Animals
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Eye 2

Giant 25-foot long snake beaten to death with sticks in Mexico

Julian Robinson
Daily Mail, UK
Sun, 29 Jun 2014 13:16 UTC
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The huge 25ft snake killed by Mexican villagers who feared the creature was so big it could have swallowed a child
* Villagers attacked the 25ft snake with sticks before cutting off its head

* Residents in Benito Juarez, Mexico, feared creature could swallow a child

* Conservationists hit out at the killing saying those who did it face charges

* Some villagers blamed the snake for disappearance of young animals

A giant 25ft snake was beaten to death by Mexican villagers - who feared the creature was so big it could have swallowed a child.

Frightened residents also cut the head off the huge animal after it was spotted lying alongside a railway track.

Rail passengers raised the alarm after they saw the snake from their train as it pulled into the village of Benito Juarez, in a remote part of the southeast Mexican state of Tabasco.
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Attention

Dead Humpback whale found off Mull, Scotland

Susy Macaulay
Island News and Advertiser
Sat, 28 Jun 2014 09:19 UTC
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Scotland's first full post-mortem of a humpback whale - found dead at Fishnish on Mull this week - was carried out yesterday by veterinary pathologists with the assistance of conservation charity Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust.

The seven-metre, eight-ton animal - believed to be the first humpback whale ever to strand on Mull - was discovered floating close to shore on Wednesday 25 June, and was craned out of the sea the following evening. The male calf had not recently been feeding and was probably still dependent on its mother.

Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust's Science and Strandings Officer Dr Conor Ryan, who is an expert on humpback whales, assisted with a post-mortem examination with veterinary pathologist Andrew Brownlow of Scottish Rural University College to establish the cause of death. Preliminary results from the examination were consistent with drowning, although the cause is unclear.

"This highly unusual and sad discovery is a reminder that Scotland's west coast waters are extremely special and host a great variety of marine species, including magnificent and iconic humpback whales - and that conservation action and research are vital for the protection of such remarkable animals," said Dr Ryan.
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Attention

Dead Humpback whale washes ashore at Montaña de Oro, California

David Sneed
The Tribune
Wed, 02 Jul 2014 12:43 UTC
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© VERA VON RAUNERA dead humpback whale has washed up on the beach at Montaña de Oro.
State Parks officials say people should avoid going near the decomposing carcass for health and safety reasons

A dead 35-foot-long humpback whale has washed up on a beach at Montaña de Oro State Park.

The whale washed up on a beach just north of Hazard Reef late Friday morning. Based on its size, the animal was probably a juvenile, said Vince Cicero, senior environmental scientist with State Parks.

Scientists with the National Marine Fisheries Service and the Marine Mammal Center examined the whale over the weekend and determined that it was too decomposed to do a necropsy.

"It had probably been dead a while before it washed ashore," Cicero said.

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Attention

Dead Bryde's whale found washed ashore in Samut Prakarn province,Thailand


englishnews.thaipbs.or.th
Tue, 01 Jul 2014 14:02 UTC
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A dead Bryde's whale weighs about 11 tons was washed ashore in Phra Samut Chedi district of Samut Prakarn province.

The whale is 11 metres long. It was found by residents near the Phra Chulachomklao fortress shore.

It was not known the cause of death of this sea mammal but locals said they spotted the dead whale in the sea a few days earlier but could do nothing because of its size.

It was until yesterday that the dead whale was washed ashore.

Officials from the Marine Resources Research and Development Centre in the Gulf of Thailand have inspected the body of the whale but could not find a cause yet.
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Black Cat 2

Mountain lion strolls through shopping mall in Salt Lake City

Richard Hartley-Parkinson
Daily Mirror, UK
Sat, 28 Jun 2014 13:07 UTC
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Mountain lion casually walks through shopping mall
The cougar wandered through the centre, in Salt Lake City, before settling down in the doorway of a steak restaurant

This isn't something you expect to see on a normal shopping trip - a mountain lion having a browse.

Shoppers were stunned when they spotted the wild animal, also known as a cougar, puma or panther, relaxing outside a doorway before taking a stroll through the mall.

The big cat was caught on camera wandering through the Jordan Commons Centre, in Sandy, Salt Lake City, in Utah, at about 8am yesterday.

Leesha Francis, who works in an office in the mall, said she was scared when she saw the animal sitting in the doorway of a steakhouse in the mall.

