Marlene Kess, who has a reputation as a cat lover, running a "no-kill" animal shelter in Manhattan, was charged with health code violations after 200 dead cats were discovered in her backyard, rotting away in garbage bags. According to Sgt. Joseph Bierman of the state's Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, it appeared the dead cats were going to be buried in a large hole that had been dug.

Blood from sheep butchered in a religious ritual at one of South Africa's busiest tourist beaches could lure sharks towards those in the water. The Leader of the Healing Oracle, Prophet Moses Michael said the ritual was inspired by the Old Testament to help cure sick people.

An international animal rights group plans to send a protester dressed as a bear to follow the Queen when she visits Canada this month. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals wants the Royal Family to stop using black bear furs to make the hats that ceremonial guards wear at Buckingham Palace.

Researchers in Germany are still trying to figure out what is causing the presumed spontaneous combustion of about 1,000 toads near a pond in Hamburg. Officials say tests are being conducted on the toad's body parts and the pond's water, but no links have been discovered. Analysts say the toads typically swell up prior to exploding, however, scientists are thus far unable to determine if the condition is caused by a virus or bacteria. A local enviornmentalist says, "It looks like a scene from a science-fiction movie. The bloated animals suffer for several minutes before they finally die. " Officials say the toads first began to show up early last month at a pond in the upscale neighborhood of Altona. The animals fill up like balloons until their stomachs suddenly burst. Janne Kloepper, of the Hamburg-based Institute for Hygiene and the Environment, says "It's absolutely strange. We have a really unique story here in Hamburg. This phenomenon really doesn't seem to have appeared anywhere before. " City residents have been warned to stay away from the pond while more testing continues.

Tennis anyone? A small herd of buffalo ended up on a tennis court after disrupting traffic near Maryland's largest city on Tuesday. A police helicopter and several squad cars got involved in the chase and eventual round up. A police spokesman says, "Somehow they figured it out; I've got to give a lot of credit to the creativity of our officers. " Authorities shut off a section of the Baltimore Beltway to prevent the group of ten animals from making their way into a potentially dangerous situation. The buffaloes' owner has been indentified. The herd was corraled about a mile from where they were first seen.