Earth ChangesS


Attention

Whale strandings off the Oregon and Washington coasts highest in nearly 2 decades

Gray whale
© John Weldon
Struck by a ship, entangled in crab pots, stillborn, emaciated: It's been a tough three months for whales.

Since early April, whales — mostly grays and humpbacks — have been entangled or stranded on the beach in Oregon and Washington state in numbers not seen in nearly two decades, with 16 cases of large whale strandings so far, compiled by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Office of Protected Resources.

That is the most strandings in Washington state since 1999-2000
, when there was a big spike in dead whales all along the West Coast. This season, as then, scientists have counted many emaciated calves among the dead in Washington.

Among the lost so far this season: a 31-foot-long yearling gray whale that was hit by a ship and washed ashore, dying hours later. A dead orca calf also recently washed up in Ocean Shores.

Attention

Humpback whale carcass washes ashore in Watsonville, California

DEAD WHALE
Beachgoers in Monterey County came across a 29-foot whale carcass while enjoying the surf and sun over the weekend.

Scientists do not always know why whales beach themselves, but they think this one died at sea and then washed ashore.

And while it is a rarity to find a dead humpback on the beach, it was definitely a source of curiosity for beachgoers after it washed ashore this weekend.


Doberman

Pack of dogs kill 8-year-old boy in Uttar Pradesh, India

canine attack
© Angela Antunes / CC by 2.0
An 8-year-old boy died after being attacked by a pack of stray dogs here, officials said today.

The incident took place in Nandosi village under Ceebeeganj police station when the boy was going to a temple yesterday.

On hearing the shrieks of the boy, people rushed towards him and chased away the canines, but the severely injured child breathed his last at a private nursing home, they said.

District Magistrate Birendra Kumar Singh has sought a detailed report on the incident from ADM, Sadar.

The latest incident has brought back memories of the death of 13 children in such attacks in Sitapur district in the last six months.

Cloud Lightning

One man killed, another injured by lightning bolt in Lake Worth, Florida

lightning
One man was killed and another badly hurt Tuesday in Lake Worth by a possible lightning strike brewed in a swift, but violent afternoon thunderstorm.

Palm Beach County Fire Rescue spokesman Albert Borroto said paramedics were called after someone reported an electrocution at about 2:45 p.m., and later determined the men were likely victims of a deadly shock of electricity from a passing thunderstorm.

Jamil Linares, who lives near Pierce Drive and 22nd Avenue where the men were hurt, said he noticed the men working in a wooded area when several booms of thunder drove him indoors.

When sirens sounded, he walked out to a jarring site. Lightning typically doesn't burn its victims, but Linares said one man looked like he had been "thrown in and taken out of a fire."

Whistle

Strange 'whistling sounds' heard in Groningen, Netherlands skies

Strange sounds in the Netherlands
© YouTube/Lucifaga X
YouTube user 'Lucifaga X' posted a video of 'whistling sounds' she heard in the skies of Groningen, Netherlands on June 21, 2018.
Strange sky, strange sound in the sky, weather anomaly.

Question

'There were no planes': Strange sounds heard in Sanford, Florida

Strange sounds in FL
© YouTube/Khari ThDancer
On June 19, 2018, YouTube user 'Khari ThDancer' posted a video of strange sounds he heard in Sanford, Florida.
I was outside with my girl and the sound came out of nowhere. No planes, only clouds.

Attention

Wild elephant targets vehicles in Tamil Nadu, India

Foresters are now escorting buses.
Foresters are now escorting buses.
Jumbo menace resurfaces in newer forms

A wild elephant has begun to target vehicles and motorists in particular in the Mooparkadu village area near here. Foresters are now escorting buses.

While the wild elephant menace has almost become a regular phenomenon in this wildlife rich district of Nilgiris, it was really strange to see this one straying into Mooparkadu village limits, often hiding in bushes near the second hair-pin bend along the narrow Coonoor-Mooparkadu road and then chasing vehicles that happen to pass that area.

Comment: This is interesting in light of the fact that this same strange behavior was filmed last month in Sri Lanka:




Fish

Fisherman catch rare 16ft long giant oarfish off coast of Chile

giant oarfish
© Catalina Island Marine Institute / AFP
Fishermen seeking a species of tuna off the coast of Chile got a lot more than they bargained for when a giant 16ft long fish fell into their nets during a routine expedition.

The elongated deep-sea fish, identified as the rare giant oarfish, stunned fishermen by coming into their reach in shallow waters near the resort of Iquique in northern Chile.

Footage from the incident shows the monstrous five-meter long fish sprawled across the deck as curious fishermen surround it. In another image, an angler can be seen lying next to the dead creature.

The fish weighed somewhere between a whopping 265 to 331lb (120-150kg) according to Cavancha Caleta fishery coordinator, Rodrigo Oliva. Given its rarity, the specimen was handed over to marine researcher Miguel Araya from the Arturo Prat University for further analysis, reported La Estrella de Iquique.

Cloud Lightning

Lightning bolt kills family of 4 in Michoacán, Mexico

Scene of a fatal lightning strike that killed four people yesterday.
Scene of a fatal lightning strike that killed four people yesterday.
Five people died yesterday in Michoacán after they were struck by lightning in two separate incidents.

A family of four was killed by a lightning strike yesterday afternoon as they took shelter beneath a tree during an electrical storm near Urapicho in Paracho. The state Civil Protection office said two adults aged 26 and two children aged three and six were herding sheep when the storm suddenly struck.

Pedro Carlos Madujano said they died instantly when a lightning bolt struck the tree.

Cloud Lightning

Man hit by lightning at Dalton country club passes away, Georgia

lightning
UPDATE: A Dalton man who was struck by lightning while celebrating the July Fourth holiday passed away over the weekend.

Fire officials say Egan Stanley was fishing with his children at the Dalton Golf and Country Club when he was struck by lightning.

Chief Todd Pangle confirms Stanley passed away on Sunday.

Stanley leaves behind a wife and two children.