Animals
S


Cloud Lightning

Ferocious lightning bolt kills 8 cattle in Tipperary, Ireland

Peter Gleeson
Irish Farmers Journal
Thu, 08 Aug 2019 10:29 UTC
Gerry Larkin discovered eight out of 10 cattle dead after being struck by lightning in Ballintemple, Moneygall.
© Odhran DucieGerry Larkin discovered eight out of 10 cattle dead after being struck by lightning in Ballintemple, Moneygall.
A ferocious thunderstorm in Moneygall last Sunday evening resulted in the apparent sudden deaths of eight cattle who were struck by lightning.

The cattle, eight in-calf heifers, owned by local farmer Gerry Larkin were sheltering under a bush when the lethal bolt of lightning hit at around 6.30pm.

Mr Larkin discovered the calamity the following day when he went to see his stock at a farm he holds on a long-term lease at Ballintemple, Moneygall.
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Question

'Mystery illness' strikes Dutch wild boar


BBC News
Tue, 06 Aug 2019 08:43 UTC
Wild boars
© ERIK VAN 'T WOUD/AFP/GETTY IMAGESThe boar are popular with visitors
As many as 70 wild boar have died of an unexplained illness at a nature reserve in the eastern Netherlands.

Only about 20 boar die of disease in the Hoge Veluwe reserve annually, but the figure so far this year is more than triple that, the Omroep Gelderland public broadcaster reports.

Erik Koffeman of the Gelderland Wildlife Management Department says the death rate is "unprecedented - experts have never seen anything like this before".

Wild boar are allowed to live in only a few parts of the country, in case they cause damage or disrupt traffic, and the Hoge Veluwe reserve alone has a population of more than 6,000, according to the local De Stentor newspaper.
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Attention

Adapt 2030 Ice Age Report: Opposing powers complicit to hide crop losses from both societies


Adapt 2030
Tue, 06 Aug 2019 22:03 UTC
African swine flu in China
© Reuters/Hallie Gu.jpgWorkers in protective suits are seen at a checkpoint near a farm where African swine fever was detected in Hebei province, China on February 26, 2019.
Chinese duck farmers become millionaires as 50%+ of China's pig population is culled at the same time Beijing forbids any state owned enterprises from importing USA agricultural products. This presents a problem as Russia curtails exports, French and Bulgarian corn decreased and China itself loses 35%+ of its corn crop, so with the USA being a major exporter to China, where is the food going to come from??? Unless excuses are being generated on both sides to distract from the largest crop losses in almost a century.

Climate Revolution is a 'Must Read' for understanding our Sun driven climate as we progress deeper into the new Eddy Grand Solar Minimum. Weather extremes leading to Global food scarcity and high food prices are here now, and this book describes the expected changes, how to survive & thrive during future challenging times with practical preparations.


Comment: Food prices across the planet are already rising because of the increasingly erratic seasons and extreme weather events, animal pandemics could result in a catastrophe for our food supply:

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Sheeple

500 Sheep die in 'mass suicide jump' off cliff in eastern Turkey


Strange Sounds
Sat, 03 Aug 2019 00:00 UTC
sheep mass animal die-off Turkey
© HurrietdailynewsThis is one of the most brutal mass suicidal die-offs.
One sheep reportedly jumped off a 20-meter high cliff and was followed by the others in the herd, which was grazing in the Topyıldız village of Van's Gürpınar district.

The sheep that triggered the bizarre incident was reportedly trying to jump from one cliff to another in the early hours of June 12 in the Arebi-Krom plateau near the Yaprakli hamlet.

Comment: This is also eerily similar to an incident in France a few years ago where 200 sheep died from jumping off a cliff. While a bear was blamed for chasing the sheep, the incident could have been caused by something altogether different. As the SOTT editor commented:
Although a bear attack can't be ruled out, we can suspect that the incident was created by a "weather event" or something that created a high impact explosion, like a sonic boom or lightning strike. Sheep have acute hearing and are prone to "instantly scatter" away from heavy percussion and the source of the vibration. Many of the sheep were found to have dispersed over the mountains. It's dubious that a bear attack would create that type of a reaction.


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Attention

50 pilot whales strand, 20 die in Iceland - 2 weeks after similar event locally


France24
Sat, 03 Aug 2019 12:00 UTC
dead whales
© Reykjavik Helicopters
Some 20 pilot whales have died stranded in mysterious circumstances on the south-western coast of Iceland, emergency services said Saturday, only two weeks after a similarly unexplained mass stranding had already killed dozens of the long-finned cetaceans.

The dead whales, part of a group of 50 stranded whales, were discovered late Friday near Gardur, some 50 kilometres (31 miles) from the capital Reykjavik.

According to Icelandic media, locals began rescue efforts to save the whales even before emergency teams arrived.


Comment: Interestingly yet another stranding of pilot whales (5) happened on July 29 on Redington Beach, Florida but on that occasion all were rescued.

