Earth ChangesS


Black Cat

Florida state reports unprovoked bear, panther attacks


newsinfl.com
Tue, 07 Oct 2014 13:54 UTC
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The large, hairy predator struck fast, left a few claw wounds and was gone.

As Byron Maharrey of central Palm Beach County stalked wild turkey near Lake Kissimmee, he felt something hit him on the back.

"He knocked me over," he said. "He immediately turned straight and ran. From his tawny color and his long tail, I could tell it was a Florida panther. Guessing 80 to 100 pounds."

The March 17 attack left him with puncture wounds to his thigh, a 4-inch gash on his arm and an unusual status as the first victim of a suspected Florida panther attack since the 1800s.

For decades authorities have said that panthers and black bears in Florida have never made an unprovoked attack on a human being, at least in modern times. But in 2012 a bear bit a Seminole County woman who was walking her dog, and in the past few months, the state has seen two more bear attacks and a possible panther attack.

Comment: The interested reader may also wish to peruse further reports of animal attacks on humans in 2014 here (under the Topics heading of Animals).

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Umbrella

South of France under flood waters again


TheLocal.fr
Tue, 07 Oct 2014 12:42 UTC
france floods
Violent storms lashed parts of southern France once again on Monday night leaving the city of Montpellier once again under water. Hundreds of residents were forced to evacuate their homes.

Around 300 people had to seek refuge in a sports gym overnight in the north of the city after water levels rose following more violent storms across the region.

The severe weather comes just days after Montpellier was left looking more like Atlantis when heavy rains caused the river Lez to burst its banks.

On Monday night the level of the river reached a similar height. Firefighters were called out dozens of times after the cities residents found their homes inundated with water. Several people had to be rescued by helicopter.

Comment: Sept. 29 - Southern France put on maximum storm alert, risk of flash-flooding

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Umbrella

On the heels of Typhoon Phanfone, Typhoon Vongfong strengthens, threatens Japan

Adam Douty
Accuweather.com
Mon, 06 Oct 2014 17:03 UTC
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While Japan is now recovering from former Typhoon Phanfone, Typhoon Vongfong will continue to gain strength across the western Pacific Ocean this week.

Typhoon Vongfong brought flooding rainfall and damaging wind to the northern Mariana Islands through Monday, local time. Wind gusts over 89 kph (55 mph) and and rainfall over 75 mm (3 inches) were common.

Across the western Pacific Ocean, the combination of light wind shear and warm water will lead to conditions conducive for Vongfong to strengthen further through the middle of the week.

By the middle of the week, Vongfong is expected to be a super typhoon wind sustained wind near 150 mph (240 kph). This is equivalent to a strong Category 4 hurricane.

Late in the week while Vongfong is located to the south of Japan, the typhoon is expected to slow and make a turn to the north. While there remains some uncertainty in the exact track of the storm, confidence is high that the powerful cyclone will track north toward Japan will the potential for a landfall by early next week.

Many areas at risk from Vongfong are attempting to recover from more than 150 mm (6 inches) of rain and strong winds that hammered eastern Japan from Sunday into Monday as Typhoon Phanfone battered the region.
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Wolf

Wolves at the gates of Paris - 2 seen within 40 miles of French capital

David Chazan
Daily Telegraph
Sun, 05 Oct 2014 20:53 UTC
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© AFP/GETTY IMAGESForests just outside Paris form an ideal environment for wolves because they are well stocked with wild boar and deer.
Two wolves are spotted within 40 miles of Paris in the first sighting so close to the French capital

Wolves have been spotted within 40 miles of Paris, in the first sighting so close to the capital since they crept back into France from Italy a decade ago.

"They are probably young adults who have separated from the pack as they search for a territory," said wildlife expert Eric Bas. "A wolf can roam about 100 kilometres (60 miles) in a single night."

Forests just outside Paris form an ideal environment for wolves because they are well stocked with wild boar and deer.

The grey wolf was wiped out in France in the 1920s, but has made an astonishing comeback over the past decade. Wolves now numbering at least 300 across the country killed more than 6,000 sheep last year.

The environment minister, Segolene Royal, has authorised culls of wolves - against opposition from conservationists. However, the decision was welcomed by farmers.
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X

California water expert: 'Nobody has any idea how disastrous it's going to be'

Tyler Durden
Zerohedge.com
Sun, 05 Oct 2014 23:46 UTC
Newly released images created from NASA satellite data illustrate the staggering effect the California drought has had on groundwater supply in the state. As Mashable's Patrick Kulp explains, the images show the amount of water lost over the past 12 years, with different colors indicating severity over time. "Nobody has any idea how disastrous it's going to be," Mike Wade of California Farm Water Coalition told the Associated Press, as RT reports a growing number of communities in central and northern California could end up without water in 60 days due to the Golden state's prolonged drought. While California is bearing the brunt, experts note "We're seeing it happening all over the world, in most of the major aquifers in the arid and semi-arid parts of the world."
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Via Mashable,
California is currently experiencing the third year of one of the most severe short-term droughts ever recorded. Data from U.S. Drought Monitor shows that as of Sept. 30, 82% of the state is facing extreme or exceptional drought conditions.

But the state is not the only area being plagued by critical drops in groundwater reserves. Data collected by GRACE indicates that the supply of groundwater is in decline worldwide, especially in regions that rely on it most.

