Animals
S


Attention

Mother pygmy whale dead, calf euthanized after stranding on Horry County beach, South Carolina

Ian Cross
wistv.com
Thu, 16 Jul 2015 12:28 UTC
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Mother whale dead, calf euthanized after stranding
A mother whale has died and her calf has been euthanized, after both were stranded on a beach near Kingston Plantation in Horry County, officials confirmed.

The calf was taken to Ark Animal Hospital this afternoon where it was put down, according to Wayne McFee, Research Wild Life Biologist with NOAA and Dr. Rob Young, a marine biologist with CCU. It is believed that the calf has been alive for several months.

If they put the baby back into the water after its mother died, it won't rehabilitate, according to Dr. Young.

A necropsy will be performed on the calf at the NOAA facility in Charleston tomorrow. A necropsy is being done on the mother at this time, according to McFee. Like a human autopsy, the results may take several weeks to get.

The mother pygmy sperm whale died at around 11 a.m., after coming ashore and beaching, according to an official with Horry County Beach Patrol. Beach Patrol and beach-goers tried to put both whales back in the water, but she continued to beach herself.
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Arrow Up

Quebec bill changes animals from "property" to sentient beings and includes jail time for cruelty

Tamara
www.dogheirs.com
Sat, 06 Jun 2015 22:13 UTC
Puppy
© www.dogheirs.com
Animals will be considered "sentient beings" instead of property in a bill tabled in the Canadian province of Quebec. The legislation states that "animals are not things. They are sentient beings and have biological needs."

Agriculture Minister Pierre Paradis proposed the bill and wants to change Quebec's infamous image as a haven for puppy mills

The legislation specifies that animals have biological needs and includes fines of up to $250,000 for those who are cruel to animals, as well as jail time for repeat offenders.

Paradis said the bill puts Quebec more in line with other Canadian provinces like Ontario, British Columbia and Manitoba. The act will apply to all domesticated and farm animals and certain wild animals. Paradis said he wants to see animals "treated with dignity as much as possible" it doesn't matter what animal.

"If you have a goldfish you have to take care of it," he said. "Don't get a goldfish if you don't want to take care of it."

Under the bill inspectors will have the power to demand to see an animal if they have "reasonable cause" to suspect the pet or animal is being mistreated. They also can also obtain a warrant to enter a home and seize animals. Repeat offenders would also come under fire as authorities and judges would have the discretion to increase fines and sentence serial violators to jail for up to 18 months.
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Attention

Unusual gathering of 50 sharks in shallow water in Sussex, UK

Kelly-Ann Mills
Daily Mirror, UK
Thu, 16 Jul 2015 18:56 UTC
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© RSPBDozens: Around 50 sharks can seen seen swimming in shallow waters at the nature reserve
More than 50 sharks can be seen in this remarkable footage as they swim around in just knee-deep water in Sussex.

The school of sharks - many of whom are 5ft in length - have been identified as smooth-hounds, which are normally found in coastal waters.

These creatures were caught on camera by an RSPB warden at a nature reserve near Selsey.

Warden Peter Hughes said: "It was astonishing.

"There were just these huge fish everywhere in knee-deep water.

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Heart

Dog helps rescue baby dolphin washed up on Welsh beach

James Dunn
Daily Mail, UK
Wed, 15 Jul 2015 19:32 UTC
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Dog's life: Leia, a working cocker spaniel had been on a walk on the beach in Gwynedd with her owner who was taking some video and pictures of the beautiful coastal scenery on Sunday morning
This dog's keen nose may have saved a dolphin's life after finding it beached in Wales and making 'a right old fuss'.

Leia, a working cocker spaniel had been on a walk on the beach in Gwynedd with her owner who was taking some video and pictures of the beautiful coastal scenery on Sunday morning.

But Rich Wilcock, 42, suddenly noticed that Leia was making a lot of noise by the water on the shore and sniffing the ground and making a 'right old fuss'.

Mr Wilcock told the Daily Post: 'She kept coming up to me, barking and nudging me, she must have smelt the dolphin from a mile off.

'At first I thought it was a baby shark, it was only about one and half foot but on a closer inspection I could see the blow hole on top of his head and realised it was a dolphin.

'I combed the beach for a while afterwards and stayed for an hour or so to make sure he made it back out to sea.'

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Something fishy? Rich Wilcock, 42, suddenly noticed that Leia was making a lot of noise by the water on the shore and sniffing the ground and making a 'right old fuss'
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Black Cat

Woman attacked by bobcat outside her home in Luverne, Alabama

Erin Edgemon
al.com
Tue, 14 Jul 2015 16:07 UTC
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© Wikimedia CommonsBobcat
A woman was attacked and bitten by a bobcat outside her rural Crenshaw County home, according to reports.

Sheriff Mickey Powell told WSFA the woman was standing outside her Sweetwater Road home when the animal hissed at her and then jumped on her.

The bobcat reportedly bit the woman on her right arm several times before her husband was able to get the animal away from her and shoot it.

The animal was shot multiple times. The carcass is being tested for rabies.

The National Bobcat Rescue & Research organization said bobcat attacks are virtually unknown.

A representative from the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources wasn't immediately available for comment.
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Attention

Portents and signs: Doubled-headed bullock sold at auction in Mareeba, Australia

Daniel Piotrowski
Daily Mail, UK
Wed, 11 Mar 2015 15:08 UTC
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Two faces! This unnamed two-face bullock was successfully sold at Mareeba Saleyards by Queensland Rural selling agent Jack Shepherd
For a bullock with two heads, he's mighty healthy.

