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By: Staff Writer

Posted: 08/14/2010 1:00 AM | Comments: 0 (including replies)

Gopher found with plague

REGINA -- A black-tailed prairie dog in Grasslands National Park has died of plague, a rare but naturally occurring disease affecting ground squirrels throughout the southern prairies, Parks Canada said Friday.

Transmission of plague to humans is possible through bites from infected fleas, but the risk to human health is described as very low.

As a precautionary measure, Parks Canada is not recommending foot travel through the prairie dog colonies in Grasslands, but the park remains open and the public is being encouraged to continue to visit.

Women fled from Pickton

OTTAWA -- Two other women have come forward to talk about their chilling encounters with serial killer Robert Pickton.

Each escaped with injuries from Pickton's truck around the same time as women he was later convicted of killing disappeared.

Their stories are in a new book about the case by Canadian journalist Stevie Cameron that will be published electronically on Saturday.

Black's libel suits given OK

TORONTO -- Conrad Black notched another legal victory Friday when Ontario's top court ruled that six libel suits against his former business associates could proceed in the province.

The former media mogul is attempting to sue members of a special committee of Hollinger International -- where Black was once the chairman and CEO -- over statements about his use of shareholder money.

The statements were published on the Sun-Times Media Inc. website and republished by many media outlets in Ontario.

Guide slugged polar bear

WES Werbowy can still see the polar bear's head pressed up against his tent's mosquito netting.

"I wish I could find an artist to capture this image in my mind," says Werbowy, who survived a recent up-close-and-personal encounter with a polar bear with the help of an old Inuit trick. Punching the bear in the nose.

Werbowy was camping outside of Whale Cove, Nunavut, on July 16 with three Inuk hunters he was training to be outfitters and tour guides. He says he was awakened shortly after 3 a.m. by the a polar bear.

"I've got a thousand pounds of bear, standing on my firearm, his face collapsing the screening of my tent right toward me where I'm still in my sleeping bag and staring at this black nose about two feet from my face."

That's when he remembered some words of wisdom from an Inuit elder. The most sensitive part of a polar bear is its nose and if all else fails, take a swing at it.

"Instantaneously, he just changed ends and vanished."

-- From the news services

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition August 14, 2010 A10

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