Now the surviving Gelflings will be safe!
Open thread!
Nature
Florida Man Does Something Good!
saved the puppy from getting eaten by an alligator and never dropped his cigar, a true legend pic.twitter.com/ryRSfZqOsy
— juan vidal (@itsjuanlove) November 22, 2020
Florida Man saves his puppy from a gator!
Don’t even think about messing with this Florida man’s puppy.
Richard Wilbanks, 74, acted swiftly when his 3-month-old pup Gunner was snatched by an alligator in the backyard pond of his home in Estero, near South Florida’s Gulf Coast.
In a stunning video, Wilbanks wrestles the young gator in waist-deep water, bringing it above the surface and prying open its jaws to release the King Charles Cavalier spaniel.
“We were just out walking by the pond,” Wilbanks told CNN, “and it came out of the water like a missile. I never thought an alligator could be that fast. It was so quick.”
Acting on adrenaline or instinct, Wilbanks said he just “automatically jumped into the water.”
He said he sustained some injuries to his hands and went to the doctor for a tetanus shot to be safe.
Gunner had one small puncture wound to his belly, but is doing fine after a trip to the vet, Wilbanks said.
Wilbanks told WINK News that he understands this is the alligator’s home and does not want it removed from the pond. He urged other pet owners to keep their animals away from the water’s edge.
The dramatic encounter was caught on camera thanks to a partnership between the Florida Wildlife Federation and the fSTOP Foundation as part of a campaign called “Sharing the Landscape.” Its mission is to help the community understand and appreciate the wildlife they live near and help reduce conflicts.
Meredith Budd, the regional policy director of the Florida Wildlife Federation, said the cameras typically capture videos of deer or bobcats. It’s not often they catch something like what Wilbanks and Gunner went through.
“We live on a shared landscape,” Budd said. “We don’t just want to tolerate wildlife, but, rather, we want to thrive with wildlife on a shared landscape.”
Louise Wilbanks, Richard’s wife, told WINK the incident has given them a new appreciation for the wildlife near their homes.
“We do need to be aware they are wild animals. They’re not here for our benefit. We’re very lucky to share this space with them,” she said.
Here’s a bit more video with some reporting:
As a native Floridian who grew up on a salt water canal that fed into Tampa Bay, but has also lived in areas of the state with lakes, retention ponds, and cypress swamp and scrub just outside my doors – front and back – one of the things you learn is that gators can be anywhere. And that they’re fast, very, very fast. When I’m out with the dogs near water, even if it is just low lying scrub that has filled up because of rain to form a pond, I keep eyes on the water and my ears focused on any movement in it and along its edges. Day or night!
And Gunner is a very good and very lucky boy!
Open thread!
Thursday Evening Open Thread: A Metaphor for 2020
Timely!
There's a remastered 4k video of the infamous exploding whale incident that was just released for its 50th anniversary and there's no better way to spend 3 minutes of your day. https://t.co/mt4Y45PbMl
— Adrenochrome Harvester (@ClenchedFisk) November 12, 2020
Thursday Evening Open Thread: A Metaphor for 2020Post + Comments (131)
Floriduh! Man Decides To Investigate the Leopards Eating People’s Faces Party!
I meant the title to the post literally, not figuratively.
EXCLUSIVE: A man who paid $150 for a “full-contact experience” with a black leopard says he had to undergo multiple surgeries after he was mauled by the animal in an enclosure behind a Davie home https://t.co/x0zlA4G9Ne
— WPLG Local 10 News (@WPLGLocal10) October 28, 2020
DAVIE, Fla. – A man who paid $150 for a “full-contact experience” with a black leopard says he had to undergo multiple surgeries after he was mauled by the fully-grown animal in an enclosure behind a Davie home.
A picture obtained by Local 10 News shows Dwight Turner’s heavily bandaged head and ear after the savage attack, which detectives from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission say happened behind a home on Earnest Boulevard on Aug. 31.
The man who lives there, identified as Michael Poggi, has a Facebook page saying he runs an animal sanctuary for rare and endangered animals.
