next message in archive
no next message in thread
previous message in archive
Index of Subjects
--Boundary_(ID_uqf1o3o8kDyOmw9PrZBxxA) Content-type: text/plain; charset=WINDOWS-1252; delsp=yes; format=flowed Content-transfer-encoding: quoted-printable ALERT!: Check out CBC RADIO ONE on SUNDAY MORNING, 8:30 a.m., =20 Maritime Magazine?, for a report on cougars in the Maritimes and/or =20 Nova Scotia. And then write a letter to some strategic person or =20 site about how important it is that our public radio get adequate =20 funding, and just how important this is to our society! ---------------------------- Chronicle Herald, Friday, April 24, 2009 Cougar hoax somebody 'goofing around' By IAN FAIRCLOUGH Staff Reporter Fri. Apr 24 - 11:36 AM These aren=92t Nigerians looking for your banking information, but the =20= purveyors of a new Internet hoax have caused a bit of a stir in the =20 province. An email being forwarded to unsuspecting recipients includes two =20 pictures of what is purported to be a dead eastern cougar and says =20 the animal was roaming near Kempt, Queens County, where a James Snipe =20= hit it with his car on the Northfield Road. The message says the big =20 cat was still alive but unable to move, so a neighbour called =20 Department of Natural Resources to have it killed. But the cougar, pictures and email have no connection to this =20 province. They=92re actually from Arizona, where a western cougar was =20= hit by a truck in late 2007 and did have to be put down. The story has been altered at least 17 times, changing the geographic =20= location. While there is a Northfield Road in Kempt, James Snipe is =20 actually a name added to the version of the email making the rounds =20 in North Carolina, according to snopes.com, a website that dispels =20 false rumours and urban legends. Tony Rodgers, the executive director of the Nova Scotia Federation of =20= Anglers and Hunters, says he has received about two dozen calls and =20 emails in the past week from people talking about the email, =20 including one from a man whose wife is refusing to go to their camp =20 in the area for fear there are more cougars roaming the woods. "I think it=92s somebody goofing around. I can=92t see any benefit to =20= doing it, except to scare everyone in Kempt," Mr. Rodgers said. Mark Elderkin, a provincial biologist with the Department of Natural =20 Resources who specializes in species at risk, said the email, with =20 comments that the department is obviously trying to cover up the fact =20= that cougars are in the province, does a disservice to the =20 department=92s biologists. He said the hoax is tying up the department because staff is spending =20= time explaining to the many people calling or emailing that the story =20= is untrue. Mr. Elderkin has received more than two dozen messages in the past =20 week based on the email. Normally there are only 25 to 50 reports a =20 year of cougar sightings in Nova Scotia. But, he said, the eastern cougar has never been native to Nova =20 Scotia, and no sightings have been substantiated. He said staff =20 investigates any credible reports because a cougar could escape from =20 captivity or be released into the wild here. Mr. Elderkin said he still wants the public to let him know when they =20= see what they suspect is a cougar. He said the department has traced =20 the email back to where they think it originated in Nova Scotia, and =20 has given those people a stern talking to. They have apologized, he =20 said. A close look at the pictures of a man holding the cat in a garage =20 shows several antlers from mule deer in a back room. That species is =20 not native to Nova Scotia either, so it should be evident the email =20 is bogus, Mr. Elderkin said. But he said that in some email versions cases of Keith=92s beer are =20 superimposed over the antlers. ( ifairclough@herald.ca)= --Boundary_(ID_uqf1o3o8kDyOmw9PrZBxxA) Content-type: text/html; charset=WINDOWS-1252 Content-transfer-encoding: quoted-printable <html><body style=3D"word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; = -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; = margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">ALERT!: Check = out CBC RADIO ONE on SUNDAY MORNING, 8:30 a.m., Maritime Magazine?, for = a report on cougars in the Maritimes and/or Nova Scotia. =A0And then = write a letter to some strategic person or site about how important it = is that our public radio get adequate funding, and just how important = this is to our society!</div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; = margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; = ">----------------------------</div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; = margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; = "><br></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; = margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font face=3D"Helvetica" = size=3D"3" style=3D"font: 12.0px Helvetica">Chronicle Herald, Friday, = April 24, 2009</font></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: = 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal = 12px/normal Helvetica; min-height: 14px; "><br></div><div = style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; = margin-left: 0px; line-height: 35px; "><font face=3D"Georgia" size=3D"7" = style=3D"font: 32.0px Georgia">Cougar hoax somebody 'goofing = around'</font></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; = margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 35px; font: normal = normal normal 12px/normal Arial; color: rgb(30, 30, 30); min-height: = 14px; "><br></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; = margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font face=3D"Arial" size=3D"3" = color=3D"#818181" style=3D"font: 11.0px Arial; color: #818181">By IAN = FAIRCLOUGH Staff Reporter=A0</font></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; = margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font = face=3D"Arial" size=3D"3" color=3D"#818181" style=3D"font: 11.0px Arial; = color: #818181">Fri. Apr 24 - 11:36 AM</font></div><div = style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; = margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 11px/normal Arial; color: = rgb(129, 129, 129); min-height: 12px; "><br></div><p style=3D"margin: = 0.0px 0.0px 14.0px 0.0px; line-height: 18.0px"><font face=3D"Arial" = size=3D"4" style=3D"font: 14.0px Arial">These aren=92t Nigerians looking = for your banking information, but the purveyors of a new Internet hoax = have caused a bit of a stir in the province.