oddly enough

oddly enough

Birds, squirrels take toll on power lines

JUNEAU, Alaska

Squirrels and birds are turning the lights out on customers in Alaska’s capital.

Wildlife has knocked out power to Juneau customers seven times this year, the Juneau Empire reported.

Recently, a bald eagle dropped trash from a city landfill onto a line. The fallen eagle fodder caused a loud bang and knocked out power to 10,020 customers, said Debbie Driscoll, spokeswoman for Alaska Electric Light and Power Co.

Wildlife disrupts power in communities around the country but Juneau, a commercial fishing community off the road system on Alaska’s Panhandle, gets power interruptions from a large eagle population and sometimes even fish.

An eagle last summer was carrying a piece of halibut connected to line in its talons. The eagle dropped the fish and line onto a power line, caused an outage, and watched unhappily from a nearby tree as a crew took down the obstruction, Driscoll said.

“It never did get its lunch back,” she said.

Both of those eagles survived.

An eagle died in January when it flew into wires. A raven died after it did the same thing in May.

A pigeon died June 4 when it flew into a line and knocked out service to one customer. A squirrel was zapped a day later knocking out service to 350 customers.

The company recorded six avian deaths last year: three eagles, one raven, one crow and one grouse. In 2012, five eagles, three ravens and two crows were electrocuted.

The decrease, Driscoll said, may be due to plastic yellow coils the company has placed on power lines as a bright, visual cue. The eagles that get into trouble possibly are chasing or sparring, she said.

“I think they’re generally smart enough to avoid the lines unless they’re distracted,” she said.

Donkey pals calm restless rhinoeros

TBILISI, Georgia

Animals in the zoo in Georgia’s capital are not allowed to be lonely, even if it means they end up with rather unusual companions.

A female rhinoceros called Manuela has made friends with donkeys after failing to hit it off with either zebras or goats, while a lion cub neglected by his mother has bonded with a puppy.

Tbilisi Zoo spokeswoman Mzia Sharashidze said Manuela got depressed after the death of her mate and became aggressive toward her caretakers. They tried putting zebras in her enclosure, but they only returned the aggression. Then they tried goats, which ran away.

But the donkeys had an instant calming effect.

Nearby, lion cub Shamba lives happily with a puppy. Sharashidze said they “are watching how long the friendship will last.”

Associated Press