 |
|
|
Prophecies concerning animal attacks
Are we in the end times? Check out theses verses and read the following news articles and decide for yourself. Locusts prepare to swarm, Attacks by Wolves Spark Old Fears, Bizarre Dog Attack Shakes San Francisco, Wild-animal attacks appear on the rise, Bear attacks rafter, Stanford Will Not Hunt Down Mountain Lion, Village of the damned cocky peacocks Mountain lion victim upgraded to fair condition
verses
Ezekiel 33
26 You rely on your sword, you do detestable things, and each of you defiles his neighbor's wife. Should you then possess the land?' 27 "Say this to them: 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: As surely as I live, those who are left in the ruins will fall by the sword, those out in the country I will give to the wild animals to be devoured, and those in strongholds and caves will die of a plague. 28 I will make the land a desolate waste, and her proud strength will come to an end, and the mountains of Israel will become desolate so that no one will cross them. Ezekiel 14
26 You rely on your sword, you do detestable things, and each of you defiles his neighbor's wife. Should you then possess the land?' 27 "Say this to them: 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: As surely as I live, those who are left in the ruins will fall by the sword, those out in the country I will give to the wild animals to be devoured, and those in strongholds and caves will die of a plague. 28 I will make the land a desolate waste, and her proud strength will come to an end, and the mountains of Israel will become desolate so that no one will cross them. Ezekiel 39
1 "Son of man, prophesy against Gog and say: 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I am against you, O Gog, chief prince of [1] Meshech and Tubal. 2 I will turn you around and drag you along. I will bring you from the far north and send you against the mountains of Israel. 3 Then I will strike your bow from your left hand and make your arrows drop from your right hand. 4 On the mountains of Israel you will fall, you and all your troops and the nations with you. I will give you as food to all kinds of carrion birds and to the wild animals. 5 You will fall in the open field, for I have spoken, declares the Sovereign LORD . 6 I will send fire on Magog and on those who live in safety in the coastlands, and they will know that I am the LORD . 7 " 'I will make known my holy name among my people Israel. I will no longer let my holy name be profaned, and the nations will know that I the LORD am the Holy One in Israel. 8 It is coming! It will surely take place, declares the Sovereign LORD . This is the day I have spoken of. 9 " 'Then those who live in the towns of Israel will go out and use the weapons for fuel and burn them up-the small and large shields, the bows and arrows, the war clubs and spears. For seven years they will use them for fuel. 10 They will not need to gather wood from the fields or cut it from the forests, because they will use the weapons for fuel. And they will plunder those who plundered them and loot those who looted them, declares the Sovereign LORD . 11 " 'On that day I will give Gog a burial place in Israel, in the valley of those who travel east toward [2] the Sea. [3] It will block the way of travelers, because Gog and all his hordes will be buried there. So it will be called the Valley of Hamon Gog. [4] 12 " 'For seven months the house of Israel will be burying them in order to cleanse the land. 13 All the people of the land will bury them, and the day I am glorified will be a memorable day for them, declares the Sovereign LORD . 14 " 'Men will be regularly employed to cleanse the land. Some will go throughout the land and, in addition to them, others will bury those that remain on the ground. At the end of the seven months they will begin their search. 15 As they go through the land and one of them sees a human bone, he will set up a marker beside it until the gravediggers have buried it in the Valley of Hamon Gog. 16 (Also a town called Hamonah [5] will be there.) And so they will cleanse the land.' 17 "Son of man, this is what the Sovereign LORD says: Call out to every kind of bird and all the wild animals: 'Assemble and come together from all around to the sacrifice I am preparing for you, the great sacrifice on the mountains of Israel. There you will eat flesh and drink blood. 18 You will eat the flesh of mighty men and drink the blood of the princes of the earth as if they were rams and lambs, goats and bulls-all of them fattened animals from Bashan. 19 At the sacrifice I am preparing for you, you will eat fat till you are glutted and drink blood till you are drunk. 20 At my table you will eat your fill of horses and riders, mighty men and soldiers of every kind,' declares the Sovereign LORD . 21 "I will display my glory among the nations, and all the nations will see the punishment I inflict and the hand I lay upon them. 22 From that day forward the house of Israel will know that I am the LORD their God. 23 And the nations will know that the people of Israel went into exile for their sin, because they were unfaithful to me. So I hid my face from them and handed them over to their enemies, and they all fell by the sword. 24 I dealt with them according to their uncleanness and their offenses, and I hid my face from them. 25 "Therefore this is what the Sovereign LORD says: I will now bring Jacob back from captivity [6] and will have compassion on all the people of Israel, and I will be zealous for my holy name. 26 They will forget their shame and all the unfaithfulness they showed toward me when they lived in safety in their land with no one to make them afraid. 27 When I have brought them back from the nations and have gathered them from the countries of their enemies, I will show myself holy through them in the sight of many nations. 28 Then they will know that I am the LORD their God, for though I sent them into exile among the nations, I will gather them to their own land, not leaving any behind. 29 I will no longer hide my face from them, for I will pour out my Spirit on the house of Israel, declares the Sovereign LORD ." Ezekiel 14
