Animals
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Attention

Dead sperm whale discovered beached in Samal, Philippines

Yas Ocampo
Manila Bulletin
Sat, 17 Dec 2016 17:05 UTC
Beachgoers and residents gather around a beached whale in Babak, Samal on Saturday, December 17, 2016. The whale was alive Friday night, but died Saturday
© Dean OrtizBeachgoers and residents gather around a beached whale in Babak, Samal on Saturday, December 17, 2016. The whale was alive Friday night, but died Saturday
A 37-foot sperm whale washed up in front of a resort along Babak district in the Island Garden City of Samal.

The giant marine mammal was found beached on Friday night, December 16 before dying Saturday.

Cetacean expert Darrell Blatchley, who responded to the beaching, said the whale's carcass will be transported across the Davao Gulf to the Bone Museum in Davao City.

Curious residents and beachgoers gathered around the whale, which was already bleeding by Saturday.

A backhoe was used to slowly drag the whale toward the shore. One netizen shared on Facebook the hauling of the whale.
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Black Cat

Bobcat attacks animal control officer near school in Odessa, Texas

Chelsey Trahan
kcbd.com
Fri, 16 Dec 2016 15:32 UTC
bobcat
A scary moment for Bowie Middle School in Odessa, a bobcat was spotted on their campus.

The animal was tranquilized twice after trying to attack an animal control officer and died.

"Our intent was not to kill the bobcat. The intent was to subdue the threat and relocate it," said Cpl. Steve LeSueur of the Odessa Police Department.

Police say they have had bobcat sightings in the past, mainly on the outskirts of town.

"It's not uncommon for them to come into the city limits, especially kind of on the outline areas, especially near Commanche Trail Park and other areas like that," said LeSueur.

"If you do see it in the daytime, like this one was, chances are, it could be rabid," said Midland County Game Warden Patrick Merriman.

Comment: See also: Two hurt in bobcat attack in New Scotland, New York

Woman attacked by bobcat outside her home in Luverne, Alabama

Bobcat attacks woman sitting on a bench in Solvang, California

Massachusetts man attacked by bobcat in his garage

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Health

Diver bitten by shark near Perth, Western Australia

Kim Macdonald
Perth Now
Thu, 15 Dec 2016 14:57 UTC
Shark attacks
A Scarborough diver recovering from what is believed to be a shark bite claims fishermen gutting fish on the beach are attracting sharks to the area.

Tim Roberts said he had noticed a big increase in the number of sharks and other dangerous sea life, including stingrays, because of the fish tails and guts that wash out to sea after fishermen gut them on shore.

Mr Roberts, 61, was diving 100m offshore on Wednesday when what he believes was a shark punctured his left foot four times through his fin.

"I swam like crazy after I felt that," he said. "I was waiting for the inevitable big bite, but it never happened."
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Health

Shark bites man's foot in New Smyrna Beach, Florida

Katie Kustura
The Daytona Beach News-Journal
Thu, 15 Dec 2016 14:19 UTC
Shark attacks
A 19-year-old New Smyrna Beach man suffered a shark bite to his right foot while surfing, according to a report.

Shane Garthwait said he was floating on his board when he felt a sudden tug on his right foot, which was dangling in the water, according to the questionnaire filled out for the Florida Museum of Natural History with the University of Florida.

The shark, which Garthwait didn't get a good look at, left a 1½ inch cut on the top of Garthwait's right foot, a half-inch cut on the back of his ankle and some bruising on his foot, according to the report.

Garthwait said he'd been surfing south of the Jetty for about an hour when he was bit Sunday afternoon and had seen two sharks swimming in the area prior, according to the report.

Garthwait declined treatment and said his father, a nurse, would look at the wound later, according to the report.
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Fish

Mass fish deaths under investigation at Lake Tutira, New Zealand

John Weeks
Stuff
Fri, 16 Dec 2016 14:03 UTC
Dead eels at Lake Tutira this week. Hawke's Bay Regional Council is investigating.
© Stevie Smitd/HBRCDead eels at Lake Tutira this week. Hawke's Bay Regional Council is investigating.
Another fish kill at troubled Lake Tutira in Hawke's Bay has authorities concerned.

About 20 dead or dying eels were found, and there were reports this week of dead trout at the lake, about 40 kilometres north on Napier.

It is the second time this year that a major die-off has been detected.

In January, trout and eels died en masse in an event thought to be linked to low levels of dissolved oxygen in the lake's surface water.

"Fish kills have not been uncommon. However, the occurrence of two large fish kills in two consecutive years is unusual and of particular concern," Hawke's Bay Regional Council said on Thursday.

