Animals
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Attention

462 human deaths due to elephant attacks in 2020-21 across India

elephants
Odisha has overtaken the north eastern State of Assam to top the country's human fatalities rate due to elephant attack for the second year in a row.

The State reported 93 human deaths due to elephant attacks in 2020-21 while Assam witnessed 91 human casualties, followed by Jharkhand (74) and West Bengal (47). While the year saw 462 human deaths due to elephant attacks across the country, the State accounted for 20% of the cumulative fatality toll, said officials.

In 2019-20, the State also topped the fatality chart with as many as 117 dying due to elephant attack followed by West Bengal (116), Jharkhand (84), Chhattisgarh (77) and Assam (75), they added.

Comment: See also the following article for the years prior: Report says 3,310 people died due to wild elephant attacks in last 7 years across India - Rise in number of deaths 'alarming'


Binoculars

Rare sighting of Oriental turtle-dove wows birders in Palo Alto, California

An oriental turtle dove walks in the front yard
© Karl Mondon/Bay Area News GroupAn oriental turtle dove walks in the front yard of residence in Palo Alto, Calif., Thursday, Feb. 10, 2022. Found in Japan and Siberia, the bird is so rare a sight in the U.S. that it’s been designated a Code 4 “mega-rarity” by the American Birding Association.
A bird sighted last week only for the third time in California has hundreds of birders flocking to Palo Alto's Midtown neighborhood.

The Oriental turtle-dove, also known as the rufous turtle-dove, has been hanging out near Greer Road and Maddux Avenue since Feb. 2. The bird was first spotted by wildlife biologist Andrew Bradshaw, who saw it feeding with local mourning doves under his bird feeder, he said by phone on Wednesday. Since then, the dove has attracted avian aficionados from all over the country.

Armed with birding scopes, binoculars and cameras, gaggles of birders can be seen training their equipment toward the trees. Sometimes, the bird appears in a tall, thin redwood visible from the Matadero Creek overpass on Greer Road; other times, it perches in a high tree on Colorado Avenue at Higgins Place.


Attention

Humpback whale washes up on Channel beach in France

Tractors will pull the massive animal away from the coastline to make sure it is not swept out by the tide, posing a danger to boats
© Denis Charlet/AFPTractors will pull the massive animal away from the coastline to make sure it is not swept out by the tide, posing a danger to boats
A female humpback whale nearly 10 metres long (31 feet) was found dead after washing up on a beach near Calais in northern France early Thursday, a rare occurrence on the Channel coastline according to specialists.

"It's an exceptional event for the region," said Jacky Karpouzopoulos, president of the CMNF mammal preservation association and head of its "marine stranding" team.

He said tractors would pull the massive animal, weighing 20 to 25 tonnes, away from the coastline to make sure it is not swept out by the tide, "because it could be dangerous for boats" in the busy shipping lane.

An autopsy will be carried out directly on the beach, he added.


Question

Around 200 dead or dying starlings fall from the sky and rain down on cars in Pembrokeshire, Wales

The dead starlings on the road
© Michaela PritchardThe dead starlings on the road
"It's like there were hundreds of birds in the sky and all of a sudden they just died and fell to the ground"

A woman driving home was greeted with an "eerie sight" as she came across dead birds lying on a road in Pembrokeshire.

Michaela Pritchard said it looked like a "massacre" as she travelled on the road between Waterston and Hazelbeach on Thursday evening.

There was seemingly little explanation for what caused around 200 birds to die so suddenly, with some pointing to the nearby Dragon LNG plant as a possible cause.

One man added he heard a loud bang before seven or eight birds rained down on his car in nearby Waterston.

Comment: View also this stunning recent (Feb 7) video taken in Mexico of hundreds of migratory birds dying suddenly and mysteriously in mid-flight:




Question

Hundreds of migratory birds die mysteriously in mid-flight in Cuauhtémoc, Mexico

Some videos circulate on social networks of the exact moment when hundreds of birds fell dead in a community in Chihuahua.
Some videos circulate on social networks of the exact moment when hundreds of birds fell dead in a community in Chihuahua.
A video began to circulate on social networks in which hundreds of migratory birds can be seen crashing into the ground in Cuauhtémoc, Chihuahua.

The events would have been recorded on Monday around 05:00.

According to local media, the residents of the sector, seeing the strange behavior of the birds, spoke to the authorities. At least 100 dead migratory birds of the Yellow-headed Blackbird (Xanthocephalus) species were found at the site.

These animals migrate from northern Canada to northern Mexico where they spend the winter.


Comment: See in addition: Around 200 dead or dying starlings fall from the sky and rain down on cars in Pembrokeshire, Wales


Binoculars

Wrong place, wrong time: American robin turns up in Eastbourne, UK

American robin
© Chris HoltThe American robin in Eastbourne
An Eastbourne sighting of an American robin is the first ever in the county, according to the Sussex Ornithological Society.

The bird was spotted yesterday afternoon (Tuesday, February 9) and has led to a number of bird watchers coming to the town.

David Campbell, who is the county recorder for the ornithological society, said, "This is the first in Sussex.

"It is the last thing you are expecting, something like that this time of the year."


Doberman

2 dogs maul man to death outside his New Mexico home

dog attack
A 56-year-old man died after being attacked by two dogs in Las Cruces on Jan. 27, according to a case report from the Doña Ana County Sheriff's Office.

The attack happened outside of Saad Alanazi's home on Freese Ln, according to the case report.

Alanazi had "several deep wounds to his legs," according to one of the deputies who responded to the scene. A deputy also collected Alanazi's pants which were covered in blood, according to the report.

Sophie Clark, who lives across the street from Alanazi with her husband Rudy, said she heard dogs barking and said that she and her husband saw Alanazi on the ground in front of his home being attacked by two large dogs, according to DACSO.

Rudy told deputies that he went to help Alanazi and said that it appeared Alanazi was trying to fight the dogs off and retreat to his home.

Health

Woman attacked by shark at Esperance in Western Australia, scene of two previous fatal attacks

Great white shark
A woman has been attacked by a shark at Kelp Beds, east of Esperance, on WA's south coast.

The woman was on a flotation device about 200 metres offshore when witnesses reported seeing a shark, a spokesman from the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRB) said.

The ABC understands she was taken to hospital by friends.

The Royal Flying Doctor Service confirmed it was transporting a patient to Perth from Kelp Beds with the flight to arrive later this evening.

The incident was reported just before midday.

The department is working with local authorities to investigate.


Snowflake

Deep snow is forcing bison onto Interior Alaska roads

A half-dozen bison looking for food wandered into the driveway of Elena Powers’ home on Spruce Road in the agricultural area south of Delta Junction last month.
© Elena PowersA half-dozen bison looking for food wandered into the driveway of Elena Powers’ home on Spruce Road in the agricultural area south of Delta Junction last month.
Bison have been spending their winters in the farmlands near Delta Junction for decades. But this year's deep, icy snow pack has forced the animals to forage at farms and travel on roadways. And that's put both the bison and drivers at risk.

A video making the rounds on YouTube illustrates what can happen when vehicles encounter bison on a roadway. It shows how, with no other way to get around the vehicle except through deep snow off the sides of the road, the bison charged and trampled over the top of a car.

The car was seriously damaged, but the driver reportedly was OK. Neither he nor the person who recorded the video could be reached.


Attention

Dead baby humpback whale found near Honolulu, Hawaii

Dead baby humpback whale found in Hawaii Kai
Dead baby humpback whale found in Hawaii Kai
A dead baby humpback whale was found in the Hawaii Kai area on O'ahu on Sunday, Feb. 6, according to NOAA Fisheries.