Animals
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Attention

Dead humpback whale washes ashore at Dockweiler State Beach, California

Anthony Kurzweil and Wendy Burch
ktla.com
Fri, 01 Jul 2016 14:41 UTC
A whale that washed ashore at Dockweiler State Beach is seen in this photo posted to the Los Angeles County Fire Department Lifeguard Division Twitter page.
A whale that washed ashore at Dockweiler State Beach is seen in this photo posted to the Los Angeles County Fire Department Lifeguard Division Twitter page.
Lifeguards were deciding what to do Friday about a dead whale that washed ashore on Dockweiler State Beach near Playa Del Rey the night before.

A whale that washed ashore at Dockweiler State Beach is seen in this photo posted to the Los Angeles County Fire Department Lifeguard Division Twitter page.

The 30- to 40-foot-long whale, possibly a humpback, was spotted by lifeguards about 8 p.m. Thursday, according to a tweet by the Los Angeles County Fire Department Lifeguard Division.

Efforts to tow the carcass back to the water Thursday night were unsuccessful so the whale remained on the beach overnight.

Officials were hoping to try again to get the whale removed from the shoreline Friday, ahead of the large crowds expected to arrive for the holiday weekend.
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Attention

Hundreds of starfish wash up on the shores of the Marmara Sea, Turkey


Hurriyet Daily News
Tue, 28 Jun 2016 11:00 UTC
Starfish
© DHA
Scores of starfish, both dead and alive, have washed ashore the coasts of Turkey's Marmara Sea in the northwestern province of Tekirdağ, while the provincial environment directorate has said an investigation has been launched to determine the cause of the incident.

Locals saw hundreds of starfish emanating a "bad odor" on a sandy beach in the Kumbağ neighborhood of Tekirdağ's Süleymanpaşa district at mid-day on June 27.

While some residents threw the starfish back into the sea in an attempt to save their lives, others collected the animals for decorative purposes.

"We come here during the summer months. I have never seen anything like this. Many starfish hit the beach," Didem Deniz, a vacationer, told reporters.
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Attention

Dead humpback whale found near Hope, Alaska; third for the state in June

Blake Essig
ktuu.com
Thu, 30 Jun 2016 18:21 UTC
A humpback whale spotted near Hope.
© Liam Bureau. A humpback whale spotted near Hope.
A dead humpback whale originally discovered Tuesday morning along Turnagain Arm, near Hope, has reappeared with the tides.

The 42-foot body resurfaced in an area between miles 13 and 15 of Hope Highway. NOAA officials say the location of the whale is making access challenging, as it's only accessible for a few hours during low tide.

As of noon Wednesday, a combined team from Alaska SeaLife Center and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration are at the site collecting samples from the whale. NOAA officials say the team was on scene last night between 9 p.m. and midnight collecting samples before the tide came back up.

"The samples they collect are skin samples, blubber samples, aqueous liquid from the eyes, and then if they're able to perform a full necropsy then they definitely do the internal examination of the whale," said Julie Speegle, NOAA.
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Attention

Grizzly bear kills biker in Flathead County, Montana; seventh fatal attack since 2010 in the Northern Rockies

Wesley Yiin
Washington Post
Thu, 30 Jun 2016 13:46 UTC
Grizzly bear
Grizzly bear
Twenty years ago, Brad Treat was one of Montana's best high school distance runners, but his coach, Paul Jorgensen, remembers him for his humility and kindness. Once, Jorgensen recounted to the Flathead Beacon, after Treat finished first during a cross country race at the Missoula Invitational, he turned around and congratulated everyone else as they finished.

"I told my kids that story off and on over the years and then my kids started doing that, too," he said. "Brad's the one who started that."

And so, it was with great sadness that the Flathead community mourned the loss of this local icon of sportsmanship, who died Wednesday afternoon after being attacked by a grizzly bear just south of Glacier National Park. Though he had maintained his athleticism — he was riding his mountain bike, after all — Treat, who was just 38 years old and a law enforcement officer with the U.S. Forest Service, couldn't escape his fate.

But his companion did. Flathead County Sheriff Chuck Curry told the Associated Press that Treat and another man had been biking near Halfmoon Lake when they came across the bear, surprising it. The other man escaped unscathed and sought help while the bear knocked Treat off his bike.

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Roses

3-day-old baby girl killed by family dog in Fresno, California


The Fresno Bee
Mon, 27 Jun 2016 11:51 UTC
A 3-day-old infant is dead after reportedly being attacked by dogs.
© KMPHA 3-day-old infant is dead after reportedly being attacked by dogs.
A 3-day-old baby girl was killed by family dogs in Fresno early Monday, police say.

The girl's mother thought the dogs were chained up in the back yard when the attack occurred, police said.

The baby was attacked at a home on the 3700 block of North Glenn Avenue about 12:30 a.m. Monday and died a short time later at Community Regional Medical Center, Sgt. Dan Macias said.

The 33-year old mother, who was not identified, said she left the child on the couch and "walked away for a few seconds," Macias said.

"She left the door open because it was hot and she thought the dogs were tied up," he said.

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Wolf

Woman dies after being attacked by two dogs in New Haven, Connecticut

Kels Dayton
wtnh.com
Mon, 27 Jun 2016 18:42 UTC
Two dogs were taken into quarantine after they attacked a woman
Two dogs were taken into quarantine after they attacked a woman
A 53-year-old New Haven woman has died after being attacked by two dogs outside of a home on Ella T. Grasso Boulevard last week, according to a city official.

