Animals
S


Attention

150 melon-headed whales strand on Hokota beach, Japan


abc.net.au
Sat, 11 Apr 2015 17:47 UTC
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© AFP: Toshifumi Kitamura Residents of Hokato attempt to save melon-headed whales along a 10 kilometre stretch of beach.
Rescuers have been forced to abandon efforts to save around 150 melon-headed whales that became stranded on a beach in Japan, after frantically trying all day to save them.

On Friday rescuers had been battling to stop the creatures' skin from drying out as they lay on a beach in Hokota, about 100 kilometres north-east of Tokyo, while some were being carried in slings back towards the ocean.

But as darkness fell, local officials in Hokota called off the rescue effort. They said they had only been able to save three of the animals that had beached.

The rest of the creatures, a member of the dolphin family usually found in the deep ocean, had either died or were dying, they said.

"It was becoming dark and too dangerous to continue the rescue work at this beach, where we could not bring heavy equipment," said an unnamed Hokota city official.

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Attention

Elephant kills man in Botswana

Ludo Chube
allafrica.com
Fri, 10 Apr 2015 13:09 UTC
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© ratujoeCharging African elephant
Police in Kazungula are investigating a case in which a 78-year-old man was killed by an elephant a few kilometers from Kazungula on April 2.

Acting station commander, Assistant Superintendent Meshack Ranku said a passerby reported the case to police officers who were at the time manning a roadblock.

"The victim was then rushed to Kasane Primary Hospital where he was certified dead," he said. He advised people to be careful when moving away from residential areas because the area was infested with wild and dangerous animals.
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Attention

Seals killing harbour porpoises off Welsh coast

Fiona Macrae
Daily Mail, UK
Thu, 09 Apr 2015 12:49 UTC
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The footage (pictured) backs up a recent study that grey seals have a penchant for young porpoises with a thick layer of energy-packed fat. And that far from scavenging on dead animals, they attack healthy creatures
Just went you thought it was warm enough to go into the water...

Killer seals have been spotted off the British coast.

On four separate occasions, grey seals have been spied feasting on harbour porpoises that they have killed.

Video footage of one of the attacks shows a male contentedly ripping chunks of blubber off his prey, as the water all around turns bloody.

Although killer seals are known to lurk in the waters off the continent, this is the first time they have been seen around Britain.


Comment: See also: Revenge of the seals: Marine mammals seen killing and eating sharks off the coast of South Africa

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Binoculars

Symbolism? Black flamingo, possibly unique, found in Cyprus

Michele Kambas
Daily Mail, UK
Wed, 08 Apr 2015 20:00 UTC
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Black flamingo with some pink ones
An extremely rare black flamingo has been spotted on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus, exciting nature lovers who said it may be the only bird of its type ever seen.

The flamingo, seen on the banks of a salt lake on Wednesday morning, is thought to have a genetic condition known as melanism, which causes it to generate more of the pigment melanin, turning it dark, rather than the usual pink colour.

"From what have seen on the Internet, there was only one other sighting ... in Israel, so maybe this is the second one," said Pantelis Charilaou, head of the environmental department of the British Sovereign Bases, territory under the control of former colonial power where the bird was seen.

The flamingo, entirely black, save for a tuft of white feathers on its rear, was feeding with others on the banks of the lake on Wednesday afternoon. Experts said it may be the same one that was spotted in Israel in 2014.

Comment: See also: Man snaps photo of rare black flamingo

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Attention

Wild boar attacks 2 people in Gloucestershire, UK


itv.com
Thu, 09 Apr 2015 15:54 UTC
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© ITV NewsA wildboar attacked a couple and their dog as they walked in Lydney
Police are warning the public to beware after a wild boar went on the rampage - attacking a couple and their dog.

The group were walking along a footpath on Ayleburton Common, part of the Lydney Park Estate, when the boar charged from the undergrowth, leaving the springer spaniel with a broken leg and other severe injuries.

Leaving the dog for dead, the hog then tried to attack the woman, and it was only when her husband beat it off with a branch that it finally left.

The gamekeeper on the estate has been informed and he said he believes there is a female boar with a young family on the estate, which may explain the violent behaviour.

Police are advising all walkers to take care when walking on the estate - and in wooded areas generally -and to ensure their dogs are kept well under control.
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Wolf

Elderly woman died from dog attack in Wilkes County, Georgia

Randy Key
wjbf.com
Fri, 03 Apr 2015 14:51 UTC
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Body Found graphic
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) has released the autopsy results on an 81-year-old woman who was found dead in a ditch in Washington, Georgia earlier this week.

