Animals
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Attention

Villager killed by elephant in Bankura, India


Business Standard
Wed, 15 Apr 2015 13:27 UTC
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Attacking elephant
A villager was trampled to death by an elephant in Bankura district when he was returning home after attending 'Gajan' festivities last night.

50-year-old Swapan Bauri was cycling back home in Baguli village after attending 'Gajan' or 'Charak Puja' festivities in Kandashole village when he was chased by two male elephants.

One of the pachyderms lifted him by his trunk and then trampled him to death at Kadashole, Borjora Forest Ranger, Mohan Chandra Shit said today.

The villagers sat on a protest today demanding adequate compensation to the victim's family following which the Forest Ranger was asked to be present at a meeting between the residents and the police at the local police station, he said.

The Ranger said as per official norms, Rs 1.25 lakh was paid as compensation to Bauri's family and another Rs 1.25 lakh would be paid to them after his postmortem.

Man-elephant conflict is a problem in Purulia, Bankura and West Midnapur districts of the state as elephant herds from Dalma Wildlife Sanctuary of neighbouring Jharkhand migrate to the areas resulting in degradation of crops and property as well as injury and loss of human lives.

Source: Press Trust of India
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Heart

Mother elephant is overcome with emotion when reunited with her daughter after three years apart

Sarah Griffiths
Daily Mail, UK
Fri, 10 Apr 2015 13:11 UTC
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After a 62-mile (100km) trek through the Thai jungle, Me-Bai, the small calf can be seen nuzzling her mother, Mae Yui, and joyfully flapping her ears in the Elephant Nature Park sanctuary in the north of the country
The old adage that an elephant never forgets appears to be true, based on a touching video showing an Asian elephant returning to her mother after years apart.

After a 62-mile (100km) trek through the Thai jungle, Me-Bai, the small elephant can be seen nuzzling her mother, Mae Yui, while the pair joyfully flap their ears and caress each other with their trunks in the Elephant Nature Park sanctuary, in the north of the country.

Me-Bai was sold to provide rides for tourists in Thailand when she was three-and-a-half years old, and didn't see her mother, who also worked in the trade, for three years.

It is particularly sad because females tend to stick together in herds until they die, sharing incredibly strong bonds. They are very rarely separated before the calf is five years of age.

The small elephant left the tourism trade 'because she [Me-Bai] was too young [and] began to lose weight and could not carry the tourists any longer,' according to Elephant News' YouTube page.

Me-Bai was recently rescued and brought to the sanctuary after a tiring 62 mile (100km) trek in the hot sun that lasted four days.

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Attention

Millions of prawns found on the shores of Playa Brava, Chile - Sign of an uncoming earthquake?


strangesounds.org
Mon, 13 Apr 2015 18:48 UTC
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Dead prawns on Playa Brava in Iquique
Playa Brava in Iquique has now turned red... Prawn red! A sign of the next big one?

Scientists are baffled by this apocalyptic mass die-off and will conduct various tests - water and shellfish - to determine the cause of this kill!

Yesterday morning the entire coast of Playa Brava in Iquique was blanketed by millions of dead or dying prawns.

The reason for this mass die-off is still unknown.

The apocalyptic event started at around 07:00. Rescue was launched directly after. But rough sea hampered the work of the rescuers, whose efforts were unsuccessful.


Comment: See also: SOTT Exclusive: Mass whale beaching in Japan is a reminder of Earth-changing events surrounding the 2011 earthquake and tsunami

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Attention

Revenge attacks by monkey on train drivers in Bihar, India


ndtv.com
Mon, 30 Mar 2015 18:01 UTC
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© Thinkstock photoFile photo of monkey. Any resemblance to Bihar offender is unintentional.
Nothing adorable about this monkey in Bihar. Over the past week, a monkey in the state's West Champaran district has attacked three train drivers.

AK Jha, a railway official in the region, says the money is determined "to take revenge for the death of one of its siblings."

Last week, a monkey was run over by a goods train near the Valmiki Nagar Train Station. Since then, his avenger has been busy.
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Attention

Man dies after a crocodile attack in Cancun, Mexico


The Yucatan Times
Mon, 13 Apr 2015 17:39 UTC
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Crocodile
The victim Marco Antonio Sanchez, was allegedly intoxicated when he entered the water.

A 31-year old tourist, native of the state of Tlaxcala in central Mexico, died last Saturday drowned after being dragged by a 7 feet long crocodile in the Bojorquez Lagoon near Cancun hotel zone.

Eyewitnesses declared that the now deceased Marco Antonio Sánchez Fernández went swimming after heavily drinking. A few meters away from the sidewalk that is relatively close to the shore, bathers spotted a crocodile measuring over two meters (7 feet).

