Animals
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Attention

Third gray whale in 3 weeks washes up dead on San Francisco Bay area shores

Alix Martichoux
SF Gate
Thu, 04 Apr 2019 12:32 UTC
dead whale
A gray whale washed ashore Wednesday near Rodeo, along the San Pablo Bay shoreline not far from the Carquinez Bridge.

The whale is the third in three weeks to wash up on Bay Area shores.

"The death of a third gray whale in San Francisco Bay this year is a cause for serious concern as it speaks to the broader challenges this species continues to face in its ocean home," Dr. Padraig Duignan, chief research pathologist at the Marine Mammal Center, said in a statement.

More whales have been spotted hanging out in the San Francisco Bay since early March, and scientists fear it's a sign of trouble with the species. They suspect it's because the whales are starving.
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Attention

Dead sperm whale washes ashore in Connemara, Ireland

Briain Kelly
Galway Daily
Mon, 01 Apr 2019 19:23 UTC
dead whale
© Neasa ní Chualáin
One of the world's largest predators, the sperm whale, washed ashore at Mace Head in Connemara on Sunday.

The 40ft sperm whale was reportedly already dead when it beached at Mace Head, Moyrus near Carna.

The Irish Whale and Dolphin Group have said that it is most likely the same one that was spotted floating by commercial fisherman out of Ballyconneelly and filmed by Brendan Conneely.

The stranding at Mace Head was reported to the IWDG by Seamus MacDonnacha of Cill Chiaráin, and Rónán Ó Conghaile.

This is the third sperm whale to wash ashore so far this year, which a spokesperson for the IWDG said is "unusual but nothing sinister".

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Attention

Whale shark washes ashore on beach near Cape Town, South Africa

Ishani Chetty
capetownetc.com
Mon, 01 Apr 2019 19:11 UTC
The whale shark found on the beach this morning.
© Cape RADD, FacebookThe whale shark found on the beach this morning.
A whale shark was found washed ashore on a local beach in the Kommetjie area this morning.

Cape Research and Diver Development (RADD), a marine field station that serves as platform for research in the Cape Town and False Bay Area confirmed the incident on social media.

"This morning we were alerted to a washed up whale shark on a local beach along the peninsula (Kommetjie)."

As the organisation aims to conserve the underwater environment, they expressed that they were "very sad" to hear the news of the washed up whale shark.
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Eye 2

Signs and Portents: Double-headed carpet python found in Port Macquarie, Australia

Robert Dougherty
walchanewsonline.com
Mon, 01 Apr 2019 21:05 UTC
Cute as a two-headed button: The double-header baby carpet python was found and sheltered by reptile remover Stuart Johnson.
Cute as a two-headed button: The double-header baby carpet python was found and sheltered by reptile remover Stuart Johnson.
A rare double-headed carpet python has been discovered unexpectedly by a Port Macquarie reptile expert.

The two-headed baby was found and sheltered by reptile remover Stuart Johnson, after it was abandoned by its parent in March.

Unfortunately, it did not survive more than 12 hours after hatching.

Mr Johnson, who maintains reptiles at Billabong Zoo and operates Port Macquarie's Reptile Solutions, said the find was rare.
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Black Cat

Seven-year-old boy mauled by cougar near Lake Cowichan, British Columbia


vancouverisland.ctvnews.ca
Fri, 29 Mar 2019 12:40 UTC
A cougar
© DreamstimeA cougar
A seven-year-old boy is in serious condition with injuries to his head, neck and arms after being mauled by at least two cougars near Lake Cowichan.

"At this point we believe there may be two or more cougars involved," conservation officer Ben York told CTV News Friday.

Land and air ambulance units were dispatched to the scene on Point Ideal Drive at approximately 3:30 p.m.

The child was flown to a Vancouver hospital in serious condition, according to the town's mayor.

"I was just talking to a young girl who was looking after him. He doesn't live in that area, I don't think, he was just visiting. And she was the one that told me his arms were chewed up and that he'd be ok," Mayor Rod Peters said.

