Animals
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Attention

Dozens of bird corpses wash up on Monterey beach, California

James Urton
Monterey Herald
Wed, 19 Nov 2014 21:44 UTC
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Birds recently began washing up on Monterey Municipal Beach.
Over the past few days, the tide has brought in more than just kelp.

Recently, observant beachgoers have reported dozens of bird corpses along the high-water mark of several local beaches. On Wednesday morning, there were over four dozen dead seabirds along a 1.5-mile stretch of Monterey Municipal Beach, including Cassin's auklets, western grebes, northern fulmars and murres.

Seabirds can die during fall migration if they are too old, weak or malnourished. Also, warm near-shore waters may have decreased local populations of krill, a common food for seabirds, according to Raphael Kudela, professor of ocean sciences at UC Santa Cruz. Occasional algal blooms can also kill seabirds.

The causes of death of the birds spotted Wednesday were not known. But, dead seabirds are not an unusual feature of Monterey-area shorelines during autumn, experts with the Audubon Society and the Monterey County chapter of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals said.

"This appears to be one of those things that can happen every year around this time," said Jessica Shipman, a spokeswoman with the Monterey County SPCA.
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Attention

3 stranded sperm whales die on Rototai beach, New Zealand

Charlotte Squire
stuff.co.nz
Mon, 24 Nov 2014 21:14 UTC
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© Charlotte Squire Word of mouth spread fast, inspiring hundreds of people to make the trip out on Rototai Beach to see and touch three sperm whales that stranded on the shallow tidal flats on Saturday night
In what became a Golden Bay community event, hundreds of people turned up at Rototai beach to see and touch three dead sperm whales that had become stranded.

The whales, which ranged in length from 14 to 17 metres long were located about one kilometre out on tidal flats from the beach carpark.

Local iwi gathered to bless the three whales, which were towed by tug boat to Farewell Spit last night, once the tide was high enough to move them.

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Attention

Third elephant attack within 3 days in Sri Lanka: Two killed in jumbo attack


The Island (Sri Lanka)
Thu, 27 Nov 2014 16:39 UTC
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Two men were killed in a wild elephant attack on Monday night at Ellakattuwa,

The deceased were A. Gunadasa (65) and P. G. Sambarana (62).

The Wildlife officials said that the elephant had emerged from the jungles of Nochchiyagama and moved to Malwathu Oya after killing the two persons.

A team of Wildlife officials had moved to the area to capture the elephant and relocate it, the officials said.

Source: NP

Comment: The other reports this week: Father and son killed in elephant attack, Sri Lanka

2 people killed in another elephant attack in Sri Lanka

Other recent reports from Sri Lanka: Wild elephant attacks kills two in Sri Lanka

One person killed in wild elephant attack in Sri Lanka

Fourth elephant attack within four weeks in Sri Lanka

Two killed in a wild elephant attack in Maankulam, Sri Lanka

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Attention

Large-scale die-off of Cassin's auklets reported along U.S. West Coast

Mary Callahan
The Press Democrat
Sun, 23 Nov 2014 15:46 UTC
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© SABINE'S SUNBIRDCassins Auklet at night (Ptychoramphus aleuticus) photo taken in 2003 on Farallon Islands
Scientists up and down the West Coast are monitoring what appears to be a large-scale die-off of young Cassin's auklets, small seabirds whose breeding grounds include a colony in the Farallon Islands west of San Francisco.

Emaciated, white-bellied birds have been washing ashore in Sonoma County and along a broad swath of California coastline since early November after a period of ocean warming in the Farallones region and disappearance of the tiny krill that provide their main source of food, researchers say.

Scientists are still collecting data, but the largest concentration of dead birds appears to be in northern Oregon, according to monitors in the Pacific Northwest. Birds have been washing up in Washington, as well.

Scientists say anyone who finds a dead bird should leave it alone so that monitors surveying the beaches can collect accurate records on the die-off.
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Question

Over 30 dead or dying crows found in Portland parks, Oregon

Ken Boddie
koin.com
Wed, 26 Nov 2014 14:56 UTC
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© K0IN 6 NewsAbout 30 dead crows were found in downtown Portland parks, Nov. 26, 2014
ODFW will conduct necropsies, Audobon Society helping to investigate

About 30 dead crows were found along the Willamette River waterfront and some Portland parks, and officials don't have any idea at this time what caused their deaths.

