Animals
S


Wolf

Pit bull terriers maul intruder to death in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa

Chelsea Pieterse
News 24
Tue, 05 Jun 2018 19:28 UTC
Hlube Radebe with his two dogs Sandy and Riddick, who Radebe said saved his 80-year-old gran and aunt from being victims of crime.
Hlube Radebe with his two dogs Sandy and Riddick, who Radebe said saved his 80-year-old gran and aunt from being victims of crime.
A Pietermaritzburg family is battling to come to terms with the grisly discovery of an intruder's body in their garden on Friday after he was mauled to death by their two pit bulls.

The intruder was found early on Friday morning when the family's domestic worker went out into the garden to hang up washing.

Pietermaritzburg police spokesperson Sergeant Mthokozisi Ngobese said that in the early hours of Friday, two men climbed over the wall of the Scottsville Extension house to commit either housebreaking or house robbery.

Ngobese said the men did not know the family had pit bulls.
Read More...
Attention

Swimmer dies after shark attack in Brazil

Brad Hunter
Ottawa Sun
Tue, 05 Jun 2018 19:08 UTC
It is believed a tiger shark like this one attacked the teenager.
© GETTY IMAGESIt is believed a tiger shark like this one attacked the teenager.
A beautiful day at the beach turned into every man's nightmare for a Brazilian teenager.

Jose Ernesto da Silva had his penis ripped off by a shark as he swam with pals over the weekend, according to reports.

Shocked onlookers rushed into the water to assist the terrified young man and pulled him from the ocean.

He died in hospital Monday.

The 18-year-old had been instructed by lifeguards to come closer to shore prior to the attack, Brazilian media reported. Signs warned that deeper water could result in an attack.
Read More...
Butterfly

Disappearing Himalayan butterflies: No recent record of 51 species in Uttarakhand, India

Neeraj Santoshi
Hindustan Times
Mon, 04 Jun 2018 19:31 UTC
Absence of recent records of 51 butterfly species in Uttarakhand means they have most likely gone extinct. And this shows that everything is not well with the Himalayan environment.
© Hindustan TimesAbsence of recent records of 51 butterfly species in Uttarakhand means they have most likely gone extinct. And this shows that everything is not well with the Himalayan environment.
There are 51 Himalayan butterfly species that have no records in Uttarakhand since the mid-20th century, according to a research conducted by Prof Jagbir Singh Kirti, a zoologist in Punjab University.

Prof Kirti, president of the Association of Entomologists, said butterflies "are very sensitive and fragile organisms" and one of the best indicators for changes in environment and ecology of a region.

"Butterflies are a good model for assessment and habitat monitoring studies and effective indicators of forest health as they are widespread, conspicuous, and easily recognizable," Prof Kirti said. "If there are no recent records of 51 butterfly species in Uttarakhand, it means they have most likely gone locally extinct. And this shows that everything is not well with the Himalayan environment."
Read More...
Attention

Shocking images show pilot whale died with over 80 trash bags in its stomach


RT
Sun, 03 Jun 2018 13:18 UTC
Whale died from plastic bags
© Reuters80 plastic bags found in Thai pilot whale’s stomach.
A whale in Thailand died after ingesting over 80 plastic bags. An autopsy on the pilot whale, which was found in a canal in the southern province of Songkhla, revealed that its gut was packed to capacity with trash bags.

A team of veterinarians worked for five days to free the animal from the canal. Ultimately, their efforts proved unsuccessful as the country's Marine and Coastal Resources Department reported that the whale spit out five plastic bags just prior to its death on Friday. A post-mortem found that its stomach was clogged with another 80 bags and other items with a total weight of 8kg.

Thon Thamrongnawasawat, a marine biologist and lecturer at Kasetsart University, said the bags made it difficult for the whale to perform its normal digestive functions. "If you have 80 plastic bags in your stomach, you die," he told Sky News.
Read More...
Attention

Man killed by elephant in Odisha, India


Odishatv.in
Sat, 02 Jun 2018 18:22 UTC
Charging elephant
© GettyCharging elephant
In another incident of man-animal conflict in Odisha, a daily wage labourer was killed in elephant attack at Gengutia under Sadar police limits in Dhenkanal district on Saturday.

The deceased identified as Sushant Behera of Gengutia village was on his way to Dhenkanal town along with two other co-workers, when a pachyderm attacked the trio near the level crossing.