20 as surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD , even if Noah, Daniel and Job were in it, they could save neither son nor daughter. They would save only themselves by their righteousness. 21 "For this is what the Sovereign LORD says: How much worse will it be when I send against Jerusalem my four dreadful judgments-sword and famine and wild beasts and plague-to kill its men and their animals! 22 Yet there will be some survivors-sons and daughters who will be brought out of it. They will come to you, and when you see their conduct and their actions, you will be consoled regarding the disaster I have brought upon Jerusalem-every disaster I have brought upon it. Hosea 2
12 I will ruin her vines and her fig trees, which she said were her pay from her lovers; I will make them a thicket, and wild animals will devour them. If God does this to Israel then how much more will a country that claims to know God be punished?
Locusts prepare to swarm. Locusts swarm toward Australian cities Friday, April 16, 2004 Posted: 10:31 AM EDT (1431 GMT) Locusts prepare to swarm. SYDNEY, Australia (Reuters) -- Millions of locusts swarmed towards Australia's second biggest city of Melbourne on Thursday, as the insects were also reported near the southern city of Adelaide. Brought to life in February by drought-breaking rains, billions of locusts first swarmed along a 1,200-km front from southwest Queensland state to the central New South Wales town of Dubbo, across an area twice the size of England. The move to major cities by the crop-devastating insects widened the battlefront in Australia's three-month effort to contain the swarms. Despite an aerial spraying campaign since February, the locusts have now spread a further 700 km southwest to establish a five-million-strong swarm north of Melbourne. "We had somebody phone up this morning to say they had a locust in the back garden," said Laury McCulloch, a director of the Australian Plague Locust Commission. Officials in Adelaide also confirmed the arrival of locusts. Numbers in the outback have not been officially estimated, but are recognized as the most serious since up to 100 billion locusts swarmed in late 2000. The return of very dry weather to much of New South Wales has driven the locusts to search for more favorable conditions in the south, said McCulloch. Aerial spraying is now in progress in hot spots north of Dubbo, a town on the edge of Australia's eastern population zone and which was invaded by the insects last month. The swarm 80 km north of Melbourne probably did not justify aerial spraying, but was being monitored, officials said. Australia's major crops have so far escaped damage from the outbreak, which has occurred between the end of the winter harvest and the planting of new wheat, barley and canola crops. However, some oat crops in the central west of New South Wales had been devoured by the locusts, McCulloch said. Locusts were also laying eggs in northwest New South Wales and would hatching in spring, in six-months time, when wheat crops would be maturing for harvest, he said.
In India, Attacks by Wolves Spark Old Fears and Hatreds By JOHN F. BURNS (NYT) 1597 words Late Edition - Final , Section 1 , Page 1 , Column 1 ABSTRACT - Man-eating wolves are terrorizing state of Uttar Pradesh in India; they have killed 33 children in last five months; frenzy of rumors has put blame for killings not on wolves but on werewolves; other rumors have put blame for killings on infiltrators from Pakistan, India's traditional enemy, who have supposedly dressed up as wolves; villagers are turning against strangers, and sometimes against one another; at least 20 people have been lynched; hunt to kill wolves suspected of attacking humans involves thousands of villagers and police officers armed with bamboo staves and shotguns; nobody can be sure that any of wolves shot so far are part of pack that experts believe is responsible for the deaths; photo; map (M)
A Bizarre Dog Attack Shakes San Francisco By EVELYN NIEVES (NYT) 1136 words Late Edition - Final , Section A , Page 14 , Column 1 ABSTRACT - Two Canary Island mastiffs, rare breed, attack and kill Diane Whipple in hallway of apartment building, sending dog-loving city of San Francisco into spasms of grief, shock and recrimination; blood bath in hallway is so horrific that police officers at scene are given trauma counseling; city's Animal Care and Control Center puts to death 120-pound dog that killed woman, and holds second dog in custody; case takes bizarre turn; dogs are owned by two lawyers, Robert Noel and Marjorie Knoller, who have legally adopted 38-year-old white supremacist prisoner, John Paul Schneider; Schneider runs attack-dog breeding business from his prison cell, and dogs involved in killing came from that business; photos (M) Correction: February 4, 2001, Sunday An article on Thursday about a fatal attack by a dog on a San Francisco woman misspelled the surname of a spokesman for the California Corrections Department, who said the animal came from an attack-dog business run by two prisoners. He is Russ Heimerich, not Heimrich.
