Earth ChangesS

Wolf

Two children attacked by family dog in Glendale, Arizona

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Two people, a teenager and a child under 10, were bitten Tuesday by a family dog in Glendale
Glendale Police are investigating a dog bite that sent two children to the hospital.

According to Glendale Police they got a call of a dog bite from the family dog around 1:22 p.m. Monday. Officer Breeden with the Glendale Police Department described the dog as a pit bull.

It all happened near 67th Avenue and Mountain View Road.

8-year-old Xavier was passing by the home and heard the screaming, he ran over to the home and called 911.

"I heard somebody yelling animal and hurt," said Xavier.

The dog bit an 8-year-old boy on the arm and leg and a 13-year-old girl was bitten in her lower extremities.

Paramedics rushed both of the children to area hospitals in serious but non life-threatening condition. The 8-year-old was flown to Phoenix Children's Hospital.

Neighbors that live nearby say they know of the dog.


Comment: Map of animal events since the start of 2015 -




Binoculars

Rare Bean goose from the tundra turns up in Sariska, India

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© Ronnie DentremontBean Goose
After a gap of almost 66 years, Bean Goose was spotted at Sariska wildlife sanctuary between February 1 to 11. Last time this rare bird was seen in Bikaner in the year 1948.

Bean geese are found in the arctic tundra region but migrate from there during winters. Out of three, two species, bar-headed goose and grey leg goose have visited Sariska in the past. They have been often spotted at Mansarovar lake and Kankwadi lake. But Bean Goose has come after long time and now Sarsika holds the record of hosting all three species.

Comment: See also: Bean goose from Eurasia takes a wrong turn and winds up on the Oregon Coast

Rare goose from northern Asia turns up in Suffolk, UK


Snowflake

Another snowstorm to pound Turkey: 5-12 inches expected

Barely a week after the last snowstorm pounded Turkey, another is bringing snow across much of the country as a trough of low pressure digs southward.

Moisture being pulled to the north from the Mediterranean Sea will combine with cold air from Russia to produce a widespread and long-lived snowstorm.

While western Turkey was hit hard by the previous storm, the worst of this snowstorm is expected to occur across central and east-central Turkey.

The higher terrain of northwestern Turkey can still get a significant snowfall, while Istanbul experiences rounds of snow squalls.

Additional accumulating snowfall is expected in Istanbul Tuesday night through Thursday. Rain will mix with the snow at times, especially during the afternoon hours and when light precipitation falls, but snow will be the primary problem.

Snow totals will vary greatly across the Istanbul area; however, the hardest hit areas could get total snowfall of 15-25 cm (6-10 inches) through Thursday. The period of heaviest snowfall is expected on Wednesday when low visibility and snow-covered roadways are expected.
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Snow began on Monday across many areas in central and eastern Turkey, but the heaviest snow will fall into Wednesday in areas such as Erzincan and Erzurum. Occasional snow may even continue to fall into Thursday in some places.

Snow accumulations of 13-25 cm (5-10 inches) are expected to be widespread in central Turkey with local amounts in excess of 30 cm (12 inches). In the highest terrain, total accumulations could near 60 cm (24 inches), which is great news for the many ski resorts scattered across the region, but bad news for travelers.

Snowflake

Deadly ice and snow bring havoc to U.S. South and East

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© H. Darr Beiser, USA TODAY
A wide swath of the nation was digging out Tuesday from a deadly storm that pummeled some areas with heavy snow while others were blasted with treacherous ice.

More than a foot of snow fell in parts of Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky and West Virginia. Arkansas, Tennessee, North Carolina and South Carolina were among states where sleet and freezing rain made roads hazardous.

Near-record low temperatures swept through the South, and some areas were encrusted in at least 1/2 inch of ice, the National Weather Service said. More than 200,000 customers lost power in Arkansas, Georgia and the Carolinas, AccuWeather reported.

The National Weather Service warned that the bitter cold temperatures would remain deep into the week.

"This is not your typical North Carolina winter storm where the sunshine melts the snow and ice in a day or two," Gov. Pat McCrory said Tuesday. "The extended low temperatures and black ice likely will make this a dangerous situation for several days."

In North Carolina, Charlotte-Douglas International Airport officials said more than 2000 passengers spent the night in the terminal; cots, mats, pillows and blankets were distributed. Airlines grounded about 1,500 flights due to the storm โ€” and more than 5,700 flights have been grounded nationwide since Sunday due to back-to-back winter storms.

Washington, D.C., and its environs were hit with 4 to 8 inches of snow, enough to shut down federal offices in the region.

The Tennessee Emergency Management Agency called on the Tennessee National Guard for assistance in several counties where interstate crashes occurred. Icy road conditions and crashes resulted in a 12-mile backup on I-40 late Monday, TEMA said.

