Animals
S


Fish

Hundreds of venomous deep sea creatures mysteriously wash up on beaches in Tamil Nadu, India

Sarah Hooper and Tom Sanders
Metro (UK)
Thu, 21 Dec 2023 13:15 UTC
Blue Sea Dragons are rarely spotted on beaches
© Srivatsan Ramkumar/Environmentalist Foundation of IndiaBlue Sea Dragons are rarely spotted on beaches
Hundreds of deadly and rare deep sea creatures have washed up on a beach in the Indian city of Chennai.

A recent industrial oil spill and nearby flooding are thought to have brought the bizarre Blue Sea Dragons and Blue Buttons to the surface.

The creatures usually live in deep oceanic waters, but cyclone Michaung's heavy rains and flooding may have contributed to them surfacing.

Residents nearby have been warned not to touch the venomous animals, which are similar to jellyfish.


Comment: Note: Video below was taken further south near the town of Karaikal at a different beach.


Read More...
Wolf

Boy bitten by dingo in 3rd attack in just 2 weeks on Fraser Island, Australia

Keira Jenkins
Daily Mail
Fri, 22 Dec 2023 19:02 UTC
The child was knee-boarding in waters off Fraser Island on Monday, which has the Indigenous name K'gar, when the dog began to circle him (stock image)
The child was knee-boarding in waters off Fraser Island on Monday, which has the Indigenous name K'gar, when the dog began to circle him (stock image)
A 12-year-old boy has been bitten by a dingo in the third incident on a popular holiday island in just two weeks.

The child was knee-boarding in waters off Fraser Island on Monday, which has the Indigenous name K'gari, when the dog began to circle him.

'The boy tried to move the dingo on by yelling and moving his arms but as he stepped back the dingo lunged and bit him on the left knee,' a Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service (QPWS) statement said.

The boy's parents were about 10m away from him at the time, QPWS said.

Rangers are investigating and attempting to identify the dingo.
Read More...
Doberman

Disabled man killed by 2 pit bull terriers in Thailand


BNN
Thu, 21 Dec 2023 18:29 UTC
PIT BULL ATTACK
In a chilling episode in Ban Pa Mueat, Wiang Phang Kham, Mae Sai, Chiang Rai, a 64-year-old disabled man fell victim to a fatal dog attack. The man, known locally as Mr. Thong, was tragically mauled by two Pitbull dogs that had escaped from their home. Mr. Thong, who was reliant on two canes due to a disability in his right leg, was bitten on the neck by the dogs during his pass-by near their residence.

Witness Recounts the Horrifying Incident

A 73-year-old witness, Mrs. Kham Mulkaew, who resides adjacent to the dog owner's house, was the unfortunate spectator of this horrific incident. She raised an alarm, calling out to the dog owner for assistance. It took an agonizing three minutes to secure the dogs back into their cage. By then, the damage was irreparable. Mr. Thong had sustained severe neck injuries and was rushed to Mae Sai Hospital, where he later succumbed to his injuries.
Read More...
Doberman

Man mauled to death by own dog in Kendall, Miami

Bridgette Matter, Ian Margol
local10.com
Wed, 20 Dec 2023 12:19 UTC
dog attack
Authorities are investigating after a 29-year-old man was mauled to death by his own dog in his Miami-Dade County home.

Miami-Dade police identified the victim as Alexander Andres Torres, of Miami.

Police said the incident happened just after 7 p.m. at a home near the 1200 block of Southwest 104th Terrace in Kendall.

Miami-Dade police said a friend of Torres hadn't heard from him in some time and did a wellness check where he found him dead in the garage of his home.


Comment: Meanwhile over in Roorkee, India an elderly woman died a week after being attacked by a pit bull terrier:
A 70-year-old woman, who was injured after being attacked by a pet Pitbull dog in Roorkee a week ago, died during treatment at AIIMS, Rishikesh.

On getting information about the elderly woman's death, Roorkee police reached the hospital and sent the body for post-mortem. They are now seeking legal opinion for further action.On December 8, Kela Devi (70), a resident of Dhandera village of Roorkee Civil Line in Kotwali area, was going to her acquaintance's house in the post office street when a Pitbull dog attacked her. When she raised an alarm, passersby somehow rescued her from the dog. She was seriously injured with severe wounds on many parts of her body.

The woman was admitted to Roorkee Civil Hospital, where she was given first-aid. Seeing her serious condition, doctors referred her to AIIMS Rishikesh. She was on a ventilator in AIIMS and was undergoing treatment. It was learnt that her jugular vein had been damaged when the dog had attacked her and she could not recover. Finally, she succumbed to her injuries.


Read More...
Attention

Anglers discover dead 16-ton sperm whale on beach in North Carolina

WITN Web Team and Andrew McMunn
wbrc.com
Wed, 20 Dec 2023 13:48 UTC
This 16-ton dead Sperm Whale recently washed up on shore at Cape Lookout.
© NC State University Center for Marine Sciences and TechnologyThis 16-ton dead Sperm Whale recently washed up on shore at Cape Lookout.
A team of anglers in North Carolina got more than they expected last week when they discovered a dead 16-ton sperm whale stranded on the beach.

The anglers, which included two veterinarians, contacted officials with a North Carolina marine mammal stranding response network team.

