Animals
S


Attention

4 dead humpback whales found off British Columbia coast in a week

Andrew Weichel
bc.ctvnews.ca
Wed, 12 Aug 2015 17:38 UTC
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© FacebookFour dead humpback whales have been found off the B.C. coast over the last week, including this one found near Klemtu.
The Department of Fisheries and Oceans is investigating whether there's any link between four humpback whales found dead off B.C.'s central coast over the last week.

Marine mammal coordinator Paul Cottrell said necropsies were performed on two of the whales, but it could take weeks to determine the causes of death.

Though details are sparse, Cottrell said the number of recent discoveries is troubling.

"It's definitely a pulse and it's something we are concerned about," he said. "We're hoping we don't get any more."

One of the whales, a young female, was reported a few days ago near the community of Klemtu, north of Bella Bella. Someone from the local First Nation secured the whale to the shore, allowing Cottrell and a provincial veterinarian to perform a necropsy on Saturday.

Philip Charles, a guide with Spirit Bear Adventures, shared breathtaking photos of the animal online along with an emotional farewell.
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Fish

Carcasses of fish, pelicans and dolphin wash up for miles along shoreline of La Brea, Trinidad

Kevon Felmine
Trinidad and Tobago Guardian
Tue, 11 Aug 2015 13:54 UTC
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Dead fish at La Brea, Trinidad
As the carcasses of fish, pelicans and even a dolphin washed up on the beaches of La Brea last weekend, president of the La Brea Fisherfolk Association Alvin La Borde is pleading with the Environmental Management Authority (EMA) to conduct comprehensive studies on toxicity levels of the Gulf of Paria.

Speaking by telephone yesterday, La Borde said although many people blame Petrotrin's oil spill in December 2013, the washing up of dead fish in La Brea has been going on long before that incident.

However, he said it had been increasing in recent times and it was becoming extremely worrying as they feared the gulf may be contaminated.

Yesterday, Point Sable, Carat Shed Beach and Coffee Beach were feasting grounds for corbeaux as carcasses littered the shoreline for miles. A few beachgoers who gathered at Carat Shed Beach said they dared not enter the water as they were not sure if the beach was safe.
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Eye 2

Signs and Portents: Two-headed snake born in Chinese zoo

Jon Dean
Daily Mirror, UK
Tue, 11 Aug 2015 16:15 UTC
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A two-headed snake
This incredibly rare and slightly terrifying two-headed snake has turned up at a Chinese zoo.

The triple-ended serpent was born ten days ago on a snake farm in Yulin southern China, run by a breeder known only as Mr Huang.

He brought the mutant Chinese Cobra to Nunning Zoo, where it is still alive despite refusing to eat or drink.

Both of the heads have their own brain and sometimes try and move in different directions, reports the People's Daily Online.

In the past two-headed snakes have been known to attack, kill and even eat each other.

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Bug

Thousands of spiders build giant webs in Rowlett, Texas

Gretel Kauffman
msn.com
Mon, 10 Aug 2015 13:30 UTC
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© (Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service/ Mike Merchant)A large ‘communal’ spider web at the Lakeside Park South section of the Dallas suburb of Rowlett.
Thousands of spiders joining forces to build webs tall enough to cover trees may sound like something straight out of a horror movie, but that's exactly what's happening in Rowlett, Texas.

Visitors driving along CA Roan Drive, a tree-lined stretch of road in the Dallas suburb, will notice giant "glistening webs ... draping the trees like shrouds," as described by Mike Merchant, a Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service entomologist in Rowlett. These webs extend up to 40 feet and are inhabited by the thousands of spiders who came together to spin them in a communal effort.

This phenomenon, while rare, is not unprecedented. In 2007, more than 3,300 curious visitors flocked to see a giant spider web in Lake Tawakoni State Park, roughly 35 miles from Rowlett. Park Superintendent Donna Garde described the sight as "something out of a low-budget horror movie, but I was looking at something five times as big as what you'd see on a Hollywood set."

The monster webs on the shores of Lake Tawakoni set the international arachnology community abuzz, and caused many to wonder whether they were witnessing a once-in-a-lifetime phenomenon.


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Attention

'Unusual' bacteria may be responsible for Northern muskox population's decline


CBC News
Mon, 10 Aug 2015 05:28 UTC
decline in the muskox population
© Peter Klaunzer/Associated PressResearchers believe that erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae, an 'unusual' bacteria, could be the culprit for a large decline in the muskox population on both Banks Island and Victoria Island.

Researchers figure bacteria, climate change among main factors causing decline in N.W.T., Nunavut population

A bacteria may be the culprit for the sharp decline of the muskox population in the Northwest Territories and Nunavut, according to a team of researchers.

The bacteria, erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae, has been observed in deceased muskoxen on Banks Island, in the Northwest Territories, as well as Nunavut's Victoria Island, since 2010. Researchers are now studying other animals in the northern ecosystem to observe the spread of the disease.

The bacteria is "normally found in pigs and poultry," said Susan Kutz, an associate professor at the University of Calgary. "This has never been found in the Arctic or in muskox before. It's very unusual to find such a thing."

The researchers believe lemmings have been transmitting the bacteria to the muskoxen. It's unclear whether it even affects the rodents; they may simply be a carrier.

"It's a hypothesis at this point," said Kutz.

