Wednesday - August 23, 2006

Ahhh, The Smell of Pacifism - Updated

via the Geek

Cat-killing raccoons on prowl in west Olympia

OLYMPIA - Raccoons are cute, until they kill one of your cats.

That is what a west Olympia neighborhood is learning this summer.

Raccoons have killed about 10 cats in a three-block area near the Garfield Nature Trail at Harrison Avenue West and Foote Street Southwest.

Problem wildlife coordinator Sean Carrell of the state Department of Fish and Wildlife called the situation “bizarre, weird.”

OK, so we have this neighborhood that has a little varmint problem.  I know the readers of this blog know what the next step is.  Heck, any 12 year old with an once of sense knows what the next step is.

But this is Washington state.

“I’ve never heard a report of 10 cats being killed. It’s something we’re going to have to monitor,” he said. He added that they may have to bring in trappers from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Typical liberal response: “let’s do a study.” Oy

The problem got so bad that residents Kari Hall and Tamara Keeton even started a Raccoon Watch after having an emotional neighborhood meeting attended by about 40 people.

“It was a place for people to mourn and cry,” Hall said.

What??  A neighborhood meeting to mourn and cry?  Good grief.

At the meeting, they encouraged people to stop feeding the raccoons. They also decided to keep their pets and pet food inside. And they decided to carry pepper spray to drive off raccoons that attack again.

Keeton and Pam Corwin have decided to have “cat coops” built so their pets can go outside and have some room to roam, with protection.

[snip]

“I’m afraid of them,” she said of the raccoons. “I carry an iron pipe with me” when I go out at night, she added.

[and]

“We were right there trying to get him off the cat,” she said. “The cat was screaming, and the raccoon was ferocious. My husband and a neighbor grabbed a shovel and a bat, and they were waving them until it took off. It was scary.”

Oh for heaven’s sake.  GET A .22 YOU MORONS!!!!!

The neighbors hired trapper Tom Brown, a nuisance wildlife control operator from Rochester.

Normally, Brown said, he can fix a problem in a few weeks, but he has set traps there for six weeks and caught only one.

Brown said he’s going to back off for a while until the food supply dries up.

He said his goal is to make them feel uncomfortable. Until that happens, they aren’t likely to leave.

I think I’m going to puke.  He wants them to feel uncomfortable????

“It’s like a freeway in the back yard,” she said. “It’s like clockwork. They come between 9 and 9:30 every night.”

“You’ve got to watch which ones are bad,” Hall said. “It’s not all of them. We just have to arm ourselves with pepper spray.”

Yeah, that will help, you neutered form of a man.  Six weeks.  This neighborhood has been terrorized by possibly rabid raccoons who have shown a bloodthirst for killing, apparently more concerned for the feelings of the critters than for the safety of their own pets and kids.  They are unwilling to do what needs to be done to rid them of the plague, even though they know exactly where they will be and when.

In the words of Kim DuToit: “I’m off to the range”

***Update***
Oh boy.  I did not realize they had a comments section on this story.  Here’s a gem:

I am one of the pet owners described in this story. I am also a lifelong conservative Republican and a proud WWII vet and I’d like to damn to hell each and everyone one of you southern hicks who are spouting off here. How dare you bring your moronic political rants into my neighborhood, with all your assumptions about Washingtonians and our way of life.

Olympia is a city. We are not some backwood hollow, where we can just come out guns ablazing.

You people need to take care of your own problems (and you certainly have a lot of them) and leave us to sort out our own.

Posted by Mr. Christian     on 08/23/2006 at 07:22 AM   
Filed Under: • Animals • Insanity • Liberals • Stoopid-People •  
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   Wednesday - July 12, 2006

Zombie Dogs… Your dog wants brains…

U.S. scientists have apparently discovered a way to reanimate dogs that have been clinically dead for three hours, a process intended for future human trials.

I don’t know which is scarier… zombie dogs or zombie humans.

