Animals
S


Attention

Rare Atlantic walruses spotted in the White Sea, Russia for first time in several hundred years


TASS
Sat, 24 Nov 2018 10:01 UTC
Walrus
© S.A. Sonsthagen/U.S. Geological Survey
Rare Atlantic walruses have been spotted in the White Sea again after several hundreds of years of not appearing in the area after unlimited exploitation, research fellow at the Shirshov Institute of Oceanology Alexander Agafonov told TASS on the eve of the Walrus Day.

"Atlantic walruses are still considered endangered species. Their population decreased initially because of intensive exploitation. For instance, they have not appeared in the White Sea since the 18th century. However, our records indicate that walruses returned to the White Sea, which most likely signals a positive dynamic," Agafonov said.

It is currently prohibited to hunt Atlantic walruses. When it comes to Pacific walruses whose population is currently estimated at 200,000 animals, only indigenous peoples are allowed to hunt them in limited quantities, Agafonov noted.
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Doberman

Mum and daughter mauled to death by own pet dogs in Spain

Ana Lacasa
Mirror
Thu, 22 Nov 2018 12:48 UTC
It is said the pair were killed by two large Bordeaux mastiffs (file picture)
© Getty Images/iStockphotoIt is said the pair were killed by two large Bordeaux mastiffs (file picture)
A mother and daughter have been mauled to death by their own pet dogs in a horror attack at their Spanish home.

The two women were found dead, with multiple bite wounds to their bodies, in a town near Madrid yesterday afternoon.

While the mum was almost entirely covered in bites, the daughter had suffered a fatal neck injury, according to local media.

It is said they were killed by two large Bordeaux mastiffs that had been raised at the family home from pups.
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Cow

Signs and Portents: Two-headed calf born in Loudonville, Ohio

Jessica Speweike
The Columbus Dispatch
Wed, 14 Nov 2018 17:49 UTC
A two-headed Holstein calf was born live last week at Byland Animal Hospital in Loudonville.

Veterinarian Dr. Jeff Byers delivered the calf from Idylwild Farm by Cesarean section. However, the calf only survived for 20 minutes before it died on Friday.

"I'm surprised, I'd never seen that before," said Paul Weber, owner of Idylwild Farm of Loudonville. "I was surprised it lived."

Though Byers was not certain of the cause of the two-headed birth, the condition of polycephaly — being born with more than one head — can be caused by an incomplete separation of a single embryo or an incomplete fusion of two embryos.
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Attention

Flamingo takes wrong turn migrating to Saudi and ends up in Siberia


The Siberian Times
Tue, 20 Nov 2018 10:30 UTC
The bird got so cold while flying over Kemerovo
© Lyudmila KarabanovaThe bird got so cold while flying over Kemerovo region it fell down right in front of a car.
The flamingo was on its annual migration, but lost the rest of its flock.

Experts believe it took a wring turn after flying from Kazakhstan to the Arabian peninsula, a distance of some 3,400 kilometres.

Instead the young bird got so cold it 'froze in the air' and crash landed on a road in the Novokuznetsky district of Kemerovo, some 1,300 km in the wrong direction.

Locals picked up the forlorn bird and warmed it in the car before giving it a temporary home beside a bathroom radiator.


Comment: See also these similar reports since 2011: Lost flamingo that was heading for Saudi Arabia turns up in Siberia instead

Flamingos migrating to Caspian Sea in mortal danger - lost in Siberia

Four lost flamingos fly north for the winter and turn up in Siberia

Flamingos Drop From Siberian Sky: Locals Mystified

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Binoculars

Snowy owls expected to show up again this winter in USA - 8th consecutive season in an unusual sequence


Daily Reporter
Mon, 19 Nov 2018 15:10 UTC
Snowy owl
Snowy owl
After multiple sightings last winter, including some in Hancock County, snowy owls are again being seen in Indiana, according to the Indiana Audubon Society.

The all-white arctic owl only visits Indiana during cyclical "irruptions" occurring every four to five years, but often the year following an invasion, such as occurred last winter, can produce an "echo effect," bringing another smaller invasion of owls southward, the organization says in a news release.


Comment: This standard explanation of cyclical irruptions has broken down for the last 7 winters, when exceptional numbers appeared every year. See the links below covering the time period which amply demonstrate this point. Some other environmental and/or climate factors seem to be involved.


Snowy owl numbers fluctuate year to year based on their primary prey — lemmings, giant mouse-like rodents — whose population also oscillates based on food supplies and weather conditions in the arctic. When populations spike, the owls respond with higher than normal breeding, with some nests containing ten or more eggs. The subsequent invasions later that fall result in not so much a food scarcity, but because of the abundance of food earlier that summer. Young owls tend to leave the arctic each winter, resulting in the larger-than-normal invasions.

Comment: A sample of the many reports for the last 7 seasons:

Winter 2017-18: Highest number of snowy owls ever recorded of 139 in 2017-18 winter across Indiana

Record number of 280 snowy owls counted in Wisconsin this winter

Winter 2016-17: At least 65 Snowy owls invade Bruce County, Ontario

Winter 2015-16: 30 Arctic Snowy owls arrive in Wisconsin; earliest date ever reported and record numbers

Winter 2014-15: An above average winter for sightings of snowy owls in Northeast America

Snowy owl sightings on the rise across the upper US

Winter 2013-14: Huge Snowy Owl invasion becomes official in Canada and U.S.

