Bird lovers in the country are in a shock after hearing reports about increasing number of birds either lying dead or injured on roads, pavements and in parks. They complain that the authorities concerned did not take adequate steps despite seeing a legion of dead birds in many areas including Manama and Adliya. However, the reasons behind mass deaths are unknown.

Speaking to DT News, Bahrain Animal Lovers Society Founder Huda Muhammed urged the residents not to ignore injured birds on roads as timely treatment could save their lives. "I have seen dead birds many times in Adliya near Fuddruckers. The reasons for their death are many. But, mostly it happens out of accidents with birds hitting the windshields of the car," she pointed out.

"Generally, in Bahrain, people don't care for injured birds. I think we need to be more compassionate towards this poor living creatures," she added. Echoing a similar view, Sam Viegas, another bird lover said, "Birds lying dead on roads is a horrific scene to watch. People concerned should investigate the reasons and put an end to this."

In Louisiana's Barataria Bay Bottlenose dolphins are five times more likely to suffer from lung damage and adrenal hormone abnormalities than any other dolphin populations as a result of the Deepwater Horizon spill, scientists have discovered.

Twenty-nine of the total 32 dolphins sampled in Barataria Bay received comprehensive physical examinations, including ultrasound examinations to assess lung condition and researchers assigned almost half (48 percent) of the dolphins a guarded or worse prognosis. In fact, they classified 17 percent as being in poor or grave condition, meaning the dolphins were not expected to survive.
The researchers also found that 25 percent of the Barataria Bay dolphins were significantly underweight and the population overall had very low levels of adrenal hormones, which are critical for responding to stress.

These findings are in contrast to dolphins sampled in Sarasota Bay, Florida, an area not oiled by the Deepwater Horizon spill. For Dr. Lori Schwacke, the study's lead author and veteran of a number of similar dolphin health studies across the southeast, the findings are troubling: "I've never seen such a high prevalence of very sick animals - and with unusual conditions such as the adrenal hormone abnormalities."

The study was conducted in August 2011 as part of the Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA) by a team of government, academic and non-governmental researchers and results were published were published December 2013 in the journal Environmental Science & Technology.

Thousands of fishes splashed into the shores of Kg Tabisan in Sabah's eastern Lahad Datu district sparking speculations of what omen it brings in the year end.

Villagers rushed to scoop up the fishes, locally known as Tamban, while others were divided over whether it was good omen or bad omen.

However, local villager Suzila Abdullah, who operates a sundry shop in the village, said that the phenomenon had been occurring in the past three years.

"But it is different this year because the number of fishes are exceptionally high.

"In the past, most would have been scooped up by the end of the day but today there is still a lot more left,'' she said when contacted by on Tuesday.

Suzila said that she believed that strong currents and waves caused the fishes to come to shore during the current season but it only last about two or three days.

The villagers cooked the fish while some collected it and took it up to Lahad Datu and other districts to sell.

The Tamban fish is popular among villagers.

Tapirus kabomani is the largest land mammal to be discovered in decades

In one of the most important zoological discoveries of the 21st century, scientists have announced they have found a new species of tapir in Brazil and Columbia. The new mammal, hidden from science but known to local indigenous tribes, is actually one of the biggest animals on the continent, although it's still the smallest living tapir. Described in the Journal of Mammology, the scientists have named the new tapir Tapirus kabomani after the name for 'tapir' in the local Paumari language: 'Arabo kabomani'.

Tapirus kabomani, or the Kobomani tapir, is the fifth tapir found in the world and the first to be discovered since 1865. It is also the first mammal in the order Perissodactyla (which includes tapirs, rhinos, and horses) found in over a hundred years. Moreover, this is the largest land mammal to be discovered in decades: in 1992 scientists discovered the saola in Vietnam and Cambodia, a rainforest bovine that is about the same size as the new tapir.

3.8 magnitude earthquake in Kansas

The Kansas Geological Society is investigating whether a recent earthquake in southern Kansas might have been caused by oil production practices in the area. But KGS interim director Rex Buchanan said it might be difficult to determine if the 3.8 earthquake on Dec. 16 near Caldwell was man-made or caused by natural forces. No evidence has been found yet to suggest hydraulic fracturing caused the quake, said Buchanan. It's more common for minor quakes near oil production sites to be caused by the disposal of salt water waste, The Lawrence Journal-World reported. "There's a lot of saltwater produced with oil," he said. "Once you separate that off, you need to dispose of it. In Kansas, that's done in wells deep in the subsurface. There is production and disposal wells in the general vicinity around there." The Kansas Corporation Commission, which regulates oil and gas production in the state, is also investigating the issue. "It is important to point out that Kansas has a long history of oil production with very few reported incidents of any kind," KCC spokesman Jesse Borjon said in an email to the newspaper. "The KCC is looking into the issue of seismic activity as it relates to oil and gas activities. We have been in communication with the Kansas Geological (Survey) and continue to gather information." It's possible the earthquake was entirely natural, Buchanan said. - LJW

2.3 magnitude earthquake in Ky

Kentucky Emergency Management is reporting that a 2.3 magnitude earthquake was felt near Owingsville around 5:58am Monday. The USGS reports that the disturbance was centered near the Sharpsburg area. Many viewers report feeling the tremors throughout parts of Central Kentucky. Officials report that this type of event is relatively minor. - WKYT

3.3 magnitude earthquake strikes Oklahoma

An earthquake was reported Sunday morning, the U.S. Geological Survey reported. The 3.3 magnitude earthquake shook at about 10:25 a.m. Its epicenter was reportedly 15 miles south of McCord, 17 miles south of Ponca City and 71 miles north of Oklahoma City, the U.S. Geological Survey reported. No damage was immediately reported. - News OK