A new scientific approach tested at the Safar Centre for Resuscitation Research, based in Pittsburgh, drains some of the animal’s blood and replaces it with an ice-cold salt solution. The dog--considered technically dead without a heartbeat or brain waves--is then revived with a blood transfusion and electric shock up to three hours later. The process, called “suspended animation with delayed resuscitation,” is ultimately designed to help suspend and revive emergency victims, such as casualties of war or car accidents, who have experienced an otherwise lethal hemorrhage.

Predictably, animal-rights whackos weighed in…

But the animal rights community must have had a hemorrhage over the Safar Centre’s tests. Last week, it issued a statement clarifying its research tactics and outlining its compliance with standards for the ethical treatment of animals.

Human trials? Are these voluntary? Yikes! If voluntary, when do you volunteer? After they revive you? Then you get the bill and have a heart attack…

Posted by Christopher     on 07/12/2006 at 07:10 PM   
Filed Under: • Animals • Health-Medicine • Odd-Strange •  
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   Thursday - July 06, 2006

Dances With Bulls

Guess what day today is? If you guessed July 6 then you are half-right! Today is the Day Of The Bulls! Every year we are treated to thousands of Spanish idjits running madly through the streets of Pamplona, Spain trying their best not to get GORED (a fate which America narrowly avoided in November of 2000).

In addition, every year we are treated to hundreds of fugly (and some not-so-ugly) PETA activists running nekkid through the streets of Pamplona protesting the “abuse” of the bulls. Tell that to the hombre lying on the ground with his pants ripped open and face all bloody, PETA.

In accordance with our time-honored tradition of bringing you all the idjits who are fit to be tied (nekkid and clothed) we present this year’s PETA/Pamplona Panty Party. You can read about the running of the bulls first then click on the “Continue Reading” button to see all the nekkid protesters at this year’s soiree in Spain. The PETA Party is hidden from the main page because, as usual, it is probably not safe for work. Comprende, hombre?

Pamplona, Spain - July 6, 2006 - The Annual Running Of The Bulls

The running of the bulls in Pamplona Spain was first made famous in Ernest Hemingway’s novel The Sun Also Rises. Since then, tourists have flocked to the Basque town of Pamplona Spain every June to sing, dance, drink, and careen down the town’s cobbled streets with a herd of angry and confused bulls charging behind them during the running of the bulls Pamplona. The encierro—as the actual running of the bulls Pamplona is known—is only one part of the Festival of San Fermin. The non-stop celebration beings at midday on July 6 and continues around the clock until midnight on July 14. During the running of the bulls Pamplona goes completely wild.

In Pamplona Spain, the encierro begins each morning at eight, when six bulls are released from their corral near the Plaza Santo Domingo, and careen—sometimes wildly, sometimes like they’re out for a Sunday stroll—through the streets to the bullring. Running in front, beside, and sometimes below the beasts, are hundreds of locals and tourists wearing traditional white outfits with red bandanas.

To watch the running of the bulls Pamplona it’s essential to arrive at around 6 am. The best places to watch the Pamplona bull run is near the starting point around the Plaza Santo Domingo or the wall leading to the bullring. If you have the stamina and guts to participate in the running of the bulls Pamplona, remember that every year someone gets hurt or killed. So, after you’ve propped up your courage with a shot of Pacharan—the local moonshine—head to the starting point at Plaza Santo Domingo, where at a few minutes to eight the course is opened and you can take your preferred place along the route.

Two rockets are fired to signal that the Pamplona bull run has begun—and to signal your heart to start beating at twice its normal rate! The first rocket signals that the bullpen has been opened, the second means that all the bulls are running. As soon as the first rocket takes flight you can start running, but if you navigate the course at the head of the pack and arrive in the stadium well before the bulls, you will be met with a chorus of lusty boos from the spectators waiting in the stadium. If you wait until the second rocket you are more likely to get closer to the bulls. Just remember if you try to escape the course before the encierro is over you’ll be pushed right back into the streets.

