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Attention

Red tide of algae kills 200 tons of lobsters off South Africa coast


Africa Trade
Wed, 11 Feb 2015 15:09 UTC
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Red tide
Harmful algae off the coast of South Africa has killed more than 200 metric tons of West Coast Rock Lobster, according to the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.

The algae, known as red tide for the color it creates in the water, killed 80 tons of the crustacean on Wednesday at Eland Bay, north of Cape Town, the department said in an e-mailed statement. The total loss is equivalent to more than 10 percent of the allowable catch this season.

The bloom was detected on Feb. 3 off South Africa's west coast and killed about 30 tons of lobsters on Feb. 9 and another 70 tons on Tuesday, the department said.
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Fish

Peculiar fish found dead on North Devon coast, UK

N D J Duncan
North Devon Journal
Sat, 14 Feb 2015 11:18 UTC
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Peculiar fish found dead
A strange fish has washed up on the North Devon coast.

It was discovered yesterday at Northam Burrows by Nick Porter, who was walking his dogs when he spotted what he believes is a Parrot Fish.

He said: "Interestingly, the carcass was not apparently decaying as you would expect a fish to do.

"The skin was hard and leathery."

Comment: This is the second such record from Devon recently, see also: Weird fish with 'rodent-like teeth' found dead on Woolacombe beach, UK

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Black Cat

Bobcat kills 3 pets before capture in El Dorado Hills, California

Tia Ewing
fox40.com
Mon, 02 Feb 2015 13:47 UTC
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Captured bobcat.
It was stalking around town, on the hunt for prey in a secluded El Dorado Hills neighborhood overrun with trees and brush. It's the kind of environment that makes it easy for a predator on the top of the food chain to hide out.

A 50-pound bobcat did some serious damage to the community, killing 3 pets in 2 days.

"Killed one of their cats, attacked another one of their cats and tried to eat it but the cat got away. Killed another neighbor's cat, then he called us," Jeffery Duke of Duke's Wildlife Control & Removal told FOX40.


Comment: See also: Bobcat attacks and kills family dog in Ahwatukee, Arizona

Bobcat attacks woman sitting on a bench in Solvang, California

Bobcat attacks dog in Chelmsford, Massachusetts

Bobcat attacks hiker's dogs near Squamish, Canada

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Black Cat

400 people killed in man-animal conflict in last 15 years in Uttarakhand, India

Seema Sharma
The Times of India
Fri, 13 Feb 2015 13:33 UTC
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Leopard
Man-animal conflict has played havoc with the lives of people in almost 14,000 villages which are located near forest areas. Figures point to the massive extent of damage, and the many lives lost. Since 2000, when the state was formed, around 400 people have died in attacks by animals. Of these, 241 were believed to have been killed by leopards alone. As for animal casualties, around 800 leopards, 90 tigers and 280 elephants have reportedly died in these encounters. However, the state forest department is yet to get its act in place. It cites shortage of staff and limited weaponry as the biggest stumbling blocks in ensuring proper patrolling of the forests.
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Question

500 starving sea lion pups have washed ashore along the California coast since the start of 2015

Brett Smith
redorbit.com
Thu, 12 Feb 2015 21:13 UTC
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© Thinkstock Sea lion pup.
Starving sea lion pups have been washing ashore along the California coast for the past three winters and experts have very few clues as to why this is happening.

"They're extremely emaciated, basically starving to death," Shawn Johnson of the Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito, California told National Geographic.

Since the start of the year, almost 500 pups have been admitted to the state's rehabilitation centers, with the Sausalito facility handling 171 cases so far. Last year, it took until April for the center to hit the 100-case mark.

Officials said they are particularly concerned because they've yet to hit the peak stranding season, which is traditionally a few months away.

