2015 Animal Year In Review: Fish Tales, Drone Wars, A Feline Mayor Lost, And More

Our neighborhood loves its animals. We know it because they’re the subject matter for some of the most popular articles that we write. We couldn’t close out 2015 without a look back at our dogs, cats, baboons, birds, and … “three-eyed fish.”

We had an interesting set of them — they touched us, amused us, and at times made us scratch our heads and roll our eyes.

We want to make sure you haven’t missed them, so we’ve selected our favorite animal stories for you over the past year.

2015 marks the first year we have written an animal obituary. But it is well-deserved.

Tiger the cat — considered the unofficial “Mayor of 6th Avenue and 11th Street” — was put to sleep on October 1 after being diagnosed with both Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV) and lymphoma earlier this year.

“Tiger did not belong to me. He did not belong to anyone. Or rather, he did. Tiger belonged to everyone,” said neighbor Tracey McNeil, who was one of many neighbors who considered the feline as part of the community’s fabric.

Various writers at South Slopes News (this writer included) and neighbors would often take photos of Tiger the cat. He was one of the most commonly used photos of the day that we post on our site. He will be greatly missed.

Dogs were mysteriously sickened in the Nethermead in late September / early October. Garry Osgood, president of FIDO (Fellowship For The Interests of Dogs & Their Owners) reached out to the FIDO community to let them know that the sickened dogs could have eaten human feces laced with narcotics. “The narcotics users are ‘taking dumps in the park’ that are subsequently munched on by dogs is a pretty easy conclusion to reach,” explained Osgood, “especially since vets are identifying the agent as a narcotic, but one shouldn’t overlook other possibilities.”

Oh Smoke the cat, where did you go? After a search for Jim Greene’s feline friend throughout the neighborhood, Smoke was finally found in Red Hook. Greene explained that Smoke was found and taken in by Terri Steele, who is the owner of Steele Pilates. “She called me after her daughter saw a poster of Smoke,” said Greene. Greene’s relentless postering as well as local media coverage helped out the cause, and we’re so happy this one had a happy ending.

Neighbors rejoiced and pooches yowled when the “Dining With Dogs” bill passed in October. Only a year before, the Department of Health (DOH) banned dogs from The Gate (321 5th Avenue at 3rd Street), a particularly dog-friendly bar.

“[We’re] happy to see that the city is able to adapt to be honest. Thrilled for our dog owning patrons,” said Gate owner Bobby Gagnon. “We have been a responsible, involved member of this community for nearly 20 years and have made lasting friendships, canines included (The Gate’s patron saint is a rescue named ‘Walter’; and much of our charity has been dog-related so it is especially satisfying). We are truly a dog friendly city now.”

We never bought this fish tale in the first place, but figured we’d take the bait when the story came out (Sorry).

In a yarn straight out of a Simpson’s episode, a man claimed to catch a three-eyed fish from the Gowanus Canal. And this clip supposedly shows a video of the lil’ beast that could easily win “Worst Acting At A Superfund Site” in 2015.

It may not come as a surprise to you that Queens College biology professor John Waldman believes the three-eyed fish is in fact an urban-nautical myth. The New York Times reports John Waldman wrote that “Everything is wrong here […] You’d never find a freshwater bullhead in the saltwater Gowanus Canal. As I said, to find it there is just too perfect. Plus the fish appears dead. Catfish live for hours out of the water. And the ‘acting’ seems forced.”

We had our own drone wars to open up Thanksgiving weekend, except this wasn’t a film. A red-tailed hawk took down an illegal drone in Prospect Park. Rob Bate — Brooklyn Bird Club’s President — was the one who witnessed the attack.

Bate explains that because of the great concentration of migrating songbirds, Prospect Park is becoming an international destination for birding enthusiasts. “We are at a crossroads of their migration. After passing through our area, birds will then fan out to northern New England and Canada.”

Birders, neighbors, and the entire city went crazy after a very rare painted bunting made its way to the LeFrak Skating Center in Prospect Park. “It has been a major draw with hundreds of birders making the trek from all over to see this super colorful bird,” said Bate. “Many birders have never seen this species and nearly all have never seen it in New York State.”

Prospect Park Zoo welcomed a furry new family member only a few weeks ago.

The mini Hamadryas baboon was born on October 22 to 12-year-old female Kaia, and 23-year-old dad Bole, according to the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS). This is Kaia’s second birth at the zoo.

See more of the little guy at Prospect Park Zoo (450 Flatbush Avenue), 10am – 4:30pm, every day. Tickets are $8 for adults, $6 for seniors 65 and older, $5 for kids 3-12, and free for children under 3.

Have we missed any good animal tales? Let us know at editor@bklyner.com. And wish all of the neighborhood animals and their humans a Happy New Year!