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.
"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.
Branches and trees are breaking under heavy snow even in the Slovak Paradise national park in northeast Slovakia.
The village of Hrabušice should start removing fallen trees in the most visited gorge of Slovak Paradise, Suchá Belá, on Monday.
It has been closed since Thursday last week.
At the beginning of last week, there was a plan to replace the ladders in the gorge, but the weather complicated the situation and it is now uncertain.
Andrea Mayes and Nicolas Perpitch abc.net.au Tue, 12 Dec 2023 10:46 UTC
Stranded sperm whale dies despite rescue attempts
A whale that stranded itself at two Perth beaches in recent days has died after becoming stuck on a sand bar at Rockingham.
The huge sperm whale, which was more than 15 metres long and weighed more than 30 tonnes, surprised swimmers at Port Beach in Fremantle on Saturday when it briefly came to shore before swimming out to sea.
Yesterday dozens of people flocked to the Rockingham Naval Memorial Park Beach after the whale reappeared close to shore, with authorities closing the beach to the public as they tried to assist it.
The Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (DBCA) says the whale was in poor condition with an injury to its head and sunburn, due to being in shallow water for an extended period of time.
On Monday afternoon, authorities began spraying the animal with water using a hose from a boat to minimise its blistering and sunburn.
6.1 magnitude earthquake 158 km from Neiafu, Vava'u, Tonga
UTC time: Monday, December 11, 2023 06:33 AM
Your time: Monday, December 11, 2023 at 6:33 AM GMT
Magnitude Type: mww
USGS page:M 6.1 - 158 km W of Neiafu, Tonga USGS status: Reviewed by a seismologist
Reports from the public: 5 people
Overnight snowfall across much of northern China prompted road closures and the suspension of classes and train service on Monday.
A red alert for a blizzard was in effect until mid-morning in Zhengzhou, the capital of Henan province, and schools were closed there and in two other cities in Henan, state broadcaster CCTV reported. The Zhengzhou airport was also closed until 11 a.m.
A total of 134 road sections in 12 provinces, including 95 on highways, were closed as of 7 a.m. because of snowfall and icy conditions, CCTV said. Several trains in two parts of Shanxi province were suspended.
It was the first significant snowfall this year in much of China, outside of mountainous areas and in the northeast near the border with Russia's Siberia.
A thin layer of snow blanketed rooftops and parked cars in downtown Beijing. The roads were mostly clear and workers swept remaining snow from the sidewalks. The Beijing Public Transport Group said that 187 bus routes were suspended on Monday morning. Some subway lines were adding additional trains during the morning rush hour, CCTV said.
A dead 52-foot fin whale washed up on Pacific Beach in San Diego Sunday.
The whale came ashore sometime before 9:30 a.m. local time, NBC San Diego reported, off of Santa Rita Place near the border of Mission Beach and Pacific Beach.
The dead whale was bleeding from its side, but it appeared to be from birds pecking at it rather than a major injury, Michael Milstein, a public affairs officer with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, told NBC San Diego.
Lifeguards made an unsuccessful attempt this morning to tow the massive mammal back out to sea by tying its tail to a small boat, NBC San Diego reported.
Heavy rains and thunderstorms hit areas of Saudi Arabia on Sunday, according to the country's National Centre of Meteorology.
Videos surfaced online showing streets in Makkah flooded as heavy rains lashed the region. The NCM has issued a yellow alert in several parts of the country.
Rains, thunderstorms and dust storms are expected to continue until Wednesday, as per the country's weather authority.
Several videos from Arab Storms show cars trying to get past flooded streets with water reaching window level near some parked vehicles.
Comment: Update December 11