Subscribe | UPI Odd Newsletter Subscribe Staff hear tell-tale patter of mice feet WASHINGTON, March 19 (UPI) -- Members of Rep. Paul Gosar's congressional office at least can make light about the scurrying of mice they hear behind the walls of his Washington office. Advertisement While keeping eyes and ears open for what is approaching a double-digit capture, the Arizona Republican thinks the situation is a hoot, The Hill reported. "'Ew' sums up staff reaction to the mice prob. Congressman on the other hand finds it (or us flipping out about it) hysterical," staffer Alicia Cohn wrote on Gosar's Twitter page to the post: "Office update: Just caught seventh mouse in 4 months. Proof that #DCIsCrawlingWithVermin (Staff)" Providing his take on the mouse problem, Gosar tweeted, "The mice in the building are among the least pesky scavengers in this city." Fox takes over crow's nest CHARLOTTETOWN, Prince Edward Island, March 19 (UPI) -- Staff at the University of Prince Edward Island in Canada said a fox has taken up residence in a crow's nest on campus. Advertisement University workers said the fox has been residing in the nest, located in a slanted tree behind the school's utility building, for about two weeks, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. reported Monday. The workers said the home chosen by the fox, which is believed to have been living in the area for two years, has led to daily standoffs between the mammal and local crows. The fox isn't the first interloper, though. Squirrels were living there last fall, workers said. Bird sounds used to keep pigeons away NEW YORK, March 19 (UPI) -- New York transport officials said pumping avian distress and predator calls into a subway station has reduced the number of pigeons at the facility. Kevin Ortiz, a spokesman for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, said the agency contracted California firm Bird-B-Gone to install the $375 system at the Roosevelt Island subway station in December and officials have since seen "a noticeable decrease in birds and droppings," The New York Times reported Monday. The system pumps pigeon distress calls and predator sounds through the facility every 2 to 10 minutes to discourage pigeons from making the station their home. Some subway riders said they have not noticed a decrease in the pigeon presence. Advertisement "The bird scare noises annoy me more [than the pigeons]," rider John McCormick said. Farmer 'fortunate' to be bitten by panda NANYUE, China, March 19 (UPI) -- Liu Yunkang, a farmer in China's Sichuan province, says she considers being bitten by a wild panda a fortunate accident. Liu, thinking the panda may have been injured, was bitten as she and another farmer tried to guide the animal down a mountain so villagers could help it, China Daily reported Monday. The panda became nervous, turned and bit Liu's left leg when she got a bit too close and touched the animal on its head Friday. The panda then lumbered into a nearby forest. "I am fortunate to have been bitten by China's national treasure that people from around the world come a long way to see," the 59-year-old Nanyue farmer said. A check at a clinic indicated the wound was made by two teeth and was not serious. "And I used to think pandas were docile," Liu said. Not quite, Zhao Zhilong, bureau chief of the Longxi-Hongkou animal preserve, told China Daily. Pandas can be very powerful when attacked. "They can kill a sheep with their bite," Zhao said. "In Liu Yunkang's case, the panda was very tender." Advertisement Judging by the bite, Zhao said the panda likely was an adolescent.
