Animals
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Alarm Clock

US: New Orlean's Audubon Zoo, located along Mississippi River, has no plans to evacuate animals

Dominic Massa
HoumaToday.com
Wed, 11 May 2011 16:58 UTC
While keeping a watchful eye on the nearby Mississippi River, officials at the Audubon Zoo say they have no plans to evacuate animals in the event of rising water.

There are plans in place for emergencies such as a flood, according to spokeswoman Sarah Burnette. However, she said those plans do not currently include evacuating animals.

Burnette pointed to disaster plans put into effect during Hurricane Katrina.

"In the hurricane, we gave many of the animals 'open house' so they could decide whether to be in the exhibit areas or in their nighthouse areas," she said in an email.
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Hourglass

U.S.: Sharks Dying by the Dozens Due to Internal Bleeding

Jennifer Viegas
Discovery News
Thu, 12 May 2011 20:56 UTC
leopard shark
© Upsilon AndromidaeLeopard Shark

Dozens of leopard sharks have been washing up dead in California since April, and now a necropsy shows at least one of the sharks died of massive internal bleeding, such that blood was even coming out of the shark's skin, according to a Daily News report.

The necropsy, conducted by the California Department of Fish and Game, uncovered "inflammation, bleeding and lesions in the brain, and hemorrhaging from the skin near vents." According to the Daily News story, bleeding was additionally detected around the tested female's other internal organs.
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Fish

U.S.: Dead walleye showing up by the thousands in Ohio

James Proffitt
The News Messenger
Fri, 13 May 2011 19:04 UTC
dead fish,walleye
© James Proffitt/News-MessengerThe city beach in Port Clinton is littered with dead walleye ranging from 15 to 24 inches.

Port Clinton -- As anglers from more than a dozen states are trying to figure out how to catch the largest walleye this week, Ohio Department of Natural Resources biologists will be trying to figure out what killed thousands of others recently.

"I'm hearing thousands or tens of thousands maybe, on the high side," said biologist and ODNR Lake Erie Program Administrator Roger Knight. "This is something out of the ordinary."

According to Knight, there are several possible causes.
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Fish

U.S.: Thousands of fish dead along I-210 beach

Kristian Claus and Brandon Richards
KPLC
Wed, 11 May 2011 22:17 UTC
Image

Lake Charles, Louisiana - Thousands of dead fish were discovered Wednesday, lining the shore of the I-210 beach.

Most of the fish washed ashore on the southwest corner of the beach.

Officials with the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries identified the fish as Shad, which are known to travel in huge schools and are more common in creeks.

Biologists collected samples of the fish to send off for testing. Though no official results are back, biologists said the fish kill was most likely caused by low oxygen levels. Low oxygen levels are usually caused by low tides and high temperatures and usually affect one species.

Fish kills are common along the Gulf Coast, especially during the summer months.

Since officials don't believe the fish pose any threat to humans or animals, the I-210 beach remains open.
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Bug

US: Cicadas Invade South After 13-Year Sleep


SkyNews
Thu, 12 May 2011 16:20 UTC
cicada
© UnknownThe last cicada swarm in the US was in Virginia in 2004
Another natural phenomenon has hit the Southern States as swarms of cicadas return after 13 years hibernating underground.

Every 13 years the inch-long insects emerge from their underground lairs to plague America's Deep South in a feeding and breeding frenzy.

It adds to the natural phenomena the region has battled with after tornadoes last month and floods in Mississippi this week.

Apart from their intense 120-decibel mating racket and the frustration of finding them in hair, clothes and lunch-boxes, they're completely harmless to humans.
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X

US: Second Wave of Mystery Pelican Deaths Hits Topsail Beach, North Carolina


Salem News
Wed, 11 May 2011 11:43 UTC
Image
© WWAY YV
A second wave of mysterious pelican injuries and deaths has occurred in the past several weeks at Topsail Island in North Carolina following earlier incidents about six months ago in which about 250 pelicans died as a result of still undetermined causes.

Necropsies in the fall of 2010 performed at the University of Georgia on the first group of Brown Pelicans were inconclusive as to cause of injury though there was no evidence of toxicological causes such as poisons. The newly found birds have also been sent to the university for analysis.

This recent incident involves about 30 pelicans that washed up on the shores either dead or so badly injured that they had to be euthanized. In an interview with WNCT-TV, Toni O'Neil of the Possumwood Acres Wildlife Sanctuary commented on the injuries to one bird "... [it] looks like a bomb has gone off in the wing. It's that shattered and smashed so completely".
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Heart - Black

Dozens of dolphins found dead in Ukraine


Xinhuanet
Tue, 10 May 2011 16:31 UTC
Image
© Unknown

Thirty one dolphins were found dead in the Crimean Peninsula in Southern Ukraine, the press office of the Emergencies Ministry in Crimea reported Tuesday.

According to officials, the dead dolphins were scattered in an area of 2 km along the coastal zone.

Experts said the probable cause of the mammalian deaths is getting into the fishing nets. The majority of the dolphins have visible wounds on their body, some of them have damaged or missing fins.
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Bizarro Earth

US: Great white zeroes in on whale off Vineyard

Joe Dwinell
Boston Herald
Fri, 06 May 2011 00:00 UTC
Image
© Jeff Lynch / Boston HeraldPhoto of a great white shark spotted near the carcass of a dead minke whale off Martha’s Vineyard.
Buddies out mackerel fishing today came upon a giant great white shark like they've never seen before "bumping" and "nudging" a dead whale and then circling their boat off Martha's Vineyard.

The line from the seminal shark flick "Jaws" quickly came to mind for the crew -- "We're gonna need a bigger boat."

The monster of the sea was "20 feet" long, said captain Jeff Lynch of Chilmark. "To see something that big was crazy. It was as big as my boat."

The shark had zeroed in on a dead minke whale that was tangled in lobster gear and died. The shark, he said, kept at the whale but never chomped down - possibly sensing it was long dead.

"I was very surprised to see it," Lynch told the Herald.
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Fish

US: Hundreds of fish die in Wichita park's pond

Fred Mann
The Wichita Eagle
Mon, 09 May 2011 18:51 UTC
dead fish
© Mike Hutmacher/The Wichita EagleHundreds of fish have died at Buffalo Park pond in west Wichita because of lack of water, and the city expects the toll to climb to about 1,000.
Hundreds of fish have died at Buffalo Park pond in west Wichita because of lack of water, and the city expects the toll to climb to about 1,000.

A combination of three factors have contributed to the kill, said Doug Kupper, the city's parks and recreation director.

The pond, near Central and Maize Road, has been leaking from the bottom and suffering from an invasive plant that has been removing oxygen from the water for a couple of years. Recent hot weather has evaporated more of the water, he said.
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Attention

New Zealand: Fears Bee Colony Collapse Has Arrived

Kiran Chug
Stuff.co
Sat, 07 May 2011 11:00 UTC
honeybee
© 1999, MC Cassine
Beekeepers fear an alarming phenomenon that is wiping out bees and leading to reduced food crops around the world has reached New Zealand.

Colony collapse disorder has caused American beekeepers to report losses of up to 90 per cent in some cases, prompting fears of crop shortages.

Honeybees are the planet's most effective pollinators, and industry leaders in New Zealand are calling for an investigation into the problem.

National Beekeepers Association joint chief executive Daniel Paul said reports coming in to the group were causing concern.

In the past six months, it had received reports of significant bee losses - up to 30 per cent in some places.

"It's significant enough to make us sit up and take notice."
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