Animals
S


Wolf

As black bear attacks increase, Florida may remove hunting ban


RT
Wed, 04 Feb 2015 19:10 UTC
black bears
© Reuters / Rafael C. Torres
Black bear attacks are on the rise in Florida, prompting the state to contemplate how to keep the growing population in check. The government may remove a 20-year ban on hunting the animal as bears increasingly start to be seen as a suburban menace.

In December, two Floridians were attacked by bears. At the beginning of the month, 68-year-old Jeanne Barber was walking her dog when it spotted a bear at a construction dumpster, the Orlando Sentinel reported.

The dog excitedly yanked at the leash, pulling her to the ground. Then the bear attacked, clamping its jaw around her arm. Her injuries were not life-threatening, but hers was the third attack in Central Florida's Seminole County over the past year.

Less than three weeks later, a 15-year-old was attacked in the Panhandle's Franklin County. Leah Rader was walking her dog, when it spotted a bear.

Comment: Considering that bear attacks appear to be growing globally, it is not surprising that wildlife management officials are seeking some kind of solution. The animal kingdom has been acting strangely, with all types of both wild animals and pets attacking people, often with no provocation. The articles below are just a few examples of recent bear attacks SOTT has been collecting:

Read More...
Attention

Bottlenose dolphin dies off Sunny Isles Beach, Florida

Hatzel Vela
local10.com
Tue, 03 Feb 2015 21:12 UTC
Image
The bottlenose dolphin seen earlier.
A bottlenose dolphin was shivering off of Sunny Isles Beach Tuesday afternoon. Three rescuers stood in the water with the mammal until it died.

The light gray dolphin was stranded on the ocean near the Trump International Beach Resort, 18001 Collins Ave. The death comes as scientists continue to study a measles epidemic of unprecedented proportions that is targeting bottlenose dolphins along the east coast.

Laura Diaz, a biologist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, said the bottlenose dolphin was likely suffering from measles, also known as morbilli-virus.

Comment: See also: Update: Virus has now killed over 1,000 bottlenose dolphins along U.S. East coast in 2013

High number of Bottlenose dolphins dying off northeastern USA

Read More...
Wolf

Pit bull terrier savages its female owner in Moturoa, New Zealand

Michelle Ong and Helen Harvey
stuff.co.nz
Wed, 04 Feb 2015 18:21 UTC
Image
New Plymouth animal control officers capture a dog after another dog was shot for attacking its owner.
A police officer shot a pit bull dog as it savaged its female owner in her suburban backyard yesterday.

The woman underwent surgery at Taranaki Base Hospital yesterday for lacerations to her face and arms.

A family spokesman said the woman was not only distressed about what happened to her, but was equally upset at what had happened to her dogs.

Two other dogs were not involved in the attack but were taken away by New Plymouth District Council animal control officers. Their fate was uncertain last night.
Read More...
Attention

Dead whale washes ashore on the Maldives


vnews.mv
Wed, 04 Feb 2015 17:20 UTC
Image
© Mohamed ShanThe dead whale that washed on Hulhumale' shore, last night
A dead whale, approximately 70 feet in length, has washed ashore, in the beach area connecting Hulhumale' and Hulhule.

Of a species of found in Maldivian waters, the corpse was rotten and damaged.

While it measures approximately 70-75 feet, discussions are now underway by HDC and the Police whether to bury the corpse or to take it out to open waters, as it lies at the East of Hulhumale'.

Some elderly people who have gathered to witness the event said that this is a sperm whale (the type of whale that produces ambergris). A number of people are now gathering at the beach to take a look at the whale.

Although the area where the whale has been washed ashore is not inhabited, the odor of the rotten corpse is now strong in the area.
Read More...
Attention

Thousands of dead starfish found on Pensarn beach in Wales

Suzanne Jordan
newsnorthwales.co.uk
Tue, 03 Feb 2015 15:28 UTC
Thousands of of dead starfish have washed up on a beach in Abergele after a period of stormy weather.

Image
Shocked amateur photographer, Gordon McGookin, initially thought that Pensarn beach was covered in rubbish when he went out for a walk on Sunday.

On a closer inspection, he discovered thousands of starfish and razor clams spread out across 500 metres of sand.

Mr McGookin, aged 39 who lives in Pensarn, said: "I try to get out each day usually walking on the beach. It was Sunday when I spied them, just after the tide had gone out.

"There was thousands of them. I have never seen anything like it before. I was a bit concerned but I guess the recent rough sea and high tides over the last week or two was probably the cause."

