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Dead humpback whale found at Pareora Beach, New Zealand

Audrey Malone
The Timaru Herald
Fri, 16 May 2014 12:21 UTC
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© MYTCHALL BRANSGROVE/Fairfax NZWASHED UP: Nikita Reid and her son Tyler, 1, check out the dead humpback whale that washed up on Pareora Beach.
Humpback's death remains a mystery

The dead humpback whale discovered at Pareora Beach on Wednesday has received a traditional Maori blessing.

Two Department of Conservation (DOC) workers went to the site yesterday to try to learn more about the reasons for the whale's death. DOC senior ranger for biodiversity Paul Gasson said they took photos and measurements of the whale and would be liaising with a marine mammal expert in Wellington.

He said it was not unusual for a humpback whale to be in the region right now, as they are migrating north, with the southern winter approaching.

"There is no obvious cause why it turned up dead," Gasson said.

DOC science advisor Laura Boren said death was part of the process of migration.

"They go south in the summer to feed and north in the winter to breed," she said.
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Binoculars

Disturbing amounts of plastic found in Mediterranean seabirds


wildlifeextra.com
Wed, 14 May 2014 13:09 UTC
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Cory's shearwater was the species with the highest level of ingested plastic
A new study has discovered that 94 per cent of Cory's shearwaters on the Catalan coast have ingested plastic. In the case of Yelkouan and Balearic shearwaters, the conclusion is that 70 per cent of studied birds were similarly affected. Jacob González Solís from the Department of Animal Biology and the Biodiversity Research Institute (IRBio) of the University of Barcelona (UB), headed a research group that carried out the study, published in the Marine Pollution Bulletin.

Plastic pollution is known to be a threat for marine ecosystems around the world, but it has not yet been extensively studied. Solís explained that, "this is the first assessment of plastic ingestion in Mediterranean seabirds. The Mediterranean Sea has been recognised as a singularly sensitive ecosystem because its coast is very industrialised, shipping activity is intense and it contains high density floating plastic areas."

Floating plastic debris can cause entanglement, ulcers, infections and death in marine animals. They can ingest them by mistake, because plastic fragments resemble their natural food items such as jelly fish, or take them in by eating prey which has in turn consumed plastic. Ingested fragments found were filaments, plastic spheres, laminar plastic and industrial pellets.

Comment: See also: Plastic Trash in Oceans May Be 'Vastly' Underestimated

The world's rubbish dump: a garbage pit that stretches from Hawaii to Japan

One-third of fish caught in English Channel have plastic contamination

Sea turtle choked with 317 plastic pieces found dead on Australian beach

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Info

Dead whale found floating in Delaware River, Philadelphia

Dan Stamm
nbcphiladelphia.com
Tue, 13 May 2014 12:33 UTC
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© NBC 5 News
A dead whale is floating in a Philly river.

The U.S. Coast Guard has recently received reports about a whale in the Delaware River.

The Marine Mammal Stranding Center in Brigantine, N.J. told NBC10 that the whale - about 25 feet long -- was last seen in the water off South Philadelphia Tuesday morning.

The Coast Guard said the last sighting reported to them happened a few days ago.

It's unclear what type of whale it is and also what might have caused the whale to die. The Mammal Center however did say the mammal was possibly struck by a boat.

As of now there is no plan to pull the dead animal from the water.
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Info

20-tonne southern right whale carcass beached near Cape Town, South Africa

Damien Gayle
Daily Mail
Thu, 15 May 2014 11:52 UTC
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A whale carcass lies beached near Cape Town, South Africa
* Southern right whale washed up on Sunset Beach after apparently being hit by a ship

* It took 20 helpers and two diggers to haul the 20-tonne carcass onto a flatbed truck

* The three-hour clean-up job was shot by British photographer Dan Beecham

Children shrieked in disgust as removal men tore the tail off a whale carcass in a botched attempt to take it from the beach where it had washed up.

It took 20 helpers and two industrial diggers to haul the 20-tonne southern right whale on to a flatbed truck, before being driven to a landfill site.

The clean-up job was captured by British photographer Dan Beecham, 30, at Sunset Beach outside Cape Town, South Africa, against a backdrop of the city's distinctive Table Mountain.
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Target

Best of the Web: Signs of change: Extreme weather, seismic activity, and meteor fireballs in April and early May 2014

HawkkeyDavis
YouTube
Wed, 14 May 2014 07:33 UTC
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The uptick in earthquake activity continues all along the Ring of Fire. At the center of these changes, the United States dealt with "historic flooding" which was labelled a "one-in-500-year event"!

