Animals
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More than 50 sperm whales seen off California coast


The Exponent Telegram
Tue, 07 Oct 2014 15:54 UTC
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© LASANTHI BENEDICTSperm whale pods with more than 50 whales were seen today off the coast of Laguna Beach. Whale experts say the sight is a rare one. Sperm whales are found in tropical or subtropical waters.

More than 50 sperm whales emerged off the Southern California coast in an extremely rare, hours-long sighting that had whale watchers and scientists giddy with excitement.

Pods of mothers and juveniles rolled and played with dolphins Monday a few miles off Laguna Beach, the Orange County Register reported.

They later were spotted off San Diego and were heading south, said Jay Barlow, a sperm whale expert with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

It's by far the largest group ever spotted so near to shore in Southern California, Barlow said Tuesday.

Others agreed.


Comment: There seems to have been a spate of unusual whale gatherings of late, some coupled with odd behaviour. See also: Killer whales of Puget Sound are acting strange with population declining fast

Unusual whale behaviour during migration in Cook Strait, New Zealand

Whales turn up in unusually high numbers in the seas around Ireland

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Attention

Rare, record-sized pygmy whale found dead on Victorian beach, Australia

Bridie Smith
The Sydney Morning Herald
Tue, 07 Oct 2014 11:48 UTC
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© Joe ArmaoMuseum Victoria preparators dissect a rare specimen of an adult Pygmy Right Whale.
A rare specimen of pygmy right whale's body found washed up on a remote Victorian beach has presented scientists worldwide with the unique opportunity to study the elusive species.

Museum Victoria marine mammal evolution expert Erich Fitzgerald said at 6.2 metres in length, it appeared the animal was the longest pygmy right whale recorded.

"This is pushing the envelope of what we know in terms of how large these animals get," he said, adding the specimen would be of interest to local and international researchers. "We have potentially the global record for total body length of the male of the species."

After washing up dead at Wilsons Promontory's Sealers Cove coast last week, the adult male was dissected at the nearby Port Anthony Marine Terminal on Tuesday.

Steven Sparrey was one of three Museum Victoria preparators who started working on the carcass at 9am on Tuesday. By lunchtime they were almost half way through the dissection.
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Nuke

Radioactive reindeer surprise Norwegian scientists

Ben Hooper
United Press International
Mon, 06 Oct 2014 11:39 UTC
The Norwegian Radiation Protection Authority said researchers noticed a spike in the radioactivity of reindeer in a mountainous area this year.

Reindeers
© Arno van den TillaartReindeer cross the street in Mageroya, Norway.
Maybe one of them will sprout a bright red nose. Norwegian reindeer are more radioactive than they have been in recent years, possibly owing to their mushroom snacks, researchers said.

Lavrans Skuterud, a scientist at the Norwegian Radiation Protection Authority, said reindeer at Vaga reinlag AS, in the central Norwegian Jotunheimen mountainous area, were found in September to have nearly eight times the amount of radioactive substance Caesium-137 in their bodies as was measured around the same time in 2012.

"This year is extreme," Skuterud told The Local.
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Wolf

Dog attacks surging in Yarra Ranges, Australia

Therese Allaoui
Free Press Leader
Wed, 08 Oct 2014 21:39 UTC
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The Yarra Ranges has had 22 more dog attacks this year compared to last year.
Yarra Ranges Council is desperately trying to get dogs under control as the number of attacks continue to skyrocket.

But despite the surge in attacks, the council has only declared six dogs as dangerous in the municipality.

Early this year, Yarra Ranges Mayor Fiona McAllister said the council was "at a loss" to explain why so many dog attacks had occurred within the first few months of the year, with 51 attacks by the end of February.

But numbers have continued to climb, with 179 dog attacks reported by September.

This is up from 157 dog attacks at this time last year.
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Wolf

13-year-old girl victim of second Waikato dog attack, New Zealand


home.nzcity.co.nz
Wed, 01 Oct 2014 21:24 UTC
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A 13-year-old girl is in Middlemore Hospital and a woman is in Waikato Hospital following separate attacks by mastiff dogs.

A 13-year-old girl is in hospital after a second vicious attack by a mastiff dog in Waikato within hours.

Waikato District Council says animal control officers were called to a Waiuku property around midnight on Tuesday when the dog attacked the girl living there.

"As a result, the victim has sustained serious facial and cranial puncture wounds and was undergoing surgery this morning," the council said in a statement.

The girl was recovering in Middlemore Hospital in Auckland.

Only one of two dogs at the property attacked the girl, but both have been impounded pending further investigations by council staff.