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Nuke

Latest study shows an increase in levels of Fukushima-related contamination in Alaskan waters as Tokyo reassures the world all is well with 2020 Olympics

Gary Walton
The Big Wobble
Fri, 29 Mar 2019 12:56 UTC
salmon
© 10castnetwallpaper.blogspot.com
The latest study shows an increase in levels of Fukushima-related contamination off the shores of Alaska, regular readers of The Big Wobble will know Bill Laughing-Bear has been keeping an eye on fish in Alaskan waters and has warned us all of rising radioactive contamination for years now.

Recently other warnings have been published as the slow drip-drip-drop of information is slowly increasing.

In 2017, A study by the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa revealed almost 50% of fish consumed on the islands of Hawai'i were contaminated with caesium 134 the radioactive finger-print of Fukushima.

The report also showed that migrating organisms can transport the Fukushima-signature (caesium 134) over significant distances as they showed detectable 134Cs (6.3±1.5 Bq/kg) in Pacific bluefin tuna caught off the California coast only a year after the incident.

Another study found caesium 134 in longfin tuna (Albacore) along the western coast of the US just one year after the Fukushima disaster.
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Attention

Mass death of krill near Powell River, British Columbia

James Wood
mypowellrivernow.com
Thu, 28 Mar 2019 12:10 UTC
A photo of the krill, sourced from the Facebook page of Darlene Williams.
A photo of the krill, sourced from the Facebook page of Darlene Williams.
An apparent mass death of krill near Powell River has a fisheries scientist concerned.

The die-off was first discovered along the shoreline just southeast of the Beach Gardens Resort and Marina, on Wednesday evening. A post by Powell River resident Darlene Williams stated that she saw what appeared to be "1000 dead baby prawns".

Photos show many small animals washed up on the beach.

The MyPowellRiverNow.com newsroom reached out to DFO for comment on what took place. According to zooplankton taxonomist Moira Galbraith, who works at the Institute of Ocean Sciences in Patricia Bay, the animals appeared to be female krill in the process of mating, or having recently mated.
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Doberman

Horrific video shows pit bull kill Pomeranian before helpless owner's eyes in New York

Joseph Ostapiuk
silive.com
Fri, 29 Mar 2019 19:47 UTC
PIT BULL ATTACK
A 16-year routine for two dog owners from Eltingville ended in horror after the couple's Pomeranian was brutally attacked and killed by a passing pit bull who overpowered the child who was walking it.

The couple, who spoke to the Advance under the condition their name not be published, said that their beloved dog would commonly follow the female homeowner without a leash as she took out the garbage for the evening.

The couple's dog, as shown in the dramatic and gruesome video captured by the family's Ring doorbell on March 16, follows the homeowner and walks to the curb a few feet away before urinating by a mailbox.

Shortly after, a pit bull being walked on a leash by a small grade-school child crosses paths with the family pet.

The pit bull viciously and unexpectedly latches onto the Pomeranian "like a chew toy," the homeowner said, "and threw him around."

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Question

Whales swimming in Long Beach Harbor, California for over 1 month is unusual behavior, experts say

Sid Garcia
abc7.com
Sat, 30 Mar 2019 11:51 UTC
Whales
Up to five whales were spotted swimming in the Long Beach Harbor Friday. Though it was a spectacular sight, the pod's behavior is making experts concerned.

Capt. Dan Salas with Harbor Breeze Cruises said during this phase of the migration, whales usually stay around the area for a couple days and head up north.

But this year, Salas said he's noticed that the gray whales are sticking around the area for well over a month. They've been actively feeding near the Port of Los Angeles. Salas clarified that during migration, the whales typically do not feed at all.


Comment: Whale's carcass spotted off Torrey Pines' coast - 2nd off Southern California recently

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Attention

Whale's carcass spotted off Torrey Pines' coast - 2nd off Southern California recently

Alexander Nguyen
nbclosangeles.com
Fri, 29 Mar 2019 10:31 UTC
whale
© San Diego Fire-Rescue
The carcass of a whale, presumably a gray whale, was found off the coast of Torrey Pines on Thursday.

Black's Beach lifeguards spotted the cetacean floating in the water about 2 to 3 miles off Sumner Canyon, San Diego Fire-Rescue spokeswoman Monica Munoz said.

The 30-foot whale, possibly a gray whale, was in the early stages of decomposition and bloating, she said.

Lifeguards are working with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to secure carcass samples to figure out a way to dispose of the whale.

Comment: Dead gray whale washed ashore on Malibu Beach, California

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