Animals
S


Wolf

Two people and dog attacked by fox in Brunswick, Georgia


firstcoastnews.com
Wed, 14 Jan 2015 19:57 UTC
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Wildlife officials in Glynn County are issuing renewed calls for residents to get their rabies shots after two people and a dog were attacked by a possibly rabid fox Monday.

According to a spokesperson for the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, the attack happened off Glass Circle in Brunswick.

Both people are receiving treatment for rabies as a precaution. Tests are being performed on the fox, which was killed following the attack, to determine whether it was, in fact, rabid.
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Binoculars

Lost migrating bird makes rare visit to Mankato, Minnesota

Edie Schmierbach
Mankato Free Press
Mon, 12 Jan 2015 19:26 UTC
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© Chad Heins.This male varied thrush was photographed from a window in the home of Gerald and Jill Binstock of rural Rapidan.
Neighbors probably wondered what's up at Jill and Gerald Binstock's place lately.

People with binoculars - one man stood in their backyard for an hour Saturday - have been showing up outside the rural Rapidan couple's home, obviously looking for something.

Area birdwatchers have been hoping to catch sight of a rare avian visitor to Minnesota. A male varied thrush first started to show up at the Binstocks' feeders Thursday.

"I was watching for the little wanderer," said one of the birders, Chad Heins, who is a biology instructor at Bethany Lutheran College in Mankato.

After an hour or so, Heins got his chance to observe the bird who resembles its cousin, the American robin, but has distinct orange markings near its eyes.

Comment: See also: Cold weather movement? Southern California invaded by dozens of rare varied thrushes

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Cow

Cow jumps from moving truck in Russia

Kara O'Neill
Daily Mirror, UK
Wed, 14 Jan 2015 13:03 UTC
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It's not every day you see a cow perform a daredevil stunt like this one.

Shocked motorists on a high-speed carriageway in Russia captured the hilarious footage of the bovine animal making its great escape from the travelling lorry.

The curious creature sticks it head out of the back of the truck before taking a tentative step onto the icy road below.

After skidding on its knees for a few metres, the cow emerges from the stunt unhurt and promptly stands up to take in its new surroundings.

While it remains unknown whether the animal was being shipped off to the abattoir, this cow wasn't taking any risks as it made a break for it.

Luckily, the vehicle behind the truck had plenty of time to stop, meaning the creature was safe and sound, despite his udderly dramatic stunt.


Comment: See also: Cow flees slaugherhouse in Pocatello, Idaho

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Wolf

Solo Seattle dog a regular bus passenger

Ben Hooper
upi.com
Tue, 13 Jan 2015 12:33 UTC
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A black lab in Seattle has become a familiar face to bus drivers and passengers who have gotten used to the canine taking solo trips on public transport.

Commuters in the Belltown area said they have become accustomed to the sight of 2-year-old Eclipse climbing aboard the bus without human accompaniment and settling into a window seat before getting off at her destination -- the dog park.

"All the bus drivers know her. She sits here just like a person does," bus rider Tiona Rainwater told KOMO-TV. "She makes everybody happy. How could you not love this thing?"

Miles Montgomery, a local radio host tweeted pictures he took of Eclipse when he met the Labrador on the bus.

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Fish

More mass animal deaths occurring now than ever before, study claims

Jonathan O'Callaghan
Daily Mail, UK
Tue, 13 Jan 2015 18:27 UTC
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Three US institutions say mass die-offs are now more common. They have increased by one event per year for 70 years. Pictured are dead tilapia floating near Salton Sea Beach in California, US on 19 Januray 11.
Mass die-offs of certain animals has increased in frequency every year for seven decades, according to a new study.

Researchers found that such events, which can kill more than 90 per cent of a population, are increasing among birds, fish and marine invertebrates.

The reasons for the die-offs are diverse, with effects tied to humans such as environmental contamination accounting for about a fifth of them.

The research was carried out by three US institutions - the University of San Diego, Yale University and the University of California, Berkeley - and published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
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Wolf

Jackals attack 5 people in India


The Tribune (India)
Sun, 11 Jan 2015 17:32 UTC
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© Wikimedia Commons, Steve GarvieAn adult male golden jackal.
The increasing number of jackals in Kulangam and a few adjoining villages in frontier Kupwara district has created fear among the residents.

