Earth Changes
Federal, state officials launch investigation after 6th rare monk seal found dead on Molokai, Hawaii
© Department of Land and Natural Resources
Federal and state officials are looking into the 6th monk seal death on Molokai.
Federal and state officials are looking into the 6th monk seal death on Molokai.
It is the sixth monk seal found dead on the island since the start of this year.
NOAA said this is an unprecedented number of deaths and a joint state and federal investigation has been launched.
Officials said a young female monk seal was found dead on the south shore of Molokai on Sunday. The seal was identified as "L11,″ which was one of the pups that was born on the island in 2020.
© Robin Loznak
River otters do not usually attack humans, Alaskan authorities said.
River otters do not usually attack humans, Alaskan authorities said.
Residents of Anchorage, Alaska, used to living alongside moose and bear now face a threat from a more diminutive creature: the humble river otter.
On Friday, the Alaska department of fish and game alerted residents to a pack of aggressive otters which have attacked dogs, children and adults near creeks, rivers and lakes.
Humans are river otters' only significant predator. Attacks the other way are not common, officials said. Nonetheless, a spate of reported incidents prompted the official warning.
"Because of the risk to public safety, efforts will be made to locate this group of river otters and remove them," authorities said. "Care will be taken to only remove the animals exhibiting these unusual behaviors."
Wilson Ramos, information officer of the Cebu Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, said they have now switched to a "search and retrieval" operation to look for the missing persons.
Ramos said there is only a slim chance that the two missing persons, identified as 32-year-old Jacel Alastra and her daughter Princess who is only seven years old, may still be alive.
The body of Alastra's nephew Kent Jude Monterolla, 17, was retrieved Sunday night a few kilometers down at the spillway in Barangay Corazon, which is near the beach and about seven kilometers from the waterfalls.
A video of the incident showed that a group of 11 people was bathing at the pristine waters of the layered falls when the waters suddenly turned brown, swelled, and swept all of them downstream.
Comment: Update: Sharjah24 on 27 September carried this Reuters report:
Heavy rainstorm triggers flooding, forces evacuation in China
A heavy rainstorm hit central China's Henan Province, forcing the evacuation of more than 4,100 villagers after rain-triggered floods caused severe damages to roads and disrupted local power and communication networks.
The storm, which left one person dead and two others missing, battered 15 townships of Nanzhao County since Friday morning, affecting nearly 300,000 people.
A total of 4,175 villagers have been evacuated to temporary shelters by Sunday morning, according to local authorities.
"Each village official is responsible for the evacuation of certain households. The officials have been evacuating villagers to the village administration center, schools and hotels. They will provide accommodation, free dishes and other supplies such as instant noodles, water and milk," said Li Dayong, deputy chief of Nanzhao County.
Electricians have rushed to villages to repair power and communication systems. Reservoirs in the county have also been releasing flood water to control the risk of breaches.
"This is data that's been accumulated over a little while now and it shows ... it's actually at record high coral cover," he told Sky News Australia. "We've got more coral on the Great Barrier Reef now than we did when records began in 1985.
"We've got twice as much coral as we had after huge cyclones went through the reef in about 2011 and 2012, and this record-high coral cover is despite supposedly having three catastrophic unprecedented bleaching events in just the last five years.
"So you've just got to wonder were those bleaching events maybe as catastrophic as these experts supposedly claimed."
Comment: What ever happened to the Great Barrier Reef being on the verge of collapse? Previously:
Scientists warn Great Barrier Reef in Australia is undergoing a complete ecosystem collapse
© Xinhua
Photo taken on Sept. 26, 2021 shows buildings shrouded in heavy dust in Kuwait City, Kuwait. A heavy sand storm engulfed Kuwait on Sunday.
Photo taken on Sept. 26, 2021 shows buildings shrouded in heavy dust in Kuwait City, Kuwait. A heavy sand storm engulfed Kuwait on Sunday.
Source: Xinhua
Paramedics found bystanders performing CPR on the tour guide after he was attacked by an elephant.
The incident took place at a game reserve in Gravelotte, Limpopo, on Thursday morning.
ER24 paramedics said when they arrived on the scene, they found bystanders performing CPR on the man.
"We took over and assessed the man, but unfortunately, he showed no signs of life. He was declared dead at the scene," said ER24's Ineke van Huyssteen.
© Petr Hykš
Representative image of a lighting strike.
Representative image of a lighting strike.
The incident took place when the five from the same family were sowing potatoes in Duppi village, said Rajpur Station House Officer Akhilesh Singh.
As it began to rain, they took shelter under a tree. Suddenly, lightning struck, killing Shivlal Gond, Vinod (1) and Kajal (10). Rajpal and Shubham were injured.
Comment: This once unusual aggressive behavior seems to have become increasingly common in recent years, see the reports below: