© KTVL/Libby Dowsett
Sources
SOTT
SIGNS
OF THE
TIMES
OF THE
TIMES
Welcome to Sott.net
The World for People who Think
Earth ChangesS
Sources
© Illinois Department of Natural Resources The perch in Lake Michigan may have died from a phenomenon known as "upwelling."
CBS Chicago reports that anglers found the dead fish at an old dock, a popular local fishing spot. Photos of the scene were then passed on to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources for investigation. Meanwhile, gulls and fish-eating ducks quickly devoured the perch, cleaning up the mess.
But though the fish may be gone, the mystery of their deaths remains.
According to WGN, authorities believe a phenomenon known as upwelling, or turnover, may be to blame for the die-off. Upwelling occurs when deep, cold water rises to the surface, displacing the warmer, nutrient-depleted water above. As the cold water ascends, fish are often drawn upward as well, which may explain why the perch surfaced.
© Pascal RobidasSinkhole alongside Highway 25 in Lanaudière
Transport Quebec has closed the highway in both directions around exit 44 near Saint-Roch-de-l'Achigan, about 50 kilometres north of Montreal.
Drivers detoured onto side roads caused significant traffic congestion Thursday morning.
The southbound portion of the highway has been closed since the cave-in was discovered on Friday morning. The northbound section was closed late Thursday night, said Transport Quebec spokesperson Sarah Bensadoun.
The curlew, Europe's largest and most distinctive wading bird, is among those added to the red list, with numbers falling 64 per cent from 1970 to 2014
Entries to the UK's 'red list' of endangered birds - those in urgent need of conservation - have swelled to 67 species out of a possible 247.
Since the last review in 2009, 15 new species have been added to the list, which is reserved for species in danger of extinction or that have seen a sharp drop in population or habitat in recent years.
The report comes from the RSPB, British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) and Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust (WWT), together with UK government conservation agencies.
The curlew, Europe's largest and most distinctive wading bird, is among those added to the red list, with numbers falling 64 per cent from 1970 to 2014.
Heath Fritillary
A mild winter followed by a cold spring contributed to conditions that saw both rare and widespread species struggle despite many parts of the UK enjoying a warm and dry summer.
Some 40 of the 57 species studied recorded a decline compared with 2015, the annual UK Butterfly Monitoring Scheme (UKBMS) led by Butterfly Conservation, the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (CEH), British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) and Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) revealed.
The highly threatened Heath Fritillary had its worst year on record for the second year running, while the Grizzled Skipper, Wall, Grayling, White-letter Hairstreak and White Admiral all recorded their worst ever years.
The Heath Fritillary, restricted to just a handful of sites in southern England, saw numbers slump by 27% compared to 2015. This ongoing decline raises fears for the long-term future of the butterfly whose numbers have fallen by 82% in the last decade.
Keith McAfee said he was helping his cousin with yardwork nearby when he heard the sound of the girl's screaming.
"The next thing I see is a black pit bull had a little girl on the ground. (It) was basically shaking her around like she was a rag doll," he said.
He said he approached the dog and attempted to scare it away, but it continued to attack the girl. She only escaped, according to McAfee, when her mother stepped in to grab her and run. Multiple witnesses had called police, and the girl was taken to Children's Hospital in an ambulance.
© Lt. Crystal Campbell, Kittitas Co. Fire District #7Kittitas County firefighters helped rescue a horse after it fell into a sinkhole Tuesday evening, April 11, 2017.
The owner found the animal stuck in the sinkhole on his property on Book Lane, about eight miles west of Cle Elum off I-90, and called for help.
Firefighters said the sinkhole was about five feet wide at the surface and about 10 to 12 feet wide underground.
They helped harness and lower a veterinarian into the sinkhole to check on the horse named Copper.
The police gave the names of the deceased as Jayamma (28), her daughter Shashikala (7) and Kanakamma (29). Another girl, Likita (2), is admitted in a government hospital.
According to the police, Jayamma and Kanakamma, native of Sira taluk of Tumakuru district, were labour engaged in the construction of a water tank on the banks of the Netravathi in Jakribettu. They were living in a tent near the worksite.
© EPA / NasaSatellite images taken on Tuesday show the swirling cyclone approaching New Zealand (in outline)
Cyclone Cook is bearing down on New Zealand and is expected to make landfall on Thursday evening, heading directly for the flood-stricken Bay of Plenty region devastated by last week's Cyclone Debbie.
Two states of emergency have been declared in the North Island east coast districts of Bay of Plenty and Thames-Coromandel, with more districts expected to make that call mid-afternoon when the ferocity of the storm becomes clear.
MetService - whose website crashed on Thursday because of heavy traffic - has warned the approaching storm system is expected to be the worst New Zealand has seen in decades, with forecasters comparing it to 1968's Cyclone Giselle, which sunk the Wahine ferry, killing 52 people.
MetService meteorologist Lisa Murray said she was concerned New Zealanders weren't taking the storm threat seriously enough and the approaching cyclone was the worst weather event she had seen in her 12 years as a forecaster.
This is the moment a tourist in Jodhpur, northwestern India, was bitten on the face by a cobra while posing for pictures with a snake charmer
Video shows the charmer attempting to put the snake around the tourist's neck while other people watch and film.
But the agitated reptile strikes out, biting the man on the cheek and delivering a deadly dose of venom.
The man does not immediately notice he has been poisoned, as he carries on posing for the camera.
Moments later he seems to sense that something is amiss, asking the charmer to check whether he has been bitten.
