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Meet Ugly Bat Boy — The World’s Ugliest Cat
This might be the ugliest and most terrifyingly awesome cat in the world. His name is Ugly Bat Boy — Uggs for short. According to his owner who also happens to be a Veterinarian, Uggs is a genetic mystery born with the stunning good looks you see today. Uggs actually had a sister that looked just like him, but died when she was a kitten.
Meet Yoda The Cat
This is without a doubt the strangest cat I’ve ever seen, but also the coolest. His name is Yoda and he was born with four ears.
When Valerie and Ted Rock came across a kitten with four-ears, they couldn’t believe their eyes.
But the endearing feline was so adorable they decided he was destined to be a part of their family.
The couple were in a Chicago bar two years ago when they noticed a little grey bundle of fur being passed around to the amazement of fellow drinkers – and their parental instincts kicked in.
The couple immediately fell for the freaky feline and asked the owner if they could adopt him. He agreed and the couple named the cat Yoda, after the pointy-eared Jedi knight in Star Wars.
Valerie, 65, said: ‘We were at a pub on the south side of Chicago with a group of friends when we noticed a small cage sitting on the bar and people passing around a kitten.
Unless you’re just a terrible person, you have to admit the cute factor of this fuzzy little creature is off the charts.
Video: Teens Sentenced For Gruesome Cat Mutilation
I would not want my child to come back home with me if I knew he was responsible for savage acts of cruelty like this. It’s a scientific fact that kids who treat animals that way are emotionally disturbed and usually treat humans in a similar fashion as they get older. I would insist that my kid be remanded to psychiatric facility for at least a couple of years.
You simply cannot let the little bastard run wild, because any person capable of that kind of savagery would think nothing of bashing someone’s head in. His crocodile tears in court are simply an act. Some people are born without the ability to feel impathy or compassion and they’re the most dangerous people in the world.
Fisherman Cuts Off Shark’s Head To Save Buddy From Bite
Escaped Tiger At S.F. Zoo Kills 1, Injures 2
Investigators are trying to determine how a tiger escaped its enclosure at the San Francisco Zoo – killing one visitor and mauling two others on Christmas.
The 300 pound Siberian tiger, named Tatiana, was the same giant cat that attacked a zookeeper just about a year ago during a public feeding.
the tiger’s enclosure is surrounded by a 15-foot-wide moat and 20-foot-high walls. Zoo officials suspect the animal somehow scaled the wall or leaped over the fence, but the investigation is still under way.
The first attack happened right outside the Siberian’s enclosure – the victim died at the scene. A group of four officers came across his body when they made their way into the dark zoo grounds.
The second victim was about 300 yards away, in front of the Terrace Cafe. The man was sitting on the ground, blood running from gashes in his head and Tatiana sitting next to him.
When officers approached, the tiger attacked the man a second time causing the officer’s to shoot the animal dead. It was only after killing the beast that the third victim was discovered.
The two injured victims are being treated for severe injuries at San Francisco General Hospital. Their injuries include deep bites and severe lacerations to the head, neck, arms, and hands.
Madonna Horrifies Animal Rights Groups With Colored Sheep
Madonna has horrified animal activists after dyeing her sheep blue, pink, yellow and green for a Vogue spread at their English country estate, in Wiltshire.
The singer argues that she made certain the temporary dye was safe for animals. Animal rights groups say that even if that’s true it sets a bad example.
-Samantha Giles
Humane Society Auctions Off Vick’s Note to Self From Press Conference
On August 27, Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick plead guilty to a dogfighting charge, and the following day held a press conference in Richmond, Virg., apologizing for his involvement in the Bad Newz Kennels dogfighting ring.
After Vick’s four-minute speech, a rep with the Humane Society of the United States went up to the podium to retrieve his microphone, and found the note left by Vick containing his talking points.
Vick’s big idea: apologize, apologize, apologize. The six-point speech calls for him to “apologize for what I’ve done;” apologize to his coach and team; tell young kids that “I acted immature;” ask for “forgiveness and understanding;” “take full responsibility for my actions;” and remind people that “we all make mistakes.”
At the very bottom of the note was a reminder that “dogs have suffered.”
“Watching video of the event, I recall Vick reading through his talking points. I don’t recall him getting to those words at the end. No, for some reason, he didn’t get to the dogs on whom he inflicted such tortures,” wrote Humane Society blogger Wayne Pacelle on A Humane Nation. “The biggest apology of all was left unspoken-to the dogs who suffered and who died so horribly at his hand.”
