Animals
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Attention

20 dolphins have been found stranded on Irish shores in January


The Irish Times
Mon, 02 Feb 2015 20:16 UTC
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The number of common dolphins stranded throughout the country since October is close to the amount that should be expected for an entire year
Scientists have expressed alarm at a recent spike in dolphin strandings which has seen almost 20 of the animals recovered on Irish shores in the last month.

The number of common dolphins stranded throughout the country since October is close to the amount that should be expected for an entire year, according to marine biologist Dr Simon Berrow.

"The number of dolphins we've had washed up in the last few weeks is shocking in terms of conservation and management," said Dr Berrow, a member of the Marine Biodiversity Research Group at Galway Mayo IT (GMIT).

Comment: See also: Spate of deep sea beaked whale deaths puzzle experts in Scotland

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Attention

Elephant handler has his arm amputated after being trampled by raging animal in Kharkov, Ukraine

John Hall
Daily Mail, UK
Tue, 03 Feb 2015 17:37 UTC
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Shock: Oleg Grishchenko (pictured before the attack) was caught unaware when the elephant named Tandy charged at him. He suffered serious crush injuries and had to have his arm amputated
A renowned Ukrainian animal expert had to have his arm amputated after being crushed by an angry elephant.

Oleg Grishchenko, 39, has worked with elephants all his life and is considered one of the most knowledgeable handlers in eastern Europe.

But he was caught unaware when the animal, called Tandy, became extremely and unexpectedly agitated, charging at him at a zoo in the city of Kharkov, in eastern Ukraine.
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Binoculars

Wintering Cape May warbler found in Enterprise, Oregon


Wallowa County Chieftain
Tue, 03 Feb 2015 16:45 UTC
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© Tristen Hynes The Cape May Warbler that has been wintering in Enterprise.
A Cape May Warbler wintering in Enterprise is only the second member of its species ever found wintering in Oregon.

Dozens of birders who journeyed to Enterprise in recent weeks spent a chunk of their time trying to glimpse something that all agree is rather rare: a Cape May Warbler wintering in Oregon.

Among the visitors was Eugene resident Alan Contreras, co-editor of the 2003 guide, "Birds of Oregon: A General Reference." According to Contreras, Wallowa County normally attracts birders during January from various locales - because "several kinds of birds are found there in winter that are hard to find elsewhere in Oregon," he says - and this year's sighting of the Cape May Warbler, early in January, added to the allure.

The warbler has been located generally near the southern end of Enterprise City Park. This is only the second time a Cape May Warbler has been spotted wintering in Oregon.

Contreras said the first time was in 2001 in relatively balmy Brookings. He said the species, which breeds in central to eastern Canada, normally winters in the Caribbean or in Central America.
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Binoculars

Snowstorm brings Eurasian thrush to Apple River, Canada


Cape Breton Post
Tue, 03 Feb 2015 16:31 UTC
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This rare Fieldfare was spotted by Blaine and Kathleen Spicer in Apple River, Cumberland County, on Jan. 31, and again over the next two days.
Kathleen Spicer has seen a lot of different birds in her yard over the years, but very few in North America have been visited by a Fieldfare.

The robin-like European bird was first spotted by Spicer's husband Blaine in an apple tree in their yard during a snowstorm on Jan. 31, and was still being observed there as of Monday.

"Blaine saw it out the window and said, 'I don't know what this is,' so I grabbed my camera and stood on a chair to get a picture of it," aid Mrs. Spicer. "I thought maybe it was a Varied Thrush, because it had a robin shape. But when I looked at the picture, I knew it was something else."

Although she had never seen a Fieldfare before, there was something familiar about the bird. She grabbed a guidebook she had for European birds, and there one was right on the cover.
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Black Cat

Cougar attacks 45-pound dog in Placerville, California

Claire Doan
kcra.com
Sun, 01 Feb 2015 22:49 UTC
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A homeowner came face to face with a mountain lion early Sunday morning in a remote, wooded area of Placerville after it attacked her 45-pound dog.

Susan McPherson knew something was wrong after her dog, Mate, ran into the backyard at 3:30 a.m., and she did not hear his usual barking.

So she followed him - and spotted a mountain lion.

"I saw a large cat walking away," McPherson said. "I yelled at it. And he turned his head, and there was this gray dog (in the mountain lion's mouth) ... like a rag doll. So, I'm like, 'This can't be my dog.'"

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Snowflake Cold

Groundhog Punxsutawney Phil 'forecasts' 6 more weeks of winter


Morning Sun
Mon, 02 Feb 2015 22:13 UTC
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© AP Photo/Gene J. PuskarGroundhog Club handler Ron Ploucha, left, holds Punxsutawney Phil, the weather prognosticating groundhog, during the 129th celebration of Groundhog Day on Gobbler's Knob in Punxsutawney, Pa., Monday, Feb. 2, 2015.
The handlers of Pennsylvania's most famous groundhog, Punxsutawney Phil, said Monday the furry rodent has forecast six more weeks of winter.

