Animals
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Attention

Diver killed in brutal shark attack after predator 'rips head and shoulders off' in Mexico

Manuel Lopez was diving in Tobari Bay, Mexico, when the great white attacked
© Getty Images/EyeEmManuel Lopez was diving in Tobari Bay, Mexico, when the great white attacked
A diver has been killed in brutal shark attack after a predator 'ripped his head and shoulders off'.

The grisly attack was the first fatal shark incident of this year and occurred on January 5 in Bahia de Tobari, Mexico.

Manuel Lopez was diving in the area, also known as Tobari Bay, when the great white measuring six metres, attacked him.

He reportedly had no air tank and was using air from above the water as he went scallop diving.

Doberman

7-year-old boy dies after being attacked by dogs in Fort Hall, Idaho

dog attack
A seven-year-old boy was attacked and killed by a pack of four dogs in Fort Hall on Saturday.

The Bannock County Coroner Torey Danner confirms the boy was attacked at his home. Danner said the boy's mother tried to fend off the dogs, but she also was mauled.

They both were taken to Portneuf Medical Center in Pocatello where the seven-year-old was pronounced dead.

His mother did survive after emergency surgery and remains in the hospital.

Police report the dogs were Rottweiller and mixed breeds that lived in another house on the property.


Attention

Polar bear kills woman, boy in remote Alaska village

In this June 15, 2014, file photo released by the U.S. Geological Survey, a polar bear dries off after taking a swim in the Chukchi Sea
© Brian Battaile/U.S. Geological SurveyIn this June 15, 2014, file photo released by the U.S. Geological Survey, a polar bear dries off after taking a swim in the Chukchi Sea in Alaska. A polar bear has attacked and killed two people in a remote village in western Alaska, according to state troopers who said they received the report of the attack on Tuesday, Jan 17, 2023, in Wales, on the western tip of the Seward Peninsula.
A polar bear has attacked and killed two people in a remote village in western Alaska, according to state troopers.

Alaska State Troopers said they received the report of the attack at 2:30 p.m. Tuesday in Wales, on the western tip of the Seward Peninsula, KTUU reported.

"Initial reports indicate that a polar bear had entered the community and had chased multiple residents," troopers wrote.

"The bear fatally attacked an adult female and juvenile male."

Doberman

Man killed in dog attack in Bloemhof, South Africa - 9th such fatality for the country within 10 weeks

dog attack
A 47-year-old man was mauled to death by two cattle dogs in Bloemhof, North West, on Monday afternoon.

Police spokesperson Capt Aafje Botma said the incident happened at about 4pm at a house in Dorp Street.

"Initial investigation indicates that the man was walking in the street when the dogs allegedly escaped through a hole in the fence of their yard and attacked him. The dogs bit him on his throat and he died on the scene," Botma said.

She said police were busy with the investigation and awaiting the post mortem results.

The dogs were removed by the Kimberley SPCA.

Comment: Further details of the other 8 attacks:


Attention

Dead humpback whale found washed up on Assateague Island, Maryland

dead humpback whale beached on assateague island
© National Park ServiceDead humpback whale beached on assateague island
A dead humpback whale was found beached at the Assateague Island National Seashore early Monday morning.

According to the National Park Service, the 20-foot-long humpback whale was found on the beach on the morning of Jan. 16 in the Maryland Oversand Vehicle Area. The area is currently closed so the whale can be handled safely.

Staff with the NPS contacted the Maryland Department of Natural Resources' Stranding Response Team, and in partnership with the National Aquarium, a necropsy is planned for Tuesday. At the time, there were no obvious signs as to the cause of death.

Officials said heavy machinery will help move the whale to the upper part of the beach, then after the necropsy is performed, it will be moved to the dunes to dry before burial.

Visitors are asked to keep their distance and keep any dogs on a leash. Officials are warning that the carcass will smell for a while but should not be an issue more than 50 yards from the location.


Attention

Dead sperm whale spotted in Osaka, Japan

A whale spotted near the mouth of the Yodo River
© KYODOA whale spotted near the mouth of the Yodo River in Osaka has been confirmed dead and will be sunk off Osaka Bay.
A sperm whale spotted near the mouth of the Yodo River in Osaka last week, that was subsequently confirmed dead, will be sunk off Osaka Bay, the city mayor said Tuesday.

Ichiro Matsui told reporters that he hopes the disposal, which entails removing built-up gas from the animal's carcass to prevent an explosion before moving it by ship, will be completed within the week.

There was talk of temporarily burying its body on land to reduce it to a skeletal specimen for a museum, but the mayor said there had been no requests.


Cloud Lightning

Dozen sheltering sheep killed by lightning in Central Otago, New Zealand

About a dozen sheep were killed when lightning struck a tree on a Naseby farm.
© Phil SmithAbout a dozen sheep were killed when lightning struck a tree on a Naseby farm.
A lightning strike near Naseby, Otago which left a dozen sheep and lambs dead has prompted a sobering reminder to stay indoors during thunderstorms.

Maniototo farmer Phil Smith said five ewes and seven lambs were sheltering under a tree on his property when it was struck by lightning on January 6, killing them instantly.

He said he had heard of it happening on other farms around New Zealand, but it was the first time he had seen it on his farm.

"I didn't know it had happened for the first few days. I only got notified by my neighbour. She walked her dogs down the road and she came across them and rang me about it.

Doberman

Furious dad stabs pit bull to death as revenge for savage attack on 12-year-old son in Argentina

CCTV footage caught the dramatic moment the dog was killed
CCTV footage caught the dramatic moment the dog was killed
A rage-filled dad stabbed a pit bull to death in revenge for brutally attacking his 12-year-old son.

The young boy, Lionel, was knocked over by the dog while on a walk with two friends in Cale Oliva, in the southeast of Argentina, on December 30, 2022.

It then viciously attacked the boy and sank its teeth into his neck.

A passer-by spotted the attack and managed to narrowly save the 12-year-old from certain death.

His father then took matters into his own hands, with CCTV footage recorded outside the owners' home showing the dramatic moment the dad killed the dog.

Comment: Related:


Attention

Sperm whale beaches at Fort Stevens State Park, Oregon

A sperm whale beached on the Oregon coast
© Oregon State ParksA sperm whale beached on the Oregon coast near Fort Stevens State Park on Saturday, Jan. 15. A gash in the carcass suggests a vessel may have struck the whale, which would typically swim in deep waters only.
Visitors to Fort Stevens State Park near Astoria discovered a dead, beached sperm whale Saturday.

The whale beached just south of the Peter Iredale shipwreck, said Michael Milstein, a spokesperson for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Photos show a gash in the carcass, suggesting a vessel may have struck the whale, he said.

As of Sunday, it wasn't clear if the gash caused the whale's death or happened after the whale was already ill in some way.


Attention

Massive female fin whale washes up dead on beach in Cornwall, UK

A fin whale, the second largest animal in the world, was discovered on Friday along Cornwall's south coast
A fin whale, the second largest animal in the world, was discovered on Friday along Cornwall's south coast
This is the moment a humungous female whale washed up dead on a Cornwall beach before floating back out to sea.

The fin whale - the second largest animal on earth - was discovered on Friday along Cornwall's south coast - with marine experts from the Cornwall Wildlife Trust now urging the public to help track the whale after it was swept away overnight.

British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) were alerted to the stranded whale on Friday afternoon at 3:20pm, after someone reported what was believed to be a live whale near Perranuthnoe Beach.

A team of volunteer marine mammal medics attended the scene but the whale was confirmed dead on their arrival.