Wild-animal attacks appear on the rise By ANTHONY ACERRANO SPORTS AFIELD Wildlife attacks on humans appear to be on the increase. . Twenty years ago people felt lucky just glimpsing a mountain lion in the wild. Attacks or even close encounters were rare. . Exact numbers are hard to come by, yet the numbers that are available and the anecdotal news accounts indicate wildlife attacks are on the rise. . In the late 1980s, lion sightings and problems became increasingly common. In Montana, for instance, cougars were seen under boat docks or passing through rural yards midday. They were met on urban walk-paths, and pets were mauled or killed. In 1989, a 4-year-old boy was fatally attacked while playing in his back yard. . Between 1989 and 1995, state officials recorded 122 direct human mountain-lion conflicts, plus 123 incidents connected to lions preying on livestock. The state responded with an aggressive program that boosted lion-hunting quotas and controls. Problem animals or those that lingered near residential areas were destroyed. By 1995, the number of conflicts was cut in half, although potential for trouble still exists. . Cougar attacks have troubled other Western regions, including British Columbia and California. . Alligators have also made news. These potentially large and snappish reptiles are abundant within their range and incidents with humans are common, though seldom fatal. More dramatic and frightening than usual, though, was an attack last June when a 7-year-old boy fell from his bike into a canal in Everglades National Park, and was pounced on by a large gator. . The boy's parents jumped into the water and were able to wrestle the child from the reptile's jaws. The boy was hospitalized for puncture wounds to his shoulder and chest. . Attacks by species not normally associated with violence toward humans have also been reported. For instance, bison in Yellowstone Park have caused more human injuries than all other species combined, including bears. . In the last 15 years, more than 56 people have been injured and two killed by these seemingly placid beasts. Adult bison stand 5-1/2 feet at the shoulder and weigh between 1,000 and 2,000 pounds. . When provoked -- and nearly all attacks result from provocation, often when someone approaches too close in hopes of getting a good photo -- bison can charge in a fast burst of about 20 mph. People have been butted, thrown into the air, gored and trampled. . Many wildlife experts agree on the reasons wild-animal attacks are seemingly on the rise. One is provocation. The other seems to be the astounding rate at which humans are encroaching on wildlife habitat. Summer homes, subdivisions, heavily trafficked parks, diverse outdoor recreation -- these all put people and wild animals into increased, and tense, contact. . Such contact can cause animals to lose their innate fear of humans. These desensitized animals -- including many National Park and campground bears -- are widely considered the most dangerous animals of all.
