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This is an old article, but a very interesting one that explains how a growing human population leads to more wildlife attacks.

Annmarie Campbell lived in Tennessee, but she grew up in central Florida, and she had vacationed before in the rustic two-bedroom cabin on a creek in Florida’s Ocala National Forest. Two weeks ago, she was there again with a few members of her extended family. That Sunday the aspiring artist, 23, slipped into the water to snorkel her way back to the cabin. A few minutes later, her former stepfather’s wife Jackie Barrett left the sandbar where they had been sunning themselves and followed Campbell. The young woman was nowhere to be found. Barrett grabbed a kayak and paddled downstream in search of her. No luck. So Barrett headed back toward the cabin–to find her husband Mark and a family friend frantically gouging at the eyes of an 11 1/2-ft. alligator and prying at its jaws, firmly clamped on Campbell’s upper body. By the time the creature finally let go, it was too late. Campbell was dead, with massive head trauma and lungs filled with water.

The incident would have been shocking by itself. But it was not the only one. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission records an average of about seven alligator attacks every year, yet they are rarely fatal: since 1948, only 17 humans had been confirmed killed by the huge reptiles. But in the five days leading up to Campbell’s death, two other women had been partly eaten by alligators. Three deadly assaults in the space of a week seemed like too much of a coincidence. Floridians, who tend to be casual about their state reptile, were suddenly hypervigilant to a danger that seemed to be lurking in every body of freshwater bigger than a bathtub. Calls to hotlines skyrocketed, and all over the state people were asking themselves what could possibly be going on.

The circumstances of each death offered no obvious clues. They happened in different parts of the state: Yovy Suarez Jimenez, 28, was killed in Sunrise, just north of Miami, and Judy Cooper, 43, was found 20 miles north of St. Petersburg. Although nobody witnessed either attack, authorities believe that Jimenez was sitting at the edge of a canal, dangling her feet in the water, when she was seized by an alligator and dragged in. And there is no reason to believe that Cooper was swimming.

In short, the unusual spate of fatal attacks may have been a ghastly coincidence–but that doesn’t mean they were entirely random. According to wildlife experts, several factors may have recently upped the odds of alligator aggression. For one thing, this is the time of year when the reptiles emerge from cold-weather quiescence and enter the mating season. That makes them more territorial and more aggressive than normal. Beyond that, the state has been experiencing an extended drought over the past several years, shrinking the animals’ natural habitat and forcing them to forage in areas where humans have created ponds, canals and swimming pools.

There are also more alligators around today than ever because of the reptile’s 20-year stint on the federal endangered-species list. Back in 1967, when it was formally listed, trapping for meat and hides had reduced the alligator population in Florida to no more than 300,000. Now there are 1 million to 2 million. At the same time, the state’s human population has exploded. As a result, development is pushing into wetlands that were once pure, alligator-friendly wilderness, and agriculture is draining huge swaths of alligator habitat. Everglades National Park is just one-seventh the size of the historic Everglades swampland, forcing the animals to share territory that humans consider their own.

It’s a familiar story. In the American West, mountain lions are getting squeezed, and lethal attacks by the big cats have become more frequent. In the Northeast, it is black bears, foraging in suburban backyards. In Florida, it’s alligators. And unlike cougars and bears, which are rarely spotted, alligators are everywhere and are almost always docile. Along a path just inside Everglades park’s Shark Valley entrance, for example, alligators loll along the bank of the adjacent canal, as uninterested in the people as they are in the bugs that swirl overhead. Yet park employees have seen tourists run over alligators with bikes and wheelchairs, throw rocks at them and stab them with sticks. People even put kids on the backs of the creatures for a gator photo op. “The alligator isn’t the problem. It’s humans,” says park naturalist Maria Thomson. “We’re pushing them to the limit.”

And every so often, they push back. Whenever an alligator kills a human, the state sends out trappers to catch and kill it. The animals responsible for the three recent attacks have all been trapped. Parts of Jimenez were found in the belly of a 9 1/2-ft. alligator, Cooper’s arm and hand were recovered from an 8 1/2-footer, and Campbell’s killer was identified by scratches around its eye. But it’s not as if those particular alligators were more dangerous than most, and destroying them won’t prevent future attacks. Officials say the best ways to avoid becoming dinner for an alligator are not to feed the animals, which can lead them to lose their natural wariness; to stay away from the water’s edge at dusk and dawn, when the creatures tend to hunt; and to be generally wary in and around the water. “A little gator common sense,” says state-certified trapper Todd Hardwick, “takes you a long way.”

