Tag Archives: junglepete

JunglePete and the Gator

JunglePete is a responsible scientist and a serious conservationist. You may have gotten a false impression that he’s an irresponsible person who keeps exotic pets because I keep joking about having to share a bathroom with reptiles while staying at his house. Nothing could be farther from the truth. When I met Pete almost 30 years ago (really? 30?) he was being raised by monkeys, but it was on a sanctuary. Pete knows firsthand not to keep beasties in the house that don’t belong there and he knows the bad things that can happen to critters when people try to keep them as pets.

Mind you, this is the guy who keeps posting facebook updates that he’s in a hotel room with an alligator, so it’s not entirely my fault if you think he’s a lunatic. I just want to set the record straight: JunglePete doesn’t randomly take gators to hotel rooms. He always does the honorable thing and marries them first.

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I’m adding a postscript to this post. I checked my email and there was a message from Pete with this link in it, “What’s in the box? MeanLouise edition”. I just don’t know what to say!

She’s feisty, shows her teeth and hisses but is gentle – for now. She may look cute but some day she’ll be able to do some damage.

I think that part’s about the gator, not me, but I can’t be sure…

Fascinating criminal defense strategy

He said: “He was dressed as a blue Smurf and nobody goes out to battle dressed as a blue Smurf.

Link courtesy of JunglePete. In case I haven’t mentioned it recently, JunglePete is a rockstar. Check out the letters he got after his recent presentation about alligators to a group of elementary school students.

I must admit I’m mildly concerned that I’m going to be sharing a bathroom with Chomp-Chomp when I go to visit.*

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*That was a joke. JunglePete is a responsible professional who does not keep wild or so-called exotic animals as pets or keep reptiles in his bathroom. I hope.

Everything I do, I do for JunglePete*

You should now be able to subscribe to follow-up comments via email. I know, how very 2002 of me. I’ve been meaning to fix that for a while now (probably since 2002), you can thank JunglePete for encouraging me to fix this feature. Also, go read his post, “Living Without Aigrettes” and look at the pretty bird pictures. I know you loyally read all his posts, but I just wanted to make sure you didn’t miss that one. Educational and aesthetically pleasing. Bonus.
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squirrel fires

So much political excitement, but I’m tired and I have an inbox full of squirrel-related news that requires no commentary, so guess what I’m going to post about?

JunglePete forwarded this one:

JONES, Okla. — A squirrel caught fire, sparking a blaze Wednesday morning that resulted in the evacuation of an elementary school in Jones, fire officials said.”

This is not to be confused with last year’s Southern California wildfires, which have been blamed, at least in part, on flaming squirrels

Or with last year’s Hudson, New Jersey pyromaniacal squirrel incident, “Flaming squirrel ignites car in Bayonne.”

Or Alan Turcott’s squirrel difficulties, wherein his house was set on fire by squirrels…twice in eight days.

Or British Columbia, where squirrel fires are apparently a regular occurrence.

These little bastards are far more dangerous than I ever suspected. I need to go back to bed now and not think about this.

"Feces-throwing monkey on the loose in Tampa Bay"

Today’s monkey-link is from JunglePete:

CLEARWATER, Fla. – Wildlife officials said a rhesus monkey known to throw feces when mad is on the loose in Tampa Bay. Authorities have been trying to capture the primate since Tuesday afternoon, but it managed to evade a bucket truck and tranquilizer dart.

Gary Morse with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission says the adult male is thought to have escaped from an unlicensed source. It was last seen in Clearwater.

The monkey is not considered dangerous.

I was going to end with a joke about how JunglePete is also known to throw feces when angry, but that one’s just too easy. And not all that funny. Also, possibly true.

This is how rumors get started.