Animals
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Attention

Alberta hiker dies in grizzly attack, second fatality for the province this month

Bill Kaufmann
The Cold Lake Sun
Thu, 27 May 2021 11:30 UTC
A large grizzly bear given the name The Boss
© JOHN E. MARRIOTTA large grizzly bear given the name The Boss is shown near Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada, west of Calgary. A second hiker this month was killed during a bear attack on Tuesday near Water Valley, west of Cremona. The RCMP said the person killed was a woman but did not release her name.
Residents are being told to be on the alert after a suspected fatal bear attack near Water Valley, west of Cremona, on Tuesday.

It's the second deadly bear encounter in the region this month.

At about 7 p.m. Tuesday night, Alberta Fish and Wildlife personnel were called to a private property southwest of the hamlet for a report of a fatal bear attack.

"The individual had gone for a walk on their property and was found deceased on one of their trails," Alberta Justice and Solicitor General spokeswoman Ina Lucila said in a statement.

"Officers are still determining the identity of the bear, but a grizzly bear and a cub were seen in the vicinity of the incident. The sow was exhibiting aggressive behaviour."

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Attention

Mouse plague deals fresh blow to Australian farmers


BBC
Tue, 25 May 2021 19:26 UTC
mice
Rural Australia has taken a battering over the last few years, with drought, fires and floods - and many farms in New South Wales are now having to deal with a plague of mice.

These three farmers spoke about living through the worst mouse infestation they've ever seen.

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Attention

Humpback whale found dead on Mediterranean beach in France in rare event


France24
Wed, 26 May 2021 18:32 UTC
dead
A humpback whale was found dead on Wednesday on a beach along the Mediterranean in southern France, in what experts said was a rare incident.

"As soon as we arrived, it was already dead," said Elodie Sene, a caretaker at an aquarium in the town of Grau-du-Roi.

"I've never seen anything like this, it's the first time I see this in the Mediterranean," she added.

The seven-meter-long (23-foot)animal was evacuated from the beach at Carnon, near the seaside town of La Grande-Motte, and was to undergo an autopsy to determine the cause of death.

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Attention

Killer whales spotted off the Cornish coast in the UK for the first time in 50 years


Metro (UK)
Thu, 27 May 2021 13:29 UTC
A newborn orca calf spotted playing with its pod in the North Seas off Moray Firth, near Duncansby Head, Caithness.
© Karen Munro / SWNS.COMA newborn orca calf spotted playing with its pod in the North Seas off Moray Firth, near Duncansby Head, Caithness.
Experts have confirmed two British killer whales which appeared off Cornwall were the most southerly ever recorded in 50 years of observations.

Nine days later the pair were seen back in the Hebrides.

Then, the following day, they were spotted by a research vessel in the waters off Lochboisdale, Scotland.

Multiple organisations confirmed this is the first sighting of this famous pair of killer whales off England and the most southerly point they have ever been recorded in five decades.

Movements of this small and unique group of killer whales have been tracked, over time, by The Sea Watch Foundation, Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust and the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group.

One of the killer whales is known as John Coe - and has a deep nick near the base of his dorsal fin and fluke.

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Doberman

10 month-old girl killed in dog attack in Willow Spring, North Carolina


The Herald Sun
Thu, 27 May 2021 12:59 UTC
dog attack
A 10-month-old girl died Tuesday after being attacked by two family dogs, the Johnston County Sheriff's Office said.

Capt. Jeff Caldwell said in a news release that deputies responding to a report of an animal attack in Willow Spring found Scott Winberry trying to help his injured daughter, Malia Scott Winberry. Deputies learned that family pets had violently attacked Malia and they joined her father's efforts to help until EMS units took over care.

The girl was soon pronounced dead, officials said. Investigators quickly determined that the incident was an accident.

News outlets report that Sheriff Steve Bizzell said the attack happened after the father stepped out of the house to speak with a neighbor.

The father is a law enforcement officer in Wake County and the mother worked for Johnston County's EMS, he said.

Johnston County Animal Control has seized the two Rottweilers involved in the attack.


Source: AP
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Ambulance

Western Australia shark attack survivor says animal 'grabbed his arm like a dog grips a bone'

Syan Dougherty and Lucy Quaggin
7NEWS
Wed, 26 May 2021 19:24 UTC
He’s spoken about his ordeal.
© 7NEWSHe’s spoken about his ordeal.
A fisherman has spoken out about surviving a terrifying shark attack as he went diving with friends in Western Australia's Kimberley region.

