Animals
S


Attention

Tiger and elephant attacks killed close to 3,000 people in last 5 years, Indian government says


The Wire (India)
Fri, 08 Dec 2023 14:14 UTC
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As many as 103 people died last year due to tiger attacks and 605 others died due to elephant attacks, the Union environment ministry said in parliament on Thursday (December 7).

Maharashtra reported the highest number of human deaths due to tiger attacks in 2022 at 85. Uttar Pradesh reported the second-highest number of deaths at 11.

As for deaths due to elephant attacks, Odisha reported the highest number in 2022-2023 at 148. West Bengal, Jharkhand and Assam were next with 97, 96 and 80 deaths respectively.

In the last five years, 293 people died due to tiger attacks and 2,657 people died to elephant attacks.
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Fish

'Absolutely scary!' - Thousands of dead fish appear on shoreline near Kingston, Jamaica


The Sunday Gleaner
Sun, 10 Dec 2023 12:52 UTC
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"This is absolutely scary!" declared Mary Jones when she beheld thousands of dead fish lining the Harbour Head shoreline in Harbour View, St Andrew, yesterday morning.

She was among several persons who made the usual Saturday morning trek to the area for recreational fishing and was shocked by what greeted them.

Fisherfolk in the area who rely on the bay for their livelihood were even more dismayed, questioning what could have caused it as they foretell of a dim Christmas season.

The dead fish, mostly sprat, started floating and washing ashore about 10 o'clock and as the morning progressed, the entire shoreline - "as far as the eyes could see" - was covered by the massive fish kill. The residents claim this was the second occurrence in the last month, but the other was not of this magnitude.

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Attention

Stranded sperm whale dies at Rockingham, days after surprising swimmers at Fremantle, Western Australia

Andrea Mayes and Nicolas Perpitch
abc.net.au
Tue, 12 Dec 2023 10:46 UTC
Stranded sperm whale dies despite rescue attempts
Stranded sperm whale dies despite rescue attempts
A whale that stranded itself at two Perth beaches in recent days has died after becoming stuck on a sand bar at Rockingham.

The huge sperm whale, which was more than 15 metres long and weighed more than 30 tonnes, surprised swimmers at Port Beach in Fremantle on Saturday when it briefly came to shore before swimming out to sea.

Yesterday dozens of people flocked to the Rockingham Naval Memorial Park Beach after the whale reappeared close to shore, with authorities closing the beach to the public as they tried to assist it.

The Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (DBCA) says the whale was in poor condition with an injury to its head and sunburn, due to being in shallow water for an extended period of time.

On Monday afternoon, authorities began spraying the animal with water using a hose from a boat to minimise its blistering and sunburn.

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Attention

Massive 52-foot fin whale washes up on beach in San Diego, California

Rebecca Cohen
NBC News
Sun, 10 Dec 2023 18:37 UTC
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A dead 52-foot fin whale washed up on Pacific Beach in San Diego Sunday.

The whale came ashore sometime before 9:30 a.m. local time, NBC San Diego reported, off of Santa Rita Place near the border of Mission Beach and Pacific Beach.

The dead whale was bleeding from its side, but it appeared to be from birds pecking at it rather than a major injury, Michael Milstein, a public affairs officer with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, told NBC San Diego.

Lifeguards made an unsuccessful attempt this morning to tow the massive mammal back out to sea by tying its tail to a small boat, NBC San Diego reported.

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Blue Planet

Extremely rare dolphin with 'thumbs' photographed in Greek gulf

Sascha Pare
Live Science
Mon, 11 Dec 2023 15:30 UTC
dolphin thumbs
© Alexandros Frantzis/Pelagos Cetacean Research InstituteA striped dolphin (Stenella coeruleoalba) with hooked "thumbs" photographed in the Gulf of Corinth in July 2023.
A dolphin with deformed flippers that look like thumbs was spotted in the Gulf of Corinth in July 2023. It likely acquired what appears to be a genetic defect during development in the womb, experts say.

