CALIFORNIA
What is cold-blooded, prone to slithering and fond of eating live mice? And no, we’re not talking about certain members of Congress. Instead, say hello to Angel and Zeke. You’re not seeing double, either: This male California kingsnake was born at Vivarium — a Berkeley pet store — with an “unexpected genetic twist: two heads,” the San Francisco Chronicle reported. The rare reptile(s) were named after Angel Hamilton and Ezekiel White, the Vivarium employees who discovered them. Two heads might be better than one, but not when they’re on the same body: Double-headed snakes — or tortoises or geckos — are extremely uncommon, with the odds against polycephaly about 1 in 100,000 and chances for survival even slimmer. But Angel and Zeke have already lived much longer than expected, and at just over 7 months old, they appear to be thriving, having grown over a foot long and devouring a baby mouse once a week. Theoretically, they could live up to 25 years and grow 4 feet long, just like their single-headed brethren. The snake(s), which navigate their habitat somewhat awkwardly, are described as “clumsy but fearless.” Sometimes they disagree about which direction to slither in, and one head tends to dominate the other, with the right head taking charge at mealtime. Which head is which? you may wonder. Nobody knows for sure, but White and Hamilton enjoy bumping heads over whether the dominant head is Angel or Zeke.
YELLOWSTONE
Tourist-tossing season is officially underway at Yellowstone National Park, commencing with a resident bison versus a 47-year-old Cape Coral, Florida, man on May 4 in the Lake Village area of the park. The unnamed man, who was gored after approaching the bison too closely, received minor injuries and was treated by emergency medical personnel, the National Park Service reported. This is the first incident this year, but probably not the last. It would make a perfect Marty Two Bulls cartoon: Bison wearing sandwich boards saying “F-ck Around and Find Out,” or just plain “FAFO.”
UTAH
The elderly cat who survived a 380-foot fall in Bryce Canyon National Park that killed her owners has found a new home. Chelsea Tugaw, the search-and-rescue helicopter pilot who flew to the scene, adopted her. The cat, named Mirage by caretakers at Best Friends Animal Society, was discovered alive in a cat carrier near the bottom of Inspiration Point’s spires when the rescue team recovered the bodies of Matthew Nannen and Bailee Crane. The long-haired tabby, who was apparently being carried by the couple when they fell from a viewing site, suffered broken teeth and ribs and was taken to a specialty Las Vegas veterinarian hospital to be treated for respiratory distress caused by fluid around her heart. Tugaw had already decided that she wanted to adopt Mirage, so she reached out to Best Friends, which contacted the couple’s next of kin and received permission. And the rest is history: Mirage has settled into her new home and reportedly gets along nicely with Tugaw’s two other cats and one dog. Tugaw said finding Mirage alive was a comfort after the tragic incident: “I think that’s one of the biggest reasons I was so drawn to wanting to adopt her,” she told The Salt Lake Tribune. “It just kind of felt like there was a connection there.”
ARIZONA
The market price for Anatolian Pyrenees should soar after an especially heroic one rescued a lost toddler from the Arizona wilderness. Late on the afternoon of April 14, a 2-year-old boy, Bodin Allen, wandered away from his home in Seligman, Arizona. Search parties, including the Yavapai County Search and Rescue Team, searched for Bodin on foot, on 4x4s and by helicopter for 16 hours with no luck. Somehow Bodin managed to walk for seven miles, fortuitously avoiding wild animals including mountain lions, bears and coyotes while successfully navigating rugged and potentially hazardous terrain, 12News reported. Eventually, a good-natured, protective ranch dog named Buford found the boy sleeping under a tree and guided him to the Dunton Ranch, where the dog lives. According to Scotty Dunton, Buford’s owner, Anatolian Pyrenees are natural guardians. “He goes out at night and just kind of patrols. He goes half a mile, a mile from the house and just makes big loops, keeps coyotes out,” Dunton said. Bodin was happily reunited with his parents and suffered no more than a few scratches. And as for Buford, the County Search and Rescue Team made him an honorary member, even bestowing on him a spiffy official-looking team vest.
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This article appeared in the July 2025 print edition of the magazine with the headline “Heard Around the West.”
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