Earth ChangesS


Red Flag

Oregon men hospitalized, recovering after rare beaver attack

Courtney Sherwood
Yahoo News
Fri, 26 Jun 2015 16:21 UTC
Angry beaver
© Unknown
Two Oregon hikers who were assaulted by a beaver after they climbed onto its dam have been hospitalized for injuries incurred during the rare attack, law enforcement officials said on Friday.

Clayton Mitchell, 23, told the Deschutes County Sheriff's Office that he and a friend had been hiking along a river near his central Oregon home on Thursday when they climbed onto a beaver dam.

A resident beaver emerged from the dam, knocking Mitchell into the Deschutes River and trapping his friend, 31-year-old John Bailey, in a tangle of submerged logs, according to the sheriff's department incident report.
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Ambulance

Surfer loses leg in shark attack off South Africa coast


The Times (South Africa)
Sun, 28 Jun 2015 11:05 UTC
Surfer
© Andy Colwell/Penn State University/MCT via Getty ImagesA surfer rides a wave off the coast of Lladudno, South Africa, a small beach town near Cape Town.
A man in his early twenties lost a leg in one of two shark attacks off the southern Cape coast on Saturday, emergency medical services reported.

ER24 said the man was surfing with friends at Buffelsbaai just outside of Knysna on Saturday afternoon when he was attacked by a shark.

"The people that were with him in the water loaded him onto a surfboard and brought him to shore. When ER24 paramedics arrived on scene they found that the shark had taken off his right right leg.
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Attention

Hundreds of thousands of mussels wash up in False Bay, South Africa

Helen Bamford
iol.co.za
Thu, 25 Jun 2015 10:04 UTC
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© Willem LawA mysterious mass of Black Mussels have washed up on Muizenburg beach where the Sandvlei wetlands drain into the ocean.
People have been feasting on mussels which have washed up in their hundreds of thousands on False Bay beaches in recent weeks - but authorities say it isn't a good idea to eat them.

They cite a red tide, which has been known to contaminate shellfish, but this hasn't stopped people collecting the delicacy by the sackload.

Local fisherman Godfrey Permall scoffed at concerns that the mussels may be toxic.

He says they wash up every winter - and when they do, he is waiting.

Permall, from Vrygrond near Muizenberg, fills around eight or nine plastic bread packets with the mussels, which he sells for R30 each.

He comes to the beach every day but it is in winter when the ocean's bounty is most generous and helps put food on the table.
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Bug

Arizona man dies after being stung by hundreds of Africanized bees


The Seattle Times
Fri, 26 Jun 2015 09:52 UTC
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© APThis undated photo provided by Trez Garvin shows bees gathered around a full-blown, wild hive in all its stages in Arizona.
A man who was stung hundreds of times in a bee attack in western Arizona has died.

The Mohave County Sheriff's Office confirmed Friday that the man died Sunday at a hospital in Kingman.

Authorities say the man was watching a property in Valle Vista, a community about 14 miles northeast of Kingman, June 12 when he was attacked by a hive of Africanized bees.

He was stung between 500 and 1,000 times.

Beekeeper Johnnie Hoeft, who was called to the scene, says the hive was inside an old tool cabinet in a shed.

The Today's News-Herald in Lake Havasu City identified the victim as John Wade.

Family friend Betty Crippin told the newspaper that Wade had suffered a heart attack after the bee attack.

Source: The Associated Press
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Fire

Worst wildfire season on record in California with 1,100 fires in the first six months

Stephanie Hull
krcrtv.com
Thu, 25 Jun 2015 09:43 UTC
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As many places in California near some of the highest temperatures seen so far this year, CAL FIRE is warning of the dangers this fire season holds.

Officials are calling this year the worst season for fires on record. CAL FIRE has responded to around 1,100 fires in the first six months. The average number of fires for an entire year is around 600 fires.

Firefighters say the high temperatures combined with the four-year drought are creating the perfect conditions for devastating wildfires. But CAL FIRE says the majority of fires in their jurisdiction are preventable. That's because 95 percent are caused by people in some way.

Some areas in the Northstate will likely see more fire activity beginning Friday as thunderstorm systems move into the higher elevations. The National Weather Service issued a fire weather watch for parts of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, the Burney basin, the Cascade Mountains, and Modoc and Siskiyou Counties. That goes into effect Friday afternoon. The watch could be increased to a red flag warning, depending on the thunderstorm activity.
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Sheeple

At least 40 sheep killed by giant hailstones in Nisland, South Dakota

Colleen Brunner
Rapid City Journal
Fri, 26 Jun 2015 18:07 UTC
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© Sean RyanJim Mickelson Jr. scratches the head of one of his sheep while walking through a pasture Thursday afternoon at his farm east of Nisland. Mickelson lost around 30 lambs and 10 ewes during a hail storm June 19, but he still hasn’t been able to get a full head count of his sheep.
In addition to suffering extreme damage to their roofs, a shed and expensive farm equipment to giant hail stones that fell last week, the Mickelson family is still reeling from a more emotional and heart-wrenching loss.

