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President Obama celebrates the 4th of July

Steven Goddard
stevengoddard.wordpress.com
Fri, 04 Jul 2014 17:10 UTC
Dead Eagle
© stevengoddard.wordpress.com
President Obama is celebrating July 4th, by giving greens permission to kill the national bird. This is part of his ongoing efforts to prevent future imaginary CO2 induced asthma attacks.
Wednesday, July 2, 2014

By sacrificing a few bald eagles, the Obama administration may have opened a can of worms.

In a bid to give alternative energy sources a boost, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has quietly granted a California wind energy farm a permit to kill a limited number of endangered bald and golden eagles that get sliced up in its giant turbines. But last week's free pass is sparking anger from wildlife advocates and from free market advocates who ask why they don't qualify for the same dispensation.
California grants wind industry permit to kill eagles, ruffling more than feathers - Washington Times
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Attention

Dead blue whale washes up on beach in New Zealand


stuff.co.nz
Fri, 04 Jul 2014 13:24 UTC
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WASHED UP: DOC marine ranger Bryan Williams with a dead blue whale on Tapuae Beach, near Okurukuru.
A large dead whale has washed up on a beach just south of New Plymouth.

The 20-25 metre long whale washed up on Tapuae Beach, near Okurukuru, and it is believed to be the largest species on earth, a blue whale.

Department of Conservation acting senior biodiversity ranger Callum Lilley said it's uncommon but not unusual for large whales to wash up along the coastline.

''There have been five dead blue whales washed up on the North Island's west coast between Wellington and Northland in the past five years, and a dead whale washed up on Waiinu Beach near Whanganui in 2011.''

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Eye 2

Giant 25-foot long snake beaten to death with sticks in Mexico

Julian Robinson
Daily Mail, UK
Sun, 29 Jun 2014 13:16 UTC
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The huge 25ft snake killed by Mexican villagers who feared the creature was so big it could have swallowed a child
* Villagers attacked the 25ft snake with sticks before cutting off its head

* Residents in Benito Juarez, Mexico, feared creature could swallow a child

* Conservationists hit out at the killing saying those who did it face charges

* Some villagers blamed the snake for disappearance of young animals

A giant 25ft snake was beaten to death by Mexican villagers - who feared the creature was so big it could have swallowed a child.

Frightened residents also cut the head off the huge animal after it was spotted lying alongside a railway track.

Rail passengers raised the alarm after they saw the snake from their train as it pulled into the village of Benito Juarez, in a remote part of the southeast Mexican state of Tabasco.
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Attention

Dead Humpback whale found off Mull, Scotland

Susy Macaulay
Island News and Advertiser
Sat, 28 Jun 2014 09:19 UTC
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Scotland's first full post-mortem of a humpback whale - found dead at Fishnish on Mull this week - was carried out yesterday by veterinary pathologists with the assistance of conservation charity Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust.

The seven-metre, eight-ton animal - believed to be the first humpback whale ever to strand on Mull - was discovered floating close to shore on Wednesday 25 June, and was craned out of the sea the following evening. The male calf had not recently been feeding and was probably still dependent on its mother.

Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust's Science and Strandings Officer Dr Conor Ryan, who is an expert on humpback whales, assisted with a post-mortem examination with veterinary pathologist Andrew Brownlow of Scottish Rural University College to establish the cause of death. Preliminary results from the examination were consistent with drowning, although the cause is unclear.

"This highly unusual and sad discovery is a reminder that Scotland's west coast waters are extremely special and host a great variety of marine species, including magnificent and iconic humpback whales - and that conservation action and research are vital for the protection of such remarkable animals," said Dr Ryan.
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Attention

Dead Humpback whale washes ashore at Montaña de Oro, California

David Sneed
The Tribune
Wed, 02 Jul 2014 12:43 UTC
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© VERA VON RAUNERA dead humpback whale has washed up on the beach at Montaña de Oro.
State Parks officials say people should avoid going near the decomposing carcass for health and safety reasons

A dead 35-foot-long humpback whale has washed up on a beach at Montaña de Oro State Park.

The whale washed up on a beach just north of Hazard Reef late Friday morning. Based on its size, the animal was probably a juvenile, said Vince Cicero, senior environmental scientist with State Parks.

Scientists with the National Marine Fisheries Service and the Marine Mammal Center examined the whale over the weekend and determined that it was too decomposed to do a necropsy.

