Earth ChangesS


Attention

In the 4 years between 2020-21 and 2023-24, human deaths due to elephant encounters in India increased from 464 to 629


downtoearth.org.in
Thu, 27 Feb 2025 10:39 UTC
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Human deaths due to attacks by megafauna like elephants and tigers have seen opposite trajectories in the last four years, an analysis by the State of India's Environment (SOE) 2025 has revealed.

While human deaths due to encounters with elephants increased between 2020-21 and 2023-24, tiger attack deaths saw a decline in the same period, as per SOE 2025.

The report, published every year by DTE, is a comprehensive documentation of the year's major developments and happenings in a wide range of subjects and issues — ranging from climate change, waste management and the pandemic to air and water pollution, industrial contamination and food.

State of conflict

Human fatalities caused by elephants were 464 in 2020-21 as per the SOE 2025. They rose to 545 in 2021-22, 605 in 2022-23 and 629 in 2023-24, as per the analysis by Rajit Sengupta and Kiran Pandey from the Centre for Science and Environment and DTE.
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Attention

5 devotees en route to temple killed by elephants in Andhra Pradesh, India


Hindustan Times
Tue, 25 Feb 2025 18:56 UTC
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At least five devotees were killed and several others injured when a herd of elephants attacked them while they were walking through the Seshachalam forest en route to Lord Shiva's temple at Talakona in Andhra Pradesh's Annamayya district for the Mahashivratri celebrations around 5.30am on Tuesday.

A police officer said the devotees attempted to scare the elephants by shouting. "...the elephants became aggressive. ...the elephants encircled and attacked them," he said.

The devotees ran for their lives but the elephants trampled upon some of them leaving five dead on the spot and several others injured. Police and forest department officials rushed to the spot and launched a rescue operation. "The injured were immediately shifted to a nearby hospital, where doctors have said that the condition of two remained critical," said the police officer.

Police said the devotees who were killed were from Urlagaddapadu village in the Railway Koduru Mandal. Further details were awaited.
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Attention

Two farmers killed in wild bear attack in Tamil Nadu, India


dtnext.in
Wed, 26 Feb 2025 18:44 UTC
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Two farmers were killed in a wild bear attack near Varusanadu in Theni district on Tuesday night. The deceased victims have been identified as Mani alias Manikandan (44), of Thangammalpuram, and Karuppaiya (55), of Dharmarajapuram, sources said.

The incident occurred in the evening when both farmers were carrying loads of lemon picked from their farms. Much to their shock, they encountered a wild bear which attacked them. Both were killed on the spot.

On being alerted, forest personnel from Kandamanur and Kadamalaikundu police inspected the spot and held inquiries. The bodies were taken to Theni Government Medical College Hospital.

Based on a complaint, the police filed a case, sources said.
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Tsunami

7 bodies recovered after floods in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

Thandoluhle Ngcobo
ewn.co.za
Wed, 26 Feb 2025 14:44 UTC
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The KwaZulu-Natal Cooperative Governance Department confirmed that rescue teams have recovered the bodies of seven people who were swept away by flood waters.

Five bodies that washed up in a canal in Lamontville, south of Durban, were recovered and the bodies of two women were found ashore at two separate locations in Durban.

The South African Weather Service has issued a level two weather warning for the province - indicating the possibility of further rainfall throughout the day.

Heavy rainfall has impacted large portions of the province, causing significant damage and flooding.

Search and rescue teams have been working around the clock in the hope of finding survivors.


Comment: In addition, just six days prior: 6 killed after mudslides caused by heavy rainfall in Durban, South Africa

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Doberman

Pack of dogs attack and kill a girl in Stavropol, Russia

Will Stewart, Steven White
Mirror
Mon, 24 Feb 2025 12:26 UTC
The helpless girl was surrounded by dogs in the snow
The helpless girl was surrounded by dogs in the snow.
Horrific footage shows the moment a nine-year-old girl was attacked by a pack of raging dogs - she later died.

The child had been enjoying herself while out sledging in the snow near her home in the city of Stavropol, Russia. The video shows her suddenly surrounded by a number of dogs before falling over and getting up, waving her arms and calling for help.

But she then slipped again and was overwhelmed by the dogs, according to reports. Local resident Vladimir Muravyov said: "Everyone here is in shock. When a child is torn apart by dogs, it is a shock. It is a shock not only for the street, but for the city."

A man tried to save her and chased away the dogs - firing a gun - but it was too late to save the tragic child. Mayor Ivan Ulyanchenko said: "A tragedy that shook the entire city. A pack of aggressive dogs attacked a child in Stavropol when she was with other children.

