Animals
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Attention

Dead Gray whale buried in Tijuana, Mexico


The Sunday Leader
Sun, 10 May 2015 17:20 UTC
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© Xinhua/Eduardo Jaramillo/NOTIMEXWorkers bury a gray whale at the seashore of Playas de Tijuana, in Tijuana, northwest Mexico, May 7, 2015. The 15-meter and 14-ton gray whale was found dead here on Wednesday.

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© Xinhua/Eduardo Jaramillo/NOTIMEX
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Binoculars

Non-migratory citril finch from mountains of mainland Europe found near beach in Holkham,UK

Sophie Wyllie
Eastern Daily Press
Sun, 10 May 2015 16:42 UTC
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© Mark ReederA picture of the rare citril finch at Burnham Overy dunes near Holkham.
A citril finch was seen near pine trees at Burnham Overy dunes, west of Holkham beach, at about 8am today by Marcus Nash who runs Norfolk bird tours.

About 100 people rushed to the remote area after the sighting of the small songbird was recorded on Twitter and other birding information websites.

It is the second recorded sighting of a citril finch in Britain - the first was in 2008 when one was spotted on Fair Isle off Scotland.

Citril finches usually live in the mountains of south west Europe from Spain to the Alps and are not birds which usually migrate.

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Attention

Monkey menace gives sleepless nights to residents of Mumbai, India

Geeta Desai and Tanea Bandyopadhyay
dnaindia.com
Sun, 10 May 2015 15:42 UTC
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Representational image.
A gang has been prowling the streets of the city, attacking its residents and spreading fear in some localities. And before you wonder whether the police have been informed, know that this gang is of monkeys.

Residents from Sion, Chunabhatti, Parel, Andheri-Marol and Bandra are finding themselves at their wits' end after frequent attacks by monkeys. On Thursday, an eight-year-old boy and a 35-year-old man were attacked in Parel.

In Parel, where the menace is particularly intense, monkeys have been found climbing buildings and reaching people's homes through windows and other open gaps. In one instance, they hopped up and reached the terrace of Laxmi Cottage building on Dr BA Ambedkar Road, where children were playing.
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Wolf

Over the past year dog attacks leave 48 people needing hospital treatment in Cornwall, UK


piratefm.co.uk
Thu, 07 May 2015 14:49 UTC
Pirate FM has learnt almost one person a week is ending up in hospital in Cornwall after being attacked by a dog.

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Over the last year that has included a two year old boy and a ninety-four year old woman.

Almost forty ended up needing an operation, according to figures from Treliske.

Jessie from Redruth was attacked as a child, and then again when she set up a dog walking business.

Even though she has got the scars it has not put her off working with the animals.

She said: "I've looked at forums to see what people's opinions are and a lot of people say, 'put them down, they shouldn't be around, they're dangerous to other people and children' - and it depends, it always depends on the situation.
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Binoculars

Another completely lost bird: Slate-throated redstart, resident of humid highland forests, turns up on South Padre Island, Texas

Estevan Medrano
Port Isabel-South Padre Press
Fri, 08 May 2015 19:12 UTC
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Slate-throated redstart.
The equivalent of a bird watching home run came in the form of a rare black and red chested wonder known as the slate-throated redstart spotted near the of the South Padre Island Birding and Nature Center. The long-tailed warbler, almost exclusively found in humid highland forests, and had wandered north of the border only a few times on record.

The spotting occurred last Wednesday by avid birders Don Erickson and Fred Welden from Nevada. As two were bird watching in the Nature Center's butterfly garden the morning of April 29 they came across the specimen and then informed knowledgeable birder Tammy Bulow of the unusual sighting. The Nature Center attempted to call to send an expert to properly identify the red-chested visitor, but those they did contact were hesitant out of disbelief that a bird of that caliber could be sighted so from its expected habitat.

Cristin Howard, SPI Birding and Nature Center Director of Marketing, credits the rapid additions of native vegetation planted in the area which drew the "hidden treasure" to the area.


Comment: Other recent odd movements by birds:

Bizarre bird migration: Little Bustard makes rare visit to Finnish Lapland

Globe-trotting bird ends up in Sutton, New Hampshire

Rare bird from the Americas turns up in Somerset, UK

Great blue heron from North America turns up on the Isles of Scilly, UK

Eurasian shorebird (wader) turns up far inland near Winslow, Indiana

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Wolf

Animal mauled girl in London, Ontario: Was it a coyote?

Jonathan Sher
The London Free Press (Canada)
Fri, 08 May 2015 17:19 UTC
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Coyote.
Police say a teenage girl was attacked from behind Friday morning in a London park by a coyote who knocked her to the ground and bit or tore at her face and arm.

While the girl survived the assault after an older male friend pulled the animal off her, news of the attack stunned a wildlife expert, who said he's seen nothing like it in seven or eight years reporting on coyotes in the London region.