Comment: See also:
  • Strange animal behaviour: Muskox repeatedly charged dog despite warning shots in Wales, Alaska - other similar incidents reported

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Bizarro Earth

Park rangers at Yellowstone catch suspected killer bear

Jennifer Calfas
USA Today
Mon, 10 Aug 2015 12:22 UTC
grizzly
© Jim Urquhart, AP

Rangers at Yellowstone National Park have captured a grizzly bear they believe may be the one that killed a hiker at the park on Friday.

On Monday, the park identified the victim as Lance Crosby, 68, of Billings, Mont. Park officials said Crosby was not carrying bear spray at the time of the attack.

Rangers believe a female grizzly bear killed Crosby, then fed on his remains. Autopsy results have not been released.

Yellowstone spokeswoman Julena Campbell told USA TODAY a female grizzly bear was caught early Saturday morning after rangers set up traps in the area hours after finding the victim's body Friday. Park officials will complete several tests to identify the grizzly bear as the one involved in the killing.

Tests include matching the shape and size of the bear tracks to ones found in the area and comparing the bear's DNA to that found on the victim's body. Campbell said park officials sent DNA evidence to a lab Monday morning for testing, and results will come in the next few days.

If officials identify the bear as the one involved in the attack, the bear will be euthanized. Campbell said this is due to the fact that the bear fed on the victim's body.

"We don't have any way of knowing the circumstances that led up to this one," Campbell said. "But we do know after she killed him, she was consuming him. She will be euthanized because of the facts that she was feeding on the person."
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Question

Painting of Ireland's Loch Ness monster resurfaces after 144 years

Michael Parsons
The Irish Times
Tue, 11 Aug 2015 02:16 UTC
Sea Monster
© Mary Evans Picture Library in London‘A large and frightening sea monster seen by several people off the coast of Kilkee, Ireland’. Image from The Days’ Doings, 1871.
An image of Co Clare's sea-serpent - Victorian Ireland's equivalent of the Loch Ness monster - has resurfaced after 144 years.

The artist's impression of the bizarre ocean creature, allegedly spotted off the coast of the resort village of Kilkee, has been found lurking in the depths of a London archive.

The "monster" was the subject of various reported sightings in the 19th-century, including one in 1850 when it was seen, improbably, "sunning itself near the Clare coast off Kilkee".

The most notable sighting was in September 1871, when the "large and frightening sea monster" was seen by several people, who "all had their nerves considerably upset by the dreadful appearance of this extraordinary creature" .

The story first appeared in the Limerick Chronicle and quickly caught the attention of Fleet Street, where even the London Times commented on the appearance of the "fabled sea serpent in Ireland".
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Attention

Black bear attacks and wounds hiker at Douthat State Park, Virginia

Jeff Sturgeon
The Roanoke Times
Sun, 09 Aug 2015 17:13 UTC
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© Jess ThompsonBlack Bear
A black bear attacked and injured an adult hiker at Douthat State Park on Saturday.

Her wounds, which required stitches but were not life-threatening, represent Virginia's first ever bear-inflicted injury on a human that didn't involve hunting, said Jim Meisner, spokesman for the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation.

Unprovoked bear attacks are unheard of, Meisner said. Officials tracked and killed the animal they believe is responsible for the attack. It was shipped off to be tested for rabies and to compare its DNA to bear saliva left on the victim's clothes.

The woman belonged to a party of five, possibly all in one family, who explored the area around Tuscarora Overlook on the west side of the park near Clifton Forge on Saturday afternoon. About 6 p.m., the group startled a bear and group members ran, Meisner said. The bear followed the woman and, in what he said was "an incredibly rare occurrence," knocked her down and bit and scratched her on the leg and back, causing lacerations.

Other members of the party returned and scared off the bear , he said.
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Attention

Bear mauls two in Kashmir, India


Greater Kashmir
Sun, 09 Aug 2015 19:02 UTC
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Two persons were seriously injured after a bear attacked them at Watelab in Raithan forest range of Khansahab in central Kashmir's Budgam district yesterday evening, police said.

Locals said they had gone to bring their cattle back from the woods when the attack took place.

The duo, identified as Farooq Ahmad Lone s/o Ghulam Nabi Lone and Shakeel Ahmad Teqkhri s/o Mohmmad Shafi are both residents of Katchwari.

Nomads rescued them after they raised an alarm.

Tehsildar Khansahab Ali Mohmmad Malik said that one of the injured Farooq Ahmad was shifted to SKIMS Soura for specialised treatment.
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Eye 2

Alligator rips off woman's arm near Wekiva Island, Florida

Christopher Bucktin
Daily Mirror, UK
Sun, 09 Aug 2015 16:33 UTC
Image
Attack: The woman was in waters that are known to be home to alligators
A female swimmer lost her arm after it was ripped off by an alligator in a popular Florida river.

Nearby canoers and kayakers heard screaming and realised the reptile was attacking the 37-year-old.

The attack happened near Wekiva Island on Saturday afternoon.

One started hitting the alligator with a paddle as it bit into the women's midsection witnesses said.

Her rescuers were able to get the unidentified woman to shore and called 911.

"You just saw some blood and some bone. There wasn't anything else there," said Richard Ward.

Jakob Frick said he was canoeing with friends when they saw the woman swimming in the water.


Comment: See also these other recent alligator attacks -

Father, grandfather rescue boy from alligator attack at Lake Charlotte, Texas

Alligator kills man swimming at marina in Orange, Texas

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