Animals
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Fish

Earthquake-hit Papua New Guinea left with dead fish, eels and prawns in polluted rivers

dead fish
Contaminated drinking water and disrupted rivers are making the aftermath of several powerful earthquakes in Papua New Guinea even worse.

Dead fish, eels, prawns and other debris are clogging silt and mud-laden waterways, causing stench and unsafe water, while properties have also been damaged.

The situation is being described as "disastrous" by the Governor's Office in the badly-hit Gulf Province.

In a public notice, the office stated: "Given the magnitude of the earthquake and its resulting damage upstream in Southern Highlands and Hela Province, consequential effects and changes in the rivers systems downstream is disastrous ...

Attention

Thousands of starfish wash up in Andalusia, Spain after 'Beast of the East'

Stills from video by Juana Salas
Thousands of starfish wash up in Andalusia, Spain after 'Beast of the East'
The storm that swept across Spain's southern tip last weekend not only caused damage to boats, cars and buildings along the coast but also brought devastation to the starfish population.

A carpet of the marine animals were washed up on Punta Umbria beach in Huelva on Monday in what conservationists believe was a direct result of Storm Emma.

A video uploaded by Juana Salas on Facebook showing the extent of the stranding has been viewed over half a million times:

Comment: A video of the tornado mentioned in the above text:




Bizarro Earth

Canadian moose moving from boreal forest to prairies

moose in calgary
© Lis RobertsonThese moose were seen wandering around the Strathcona Park and Aspen Woods neighbourhoods in southwest Calgary last month.
Better food sources and lack of predators mean moose are becoming more prominent in Alberta

More and more in recent years, moose have been making their way onto the prairies in what biologist and author Chris Fisher calls an "opportunistic adaptation."

Normally found in the boreal forest and Rocky Mountains - where they usually spent the winter months feeding on trees and bushes - moose have moved in recent years as they seek out new and easier to acquire food sources.

Cloud Lightning

Lightning bolt kills 6 cattle in Beaudesert, Australia

The cows were discovered two days after a storm swept through Beaudesert.
© Derek ShirleyThe cows were discovered two days after a storm swept through Beaudesert.
A Queensland farmer says the death of six cattle found lying in a row along a fence line on his property is a warning about the dangers of lightning strikes.

Derek Shirley discovered the dead animals two days after a storm at his mother's property in Beaudesert last month.

Three calves and three cows, worth approximately $10,000, were all dead following a lightning strike.

Mr Shirley said it was the first time he'd encountered a lethal lightning strike.

"The storm was on the Monday afternoon and at about 6pm there was one hell of a bang," Mr Shirley told AAP.


Wolf

Baby girl dies following attack by family dog in Lee County, Virginia

canine attack
© Angela Antunes / CC by 2.0
According to Sheriff Gary Parsons of the Lee County Sheriff's Office, a family dog mauled an 8-day-old baby at their home Wednesday.

He told News Channel 11 the baby girl passed away at UT Medical Center.

Sheriff Parsons said the call came in around 11:40 a.m. that a family pet had attacked a child. Within a matter of hours, the child was initially taken to Lonesome Pine Hospital, then Holston Valley Medical Center and then to UT Medical Center in Knoxville.

Parson said the baby girl had extensive injuries to the upper part of her body.


Attention

Wild boar enters mosque and attacks man in Malaysia

The animal was earlier spotted chasing some children outside the mosque before it ran inside and charged at the man.
The animal was earlier spotted chasing some children outside the mosque before it ran inside and charged at the man.
A wild boar interrupted prayers when it burst into the main hall of a mosque and attacked a man on Tuesday night, local media reported.

The man suffered lacerations in the attack in Sungai Buloh near Kuala Lumpur, the New Straits Times said Wednesday.

"It took us more than 30 minutes before the animal finally ran out of the mosque," a witness was quoted as saying.

The animal had also reportedly chased children outside the mosque before it was shot dead by a resident. Police were later informed of the incident.

Muslims make up 60 percent of the population of Malaysia. Pigs are viewed as unclean by Muslims and both breeding them and consuming their meat is haram or forbidden.

Attention

Kayaker attacked by otter in Bradenton, Florida

otter
A 77-year-old woman received stitches and treatments for rabies after a wild otter viciously attacked her while she was kayaking down a Florida river.

Sue Spector and her husband, Marty, were kayaking down Braden River early Sunday morning with a group of 10 people when they spotted an otter. Spector told FOX13 the animal suddenly jumped on her and began clawing at her.

"It was very pristine and very nice and I heard someone make a comment that, 'Oh, there's an otter!'" Spector told FOX13. "And then all of a sudden he jumped on the kayak and two seconds later he jumped on me."

Megaphone

Sea lions at Cologne Zoo spark formal probe over night-time noise level

Sea lions
© Patrik Stollarz / AFP
A group of boisterous sea lions have come under investigation following a number of complaints from a group of Cologne residents. Their noisy night-time antics are the root of the problem.

California sea lions Astrid, Amelie, Oz, Lina and Mia are being probed by the district government in the German city after locals lodged a formal complaint about the animals' nocturnal activities. The Cologne newspaper Express reported that one neighbor claimed that they'd been woken multiple times throughout the night by the loud barks of the sea lions.

Attention

Deep sea oarfish discovered on beach at Stewart Island, New Zealand

David Musgrave with the rare silvery oarfish found washed ashore at Masons Bay, Stewart Island.
© David MusgraveDavid Musgrave with the rare silvery oarfish found washed ashore at Masons Bay, Stewart Island.
While on a deer hunt with an American client, South Island guide David Musgrave came across a rare silvery oarfish that had been washed ashore at the southern end of Masons Bay on Stewart Island. The specimen measured 4.3 metres (14ft) in length with a depth of 37.5cm (15 inches). The fish had faded to a drab steel grey and displayed black markings along each side of the front section of its body. David reported his find to the Department of Conservation at Stewart Island as well as the National Museum.

Here is a very good photograph of a silvery oarfish known as the King of Herrings.

The silvery oarfish (Regalecus Glesne) is a rare open ocean species belonging to the family Regalecidae. The lack of teeth indicates that the species probably feeds on plankton. Specimens are usually found washed ashore on exposed beaches in a dead or dying condition. The species is known to reach a length of 5.5 metres (17.9 feet).

Sheeple

Thousands of sheep are left dead by the Beast from the East across Cumbria, UK

A farmer search snow drifts in fields between Renwick and Kirkoswald looking for buried sheep
A farmer search snow drifts in fields between Renwick and Kirkoswald looking for buried sheep
Thousands of sheep have been wiped out in the snow storms which have hit Cumbria as farmers are left counting the tragic cost.

While rising temperatures have seen a thaw set in across much of the county, farmers on isolated communities are still desperately trying to feed and rescue buried livestock from deep drifts.

Cumbria was among the counties worst hit after the so-called 'Beast from the East' met Storm Emma, causing blizzards and drifting snow that paralysed road networks and shut off farms.

While many dairy farmers have been forced to throw away thousands of litres of milk after snow drifts prevented lorries from accessing farms to collect it, livestock farmers are braced for a spiralling bill for large-scale sheep losses following the recent snowstorms.

Comment: See also: Storm Emma leaves hundreds of livestock dead across north-west England