Animals
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Attention

10 dead melon-headed whales washed up on Broome beach in Western Australia (UPDATE)

Vanessa Mills and Esse Deves
abc.net.au
Mon, 13 Jan 2025 11:39 UTC
A beachgoer discovered three dead melon-headed whales.
© Megan SpenceA beachgoer discovered three dead melon-headed whales.
West Australian wildlife authorities are investigating the deaths of at least three marine mammals found on a beach near Broome.

Three melon-headed whales were discovered lying on Mangalagun Crab Creek Beach, north-east of the tourist town, this morning by Broome resident Megan Spence, who regularly visits the area.

Her first thought was a shark or dolphin had washed ashore.

"It was very dark, almost black," Ms Spence said.

"Then I looked further up the beach and saw another one, then another 150 metres there was another.

"It was really sad."


Comment: Update January 14

The same source reports:
A total of 10 melon-headed whales have now been found on a beach and in mangroves near Broome in Western Australia's far north, according to wildlife authorities.

The issue was first reported to Kimberley Parks and Wildlife Services on Monday after a local resident stumbled across three dead whales during her morning walk at Mangalagun Crab Creek Beach, north-east of the tourist town.

The Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (DBCA) confirmed a further seven were later found in mangroves and in creeks in the same area.

The DBCA said local Parks and Wildlife Service staff managed to remove seven of the mammals and dispose of them safely.

"Biological samples were taken from three of these carcasses for testing," a DBCA spokesperson said.

Three were unable to be removed and will be left to "decompose naturally".

Broome resident Thomas Howard was on a fishing trip with friends on Sunday — the afternoon before the whales were first reported.

He said he came across three of the mammals on the shoreline.

"I walked down a bit further, down into the creek, to go look for some crabs and whatnot, [and] I've seen a few more," he said.

"There was a few more stuck into the mouth, really into the mangroves."


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Doberman

Man in his 50s dies after pit bull attack at home in Alton, Illinois

John Badman
The Telegraph
Mon, 13 Jan 2025 12:35 UTC
PIT BULL ATTACK
A man in his early 50s died Friday after being attacked by a pit bull in a home in the first block of Lovejoy Lane in Alton.

Alton Police and firefighters were called to the home for a dog bite call just before 5 p.m. on Friday. Family members were waiting in the driveway, but the bite victim was still in the house with the dog. Alton firefighters waited for police to secure the scene.

Officers reportedly entered the home, and a gunshot was heard. After the shot was fired, police, firefighters and Alton Memorial Ambulance personnel tried valiantly to treat the man and called for a helicopter ambulance.

Despite their best efforts, the man succumbed to the bleeding and injuries to an arm. The Madison County Coroner's Office was called to the scene and the man was pronounced dead.

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Doberman

Boy mauled to death by stray dogs in a district of Punjab, India - 2nd such incident in a week


The Indian Express
Sun, 12 Jan 2025 13:01 UTC
MMMMMMMM
An eleven-year-old boy was mauled to death by a pack of stray dogs at the Hasanapur village of Punjab's Ludhiana district on Saturday. The victim was identified as Harsukhpreet Singh. A few days ago, a 10-year-old boy, Arjun, was killed in the same manner in this village.

Deputy Superintendent of Police (Mullanpur Dakha) Varinder Singh Khosa said the boy was the only son of his parents. His father is a small-time farmer. DSP Khosa said the family lives on the village's periphery, and their home lacked a boundary wall. Harsukhpreet was playing outside when the dogs attacked him. His parents rushed to rescue him, but by the time he was taken to a medical facility, he had died.

After the latest fatal stray dog attack, infuriated village residents blocked Ludhiana-Ferozepur Road for two hours before the police pacified them. They demanded immediate shifting of a carcass ground in the village and removal of ferocious dogs who live near it.
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Doberman

Stray dogs fatally attack child in Kirkuk, Iraq


Rudaw
Sat, 11 Jan 2025 19:25 UTC
MMMMMMMM
A child lost his life after a pack of stray dogs attacked him in Kirkuk on Saturday. He was mauled after leaving school, according to an official.

"The child died at the hospital and was sent to the forensic medical examination" office, Kirkuk health directorate spokesperson Saman Yaba told Rudaw on Saturday.

"He is in the third grade of primary school. He was injured after passing his exams," Yaba said.

The attack happened outside of two housing projects in Kirkuk - Kirkuk City and Jwan City. When the security guards heard barking, they ran to the site and saw four or five dogs leaving a ditch where they had attacked the child, one of the housing project owners told Rudaw.
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Lightning

7 sheep killed by lightning strike in New Zealand

Susan Sandys
Star News
Thu, 09 Jan 2025 12:41 UTC
James McCormick sent a photo of the dead sheep under the cracked tree to the NZ Farming Facebook page.
James McCormick sent a photo of the dead sheep under the cracked tree to the NZ Farming Facebook page.
Seven sheep lying dead under a tree that had cracked down the middle.

That was the grim scene facing a Mayfield farmer as he rounded up stock for weighing. A bolt of lightning is the suspected cause.

