Animals
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Attention

Agencies overwhelmed as over 127 dead dolphins wash up on Southwest Florida shores in 2018

Amy Bennett Williams
News-Press
Fri, 28 Dec 2018 12:47 UTC
A dead dolphin is washed up on the beach south
© Roger JacobsenA dead dolphin is washed up on the beach south of Lowdermilk Park close to North Lake Drive in Naples on Sunday, Nov. 25, 2018.
As it has for been many species, 2018 was a terrible year for dolphins, which are still in what was declared an "unusual mortality event" by government agencies in August.

The region's unrelenting and remarkably virulent toxic red tide is thought to be to blame. Scientific confirmation of its lethal impact on dolphins, however, has been slow in coming

Though more 127 dolphins have died in Southwest Florida during the event, there are only 16 definitive necropsy results, which speaks to the level of overwhelm, agencies say.

And it's entirely possible that more animals are dying than are being counted, said Kim Amendola, communications supervisor for National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration's Fisheries division, but now, with the federal government partially shut down since Saturday, NOAA's body counts aren't being updated.

Comment: Red tide suspected as 22 dead dolphins wash up on Collier, Lee beaches in Florida

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Attention

Dead minke whale discovered on west shore of Yarmouth Bar, Canada

Carla Allen
The Chronicle Herald
Fri, 28 Dec 2018 12:28 UTC
WHALE
The body of a minke whale measuring close to 20 feet was discovered on the western shore of Yarmouth Bar on Christmas Day.

Andrew Reid, a response co-ordinator with the Marine Animal Response Society (MARS), says officials with the Oceanographic Environmental Research Society and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans had visited the dead mammal and collected samples and measurements.

From the length of the whale, Reid estimates that it is a juvenile minke whale.

Reported maximum lengths for minke whales are 30-35 feet for females and 29-32 feet for males. Both sexes can weigh four to five tons at sexual maturity. They typically live 30-50 years.

Comment: 14 minke whale deaths in Canadian Maritime Provinces this year surpasses annual average

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Black Cat

Leopard charges at crowd in Tamil Nadu, India - 3 seriously injured


Times Now
Thu, 27 Dec 2018 13:12 UTC
Stock image of leopard
© Getty
In the latest instance of confrontation between man and animal, three people were seriously injured by a leopard after locals flocked to see the animal in Tamil Nadu's Vellore city on Thursday afternoon. This incident has come to the fore less than two weeks after a stray leopard waltzed into the judicial magistrate court in Gujarat's Surendranagar district triggering panic among locals.

Going by eyewitness accounts, a farmer named Bharathi was the first person to be attacked by the majestic cat while he was working at his fields in Vellore earlier in the day. One Ammani Ammal also incurred injuries after he tried to rescue the farmer. Following the attacks, the word about a stray leopard roaming the fields spread like wildfire attracting locals who gathered at the spot to catch a glimpse of the big cat.

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Black Cat 2

Cats will be cats!

Krista Rogers
SoraNews24
Sun, 23 Dec 2018 21:30 UTC
Kotatsu
© Twitter
First, let's take a moment to introduce one of Japan's greatest products: the kotatsu. A staple of Japanese homes, the kotatsu is a heated table that can function as an ordinary surface space in the summer and transform into your own personal heaven-on-earth in the winter. Just throw a special futon blanket on top, switch on the heater, and stick your legs underneath for a blissfully toasty experience that is further enhanced while watching the snow fall outside.

One of the coolest things about kotatsu is that they come in all shapes and sizes. Some of the more unusual designs we've seen include movie theater versions and even a tiny kotatsu for one. But despite the variety, even we were a bit surprised to learn that there are kotatsu out there not just for us but for our furry friends as well!

Japanese Twitter user @usagi_drive recently purchased one such special pet kotatsu for her cat. It seemed like a foolproof idea at the time-cats love curling up in warm and cozy places, so what could her pet possibly not like about it? As it turned out, she forgot to factor in the simple fact that it's a cat we're talking about:

"I bought a cat kotatsu! I'm so glad that he seems to like it."
Yes, that tweet was laced with more than a little sarcasm. Poor @usagi_drive...she was so excited to give her cat such a wonderful gift, only to become increasingly frustrated as he ignored it for the cardboard box instead (ah yes-classic cat play).
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Doberman

Woman on life support after attack by 3 pit bull terriers in Palm Springs, California

Jack Phillips
The Epoch Times
Sun, 23 Dec 2018 13:08 UTC
PIT BULL ATTACK
A California woman is in the hospital on life support after being attacked by three dogs, family members and friends have said.

Angela Johnson is hospitalized at the Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs, a GoFundMe page to help Johnson and her husband said, reported the Mercury News. The three dogs, described by the Riverside County Animal Services as pit bulls or pit bull mixes, attacked Johnson as she was hanging laundry on her property.