A cattle saleyard in Mareeba, North Queensland, hosted an unusual sight on Tuesday when a livestock agent arrived to hawk a two-faced cow.

Its second face, mounted on top of its first, had one eye, a single tooth and functional nostrils, according to the saleyard. It was in 'great condition'.

'Mate, he's as fat as a fool!' said Elders selling agent Mark Peters, who witnessed the animal's purchase yesterday.

Mr Peters said: 'It was an absolute prime condition animal, he just had two faces'.

Unsurprisingly, the two-faced animal attracted curious glances at the saleyards.

'It received a fair amount of attention,' said Queensland Rural livestock agent Jack 'Jacko' Shephard, who sold the bullock.

Comment: This year seems to have been very busy for this kind of thing:

Portents and signs: Rare two-headed Russell's viper born in Hyderabad, India

Portents and signs: Two-headed lizard hatched in Birkenhead, UK

Portents and signs: Pig born with two heads and three eyes in Columbia

Portents and signs: Piglet born with 2 heads in China

Portents and signs: Dog with two bodies and eight legs born on Tonga

Portents and signs: Mutant pig born with strange features and appendage in China

Portents and signs: Mutant pig born in Scotland

Portents and signs: Calf born with 2 heads at Florida farm

Portents and signs: Lamb born with face like an 'angry old man' in Dagestan

Portents and signs: 5-legged lamb born in Wales

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Info

Peru's Nazca lines reveal mysterious new animal images

Rossella Lorenzi
Discovery News
Tue, 14 Jul 2015 10:26 UTC
Nazca Geoglyphs
© University of YamagataSome of the newly found geoglyphs are believed to depict llamas.
The Nazca Plateau in Peru contains two dozen new geoglyphs that predate by two centuries the famous monkey, spider and hummingbird listed at the UNESCO World Heritage site.

Almost invisible on the surface, the images were captured by researchers from the University of Yamagata in Japan thanks to 3-D scans of the ground a mile north of the city of Nazca.

The team discovered 24 geoglyphs of animals, "some of which probably depict Andean native camelid, llamas," the researchers said in a press release.

The number of images adds to the 17 geoglyphs of similar style unearthed in the adjacent area by the same team last year, stretching the discovery to 41 ancient outlines.

"All these geoglyphs were drawn on the slopes of the hill, to make them clearly visible," team leader Masato Sakai said.
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Arrow Down

Dead humpback whale buried in Northland, New Zealand

Kristin Edge
nzherald.co.nz
Tue, 14 Jul 2015 17:44 UTC
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A decomposing humpback whale on Ninety Mile Beach was named and blessed before bones were taken and the remains buried.
A decomposing humpback whale washed on to Northland's Ninety Mile Beach has been blessed, named and the bonesburied.

The 8.8m juvenile whale came ashore last Thursday near the Waipapakauri ramp entry to the Far North beach.

Local resident Peter Kitchen said the high tides had pushed the whale up the beach and local iwi members had intended to carry out a prayer and work on extracting the bones on Sunday morning.

However, the high tides had washed the whale another 8km north by Sunday morning.

Mr Kitchen said locals had worked in with Department of Conservation (DoC) and were given the go-ahead to remove the bones.

"We had the gear to do the job and worked on getting the bones out. We had a karakia and named it Waiora before burying the remains and bones," Mr Kitchen said.
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Roses

Woman dies following pit bull terrier attack in Cleveland, Ohio


19actionnews.com
Mon, 13 Jul 2015 14:40 UTC
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Annie Williams dies after dog attack.
A woman attacked by a dog around 2 p.m. Sunday has died.

Annie Williams, 71, of Cleveland, died at South Pointe Hospital after being attacked by a pit bull on Pennington Road. Crews transported Williams to the hospital, but it was too late.

Williams was picking up her two granddaughters from their father when the dog attacked. A 13-year-old relative was inside the car at the time of the incident.

Family members say the dog's owner lives in the home where she was picking up her grandchildren. The pit bull was not licensed in Cuyahoga County.

911 dispatch: What's the dog doing?

Caller: I don't know. He's on top of a lady! Somebody's trying to get him off, but they can't get him off!

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Binoculars

Another albatross species turns up in the wrong hemisphere, this time on Suffolk coast, UK

Stuart Winter
Daily Express, UK
Tue, 14 Jul 2015 13:09 UTC
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© RSPBBlack-browed albatross by Ruedi Abbuehl
For golfers, an albatross is achieving an impressive three under par, but for wildlife lovers it is one of the rarest sights in birdwatching.

Little wonder that birdwatchers were celebrating when an incredibly rare black-browed albatross touched down for a few moments on Sunday afternoon at the Suffolk nature sanctuary where the BBC records the popular wildlife show.

The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds' Minsmere reserve is known as one of the best places in Britain to see rare creatures but the albatross's brief visit has left conservationists nonplussed.

By rights, black-browed albatrosses are birds of the South Atlantic and there are only a handful of records of them wandering north of the Equator into British waters.

According to reports from the BirdGuides information service, the albatross was spotted sitting on a pool close to the reserve's South Hide before flying off with its powerful, eight-foot wing span towards the North Sea.

Comment: See also:Lost yellow-nosed albatross from the South Atlantic turns up near Reykjavík, Iceland

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