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Dead whale seen in Vancouver's Burrard Inlet


cbc.ca
Mon, 11 May 2015 15:54 UTC
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© CBCThe carcass could be seen from buildings in downtown Vancouver overlooking Burrard Inlet.
Officials have yet to confirm the carcass is that of a killer whale

The carcass of what appears to be a dead killer whale has washed up in Burrard Inlet next to downtown Vancouver.

Officials have yet to confirm the species of the whale, but Biggs killer whales, also known as transients, have been spotted in recent months heading through the busy harbour on their way to nearby Indian Arm, where they are known to prey on seals.

Comment: There's been no let up in the number of dead whales washing up on the west coast of North America this year: Dead Gray whale buried in Tijuana, Mexico

Second dead whale found at Pacifica, California within 3 weeks

Authorities investigate two dead gray whales off Santa Cruz County coast

Dead sperm whale found on beach in Pacifica, California

Dead killer whale found near Fort Bragg, California

Fin whale found dead in San Pedro harbor, California

Dead grey whale washes up near Ucluelet, Canada

Humpback whale found dead near Westport, Washington

Dead Humpback whale washes ashore in Monterey, California

Dead gray whale found off Torrey Pines State Beach, California

Beached pygmy sperm whale dies at Point Reyes, California

Dead gray whale discovered at Seattle ferry terminal

14 whales and 16 turtles wash up dead on Baja California Sur coast

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Question

Seal seen 40 miles inland in Cambridgeshire, UK


Daily Telegraph
Mon, 11 May 2015 14:18 UTC
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© Nathaniel Gore/PAThe sunbathing seal
A sunbathing seal has been spotted in a river 40 miles from the sea in Cambridgeshire.

Nathaniel Gore, 33, was out walking near his home in St Ives on Sunday when he spotted the animal splashing around in the water.

The editorial project manger stopped to film the seal and said it was not put off by the attention.

He added: "I've heard stories of seals being found inland before and he seemed perfectly happy so I wasn't too concerned.

"I stopped for about 20 minutes and he seemed to be enjoying the attention. He was splashing around in the water and sunbathing by the side of the river. I was able to get within three feet and it was a great sight to stop and enjoy."


Comment: Se also: Seal found 20 miles inland near St Helens, UK

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Attention

Animal weirdness: Wild boar drops through roof of store in Hong Kong

Kara O'Neill
Daily Mirror, UK
Mon, 11 May 2015 13:17 UTC
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Surprise: Wild boar gets trapped inside a children's clothing store
Shocked shoppers were given quite the surprise on Sunday when a wild boar fell through the ceiling of a children's clothing store.

The unusual customer had wandered into a Hong Kong shopping centre where it was then trapped and unable to get out.

Video aired by local TV stations showed the boar, which had apparently climbed up a ladder, punching a hole through the showroom's false ceiling with a trotter.


Comment: See also these similar reports:

Wild boar smashes up restaurant in South Korea

Wild boar crashes through glass panel into library in Malaysia

Wild boar creates havoc at Yonsei University, South Korea

More odd animal behaviour: Wild boar smashes into German hardware store

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Attention

Dead Gray whale buried in Tijuana, Mexico


The Sunday Leader
Sun, 10 May 2015 17:20 UTC
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© Xinhua/Eduardo Jaramillo/NOTIMEXWorkers bury a gray whale at the seashore of Playas de Tijuana, in Tijuana, northwest Mexico, May 7, 2015. The 15-meter and 14-ton gray whale was found dead here on Wednesday.

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© Xinhua/Eduardo Jaramillo/NOTIMEX
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Binoculars

Non-migratory citril finch from mountains of mainland Europe found near beach in Holkham,UK

Sophie Wyllie
Eastern Daily Press
Sun, 10 May 2015 16:42 UTC
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© Mark ReederA picture of the rare citril finch at Burnham Overy dunes near Holkham.
A citril finch was seen near pine trees at Burnham Overy dunes, west of Holkham beach, at about 8am today by Marcus Nash who runs Norfolk bird tours.

About 100 people rushed to the remote area after the sighting of the small songbird was recorded on Twitter and other birding information websites.

It is the second recorded sighting of a citril finch in Britain - the first was in 2008 when one was spotted on Fair Isle off Scotland.

Citril finches usually live in the mountains of south west Europe from Spain to the Alps and are not birds which usually migrate.

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Attention

Monkey menace gives sleepless nights to residents of Mumbai, India

Geeta Desai and Tanea Bandyopadhyay
dnaindia.com
Sun, 10 May 2015 15:42 UTC
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Representational image.
A gang has been prowling the streets of the city, attacking its residents and spreading fear in some localities. And before you wonder whether the police have been informed, know that this gang is of monkeys.

Residents from Sion, Chunabhatti, Parel, Andheri-Marol and Bandra are finding themselves at their wits' end after frequent attacks by monkeys. On Thursday, an eight-year-old boy and a 35-year-old man were attacked in Parel.

