JULY 24, 2015 UPDATE: The owner of Simba — whose real name is Homie — has been found after he saw his dog on TV, Fox6 News reports. Homie had escaped from his leash during a walk Tuesday. He is still being treated by the Milwaukee Area Domestic Animal Control Commission (MADACC).
The bad news: Homie’s leg is not healing properly and he will need more surgery that his owner cannot afford. The good news: Donations are pouring in, and an animal clinic has offered to perform the surgery at a reduced rate. (It seems to me that the man who shot Homie should pay for the surgery.)
To make a donation to help MADACC help Homie, click here.
Since Monday, the Milwaukee Police Department has received dozens of calls from residents saying they’ve seen what looks like a mountain lion roaming a neighborhood on the north side of the city.
After a cell phone video of the alleged lion was posted on social media, the hashtags #LIONWATCH and #MKELion began trending in Milwaukee, according to WDJT.
“Do not approach it, do not panic,” Scott Diehl, with the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center, told WDJT yesterday. “If the animal is close to you, maybe 50 yards or so, don’t take your eyes off it. Don’t turn your back on it. Remain facing it at all times. Make yourself look big.”
An unidentified man apparently thought he saw the mountain lion last night. Instead of doing what Diehl recommended, he shot it.
But the victim wasn’t a mountain lion. It was a stray, white Pit Bull who bears little resemblance to a mountain lion.
“The bullet went through his leg, fractured his bone,” Karen Sparapani, executive director of the Milwaukee Area Domestic Animal Control Commission (MADACC), told WDJT.
The dog, who’s been named Simba (ha!), must wear a cast for six weeks. Hopefully his owner will claim him, or he’ll find a new forever home with a secure yard.
And hopefully the man who shot him will get his vision checked pronto.
“Please do not discharge a firearm because often, besides from maybe not shooting the right animal, a human can be injured,” Sparapani told WDJT.
Another Pit Bull Mistaken for a Mountain Lion
In July 2014, residents became worried after a security camera captured what they believed to be a mountain lion roaming a Norwalk, Calif., street late one night.
After watching the video, even some animal experts were convinced the prowling animal was perhaps a jaguar or African lioness.
Nope. Just like Simba in Milwaukee, this creature was actually a Pit Bull named Buddy.
Buddy had escaped from his yard that night, and his dog dad recognized him in the video.
Unlike poor Simba, Buddy the non-lion was unharmed.
Man Thought Bears Were Dogs
Speaking of people with vision issues, it took two years for a man in China to figure out his two dogs were actually endangered Asian black bears.
Wang Kaiyu bought what he thought were two black puppies, but was surprised by how big they grew and by how much they ate.
When he saw a wildlife protection promotion about Asian black bears, Wang had what Oprah would call an “Ah-HA!” moment. He notified authorities, and his pets were taken to a wildlife rescue center.