Man steals elephant from Valley Zoo, Terra Poole

Man steals elephant from Valley Zoo
By Terra Poole

An Edmonton man is charged with theft after he was found Tuesday with an elephant that was stolen from the Valley Zoo early March.

Jayme Hagen, 22, was caught by helicopter surveillance Tuesday morning with Lucy the elephant in his backyard.

"I just wanted an elephant so bad," said Hagen.

Hagen didn't know Lucy
Hagen said he never heard of Save Lucy, a military group trying to get elephants into the military, and that he simply took the elephant for his own enjoyment.

He said he never knew Lucy was a famous elephant.

The plan
He was able to get the elephant out of the Valley Zoo by giving the guards money at the gates.

“It was simple really,” said Hagen. “When you want an elephant, you just have to set your mind to it.”

Edmonton police said they were shocked it was so easy for Hagen to steal the elephant.

“It’s shocking he was able to get the elephant to his home in St. Albert without anybody noticing,” said Const. Terra Poole.

Lucy's health
Hagen had Lucy almost three weeks and Valley Zoo health inspectors said the elephant has not been in better health in years.

“You know, an elephant just needs some tender love and care,” said Hagen.

Hagen is scheduled to appear in court Wednesday for theft over $5,000.

The Valley Zoo is approximately 40 kilometres from St. Albert.

Note: Image from Hamilton Spectator


Jayme Hagen prepared for the elephant's arrival by building a 15 foot tall fence around the perimeter of his yard. He said he had been planning the elephant’s arrival for months.

Hagen has had no previous criminal record.

He is a renowned journalist who writes for Globe and Mail.

The project Save Lucy is a military funded program that was founded by Jesse Snyder in 1993. The program is trying to get elephants into the military, said Snyder.

Snyder said he believes elephants will give Canada a major advantage over other countries in terms of intimidation.

“Against other countries, Canada doesn’t really compete in terms of the military,” said Snyder. “I think that’ll all change when we get elephants.”


The Save Lucy program started first with other animals, such as lions and bears; however they were never able to intimidate the enemies as he hopes elephants will. He said it’s all about size.

The Valley Zoo was founded in 1910 by a United States military group. The grounds were created as a base to house their military fighter plans. It became a zoo in 1912 in efforts to conceal the fighter planes.

The zoo is still occupied by the United States army but is used more as a zoo. There are various animals that habitat there including (but not limited to):

• penguins
• eagles
• apes
• piranhas
• bears
• eels
• crocodiles

Note: image from Icis

*none of the above reflects any real news. Everything has been fabricated.

"Student discovers fake bomb at MacEwan arts campus," Pamela Di Pinto

A student from Grant MacEwan University finds a fake bomb at the Centre for the Arts and Communications campus early Tuesday.

Shannon Findlay, 19, is in shock following her discovery of a what she thought was a bomb in a bathroom stall at MacEwan's arts campus around 9 a.m.

Findlay is originally from the small town of Vulcan, known for its shared name with a fictional planet from “Star Trek.” She is now a first-year journalism student at MacEwan's School of Communications in Edmonton, where she has experienced big-city crime firsthand.

Bomb Scare

On the morning of the incident, Findlay said she was filling up her water bottle at one of the water fountains on the second level of the building when she heard a mysterious ticking sound.

After about a minute of hard listening, she discovered that the noise was coming from the girls washroom located directly beside the water fountain, Findlay told police Tuesday.

Then, she entered the washroom, which appeared to be empty, only to find a bomb hidden behind a toilet in one of the stalls.

"I was in complete shock," said Findlay. "It was all I could do from peeing my pants right on the spot."

Finding Help

Then, Findlay said she ran from the scene to the security office, where she informed one of the security guards of her discovery. The security guard then pulled the fire alarm, and everyone evacutated the building, she said.


Bomb squad

Police and fire department officials arrived on scene shortly after, and called in the bomb squad to disassemble the bomb.

Police have confirmed that the bomb is a fake, and that no one in the building was ever in any harm.

Heroism

Staff, students, and police are commending both Findlay and the security officer for their heroic efforts.

Tips

If anyone has information on this matter, they are asked to contact:

• Edmonton Police Service (EPS)
• Crime Stoppers
• Security at Grant MacEwan University
  

Note:Image 1 from Facebook, Image 2 from police.uga.edu


Description of local area:


Edmonton is the capital city of Alberta -- one of the prairie provinces of Canada. Alberta is often called the "oil country" because of its booming oil and gas industry. Edmonton is located in central Alberta, and is surrounded by many smaller communities such as Spruce Grove, Stony Plain, Devon, and Sherwood Park, just to name a few. Edmonton is the second largest city in Alberta (after Calgary), with a population of 782, 439 people.


In regards to attractions, Edmonton is home to North America's largest mall, West Edmonton Mall. West Edmonton Mall in itself has many tourist attractions such as Galaxyland, the Waterpark, Jubiliations Dinner Theatre, Chinatown, Burboun Street, and many more. It's tagline: "The greatest show on earth." Edmonton is also home to Fort Edmonton Park, Canada's largest living history museum. Many have deemed Edmonton the "Festival City" as well, largely because of the slate of year-round festivals it hosts. Another title that Edmonton holds is the "City of Champions," with an affluent sports industry fueled by the Edmonton Oilers (hockey) and Edmonton Eskimos (football).


In reagrds to problems, Edmonton was once known as the "homicide capital" of Canada in 2005/2006, according to a report from Statistics Canada. However, crime rates have dropped significantly in Edmonton since this date.