Animals
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Attention

5 additional dead whales found in Alaska waters since June; total 14 dead

Kortnie Horazdovsky
ktuu.com
Fri, 10 Jul 2015 11:59 UTC
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© M/V Kennicott crew / NOAAThe first of several dead fin whales discovered in the Gulf of Alaska floats outside Marmot Bay on May 23.
Several more whale carcasses have been found since the June announcement of nine dead fin whales discovered in Alaska waters, a UAF researcher told Channel 2 News Friday, though none appear to be newly deceased.

Kate Wynne, a Marine Mammal Specialist for the Alaska Sea Grant Marine Advisory Program, told Channel 2 News that since the June 18 announcement of the nine dead fin whales, four humpback whales and another fin whale have been found dead.

According to Wynne, the five whales appeared to have been dead for the same amount of time as the previously discovered whales.

Officials announced in June that nine fin whales had been discovered floating dead in areas between Kodiak and Unimak Pass, off the end of the Alaska Peninsula and Unimak Island.

After the first two whales were discovered in May, Wynne said it triggered a response from numerous agencies, including the Marine Mammal Stranding Network, Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, NOAA, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Alaska Department of Fish and Game.

Comment: See also: 9 fin whales found dead in Alaska waters in recent weeks

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Black Cat

Strange animal behavior: Cheetahs hop aboard vehicle full of tourists in Kenya

Victoria Nielson
news.com.au
Fri, 10 Jul 2015 19:07 UTC
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© Picture Media The look on tourist Mickey McCaldin’s face says it all.
Silly or brave? This tourist got a little more than he bargained for while on safari in Kenya.

With its razor sharp claws and teeth, this is one moggy you certainly don't want curling up in your lap.

The bold big cat jumped into the back seat of the jeep as it drove through the Masai Mara game reserve in Kenya.

Slowly it sauntered over to where Irish tourist Mickey McCaldin until it was barely a foot away from his face.

Cheetahs are seen as being the less threatening member of the big cat family, although attacks aren't unheard of. Adam Sandler was the victim of a threatening cheetah attack in 2013.

Scottish tourist Violet D'Mello was also attacked by a cheetah back in 2012 in Kragga Kamma game reserve in South Africa. And in this case the big cats were hand reared, not wild.
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Wolf

Injuries caused by animal attacks increase by 39% in a year for Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Noor Nazzal
The Gulf News
Sat, 11 Jul 2015 17:40 UTC
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If bitten by a scorpion, the sting must be removed and then the area should be sterilised. If that is not possible, wrap the area with a bandage or cloth until help arrives
The Dubai Corporation for Ambulance Services registered a total of 170 accidents caused by animal attacks in 2014 in Dubai

Injuries caused by animal attacks increased by 39 per cent last year in Dubai as more people are adopting pets, a report by the Dubai Corporation for Ambulance Services revealed.

Most of the accidents were caused by home pets, farm animals or poisonous reptiles the victims came across while camping in the desert.

The Corporation registered a total of 170 accidents caused by animal attacks in 2014 in Dubai. This shows a 39 per cent increase in comparison with the 122 accidents registered in 2013.

Dr Omar Al Sakaf, Technical Support Director at Dubai Corporation for Ambulance Services, said there is an urgency to approach animals carefully even if they are tame animals brought up in homes or farms.

Among the cases the paramedics treated were injuries caused by bites from dogs, scorpions and reptiles.

Al Sakaf also said many of the cases included injuries caused by pets that were treated violently in homes and farms such as dogs, cats, horses and camels.
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Wolf

Spate of coyote attacks on four children in Irvine, California

Kaylee Heck
news.yahoo.com
Sat, 11 Jul 2015 17:09 UTC
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© ABC News

California Town on High Alert after Coyotes Attack Children
California residents are being warned to be more vigilant about coyotes after four attacks on children in the past month in the Irvine area.

The most recent incident — this past Sunday — involved a 2-year-old child.

"It was a child, about approximately 2 years old, was in the garage. They opened the garage up and the coyote came in and actually got the child on the neck area and part of the cheek," California Department of Fish and Wildlife Lt. Kent Smirl told ABC's Los Angeles station KABC.

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife reported four incidents involving coyotes and young children in the past month in Irvine, where the children have either been bitten or scratched by a coyote. All four had minor injuries from the attacks.

"These incidents highlight the importance of communities working together to eliminate sources of food that may attract wildlife to neighborhoods," Capt. Rebecca Hartman said. "When coyotes are fed, either intentionally or unintentionally by food being left out, they can become a public safety threat."

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Attention

Anthrax confirmed in 2 bison deaths in Saskatchewan, Canada

David Giles
globalnews.ca
Thu, 09 Jul 2015 14:01 UTC
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File photo of bison. Anthrax has been confirmed as the cause of death in two Saskatchewan bison, may be cause in seven other deaths.
Officials are advising producers to be on the lookout for anthrax. Saskatchewan Agriculture confirmed Thursday anthrax was the cause of death in two bison northwest of North Battleford and is the suspected cause in seven other deaths.

Anthrax, with is caused by the bacteria Bacillus anthracis, can survive in spore form for decades in soil. Changes in soil moisture, from flooding and drying, can lead to a build-up of the spores on pastures.

Livestock become infected when they eat forage contaminated with spores.

