for the most cats killed in the process while a $1,000 prize for the largest dead cat was also awarded.

The competition led to a clash between protesters and hunters with the former saying they were forced to leave when children began throwing rocks at them.


The event originally began as a local wild pig hunt but eventually included feral cats as farmers noticed their growing population.

The hunt sees feral cats caught in box traps and a .22-calibre rifle used to kill them with safeguarding in place to prevent domesticated cats from being killed.

According to Bailey, people need to stop leaving unwanted cats in the countryside and new laws are required to enforce that from happening.

“They just turn up on the side of the road, so people coming out of Christchurch are just discarding these animals, thinking they’re doing the right thing because they don’t have the money to put them down,” he said.

400 feral cats killed in controversial New Zealand hunt held annually

Nearly 400 feral cats have reportedly been killed in a controversial New Zealand culling competition.

torontosun.com

 

[spaminator]

To save spotted owls, US officials plan to kill hundreds of thousands of another owl species
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Matthew Brown
Published Jul 03, 2024 • Last updated 12 hours ago • 4 minute read

Killing-Owls
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service wants to kill barred owls in California, Oregon and Washington to help struggling populations of spotted owls.
To save the imperiled spotted owl from potential extinction, U.S. wildlife officials are embracing a contentious plan to deploy trained shooters into dense West Coast forests to kill almost a half-million barred owls that are crowding out their cousins.


The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service strategy released Wednesday is meant to prop up declining spotted owl populations in Oregon, Washington state and California. The Associated Press obtained details in advance.

Documents released by the agency show up to about 450,000 barred owls would be shot over three decades after the birds from the eastern U.S. encroached into the West Coast territory of two owls: northern spotted owls and California spotted owls. The smaller spotted owls have been unable to compete with the invaders, which have large broods and need less room to survive than spotted owls.

Past efforts to save spotted owls focused on protecting the forests where they live, sparking bitter fights over logging but also helping slow the birds’ decline. The proliferation of barred owls in recent years is undermining that earlier work, officials said.


“Without actively managing barred owls, northern spotted owls will likely go extinct in all or the majority of their range, despite decades of collaborative conservation efforts,” said Fish and Wildlife Service Oregon state supervisor Kessina Lee.

The notion of killing one bird species to save another has divided wildlife advocates and conservationists. It’s reminiscent of past government efforts to save West Coast salmon by killing sea lions and cormorants that prey on the fish, and to preserve warblers by killing cowbirds that lay eggs in warbler nests.

Some advocates grudgingly accepted the barred owl removal strategy; others said it’s reckless diversion from needed forest preservation.

“The Fish and Wildlife Service is turning from protector of wildlife to persecutor of wildlife,” said Wayne Pacelle, founder of the advocacy group Animal Wellness Action. He predicted the program would fail because the agency won’t be able to keep more barred owls from migrating into areas where others have been killed.


The shootings would likely begin next spring, officials said. Barred owls would be lured using megaphones to broadcast recorded owl calls, then shot with shotguns. Carcasses would be buried on site.

The birds already are being killed by researchers in some spotted owl habitats, with about 4,500 removed since 2009, said Robin Bown, barred owl strategy leader for the Fish and Wildlife Service. Those targeted included barred owls in California’s Sierra Nevada region, where the animals have only recently arrived and officials want to stop populations from taking hold.

In other areas where barred owls are more established, officials aim to reduce their numbers but acknowledge shooting owls is unlikely to eliminate them entirely.


Supporters include the American Bird Conservancy and other conservation groups.

Barred owls don’t belong in the West, said American Bird Conservancy Vice President Steve Holmer. Killing them is unfortunate, he added, but reducing their numbers could allow them to live alongside spotted owls over the long term.

“As the old forests are allowed to regrow, hopefully coexistence is possible and maybe we don’t need to do as much” shooting, Holmer said.


The killings would reduce nationwide barred owl numbers by less than 1%, officials said. That compares with potential extinction for spotted owls should the problem go unaddressed.

Public hunting of barred owls wouldn’t be allowed. The wildlife service would designate government agencies, landowners, American Indian tribes or companies to carry out the killings. Shooters would have to provide documentation of training or experience in owl identification and firearm skills.


The publishing in the coming days of a final environmental study on the proposal will open a 30-day comment period before a final decision is made.

The barred owl plan follows decades of conflict between conservationists and timber companies, which cut down vast areas of older forests where spotted owls reside.

Early efforts to save the birds culminated in logging bans in the 1990s that roiled the timber industry and its political supporters in Congress.