The Humane Society has put the note up for auction. Proceeds will benefit the Humane Society’s Animal Cruelty Response and Reward Fund.
[TMZ]
Alleged ‘Chupacabra’ Found in Texas
Phylis Canion lived in Africa for four years. She’s been a hunter all her life and has the mounted heads of a zebra and other exotic animals in her house to prove it. But the roadkill she found last month outside her ranch was a new one even for her, worth putting in a freezer hidden from curious onlookers: Canion believes she may have the head of the mythical, bloodsucking chupacabra.
“It is one ugly creature,” Canion said, holding the head of the mammal, which has big ears, large fanged teeth and grayish-blue, mostly hairless skin.
Canion and some of her neighbors discovered the 40-pound bodies of three of the animals over four days in July outside her ranch in Cuero, 80 miles southeast of San Antonio. Canion said she saved the head of the one she found so she can get to get to the bottom of its ancestry through DNA testing and then mount it for posterity.
She suspects, as have many rural denizens over the years, that a chupacabra may have killed as many as 26 of her chickens in the past couple of years.
“I’ve seen a lot of nasty stuff. I’ve never seen anything like this,” she said.
What tipped Canion to the possibility that this was no ugly coyote, but perhaps the vampire-like beast, is that the chickens weren’t eaten or carried off — all the blood was drained from them, she said.
Chupacabra means “goat sucker” in Spanish, and it is said to have originated in Latin America, specifically Puerto Rico and Mexico.
Canion thinks recent heavy rains ran them right out of their dens.
“I think it could have wolf in it,” Canion said. “It has to be a cross between two or three different things.”
She said the finding has captured the imagination of locals, just like purported sightings of Bigfoot or the Loch Ness Monster have elsewhere.
But what folks are calling a chupacabra is probably just a strange breed of dog, said veterinarian Travis Schaar of the Main Street Animal Hospital in nearby Victoria.
“I’m not going to tell you that’s not a chupacabra. I just think in my opinion a chupacabra is a dog,” said Schaar, who has seen Canion’s find.
The “chupacabras” could have all been part of a mutated litter of dogs, or they may be a new kind of mutt, he said.
As for the bloodsucking, Schaar said that this particular canine may simply have a preference for blood, letting its prey bleed out and licking it up.
Chupacabra or not, the discovery has spawned a local and international craze. Canion has started selling T-shirts that read: “2007, The Summer of the Chupacabra, Cuero, Texas,” accompanied by a caricature of the creature. The $5 shirts have gone all over the world, including Japan, Australia and Brunei. Schaar also said he has one.
“If everyone has a fun time with it, we’ll keep doing it,” she said. “It’s good for Cuero.”
[AP]
Vick Issues Apology After Guilty Plea
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) – Michael Vick apologized Monday for “using bad judgment and making bad decisions” and vowed to redeem himself after pleading guilty to a federal dogfighting charge.
“First I want to apologize for all the things that I’ve done and that I have allowed to happen,” the star quarterback said at a news conference following his appearance in U.S. District Court to formally enter the plea.
Sentencing was set for Dec. 10 and Vick could be sent to prison for one to five years. Vick was suspended indefinitely by the NFL last week.
In Atlanta, the Falcons said they would not cut Vick immediately because of salary-cap issues. The team intends to pursue the $22 million in bonus money that he already received in a record $130 million contract signed in 2004.
“We cannot tell you today that Michael is cut from the team,” owner Arthur Blank said.
Saying he was speaking “from the heart,” and looking somber, Vick made his first public statements on the dogfighting ring:
“I made a mistake of using bad judgment and making bad decisions. Those things just can’t happen. Dogfighting is a terrible thing, and I do reject it.”
He singled out NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, Blank, coach Bobby Petrino and his teammates for personal apologies, saying “I was not honest and forthright in our discussions.”
He also apologized to “all the young kids out there for my immature acts and what I did – and what I did was very immature. So that means I need to grow up.”
“I totally ask for forgiveness and understanding as I move forward to bettering Michael Vick the person, not the football player,” he said.
He concluded by saying, “I offer my deepest apologies to everyone. And I will redeem myself. I have to.”
Vick took no questions.