A strange dolphin in the Gulf of Corinth has developed intriguing, hook-shaped "thumbs" carved out of its flippers, photographs show.

Researchers with the Pelagos Cetacean Research Institute spotted the dolphin on two occasions this summer during boat surveys off the coast of Greece. Despite the unusual appearance of its flippers, the animal kept pace with the rest of its pod and was seen "swimming, leaping, bow-riding, playing" with other dolphins, said Alexandros Frantzis, the scientific coordinator and president of the Pelagos Cetacean Research Institute.
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Attention

Bear attacks in Japan are at a record high - 212 people attacked, 6 killed in 2023

Chris Lau and Francesca Annio
CNN
Mon, 11 Dec 2023 18:25 UTC
Seishi Sato attacked by a bear while picking mushrooms, in Iwaizumi, Iwate prefecture.
© Seishi SatoSeishi Sato attacked by a bear while picking mushrooms, in Iwaizumi, Iwate prefecture.
Seishi Sato had an ominous feeling when he saw something rustling in a bush during a recent stroll in a forest in northern Japan.

Before he knew it, two Asiatic bears had sprung from the shrub, one charging at him as he frantically tried to fend it off while fearing for his life.

"When I saw them, I was so close and I thought I was in deep trouble," the 57-year-old from Iwate prefecture, in northeast Japan, told CNN.

He survived the attack — but not without plenty of scratches and puncture wounds on his arm and thigh.

Sato is among at least 212 people who survived what has been a record year for bear attacks in Japan, according to the Ministry of Environment. Six people have died.
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Doberman

Dogs attack, kill 50-year-old Greek woman


Punch
Mon, 11 Dec 2023 18:19 UTC
dog attack
A 50-year-old Greek woman has died after she was attacked by three shepherd dogs in her garden in the village of Neochorouda, Greece, Sky News reports Monday.

According to police sources, the dogs escaped through a hole in their owner's fence about 80 metres away and ran to the woman's garden where she was working.

A man, who police said was deaf-mute, was helping the woman with the gardening but was far from her at the moment of the attack and could not hear her screams, the report stated.

The woman was severely mauled and bleeding heavily and was confirmed dead at the scene after the arrival of emergency workers with an ambulance.
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Attention

One killed in bear attack in Odisha, India

Itishree Sethy
pragativadi.com
Sat, 09 Dec 2023 13:34 UTC
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A man was allegedly mauled to death by a wild bear in the forest near Bhartasiuni area in Nabrangpur district. The incident came to light on Saturday.

The deceased was a contractor of the Bhratmala Project conducted in the area.

As per initial reports, the bear attacked the man while he had gone to the forest to attend nature's call. The police on being informed reached the spot and initiated a probe into the matter.
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Bug

Swarms of locusts flood the skies of Merida, Mexico


wnct.com
Thu, 07 Dec 2023 12:25 UTC
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Swarms of locusts were spotted in the skies over Yucatan's capital, Merida, on December 6.

This footage, posted to Facebook by Gonzalez Jose, shows the swarm zooming across the sky in the Mexican city.

The locusts were expected to leave the city in two days and would not endanger crops, local news reported, citing officials.

Credit: Gonzalez Jose via Storyful

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Fish

Thousands of dead fish wash up on beach in northern region of Japan


Lastly.com
Thu, 07 Dec 2023 14:07 UTC
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Thousands of dead fish mysteriously wash up along the coast of northern Japan. A video showing the lifeless fish being washed onto the shore has surfaced on X, formerly twitter.

People on the social media platform have reacted to the viral video. "Something fishy is going on", wrote one user.

Another raised concerns and said if the phenomenon had anything to do with the nuclear waste dumped in the ocean.

While another deemed it as a sign of an earthquake.

The real cause of the fish fatalities remains unknown.

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