Yet spotted owl populations continued declining after barred owls started showing up on the West Coast several decades ago. Across study sites in the region, at least half of spotted owls have been lost, with losses topping 75% in some areas, said Katherine Fitzgerald, who leads the wildlife service’s northern spotted owl recovery program.


Opponents say the mass killing of barred owls would cause severe disruption to forest ecosystems and could lead to other species _ including spotted owls — being mistakenly shot. They’ve also challenged the notion that barred owls don’t belong on the West Coast, characterizing their expanding range as a natural ecological phenomenon.

Researchers say barred owls moved westward by one of two routes: across the Great Plains, where trees planted by settlers gave them a foothold in new areas; or via Canada’s boreal forests, which have become more hospitable as temperatures rise because of climate change.

Northern spotted owls are federally protected as a threatened species. Federal officials determined in 2020 that their continued decline merited an upgrade to the more critical designation of “endangered.” But the Fish and Wildlife Service refused to do so at the time, saying other species took priority.

California spotted owls were proposed for federal protections last year. A decision is pending.

Under former President Donald Trump, government officials stripped habitat protections for spotted owls at the behest of the timber industry. Those were reinstated under President Joe Biden after the Interior Department said political appointees under Trump relied on faulty science to justify their weakening of protections.

To save spotted owls, US officials plan to kill hundreds of thousands of another owl species

In order to save spotted owls.

torontosun.com

 

[Tecumsehsbones]

Well, I suppose it beats untrained shooters.

 

[Ron in Regina]

To save spotted owls, US officials plan to kill hundreds of thousands of another owl species
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Matthew Brown
Published Jul 03, 2024 • Last updated 12 hours ago • 4 minute read

Killing-Owls
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service wants to kill barred owls in California, Oregon and Washington to help struggling populations of spotted owls.
To save the imperiled spotted owl from potential extinction, U.S. wildlife officials are embracing a contentious plan to deploy trained shooters into dense West Coast forests to kill almost a half-million barred owls that are crowding out their cousins.


The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service strategy released Wednesday is meant to prop up declining spotted owl populations in Oregon, Washington state and California. The Associated Press obtained details in advance.

Documents released by the agency show up to about 450,000 barred owls would be shot over three decades after the birds from the eastern U.S. encroached into the West Coast territory of two owls: northern spotted owls and California spotted owls. The smaller spotted owls have been unable to compete with the invaders, which have large broods and need less room to survive than spotted owls.

Past efforts to save spotted owls focused on protecting the forests where they live, sparking bitter fights over logging but also helping slow the birds’ decline. The proliferation of barred owls in recent years is undermining that earlier work, officials said.


“Without actively managing barred owls, northern spotted owls will likely go extinct in all or the majority of their range, despite decades of collaborative conservation efforts,” said Fish and Wildlife Service Oregon state supervisor Kessina Lee.

The notion of killing one bird species to save another has divided wildlife advocates and conservationists. It’s reminiscent of past government efforts to save West Coast salmon by killing sea lions and cormorants that prey on the fish, and to preserve warblers by killing cowbirds that lay eggs in warbler nests.

Some advocates grudgingly accepted the barred owl removal strategy; others said it’s reckless diversion from needed forest preservation.

“The Fish and Wildlife Service is turning from protector of wildlife to persecutor of wildlife,” said Wayne Pacelle, founder of the advocacy group Animal Wellness Action. He predicted the program would fail because the agency won’t be able to keep more barred owls from migrating into areas where others have been killed.


The shootings would likely begin next spring, officials said. Barred owls would be lured using megaphones to broadcast recorded owl calls, then shot with shotguns. Carcasses would be buried on site.

The birds already are being killed by researchers in some spotted owl habitats, with about 4,500 removed since 2009, said Robin Bown, barred owl strategy leader for the Fish and Wildlife Service. Those targeted included barred owls in California’s Sierra Nevada region, where the animals have only recently arrived and officials want to stop populations from taking hold.

In other areas where barred owls are more established, officials aim to reduce their numbers but acknowledge shooting owls is unlikely to eliminate them entirely.


Supporters include the American Bird Conservancy and other conservation groups.

Barred owls don’t belong in the West, said American Bird Conservancy Vice President Steve Holmer. Killing them is unfortunate, he added, but reducing their numbers could allow them to live alongside spotted owls over the long term.

“As the old forests are allowed to regrow, hopefully coexistence is possible and maybe we don’t need to do as much” shooting, Holmer said.


