Animals
S


Bug

Wasps and hornets swarm into Fort McMurray in wake of wildfire

Wallis Snowdon
cbc.ca
Fri, 10 Jun 2016 15:52 UTC
Stinging creatures, like this yellow jacket are swarming around Fort McMurray.
© MINDEN PICTURES/CORBISStinging creatures, like this yellow jacket are swarming around Fort McMurray.
During the weeks when Alberta's oilsands city was a ghost town, swarms of wasps and hornets moved in

A buzzing anxiety has gripped the city of Fort McMurray.

A black mass of wasps, hornets and all kinds of stinging insects have swarmed into the northern Alberta community.

People who have returned to the wildfire-ravaged city have been terrorized by the pests, and social media is humming with close-encounters, and tips about the best extermination methods.

Nests have cropped up on countless porches and patios; some colonies have even made themselves at home inside long-abandoned homes.

When the raging wildfire called "The Beast" pushed residents out last month, the stinging insects moved in.

Pete Petipcoe/Facebook
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Attention

Black bear killed in South Anchorage, Alaska after report of likely mauling

Tegan Hanlon and Chris Klint
Alaska Dispatch News
Fri, 10 Jun 2016 13:48 UTC
Black bear
Wildlife biologists shot and killed a black bear near the Campbell Creek estuary in South Anchorage Thursday while investigating a report that a man was critically injured in a suspected bear mauling nearby the night before.

Anchorage police first got a report of the injured man shortly after 9 p.m. Wednesday. The 911 caller said the man had come out of the woods near a private driveway, close to the intersection of Edinburgh and Selkirk drives near an entrance to Campbell Creek Estuary Natural Area, the city's newest park, according to Jennifer Castro, Anchorage Police Department spokesperson. Castro said the man had "multiple wounds and was bleeding."

"The caller stated the male was barely responsive and looked like he may have been cut with a knife," Castro said.

The man was taken to the hospital in critical condition, with injuries to his head, neck and chest. Medical staff said it appeared his wounds likely came from a bear, not a knife, according to Castro.

"His injuries were primarily to the front of his body and he did not appear to have any defensive wounds," she said.
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Wolf

Woman killed by pit bull terrier in Montreal, Canada

Stephen Smith
cbc.ca
Thu, 09 Jun 2016 16:01 UTC
Dog attack
Farid Benzenati says he was unable to sleep last night after witnessing a violent dog attack on his neighbour in Montreal.

The 55-year-old woman was attacked in the backyard of her home in Montreal's east end on Wednesday afternoon by what police describe as a pit bull.

She was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police initially said the woman was killed by the dog, but late Thursday morning, they said an autopsy was needed to confirm that hypothesis.

Benzenati said he arrived at his Pointe-aux-Trembles home from work around 5 p.m. ET, and as is his habit, had a quick look outside at the pool in his backyard.

Montreal resident Farid Benzenati says he wasn't able to sleep after witnessing a dog attack on Wednesday.
© Steve Rukavina/CBCMontreal resident Farid Benzenati says he wasn't able to sleep after witnessing a dog attack on Wednesday.
That's when he noticed movement behind the fence.

"I saw a big dog that appeared to be playing with a large object. I looked closer and saw that the object was really big," he said.


Comment: This is the fourth fatality within 5 days due to dogs going berserk in North America, see also: Child mauled to death by dog in Nunavut, Canada

Dog kills 7-year-old boy in Penobscot County, Maine

Pit bull terrier kills man in Stockton, California

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Cloud Lightning

Eight cattle killed by a lightning bolt in Thailand


Pattaya Mail
Tue, 07 Jun 2016 21:10 UTC
Lightning
A herd of cattle were killed by a lightning strike in the middle of a dry rice field in Bua Yai district of Nakhon Ratchasima on Sunday.

Eight heads of cattle were found lying dead under a tamarind tree in the rice field.

Mrs Sangwien Chuangklang who owned five of the eight dead cows said she usually took her cattle for grazing in the rice field. However, as the animals were grazing in the field, rain started to fall and the wind was strong, so she led the cattle to take cover under the big tamarind tree where three other heads of cattle of a neighbor were also taking cover.

Mrs Sangwien said that while she was heading for home for a rest, she heard a thunderous noise of what was believed to be a lightning strike somewhere. When rain stopped she returned to the rice field only to find all her five heads of cattle dead under the tamarind tree, presumably by a lightning strike.

Her neighbour's three other cattle heads were also found dead.
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Fish

Smart fish - Fish can recognize and remember human faces

Jeanna Bryner
Live Science
Tue, 07 Jun 2016 14:01 UTC
Archerfish
© Cait Newport When trying to nab a flying insect (or point to a human face), archerfish spit jets of water.
A wee-brained tropical fish can distinguish between human faces in a lineup, researchers have found. This is the first time such an ability has been shown in fish.

