Animals

[Vrede too]

You should find a new goofiness to dwell on. No one is going to fault the USFS for limited plague-carrying chipmunk eradication on the south shore of Lake Tahoe.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/lake-tahoe-c ... 23185.html
There are lots of replacement chipmunks out there. That said, follow your heart. Go there RIGHT NOW and throw your body on the gears of the chipmunkicidal machine. No excuses.

I would object. Sharing fleas with chipmunks is a pretty obscure risk, resulting apparently in one human plague case in the past 6 years. It's not like the little critters are rabid and launch Cujo-worthy attacks on poor defenceless humans. What's the expected life span of a plague-infested chipmunk anyway?

Lots of intermediary mammals that can host those fleas - rats, dogs, cats, groundhogs, sloths, baboons, nearby Solar and Solars [sic] Toy, etc - and it's a rock solid certainty that a tourist area like Tahoe will take action whenever someone mentions plague, even if it's largely fake action. You and Useless are .

Besides:

[Ulysses]

This must be the stuff of Vrede's nightmares:



Good.

[O Really]

Lots of intermediary mammals that can host those fleas - rats, dogs, cats, groundhogs, sloths, baboons, nearby Solar and Solars [sic] Toy, etc - and it's a rock solid certainty that a tourist area like Tahoe will take action whenever someone mentions plague, even if it's largely fake action. You and Useless are .

Well, that's kinda the point, isn't it? Chipmunks aren't the only place for plague, nor are they the only ones with fleas. Cats are big at catching/passing along plague. Why do the chipmunks have to take all the blame. I'll bet they don't even know that the one human to get plague in 6 years actually got it from a chipmunk flea. It was probably his own flea-bitten, carcass-dragging, picky eating cat.

[Ulysses]

Lake Tahoe chipmunks have the plague. But don’t worry (too much)

Human cases of plague are rare, and people can be treated with antibiotics, the forest service said. But the disease can become severe and sometimes fatal if it is not treated early, according to the state Health Department.

...

But when it came to a deadly medieval disease, the official advice was focused on basic precautions, mainly involving pets.

Herron said that people who visit areas where active plague has been found should stay on trails and keep their pets away from rodents.

She added, “If you must bring your pet, keep them on short leash, and do not let them investigate rodent burrows.”

Now, the interesting part is that it's not just chipmunks that can carry BP. Squirrels and of course, rats, can carry it too. But seriously, last year's single person who tested positive up at Tahoe was the first case in California in five years. But, it's fun seeing Vrede freak out over Alvin. Especially since he apparently believes these are medieval times and antibiotics have not yet been discovered.

[Vrede too]

It's a hoot that Useless is accusing me of freaking out over this when in fact all I did was make an offhand quip about something the EXPERTS are doing thousands of miles away from me, and he is the one that freaked out over this being some sign of animal abuse. It's even more funny given that he's already let us know many times that he doesn't give a shit about small wildlife anywhere. It's all an invented tantrum just so he can whine about me, again.

Anyhow, the original article was unclear. No one will be killing chipmunks. Rather, insecticide will be spread in burrows to kill fleas. I am fine with this killing, whether Useless has a pearl-clutching fit over it or not.

Lots of intermediary mammals that can host those fleas - rats, dogs, cats, groundhogs, sloths, baboons, nearby Solar and Solars [sic] Toy, etc - and it's a rock solid certainty that a tourist area like Tahoe will take action whenever someone mentions plague, even if it's largely fake action. You and Useless are .

Well, that's kinda the point, isn't it? Chipmunks aren't the only place for plague, nor are they the only ones with fleas. Cats are big at catching/passing along plague. Why do the chipmunks have to take all the blame. I'll bet they don't even know that the one human to get plague in 6 years actually got it from a chipmunk flea. It was probably his own flea-bitten, carcass-dragging, picky eating cat.

No, the point is that chipmunks are where they have found a local reservoir of the plague, not other animals yet, but the potential for spread to other animals is there. Hence, the USFS and local authority action. As with CV-19, my inclination is to heed the biologists and epidemiologists pending extremely strong evidence not to. If you and Useless choose to ignore the scientists, so be it. I don't even care, my main point, the one that sailed over Useless' shrieking head, as usual, was to humorously link the story to the uncle and 8-year-old nephew chipmunk murderers in NH.

[O Really]

Anyhow, the original article was unclear. No one will be killing chipmunks. Rather, insecticide will be spread in burrows to kill fleas.

OK, nevermind.

[billy.pilgrim]

[Vrede too]

(dervish dog)

Awww.


Goose has epic response to humans taking her injured boyfriend

Awww.

[GoCubsGo]

That's terrific.
Geese do mate for life.

[billy.pilgrim]

Amazing that a wild goose could put aside fear of humans to check on her mate.

[GoCubsGo]

Right in my old neighborhood

[Vrede too]

Right in my old neighborhood

Way cute, but lest you get too homesick:

Bold, hungry bears approaching tents and picnic tables at (western) NC campsites, officials warn

Ugh.

[Vrede too]

Amazing that a wild goose could put aside fear of humans to check on her mate.

Ma'am, don't worry . . . we'll let you know how it goes.

[GoCubsGo]

Right in my old neighborhood

Way cute, but lest you get too homesick:

Bold, hungry bears approaching tents and picnic tables at (western) NC campsites, officials warn

Ugh.

Kind of surprising, this is the time of year food should be plentiful. But it is also the beginning of their hyperphagia phase where they can't eat enough.

[Ulysses]

Yeah, I'm not the one obsessing over chipmunks...

Among other anti-chipmunk pics, Vrede posted this:

[Vrede too]

It's a hoot that Useless is accusing me of freaking out over this when in fact all I did was make an offhand quip about something the EXPERTS are doing thousands of miles away from me, and he is the one that freaked out over this being some sign of animal abuse. It's even more funny given that he's already let us know many times that he doesn't give a shit about small wildlife anywhere. It's all an invented tantrum just so he can whine about me, again.

... I don't even care, my main point, the one that sailed over Useless' shrieking head, as usual, was to humorously link the story to the uncle and 8-year-old nephew chipmunk murderers in NH.

Whooossh.

... poor defenceless [sic] chipmunks....

I suspect a heinous plot by plague infested chipmunks.

... mischievous plague-munks ...

This must be the stuff of Vrede's nightmares:

Good.

... chipmunks ...

... chipmunks ... Alvin....

Obsessed.

Yeah, I'm not the one obsessing over chipmunks...

Among other anti-chipmunk pics, Vrede posted this ...

[Ulysses]

More evidence of Vrede's OCD (Obsessive Chipmunk Disorder):



Oh, and BTW: "Defenceless" is a perfectly valid spelling, albeit British style. In order to enable my system to do things like accent marks and umlauts, I use an international style spell checker. Unfortunately it also defaults to British spellings. Usually I can catch and correct those before some poor OCD moron gets all triggered. This one slipped by. Not sorry.

[Vrede too]

Whooossh.

Obsessed.

Points proven, thanks.

[neoplacebo]

Jesus on a jet ski.

[Ulysses]

Obsessed.

Points proven, thanks.

Yes, your Obsessive Chipmunk Disorder (OCD) is rather obvious.

Get help.