Detectives do not believe the dogs were intentionally set on Johnson but they are still investigating, Lt. Zach Hall said Dec. 19. The owner of the animals violated a leash law, which could result in a citation, Animal Services officials said.

Tim Platt, Johnson's son, said he was told that he has to make the decision to leave his critically injured mother on life support or to allow doctors to remove her from the machines keeping her alive, MyValleyNews reported.
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Fish

Drought killing thousands of native fish along Darling, Namoi and Lachlan Rivers in New South Wales, Australia


Daily Liberal
Sun, 23 Dec 2018 13:06 UTC
Native fish, including the Murray cod are facing tough conditions this summer. File photo.
Native fish, including the Murray cod are facing tough conditions this summer. File photo.
The ongoing drought conditions across western NSW have resulted in fish deaths in a number of waterways, investigations by the NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI) and WaterNSW show.

More than 10,000 mortalities along a 40km stretch of the Darling River were discovered by the department.

As well as at the Darling River at Menindee, fish kills have occurred at the Namoi River below Keepit Dam and the Lachlan River at Wyangala Dam.

DPI aquatic environment director Sarah Faifull said the prolonged dry period had resulted in poor water quality along much of the Darling River and in other valleys.
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Cow

Over 50 cows mysteriously found dead in India's Ganjam district


KalingaTV
Thu, 20 Dec 2018 00:00 UTC
mysterious cattle deaths Ganjam district india
The cattle were seen grazing just like another day, but their behaviour changed after a few minutes and they suddenly fell to the ground.

At least 50 cows were mysteriously found dead near Landaduali village under Aska block in Ganjam District on Thursday. The incident has triggered panic among the locals.

According to reports, five cowmen of the village were engaged in grazing over hundreds of cows this morning. The cattle were seen grazing just like another day, but their behaviour changed after a few minutes and they suddenly fell to the ground.

Farmers and concerned residents rushed to the area to find out how such a tragedy could have happened with their cattle.

Comment: Officials have said the deaths could be attributed to pneumonia as the animals were exposed to incessant rain triggered by Cyclone Phethai. 259 cattle, including 223 calves, have died in different places of Ganjam district after being exposed to rain for days.

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Fish

Thousands of dead fish wash up in Rio de Janeiro lagoon


Al Jazeera
Sat, 22 Dec 2018 13:56 UTC
DEAD FISH
The lagoon has seen similar fish die-offs in previous years and biologists believe that extreme heat is the culprit.

Residents of a luxury, high-end neighbourhood in Rio de Janeiro awoke Friday to the unpleasant odour of 13 tonnes of dead fish floating in the water of the Rodrigo de Freitas lagoon.

One of the city's picture postcard locations, the lagoon has suffered similar fish die-offs in previous years and biologists believe that extreme heat is the culprit.

Mass die-offs, or "kills", happen periodically throughout the world. They can be caused by pollution or toxic spills, but can also be triggered by natural phenomena, such as hot weather.

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Attention

Diver dies after suspected shark attack off Sonora, Mexico


Mexico News Daily
Sat, 22 Dec 2018 13:32 UTC
Shark attacks
A scuba diver is dead after he was attacked by what is believed to have been a shark in the waters off Puerto Peñasco, Sonora, on Tuesday.

Nahum Verdugo, 37, had gone fishing with friends in an area known as Haway, 10 kilometers southeast of Isla San Jorge. Local police said he was attacked as soon as he entered the water.

His companions saw his body floating on the surface and when they brought him on board their boat realized he was missing a leg.

They rushed him to Puerto Peñasco where he was pronounced dead.

The victim, a resident of Puerto Peñasco, was a commercial and sport fishing diver.

Source: El Sol de Hermosillo (sp)
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Attention

12-metre humpback whale strands in Firth of Thames, New Zealand

Jamie Ensor
News Hub
Fri, 21 Dec 2018 12:22 UTC
12 metre humpback whale strands
12 metre humpback whale stranded
A 12-metre long humpback whale has died overnight after stranding in the Firth of Thames.

The Department of Conservation (DoC) says the whale died around midnight on Thursday night after locals found it alive near Kaiaua earlier in the evening.

A DoC response team was on site before 9pm, joined by iwi and local volunteers including a member of the fire brigade who tried to keep the whale comfortable.

Iwi and locals have been working with DoC on plans to bury the whale.

Local man Brett Spicer told Newshub he was amazed by the animal's size.

DoC Hauraki operations manager Avi Holzapfel praised the team who stayed with the whale overnight.

The cause of death is not yet known, nor why the whale swum so far up the Firth of Thames. Samples have been taken for genetics, toxicology, and stable isotope analysis.
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