Earlier on Tuesday a Hamilton woman was attacked by her own mastiff cross.
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Wolf

Woman in hospital after dog attacked owner in Brighton, United Kingdom

Flora Thompson
The Argus (Brighton)
Sat, 04 Oct 2014 21:09 UTC
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The incident happened at the junction of Lewes Road and Coombe Road in Brighton.
A woman is in hospital after being attacked by her dog which then choked on its lead and died.

A Sussex Police spokesman said: "Shortly after 9am police were called to the junction of Coombe Road and Lewes Road, Brighton, where a dog apparently being trained by its owner to get used to traffic turned on her, bit her and caused her to suffer a suspected broken arm.

"She was taken to the Royal Sussex County Hospital for treatment.

"In the struggle to control the dog it unfortunately choked to death on its own lead and its body has been removed to a veterinary surgery.

"The incident caused traffic tailbacks on the A270 Lewes Road while police and ambulance personnel dealt with the situation."

There were unconfirmed reports on social media this morning that a woman was mauled by a dog.

Then reports claimed in fact a dog had been hit by a car and no one was injured.

But the police have now confirmed the sequence of events.
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Attention

Two hurt in 2 separate bear attacks on the same day, India


The New Indian Express
Tue, 23 Sep 2014 20:56 UTC
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Two persons including a woman sustained grievous injuries after being mauled by bears in two separate incidents under Hinjili police limits on Monday. Sources said at around 9.30 am, Prahalad Gouda of Pudurakhanda under Saru panchayat was attacked by a bear while he was going to his field. Hearing his scream, fellow villagers rushed to the spot and rescued him. Gouda was admitted to Hinjili hospital and later shifted to MKCGMCH after his condition worsened.

In a separate incident, wife of village priest Laxmi Das of Saradapur under Kanchuru panchayat was attacked by a bear while she was entering the temple kitchen. Locals present in the temple rescued her from the bear. She is also undergoing treatment at MKCGMCH.
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Black Cat

Florida state reports unprovoked bear, panther attacks


newsinfl.com
Tue, 07 Oct 2014 13:54 UTC
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The large, hairy predator struck fast, left a few claw wounds and was gone.

As Byron Maharrey of central Palm Beach County stalked wild turkey near Lake Kissimmee, he felt something hit him on the back.

"He knocked me over," he said. "He immediately turned straight and ran. From his tawny color and his long tail, I could tell it was a Florida panther. Guessing 80 to 100 pounds."

The March 17 attack left him with puncture wounds to his thigh, a 4-inch gash on his arm and an unusual status as the first victim of a suspected Florida panther attack since the 1800s.

For decades authorities have said that panthers and black bears in Florida have never made an unprovoked attack on a human being, at least in modern times. But in 2012 a bear bit a Seminole County woman who was walking her dog, and in the past few months, the state has seen two more bear attacks and a possible panther attack.

Comment: The interested reader may also wish to peruse further reports of animal attacks on humans in 2014 here (under the Topics heading of Animals).

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Wolf

Wolves at the gates of Paris - 2 seen within 40 miles of French capital

David Chazan
Daily Telegraph
Sun, 05 Oct 2014 20:53 UTC
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© AFP/GETTY IMAGESForests just outside Paris form an ideal environment for wolves because they are well stocked with wild boar and deer.
Two wolves are spotted within 40 miles of Paris in the first sighting so close to the French capital

Wolves have been spotted within 40 miles of Paris, in the first sighting so close to the capital since they crept back into France from Italy a decade ago.

"They are probably young adults who have separated from the pack as they search for a territory," said wildlife expert Eric Bas. "A wolf can roam about 100 kilometres (60 miles) in a single night."

Forests just outside Paris form an ideal environment for wolves because they are well stocked with wild boar and deer.

The grey wolf was wiped out in France in the 1920s, but has made an astonishing comeback over the past decade. Wolves now numbering at least 300 across the country killed more than 6,000 sheep last year.

The environment minister, Segolene Royal, has authorised culls of wolves - against opposition from conservationists. However, the decision was welcomed by farmers.
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Attention

Brown bear kills hunter in Irkutsk region, Russia


The Siberian Times
Fri, 06 Jun 2014 20:21 UTC
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© Press Service of Main Office of the MIA The bear remained nearby and was shot dead by a police marksman.
'Aggressive' animal surprised two hunters in daylight attack, mauling one to death.

The other man escaped and rushed to the nearest village of Tonta where he sounded the alarm. Police and hunters went into the forest and found the dead 59 year old.

The bear remained nearby and was shot dead by a police marksman.

The incident - highlighted by police pictures - was the first case this year of a bear attack in Irkutsk region.

The dead man was not named.

Comment: The interested reader may also wish to peruse further reports of animal attacks on humans in 2014 here (under the Topics heading of Animals).

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