Earth ChangesS


Doberman

Monk found dead with dog bite wounds, pit bull in room in Thailand

A police officer with the year-old pit bull
© FM91 TrafficproA police officer with the year-old pit bull raised by a monk at a temple in Nonthaburi province. The monk was found dead in his room with serious dog bites, along with the dog, late Monday night.
A monk was found dead in his room with critical dog bite wounds and his pet dog, a one-year-old pit bull, at a temple in Muang district.

Police from Bang Sri Munag station were called to a monastic room at a temple in tambon Sai Ma about 1 am on Tuesday. They found the body of Phra Bundit Butrasane, 46, lying face down in a pool of blood.

His right hand was missing, and some of the skin on his face. On the right side of the monk's head were nibble wounds, deep into the bone.

Police said the monk had been dead for about two days before his body was found by a temple disciple identified only as Ou.

Seismograph

A magnitude 6 earthquake in Taiwan leaves 15 people with minor injuries

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An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6 struck southern Taiwan early Tuesday, according to the U.S. Geological Survey, leaving 15 people with minor injuries.

The quake hit at 12:17 a.m. local time (1600 GMT Monday), with its epicenter 12 kilometers (7 miles) north of Yujing at a preliminary depth of 10 kilometers (6 miles), USGS said. Taiwan's Central Weather Administration recorded a magnitude of 6.4.

There were no immediate reports of deaths from the quake, though rescuers were still assessing damage.

Taiwan's fire department said 15 people were sent to hospital for minor injuries. Among them were six people, including one child, who were rescued from a collapsed house in Nanxi District, Tainan city. The Zhuwei bridge on a provincial highway was reported to be damaged.


Attention

Chilling video records moment when sloth bear killed father-son duo, left forest guard injured in Chhattisgarh, India

Bear attack in Chhattisgarh's Korar Forest Range
© X@ManojSh28986262Bear attack in Chhattisgarh's Korar Forest Range
A furious sloth bear fatally attacked a father-son duo who went into the forest in Chhattisgarh's Kanker district to procure wood. Identified as Suklal Darro (45) and Ajju Kureti (22), the two individuals were killed by the animal after it pounced on them on Saturday.

The incident was reported from the forest on a hill named Jailnkasa situated near Dongarkatta village of the state.

Father-son duo killed in bear attack

While the son lost his life on the spot, Darro died while being rushed to the hospital.

It was stated that a forest official who bravely jumped to save Darro and Kureti from the bear's grip sustained injuries after the animal trapped him in its arms and tried to crush him down.

A chilling video from the incident has surfaced online. It records the disturbing moment when the bear fiercely attacked persons in the Korar Forest Range, including a forest official.

Video surfaces (Viewer discretion is advised)


Doberman

Stray dog attack claims another young victim in SE Türkiye

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A tragic incident in the southeastern province of Hakkari has brought attention back to the ongoing debates over stray dogs in Türkiye.

On Sunday, 12-year-old Eslem Teker was attacked by a pack of stray dogs while walking in an empty field along the Ipek Yolu in Yüksekova district. Bystanders who witnessed the attack called emergency services and paramedics rushed to the scene. Despite immediate treatment at the Yüksekova State Hospital, Teker succumbed to her injuries.

The young girl's family, who were waiting at the hospital, were overwhelmed with grief, with some relatives reportedly suffering nervous breakdowns.

Following the attack, authorities conducted a search of the neighborhood and surrounding streets to capture stray dogs. Some dogs were tranquilized and transported to the municipal Animal Care Center.

Tsunami

Italy: Floods and gale force winds batter Sicily as rescue efforts intensify

Aeolian islands cut off by bad weather, floods at Catania
Aeolian islands cut off by bad weather, floods at Catania
Sicily faced chaos on Friday as torrential rains triggered severe flooding across the island. Catania saw dramatic scenes, including fire brigade workers rescuing a man trapped in a submerged car.

The Alcantara River overflowed in Taormina, while gales toppled trees and masonry in Caltanissetta. Relentless storms cut off the Aeolian Islands, including Lipari, Vulcano, and Stromboli, forcing school closures.

Sardinia and parts of Calabria also enacted similar measures as a weather alert remained in effect. Authorities reported 315 emergency responses in Sicily, with Catania, Enna, and Ragusa hardest hit. In Randazzo, 14 people were evacuated as the Annunziata torrent rose dangerously.

Rescue operations doubled in scale as teams secured structures and cleared fallen trees. Meteorologist Antonio Sanò warned that the extreme weather, driven by a Tunisian vortex, would continue to unleash heavy rain and raise the risk of further flooding in Sicily, Sardinia, and Calabria.


Cloud Lightning

Almost 2 million lightning strikes recorded as storms batter eastern Australia - 5 inches of rain in 24 hours

Lightning over Sydney Harbour on January 15, 2025.
© X/@JarvFromOzLightning over Sydney Harbour on January 15, 2025.
The New South Wales State Emergency Services (NSW SES) has responded to more than 7,000 storm-related incidents across the state since Wednesday morning, as fierce storms battered large swathes of Australia's east.

