Animals
S


Sherlock

Dropping sea temperatures: Mysterious appearance of sea turtles on British Columbia, Canada beaches baffles experts


The Province
Fri, 09 Dec 2011 06:20 UTC
Image
© Nick Procaylo, PNGDr. Marty Haulena tends to a sick green sea turtle at the Vancouver Aquairium.
For the third time in two weeks a green sea turtle - a prehistoric species that's 150 million years old and that's now threatened - has washed up on B.C.'s shores, a rare appearance that's baffling ocean experts.

The sub-adult male was spotted by a visitor on Combers Beach in Pacific Rim National Park on Wednesday, the Vancouver Aquarium said Friday.

The giant turtle - females can weigh up to 200 kgs -- was in poor shape and wasn't expected to survive, said Dr. Dennis Thoney on Friday at the aquarium, where the turtle was transported for an examination.

"It's just too far gone," he said. "If they're on the shore, that's usually an indication there's something wrong with them."
Read More...
Heart

Yakutian Hachiko in bitter vigil for dead mate


Russia Today
Fri, 09 Dec 2011 15:05 UTC
Image
© UnknownYakutian Hachiko in bitter vigil for dead mate
A stray dog in Russia's Far East stood on guard beside his dead mate in biting cold for over two weeks. The "Yakutian Hachiko" tried to warm her up with his own body.

The two stray dogs had been guarding local garages until one of them was allegedly poisoned. The other refused to leave his dead pal's side even when the temperature dropped to -50 degrees Celsius.

He was nicknamed the "Yakutian Hachiko" after a Japanese dog remembered for his remarkable loyalty to his dead owner, waiting for him at a train station for seven years.

After the story was posted online, Yakutian animal lovers started bringing food to the dog. Later, they decided to take him to a shelter until new owners could be found, fearing he might die of cold.
Read More...
Wolf

Teacher Candice Berner mauled to death by wolves in Alaska


huffingtonpost.co.uk
Wed, 07 Dec 2011 21:13 UTC
Image
Teacher Candice Berner was mauled to death by a pack of wolves while she was out jogging, it has been confirmed.

The 32-year-old's body was discovered by members of the public, severely mauled and in a pool of blood. Multiple tracks were in the snow, leading locals to suspect the teacher had been attacked by wild animals.

A report released to by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game confirmed Berner was killed by wolves a mile outside small fishing village Chignik Bay, on the Alaska Peninsula. A medical examiner cited cause of death as "multiple injuries due to animal mauling", the Sun reported.

DNA from two wolves which were shot in the area shortly after the attack was a match with DNA found on Candice's clothing. But experts said it was impossible to determine if the wolves attacked to defend their territory or the animals had hunted her.
Read More...
Question

India: Scores of Siberian Flamingos Electrocuted in Gujarat


BBC
Thu, 01 Dec 2011 00:06 UTC
Flamingos
© DK Sharma, Chief Conservator of Forests in GujaratAn unprecedented number of flamingos have arrived in Gujarat this year.

At least 139 flamingos have died after being electrocuted by high tension wires in the Indian state of Gujarat, forest officials say.

The birds were part of nearly half a million flamingos who have migrated from Siberia to breed in the warm marshy areas of the state's coast.

Officials said the birds possibly got disturbed by traffic at night and flew into the newly installed wires.

Measures have now been taken to stop them from coming near the wires.

'Unprecedented numbers'

"The post-mortem has confirmed that the flamingos died from electrocution," Dinesh Kumar Sharma, chief conservator of forests in Gujarat, told the BBC.

"We have deployed forest officials in the area. We have also put up reflectors and flags to ensure that the birds don't come near the wires," he said.
Read More...
Question

One of the world's worst invasive species, the Argentine ant, is mysteriously disappearing from New Zealand

Micheller Cooke
Stuff.co.nz
Sat, 03 Dec 2011 13:09 UTC
Image
© UnknownDisappearing: The Argentine ant.
One of the world's worst invasive species, the Argentine ant, is mysteriously disappearing from New Zealand.

The Argentine ant poses a huge risk to horticulture and is a threat to native species.

They attack birds, have been known to eat lizards in New Zealand and the World Conservation Union classed them as one of the world's 100 worst invasive species.

The small, brown insects were first found in New Zealand in 1990 and have spread throughout the North Island, usually attracted to warm climates like Northland and Hawke's Bay. Their colonies reach as far south as Christchurch.

But, the population has just started dying off, though the reason for their deaths is unclear, Victoria University associate professor Phil Lester said.

Lester and masters student Meghan Cooling concluded the species naturally collapses after about 10 to 20 years.

The pair assessed about 150 sites throughout the country that have been populated by the ants.
Read More...
Bizarro Earth

US: Stranded dolphin improving, fifth dead dolphin found in Mississippi

Harlan Kirgan
Gulf Live
Wed, 30 Nov 2011 08:54 UTC
dolphin
© The Mississippi Press/Kaija WilkinsonInstitute Director Moby Solangi watches a dolphin that was stranded on the beach in Fort Morgan, Alabama, make circles in its pool at the Institute for Marine Mammal Studies on Saturday, Nov. 26, 2011.

Gulfport, Mississippi -- A stranded dolphin found alive in the marsh near Fort Morgan, Alabama continues to improve, said Moby Solangi, director of the Institute for Marine Mammal Studies at Gulfport.

Another dead dolphin, the fifth in the past week, was found at Waveland on Monday, he said.

"They are all about the same age, which is the group of animals that would have been born earlier this year in February and March," Solangi said. "They were less than a year old and still dependent on their mothers."

All the dead dolphins were about 5½-feet long, he said.
Read More...
Fish

US: Massive Estero Bay fish kill a mystery

Kevin Lollar
News-press.com
Sat, 26 Nov 2011 09:25 UTC
fish kill,estro bay
© Brian Hirten/news-press.comKatie McFarland, an FGCU marine biology graduate student, prepares a dead mullet for testing.
Florida - It's a mystery: Something is killing mullet in Estero Bay, but nobody knows what.

Katie McFarland, an FGCU graduate student, first saw large numbers of dead mullet floating in the bay and washed up along the shoreline Friday.

Saturday morning, McFarland took another trip onto the bay to take water samples and saw hundreds of mullet between FGCU's Vester Field Station and New Pass.
Read More...
Bacon

Mexico to Cull 50,000 Wild Boars Invading from US Border


Agence France Presse
Mon, 21 Nov 2011 00:00 UTC
Image
© (AFP/DPA/File, Patrick PleulMexican officials have unveiled plans to slaughter some 50,000 wild boars that have crossed the border from the US
Mexican officials have unveiled plans to slaughter some 50,000 wild boars that have crossed the border from the United States and now threaten agriculture in Mexico.

The Ministry of Environment in Chihauha state said some 1,500 hectares (3,700 acres) of farmland in the border town of Ojinaga have been affected by the large number of feral pigs that have come from Presidio County, Texas.

"We must get rid of these European wild boars because they sleep overnight on US soil during the day and cross over to the Mexican side to feed," Ignacio Legarreta, a state official, told local media.
Read More...
Bizarro Earth

Last of 91 Whales Stranded in Australia, New Zealand Dies

Nick Perry
The Guardian, UK
Wed, 16 Nov 2011 12:00 UTC
Image
© AP PhotoPeople gather in the water around stranded pilot whales.
Rescuers have been unable to save the last surviving sperm whale from separate mass-strandings in Australia and New Zealand that have seen 91 whales die since the weekend.

Though whale strandings are relatively common in both countries, the past few days have been particularly tough for conservation authorities.

In all, 24 sperm whales and two minke whales died in a stranding on and around remote Ocean Beach in Tasmania. In an equally remote New Zealand location, the tip of Farewell Spit in the South Island, 65 pilot whales died.

Australian authorities were trying to guide the last surviving sperm whale to open water from Macquarie Harbour when the whale died late Wednesday. They had earlier managed to free two sperm whales from the harbor, which is located near Ocean Beach.

"We did everything possible to save this whale," said Liz Wren, a spokeswoman for the Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service. She said the whale appeared to be swimming strongly before it died at about 7 p.m.
Read More...
Fish

Thousands of piranhas invade popular Brazilian tourist beach


smh.com.au / Associated Press
Thu, 17 Nov 2011 09:47 UTC
Image
© Unknown
Thousands of flesh-eating piranhas have infested a beach popular with tourists in western Brazil and have bitten at least 15 unwary swimmers.

Officials in the city of Caceres in Mato Grosso state say this is the first time they have had a problem with piranhas at the Daveron beach on the Paraguay river, where the aggressive fish began schooling about two weeks ago.

"People have got to be very careful. If they're bitten, they've got to get out of the water rapidly and not allow the blood to spread," firefighter Raul Castro de Oliveira told Globo TV's G1 website yesterday.

Elson de Campos Pinto, 22, was bitten on Sunday.

"I took a dip in the river and when I stood up, I felt pain in my foot," Pinto told G1.

"I saw that I had lost the tip of my toe. I took off running out of the river, afraid that I would be further attacked because of the blood. I'm not going back in for a long time."

City officials said the beach will remain open because it's an important draw for tourists in Brazil's Pantanal region, known for its ecotourism.
Read More...