Even so, people are still going to run afoul of alligators. And while three deaths in a week establish a benchmark of horror that probably won’t be repeated soon, encounters between alligators and people are bound to increase. “We’re putting our lives on the line,” says Hardwick, “so you can have a safe backyard.”

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BLACK MOUNTAIN — A Black Mountain woman suffered minor injuries trying to get her dog away from a bear and two cubs that wandered into her yard Sunday, wildlife officials said.

Gaynell Lumsden was in her garage at Great Aspen Lane when the bears came into her yard about 8:30 p.m. Her small dog went after the bears, and when Lumsden tried to get her dog away, she was swatted by the mother bear.

Lumsden was treated at Mission Hospital and released late Sunday. Her dog, which was also slapped by the bear, did not suffer major injuries, officials said.

“I would not call it a bear attack, but a bear incident,” said Mike Carraway, a wildlife biologist with the North Carolina Wildlife Commission.

“It was just a mother bear defending her cubs. If it had been the bear taking aggressive action, the injuries would have been much more serious. The bear was defending its space is my take,” Carraway said.

Mother bears are not necessarily more dangerous than others, but they can be more aggressively defensive when their cubs are small at this time of year. “Later in the summer, when the cubs can run faster and climb, the mothers won’t be so protective,” Carraway said.

Bears also react instinctively to dogs, even small ones barking at them. “Dogs and bears don’t mix well,” he said.

Bears are commonly seen around the neighborhood outside Black Mountain, which was developed next to the pristine Asheville Watershed, according to neighbor Lyon Williams. “We’ve had bears break into houses. You can’t have a low-hanging bird feeder or a trash can out on the street. We have trash containers that we have to chain up.”

Bear incidents or sightings have exploded from 1993 when only 13 complaints were received around Asheville and the counties west of Buncombe, Haywood and Madison. In 2008, the commission received 302 bear reports from that district.

“This has been a fairly normal year” so far in 2009, Carraway said.

More sightings occur as more developments are built around the mountains. Humans moving into the mountains don’t necessarily chase animals away, but have actually led to an increase in the bear population since hunting is prohibited near the new homes, Carraway said. “You have all this little bear sanctuaries popping up,” he said.

In 2005, there were 4,000 bears estimated to live in Western North Carolina, according to the N.C. Wildlife Commission.

State wildlife officials can’t trap nuisance bears and relocate them, Carraway said. “We have nowhere to put them. We have Asheville city officials ask if we can’t take the bears and dump them up in the Asheville Watershed, but the watershed is saturated with bears. They would just come back down on Montreat and neighborhoods like this one.”

Warren Wilson College public safety officers issued an email alert last week, warning of an increase of bear sightings around campus and for students and staff to take precautions, said Ben Anderson, a college spokesman. “We always have some sightings during the summer, but we’re definitely seeing an increase.”

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Sinkholes Threaten Clarksville Homes

14-Foot Hole Threatens House’s Foundation

Reported by Alan Frio

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – Some Middle Tennessee neighborhoods have been dealing with flooding issues after repeated storms this month.

 

Video: Massive Sinkholes Threaten Homes

 

One Clarksville neighborhood not only had high water, but massive sinkholes are threatening their homes. 

After heavy rains fell on Saturday morning, Rick Thomas of Monterey Place spotted a 14-foot deep hole on the side of his house that is threatening his home’s foundation

“It leaves you kind of numb,” said Thomas.

 

On the same day, Thomas found another sinkhole in the front of his home. He said this is something he has been dealing with for the last 22 years. 

Thomas is not the only one in the neighborhood with sinkhole problems, there are depressions in the ground everywhere in the area. Three other homeowners said they have sinkholes. 

Ivy Roberts’ property is right next door to Thomas, and she has the same problems. 

Roberts bought her home 10 months ago and said she was never told of the sinkhole problems in this neighborhood. 

“We took all the money we had and bought this home because we lost our other home in east Tennessee by fire. We got the money for the house, came here and bought this, and now this is gone,” said Roberts. 

Decades of runoff from heavy rains has undermined the ground. 

Resident Jerry Holt’s home flooded on Saturday. He said his back yard looked like a lake with water rushing into his house. 

“I bought shelving in the garage and everything is a foot and a half off the floor, because I know if the water comes in, I have 30 minutes to get everything up off the floor,” said Holt. 

Whenever heavy rains are predicted, most residents said they get little sleep worrying about flooding and sinkholes. 