</font></p><p style=3D"margin:= 0.0px 0.0px 14.0px 0.0px; line-height: 18.0px"><font face=3D"Arial" = size=3D"4" style=3D"font: 14.0px Arial">An email being forwarded to = unsuspecting recipients includes two pictures of what is purported to be = a dead eastern cougar and says the animal was roaming near Kempt, Queens = County, where a James Snipe hit it with his car on the Northfield Road. = The message says the big cat was still alive but unable to move, so a = neighbour called Department of Natural Resources to have it = killed.</font></p><p style=3D"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 14.0px 0.0px; = line-height: 18.0px"><font face=3D"Arial" size=3D"4" style=3D"font: = 14.0px Arial">But the cougar, pictures and email have no connection to = this province. They=92re actually from Arizona, where a western cougar = was hit by a truck in late 2007 and did have to be put = down.</font></p><p style=3D"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 14.0px 0.0px; = line-height: 18.0px"><font face=3D"Arial" size=3D"4" style=3D"font: = 14.0px Arial">The story has been altered at least 17 times, changing the = geographic location. While there is a Northfield Road in Kempt, James = Snipe is actually a name added to the version of the email making the = rounds in North Carolina, according to snopes.com, a website that = dispels false rumours and urban legends.</font></p><p style=3D"margin: = 0.0px 0.0px 14.0px 0.0px; line-height: 18.0px"><font face=3D"Arial" = size=3D"4" style=3D"font: 14.0px Arial">Tony Rodgers, the executive = director of the Nova Scotia Federation of Anglers and Hunters, says he = has received about two dozen calls and emails in the past week from = people talking about the email, including one from a man whose wife is = refusing to go to their camp in the area for fear there are more cougars = roaming the woods.</font></p><p style=3D"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 14.0px = 0.0px; line-height: 18.0px"><font face=3D"Arial" size=3D"4" style=3D"font:= 14.0px Arial">"I think it=92s somebody goofing around. I can=92t see = any benefit to doing it, except to scare everyone in Kempt," Mr. Rodgers = said.</font></p><p style=3D"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 14.0px 0.0px; = line-height: 18.0px"><font face=3D"Arial" size=3D"4" style=3D"font: = 14.0px Arial">Mark Elderkin, a provincial biologist with the Department = of Natural Resources who specializes in species at risk, said the email, = with comments that the department is obviously trying to cover up the = fact that cougars are in the province, does a disservice to the = department=92s biologists.</font></p><p style=3D"margin: 0.0px 0.0px = 14.0px 0.0px; line-height: 18.0px"><font face=3D"Arial" size=3D"4" = style=3D"font: 14.0px Arial">He said the hoax is tying up the department = because staff is spending time explaining to the many people calling or = emailing that the story is untrue.</font></p><p style=3D"margin: 0.0px = 0.0px 14.0px 0.0px; line-height: 18.0px"><font face=3D"Arial" size=3D"4" = style=3D"font: 14.0px Arial">Mr. Elderkin has received more than two = dozen messages in the past week based on the email. Normally there are = only 25 to 50 reports a year of cougar sightings in Nova = Scotia.</font></p><p style=3D"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 14.0px 0.0px; = line-height: 18.0px"><font face=3D"Arial" size=3D"4" style=3D"font: = 14.0px Arial">But, he said, the eastern cougar has never been native to = Nova Scotia, and no sightings have been substantiated. He said staff = investigates any credible reports because a cougar could escape from = captivity or be released into the wild here.</font></p><p style=3D"margin:= 0.0px 0.0px 14.0px 0.0px; line-height: 18.0px"><font face=3D"Arial" = size=3D"4" style=3D"font: 14.0px Arial">Mr. Elderkin said he still wants = the public to let him know when they see what they suspect is a cougar. = He said the department has traced the email back to where they think it = originated in Nova Scotia, and has given those people a stern talking = to. They have apologized, he said.</font></p><p style=3D"margin: 0.0px = 0.0px 14.0px 0.0px; line-height: 18.0px"><font face=3D"Arial" size=3D"4" = style=3D"font: 14.0px Arial">A close look at the pictures of a man = holding the cat in a garage shows several antlers from mule deer in a = back room. That species is not native to Nova Scotia either, so it = should be evident the email is bogus, Mr. Elderkin said.</font></p><p = style=3D"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 14.0px 0.0px; line-height: 18.0px"><font = face=3D"Arial" size=3D"4" style=3D"font: 14.0px Arial">But he said that = in some email versions cases of Keith=92s beer are superimposed over the = antlers.</font></p><p style=3D"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 14.0px 0.0px; = line-height: 18.0px"><font face=3D"Arial" size=3D"4" style=3D"font: = 14.0px Arial">( <a href=3D"mailto:ifairclough@herald.ca"><font = face=3D"Georgia" size=3D"4" color=3D"#406ac1" style=3D"font: 14.0px = Georgia; color: #406ac1">ifairclough@herald.ca</font></a>)</font></p> </body></html>= --Boundary_(ID_uqf1o3o8kDyOmw9PrZBxxA)--
next message in archive
no next message in thread
previous message in archive
Index of Subjects