Animals
S


Evil Rays

Electric eels can remotely control the bodily movements of their prey

Janet Fang
iflscience.com
Sat, 06 Dec 2014 22:25 UTC
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© Kenneth CataniaElectric eel (Electrophorus electricus)
Electric eels are badass. Not only can they produce an incapacitating 600-volt zap -- five times that of a U.S. wall socket -- they can also remotely control their prey through water. The predatory eels create a variety of electric discharges that range from lower-voltage ones sent out as environmental sensors to high-voltage strikes that allow them to hijack the nerves of their prey -- immobilizing the muscles and preventing escape. They can even send out short pulses that force the prey to give up their location. The findings were published in Science this week.

To understand the mechanism of the eel's shocking strike, Vanderbilt University's Kenneth Catania conducted a series of experiments in large aquariums equipped with various detectors. When placed in tanks with delectable fish and worms, the scale-less Amazonian Electrophorus electricus releases pulses of electricity that appear to stun the prey and freeze them in place. Using a high-speed video system, he observed that an eel begins an attack with a high-frequency volley of high-voltage pulses up to 15 milliseconds before striking. In just three milliseconds, the fish are completely paralyzed. They regain mobility after a short period, and they could swim away if the eel doesn't get to them first.
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Wolf

Dog attacks leap 48% in just 12 months in Wollongong, Australia

Kate McIlwain
Illawarra Mercury
Thu, 17 Jul 2014 20:55 UTC
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Dog attacks in Wollongong have soared a staggering 48 per cent in just 12 months with nearly 50 people and more than 200 animals harmed.

The latest statistics from the NSW Division of Local Government show there were 237 dog attacks in Wollongong from April 2013 to March this year, compared with 160 in the same period a year earlier.

The Wollongong local government area ranks fourth in the state for the number of dog attacks reported, behind Blacktown, Gosford and Newcastle, and also has a higher than average attack rate.
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Wolf

Severe dog bites increase sharply in Arizona, study finds

Michelle Ye Hee Lee
The Arizona Republic
Fri, 28 Mar 2014 20:22 UTC
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© Michael Schennum/The RepublicMickey the pit bull mauled a 4-year-old's face Feb. 20.
More Arizonans are being hospitalized for severe dog bites, especially children, a state health department study finds.

Newly released Arizona hospital data show severe dog bites increased dramatically in recent years, especially among children, confirming what until now has been largely anecdotal suspicion.

An Arizona Department of Health Services study released Thursday says that the number of inpatient hospitalizations - meaning the bite was severe enough to warrant at least one overnight stay - increased 139 percent from 2008 to 2012.

Among all dog-bite injuries in the state during that period, the study found about a third were among children younger than 14. Dog-bite cases in Arizona hospitals cost $55million, about a third of which was paid by the taxpayer-funded state Medicaid system.

The study was based on hospital-discharge data.
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Cow

Rampaging water buffalo attacks and injures 14 pedestrians, China

Karson Yiu
abcnews.go.com
Wed, 26 Nov 2014 17:12 UTC
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A water buffalo tore through a small southwestern Chinese town in a mad rampage
A water buffalo tore through a small southwestern Chinese town in a mad rampage, chasing down pedestrians and injuring at least 14 bystanders.

In surveillance video footage released by state media, the water buffalo is seen wandering in the center of town in Jingyan County located in China's Sichuan province.

In one shot, the buffalo is shown setting its sights on resident Liang Cuirong who was riding past on her bicycle. The animal chased Liang, knocked her off the bike and trampled her repeatedly.

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Attention

Wild boar attacks woman in her backyard, India

P. Oppili
The Hindu
Fri, 05 Dec 2014 16:45 UTC
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A 55-year-old woman of Adhivarahapuram near Tiruttani was admitted to government hospital on Friday after she was attacked by a wild boar.

"Around 4.30 in the morning, Pattammal went out to the backyard of her house, where the animal attacked her, injuring her right hand. The victim raised an alarm but the animal disappeared," Forest officials said.

A team of officials led by Tiruvallur District Forest Officer P. Muhammed Shabab visited the victim in the hospital. Financial assistance was handed over to Pattammal by Mr. Shabab at the hospital. A team has been sent to the village where the woman was attacked to check the movement of any animal. Further investigation is on, he added.
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Sheeple

Nature bites back: Study shows lethal control of wolf populations increase livestock depredations


Phys.org
Wed, 03 Dec 2014 00:00 UTC
pack wolves
© WikipediaMollies Pack Wolves Baiting a Bison.
Washington State University researchers have found that it is counter-productive to kill wolves to keep them from preying on livestock. Shooting and trapping lead to more dead sheep and cattle the following year, not fewer.