Animal rights activists protest running of the bulls in Pamplona
_{(EITB - BASQUE NEWS) - 07/05/2006}

Animal rights activists _ some wearing just underwear or even less _ sprinted through Pamplona Wednesday to protest the running of the bulls, two days before this year’s edition of Spain’s most famous festival gets under way. The sponsor, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, said more than 1,000 nude activists took part in the human run, now in its fifth year.

Some women ran topless or in panties and bras, and most of the men were in their underwear at least. One man was naked except for a makeshift loincloth. The run proceeded along part of the route that will see thrillseekers dash ahead of a pack of six fighting bulls and six meek steers starting Friday for eight days. The protesters shouted slogans against the running of the bulls and against bullfighting in general as they made their way to the gate of Pamplona’s bullring, where the procession ended.

The bulls that take part in the running are corraled at the bullring and killed in bullfights later in the day. “Bullfights are a cruel tradition that may have made sense two centuries ago. But these days they are only a display of cruelty that only denigrates us as human beings,” PETA’s Spain coordinator Francisco Vázquez Neira said in a statement.

CLOSE IT UP ...

Posted by The Skipper     on 07/06/2006 at 02:26 PM   
Filed Under: • Animals • Stoopid-People •  
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   Wednesday - June 07, 2006

My Little Pony

Poor Henry Lewis. Not only is he a sick individual but he has PETA jumping all over him. To make matters worse, now Henry’s story is being presented here to the entire world, courtesy of the internet. I’m afraid there will be absolutely nothing in today’s news that can top Henry’s story. I may as well pack it in and go read a good book. You however, may feel free to discuss Henry and his little pony. If you follow the link to the PETA web site you will learn a new word for the day: zoophile. Don’t ask ...

South Alabama Man Facing Bestiality Charge
_{June 5, 2006 08:29 PM}

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WSFA-TV) - The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, or PETA, is bringing attention to a case of alleged bestiality in Alabama. Henry Lewis of Sweetwater is accused of having sex with a pony.

According to PETA, at least two people witnessed the act about a month ago. A few days later, the pony was reported dead.

“Research shows that offenders who commit bestiality often go on to commit sex crimes against humans,” said PETA’s Stephanie Bell.

“Our belief is that the community should be following this case closely because anyone capable of this kind of cruelty poses a definitive risk to the entire community.”

PETA is urging the district attorney to prosecute Lewis vigorously and require mandatory counseling. An initial hearing in the case was scheduled for Wednesday.

---

PETA Demands Jail Time, Psychiatric Intervention
If Alleged Pony Rapist Is Convicted
Community Should Fear Future Incidents, Say Experts
_{June 5, 2006}

SWEETWATER, Ala. (PETA MEDIA CENTER) - This morning, PETA sent an urgent plea to District Attorney Greg Griggers urging him to vigorously prosecute Henry Lewis of Sweetwater. Lewis faces charges stemming from an incident last month in which he allegedly raped a 6-week-old pony. At least two people reportedly witnessed Lewis’ penetrating the animal, who was found dead several days later by her guardian.

“Studies show that offenders who commit bestiality often go on to commit sex crimes against humans,” says PETA Cruelty Caseworker Stephanie Bell. “The community should follow this case closely, because anyone capable of this kind of cruelty poses a definitive risk to the entire community.”

PETA is asking that¯if convicted and in addition to serving a period of incarceration—Lewis be prohibited from owning or harboring animals and that authorities seize any other animals currently in his custody. PETA is also asking that Lewis be required to undergo a thorough psychological evaluation followed by mandatory counseling.

Posted by The Skipper     on 06/07/2006 at 04:57 AM   
Filed Under: • Animals • Crime • Insanity •  
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   Friday - April 28, 2006

Headline Of The Day

The Painful Realities of Hyena Sex
_{Wed Apr 26, 2:00 PM ET}

When a mother does her best, she expects a well-behaved child. But for top-dog hyena moms, a hell-raiser is preferred.

Alpha females give a hormone boost to their developing cubs, making them more aggressive when fighting for food and increasing their chances of survival, according to a study in the April 27 issue of the journal Nature.

