MONDAY, JULY 2, 2007 | ODD NEWS | WWW.KANSAN.COM THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN | 1>
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Man sought in odd N.Y. peacock slaying
NEW YORK — A peacock that roamed into a fast-food store parking lot was savagely attacked by a man who vilified the bird as a vampire, animal-control authorities said.
Beaten so fiercely that most of his tail feathers fell out, the bird was euthanized, said Richard Gentles, a spokesman for the city Center for Animal Care and Control.
The peacock, a male several years old, wandered into a Staten Island Burger King parking lot and perched on a car hood Thursday morning. Charmed employees had been feeding him bread when the man appeared.
He seized the iridescent bird by the neck, hurled the creature to the ground and started kicking and stomping the animal, said worker Felicia Finnegan.
Asked what he was doing, she said, the bird-beater explained, "I'm killing a vampire!"
Employees called police,but the attacker ran when he saw them. Authorities were looking for the attacker,described as being in his teens or early 20s.
It was not clear how the bird made his way to the Burger King, but a Staten Island resident who raises peacocks said he had given some to a person who lives near the restaurant.
Associated Press
Daytona Beach strippers forced to put clothes on
— Erotic dancers in adult bars in most parts of this spring break city are going to have to wear as much clothing as most people on the beach.
A federal appeals court upheld municipal zoning and
nudity ordinances on Thursday after the city and Lollipops Gentlemen's Club made their cases before the court on March 23.
"The bottom line is the 11th Circuit Court (of Appeals) upheld the city's authority to enforce its zoning regulations and public nudity ordinance with regard to the adult entertainment establishments,"City Attorney Bob Brown said.
In other words, dancers at adult clubs that serve liquor are required to wear conservative bikinis. G-strings and pasties won't be enough to meet that requirement, the court said.
Both sides were trying to reverse previous rulings. Associated Press
Associated Press
Ace, birdie, par, bogey, Moose?
CHEYENNE, Wyo. A Wyoming golf course had more hazards this week than the usual sand traps, ponds and deep rough. They had moose.
The three young moose ambled around the first three holes, took a dip in a pond, got a drink, then rested Thursday at the Little America Hotel and Resort, according to Eric Fedell, the resort's grounds and golf manager.
Crews rerouted golfers around the moose, which rarely are seen so far east in Wyoming. Game and Fish Department workers later tranquilized the animals and shipped them to the Snowy Range, about 100 miles west of town.
They probably came from the Pole Mountain area more than 20 miles west of Cheyenne, Game and Fish spokesman Eric Keszler said.
Resort officials said they worried that the moose could wander onto nearby Interstate 80.
Associated Press
Crocodilian confiscation
Alligator trapper Bob Cowles, right, works with Officer Loren Lowers, center, of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission and Sgt. Gary Kraayenbrink, of the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office to capture a 10-foot, 11-inch alligator from a pond of the sixth hole of the Venice, Fla., Public Golf Course on June 25.. Earlier in the day, the alligator bit Bruce Burger, 50, a golfer from Tennessee as he tried to retrieve his golf ball from the pond. Burger was taken to a hospital but was not seriously injured. ASSOCIATED PRESS
Two alligator captures put community on alert
LEVITTOWN, Pa. Animal control officers caught an alligator in a creek just days after netting a 5-foot gator in the same area.
Now they fear more are lurking around Pennypack Creek in Phildelphia's suburbs and are asking children not to wade in the shallow waterway.
"If (there are) two, that's
leading us to believe there may be more," said Shawn Tarman, Upper Moreland's animal control officer. "If you have children, they probably shouldn't be stomping around in the creek until we figure out what we're dealing with."
taken to the Lake Tobias Wildlife Park in Halifax, about 30 miles north of Harrisburg.
"We'll be using it in our reptile show," said Dee Hoffman, one of the park's owners.
The second alligator, caught Sunday afternoon near Bryn Athyn, is about 2 feet long.
The first alligator was found in the creek last week and taken to the Elmwood Park Zoo in Norristown. The second gator was
Officials believe the gators were dumped by an owner who didn't want to care for them anymore.
Associated Press
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