Those officials also contacted large whale specialists to carry out a post-mortem exam of the whale.

The necropsy exam was not able to determine the cause of death of the whale.

Officials said they did learn the whale was a young male, and they were able to collect tissue for further testing.

Read More...
Doberman

'No bite history' for dog suspected to have killed 65-year-old woman in Spokane, Washington

Alexandra Duggan
The Spokesman-Review
Fri, 15 Dec 2023 12:07 UTC
PIT BULL ATTACK
A pit bull mix suspected of attacking 65-year-old Carol Streit, who was found dead in a field Wednesday, was adopted by the victim from Spokane County's animal shelter but had "no bite history," according to a county spokesperson.

Streit was located with her dog shortly after 4 p.m. in a field southwest of East Buckeye Avenue and North Custer Road, the Spokane County Sheriff's Office said in a news release. A caller reported a woman lying face down next to a dog "with blood on its body."

The dog, which was not on a leash, was acting "protective" and "aggressive," which prevented medical personnel from assessing the unresponsive woman's condition, the sheriff's office said.
Read More...
Doberman

Child fatally attacked by stray dog in Al-Masayel, Kuwait


Arab Times
Sat, 16 Dec 2023 12:04 UTC
dog attack
In a distressing turn of events, social media platforms are abuzz with news of a child's tragic demise following a brutal attack by a stray dog in the Al-Masayel area. The incident has raised concerns about the growing threat posed by roaming dog packs to the safety of residents in the region.

A circulating video clip captures the alarming scene of stray dogs surrounding an individual in one of the dirt squares in the Jahra area, shedding light on the pressing issue at hand.

Expressing their distress, citizens have directed a plea to authorities, emphasizing the imminent danger these dog groups pose to human lives. The tragic incident has ignited a call for swift and decisive action to address the issue before another innocent victim becomes prey to these stray dogs.

As the community grapples with the aftermath of this heartbreaking incident, residents and concerned individuals are urging authorities to implement a rapid and comprehensive solution to curb the menace of stray dogs and safeguard the well-being of the local population. The incident serves as a poignant reminder of the urgency to address the stray dog issue and prevent further tragedies from occurring.
Read More...
Info

Whale-SETI: Groundbreaking encounter with humpback whales reveals potential for non-human intelligence communication


SETI Institute
Tue, 12 Dec 2023 17:20 UTC
Tail of a Whale
© Jodi Frediani
Mountain View, CA -- A team of scientists from the SETI Institute, University of California Davis and the Alaska Whale Foundation, had a close encounter with a non-human (aquatic) intelligence. The Whale-SETI team has been studying humpback whale communication systems in an effort to develop intelligence filters for the search for extraterrestrial intelligence. In response to a recorded humpback 'contact' call played into the sea via an underwater speaker, a humpback whale named Twain approached and circled the team's boat, while responding in a conversational style to the whale 'greeting signal.' During the 20-minute exchange, Twain responded to each playback call and matched the interval variations between each signal.

A description and analysis of the encounter appears in a recent issue of the journal Peer J. entitled: "Interactive Bioacoustic Playback as a Tool for Detecting and Exploring Nonhuman Intelligence: "Conversing" with an Alaskan Humpback Whale." "We believe this is the first such communicative exchange between humans and humpback whales in the humpback "language," said lead author Dr. Brenda McCowan of U.C. Davis. "Humpback whales are extremely intelligent, have complex social systems, make tools - nets out of bubbles to catch fish -, and communicate extensively with both songs and social calls," said coauthor Dr. Fred Sharpe of the Alaska Whale Foundation.
Read More...
Attention

Tiger and elephant attacks killed close to 3,000 people in last 5 years, Indian government says


The Wire (India)
Fri, 08 Dec 2023 14:14 UTC
mmmmm
As many as 103 people died last year due to tiger attacks and 605 others died due to elephant attacks, the Union environment ministry said in parliament on Thursday (December 7).

Maharashtra reported the highest number of human deaths due to tiger attacks in 2022 at 85. Uttar Pradesh reported the second-highest number of deaths at 11.

As for deaths due to elephant attacks, Odisha reported the highest number in 2022-2023 at 148. West Bengal, Jharkhand and Assam were next with 97, 96 and 80 deaths respectively.

In the last five years, 293 people died due to tiger attacks and 2,657 people died to elephant attacks.
Read More...
Fish

'Absolutely scary!' - Thousands of dead fish appear on shoreline near Kingston, Jamaica


The Sunday Gleaner
Sun, 10 Dec 2023 12:52 UTC
mmmmmmm
"This is absolutely scary!" declared Mary Jones when she beheld thousands of dead fish lining the Harbour Head shoreline in Harbour View, St Andrew, yesterday morning.

She was among several persons who made the usual Saturday morning trek to the area for recreational fishing and was shocked by what greeted them.

Fisherfolk in the area who rely on the bay for their livelihood were even more dismayed, questioning what could have caused it as they foretell of a dim Christmas season.

The dead fish, mostly sprat, started floating and washing ashore about 10 o'clock and as the morning progressed, the entire shoreline - "as far as the eyes could see" - was covered by the massive fish kill. The residents claim this was the second occurrence in the last month, but the other was not of this magnitude.

Read More...