Animals
S


Wolf

61-year-old woman killed by pit bull terrier in Gilmer County, Georgia

PIT BULL ATTACK
A woman died after she was attacked by a pit bull on Thursday.

Gilmer County police said Kathy Sue Nichelson, 61, was attacked shortly after she arrived at a home on Goose Island Road.

A bystander saw Nichelson on the ground and stopped to help her. The dog then attacked the bystander before he escaped to his vehicle to call 911. He did not sustain any life-threatening injuries.

Police and emergency crews arrived and attempted to keep the animal away while EMS tried to treat Nichelson. Authorities said the dog came towards public safety personnel aggressively, and the animal was put down by deputies.


Authorities said the investigation into the animal's behavior and its owner are ongoing.


Comment: Other severe attacks recently reported are of a woman in hospital after being mauled by a pit bull in Blackfoot, Idaho and of another woman savaged by 3 dogs in Peru, New York.


Attention

Signs and Portents: Two-headed turtle discovered at farm near Little Rock, Arkansas

Arkansas State University is home to a two-headed turtle and a two-headed snake, both found in Arkansas.
© Nick KiriazisArkansas State University is home to a two-headed turtle and a two-headed snake, both found in Arkansas.
Arkansas State University assistant herpetology professor Lori Neuman-Lee isn't scared of reptiles — but she never thought she'd be studying two-headed ones.

Since she joined the faculty about a month ago, her lab has become home to a snake and a turtle found in Arkansas that have four heads between them.

On Sept. 6, an electric worker found a two-headed rattlesnake outside a home on Arkansas 248. The snake was brought to Forrest L. Wood Crowley's Ridge Nature Center in Jonesboro, then given to Neuman-Lee.

When Neuman-Lee went to pick up the snake Sept. 8, she said, facility director Shaun Merrell asked if she was interested in another reptile— a two-headed snapping turtle found on a farm near Little Rock.

"I said, 'Sure,'" she said with a laugh. The turtle was in her lab less than a week later.

Comment: See also: Signs and Portents: Electric worker finds two-headed snake in Forrest City, Arkansas


Fish

Thousands of monster-sized goldfish culled from Canadian pond

giant goldfish
© PostmediaThousands of gold fish have been removed from a pond in Cobourg, Ont. on Friday November 14, 2014.
Workers have dipped nets and a naturally occurring chemical into a storm water retention pond near Edmonton in a bid to kill thousands of unwanted goldfish that have made the water body home.

Officials say the aquatic invaders are the result of goldfish reproducing after people released their unwanted pets into the wild or flushed them down the toilet.

Leah Kongsrude, St. Albert's environment director, says she's seen captured goldfish up to 30 centimetres in length, compared to ones sold by pet stores that measure only about two centimetres.

Kongsrude says goldfish are hardy and can out-compete naturally occurring species for food.

Attention

Dead whale found on Oslo Beach, South Africa

DEAD WHALE
It is not known why the animal died.

The news of a juvenile whale washed ashore attracted hundreds of people to Oslo Beach this evening.

The whale was reported this afternoon by building contractors who had seen it on the beach while working at a nearby house.

The KwaZulu-Natal Sharks Board was summoned to inspect the mammal, estimated to weigh between two and three tonnes, but it was already dead.

Michael Muller, manager of the Lower South Coast SPCA, said the onus was now on the municipality to remove the carcass.


Attention

Three dead beached whale sharks found in Indonesia

whale shark
Three whale sharks were found dead at Nangalili Beach in Benteng Dewa village, West Manggarai regency, West Nusa Tenggara, on Tuesday.

Two of the whale sharks were found dismembered after fishermen and local people took their meat for consumption, Kupang National Marine Conservation Bureau (BKKPN) chief Ikram Sangadji said, adding that the sharks died before they were found by the fishermen.

Attention

Hunter hurt, grizzly bear sow killed in surprise encounter at Hungry Horse Reservoir, Montana

BROWN BEAR
A bear hunter was injured and a grizzly sow killed in the Hungry Horse area Sunday following a surprise encounter on the east side of Hungry Horse Reservoir.

