Tag: animals
Lion tears off 4-year-old girl’s scalp at South Africa big cat farm
A lion ripped off a 4-year-old girl’s scalp in South Africa when the tot and her father got a little too close to a fence closing off the big cats from the public, according to a new report.
Dina Marie de Beer is listed in critical condition after the Sunday attack at the Weltevrede Lion Farm, The Independent reported.
The child’s dad, Peter, was holding his daughter so she could pet one of the cubs when the lioness grabbed him through the fence, South African station Netwerk24 reported.
Dina is listed in critical condition — with her scalp torn off, and one of the lion’s claws having penetrated her skull, the station reported. Part of her skull was surgically removed Monday to relieve pressure on her brain. Her dad, who only suffered minor injuries, told the outlet that it’s expected to be a long road ahead for his daughter.
A tour guide at the farm told The Independent the incident occurred when dad and daughter “got a bit too close,” adding that he hoped the little girl would have a “quick recovery.”
The owners of the farm did not respond to a request for comment from the outlet.
It has been a troublesome month for the lion farm: Just last week, another man was wounded in an attack through the fence, the South African station reported.
And back in 2010, two sisters, 3 and 5, were attacked by lionesses at the same farm, South African outlet Independent Online reported.
Both were treated for non-life-threatening injuries.
“Sometimes they play a little rough,” the farm’s owner, Nico Roets, told the paper about the lions at the time.
Up to 8,000 wild lions are held in captivity at 260 South African breeding farms, compared to fewer than 3,000 out in the wild, the Independent reported.
Protesters have previously blasted the farms for allegedly neglecting the animals — and in some cases, operating as total scams that benefit from trophy-hunting or Asia’s trade in bones.
“This horrible incident underscores the need for the government of South Africa to shut down the lion breeding industry in the country, in order to protect both people from these ‘snuggle scam’ businesses in which they expose themselves to potential danger, and spare the suffering of thousands of lions languishing in appalling inadequate captive conditions where they are used as props for the tourist trade,” Audrey Delsink, a spokeswoman for Humane Society International, told the outlet.
via: https://nypost.com/2019/05/16/lion-tears-off-4-year-old-girls-scalp-at-south-africa-big-cat-farm/
Photo Credit: Getty Images
Long Island man busted for sexually abusing two horses
A Long Island man has been arrested for having sexual contact with two horses, cops said Thursday.
Steven Errante was busted Wednesday after cops determined he allegedly had inappropriate contact with the horses on Aug. 25 and Sept. 4 at a stable in his home town of Dix Hills.
In 2013, Errante, 30, was arrested for beating his Labrador mix named Chantel Girl with a bat.
The dog suffered skull and facial fractures and broken front legs. She had to be euthanized.
In addition to beating the dog, Errante also broke his own father’s ribs with a baton in 2013, according to authorities.
He was ordered to add his name to Suffolk County’s Animal Abuse Offender Registry.
He failed to do so and cops opened an investigation. During the probe, they uncovered the alleged sexual abuse of the horses.
Errante is charged with two counts of sexual misconduct with animals and failure to register as an animal abuse offender.
Army vet tied service dog to tree, shot it 5 times at close range
An Army veteran was thrown behind bars Tuesday for allegedly tying her PTSD therapy dog to a tree and shooting him five times at close range — killing the poor pup for no apparent reason while a soldier filmed it.
Marinna Rollins, 23, was arrested by police in Fayetteville, N.C. and charged with animal cruelty and conspiracy after footage of the deranged incident reportedly surfaced on Facebook.
Court documents obtained by the Fayetteville Observer describe how she teamed up with her boyfriend, Jarren Heng, 25, for the seemingly random killing earlier this month.
The couple allegedly led the white-and-gray pit bull to a wooded area before tying him to a tree and taking his life. The canine — dubbed Camboui, but referred to as “Cam” or “Cammy” — was ultimately shot five times with a rifle as Rollins and Heng, who is still enlisted and stationed at Fort Bragg, took turns filming him.
“Let me hit him once,” Heng can be heard saying in the video.
Throughout the disturbing clip, he and Rollins both laugh and joke about the dog’s brutal death before they eventually dump him in a shallow grave.
“That’s his nerves going,” Rollins says, as Camboui’s body begins to convulse.
She and Heng can also be seen drinking alcohol in several pictures that they took before allegedly killing him.
“It’s been real Cammy,” Rollins says while burying him. “I love you, you’re my puppy, you’re a good puppy. But…”
It’s unclear if the pair had been putting Cambouiout of its misery or whether he was suffering from sort of illness at the time of his death — which took place on either April 16 or 17, according to WTVD.
Camboui was reportedly given to Rollins as an emotional support dog after she was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental health issues.
In April, the Army vet began writing posts on Facebook in the apparent attempt to find the dog a new home.
According to the Observer, she wrote on April 17 that Camboui would be heading to his new owner soon.
“Sad he has to go, but he will be much happier where he is heading off to,” Rollins reportedly said.
“He’s going to have such a great new life,” Heng replied, adding a smiley face emoji to his post.
A Facebook page, titled “Justice For Cam,” has posted the graphic footage of Camboui being killed, in the attempt to bring more attention to the incident.
“A lot of people are getting upset that this video is posted here,” the moderator wrote Monday.
“You do not have to click play and watch it but let me clarify something. Marinna Rollins is trying to claim that the dog was sick and suffering and that she did this out of Mercy. The video has been shared, to prove otherwise, because we don’t want her to get off easy for the crime she committed. This was clearly not mercy.”
An investigation by Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office and Cumberland County Animal Control ultimately found that Rollins and Heng had both broken the law when they took Cam’s life. It not only turned up the video, but also several text messages of theirs in which they allegedly discussed the shooting.
“As graphic as the videos are, they tell Camboui’s story, that he was unable to do,” the moderators of the “Justice For Cam” page said. “Many people thought he was going to a new home, and family. These videos prove otherwise, that he was brought out to a wooded area, shot multiple times, and then beaten and dragged to a shallow grave. Like a piece of trash, not a well taken care of ESA. His body is still out there, somewhere in those NC woods.”
Rollins’ bail was initially set at $10,000 Tuesday, while Heng’s was set at $5,000 after his arrest on Monday night. But they were both raised to $25,000 following requests from prosecutors.
“They can be heard on the tape laughing and giggling as the dog was being killed,” Cumberland County District Attorney Clark Reaves said Tuesday night during the couple’s first court appearance.
“It was a therapy dog.”
Rollins and Heng have each been charged with animal cruelty and conspiracy. It’s unclear when their next court date is.
via: http://nypost.com/2017/04/26/army-vet-tied-service-dog-to-tree-shot-it-5-times-at-close-range-cops/