The mysterious deaths of 300 seagulls that dropped from the sky in July in two beachside suburbs south of Perth may never be explained.
The state's Department of Environment and Conservation confirmed yesterday that two months of exhaustive investigations, including dozens of autopsies, interstate forensic testing and pollution inspections at nearby businesses, had failed to identify a cause.
The deaths closed the popular Woodman Point beach for more than two weeks amid fears of a threat to human health.
Almost 150 seagulls were found dead on the beach on July 21. The death toll reached 230 after three days and 282 a week later. No other bird species were affected.
Animals
© Unknown
Rat
Rat
The revelation comes as a survey of councils reveals the number of rats infesting Hampshire has skyrocketed in recent years.
The pesky rodents are also proving a costly menace, with spending soaring by more than £40,000 in one borough.
DNA tests on rats collected across the county confirmed the presence of a mutant gene that helps rodents develop the resistance.
Colorado - Prairie dogs found dead south of Briggsdale have tested positive for plague, the Weld County Department of Public Health and Environment confirmed.
The highly infectious bacterial disease is transmitted primarily by flea bites. Although human cases are rare, the illness can be life-threatening.
This year, 22 positive tests for plague have been confirmed in animals in the state.
The highly infectious bacterial disease is transmitted primarily by flea bites. Although human cases are rare, the illness can be life-threatening.
This year, 22 positive tests for plague have been confirmed in animals in the state.
Anchorage - The depleted population of beluga whales that swim off the coast of Alaska's largest city was listed as endangered on Friday by the federal government.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said it has determined that belugas in Cook Inlet, the channel that flows from Anchorage to the Gulf of Alaska, are at risk of extinction and deserving of strict protections under the Endangered Species Act.
The population, which fell to a low of 278 in 2005 from 653 in 1994, has yet to rebound from a period of over-harvesting by the region's Native hunters, officials said.
Hunting of Cook Inlet belugas largely ceased in 1999, but the population continues to struggle, officials said.
© REUTERS/Heino Kalis
Yulka, a beluga whale, swims at the Oceanografic in Valencia August 11, 2006.
Yulka, a beluga whale, swims at the Oceanografic in Valencia August 11, 2006.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said it has determined that belugas in Cook Inlet, the channel that flows from Anchorage to the Gulf of Alaska, are at risk of extinction and deserving of strict protections under the Endangered Species Act.
The population, which fell to a low of 278 in 2005 from 653 in 1994, has yet to rebound from a period of over-harvesting by the region's Native hunters, officials said.
Hunting of Cook Inlet belugas largely ceased in 1999, but the population continues to struggle, officials said.
In a population survey of West African chimpanzees living in Côte d'Ivoire, researchers estimate that this endangered subspecies has dropped in numbers by a whopping 90 percent since the last survey was conducted 18 years ago. The few remaining chimpanzees are now highly fragmented, with only one viable population living in Taï National Park, according to a report in the October 14th issue of Current Biology, a Cell Press publication.
This alarming decline in a country that had been considered one of the final strongholds for West African chimps suggests that their status should be raised to critically endangered, said Geneviève Campbell of the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology.
The booming human population in Côte d'Ivoire is probably responsible for the chimpanzees' demise.
This alarming decline in a country that had been considered one of the final strongholds for West African chimps suggests that their status should be raised to critically endangered, said Geneviève Campbell of the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology.
The booming human population in Côte d'Ivoire is probably responsible for the chimpanzees' demise.
A bird is shown covered by the mysterious green algae that has blanketed parts of Hamilton Harbour.
The inlets near Macassa Bay Yacht Club and Bayfront Park have been blanketed with pungent-smelling algae, though neither the city's public health department nor local boaters know if it's dangerous.
One of the smallest seals - the Caspian - has joined a growing list of mammal species in danger of extinction.
Scientists from the University of Leeds together with international partners have documented the disastrous decline of the seal - a species found only in the land-locked waters of the Caspian Sea - in a series of surveys which reveal a 90 per cent drop in numbers in the last 100 years.
The research findings have prompted the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) to move the Caspian seal from the Vulnerable category to Endangered on its official IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, announced today in Barcelona [06 October 2008].
Dr Simon Goodman of Leeds' Faculty of Biological Sciences says: "Each female has just one pup a year, so with numbers at such a low levels, every fertile female that dies is a nail in the coffin of the species. We're hoping that the seal's change in Red List status will help raise awareness about their plight, and the many important conservation issues facing the whole Caspian ecosystem."
Commercial hunting, habitat degradation, disease, pollution and drowning in fishing nets have caused the population of the seal collapse from more than 1 million at the start of the 20th century to around 100,000 today.
© Simon Goodman, University of Leeds/Caspian International Seal Survey
Caspian seal (Pusa caspica).
Caspian seal (Pusa caspica).
Scientists from the University of Leeds together with international partners have documented the disastrous decline of the seal - a species found only in the land-locked waters of the Caspian Sea - in a series of surveys which reveal a 90 per cent drop in numbers in the last 100 years.
The research findings have prompted the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) to move the Caspian seal from the Vulnerable category to Endangered on its official IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, announced today in Barcelona [06 October 2008].
Dr Simon Goodman of Leeds' Faculty of Biological Sciences says: "Each female has just one pup a year, so with numbers at such a low levels, every fertile female that dies is a nail in the coffin of the species. We're hoping that the seal's change in Red List status will help raise awareness about their plight, and the many important conservation issues facing the whole Caspian ecosystem."
Commercial hunting, habitat degradation, disease, pollution and drowning in fishing nets have caused the population of the seal collapse from more than 1 million at the start of the 20th century to around 100,000 today.
© Reuters
The Iberian lynx has seen numbers drop to between just 84 and 143 adults
The Iberian lynx has seen numbers drop to between just 84 and 143 adults
At least 1,141 of the 5,487 mammals on Earth are under threat, largely as a result of hunting and the destruction of their habitat by humans, according to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
"Last night there was 11 big ones on my house, jumping and hitting me in the head and stuff like that," Cindy Trumpolt said.
"I told them we should get on our knees and pray, because I think it is a plague. I do," one resident said.
Many residents are worried the frogs will get into their home or car.
© Washington Post