“It’ll keep me up all night worrying what I’m going find here in the morning,” said Thomas.

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NWS confirms 2 tornado touchdowns in E. Tenn.

MORRISTOWN (WATE) — The National Weather Service in Morristown has confirmed that two tornadoes touched down in East Tennessee during severe storms on Friday, May 8. 

The first was in Scott County, five miles south of Huntsville near the Fairview community. 

The EF-2 tornado produced 135 mph winds, uprooting trees and causing a cell phone tower to collapse.

The second confirmed EF-2 tornado was in Claiborne County, near 192 Cole Road in New Tazewell.

That tornado produced 110 mph winds and touched down at the top of a hill and hit one home, taking off its roof and one side of the house. It also destroyed two barns across the street. 

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Lightning strikes fishing boat in Kentucky Lake area

Eddie Croy points to where lightning struck the boat that he and John Bridges (left) were in Friday morning. The men were fishing near Big Sandy when a heavy rain began. When they tried to make it back to Buchanan Resort, the boat was struck. Neither man was injured, and the boat was not severely damaged. —Staff photo by Dave Phillips No one hurt in incident

By DAVE PHILLIPS
P-I Staff Writer

Published: Tuesday, May 5, 2009 9:40 AM CDT

Two fishermen from the Memphis area had quite a scare in Henry County Friday morning when the boat they were in was struck by lightning.

John Bridges and Eddie Croy were in the water near Buchanan Resort starting at 6 a.m. Friday to practice for a fishing tournament they were entered in Saturday. They were somewhere around Big Sandy when the rain began, and, while attempting to return to the resort, the front of their boat was struck by lightning.

“We were trying to decide if we should come to (the resort), and Eddie gave me the sign to go ahead,” Bridges said. “As soon as he pointed his finger, the lightning went ‘pow’ and hit the front of the boat. It shut everything down (on the boat), and we just sat there looking at each other.”

Incredibly, neither occupant suffered any injuries aside from some ringing ears. Croy said two hours later his left ear was still ringing.

It’s hard to place blame on anybody for the bad weather, but Croy believes he may have had a bit to do with it. Another man at the marina told them he thought it would be a nice day Friday, and Croy was a bit upset when he heard that.

“I did a little dance, saying ‘I hope it rains, because my fish bite better in the rain,’” he said.

“I was expecting a light shower, not the storms that we got.”

Despite the scare, the men were still intent to fish.

“(People) should still be out there fishing,” Croy said. “Just don’t do it in a thunderstorm.”

The boat suffered minor damage to a few different parts. Bridges estimated that repairs would cost only about $200.

“We’re just lucky,” Bridges said. “If we would’ve been in an aluminum boat, we’d be dead.”

Elsewhere Friday, lightning struck a tree near Vincent Implements, 1385 Highway 69 northwest of Paris, around 4:25 p.m.

The tree caught fire from the lightning strike, and the Paris Fire Department fought the fire for about 30 minutes.

No damage or injuries were reported.

There was also a large tree uprooted by an apparent lightning strike near the Paris Fishing Club on Jones Bend Road.

Link

Heavy rainfall causes creek flooding in Tenn. county, tornado watches issued for northern Ala.

By Associated Press

6:15 PM CDT, May 2, 2009

AETNA, Tenn. (AP) — Authorities say a dozen residents in a central Tennessee county have been evacuated from their homes because of flooding caused by heavy rain while tornado watches and warnings have been issued for northern Alabama.

Janet Kelley of the Hickman County Emergency Management Agency in Tennessee says flat-bottomed rescue boats were used Saturday morning to retrieve residents in Aetna, located about 80 miles southwest of Nashville.

Kelley says the flooding later receded and many of the residents were able to return to their homes. She says some county bridges remained closed because of the weather on Saturday.

Meanwhile, the National Weather Service has issued a tornado warning for Fayette and Lamar counties in western Alabama.

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Sinkhole forces closure of Thomas Walker pool

By Wes Bunch

JONESVILLE — The possible danger presented by an active sinkhole near the Thomas Walker High School swimming pool resulted in the Lee County Board of Supervisors voting to keep the facility closed indefinitely.

On a motion by Supervisor Larry Moseley, the board voted unanimously Tuesday night to delay opening the pool until a geological study of the area and an assessment of the structure’s integrity can be made.

The board came to its decision after hearing a report on the situation from Bobby Lane, a professional engineer and president and CEO of the Lane Group Inc., who deemed the pool unsafe for use until the issues could be addressed.