"We're seeing it happening all over the world. It's happening in most of the major aquifers in the arid and semi-arid parts of the world where we rely on those aquifers. But we're able to see now the impact we're having on this over exploitation," Famiglietti told Science Magazine.

Comment: U.S. Drought Monitor: California drought covers 100% of state

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Attention

Flashback Brown bear kills hunter in Irkutsk region, Russia


The Siberian Times
Fri, 06 Jun 2014 20:21 UTC
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© Press Service of Main Office of the MIA The bear remained nearby and was shot dead by a police marksman.
'Aggressive' animal surprised two hunters in daylight attack, mauling one to death.

The other man escaped and rushed to the nearest village of Tonta where he sounded the alarm. Police and hunters went into the forest and found the dead 59 year old.

The bear remained nearby and was shot dead by a police marksman.

The incident - highlighted by police pictures - was the first case this year of a bear attack in Irkutsk region.

The dead man was not named.

Comment: The interested reader may also wish to peruse further reports of animal attacks on humans in 2014 here (under the Topics heading of Animals).

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Attention

Furious Siberian brown bear gets revenge on hunter who shot him in the leg by ripping his car apart

Will Stewart
Daily Mail, UK
Mon, 06 Oct 2014 19:44 UTC
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Car-nage: A furious brown bear is believed to have staged this stunning revenge attack on the car of a hunter ... after he shot and wounded the animal in the thigh
These amazing photographs bring a new meaning to the word car-nage.

A furious brown bear is believed to have staged this stunning revenge attack on the car of a hunter who shot and wounded it in the leg.

The unnamed huntsman and two friends were in the Siberian forest when the beast surprised them.


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Bear-faced cheek: The hunter shot the wild brown bear in the thigh forcing it to flee, but next day when he returned to his Ford car, he realised his prey had had the last laugh, and ripped his vehicle to pieces
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Arrow Down

"Massive chick deaths" in Iceland's seabird colonies

Cheryl Katz
truth-out.org
Thu, 02 Oct 2014 19:05 UTC
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© Tristan FerneArctic tern chick outside its nest in Iceland, July 1, 2014.
When the days grew long, seabirds flocked to this hamlet on the edge of the Arctic to rear their chicks under the midnight sun. "Kria," shrieked the terns, calling summer up from the slumbering ground. Black cliffs were transformed into snowbanks of white kittiwakes. Puffins whirred between land and sea. Murres plied the shoreline, fulmars patrolled the skies. Everywhere sounded their vibrant chorus.

These days, a scatter of stubborn holdovers streaks the sky and paddles the bay, but the legions are gone. The chicks have perished, their bereft parents have returned to sea.

Half of Iceland's seabirds nest on this low-lying volcanic outcropping and its neighboring islands in the deep west coast gash called Breidafjordur Bay. Flatey Island used to be covered with chicks snuggled inside rocky hillside burrows, under tall meadow grass, in nests strewn across headlands and shores.

"There were thousands! You could hear them," says Olina Jonsdottir, who has lived on this island with her husband, Hafsteinn Gudmundsson, nearly 50 years. She looks out her living room window, past the sheep grazing on knuckles of grass-covered lava, past the black basalt beach, to the few birds drifting over the water beyond. "You can't do that anymore. Now there are so few."
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Cloud Precipitation

Typhoon Phanfone strikes Japan: injures 50, sweeps 4 out to sea


RT
Mon, 06 Oct 2014 16:48 UTC
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© AFP Photo / Jiji PressHigh waves batter a breakwater at a port at Kihou town in Mie prefecture, central Japan on October 6, 2014

At least one person died and five remain missing after powerful Typhoon Phanfone struck Japan, bringing rough seas heavy rain and strong winds. About 50 people have been injured throughout the islands.

A member of US Air Force drowned as he was taking photos of the coast of the southern Okinawa Prefecture. Two more US personnel remain missing after the three were swept out to sea by powerful waves.

"Three officials were taking pictures with high waves whipped up by the typhoon in the background," a spokesman at local police told AFP. "One has been found dead, with the two others still missing."

On Sunday Japanese broadcaster NHK reported that one university student, aged 21, went missing while doing surfing near the city of Fujisawa, Kanagawa Prefecture, central Japan.

The storm was near Yokohama, the second-largest city in Japan by population, 43km from Tokyo. Two men were reportedly buried in the mudslides in the city.

About 50 people across the country sustained injures during the typhoon, report the country's authorities.

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Wolf

Flashback Yemen man killed by hyena while on phone to wife


english.alarabiya.net
Mon, 24 Mar 2014 21:01 UTC
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© ShutterstockA relative of the victim said the man was on the phone with his wife as the attack took place.
A man was attacked and killed by a hyena while on the phone to his wife, Dubai-based daily Gulf News reported on Monday.

A relative of the victim said the man was on the phone with his wife as the attack took place, the newspaper said, citing Yemeni police.

The man, who was walking in Yemen's northern province of Rayma, reportedly called his wife after managing to ward off the wild animal, but warned her that he might not being able to safely reach home.

While he was on the phone, the hyena attacked him again and starting tearing into his body, added the UAE-based newspaper.

The woman heard her husband scream for help. She immediately called their sons to rush to the area only to find their father's ripped clothes, along with his skull and legs, the newspaper reported.

Locals had reportedly warned the man that the area where he would walk through was a wildlife sanctuary, and said the man was warned against walking at night.
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