Five persons, including three women, have been injured in attacks by jackals in the past three days. The injured have been identified as Hajra Begum, Abdul Hamid, Fahmeeda, Razia Akther and Bashir Ahmad. They are undergoing treatment at District Hospital, Handwara.

"I had come out of my house to attend the nature's call when a jackal attacked me. Thankfully, I received injuries in my legs and not on any vital organ," said Abdul Hamid, a resident of Kulangam.

Locals said after the sunset, jackals enter residential areas and pose a threat to humans and livestock.

Comment: See also: 8 people attacked by jackal in Iran

Demented jackal attacks devotees inside temple severely injuring 3 in India

Pack of jackals injure 17 villagers in Nepal

Jackal attacks 2 children outside their house in Goa, India

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Wolf

8 people attacked by jackal in Iran


irna.ir
Sun, 28 Dec 2014 17:12 UTC
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© Wikimedia Commons, Steve GarvieAn adult male golden jackal.
A wild jackal attached eight people mostly children in the city of Bajestan, Khorasan Razavi, on Sunday.

The hungry jackal attack eight people in the city most of them children and injured them, the police said.

They received outpatient medical treatment, but, five of them stayed at the hospital.

Commander of Police in Bajestan Colonel Mohammad Ali Sadeqian said police arrived at the scene immediately and took the injured people to nearby hospital.

Every year, in the winter season wild animals come to residential areas in foray into food.
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Binoculars

White-rumped sandpiper from Arctic North America ends up in Australia

Jessica Long
South Coast Register
Sun, 11 Jan 2015 15:28 UTC
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© Narelle WrighThe white-rumped sandpiper has been spotted at Lake Wollumboola, which is a rarity as the bird’s usual migration pattern takes it to the shores of South America.
A rare sighting has twitchers flocking from around Australia to Lake Wollumboola.

The last time a white-rumped sandpiper (calidris fuscicollis) was spotted in NSW was in November 1977 near Pitt Town.

Ornithologist Joy Pegler said the bird has been caught up in the wrong migratory fly way ending up on the Australian coastline from Alaska.

"All the twitchers are rushing to see it," she said.

"It's only a little thing and it has flown such a long way. It's really very amazing.

"The bird is very rarely seen in Australia at all, so this has a lot of enthusiasts very excited."

Comment: Other similar recent reports of birds completely losing their way across the Northern Hemisphere: Rare goose from northern Asia turns up in Suffolk, UK

Rare Eurasian kestrel appears in Nova Scotia, Canada

Another completely lost avian species: Couch's Kingbird flies from southern Texas to New York

Warbler that should be wintering in western Mexico turns up in Louisiana

Bean goose from Eurasia takes a wrong turn and winds up on the Oregon Coast

Four lost flamingos fly NORTH for the winter and turn up in Siberia

Wrong place, wrong time: European robin turns up thousands of miles away in China

Rare bird from Mongolia turns up in Wakefield, UK

Wrong time, wrong place: Rare bird found in Barrie, Canada

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Attention

Elephant gores vet to death in India


mathrubhumi.com
Mon, 12 Jan 2015 17:04 UTC
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A veterinarian was today killed by a tusker while he was attempting to tackle the pachyderm after it ran amok at Vaypur in Pathanamthitta district, police said.

The victim identified as Dr Gopakumar (52) was a veterinarian and a member of the Elephant Squad which is specialised in containing elephants that turn violent, police said.

The tusker kicked the vet and then gored him while he was trying to administer a tranquilizer shot in its rear. The elephant created panic in the area by running amok for several hours.

Police and local people rushed the doctor to a hospital in Tiruvalla but he died soon after reaching there, police said, adding, the elephant was later brought under control.

The animal had started showing signs of uneasiness in the morning and later managed to slip free from its chains and ran amok. The elephant squad at nearby Konni was alerted as efforts of the mahout with local people failed to contain it.

Source: Press Trust of India
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Attention

Elephant runs amok in Thailand, attacks cars and shops


rte.ie
Mon, 12 Jan 2015 16:22 UTC
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The elephant put its front feet on the car, causing a dent on the car hood and fractures on the windscreen
A shop and restaurant at Khao Yai National Park in Thailand were damaged in an elephant attack today; two days after another elephant rammed a car.

A wild elephant stomped the grocery shop and shattered window glasses with its trunk, park officials say.

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