Animals
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Attention

Two scarce Hector's dolphins found dead in New Zealand


RNZ
Fri, 31 Mar 2017 14:32 UTC
A Hector's dolphin in New Zealand waters
© 123RFA Hector's dolphin in New Zealand waters
The discovery of two Hector's dolphins washed up at beaches in the South Island is raising fresh questions over whether enough is being done to protect the endangered species.

The Ministry for Primary Industries said it was investigating the deaths and there were indications both dolphins could have been "subject to human interference".

A member of the public found one dolphin on a Greymouth beach last month, while the second dolphin was found near Banks Peninsula on Sunday.

MPI compliance investigations manager Gary Orr said the deaths were very concerning.

"MPI and [the Department of Conservation] are investigating the circumstances surrounding both mortalities.
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Eye 2

Alligator attacks fisherman in Fort Myers, Florida

Ben Hooper
UPI
Thu, 30 Mar 2017 09:05 UTC
A Florida fisherman works to pry an alligator's jaws off his boot.
A Florida fisherman works to pry an alligator's jaws off his boot.
A Florida man bass fishing at night ended up having to pry an alligator off his boot while his friends filmed the struggle.

"Oh snap, you've got a gator on your foot," Nino Alvarez recalled a friend telling him while they were out bass fishing last week in a Fort Myers canal.

"I tried to go bass fishing here, and this [expletive] gator is over here, trying to eat me," Alvarez told WINK-TV. "I don't even think there's any more bass here. This guy already ate it all."

Alvarez posted a video to Facebook showing him attempting to pry the alligator's jaws off his boot while his friends laugh and film.
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Attention

40 dead dolphins wash up outside Port Elizabeth, South Africa

Louzel Lombard Steyn
Traveller24
Fri, 31 Mar 2017 19:33 UTC
Repredntative image
Shocking aerial footage showing between 30 and 40 dead dolphins washed up on vast stretch of beach in the Sunday's River area off Bird Island has gone viral on social media, after East London-based helicopter pilot Noel Greyling filmed the disturbing discovery on Friday morning, 31 March.

The video footage was shared to local radio broadcaster AlgoaFM, who reports that Greyling was flying by helicopter to Port Elizabeth when he spotted the grim sight.

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Attention

Woman killed by elephant at Kruger National Park, South Africa

Priya Joshi
International Business Times
Fri, 31 Mar 2017 18:09 UTC
Elephant
A woman has died after being gored by an elephant at Kruger National Park in South Africa.

A second person was seriously injured in the attack near Mopani Camp on Thursday (30 March) afternoon.

The victims were both wildlife park employees, it has been reported. Paramedics responded to reports of an animal attack and arrived at the scene, accompanied by rangers with rifles.

Jaco Gericke, of emergency services Maponya 911, told local newspaper Lowvelder the first victim suffered fatal injuries.

"The elephant tusk entered her lower back and exited her chest. She also had a severe open fracture to her left knee," he added.

Comment: Other attacks by African elephants over the past year include the following: Safari leader killed by elephant in Malawi

Elephant kills tourist in Kenya; 3rd attack in a month

Tourist trampled to death by elephant after provoking it by moving too near to takes pictures in Kenya

Elephant kills farmer in southern Tanzania; second death in 2 days

Selfie opportunity becomes fatal as elephant tramples man in Zimbabwe

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Black Cat

Tigers kill 10 fishermen and injure 15 others in past three months in the Sundarbans, India


Web India 123
Sat, 01 Apr 2017 14:39 UTC
TIGER
At least 10 fishermen were killed and some 15 others injured in tiger attacks in the Sundarbans in the past three months, according to Sundarbans Fishermen's Association. The victims, between 20 and 40 years of age, were residents of Gosaba, Kultoli, Moipith and Patharpratima -- villages in Sundarbans area under South 24 Parganas district. The fishermen had been killed by the Royal Bengal Tigers (RBTs) when they went for fishing in deep jungles. Some 15,000 people living in these villages earn their livelihood by collecting honey and going fishing or catching crabs from deep jungles by risking their life, said the SFA. In West Bengal, there are provisions for compensation, if anyone gets killed in animal attack, but in the case of fishing in deep forest, the family of the victim cannot claim for compensation as going in reserved forests is illegal.

"If at all a claim is made, the process is very lengthy. About 4200 sq km area reserved for Tiger Project in the Sundarbans is out of bound for common people," said the association.
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Attention

Great white shark attacks kayak off Cannery Row, California

David Schmalz
Monterey County Weekly
Fri, 31 Mar 2017 14:28 UTC
great white shark
Great white shark
It is the stuff of nightmares: to be stranded in the ocean near a prowling great white shark.

This happened to Brian Correiar around 4:30pm March 18, as he was kayaking back to the Coast Guard Pier by Cannery Row after a paddle to Pacific Grove.

