Your outdoor news bulletin for June 26, the day the U.S. Supreme Court knocked down DOMA in 2013:
BEARS!
It’s been a big week for bears in the Blue Ridge. First, there was the adorable saga of Rusty the red panda from the National Zoo in Washington, D.C. The little scamp escaped his enclosure and evaded capture for almost a day until he was discovered in Adams Morgan later in the afternoon. Before this story had even run its course, there was another bear incident in the District. Following a 90 minute game of hide and seek with local animal control officers, a black bear was captured in Northwest D.C. earlier today. The bear was described by authorities as being “very harmless,” mainly because it was less than a year old and weighed about 100 pounds. That bear is being released back into the wild in an undisclosed Maryland location. And finally, a (different) black bear pulled a switcheroo and tried to break into the Knoxville Zoo on Monday – “they’ll never suspect it!” The bear was spotted climbing a fence into the zoo, but officials were unable to locate the bear inside, so they are working on the assumption that he retreated once he realized he had made a huge mistake. That, or he is successfully blending in with the Knoxville Zoo crowd.
Rabbits!
Speaking of enclosed animals that are no longer where they are supposed to be, two rabbits were stolen from the Western North Carolina Nature Center. Slate, a male Flemish Giant rabbit, and Pogo, a male Holland lop rabbit were taken from their barn exhibit sometime Monday night. There was no signs of forced entry. Both require special care: Pogo has a special diet and Slate has a foot issue. If you know where they are, call Crime Stoppers at (828) 255-5050, then take a long look in the mirror for being associated with people who steal sick rabbits, and getting yourself mixed up in the underground exotic bunny trade.
STRIPERS!
North Carolina’s Norman Lake is now being stocked with hybrid striped bass by the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission, moving the lake from a striped bass fishery to a hybrid striped bass fishery. They stocked 162,500 hybrids in an attempt to counter recent summertime kills – hybrid striped bass are a cross between striped bass and white bass, making them slightly more resilient to warmer water.
Tsunamis!
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, a tsunami hit the East Coast earlier this month. On June 13 a six foot wave hit the coast of New Jersey which experts believe was caused by a strong storm, though the official source of the wave is “complex and under review.” It is a telling sign that a six foot swell can be classified as a tsunami on the East Coast, brah. Our waves are small, but not that small. Also: GLOBAL WARMING!