Snowflake

New Brunswick resident shares viral video of insane snowfall

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© Reuters/Nathan RochfordA man walks near a snow plow after a winter storm hit Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island February 16, 2015. Canadian media reported that 80 cm (2.6 feet) of snow hit the province, breaking a single storm record.
One New Brunswick man made it his mission to prove the East Coast has it worst than the rest of the country by uploading a YouTube video documenting just how much snow they've received.

It worked. You win, East Coast. We concede.

Kevin McGrath, a resident of Dieppe, probably wasn't expecting his home video showing off the amount of snow congregating around his house to hit almost 84,000 views on YouTube in two days but that's precisely what happened.


Fish

Fish with 2 mouths caught in Australian lake

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The South Australian fisherman uncovered the double mouthed bream on Monday
A string of rare and freakish fish have been emerging from Australian seas of late.

In the wake of the discovery of Goblin shark in New South Wales and prehistoric frill shark in Victoria, another rare and unusual fish has been uncovered in South Australia.

On Monday afternoon, a Riverland fisherman was taken aback when he netted a bony bream with two mouths.

Info

Chemical contaminants suspect in mystery of Alaska chickadee and other bird beak deformities

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© John Schoen A black-capped chickadee with a deformed beak in the Hillside area of Anchorage, 2010. About 7 percent of Alaska black-capped chickadees have the beak deformity, which is spreading to other birds such as ravens and crows, and to other parts of the world, including Great Britain.
When black-capped chickadees and some other birds in the Anchorage area began turning up in the late 1990s with elongated, weirdly curved or twisted beaks, biologists and bird lovers began to worry.

The deformities range from slight to gross and can have severe consequences for the birds if they are unable to use their beaks to pick up food or groom feathers so their bodies retain heat.

"People, a lot of times when they first see them, think the bird is carrying a twig in its beak," said Colleen Handel, a U.S. Geological Survey biologist who has devoted several years to studying the problem.

The tiny black-capped chickadees are the most afflicted, with 7 percent of Alaska adults developing deformed beaks. The deformities are also showing up in other birds, including ravens and crows, though not as frequently, Handel said.

Now the beak-deformity outbreak has spread north to Fairbanks, south to the Puget Sound region and -- for an unknown reason -- across the globe to Great Britain, where it is showing up among starlings, tits and other species, Handel said.

Comment: See this earlier report from 5 years ago - Birds with Deformed Beaks Appearing in Alaska, Northwest, and Canada at Record-Breaking Rate


Arrow Down

Sinkhole swallows snow plow truck in New Jersey

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© Tim WynkoopA sinkhole opened in the morning of Feb. 17, 2015, in the first block of Wordsworth Drive in Lopacong Townshiup, swallowing a plow truck.
A plow truck fell into a sinkhole Tuesday morning along a snow-covered New Jersey road.

The accident happened along Wordsworth Lane in Lopatcong Township in Warren County as a snowstorm moved out of the area around 7:30 a.m., said Mayor Tom McKay.

Instagram user MRLish456 captured the aftermath on Instagram. The township truck's plow could be seen dangled above the truck, which was partially emerged in the hole.

The shaken driver of the plow managed to get out of his vehicle. He was taken to the hospital for observation, said McKay.

The township issued a warning for people to avoid the area. McKay said it could take hours to remove the truck.

Comment: The planet is opening up! See the below map for sinkholes that have occurred in the past 90 days:




Question

Weird animal behaviour: Residents claim hippo killed and 'ate' 3 goats in Kenya

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Hippo charging
Residents have called on the Kenya Wildlife Service to remove a hippo that has been terrorizing them. They said it killed and ate three goats on Sunday (Hippos are herbivourous and can not eat meat). Francis Ndwiga, who works at a firm in Gachuriri village, said the hippo ate the goats and dragged one to River Thiba. He said he woke up when he heard the goats bleating. Assistant chief David Njagi said residents are living in fear.

Comment: See also : Strange animal behaviour: Hippo cannibalism caught on camera in South Africa


Attention

12 dolphins trapped in Maldives lagoon die, 22 others freed

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The pod of dolphins trapped in Nadella island's lagoon.
22 out of the pod of dolphins trapped inside Nadella Island's lagoon have been freed and released into the ocean but 12 had died, the island's council said on Saturday.

Faisal Najeeb, the island council's chair said that 38 dolphins had accidentally wandered in to the island's - located in Gaafu Dhaalu atoll - lagoon. He added that there were about four dolphins left to free.

"We caught the dolphins on a net and released them into the ocean" Najeeb said "12 of them died in this process".

"Catching them with nets was the only option we had" he continued.