Animals
S


Snow Globe

27,000 Dead goats. Is it Pashminas turn next?

Baba Umar
tehelka.com
Fri, 10 May 2013 14:53 UTC
Since January, 13 percent of the Changra goats has been wiped out, threatening the lucrative Pashmina industry in the Kashmir Valley

This summer, Pashmina shawl weavers like Ashiq Ahmed have a tough choice to make. They can either buy raw wool at inflated rates or abandon the 600-year-old weaving craft.

In 2006, the ban on Shahtoosh (woven with the hair of the Tibetan antelope) left 50,000 weavers and an equal number of traders in the lurch in the Kashmir Valley. Now, the rise in the price of Pashmina wool after the death of 27,000 goats is threatening the industry's very existence.

"The price of 1 kg of Pashmina wool has gone up from Rs 9,000 to Rs 12,500. It will continue to rise. Thousands of shawl weavers, who earn just Rs 5,000 a month, will think twice before buying raw material at such prices," says Ahmed.

The crisis started in January when heavy snowfall in the Changthang hills of the Ladakh region in Jammu & Kashmir killed nearly 27,000 goats (13 percent of the total population), threatening supplies of silky Pashmina wool used to make fine and expensive shawls and scarves.

Changthang is located 175 km to the east of Leh on the border with China. The average altitude of the area is 14,600 ft above sea level. This area is also known as Rupsho Valley where the main occupation of the nomads is rearing yaks and Changra goats. The unforgiving winter makes the goats grow extremely warm and soft veneer, which is six times finer than human hair and is used to make Pashmina wool.

Usually, Changthang receives only 5 cm of snow in winters when temperatures dip to as low as -35°C. This year, it witnessed 121 cm of snowfall, which many say is a direct result of climate change.
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Fish

Fish kill reported on beaches of Ascension Island


The Islander
Sun, 27 Feb 2011 11:24 UTC
Ascension Island - Over the last few weeks we have been recording high numbers of dead fish washing up onto the beaches around the Island.

The same thing happened, at the same time of year, in 2008. A report was published recently, called 'Reef fish mass mortality event in an isolated island off Brazil, with notes on recent similar events at Ascension, St Helena and Maldives' by Hudson Pinheiro, Joao Gasparini and Jean-Christophe Joyeux. The report states that 'it is possible that blooms of toxic algae, under certain conditions, caused cascading intoxication along the trophic web. Toxic algae occur in other Atlantic oceanic islands and there are reports of algal blooms occurring in remote areas that suffer low human impact. A second hypothesis is that seasonal upwelling events of anoxic or hypoxic waters may be involved (the low oxygen content would be due to the resuspension of sediment and organic matter deposited at geological scales) often heavily loaded with hydrogen sulphide. Oxygen-poor waters of the Benguela upwelling have been reported to affect the southeastern Atlantic continental shelf and these waters, in years of strong Benguela upwelling, can even reach the Mid-Atlantic Ridge island of St Helena.' The full report is available to download from our website.

We are currently consulting with contacts in the UK and Falklands. I have sent them as much information as I have, including species affected, numbers, symptoms and photographs. They will be able to offer advice on the best course of action. I have also been in touch with one of the authors of 2010 report, this was his response.
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Question

Worst-ever baby southern right whale die-off continues to puzzle

Megan Gannon
LiveScience
Thu, 09 May 2013 16:56 UTC
Right Whale
© G. Harris/Wildlife Conservation SocietyA mother and calf pair of southern right whales in the waters of coastal Patagonia.
Scientists still don't know why hundreds of baby southern right whales are turning up dead around Patagonia, a decade after observers first saw signs of the worst die-off on record for the species, according to the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS).

With no evidence of infectious diseases or deadly toxins in whale tissue samples, scientists are scrambling to determine a cause of death. Some are even pointing a finger at blubber-eating birds.

The whales come to the peaceful Atlantic bays around Peninsula Valdes along Argentina's Patagonian Coast to give birth and raise their young. At least 605 dead right whales have been counted in the region since 2003, WCS officials say.

Of those, 538 were newborn calves. Last year, the mortality event was especially severe, with a record-breaking 116 whale deaths, 113 of them calves.

