Animals
S


Wolf

491 reports of dog attacks in 2016 reported across Mackay, Australia

Luke Mortimer
Daily Mercury
Thu, 19 Jan 2017 20:39 UTC
Mackay Regional Council received more than 400 reports of dog attacks in 2016.
© ZELENENKYY YURIYMackay Regional Council received more than 400 reports of dog attacks in 2016.
Hundreds of dog attacks were reported across Mackay Regional Council area last year, despite rules around dangerous dog ownership.

The council's health and regulatory services manager, Craig Shepherd, said there was 491 reports of attacks from January 1 to December 31 last year.

Reports "varied from barking and growling to biting", Mr Shepherd said.

The council investigates all dog attack reports, however there has been "very few instances" where dogs have been euthanased immediately, he added.
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Binoculars

Rare high Arctic gull turns up in Half Moon Bay, California

Carina Woudenberg
Half Moon Bay Review
Wed, 18 Jan 2017 19:29 UTC
Ross's Gull
© Ian Lewington.Ross's Gull
Bird enthusiasts near and far were treated to a visit last week from an elusive gull that appeared Thursday in a Pillar Point Harbor parking lot — far from its breeding grounds in the high Arctic.

Known as the Ross's gull, this special bird is often at the top of the "must see" list for many in the know. Sightings are infrequent and that rarity adds to its allure.

Typically, Ross's gulls don't venture too far from their icy tundra of a habitat in the most unpopulated northern reaches of the high latitudes, experts say. Sometimes the bird will venture as far south as Alaska for the winter and while sightings have been reported in Canada and sometimes on the East Coast of the United States, it's really unusual to see one come as far south as California.

Ross's gull
© John Green Ross's gull
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Attention

Shark bites lifeguard off Jensen Beach, Florida

Scott Sutton and Andrew Lofholm
wptv.com
Fri, 13 Jan 2017 16:35 UTC
Shark attacks
A Martin County beach will reopen for swimming Saturday after a lifeguard was bitten Friday by a shark.

Martin County Fire Rescue says a lifeguard paddling in the ocean at Jensen Beach was bitten in the hand this morning.

He suffered minor injuries and was treated at the scene.

An avid beach visitor says sharks in this area right now are common.

"This is the time of year to be coming in. Let's say they're the unwanted snowbirds or the unwanted tourists," said Robert Gramer.

The University of Florida says Martin County is the 5th county in the state for unprovoked shark attacks.
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Wolf

Three pit bull terriers maul 7-year-old boy in Sedro Woolley, Washington


q13fox.com
Wed, 18 Jan 2017 13:33 UTC
Dog attack
A 7-year-old boy suffered extensive wounds to his face and head after being attacked by three Pit Bull Terriers at a home in Sedro Wooley, Mount Vernon police said.

The boy was sent first to Skagit Valley Hosiptal and then Seattle Children's after the Jan. 12 attack.

Police were called a day after the attack, and said the 32-year-old woman who owned the dogs told them she didn't have them and didn't know where they were.

Five days later, police were able to track the dogs down at another home in Sedro Wooley. The dogs were seized and are being held under quarantine while the animal control office decides whether to declare them "dangerous dogs."

Detectives said they are reviewing the case to determine if there is a basis for criminal charges.
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Wolf

Baby girl killed by family dog in San Marcos, Texas

Melanie Torre
keyetv.com
Thu, 19 Jan 2017 12:15 UTC
Dog attack
A 2-month-old girl was killed by a family dog on Tuesday in San Marcos, according to officials.

San Marcos Police and Child Protective Services are investigating. Police said the incident appeared to be a tragic accident.

Around 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, EMS and police responded to a report of an infant who was unresponsive and had suffered animal bites in the 1000 block of Sagewood Trail.

The girl -- identified as Skylar Dean Julius -- was transported to Central Texas Medical Center in San Marcos, where she was pronounced dead. The child's father told investigators he fell asleep while the baby was napping in an infant bouncer.
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Attention

Baby humpback whale found dead on remote sandbar at Jersey Shore

Patricia Madej
Philly Voice
Fri, 13 Jan 2017 10:58 UTC
A deceased humpback whale spotted off Long Beach Island by an aerial photographer on Wednesday.
© Ted KingstonA deceased humpback whale spotted off Long Beach Island by an aerial photographer on Wednesday.
Crews were figuring out how to remove a 25-ton, dead, baby humpback whale Friday after it was found washed ashore on Long Beach Island.

