Woman Knocked Out by Dolphin

Barbara Howard was enjoying a boat ride with her husband, daughter, and daughter's boyfriend when a dolphin suddenly jumped out of the water and landed on their boat. The 8-9 foot long marine mammal had apparently tried to jump over the boat and misjudged the distance. It knocked Barbara unconscious and pinned her and her husband to the deck of the boat. As it floundered around, its tail repeatedly beat her husband.

Her daughter's boyfriend mustered up more strength than he knew he had and pushed the 4-500 pound dolphin off the boat and back into the water. The couple had some minor cuts and bruises but were released from the hospital relatively unharmed.

I'm sure this must have been especially embarrassing for the dolphin. They are supposed to be some of the most intelligent creatures on earth, but even they make mistakes from time to time.

Fish Pedicures Banned in Texas

One of the newest trends in beauty treatment is the fish pedicure. Patrons to some of the few salons offering this luxurious treatment can soak their feet in tanks of water while the aptly named Doctor Fish nibble away tiny bits of dead skin. This new trend was starting to pick up steam until Texas authorities shut it down due to health concerns.

The Texas health department explained that the fish could transmit disease through contact with human feet. Their tanks were also impossible to safely sterilize without harming the fish. While there have been no reports of any form of problems related to these fish, authorities say they would rather be safe than sorry.

I think a nice fish pedicure would be a great way to clean up your feet. Unfortunately for those of you living in Texas, there will be no more fish pedicures... unless you can lure in some fish in a local pond. Or you could always just stick your feet in your fish tank.

Officer Expects House Cat, But Finds Mountain Lion

Police officer Mike Ableman was called in to remove a problem cat from a home in Casper, Wyoming. The dispatcher told him he was supposed to shoo off a big house cat. When he arrived at the scene, he was hissed at by a 90 pound mountain lion. He immediately ran back into the house and called the Game and Fish department. Wildlife officers then arrived to tranquilize and remove the cat.

I bet the officer was expecting a boringly easy job, and probably feeling a little down for having to do such a menial task. Instead he ended up in the world news. Life is like that sometimes.

Interview With Man Who Punched Shark to Save His Dog

Those of you who have kept up with my blog have probably read about the Florida man who punched a shark to save his dog. It's always so much better to hear the story straight from the mouth of the source. Here's the CBS video interview of this amazing story.



And for those of you who feel bad for the poor dog getting attacked, here's a video of a dog attacking a shark. It kind of levels the playing field. The owners of this dog seem more negligent than heroic. But he seems to be fending for himself pretty well.

Man Punches Shark to Save His Dog

Greg LeNoir was taking his dog, Jake, for a swim one day at a marina in Isla Morada, Florida. A 5-foot shark surfaced suddenly and grabbed the dog in its mouth. Greg wasn't about to let his pal become chum, so he dove off the pier headfirst and punched the shark in the back. He apparently scared the shark enough to make it let go, and he and the dog swam safely back to shore. The little rat-terrier was wounded but not critically injured. He was rushed to an animal hospital where he is making a full recovery.

I have to admit, this is one of my favorite stories of bravery/stupidity I have heard in a long time... and I write about incredible news stories all the time. I'll admit, I would probably do the same thing in the heat of the moment. I love my dog too. But afterwards, the only thing I would be able to think would be, WHAT WAS I THINKING?

Fish in a Fence After Hurrcane Ike

Hurricane Ike left an unusual and disquieting scene in the wake of its storm surge. Thousands of dead fish were found covering roads, yards, and in a chain link fence. Ike's storm surge caused massive flooding in coastal areas and did a great deal of damage. When the water went back down, it revealed some of the more unusual debris. The fish pictured above was apparently trying to swim through the chain link fence when it became trapped and died. Other dead fish lay all over the city in West Orange Texas. One resident had to get rid of an eel and an alligator that were left in his hard. This scene from an intersection shows thousands of rotting fish. I guess you could say the fishing is pretty good in Texas now.

Bigfoot is REAL!

... or so claims a pair of men in Georgia. They have supposedly recovered the body of the mythical Bigfoot. This seven-foot-tall ape is crammed in a freezer in some undisclosed location awaiting tests to determine if it is in fact real. Initial blood tests have shown nothing conclusive and scientists are holding their breath to wait for the autopsy results.

I'm not getting my hopes up, personally. While I could see a family of reclusive giant apes going undiscovered for centuries in the wilds of northern America, I find it hard to believe they could remain hidden in the middle of Georgia, thousands of miles from any previous sightings.

Diver Saves Endangered Shark

I always thought of sharks as bad things and wouldn't mind having less of them in this world. But this week some divers found an endangered nurse shark with a pole sticking out of its mouth. They called in a team of scientists who caught the shark, reached down its throat, and pulled out the pole. It turned out to be a gaff, or long hook used to pull sharks out of the water when fishing. They set it free and it swam back into the ocean and most likely will recover.

Koala Hit by Car at 60 MPH and Lives

A Koala was hit by a car going 60 miles per hour while crossing a road in Australia. Its head was lodged in the grill of the car and it was dragged over 7 miles before another driver noticed it and stopped the car. They say it survived because its head was stuck and it was able to hang on. It was cut out with scissors and rushed to an animal hospital where it came out of shock and was fine in a couple hours. It is not making its recovery at the animal hospital founded by Steve Irwin.