Animals
S


Attention

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

Cindy Tran
Daily Mail, UK
Sat, 30 May 2015 19:09 UTC
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Mirror reflection: The pup was born with two bodies joined at the chest with eight legs complete with two tails
Meet the puppy who was born with eight legs.

Incredible photographs reveal the newborn has two bodies joined at the chest with two sets of front legs, two sets of back legs - and complete with two tails.

The black and white puppy was born with a total of eight limbs in Vaini of Tonga in the Pacific Ocean on Wednesday and was one of her five siblings to have any abnormalities.

Vukitangitau Maloni, from Tonga, who took the images soon after she was born, said the whole community was shocked and speechless at the animals extra legs.

Comment: Other freak animal births this year:

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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Fish

Thousands of dead bunker fish found at Riverhead, New York

Denise Civiletti
riverheadlocal.com
Fri, 29 May 2015 18:46 UTC
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© Peter BlaslDead bunker washed ashore on Simmons Point early in the morning of May 29, about an hour after low tide.
Officials are scrambling to avoid a major fish kill in the Peconic Estuary due to exceptionally low oxygen levels in the water.

"We're asking for help from anyone with a haul siene net and permit to get the baitfish out of the water before there's a major fish kill like we had here several years ago," Riverhead Supervisor Sean Walter said this afternoon. "If you've got the net and the permit, please call Riverhead Police to let us know," he said. "Please call 631-727-4500 to let police know you can help."

The town will pay fishermen an as-yet undetermined amount per pound to make the effort economically viable, Walter said, because the market price for baitfish is very low.

"This is an emergency, because if we don't get the fish out of the water right away, while they're alive, we're going to have a major die-off," the supervisor said. "Disposing of massive quantities of dead fish is a huge problem, as town officials learned several years ago," he said. "We want to do whatever we can to avoid that problem again. We need to get them out of the water immediately — like yesterday."
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Fish

Swordfish kills Hawaii fisherman trying to reel it in


Sputnik
Sat, 30 May 2015 17:56 UTC
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© Kona patrol
A swordfish killed a Hawaii man on Friday during a fishing accident in Kailua-Kona.

At about 10:48 a.m., police received a call about a swordfish being spotted in Honokohau Harbor and a man jumping into the water with a spear gun. Randy Llanes, 47, was then seen being punctured in the chest by the sword fish, which measured about 3 feet long and weighed approximately 40 pounds.

The Hawaii County Fire Department responded and attempted CPR on Llanes before transporting him to Kona Community Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at around 11:30 a.m.
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Wolf

Dog critically injures owner in Byrneville, Indiana


northescambia.com
Sat, 30 May 2015 17:37 UTC
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© Wikimedia CommonsEnglish Mastiff
A Byrneville resident was airlifted to a Pensacola hospital in critical condition Friday night after being bitten by their dog.

The incident happened about 8:45 p.m. on Raines Road. The 50-year old victim was reportedly attacked by their own dog, an English Mastiff, and suffered serious wounds to their arms and abdomen.

Further details have not been released.

An English Mastiff is a very large breed of dog, with mature males weighting between 150 and 240 pounds.
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Fish

Over 400 turtles in Bellinger River, Australia, dead of mysterious disease

John R. Platt
Scientific American
Wed, 27 May 2015 22:21 UTC
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© NSW Office of Environment and Heritage
Three months. That's all it took to wipe almost every member of a species of turtles off of the map.

It all started in mid-February when canoeists paddling down the Bellinger River in New South Wales, Australia, came across several dead and dying turtles.

Since then more than 400 dead turtles have shown up. Dozens more sick turtles were also recovered, each of which was lethargic, emaciated and covered in infected lesions in their eyes, skin and even internal organs.

None of the infected turtles survived.

The 60-kilometer river is the only home to the Bellinger River snapping turtle (Elsaya georgesi), a rare but little-studied species that has already been on the decline for years due to pollution and predation by invasive foxes. Scientists now fear that this mysterious, as-yet-unidentified disease has reached 90 percent of the turtle's habitat and could cause the species's imminent extinction.

Is there hope? So far 17 apparently healthy turtles have been captured and brought into safety. University of Western Sydney zoologist Ricky Spencer says the 10 males and seven females—all that could be located by a multiagency team of wildlife experts—will spend up to the next eight months in quarantine where they will be monitored daily for signs of the disease. If they stay healthy, they could later form the core of a captive-breeding program that could, in theory, save the species from extinction even if it completely disappears in the wild.

Comment: 100 Georges Turtles found dead or dying in Bellinger river, Australia

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Fish

Multiple fish kills reported in coastal waters of Connecticut

Doug Stewart
foxct.com
Thu, 28 May 2015 18:35 UTC
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© Brian Gratwicke, Wikipedia
Connecticut's Department of Energy and Environmental Protection why thousands of fish died in the past week in the state's coastal waters.

Multiple natural fish kills were reported during the past week. The kills were reported in several locations on the Thames River between Norwich and the U.S. Naval Submarine Base in Groton, in the lower Connecticut River, in Clinton Harbor and on the Quinnipiac River.

