Animals
S


Attention

Dead whale found on Carova Beach, North Carolina

Emily Satchell
wavy.com
Wed, 21 Dec 2016 10:58 UTC
Dead whale
© Carova Beach Volunteer Fire & Rescue/Facebook
A whale was found stranded on Carova Beach Wednesday.

Kim Amedola with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said the whale was initially reported to be dead and floating off the shore of Virginia. The whale then ended up stranded in Carova.

The National Park Service performed a necropsy on the whale Wednesday morning. It was determined to be a 29-foot, juvenile female, with a fair amount of decomposition. Researchers tried collecting samples, but because the whale was so decomposed, they couldn't get as many as they normally would.

It takes about a month to get the pathology results back. As of now, researchers aren't sure why the whale stranded itself.

The National Park Service buried the whale carcass.
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Attention

Thousands of dying freshwater crayfish seen floating down stream in New Zealand

Luke Kireby
Stuff
Tue, 20 Dec 2016 18:53 UTC
A man has witnessed
© Waikato TimesA man has witnessed "thousands" of dead and dying koura floating down a stream in Putaruru.
A man out for a leisurely fish this afternoon was "shocked" after seeing thousands of dead koura floating past him.

Erin Hampson-Tindale headed down to Oraka Stream in Putaruru for a bit of fishing only to find what he described as "thousands" of freshwater crayfish of all sizes and ages floating past him.

"I have spent over an hour here now and there has been a constant flow of them. It's shocking, there are literally thousands and thousands stumbling past," he said.

"They are semi-alive but obviously a whole colony has been wiped out by something because there are even really tiny ones."

He said he had no idea what was causing the koura to slowly die as there were no obvious signs of contamination.

"The water is not as clear as it can be but it could just be from the rain we had yesterday, other than that it really looks fine," he said.
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Black Cat 2

Woman injured in attack by 3 feral cats in New Zealand


India Today
Wed, 21 Dec 2016 15:52 UTC
hree wild or feral cats attacked a Taupo woman and her dog while they were out walking. These are not the cats.
Three wild or feral cats attacked a Taupo woman and her dog while they were out walking. These are not the cats.
A gang of cats in New Zealand has attacked a woman and her dog while she was out for an evening walk with the canine, a media report said today.

Jude Merwood was left with bruises and injury marks and had to visit a doctor after the attack by three feral cats near Tamatea Reserve in Taupo town.

She was out for an early evening walk with her dog Husky Sam when the incident took place, Stuff.co.nz reported.

"They came out of nowhere. They jumped on Sam (dog) first and she was on the lead," Merwood said.

As the woman tried to get the cats off her dog, she fell on the ground after which the cats attacked and bit her.

Jude Merwood says she and her Husky Sam were attacked by three cats while walking in Taupo.
© Steph RangiJude Merwood says she and her Husky Sam were attacked by three cats while walking in Taupo.
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Fish

Deep sea monsters: Russian sailor tweets amazing pictures of strangest fish he's caught


RT
Wed, 21 Dec 2016 14:26 UTC
Child looking in large aquarium
© Menahem Kahana / AFP
Scaly, horned, sharp-toothed with strange red or yellow eyes - these aren't fantastic beasts from the Harry Potter world, but real creatures caught by a Russian sailor. And social media are completely abuzz.

The photos which sometimes look like drawings of some absurd creatures, have been released by Roman Fedortsov, a sailor who works on a trawler in the Barents Sea.

They fished out some very bizarre creatures that actually live in depths of the sea.
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Wolf

25% more patients being treated in hospital for animal attacks over the last three years in Tayside, Scotland

Adam Hill
Evening Telegraph
Tue, 20 Dec 2016 21:13 UTC
Dogs were responsible for 396 trips to accident and emergency in three years
Dogs were responsible for 396 trips to accident and emergency in three years
The number of people being treated at accident and emergency for injuries caused by animals around Tayside has leapt up by a "shocking" 25% in the last three years.

Between 2013 and this year, the number of people seen at hospital has jumped from 673 to 847.

People who have been treated for injuries sustained from dogs has risen by 15% — with 396 cases in the last year.

And last year attacks by cats left 75 people requiring attention at A&E — a 38% rise in three years.

Cats were responsible for 75 trips to emergency in the three years.
Cats were responsible for 75 trips to emergency in the three years.
There has also been a 161% increase in the number of people attending A&E because of tics.

Locals who have been the victim of animal attacks reacted to the increase. Tracey McAllister, 53, was forced to spend two nights in hospital after a dog mauled her arm in the street.

