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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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Red Flag

Tens of thousands of reindeer die of extreme weather in Russia's north


The Moscow Times
Tue, 13 May 2014 18:42 UTC
Reindeer
More than 60,000 reindeer died of starvation over winter and spring in the far northern Yamal-Nenets autonomous district, the regional governor's office said.

The high mortality rate is likely to have been caused by extreme weather conditions in the Arctic region, such as heavy rain and snow, which made it more difficult for the deer to feed themselves, the statement said, Interfax reported Tuesday.

A operation is now underway to herd the reindeers to greener pastures, though many of the animals may be too weak to travel, the statement said.
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Red Flag

Peeved pachyderms: 950 people trampled to death by elephants in Jharkhand, India since 2000

Amitabh Srivastava Ranchi
indiatoday.intoday.in
Wed, 25 Sep 2013 10:24 UTC
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In an apparent act of area domination, a herd of elephants on Saturday trampled one Mahesh Singh Munda, a Jharkhand forest department menial, to death. Munda was returning to his house in Tamad near Jharkhand's capital Ranchi on Saturday when he came face to face with a group of elephants. He could not escape.

Munda's untimely death is not a standalone incident of elephants killing humans in Jharkhand, where they once co-existed peacefully for decades. Today, both human and elephants have overlapping territories in Jharkhand. Consequently, the relations between the two have become bellicose with over 950 people trampled to death by elephants since the creation of Jharkhand in November, 2000. The figure is scary. Simply put, the pachyderms have been killing a person in Jharkhand every fifth day.

A large number of these deaths have been caused by the rampaging elephants, many of whom have developed a taste for mahua (local intoxicant used for preparing liquor).
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Info

Peeved pachyderms: Forest worker killed by elephant in Bandipur tiger reserve, India


The Times of India
Sat, 10 May 2014 10:11 UTC
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© Moorthy Gounder/ Wikimedia CommonsPrime elephant habitat consists of forested areas
A forest staff has been killed by wild elephant inside the Bandipur tiger reserve on Friday night.

Lokesh (38), a resident of Mukti Colony in Gundulpet in Chamarajnagar district, was patrolling the forest area deep inside the tiger sanctuary when he was attacked. He died on the spot, Bandipur tiger reserve director H C Kantharaju said.

The forest department is planning to extend Rs 5 lakh compensation to the family of the deceased like for others who are killed by the wild animals.

Lokesh, a guard with eight years experience, was patrolling in Kamapura area along with another ground staff. He excused himself to attend nature's call at around 7 pm when his colleagues went ahead. When he didn't join them after a lapse of some 20 minutes, they came back to search him and found him dead. The injuries on him and the movement of the wild elephants established that he was killed by the pachyderms. Kantharaju told The Sunday Times of India that Lokesh was found dead at the spot. He was a permanent employee and has three daughters, the eldest studying in SSLC.
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Alarm Clock

How perilous is bird life? The numbers are huge and a warning to humanity

Dave Golowenski
The Columbus Dispatch
Sun, 11 May 2014 09:38 UTC
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© Gerald Herbert | ASSOCIATED PRESSA U.S. Fish and Wildlife officer picks up dead birds on North Breton Island, La., on May 20, 2010, about a month after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill began in the Gulf of Mexico. The latest estimate of birds killed from the spill: 800,000.
Birds have a more intimate and enduring relationship with humans than the one that occurs around a fried chicken bucket.

As most know, the act of carrying a caged canary into a coal mine used to be a method for the carrier to save his comrades in the event of deadly gas buildup in a dark, leaky shaft. Enlightened miners took a canary's dropping dead as a strong suggestion that prolonging their own lives depended on a quick flight to fresh air.

The first requirement of such an alarm system is to pay attention. The second is to accept that the physical world is ruled by cause and effect rather than magic. The third consists of the willingness to rationally assess a situation - hastily, if need be - and only then to act.

May is generally accepted as the month when the spring migration peaks. The return of birds, their singing and their good-natured showiness contribute a fair measure of what makes May merry.

Humans have a connection with birds that works at multiple levels, including the inspiration for flight.
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Info

Three of a family trampled to death by an elephant in Nagaon, India


The Times of India
Mon, 12 May 2014 13:23 UTC
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The mother of the children also sustained critical injuries in the attack and is under treatment at Nagaon civil hospital.
Three members of a family, including two children, were trampled to death by a wild elephant at Kaliabor in Nagaon district early on Sunday. The mother of the children also sustained critical injuries in the attack and is under treatment at Nagaon civil hospital.

In another incident, an adult male leopard was beaten to death by villagers at Kakojan area in Jorhat district on Sunday. Forest staff reached the spot after the incident and brought the carcass for autopsy.

The incident of the killing of a father and his two children by the elephant occurred at Hargaon village in Sakmuthia tea garden around 1am on Sunday. A wild elephant came out from the nearby Karbi hills around midnight in search of food and entered Hargaon village inside the tea garden. The pachyderm damaged a house of the village and attacked the family members while they were asleep. Three of them died on the spot.
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Wolf

Grey wolf seen in Iowa for first time in 89 years - shot dead

Jeremy Hance
The Guardian
Mon, 12 May 2014 13:08 UTC
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© APGrey wolves have been confirmed as far west as California and Oregon and as far east as Michigan
DNA testing has confirmed that an animal shot in February in Iowa's Buchanan County was in fact a wolf, according to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. This is the first confirmed grey wolf (Canis lupus) in the US state since 1925.

Experts believe the wolf likely travelled south from Wisconsin or Minnesota, the latter of which has the largest wolf population in the lower 48.

The Iowa wolf, which was a 65-70 pound healthy female, was shot and killed in February of this year by a hunter who mistook it for a coyote. Although wolves remain a protected species in Iowa, the hunter was not cited, because he believed the animal to be a coyote and has cooperated with authorities, including bringing the wolf to them in the first place.

"I was surprised but not that surprised," DNA specialist Vince Evelsizer told the Gazette. "Large animals can cover great distances, and state lines mean nothing to them."

After being nearly exterminated across the continental US, grey wolves have returned to many states in the last two decades, both due to reintroductions and populations migrating from Canada. Grey wolves have been confirmed as far west as California and Oregon and as far east as Michigan.
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Binoculars

Birds attack people near store in Channelview, Texas

Marcelino Benito
khou.com
Wed, 07 May 2014 07:18 UTC
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Two bird attacks in two days in Channelview have people who frequent the Chrome Shop wondering what's going on. Both incidents were caught on camera.

"We got some kamikaze birds," said Lonny Sieger.

A trucker named Benny Hines was just walking back to his rig when the first incident happened.

"If you watch the video you can see the bird swoop down," said Sieger.

"I took off my cap and started waving them away," said Hines over the phone. "All of a sudden it was more than one bird."

First one bird, then in seconds, three others.

"He was running, and I mean running," said Sieger.

"Running for fear of his life," added Michelle Bradley.

And the birds were close behind.

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