Animal Roundup

Can they send a bloodhound to find him? There's a $1000 reward for the return of a "very shy" Palo Alto Police Dept. K-9 bloodhound named Luke, who was last seen outside an elementary school in Newark at 7:30 on the weekend, close to his home. Look how cute Luke is! He's Palo Alto's only bloodhound (though they also have German shepherds on the team). Bloodhounds become despondent if they're separated from their owner and may refuse food. Also, a local bloodhound expert warns, he may be stinky. "Because of the [bloodhound's] folds of skin, they have a distinctive odor that not everybody would find attractive. They need lots of baths." Oh, poor Luke! If you have any info, call the Palo Alto police at (650) 329-2413.

Do you remember those penguins at the SF Zoo who all came down with chlamydia and they had to hastily assure the public that chlamydia is not sexually transmitted between penguins? Well, a bunch of horses at the Golden Gate Racing Fields have come down with herpes now too. Equine herpes is transmitted through the air like colds for people, the authorities say. There's a quarantine in place, because a different strain of this same virus in Florida has killed five horses and they don't want to take any risks. However, the racing continues so most everyone is dealing with it okay.

And people are now hunting feral pigs in Suisun, because the pigs are threatening rare plants in the marsh. The pigs are non-native, and the US Fish and Wildlife Service has determined that they trample a snapdragon herb called the soft bird's beak, and a rare Suisun thistle. Feral pigs are the second most popular hunted animal in California (after deer), and the state awards 20-24 licenses per year. While the hunter profiled in the story has bagged around 150 pigs in 18 months (and gets to keep the meat), most other hunters don't catch any, and environmentalists are thinking maybe authorities should hire professional hunters to thin the herd.

Picture of Luke the Palo Alto K-9.