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Attention

Stranded humpback whale dies in Mooloolaba marina, Australia


The Queensland Times
Sun, 29 Jun 2014 12:06 UTC
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SAD TRIP: Water Police towed the dead humpback whale out to sea after it washed up in Mooloolaba River.
A sick humpback whale that touched the hearts of people along the Sunshine Coast has finally died.

The 6.5m mammal was first seen off the Gold Coast a week ago and slowly swam north, reaching the Mudjimba area by Thursday.

On Friday it returned south and attracted a large crowd as it rubbed against the rock wall at the mouth of the Mooloolah River.

But as darkness fell on Friday night, the young whale swam quietly into the river and passed away overnight.

A spokesman for the Department of Environment and Heritage Protection said the whale stranded itself within the Mooloolaba marina, where it died under a pontoon.

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Cloud Lightning

Monster storms bring rare seabird visitors to New Zealand

John Weekes
The New Zealand Herald
Sun, 29 Jun 2014 10:57 UTC
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© Renee Henderson-VousdenOne of the giant petrels which have been rescued by New Zealand Bird Rescue over recent weeks.
Conservationists are puzzled at a freaky phenomenon blamed on this winter's monster storms.

A bird rescue centre is caring for six giant petrels after concerned members of the public found the birds in distress.

New Zealand Bird Rescue's Lyn MacDonald said in 27 years working at the shelter, she'd never had more than one giant petrel at a time. In fact, she rarely saw more than one a year. Each of the six birds now at the shelter arrived separately over the past few weeks.

The latest, found near Muriwai, arrived yesterday.

MacDonald believed the most rational explanation lay with wild storms of the last few weeks causing the birds to be blown off course. Yet there were plenty of similar storms over the last quarter-century, and no subsequent increase in wounded petrel sightings.
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Ice Cube

Wrong time, wrong place: Rare Arctic Beluga whale seen in Massachusetts

Lucy Nalpathanchil & Heather Brandon
wnpr.org
Thu, 26 Jun 2014 10:31 UTC
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© A. Lyskin IFAWA Beluga whale sighted in the Taunton River.
In Connecticut, we're used to seeing Beluga whales at Mystic Aquarium, but residents in Fall River, Massachusetts are getting an unusual sight in an unusual place. A Beluga whale was spotted in the Taunton River over the past several days.

"It's very rare to see a Beluga by itself this far south," Dr. Tracy Romano of Mystic Aquarium told WNPR. "It was last sighted here a week ago, on the 18th."

Romano, Mystic Aquarium's Executive Vice President of Research and Zoological Operations, is leading the team while it looks for the whale in the Taunton River. She said Belugas prefer Arctic and sub-arctic waters, and travel in pods. "This unusual sighting in our own back yard is anomalous behavior for a Beluga," she said, "and we would like to find out why."
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Health

Black bear attacks Morgantown area woman, West Virginia


pittsburgh.cbslocal.com
Sat, 28 Jun 2014 17:08 UTC
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© Mt. Lebanon Police dash cam
A Morgantown area woman is recovering after being attacked by a black bear.

Kelly Dale tells The Dominion Post that she walked into a dangerous situation Wednesday night, when she found herself between a mother bear and its cub. The enraged bear swatted at her head and straddled her after knocking her down.

The attack lasted only about five seconds but left Dale with a lacerated scalp, bruised ribs and a sprained ankle.

Dale says that as a mother herself, she really can't blame the bear. In her words: "She was just doing what she was supposed to do."

Earlier this month, officials were investigating a bear sighting in Mt. Lebanon.

A black bear was seen leaving Mt. Lebanon and Castle Shannon, headed into Bethel Park. A Mt. Lebanon Police dash cam captured the bear running across the road.
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Black Cat

Tiger jumps onto boat, snatches man and leaps back into Sunderbans jungle, India

Monotosh Chakraborty
The Times of India
Fri, 27 Jun 2014 11:52 UTC
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© PTI photoThis is the fourth time that a human was killed by a tiger in the Sunderbans this year.
The danger of venturing into the prohibited areas of Sunderbans was revealed again on Thursday morning when a tiger jumped from the bank of a creek and leapt back with a man in its jaws. This is the fourth time that a human was killed by a tiger in the Sunderbans this year.

The victim, 62-year-old Sushil Majhi, lived in Lahiripur near Datta river, less than kilometre from a creek that runs deep into the forest. Along with his son Jyotish, 40, and adopted daughter Molina, Majhi would often row up the creek to catch crabs.

On Thursday, at the crack of dawn, the three set out on a boat to the forests of Kholakhali, an area where fishing is banned.
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