Bear attacks rafter in Desolation Canyon on Green River By Brett Prettyman The Salt Lake Tribune A black bear attacked and injured a recreational rafter on the Green River in eastern Utah's Desolation Canyon -- the second bear attack there in 10 months. Details were lacking Thursday, but the victim, whose age wasn't known, received a puncture wound on the calf of one leg and superficial scratches on his abdomen. The attack happened around 10:45 p.m. Wednesday, when two bears entered the camp set up by a commercial rafting company after being chased out of another campsite nearby. "The first group had an incident with the bears, which grabbed some food and ripped up some tents," said Derris Jones, regional supervisor of the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources' (DWR) southeastern region. "They were able to chase them away, but the bears ran right into the other camp." Jones said it was not clear what the victim was doing when he was injured by the bear, but that the wounds were not life-threatening. The outfitter for the raft trip called DWR offices with a satellite phone and the company then called the Bureau of Land Management, which manages the 84-mile stretch of river used by rafters. The campers planned to float 54 miles to the take-out ramp near Green River rather than use a helicopter to get the man out, since his wounds weren't serious. Wednesday's incident happened within three miles of where an attack occured last July, said DWR wildlife manager Bill Bates. Two government trappers from Wildlife Services, a federal predator control agency under the U.S. Department of Agriculture, were flown by helicopter to the site Thursday afternoon to set snares for the two bears and put up warning signs closing the area to river runners. "Our intent is to [kill] the bears," Jones said. "Whether or not we are successful remains to be seen. Whenever bears demonstrate a lack of fear for humans, and particularly when they attack people, it becomes a public safety issue and we need to remove them from the environment." Craig McLaughlin, mammal coordinator for the the DWR, called Wednesday's attack "unusual" and "very rare." "I would view it as a coincidence that it happened in the same area," he said. "In my personal history with bears, these sort of incidents with campers are often associated with food." bpretty@sltrib.com
Stanford Will Not Hunt Down Mountain Lion POSTED: 10:20 am PDT May 6, 2004 STANFORD, Calif. -- Stanford University officials have ruled out using firearms to hunt the predator believed to be a mountain lion that recently attacked horses on campus-owned land. "I want to make it quite clear, it is not our intention to have firearms on campus,'' said Jeff Wachtel, senior assistant to Stanford President John Hennessy. "We don't want people deputized to go out and hunt on our property.' ' The two horses were attacked on separate occasions while they were roaming near the Dish, a popular campus hiking spot east of Interstate Highway 280 that is used by about 1,600 people each day. University officials were working with representatives from the state Department of Fish and Game and other law enforcement agencies to investigate the attacks. Stanford officials say the first attack occurred at about 1 p.m. on April 23 in the corral at the Felt Ranch near Felt Lake, about a half-mile west of Alpine gate, one of the entrances to the Dish area, according to the Stanford Department of Public Safety. The horse sustained moderate injuries in the attack, which a veterinarian deemed likely caused by a mountain lion. The second attack was reported at about 8:30 p.m. May 1 when Palo Alto police were notified that a horse had broken out of an open pasture at Old Ramos Ranch off Page Mill Road near Agilent Technologies. The horse had superficial scratch marks that could have been made by a mountain lion, campus officials said. Its most serious injuries, however, appeared to have come from barbed wire. Investigators located hair from the horse and another unidentified animal on the barbed wire, which is located about a mile and a half southwest of the Stanford Avenue entrance to the Dish. Despite the attacks, Wachtel said the university will not request a "depredation permit'' to hunt the offending animal or animals. "The entire campus is a game preserve -- no hunting or fishing is allowed,'' he explained. Stanford's board of trustees passed a resolution establishing a preserve on campus lands in 1916. In 1927, the state legislature passed a law establishing the game preserve on campus. "This is a place for doing research. Hunting is not consistent with that,'' Wachtel added. "Most important is the issue of safety.'' To that end, Stanford has placed uniformed officers at all four entrances to the Dish, as well as fliers advising people not to walk alone, to keep children close by and to avoid bending over or crouching. When encountering a mountain lion, it is advised to appear as big as possible. If attacked, fight back.
Village of the damned cocky peacocks By Nick Britten (Filed: 06/05/2004) There are strange goings-on in Cookley. Signs of vandalism are everywhere - cars scratched, gutters torn down, gardens ripped up. The culprits can be constantly heard but not easily seen. When they are, residents head for the safety of their homes. The village has become home to a flock of 14 peacocks, and they are causing quite a stir. No one knows where they arrived from, but most are hoping they won't stay long. Pensioners and children have been warned to keep their distance, while anyone who has tried to capture them has discovered a stubborn, gang-like mentality as they strut around in packs and refuse to give themselves up. "Although it sounds funny, it is quite a serious issue," said Chris Nicholls, a local councillor who has been receiving complaints from residents. "One man said one of the peacocks saw his own reflection in his car and started attacking it, thinking it was another male. 