Writing in the journal PLOS ONE, WSU wildlife biologist Rob Wielgus and data analyst Kaylie Peebles say that, for each wolf killed, the odds of more livestock depredations increase significantly.

The trend continues until 25 percent of the wolves in an area are killed. Ranchers and wildlife managers then see a "standing wave of livestock depredations," said Wielgus.

Moreover, he and Peebles write, that rate of wolf mortality "is unsustainable and cannot be carried out indefinitely if federal relisting of wolves is to be avoided."

Comment: This study is timely, as there have been numerous reports of wolf attacks in the past several months, so it is becoming obvious that measures being taken aren't working so well:

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Arrow Down

North Carolina factory farm whistleblower unveils disturbing video

Anthony Gucciardi
Natural Society
Fri, 05 Dec 2014 18:35 UTC
Farm Chickens
© Natural SocietyPerdue farm chickens.
Does 'sustainable' farming really mean what you think it does? We've all seen the concerning images and videos depicting abused and sickly animals set for sale for the lowest possible price point, but very few have seen inside of a major 'sustainable' factory farm that even the USDA says passes its standard of care.

A North Carolina contractor for meat processing giant Perdue has now unveiled what truly happens behind these 'better' farming operations that we are made to believe are the much better option for ourselves and our families. The result: a very disturbing reminder to eat a high quality organic diet:

As a contractor for Perdue, farmer Craig Watts says he is contractually obligated to ensure that the chickens destined for your dinner table do not receive any form of sunlight or fresh air. In addition, the chickens are forced to lay not only on their own bed of feces, but feces that has accumulated for around the past year. This is because the floors are not cleaned between each import of new chickens, leading to thick layers of feces, other bodily fluids, limbs, and other items accumulating to the point where the underbellies of the chickens are worn red and their feathers are rubbed clean off.
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Attention

Killer whale washes up dead off Courtenay, Canada


cbc.ca
Fri, 05 Dec 2014 17:32 UTC
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© George BatesThe whale was towed in around 2 p.m. Thursday afternoon after a local resident notified DFO of what they thought was a dead orca off the beach.
Young adult female was believed to have been pregnant when spotted this summer

A young adult killer whale that washed up on the shores of Vancouver Island on Thursday has been identified as a member of the endangered southern resident population.

The whale was discovered by residents in Courtenay who saw it floating in the water and towed it to shore.

A biologist from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans - along with a whale watching expert - took preliminary samples as well as photos of the whale's dorsal fin in order to identify it.

The whale was identified as 18-year-old J-32, according to Paul Cottrell, a marine mammal coordinator with the department.
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Blackbox

Thousands of mollusks wash ashore in South Africa - event believed to be tied to 'heavy seas'?

David Strege
Grind TV
Thu, 04 Dec 2014 20:55 UTC
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Black mussels wash ashore on a South African beach. Photo is a screen grab from the video
A stretch of Rodderg Beach in South Africa turned into "mussel beach" recently when hundreds of thousands of black mussels washed ashore in a mystery that has local officials searching for the reason why.

The beach in Plettenberg Bay was covered with the black mussels over a 325-yard section. Some believed it was caused by a red tide, a harmful algal bloom, but marine experts dismissed that possibility.

Dr. Mark Brown of Nature's Valley Trust told The Herald of Port Elizabeth, South Africa, that the massive beaching is not linked "to red tide or anything sinister at this stage."

Instead, Brown believes the black mussels were dislodged by heavy seas.

"A similar event happened in November last year in the same spot," Brown told The Herald. "Essentially large swells and currents break beds of mussels off the reef and they wash up."

Comment: Residents evacuated as Pico do Fogo volcano in Cape Verde erupts after a 20 year silence

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Wolf

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

Danielle Battaglia
News and Record
Thu, 04 Dec 2014 19:31 UTC
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It was 1 p.m. and there was a chill in the air when Jose Robles left family he was visiting and went for a stroll down Bethany Road.

For Robles, 62, it would be the last steps of his life.

For his family, it was the last time they would see him alive.

That was Nov. 23.

About 10 a.m. the next day, deputies found Robles at the bottom of a steep embankment about a mile from where he was staying. He was dead.
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