3.3 magnitude earthquake rattles Texas

Perhaps we should write a story when there's not an earthquake near Azle. For the 14th and 15th time in the last 30 days, people who live northwest of Fort Worth have felt the earth rumble. The latest incident, a 3.3-magnitude quake, was recorded by the U.S. Geological Survey at 7:11 a.m. Monday four miles northwest of Azle just off of S. Reno Rd. There was also an earthquake at 11:31 a.m. Sunday. It also registered as a 3.3-magnitude, according to the USGS. It was centered two miles northwest of Azle, just north of Willow Wood Drive. "Shook my bed and made the walls creak," wrote Azle resident Kim Johnson, who was upstairs in a two-story home. "We now have a few cracks in our vaulted ceilings upstairs. When will it end?" Writing on the WFAA Facebook page, Sandra Tingle said she's worried about liability. "My insurance company told me unless a fault line is determined to be under your property, it's not covered," she said. Sunday's tremor is the fourth-strongest in the past month. The most powerful registered 3.7-magnitude and struck 30 miles west of Azle on December 9. -KHOU

4.7 magnitude earthquake strikes SE California

A shallow magnitude 4.7 earthquake was reported Monday morning 31 miles from Lone Pine, Calif., according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The temblor occurred at 5:39 a.m. PST near the surface. According to the USGS, the epicenter was 41 miles from Ridgecrest, 53 miles from Porterville and 57 miles from Lindsay. In the past 10 days, there have been no earthquakes magnitude 3.0 or greater centered nearby. - LA Times

Night-shining clouds started glowing high above Antarctica earlier than usual this year, observations from a NASA satellite show.

These rare types of wispy blue-white clouds are called noctilucent clouds, or NLCs. They form when water molecules freeze around "meteor smoke" close to the edge of space, typically about 50 to 53 miles (80 and 85 kilometers) above Earth's surface - so high that they can reflect light after the sun sets.

The phenomenon looks spectacular from the ground, but scientists also have watched these night-shining clouds from above with NASA's AIM (Aeronomy of Ice in the Mesosphere) satellite since 2007. Data from AIM indicate that noctilucent clouds started forming around the South Pole on Nov. 20 this year as a tiny spot of electric blue that quickly expanded to cover the entire frozen continent, as this NASA video shows.

Salt Lake City - More than 12 bald eagles have died in Utah since the beginning of December, and wildlife experts don't know why.

"We've never had this many birds come in, of one species, coming in as quickly and in this short of time span and having them all die," said DaLyn Erickson-Marthaler, executive director of the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center of Northern Utah.

Since Dec. 1, at least 13 majestic bald eagles have died. The latest, a 1-year-old female, died Saturday, Dec. 21. She was discovered last week near Centerville by a jogger and was brought to the rehabilitation center in Ogden.

"It's frustrating and heartbreaking," said Leslie McFarlane, Division of Wildlife Resources wildlife disease coordinator. "It's really hard because you want to be able to do something right now and we just can't."

About all anyone knows so far is that all of the eagles were experiencing the same symptoms.

One woman has died and another man was injured after trees fell on their cars as storms battered Britain and Ireland on Wednesday night. Forecasters said that winds of up to 90mph and flooding were forecast overnight and into Thursday.

Coastguards and an RAF helicopter were unable to find a 45-year-old missing sailor in weather conditions described as "very poor". The man fell overboard from a cargo ship moored on the River Trent in Lincolnshire.

Flood warnings were issued across Wales and in parts of Scotland and western England and thousands of homes after were left without power on Wednesday night. People living in parts of western Scotland and Northern Ireland were told to be prepared for high winds.

The 23-year-old woman died from her injuries after paramedics cut her free from the wreckage, near Mullingar in County Westmeath, Ireland. She was trapped inside the vehicle after a tree fell on it. The woman was cut free but died around an hour and a half later.

And, in a separate incident, West Midlands Ambulance Service said an injured man was taken to hospital with head and chest injuries and two other occupants of the car were described as "walking wounded".

A Summerfield man has been woken by a metre-and-a-half-long brown snake slithering over his bare stomach.

John Watson believes he has cheated death.

He has told of his shock and disbelief at waking to the metre-long brown snake lying across his bare stomach in his home near Raywood.

Mr Watson, who suffers from Emphysema and is partially immobile, said he thought he was dreaming when the world's second-most venomous snake woke him on Thursday morning.

"I went to sleep at 5am and I woke up and looked down and here is a big, fat brown snake right over my stomach," he said.

"The reason I woke up was the feeling of it sliding across my tummy.

Torrential rain and heavy gales are threatening to create a hazardous Christmas getaway in many parts of Britain, forecasters have warned.

Gusts of up to 90mph are forecast in some areas on Monday and Christmas Eve, as heavy rainfall sweeps into south Wales and south-east England. The wintry showers have increased the possibility of a white Christmas in parts of Britain, with odds slashed in cities including Edinburgh, Glasgow and Manchester.

The Met Office issued a severe weather warning from dawn on Monday and advised travellers to brace themselves for chaos on the roads and rails.

"There is scope for very heavy rain, potentially some localised flooding, and strong winds in some areas so there is a risk of travel disruption," said Calum MacColl, a Met Office forecaster. An amber alert for rain was issued for south Wales and parts of southern England on Sunday, with conditions expected to worsen over the next 24 hours due to a low-pressure weather system swept in from across the Atlantic.

"[Monday] will start quite nicely in some places, but there will soon be heavy outbreaks of rain in the south-west of England and south Wales. That will quickly move into the north-east, and will bring gales with it."