RARE SPECIES DISCOVERIES MAY HALT WIND FARMS

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Black wildcat sightings confirmed in East County

By Kit Kat

A pril 1, 2012 (San Diego’s East County) – For months, residents in rural East County areas have been reporting sightings of a large wildcat described as a “black panther” by witnesses. So Boulevard Planning Group Chair Donna Tisdale resolved to prove the presence of this extremely rare species in our region. 

“If it’s the only one in California, surely that will be enough to convince U.S. Interior Department authorities to halt construction of the Tule Wind Farm,” Tisdale told East County Magazine.

After several sleepless, snowy nights spent placing catnip at the base of wind test towers and staking out the sites ,Tisdale’s efforts were rewarded.   Spotting a flash of dark fur pouncing on a catnip mouse, Tisdale sprang into action and single-handedly wrestled the wildcat to the ground, affixing a radio tracking collar around its neck to prove once and for all that McCain Valley is home to the elusive black panther.

“We believe it’s actually a black jaguar, a species once native to Northern Mexico and the Southwestern United States,” Joan Embry, ambassador for the San Diego Zoo, said.  “This is a truly exciting discovery.”

Not to be outdone, activists in Ocotillo eager to block the even larger Ocotillo Wind Farm have set out on a quest to find an even rarer creature not seen in these parts since the Pleistocene.

It was first spotted in Lost Valley, then later in Jacumba before lumbering down the boulder-strewn landscape toward the rugged desert mountains  of Anza-Borrego.

While the animal has not yet been captured or radio collared, a photo snapped on a volunteer’s cell phone is raising hopes that soon, the last dinosaur on earth will also be found.

Happy April Fool’s Day! 

To read more of our  April Fool’s Day 2012 special edition stories, visit http://www.eastcountymagazine.org/april-fools-day-2012.

 

 

 


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