OKANOGAN COUNTY — A woman was arrested for animal cruelty after five horses were reportedly found dead on her remote property in north Okanogan County, according to law enforcement.
Okanogan County deputies received a complaint on Jan. 18 of possible animal abuse. Deputies gained access to the property using an ATV on Jan. 20 and observed three dead horses on the property, the sheriff’s office stated.
Deputies say the property owner was not home at the time and a card was left to contact the sheriff’s office. The property owner, identified as Jennyfer Taylor, initially contacted the sheriff’s office but then communication stopped.
Investigators were granted a search warrant on Jan. 22. Fish and Wildlife officers and Border Patrol, along with an equine veterinarian, assisted the sheriff’s office in executing the warrant.
The sheriff’s office says four dead horses were found in a makeshift stable and a fifth was found dead in deep snow. There was reportedly no food or water found at the scene. The veterinarian determined the horses likely died due to starvation or dehydration.
A sixth horse was found alive but underweight. The horse was taken to No Paws Left Behind to be cared for.
Taylor was arrested and booked into jail for five counts if first-degree animal cruelty, according to the sheriff’s office.
After tragically losing their son in a drowning accident, a family was reunited with his body when a crocodile pulled him back to the surface, gently carrying the boy to an awaiting rescue crew in the water.
In the shocking footage, the mammoth reptile carries the body of the 4-year-old boy toward a rescue boat. It then leaves him within reach of the rescuers, who retrieve him from the water and bring him back to his family.
The small boy was later identified as Muhammad Ziyad Wijaya, the child who went missing two days prior near the Jawa Estuary on the island of Borneo in the Indonesian province of East Kalimantan, according to Newsweek. Members of the East Kalimantan Basarnas Search and Rescue Agency had been searching for the boy for days when the crocodile unexpectedly delivered him to them.
“Around seven in the morning the team received information from the family that they saw a crocodile carrying a human body,” Melkianus Kotta, head of the East Kalimantan Basarnas Search and Relief Office, told a local news outlet. “It turned out that the body was the child we were looking for.”
Crocodile Delivers Small Boy’s Body Completely Unharmed
To the rescuers’ surprise, the crocodile carried the toddler’s body a full mile from where officials suspect he drowned. After placing him within reach of the rescue boat, the croc simply disappeared below the surface.
The bizarre rescue became even more shocking after a preliminary examination of the body. Through the exam, officials learned that the crocodile hadn’t left so much as a single wound on the boy. There were no bite marks, no missing limbs, no injuries at all. “Nothing is missing; everything is intact,” Kotta explained.
As far as rescuers can tell, the crocodile’s only intention was to help return the boy to his fellow humans. “We think the crocodile actually aided in the search for the victim,” Kotta said.
A Similar Incident Occurred in 2017
Every year, crocodiles devour at least 1,000 people worldwide. That said, though they’re more than capable of eating humans, the ancient reptiles have also been known to assist humans now and then.
In 2017, for example, a similar situation to Muhammad Ziyad Wijaya’s occurred. A crocodile pulled a 41-year-old man named Syarifuddin into the water not far from where the toddler drowned. To get him back, villagers called in the help of a “crocodile charmer,” asking that he make the croc return Syarifuddin.
After the charmer performed the necessary ritual, a crocodile suddenly appeared in the water, a dead body clutched in its massive jaws. The reptile left the body on the riverbank, which officials later identified as the missing man. Whether it was the same croc who took the man in the first place remains unclear.
Many, however, praised the crocodile for its efforts all the same. “If the crocodile intended to eat a human, there would be no flesh left,” one user said. “Some animals have good intentions.”
Until now, Monte Mills had never seen a state try to promulgate rules that stem directly from Herrera v. Wyoming, a U.S. Supreme Court decision that recognized a Crow tribal member’s right to hunt unoccupied, off-reservation land ceded by a 1868 treaty.
