Animals
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Attention

Great white shark attacks boat off Esperance, Western Australia; third such incident in a week

Rochelle Tetlow
Perth Now
Sat, 23 Sep 2017 12:24 UTC
Image taken by fisherman Luke Christian earlier this month as a great white shark circled the boat he was in near the kelp beds in Esperance.
Image taken by fisherman Luke Christian earlier this month as a great white shark circled the boat he was in near the kelp beds in Esperance.
Anxious Esperance residents have pleaded for government help after a third attack on a boat by an aggressive great white shark this week.

The incident occurred near notorious attack site Kelp Beds Beach.

More untagged and aggressive great white sharks have been encountered by people in the past two weeks than the two sharks detected by Fisheries' new $100,000 VR4 receivers, installed on Esperance beaches in June.

Fishermen Jacob Oversby, 25, and Luke Christian, 25, were fishing in Wylie Bay last weekend when their 6m boat was attacked by a 3.5m great white shark, the same aggressive shark they had seen two days earlier. After taking just 10 seconds of video of the attack, the fishermen fled.

Margaret River surfer and animal behaviourist Neil Innes said the video showed the shark giving a warning slap of its tail, before trying to "kill" the motor.
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Wolf

British woman mauled to death by stray dogs near Maroneia, Greece; desperate call made to her family as she lay injured after the horrific attack

Rory Tingle
Daily Mail
Sat, 23 Sep 2017 11:39 UTC
canine attack
© Angela Antunes / CC by 2.0
A retired Oxford University professor who was mauled to death by stray dogs in Greece had phoned her family shortly after the attack to tell them she was in danger.

The woman, who had been staying at a guest house in the nearby town of Maroneia, phoned her family in Britain on Thursday to say she was injured.

Her phone lost cell service shortly thereafter, and her family called police to raise alarm about the attack.

Authorities found the 64-year-old tourist dead on Saturday, with marks suggesting she had been savaged by animals in the northern region of Rodopi.
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Attention

Rare oarfish washes up in Oak Bay, British Columbia

Octavian Lacatusu
Surrey Now-Leader
Thu, 21 Sep 2017 15:42 UTC
The strange fish was nearly three meters long and had no scales to be seen.
© Octavian Lacatusu/Oak Bay NewsThe strange fish was nearly three meters long and had no scales to be seen.
A strange sea creature that washed up on Oak Bay's Rattenbury Beach late Thursday morning has been identified as a very rare king-of-the-salmon, according to a local biologist.

The unique name of the king-of-the-salmon originates from Makah First Nation legend, in which the fish (Trachiptreus altivelis) was believed to be the "king" that would lead salmon back to their rivers to spawn, noted Jackie Hildering, a biologist and marine educator, who goes by the handle of The Marine Detective on her blog.

The strange-looking fish, at more than two metres long, was found deceased beside the water by a man who was walking on the beach with his dog.


Comment: Given the current increase in seismic activity across the globe the following selection of reports over the last few years of dead, dying or disoriented oarfish being associated with earthquakes is of some interest: Dead oarfish found off Mindanao, Philippines prior to seismic activity: Can animals predict earthquakes?

Discoveries of rare oarfish cause fears of impending doom in South Korea

2 more oarfish appear off Taiwan during seismic activity

Deep sea oarfish caught by Vietnamese fishermen: Consequences of earthquakes?

Giant deepwater oarfish washing up on California shores: Harbingers of death!

Giant oarfish emerges after being woken by earthquake off Taiwan

2 more oarfish appear off Taiwan during seismic activity

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Roses

Four-year-old boy killed by pack of 17 stray dogs in Andhra Pradesh, India

Helen Roberts and Charnamrit Sachdeva
Daily Mail
Fri, 22 Sep 2017 19:38 UTC
The dogs bit the child in the neck, face, hands, chest, shoulders and legs in an attack that lasted more than 30 minutes until he was left in a semi-conscious condition
The dogs bit the child in the neck, face, hands, chest, shoulders and legs in an attack that lasted more than 30 minutes until he was left in a semi-conscious condition
A shocking video shows a small boy crying for help while lying in a pool of blood after being mauled by 17 stray dogs in India.

Four-year-old Praveen Kumar left his house in Guntur, southern India, with his sister to play with other children on Thursday, when a pack of dogs attacked him.

The dogs bit the child in the neck, face, hands, chest, shoulders and legs in an attack that lasted more than 30 minutes until he was left in a semi-conscious condition.

His parents claimed neighbours heard the attack and ran out but proceeded to film the incident on their phones instead of rescuing the child while he screamed and cried for help.

Achyuta Rao, President of the Child Rights Association who is now involved in the case, said: 'The dogs pounced on the child and bit him indiscriminately.

(WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT)


Comment: See also this recent report of another fatal attack in the same country: Attacked by 12 stray dogs for hours an 8-year-old boy succumbs to injuries in Maharashtra, India

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Roses

1-month-old baby killed by 2 pit bull terriers in Knox County, Ohio


wsaz.com
Thu, 21 Sep 2017 19:27 UTC
PIT BULL ATTACK
Ohio authorities are investigating a reported dog attack that killed a 1-month-old boy.

The Dispatch reports 25-year-old Teddy Hagans called 911 around 6 a.m. Wednesday to report that his dog had mauled the infant inside his bassinet.

