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AnimalsS
© Thinkstock Sea lion pup.
"They're extremely emaciated, basically starving to death," Shawn Johnson of the Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito, California told National Geographic.
Since the start of the year, almost 500 pups have been admitted to the state's rehabilitation centers, with the Sausalito facility handling 171 cases so far. Last year, it took until April for the center to hit the 100-case mark.
Officials said they are particularly concerned because they've yet to hit the peak stranding season, which is traditionally a few months away.
"We're all kind of holding our breath," said Justin Viezbicke, stranding network coordinator for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
© AFPScientists are unclear why pilot whales strand themselves in large groups
The whales beached themselves on Friday at Farewell Spit at the northern tip of the South Island, with dozens of rescuers racing to re-float the marine mammals on the evening high tide.
But Department of Conservation (DOC) spokesman Andrew Lamason said the whales had swam aground again overnight after being shepherded out to deep water.
Wild boar
The incident occurred yesterday in Hatabanapur village when the farm labourers were engaged in rabi crop cultivation, he said.
The village where the incident took place is away from forest areas and animals had not strayed into it in the past.
As the people tried to chase away the animal it turned violent and attacked the farm workers, said Divisional Forest Officer, Cuttack Territorial Forest Division, Sudarshan Behera.
Elephant kills farmer
The victim was identified as Panchalingaiah, son of Sanjeevaiah.
On Monday night, Roopa, Panchalingaiah's daughter, went to the field to give him tea. She was shocked to find her father's body lying 200 feet away. She then returned to the village to inform her family about the incident.
It is said Panchalingaiah was sleeping in the ragi field, when the elephant came there in search of food and started eating the ragi crop.
© Satish Hanumantha Rao Charging elephant.
A PTI report, however, put the death toll at two. Quoting Divisional Forest Officer Sunita Ghatak, it said one of the injured persons died on the way to hospital. "Bipin Roy (55) died on the spot at Barothalia when the elephant coming from Khuttimari forest lifted him and threw him on the ground. Two others who came to his rescue were also attacked by the elephant," she said. The elephant also killed five goats when being chased into the jungle by the locals, officials said.
Hunter Mastaler, 4, lost part of his leg after getting attacked by his dad’s police dog
Hunter Mastaler remained hospitalized four days after the Belgian shepherd dog clamped onto his left leg in the backyard of the family's Hesperia home.
Neighbors knocked over a fence and pried the dog's jaws open to free the boy.
Hunter will remain hospitalized for another week, Rialto police Capt. Randy De Anda said. With a prosthetic he could be able to run again within six months, he said.
Comment: This is the tenth such report featuring dog attacks on family members found since the turn of the year, scroll through our dedicated animals page to read about the others.
Sissy the miniature schnauzer managed to get out of her yard and walked 20 blocks to the hospital where her owner was recovering from cancer treatment.
A miniature schnauzer in Cedar Rapids proved that nothing, even distance, can break that bond.
Nancy Franck and her two miniature schnauzers, Sissy and Barney, live in southeast Cedar Rapids. Franck, however, has been staying 15 to 20 blocks away at Mercy Medical Center following a surgery.
She's been in the hospital for about two weeks.
Last Saturday Nancy's husband, Dale, was devastated when Sissy unexpectedly ran away from home
"We looked up and there was this dog that was just running across the lobby," said Mercy Security Officer Samantha Conrad.
It's a surprise visitor no one expected: a dog in a hospital. Security cameras caught it all. Just like anybody would, Sissy wandered through two automatic doors and strolls right into Mercy Medical Center.
Comment: With this heartwarming story another side of uncharacteristic animal behavior is shown. Daily examples from all over the planet are being reported of animals attacking humans and other strange behavior. What is behind this behavior and can the change to the environment leading to such strange behavior be in part connected to this dogs positive act to find her owner?
One hundred and ninety-eight pilot whales have been stranded on a 6-kilometer beach in New Zealand, and their only hope is a rescue effort with the rising tide, local conservation officials reported.
Farewell Spit of the Golden Bay, on New Zealand's South Island, is a renowned trap for marine mammals, with at least eight strandings in the past decade, and over 50 whales found there near their death bed on Friday, while nearly 200 got trapped in shallow water, Radio New Zealand reported.
"Re-floating stranded whales is a difficult and potentially dangerous job, so it's important we have the right people on the ground tonight trying to get these whales back to safety," the Department of Conservation's (DoC) manager Andrew Lamason said in a statement. "Community group Project Jonah has 140 volunteers in the Golden Bay area who are trained to do this and we're working alongside them."
NC child mauled by 2 pit bulls
According to WITN, Sheriff Hans Miller said the youngster had serious injuries to his face and was immediately transported to New Hanover Regional Medical Center in Wilmington.
Miller said both dog were pit bulls. One of the dogs was killed by deputies and another was captured by animal control officers.
The owner of the dogs was not home when deputies arrived.
There is no word on if the owner will face charges or what led up to the attack.
Comment: See also: Sick sea lions wash ashore at alarming rate, California
650 emaciated sea lion pups wash up on the California coast over last 2 months