On Thursday, Mills, who directs the University of Washington’s Native American Law Center, reviewed a draft of House Bill 83 – Tribal agreements to hunt and fish, which attempts to translate the high court’s decision into state law.
“From the tribal perspective, this is laying the groundwork for some meaningful negotiation and dialogue and agreement,” Mills told WyoFile. “Under Herrera, the rights are there under federal law – there isn’t a requirement for a state (hunting or fishing)…
Around 20 wildlife and animal protection groups want the U.S. Forest Service to ban the use of hounds for hunting in the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest after Wisconsin’s controversial wolf hunt two years ago.
The Center for Biological Diversity and Friends of the Wisconsin Wolf and Wildlife filed apetitionThursday with the federal agency to bar use of dogs to hunt black bears and other wildlife.
“I think that 2021 hunt really outlined what these houndsmen are capable of when it comes to wolves,” said Melissa Smith, executive director of Friends of the Wisconsin Wolf and Wildlife. “We know that hounds and wolves have terrible bloody conflict. Now that wolves in Wisconsin are federally protected again, we believe that the Forest Service needs to end…
Pin, a male lappet-faced vulture, was found dead at the Dallas Zoo. Police are investigating the bird’s death.
Zoo officials believe the animal’s death is connected to a string of suspicious incidents in recent weeks, including a leopard that went missing for hours.
The Dallas Zoo is offering a $10,000 reward to anyone who can provide information leading to the arrest of a person they say is responsible for a string of recent animal-related crimes — including the death this weekend of an endangered vulture.
Dallas police say the male lappet-faced vulture, named Pin, was found dead in its enclosure Jan. 21. They are investigating the bird’s death as suspicious, and a necropsy will be conducted on its body.
Anyone arrested could face felony charges for animal cruelty, police said.
Dallas Zoo CEO Gregg Hudson said at a Monday press conference that the vulture was found wounded. Asked by a reporter whether the bird was shot, Hudson declined to comment.
“We’re going to continue to expand and implement whatever it takes for the safety and security measures of the animals, the staff and the people that live near the zoo,” Hudson said.
Pin arrived at the zoo 33 years ago, though zoo officials believed him to be at least 35 years old. The bird was one of four lappet-faced vultures at the zoo. Two males and one female remain, the zoo said. The species of vulture is native to Africa and parts of the Middle East.
The zoo said the birds are part of a “small, very rapidly declining population,” with the International Union for Conservation of Nature considering them approaching “critically endangered.”
Harrison Edell is the vice president of animal care and conservation for the zoo. He said Pin was beloved by those who cared for him.
“We’re also really disturbed by the idea that someone might have intentionally done this,” Edell said.
This is the third incident involving animals at the Dallas Zoo in the past two weeks.
Just over a week ago, the zoo closed after a clouded leopard named Nova went missing the morning of Jan. 13. She was later found safe that afternoon near her original habitat, but police said it appeared the fence to her enclosure had been intentionally cut open. It was later discovered that a langur monkey habitat also appeared to have been tampered with.
The zoo said it added more cameras and overnight security patrols after Nova’s disappearance to ensure the safety of the animals and staff.
Mayor Pro Tem of Dallas Carolyn King Arnold said Monday officials are not only trying to protect those inside the zoo, but those in surrounding neighborhoods.
“It’s hard for folks to understand just what the loss means when folks work day-to-day with the residents — I call them residents here, the animal family — but this is a very, very serious concern that we have so that we will not see a repetition,” Arnold said.
KERA News is made possible through the generosity of our members. If you find this reporting valuable, consider making a tax-deductible gift today. Thank you.
Toluwani Osibamowo is a general assignments reporter for KERA. She previously worked as a news intern for Texas Tech Public Media and copy editor for Texas Tech University’s student newspaper, The Daily Toreador, before graduating with a bachelor’s degree in journalism. She is originally from Plano.