"It had probably been dead a while before it washed ashore," Cicero said.

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Attention

Dead Bryde's whale found washed ashore in Samut Prakarn province,Thailand


englishnews.thaipbs.or.th
Tue, 01 Jul 2014 14:02 UTC
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A dead Bryde's whale weighs about 11 tons was washed ashore in Phra Samut Chedi district of Samut Prakarn province.

The whale is 11 metres long. It was found by residents near the Phra Chulachomklao fortress shore.

It was not known the cause of death of this sea mammal but locals said they spotted the dead whale in the sea a few days earlier but could do nothing because of its size.

It was until yesterday that the dead whale was washed ashore.

Officials from the Marine Resources Research and Development Centre in the Gulf of Thailand have inspected the body of the whale but could not find a cause yet.
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Black Cat 2

Mountain lion strolls through shopping mall in Salt Lake City

Richard Hartley-Parkinson
Daily Mirror, UK
Sat, 28 Jun 2014 13:07 UTC
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Mountain lion casually walks through shopping mall
The cougar wandered through the centre, in Salt Lake City, before settling down in the doorway of a steak restaurant

This isn't something you expect to see on a normal shopping trip - a mountain lion having a browse.

Shoppers were stunned when they spotted the wild animal, also known as a cougar, puma or panther, relaxing outside a doorway before taking a stroll through the mall.

The big cat was caught on camera wandering through the Jordan Commons Centre, in Sandy, Salt Lake City, in Utah, at about 8am yesterday.

Leesha Francis, who works in an office in the mall, said she was scared when she saw the animal sitting in the doorway of a steakhouse in the mall.

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Attention

Stranded humpback whale dies in Mooloolaba marina, Australia


The Queensland Times
Sun, 29 Jun 2014 12:06 UTC
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SAD TRIP: Water Police towed the dead humpback whale out to sea after it washed up in Mooloolaba River.
A sick humpback whale that touched the hearts of people along the Sunshine Coast has finally died.

The 6.5m mammal was first seen off the Gold Coast a week ago and slowly swam north, reaching the Mudjimba area by Thursday.

On Friday it returned south and attracted a large crowd as it rubbed against the rock wall at the mouth of the Mooloolah River.

But as darkness fell on Friday night, the young whale swam quietly into the river and passed away overnight.

A spokesman for the Department of Environment and Heritage Protection said the whale stranded itself within the Mooloolaba marina, where it died under a pontoon.

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Cloud Lightning

Monster storms bring rare seabird visitors to New Zealand

John Weekes
The New Zealand Herald
Sun, 29 Jun 2014 10:57 UTC
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© Renee Henderson-VousdenOne of the giant petrels which have been rescued by New Zealand Bird Rescue over recent weeks.
Conservationists are puzzled at a freaky phenomenon blamed on this winter's monster storms.

A bird rescue centre is caring for six giant petrels after concerned members of the public found the birds in distress.

New Zealand Bird Rescue's Lyn MacDonald said in 27 years working at the shelter, she'd never had more than one giant petrel at a time. In fact, she rarely saw more than one a year. Each of the six birds now at the shelter arrived separately over the past few weeks.

The latest, found near Muriwai, arrived yesterday.

MacDonald believed the most rational explanation lay with wild storms of the last few weeks causing the birds to be blown off course. Yet there were plenty of similar storms over the last quarter-century, and no subsequent increase in wounded petrel sightings.
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Ice Cube

Wrong time, wrong place: Rare Arctic Beluga whale seen in Massachusetts

Lucy Nalpathanchil & Heather Brandon
wnpr.org
Thu, 26 Jun 2014 10:31 UTC
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© A. Lyskin IFAWA Beluga whale sighted in the Taunton River.
In Connecticut, we're used to seeing Beluga whales at Mystic Aquarium, but residents in Fall River, Massachusetts are getting an unusual sight in an unusual place. A Beluga whale was spotted in the Taunton River over the past several days.

"It's very rare to see a Beluga by itself this far south," Dr. Tracy Romano of Mystic Aquarium told WNPR. "It was last sighted here a week ago, on the 18th."

Romano, Mystic Aquarium's Executive Vice President of Research and Zoological Operations, is leading the team while it looks for the whale in the Taunton River. She said Belugas prefer Arctic and sub-arctic waters, and travel in pods. "This unusual sighting in our own back yard is anomalous behavior for a Beluga," she said, "and we would like to find out why."
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