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Question

What's causing the mystery deaths of dolphins and whales off the Tuscan coast in Italy? 34 so far in 2019


The Local (Italy)
Sat, 03 Aug 2019 17:24 UTC
dolphins
Thirty-two dolphins and two whales have been found dead off the Tuscan coast since the beginning of the year, the Italian region's environmental protection agency said Friday.

Autopsies showed many had stopped feeding, suggesting they had been hit by a virus, possibly measles, experts said.

Over just four days at the end of July the bodies of six dolphins were found, the agency's spokesman Marco Talluri told AFP.

"We analysed the stomachs of eight specimens and found that they were half empty, as if the animals had not eaten for two or three days," said Italian biologist Cecilia Mancusi, an expert from the ARPAT environmental agency.
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Eye 2

Crocodiles enter the flooded city of Vadodara, India


Hindustan Times
Fri, 02 Aug 2019 12:36 UTC
The crocodile extremely close to the dogs.
Crocodile extremely close to the dogs.
Vadodara and other cities of Gujarat have received torrential rain causing water-logging in various areas. Pictures and videos circulating online show the scary state caused by the rain. One rather terrifying video shared online shows a crocodile swimming near a residential area and attacking a dog.

The video posted on Twitter shows two dogs standing in water next to a building. People inside the building can be seen holding ropes probably trying to help the dogs out of the water. Seconds into the video a crocodile can be seen swimming towards them. At one point, it reaches extremely close to one of the dogs and even attacks it. The dog, luckily, manages to get away.

Take a look at the video that captures the incident and also how flood affected the city:

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Black Cat

Family of 5 attacked by bobcat at Arizona campground


ABC News
Wed, 31 Jul 2019 12:45 UTC
A Bobcat prowls through the woods in this undated stock photo.
A Bobcat prowls through the woods in this undated stock photo.
Five family members were injured by a bobcat at their campsite in Arizona, according to authorities.

The victims, all Arizona residents, were at the Shannon Campgrounds in Mount Graham when a bobcat entered their campsite around 7:30 p.m. Sunday, according to a news release from the Graham County Sheriff's Office.

The bobcat first attacked a 4-year-old girl, prompting other family members to hit, kick and grab the animal to get it off her.

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Attention

Florida beach reports surfer bitten by shark in 2nd attack in 2 days

Enjoli Francis
ABC News
Mon, 29 Jul 2019 12:25 UTC
Shark attacks
Malpurs told ABC News on Monday that the attack occurred at around 1:30 p.m. and that the teenager had suffered lacerations on the hand from one strike. She said he was treated on the scene but refused to be transported by ambulance.

On Saturday, William Angell, 49, of Arizona, was bitten in the right thigh around 4:30 p.m. by a shark while boogie-boarding at New Smyrna Beach. He was treated on the scene, according to Volusia County officials.

About 100 miles away that same day, professional surfer Frank O'Rourke, 23, faced off with a shark at Florida's Jacksonville Beach.

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Butterfly

Millions of butterflies flying to Scotland in 'once-in-a-decade' phenomenon

Dayna McAlpine
Edinburgh Live
Fri, 19 Jul 2019 14:01 UTC
Painted Lady Butterfly Migration
Painted Lady butterfly migration
The UK could be experiencing a once-in-a-decade wildlife phenomenon this year with a mass influx of painted lady butterflies, experts have said.

TV naturalist Chris Packham is urging people to take part in the world's largest insect citizen science survey, the annual Big Butterfly Count, to see if the painted ladies are arriving in their millions to the UK's shores this year.

The painted lady butterfly is a common immigrant from the continent to the UK each summer where its caterpillars feed on thistles (you can see why they're heading to Scotland) but around once every 10 years there is a painted lady "summer" when millions arrive en masse.

This summer is set to be just that rare summer as the wildlife charity Butterfly Conservation, which runs the Big Butterfly Count, said unusually high numbers have been reported across Europe over the spring and early summer with large numbers now spotted crossing to the UK.

Comment: The Guardian provides some more detail of how some butterflies are able to complete those kinds of arduous journey's:
Every September an incredible migration phenomenon begins. Clouds of stripy orange monarch butterflies set off on a 2,500km journey, travelling from southern Canada to warmer climes in southern California and Mexico. Come spring they follow the milkweed blossom and travel back up north. No butterfly completes the entire trip: after flying many hundreds of kilometres the female butterflies lay eggs and pass the baton to the next generation. Now a new study, published in Biology Letters, reveals how these amazing insects make use of the weather to aid their journey.

Miniaturised radio transmitters were attached to the butterflies and their journey tracked using a series of automated telemetry towers. The results show how monarchs soar high to take advantage of strong tailwinds, powering along at up to 31kph. Those that have to travel furthest seem to travel fastest, but all butterflies took rest days every now and then. Warmer temperatures also help (though only up to a certain point) and on a good day they managed to travel over 100km. Light rain didn't seem to have any adverse effect, but the researchers note they didn't track any individuals during heavy rain events. Perhaps they shelter and make up lost time later?
See also: And check out SOTT radio's:

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