A father and his adult son, both from Kalispell, were pursuing a black bear through thick vegetation on steep hillsides at about 9 a.m. near the Dry Park Park area when they encountered the grizzly, according to Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks.

The father was in his 60s and the son in his 30s.

The first indication a bear was near came when the men noticed brush moving about 25 to 30 yards away.

The grizzly appeared about 12 feet from them and grabbed the son's right arm at the elbow. While the bear was still holding onto his son, the father shot it in an attempt to get it to let go. The bear released the son and the father fired again. He shot the bear one more time at very close range when it turned toward him.

Attention

Small shark attacks swimmer and refuses to let go off coast of Marathon, Florida

Ervin Maccarty emerges from the water with a small shark attached to his stomach. It really doesn't want to let go
Ervin Maccarty emerges from the water with a small shark attached to his stomach. It really doesn't want to let go
A man had to forcibly remove a shark from his stomach with a knife after it latched onto him while he was swimming off the coast of Marthon, Florida.

Shocking video shows Ervin Maccarty emerging from the water into a boat with a small shark attached to his body that won't let go.

He is heard swearing and the shark begins to struggle, sending Mr Maccarty down on the ground in pain.


His friends immediately come to his assistance, deciding to cut into the shark with a knife and 'bleed it out' until it lets go.

Blood spurts everywhere as they stab the shark and try to get it to let go over Mr Maccarty.

(WARNING GRAPHIC CONTENT )


Attention

Storm-driven tropical seabird discovered in Wellfleet, Massachusetts

Wild Care staff are working to save a rare tropical seabird found Tuesday at LeCount Hollow Beach in Wellfleet
Wild Care staff are working to save a rare tropical seabird found Tuesday at LeCount Hollow Beach in Wellfleet
Wild Care staff is working to save a rare tropical seabird found Tuesday at LeCount Hollow Beach in Wellfleet, after it was apparently blown ashore by Tropical Storm Jose, according to a statement from the wildlife rehabilitation hospital.

Wild Care received a call about what was originally believed to be an injured gannet at the oceanside beach but it turned out to be the first masked booby to ever touch down on Massachusetts soil, officials said.

"Much to our surprise, the bird was not a gannet, but instead was a species of booby (a tropical relative of the Northern Gannet)," Stephanie Ellis, Wild Care's executive director, said in the statement. "The bird is very thin, weak and is experiencing respiratory discomfort likely due to a fungal infection. The bird's condition is grave, but we are providing supportive care and keeping it comfortable at this time."

Attention

Surfer lucky to be alive after great white shark bit her board near Gracetown, Western Australia

The woman was knocked off her board by a four metre Great White shark just before 6pm on Monday
The woman was knocked off her board by a four metre Great White shark just before 6pm on Monday
A woman in her 20s has been left shaken after a close call with a huge great white shark in Western Australia.

The woman, a Belgian national, was surfing off North Beach, near Gracetown, just before 6pm on Monday, when she was knocked off her board by a four-metre beast.

Her surfboard was damaged in the attack, with chunks missing from where the shark knocked her off.

North Beach was promptly closed following the near miss.

'To reduce the threat to people, North Point to Lefthanders surfing spot has now been closed,' the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development said in a statement.

Attention

Dead minke whale found on beach in Nakhodka, Russia

WHALE
Surfers and fishermen found a dead whale in the sea near the beach of Nakhodka in the Far East of Russia. The fetid carcass stirred quite a commotion among sea gulls, crows and local selfie amateurs.

The dead whale is said to be about six meters long. Specialists identified the species as the little pike whale. Local residents asked the authorities to remove the dead whale from the beach. According to Primamedia, the carcass of the mammal has started decomposing and has poisoned air along the coastline. The stench may ruin the vacation for many of those who enjoy themselves at local recreation centers.

For the time being, the authorities have taken no action to remove the body of the whale from the beach line.

Doctor of Biological Sciences Vladimir Rakov noted in a comment for the Rossiyskaya Gazeta newspaper that there was nothing surprising in the appearance of the little pike whale, aka Minke's whale, in the area. These whales may often be killed by propellers of vessels, the professor said.