Ruminants such as bison, cattle, sheep and goats, are highly susceptible, and horses can also be infected. While swine, birds and carnivores are more resistant to infection, farm dogs and cats should be kept away from carcasses.

The carcass of any animal suspected of having anthrax should not be moved or disturbed and should be protected from scavengers to ensure the spores from spreading.
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Attention

18 dead bison found in pasture at Fort Belknap, Montana

David Murray
Great Fallls Tribune
Thu, 09 Jul 2015 13:49 UTC
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© Richard PetersonThe first calf born to the transferred Yellowstone Park bison herd at the Fort Peck Reservation was born April 22, 2012. Eighteen bison from this original herd were found dead on the Fort Belknap Reservation last Sunday.
Multiple official sources have confirmed that the bodies of 17 dead bison were discovered over the Fourth of July weekend near a watering trough on the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation. The exact cause of the bison deaths remains under investigation, but the sudden demise of so many animals is raising concerns from both tribal members and area ranchers.

Repeated requests for comment from Fort Belknap tribal officials went unanswered Wednesday, however, a Facebook posting by the head of tribe's buffalo management program fleshes out the details of what is known.

"There were 17 head of buffalo that were found dead on Saturday mid-morning," states a post from buffalo wrangler Bronc Speak Thunder, "so between Thursday night and Saturday morning something happened that is yet to be determined. Also, one appeared in good shape and no symptoms of being anything wrong died between the time I left Sunday night to early Monday morning, making it 18 total."
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Attention

Dead sperm whale found for the first time near Singapore

Audrey Tan, Chew Hui Min
The Straits Times
Fri, 10 Jul 2015 17:40 UTC
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© Lim YaohutThe sperm whale carcass being pulled onto land at Tuas Marine Transfer Station.
A sperm whale's 10m-long carcass was found floating off Jurong Island on Friday morning.

The species had never previously been found in the waters around Singapore or peninsular Malaysia.

Oil industry worker Mr Jailani Salleh told The Straits Times that he spotted the dead mammal under a jetty at around 7.45am and posted a video of it on Facebook.

Mr Marcus Chua, curator of mammals and birds at the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum, was informed and told The Straits Times it was an "exciting find". It is to be studied by scientists.

The museum will now work to preserve the specimen, believed to be a young adult. A museum volunteer then informed Mr Chua about the incident at about 9.30am.

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Black Cat

12 deaths in animal attacks this year in Uttarakhand, India, situation alarming

Jotirmay Thapliyal
The Tribune (India)
Thu, 09 Jul 2015 16:33 UTC
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Twelve persons have lost their lives in wild animal attacks this year indicating that the man-animal conflict in Uttarakhand has reached an alarming proportion.

The death of two sisters in Chamoli in a leopard attack is the latest incident in the series of man-animal conflicts in the state. Leopards have killed five persons in June.

Experts say the death toll might break the all-time record by the year-end. Rapid changes in the forest eco-system, mainly owing to excessive human intervention and climate change, have been forcing wild animals to stray into human habitations frequently.

Since the formation of the state, 400 persons have fallen prey to leopards. The wildlife authorities, despite their best efforts, have failed to curb the increase in the fatal animal attacks on humans.

The coming months will be more challenging for the wildlife authorities as rains increase vegetation growth and thickens bushes and foliage, thereby, providing adequate cover to prowling leopards.
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Eye 2

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


The Daily Star (Bangladesh)
Sat, 27 Jun 2015 19:47 UTC
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Rare two-headed lizard
It looks more like something from the TV series Game of Thrones, only this two headed dragon is just a couple of inches long.

The rare two-headed lizard hatched from a clutch of eggs being incubated by a reptile breeder in Birkenhead in the Wirral, Merseyside in the UK.

The tiny leatherback bearded dragon has two separate heads but shares the same body, legs and tail.

Although rare, the condition, a form of polycephaly, most commonly occurs in reptiles - particularly in snakes - and is thought to be the source for mythological monsters.

The bearded dragon, which has been named Olaf after the snowman character in Disney's Frozen, is thought to be one of only four bearded dragons known to have hatched with two heads in the world.

Stephan Evans, 34, who has been breeding bearded dragon lizards for 17 years, discovered the two headed creature on Thursday while checking a clutch of eggs.
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Eye 2

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

Alekya Ettaboina
indread.com
Tue, 23 Jun 2015 19:35 UTC
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A rare and dangerous snake Russell’s viper gave birth to two-headed one at the shelter of the Friends of Snakes Society in city.
Recently for a group of animal activists from Hyderabad, Russell's viper was saved by the organisation. As per details saved Russell's viper gave birth to 18 live young ones all are healthy but one was born with two heads in a case of rare genetic condition at Friends of Snakes Society's shelter.

As per the members of the NGO, this is the first time in two decades of the organizations where a dangerous snake birth to two-headed young one. The members of organization observing that one with genetic condition called polycephaly.

Avinash Visvanathan, general secretary of the society said that "Dangerous snake Russell's viper gave birth to 18 young one, among those 17 are healthy and one was born with two heads due to the genetic condition. This may occur normally in wild, however those will not alive for long period. Both heads of snake were functional, still processing two heads is a disadvantage in terms of flexibility and management. They may hunt for food till adulthood or might be face death due to inefficient hunting abilities".

This two headed Russell's viper will be kept in captivity at the shelter and care will provide to it.
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