Animals
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Distressed young whale rescued from netting in Gold Coast bay, Australia

Lucy Mae Beers
Daily Mail, UK
Sat, 15 Aug 2015 13:23 UTC
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A rescue mission turned serious after rescuers attempting to free a young humpback whale from netting were paid a visit by its' friend
A seemingly straightforward rescue mission turned serious after rescuers attempting to free a young humpback whale from netting were paid a visit by its' much larger friend.

The animal was in obvious distress and had laboured movements as it dragged heavy netting in the Gold Coast Bay on Saturday morning.

The rescue undertaken by a Sea World crew took an exhausting five hours after their efforts were impeded by another larger humpback whale, which protectively breached and rolled over, forcing the boats to retreat.

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A much larger whale began to violently slap the water and roll over, forcing rescue crews to back off
The creature was initially spotted by whale watchers and again by tourists, who could not believe their luck the whale remained close to their boat, 7 News reported.

They realised the animal was in extreme distress after noticing it could not lift its tail out of the water due to a heavy weight pressing down on it.

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Binoculars

Tropical Brown booby turns up near Cape Race in Canada

Bruce Mactavish
The Telegram
Sat, 15 Aug 2015 19:18 UTC
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© Bruce MactavishA brown booby, identical to this one photographed in a tropical ocean off Costa Rica, caused quite a stir among the birdwatching community when it visited Long Beach ever so briefly.

The phone call came just after supper on Aug. 4th. It was my birding buddy Ken Knowles on the line screaming out, "There's a brown booby at Long Beach."

This message conjures up different images to different people. My immediate response was "where is Long Beach?" I was so blindsided by the announcement that I had forgotten Long Beach, one of my favourite birding destinations, was located next to Cape Race on the southeast corner of the Avalon Peninsula.

Instantly arrangements were made for a group trip in Ken's car. It is a two-hour drive to Long Beach from St. John's. There were only two hours left in the day before sunset. John Wells, Chris Brown and I all knew Ken can beat any setting sun when the right bird is the target. A brown booby more than qualified for the exhilarating ride down the Southern Shore highway.

A brown booby is a seabird related to the Newfoundland gannet. It is a little smaller than a gannet but is still bigger than any gull. On stiff wings it flies and glides over tropical oceans, diving into the water for flying fish and squid. The brown booby is widespread in the Caribbean and is regular up to the Florida Keys.
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Attention

Bizarre animal behaviour: Monkey drops 2-month old human infant to death in water tank, India


The New Indian Express
Sun, 09 Aug 2015 18:27 UTC
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© Abraham Richard Image for representation purposes only.
In a bizarre incident, a monkey picked up a two-month old baby girl from her room and dropped her to death into a water tank at Raseedpura village in Dausa district, police said today.

The girl Yogeshwari was sleeping on her bed when the monkey picked her up and ran away even as it was chased by members of her family including the baby's mother.

The monkey lost its grip and the baby fell down in a tank, they said.

She was rushed to hospital where she was declared brought dead, they said.

Raseedpura and adjoining villagers have been facing a monkey menace for long.

Source: Press Trust of India
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Attention

Hiker attacked by black bear in Larch Hills, British Columbia

Tracy Hughes
Salmon Arm Observer
Fri, 14 Aug 2015 17:17 UTC
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A black bear attacked a hiker in along the Skyview trail of the Larch Hills trail system on Friday morning. Conservation officers are posting signs warning people of the aggressive animal.
A Grandview Bench resident is shaken but unhurt after he fought off a bear attack with his walking stick in the Larch Hills area.

Gary Wilkinson is warning fellow hikers to stay out of the South Loop of the Larch Hills trail system after the incident which took place at approximately 8 a.m. this (Friday) morning.

"Stay off Skyview and the South Loop for sure," he said "This is a very aggressive male bear. He was not afraid, he even stalked me."

As is his usual custom, Wilkinson was taking a morning walk with Neara, his yellow Labrador retriever, when he noticed a black bear. Bears are common in the area and usually do not bother people, so Wilkinson continued on his way.

But as Neara snuffled through the bush, suddenly the bear popped out of the bushes right beside him.

"He was right there, it was obvious he had followed me," said the still shaken man.

"My dog saw the bear and put the run on him, the bear grabbed a hold of her and pinned her down. She yelped but was able to get out of the hold and took off. That's when the bear came towards me."
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Attention

Third whale washes up on beach this year in Maharashtra, India

Kunal Chonkar
dnaindia.com
Sat, 15 Aug 2015 17:07 UTC
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© Mohan Jadhav Team iaminThe 15-feet-long bloated carcass of a whale was spotted at Alibaugh beach.
Another carcass of a whale was discovered on Thursday, drifting close to Alibaug beach in Raigad district of Maharashtra. This is the third case of a giant whale beaching on the shores, with the state government and other agencies yet to investigate the cause and formulate mitigative measures.

In the latest incident, a 15-feet-long severely decomposed body of a whale was spotted riding the waves close to Alibaug beach by local fishermen.