The extra hormones also inspire young males to mount females early and often, giving them a better shot at performing their tricky mating dance correctly down the road.

You won’t believe how hard the act is, and why.

Now, if you really insist on reading the rest of this then I will provide you a link to the story. However, I cannot be responsible for any harm that may come to your brain and if you upchuck on your keyboard, don’t blame me. With that said, you may now continue your journey into the wild world of hyena sex ....

  Click Here

Posted by The Skipper     on 04/28/2006 at 04:56 AM   
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   Saturday - April 08, 2006

Monster Rabbit

Just when you thought it was safe to go back into the cabbage patch, Jimmy Carter’s Killer Swamp Rabbit appears to have swam across “the pond” and is attacking Brits in their vegetable gardens. This monster, which nearly ate the former President on a fishing trip in 1979, is on the loose again and no one knows who his next target will be. However, I would strongly urge MP George Galloway to keep a big stick handy since this beast seems to target lunatic politicians ...

“Monster rabbit” Targets Vegetable Patch
_{Sat Apr 8, 9:18 AM ET}

LONDON (Reuters)

It sounds like a job for Wallace and Gromit. A “monster” rabbit has apparently been rampaging through vegetable patches in a small village in northern England, ripping up leeks, munching turnips and infuriating local gardeners.

In an uncanny resemblance to the plot of the hit animated film “Wallace & Gromit in the Curse of the Were-Rabbit,” angry horticulturists in Felton, near Newcastle, have now mounted an armed guard to protect their prized cabbages and parsnips.

“They call it the monster. It’s very big—it’s nearly the size of a dog,” said Joan Smith, whose son Jeff owns one of the plots under attack. “It’s eating everything, all the vegetables,” she told Reuters. “They are trying to shoot it. They go along hoping to catch it but I think it’s too crafty.”

In the “Wallace” film, which topped both the U.S. and UK box office charts and in March won an Oscar for best animated feature film, the plasticine heroes battle a mutant rabbit bent on destroying their home town’s annual Giant Vegetable Contest. Those who say they have witnessed Felton’s black and brown monster describe it as a cross between a rabbit and a hare with one ear bigger than the other.

Its antics came to public attention when Jeff Smith, 63, raised it as an issue with the local parish council. “He came along to pay the annual fee for the allotment (vegetable patch) and he said ‘ooh we’ve got this big cross between a hare and a rabbit,’” the council’s clerk Lisa Hamlin told Reuters.

Smith himself has described it as a “brute” which had left huge pawprints. “This is no ordinary rabbit. We are dealing with a monster,” he was quoted by newspapers as saying. “It is absolutely massive. The first time I saw it I thought to myself ‘What the hell is that?’ “We have two lads here with guns who are trying to shoot it, but it is very clever.”

Posted by The Skipper     on 04/08/2006 at 06:18 PM   
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   Thursday - March 30, 2006

Most Ridiculous Item Of The Day (so far)

The Dogone Thong: Simple Design and Inexpensive

The Dogone - Dog Gas Neutralizing Pad is a comfortable and least intrusive means for deodorizing gassy discharges in a thong design. This will eliminate pet odors and dog odors from flatus or flatulence.

Uses our famous activated charcoal cloth (washable and reusable)! A starter hole is placed in the cloth in order to help you locate the suggested tail hole. Carefully measure tail and cut-out hole to proper size.

Elastic straps are used for flexibility. Suspender clips are used to make the garment totally adjustable. They also provide quick release for allowing the dog out to do his business.

- Only $19.99 (in three sizes) from Flat-D Innovations, Inc.

Posted by The Skipper     on 03/30/2006 at 03:35 PM   
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   Saturday - March 25, 2006

Older Than Dirt

Just think. When this creature was born, the United States was only a dream, the King of France still had his head, Germany was known as the Holy Roman Empire, Mozart was still in diapers, St. Louis didn’t exist and the Middle East was populated with narrow-minded, feuding tribes of insane madmen. A lot has changed in the course of this tortoise’s life ... but some things remain the same. Rest in peace.

