Animals
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Wolf

Man gets arm 'ripped off' by his two American bulldogs in High Pittington, United Kingdom

Julian Robinson
Daily Mail, UK
Mon, 22 Sep 2014 23:48 UTC
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A man is in a serious condition after being mauled in the street by his own American bulldogs (file image)
* Man mauled by his American bulldogs in High Pittington, County Durham

* Eyewitness has claimed the attack was so bad the man's arm was 'torn off'

* Bystanders tried to make the dogs stop by attacking them with golf clubs

* The 47-year-old is in a serious condition in hospital after attack last night

* One dog was destroyed by a police marksman after it was found nearby

* The other was contained at the scene and has been taken in to kennels

* American bulldog not on list of breeds banned under Dangerous Dogs Act

A dog owner screamed for help as two of his American bulldogs mauled him so badly his arm was 'torn off', an eyewitness has claimed.

Brave bystanders tried to make the dogs stop by attacking them with golf clubs and garden tools before the pets eventually ran from the scene in Pittington, County Durham.

People living nearby were terrified until one dog was shot dead by police and the other was caught. The search operation last night involved the force helicopter and armed officers.

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Attention

Black bear kills hiker near West Milford, New Jersey - fifth fatality this year in North America

Myles Ma
nj.com
Mon, 22 Sep 2014 18:43 UTC
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An Edison hiker was found dead Sunday after an encounter with a bear, police said.

Darsh Patel was 22.

Patel was part of a group of five Edison men hiking through the Apshawa Preserve, a wooded area of West Milford, Police Chief Timothy C. Storbeck said in a press release. They ran in different directions when a black bear began to follow them.


Comment: The other deaths caused by bears in 2014 in north America -

Bear attacks - fourth fatality this year in North America: Bear kills hunter near Norman Wells, Canada

Bear attacks and kills 31-year-old man in Wyoming

Rick Cross, missing Kananaskis hunter, killed in bear attack, Alberta

Woman killed by a black bear in Fort McMurray, Alberta

By way of comparison the number of deaths in the recent past (years 2000 - 2013) seem to average out to about just two a year, going by this wikipedia list -

List of fatal bear attacks in North America

A number of fatalities has also occurred recently in Russia -

Bear attacks kill at least three people with many others injured in Siberia and far-east Russia

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Question

Chimpanzee kidnaps and kills 2-year-old boy in Uganda

Ismael Kasooha
New Vision
Tue, 22 Jul 2014 18:22 UTC
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© Ismael KasoohaOne of the children that narrowly survived the chimpanzee attack in Muhorro town council. PHOTO/Ismael Kasooha
A two-year-old child has been killed by a chimpanzee, which kidnapped her in the garden in the presence of the parents.

Mujuni Semata, the son of Zabroni Semata of Kyamajaka in Muhorro town council, Kibaale district was kidnapped by chimpanzees on Sunday and died hours after his parents found him lying unconscious in the forest.

"We were in the garden burning grass after clearing the fields. As the children and their mother settled down for a late lunch, a group of chimpanzees attacked, taking the child with them," said Semata.

The bereaved mother, Omuhereza Ntegeka, 21, said: "As we shared the meal, one of the children asked for drinking water. I moved to get the water from the jerrican, about five meters away only to see the chimps emerging from the nearby bush and get hold of two children. They, however, dropped one and sped off with Mujuni."
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Attention

Wild boar fed up with being hunted - charges hunters in France

Liz Klimas
theblaze.com
Wed, 15 Jan 2014 16:53 UTC
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Wild boar have apparently had enough of being prey for hunters and are striking back.

At least two videos have been posted on viral media in the last couple months showing cases of boars getting their revenge.

This video, shot from a French hunter's perspective and time-stamped Jan. 4, recorded a dog barking in the background. The hunter raised his firearm and, before he can even think about firing a shot, he was run down by a speeding boar.

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Attention

TV cameraman viciously attacked by a wild boar on Japanese street

Sadie Whitelocks
Daily Mail, UK
Wed, 25 Jun 2014 22:47 UTC
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Knocked down: Footage shows the tusked hog charging through the streets and knocking a woman over before turning its attention to the cameraman
A TV cameraman in Japan has been left on crutches after being savagely attacked by a wild boar in the street.

The terrifying incident was filmed by bystanders, who kept a safe distance from the manic animal.

Footage shows the tusked hog charging through an urban area and knocking a woman over. It then turns its attention to the cameraman.

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Attention

One dog killed after another muskox attack in Nome, Alaska

Jenn Ruckel
ktoo.org
Thu, 31 Jul 2014 22:17 UTC
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© Jenn Ruckel/KNOMMitch Erickson’s dog pen was smashed by a muskox this weekend, and his dog Onslo was mauled.
Yet another muskox attack over the weekend has left dog owners aggravated, while Nome residents and wildlife officials dispute who is responsible for coming up with a solution to the problem.