Members of the top hat-wearing Inner Circle announced the "prediction" Monday morning.

A German legend has it that if a furry rodent sees his shadow on Feb. 2, winter will last another six weeks. If not, spring comes early.
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Attention

150 sea turtles found dead in Mexican Pacific lagoon


Washington Times
Sun, 01 Feb 2015 21:22 UTC
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© ProfepaOne of the dead turtles in Guerrero Negro.
Cold temperatures are suspected of killing some 150 sea turtles found in a lagoon of Mexico's Baja California Peninsula.

Investigators with the federal environmental protection agency said Saturday the green sea turtles were found in the Ojo de Liebre lagoon, on the Pacific side of Baja California Sur state. The agency said it would be difficult to determine the exact cause of death due to the advanced state of decomposition of the remains.

The agency said a cold front that lowered temperatures in the region may have caused the deaths but investigators also would try to determine whether some sort of contamination might have played a role.

In mid-January, federal inspectors found the bodies of 14 gray whales at the lagoon, as well as 16 other sea turtles.

Source: Associated Press

Comment: See also these reports from the same region in January: 14 whales and 16 turtles wash up dead on Baja California Sur coast

554 dead seabirds and 4 sea lions found on beaches in Baja California, Mexico

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Binoculars

Another odd bird migration: Painted bunting turns up in Oakville, Canada

Emma Reilly
The Hamilton Spectator
Mon, 02 Feb 2015 16:44 UTC
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© Cathie Coward,The Hamilton Spectator

Painted Bunting: Meet the tiny bird that has been the big talk of local birders for the past month.
In a backyard in Oakville, there's a tiny, colourful bird that's setting hearts aflutter.

A painted bunting, which usually makes its home in the Southern U.S. and Mexico, mysteriously appeared in the Lakeshore Road East and Winston Churchill Boulevard area before Christmas. The rare creature has created quite a stir, drawing birders from across Ontario and lots of speculation among those who love small things with wings.

Hamiltonian Bruce Mackenzie, an avid birder and retired conservation area manager, thinks the painted bunting is a wild bird that got blown off course by a storm.
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Wolf

Feral dogs kill 5-yr-old in Bareilly, India: Third fatality in a month of 10 attacks

Priyangi Agarwal
The Times of India
Sun, 01 Feb 2015 20:03 UTC
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In what is becoming a serious menace, wild dogs attacked and killed a child on Saturday afternoon in Baheri tehsil, making him the third fatality of such an attack in almost a month. Over 10 children have also been injured in wild dog attacks in the past month. Ironically, while the attacks are continuing, district authorities continue to quibble over jurisdiction issues.

According to reports, daily wage labourer Anis Ahmed and his 15-year-old son Mujammil, residents of Lakhanpur village of Baheri, had gone to work at a local brick kiln. After some time, Anis went to his fields. When Mujammil did not join him after a long time, Anis went out to search for him.

That was when he saw Mujammil being attacked by a pack of dogs near the brick kiln. He somehow managed to chase away the dogs by attacking them with a spade but was not able to save his son, who was declared brought dead at a hospital.

Comment: Other recent notable attacks by packs of feral dogs on people -

Denison, Texas woman attacked and severely injured by dog pack

Man likely to have died from a dog pack attack in Madison, North Carolina

Pack of feral dogs attack 2 children, killing one, Nanfang, China

Feral dog pack found to have killed woman on Wyoming Indian reservation

Man found dead near New Mexico reservation may have been attacked by dog pack

Pack of stray dogs maul 17-month-old boy outside his house in Bangalore, India

Nine people killed by feral dog attacks in Rumbek, Sudan

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Black Cat

Cougar attacks pipeline worker near Grande Prairie, Canada

Alexa Huffman
Grande Prairie Daily Herald-Tribune
Sun, 01 Feb 2015 18:49 UTC
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Alberta Fish and Wildlife officers are currently investigating a cougar attack involving a pipeline worker south of Grande Prairie Friday.

According to Dan Laville, an Alberta Justice and Solicitor General spokesperson, at around 3 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 30, a cougar attacked a male pipeline worker, approximately 90 kilometres south of Grande Prairie.

Laville says a co-worker came to the victim's aid and was able to stop to the attack. The workers called 9-1-1. RCMP officers responded to the call and shot a cougar near the scene of the attack.

The Fish and Wildlife officers that are investigating the incident are using DNA analysis to confirm the cougar shot is the same animal involved in the attack.

Both workers sustained injuries and Laville says the injuries did not appear to be life threatening.

Comment: See also these other reports of cougar attacks on humans in 2014: A third cougar attack within a month leaves six-year-old California boy injured

Some wild animals are losing fear of humans: Biologist recovering after cougar assault in Grand Prairie, Alberta

Teenager attacked by cougar in Waterton Lakes National Park, Alberta

From 2013: Man fights off cougar with skateboard; Parks Canada tracking animal

Cougar attack in British Columbia leaves woman in critical condition

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