Animals
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Wolf

'Angry' otters attempted to drown dog in Victoria, British Columbia

Jeff Lagerquist
CTV News
Sat, 17 Feb 2018 13:36 UTC
Three otters tried to drown this golden retriever cross.
Three otters tried to drown this golden retriever cross.
A Victoria veterinarian issued a warning to dog owners after her golden retriever was said to have been pulled under water and bitten by otters.

In a Facebook post, Claudia Campbell described how an apparently playful aquatic encounter between "Goldie" and a trio of otters took an unexpected turn.

"Goldie spotted an otter swimming not too far away. Like any dog, Goldie decided to swim towards to the otter to investigate," she wrote on Wednesday. "The three otters proceeded to grab Goldie, and pull her under the water."

Campbell said the attack occurred while the 27 kilogram dog was in the care of a dog walker at a local beach. She said the dog walker ran into the ocean to wrestle Goldie away from the otters.

"The otters had Goldie almost fully submerged with only her nose showing above water. If the dog walker had not been able to intervene, this may have had an awful ending," Campbell wrote. "They had a solid hold on her."

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Wolf

Border collies run like the wind to restore new life to Chilean forest

Mary Jo Dilonardo
Mother Nature Network
Wed, 14 Feb 2018 01:41 UTC
Border collies
© Francisca TorresBorder collies Olivia, Summer and Das in the woods on a non-working day.
The worst wildfire season in Chile's history ravaged more than 1.4 million acres early in 2017, destroying nearly 1,500 homes and killing at least 11 people. More than a dozen countries sent fire-fighting specialists to help battle the dozens of destructive blazes. When the fires were finally extinguished, the landscape was a charred wasteland.

A few months later, a unique team was brought in to help restore the damaged ecosystem. They have four legs and a penchant for careening at high speeds through the forest.

Border collies Das, Summer and Olivia were outfitted with special backpacks brimming with seeds. Then they were sent on a mission, let loose to race through the ruined forests. As they bounded and darted, their packs streamed a trickle of seeds. The hope is that these seeds will take root and sprout, bringing the forest slowly back to life one tree at a time.

The job is a serious one, but for the dogs, it's an excuse to have fun, says their owner, Francisca Torres.

Comment: "Border collies are supersmart!" This is a great example of a very smart dog owner giving her working dogs an important task in helping to restore the damaged ecosystem.

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Wolf

Multiple cities in southern Ontario, Canada are being invaded by wild coyotes

Eul Basa
Narcity
Fri, 16 Feb 2018 20:47 UTC
Coyotes
© @Josefpittner | Dreamstime.comCoyotes
Coyotes are commonly found in parks and ravines throughout the Greater Toronto Area, but recently have recently been invading urban areas in southern Ontario with greater frequency.

Several isolated incidents with coyotes have been reported in the following cities, all within the first two months of 2018:

Collingwood

A Collingwood family reported wild attack on their dog by what they believe was a pack of coyotes. The incident occurred right in their backyard on Jan. 23.

"She got out and I ran to grab her and call her back in and she had headed to the backyard and that's when I heard these noises," Kristina, the mother, said. "I took her into the vet and they saw fang marks. She had to have surgery, there is a drainage tube sticking out."

Apparently, this wasn't the first coyote sighting in the area — according to a community-formed Facebook group, a pack of three tried to attack another neighbourhood dog on Jan. 15 and 20.
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Binoculars

Wrong place, wrong time: Rare eastern imperial eagle turns up in Denmark


The Local (Denmark)
Fri, 16 Feb 2018 16:08 UTC
An eastern imperial eagle.
© wrangel/DepositphotosAn eastern imperial eagle.
A rare eastern imperial eagle has been spotted near Aabenraa Fjord in southern Denmark.

Sightings of the species, which has a wingspan of just under two metres, are very rare at Danish latitudes.

"This is probably the only imperial eagle in the whole of northern Europe right now," said ornithologist and birdwatching guide author Klaus Malling Olsen.

The eastern imperial is one of the rarest eagles in Europe, with the population of the bird estimated to be around 500 pairs.

No more than 30 sightings of the species have been registered in Denmark since records began, and most of these have come during the spring or autumn.
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Info

How microplastics are contaminating seabirds in the remote Aleutian Islands, Alaska


The Weather Network
Thu, 15 Feb 2018 15:29 UTC
A red-faced cormorant on its nest on St. Paul Island in summer 2015.
© Veronica PadulaA red-faced cormorant on its nest on St. Paul Island in summer 2015.
Coal mines had their canaries. When it comes to microplastics in the ocean, Alaska has its seabirds.

A nearly decade-long University of Alaska project to monitor the ecology of puffins, crested auklets and other seabirds that flock to the storm-tossed Aleutian Islands has produced crucial baseline information about microplastics contamination in marine waters off Alaska.

