Cougar meat source of trichinosis

A White Salmon, Wash.-area hunter, who reportedly ground and took his first taste of cougar meat without cooking it, is Washington state’s first case of trichinosis since 2001, a health official said.

The hunter was hospitalized for a time after eating the uncooked meat in October but has since recovered, Klickitat County Health Director Kevin Barry told the Yakima Herald-Republic last week.

Like other wildlife, cougar meat should be cooked first to minimize the risk of disease from various organisms, including the trichina worm, a parasite that multiplies in the intestines. Cougars are known to be a source of trichinosis, the symptoms of which typically include nausea and high fever, and it can be fatal if untreated.

Washington has had six recorded cases of trichinosis since 1985.

Staff and wire reports

FISHING

Man landed fish daily in 2006

Kenny Schneider raised the 3-inch-long, multicolored pumpkinseed fish from the Chicago River to his lips and gave it a heartfelt kiss.

It was 9 a.m. Dec. 31, and Schneider, 51, had just caught a fish for the 365th day in a row. At least one fish a day for the entire year.

The challenge ended the way it began, with little fanfare, no balloons or marching bands, just a couple of witnesses.

“Hey, you kissed that fish longer than you kiss me,” Joanne Schneider admonished her husband of 32 years.

There were close calls. On Feb. 9, Schneider complained of indigestion. His wife feared a heart attack, and he entered a hospital overnight for tests. Schneider did not escape the hospital till about 4:30 p.m. While awaiting his release, Joanne went home, plucked a fishing rod at random from Schneider’s collection and threw it into the car trunk.

“It’s getting dark, and he’s panicking,” said Joanne, who drove Kenny directly to the Chicago River.

“It got to be an obsession,” he said. “It was like being an addict.”

Chicago Tribune

PARAGLIDING

Flyer survives eagle attack

Soaring with the eagles is overrated, according to Nicky Moss, 38, Britain’s top female paraglider.

Two wedge-tailed eagles ripped into the fabric canopy of her paraglider during a flying competition last week in Australia. One became tangled in her lines at 8,200 feet, according to a Reuters News Service report.

The attack ended after the second bird freed itself 300 feet from the ground.

Staff and wire reports