A team of Russian scientists has found the remains of 10 gray whales washed ashore in Russia's most northeasterly region Chukotka, the Marine Mammal Council said Friday.

The remains were discovered during an aerial survey of Chukotka's Arctic coast between September 1 and 8.

Stanislav Belikov, head of marine wildlife conservation at the All-Russian Research Institute for Nature Protection, said the 10 marine mammals had washed up on the 800-kilometer (500-mile) stretch of the coast.

"This is quite a few, especially considering that six of these whales were washed ashore within a coastal area of 120 kilometers. They were possibly wounded by hunters or attacked by killer whales. We also shouldn't rule out the possibility of a disease. In any case, reasons for this incident should be investigated," Belikov said.

According to the Marine Mammal Council, the number of recently deceased gray whales could be higher because not all dead whales wash up on shore.

A rare deepwater whale found beached on the north Antrim coast has died as fears emerged over the high rate of strandings on coasts around the island of Ireland.

An Irish whale and dolphin expert has described the number of strandings as "truly shocking".

The juvenile Sei whale, which was some nine metres in length, was stranded on a beach beside Red Bay pier near Waterfoot early yesterday.

The animal was thought to be too weak to refloat.

Ian Enlander from the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group was called to the scene yesterday morning to examine the whale.

He told the BBC that the Sei whale that was found stranded was "incredibly rare in this part of the world".

A whitetail deer die off is occurring again this year in Bennett County. At this point there have only been a few reports of dead deer, and all have been from the eastern part of the county.

The most likely cause of the die off is epizootic hemorrhagic disease (EHD), which was the cause of the die off in 2012. At this point all of the deer reported dead in this area have been whitetails, but one mule deer was confirmed to have died of the disease in a different county.

Other counties north of us are also reporting losing whitetails. There are several strains of EHD, with some of the strains affecting whitetail deer, mule deer, antelope and elk. The strain that was present last year did kill some mule deer and some elk, although the primary loss was whitetails.

There were also some reports last year of cattle being infected in the area. Prior to last year, it was assumed that while cattle can carry the disease, they did not show any symptoms.

Weather conditions more than anything else will determine if the die off becomes severe again this year or whether the die off is limited. If the conditions remain hot and dry, the conditions are right for the breeding of the black gnats and midges, which carry the disease. If it turns cool, the breeding cycle may slow and the die off may not be as severe.

Hemorrhagic disease may kill deer within 72 hours of infection. Some deer will survive but will show signs of lameness, loss of appetite, and much reduced activity. A smaller proportion of animals may be disabled for weeks or months by lameness or emaciation.

We are monitoring the die off again this year and encourage anyone finding dead or sick deer in Bennett, Jackson, or Shannon Counties to report them to Conservation Officer Tom Beck at 685-6335.

A pair of pet lambs have been mutilated - one so badly it had to be put down - in what appears to have been an attack by a drunken party-goer.

The attack, which happened sometime on Thursday night at a property in Matamata, has sickened police and traumatised two children who were planning to enter the lambs in their school's agricultural day. On the night of the attack, Jamie and Karen Nicholls had noticed the lambs were more unsettled than usual, because of a party happening next door.

"We really didn't think anything of it," Mrs Nicholls said.

It wasn't until the morning, when the children went out to feed Raspberry and Chocky that they realised something was wrong.

"Our kids came running in saying Raspberry had blood all over him," she said.

"We thought a dog might have got into their enclosure, but the vet confirmed the lambs had been attacked by a person."

Raspberry had been stabbed half a dozen times. His right thigh bone was broken and the skin around his mouth had been ripped from the bone. He was so severely injured, he had to be put down. The other lamb, Chocky, had his throat cut, but was able to be stitched up by the vet.

Matamata Veterinary Services veterinarian Chris Hutchings, tended to the lambs and said it was obvious that the injuries sustained were not from a dog attack.

"Dogs tend to tear and rip. It was very clear that the lambs were stabbed and cut with a sharp object," he said.