The killings would reduce nationwide barred owl numbers by less than 1%, officials said. That compares with potential extinction for spotted owls should the problem go unaddressed.

Public hunting of barred owls wouldn’t be allowed. The wildlife service would designate government agencies, landowners, American Indian tribes or companies to carry out the killings. Shooters would have to provide documentation of training or experience in owl identification and firearm skills.


The publishing in the coming days of a final environmental study on the proposal will open a 30-day comment period before a final decision is made.

The barred owl plan follows decades of conflict between conservationists and timber companies, which cut down vast areas of older forests where spotted owls reside.

Early efforts to save the birds culminated in logging bans in the 1990s that roiled the timber industry and its political supporters in Congress.

Yet spotted owl populations continued declining after barred owls started showing up on the West Coast several decades ago. Across study sites in the region, at least half of spotted owls have been lost, with losses topping 75% in some areas, said Katherine Fitzgerald, who leads the wildlife service’s northern spotted owl recovery program.


Opponents say the mass killing of barred owls would cause severe disruption to forest ecosystems and could lead to other species _ including spotted owls — being mistakenly shot. They’ve also challenged the notion that barred owls don’t belong on the West Coast, characterizing their expanding range as a natural ecological phenomenon.

Researchers say barred owls moved westward by one of two routes: across the Great Plains, where trees planted by settlers gave them a foothold in new areas; or via Canada’s boreal forests, which have become more hospitable as temperatures rise because of climate change.

Northern spotted owls are federally protected as a threatened species. Federal officials determined in 2020 that their continued decline merited an upgrade to the more critical designation of “endangered.” But the Fish and Wildlife Service refused to do so at the time, saying other species took priority.

California spotted owls were proposed for federal protections last year. A decision is pending.

Under former President Donald Trump, government officials stripped habitat protections for spotted owls at the behest of the timber industry. Those were reinstated under President Joe Biden after the Interior Department said political appointees under Trump relied on faulty science to justify their weakening of protections.

To save spotted owls, US officials plan to kill hundreds of thousands of another owl species

In order to save spotted owls.

torontosun.com

Well, I suppose it beats untrained shooters.

Over a century, barred owls had dramatically expanded their range, migrating from the forests of the East Coast, up into northern Alberta and British Columbia, then down into the Pacific Northwest, where they arrived by 1965. These owls aren’t following international cabotage rules.

One common theory is that the barred owl's westward movement was precipitated by changes to the environment in the boreal forest and Great Plains as Europeans increasingly settled there and dramatically altered the landscape.

Barred owls sounds like the bionic version of spotted owls. Bigger stronger faster with bigger broods consuming more feed, etc…but there is a bigger badder owl out there that eats barred owls, & that’s the horned owl that can take large prey, including raptors such as Ospreys, Peregrine Falcons, Prairie Falcons, and other owls.

They also eat much smaller items such as rodents, frogs, and scorpions. When clenched, a Great Horned Owl's strong talons require a force of 28 pounds to open. The great horned owl can take care of that pesky barred owl problem, and the spotted owls while they’re at it. Sort of a two for one, with no shooters necessary in the nature of killing the way into biodiversity, or not, look over there!!

 

[spaminator]

Special adviser to Syrian President Assad dies following car crash under unclear circumstances
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Published Jul 05, 2024 • 1 minute read

DAMASCUS – A close adviser to Syrian President Bashar Assad has died after a car accident left her hospitalized for four days, the president’s office said Friday in a statement.


Luna al-Shibl, a former journalist, had worked as the director of Assad’s political and media offices and as a special adviser to the president. She was slapped with U.S. sanctions in 2020 along with five other Syrian military, government and financial officials, and later was also sanctioned by the United Kingdom.

Syria’s state-run news agency SANA reported Tuesday that al-Shibl had been in an accident that “caused the car she was in to swerve off the road, and she was subjected to several collisions.” She was hospitalized in Damascus and admitted to intensive care with “severe injuries” including a head hemorrhage.

The U.K.-based opposition war monitor Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported at the time that another car had hit al-Shibl and its driver was arrested. Official statements on the crash did not mention another car.


Al-Shibl initially rose to regional prominence as an anchor for Al Jazeera, but left the Qatar-based news network in 2011 following the outbreak of the Syrian anti-government protests that spiraled into a civil war after the Assad government’s brutal crackdown on demonstrators. Al Jazeera took a stance supportive of the Syrian opposition.


Al-Shibl was formerly married to Sami Kleib, a prominent Lebanese journalist with a wide following around the Middle East.