Jocelyn Winfrey succumbed to her injuries after being treated at Yale-New Haven Hospital.

The incident happened while Winfrey was visiting Hamilton Hicks, the owner of the dogs. Both were attacked as soon as they walked onto the property, according to witnesses.

Police said a neighbor heard the commotion and tried to help by grabbing a broom. The neighbor told police that kids were also throwing rocks at the dogs to try to get them to stop biting the woman.

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Attention

Dead humpback whale found off Point Carolus, Alaska

Jerzy Shedlock
Alaska Dispatch News
Tue, 28 Jun 2016 17:51 UTC
Festus, a humpback whale monitored in Southeast Alaska for 44 years, is hauled Sunday, June 26, 2016, by two National Park Service vessels after being discovered dead in the waters off Point Carolus.
© National Park ServiceFestus, a humpback whale monitored in Southeast Alaska for 44 years, is hauled Sunday, June 26, 2016, by two National Park Service vessels after being discovered dead in the waters off Point Carolus.
An initial identification suggests that a humpback whale documented for 44 years in Southeast Alaska has died, according to the National Park Service.

Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve Superintendent Philip Hooge announced the whale's death Monday. The humpback, nicknamed Festus, was found floating in the waters off Point Carolus a day earlier, he said.

A charter vessel operator called the National Marine Fisheries Service about the floating whale around 10:20 a.m. Monday. Glacier Bay staff located and towed Festus to shore. Veterinarians are set to conduct a necropsy on Tuesday, according to the Park Service.

"More information on the cause of death and the condition of the whale are expected to be available later this week, after the veterinary examination," Hooge said.
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Attention

Dead humpback whale washes ashore in Rye, New Hampshire

Austin McGuigan
Seacoastonline.com
Mon, 27 Jun 2016 14:45 UTC
A 45-foot female humpback whale, identified as Snow Plow, washed onto some rocks near the Rye Harbor State Park early Monday morning.
© Rich Beauchesne/SeacoastonlineA 45-foot female humpback whale, identified as Snow Plow, washed onto some rocks near the Rye Harbor State Park early Monday morning.
Crowds gathered Monday morning to witness a 45-foot humpback whale that washed onto rocks outside of Rye Harbor State Park and Foss Beach. Marine investigators quickly identified the whale as an 18-year-old female named Snow Plow.

The whale, which lay on its back, was guessed to have been dead for days before the tides pushed it to shore.

Fisherman had reported seeing the corpse floating 20 miles out at sea Sunday.

"A once in a lifetime experience!" said Rye resident Denise Levin after witnessing her first beached whale. Levin has been living in the area for almost 50 years and had never seen a whale so close.

Marine scientists responded to the scene and were working to determine the cause of death and scientists said a necropsy would be necessary to determine the cause definitively.

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Attention

4th cetacean corpse in 4 days found in Discovery Bay, Hong Kong; 16 beached animals this year so far

Catherine Lai
Hong Kong Free Press
Mon, 27 Jun 2016 14:13 UTC
The dead porpoise found on Sunday.
© OPCFHK.The dead porpoise found on Sunday.
A dead porpoise was found in Discovery Bay on Sunday afternoon, the fourth dead marine mammal discovered in four days after the bodies of three dolphins were discovered on Thursday.

It was found in the water and handed over to the Ocean Park Conservation Foundation for an autopsy. The OPCFHK said that the porpoise was a 1.55 metre long female and the body had reached the fourth stage of decomposition. Its cause of death has yet to be determined.

On Thursday, the bodies of three Chinese white dolphins were found - one entangled in fishing wire near Lido Beach in Sham Tseng, one in waters near Lamma Island and another in Fan Kwai Tong off Lantau Island.

That makes 16 beached animals this year, according to HK01. The Hong Kong Dolphin Conservation Society (HKDCS), a charitable organisation, told HK01 that dolphin numbers in Hong Kong are decreasing. They estimate that there has been a decline since 2014, when 61 dolphins were estimated to be in Hong Kong waters.

According to the HKDCS, finless porpoises in Hong Kong face threats of habitat degradation from coastal development, net entanglement, vessel strikes, and water pollution.
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Bizarro Earth

Experts discover link between glyphosate use and rise in strange animal deformities

number23
AnonHQ
Sat, 25 Jun 2016 02:00 UTC
glyphosate
In rural northeast Argentina, the number of animals born with strange deformities has skyrocketed. According to locals, a supernatural spirit is responsible for the recent flux of deformities. However, experts discovered a correlation between the rise in deformities and the increased use of glyphosate.

"It is well-documented that glyphosate promotes soil pathogens and is already implicated with the increase of more than 40 plant diseases; it dismantles plant defenses by chelating vital nutrients; and it reduces the bioavailability of nutrients in feed, which in turn can cause animal disorders," wrote Don Huber, an emeritus professor of plant pathology at Purdue University.

In one case, a piglet born with skin so thin, allowed the farmer to see the piglet's blood pumping. In a nearby village, a black puppy was born with a mini trunk protruding from its nose.


Comment: Monsanto's most dangerous product? The case against Glyphosate

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