"We're all kind of holding our breath," said Justin Viezbicke, stranding network coordinator for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

Comment: See also: Sick sea lions wash ashore at alarming rate, California

650 emaciated sea lion pups wash up on the California coast over last 2 months

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Info

Update: Over 100 pilot whales now dead following New Zealand stranding


yahoo.com
Sat, 14 Feb 2015 20:07 UTC
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© AFPScientists are unclear why pilot whales strand themselves in large groups
More than 100 pilot whales that stranded on a New Zealand beach have died, conservation officials said on Saturday, voicing grave fears for more than 90 others from the pod.

The whales beached themselves on Friday at Farewell Spit at the northern tip of the South Island, with dozens of rescuers racing to re-float the marine mammals on the evening high tide.

But Department of Conservation (DOC) spokesman Andrew Lamason said the whales had swam aground again overnight after being shepherded out to deep water.

Comment: See also: Nearly 200 pilot whales stranded on New Zealand beach

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Attention

One person killed and four injured in wild boar attack in India


Business Standard
Sat, 14 Feb 2015 19:55 UTC
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Wild boar
One person was killed and at least four others were injured, two of them seriously, when a rogue wild boar went on a rampage and attacked a group of farm labourers in Odisha's Kendrapara district, a forest official said today.

The incident occurred yesterday in Hatabanapur village when the farm labourers were engaged in rabi crop cultivation, he said.

The village where the incident took place is away from forest areas and animals had not strayed into it in the past.

As the people tried to chase away the animal it turned violent and attacked the farm workers, said Divisional Forest Officer, Cuttack Territorial Forest Division, Sudarshan Behera.
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Attention

Wild elephant kills farmer near Magadi, India


Deccan Herald
Tue, 10 Feb 2015 17:13 UTC
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Elephant kills farmer
A 45-year-old farmer was killed by a wild elephant in the family's agricultural field at Attingere in the taluk on Sunday night.

The victim was identified as Panchalingaiah, son of Sanjeevaiah.

On Monday night, Roopa, Panchalingaiah's daughter, went to the field to give him tea. She was shocked to find her father's body lying 200 feet away. She then returned to the village to inform her family about the incident.

It is said Panchalingaiah was sleeping in the ragi field, when the elephant came there in search of food and started eating the ragi crop.
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Attention

Elephant kills 2 people in West Bengal, India


The Echo of India
Fri, 13 Feb 2015 17:04 UTC
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© Satish Hanumantha Rao Charging elephant.
A wild elephant killed a man and injured two others on Friday morning in Barhulia of Dhupguri's Gadong gram panchayat. Locals said the elephant had entered the village to feed on the paddy fields. They said Bipin Roy died on the spot while the two injured have been admitted at the Dhupguri hospital, says a HS report.

A PTI report, however, put the death toll at two. Quoting Divisional Forest Officer Sunita Ghatak, it said one of the injured persons died on the way to hospital. "Bipin Roy (55) died on the spot at Barothalia when the elephant coming from Khuttimari forest lifted him and threw him on the ground. Two others who came to his rescue were also attacked by the elephant," she said. The elephant also killed five goats when being chased into the jungle by the locals, officials said.
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Wolf

Boy bitten by his father's police dog has leg amputated, Hesperia, California


abcnews.go.com
Sat, 14 Feb 2015 16:05 UTC
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Hunter Mastaler, 4, lost part of his leg after getting attacked by his dad’s police dog
A 4-year-old Southern California boy who was bitten by his father's police dog had to have his leg amputated below the knee, and the canine probably will be euthanized, police said Thursday.

Hunter Mastaler remained hospitalized four days after the Belgian shepherd dog clamped onto his left leg in the backyard of the family's Hesperia home.

Neighbors knocked over a fence and pried the dog's jaws open to free the boy.

Hunter will remain hospitalized for another week, Rialto police Capt. Randy De Anda said. With a prosthetic he could be able to run again within six months, he said.

Comment: This is the tenth such report featuring dog attacks on family members found since the turn of the year, scroll through our dedicated animals page to read about the others.

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