Latest news with #rangers
ABC News
2 days ago
- ABC News
'Guard llama' Larry killed in dog attack at hobby farm near Geraldton
After spending more than 20 years loyally guarding a flock of about 150 sheep, Larry the llama met a gruesome end in the jaws of one or more roaming dogs. WARNING: This article contains an image that some readers might find distressing. On the day Larry was mauled to death, his owner, Laura Elson, found four dogs running amok on her hobby farm, east of Geraldton. But the dogs were not wild — they were domestic pets, and at least three had registered owners. On the day of the attack last month, Ms Elson first realised something was wrong when she caught a pair of border collies on her farm. She called City of Greater Geraldton rangers and, accompanied by one, went to check on her flock. Shortly after the rangers left with the border collies, Ms Elson went back to the paddock for a more thorough check, which is when she found a third dog. "I loaded that one up, then I located a fourth dog … loaded that one up, and then I called the rangers back again to come and collect the other two dogs," she said. It was then that she noticed one had blood on its fur. The ranger accompanied her to Larry's paddock, where they found him deceased. A devastated Ms Elson said llamas only lived to between 15 and 20 years, but Larry "was a bit of a record breaker". Initially bought in a pair, her beloved pet had outlived his paddock mate, who died of old age. Three of the dogs were returned by rangers to their owners, while one has not been claimed. The owners who could be identified were issued with fines for not containing their pets or failing to ensure they had collars, with the penalties averaging about $500 for each owner. Ms Elson is angry that no one has been held responsible for the attack on Larry or her livestock. "Unfortunately, the rangers said that they can't prosecute," Ms Elson said. "It would be passed out in court as beyond reasonable doubt because I didn't visually see the dogs attacking him." Ms Elson said rangers should have more power to declare dogs as dangerous. "I think it's ridiculous," she said. City of Greater Geraldton ranger coordinator Mark Lambert said they still considered the case to be "open". However, prosecution was difficult in situations such as these because court cases had to meet criminal standards of proof, he said. "We work within the legislation of the Dog Act of 1976," he said. "That puts us into a criminal framework and any potential prosecutions, in a Magistrate's Court. "We have to operate under evidence rules, and that evidence that we have to provide needs to prove things beyond a reasonable doubt." Mr Lambert said such attacks were upsetting for his team, particularly when they could not resolve a case. "They do get very distressed when they cannot provide the level of service that they want to provide and cannot bring a positive resolution to an incident, particularly with the dog attacks when we've got stock that are being killed or badly injured." Mr Lambert said the city averaged about 15 reports a month of attacks on people, pets or livestock, most of which could be prevented. "It really is a big call-out to our community to please check your fencing, make sure that it's good, that it can contain your dog appropriately," he said. "Keep keep your gates closed. Make sure you know where your dog is. Make sure it's contained, and we can really make a big impact on these dog attack figures."
RNZ News
6 days ago
- General
- RNZ News
Two Muriwai kororā rescued from nesting box buried by mud slip
One of the kororā which was rescued after its nesting box was completely buried by a mud slip. Photo: Muriwai Environmental Trust Two kororā whose nesting box was buried by a mud slip at Auckland's Muriwai have been rescued, cared for and relocated to a safer site. In a social media post, the Muriwai Environmental Trust said its penguin team discovered the nesting box which had been completely buried by mud over the weekend. Only a small beak was visible, but thanks to quick action both little blue penguins were found alive, it said. The kororā were gently cleaned and relocated to a safer site. Photo: Muriwai Environmental Trust The pair were checked and gently cleaned before being located to a safer site with new housing so they could continue their breeding season, it said. The trust said the volunteers were trained to handle situations such as this but anyone who came across a penguin in distress should contact the Muriwai rangers or call 0800 DOC HOT, rather than trying to intervene directly. It was the penguin's breeding season and people in the Muriwai area should keep their dogs north of the Surf Tower, it said. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Al Arabiya
22-07-2025
- Al Arabiya
Mountain lion bites 4-year-old on popular olympic national park trail, injuring child
A mountain lion bit a 4-year-old who was walking with their family over the weekend on a popular trail in Olympic National Park in Washington state, park officials said Monday. The child was injured during Sunday's attack and flown to a trauma center in Seattle for treatment, according to a statement from the National Park Service. The attack by a mountain lion fitted with a tracking collar was near an overlook on Hurricane Ridge, a popular mountain area with expansive views. The attack was reported to rangers around 3:15 p.m. on Sunday, and paramedics and park staff traveled to the injured child, according to the National Park Service. Rangers immediately started searching for the cougar, and by Monday, park staff had dispatched the animal, the statement said, using a term that generally refers to killing an animal. There are no current threats to the public, the statement said. Officials said they would not be releasing any identifying information about the child to protect their identity.
CNN
22-07-2025
- CNN
Mountain lion bites 4-year-old on popular Olympic National Park trail, injuring child
A mountain lion bit a 4-year-old who was walking with their family over the weekend on a popular trail in Olympic National Park in Washington state, park officials said Monday. The child was injured during Sunday's attack and flown to a trauma center in Seattle for treatment, according to a statement from the National Park Service. The attack by a mountain lion fitted with a tracking collar was near an overlook on Hurricane Ridge, a popular mountain area with expansive views. The attack was reported to rangers around 3:15 p.m. on Sunday and paramedics and park staff traveled to the injured child, according to the National Park Service. Rangers immediately started searching for the cougar and by Monday, park staff had 'dispatched the animal,' the statement said using a term that generally refers to killing an animal. 'There are no current threats to the public,' the statement said. Officials said they would not be releasing any identifying information about the child to protect their identity.
CNN
22-07-2025
- CNN
Mountain lion bites 4-year-old on popular Olympic National Park trail, injuring child
A mountain lion bit a 4-year-old who was walking with their family over the weekend on a popular trail in Olympic National Park in Washington state, park officials said Monday. The child was injured during Sunday's attack and flown to a trauma center in Seattle for treatment, according to a statement from the National Park Service. The attack by a mountain lion fitted with a tracking collar was near an overlook on Hurricane Ridge, a popular mountain area with expansive views. The attack was reported to rangers around 3:15 p.m. on Sunday and paramedics and park staff traveled to the injured child, according to the National Park Service. Rangers immediately started searching for the cougar and by Monday, park staff had 'dispatched the animal,' the statement said using a term that generally refers to killing an animal. 'There are no current threats to the public,' the statement said. Officials said they would not be releasing any identifying information about the child to protect their identity.