Winter 2012-13: Mysterious snowy-owl migration one of biggest on record

Winter 2011-12: US: Snowy owls soar south from Arctic in rare mass migration

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Attention

Teenager bitten on leg and arm in second shark attack in Australia over weekend


The Guardian
Sun, 18 Nov 2018 19:39 UTC
A 17-year-old suffered ‘deep lacerations’
© Mathew VickersA 17-year-old suffered ‘deep lacerations’ when he was bitten by a suspected reef shark about 30km offshore from Nhulunbuy on Sunday.
A teenager has been attacked by a shark while spearfishing off the Northern Territory coast.

The 17-year-old was bitten on his arm and leg about 30km offshore from Nhulunbuy in Arnhem Land on Sunday morning, NT police said.

He was treated by paramedics who reached his vessel with police, before being taken to hospital in Gove.

The boy was later airlifted to Royal Darwin hospital suffering "deep lacerations", a Careflight spokesman said.

The ABC reported that authorities believe the teenager was bitten by a reef shark.

Sunday's attack comes after a man was airlifted to hospital after a shark bit him at a beach south of Wollongong on Saturday.

Comment: Related article: Man dies after stingray attack while swimming near Hobart, Tasmania, Australia

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Attention

Monkey bites CHUNK out of toddler's head after climbing in through balcony door in Parana, Brazil


Daily Star (UK)
Mon, 19 Nov 2018 18:30 UTC
Return of the monkey: Video footage shows the same howler monkey returning to the flat a week after it broke in and attacked the toddler
Return of the monkey: Video footage shows the same howler monkey returning to the flat a week after it broke in and attacked the toddler
Julia Balardim's mum Luciana desperately tried to wrench the animal off her 21-month-old daughter after hearing her screams.

She saved her from the wild animal's jaws, but the child has had to undergo emergency plastic surgery to reconstruct part of her forehead after suffering a horrific bite.

The monkey bit down into her skull, exposing the bone underneath, Julia's dad says.

And relatives believe little Julia would have been killed if her mother hadn't reacted so quickly.

Comment: This is the third attack by primates on a human within a week, the other 2 involving fatalities: Woman killed by monkeys in Agra, India just days after baby dies in similar attack

Newborn baby is killed by MONKEY after being snatched from his mother's arms indoors in India

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Attention

Mysterious bird deaths, including a bald eagle, under investigation in Hillsboro, Oregon

Marja Martinez
KPTV
Fri, 16 Nov 2018 15:50 UTC
Mysterious mass bird deaths in Hills
Mysterious mass bird deaths in Hillsboro
Several protected species of birds, including one bald eagle, dropped from the sky in north Hillsboro and their deaths are now a mystery.

Nearly two dozen birds were discovered in a field across from Lipman Lighting on Monday.

One of the men who found them says Oregon State Police picked the animals up earlier this week, but when FOX 12 visited the property Thursday, two additional dead birds were found.

There's no answer yet as to what's killing them.

Comment: Local station KGW8 adds:
Dozens of red-winged blackbirds and European starlings were found dead in a field off West Union Road, along with a bald eagle and a red-tailed hawk. There were no obvious signs of death. The birds are being tested by wildlife officials to figure out how they died.

A man who works nearby first spotted the eagle in the field on Monday and checked it out. Then he found the hawk nearby along with many small birds.

It is unusual and concerning for this many birds to die at once and for there to be several species involved, according to Bob Sallinger, conservation director for the Audubon Society of Portland.

Sallinger is not connected to the case, so can't speak to specifics about it. But he did share a general concern.

"The things we do think about are poisons and toxins. In these kinds of situations it can be an intentional situation, it can be something that they got into that was unintentional," Sallinger said.


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Attention

Woman killed by monkeys in Agra, India just days after baby dies in similar attack

Dave Burke
Mirror
Fri, 16 Nov 2018 15:18 UTC
A woman has died after a monkey attack in Agra
© AFP/Getty ImagesA woman has died after a monkey attack in Agra, India, just days after the death of a baby (file picture)
Bhoomi Devi, 58, bled to death after being attacked outside her home in Agra, India

A woman has been killed by a monkey - just days after a 12-day-old baby died nearby in a similar attack.

Authorities confirmed Bhoomi Devi was fatally injured by primates in the Indian city of Agra.

The 58-year-old suffered severe injuries, and medics were unable to save her.

A relative said that she bled to death as a result of the attack, which happened outside her home.

A family member told NDTV : "She had lost so much blood that doctors could do nothing to save her."

The latest tragedy, which happened on Wednesday, happened just five days after the child, called Arush, was snatched from his mum as she breastfed him.

Comment: See also: Newborn baby is killed by MONKEY after being snatched from his mother's arms indoors in India

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Attention

Dead humpback whale washes up near British Columbia ferry terminal


CTV News
Sat, 17 Nov 2018 17:50 UTC
A dead humpback whale washed up
© ANDREA JACOBS/TSAWWASSEN FIRST NATION / PNGA dead humpback whale washed up on the shore in Tsawwassen Friday.
Officials are trying to determine the cause of death for a young humpback whale that washed up near a major ferry terminal in B.C.

The carcass of the mammal was discovered in shallow waters near the BC Ferries terminal in Tsawwassen Friday morning.

The whale was reported to authorities, triggering a response from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) and the Tsawwassen First Nation.

"We'll look at the body condition, see if the animal's emaciated," said Paul Cottrell, the local marine mammal coordinator for the DFO told CTV Vancouver.

"It's really important to figure out what's happened to this animal and why it's died and make sure if there's an anthropogenic cause - human cause - what that is."


Comment: Two days earlier a young killer whale was found dead on Nootka Island in the same province.

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