He said little in court, standing erect and softly answering “Yes, sir” and “No, sir” to U.S. District Judge Henry E. Hudson’s questions. Family members occupied the front row of the packed courtroom for the 15-minute hearing.
The plea by the suspended quarterback was accepted by Hudson, who asked: “Are you entering the plea of guilty to a conspiracy charge because you are in fact guilty?”
Vick answered yes.
Hudson emphasized he is not bound by sentencing guidelines or the recommendations of prosecutors and can impose the maximum sentence. Prosecutors proposed a 12- to 18-month prison term.
“You’re taking your chances here. You’ll have to live with whatever decision I make,” Hudson said.
“A first-time offender might well receive no jail time for this offense,” U.S. Attorney Chuck Rosenberg said in a statement. “We thought, however, that the conduct in this conspiracy was heinous, cruel and inhumane.” Vick is one of four defendants in the case.
The first defendant to plead guilty left the conspiracy in 2004 and is not as culpable, Rosenberg said.
In his written plea filed last week, Vick admitted helping kill six to eight pit bulls and supplying money for gambling on the fights. He said he did not personally place any bets or share in any winnings.
Shortly afterward, the NFL suspended him indefinitely and without pay. Merely associating with gamblers can trigger a lifetime ban under the league’s personal conduct policy.
The case began in late April when authorities conducting a drug investigation of Vick’s cousin raided the former Virginia Tech star’s rural Surry County property and seized dozens of dogs, some injured, and equipment commonly used in dogfighting.
A federal indictment issued in July charged Vick, Purnell Peace of Virginia Beach, Quanis Phillips of Atlanta and Tony Taylor of Hampton with an interstate dogfighting conspiracy. Vick initially denied any involvement, and all four men pleaded innocent. Taylor was the first to change his plea to guilty; Phillips and Peace soon followed.
The details outlined in the indictment and other court papers fueled a public backlash against Vick and cost him several lucrative endorsement deals, even before he agreed to plead guilty.
The Falcons were to play an exhibition game at home against the Cincinnati Bengals later Monday. This will be the first chance for the team to see what effect Vick’s case has on attendance at the Georgia Dome. Vick wears the biggest-selling jersey in team history and is given much credit for its 51 consecutive sellouts.
[AP]
Michael Vick Pleads GUILTY in Dog-Fighting Case
Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick has pleaded guilty to federal charges related to a dogfighting ring, according to a statement from his attorney.
In the statement by attorney Billy Martin, Vick agreed to plead guilty and accept a plea deal and will “accept full responsibility for his actions and the mistakes he has made,” ESPN and Fox News reported Monday.
Vick is expected to be sentenced next Monday at US District Court here. He could face up to five years in prison and fines of more than 250,000 dollars as a result of the charges, although a lesser sentence is likely from the deal.
“After consulting with his family over the weekend, Michael Vick asked that I announce today that he has reached an agreement with federal prosecutors regarding the charges pending against him,” Martin’s statement said.
“Mr. Vick has agreed to enter a plea of guilty to those charges and to accept full responsibility for his actions and the mistakes he has made.”
“Michael wishes to apologizes again to everyone who has been hurt by this matter.”
A grand jury was hearing evidence Monday on more possible charges that could have been filed against Vick, including racketeering gambling charges that would have greatly raised the stakes and possible prison term Vick might face.
The agreement also brings into question Vick’s National Football League future. Vick had been banned from the Falcons’ training camp by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell until his role in the scheme was more fully explained.
Goodell was expected to inform Vick about any possible banishment because of the guilty plea later on Monday, according to reports.
Three co-defendants of Vick had agreed to plea deals in exchange for contributing evidence to the case against Vick, who was charged with taking animals over state lines as part of a dogfight gambling ring.
Graphic details of his abuse of the dogs, including brutal methods of killing the animals, led to protests against him outside the courtroom and the club’s headquarters.
[AFP]
Horse + Zebra = “Zorse”
Meet Eclyse – an animal that looks like it was assembled in one of those dodgy garages where they weld halves of two stolen cars together.
But Eclyse isn’t the result of some crazed Doctor Dolittle with a god complex. It’s a zorse – a zebra/horse hybrid, born on a ranch in Germany. And she’s the product of a holiday romance.
While most zorses have stripes across their whole body, Eclyse only has two blocks of stripes – on her face and her rear.