Assad’s office said in a statement that “the Presidency extends its sincere condolences and sympathy to her family and loved ones.”

Special adviser to Syrian President Assad dies following car crash under unclear circumstances

A close adviser to Syrian President Bashar Assad has died after a car accident left her hospitalized for four days

torontosun.com

 

[spaminator]

With women dying at 'alarming rate' from violence, province urged to act
London, Ont. city council declared intimate partner violence and femicide an epidemic on July 25, 2023

Author of the article:Heather Rivers
Published Jul 08, 2024 • Last updated 1 day ago • 3 minute read

Advocates for abused women in the London area are urging the province to act in the wake of “unbearable” intimate partner violence that has claimed the lives of several women in the last few weeks.


A bill to declare intimate partner violence an epidemic in Ontario passed second reading at Queen’s Park and needs to be read a third time to ensure it is passed.

“I just want them to pay attention to what is going on and the seriousness of what is going on,” said Jennifer Dunn, executive director of the London Abused Women’s Centre. “We need the province to take this seriously and declare intimate partner violence an epidemic provincially.

“Also they can’t just put the words out there and say it’s an epidemic without doing anything about it.”

On July 4, a Woodstock woman was shot outside a home by her husband, who then took his own life, Woodstock police said.

The woman is recovering in hospital and police said they are investigating the shooting “through an intimate partner violence lens.”


George Curtis, 44, of London was charged with second-degree murder in the death of Cheryl Sheldon, 62. She was found critically injured in her apartment at 345 Wharncliffe Rd. N. in London on June 22 and died in hospital.

Friends of Sheldon said Curtis was her boyfriend. London police included a statement on intimate partner violence when they accounced the charge against Curtis.

“We know that, among cases reported to police, women make up a large majority – close to 80 pe rcent – of victims of intimate partner violence. We also know that intimate partner violence is underreported,” said deputy chief Paul Bastien said.

Carly Stannard-Walsh, 41, her 13-year-old daughter and eight-year-old son died after they were shot at their home in Harrow, near Windsor. Their bodies, and the body of Steven Walsh, 42, were found by police on June 20. Steven Walsh died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, OPP said.


“The initial investigation has determined that this is a case of intimate partner violence,” police said.

Londoner David Yates, 50, is charged with second-degree murder in the death of Caitlin Jennings. Jennings, 22, died in July 2023.

Tiffany Gates, 30 was found dead in September 2023 along with the body of a man, later identified by Gates’ family as boyfriend Chris Charlton.

Tanya Wiebe, 38, was shot to death, police said. Her boyfriend, 34-year-old Kyle Savage, died of gunshot wounds at a home in Elgin County in January.

“For women to keep losing their lives is borderline unbearable,” Dunn said. “It feels like we are up against a wall.”

London city council declared intimate partner violence and femicide an epidemic on July 25, 2023.


Ninety-four Ontario communities have followed suit.

Jessie Rodger, who heads Anova, a London agency that provides shelter for abused women and counselling, said it is important “to not just declare” a state of emergency.

“For the city of London, one of those things they need to be doing is shelter beds. I think that is loud and clear. There isn’t enough,” she said. “We are full all the time. It takes a woman four times to call before they have a space.”

The Canadian Femicide Observatory for Justice and Accountability, a woman or girl is killed every 48 hours in Canada.

“We need to be paying attention to this in a way that will actually make it stop — prevention and education from a younger age. Some of that work is being done but obviously not enough,” Dunn said.

Diane Harris, executive director of Woodstock’s Domestic Abuse Services Oxford and Ingamo Homes, a transitional housing agency for women and children fleeing domestic violence, also urges the province to move faster.

“Women are dying across our province,” she said. “This is an alarming rate. Something needs to be done.”

HRivers@postmedia.com
@HeatheratLFP

With women dying at 'alarming rate' from violence, province urged to act

Advocates for abused women in the London area are urging the province to act in the wake of the deaths of several women in recent weeks

torontosun.com

 

[spaminator]

Hundreds of people charged with murder while on bail
Further proof of Trudeau's revolving door bail system.


Author of the article:Brian Lilley
Published Jul 09, 2024 • Last updated 1 day ago • 3 minute read

You won't believe how many offenders are charged with murder while already out of bail for another crime.

The problem of repeat violent offenders is not just real in Canada, it’s deadly. A Trudeau government response to a written question in Parliament shows just how deadly.


A question submitted by Conservative deputy leader Melissa Lantsman asked the government how many people have been charged with homicide while out on bail or another type of release.