The bite ripped a wound in her arm that required 13 stitches.
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Cloud Lightning

Lightning bolt kills 3 cows in Invergordon, Australia


Riverine Herald
Tue, 20 Dec 2016 15:47 UTC
One of the cows which died in the lightning strike
One of the cows which died in the lightning strike
A lightning strike killed a valuable Holstein dairy cow at an Invergordon farm on Tuesday.

Ashleigh and Jamie Noonan were shocked to discover they had lost a promising cow after a violent storm passed over their property on Tuesday morning.

Some of her progeny are destined for showing and sale at International Dairy Week in January.

Two other Autumn calved heifers were also lost.

The Country Fire Authority was kept busy containing more than 10 small fires caused by a band of lightning that ranged across northern Victoria.

Source: Shepparton News
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Attention

Dead sperm whale found along the shore of Samal, Philippines

Rodirey Salas
ABS-CBN News
Tue, 20 Dec 2016 15:15 UTC
The Bone Collector Museum Incorporated,
© Darell Blatchley
A sperm whale found along the shores of Samal died after ingesting plastic materials, experts said Monday.

The juvenile male sperm whale was found dead in a coastal area in Barangay Miranda early Saturday morning.

Foreign objects, including cellophane, wires, ropes, fishnets, and hardwood, were found inside the sperm whale's stomach and intestines, officials from the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources said.

The sperm whale's bones will be preserved and displayed by the Bone Collector Museum, officials said.

Most of the dolphins and whales preserved by The Bone Collector Museum died due to human intervention and waste materials, Bone Collector Museum president Darell Blatchey said.

"Only four out of 53 (whales and dolphins) we have recovered died due to natural causes," he said.

The Bone Collector Museum Incorporated
© Darell Blatchley
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Attention

Humpback whale carcass removed away from beach in Cape Town, South Africa


iol.co.za
Mon, 19 Dec 2016 15:06 UTC
Whale carcass
The City of Cape Town on Monday towed a humpback whale carcass away from one of its popular beaches to a nearby harbour for disposal.

The City said in a statement that it was alerted to the 15 ton carcass found floating approximately 1.6km off Llandudno Beach on Monday morning and immediately implemented its Stranded Whale Protocol.

"This morning, the Western Cape Government's Department of Environmental Affairs and Development Planning (DEADP) alerted the City's Environmental Management Department to the carcass of a humpback whale which was floating approximately 1.6 km off Llandudno Beach.
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Frog

Rainbow snake, tiny frog among new Mekong species


AFP
Mon, 19 Dec 2016 19:54 UTC
tylototriton newt
© AFP Photo/Porrawee POMCHOTEA new species of newt called the tylototriton anguliceps in Chiang Rai, Thailand

A rainbow-headed snake, a tiny frog and a lizard with dragon-like horns are among more than 150 new species confirmed by scientists last year in the ecologically diverse but threatened Mekong region, researchers said on Monday.

Winding its way from the Tibetan plateau through the mountains and jungles of Southeast Asia, the Mekong river helps sustain one of the most diverse regions on the planet.

Each year scientists announce new species, after an often lengthy identification process, highlighting how much more there is to learn about the region.

But there are fears many species may die out before even being discovered in an area of the world that is rapidly developing, where rule of law is notoriously shaky and wildlife smuggling rampant.

"The Greater Mekong region is a magnet for the world's conservation scientists because of the incredible diversity of species that continue to be discovered here," Jimmy Borah, from WWF's Greater Mekong team said.

"They are racing against time to ensure that these newly discovered species are protected."
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Attention

Paddler survives shark attack in Plettenberg Bay, South Africa

Selene Brophy
traveller24
Mon, 19 Dec 2016 18:30 UTC
Shark attacks
The National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) in Plettenberg Bay is urging the public, paddlers and bathers, to be cautious by swimming close to lifeguards in the area, who are on alert following what it has described as an "out of the ordinary shark incident".

News24 reports a paddler was knocked off his surf ski after a shark apparently breached and took a bite out of the lightweight vessel near the breaker line at Keurbooms Lagoon in Plettenberg Bay.

Local NSRI station commander Marc Rodgers says Ben Swart, 55, had been in the water with two friends when he felt a "hard bump" shortly after 07:00 - read the full report here.

Rodgers told Traveller24 they have spoken to a resident shark expert who is currently investigating the bite marks to determine the size and type of shark.

The shark took a fair bite out of Swart’s surf-ski.
The shark took a fair bite out of Swart’s surf-ski.
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