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Bear sighting livens up Anchorage area

ANCHORAGE, Alaska, May 27 (UPI) -- A black bear didn't go over a river but went to the woods after scampering through residential and industrial areas of Anchorage, Alaska, police said.

Police said residents spotted the small bear tooling around the area recently, then saw it scurry into the woods Saturday unharmed after officers tracked it for about 30 minutes following a report that a motorist tried to hit it, the Anchorage Daily News reported.

A vehicle was stopped after someone reported a man was driving aggressively toward the bear, Trooper Bret Ledford said. He said the driver was being investigated for harassing wildlife and could be slapped with a misdemeanor citation.

"Witnesses said he chased after the bear. He said it was to take pictures," Ledford said. "He doesn't even have a camera in his car."

Anchorage Police Sgt. Cameron Hokensen said the department's policy is to leave bears alone as long as they don't pose an immediate threat to humans.

"It just seems like whenever it happens, everyone flocks to the area," Hokensen said. "He just wants to get out of here."

Noting that summer was just under way, Ledford said, "We're going to see a lot more of this."

Firefighters save horse stuck in mud

LOS ANGELES, May 27 (UPI) -- More than 40 Los Angeles firefighters saved a horse that got stuck in mud and halfway submerged in water near Hansen Dam, officials say.

The horse became stuck when its owner was riding it on a riverbed about 20 feet from shore Saturday evening, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Firefighters used a two-line rope system and tools including backboards and plywood to carry the horse, which was tranquilized during the rescue effort, to shore, said Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman Erik Scott. It took the team of firefighters about four hours to pull off the rescue.

After getting to shore, the horse was airlifted to another location.

"It's not only to save the life of that animal but also to prevent those who are going after it that are untrained from being injured," Scott said.

Couple split over wife's 550 cats

BEERSHEBA, Israel, May 27 (UPI) -- An Israeli man says he wants to divorce his wife because she refuses to part with her 550 cats.

The man, whose name was not reported, petitioned the Rabbinical Court in Beersheba for divorce from his cat-loving wife this past week, The Times of Israel, Jerusalem, reported Sunday.

He told the court he was unable to sleep in the couple's bedroom because his wife's hundreds of cats were constantly sleeping on the bed.

The man said the cats also blocked his access to the bathroom and did not allow him to cook in the kitchen, the Hebrew daily Maariv reported Wednesday. When he sat down at the table to eat, the cats would jump up and steal his food, he said in his divorce request.

The couple tried to reconcile as ordered by the rabbinical court; however, the wife was unable to part with her pets and instead decided to part with her husband.

Survey: British miss pets more than family

CHESTER, England, May 26 (UPI) -- One-third of British pet owners said they would rather go away with their pet on vacation than their immediate family, a survey indicated.

British pet owners surveyed by travel comparison Web site TravelSupermarket indicated 47 percent miss their pet the most when away on holiday, while more than one-third said they have taken a pet on vacation.

Thirteen percent of Britons admitted they would choose their pet over their partner to go on vacation and 10 percent said they would opt to take their pet on vacation instead of their children -- if they had the opportunity.

When the British leave their family behind for foreign travels, 47 percent said they miss the pet most of all while they're away, while 33 percent said they missed immediate family members the most.

Forty-three percent said they gave their pet some extra tender loving care when they return home from a vacation and 18 percent made sure they brought back a souvenir for their furry friend.

Forty percent of pet owners also said they regularly checked up on their pet while away.

Opinium Research conducted the survey of 2,010 British pet owners from March 29 to April 3. No margin of error was provided.