Animals
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Attention

Dead whale washes ashore in Karnataka, India


Times of India
Thu, 22 Feb 2018 14:27 UTC
a dead whale washed ashore in a decomposed state on the Doddakopla beach in Surathkal
The dead whale that washed ashore in a decomposed state on the Doddakopla beach in Surathkal
In a rare phenomenon, a dead whale washed ashore in a decomposed state on the Doddakopla beach in Surathkal. "This is the first such incident in the last 15-20 years in the coastal belt of Karnataka," Yathish Baikampady, CEO, Panambur Beach Tourism Development Project, told TOI.

The approximately 40-feet whale washed ashore on the intervening night of Tuesday and Wednesday, because of high tide. Fishermen, who saw the carcass early on Wednesday, informed the authorities.

The body was so severely decomposed that experts haven't been able to determine its characteristics such as its breed, weight or age. Yathish predicted the whale may have died because of old age.
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Wolf

Wolf spotted in the Dutch province of Gelderland as sightings increase

Bahar Azizi
Sott.net
Wed, 21 Feb 2018 17:55 UTC
wolf nederland
© YouTube
While Belgian farmers spotted a wolf near the Belgian town of Meerhout in January this year, its first wolf sighting in 100 years, a wolf was spotted in the Dutch eastern province of Gelderland on Wednesday morning. The wolf was seen in several places, and was photographed and filmed.

Experts from the Dutch Wolven in Nederland and the German Lupus Institut - organisations specialized in wolves - confirmed the sighting. It's the third wolf sighting in the Netherlands so far this year.

The wolf was first spotted in the early hours of the morning. A driver used the headlamps of his car to shine light on the animal before he filmed it in the Betuwe, an area in Gelderland. Several hours later, a wolf was spotted 10 kilometers to the west, along the Nether Rhine. Later, a wolf was seen on the other side of the Nether Rhine. Wolven in Nederland suggests the sightings are all of the same wolf.

In addition, this wolf could have been the same animal that was spotted across the border in the German town of Rees a couple of days earlier, on February 19th.

Comment: See also:

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Cow

Woman suffers horrifying wounds after an attack by a rampaging buffalo in Cambodia

Debbie White
Daily Mail
Wed, 21 Feb 2018 20:12 UTC
Fiona Childs, 47, had been walking through a forest, heading for the beach on Cambodian island Koh Rong Samloem, yesterday morning when she stumbled upon the beast
Fiona Childs, 47, had been walking through a forest, heading for the beach on Cambodian island Koh Rong Samloem, yesterday morning when she stumbled upon the beast
This is the moment a British teacher was left with blood gushing from her legs after being viciously attacked by a rampaging buffalo.

Fiona Childs, 47, had been walking through a forest, heading for the beach while holidaying on the Cambodian island of Koh Rong Samloem yesterday morning, when she suddenly came face-to-face with the angry beast.

The enraged animal immediately started butting her with his head, and is believed to have gored her legs with his sharp horns as she lay screaming for help on the ground. The creature then fled back into the jungle.

As the buffalo's owner shouted at army officials to 'kill, kill, kill' the beast, local villagers rushed to Fiona's aid, trying to stem the blood before paramedics arrived and loaded her into an ambulance.

Fiona was rushed to hospital in Sihanoukville, a coastal city on the mainland.
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Attention

Four Finless porpoises found dead around Hong Kong


Around DB
Tue, 20 Feb 2018 13:55 UTC
Four finless porpoises were found across Hong Kong
Four finless porpoises were found across Hong Kong
The bodies of four finless porpoises were found across Hong Kong over the weekend, including one that had been washed up on Lantau.

The 1.42-metre-long female porpoise was showing moderate body decay when it was spotted at Tai Long Wan.

A further two bodies were found in Sai Kung. One was a juvenile, 0.97-metre-long porpoise, which was found at Ham Tin Wan. The porpoise had three visible wounds, possibly the result of being hit by a boat's propellers. Another female, adult porpoise was found in the sea off Silverstrand Beach.

The fourth creature, a 1.31-metre-long female, was found near the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology pier on Sunday in a moderately decomposed state.

All four bodies were sent to the Ocean Park Conservation Foundation (OPCF) for further investigation.
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Wolf

Four-year-old boy killed by stray dogs in Andhra Pradesh, India


The Hans India
Wed, 21 Feb 2018 10:04 UTC
Kurnool: Four-year-old boy killed in stray dog attack
Kurnool: Four-year-old boy killed in stray dog attack
A four-year-old boy was killed in Kurnool district on Tuesday after he was attacked by stray dogs.

