Animals
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Binoculars

Record number of 280 snowy owls counted in Wisconsin this winter

Paul A. Smith
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Sat, 17 Feb 2018 21:14 UTC
Snowy owl
Two hundred eighty snowy owls have been documented in Wisconsin this winter, the highest total on record, according to state birding experts.

The previous high was 253 in the winter of 2013-'14, said Ryan Brady, bird monitoring coordinator with the Department of Natural Resources.

In fact, more than 200 of the big, white owls have migrated to Wisconsin in three of the last five years, all historically large movements.

"We've gotten pretty spoiled in recent years," said Brady.

By teasing through observations entered on eBird, an Internet-based bird reporting tool hosted by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Brady is able to differentiate sightings of individual animals.

Comment: It's perhaps noteworthy that the standard interpretation for these (increasingly large) influxes doesn't seem to be holding true in recent years - that these invasions occur in 4 year cycles because of successful breeding fueled by periodic high numbers of lemming prey in the Arctic. This cyclic pattern looks to have disappeared this decade, see : SOTT Exclusive: Snowy owls flee northern latitudes for unprecedented fourth consecutive year - Sign of impending Ice Age?

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Attention

Dead oarfish discovered on the coast of Barra, Philippines and also Peru


cdodev.com
Thu, 15 Feb 2018 18:31 UTC
Oarfish
Oarfish
Superstitious beliefs surfaced once again after a 4-meter long dead oarfish washed ashore along the coast of Zone 1, Barra, Opol, Misamis Oriental. Oarfish are deep-sea elongated fish common in temperate to tropical oceans but are rarely seen.

Photos below show personnel of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) measuring and inspecting the oarfish.

Comment: On the same date as this report an oarfish washed up on the coast of Peru a day before a 7.2 earthquake hit Mexico.

The oarfish found on the coast of Peru on February 15th
The oarfish found on the coast of Peru on February 15th


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Wolf

Boy killed by pack of dogs in Jharkhand, India


Nyoooz
Sun, 18 Feb 2018 12:12 UTC
canine attack
© Angela Antunes / CC by 2.0
Ten persons were bitten by stray dogs in the last 24 hours including a six-year-old boy, Monu Kumar , who succumbed to the injuries while another five-year-old boy Manu Kumar is battling for his life in a Steel City hospital.On Friday evening, the two minors along with their third sibling - seven-year-old Sonu Kumar - were playing on the field about a kilometre away from their house when a pack of dogs attacked them.

The incident occurred at Gini Maidan in Birsanagar under Golmuri police station area.In the absence of an adult person presence, the dogs took advantage of the secluded place and attacked Monu and Mannu while Sonu escaped the fury with minor injuries.
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Attention

Man dies following attack by bear in Odisha, India


Odisha TV
Sat, 17 Feb 2018 19:41 UTC
bear print
Resentment is brewing among local residents after a man was mauled to death by a bear at Borsing village under Kabisuryanagar of Ganjam district.

The deceased identified as Debraj was attacked by the wild animal when he was going to take bath in the village pond today.

Following the incident, Debraj was rushed to Aska hospital and later shifted to MKCG hospital after his condition deteriorated.

However, he later succumbed to the injuries while undergoing treatment at the hospital.

Locals allege that there has been a rise in bear attacks as two persons were also injured in similar incidents at Paikajamuna village three days back.
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Health

Teenager in Western Australia gets his jaw broken by kangaroo he was attempting to hunt

Jane Dalton
The Independent (UK)
Sat, 17 Feb 2018 18:19 UTC
Joshua Hayden, 19, was out with his brother when the animal attacked
Joshua Hayden, 19, was out with his brother when the animal attacked
A hunter who had a kangaroo in his gun's crosshairs had his jaw broken when the animal launched a pre-emptive strike.

Joshua Hayden, 19, was out with his brother looking for wild animals to shoot in Western Australia when the attack happened, according to Australia's ABC News.

The pair initially spotted three kangaroos, but one disappeared and the teenager put his head out of the window of the moving car to target the other two.

The animal that had vanished then reappeared, charged at the car and attacked, reports said.

"It actually collided with the side of the car and smashed the front window," Mr Hayden told ABC. "Then it bounced back onto me and headbutted me straight in the jaw."
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Attention

Number of cetaceans washing up on Irish coasts at record levels with 263 strandings in 2017


The Journal (Ireland)
Sat, 17 Feb 2018 14:52 UTC
Dolphins
Dolphins
The number of dolphins and whales washing up on Irish coasts reached record levels last year, according to the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group (IWDG)

In all 263 cetacean strandings were reported around the country, which was 44 more than the previous highest level of 219 in 2013.

Dr Simon Berrow, chief science officer of the IWDG, said that the increase in strandings in recent years has been "unprecedented".

He told Cork's Cry104FM: "At least 12 species were report, with the common dolphin being by far the most common, with harbour porpoises a distant second."

He added that deep diving offshore species washed up rarely, with sperm whales becoming stranded on three occasions.
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Wolf

'Angry' otters attempted to drown dog in Victoria, British Columbia

Jeff Lagerquist
CTV News
Sat, 17 Feb 2018 13:36 UTC
Three otters tried to drown this golden retriever cross.
Three otters tried to drown this golden retriever cross.
A Victoria veterinarian issued a warning to dog owners after her golden retriever was said to have been pulled under water and bitten by otters.

In a Facebook post, Claudia Campbell described how an apparently playful aquatic encounter between "Goldie" and a trio of otters took an unexpected turn.

"Goldie spotted an otter swimming not too far away. Like any dog, Goldie decided to swim towards to the otter to investigate," she wrote on Wednesday. "The three otters proceeded to grab Goldie, and pull her under the water."

Campbell said the attack occurred while the 27 kilogram dog was in the care of a dog walker at a local beach. She said the dog walker ran into the ocean to wrestle Goldie away from the otters.

"The otters had Goldie almost fully submerged with only her nose showing above water. If the dog walker had not been able to intervene, this may have had an awful ending," Campbell wrote. "They had a solid hold on her."

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Wolf

Border collies run like the wind to restore new life to Chilean forest

Mary Jo Dilonardo
Mother Nature Network
Wed, 14 Feb 2018 01:41 UTC
Border collies
© Francisca TorresBorder collies Olivia, Summer and Das in the woods on a non-working day.
The worst wildfire season in Chile's history ravaged more than 1.4 million acres early in 2017, destroying nearly 1,500 homes and killing at least 11 people. More than a dozen countries sent fire-fighting specialists to help battle the dozens of destructive blazes. When the fires were finally extinguished, the landscape was a charred wasteland.

A few months later, a unique team was brought in to help restore the damaged ecosystem. They have four legs and a penchant for careening at high speeds through the forest.

Border collies Das, Summer and Olivia were outfitted with special backpacks brimming with seeds. Then they were sent on a mission, let loose to race through the ruined forests. As they bounded and darted, their packs streamed a trickle of seeds. The hope is that these seeds will take root and sprout, bringing the forest slowly back to life one tree at a time.

The job is a serious one, but for the dogs, it's an excuse to have fun, says their owner, Francisca Torres.

Comment: "Border collies are supersmart!" This is a great example of a very smart dog owner giving her working dogs an important task in helping to restore the damaged ecosystem.

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Wolf

Multiple cities in southern Ontario, Canada are being invaded by wild coyotes

Eul Basa
Narcity
Fri, 16 Feb 2018 20:47 UTC
Coyotes
© @Josefpittner | Dreamstime.comCoyotes
Coyotes are commonly found in parks and ravines throughout the Greater Toronto Area, but recently have recently been invading urban areas in southern Ontario with greater frequency.

Several isolated incidents with coyotes have been reported in the following cities, all within the first two months of 2018:

Collingwood

A Collingwood family reported wild attack on their dog by what they believe was a pack of coyotes. The incident occurred right in their backyard on Jan. 23.

"She got out and I ran to grab her and call her back in and she had headed to the backyard and that's when I heard these noises," Kristina, the mother, said. "I took her into the vet and they saw fang marks. She had to have surgery, there is a drainage tube sticking out."

Apparently, this wasn't the first coyote sighting in the area — according to a community-formed Facebook group, a pack of three tried to attack another neighbourhood dog on Jan. 15 and 20.
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Binoculars

Wrong place, wrong time: Rare eastern imperial eagle turns up in Denmark


The Local (Denmark)
Fri, 16 Feb 2018 16:08 UTC
An eastern imperial eagle.
© wrangel/DepositphotosAn eastern imperial eagle.
A rare eastern imperial eagle has been spotted near Aabenraa Fjord in southern Denmark.

Sightings of the species, which has a wingspan of just under two metres, are very rare at Danish latitudes.

"This is probably the only imperial eagle in the whole of northern Europe right now," said ornithologist and birdwatching guide author Klaus Malling Olsen.

The eastern imperial is one of the rarest eagles in Europe, with the population of the bird estimated to be around 500 pairs.

No more than 30 sightings of the species have been registered in Denmark since records began, and most of these have come during the spring or autumn.
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