“The cavity of the hole … is not very large as far as what you can see from the surface,” Lane said. “But after further investigation and a closer look at this hole, it seems to indicate we have an active sinkhole. The cavity is much larger underneath the concrete apron (of the pool area). … The apron is beginning to crack and give way.”

The throat of the sinkhole is roughly 3 to 4 feet wide and is estimated to be about 10 feet deep, although it could be much larger and actually extend under the pool itself.

That could cause a massive failure, Lane said, which could possibly lead to the collapse of the sidewalk, or even worse, the pool itself.

“As long as the depression is here and not corrected, it is a safety issue,” he said. “I think the county needs to look at stabilizing the soil and reinforcing the pool prior to opening it to make sure it is safe for people to use it. With water and the (area’s) karst topography, there can be a pretty rapid failure (of the sinkhole).”

Lane said it would also need to be determined if other sinkholes were in the area and weigh the costs and benefits of the project before proceeding.

Sinkholes are natural depressions or holes in the surface topography caused by the removal of soil or bedrock by water. Mainly found in areas with karst topography, they can range in size from a few feet to hundreds of feet in width and depth.

The closure leaves the county with only one public swimming pool in Pennington Gap, since the town of Jonesville’s pool was previously closed due to leaks and an expensive repair bill.

Board Chairman Carl Bailey, who represents the district the pool is located in, said it was a tough choice to make because activities for children and families in that remote part of the county are limited anyway. But in the end, he said it was the right one.

“It’s safety first, and we have to make sure the kids are safe because we don’t want anything to happen to them,” Bailey said. “It’s not worth opening the pool if someone gets hurt. One death isn’t worth a swimming pool.”

There is still a possibility the pool could be opened before the summer ends, Bailey said, but that’s if the evaluations turn out better than expected.

“It’s bad, but hopefully we can get some information together, and if everything goes good maybe we can get it open — even if it’s late,” he said. “That’s better than nothing at all.”

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Some interesting advice here! Not sure how “official” any of the advice is, but it’s a fun read.

What’s the best way to do away with a bear if it attacks you when you don’t have a big rifle along?

I am going to go deer hunting up north this November in a big woods that always has tons of bear tracks in it. I asked my pa what I should do if one of those bears gets hungry and starts drooling on my boots while I’m hunting. He says that a bear’s heart beats so slow that it doesn’t pay to shoot it in the heart and that he heard that a bullet from a .22 won’t make it through a bear’s skull. I don’t think that I’ll have any problems with a bear as I’ll be with other people, but now I’m curious as to what to do in such a situation.

I deer hunt with a Savage 30-30 … pretty small and old, but it gets the job done, & I would never trade it in for anything! The clip can carry 3 bullets; so, I can have 4 bullets in there at a time. One for each kneecap on the bear, right?

I haven’t been bear hunting which is why I have no idea about this stuff, and I’m sure that bear hunters use much bigger rifles, but what does one do while carrying only a small rifle during a bear attack?

 

20 Answers »

1. If you’re entering bear territory, you should make loud, consistent noises the entire time as you’re walking around, so as not to startle them. This gives bears a chance to move away from the noise source. When bears are startled, that’s when they’re most aggressive and deadly.

   If you DO come across a bear standing on his hind legs – that’s when he’s in attack mode – I’ve heard that you should crap a big load in your pants. Seriously. It supposedly drives them away. You DON’T want to attack with a small gun – it will only piss the bear off more.

   Comment by Dien — April 22, 2009 @ 7:12 am

2. use what you have

   Comment by hill bill y — April 22, 2009 @ 7:12 am

3. You should pack some of the bear sprays that are sold at local sporting good stores. Also I was in Alaska a couple of years ago and was told that any form of scent will attract them so no scented deordant, purfume or cologne. In an attack you are susposed to lie still in a curled up position. A 30-30 can stop a bear, especially a black bear but a grizzly, brown or kodiak, you’re on your own lol

   Comment by William — April 22, 2009 @ 7:12 am

4. Get some of the Hornady leverevolution ammo for your 30-30, if you’re a good shot with it, and can hit the bear in the eye (the bone tissue is thinnest in the ocular socket) this ammo will kill the bear with 1 shot.

   Comment by boker_magnum — April 22, 2009 @ 7:12 am

5. Id shoot it with the 30-30. If its a black bear, it will probly kill it it anyway, but a Grizzly would be a different story. The idea of making noise while hunting is retarded. How are you supposed to see der when you are scaring off bears? If you hit it in the head, it will more than likely kill it.