Emergency medical crews pronounced the infant dead at the Knox County home about 60 miles northeast of Columbus.

The Knox County dog warden removed two pit bulls from the home.

The boy's mother, a 23-year-old nurse's aide, wasn't at home when the reported attack occurred.

Knox County Sheriff David Shaffer declined to release details about the death or the investigation, which also involves the county coroner's office and the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation.

Source: AP

Comment: See also: Woman dies from injuries sustained in pit bull terrier attack in Neshoba County, Mississippi

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Attention

Dead minke whale found near King's Lynn, UK


ITV
Thu, 21 Sep 2017 15:16 UTC
WHALE
A dead juvenile minke whale has been spotted floating up and down the River Great Ouse near King's Lynn.

The Environment Agency say the whale, which is approximately 3-4 metres in length has been seen travelling up and down the tidal stretch of the Hundred Foot River.

They say if the carcass lands it will be removed by the local council.

Dead juvenile minke whale
© Paul SeparovicDead juvenile minke whale
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Attention

Boy attacked by shark off Gran Canaria


Daily Mail
Wed, 20 Sep 2017 13:29 UTC
It is not clear whether a shark is responsible for the boy's injuries, but it is well known that various shark species including hammerheads, makos and bull sharks are to be found off Gran Canaria
It is not clear whether a shark is responsible for the boy's injuries, but it is well known that various shark species including hammerheads, makos and bull sharks are to be found off Gran Canaria
A shark my have been responsible for badly injuring the foot and leg of a boy as he surfed off a Spanish beach.

Pictures of his mutilated foot show tooth-like marks on his leg as well.

It is not clear how the unnamed youth sustained his injuries - with no explanation provided by the authorities.

The Spanish media has only reported that the incident happened off the island of Gran Canaria.

Local officials say that although they were informed of a shark sighting a few days ago, they did not treat the report as being significant.

The Gran Canaria government says that it will now conduct an inspection of the area to ensure the safety of swimmers.
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Wolf

Pit bull attacks its owner on street in Queens, New York

Kemberly Richardson
abc7ny.com
Sun, 17 Sep 2017 09:26 UTC
dog attack
A dog walker was taking a stroll with two friends, when suddenly the Pit Bull mix turned on its handler and started biting.

"I honestly thought I was going to bleed out. I don't know how I got the dog off of me, I don't know," says victim, Marta Niewinska.

Niewinska is talking about the dog, seen in surveillance video attacking her and then going after her good friend, Amanda, who is a dog walker.

"She's in shock - just called and said 'thank you for saving my life,' it was a lot," Niewinska adds.

The horrifying incident unfolded on Wycoff Avenue in Ridgewood, Queens right around 10 p.m. Saturday night. About 12 minutes into the walk, Niewinska says the dog jumped on Amanda. They thought he was playing, but she exclusively tells Eyewitness News that in a split second, the dog seemed to snap. Niewinska then took the leash, and the dog started growling and then turned on her.


Comment: Another recent serious dog attack happened near Puyallup, Washington where a pack of 4 pit bulls mauled a UPS driver.. While in Randolph County, North Carolina a woman has been attacked by 3 of the same breed of dog.

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Wolf

Woman dies from injuries sustained in pit bull terrier attack in Neshoba County, Mississippi


wtok.com
Wed, 20 Sep 2017 09:05 UTC
PIT BULL ATTACK
We have some sad news to report out of Neshoba County.

A woman attacked by a pit bull in the Beatline community earlier this month has died.

Neshoba County Sheriff Tommy Waddell tells Newscenter 11 that 61-year old Connie Storey died from her injuries at a local hospital Wednesday morning.

Storey was attacked September 8th while she was feeding the dog at a home on County Road 276.

Storey had been in the hospital since the day of the attack.

The dog, which was owned by Storey's son, was put down. No charges have been filed.
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Binoculars

Fork-tailed flycatcher usually found in South America turns up in Falmouth, Maine

Deirdre Fleming
Portland Press Herald
Tue, 19 Sep 2017 08:19 UTC
A fork-tailed flycatcher makes a rare – and much-watched – appearance at Maine Audubon on Monday. The bird arrived at the meadows of Gilsland Farm in Falmouth on Saturday.
© Jill BradyA fork-tailed flycatcher makes a rare – and much-watched – appearance at Maine Audubon on Monday. The bird arrived at the meadows of Gilsland Farm in Falmouth on Saturday.
The opportunity to see a rare bird exerts a powerful call.

It's why Inna Smith's trip to a doctor's appointment in New Hampshire on Monday included a stop at Maine Audubon in Falmouth to see a fork-tailed flycatcher from South America. Nevermind that the Springvale woman was pregnant and a day overdue.

"I was due yesterday," Smith said while looking at the bird through her camera's telephoto lens. "I may go into labor right here."

Smith was one of more than 100 birders who traveled from as far away as Mount Desert Island and New York state to witness the unusual sighting. The bird arrived at the meadows of Gilsland Farm on Saturday.

The flycatcher - a black-and-white bird with an extremely long and brilliantly forked tail - should have been emigrating south from Central America to summer in its home range instead of flying north to Maine, said Maine Audubon Naturalist Doug Hitchcox, who spent the day showing the bird to visitors.
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