Something is eating cats in Carmel.

In the past month, the discoveries of pets’ remains on the eastern edge of the city have prompted one family to post warnings in their neighborhood.
Police investigating the deaths say residents should take heed.

“If I was a pet owner, I certainly would not have my pet running at large,” said Carmel Police Assistant Chief Tim Green.

Since late August, Green said, at least four cats and a dachsund have been killed and their bodies found partially eaten and skinned. All of the vicims lived in an area west of Hazel Dell Road between 116th and 131st streets.

“We do know that there are coyotes in these areas of town, and we do know that a cat is game for a coyote.”

Police suspect there may have been even more attacks on pets of homeowners who realized what had happened and didn’t bother to report it.

Some of those who did notify police, such as Susan and Tim Eldon of the Brookfield subdivision, had wondered if the grisly assault on their pet was the twisted work of pranksters.

“I didn’t know if some demented kids were doing this or animals,” said Susan Eldon, whose 15-year-old feline, Bob, became a target last weekend.

Eldon and Green said investigations by police and a veterinarian revealed signs of an animal attack. Authorities are now consulting with Department of Natural Resources authorities to try and trap or destroy the culprit responsible.

[via IndyStar]

A pig withstood taser shots from police officers and eluded authorities for more than an hour after wandering onto Green Bay’s major highway. The 150-pound pig was spotted by a passing driver on U.S. 41 at 6 p.m. Wednesday night, Green Bay Police Lt. Todd LePine said.

The animal reportedly went into traffic several times, creating a hazard, he said.

Officers located the pig about 7 p.m. and made two attempts to subdue it with a stun gun, he said, but it fled both times after pulling out the Taser probes.

A passerby who described himself as a former pig farmer tried to wrestle the animal, but the animal pulled away from him as well, LePine said.

Three tranquilizer darts were finally used to bring the pig under control, and it was placed in blanket and lifted into an animal control van, LePine said.

The animal was taken to the Bay Area Humane Shelter that evening. Police said a local attorney planned to claim the pig Thursday. The name of the pig’s owner was not disclosed.

[from SFGate by way of the AP]

More than 3,700 customers lost power for half an hour this afternoon in the northwest part of Carmel when a squirrel snuck into a substation.

“There was no damage at the substation. The squirrel just made contact with the equipment, which caused the outage.”

Power was lost at 2:37 p.m. and was restored at 3:09 p.m.

In addition to homes losing power, several stoplights shut down and police officers had to direct traffic.

[via the Indianapolis Star]