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CPW urges hunter awareness after coyote-hunting injury
‘Worst forms of cruelty’: Advocates warn of rise of deadly raccoon traps In Metro Vancouver
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CTVNewsVancouver.ca
Published date: Friday, February 2nd 2024 – 7:17 pm
Modified date: Friday, February 2nd 2024 – 7:17 pm
It appears a growing number of Metro Vancouver homeowners are fed up with raccoons, and they’re taking matters into their own hands.
Animal advocates have been finding more traps set on private property, traps they say are cruel and often lead to the animals dying.
The Fur-Bearers – a wildlife advocacy group – said they’re seeing more cases of raccoons trapped by duke cuffs.
“These devices are incredibly inhumane,” said Lesley Fox, the group’s executive director.
The device – made to catch raccoons – traps them by the paw, leaving the animal to struggle until it’s released, starves, or frees itself.
“(They) introduce the potential for some of the worst forms of cruelty that we’ve ever seen,” Fox said.
She cited an incident in Mission in late November.
“Neighbours had reported hearing screams coming from next door, and when they looked out their window, (they saw) three raccoons caught and struggling,” Fox said.
Two of the raccoons had to be euthanized, while the third is still recovering in care.
When animals are caught in the traps, homeowners need to dispose of them any way they can; some, Fox said, are killing them.
“(People are using) carbon monoxide from cars,” she said. “Raccoons have been drowned and also killed by a shovel.”
If they’re not killed, the BC SPCA said, many of the animals injure themselves trying to escape, breaking teeth and bones.
“Oftentimes, those injuries are so severe that they can’t rehabilitate the animal, and so the only option is humane euthanasia,” said Andrea Wallace, manager of wild animal welfare for BC SPCA.
Instead of trapping, the SPCA said, people should contact professionals. It has started Animal Kind, an online list of accredited pest control companies in B.C. that are humane.
“(They use) exclusion and prevention techniques in making sure wild animals are being treated humanely,” Wallace said.
Wildlife groups want homeowners to take more steps to make their yards unattractive to raccoons and other pests, things like bringing in garbage, keeping property maintained and not leaving food out.
And if raccoons do keep coming back, advocates said to try methods like bright lights and apple cider vinegar rather than trapping.
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Atmospheric river threatens “extreme” rainfall for Southern California
- Andrew Freedman, author ofAxios Generate
- https://www.axios.com/2024/02/01/dangerous-atmospheric-river-southern-california
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Californians are being urged to prepare for the strongest atmospheric river event of the season, which may deliver historic amounts of rain to SoCal.
Threat level: The National Weather Service warned early Friday that confidence is growing in “significant to extreme rainfall” from this storm across Southern California in particular.
- The storm will bring a swath of 4-to-8-inch-plus rainfall totals, with locally heavier amounts, from Monterrey southward to San Diego.
- Downtown Los Angeles could see as much as 5 to 8 inches of rain in just 3 days based on current forecasts, with the potential for higher amounts. Downtown LA’s average annual rainfall is about 14 inches.
- Several feet of snow are likely to fall in the mountains of Southern California, perhaps enough to block access to some communities.
What they’re saying: The National Weather Service forecast office in Los Angeles is calling the storm “very dangerous” and noting that flash flooding and river flooding will occur quickly on Sunday given that the ground is already saturated from recent rains.
- “Everyone, especially those near or in south-facing mountains, needs to start preparing now for possible evacuations during or even before the storm hits,” the NWS LA said in an online forecast discussion Thursday evening ET.
- “Significant threat of widespread and very dangerous flash flooding Sunday into Monday especially from southern Santa Barbara County southward,” the NWS stated early Friday morning.
State of play: The NWS said Thursday there is a 30-50% chance that some mountain areas could receive up to 15 inches of rain, and coastal and valley regions even see 6 to 10 inches of rain out of this storm, including LA.
- Those odds may have decreased slightly on Friday.
Zoom in: The east-to-west oriented mountains in Southern California, known as the Transverse Ranges that are found in Santa Barbara, Ventura and Los Angeles counties, among others, could pick up a foot of rain as a firehose of tropical moisture is directed at them from the southwest.
- Landslides, rockslides and flooding are a growing concern. These impacts have claimed lives in past atmospheric river events in this region.
- This storm may also have higher winds than other atmospheric rivers so far this winter, since there will be a rapidly intensifying area of low pressure moving close to the Central California coastline.
Context: The storm will tap into a strong atmospheric river, which is a narrow highway of moisture at mid-levels of the atmosphere, and aim it at the California coast for a prolonged period.
- This air will contain a tremendous amount of water vapor, which will be enhanced by unusually high sea surface temperatures.
- Human-caused climate change is making extreme precipitation events more common and intense across the U.S. and worldwide and is predicted to make atmospheric rivers even wetter in coming years.
