Cat chases bear up a tree

Associated Press
Jun. 12, 2006 10:22 AM

WEST MILFORD, N.J. - A black bear picked the wrong yard for a jaunt, running into a territorial tabby who ran the furry beast up a tree — twice.

Jack, a 15-pound orange and white cat, keeps a close vigil on his property, often chasing small animals, but his owners and neighbors say his latest escapade was surprising.

"We used to joke, 'Jack's on duty,' never knowing he'd go after a bear," owner Donna Dickey told The Star-Ledger of Newark for Friday's editions.

Neighbor Suzanne Giovanetti first spotted Jack's accomplishment after her husband saw a bear climb a tree on the edge of their northern New Jersey property on Sunday. Giovanetti thought Jack was simply looking up at the bear, but soon realized the much larger animal was afraid of the hissing cat.

After about 15 minutes, the bear descended and tried to run away, but Jack chased it up another tree.

Dickey, who feared for her cat, then called Jack home and the bear scurried back to the woods.

"He doesn't want anybody in his yard," Dickey said.

Bear sightings are not unusual in West Milford, which experts consider one of the state's most bear-populated areas.

Duck dies weeks after mate was found mauled to death

Associated Press
Jun. 12, 2006 07:30 AM

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - A duck moved to a wildlife hospital after its mate was mauled has itself died, and one of its former keepers blames a broken heart - not the bird's broken leg.

Heckle, whose mate Jeckle was found dead and headless two weeks ago, was found dead in her pen Tuesday at WildCare Inc., where she had stayed for 13 days for treatment of a broken leg.

"It's a real mystery. She seemed to be doing fine, but for some reason, died during the night. No one knows why," said Bob Foyut, a WildCare board member in charge of raptors and water fowl.

Heckle and Jeckle had been a fixture at Bloomington's Bell Trace retirement community this spring. After Heckle broke a leg, Jon Vestuto, the retirement center's assistant maintenance manager, built a pen so that the bird could recuperate.

Heckle stayed there, with Jeckle at her side until he was mauled to death by a predator.

Vestuto, who moved Heckle to WildCare fearing the predator might return to kill again, believes Heckle "died of a broken heart."

"I think she missed Jeckle," he said.

When he learned of Heckle's death, Vestuto picked up her carcass and buried it alongside Jeckle's.

Now, two white crosses stand sentry over the east end of the Bell Trace pond, reminders of a pair of small ducks that stole and broke the hearts of some senior citizens.

Mary Salz, a Bell Trace resident, said the ducks were absolutely inseparable.

"They were never more than two feet away from one another," she said. "Wherever you saw one, you saw the other. They were a pair."