The parents of the boy, Ibrahim had taken him along with them to a groundnut field. Since the boy was sleeping, they kept him on a swing nearby and went for their work.

However, the boy was attacked by two stray dogs and his screams fell short due to the sounds of the groundnut crusher machine.

The parents later tried to locate their son and found the body half a kilometre away as they heard two dogs growling at each other.
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Fish

Study reveals worrying levels of microplastics in Atlantic deep sea fish

Niall Sargent
Green News
Mon, 19 Feb 2018 18:32 UTC
plastic
A new Irish study has found that the rate of ingestion of microplastics by deepwater fish in the Northwest Atlantic Ocean is among the highest in the world.

The NUI Galway (NUIG) study published today found that 73 per cent out of 233 deep water fish examined had ingested plastic particles.

According to the study, the ingestion of microplastics by these animals may cause internal physical damage, inflammation of intestines, reduced feeding and other effects.

Marine scientists took dead deep sea fish from midwater trawls in the Northwest Atlantic Ocean from a depth of up to 600 metres using large fishing nets.
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Magnify

Ancient elephants & Mayan shrine: World's largest underwater caves reveal staggering history (VIDEO)


RT
Tue, 20 Feb 2018 13:31 UTC
Mayan cave
© Gran Acuifero Maya, INAH
Archaeologists in Mexico have been showing off discoveries unearthed during their aquatic expeditions into the world's largest underwater cave.

Researchers from the Gran Acuifero Maya (GAM) exploration and preservation group presented ancient relics recovered from the site on Monday, including fossils of a type of ancient elephant, giant sloths and a shrine to a Mayan god. It's believed that desperate animals ventured into the caves in search of water at times of severe drought, some of which then became trapped.

Comment: See also:

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Attention

Blue whale carcass washes up on the coast of Chile

Julian Robinson
Daily Mail
Tue, 20 Feb 2018 13:36 UTC
Initial reports suggest the mammal could have died from an illness or possibly following a collision with a ship, although it displayed no obvious signs of physical injury
© CENInitial reports suggest the mammal could have died from an illness or possibly following a collision with a ship, although it displayed no obvious signs of physical injury
A blue whale carcass has been stomped on by people taking selfies and covered in graffiti after it washed up on a beach in Chile.

The huge 66ft whale created a stir among locals after it was discovered on the shoreline of Punta Arenas in the Magallanes Region of the country.

But pictures soon emerged online showing people clambering on the dead mammal's body and trampling on its back.

Footprints could be seen on its carcass and one online picture showed how someone had scrawled 'Ana, I love you' on its flank.
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Wolf

Two children die from dog bites in Kheri, India - third such incident in a week

Kanwardeep Singh
Times of India
Tue, 20 Feb 2018 13:13 UTC
canine attack
© Angela Antunes / CC by 2.0
Lakhimpur Kheri district has witnessed a spate of attacks on children by feral dogs over the past seven days, with the toll rising to three on Sunday, when two minors succumbed to injuries in a Lucknow hospital.

Anand Kumar (3) and Kamlesh Pal (5) were attacked by a pack of dogs at Chakmusepur village under Isanagar police station on January 29. They were playing outside their house when the pack suddenly pounced on them. They were admitted to a hospital in Lucknow, where they died during treatment.

Last week, 10-year-old Vishal was mauled to death by a pack of feral dogs at Paharapur village near Lakhimpur city. The village is 30 km from Chakmusepur.

Three-year-old Tamanna was attacked by stray dogs on February 12 at Mehmadpur village under Kheri police station but she was saved by her father. Tamanna is currently admitted in a private hospital and is yet to get over the shock, sources said.

Comment: See also this recent report from another state of the subcontinent: Boy killed by pack of dogs in Jharkhand, India

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Attention

Man gored by bison on Catalina Island, California

Deepa Bharath
Orange County Register
Sat, 17 Feb 2018 13:01 UTC
A file image of a Buffalo in California's Catalina Island.
© GettyA file image of a Buffalo in California's Catalina Island.
A man who was camping at Little Harbor Campground on Catalina Island was injured after being gored by a bison the afternoon of Saturday, Feb. 17, police said.

The incident occurred at about 5:15 p.m. when the man was sitting on a log and a bison was grazing nearby, said Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Sgt. Ray Ward.

"When the man saw that the (animal) was getting closer to him, he got up and tried to move away," he said. "That's when (it) charged him and gored him in his left arm."

Los Angeles Fire Department officials treated the man at the scene and he was later airlifted to Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, Ward said.
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