Animals
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Binoculars

Rare Brown Booby turns up at Hove Beach, UK more than 3,000 miles away from its from Caribbean home

The bird was rescued from Hove beach
The bird was rescued from Hove beach
The brown booby was rescued from Hove beach at midday on Sunday, January 2, by volunteers from East Sussex Wildlife Rescue and Ambulance Service (East Sussex WRAS) near Lewes.

A passer-by said the bird stood "with its head under its wing" before being placed in a box by a concerned member of the public until the volunteers arrived.

Volunteers say the bird, which is most commonly found in the Caribbean and on the west coast of Africa, was underweight at just 760g.

Lourdes Cortes, veterinary surgeon for East Sussex WRAS said: "We are being very guarded about the birds' chances of survival due to the degree of weight loss.


Fish

Two juvenile deep-sea oarfish wash ashore in Ormoc City, Philippines

Two oarfish were washed ashore Thursday morning (January 6) in the coastal village of Macabug, Ormoc City.
Two oarfish were washed ashore Thursday morning (January 6) in the coastal village of Macabug, Ormoc City.
Two oarfish were washed ashore Thursday morning, January 6, in the coastal village of Macabug, Ormoc City.

The deep-sea creatures were still alive when they were spotted by a fisherman named Camlon Sarno, 40.

His wife Arlyn took photos of the fish that spanned 9 feet and weighed 20 kgs, while the other one was 8 feet in length and weighed 15 kgs.

Arlyn said the fishes were divided among their neighbors.


Comment: Dead oarfish found off Mindanao, Philippines prior to seismic activity: Can animals predict earthquakes?


Attention

Signs and Portents: Villagers flock to see two-headed calf in southern India

The calf lies on sacking next to its mother at a farm in Gangaikondan, south India
The calf lies on sacking next to its mother at a farm in Gangaikondan, south India
A baby calf with two heads, four eyes and two mouths has become a local attraction in Gangaikondan, south India.

A video taken on January 1 shows lines of curious spectators queueing up to see the newborn creature lying in a shed with its mother.

A woman can be seen bottle feeding the calf, while another holds its head up so it can drink the milk.

The farmer, identified only as Murugan, is having to bottle feed the newborn as its two heads are too heavy for it to lift, leaving it unable to suckle from its mother.


Eye 1

Diver killed in crocodile attack at beach in Colombo, Sri Lanka

CROC
A 57-year-old man, who was diving in Dehiwala beach, had been snatched away by a crocodile yesterday morning, Police said.

He was diving into the sea to catch ornamental fish when a group of fishermen spotted him being grabbed by a 14-foot-long crocodile.

The fishermen tried to rescue him, but the man died after sustaining severe damage to his chest.

They said the body has been placed at the Colombo-South Teaching Hospital.

The victim had been identified as a resident of Ratmalana.

Attention

Tens of thousands of dead starfish wash up on coast in Pembrokeshire, Wales - 'I have never seen something like this before'

Tens of thousands' of starfish wash up on Pembrokeshire coastline
Tens of thousands' of starfish wash up on Pembrokeshire coastline.
Tens of thousands of starfish have been discovered washed up along the Pembrokeshire coastline in a huge mass stranding.

The creatures were spotted along the beach from Coppet Hall in Saundersfoot all the way up to Tenby and there are reported to be tens of thousands of them.

Giles Davies, an amateur nature photographer, shared a snapshot of the starfish along the shore.

He said: "I have never seen something like this before. It's really sad to just see that in nature, because you're looking at deaths in the thousands of one species.

"That would kind of make sense because Tenby is the first place where the tide turns in Wales, so when you get strandings they come to shore generally in that area. But it's the sheer volume, you're always going to get winter tides where stuff will come ashore."

Attention

Humpback whale washes ashore along Tajiguas Beach, California

Rare Sight Could Help Researchers Studying Cetacean Mammals in Santa Barbara Channel
© Kevin LoughranRare sight could help researchers studying cetacean mammals in Santa Barbara Channel
Locals taking an early-morning oceanside walk at Tajiguas Beach last week were in for a huge surprise when they found a 44-foot-long humpback whale washed up onto the sand.

Kevin Loughran, a resident who has lived in the area for nearly 30 years, takes a walk along the beach every day; shortly after sunrise, he received a call from a friend who had seen the whale. "I went down to see what was going on, and there she was," he said.

Loughran said this was the first time he had seen a whale washed up in the area, though it was more common to see smaller animals like seals and pelicans or, even more commonly, abandoned panga boats.

The whale — a young female humpback —had washed up during the morning high tide on New Year's Eve, and Loughran said he wanted to make sure the proper authorities knew about it. He contacted the Channel Islands Cetacean Research Unit, which studies abandoned or stranded whales, dolphins, and porpoises in the Santa Barbara Channel.


Arrow Up

3 Beaked whales wash ashore in Port Macquarie, Australia

Beaked whales wash ashore in Port Macquarie,
Beaked whales wash ashore in Port Macquarie
Three beaked whales have washed up on a Port Macquarie beach in northern New South Wales.

The whales were spotted during the afternoon in shallow water off a rugged, rocky beach and died on the beach a short time later.

National Parks and Wildlife Service area manager Shane Robinson said it was a species rarely seen.

"Generally speaking we don't commonly see beaked whales so they are a rarity, especially on this stretch of the coast," he said.

Mr Robinson said it was unclear why they had come so close to shore.


Doberman

Boy died after dog attack in remote Northern Territory, Australia

dog attack
A young boy who died after going missing from a remote central Australian desert community was mauled during an "horrific" dog attack.

The three-year-old's family reported his absence on Friday evening about 11am after searching Hermannsburg, southwest of Alice Springs, for several hours.

Northern Territory police joined the search late on New Year's Eve and an officer found the injured child about 9am on Saturday.

He was taken to the local health clinic but died before he could be treated.

Doberman

Man dies after Chicago dog attack, officials say

PIT BULL ATTACK
A 34-year-old man was fatally mauled by dogs on the Far South Side, officials said Saturday.

Police were called to a residence in the 300 block of West 108th Place in the Roseland neighborhood about 11:30 pm. Thursday and found the still-unidentified man in a living room, with "visible dog bites" about the body, police said.

An autopsy Saturday determined the man died of multiple injuries from a dog mauling, according to the Cook County medical examiner's office. His death was ruled an accident.

Three dogs - two pit bulls and one American Bully, were found inside the home and city's department of animal control and care was notified, police said.

Attention

Six dolphin and whale strandings in one day in Ireland

The emaciated whale at Downings.
© IWDG/FacebookThe emaciated whale at Downings.
There has been a high number of stranded cetaceans in the last few weeks

There has been a recent spate of strandings reported to the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group (IWDG), including two in Donegal.

On December 27 alone, six animals were reported with three of these being live strandings.

A spokesperson for IWDG said: "A very emaciated Cuvier's beaked whale live stranded on Dooey Beach in Downings.

"IWDG Donegal local group were mobilised, although the animal died shortly after live stranding."

One common dolphin was reported live stranded from Galway with serious injuries. The dolphin died within 20 minutes of IWDG arriving to the seen.