CALCUTTA, India—One of the world’s oldest creatures, a giant tortoise believed to have been about 250 years old, has died in the Calcutta zoo where it spent more than half its long life. Addwaita, which means “the one and only” in the local Bengali language, was one of four Aldabra tortoises brought to India by British sailors in the 18th century.

Zoo officials say he was a gift for Lord Robert Clive of the East India Company, who was instrumental in establishing British colonial rule in India, before he returned to England in 1767. Long after the other three tortoises died, Addwaita continued to thrive, living in Clive’s garden before being moved to the zoo in 1875.

- More: “A Remarkable Life: Tortoise Dies at 250”

Posted by The Skipper     on 03/25/2006 at 05:53 AM   
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   Friday - March 24, 2006

Beep-Beep

Bob Englehart—The Hartford Courant

Wily Coyote Caught in New York City After 2-Day Chase
_{March 22, 2006}

(NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC)

After leading dozens of police officers on a two-day chase through New York’s Central Park, the year-old coyote was captured yesterday. The first sightings of the animal—nicknamed Hal by park workers—came early Sunday, and the hunt began on Tuesday. News helicopters filmed police and park rangers in pursuit.

Before his capture, Hal proved a cunning escape artist, leaping over an 8-foot (2.4-meter) fence, ducking under a bridge, and even scrambling across a skating rink. Officials chased the coyote on foot and in a helicopter before finally slowing him down with a tranquilizer gun near the Belvedere Castle lookout, close to 79th Street and Central Park West. (See photos of Central Park landmarks.)

Piles of feathers left in his wake suggested the hungry critter had been dining on the park’s ducks and other birds. “He’s a very adventurous coyote to travel to midtown Manhattan,” New York City Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe told reporters. The tawny-colored, 35-pound (16-kilogram) male will be taken to a wildlife center outside the city, officials said.

How Hal found his way into Central Park is not known. Park officials believe the adventurous critter may have slipped into Manhattan from suburban Westchester County to the north or perhaps crossed the Hudson River via a bridge from New Jersey.

“There are coyotes in more places than people know,” said Wendy Arjo, a wildlife biologist and coyote expert with the National Wildlife Research Center in Olympia, Washington. ”I guarantee that most people don’t know that coyotes are walking down the streets of Chicago, for example, until their dog or cat goes missing and they wonder what’s going on.”

Posted by The Skipper     on 03/24/2006 at 11:15 AM   
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   Friday - March 03, 2006

A Tangled Web They Weave

Obviously, there is nothing loonier than an animal-rights activist nowadays. This group has some serious issues. They make PETA look positively civilized. How can they be so vehemently protective of animals and not give a damn about human life at all? It amazes me the irony in these groups’ stand. Humans are animals too. Where are our rights? Who is going to protect us against these madmen? I got it! Let’s form a new group called ... uh ... Stop Cruelty Against Human Animals By Inhuman Animal Activists. SCAHABIAA. Cool! Let’s run with it ....

Jury Convicts Animal Welfare Activists
March 3, 2006, 3:21 AM EST

TRENTON, N.J. (AP)

Six animal-rights supporters face up to seven years in prison after being convicted of using a Web site to incite threats, harassment and vandalism against a company that tests drugs and household products on animals. A jury returned its verdict against Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty and six of its members on Thursday after three days of deliberations.

Federal Judge Anne E. Thompson ordered five of them held without bail until a sentencing hearing on June 7. The defendants, all in their late 20s or early 30s, face three to seven years in prison and fines up to $250,000. The government charged that SHAC waged a five-year campaign against Huntingdon Life Sciences, posting on its Web site information about the lab’s employees and those who do business with Huntingdon. The information included their home phone numbers, addresses and where their children attended school.

Many of those people saw their homes vandalized, and they and their families received threatening e-mails, faxes and phone calls. SHAC, based in Philadelphia, maintained its actions were protected under the First Amendment. The defendants were not accused of directly making threats or carrying out vandalism. Instead, they were charged with animal enterprise terrorism, stalking and other offenses.