   Comment by Aaron — April 22, 2009 @ 7:12 am

6. better go with a 338 win mag thats what the alaska dnr said will pud dawn a kodick grizzy. and thats what i got and i going 2 get a s&w500 mag the stroungert handgun in the would

   Comment by joshuagertsch — April 22, 2009 @ 7:12 am

7. if its a black bear fight back and bite it, but if it is a grizzly or brown like in Alaska kiss your butt good by

   Comment by fishslayer1986 — April 22, 2009 @ 7:12 am

8. I’ve seen this show, and if you are hiking without a weapon, get on the ground and cover your vital areas (head. neck)
   This makes the bear think that you are not a threat to the bear. Good luck out there.

   Comment by surfer dude — April 22, 2009 @ 7:12 am

9. Black bear will try to avoid you, they are more afraid of you than you are of them*.. You could always bare your teeth at them, it worked for Daniel Boone*…

   Comment by dca2003311@yahoo.com — April 22, 2009 @ 7:12 am

10. Crap your pants???!!!!
    First off carrying that bear spray is the best idea here. While carrying a second large caliber rifle is unpractical what about a handgun? Six shots from a a .44 mag into a 250 pound black bear’s chest will witout a doubt drop it. If can’t buy or access a heavy revolver than aim at his head with the 30-30. It will kill it. Black bear are not that big a .30 size round won’t penetrate it’s skull. But the bear spray is best cheapest most proven way to go.

    Comment by kyle h — April 22, 2009 @ 7:12 am

11. The .30-30 has killed more Black bear and deer than any other caliber. Although it is not my first choice if I am in bear country and I find myself in a predicament with a bear and its all I have, I’ll try for a head shot. With your Savage you get four tries (one round in the chamber and three in the magazine). And your Dad is right, bears can absorb a lot of lead so body shots may not drop him fast enough.

    Lot’s of hunters carry .44 Magnum revolvers as backup in bear country. The .44 Mag. is not better than a .30-30 carbine, so there you have it.

    Good luck and happy hunting.

    H

    Comment by H — April 22, 2009 @ 7:12 am

12. I wouldn’t worry about it too much to be honest,I have seen black bears while hunting where I live in MI,they have always beat feet the opposite way,and although I have no expierence with the Grizzly or Kodiak,I would probably take a sidearm if i am hunting in the Grizzly area,but in black bear areas,no problem,if a sidearm is unavailable I would buy a bigger rifle I suppose.

    Comment by Boris859 — April 22, 2009 @ 7:12 am

13. remember that all wild animals (unless they are rabid or starving) will run away before they attack. but as every hunter should know, bear will attack if you get between them and their cubs, or between food/water. and just like all other animals, if you give it no other escape rout, it will attack.
    now, for your question:
    people use the .30/30 win for black bear withing 100 yards, whether you will believe this is another matter. if i ever hunt where i know that there is a possibility that i will encounter dangerous animals like Kodiak bear i will be hunting with a buddy that has a gun or by myself with a revolver. don’t go for body shots, as bear can absorb bullets like nothing, but if you but two in its head, it will go down.
    when I’m 21, i will be getting my concealed carry permit and a pistol, somewhere in the .38, .40, .357 or .45 ACP area. nothing smaller than a .38.
    good luck hope you get the deer you want this year.

    Comment by burnzwater — April 22, 2009 @ 7:12 am

14. if you aren’t using a ” big” rifle, then you better have a “big” back-up revolver, like a .44 magnum. also, bear spray and know how to take the safety off it and use it in a hurry. especially, keep a good look out while field dressing your deer or better yet, have a friend with you to look out while you field dress your deer. in many bear areas, they will come running to the sound of your rifle because they have become conditioned to know the sound of a gun may mean an easy meal for them.

    Comment by bghoundawg — April 22, 2009 @ 7:12 am

15. your 30-30 deer rifle is also a good black bear gun.
    shoot a bear in the same place you shoot deer, in the heart or head a 30-30 will do the job just fine. as for the 44 mag pistol its pretty marginal. here’s the ballistics. 30-30 150 or 170 grain =more than 1600 ft. lbs. energy .44 mag pistol 7 1/5 in barrel 240 grain bullet = 971 ft lbs energy. use the same bullets for black bear as you do for deer. they probably wont exit as they are made to expand & dump all their energy inside the animal so you wont ruin the hide with a big exit wound.
    if your deer hunting in brown bear country a 338 would be a more appropriate deer rifle or at a minimum a 30-06 with controled expansion bullets, 180 gr. in the chamber for deer, 220 gr. in the magazine for back up. dont take a 30-30 into brown bear country they dont have enough penetration for grizzly.

