A Siamese cat is lucky to be alive after getting stuck in a fan belt.

Coco apparently climbed into the car to seek shelter from the cold. She had no time to react when the owner turned the ignition.

“We got a call from the Charleston area, and someone had heard this racket,” said Bill Tanguay, of the Animal Rescue League. “It sounded like an animal in some kind of distress… opened up the hood and found Coco in there.”

“She’d been injured by the fan belt and moving parts of the engine,” Dr. Martha Smith, Director of Medical Services with the Animal Rescue League of Boston, said. “She was terribly ripped up. The moving parts of the car caused the skin to twist around the body, kind of like an Indian burn, so she has some terrible lacerations.”

Coco had also been limping on a broken leg for upwards of three weeks.

Emergency surgery helped her keep her remaining eight lives, but the mystery of where she came from remains.

A microchip implanted by some previous pet owners showed she once lived in Iowa.

“The information never got registered to the owner. So, we can’t track them down,” said Dr. Smith. “Coco is doing phenomenally, safely say she’s out of the woods.”

ONE of Scotland’s most enthralling wildlife spectacles debuts as the centrepiece in a new Ardnamurchan visitor attraction – and may mean a substantial economic boost for the area.

Nature enthusiasts will be able to get up close and personal with golden eagles in their natural habitat among the craggy glens on the peninsula’s wild, western coast.

The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) in partnership with the Ardnamurchan Natural History Centre will host the new attraction, featuring CCTV cameras trained on a deer carcass, which will allow observation of wild golden eagles as they come in and feed.

There will also be extensive new displays about golden eagles, as well as the range of wildlife viewing opportunities that already exist at the centre in Glenmore, near Salen.

On Mull, a similar project allowing people to view white-tailed sea eagles has become a firmly-established tourist magnet, pulling in hordes of wildlife enthusiasts and boosting the island’s economy by as much as £1.7 million annually according to a recent economic assessment.

Dave Sexton, RSPB’s Mull and Ardnamurchan officer, said: “Golden eagles are without doubt one of the most awe-inspiring species in the UK and if you are lucky enough to glimpse a view of them in their natural habitat, the sight will not fail to astound.

“The sea eagle reintroduction on Mull has been a huge success, and many people come to this part of the world now with wildlife watching in mind.

“The economic benefits for Mull have been fantastic, and hopefully this will be repeated here in Ardnamurchan.”

Ritchie Dinnes, manager of the Ardnamurchan Natural History Centre, added: “The eagle viewing gives a new dimension to what we offer at the centre and we’re hopeful it will be a big draw for visitors.

“Already lots of people ask about where they can see golden eagles, and now we’ll be able to give them a chance to see them as well as talk about the species and nature conservation.

“At the centre everything we try and do ties in – we serve local food, promote the area’s natural assets and talk about sustainability.

“Hopefully visitors will agree that you can’t get much better than taking what’s special that you have in an area and showcasing it as well as you can.”

A dog purchased by the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office in November 2006 is off to a great start.

Mik began attending his K-9 basic training in January and passed his Oregon Police Canine Association just two weeks ago. He should complete his required training course at the end of the week.

The dog and his handler, Deputy Don Boone, are already compiling an impressive capture rate. In their first three shifts on patrol, Mik and Boone had three out of four captures with one bite and two surrenders, locating suspects in an attic and behind a bathroom door.

Mik, 4, is a Belgian Malanois imported from Europe by Adlerhorst International, in Riverside, Calif.

The first elephant born at the Louisville Zoo made his first public appearance Wednesday afternoon.

A 21-year-old African elephant named Mikki gave birth to the calf last month.

He was born weighing 285lbs and was 37.5 inches tall.

It’s the first elephant born in the zoo’s 38-year history.

The zoo is holding a contest to name the baby and other new additions including a female pygmy hippo, a female antelope and three maned wolf pups.

While the peak bird migration occurs during April and May, many species have already passed through on their way to summer breeding grounds farther north.

For example, of the 24 species of ducks that occur in Augusta County, only two nest in our area: wood duck and mallard. We may see a few waterfowl from now into May, but most of the wintering and migrant ducks are well on their way.

