Animals
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Attention

Man killed in bear attack in Tamil Nadu, India

Sloth bear
Sloth bear
An elderly man was allegedly killed in a bear attack at Chidambaram Vilakku near Andipatti in Theni district. The deceased has been identified as G Senrayaperumal of Annanagar, Duraisamypuram village, Andipatti taluk.

On Saturday night when the ex-serviceman was travelling on his bike to his farm he was allegedly attacked. A bear jumped on Senrayaperumal at Attuparai. In the impact, he suffered head injuries and was found lying with a bleeding face.

On Sunday morning, his wife Saraswathi rang him, but there was no response. But much to her shock, Saraswathi found the mauled body on the farm.

Based on a complaint lodged by Saraswathi, Myladumparai police filed a case under Sections 194 BNSS (Animal attack) and 174 of Cr.P.C., sources said.

Attention

Woman mauled, killed by neighbor's pigs in 'horrible situation' on Christmas Day in Pataskala, Ohio

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© Nathan Stirk/Getty Images
A Pataskala woman was mauled, killed and partially eaten by her neighbor's pigs on Christmas Day, according to the city's police chief.

Rebecca Westergaard, 75, of Pataskala, died after being attacked by two pigs that were roaming near her Mink Street home, Pataskala Police Chief Bruce Brooks told The Dispatch on Monday.

Westergaard's niece called Pataskala police at 2:47 p.m. for a welfare check after no one could reach Westergaard. She was supposed to leave her home in the 4000 block of Mink Street, where she lived alone, at 10:30 a.m. to go to her niece's home in Norton, Ohio, just outside of Akron, according to the police's incident report.

Westergaard was found on her property near the house, Brooks said.

Doberman

Record dog attack death count of 71 in 2024 in USA

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2024 dog attack toll started slowly, closed fast

The year 2024 closed with ten fatal dog attacks in 26 days, ending with a record 71 reported fatalities in the U.S., 51 by pit bull, plus another in Canada, for a new combined U.S.-and-Canada death toll on 72.

But that is not how 2024 started out.

Twenty-nine days into the year, January 2024 appeared likely to become the first month since November 2020 without a pit bull-inflicted human fatality occurring somewhere around the U.S.

Then, within the last 48 hours of the month, as well as killing Harold Phillips, pit bulls killed 19-year-old Carlon Galloway, of Fort Hall, Idaho; Willie Mundine, 85, of Indianapolis, Indiana, killed in the act of protecting his wife; and Sommer Kanoeonalani Crivello, of Ocean View, Hawaii.

Comment: The year prior held the previous record of fatal encounters, showing the increasing trend in recent years: Record 68 dog attack deaths in 2023 in the U.S. and Canada included also record 55 by pit bull


Attention

Coyote attacks and attempts to drag 5-year-old boy into nearby forest in Renton, Washington

Coyote
© Getty ImagesCoyote
A 5-year-old Renton boy was injured in an attack by a coyote on New Year's Eve. The injuries were non-life-threatening, and the child was released from a hospital on the same day. State wildlife officials urge parents to use caution when coyotes are sighted and to know how to respond in case of an attack.

Fast action by mom

It could have been far worse, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) said this week. They credited quick action by the boy's mother for preventing more significant injuries after the wild canine attempted to drag the boy into a greenbelt in the city's Maplewood Heights neighborhood.

The attack happened at around 6 p.m. on December 31. According to the WDFW, the animal bit the boy in the upper body and pulled him to the ground before trying to drag him. The child's mother rushed at the coyote, forcing it to release the child.

Although the animal stayed near the area of the attack until WDFW officers arrived, the coyote ran into a forested area nearby after the officers tried to kill it.

Attention

Raccoon attacks infant inside his Idaho home

racoon
A raccoon attacked an infant inside an Idaho home this week as the baby boy was in a carrier, the state wildlife department said Friday.

The incident happened Monday in Cassia County after the infant's mother had just returned home, Idaho Fish and Game said in a statement.

The mother heard a noise, investigated and found the animal, it said.

"The mother found a raccoon attacking her infant. She was able to grab the animal to stop the attack," the department said.

The child's father and a Cassia County sheriff's deputy went to the home, found the raccoon still inside and they killed the animal, Fish and Game said.