    Comment by crash — April 22, 2009 @ 7:12 am

16. We usually carry a big Knife as well as a firearm. Big guy + Big knife + Bear = Bloody mess = Hopefully dead Bear.
    We of course live in the land of Daniel Boone who happened to kill bears with a knife. If he can do it ,we sure can , Right?

    Comment by dirtydan2 — April 22, 2009 @ 7:12 am

17. S&W 460 or 500 as a back up pistol. Practicing running and short sprints may help….lol

    Comment by Big D — April 22, 2009 @ 7:12 am

18. 30 30 is plenty for blackbear, also you can get bear pepper spray so you wont have to kill in self defense hopefully

    Comment by tater — April 22, 2009 @ 7:12 am

19. Wear Sneakers,,,,you can’t outrun a Bear,,,,,You just have to Outrun Your Pa.

    Comment by Mad Dog — April 22, 2009 @ 7:12 am

20. I had no gun and saw some black bears in Tennessee. I had watched a show about a man (I can’t recall his name) who studied bears. He said that sometims they get very juvinile and frisky. When the begin to menace you, he said to throw your arms over your head and yell at them.
    So I tried this, I yelled jibberish like I was at some pentecostal sunday meeting. This confused the bear and gave us both a chance to think about a different situation…”I think I’ll go over there, now.” He also said (and it makes sense to me) never to lay on the ground. Bears are omnivores and do eat carrion. I won’t sit still and die without giving the bear “what-for” !
    I would honor the bear but if it came down between us and I had my .45 I would aim for the eye. The eyes are also good for other situations. Most battles will end with a gouged out eye.

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Be sure to click through to view a video.

Snakes menace hikers as weather warms

Cottonmouth snakes pose hazard for hikers

Researchers are hunting cottonmouths, also known as water moccasins. (NBC News) From NBC News As the weather begins to warm up, many of nature’s creatures are coming out of hibernation. And the world’s only aquatic pit viper has a very bad reputation. Researchers in Tennessee are hunting cottonmouths, also known as water moccasins. They’ve been tracking 60 western cottonmouths through a Tennessee swamp. In the fall, the snakes leave the water to hibernate in rocky bluffs nearby. The snakes have to cross a paved nature trail to reach their winter dens, pavement that’s warm and comfortable. “You do see cottonmouths and copperheads up here sunning and getting warm and when I see families letting their children run ahead of them, I always stop and say you need to keep them with you because they [snakes] are present here. There are poisonous snakes on this trail,” said Friends of the Trail’s Tom Salter. Cottonmouths have not bitten anyone there, but that hasn’t kept people from killing them. Wildlife officials tell hikers to let them be. The snakes are hibernating now, but they’ll be back, crossing the nature trail to return to the swamp.

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Sheep get zapped, too

Posted: 04/18/2009 05:34:22 PM PDT

Question: What’s the lightning-season lesson to be learned from “The Shocking Death of Old Pitt”?

Answer: Few people realize that lightning also inflicts countless deadly hits on other species, says climatologist Randy Cerveny in “Freaks of the Storm.” Strikes to lakes have been known to electrify the water and kill wagonloads of fish for the locals. In 1939, a single strike at the top of Utah’s Pine Canyon killed 835 rain-soaked sheep that had bedded down around a lone tree. Only 15 of the flock survived, as did the sheepherder who slept in his tent.

When a large turkey-buzzard, sky-high over Nashville, Tennessee, exploded in a blinding flash of lightning, it left just “a few black tail feathers that fluttered pathetically to the ground.”

One of the strangest stories involves lightning-famous Benjamin Franklin, who experimented by applying a direct shock to the head of a turkey. When the turkey “died,” the electrocutioner tried to revive it “by repeatedly blowing into its lungs,” whereupon it “ran headlong against the walls.” “Many researchers regard this odd experiment as one of the first cases of artificial respiration being used as treatment after an electric shock.”

Then there was Old Pitt, a world-famous circus elephant which was struck and killed by a violent lightning blast during a Friday matinee in Dillon, Montana. Later, the circus owner had a marker erected over the burial site:

“PITT/ killed on the spot/ by lightning Aug. 6 1943/ while showing with/ Cole Brothers Circus/ Last of the John Robinson/ herd of military elephants/ age 102/ May God Bless Her.”