The numbers, broken down by year, are shocking.

In 2022, there were 256 people charged with homicide while on some kind of release, including house arrest and parole. With 874 homicides in 2022, the 256 people charged while on release would equate to 29% of all homicides.

While justice insiders will quickly caution that people charged in 2022 may have been charged with a murder happening in other years, the numbers are still staggering.

“It obviously speaks to the problem on bail that we’ve been speaking about and speaking about repeatedly,” said Conservative MP Frank Caputo during an interview.


Caputo is a former Crown prosecutor turned politician who has been looking at how the system works and right now, he says, the system is not keeping the public safe.


“The Liberals have to know that bail is a problem, and they’re doing so little about it,” Caputo said.

While the original question submitted by the Conservatives asked for the number of people charged with homicide broken down by the type of release they were on from 2016 through 2022, the response wasn’t quite that detailed. The government only provided figures from 2019 through 2022 and lumped all kinds of release in together — from bail to house arrest, parole to community supervision.

In 2019, there were 182 people charged with homicide while on release; in 2020, the total was 198; in 2021, there were 171; and in 2022, the number came in at 256. Caputo calls it part of a disturbing trend of this government.


The Conservatives have been hounding the Liberals on the impact of their bail reforms, which took place in 2019 and are still being felt throughout the system.

Under Bill C-75, judges and justices of the peace were instructed by changes to federal law to practice restraint on the matter of bail. The changes specifically said that those considering the case should, “give primary consideration to the release of the accused at the earliest reasonable opportunity and on the least onerous conditions that are appropriate in the circumstances.”

Under intense pressure from the opposition and provincial governments across the country, the Trudeau Liberals agreed to toughen up bail but only for the most serious violent, repeat offenders. That means the vast majority of people proceeding through the system still receive release at the earliest possible time with the least onerous conditions.


Caputo said that on a scale of one to 10, Bill C-48, which slightly tightened bail conditions, was about a 1 1/2. It didn’t go nearly far enough in putting measures in place to keep those who would do us harm behind bars.

That’s never been the Trudeau government’s view on criminal justice matters, though; it’s always been about making life easier for the convicted class.

Case in point, when then-justice minister David Lametti introduced Bill C-5 in November 2022, he described it as giving those who made small mistakes a second chance at life. The bill was really about eliminating mandatory minimum sentences for second and third convictions of serious gun and drug crimes.

There has been a lot of chatter about the revolving door that is the bail system in Canada; now we know how many people out on bail are charged with murder in a given year while on release.

It’s in the hundreds. That shouldn’t make any of us feel safe, but this is the reality of Trudeau’s Canada and his bizarre view of the justice system.

LILLEY: Hundreds of people charged with murder while on bail

You won't believe how many offenders are charged with murder while already out of bail for another crime.

torontosun.com

 

[petros]

Shelley Duval 75YO

 

[Dixie Cup]

With women dying at 'alarming rate' from violence, province urged to act
London, Ont. city council declared intimate partner violence and femicide an epidemic on July 25, 2023

Author of the article:Heather Rivers
Published Jul 08, 2024 • Last updated 1 day ago • 3 minute read

Advocates for abused women in the London area are urging the province to act in the wake of “unbearable” intimate partner violence that has claimed the lives of several women in the last few weeks.


A bill to declare intimate partner violence an epidemic in Ontario passed second reading at Queen’s Park and needs to be read a third time to ensure it is passed.

“I just want them to pay attention to what is going on and the seriousness of what is going on,” said Jennifer Dunn, executive director of the London Abused Women’s Centre. “We need the province to take this seriously and declare intimate partner violence an epidemic provincially.

“Also they can’t just put the words out there and say it’s an epidemic without doing anything about it.”

On July 4, a Woodstock woman was shot outside a home by her husband, who then took his own life, Woodstock police said.

The woman is recovering in hospital and police said they are investigating the shooting “through an intimate partner violence lens.”


George Curtis, 44, of London was charged with second-degree murder in the death of Cheryl Sheldon, 62. She was found critically injured in her apartment at 345 Wharncliffe Rd. N. in London on June 22 and died in hospital.

Friends of Sheldon said Curtis was her boyfriend. London police included a statement on intimate partner violence when they accounced the charge against Curtis.

“We know that, among cases reported to police, women make up a large majority – close to 80 pe rcent – of victims of intimate partner violence. We also know that intimate partner violence is underreported,” said deputy chief Paul Bastien said.