Recognizing human faces is a difficult task. Because nearly all human faces have the same basic attributes, recognizing a face requires distinguishing subtle differences in facial features, said Cait Newport, a zoologist and Marie Curie research fellow at the University of Oxford.

In fact, past research has shown that a select few animals — including horses, cows, dogs and even some birds, such as pigeons — can successfully complete such a task. All of those animals, however, have a neocortex, or neocortex-like structures. The neocortex is a part of the brain that contains a visual-processing region as well as the fusiform gyrus, which is thought to be heavily involved in facial processing, the researchers noted.

"Most animals tested possess a neocortex and have been domesticated, and may, as a result, have experienced evolutionary pressure to recognize their human [caregivers]," Newport and her colleagues wrote in today's (June 7) issue of the journal Scientific Reports.
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Smiley

Symbolism: Finnish military base put on high alert after baby bear rips through soldiers' belongings and eats their food


RT
Tue, 07 Jun 2016 18:18 UTC
bear
© Eloy Alonso / Reuters
A one-year-old bear made an incursion into a Finnish army's base and disrupted a brigade training exercise of more than 3,000 troops, with some taking cover in their trucks, local media reported.

Kainuu brigade, one of the largest and most capable units in the Finnish army which trains around 4,000 conscripts annually, was on high alert this weekend after a the young bear made his way into the military camp, according to Finland's Iltalehti tabloid newspaper.

The bear gained access to the base on Saturday feasting on the soldiers' meals and tearing some of their belongings. Scared by the bear, the soldiers dispersed and took cover in their trucks sitting it out until the animal left the scene.

During the standoff, commanders decided it would be wise to shoot the stubborn animal as "it wasn't afraid of humans," unlike other representatives of the species.
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Wolf

Child mauled to death by dog in Nunavut, Canada

Sarah Rogers
Nunatsiaq Online
Tue, 07 Jun 2016 18:09 UTC
Dog attack
A child in Chesterfield Inlet died June 6 after being mauled by a dog in the Kivalliq community.

Nunavut RCMP said the local detachment received a call about the animal attack sometime after 1 p.m. June 6.

First responders arrived and took the young girl to the community health centre, where the four-year-old was pronounced dead.

Local officials said the dog was tied up at the time it attacked the young girl, and later put down by its owner.

Police have not said if any charges have been laid in connection to the mauling.

Condolences poured in on social media for the family of the young victim, who lived in communities across the Kivalliq. Police have not named the young victim.
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Red Flag

Man bitten by shark off Flagler Beach, Florida

Brittany Jones
mynews13.com
Mon, 06 Jun 2016 13:52 UTC
Shark attacks
A 64-year-old man is now recovering from a shark bite. Lifeguards say this is pretty unusual for Flagler Beach.

Flagler county paramedics rescued a 64-year old man Sunday morning near 10 th Street North. They say he was bitten in the left leg by a shark while he was swimming.

The county's chief said the man managed to pull himself ashore and call for help after he was bitten.

"I am somewhat surprised," said Andreas Stocker.

Flagler Beach Ocean Rescue Co-Captain Andreas Stocker said sharks have been known to latch onto fishing lines and bite the fisherman trying to throw it back.
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Attention

Dead humpback whale calf found off coast of Remsenburg, New York

Erin McKinley
27east.com
Tue, 07 Jun 2016 12:42 UTC
Dead humpback whale
Dead humpback whale
Parts of a dead humpback whale were discovered off the coast of Remsenburg over the weekend, according to officials with the Riverhead Foundation for Marine Research and Preservation.

The carcass was first spotted a half-mile off Fish Creek in Remsenburg before being towed by Southampton Town Bay Constables to the end of South Bay Avenue in Eastport.

According to the Riverhead Foundation, only the head and a flipper were recovered from the whale, which is believed to have been a calf. Marine biologists took samples from the animal for testing, and the cause of death was not yet determined.

The remains were taken via the Town of Southampton to be buried at the Westhampton Transfer Station.

Source: The Southampton Press
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Attention

Man loses leg to shark in Suez Gulf off Egypt coast


Egypt Independent
Sun, 05 Jun 2016 12:16 UTC
Shark attacks
A team of marine biologists specialized in the study of sharks are looking into the reasons behind a shark attack in the Suez Gulf on Saturday, which caused a 23-year-old man to lose his leg.

On Saturday, the young man was attacked by a shark while swimming off the coast of al-Ain al-Sokhna. He was taken to hospital where his leg was amputated. A security source said that the incident occurred in the area of Marina Wadi al-Doum, Suez province.

The specialists spent Sunday combing the area of the attack for evidence of the cause, said Ahmed Ghallab, Governor of the Red Sea protectorates.

They will then draft a detailed report, in which they will discuss whether humans could have been cause for the shark's unusual appearance in the area, Ghallab said.

The environment minister urged expediting the study, and requested that the report clarify the reasons for the incident and include recommendations of preventative measures that can be taken, Ghallab said. The minister also ordered for coastal provinces to follow these measures and guarantee the safety of tourists.

Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm

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