Mike Caulfield, Huntingdon’s general manager, said the verdict was “a victory for democracy, research and patients.” “The government and this jury have sent a strong message to those who would ignore the democratic process and resort to criminal activity to advance their political views,” Caulfield said in a statement. SHAC President Pamelyn Ferdin said the jury was fooled by the government’s case and the judge’s order to remove victims’ names and home addresses from its Web site reeked of fascism.

“This is a scary path for all Americans,” said Ferdin, a former child star who was the voice of Lucy in the “Peanuts” movies and played Felix Unger’s daughter Edna on TV’s “The Odd Couple.” “Here is a government, a feckless federal government, who spent millions of taxpayer dollars to wage an assault on all our constitutional rights,” she said.

Ferdin became leader of the group in 2004 after its former president, Kevin Kjonaas, and the others were indicted. She was not charged. Many of the targets of the harassment testified that they started looking over their shoulders when walking or driving, changed their phone numbers or even moved. Some kept their children from playing outdoors, and several bought guns.

Sally Dillenback broke into tears as she recounted an anonymous e-mail that threatened to cut open her son and fill him with poison “the way Huntingdon does with the animals.” Marian Harlos testified she got late-night calls in which someone asked: “Are you scared? Do you think the puppies should be scared?” She said masked protesters parked down the street from her house, videotaping her comings and goings. They barged into her office, screaming and tossing leaflets, and others ruined the rear door with glue and animal stickers, she said.

On the Net:

SHAC: http://www.shac.net

Huntingdon Life Sciences: http://www.huntingdon.com

Posted by The Skipper     on 03/03/2006 at 09:23 AM   
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   Saturday - January 28, 2006

Saturday Silliness

  

_{- The story behind this silliness is here}...

Posted by The Skipper     on 01/28/2006 at 04:46 AM   
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   Saturday - January 21, 2006

Obituary

Lost Whale Dies After Rescue Bid
LONDON (BBC)

A whale that became stranded in the River Thames has died after a massive rescue attempt to save its life. The 18ft (5m) northern bottle-nosed whale was first spotted in the river on Friday and rescuers began an attempt to save it on Saturday morning. But the whale died at about 1900 GMT on Saturday as rescuers transported it on a barge towards deeper water in the Thames Estuary.

It was moved after being placed in a special pontoon near Battersea Bridge. Alan Knight, from the British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR), which is led the rescue operation said the animal died after it began to convulse while it was still on the barge. “It has been a helter skelter ride all the way through. It is a sad end to a very long day. “Basically this is probably the right thing to happen in the end.

“If it had continued in this way we certainly wouldn’t have released it. Perhaps this has saved that very difficult decision.” Earlier, close to Battersea Bridge, thousands of onlookers applauded as rescuers placed the whale on to a pontoon to move it from shallow water. It was winched on to the Port of London Authority barge where it was laid on an inflatable raft functioning as a “makeshift whale mattress”.

As the whale was carried upstream towards the estuary a vet administered antibiotics. Earlier, naturalist and television presenter, Terry Nutkins, said the rescue operation was the wrong thing to do and that the animal needed space. However, he concluded he had “no doubts” the rescue operation had been the best way to try to save the whale.

“We had to do it,” he told BBC News. “You can’t leave a whale stranded in the Thames and we did the best we could.” The whale, which could weigh about four tonnes, was first spotted at on Friday morning by a man on a train and has since attracted massive public and media attention. There were reports of a pod of whales in the Thames estuary earlier in the week, and it was possible that the whale had become separated from this group. It was the first sighting of the endangered species in the Thames since records began nearly a century ago. There was also an unconfirmed sighting of a whale in Southend in Essex on Friday.

Posted by The Skipper     on 01/21/2006 at 03:34 PM   
Filed Under: • Animals •  
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   Friday - January 13, 2006

Deer Wars

The animals are fighting back. They are invading everywhere. Citizens take arms. We must defend ourselves, in spite of what the PETA-morons say.

