Title: Cicadas 'like a yard full of chicken nuggets' to pets, Humane Society warns
More to add to the previous Cicada conversation ...
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Cicadas 'like a yard full of chicken nuggets' to pets, Humane Society warns
DAVID DISHNEAU, Associated Press Writer
Thursday, April 29, 2004
�2004 Associated Press
URL:
sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/news/archive/2004/04/29/national1321EDT
0610.DTL
(04-29) 10:21 PDT HAGERSTOWN, Md. (AP) --
When millions of cicadas emerge across the eastern United States for a rare
mating season, they will appear as tasty morsels to pets who could get sick
from eating the insects, officials warned.
The insects are protein-rich but their hard outer shells can cause vomiting
and constipation in cats and dogs, said Randall Lockwood, vice president for
the Humane Society of the United States.
"Imagine a yard full of chicken nuggets, that's sort of what it's going to
be like" for dogs and cats, Lockwood said Tuesday.
Millions of the large, red-eyed insects will soon emerge from the ground for
a once-every-17-years mating dance lasting well into June.
Experts say the insects will climb into trees and shed their shells to
reveal their wings. Males will attract mates through a loud buzzing sound.
The approximately 11/2-inch-long bugs "combine all the stuff that
particularly dogs like to chase," Lockwood said. "They're kind of flying pet
toys: They are loud, slow-moving, often low-flying."
The Washington-based Humane Society advises keeping pets indoors, securing
screens and holding tight to dog leashes outdoors.