Doberman

'Nature is sometimes cruel': Hyena kills girl, 3, at Timbavati Private Nature Reserve, South Africa

a spotted hyena
A spotted hyena
The young daughter of a staff member at one of the privately owned safari lodges at Timbavati Private Nature Reserve was killed by a spotted hyena on Friday, 27 December.

A hyena attack at a privately owned lodge in Timbavati Private Nature Reserve led to the death of a young girl on the evening of Friday, 27 December. The reserve lies on the western boundary of the Kruger National Park, extending into both Mpumalanga and Limpopo.

The victim was the daughter of one of the staff members employed at the lodge. Edwin Pierce, warden of the reserve, told Daily Maverick he was "deeply saddened" to confirm the deadly attack.

Attention

Surfer attacked by shark on South Australia west coast identified as Lance Appleby - 2nd such fatality for the country in 5 days (4th globally)

Great white shark
The victim of a suspected fatal shark attack off South Australia's west coast has been identified as 28-year-old Lance Appleby.

Heartfelt tributes have been paid to the surfer and talented footballer, with friends describing Mr Appleby as a "loved character" and a "bloody champion man".

SA Police said Mr Appleby was surfing at Granites beach south-west of Streaky Bay on Thursday evening when witnesses reported seeing a shark attack him.

Emergency services will renew their search on Saturday morning after they suspended their efforts on Friday afternoon after searching the water for most of the day.

They also searched the area for a few hours on Thursday evening after initial reports of the attack just after 7pm.

Police and locals have described the incident as a "tragedy" and have expressed condolences to the victim's family, friends and colleagues.


Comment: Details of the 3 other recent deaths:


Attention

Shark attack kills man in New Caledonia

Great white shark
A man has been killed in a shark attack in the French territory of New Caledonia, according to local media. This marks the second fatal shark attack reported worldwide in a single day.

The incident occurred at approximately 4:15 p.m. on Thursday while the victim and his family were spearfishing near Kendek Islet, close to the city of Koumac, according to Nouvelle-Calédonie La 1ère, citing the prosecutor's office. The 40-year-old man was at a drop-off about 50 feet (15 meters) deep when he was attacked by the shark.

The man lost consciousness after sustaining severe injuries to his arm. Family members at the scene managed to bring him back to the islet before transporting him by boat to the marina.

The victim's wife attempted to provide first aid, including applying a tourniquet. Upon arrival at the marina, firefighters and volunteer healthcare professionals provided emergency treatment.

Doberman

7-year-old-girl mauled to death by stray dogs in Rajasthan, India

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A seven-year-old girl was mauled to death by stray dogs in Rajasthan's Alwar, police officials said on Thursday. The incident took place while the girl was returning home on Wednesday evening, they said. The girl received multiple wounds on her body, officials added.

The locals working in the nearby fields saved the girl from the dog attack and took her to the hospital, where the doctors declared her dead, officials said.

Rajasthan State Human Rights Commission issued a notice to the Khairthal-Tijara district collector and municipality commissioner in connection with the incident. RSHRC Chairperson Justice G R Moolchandani has asked the authorities to submit a report on the incident by January 31 and compensate the victim's family.

The Commission termed the death of the girl, who suffered around 40 bite wounds, "shocking" and accused the authorities of not properly discharging their legislative responsibilities.

Binoculars

Wrong place, wrong time: Migrant yellow warbler from North America turns up in Kent, UK in the winter

A yellow warbler from North America, an extremely rare visitor to Britain, is attracting birdwatchers from around the country to Ken
© Gareth Fuller/PAA yellow warbler from North America, an extremely rare visitor to Britain, is attracting birdwatchers from around the country to Ken
Enthusiasts from across the UK have been descending on Kent this festive season, drawn by the rare sighting of an American bird. Spotted for the first time on Christmas Eve near Maidstone in New Hythe, the American yellow warbler has caused quite a stir among the birdwatching community.

The warbler, an "extremely rare visitor to Britain and Ireland" as described by the British Trust for Ornithology, attracted dozens more spectators on Monday when it was seen perching in an alder tree. Austin Morley, a wildlife and bird blogger, shared his experience on social media, recalling how the elusive bird made his group wait almost five hours before showing itself.

His Facebook post read: "Sensational day in Kent yesterday, with prolonged point blank views of the American yellow warbler at New Hythe and the scops owl at Broadstairs. No better way to end the birding year."