This time, the victim was Mitch Erickson's dog Onslo, who was tethered to a dog box at the lot Erickson shares with Diana Adams. Last week, Adams was cited for killing a muskox in Icy View.

Erickson explained how he found his dog lot. "You could see the pen was thrashed and the two dogs that were in it were loose. And I realized one was missing," said Erickson. "He was found about an hour later and we had to put him down cause he was all torn up."

This isn't the first time muskox have threatened Erickson and Adams's lot. Last year, two separate incidents left their dogs injured or worse.

"So we're two dead and one wounded," said Erickson.
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Question

Strange animal behaviour: Muskox repeatedly charged dog despite warning shots in Wales, Alaska - other similar incidents reported

Matthew F. Smith
Alaska Dispatch News
Fri, 22 Aug 2014 13:23 UTC
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© Helena Oxereok Helena Oxereok said her mother collected tufts of the musk ox's underfur -- the highly-prized qiviut -- and her father has plans for the bull’s horns.The meat was shared out.
Another close encounter with a musk ox -- this time in the Northwest Alaska community of Wales -- involved an angry bull charging a tethered dog several times before the musk ox was killed.

The attack comes amid a summer of similar threats to dogs -- and people -- in and around Nome, some of which have left dogs dead and resulted in musk ox shot "in defense of life or property," or DLP.

Helena Oxereok was using a four-wheeler to haul water with her sister's boyfriend on Aug. 16 when she saw the shaggy bull come from behind her house in Wales, about 110 miles northwest of Nome. Despite neighbors and family members yelling and revving their four-wheelers to scare the animal away, she said, the bull ignored them until it saw her dog Sam.

"And then it started chasing my dog around its house -- maybe six times my dog had to run away," Oxereok said Thursday in a phone interview.

"At one point, it got to where my dog was being pushed but not really hurt, pushed by the musk ox's head, and I'm glad the chain didn't get caught on his horns, otherwise he would have been in big trouble."


Oxereok said her brother Randy grabbed his SKS rifle and shot several warning shots in the air, but the musk ox was unfazed.
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Black Cat

Leopard changing its spots? Big cat attack on human, scooter and 4 by 4 vehicle in India


coastaldigest.com
Sat, 20 Sep 2014 12:57 UTC
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With the sighting of a leopard roaming in the limits of Shree Mahalingeshwara temple at Atrady, near Manipal over the past three days and a confirmed leopard attack on a man, the local residents are fear-stricken by the predator in their territory and refuse to venture out of their houses after dark.

A person named Dinesh Poojary suffered injuries from the leopard attack that took place three days ago.

On the night of Wednesday, the leopard is said to have attempted to catch some fowl roosting on a tree in the backyard of the house belonging to Dinesh Poojary at around 12 a.m. Later the same night, the leopard made another attempt and made off with two chickens.

Comment: See also: Eight separate leopard attacks on humans across India within 2 months: Leopard attacks 5 people, beaten to death in Assam, India

Leopard attacks teacher in Doon locality, India (Two reports.)

Leopard attacks 8-year-old girl in Amreli, India

Indian woman kills leopard with sickle after half-hour battle

Leopard attacks and mauls six villagers in West Bengal, India

2 farm workers attacked by leopard in India

Man-eating leopard preys on drunk villagers in the Didihat region, Himalayas

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Binoculars

Rare Arctic Sabine's gull turns up in Pymatuning State Park, Ohio

Greg Spinks
goerie.com
Fri, 19 Sep 2014 21:44 UTC
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© Shawn CollingsSabine's Gull at Pymatuning.
Visitors to Pymatuning State Park have been greeted in recent weeks by a very rare guest, Sabine's gull. Other rare guests may soon follow.

"Sabine's gull has been attracting birders from all over the area," said Meadville photographer Shawn Collins. "The gull is normally only found out west, Alaska and northern Canada. I was able to capture some photographs near the spillway area."

Collins says he has been a birder for most of his life and in recent years began to learn the skills of a photographer.

"It was just great to be able to photograph this bird right here at Pymatuning."

The Audubon Society in Meadville is aware of the rare bird at Pymatuning.

"It's just a beautiful bird," said Sarah Sargent, of the Audubon Society. "It's a good looking bird in its breeding plumage."
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Attention

Humpback whale washes up dead at Kalbarri beach, Western Australia

Elle Farcic
au.news.yahoo.com
Fri, 19 Sep 2014 19:55 UTC
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© Picture: Kerby BrownImogen Caldwell and the beached dead whale at Red Bluff, Kalbarri.
A 12m humpback whale washed up on a popular Kalbarri beach on Wednesday night, bringing with it a school of sharks and a steady stream of onlookers.

The whale was barely breathing and had horrific injuries, including shark bites, when it washed up on Red Bluff beach about 9pm.

It died soon after it reached the sand, leaving the Shire of Northampton with the mammoth task of trying to remove it.

Contractors, who were called in from Geraldton, yesterday spent hours trying to lift the whale on to a truck so it could be disposed of inland.
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