The hail that was as large as softballs crashed down upon their farm near Nisland and directly killed or led to the death of around 30 head of lambs and 10 ewes.

The loss of the animals has also taken a huge financial toll, since the family operation run by Jim Mickelson Sr., Jim Mickelson Jr. and his wife, Deanna, had planned to take the lambs to the fattened stage.

Earlier this week, Jim Jr. said he had not yet been able to get out in the pasture to check the livestock he had there.

"There may be more dead out there that drifted in the wind and rain," he said. Many of those that perished were in the small lot just south of the couple's home.

Comment: See also: Huge hailstones pound Nisland, South Dakota

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Wolf

Wolf hybrid bites baby boy in Culpeper, Virginia

Allison Brophy Champion
The Star-Exponent
Fri, 26 Jun 2015 17:23 UTC
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Hybrid wolf-dog
A wolf hybrid bit a 4-month-old boy in the abdomen Friday morning in eastern Culpeper County, requiring the infant be transported by helicopter for medical treatment.

The animal remained at large as of 8 p.m. Friday.

The reported incident occurred around 8:41 a.m. in the 30400 block of Eleys Ford Road in the Richardsville area, according to a sheriff's office news release.

After biting the baby, the wolf hybrid fled the scene, but then returned. It ran away again after the baby's grandfather shot at it and the animal was last seen traveling toward an open field.

The dog is a three-year old black-and-gray wolf-Husky hybrid last seen wearing two collars: one orange and one black.

Law enforcement searched for the animal Friday with the use of police K9. Residents were asked to keep children and pets inside.
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Cloud Precipitation

While California is bone dry, Baltimore locks up wettest June on record

Jason Samenow
The Washington Post
Fri, 26 Jun 2015 00:00 UTC
Maryland June rain
© NWSRainfall totals month to date in the Maryland area.
Baltimore's official weather reporting station - logged 0.41″ from the cloudburst, elevating its June total to 9.98″, the most on record for the month. That total is more than 7 inches above the average amount month-to-date. Records have been maintained in Baltimore since 1873. Wettest Junes on record in Washington, D.C. (Southeast Regional Climate Center)

Reagan National Airport - D.C.'s weather station - picked up 0.48″, boosting its June rainfall total to 9.18″ - more than 6 inches above normal. Washington has clinched at least its 5th wettest June on record (dating back to 1872) with four days to go. Month to date, it is the 3rd wettest June on record.

With 1-3″ of rain forecast between today and the close of the month, Baltimore will extend its record as D.C. moves up the June rankings. With 1″ of rain, it will become the 4th wettest June in D.C., with 2″ the 3rd wettest, and with 2.5″ the second wettest.
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Attention

Farmer injured by hyena in Prakasam village, India


The New Indian Express
Sat, 27 Jun 2015 17:12 UTC
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Hyena
A 41-year-old farmer was seriously injured in an attack by a wild animal in Jillalamudi village of Kandukur mandal in Prakasam district on Friday morning. Initially, it was assumed that a leopard had attacked him, but later it was confirmed that it was not a leopard but a hyena.

B Narasimha Rao along with his family members was engaged in farm work at around 11 am when suddenly he was attacked by an animal that was of the size of a big dog with spots on its fur. Alerted by his screams, others in the field rushed to the spot shouting, which drove the animal away.

Rao, who suffered a deep gash on his thigh and scratches on arms and legs, was immediately rushed to the government hospital and later shifted to a private hospital in Guntur, where his condition was reported to be stable. Alerted by villagers, the Kandukur police rushed to the spot. At the same time, receiving the news of a wild animal attack, sub divisional DFO K Mohan Rao along with Ongole forest ranger T Venkata Rao and 20 forest guards rushed to the spot.
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Arrow Down

Residents nervous from sudden appearance of sinkholes in Port Richey, Florida neighborhood

Charles Billi
wtsp.com
Sat, 27 Jun 2015 11:48 UTC
WTSP has confirmed that the Neva Lane sinkhole situation involves one confirmed sinkhole and two depressions at the residence
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© wtsp.com
Renee Phillips is packing up and leaving her home on Friday night. Reason? Two possible sinkholes. One in the backyard. One in the front.

Her elderly mother is dragging her suitcase out, too, her vacation visit to see her daughter becoming frightening.

Pasco County Fire Rescue officials say the ground under the house two doors down on Neva Lane in the Gulf Highlands subdivision may be the culprit.

"For the last few couple of days, crews were already working on filling a confirmed sinkhole on the property two doors down when a depression opened up under a foundation wall," said Fire Rescue Personnel Chief Andrew Fossa.

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© wtsp.com
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