As he recounted March 19 on a diving website, he "was near the end of a great paddle" in which he saw dolphins and seals. Then, as he was about 100 yards offshore, he writes, "I heard a loud bang as my kayak and I flew into the air. I landed outside my boat, look back to it and to my horror saw a large great white shark no more than three feet away had my kayak in its mouth."
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Health

Florida girl, five, is mauled by pit bull mix who ripped off her eyelid, broke her jaw and bit her face and head


Daily Mail, UK
Fri, 31 Mar 2017 16:28 UTC
girl mauled by dog
© WKRGZoey Green was accompanying her mother Paige Woody on Saturday. Woody had agreed to pet sit two dogs in Crestview, Florida
A five-year-old girl was mauled by a pit bull mix in a vicious attack that left her with a broken jaw, a torn eyelid and countless stitches and staples.
Zoey Green was accompanying her mother Paige Woody, who agreed to pet sit two dogs in Crestview, Florida, on Saturday when a pit bull mix named Mandingo suddenly lunged at her, bit her in the face and dragged her into the yard.

Paige managed to fight the dog off and covered her daughter's body with her own before she was airlifted to an intensive care unit in critical condition, WKRG reported. Paige showed up to the home on Villacrest Drive for the third time so the owner could show her how to apply a horsefly spray to the two dogs in the backyard.

She didn't want to leave her daughter in the car, so she brought Zoey along, making sure the five-year-old stayed inside the house even though the owner said the dogs were great with children. But the girl became impatient and started tapping on the glass door, so Paige cracked the door open to talk to her.
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Attention

Gaur (Indian bison) gores farmer to death in Goa, India


The Navhind Times
Fri, 31 Mar 2017 13:16 UTC
Wild gaur
Wild gaur
In an unusual incident reported at Dharbandora, an Indian bison, also known as Gaur, attacked and killed a 54-year-old farmer Yenu Soliyekar, a resident of Shivdem in Dharbandora.

According to police, the incident occurred on Wednesday and the victim died on the spot after suffering a punctured stomach and multiple injuries on the right side of his body.

Ponda police said that the incident occurred around 50 metres away from the victim's residence around 5.30 pm in the evening when Soliyekar was working in his banana and cashew plantations. According to locals, the Gaur was seen visiting the victim's plantation for the past few days to eat cashews.

On Wednesday morning too, the Gaur had visited the plantation of the victim, who drove away the animal. In the evening, the Gaur again visited the plantation which irked the farmer, who tried to attack the Gaur and in retaliation, the Gaur attacked the farmer and killed him.

Comment: See also: Wild gaur attacks two children in Tamil Nadu, India; second recent incident for the area

Woman dies following attack by wild gaur in Tamil Nadu, India; 3rd such incident for the locality in 2 years

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Wolf

Man dies following attack by dog pack in South Africa

Selby Nomnganga
Ground Up
Fri, 31 Mar 2017 12:37 UTC
Dog attack
On 7 March, Andries "Aloe" Afrikaner passed away in the intensive care unit at Dr Harry Surtie Memorial hospital in Upington. He died from dog bites 39 days after he was attacked on 26 January in Kakamas.

Captain Francois Steenkamp, communications officer for the Kakamas police, said Afrikaner was found at the corner of 15th and 17th Avenue, close to the Kakamas Hospital. A police officer out on his morning jog saw Afrikaner lying by the roadside. He called the police, who called the paramedics.

A paramedic from the nearby Kakamas hospital, who did not wish to be named, was amongst the first people to find Afrikaner. "His body had holes at the back and his torso had deep wounds. His shin bones were visible," said the paramedic.
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Heart - Black

Japan kills more than 300 minke whales in annual Antarctic hunt


The Guardian
Fri, 31 Mar 2017 12:20 UTC
A dead minke whale onboard the Nisshin Maru, part of the Japanese whaling fleet, at sea in Antarctic waters.
© Glenn Lockitch/AFP/Getty Images A dead minke whale onboard the Nisshin Maru, part of the Japanese whaling fleet, at sea in Antarctic waters.
Whaling fleet returns to port after slaughtering hundreds of minke whales, in defiance of moratorium on hunting and global criticism

A Japanese whaling fleet returned to port on Friday after an annual Antarctic hunt that killed more than 300 of the mammals, as Tokyo pursues the programme in defiance of global criticism.

The fleet set sail for the Southern Ocean in November, with plans to slaughter 333 minke whales, flouting a worldwide moratorium and opposition led by Australia and New Zealand.

The fleet consisted of five ships, three of which arrived on Friday morning at Shimonoseki port in western Japan, the country's Fisheries Agency said.

More than 200 people, including crew members and their families, gathered in the rain for a 30-minute ceremony in front of the Nisshin Maru, the fleet's main ship, according to an official of the Shimonoseki city government.
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