While the two labourers managed to escape from the spot, Sushant was trampled to death by the wild elephant, sources said.

"Since last five years, the land here is not being used for agricultural purpose as elephants are destroying standing crops. We had earlier requested the forest department to at least alarm us when elephants are straying near the human settlements. But they do not even bother if we inform them about the movement of jumbos in the area," alleged Ranjan Mallick, a local resident.
Read More...
Attention

Dead humpback whale washes up near Port Lincoln, South Australia


AdelaideNow.com
Sat, 02 Jun 2018 13:29 UTC
whale
A dead whale has washed up at a beach on the state's west coast.

The young humpback whale was spotted at Frenchman Bluff, about 70km northwest of Port Lincoln, on Friday afternoon.

Authorities are expected to attend the scene in the coming days to inspect the mammal and dispose of its remains.
Read More...
Attention

Dead whale found on beach in Queens, New York

Natalie Musumeci
New York Post
Fri, 01 Jun 2018 13:15 UTC
The decomposing corpse of what is believed to be a humpback whale
© Silver Gull Beach ClubThe decomposing corpse of what is believed to be a humpback whale
A massive dead whale was found on the shore of a Queens beach Friday.

The decomposing corpse of the sea mammal washed ashore in Breezy Point near Beach 193rd Street.

The species of the animal is believed to be a humpback whale, according to the Atlantic Marine Conservation Society.
Read More...
Black Cat 2

Rewilding fail: Rare Iberian lynx released in Portugal then spotted in Barcelona to be recaptured

Hannah Strange
Telegraph
Fri, 01 Jun 2018 21:58 UTC
Rare Iberian lynx
A rare Iberian lynx named Lithium has appeared in Barcelona after journeying more than 1,100 kilometres (680 miles) from southern Portugal, where it was released two years ago.

The young male lynx was last seen in the Guadiana Valley in the Algarve in 2016, just days after his release into the wild as part of a project to save the endangered species. The GPS signal from a device on his collar then disappeared, and for two years, his whereabouts were unknown.

He has now become the first Iberian lynx seen in Catalonia for more than a hundred years, after conservation officials tracked him down to a wooded area in Barcelona following reports of sightings.

Comment: What is it with scientists trying to play god? Granted humans have driven many species to extinction and the intent behind many conservation efforts are admirable, but judging by the repeated problems scientists are encountering, clearly they don't know what's best for these endangered species:

Read More...
Attention

More than 50 dead sharks found on beach near Swansea, Wales

Brendan Mcfadden
Daily Mail
Tue, 29 May 2018 19:24 UTC
Beachgoers were horrified when they discovered the bodies of sharks scattered on the beach
Beachgoers were horrified when they discovered the bodies of sharks scattered on the beach
More than 50 sharks were found washed up dead on one of Britain's favourite beaches on the same day - and its feared fishermen are responsible.

Environment chiefs have launched an investigation into how the sharks died after beach-goers made the shocking discovery on the 1.5mile beach at Rhossili, South Wales on Sunday evening.

It's feared trawlermen may have dumped the sharks after they got snared in a fishing vessel's nets. One of the sharks had fishing wire running through it and fishing gear was found nearby its carcass.

The gruesome discovery comes days after the carcass of a mysterious decomposed alien-like creature was discovered washed up on the same beach by a dog walker.
Read More...
Attention

Mysterious freshwater turtle die-off in at least 3 counties of Florida

Teresa Stepzinski
The Florida Times-Union
Thu, 31 May 2018 18:59 UTC
A baby cooter on the bank of Dunns Creek, off the St. Johns River.
© Will Dickey / The Florida Times-UnionA baby cooter on the bank of Dunns Creek, off the St. Johns River.
Freshwater turtles are dying throughout the St. Johns River watershed and baffling state wildlife scientists concerned about the die-off in at least three counties.

Our Florida Times-Union news partner reports the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is investigating the death of multiple species of freshwater turtles discovered in various bodies of water in Putnam, Orange and Seminole counties.

"These types of turtles are pretty resilient," said St. Johns Riverkeeper Lisa Rinaman said Wednesday. "So it was quite alarming to us."

The advocacy group was among the first to notify the commission about the turtle die-off.

Rinaman said the issue could be one of water quality.
Read More...