So much more has taken place over the last month or so than this video shows. Deluges continue to hit heavily populated areas. Be prepared for large-scale disasters in your area. It has and it will continue to worsen, whether we like or not. Stay safe and thanks for watching!

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Eye 2

Eleven year old boy killed by crocodile in Papua New Guinea


The Guardian
Wed, 14 May 2014 14:14 UTC
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© AlamyA crocodile tail: 75 crocodile attacks have been recorded in Papua New Guinea since 1958.
Animal attacked Melas Mero as he was fishing with his parents at the Siloura river, in Gulf province

The limbs of an 11-year-old boy have been found inside a huge crocodile and his head discovered nearby, after he was attacked in Papua New Guinea.

The four-metre (13ft) creature grabbed the boy, Melas Mero, as he was fishing with his parents last Thursday at the Siloura river in Gulf province, in the south of the Pacific nation, police commander Lincoln Gerari told PNG's National newspaper.

The CrocBite database said a man, whose age was not given, was killed on 1 January by a saltwater crocodile at Rawa Bay, in North Bougainville.

Seventy-five crocodile attacks, of which 65 were fatal, have been recorded in PNG by the database since 1958.

Gerari said that police found two hands, two legs and a hip bone inside the crocodile after they tracked it down and killed it. The head was found later, and taken to a morgue.

The attack is the second to take place in PNG this year, according to a global database managed by researchers at Australia's Charles Darwin University.

Source: Agence France-Presse

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Eye 2

Texas woman finds 12ft African python in her bathroom

Louise Boyle
Daily Mail
Wed, 14 May 2014 13:03 UTC
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Veronica Rodriguez got a shock in her Texas home earlier this month when she found a 12ft African python slithering around her bathroom
A Texas homeowner got a shock when she walked into the bathroom of her College Station home to find a 12ft python wrapped around her toilet bowl.

Veronica Rodriguez, 50, discovered the huge African python slithering across the bathroom floor earlier this month.

It is believed that the python got in through the back door to Ms Rodriguez's home, which she shares her teenage daughter Kelsie.

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Info

650 emaciated sea lion pups wash up on the California coast over last 2 months

Ken Broder
allgov.com
Tue, 13 May 2014 12:01 UTC
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© Pacific Marine Mammal CenterSea Lions in rehab.
Another 650 sea lion pups have washed up on the shores of California between San Diego and Ventura County in the last two months, emaciated and dehydrated, continuing a pattern of devastation from early last year.

A new report from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) all but eliminates disease as a cause of the problem that saw another 1,600 pups stranded on beaches between January and April last year. While it does not settle on a single culprit, the report points a long finger at the decline of sardines in the region, a primary source of nourishment for sea lions.

"Current data show changes in availability of sea lion prey in Southern California waters was likely a contributor to the UME, the exact mechanism is still under investigation," the report concluded. In other words, the NOAA doesn't know precisely why the sardines are harder to find. Could be climate change, or ocean pollution, natural selection, or disease taking advantage of sea lions' weakened state.
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Fish

Tens of thousands of fish wash up on the east coast of Tasmania

Caroline Tang
The Examiner
Tue, 13 May 2014 11:51 UTC
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Authorities are investigating how tens of thousands of fish washed up along the East Coast during the past week.

Species include leatherjackets, flathead, salmon and one broadbill swordfish.

Break O'Day councillor John McGiveron, Tasmanian Game Fishing Association president, said the fish, some still alive, had washed up along the coast from Seymour to the top end of the Bay of Fires.

But he said the issue might be more widespread because fish might be washing up in unpopulated areas.

Cr McGiveron said many of the fish were juveniles and the problem might have serious implications.

The Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment is investigating.
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Binoculars

Many migratory birds close to extinction in Britain

Edward Malnick
The Telegraph, UK
Sun, 11 May 2014 10:16 UTC
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© ALAMY
(Left to right) Nightingale, cuckoo and turtle dove numbers are all in decline
Experts issue warning on World Migratory Bird Day about decline of species such as the turtle dove, cuckoo and nightingale

Many common migratory birds face extinction in Britain unless ministers and farmers help tackle a conservation crisis, ornithologists have warned.

They said a lack of food and nesting sites was contributing to dramatically lower numbers of species including the turtle dove, cuckoo and nightingale.

A UN official warned birds were struggling to find sustenance for long migrations, particularly because of industrialisation and dry weather in Africa. Other species are being illegally shot over countries including Malta.

Experts want ministers to encourage farmers to make more provision for birds to feed and breed on their land, and to urge foreign leaders to protect species migrating through their countries.

The warnings coincide with World Migratory Bird Day, a UN scheme to raise awareness about the vulnerability of species that embark on long journeys each year between breeding and wintering grounds.
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