Brett Highlands told 7NEWS a shark grabbed his arm like a dog grips a bone - before he used his spear to escape the jaws of a killer.

For a split second, Brett thought he was about to die in the sea off Broome, but he survived to tell the tale.

He was spear-fishing with mates in remote waters - 50 kilometres north of Broome on Friday for his 48th birthday.

"Really dark blue, eerie, there was a lot of unusual fish in the water," he said.

Suddenly, Brett became the bait.

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Attention

Tigers kill two zookeepers in separate China attacks - a third killed in India

James Griffiths
CNN
Wed, 26 May 2021 19:07 UTC
tiger
Two zookeepers have been killed by tigers this week at separate zoos in China, according to state media.

In the first incident Sunday, a 55-year-old keeper surnamed Yang was mauled to death by a tiger as he cleaned its cage at a zoo in eastern Anhui province, state media reported.

Yang had been a tiger handler at the Zhanggongshan Zoo in Bengbu for nearly two decades, the state-run Global Times newspaper reported.

On Tuesday, police shot two tigers dead after they mauled a zookeeper during feeding time and escaped their enclosure at a park in central Henan province. The keeper, surnamed Jia, was hospitalized and later died of his injuries.

Comment: Details of the attack in India on May 18:
Tiger Mauls Zoo keeper To Death In Itanagar Zoo

Palash Karmakar, a zoo keeper has been attacked and killed by a Royal Bengal tigress in Itanagar Zoo on Tuesday afternoon. Poulash Karmakar is a native of Dhekiajuli in Assam's Lakhimpur district.

35-year old Palash on Tuesday when entered Tiger's enclosure for cleaning , Tigeress attacked him, a report said. Palash had gone inside to clean the water body.

The name of the tigress that mauled Karmakar is Chippi and she is about 8 years old.

Preliminary investigation indicated that the door of the Royal Bengal tiger's cage was not closed after feeding allowing it to come out and pounce upon the 35-year-old Karmakar, killing him instantly.

A case of unnatural death has been registered at Itanagar police station.
These big cats have also been busy in the wild of late, see: 3 women killed by tigers in one day in Maharashtra, India

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Cloud Lightning

42 cows killed by lightning bolt that also hit farmer in China

John Feng
Newsweek
Tue, 25 May 2021 10:02 UTC
cows
A farmer in southern China lost 42 cows when he and his cattle herd were struck by lightning during a thunderstorm on Monday.

Officials in the town of Sanjia, which is in Dongfang in the Chinese province of Hainan, said the victim was knocked unconscious by the bolt of electricity, but he was not in any life-threatening condition.

Footage circulating on Chinese social media sites showed villagers and local government officials surveying the farm following the freak weather incident. The lifeless brown cattle can be seen scattered across the field while survivors remain cooped up nearby.

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Doberman

Stray dog bites, kills 59-year-old woman in South Korea


Korea Bizwire
Mon, 24 May 2021 10:35 UTC
dog attack
A woman was mauled to death by a stray dog in a suburb near Seoul on Saturday afternoon.

The 59-year-old died of excessive bleeding a few hours after the dog bit her neck.

The dog's attack was filmed by a closed circuit camera set up in the neighborhood, and police later captured the dog, which looked like a hybrid of Pungsan Dog and Samoyed.

This is not an isolated incident at a time when many pedigreed dogs end up on city streets and turn into strays, baring fangs and attacking people and livestock alike.
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Snowflake

German cows delayed annual trip to the Alps because thick layers of snow are still blanketing pastures

Rebecca Staudenmaier
Deutsche Welle
Sun, 23 May 2021 11:43 UTC
By this time, farmers normally start bringing their cows into the mountains
By this time, farmers normally start bringing their cows into the mountains
For tens of thousands of cows, their summer grazing in the Bavarian Alps will have to wait. Thick layers of snow are still blanketing their pastures — but the cold and wet aren't all bad, say experts.

Cows in southern Germany will have to stay in their stalls a little longer, as their grazing pastures in the Alps are still covered in snow, German media reported on Sunday.

At this time of year, farmers traditionally begin transporting tens of thousands of cattle up into the Alps for the summer, before driving them back down into the valleys in autumn.

What is the situation?

With pastures covered and mountain roads tricky to navigate, the traditional cattle drive will have to wait, news agency dpa reported.

Local business associations in the regions of Allgäu and Upper Bavaria said most farmers will need to wait another two weeks before releasing their cows into the mountainous pastures.

For areas that are even higher up — some farmers might have to wait until mid-June, the associations said.


Comment: A video of the snowy, wintry conditions in the nearby Austrian Alps on May 19:



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