Of more than 200 Aleutian birds initially examined, nearly 1 in 5 turned out to have some type of organic materials in their stomachs, researchers found.

Further investigation revealed that plastic contamination goes well beyond items in birds' guts.

Nearly all of the birds subsequently examined tested positive for at least one type of phthalate in their muscle tissue, said Veronica Padula, a PhD candidate focusing on plastics contamination. There are many types of phthalates, but Padula tested the birds for the six that are considered high priorities by the United States Environmental Protection Agency.
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Wolf

Man killed in dog attack in Owensboro, Kentucky

Brett Allega
Tristate Homepage
Thu, 15 Feb 2018 10:15 UTC
canine attack
© Angela Antunes / CC by 2.0
Owensboro Police confirm a man was killed and a woman was injured in a dog attack Thursday evening.

Police say this happened at a home on Heritage Park Drive on the city's southwest side. We're told at least three dogs were living at the home, but, it is unclear how many were involved in the attack.

Police said one of the dogs tried to attack responding officers and was shot and killed.

Detectives are still trying to piece together what happened.

We will pass along updates as we learn more.
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Attention

Extremely rare deep sea megamouth shark found on coast of Negros Oriental, Philippines


The Star (UK)
Thu, 15 Feb 2018 09:46 UTC
RARE SIGHT: The extremely rare megamouth shark washed ashore in Negros Oriental
© VIRAL PRESSThe extremely rare megamouth shark washed ashore in Negros Oriental
Fishermen in remote village were fearing armageddon after a super-rare shark washed up on their shores

Locals spotted the stranded 15ft-long megamouth shark on the beach in Negros Oriental, Philippines.

There have only been a handful of sightings of the extremely rare species in the world and superstitious locals believe a dead creature being washed ashore is a sign of impending doom.

Villager Paulino Ocana said: "This is very bad luck. There is a sense that something very bad is coming.

"A big disaster could be coming and we're preparing for it."

Peter Ramirez, a fisherman who was among those who hauled ashore the shark, said: "The animal was dead.
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Attention

59 dolphins strand themselves in Baja California Sur, Mexico, 21 die


Maritime Herald
Wed, 14 Feb 2018 14:46 UTC
Dead dolphins seen on a beach in Mexico on Tuesday
Dead dolphins seen on a beach in Mexico on Tuesday
On this Tuesday morning it was recorded the stranding of 59 dolphins, females and males, on the beach of El Saladito, 21 of which died before being able to be returned to the sea, says Hiram Rosales, collaborator of the Federal Attorney's Office Protection of the Environment (Profepa) and in turn of the Stranding Network of La Paz.

The specimens of gray color and white belly waved on a rocky beach called La Salinita, located in the north of La Paz Bay, capital of the state.

The research professor of the Autonomous University of Baja California Sur (UABCS) said that 38 specimens were returned to the sea with the support of some 40 people, including collaborators of the Network and students of the UABCS.

He mentioned that a tourist informed the Network about the massive stranding of dolphins on the beach located near the port of Pichilingue, around eight in the morning, so they proceeded to rescue the marine mammals.

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Attention

Over 20 pilot whales die on the coast of Maio, Cape Verde Islands


SAPO 24
Wed, 14 Feb 2018 14:23 UTC
More than two dozen pilot whales died
More than two dozen pilot whales died
Speaking to the Lusa news agency, the marine biologist at the May Biodiversity Foundation (FMB) Sara Ratão reported that the 26 pilot whales, a dolphin-like species, came ashore on Wednesday afternoon at Porto Cais and Farol Beach, north of the island.

The biologist explained that the foundation received the alert at the end of the day, having moved teams to the place, where they found the whales already dead.

She said that since it was dark, it was only this morning that the technicians returned to collect samples and make measurements of cetaceans.

Sara Ratão indicated that the whales are mostly adults, with a maximum length of five meters, and there is still one calf.
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Attention

Dead sperm whale leaves stink in the air at Papamoa Beach, New Zealand

Andrew Campbell
Sunlive
Thu, 15 Feb 2018 13:28 UTC
The dead whale found on Papamoa Beach today by John Howlett.
© John HowlettThe dead whale found on Papamoa Beach today by John Howlett.
"It's pretty whiffy out on the East Papamoa Beach today," says fisherman John Howlett.

John is describing the smell in the air left by a dead whale he found on his way to a fish at the Kaituna cut.

He could still smell it when he got to the cut, which is about 2km downwind of the decaying carcass.

From its teeth in the narrow jaw and the square front to its head, it looks like a sperm whale, but not fully grown.

John sent his photos through to the Tauranga Department of Conservation office and a whale expert is on his way to inspect the find.

"It washed up with the last high tide overnight," says John.
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