Animal obituaries

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, April 2005:

Becky Louise, 14, among the last survivors of the 1991-1992
ANIMAL PEOPLE test of neuter/return feral cat control in northern
Fairfield County, Connecticut, died peacefully and unexpectedly on
March 26. She was one of two indistinguishable littermates who were
named after Alley Cat Allies cofounders Becky Robinson and Louise
Holton. As the owner of the apartment complex where the cats were
trapped did not want them returned, and they were not adoptable
because they could not be handled, Becky and Louise were among 21
cats from the neuter/ return test who were evacuated in July 1992 to
the first ANIMAL PEOPLE headquarters near Shushan, New York, along
with 10 previously rescued cats. In August 1992 a female coyote who
had lost a front paw, probably in escaping from a leghold trap, ate
nine of the feral cats, in as many days. As either Becky or Louise
was among the coyote victims, but we did not know which, the
survivor became Becky Louise. Becky Louise then moved, by her
choice, into the house from the basement with outdoor access that
had been been adapted into a habitat for the ferals. Relocated with
ANIMAL PEOPLE and all the other surviving cats in 1996 to Clinton,
Washington, Becky Louise never tamed, never groomed herself, and
required heavy sedation before her squirrel-sized mats could be
shaved off. Probably because of her poor hygiene, Becky Louise had
low status among the cats, though she was tolerated by all. Since
the death of her twin sister, Becky Louise had only one close
friend, Miriam, another shy feral whom ANIMAL PEOPLE rescued in
2003. Among the 320 cats involved in the 1991-1992 Connecticut
project, the known survivors are Sombra and Punto, kept by ANIMAL
PEOPLE webmaster Patrice Greanville, and Rosalba, Peetee, and
Sylvie, still with ANIMAL PEOPLE. There may be other survivors
among the 45 cats who were adopted out. To our awareness, the last
of the 237 cats who were returned to their habitat either died or
were tamed and adopted by mid-1995.

Bujji, a canine cofounder of the Visakha SPCA in
Visakhapatnam, India, died on March 18 from kidney failure.
Daughter of John Kennedy, the rescued dog (deceased in 1998) who
inspired Pradeep Kumar Nath to start the Visakha SPCA, Bujji was
adopted out once, “but on seeing that she was mistreated and left to
starve, I brought her back,” Nath wrote. “She was a symbol of
peace and unity. She would not allow fights among our dogs. She
would run to any animal we rescued and give care just like a parent.
We cannot forget her and will not.”