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Beached pygmy whale on Indian Shores beach euthanized, Florida


St Petersburg Tribune
Tue, 14 Oct 2014 20:12 UTC
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© FLORIDA FISH AND WILDLIFE CONSERVATION COMMISSIONWildlife officials had to euthanized an ill whale that was beached Tuesday morning on Indian Shores beach.
Wildlife officials had to euthanized an ill whale that was beached Tuesday morning on Indian Shores beach.

The 6½-foot-long Kogia pygmy sperm whale had several small shark bites, but the reason for its condition was unknown, said Kelly Richmond, a spokeswoman with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

Richmond said the female whale was lethargic and thin for its size.

A necropsy was planned.

The FWC received a call about the whale at 7:51 a.m. and biologists were dispatched by 8:30 a.m. to assess the animal's condition, Richmond said.

Onlookers on the beach gathered to observe as marine experts from the commission and Clearwater Marine Aquarium tended to the whale for about two hours.

It was later determined the animal could not be saved.
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Attention

Bear sightings set record pace across Japan, raising danger of encounters

Yosuke Watanabe
The Asahi Shimbun
Mon, 22 Sep 2014 16:49 UTC
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© Kamaishi cityAn Asiatic black bear seen near a human settlement in Kamaishi, Iwate Prefecture, in June
A spike in bear sightings across Japan including western Tokyo has some experts raising the alarm, following a recent attack on elderly field workers in Iwate Prefecture.

The increase has been particularly high in the mountainous Tohoku region and in some parts of western Tokyo.

On Sept. 12, three men and women in their 60s and 70s who were working in fields near their homes in Hanamaki, Iwate Prefecture, were assaulted by an Asiatic black bear.

The encounter left them with injuries including scratches on their faces and backs.

Prior to the incident, the prefectural government issued bear warnings for the first time in eight years. According to the prefecture's nature preservation division, bears were spotted in 12 cases as of Sept. 19 this fiscal year, which ends in March 2015.
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Pistol

Romanian politician calls for the army to help control bear population

Luke Dale-Harris
The Guardian
Thu, 16 Oct 2014 22:56 UTC
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© Mihai Barbu/Corbis Bears’ normal diet of nuts and acorns has been scarce leading to more frequent cases of bears venturing into towns in search of food.
Csaba Borboly has called for military assistance and for culling quotas to be lifted following a spate of cases involving brown bears damaging property in Romania

In the depths of Transylvania, Romania, a war against one of Europe's largest brown bear populations is looming.

Following a string of cases involving damage to private property from bears in recent months, Csaba Borboly, a senior politician from the Transylvanian region, has called for the army to be brought in. "The [bear] problem needs the involvement of specialised state institutions such as the police, the paramilitary and even the army."
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Attention

Man mauled to death; woman and youth in serious condition after bear attacks, India


State Times
Thu, 16 Oct 2014 14:45 UTC
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A 32-year-old man was mauled to death by a wild bear in Doda District on Wednesday.

The bear attacked Altaf Ahmed while he was working in his field in the Krandi Desa village in the district last evening, a police officer said. "He died even before a rescue operation could be launched," he added.

Meanwhile, in another incident, a 28-year-old lady was attacked by a bear in the same village. "The seriously injured lady, identified as Zulfa, was shifted to the District Hospital in Doda where her condition is stated to be stable," police said.
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Wolf

Modesto, California: Vicious dogs roaming streets, chasing people and trapping them inside homes

Erin Tracy
The Modesto Bee
Tue, 14 Oct 2014 13:23 UTC
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© DEBBIE NODA A Beware of Dog sign posted from the alley a few houses East of the home where a man died from wounds when mauled by a pack of pit bulls and a woman critically injured, Tuesday night, Oct. 14, 2014.

Vicious dogs roaming the streets, chasing people and trapping them inside their homes is a common complaint from residents in southwest Modesto, according to police.

In response, the department's animal control officers partner with the Stanislaus County Animal Services Center to conduct regular sweeps of the area, as well as the airport neighborhood, which also has a substantial stray dog population.

The sweeps often result in fines, but the issue has the potential to become criminal.

