No more wolf: what a relief!
Sion, Valais, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - Canton Valais angered WWF and other groups in late summer 2009 by authorizing the shooting of three wolves but in the end one of them will not be killed. The wolf in question, which had attacked sheep and, later, goats, in the Val de Dix, has not been seen in the area recently, say cantonal authorities, who say they would know if the female wolf was around, thanks to close surveillance. The shoot-to-kill order is valid only for 60 days, and the period has now ended.
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A group of llamas and goats from an Australian circus that were stolen from the pound where police put them has been the big news story in Ireland Friday and Saturday 2-3 October, although more than 50 percent of eligible voters did turn their attention to the referendum on the European Union long enough to vote. The votes are being counted at Dublin Castle Saturday morning with 516 accredited media organizations from around the world in attendance. Ireland is the only country to hold a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty.
Meanwhile, unaware perhaps of the key vote, a group of three goats and five llamas “ran wild” on the M50 motorway near Dublin Thursday noon after their gate at the Australian Circus Sydney, staying at Tallaght, was left open. Police took in the errant animals and put them in a pound, demanding €5,500 for their return. During the night hard-working thieves took the animals, reports the Irish Times: “The thieves traversed eight fields, opened up ditches and travelled two kilometres on foot to the shed where the animals were being kept.” The owner, who says he did not know where the animals were being kept by police, suspects animal rights activists. He says the tamed animals are worth at least €2,000 each, but are useless except to circuses.
Links to other sites: Irish votes live on Irish Times
GenevaLunch incorrectly posted a story Monday about a CFF train hitting three goats between Bern and Lausanne: they were horses. And we were not quick enough to harmonize our spelling on a story just posted about Davos and the World Economic Forum before our rss feed went out: the headline had protestors while the story had protesters. Our house style calls for protesters, or at least for spelling the word that way, but both spellings are correct, in case you’re wondering.
Lausanne, Switzerland (20 Minutes, Fre) – Three horses that had strayed onto the tracks near Oron were killed when an Intercity train hit them at 06:30 Monday morning. The CFF rail company halted service on the line between Romont, Fribourg and Palésieux, Vaud for an hour. Trains between Geneva, Lausanne and Zurich were sent via a longer route near the Jura.