Carly Stannard-Walsh, 41, her 13-year-old daughter and eight-year-old son died after they were shot at their home in Harrow, near Windsor. Their bodies, and the body of Steven Walsh, 42, were found by police on June 20. Steven Walsh died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, OPP said.


“The initial investigation has determined that this is a case of intimate partner violence,” police said.

Londoner David Yates, 50, is charged with second-degree murder in the death of Caitlin Jennings. Jennings, 22, died in July 2023.

Tiffany Gates, 30 was found dead in September 2023 along with the body of a man, later identified by Gates’ family as boyfriend Chris Charlton.

Tanya Wiebe, 38, was shot to death, police said. Her boyfriend, 34-year-old Kyle Savage, died of gunshot wounds at a home in Elgin County in January.

“For women to keep losing their lives is borderline unbearable,” Dunn said. “It feels like we are up against a wall.”

London city council declared intimate partner violence and femicide an epidemic on July 25, 2023.


Ninety-four Ontario communities have followed suit.

Jessie Rodger, who heads Anova, a London agency that provides shelter for abused women and counselling, said it is important “to not just declare” a state of emergency.

“For the city of London, one of those things they need to be doing is shelter beds. I think that is loud and clear. There isn’t enough,” she said. “We are full all the time. It takes a woman four times to call before they have a space.”

The Canadian Femicide Observatory for Justice and Accountability, a woman or girl is killed every 48 hours in Canada.

“We need to be paying attention to this in a way that will actually make it stop — prevention and education from a younger age. Some of that work is being done but obviously not enough,” Dunn said.

Diane Harris, executive director of Woodstock’s Domestic Abuse Services Oxford and Ingamo Homes, a transitional housing agency for women and children fleeing domestic violence, also urges the province to move faster.

“Women are dying across our province,” she said. “This is an alarming rate. Something needs to be done.”

HRivers@postmedia.com
@HeatheratLFP

With women dying at 'alarming rate' from violence, province urged to act

Advocates for abused women in the London area are urging the province to act in the wake of the deaths of several women in recent weeks

torontosun.com

OK, so how is declaring it an "epidemic' going to change things? Just askin....like: Does it allow governments to implement something ([policies?) to stop it? What are the expectations? I don't know so that's why I'm asking.

 

[Tecumsehsbones]

OK, so how is declaring it an "epidemic' going to change things? Just askin....like: Does it allow governments to implement something ([policies?) to stop it? What are the expectations? I don't know so that's why I'm asking.

It'll mean they take it REALLY, REALLY seriously! Vote for us!

 

[spaminator]

Calgary woman charged after her dog dies of heat in car
Police called the incident an 'avoidable tragedy'

Author of the article:Hiren Mansukhani
Published Jul 11, 2024 • Last updated 1 day ago • 2 minute read

A woman has been charged in relation to the death of a dog left in a car for more than two hours on Canada Day in the southeast community of Mountain Park, according to Calgary Police.


Police were called to Mount Copper Green S.E. at 5 p.m. after witnesses reported the dog was panting so heavily that the car was shaking.

An officer who responded to the scene noticed the windows shut and the doors locked. The officer broke the window in an attempt to save the unresponsive dog, a four-year-old female Alaskan Malamute-German Shepard crossbreed named Lucky.

The temperature outside was believed to be about 20 C at the time.

Lucky’s owner, Kaitlyn Rose Folkins, 30, has been charged with causing damage and injury to an animal.

“It boggles my mind that we continue to receive calls for service related to animals left in hot vehicles,” said District 8 Acting Insp. Scott Neilson of the Calgary Police Service.


“Lucky’s death was an avoidable tragedy, and I’m asking Calgarians to think of her the next time they consider leaving an animal inside of a car on a warm or hot day, even for a short period.”

Calgary Humane Society director of enforcement Brad Nichols asked pet owners to leave their animals at home instead of in a vehicle.

“Dogs do not regulate body temperature like humans; they don’t sweat and are so much more susceptible to heat-related injury,” Nichols said.

“What are you willing to lose? A windshield? A pet? Money to pay a fine? Your freedom due to incarceration? It’s all at risk if you decide to leave an animal in a car in the temperatures we are currently experiencing.”

If you see an animal alone in a vehicle on a warm or hot day, police encourage you to call 911 immediately. You can also report an animal left inside a hot vehicle to the Calgary Humane Society by calling 403-205-4455.

Calgary woman charged after her dog dies of heat in car

A pet dog died of heat after being left in a car by her owner on Canada Day in the southeast community of Mountain Park.

torontosun.com