Wild weather is expected to continue through the weekend, with ongoing thunderstorms on the east coast and a tropical cyclone developing just off the coast of Western Australia (WA), threatening gale force winds from Port Hedland to Exmouth in the state's northwest. Meanwhile, large areas of Queensland and WA are experiencing a severe heatwave.

With heavy rainfall expected for much of the NSW coast, numerous flood warnings have been issued. North of Newcastle, Ferndale Caravan Park residents were told to evacuate this morning due to the risk of flooding.

Wednesday's severe weather was the result of a cold front "that triggered a massive line of storms... At one stage we basically had a line of storms extending from almost the Queensland border down to Tasmania," meteorologist Christie Johnson told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). That represents a staggering storm front spanning more than 1,500 kilometres.


Comment: See also this earlier report and other videos: Severe thunderstorms smash Australia's east coast leaving one dead - Sydney Airport shut - 200,000 homes without power - warnings over dangerous winds, lightning and hailstones


Doberman

Woman killed by own dog, another attacked in Apalachin, New York

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A Tioga County, New York, woman was killed after her dog attacked her and another person on Thursday.

The Tioga County Sheriff's Office reported that Darnelle A. Greeno, 51, of Apalachin, was attacked by her own dog on Pleasant View Drive on Jan. 16. Authorities say the dog then attacked a man who was walking his dog nearby, and the man killed the attacking dog.

Greeno sustained multiple injuries during the attack, and she was pronounced dead at the scene. Authorities did not specify if the man, who has not been publically identified, was injured.

The Tioga County Sheriff's Office Road Patrol, the Tioga County Criminal Investigation Division, the Town of Owego Dog Control, and the Tioga County Coroner's Office responded to the scene.


Attention

Mass stranding of 30 whales in Golden Bay, New Zealand - 3 dead (UPDATE)

Project Jonah volunteers help stranded pilot whales at Golden Bay.
© Project JonahProject Jonah volunteers help stranded pilot whales at Golden Bay.
Between 20 to 30 whales have stranded in Golden Bay, near the top of the South Island.

Project Jonah received reports of a pod of whales coming onshore about 7pm Saturday.

Local medics were on site, and the senior Project Jonah team was en route.

General manager Daren Grover said they would stay with the whales until last light.

Crews were expected to return to the beach just before 6am Sunday.

It is the third stranding in the area in the past two months.


Comment: Update January 19

The same source reports:
Three whales have died, including one euthanised by the Department of Conservation (DOC), after a pod re-stranded in Golden Bay overnight.

Thirty pilot whales remain stranded on Puponga Beach near Pakawau.

People from Project Jonah will attempt to refloat the remaining whales early Sunday afternoon.

It said high tide was expected between 1pm and 1.30pm, but the water will be in around the whales before then.

Project Jonah was called to reports of up to 30 pilot whales coming on shore about 7pm Saturday.

DOC said the pod consisted of "a range of ages and sizes".



Tsunami

Floods hit southern Brazil's State of Santa Catarina - 5 inches of rain in just a few hours, over half of normal January total

In just a few hours, more than half the volume expected for the entire month of January fell, Mello pointed out
In just a few hours, more than half the volume expected for the entire month of January fell, Mello pointed out
First responders have been working around the clock while State authorities also set up shelters as the need for improved drainage systems and flood prevention infrastructure has been highlighted. Residents were also advised to exercise extreme caution in flood-prone areas.

Camboriú Mayor Juliana Pavan declared the emergency after more than 120 millimeters of rainfall were recorded in just a few hours flooding city streets and adjacent roads such as BR-101, where the Morro do Boi tunnel is closed. Argentine tourists were reported to be arriving en masse for the second half of January as a convenient exchange rate advises against vacationing in their home country.

"It rained, in a few hours, about 130 millimeters in the cities of Itajaí, Camboriú and Balneário Camboriú. More than half the volume expected for the entire month of January," Santa Catarina Governor Jorginho Mello pointed out.


Tornado2

Waterspout seen off Dampier, Western Australia

Some locals caught a glimpse of a waterspout off the Pilbara coast.
© Michael DoddSome locals caught a glimpse of a waterspout off the Pilbara coast.
Heavy rainfall, a strange skyline and a waterspout over the ocean are just some of the weather phenomena witnessed across Western Australia's Pilbara region over the past 24 hours.

The stormy weather has delighted many locals who watched on in awe.

Dampier resident Eloise Dortch was out walking her dog on Monday morning when something caught her eye off the coast.

"I didn't know what I was looking at," Ms Dortch said.

"I saw this weird, dark trail going from the rain clouds down into ocean.

"It was there for quite a few seconds, and at the base where the spout went into the ocean you could see a flurry of water spray."