The Marine Mammal Stranding Center posted a photo of the animal after it was spotted on a remote sandbar by a Ted Kingston, a photographer and pilot. Kingston was taking aerial photos above the area by the Little Egg Inlet off Holgate on Wednesday, NJ.com reported.

The stranding center told the newspaper that they're not yet sure of the cause of death and that the mammal didn't have any "obvious marks" on its body.

Officials are now waiting for a storm to move the animal to an area that's easier to access in order to remove the remains.

This whale joins a several others removed by the stranding center during the past few months months. In late December, crews removed a dead Blainville's beaked whale, a very rare mammal species, near Island Beach State Park. Also, another humpback whale had washed up along Sea Isle beach in September.

The stranding center did not respond immediately to an request for comment Friday.
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Bizarro Earth

Parisians on edge as 'endangered' wolves freely roaming suburbs, fear they may make the capital their new home

Stephen Jones
Mirror
Wed, 18 Jan 2017 15:17 UTC
Grey wolf Paris
© AFPThere's strong evidence the European grey wolf is edging closer to Paris surburbs.

Parisians are frightened that the endangered beasts are now within howling distance of the capital and can't be stopped

French people have been told not to fear wolves roaming Paris streets - as "they only eat four-legged animals".

Parisians are frightened that the endangered beasts - which have fought back from near extinction in the 1930s - are now within howling distance of the capital.

Indeed the discovery of paw prints, messy droppings and late-night howls from wolves - a distant relative of the domestic pet dog- are reported to be a now frequent occurrence in the city's suburbs.

While they are known to normally hunt in packs - when they are notoriously most dangerous - only lone wolves have been spotted so far wandering its streets.

Experts and eyewitnesses claim they are freely roaming French 'departments' (an administrative district) of Yvelines and Essone in Île-de-France - which overlaps with the Paris metropolitan area in the south and west - at night.
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Attention

Young gray whale found dead north of Main Beach in Laguna, California

Erika I. Ritchie
The Orange County Register
Tue, 17 Jan 2017 12:34 UTC
The carcass of a newborn gray baby whale is being examined at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles on Tuesday.
© Jim DinesThe carcass of a newborn gray baby whale is being examined at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles on Tuesday.
Experts at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles said Tuesday that a necropsy on a week-old gray whale found dead near Main Beach on Monday gave no indication of what may have caused its death.

"Unfortunately, nothing stands out as a cause of death," said Jim Dines, who did the examination and oversees the museum's marine mammal program.

Dines determined that the whale was a female, was a full-term neonate and likely was a week old. She measured 15.5 feet and weighed 1,800 pounds. There were no signs of trauma or disease.
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Binoculars

'A Waxwing Winter': Soaring numbers of rare birds invade the UK


ITV
Wed, 18 Jan 2017 10:11 UTC
Waxwings
© Les WilliamsWaxwings
An unusual species of bird is enjoying a winter vacation here in the UK, according to the RSPB charity.

Waxwings are a small starling-sized bird with a prominent crest and colourful markings. They only travel here from Siberia and northern Scandinavia when they experience a particularly harsh winter or if there is a shortage of food.

So many have been spotted this year, the RSPB has described it as a 'Waxwing Winter'.
They're moving across the country from east to west and they're devouring trees full of berries .... Only ever 3 or 4 years do these birds come in large numbers.

- JAMIE WYVER, RSPB
The wildlife conversation charity hopes the rare winter visitor will encourage more people to take part in its annual Big Birdwatch, the world's biggest wildlife survey.

Waxwings mostly feed on fruit.
© Les WilliamsWaxwings mostly feed on fruit.

Comment: See also: Rare waxwing birds from abroad that signal harsh winter seen across Gloucestershire, UK as temperatures plummet

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Attention

Woman plays dead to stop rogue kangaroo attack in Melbourne, Australia

Frenalyn Untalan
International Business News
Tue, 17 Jan 2017 09:53 UTC
Grey kangaroo
Eastern grey kangaroo
A 54-year-old woman named Debbie Urquhart has shared that she needed to play dead to stop a rogue kangaroo from viciously attacking her. The animal attack took place while she was jogging along a running track in Melbourne's northeast at about 6AM on Jan.14.

The incident happened just 500m from her Templestowe home in Melbourne's northeast. She has recalled that she was kicked by a kangaroo repeatedly. The woman said she was left with no other option but to fake her death.

Urquhart managed to jog her way home after the attack. She was rushed to the hospital, where she received 35 stitches in her arm, shoulder and buttocks.

Urquhart shared that the animal has ripped her to pieces. "I was trying to crawl away. He left me for a bit and I thought he was going to come back and kill me," she told Manningham Leader.
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