Animal Roundup

Many of us were disconcerted by the stories of forced abandonment of animals by their guardians in the wake of disasters, and asked ourselves "How would our dumb-ass cats fare on their own? Maybe if they were forced to fare for themselves, they'd finally appreciate how freakin' good thay have it. Yeah!" It looks like we're getting closer to never having to find out just how well Mr. Sniffy can operate a can opener, as a bill proposed by SF-based state Assemblyman Leland Yee requiring the state Office of Emergency Services to take animals into account when coordinating evacuations has recieved unanimous approval from the Governmental Organization Committee. We're waiting for the final hurdle of Senatorial approval before we start packing any tiny cat suitcases.

Aw, yuck. USDA Wildlife Services are trapping, innoculating, and releasing Tahoe geese to a wildlife management area to help fight the massive amount of goose crap polluting the area. "A 10-pound Canada goose can produce four pounds of nitrate- and phosphate-rich feces every day it waddles across the beaches, lawns and golf courses of Tahoe," which is the sort of data that inspires us to double up on our fiber regimen.

Tahoe geese aren't the only birds causing a panic; at least five birds in the San Francisco Zoo's new area, Binnowee Landing ("Where Kids and Birds Connect"!) have tested positive for Psittacine beak and feather disease, an extremely communicable immune disorder that is frequently fatal to its victims. While the zoo claims that ""There's no reason for anyone to be fearful of this exhibit.", bird owners and some vets claim that the whole kid and bird connecting thing may end up with said kids transmitting the disease to birds outside the zoo.

Image: We tell ourselves that when the s**t hits the fan, this is how out pet evacuation will look. Yeah, right.