Another victim at Lake Tutira this week.
© Stevie Smitd/HBRCAnother victim at Lake Tutira this week.
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Attention

Off-duty deputy shoots black bear that charged at his family near La Verne, California

Victoria Spilabotte
foxla.com
Thu, 15 Dec 2016 20:53 UTC
Black bear
Black bear
Bears roaming a hillside neighborhood above La Verne are a common sight.

"It seems like they're the king of the neighborhood," resident Max Lopes said.

Lopes has taken several videos of bears he sees weekly.

"It seems like they're not scared of anything at all," he said.

That could be why one bear tried to attack an off-duty sheriff's deputy and his kids on Tuesday night.

Wildlife officials said it happened outside a home on Live Oak Canyon Road when the deputy spotted three bears going through a trash can. The bigger bear, weighing an estimated 400 pounds, tried to attack.
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Attention

Man attacked by fur seal in New Zealand


Newshub
Wed, 14 Dec 2016 14:56 UTC
The tourist was assisted by a DOC ranger who spotted the attack, before being flown to Nelson Hospital
© GettyThe tourist was assisted by a DOC ranger who spotted the attack, before being flown to Nelson Hospital
A marine life expert says it's possible a seal that bit a German tourist in Abel Tasman National Park was just trying to play.

The 18-year-old was flown to hospital after being severely bitten on both legs while swimming off the rocks below a lighthouse on Wednesday.

Mark Oram, head of sport & recreation at AUT University, says the tourist invited the attack by deciding to get into the water with the animal.

"Probably the surprising thing is that it doesn't happen more often. New Zealand fur seals, like other marine mammals, are predators - they hunt and kill things to survive. Aggression is a part of their behaviour.

"So when people choose to enter their world, they do so at their own risk."
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Snowflake

'Mass death' threatens deer population in Altai and eastern Russia due to freak snow falls


The Siberian Times
Mon, 12 Dec 2016 13:11 UTC
Deer in deep snow
Deer in deep snow
Rescue effort underway to provide emergency feeding sites for the helpless animals, with the wild boar population also in trouble.

High snow drifts in the Altai Mountains and further east in Russia are causing huge problems this winter for herbivores - roes, deer and boars. Even larger animals as moose - elk - are finding it hard to cope with the deep snow.

Boar that are not full grown are dying in snowdrifts if there are no adults to break through the trails. The biggest threat is to roe deer, say wildlife experts.

Special feeding sites have been set up to allow them to find food. The last winter in Altai with similar heavy snow falls was in 2001-2002, when the number of roe deer was reduced from 27,000 to 17,000.

At the beginning of 2016, an estimated 25,000 roe deer were in the Altai region, but there is a threat of a new wipe out.
© AltaiprirodaAt the beginning of 2016, an estimated 25,000 roe deer were in the Altai region, but there is a threat of a new wipe out.
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Attention

Dead gray whale calf appears at Gearhart, Oregon

Lizzy Acker
The Oregonian
Wed, 14 Dec 2016 11:22 UTC
A gray whale calf washed ashore on Dec. 12, 2016 in Gearheart.
© Tiffany Boothe/Seaside AquariumA gray whale calf washed ashore on Dec. 12, 2016 in Gearheart.
A gray whale calf that washed ashore in Gearhart Monday and then disappeared, reappeared Wednesday in Seaside, allowing the Seaside Aquarium along with Portland State University to perform a necropsy on the animal.

The whale was a male and approximately 10 feet long. "Because of the time of year and size we believe the animal was most likely stillborn," wrote the Seaside Aquarium Tiffany Boothe in an email. "Gray whales are currently migrating passed the Oregon Coast on their way to their breeding grounds in Mexico."

Boothe added, "The whale had been heavily scavenged upon by sharks before washing ashore."

After the whale was found Monday, attempts to secure it higher on the beach were unsuccessful.
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Wolf

Mad dog bites 10 city children in Maharashtra, India

Faisal Tandel
mid-day.com
Wed, 14 Dec 2016 17:29 UTC
Ishwar Nupe (9) and Vinod Vijay Gavai (10)
Ishwar Nupe (9) and Vinod Vijay Gavai (10)
A stray dog has struck terror among the residents of Ulhasnagar after it went on a mad rampage and bit 10 children on the same day. All the kids had to be taken to hospital and five of them had to be admitted for severe injuries.

Sunday attack

All of the attacks were separate incidents as the kids reside in different areas like Sainath Colony, Saraswati Nagar and Raigad Colony. Vijay Kalbande, additional civil surgeon at the Central Hospital in Ulhasnagar, said, "The incident took place on Sunday afternoon. Out of the 10 victims, we admitted five for treatment as they had suffered severe bites, while the remaining five were discharged. Most had suffered injuries on their legs, while a few were bitten on their arms."

Demon dog
Dog demon
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