'When he went to stop it, a group of them, about six, became quite aggressive and backed him off." A male and a female have been seen on and off in surrounding woodland next to the Worcestershire village for the past few years, but in recent weeks the numbers have swollen. Showing little regard or concern for their new hosts, the peacocks are being blamed for damaging brick walls, knocking off slate roofing, wrecking guttering and destroying manicured lawns. Worse still is the infernal racket they make, adding sleepless nights to the list of woes that the residents of Cookley have begun compiling. The fear is that the first human casualty is not far off. Talk in the village yesterday centred around two topics: where the peacocks came from and when are they going. The general consensus on the former is that they escaped from a private owner, hence their cockiness - even by peacock standards. As for the latter, opinion is split. Those unaffected think they are rather cute, while for anyone who has had their property damaged or fingers threatened, the sooner they are caught the better. Mr Nicholls, 54, said: "Everyone likes peacocks. They are very beautiful creatures, until they start causing damage to your home and property. "I watched as one of the birds landed on guttering by the bedroom window. Due to its sheer size the lot came toppling down." Hilda Ward, 66, said she was having to have her roof repaired. "They are very graceful creatures but they are doing a lot of damage to homes in this part of the village. Every time I plant new flowers they are pulled out and there are droppings on my lawn and all over the roof." Their size and unwillingness to be imprisoned has so far made them impossible to catch. A number of human-bird stand-offs have taken place, and all have ended in the same result. Surrounded by woodland and bisected by the Staffordshire and Worcestershire canal, Cookley is clearly too comfortable a home to leave easily. The nearby Bodenham Arboretum has said it will take them, as has an order of Franciscan monks from Gloucestershire - but both on condition that they are already captured. So it appears that for the immediate future, the village's newest residents are going nowhere. Paul Hancock, 43, a toolmaker, said: "We get them landing on our garage at all times of night and day. They fly on to the roof and start making a terrible noise. When they see their own reflections in the landing window, they really become aggressive. "I've tried everything to get them off my property but there is no way I'm getting too close. The males are quite frightening. And they have sharp claws that would be able to cut the skin to ribbons. "Two or three peacocks could quite easily hurt someone badly especially because there are always two or three of them. They seem to hang around in packs. "I have tried everything from spraying them with water to playing loud music, but it just doesn't seem to bother them." Nancy Rixon, 36, said her two children, Bethany, 10, and Christopher, eight, were "fascinated" - but she had warned them to admire the birds from afar. She said: "There is no denying that they are extremely beautiful. They are always at the front or the back of the house and although I still let the children go out and play I warn them not to get too close. "They are enormous birds and if they become aggressive, they could be extremely intimidating." Kevin Oliver, 47, a governor at the local school, said: "I think they are beautiful creatures that really add something a bit different to our village. When we have friends staying they are amazed to see the birds walking around the road, people's front gardens and driveways. "I'd be disappointed to lose them but as of now they have not caused any damage to my home or garden." Judith Haw, of the RSPCA, warned against trying to trap the birds in case they lashed out. "We would urge people not to get close to the birds because they can become very volatile if they feel they are being threatened," she said. "In the case of a child or an elderly person they could possibly do some harm. At times it is wise to give them a wide berth." Police were recently called after gunshots were heard in the woods where the peacocks often settle, sparking fears of a terrible retribution. Talk in the village was of one man who rattled a bird so much it flew off into the distance. One battle won, perhaps, but the war has yet to be
Mountain lion victim upgraded to fair condition Woman, 30, is expected to survive, doctors say Saturday, January 10, 2004 Posted: 10:03 PM EST (0303 GMT) Story Tools RELATED CNN's Frank Buckley reports on mountain lion attacks in Orange County, Calif., that left one mountain biker badly injured and another dead. PLAY VIDEO • Mountain lion spotted stalking deputies • Animal expert: Mountain lion attack rare • Interactive: Living with mountain lions YOUR E-MAIL ALERTS California Forestry and Timber or Create your own Manage alerts | What is this? LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- The victim of a mountain lion attack has improved, a hospital spokesman said Saturday. Anne Hjelle, 30, has been upgraded from serious condition to fair, the spokesman said. Doctors said they expect Hjelle to survive, but further information on the woman's condition was not available. Hjelle was bicycling Thursday with a friend on a wilderness trail in Whiting Ranch Wilderness Park in Orange County when a 110-pound mountain lion pounced on her, dragging her by her head into the brush. Debbie Nichols said the lion dragged her friend 100 yards while she tried to fight off the animal. She said it bit Hjelle on her helmet, face and neck. Hjelle was taken to Mission Hospital in Mission Viejo. A second attack victim died from his wounds. The body of Mark Jeffrey Reynolds, 35, an account executive for a sports marketing company in Anaheim, California, was discovered as police searched for the mountain lion. Officers hunted and killed the mountain lion. A necropsy on the 2-year-old male cat is expected to be complete Tuesday, according to California Fish and Game. DNA tests were being performed on the contents of its stomach to determine if it was involved in both attacks. The fatal attack marked the sixth time in more than 110 years of record-keeping that a mountain lion has killed a human in California. There have been 41 fatal attacks nationwide, 10 of those since 1990. A second mountain lion in the area was struck by a car and killed. Authorities said tests would also be performed on that animal.
