Animals
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Wolf

At least 12 injured after stray dogs attack locals in Guntur, India


The News Minute
Sat, 11 Mar 2017 11:36 UTC
Image for representation
Image for representation
At least 12 people were injured on Friday after stray dogs attacked residents of Lingamguntla and Pedakurapadu, two villages in Andhra's Guntur district.

Most of the victims were reported to be agricultural labourers, who were rushed and treated at the Pedakurapadu Primary Health Centre (PHC).

Other reports added that the absence of dog sterilisation in the villages was the main reason behind the increase in the number of dogs.

Guntur has been plagued with stray dog attacks over the past year, as many victims are rushed to the Government General Hospital (GGH) every month.
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Info

Unusual behaviour change noted among humpback whales

Mallory Locklear
New Scientist
Fri, 10 Mar 2017 23:45 UTC
Humpback Whales
© Colin Marshall/FLPADid someone say dinner?

In a mysterious change to their normal behaviour, humpback whales are forming massive groups of up to 200 animals.

Humpbacks aren't normally considered to be terribly social. They are mostly found alone, in pairs, or sometimes in small groups that disband quickly.

But research crews have spotted strange new social behaviour on three separate cruises in 2011, 2014 and 2015, as well as a handful of public observations from aircraft.

These super-groups of up to 200 were spotted feeding intensively off the south-western coast of South Africa, thousands of kilometres further north from their typical feeding grounds in the polar waters of the Antarctic.

"It's quite unusual to see them in such large groups," says Gísli Vikingsson, head of whale research at the Marine and Freshwater Research Institute in Iceland.
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Attention

Signs and Portents: Hunters in East Texas find a '1 headed, 2 bodied, 8 legged pig'

Ryan Osborne
Star-Telegram
Wed, 08 Mar 2017 14:31 UTC
freak pig
Hunters in East Texas made an interesting discovery Tuesday night when they came across an eight-legged pig.

That's right, a "1 headed, 2 bodied, 8 legged pig!" as hunter Jesse Garcia put it in a Facebook post, which included a picture of the rare swine.

Garcia, 21, was hunting about midnight with friends Toby Taylor, Cody Cooper and Bret Taylor near Garrison, northeast of Nacogdoches, when their hog dog got a hold of a sow, a grown female pig.

After cutting her open, Garcia and his buddies started finding babies. That's when they noticed something they'd never seen before.

One of the little pigs "had two legs coming out of the chest and two legs coming out of its back," Garcia said.

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Wolf

Dog attacks reported to police in Wales increase by 25% in a year


BBC
Thu, 09 Mar 2017 13:29 UTC
chart
There were 634 reported dog attacks in Wales in 2016, up by 124 from the year before, according to latest figures.

In total, 99 were seized by police under the Dangerous Dogs Act, down 60 from 159 in 2015.

Figures were obtained from all Welsh police forces using a request under the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act.

National Police Chiefs' Council spokesman Deputy Chief Constable Gareth Pritchard said many people bought dogs without knowing their temperament.

North Wales Police said attacks rose from 158 to 246 in the area. In south Wales, it went up from 298 to 332 and in Dyfed-Powys' area the numbers increased from 45 to 53.

Gwent Police recorded number decreased from nine to three, in the figures obtained for BBC Radio Wales' Jason Mohammad Show.

Comment: See also these further recent reports from across the world illustrating this increasing and disturbing trend of canine attacks on people: Dog bites rise by 12% over a year in Charlotte, North Carolina

491 reports of dog attacks in 2016 reported across Mackay, Australia

Serious dog attacks jump 85% in a year for Wollongong, Australia

More than 1,500 dog attacks since 2014 in the West Midlands, UK

457,000 cases of dog bites recorded in Mumbai, India since 2011

Dog bites sending people to hospitals in California increasing; up 44% in 10 years

143% increase in dog attacks between 2010 and 2015 for the county of Essex, UK

Dog attacks soar by 50% in 10 years for Scotland

2016 U.S. dog bite fatality statistics and trends for the last 12 years

Big spike in dog attacks on people and domestic animals over six months for Tauranga, New Zealand

Hospitals in Scotland see 80% increase in dog attack victims over a decade

Stray dogs kill seven-year-old girl, death toll climbs to 11 in 12 months for Moradabad, India

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Attention

Dead leopard sharks wash ashore at Ocean Beach, California

Jaspreet Kaur
nbcbayarea.com
Wed, 08 Mar 2017 09:53 UTC
Dead leopard sharks
© Nate ReedDead leopard sharks
Several dead leopard sharks washed ashore in Ocean Beach after the rain last week.

An NBC 7 viewer snapped pictures of the sharks at dog beach.

According to Andrew P. Nosal, Ph.D, a Visiting Assistant Researcher at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, the deaths may be related to the water quality but he could not say for sure.

Nosal said the area where the sharks were found was located near the mouth of the San Diego River. After the recent rainfall, the water quality could have caused the leopard sharks to die and wash ashore.

