Warm reunion! Cat lost in the California inferno is found in ruins

Not long ago a massive blaze in a forest in California has burnt down houses and communities, but the untold damage extended to the habitat of our furry friends as well. A pet owner had lost her cat during evacuation, and later returned to his ruined home in the hope of finding it.

Laura Ringenberger’s home was brutally destroyed in the relentless fire, and her cat Kitty Star had wandered off and gone missing when she was fleeing for her life. She kept looking for and calling her cat with no success, and had no choice but to run for shelter, despite her fears that she might not be able to see it ever again. After the fire was put out, Laura went back to her now unrecognizable house hoping to be re-united with her cat, or at the very least find her corpse if she had died.

Laura cried Kitty’s name out loud, but her cat was nowhere in sight for 20 minutes. Just when she thought all hope was lost, and barely able to hold back floods of tears, she heard a distinct and familiar meow. She looked behind her and saw Kitty emerging from the rubble, looking like it was not injured. Laura and her daughter were overwhelmed with emotions, and they hugged Kitty Star in excitement and joy, and brought it back to reunite with its family.

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — A plan by federal agencies to rebuild the sardine population in the Pacific was not properly implemented and failed to prevent overfishing, a judge in California ruled this week.

Monday's decision by U.S. Magistrate Judge Virginia DeMarchi was a victory for environmentalists who said officials did not ensure sardine stocks would bounce back within a legally required timeframe.

The nonprofit Oceana sued the National Marine Fisheries Service in 2021, claiming that Pacific sardines collapsed by more than 98% between 2006 and 2020.

The small oily fish enjoyed by humans are also essential food for whales, dolphins, sea lions, pelicans and salmon. The loss of sardines can create problems throughout ocean ecosystems, environmentalists said.

The Fisheries Service must develop a plan that supports rebuilding and set “hard, science-based caps on how many fish could be caught each year," the judge wrote in her order. The agency said it doesn't comment on litigation.

“We’re grateful that the court followed the science and recognized the need for a real plan with enforceable catch limits that will rebuild Pacific sardines for a healthy, abundant, and resilient ocean," Dr. Geoff Shester, a senior scientist for Oceana, said in a statement.

DeMarchi declined to grant some of Oceana's motions, including one asking that she order a new environmental impact statement.

The judge ordered the parties to discuss and submit proposals for a remedy by May 6.

FILE - This Aug. 22, 2007, file photo shows freshly caught sardines awaiting sorting at West Bay Marketing in Astoria, Ore. A judge says a plan by federal agencies to rebuild the sardine population in the Pacific was not properly implemented and failed to prevent overfishing. (Alex Pajunas/The Astorian via AP)