Read More...
Attention

3,000 waterbirds die at Walker Lake, Nevada

Jeff DeLong
Reno Gazette-Journal
Mon, 02 Feb 2015 15:14 UTC
Image
© Reno Gazette-JournalCanvasback ducks enjoy the water at Walker Lake. Thousands of ducks and other birds have died from an outbreak of avian cholera at the lake.
Thousands of birds have died at Walker Lake from a disease experts say hasn't made an appearance in Nevada in decades.

An estimated 3,000 birds - most of them American coots and ducks - have died in an outbreak of avian cholera since early December in an event that still is unfolding. As many as 10 percent of Walker Lake's ducks may have died.

"It is still an ongoing outbreak," said Peregrine Wolff, veterinarian for the Nevada Department of Wildlife.

The event marks the first time for an outbreak of avian cholera in Nevada since the 1980s, Wolff said.

The highly infectious and quick-killing disease is unrelated to the avian flu that has spread among waterfowl in neighboring states and which experts said last Friday was found in a duck in Nevada's Lincoln County late in January. Avian cholera poses no threat to people or dogs.
Read More...
Attention

Elephant tramples boy to death in Bangladesh


The Daily Star (Bangladesh)
Tue, 03 Feb 2015 21:42 UTC
Image
© Rahula Dassenaieke
A five-year-old body was trampled to death by a wild elephant in Tonkaboti area under Sadar upazila on Monday night.

The deceased was identified as Md Tareque, 5, son of Nurul Islam of the area.

Witnesses said, a herd of wild elephants stormed into the area at around 7:30pm. At one stage, one of the elephants swooped on Nurul's farmhouse of the area and killed his son.

Nurul and his wife sustained injuries while they were fleeing the house.

Some of the houses in the area were also damaged by the elephants.
Read More...
Attention

20 dolphins have been found stranded on Irish shores in January


The Irish Times
Mon, 02 Feb 2015 20:16 UTC
Image
The number of common dolphins stranded throughout the country since October is close to the amount that should be expected for an entire year
Scientists have expressed alarm at a recent spike in dolphin strandings which has seen almost 20 of the animals recovered on Irish shores in the last month.

The number of common dolphins stranded throughout the country since October is close to the amount that should be expected for an entire year, according to marine biologist Dr Simon Berrow.

"The number of dolphins we've had washed up in the last few weeks is shocking in terms of conservation and management," said Dr Berrow, a member of the Marine Biodiversity Research Group at Galway Mayo IT (GMIT).

Comment: See also: Spate of deep sea beaked whale deaths puzzle experts in Scotland

Read More...
Attention

Elephant handler has his arm amputated after being trampled by raging animal in Kharkov, Ukraine

John Hall
Daily Mail, UK
Tue, 03 Feb 2015 17:37 UTC
Image
Shock: Oleg Grishchenko (pictured before the attack) was caught unaware when the elephant named Tandy charged at him. He suffered serious crush injuries and had to have his arm amputated
A renowned Ukrainian animal expert had to have his arm amputated after being crushed by an angry elephant.

Oleg Grishchenko, 39, has worked with elephants all his life and is considered one of the most knowledgeable handlers in eastern Europe.

But he was caught unaware when the animal, called Tandy, became extremely and unexpectedly agitated, charging at him at a zoo in the city of Kharkov, in eastern Ukraine.
Read More...
Binoculars

Wintering Cape May warbler found in Enterprise, Oregon


Wallowa County Chieftain
Tue, 03 Feb 2015 16:45 UTC
Image
© Tristen Hynes The Cape May Warbler that has been wintering in Enterprise.
A Cape May Warbler wintering in Enterprise is only the second member of its species ever found wintering in Oregon.

Dozens of birders who journeyed to Enterprise in recent weeks spent a chunk of their time trying to glimpse something that all agree is rather rare: a Cape May Warbler wintering in Oregon.

Among the visitors was Eugene resident Alan Contreras, co-editor of the 2003 guide, "Birds of Oregon: A General Reference." According to Contreras, Wallowa County normally attracts birders during January from various locales - because "several kinds of birds are found there in winter that are hard to find elsewhere in Oregon," he says - and this year's sighting of the Cape May Warbler, early in January, added to the allure.

The warbler has been located generally near the southern end of Enterprise City Park. This is only the second time a Cape May Warbler has been spotted wintering in Oregon.

Contreras said the first time was in 2001 in relatively balmy Brookings. He said the species, which breeds in central to eastern Canada, normally winters in the Caribbean or in Central America.
Read More...