Thousands of Atlantic menhaden, and smaller numbers of other species were found dead at each location. The population of Atlantic menhaden has grown in local waters for the past two years, most likely due to limits placed on menhaden harvest along the Atlantic coast.
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Attention

10 dolphins found dead on Mumbai beaches in a month

Kunal Chonkar
dnaindia.com
Thu, 28 May 2015 18:07 UTC
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From the tetrapod lined coasts of Colaba to the serene beaches in Vasai, around ten porpoises have been found dead in the past one month
While the number of dead dolphins washing ashore the city's coastline continues to rise, the state environment ministry seems to be oblivious to the incidents.

As many as 10 carcasses of finless porpoises have been spotted across the beaches of the island city in the past one month, leaving marine biologists, conservationists, activists and researchers baffled, while the state department was caught being unaware of the shocking sightings.

Speaking to Iamin on phone, Minister of State for Environment Pravin Pote-Patil claimed he was not informed of the occurrences, which has perturbed the city.

"Beaches of the city are the prime responsibility of the municipal corporation, be it pollution or the incidents of dead dolphins washing ashore. The civic body should have informed the environment department immediately, however I have received no such information," Patil said.

He assured that his department would coordinate with the corporation and examine the autopsy report of the carcasses to determine the cause of death.

"UInless we are able to pin-point the cause of death, we cannot initiate any specific response or mitigation steps. I will talk to the Municipal Commissioner Ajoy Mehta on this and initiate a probe," Patil said.
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Attention

Mysterious mass shellfish die-off near Whangarei, New Zealand

Alexandra Newlove
stuff.co.nz
Thu, 28 May 2015 17:49 UTC
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© Delwyn DickeDead cockles like these have turned up in large numbers in the Ngunguru Sandspit area
A horrible stench set off an investigation into a mysterious mass shellfish death at Ngunguru Sandspit in Northland.

Aaron Franklin, who was visiting his parents in the area, alerted authorities to the deaths on Thursday May 21. The engineer estimates there were well over a million dead cockles, tuatua and pipi on the seaward beach and near the mouth of the estuary, with more on the seabed.

Franklin returned to the area the next day where representatives from Northland Regional Council were gathering samples. He says the area "reeked of rotting shellfish".

Northland District Health Board is recommending people do not take or consume shellfish from the area until the cause of the deaths is known. Signs advising the public of the incident went up on May 27.

Franklin, a member of the grassroots Arctic Methane Emergency Group, says increased levels of carbon dioxide and decreased levels of oxygen in the ocean are one possible cause of the deaths.

He says incidences of hypoxia - where oxygen levels drop so low that sealife is killed on mass in a short period of time - have increased rapidly. Ocean currents can cause carbon-dioxide rich water to move to areas with high concentrations of shellfish, where they die as they cannot expel carbon dioxide from their shells, Franklin says.
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Attention

3-yr-old among 3 injured after sloth bear attack in India

Mazhar Ali
The Times of India
Fri, 29 May 2015 15:12 UTC
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Sloth bear
A sloth bear mauled three people in separate attacks near village Morwai under Saoli range on Thursday morning. Two of them, including a three-year-old boy, sustained critical injuries in the attack and have been admitted to civil hospital here. Forest department has launched intensive search operation to locate the violent bear and have issued warning in the villages around.

As per reports, Mul and Saoli tehsil witnessed thunderstorm on Wednesday night. Patruji Ghote had taken his three-year-old son Swaraj to collect mangoes fallen in their farm after the thunderstorm in the morning. While Ghote was collecting mangoes, the bear attacked his son Swaraj who was eating mango under the tree some distance away. The beast ripped his throat with its sharp nails before his father could rescue him from its clutches.

"The bear attacked two more persons in separate farms while heading towards the forest. Mahadev Jharkar, who was attacked after Swaraj in nearby farm, sustained critical injuries. The bear also attacked other farmer Chandu Jharkar in his farm some distance away, but he escaped with minor scratches," said RFO, Saoli range, MP Rathod.
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Black Cat

50-yr-old woman killed by leopard in Junnar, India


nyoooz.com
Thu, 28 May 2015 14:51 UTC
Leopard
Leopard
Fear gripped the residents of Pimpalgaon Joga village in Junnar taluka after a 50-year-old woman was mauled to death by a leopard here around 10.30pm on Tuesday. "Sakhubai Nana Hile stays near the forest area.

The leopard must have dragged her into the forest when she came out of her house to relieve herself around 10:30pm," said V A Dhokte, deputy conservator of forests of Junnar. Dhokte said the attack was a matter of grave concern as the village has not witnessed any leopard attack in the past 20 years. "Pimpalgaon Joga is not too far from Dhingore and Khamundi villages which have seen leopard attacks on children, but the terrain is slightly different.

There aren't that many sugarcane fields, but there is a forest area in this village," he added. "The last attack reported in the village was in 1995. Since then, there may have been odd incidents when livestock may have been attacked, but none involving a human," Dhokte said.
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