Several crows were seen suffering seizures and flopping on the ground at Waterfront Park, police said, and several dead crows were seen nearby. Other dead crows were found around Chapman and Lownsdale Square parks and the Lovejoy Fountain.

PPB Sgt. Roger Axtelm said the bureau "had a number of phone calls from citizens calling about the blackbirds that were down and apparently ill. Some were deceased."

A few of the birds were alive but in bad shape. Bob Sallinger with the Portland Audobon Society said the ones still alive "were convulsing."

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Attention

Manatee from Florida makes rare visit to Texas waters

Ben Hooper
upi.com
Tue, 25 Nov 2014 20:22 UTC
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The manatee is expected to be taken to Sea World San Antonio or a Marine Mammal facility in Galveston.

Authorities in Texas said they are working on a plan to assist an unusual visitor -- the first manatee to visit the Houston area in 19 years.

The Chambers County Sheriff's Office said a deputy spotted the male manatee swimming up a channel Sunday near Baytown and barriers were put in place once the sea mammal settled in a spot next to a warm water outlet.

Sheriff Brian Hawthorne said waters in the area are too cold for manatees this time of year.

"The cold water makes them stressed, it makes them really tired, just like if you or I were out in a snowstorm," he told the Houston Chronicle.

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Attention

Dead humpback whale washes up on Nantucket beach, Massachusetts

Kiera Blessing
The Boston Globe
Tue, 25 Nov 2014 20:00 UTC
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© Nantucket Natural Resources DepartmentA 25-foot humpback whale was found dead on a Nantucket beach.
A 25-foot humpback whale was found dead on a Nantucket beach early Tuesday morning.

The whale was found on Miacomet Beach, said Maggie Mooney-Seus, spokeswoman for the Greater Atlantic Regional office of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. It had has no visible wounds, Mooney-Seus said. She speculated it could have died from disease or been hit by a boat.

Mooney-Seus said with a nor'easter expected to hit the region Wednesday, the whale might have to stay put for a while.

"They're not anticipating being able to get in and move it at this point" because of the approaching storm, she said. It could also be a while until the carcass is removed because NOAA does not have staff who cover Nantucket and because marine officials' focus is currently on the hundreds of sea turtles that have been washing up along the Cape with hypothermia.
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Attention

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

Ruth Doherty
travel.aol.co.uk
Sat, 25 Oct 2014 19:05 UTC
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Brit holidaymaker needed 40 stitches after monkey attack

A British tourist needed 40 stitches after being attacked by one of Gibraltar's famous apes.

Stuart Gravenell, 53, was walking through the Upper Rock Nature Reserve with his son, Bradley, when he was attacked.

A pack of apes charged at them, and one male sunk his teeth into Stuart's forearm and shook its head, opening up two bloody wounds.

Stuart collapsed and was rushed to hospital, where nurses said it was the worst injury inflicted by a local ape that they'd ever seen.
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Attention

Young woman killed by a mob of monkeys in India

Ruth Doherty
travel.aol.co.uk
Tue, 25 Nov 2014 18:25 UTC
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Monkey tragic: A string of brutal attacks by the Langur monkey has plagued the city of Shimla
A woman in India has been killed by a mob of marauding monkeys.

The woman was reportedly cornered by a group of monkeys on her farm in Himachal Pradesh, before they attacked and killed her.

A legislation banning people from catching the monkeys and selling them for medical research has recently been passed.

Reports suggest this new rule has seen a primate boom in Shimla, where there is an average of 400 bites a month.

It is believed there are around 400,000 monkeys in the region, with the attacks being blamed on black-faced langur monkeys, which can grow to 4ft tall and weigh three stone.
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Attention

Villager trampled to death by elephant in West Bengal, India


vishwagujarat.com
Wed, 26 Nov 2014 18:10 UTC
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In the early hours on Wednesday, at Dhupguri area in the Jalpaiguri district of West Bengal, a local villager was trampled to death by an elephant, a forest official said.

This shocking incident of animal attack on a human took place when a herd of elephants from the neighbouring forest entered Duramari village. This group of elephants damaged paddy crops and was on the way towards the dwellings of the village.

Jalpaiguri Wildlife Warden Seema Chowdhury said, The villager of Duramari Village named Dinesh Chandra Roy was killed by a pachyderm when he came face to face with the elephant as he stepped out of his house.

After killing a villager, the herd of elephants then returned to the forest.
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