Comment: Footage of the attack can be viewed here.

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Seismograph

Shallow 6.1 magnitude earthquake jolts Indonesia

Aamir Latif
Anadolu Agency
Wed, 26 Feb 2025 11:21 UTC
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A 6.1 magnitude earthquake jolted Indonesia's North Sulawesi province early Wednesday, according to the US Geological Survey, without triggering large waves or causing damage or casualties.

Indonesia's Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency recorded the intensity of the earthquake at magnitude 6.0 on the Richter scale, forcing many residents to flee outside.

The quake struck at 6.55 a.m. local time (2255GMT Tuesday) at a depth of 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) with the epicenter located 45 kilometers (27.9 miles) southeast of East Bolaang Mongondow Regency.

The tremor was also felt in the nearby province of Gorontalo.

There was no tsunami alert from the agency.

Indonesia, which lies along the Pacific Ring of Fire, has 130 active volcanoes, making it one of the world's most seismically active countries.
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Bizarro Earth

Emergency declared after huge sinkholes appear in Buriticupu, Brazilian city in the Amazon


The Guardian
Fri, 21 Feb 2025 20:13 UTC
sinkhole brazil amazon
© Nelson Almeida/AFP/Getty ImagesAerial view of erosions in Buriticupu, Maranhão state, Brazil, February 21, 2025
In Buriticupu, about 1,200 people risk losing their homes, and residents have seen the problem escalate in 30 years

Authorities in a city in the Brazilian Amazon have declared a state of emergency after huge sinkholes opened up, threatening hundreds of homes.

Several buildings in Buriticupu, in Maranhão state, have already been destroyed, and about 1,200 people of a population of 55,000 risk losing their homes into a widening abyss.

"In the space of the last few months, the dimensions have expanded exponentially, approaching substantially closer to the residences," an emergency decree issued by the city government earlier this month said about the sinkholes.
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Cloud Precipitation

Key West, Florida flooded by heavy rain, nearly 7 inches fell in 3 hours

David Goodhue
Miami Herald
Mon, 24 Feb 2025 19:38 UTC
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Almost seven inches of rain fell on Key West in just a few of hours Monday morning, flooding some streets of the Southernmost City.

According to the National Weather Service, the rain gauge at Key West High School measured 6.87 inches, "most of it in just three hours this AM," the agency said in a statement on X Monday night.

Social media posts showed pedestrians walking through shin-high water along the city's famous Duval Street.

The Florida Department of Transportation said in an advisory Monday morning that parts of A1A/South Roosevelt Boulevard were closed from Bertha Street to Key West International Airport.

The National Weather Service said more rain, including scattered thunderstorms, were expected overnight, which could bring accumulations of an additional one to two inches.

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Snowflake

Best of the Web: Deepest snow in Japan passes 7 meters (23 feet)

Patrick Thorne
snow-forecast.com
Tue, 25 Feb 2025 13:32 UTC
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The deepest snow stat being reported from Japan has now passed 7 metres (23 feet), the deepest reported by a ski area anywhere in the world for several years.

Tengendai Kogen Ski Area near Yonezawa City in Yamagata prefecture is posting the world's deepest snow at 7.2m (nearly 24 feet). At least seven more ski areas in Aomori, Gunma, Nagano and Niigata are reporting 6m/20 feet+ bases.

Japan's seriously snowy winter 24-25, with heavy snowfall continuing this week, is thought to be in part thanks to this winter's El Niño - Southern Oscillation (ENSO) climate system in the Pacific.

Things started well with Niseko having the best December in 68 years. Hakuba, one of the regions posting a 6m+ base at its Happo One ski area, has had absolutely phenomenal snowfall all winter.

Pictures from Ben Thorpe of Japan Ski Experience in Niseko.


Comment: Other heavy snowfall reports for the country in February:

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Snowflake

Snow covers desert areas in Iraq

Amr Salem
Iraqinews.com
Mon, 24 Feb 2025 13:16 UTC
Snow covering large areas in Iraq
Snow covering large areas in Iraq
Iraq has been experiencing a harsh winter in recent days, with the Meteorological Organization and Seismology in the country predicting that temperatures will remain below zero degrees Celsius (32 degrees Fahrenheit) with rain and snow falling across large areas.

While snowfall in the mountainous areas of northern Iraq, such as Sulaymaniyah, seems common every year, it is rare in Anbar province in western Iraq and Kirkuk province in the country's north.

The northern outskirts and southwestern parts of Kirkuk were heavily snow-covered.

Snow also fell in Anbar province's desert areas, and footage posted on social media captured the gorgeous landscapes in various parts of the country.

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