Earth ChangesS


Wolf

Injuries caused by animal attacks increase by 39% in a year for Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Noor Nazzal
The Gulf News
Sat, 11 Jul 2015 17:40 UTC
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If bitten by a scorpion, the sting must be removed and then the area should be sterilised. If that is not possible, wrap the area with a bandage or cloth until help arrives
The Dubai Corporation for Ambulance Services registered a total of 170 accidents caused by animal attacks in 2014 in Dubai

Injuries caused by animal attacks increased by 39 per cent last year in Dubai as more people are adopting pets, a report by the Dubai Corporation for Ambulance Services revealed.

Most of the accidents were caused by home pets, farm animals or poisonous reptiles the victims came across while camping in the desert.

The Corporation registered a total of 170 accidents caused by animal attacks in 2014 in Dubai. This shows a 39 per cent increase in comparison with the 122 accidents registered in 2013.

Dr Omar Al Sakaf, Technical Support Director at Dubai Corporation for Ambulance Services, said there is an urgency to approach animals carefully even if they are tame animals brought up in homes or farms.

Among the cases the paramedics treated were injuries caused by bites from dogs, scorpions and reptiles.

Al Sakaf also said many of the cases included injuries caused by pets that were treated violently in homes and farms such as dogs, cats, horses and camels.
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Wolf

Spate of coyote attacks on four children in Irvine, California

Kaylee Heck
news.yahoo.com
Sat, 11 Jul 2015 17:09 UTC
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© ABC News

California Town on High Alert after Coyotes Attack Children
California residents are being warned to be more vigilant about coyotes after four attacks on children in the past month in the Irvine area.

The most recent incident — this past Sunday — involved a 2-year-old child.

"It was a child, about approximately 2 years old, was in the garage. They opened the garage up and the coyote came in and actually got the child on the neck area and part of the cheek," California Department of Fish and Wildlife Lt. Kent Smirl told ABC's Los Angeles station KABC.

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife reported four incidents involving coyotes and young children in the past month in Irvine, where the children have either been bitten or scratched by a coyote. All four had minor injuries from the attacks.

"These incidents highlight the importance of communities working together to eliminate sources of food that may attract wildlife to neighborhoods," Capt. Rebecca Hartman said. "When coyotes are fed, either intentionally or unintentionally by food being left out, they can become a public safety threat."

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Fire

Tendril of wildfire smoke shows an incredible, twisty picture on satellite

Angela Fritz
Washington Post
Fri, 10 Jul 2015 16:50 UTC
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A view of two circulations in the upper level flow mixing with smoke from Canadian wildfires
The National Weather Service in Glasgow, Mont., shared this amazing satellite image of wildfire smoke that got caught in the upper-level winds over the northern U.S. and southern Canada today.

The tendril of smoke is highlighting two areas of spin in the winds — one just north of Montana and the other in western North Dakota — that we wouldn't be able to see on satellite if the air was clear. The smoke is so thick over these areas that it's actually casting a shadow on the ground.

On Friday, 31 significant wildfires were burning in Canada from British Columbia to Manitoba. Smoke from these large fires and dozens more in Alaska has been filtering down into the Lower 48 over the past month. Earlier this week, smoke had prompted air quality warnings in Minnesota and Colorado, and Minneapolis saw its worst air quality in over a decade.
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Arrow Down

Sinkhole opens in area below Manhattan, Kansas dam

Jake Copp
kwch.com
Fri, 10 Jul 2015 10:30 UTC
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© littleapplepost.com
A sinkhole has opened up in an area below the dam at Tuttle Creek Lake in Manhattan.

It happened around 5:00 pm Thursday in a parking lot adjacent to the stilling basin, also known as the tubes.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says the sinkhole developed as a result of sustained high releases from the lake.

They say there is no threat to the safety of the dam.

Releases from the stilling basin continue on the opposite side until the sinkhole can be further investigated.

The area around the stilling basin has been closed to the public until further notice.
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© Facebook/Donna Baer
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Bizarro Earth

Colima Volcano in western Mexico erupts


MSNBC
Fri, 10 Jul 2015 23:31 UTC
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© AP/Sergio Tapiro VelascoLava flows down the banks of the Colima Volcano, also known as the Volcano of Fire, near the town of Comala, Mexico, Friday, July 10, 2015.
A volcano in western Mexico has erupted, spewing ash more than 4 miles (7 kilometers) into the air and sending lava down its flanks.

The activity at the Colima Volcano began Thursday and continued Friday morning. The volcano is also known as the Volcano of Fire.

Luis Felipe Puente is director of Mexico's civil protection agency. He tweeted Friday that preventive protocols were activated.

A statement from Colima state's civil protection agency on Thursday said the initial eruption occurred just after 11 a.m. Ash was falling to the southwest of the crater. People were advised to recognize a 3-mile (5-kilometer) perimeter around the peak.

A state helicopter was making a reconnaissance flight Friday morning.

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Attention

Indonesia's Mount Raung volcano erupts blasting ash, debris 12,460 feet into the air


weather.com
Sat, 11 Jul 2015 09:59 UTC
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© Aris Yanto
Indonesia Mount Raung sent an explosive eruption of ash into the air Friday, putting people who live near the volcano on high alert.

The ash spewing from the volcano on Indonesia's main island of Java sparked chaos for vacationers as airports closed and international airlines canceled flights to tourist hotspot Bali, stranding thousands.