After the animal perceived movement, it entered the water. Realizing this, many people who were at the scene and police elements patrolling the area, warned the unnoticed swimmers to come out, but only one of them listened and when the other tried to react, the crocodile pulled him to deeper waters.

Comment: See also: More unusual animal behaviour: Crocodile attack earns Florida swimmers dubious distinction

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Attention

Very rare Omura's whale washes up on beach in Western Australia

Sarah Dean
Daily Mail, UK
Tue, 14 Apr 2015 16:04 UTC
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An Omura's whale was discovered on a remote Exmouth beach in WA (pictured). It left authorities confused as they struggled to identify the rare species
A species of whale that was feared to be extinct has been found washed up on a West Australian beach, giving scientists an opportunity to learn more about the mammal.

The Omura's whale was discovered on a remote Exmouth beach, at the tip of the state's North West Cape, after Tropical Cyclone Olwyn tore through the area last month.

It is the first sighting of the species in WA and only the second in Australia.

Identifying the 5.68m juvenile female was at first difficult for Department of Parks and Wildlife staff, who eventually confirmed it was an Omura's whale with DNA profiling.

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Attention

Huge die-off of jellyfish-like creatures pile up at Rockaway Beach, Oregon

Grant McOmie
kgw.com
Sun, 12 Apr 2015 14:01 UTC
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© Don BestA massive die-off at Rockaway Beach.
Thousands of jellyfish-like creatures were seen piled up on Rockaway Beach Sunday morning in what appeared to be a massive die-off.

The animals are called Velella velella. They're like a cousin to the jellyfish.

They are commonly called "purple sailors," "little sail," and "by the wind sailors."

The die-offs occur each spring along beaches from Oregon to California.

Velella velella typically live in the open ocean, but when warm water and storms draw them near shore, the wind blows them onto beaches, where they die in piles.

The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife says Velella velella do sting their prey while in the water, but they are harmless to humans.

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© Don BestThe creatures are like a cousin to the jellyfish.
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Attention

Attack by monkey claims woman's life in India


The Times of India
Sat, 11 Apr 2015 17:58 UTC
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Too much monkey business?
Shops at Loi Bazaar remained shut on Saturday over local administration's failure to curb monkey menace as a 50-year-old woman fell from the roof of a three-storey building after being allegedly attacked by a monkey the previous night.

Police said Anjani Devi had gone to the terrace of her Govind Bagh house on Friday to see if there was water in the overhead tank when a few monkeys pounced on her. The woman, in her attempt to defend herself, toppled from the roof. Family members and neighbours took her to the hospital but was declared dead a day later.

Infuriated over the death of the woman, shopkeepers of Loi Bazar downed their shutters on Saturday to mark their protest. Ashok Varshney, city president of the Vyapar Mandal, said their agitation would continue till the administration initiates a monkey-catching drive.

Comment: See also:

Troop of monkeys sends man to his death in India

Young woman killed by a mob of monkeys in India

British tourist victim of 'worst-ever' attack by Gibraltar monkey

Monkey attack terror: Tears testicle off baby, eats it

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Attention

Pygmy sperm whale and calf die after beaching on Neptune Beach, Florida


Florida Times-Union
Mon, 13 Apr 2015 16:58 UTC
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© Atlantic Beach Police/Florida Wildlife Conservation CommissionPygmy sperm whale calf
A mother Kogia whale and her calf died Sunday after beaching themselves on Neptune Beach, according to a biologist at Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

Allison Perna, a marine mammal biologist, said a person on Neptune Beach spotted the two whales about 7:50 a.m. and alerted the commission. The person reported seeing sharks in the water, but witness accounts of the mother being beaten hasn't been confirmed.

Two biologists with the commission and a team from the Jacksonville Zoo marine mammal response team attempted to rescue the beached whales, but were unsuccessful.

Biologists will now do a necropsy on the animals for clues as to what caused the beaching.

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Fish

Thousands of dead fish found floating on lake in China

Hannah Parry
Daily Mail, UK
Mon, 13 Apr 2015 16:39 UTC
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Thousands of fish, weighing 100 tonnes, have been found dead at a lake in Huizhou City in southern China's Guangdong Province
Thousands of animals have died overnight at a commercial fish farm in southern China's Guangdong Province after the lake became polluted.

More than 100 tonnes of dead fish were found floating in the water near Huizhou City on Friday morning by devastated farmer Mr Zhang.

Workers had rushed to clear the lake, using plastic baskets and nets to scoop them out, creating a huge mountain of rotting fish on the shore.

Others were sent to spread 2.5 tons of edible salt to try and restore the chemical imbalance of the lake which had become contaminated with ammonia, reported The People's Daily Online.
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