James McCormick at Manaton Farms said he thought: "What the hell?" when he saw the dead lambs on December 23.

When he saw the crack in the old man pine tree, which was on both sides, he realised what it must have been.

The sheep must have been sheltering under the tree from a thunderstorm two days prior.
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Attention

Man killed in bear attack in Tamil Nadu, India


dtnext.in
Mon, 06 Jan 2025 20:45 UTC
Sloth bear
Sloth bear
An elderly man was allegedly killed in a bear attack at Chidambaram Vilakku near Andipatti in Theni district. The deceased has been identified as G Senrayaperumal of Annanagar, Duraisamypuram village, Andipatti taluk.

On Saturday night when the ex-serviceman was travelling on his bike to his farm he was allegedly attacked. A bear jumped on Senrayaperumal at Attuparai. In the impact, he suffered head injuries and was found lying with a bleeding face.

On Sunday morning, his wife Saraswathi rang him, but there was no response. But much to her shock, Saraswathi found the mauled body on the farm.

Based on a complaint lodged by Saraswathi, Myladumparai police filed a case under Sections 194 BNSS (Animal attack) and 174 of Cr.P.C., sources said.
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Attention

Woman mauled, killed by neighbor's pigs in 'horrible situation' on Christmas Day in Pataskala, Ohio

Maria Devito
Columbus Dispatch
Tue, 07 Jan 2025 20:30 UTC
nnnnnnnnn
© Nathan Stirk/Getty Images
A Pataskala woman was mauled, killed and partially eaten by her neighbor's pigs on Christmas Day, according to the city's police chief.

Rebecca Westergaard, 75, of Pataskala, died after being attacked by two pigs that were roaming near her Mink Street home, Pataskala Police Chief Bruce Brooks told The Dispatch on Monday.

Westergaard's niece called Pataskala police at 2:47 p.m. for a welfare check after no one could reach Westergaard. She was supposed to leave her home in the 4000 block of Mink Street, where she lived alone, at 10:30 a.m. to go to her niece's home in Norton, Ohio, just outside of Akron, according to the police's incident report.

Westergaard was found on her property near the house, Brooks said.
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Doberman

Record dog attack death count of 71 in 2024 in USA

Merritt Clifton
Animals24-7.org
Sun, 05 Jan 2025 15:10 UTC
MMMMMMMM
2024 dog attack toll started slowly, closed fast

The year 2024 closed with ten fatal dog attacks in 26 days, ending with a record 71 reported fatalities in the U.S., 51 by pit bull, plus another in Canada, for a new combined U.S.-and-Canada death toll on 72.

But that is not how 2024 started out.

Twenty-nine days into the year, January 2024 appeared likely to become the first month since November 2020 without a pit bull-inflicted human fatality occurring somewhere around the U.S.

Then, within the last 48 hours of the month, as well as killing Harold Phillips, pit bulls killed 19-year-old Carlon Galloway, of Fort Hall, Idaho; Willie Mundine, 85, of Indianapolis, Indiana, killed in the act of protecting his wife; and Sommer Kanoeonalani Crivello, of Ocean View, Hawaii.

Comment: The year prior held the previous record of fatal encounters, showing the increasing trend in recent years: Record 68 dog attack deaths in 2023 in the U.S. and Canada included also record 55 by pit bull

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Attention

Coyote attacks and attempts to drag 5-year-old boy into nearby forest in Renton, Washington


Seattleschild.com
Fri, 03 Jan 2025 13:54 UTC
Coyote
© Getty ImagesCoyote
A 5-year-old Renton boy was injured in an attack by a coyote on New Year's Eve. The injuries were non-life-threatening, and the child was released from a hospital on the same day. State wildlife officials urge parents to use caution when coyotes are sighted and to know how to respond in case of an attack.

Fast action by mom

It could have been far worse, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) said this week. They credited quick action by the boy's mother for preventing more significant injuries after the wild canine attempted to drag the boy into a greenbelt in the city's Maplewood Heights neighborhood.

The attack happened at around 6 p.m. on December 31. According to the WDFW, the animal bit the boy in the upper body and pulled him to the ground before trying to drag him. The child's mother rushed at the coyote, forcing it to release the child.

Although the animal stayed near the area of the attack until WDFW officers arrived, the coyote ran into a forested area nearby after the officers tried to kill it.
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Attention

Raccoon attacks infant inside his Idaho home

Phil Helsel
NBC News
Sat, 28 Dec 2024 20:51 UTC
racoon
A raccoon attacked an infant inside an Idaho home this week as the baby boy was in a carrier, the state wildlife department said Friday.

The incident happened Monday in Cassia County after the infant's mother had just returned home, Idaho Fish and Game said in a statement.

The mother heard a noise, investigated and found the animal, it said.

"The mother found a raccoon attacking her infant. She was able to grab the animal to stop the attack," the department said.

The child's father and a Cassia County sheriff's deputy went to the home, found the raccoon still inside and they killed the animal, Fish and Game said.
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