He said he had never seen such cruelty inflicted on an animal in his 30-year career.

A Birmingham woman had the shock of her life when a snake began sliding out of the side of her armchair.

The woman, who has not been named, was enjoying afternoon tea with a friend at her home in New Street, Erdington, when the two-foot long rat snake was spotted.

How the snake came to be at the property remains a mystery that has left everyone baffled.

To the resident's relief PCSO Sam Wollaston was patrolling nearby and she was able to call to him for help.

Sam said: "When we're patrolling the high street we often get shoppers and local residents people approaching us to speak about any concerns they have, but this is certainly the first time I've been approached to deal with a snake on the loose.

"When I got to the property the resident pointed to where the snake had been spotted.

The Pittsburgh Zoo where a two-year-old toddler was torn apart last Nov. 4 when his mother accidentally dropped him into a pit of wild dogs is saying the boy's death was the mother's fault and that the zoo did nothing wrong.

Maddox Derkosh was killed when his mother, Elizabeth Derkosh, lifted him up over a railing designed to keep zoo patrons from stumbling into an exhibit of Lycaon pictus (the so-called "Painted Dogs").

Because the boy had poor vision, she raised him over the four-foot high railing where he could see the dogs better. But she lost her grip on the child. Maddox slipped out her hands and over the rail, fell 14 feet, bounced off the protective netting over the African dog exhibit and into the pit.

Eleven of the dogs descended on the toddler, mauling him to death.

Police in Hyogo Prefecture said Friday that a large number of swallows were found dead strewn along a road in Kamigori.

According to police, the birds were found around 11:30 a.m. on Thursday. TBS reported that an inspection of a 64-meter-long stretch of road in the town turned up the remains of 41 swallows.

Local officials say that although the cause of the birds' deaths is unknown, a preliminary check for avian flu returned a negative result.

Hyogo prefectural officials said it is continuing to investigate the reason for the unusual number of dead swallows in the area, and will carry out further tests for viruses related to avian influenza.

Florida wildlife officials are expanding efforts to find and kill African rock pythons in Miami-Dade County after a 10-foot-snake strangled a 60-pound Siberian Husky.

Miami-Dade Fire Rescue received a 911 call at 10:05 p.m. on August 30. The caller said a python was wrapped around the neck of their Husky named Duke. Six minutes later, Duke was dead.

Fire Rescue arrived on scene and killed the snake, a 10-foot-long, male, African Rock Python. It had bite marks on its back which are believed to be from the dog. The snake was sent to the University of Florida for a necropsy.

"Why worry? They don't belong here, and they are absolutely huge," said Kenneth Kyrsko, a herpetologist at the University of Florida. "These are 15-foot snakes over 150 pounds. Do you want one of those living in your backyard?"

A B.C. woman has been attacked and critically injured by a cougar.

A spokesman with the Rescue Co-ordination Centre says the incident happened late Sunday afternoon on Flores Island in Clayoquot Sound, about 20 kilometres northwest of Tofino.

He says the 60-year-old victim, who lives on the remote island, was attacked from behind by the big cat.

A medevac helicopter could not reach the site because of poor weather so coast guard members stationed in Tofino rushed to the scene to transport the woman to Tofino by boat.

She was then airlifted to hospital elsewhere on Vancouver Island.

There's no word on her condition, but rescue officials say the woman's husband fought off the cougar and injured it, forcing it to retreat into the bush.

A snake is blamed for a one-hour power failure affecting 2,163 consumers in the Kinarut area, about 30km from here.

The snake had apparently caused an electrical trip in the 33KV power supply line from Papar to Kinarut after it was believed to have crawled between the wires at about 9.25am on Sunday.

Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd senior general manager Ahmad Fuad Kasim said a team found the dead snake hanging between the power lines.

They removed the carcass and restored power by 10.30am.

Among the areas affected were Kinarut town, Kampung Gusi, Taman Sungai Wang, Taman Rose Garden and Taman Kinarut Selatan.