- Similar ingredients led to record and damaging deluges in Ventura, California in December, and San Diego last month.
Of note: 13.5 million people, including areas of LA County, are under a “moderate risk” for excessive rainfall Monday. The NWS is warning of significant urban, river and stream flooding, along with landslide dangers.
- It is rare to have a moderate risk outlook, the second highest on the scale, issued several days in advance for a large U.S. city, and is indicative both of the potential for damaging flooding as well as the level of forecast confidence.
- “This storm could end up generating unprecedented amounts of rain across a widespread area!” NWS forecasters in LA wrote Thursday about a high-end rainfall scenario.
The bottom line: Californians won’t get much of a break between storms, but the NWS says preparations for the late weekend event need to get under way.
Editor’s note: This article has been updated with new forecast details.
At trendy Japanese cafés, customers enjoy cuddling with pigs
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First there were cafés that allowed pets. Then came cat cafés, where lattes took second place to furry fun with a feline. Now the latest craze in Japan is a cafe where you can have a slice of pig heaven (Tues January 30).Photos
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https://apnews.com/article/japan-pig-cafe-trendy-animals-stress-8e8aa76abbae4c240c25258a0039ef4d
BY YURI KAGEYAMAUpdated 6:15 PM PST, January 29, 2024Share
TOKYO (AP) — First there were cafés that allowed pets. Then came cat cafés, where lattes took second place to feline interaction. The latest craze in Japan: The pig café.
“It was wonderful. Very relaxing and enjoyable,” said Brad Loomis, a software engineer from Pullman, Washington, after visiting Tokyo’s Mipig Café with his 21-year-old daughter, Paige.
They were among dozens of customers on a recent morning, taking selfies and breaking into huge smiles. The pigs, a miniature breed, trotted about the room, looking for a cozy lap to cuddle up.
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The pigs are surprisingly quiet, although they do snort now and then. They don’t like to be alone, making for great companionship. Unlike the stereotype, they’re very clean and don’t smell.
Customers pay 2,200 yen ($15) for the first 30 minutes in the company of the pigs. A reservation is required.
“Each pig is unique. Each one has his or her own personality. You may notice one may be strong-headed, and another may be gentle,” said Shiho Kitagawa, an executive at Mipig who refers to the pigs as “buta-san,” using an honorific.
The Mipig Café in fashionable Harajuku is among 10 such pig cafes the operator has opened around Japan. The first one opened in Tokyo in 2019. Two more are in the works for later this year.
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The animals, known as “micro pigs,” don’t get bigger than a corgi dog, even as adults. The cafés also feature adorable baby pigs the size of toy poodles.
Pig lovers say they make great pets. They can be purchased for about 200,000 yen ($1,350) from Mipig, have already been toilet-trained and are used to being with people. Micro pig food is also for sale. Mipig says it has sold 1,300 pigs as pets.
A drink dispensing machine is in the corner of the café, but hardly anyone was bothering to get a drink, being too occupied with the pigs.
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Foreign tourists visiting the café said they found out about it on Instagram and other social media. The café does not invest in advertising. They made sure to include a visit during their trip to Japan, along with the usual tourist spots like the ancient capital of Kyoto, they said.
Australian Ben Russell smiled when a pig finally climbed into his lap. Although this was his first encounter with a real pig, they have always been his favorite animal, he said, although he wasn’t sure exactly why.
Sophie Mo’unga from New Zealand, in Japan with her husband and two children, was a big hit with the pigs, with several of them fighting over her lap.
“They were cute. I think they were all keeping each other warm,” she said.
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The pig café is the latest in a series of animal coffee shops that have popped up in Japan, including ones that feature owls, hedgehogs, birds and even snakes.
Some people have raised ethical questions about whether the animals enjoy the experience as much as the humans.
“It must be stressful to be touched and fondled by a bunch of strangers,” said Sachiko Azuma, head of Tokyo-based PEACE, which stands for Put an End to Animal Cruelty and Exploitation.
“The animals have become tools for a money-making business,” she said.
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Her group mainly opposes animal experiments and “petting zoos.” Cafés tend to be tiny and don’t provide enough of a natural environment for cats or small pigs, and those that entrap wildlife are abhorrent, Azuma said. She approves of cafés run by shelters trying to find owners for abandoned pets.
Dr. Bruce Kornreich, professor of clinical sciences at Cornell University’s College of Veterinary Medicine in Ithaca, N.Y., said interacting with animals can lower one’s blood pressure and reduce headaches and the risk of cardiovascular disease. It also enhances a sense of well-being and helps people cope with stress, he said.
“How they do these things, I’m not sure we know the answer,” said Kornreich, who is also part of the Cornell Feline Health Center, which advocates the study and well-being of cats.
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