"This is a rare occurrence," said Brandon Williamson of the Upper Thames River Conservation Authority.

Police say the teenage girl, who is less than 16 years old, had been walking with an older teenage male at 8:30 a.m. along the north bank of the south branch of the Thames River between Adelaide and Egerton streets.

Known as South Branch Park, it has a concrete path that's popular with bicyclists, joggers and people going for strolls — Yasushi Iwasaki was biking with his kids, ages 6 and 11, less than 12 hours after the attack.

"It's scary," he said when told what had happened.

Comment: See also these reports for the last 3 years of rare (or nowadays not so rare ) coyote attacks on people: Aggressive coyote attacks man in Saddle River, New Jersey

Coyote attacks two residents in Groveland, MA

Brampton woman attacked by coyote, Canada

Coyote attacks second young girl in Rye, New York

Man attacked by coyotes in Washington State

Colorado man fights off 3 coyotes using flashlight as weapon

Coyote shot dead after 3 attack a British Columbia woman, Canada

3-year-old Chicago boy attacked by a coyote

3 rare coyote attacks within 10 days in California and Oregon

Girl, 2, attacked by coyote in Cypress Cemetery, California

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Attention

More than 30 sei whales wash up dead along the Gulf of Penas coast, Chile


Daily Mail, UK
Sat, 09 May 2015 15:20 UTC
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A group of scientists discovered at least 20 dead sei whales on Chile's southern coast on the Gulf of Penas
A group of foreign scientists discovered at least 20 dead sei whales beached along Chile's southern coast on the Gulf of Penas and reported them to the National Fisheries Service.

A statement from Chilean officials on Friday said there were around 20 whales, while the scientists said they counted more than 30.

The International Union for Conservation of Natures lists the sei as an endangered species and the whales are no longer supposed to be hunted commercially.
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Wolf

Angry gulls kill puppy in Honiton, UK

Ben Farmer
The Telegraph, UK
Wed, 06 May 2015 12:53 UTC
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© SWNS
Bella, the chihuahua puppy killed by seagulls
A woman whose chihuahua puppy was killed by a flock of aggressive seagulls has warned other dog owners to be vigilant for bird attacks.

Nikki Wayne said her pet Bella had been made a virtual prisoner in her home after being harassed by "brazen" gulls which gathered on her roof.

The gulls were so menacing that Ms Wayne made sure her dog never went outside without her protection.

But the birds struck when Ms Wayne left a door slightly ajar while she was in the shower and Bella managed to nudge her way out.

She was killed before she could get back into the house.
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Wolf

Dog and owner reunited after 4 years: 'Where have you been, Lilly?'

Deanese Williams-Harris
Chicago Tribune
Fri, 08 May 2015 12:44 UTC
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© David Zalubowski / Associated PressKelly Booker, left, and his 10-year-old son Azzah, shower affection on their long lost dog, Lilly, as they pick up the 9-year-old Shih Tzu at the United Airlines cargo terminal Thursday, May 7, 2015, in Denver. Lilly disappeared nearly four years ago from her owner's home in west Denver.
Kelly Booker cradled his long-lost dog Lilly and kept asking, "Where have you been, Lilly? Where have you been?"

Booker was reunited with the 9-year-old Shih Tzu mix at a cargo facility at Denver's airport on Thursday, weeks after she was found wandering the streets of Elgin. Booker last saw her four years ago when she either got spooked by fireworks and ran off or was stolen.

Lilly was treated for a severe ear infection at a shelter, which discovered a microchip that led to Booker. It's still not known how Lilly made the 900-mile journey.

Lilly -- or "Lilly G-F," for girlfriend -- had "plenty of love and treats waiting for her" when her flight arrived in Denver, Booker said. "I never thought anything like this would happen. I thought she was gone forever."

She disappeared from Booker's backyard on July 4, 2011. "She must have jumped the fence," Booker said. "We put fliers up and searched, but she was just gone."
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Attention

Baby boy killed in his home by monkey after the animal escaped from a nearby private zoo in Crimea

Will Stewart
Daily Mail, UK
Mon, 21 Jul 2014 17:43 UTC
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The blue macaque that attacked.
A police hunt has been launched for the owner of a private zoo whose monkey killed a six-week-old baby after breaking free.

The boy Vladimir (Vova) Verbitsky was attacked as he lay in a pram at his home in Crimea and the unnamed man who kept a menagerie of exotic animals is now believed to have fled to Ukraine.

The blue macaque was tethered in the yard of the wealthy zoo owner's house in Kacha, a suburb of Sevastopol.

Police say the monkey gnawed through the rope and jumped a fence at the Verbitsky family home, leaping into Vova's pram and biting his face.

'The baby's head was almost torn to pieces and the child was thrown out of his pram," said one source.
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