Certain species migrate in large flocks during March, with some remaining to nest here and others moving farther north. For example, on March 18 Allen Larner counted large numbers of three species throughout the county, the most that have ever been seen in one day during spring in Augusta County. The three book-breakers include:

# American robin — 797, including 600 in the Swoope area and 197 throughout the county.

# Red-winged blackbird — 750, including 350 in the Swoope area and 400 throughout the county.

# Brown-headed cowbird — 465, including 250 in the Swoope area and 215 throughout the county.

Other early migrants include the fox sparrow and eastern towhee during late February and early March. Many readers have reported seeing one or two of these birds at their bird feeders.

Bird-watchers enjoy the migration when they look for species that can be seen only when they are passing through. Of the 38 species of warblers that occur in Augusta County, 21 will stay and nest here, some only at high elevations. Seventeen species of warblers will move on to the northern United States and Canada, raise their families, then pass through again in September and October. Then there are the 31 species of shorebirds, of which only the killdeer and American woodcock nest here on a regular basis and, occasionally, the spotted sandpiper. The other 28 species move on.

Birds that have spent the winter in Augusta County, including white-throated and white crowned sparrows and swamp sparrows, will soon be on their way north. The dark-eyed juncos may migrate to the northern spruce forests or may choose a “vertical” migration and nest in Augusta County at highest elevations such as Reddish Knob, Elliott Knob and the Blue Ridge Parkway.

While bird-watchers enjoy their hobby year-round, there is increased excitement and extensive field work in spring and fall. For us, migration is the best time of the year.

A cat that went berserk, jumping on its owners’ bed and meowing wildly as carbon monoxide filled a home, may have helped save a couple and their son from death.

Eric and Cathy Keesling said their 14-year-old cat, Winnie, played a crucial role in saving their lives March 24 after a gasoline-powered water pump in their basement caused a buildup of the odorless but deadly gas in their home.
About 1 a.m., the domestic shorthair began nudging Cathy’s ear and meowing loudly.
“It was a crazy meow, almost like she was screaming,” said Cathy, who hesitated to get up until Winnie’s caterwauling and jumping about the bed persisted.
When she finally climbed from bed, she realized she was extremely nauseous and dizzy and couldn’t awaken her husband. Because he had undergone minor neck surgery the previous day, she decided to call 911, but was so disoriented she had trouble dialing.
Paramedics soon arrived and found the couple’s 14-year-old son, Michael, lying unconscious on the floor near his bedroom. The Keeslings were taken from the home in oxygen masks and treated from a carbon monoxide levels in their systems.
The family, which soon recovered, is grateful to emergency personnel for rescuing them and their two cats, Winnie and a Siamese named Max to safety. But they credit “Winnie the Wondercat” for playing a key role in saving them from possible death.
Cathy Keesling said Winnie acted in the same, crazed manner last summer when a series of tornadoes went through the area around New Castle, 45 miles east of Indianapolis.
“I really believe cats can sense these kind of things,” she said.

As a La Cañada resident walked across her backyard on Sunday she noticed something she had never seen before, a bobcat staring back at her.

“I was just going out to do some yard work,” said Athel Herman, who lives in the 500 block of Knight Way. She first noticed her neighbor’s cat and walked over to say hello to the pet. Then, she noticed a bobcat who was enjoying the cool shade under some nearby grapevines. Herman froze. She wanted to stay with the neighbor’s cat, not knowing what the bobcat might do if it was left alone. Then, another neighboring cat came over to her, also seeking affection.

Herman and the two domestic pets, as well as the wild cat, all sat there in her backyard watching each other for a while, then the bobcat just got up and walked away.

“I don’t know how the bobcat left, it may have gone through our fence or over it,” Herman said.

Herman had never seen a bobcat in the area before but was told by a friend that they have been seen on the riding trials that crisscross La Cañada. Although the encounter was calm, she worried about the children in the area.

“I am close to Paradise Canyon Elementary,” Herman said.

She wants La Cañadans to know that bobcats have been known to attack people and they are out there and walking through neighborhoods.

At least 10 nests of the highly endangered white-bellied sea eagles have been sighted in Orissa’s Bhitarkanika National Park.

While four nests were sighted in the Bagagahana area of the park, about 170 km from the capital Bhubaneswar, the others were spotted in the Eakakula and Barahamundia areas, divisional forest officer Ajay Kumar Jena said.