The pure white areas she gets from her mother, a horse called Eclipse. Eclipse’s owners sent her to a ranch in Italy for a while – where she met a rugged, handsome zebra called Ulysses.
One thing led to another – and when she got back home to Germany, Eclipse surprised her keepers by producing a little half-horse, half-zebra with highly unusual markings.
Ranch spokesman Udo Richter commented: ‘You can tell she is a mix just by looking at her. But in temperament she can also exhibit characteristics from each parent.
‘She is usually relatively tame like a horse but occasionally shows the fiery temperament of a zebra, leaping around like one.’
[Metro UK]
Dog Stands 6′5″ and weighs 276lb
Standing 6ft 5in tall on his hind legs, it’s no wonder visitors think twice about walking down the garden path when Samson pops his head over the gate to greet them.
But although he might be the size of a small horse, owners Julie and Ray Woods insisted yesterday that Samson’s bark is most definitely worst than his bite.
The Great Dane/Newfoundland cross tips the scales at an incredible 19 stone 10lb (276lb) and is believed to be Britain’s tallest dog.
Yesterday, Mrs Woods, from Boston, Lincolnshire, told how the dog boasts a 59in chest and a 29in neck and takes up the whole three-seater sofa at home.
He has already out-grown two specially-made collars and is so big he can fit into a pony coat during walkies in the rain.
Mrs Woods, 54, said: “People are often instantly intimidated when they first see him but he is so gentle and wouldn’t harm a fly.
“He loves being patted and is very affectionate.
“We’ve never had such a large dog, our last was a small terrier, but we wouldn’t swap Samson for the world.
“He towers over Ray who is almost six feet tall and when he jumps up on the garden gate, it’s enough to frighten the life out of anyone.”
The couple spend £60 a month on dried dog food and Samson gets through two large bowls of the mix each day – around average for the breeds – and the odd turkey leg for a treat.
His legs are so big that the Woods have to raise his bowl about a foot off the floor on a special stand so he can reach down and eat.
Mr Woods, 65, said passers-by do a double take and other dogs keep a safe distance when they spot Samson straining on the leash during their daily eight-mile walks.
He added: “The looks on people’s faces when I take him is priceless.
“Some people are visibly shocked, passing motorists sound their horns and other dogs tend to give him a wide berth.
“But even though he looks big and imposing, he’s actually a softie at heart – a gentle giant.”
The current world’s tallest dog is a harlequin Great Dane called Gibson, from Grass Valley, California.
He measured 42.2in tall (107cm) when standing on all fours to the top of his shoulders when he claimed the title in August 2004.
Samson stands 37 inches (94cm) to the shoulder, but at the age of three, is unlikely to grow much further.
Mrs Woods, who receives disability benefits after a stroke left her unable to work, and her husband, who acts as her full-time carer, chose Samson from an RSPCA centre when he was six-months-old, making a donation in return.
The dog had been abandoned by his previous owners because he was destructive, but the Woods say they have had no problems with him.
Despite being a puppy, he was already well over five feet on his hind legs and weighed 16 stone 2lbs (170lb).
His mother was a Newfoundland, a breed famed for it’s powerful build while his father was a Great Dane, dogs renowned for their height.
They belonged to the same owner and were not meant to mate but when they did they produced a litter of 11 puppies.
Samson, however, was literally head and shoulders above his brothers and sisters.
Mrs Woods, a grandmother of eight, added: “The other puppies were big but none of them came close to Samson.
“The staff at the RSPCA centre said they’d never seen such a large dog.”
A spokesperson from the Kennel Club said: “Newfoundlands are notoriously burly dogs and Great Dane’s are renowned for their height.
“Samson is the product of the biggest qualities of both breeds. That is the secret of his enormous size.
“Samson is clearly is excellent health he has just grown beyond belief. I think it is all down to his unique parentage.”
Samson’s vet, Maxine Briggs, said: “He’s certainly a giant dog – the biggest I’ve dealt with, and he’s certainly not overfed.
“He’s a cross between two of the biggest breeds of dog so he was bound to be big.”
A Guinness World Records spokesman said there is no individual record kept for Britain’s tallest dog.
The record for the world’s heaviest dog was scrapped to prevent pet owners from over-feeding their animals in a bid to claim the title.
The last dog to hold the title was believed to be English Mastiff called Hercules from Massachusetts. The dog tipped the scales at 20.3 stone (284lb)in 2001.
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