Animal control officers who alternate between the east and west portions of south Modesto have caught upward of 250 dogs since starting the sweeps a year ago, said Modesto police spokeswoman Heather Graves.

The last operation in the airport neighborhood, on Friday, resulted in the apprehension of 25 roaming dogs, and 22 were caught in southwest Modesto the month before. Dozens of people have been cited for offenses ranging from unlicensed or unvaccinated dogs to leash violations.

The problem turned fatal Tuesday night when four pit bulls mauled a man and his mother at their Glenn Avenue home in south Modesto, killing him and leaving her in critical condition.
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Wolf

Pack of pit bull terriers savage elderly couple in Modesto, California

Nan Austin
The Modesto Bee
Tue, 14 Oct 2014 13:08 UTC
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Two people were in critical condition in local hospitals Tuesday night after being mauled by four pit bulls near Bret Harte Elementary School in southwest Modesto.

A 911 call from a juvenile brought deputies to a home in the 800 block of Glenn Avenue at 5:59 p.m., where they found an elderly man in the yard being mauled by four pit bulls, said Sheriff Adam Christianson.

The deputies shot at the dogs, killing two and driving two into another yard.

Officers found an elderly woman inside the home, also with severe injuries from dogs.

Both victims are in critical condition at a local hospital, Christianson said, adding that no one else was injured.
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Wolf

Pit bull attacks 1-year-old baby at Oak Park sitter's home, Illinois

Jean Lotus
Wednesday Journal
Mon, 13 Oct 2014 12:57 UTC
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Child undergoes treatment for lacerations, puncture wounds to head

An 80-pound pit bull attacked a 1-year-old boy at his babysitter's home around noon Oct. 7 in the 1100 block of South Highland Avenue, according to Oak Park Police.

The Department of Children and Family Services was notified and the dog was impounded at the Animal Care League for a 10-day rabies hold, said Oak Park Police Commander LaDon Reynolds.

According to police, the dog was "quartered" on the back porch of the residence. The dog was known to the babysitter, although it was not her dog, Reynolds said. When the back door was opened, the dog rushed into the house and attacked the baby, police said.
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Wolf

Bear attacks 63-year-old man in Ishikawa, Japan


japantoday.com
Sun, 29 Jun 2014 11:40 UTC
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A dog scared off a black bear that attacked an elderly couple while they were walking along a mountain path near their home in Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture, on Saturday morning.

According to police, the incident occurred at around 9 a.m. NTV reported that the couple were walking their dog when they were attacked from behind by the bear. The 63-year-old man sustained bites to his head, police said. He was taken to hospital and is in a stable condition.

The man's wife said their dog Shokora jumped up at the bear and barked at it and it fled into the mountains.

Police have stepped up patrols and asked local resident to be on the alert because bears can be dangerous this time of year as they search for mates.
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Attention

Hunters kill bear after it mauls man in Niigata, Japan


japantoday.com
Tue, 22 Apr 2014 11:51 UTC
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Hunters shot and killed a bear on Monday after it attacked a man in Murakami, Niigata Prefecture.

According to police, the 64-year-old man was gathering edible wild plants at around 6:15 a.m. on Monday morning when he was attacked and bitten by the bear. TBS reported that he suffered injuries to his hands and face but managed to walk two kilometers to a shopping area where he sought help.

Police alerted members of a local hunting society who found and shot the white-chested bear on Monday afternoon. It was about 1.47 meters long and weighed 92 kilograms.

Police said there had been four sightings of the bear in the same area since April 18.
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Boat

Sea lion throws fisherman across trawler like a rag-doll

Nick Pearson
9news.com.au
Wed, 15 Oct 2014 23:08 UTC
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‘It’s my ship now!’
You can add sea lions to the top of the list of animals you shouldn't mess with.

One Russian fisherman found out the hard way the sheer strength of an angry sea lion, when he was hurled onto his ship's deck by the creature.

The sea mammal had been caught in the nets and the fishermen were quick to cut it free.

But the moment the sea lion gets its head and neck free it grabs one of the fishermen in its teeth and throws him across the deck.

As the huge creature breaks free the fishermen and a very frightened dog keep their distance.

But the sea lion pounces on the dog as it takes a few tentative steps forward, the canine barking as it tries to break free.

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