First, they invaded a video rental store in Evansville, Indiana. I suspect they were there to protest against “The Deer Hunter”.

Then they broke into an elementary school in Arkansas City, Kansas. Possibly a plot to improve their education to better fight us.

Literally scores of them are invading the suburbs in Wisconsin. Which gives new meaning to “white flight” ... as in whitetail.

TO ARMS, AMERICANS! We must fight to the death to defend our home and hearth against these illegal aliens! I hereby declare today National “Frag Bambi” Day. So what are you waiting for? Venison is on the hoof and coming to get you ...

Posted by The Skipper     on 01/13/2006 at 06:56 AM   
Filed Under: • Animals • Satire •  
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   Sunday - January 08, 2006

West Side Story

Whenever I see the words “gang of sharks” my mind instantly pictures the Jets vs. the Sharks in West Side Story. Then when I realize they’re not talking about dancing, singing street gangs (?) but instead are talking about real, live shark critters ganging up on swimmers and chomping them to pieces ... well, my inner philosopher thinks living in St. Louis is a great idea since it is roughly a thousand miles from any ocean. A further odd twist to this story is that it happened at Amity Beach ... in Australia. I wonder if Chief Brodey is available for a little fishing expedition down under ... ?

Gang of Sharks Kills Australian
BRISBANE (BBC)

An Australian woman from Brisbane has been killed in a shark attack at a popular beach near the city. Ambulance workers said the 21-year-old suffered extensive injuries, losing both arms below the elbow and sustaining deep wounds to her leg. Police suspect that several sharks carried out the attack, which happened on North Stradbroke Island.

The victim was thought to have been swimming in shallow water with a local church group when she was attacked. Friends carried Sarah Kate Whiley from the water and she was quickly flown to hospital by helicopter. However, she had lost large amounts of blood and had gone into shock. She died later in hospital.

The attack happened at Amity Point, which shares a name with the fictional setting for the film Jaws. Police believe three bull sharks could have attacked the young woman, and have launched a large-scale hunt in local waters. Bull sharks are notorious for being aggressive during mating season.

“If we found them I suppose we would try to retrieve them and see if they have any body parts,” said Queensland police inspector Ray Harding. “Realistically it’s virtually impossible [but] the idea is to retrieve what we can.”

The victim was swimming with friends and her dog about 15m (49ft) offshore when she was attacked in water which had become murky and muddy after a storm on Friday night. Locals near the site of the attack, on Amity Beach, said they often saw sharks in the water, and had been concerned about a possible attack.

“We’ve been waiting for this for a long time,” said fisherman Miles Scott. “We’ve always thought someone was going to be taken here.” There have been 10 fatal shark attacks in Australian waters in the past five years.

Posted by The Skipper     on 01/08/2006 at 10:57 AM   
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THE SERVICES AND MATERIALS ON THIS WEBSITE ARE PROVIDED "AS IS" AND THE HOSTS OF THIS SITE EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ANY AND ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, TO THE EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF SATISFACTORY QUALITY, MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, WITH RESPECT TO THE SERVICE OR ANY MATERIALS.

Not that very many people ever read this far down, but this blog was the creation of Allan Kelly and his friend Vilmar. Vilmar moved on to his own blog some time ago, and Allan ran this place alone until his sudden and unexpected death partway through 2006. We all miss him. A lot. Even though he is gone this site will always still be more than a little bit his. We who are left to carry on the BMEWS tradition owe him a great debt of gratitude, and we hope to be able to pay that back by following his last advice to us all:

1. Keep a firm grasp of Right and Wrong
2. Stay involved with government on every level and don't let those bastards get away with a thing
3. Use every legal means to defend yourself in the event of real internal trouble, and, most importantly:
4. Keep talking to each other, whether here or elsewhere

It's been a long strange trip without you Skipper, but thanks for pointing us in the right direction and giving us a swift kick in the behind to get us going. Keep lookin' down on us, will ya? Thanks.

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