The autopsy on Neta Lee Adams was performed Thursday at the GBI Crime Lab in Decatur, Georgia and the results are that Adams died after a dog attack. Her official cause of death has been ruled Traumatic Injury.

The manner of Adams' death has been ruled accidental, but the GBI and the Wilkes County Sheriff's Office are continuing the investigation into Adams' death.
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Snowflake Cold

Migratory birds starving in Nova Scotia due to prolonged snow cover

Ray Bradshaw
globalnews.ca
Tue, 07 Apr 2015 14:32 UTC
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American woodcock
This extended Winter has been hard on us, but it's been especially hard on migratory birds moving into our area.

Thanks to the snow, birds are struggling to find food and many are dying or becoming too weak to fly.

Injured and sick birds are constantly being brought in to 'Homeward Bound City Pound' in Dartmouth.

"This robin was found in a puddle on the side of the road," says Katie Hauser, an employee at Homward Bound.

"Oh he's very skinny. You can feel, that's his keel bone right there. He should be puffed up just like a big chicken breast," said Hauser.

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Wolf

Long harsh winter in Nova Scotia hard on predators like bobcat, foxes

Evan Webster
The Chronicle Herald
Tue, 07 Apr 2015 17:44 UTC
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© Tim Krochak/ StaffA pair of malnourished bobcats under the care of Hope For Wildlife in Seaforth are seen among trees in their enclosure Tuesday.
It's been a long, harsh winter for all local wildlife, but the top of the food chain is suffering most.

Andrew Hebda, the Nova Scotia Museum's curator of zoology, said the recent heavy snowfall is leaving predators hungry.

"It's been especially difficult for foxes, bobcats and coyotes," Hebda said Tuesday. "Anything that relies on rodents, rabbits or any small mammal for food is stressed."

According to Hebda, small mammals are hibernating longer this year, leaving carnivores at risk of starvation.

"We've had quite a few reports of saw-whet owls being found dead," he said. "If you make your living catching things that move, then there's a problem. They just don't have access to food."

Hope Swinimer, director of the Hope for Wildlife Society, has been rehabilitating wild animals for 20 years. So far this winter she's treated eight bobcats, two minks and countless other owls and rodents for starvation.
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Red Flag

Man killed by bull in Hoschton, Georgia

B.J. Williams
accesswdun.com
Mon, 06 Apr 2015 16:39 UTC
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Bull.
Jackson County authorities say a man was killed in a bizarre accident in Hoschton Friday night.

According to Steve Nichols, the director of Jackson County EMS, the man was gored to death by a bull grazing on his property on Highway 332. He said emergency responders arrived at the scene just after 8 p.m.

"They kept the bull at bay until the first responders could remove the victim from the field," said Nichols.

Nichols said the victim owned the property and he owned the animal. He did not know what prompted the animal to attack. The bull was not euthanized; family members will decide what to do with the animal, according to Nichols.

Nichols was unable to release the victim's identity because of HIPPA regulations.
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Cloud Precipitation

At least 5,000 birds killed by hailstorm in Bangladesh


The Daily Star (Bangladesh)
Tue, 07 Apr 2015 15:24 UTC
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© StarA large number of birds lie dead at Moukori village in Shailakupa upazila under Jhenidah district as hailstorm lashed the area yesterday.
20 hurt, 500 houses damaged, 5,000 birds also killed as the seasonal storm hits Kushtia, Jhenidah

Nor'wester lashed Kushtia and Jhenidah districts yesterday, leaving two people killed and 20 others injured.

The deceased are Nisarunnesa, 55, of Baghdanga village, and Rahela Khatun, 65, of Afzalpur in Kushtia Sadar upazila, reports our correspondent.

Locals said the two died when the sheds of their houses collapsed on them during the storm that lashed Baghdanga and Afzalpur villages at around 3:30am.

Deputy Commissioner Syed Belal Hossain visited the areas in the morning.

A number of houses in the areas were also damaged by the storm, said the DC.

Away in Jhenidah, a storm hit over 50 villages in Shailakupa upazila of the district early yesterday, leaving at least 20 people injured and damaging around 500 houses.

Of the injured, 11 were admitted to the upazila health complex while the rest given first aid, reports our correspondent.

The affected villages include Mirzapur, Diknagar, Kacherkool, Sarutia, Hakimpur and Monohorpur.

At least 5000 birds of different species also died during the storm that lasted for about 30 minutes from 4:00am, said locals.
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