Mount Raung in East Java province, about 150 kilometers (95 miles) from Bali's international airport, has been rumbling for several weeks. The level of activity increased in the past week and on Friday it blasted ash and debris 3,800 meters (12,460 feet) into the air.

Government volcanologist Gede Suantika said the eruption forced authorities to close five airports due to the risks posed by volcanic ash, though two airports on Lombok island reopened Friday afternoon. The Transport Ministry told airlines to avoid routes near the mountain. It said a decision about reopening other airports would be made later Friday.

Suantika said lava and ash fall from the 3,332-meter (10,930-feet) -high mountain on Indonesia's most densely populated island also caused the government to urge people to stay away from a three-kilometer (two-mile) -high danger zone around the volcano.

Evacuation of residents living near the volcano is still considered unnecessary, but authorities are urging people to wear masks.
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Attention

Anthrax confirmed in 2 bison deaths in Saskatchewan, Canada

David Giles
globalnews.ca
Thu, 09 Jul 2015 14:01 UTC
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File photo of bison. Anthrax has been confirmed as the cause of death in two Saskatchewan bison, may be cause in seven other deaths.
Officials are advising producers to be on the lookout for anthrax. Saskatchewan Agriculture confirmed Thursday anthrax was the cause of death in two bison northwest of North Battleford and is the suspected cause in seven other deaths.

Anthrax, with is caused by the bacteria Bacillus anthracis, can survive in spore form for decades in soil. Changes in soil moisture, from flooding and drying, can lead to a build-up of the spores on pastures.

Livestock become infected when they eat forage contaminated with spores.

Ruminants such as bison, cattle, sheep and goats, are highly susceptible, and horses can also be infected. While swine, birds and carnivores are more resistant to infection, farm dogs and cats should be kept away from carcasses.

The carcass of any animal suspected of having anthrax should not be moved or disturbed and should be protected from scavengers to ensure the spores from spreading.
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Attention

18 dead bison found in pasture at Fort Belknap, Montana

David Murray
Great Fallls Tribune
Thu, 09 Jul 2015 13:49 UTC
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© Richard PetersonThe first calf born to the transferred Yellowstone Park bison herd at the Fort Peck Reservation was born April 22, 2012. Eighteen bison from this original herd were found dead on the Fort Belknap Reservation last Sunday.
Multiple official sources have confirmed that the bodies of 17 dead bison were discovered over the Fourth of July weekend near a watering trough on the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation. The exact cause of the bison deaths remains under investigation, but the sudden demise of so many animals is raising concerns from both tribal members and area ranchers.

Repeated requests for comment from Fort Belknap tribal officials went unanswered Wednesday, however, a Facebook posting by the head of tribe's buffalo management program fleshes out the details of what is known.

"There were 17 head of buffalo that were found dead on Saturday mid-morning," states a post from buffalo wrangler Bronc Speak Thunder, "so between Thursday night and Saturday morning something happened that is yet to be determined. Also, one appeared in good shape and no symptoms of being anything wrong died between the time I left Sunday night to early Monday morning, making it 18 total."
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Bizarro Earth

Mysterious giant hole in Siberia gradually filling up with water, expanding


RT.com
Fri, 10 Jul 2015 18:31 UTC
Siberian Sinkhole_1
© RT.com
The mysterious hole-turned-lake in Siberia's Yamal peninsula has expanded to 50 meters in depth, Russian scientists said. Researchers have been puzzled by its origins saying it was likely caused by gas explosions.

The giant sinkhole located not far from Gazprom's Bovanenkovo gas field in Russia's northern Yamal Peninsula has been expanding, scientists said as cited by Yamal region TV. The researchers also discovered additional smaller craters appearing around it, the media said. The whole area is within Russia's key strategic oil and gas region - the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug.

The crater, discovered last year, has been gradually filling up with water and turning into a lake. Over the past winter and spring the water level in the crater has risen by 10 meters and it will continue to rise, scientists said, according to the government website of the Yamal-Nenetsky region.

"I am very surprised by the size, it's very big!" Japanese reporter for Asahi Shimbun Terukhiko Nouse, who accompanied the science expedition, told local TV. "And the sound of the glacier melting...this sound amazes me."
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V

Grizzly bear fed up with being held captive at Minnesota Zoo attempts to escape by smashing rock into glass pane

Paul Walsh
Minneapolis Star Tribune
Mon, 06 Jul 2015 01:44 UTC
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© ROBIN FICKERThis pane of glass at the Minnesota Zoo was shattered Monday but remained in place after a bear slammed a rock against it several times.
A grizzly bear at the Minnesota Zoo in Apple Valley picked up a basketball-sized rock with both front paws Monday morning and repeatedly slammed it into a pane of glass, shattering the barrier as startled patrons stood on the other side.

The five-layer pane stayed in place "like a windshield," and no creatures on either side of the multiple panes were harmed, said zoo animal collections manager Tony Fisher.

The rambunctious bear and two other grizzlies in the open-air exhibit were called back inside, and the area remains closed to the public until a temporary fix can be made. Later, a permanent pane will be custom-made and installed at a cost of tens of thousands of dollars, Fisher said.

Comment: You can't really fault the bear for wanting to escape from what is essentially prison, with the added bonus of having people arrive every day to watch your every move. Looks like this bear decided enough was enough.

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