In Parel, where the menace is particularly intense, monkeys have been found climbing buildings and reaching people's homes through windows and other open gaps. In one instance, they hopped up and reached the terrace of Laxmi Cottage building on Dr BA Ambedkar Road, where children were playing.
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Wolf

Over the past year dog attacks leave 48 people needing hospital treatment in Cornwall, UK


piratefm.co.uk
Thu, 07 May 2015 14:49 UTC
Pirate FM has learnt almost one person a week is ending up in hospital in Cornwall after being attacked by a dog.

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Over the last year that has included a two year old boy and a ninety-four year old woman.

Almost forty ended up needing an operation, according to figures from Treliske.

Jessie from Redruth was attacked as a child, and then again when she set up a dog walking business.

Even though she has got the scars it has not put her off working with the animals.

She said: "I've looked at forums to see what people's opinions are and a lot of people say, 'put them down, they shouldn't be around, they're dangerous to other people and children' - and it depends, it always depends on the situation.
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Binoculars

Another completely lost bird: Slate-throated redstart, resident of humid highland forests, turns up on South Padre Island, Texas

Estevan Medrano
Port Isabel-South Padre Press
Fri, 08 May 2015 19:12 UTC
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Slate-throated redstart.
The equivalent of a bird watching home run came in the form of a rare black and red chested wonder known as the slate-throated redstart spotted near the of the South Padre Island Birding and Nature Center. The long-tailed warbler, almost exclusively found in humid highland forests, and had wandered north of the border only a few times on record.

The spotting occurred last Wednesday by avid birders Don Erickson and Fred Welden from Nevada. As two were bird watching in the Nature Center's butterfly garden the morning of April 29 they came across the specimen and then informed knowledgeable birder Tammy Bulow of the unusual sighting. The Nature Center attempted to call to send an expert to properly identify the red-chested visitor, but those they did contact were hesitant out of disbelief that a bird of that caliber could be sighted so from its expected habitat.

Cristin Howard, SPI Birding and Nature Center Director of Marketing, credits the rapid additions of native vegetation planted in the area which drew the "hidden treasure" to the area.


Comment: Other recent odd movements by birds:

Bizarre bird migration: Little Bustard makes rare visit to Finnish Lapland

Globe-trotting bird ends up in Sutton, New Hampshire

Rare bird from the Americas turns up in Somerset, UK

Great blue heron from North America turns up on the Isles of Scilly, UK

Eurasian shorebird (wader) turns up far inland near Winslow, Indiana

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Wolf

Animal mauled girl in London, Ontario: Was it a coyote?

Jonathan Sher
The London Free Press (Canada)
Fri, 08 May 2015 17:19 UTC
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Coyote.
Police say a teenage girl was attacked from behind Friday morning in a London park by a coyote who knocked her to the ground and bit or tore at her face and arm.

While the girl survived the assault after an older male friend pulled the animal off her, news of the attack stunned a wildlife expert, who said he's seen nothing like it in seven or eight years reporting on coyotes in the London region.

"This is a rare occurrence," said Brandon Williamson of the Upper Thames River Conservation Authority.

Police say the teenage girl, who is less than 16 years old, had been walking with an older teenage male at 8:30 a.m. along the north bank of the south branch of the Thames River between Adelaide and Egerton streets.

Known as South Branch Park, it has a concrete path that's popular with bicyclists, joggers and people going for strolls — Yasushi Iwasaki was biking with his kids, ages 6 and 11, less than 12 hours after the attack.

"It's scary," he said when told what had happened.

Comment: See also these reports for the last 3 years of rare (or nowadays not so rare ) coyote attacks on people: Aggressive coyote attacks man in Saddle River, New Jersey

Coyote attacks two residents in Groveland, MA

Brampton woman attacked by coyote, Canada

Coyote attacks second young girl in Rye, New York

Man attacked by coyotes in Washington State

Colorado man fights off 3 coyotes using flashlight as weapon

Coyote shot dead after 3 attack a British Columbia woman, Canada

3-year-old Chicago boy attacked by a coyote

3 rare coyote attacks within 10 days in California and Oregon

Girl, 2, attacked by coyote in Cypress Cemetery, California

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Attention

More than 30 sei whales wash up dead along the Gulf of Penas coast, Chile


Daily Mail, UK
Sat, 09 May 2015 15:20 UTC
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A group of scientists discovered at least 20 dead sei whales on Chile's southern coast on the Gulf of Penas
A group of foreign scientists discovered at least 20 dead sei whales beached along Chile's southern coast on the Gulf of Penas and reported them to the National Fisheries Service.

A statement from Chilean officials on Friday said there were around 20 whales, while the scientists said they counted more than 30.

The International Union for Conservation of Natures lists the sei as an endangered species and the whales are no longer supposed to be hunted commercially.
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