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Beluga whale population in St. Lawrence estuary on 'catastrophic' path, Canada

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© The Associated PressThe latest figures on beluga calves come amid a debate over whether to allow exploratory drilling off shore of Cacouna, Que., near the breeding ground at the mouth of the St. Lawrence.
Number of dead beluga calves turning up on shore unusually high since 2008

A researcher monitoring belugas in the St. Lawrence estuary is warning of a looming "catastrophe" after another difficult calving season for the endangered whale.

The belugas have been in a slow population decline for the past decade, according to Robert Michaud, the scientific director of Quebec's Marine Mammals Research and Education Group.

His team has found the carcasses of at least five baby belugas so far during the calving period, which officially ends on Oct. 15. The number of dead beluga calves turning up on the shore has been unusually high since 2008, Michaud said.

"It's a catastrophic trajectory we're observing, and we don't yet know exactly what are the causes for that," he said.

Question

35,000 Pacific walruses gather on Alaskan beach

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The animals usually rest on sea ice but will head to beaches if that platform is not available
Huge numbers of Pacific walrus have been coming ashore in northwest Alaska.

An estimated 35,000 animals were pictured at the weekend hauling themselves on to land north of Point Lay, about 500km southwest of Barrow. The gathering was photographed as part of an annual survey undertaken by the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Walrus will generally rest on floes of Arctic sea ice, but when that is not available will head to nearby beaches. Andrea Medeiros, a spokeswoman for the US Fish and Wildlife Service, told the Associated Press wire agency that the animals' mass movement was first detected on 13 September, and that they have been moving on and off shore ever since.

Wolf

Deadly coyotes spread across U.S. suburbs killing family pets

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When Charlene Warner walks her dog each morning in her neighborhood in upscale Seal Beach, California, she's terrified she'll be attacked - not by muggers or gangs, but by coyotes.

"They are killing our animals. They are scaring us. I go out every morning with rocks in my pockets, tennis shoes on, mace on my neck, a whistle on my neck and a foghorn on my leash, and I still don't feel safe," Ms. Warner said last week in comments before the Seal Beach City Council.

She has reason to be nervous. Stories abound in nearby Orange County of dogs and cats snatched off leashes and plucked out of backyards a few feet away from their horrified owners. Mangled pet carcasses turn up on front lawns, often identifiable only by their tails.

Attention

Dead whale found floating off Port Maitland Beach, Nova Scotia

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© BILL CURRY A whale was floating off Port Maitland Beach on Monday, Sept. 29.
A dead whale was spotted floating in the water off Port Maitland Beach in Yarmouth County early Monday, Sept. 29.

But then later that day it was gone, leaving others who came out to the beach to catch a glimpse of it to wonder if it has just been a whale of a tale?

The whale was quite a distance from shore at low tide mid-morning when two officers from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans came out to inspect the situation. They assumed the whale would probably be washed onto shore by the higher tide later in the day.

Health

Man injured in wild boar attack in India with other attacks reported

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One Gouranga Das (70) of Suniti village under Mahakalpada block in Kendrapada district was injured after being attacked by a wild boar on Saturday.

According to sources, a wild boar that had recently trespassed into the human habitation suddenly approached Gouranga and bit his right hand while he was standing at his house. He was rushed to the Mahakalpada CHC for treatment. The Forest Department provided financial assistance.

Notably, as many as four persons have sustained injuries due to wild boar and saltwater crocodile attacks under Mahakalpada forest range during last two weeks. But, forest officials did little to create awareness among the locals regarding the attacks, alleged locals.


Wolf

Jackal attacks 2 children outside their house in Goa, India

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© Wikimedia Commons, Steve GarvieAn adult male golden jackal.
The baffling attack on two children by a jackal in Maulinguem, Bicholim may have been out of panic and zeal to protect her pups nearby.

A 12-year-old boy and another six year old boy were attacked by the jackal outside their house.

Forest officials and some locals tried to trace the jackal and found two dens nearby. One den was fresh and appeared to have been used. "It appears the mother was fiercely protective of her pups and attacked the children," an official said.

But forest officials ruled out that the animal was rabid. "There would have been more casualties," the official said.

A few villagers were washing clothes in a stream nearby. None of them were attacked.

Wolf

Pack of jackals injure 17 villagers in Nepal

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© Wikimedia Commons, Steve GarvieAn adult male golden jackal.
The local administration has deployed a police team to control wild jackals that have terrorising the villagers of Jogbudha VDC-7 in Dadeldhura for the last two days.

Chief District Officer Shiva Raj Joshi said that the police team from Jogbudha Area Police Office has been deployed to take the wild animals under control. "As many as 17 people and dozen of cattle have been injured in jackal attacks in the last two days," he said.

Kalapati Aire, Dhana Bhat and Mina Bhatta have been critically injured and were sent to Seti Zonal Hospital in Dhangadi for further treatment yesterday. Other victims have also left for Dhangadi for Jogbudha Hospital does not have enough stock of anti-rabbis vaccines.

A local teacher, Padam Luhar, said that a group of wild animals entered the human settlements and started to bite villagers indiscriminately last Thursday.

Question

Two-headed snapping turtle found crossing road in Hudson, Maine

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© NEWS CENTERTwo headed turtle in Hudson. Kathleen Talbot rescue the snapping turtle near her home. Talbot calls one head Frank and other one Stein.
A woman found an unusual reptile near her home in Hudson this week - a two-headed baby snapping turtle.

Kathleen Talbot said she went to watch turtle hatchlings cross the road to make sure they each arrived at the other side safely. She noticed one of the turtles had been left behind.

"I thought he had two feet in the front. I thought he was deformed. I didn't realize it was two heads until I got him home and washed him. Then he came to life-- and was just starving," she said.

She has named the turtle Frank and Stein. Talbot said she doesn't plan to have the dynamic duo as a pet, but does want to make sure Frank and Stein survives.


Attention

Methane venting victim? Deep sea dwelling Pygmy Sperm whale found dead near Hong Kong

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A 3.3 m long, 386 kg whale was found by hikers on Friday (26th September 2014) on the rocky shoreline at Fung Hang village near Sha Tau Kok (NE New Territories). Due to the remote location of the site, AFCD staff decided to suspend the investigation, as night fell. Officers tied the dead whale with a rope to fix it on the beach and prevent it from drifting away during the rising tide. Experts joined the investigation the following day to identify the dead whale species and the cause of death.

Comment: See also: Creatures from the deep signal major Earth Changes: Is anyone paying attention?

Hundreds of methane plumes erupting along U.S. Atlantic coast

Casualties of seafloor methane gas release? Hundreds of thousands more fish found dead in Plymouth tidal pool, UK


Attention

Black bear attacks man walking his dogs in Larkspur, Colorado

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A man was attacked by a bear Wednesday evening while walking his dogs in a Larkspur neighborhood.

The Colorado Division of Wildlife says the man was walking his dogs when he suddenly saw a bear running at him from the side. The bear bit him in one arm and then the man began to fight back. He injured the other arm when defending himself. After the man began to defend himself, the bear ran away.

"Generally, black bears in Colorado are not aggressive, so this is kind of a strange case," Jennifer Churchill with the Colorado Division of Wildlife said. "We certainly think it's a cause for concern because in general, bears don't like to come near people with dogs."

The man was transported to a local hospital. He was admitted, treated and released last night. The dogs were not injured.