Fresh off the Goat
While social media has been abuzz, one might even say a twitter, with images of wild and semi-wild animals venturing into city parks and open spaces as a result of lockdowns in so many different parts of the world, the critters always seem to err on the side of caution, coming in small numbers and sticking to areas from which they can quickly flee, if disturbed. Apparently the herd of wild goats around the Welsh town of Llandudno didn’t get that memo and virtually took over the small town on the coast of Wales over the weekend. More than a dozen of the beasts were recorded by town residents as they (the goats, not the residents) boldly wandered around the main road and other public areas, even clopped up to homes and enjoyed a light snack of garden hedges, peppered by the indignant yelling of the hedge owners. Interestingly, the Great Orme Kashmiri goats, as they are known, are descendants of North Indian goats, meaning they’re part of the desi diaspora. Jai Ho!
Doggy Day Care
The COVID-19 outbreak and its resultant shutdowns have drastically altered the lives of people from all walks of life, with effects trickling down to our furry brethren. One of these issues is food for stray animals like dogs, cats, and birds, which usually rely on the kindness of city-dwellers for their sustenance. However, with everyone on lockdown, and food supplies scarce, the scraps they survive on are scarcer still. In the capital of Rajasthan, the Jaipur Municipal Corporation is taking steps to correct this, by supplying around 15,000 chapatis daily, in tandem with city NGOs. “It’s sad to see animals and birds going hungry... so, we have initiated a few steps,” JMC Commissioner Vijay Pal Singh told IANS, noting that the outbreak has created a huge problem of arranging food for humans as well as animals. “The Jaipur Municipal Corporation has pitched in to take care of these animals so that they don’t starve to death,” he said, adding that apart from the chapatis, birdfeed is being arranged in collaboration with donors.
Hounded by Police
While we all may be getting cabin fever after being cooped up indoors for so long, one Washington man decided that social distancing was for the dogs, literally, and took his pit bull along on a joyride. The only problem? The man wasn’t driving, his dog was. Washington State Patrol said that they had received numerous 911 calls from motorists on an inter-state highway after a car was seen to be driving recklessly, hitting two other vehicles, though luckily no major injuries were reported. After leading the state troopers on a high-speed car chase, the man’s car was finally stopped after it ran over spike trips placed on the road. During the chase, one of the officers managed to look inside the vehicle and realised a dog was sitting in the driver’s seat while her owner steered. “I’ve been in a lot of high-speed chases, I’ve stopped a lot of cars, and never have I gotten an excuse that they were teaching their dog how to drive,” state patrol spokeswoman Heather Axtman told CNN. While the owner has been taken into custody, the dog is being fostered by an animal shelter, pending the results of the trial.