"The carcass was bloated with its internals spilled out and had several fish bites on it. It was highly decomposed and carried a foul stench with it, which could be sensed almost two kilometers away," local fisherman Dhananjay Kalok said.
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Attention

Rare attack by Hammerhead shark on diver off San Diego coast

R. Stickney and Artie Ojeda
nbcsandiego.com
Sat, 15 Aug 2015 16:39 UTC
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© Barry Peters/ Wikimedia CommonsHammerhead shark
A diver was injured in a shark attack about 100 miles off the coast of San Diego, U.S. Coast Guard officials confirmed.

The 58-year-old man was underwater Monday just after 8 a.m. when he was bitten in the right hand by a hammerhead shark, Coast Guard officials said.

The unidentified man was diving from a passenger vessel called "Peace" at the time of the attack. According to Peace Dive Boat's website, the Ventura-based boat is part of a chartered trip to the Cortes Bank, a popular diving area about 100 miles off the coast.

An EMT on board gave the man basic first aid help, but the Coast Guard's flight surgeon recommended that the patient be airlifted from the boat.

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Attention

Signs and Portents: Two-headed sea slug found in Malaysian waters

Lizzie Seffer
Daily Mirror, UK
Sat, 15 Aug 2015 15:08 UTC
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© CatersWarning signs: The animal is commonly known as a variable neon slug due to its incredible colouring of neon green and bright orange
With its otherworldy two heads, you might be forgiven for thinking this two-headed neon slug is an alien lifeform - but it's actually just been discovered right here on earth.

Divers have revealed what they believe to be the first ever two-headed sea slug, and it's a pretty weird-looking creature.

The nudibranch - a soft-bodied, marine gastropod mollusk - was discovered by a diver and a team of film-makers at Kapalai, a sandbar off the coast of Sabah in eastern Malaysian Borneo.

They found that, as well as having two heads, the slug also possesses both female and male sex organs, as all nudibranchs are hermaphrodites.

This particular slug measured around 25mm long, but this species of psychedelic sea slug can grow up to 120mm.

The nudibranch is part of the species nembrotha kubaryana, but is more commonly known as a variable neon slug due to its incredible colouring of neon green and bright orange which warns predators of their toxicity.
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Attention

A 66-year-old man fights off bear near Yosemite, California

Gene Haagenson
abc30.com
Thu, 13 Aug 2015 19:35 UTC
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A 66-year-old man was attacked by a bear Thursday, but he fought off the animal and lived to tell an incredible tale.
A 66-year-old man was attacked by a bear Thursday, but he fought off the animal and lived to tell an incredible tale.

The incident occurred around 4 a.m. at a home on Colorado Road near Highway 140 in Midpines. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife said they believe the bear was rummaging through Larry Yepez's trash when he stepped out of his house in the early morning hours while it was still dark.

Yepez was able to fight off the 200-pound black bear and made it back into his home.

"I put my feet underneath his belly and kicked him, and the bear flipped backwards, but then he jumped back up," Yepez said. "I was doing everything I could to try to get him off of me."

Yepez says his tiny Yorkshire Terrier was nipping at the bear and distracted the animal long enough so he could get away.

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Attention

Black bear attack injures man in Fulton County, New York

Brian Mann
northcountrypublicradio.org
Thu, 13 Aug 2015 18:54 UTC
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© The Wild Center, Creative CommonsBlack bear (Ursus americanus).
State officials say a 55 year old man was attacked by a black bear Tuesday evening in Fulton County in the southwest corner of the Adirondack Park.

The man, who wasn't named, was walking his dog in the Ferris Lake Wild Forest near the town of Stratford.

According to the DEC, the bear first attacked the dog and when the man tried to intervene, hitting the animal with a stick, he suffered bites, scratches and puncture wounds. The injuries weren't considered life-threatening.

After the bear attack, passing drivers helped the man and he was eventually taken to a hospital in Utica. The dog was taken to a local veterinarian for treatment.

State officials attempted to track the black bear this week but were unable to locate the animal. In a statement, DEC said that they believe "the bear has left the area and poses no continuing threat at this time."

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Attention

4 whales strand at New Taipei,Taiwan after Typhoon Soudelor


Asiaone
Thu, 13 Aug 2015 13:52 UTC
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© Wikimedia Commons Dwarf sperm whale
The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) said yesterday it found four whales stranded on the beaches of New Taipei City after Typhoon Soudelor, only one of which survived.

The four whales ranged in size and included a dwarf sperm whale and a three-foot-long Bryde's whale, the CGA reported last night.

The sole survivor was a 250-kilogram sperm whale that was spotted around 1 p.m. yesterday on Kuo-sheng-ts'un Beach in New Taipei City. Three Coast Guard officers and one civilian fishing boat lifted the whale and were able to lead it back to deeper waters for release.

A Bryde's whale and a second sperm whale were found later yesterday in Wanli District in northeastern New Taipei City. Both died onshore shortly after discovery.

The Bryde's whale was found at around 4 p.m. in Xialiao Beach and died an hour later despite rescue efforts, according to the CGA. The Taiwan Cetacean Society said it will conduct an autopsy Wednesday to determine the cause of death.
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