On Jan. 21, an adult male moose was shot and killed in the yard of a Terreton area resident after it charged him.
The large moose had been frequenting residential areas around the Mud Lake and Terreton areas for over a week and had reportedly become increasingly agitated.
The man involved in the incident had been attempting to haze the moose out of the yard when the moose charged at him. At that point the man decided to shoot the moose to prevent the attack, killing it only a few yards away from where he was standing. Luckily the man was uninjured.
Both Jefferson County Sheriff’s Deputies and Fish and Game responded to the scene. It was determined that the act was in self-defense and no charges have been filed.
A Weirdale-area man has beenconvictedof seven charges involving illegal trapping in a part of the Fort à la Corne forest that is set aside for use by the James Smith Cree Nation.
Lloyd Slonski could face over $11,000 in fines, the forfeiture of his snowmobile and all of his trapping gear if Crown Prosecutor Matthew Miazga is successful in his submission.
“Fines in the past have not been sufficient. They’ve been imposed on four occasions in the past,” Miazga said in provincial court this afternoon.
He said Slonski’s past convictions show a disregard for the law. He also submitted that the use of free hanging neck snares by Slonski is an aggravating factor.
Secretary Yellen prepares to speak to viliagers in Chongwe, Zambia on Jan. 24, 2023. Photo: Hans Nichols/Axios
GAUTENG, South Africa— Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen announced a new joint U.S. – South African task force on wildlife trafficking to “follow the money” from poaching and then work to seize proceeds from any illegal sales.
Why it matters:Yellen used the announcement to emphasize the central theme of her 10-day trip: working closely with American institutionsis the best wayfor African countries to grow their economies and improve living standards.
The illegal killing of rare African species threatens the species’ existence and disrupts their ecosystems.
Protecting the local wildlife is a priority for African governments, their tourism industry and international conservationists.
Defense Attorney Kenneth Pace prepares to question defense witness Michael Van Durme, an expert in hunter shooting incidents. (Jim Mimiaga/The Journal)
On the third day of the trial for hunter Ronald Morosko, defense attorneys argued that law enforcement officers failed to conduct an adequate investigation into what happened when Morosko fatally shot bowhunter Gregory Gabrisch in the mountains north of Rico.
Morosko is charged with criminal negligent homicide and hunting in a careless manner in the shooting death of Gabrisch while the two hunted separately in the San Juan National Forest on Sept. 17, 2021.
Enforcement Agents cited a New Iberia man for alleged deer hunting violations on Jan. 15 in Iberia Parish. Agents cited Jarrod Ransonet, 45, for intentional concealment of wildlife, possession of an illegally taken deer and hunting without a deer license. Agents were on patrol during the archery only season when they observed two subjects fully dressed in camouflage at the Patout Boat Launch loading hunting gear into their vehicle. Agents made contact with the two subjects, which turned out to be Ransonet and a juvenile. During questioning, Ransonet informed agents they were hunting wild hogs. Agents then observed brown hair protruding from a pile of camouflage hunting jackets. Agents discovered a fresh dead antlerless deer shot with a rifle concealed underneath the jackets. The antlerless deer was seized and donated to a local charity. Intentional concealment of wildlife brings a $900 to $950 fine and up to 120 days in jail. Possession of…
Top scientists and security experts moved the “Doomsday Clock” forward on Tuesday to just 90 seconds to midnight -– signaling an increased risk to humanity’s survival from the nuclear shadow over the Ukraine conflict and the growing climate crisis.
The new timing of the clock set by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists is closer to midnight than ever before.
The hands of the clock, which the Bulletin describes as a “metaphor for how close humanity is to self-annihilation,” had been at 100 seconds to midnight since January 2020 — the closest to midnight it had been in its history.
A decision to reset the hands of the symbolic timepiece is taken each year by the Bulletin’s science and security board and its board of sponsors, which includes 10 Nobel laureates.
Exposing the Big Game 