“Although in previous years we had sighted the nests of white-bellied sea eagles in the park, they were restricted to four. This is the first time that such a large number of nests have been spotted,” Jena told IANS.

Last year, forest officials had rescued an injured fledgling of the species from a nest at Eakakula, treated its wounds and then released it.

Each female white-bellied sea eagle lays two eggs at a time and fledglings take about a month to emerge from the eggs. The bird can spread its wings up to a distance of seven feet and local people call it ‘Kurabala’, or the king of birds.

Other rare and endangered birds like the brahminy kite also nest on tall trees near riverbanks and creeks within Bhitarkanika. “Spoonbills and black-necked storks have also been sighted on a few occasions in the Gahiramatha coast and the Habalapatia areas of the sanctuary.”

Orissa has three prominent bird habitats - Bhitarkanika, Nalabana Island in the Chilika Lake, about 100 km from here, and the Nandankanan botanical garden on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar.

Migratory birds rush to these locations during winter but they never nest. However, local birds gather in the first week of July and stay up to September every year if the weather is conducive.

The Bhitarkanika sanctuary is also known for its estuarine crocodiles and as a rookery of Olive Ridley sea turtles.

A kayak was key to saving a dog’s life for a former Ontario politician’s grandson Sunday night.

Max Laughren, 15, was getting ready to eat dinner at his grandfather Floyd’s when he said his mother came in panicked about a dog stranded out on the lake.

“She was panicked and then ran out again,” Laughren said. “We got down there and all we saw was this dog’s head in the water, like 40 feet out or so.”

Laughren said his instincts kicked in and he ran to his grandfather’s dock with his stepfather, Bob, flipped over one of the aluminum boats lying by the side of the dock and pushed it out on the water.

“Then we hit the ice,” Laughren said.

“We pushed out onto the ice and then we got stuck. That was only about five to seven feet out from the dock and that dog was just out there moaning.”

After his stepfather reminded him of the kayaks in the shed, Laughren said he grabbed the kayak out of the shed and made his way back.

“In the beginning I was like ‘OK, this is easy’ because (the kayak) broke through the ice right down near the shore,” Laughren said.

“Then it started to get harder as the ice started to get thicker … eventually the kayak was just kind of on top of the ice.

“I tried to use my hands, but that didn’t work, so I started to dig the paddle into the ice, you know, hit it so it would go in a bit then push.”

Laughren said that when he got near the dog, there was a circle of ice broken all around him where he had tried to escape.

The dog could hardly keep its head above water. Laughren managed to get closer, grabbed the 90-plus-pound dog by the collar and pulled it into the kayak.

“His head was on one side and his tail on the other in front of me so I could hold him better,” Laughren said. “He was gonna’ fall off because he was limp, almost lifeless. At first I thought he was having a seizure because he was foaming at the mouth and he was shaking violently.”

Having rescued the dog, Laughren said he was now stuck himself and had to wait for his stepfather to come back with another kayak. After a failed attempt to row the kayaks back to shore, Laughren said he pushed the dog onto his stepfather’s kayak and made his way back into the water.

“I could see that the dog, if he stayed out there much longer, he wasn’t gonna’ make it,” he said. “So I jumped out of my kayak and into the water.”

Laughren then grabbed his stepfather’s kayak and attempted to pull him to shore, but after awhile, the task became too strenuous.

“At first, I had a lot of energy because of the adrenaline, but then it started to wear off,” Laughren said.

“My voice was stuttering when I spoke and my mom was on the shore yelling at me and encouraging me, which probably helped a lot.”

Laughren couldn’t get the kayak to shore himself, but his grandfather threw a rope out on the ice and they managed to reel in the kayak.

After the ordeal, which started at 6 p.m. and lasted roughly 45 minutes, Laughren went up to the house, changed into pajamas and waited for his stepfather to bring the dog up to the house, where Laughren stayed with him for the remainder of the night.

The SPCA was able to track down the owner, who is grateful.

“It’s really nice of him,” said Kory Kauppi, the dog’s owner and a resident of Whitefish.

“I have had Huskers (the dog), well he’s about six or seven now … I’m just really grateful because there aren’t many people who would just take a kayak on the lake to save some 100-pound dog.”

As for Laughren, he said he would do it again.

“I know it was worth it,” Laughren said.

