Wildlife Rehab: 'Animals Enrich Our Lives'

Linda Peck has two raccoons in the bathroom, five more in a pen outside, a robin on the back porch. In the basement, she's raising mice to feed the raptors.  A wildlife rehabilitator for 30-plus years, Peck, 74, fields calls — and takes in animals — from throughout Minnesota.  The animals arrive injured, diseased, shot, poisoned — as many as 250 of them in a single year.  "I believe (animals) enrich our lives. They enrich mine, and I think if we don't maintain a connection to the natural world we are losing some joy. We're going to lose our own existence if we don't learn how to live gently," Peck said, explaining why she continues an effort that can be as heartbreaking as it is rewarding.

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Seven Unique Animals That Call Minnesota Home

From a killer songbird that impales its victims to a strange-looking mole that can smell underwater, Minnesota is full of unusual wildlife. Here are seven odd Minnesota-dwelling creatures you may not have known about.

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Hey, Kitty! Museum To Host First-Ever Cat Video Fest

Nominations are open for the world's first Cannes for cats. The al fresco Internet Cat Video Film Festival will unspool -- in the space of an hour or so, given how short cat videos can be -- on August 30 on the grounds of the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, Minn. "While enjoyed by a broad online audience of millions, cat videos are normally viewed alone. Until now," wrote organizer and "self-proclaimed borderline cat lady" Katie Czarniecki Hill on the Walker's blog pages.

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Video: Bear Named Jewel To Birth Cubs Live On Internet Via Solar-Powered Webcam In Her Minn. Den

A black bear in Minnesota is believed to be days away from birthing cubs, and the event could have a worldwide audience--thanks to bear researchers who have set up a video camera in the three-year-old bear's den. "Jewel is showing all the signs of preparing to give birth as her older sister Lily did," Lynn Rogers, senior biologist at the Ely-based Wildlife Research Institute, said in a written statement released by the institute and its partner, the North American Bear Center. "The den cam video is showing her active and raking in bedding. It could be any day."

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