Despite extensive investigations, researchers have not been able to pinpoint why so many of those calves have been washing up dead at the region's remote beaches.
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Question

32 swans found dead at New Lake, Dunganaghy, Ireland


donegalnow.com
Thu, 09 May 2013 13:36 UTC
Results from dead swans could take two weeks
Image
It could take up to two weeks to identify the cause of death of 32 swans found at New Lake, Dunganaghy.

The swans were sent to the Department of Agriculture's Regional Veterinary Laboratory in Sligo for analysis.

A spokesperson for the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine told Donegal Now that the samples had only arrived on Tuesday. He said it was still too early to say what had caused the multiple deaths.

"It will probably take about 10 to 14 days to really understand what happened to them," he said.

Meanwhile members of the public are advised not to touch any dead birds they come across.
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Arrow Down

One-Third of U.S. Honeybee colonies died last winter, threatening food supply

Brandon Keim
beeinformed.org
Thu, 09 May 2013 13:03 UTC
Image
© Jennifer C/Flickr
Nearly one in three commercial honeybee colonies in the United States died or disappeared last winter, an unsustainable decline that threatens the nation's food supply.

Multiple factors - pesticides, fungicides, parasites, viruses and malnutrition - are believed to cause the losses, which were officially announced today by a consortium of academic researchers, beekeepers and Department of Agriculture scientists.

"We're getting closer and closer to the point where we don't have enough bees in this country to meet pollination demands," said entomologist Dennis vanEngelstorp of the University of Maryland, who led the survey documenting the declines.

Beekeepers lost 31 percent of their colonies in late 2012 and early 2013, roughly double what's considered acceptable attrition through natural causes. The losses are in keeping with rates documented since 2006, when beekeeper concerns prompted the first nationwide survey of honeybee health. Hopes raised by drop in rates of loss to 22 percent in 2011-2012 were wiped out by the new numbers.
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Question

Over 100 dead birds found in Danville & Pittsylvania County, Virginia


wset.com
Wed, 08 May 2013 09:20 UTC

Pittsylvania, Co., VA - The Department of Game and Inland Fisheries has been bombarded with reports of dead bird sightings throughout the Southside. Most of the birds were found Tuesday in Danville and Pittsylvania County.

Barbara Scott was shocked when her business's parking lot became a graveyard for more than 100 birds.

"That freaked me out," said Scott, manager of Penny-Wise Cleaners.

Scott says first she noticed feathers stuck to the front door, before she learned that was just the start.

"I was thinking this was crazy. How in the world did the bird fly into the door is what I was thinking," said Scott.

The Department of Game and Inland Fisheries received several reports of dead birds littering that parking lot and a number of others throughout Danville and Pittsylvania County.

"It's kind of a rare occurrence for song birds to end up being found dead from a natural incident," said Dan Lovelace, Department of Game and Inland Fisheries.

Still, Lovelace suspects the deaths can be attributed to the strong storms mixed with the bird's migration patterns.

"This time of year, the warblers and other birds are migrating at night so it's a good chance it is a weather related phenomena," said Lovelace.

Lovelace explains they have no reason to believe the deaths were caused by a toxin and at this point, people should not be concerned.

"I feel better but there still there is the question of why, how?" said Scott.

While most of the birds have now been cleaned up from the lot, Scott just hopes this will never happen again. After all, she says it can't be good for business.

Lovelace collected several birds from different locations and sent them to a lab to be tested. He says he cannot know the exact cause of death until he gets those results back.
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Alarm Clock

Arizona climber found dead, covered with bee stings


Myfoxny.com
Wed, 08 May 2013 20:34 UTC
A Tucson climber was found dead, hanging from a southern Arizona cliff in his hanging gear and covered with bee stings.

The Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office says 55-year-old Steven Johnson was found in the Santa Rita Mountains south of Tucson late Monday.
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Red Flag

Video of grieving pink dolphin mother underscores plight of disappearing species

Simon Parry and Hazel Knowles
South China Morning Post
Sun, 05 May 2013 10:48 UTC
Distressing scenes as a mother fought to stop her dead calf from sinking into HK's polluted waters have highlighted plight of iconic pink dolphins


An hour into their journey from Tung Chung pier, the 20 members of the boat party finally got what they had been waiting for - a close encounter with the remaining pink dolphins who still make their home in Hong Kong waters.

But as the boat edged closer to the dolphins in the Lung Kwu Chau Marine Park and the eager tourists reached for their cameras, their excitement quickly turned to shock and distress.

"There were about four or five dolphins in the water and it seemed at first as if they were trying to get hold of something and support it," said Ho Tak-ching, 34, a guide with Hong Kong Dolphinwatch. "It really wasn't normal behaviour."

The dolphins were trying to help a mother support the body of her dead calf and stop it slipping below the water's surface.

"I started to film and it was then that I noticed the dead baby calf. From its size and colour, I guessed it was a newborn. It was so depressing and so very sad. While I was taking the video I couldn't stop myself crying.

"There was a group of four or five dolphins taking turns with the mother to try to keep the baby on the surface of the water. We watched it for about 30 minutes.

"At first, I didn't want to mention it to the passengers. But then some of them noticed the dead baby. They asked me, 'How has this happened?' They seemed very upset. They asked if there was something we could do to help, but I said there was nothing we could do."

Grieving and unable to accept their calves' deaths, the mother dolphins will spend up to two weeks trying to keep them on the surface of the water, exhausting themselves and going without food as other dolphins rally to help them.

These displays of epimeletic, or care-giving, behaviour demonstrate the intelligence and compassion of dolphins.
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Question

German lake full of dead carp baffles officials


thelocal.de
Mon, 06 May 2013 04:29 UTC
Image
Volunteers have pulled 25 tonnes of dead carp out of a lake in eastern Germany - there are so many, locals are running out of boats. Regional officials have admitted they are baffled - only carp seem to be dying in the lake.

Dead silver carp started being found floating belly up on the surface of the Heyda lake, Thuringia, in mid-April. Since then, volunteers have scooped 25 tonnes of cadavers from the water, which is near the town of Ilmenau south of Erfurt.

On Saturday alone volunteers largely from the local angling club filled an 18,000-litre container more than half way, Der Spiegel magazine said. Helpers told the magazine that they expected the amount to double.

Tests performed on the fish showed no sign of bacteria or infection and no other fish have been found - just relatively mature silver carp, many of which had already started rotting.

This has left both town residents and experts baffled. A spokesman for the Ilm area administration, Eckhard Bauerschmidt, told The Local the council had been flooded with calls asking about the mass deaths, but they were still in the dark as to the cause.

A common killer of fish is poisonous algae, and although there are no obvious signs of deadly plant life, the head of the district authority has ordered that the water be tested every day to monitor any changes.
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Attention

3 more dolphins die in Indian River Lagoon

Jim Waymer
floridatoday.com
Tue, 07 May 2013 14:59 UTC
Bottlenose body count since Jan. 1 hits 30 Monday

Biologists removed three more dead bottlenose dolphins in the Indian River Lagoon Monday, bringing this year's total lagoon bottlenose body count to at least 30.

Staff from Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute performed onsite examinations of the three dolphins: two of them in Merritt Island and one in Rockledge.

At least 30 dolphins have died in the lagoon since Jan. 1, all but a few in Brevard, most near Merritt Island. That's more than twice what would be expected, based on the death rate during the past decade.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration already has declared the 100 or so manatee deaths in the lagoon since mid-2012 an Marine Mammal Unusual Mortality Event. The declaration triggers NOAA's own formal investigation. The federal agency is examining whether the dolphin and manatee deaths might be connected.

While the manatees die quickly, the dolphins show signs of a drawn-out syndrome. Most are found very thin, with enlarged spleens.

As many as 300 brown pelicans also have died in the lagoon region since February, maybe more. Those tested were negative for botulism and other common causes of bird death. They come in with heavy parasite counts.

About half the dolphins studied in the lagoon in the past decade suffer from some form of chronic infectious disease, suggesting compromised immune systems.

Researchers find levels of mercury - a potent neurotoxin - in the skin and blood of lagoon dolphins that are higher than in any other dolphins that have been studied. They also find high incidence of tumors, heart problems, cancer, stomach ulcers, skin lesions, genital herpes and other emerging ailments previously thought rare in dolphins.

Dolphins captured near Merritt Island, especially, test in poor health.

Researchers have pointed to water tainted by treated sewage and runoff as the possible cause.
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