Personal thing, but still nicely Furry we think… Today your ever-loving ed-otter and his ever-loving pine marten life-mate went to a viewing party in Los Angeles for the P-22 Celebration of a Life event. Don’t know about P-22? He was a wild cougar from the Santa Monica mountains in Southern California, who became quite famous for somehow crossing two major freeways without getting killed, who ended up living in LA’s well-known Griffith Park for more than a decade. Below is a very, very famous picture of the cat himself “posing” in front of the Hollywood sign. He became a much-loved local celebrity, until a tragic encounter with a car injured him to the point that authorities found it best to euthanize him last year. How celebrated was he? We couldn’t get in to the main event saluting his life, as it sold out The Greek Theater — in just two hours. More signs of his fame: There is a movement afoot to have his likeness put on a U.S. Stamp.

image c. 2023 National Geographic

This July MX Collectibles is releasing a set of 6-inch tall collectible busts, modeled after various university mascots. And the first set of four is decidedly furry! Check out their web site for the new busts of the Louisiana State University Tigers, The Clemson University Tigers (pictured below), the University of Memphis Tigers, and the Brigham Young University Cougars. Each of these busts was created by well-known collectibles sculptor Clayburn Moore.

image c. 2012 MX Collectibles

Ted Blasingame writes long Furry novels. That’s okay, because they are well-written, very interesting novels. (“Has written”? He’s retired from writing? Yarst!)

Sunset of Furmankind tackles a tough premise. The main character hates bioengineered Furries, and on the first page he murders one. He is sentenced to be either executed or made into one against his will. The reader can guess that he will eventually change his mind about them, but can the author make him a sympathetic-enough character to keep a readership of Furry fans interested in what happens to him until this occurs?

While I recommend buying Sunset of Furmankind in its trade paperback or Kindle edition, Blasingame has also made it available for free on his website. Sunset is worth having a permanent copy for your library, though.

Raleigh, NC, Lulu Press, September 2011, trade paperback $19.99 (510 pages), Kindle $2.99.

For historical purposes, a collection of links and other tidbits posted to Newsbytes in August.

The "Ready Kids" web site of the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency enlists a family of mountain lions to teach kids about preparing for emergencies:

The past few days have been very active with animal-related stories from around the world:

• An animal rights activist from Ukraine is protesting poor living conditions for zoo animals, living in the lions' den for five weeks to raise money for them.
• A pair of cougars have been shot after they began attacking humans in Alberta.
• Ukraine's government has vowed to end a sickening local tradition of animal abuse.
• An Idaho man is in hot water after prancing around in a bunny suit.
• A truck carrying bees has flipped and closed a major highway near Edmonton, Alberta.

CNN.com reports that California authorities have shot and killed a mountain lion that had attacked to mountain bikers in the Whiting Ranch Wilderness Park in Orange County.

This Independent Record Article says that a railroad inspector came across (And eventually saved) 3 eight-week old mountain lion kittens that were frozen to the railroad track. Now O'Rourke's co-workers are calling him the "Lion King." He said he doesn't mind the prodding. He was just happy to help the young mountain lions out of their jam.
A good, happy animal-saving story to brighten your day ^.^

According to the New York Times (free registration may be required), deer populations have exploded so much that they're throwing the ecosystem out of whack, eating gardens and peoples' shrubbery, and creating hazards in the roads.