“It didn’t really harm me and it made some peoples’ lives a lot better knowing that the dog is still alive. I came to terms with it when I was in the house waiting for the dog to see if it would live or not. I said to myself that even if he died, we tried.

“We did everything we could for this dog and at least he would die in a warm place instead of the cold water.”

Sooner than later, one of your kids is going to throw you a disarming smile and utter the question you’ve been dreading since the day he was born.

“Mom, can we get a puppy? Please?”

If you’re unequivocally opposed to the idea, consider the following response: “No, Timmy, we can’t get a puppy right now. You know, only about one-third of all Americans are pet owners, so while it may seem like we’re the only family without a puppy, the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association says we’re not. In actuality, only about 40 percent of all households have dogs.

“And of course, having a canine can be very, very expensive - it costs about $620 a year to care for a medium-sized dog, not including medical emergencies.”

Enough said?

Pets are great, but use common sense

It’s OK if you balk at bringing a puppy or a pet into your home, says veterinarian and medical doctor Lana Kaiser, because it indicates you’ve got some understanding of what owning a pet entails.

“Dogs can be a wonderful creatures,” says Kaiser, a professor at the MSU College of Human Medicine. “But they can be a burden, especially for the mom in the household.”

What makes the decision complicated, Kaiser says, is there is probably a part of you that understands how important pets are to children.

“Pets offer kids unconditional love,” Kaiser says. “They don’t care if you’re dirty, if you wear glasses, or if you smell bad.”

Additionally, Kaiser says, there’s evidence that pets can improve a child’s social skills and self-esteem.

What’s needed to make it all work, she says, is a common sense approach.

“Animals don’t come perfect,” Kaiser says. “If you do decide to get a dog, you have to take the time to train it, and you must pick a breed that’s appropriate for your family.”

Sweet tweets

For some families, however, owning a dog (or cat) is out of the question. Sometimes, allergies or asthma make it impossible; the landlord won’t allow it; or a hectic family dynamic makes it unwise.

That doesn’t mean all pets have to be off limits.

“We’ve had all kids of pets, including dogs, cats, fish and hermit crabs,” says Lansing area resident Rita Hale. “But we wanted and needed something easier, so now we have parakeets.”

With four kids between the ages of 2 and 10, and a husband who is allergic to cats, low maintenance birds like parakeets are a practical pet, says Hale, 37.

“We like the idea of having pets the kids can take care of and interact with,” she says. “But with birds, you really don’t have vet bills and when you go on vacation, someone just has to check on them every two or three days.”

Hale also appreciates the fact their birds may live as long as 18 years.

“It’s so much better than watching fish die all the time,” Hale says. “We thought fish would be so easy, and after my daughter brought home a goldfish from a birthday party … we went out and spent $150 for a tank, and the fish died the next day.”

They got more fish, Hale says, but got tired of explaining about the “circle of life” each time one of them floated to the top of the aquarium.

“Birds are so much easier,” she says. “I tell everybody they should get birds.”

Get real

When it comes to pairing kids and pets, says Rick Preuss, owner of Preuss Pets in Lansing, parents need to be realistic.

“You have to think about what you want to accomplish by bringing a pet into the family,” Preuss says. “If you want to teach a child responsibility, but that fails, are you prepared to step up to the plate to care for that animal?”

Parents should also research prospective pets in advance.

“For example, for kids under 5, we don’t recommend reptiles because of the chance kids could be exposed to salmonella,” Preuss says.

If you’re considering a reptile for older kids, do so with caution, says Preuss.

“Leopard geckos and Bearded Dragons are hardy and easy to keep,” Preuss says. “But they are more for observing than handling.”

Rats are good

Small mammals such as guinea pigs are great pets for kids ages 5 to 10 because they easily adapt to and thrive on consistent, gentle interaction with their owners. Hamsters, on the other hand, are more defensive by nature and better suited to kids 10 and older.

Preuss’ top small mammal pick for kids, however, is one that most parents might hesitate to consider: a rat.

“Rats are fantastic pets,” Preuss says. “I highly recommend them.”

If you and your child still can’t agree on a pet, Preuss says to consider a cost/benefit analysis. “There are certainly tangible benefits to pet ownership, but there the intangibles, too,” Preuss says. “Maybe owning a lizard will make a child more aware of ecological diversity.”