I think I’ve identified the problem:
Investigators say Poggi charged the 50-year-old Turner $150 for a “full-contact experience” with his black leopard — to “play with it, rub its belly and take pictures.”
FWC’s report says that once Turner walked inside the enclosure, the leopard attacked.
Imagine that!
The injuries were so severe, the report says the victim’s scalp was “hanging from his head and his right ear was torn in half.”
Authorities say Poggi was charged with allowing full contact with an extremely dangerous animal and was cited for maintaining captive wildlife in an unsafe condition.
Attempts to speak to Poggi at his home have been unsuccessful.
Authorities say he is licensed to have the leopard. They say Poggi admitted to them what he did was illegal.
Yes, in Floriduh! you can get a license for a leopard. Who knew? Floriduh! Man knew…
I would think the lesson here is not to play with, rub the belly of, and take pictures with an actual leopard.
Best wishes for a full recovery for the leopard, who I’m sure was traumatized by all of this stupidity. And also for Mr. Turner.
Open thread!
Floriduh! Man Decides To Investigate the Leopards Eating People’s Faces Party!Post + Comments (266)
Saturday Morning Open Thread: Literally Smashing Pumpkins
Tis the season…
They did the mash! Big thanks to giant pumpkin growers Larry Nelson and Jim Paino for the gourd time! pic.twitter.com/GSY23qJoBV
— Oregoth Boo (@OregonZoo) October 23, 2020
I know this point was made repeatedly last night including by me, but after sleeping on it, I wonder if people aren't still underrating the importance of the debate having been Trump's best remaining opportunity to climb back into the race and it seemingly having been squandered.
— Nate Silver (@NateSilver538) October 23, 2020
One of the fun things (the most fun thing?) about my job is I get to see lots of internals that don’t get released at all, and they tell a pretty similar story. Depending on the day of the week and specific district, Biden is usually overperfomlng 2016 numbers by 8-13 points. https://t.co/gBBBP6mltn
— Jacob Rubashkin (@JacobRubashkin) October 24, 2020
never count on the youth vote but if they actually pick *this* year to actually show up the polls may be complete garbage and not in a good way for president boomer meme
— kilgore trout, biden wi-fi switchman (@KT_So_It_Goes) October 24, 2020
Democratic supporters in The Villages, a conservative retirement community in central Florida, are becoming more active as campaigning for the 2020 presidential election enters the home stretch https://t.co/EpX82mxO9Q pic.twitter.com/hzlM4HEzuH
— Reuters (@Reuters) October 24, 2020
Saturday Morning Open Thread: Literally Smashing PumpkinsPost + Comments (331)
Bigfoot Is Real*
Obligatory COVID-19 sheltering in place selfie:
Open thread!
* The person responsible for this post knows what they did…//
So About That Third Party Spoilers Thing… The Libertarian Presidential Candidate And A Possibly Rabid Bat Edition
The 2020 Libertarian Party presidential nominee has been bitten by a possibly rabid bat.
— Jim Antle (@jimantle) August 8, 2020
I will not be able to attend the campaign rally tomorrow morning. I will be getting a rabies vaccine as a precaution after having been bitten by a bat near the start of this campaign tour! I have every intention of participating in the FLAME march and I will deliver remarks at…
— Jo Jorgensen (@Jorgensen4POTUS) August 8, 2020
What effect might his have on Ms. Jorgenson’s views on the US healthcare system? Well let’s just say kvetching was involved!
Not with the health care system we have now!
And I'm not stopped…I'm just pausing for a few hours.
— Jo Jorgensen (@Jorgensen4POTUS) August 8, 2020
Or maybe we should have a free market in which doctors could travel to the patient outside of a hospital or their offices.
— Jo Jorgensen (@Jorgensen4POTUS) August 8, 2020
There is, as of 11:10 PM EDT, no word on the condition of the bat and whether it has contracted anything serious or life threatening from coming into contact with Ms. Jorgenson.
Open thread!
Obligatory: