Animals
S


Attention

3 minke whales found dead in just 9 days, South Korea


koreabizwire.com
Wed, 21 Jan 2015 20:09 UTC
Image
© Yonhap / photonews@koreabizwire.com
A 5.9 meter long and 3.2 meter wide minke whale weighing 2 tons was found dead, stranded in a fishnet in the East Sea 19 kilometers from land in Wondeok-eup, Samcheok City, Kangwon-do on January 20.

The whale was sold for 48 million won (US$ 44,138) on consignment. The minke whale is the third whale found stranded in Korean waters so far this year. One minke whale was found in a net near Pohang on January 14, and sold for 16 million won (US$ 14,711) on consignment. Another was found stranded near Daejin Port in Donghae City on January 12, and sold for 19 million won (US$ 17,463).
Image
© Yonhap / photonews@koreabizwire.com
Read More...
Fish

Weird fish with 'rodent-like teeth' found dead on Woolacombe beach, UK

N D J Duncan
North Devon Journal
Wed, 21 Jan 2015 17:05 UTC
Image
A peculiar creature with 'rodent-like teeth' has washed up on a North Devon beach.

Delphine Sutherland found the dead fish while walking at Woolacombe and posted a photo of it on Facebook to try to find out what it was.

Ilfracombe Aquarium director Lawrence Raybone said it looked like a trigger fish, typically found around the coasts of Spain and France.

He said: "It's more commonly found by sea anglers during the summer months while this shoaling animal is heading north on its migration route.
Read More...
Fish

Deep sea prehistoric frilled shark caught by fishermen in Victoria, Australia

Anthony Bond
Daily Mirror, UK
Wed, 21 Jan 2015 14:35 UTC
Image
© Setfia The shark has 300 razor sharp teeth and can grow up to 2 metres long
The two-metre long fish - known as a frilled shark - was captured near Lakes Entrance in Victoria

A terrifying prehistoric shark which has 300 razor sharp teeth has been caught by a group of fishermen in Australia.

The bizarre-looking creature was captured by the bemused fishermen near Lakes Entrance in Victoria.

The dark brown two-metre long fish is a frilled shark, which is also known as the 'living fossil'.
Read More...
Fish

Hundreds of dead mackerel found in Bras d'Or Lake, Canada

Laura Jean Grant
Cape Breton Post
Tue, 20 Jan 2015 13:58 UTC
Image
© TC Media - Cape Breton PostDozens of dead mackerel were visible from the home of Annette Coffin, Monday morning. A week ago hundreds could be seen.
The discovery of hundreds of dead mackerel in the Bras d'Or Lake has area residents wondering what caused the fish to die.

Annette Coffin, a resident of Ben Eoin, first discovered dead fish in the water in front of her home a week ago.

"Last Monday morning, there were dead fish everywhere, on the shore and in the water," she said. "They were sort of under the ice - there was a light coating of ice, and there were tons of them on the beach, and when I came out and had a look they were everywhere."
Read More...
Roses

18-month-old boy killed by family dogs in Brooksville, Florida

Laurie Davison
baynews9.com
Tue, 20 Jan 2015 19:37 UTC
Image
© Laurie DavisonAn 18-month-old boy was killed by the family's two dogs Monday morning, according to Hernando County deputies.
An 18-month-old boy was killed by the family's two dogs Monday morning, according to the Hernando County Sheriff's Office.

Deputies responded to the 16000 block of Cherokee Road in Brooksville at 10:58 a.m. regarding a dog bite to a small child. Hernando County Fire Rescue also responded to the scene.

"It is a terrible, terrible event," said Sheriff Al Nienhuis. "Obviously even those of us who work with death and dying and serious injuries every day, the firefighters on scene I talked to earlier, they were heartbroken and the deputies, as well."

Deputies said Declan Moss was playing on the porch with his grandfather watching him.

For some reason, the dogs attacked him and he died from those injuries.

The dogs are described as medium-sized, mixed breeds.

Neighbors said they always appeared to be friendly.

Comment: Other reports of dog attacks on family members for the past year: Man mauled to death by his own dog in Frederick, Maryland

4-year old boy savaged by family's rottweiler in New Port Richey, Florida

Read More...
Wolf

Coyotes moving into downtown Chicago

Dawn Rhodes
Chicago Tribune
Tue, 20 Jan 2015 16:52 UTC
Image
© Chris Walker/Chicago Tribune/TNSHeidi Garbe, left, Associate Research Scientist at the Max McGraw Wildlife Foundation, checks the health of one of two coyote puppies found Tuesday, May 7, 2013 in a northwest suburban forest preserve near Chicago as Andy Burmesch, right, wildlife research technician, records data.
Coyotes usually try to avoid human contact.

Yet animal experts say an increasing number of coyotes are setting up shop in one of most dense urban labyrinths: downtown Chicago.

The seemingly incongruous marriage between coyotes and a people-packed habitat has occurred naturally, according to Stan Gehrt, an Ohio State University professor who specializes in coyote research in Cook County, which includes Chicago.

Gehrt said he and his team know of no deliberate efforts to release coyotes into the downtown area.

"They're all homegrown coyotes, all born and bred in Chicago," Gehrt said.

Gehrt, who runs the Urban Coyote Research program, said the coyote population swelled tenfold during the 1990s. Coyotes are very territorial and only will tolerate so many living in a certain area.
Read More...
Black Cat

Vancouver Island man encounters cougar in Ucluelet living room

Andrew Bailey
The Vancouver Sun
Fri, 09 Jan 2015 16:32 UTC
Image
© Andrew Bailey, Western NewsTed Benson and his cat, Mushka, survived a close encounter with a cougar that followed the eight-year-old cat into Benson’s Ucluelet home.
Ted Benson stares down wild animal that entered his home in pursuit of his pet cat

Ted Benson was getting ready for bed Tuesday night when his cat walked in, followed closely by a cougar.

"It was weird, there was no sound, no nothing, it was eerily quiet and just all of a sudden I see my cat squirt in and, next thing you know, all I hear is claws trotting across concrete," Benson said.

"My cat wasn't sprinting at super-human top-speed and neither was the cougar; it was like slow motion: 'Oh, there's my cat,' and then, 'Oh, there's a big cat trying to eat it."

The 37-year-old had opened the front door of his Norah Street home to air it out after having the wood stove burning all evening.

He went into his bedroom around 10:45 p.m. to plug in his cellphone and was walking back into the living room to close the door when he saw his house cat come in from outside.

"Then, all of a sudden, I heard claws on the cement floor and saw a big head lunging to eat my cat," he said. "I thought it was a dog originally; a cougar would be the last thing I'd expect."

Comment: See also: Odd puma behaviour? Vancouver Island woman slams door on curious cougar

Read More...
Arrow Down

Stingrays found with tails cut off in New Zealand

Katasha McCullough
stuff.co.nz
Mon, 19 Jan 2015 14:31 UTC
Stingrays
© stuff.co.nzWashed Up: Four eagle rays were found on Murrays Bay beach with no tails.
The sight of four eagle rays with their tails cut off has shocked beachgoers at Murrays Bay on Auckland's North Shore.

Kourtney Magasiva was walking her dog on the beach with friends just after 10am on January 14 when she saw the dead rays.

"It's terrible animal cruelty to do that to a perfectly healthy creature of the sea," she said.

Magasiva had never seen anything like it at Murrays Bay before.

"Someone's done it on purpose. I'd hate to think they're still doing it," she said.

Agnes Le Port, formerly part of the University of Auckland's marine team, now works at James Cook University in Australia and has caught stingrays and eagle rays for scientific research.

Le Port understood fishers wanting to protect themselves from the barbs but said a better option was to slice them off while leaving the rest of the tail intact.
Read More...
Snowflake Cold

Fears for unique Siberian wildlife as heavy snowfall reaches depths of one metre


The Siberian Times
Tue, 20 Jan 2015 21:48 UTC
Image
© Roman Kozhechev, WWF RussiaFears for unique wildlife as heavy snowfall reaches depths of one metre.
Abnormally heavy snowfall is threatening to decimate much of Siberia's unique wildlife including the rare Amur tiger, experts have warned. Parts of the Russian Far East are covered in snow up to one metre deep, burying many animals and leaving others struggling to move or find food.

Conservationists have already noted cases of young animals dying, with fears the situation could be as bad as the 1980s when up to 90 per cent of species died, including 30 tigers. WWF Russia is demanding urgent measures to prevent a similar catastrophe, with the Amur and Moscow branches of the charity in touch with regional hunting estates to ask them to help feed animals in their areas and prevent poaching.

Pavel Fomenko, the Amur branch coordinator at WWF Russia, said: 'I remember a similar winter at the end of the 1980s, when the snow was so deep that we lost 80 per cent to 90 per cent of all ungulates. I was a part of the inspection team and it was horrifying. The whole valley of the Amba and Bikin rivers turned into a gigantic graveyard. Nearly all the roes, wild boars and Siberian stags died'.

'What happened next was even scarier as during the next winter the tigers were left without pray, and so naturally besieged villages and small towns, hunting dogs, cows and other animals. The official data for that winter shows that more than 30 tigers were killed'.
Read More...
Attention

Elephant charges vehicle and punches holes in it, South Africa


enca.com
Mon, 19 Jan 2015 20:50 UTC
Image
With thousands of people watching a live streaming safari in the Sabi Sands in the Greater Kruger, two game rangers had a frightening encounter with a raging elephant cow on Thursday.

Charging at their open safari vehicle, the elephant effortlessly stabs her tusks into the Land Rover and pushes the vehicle at least 30cm.

The shaken guide, who later tells the camera he's "only ever" encountered an elephant charge once before, gets up close and personal with the enraged cow, as her tusk slips in a mere few centimeters from his hip.

Read More...