He added that this occurs every now and then in several locations across the state.
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Attention

Steep decline in wading bird nesting reported for South Florida

Dacia L Johnson
tcpalm.com
Thu, 09 Mar 2017 19:20 UTC
White Ibis
White Ibis
The South Florida Water Management District this week released its annual South Florida Wading Bird Report which showed the lowest wading bird nesting count since 2008.

Compared to the 10-year average in the Greater Everglades Ecosystem:

* White ibis nesting was down 45 percent

* Wood stork nesting was down 38 percent

* Snowy egret nesting was down 51 percent

* Little blue Heron nesting was down 61 percent

* Tricolored heron nesting was down 16 percent

* Great egret nesting was down 7 percent

Roseate spoonbill nesting up 20 percent overall but mainly in inland areas

Comment: See also this report for the 2014 breeding season: The canary in the coal mine? Nesting wading bird population crashes by 28% in a year, Florida Everglades

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Wolf

Stray dogs kill seven-year-old girl, death toll climbs to 11 in 12 months for Moradabad, India

Nazar Abbas
The Times of India
Thu, 09 Mar 2017 18:57 UTC
stray dogs
It seems there is no end to the stray dog menace in the city. A group of stray dogs killed a seven-year-old girl at Murdapur village which is at few kilometers from the city.

The girl, identified as Sonia, was declared brought dead at a local hospital.

"Sonia and her friends had gone to the forest to pluck some flowers for the Holi festival. A group of stray dogs trapped her and started attacking her. The villagers rushed towards the forest to rescue my daughter ," Siphai Lal, the father of the victim said.

The incident sparked tension in the area with villagers blaming the administration for failing to curb the stray dog population.

Speaking with TOI, Abdul Basit, sub-divisional magistrate, said, "The rising incidents of dog attacks indicate that the canines here may have developed the habit of eating human flesh and find easy prey in children."

Comment: Other recent noteworthy dog attack reports: Woman 'shaken like toy' by dog, leaving her with horrific injuries in Swansea, Wales

Pit bull attacks 7-year-old in Baltimore County, Maryland

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Attention

Whale washes up on beach in Devon, UK

Joel Cooper and Patrick Lion
Daily Mirror
Thu, 09 Mar 2017 15:20 UTC
The mammal is either a baleen or a fin whale
© Paul Willby/SWNS.COMThe mammal is either a baleen or a fin whale
A whale's dead body measuring at least 9 metres long has washed up on a Devon beach.

The mammal's body - said to be a fin or a baleen whale - was first spotted at 4pm yesterday after it was washed ashore near Hartland Quay.

Cheryl Fan Duerden wrote on Facebook: "Back from a BDMLR call out this evening to check on a whale that washed up on Hartland Quay.

"Exceptionally foggy drive and not the easiest access through slippery jagged rocks in the dark, but someone's gotta do it!

"Unfortunately it was dead, possibly a while ago, 9-10 metres at least and suspected small fin whale or large minke whale.

"Very sad to see it flopped over and lodged amongst the rocks and blood in the rockpools, but to see a whale in its entirety is still pretty awesome."
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Attention

Camel attacks farmer and swings him through the air in Samandağ, Turkey

Rory Tingle
Daily Mail
Tue, 07 Mar 2017 13:56 UTC
Mr Ildam was swung through the air by the angry camel. He was badly injured enough to require hospital treatment
Mr Ildam was swung through the air by the angry camel. He was badly injured enough to require hospital treatment
This is the incredible moment a camel grabs its owner by the leg with its teeth and swings him through the air.

Farmer Cetin Ildam was telling a TV crew how diversifying into camel breeding had transformed his business when the animal suddenly attacked him.

Mr Ildam was stroking its head when it locked its jaws around his knee and swung the poor farmer into a fence at his farm in Samandag, southern Turkey.

Shocked cameraman Guven Basman immediately stopped filming and went to Mr Ildam's aide.

Mr Ildam was badly injured enough to require hospital treatment but the TV crew waiting for him completed their feature after he was released.

And it gave an extra dimension to the interview as Mr Basman was able to ask him about the aggressive camel.

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Attention

Three more dolphins found dead on beaches in South Hams, UK

Chris Derrick
South Hams Gazette
Tue, 07 Mar 2017 13:42 UTC
Campaigner Lindy Hingley with a dead dolphin
Campaigner Lindy Hingley with a dead dolphin
Three more common dolphins were reported washed up on South Hams beaches this week.

The dead dolphins were found on the beaches at Challaborough, Thurlestone and Wonwell and reported to the Natural History Museum for post mortem.

More than 100 dolphins have been found dead on south west beaches in the first six weeks of this year alone, with most being found in Cornwall.

'The alarming fact is that all experts agree that only one per cent of the dolphins killed ended up washed-up on the shoreline,' Lindy Hingley from Brixham Seawatch explained.
DEAD DOLPHIN

Comment: See also: Dolphin 'massacre' claim as 100 wash up over 8 weeks in Cornwall, UK

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