Animals
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Camera

Magnificent yellow-crested bird photographed for the first time

Chen Ly
New Scientist
Wed, 21 Feb 2024 15:05 UTC
The first-ever photograph of the yellow-crested helmetshrike
© Matt Brady/The University of Texas at El PasoThe first-ever photograph of the yellow-crested helmetshrike
The yellow-crested helmetshrike was considered lost after going unseen for nearly 20 years - now an expedition has rediscovered what appears to be a healthy population in central Africa

A rare bird with a stunning yellow crest has been photographed for the first time in the tropical mountains of the Democratic Republic of the Congo - almost two decades after its last confirmed sighting.

The yellow-crested helmetshrike (Prionops alberti), also known as King Albert's helmetshrike, is a small bird that lives in the humid forests of the Albertine Rift mountains in central Africa. Adults are covered in glossy black plumage with a splendid crown of bright, golden feathers on their heads. Their eyes are surrounded by distinctive orange tissue called a wattle.
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Attention

Sperm whale dies in Osaka Bay, Japan

Mari Yamaguchi
ABC News
Thu, 22 Feb 2024 13:35 UTC
A whale confirmed dead in Osaka Bay in Sakai, Osaka Prefecture, on Monday | KYODO
© KYODOA whale confirmed dead in Osaka Bay in Sakai, Osaka Prefecture, on Monday
A whale as long as a train car that died after straying into a port in Osaka last month is set to be buried until it naturally becomes a skeletal specimen for a local museum.

It's the third year in a row that whales have become stranded in the area, raising questions about the reasons why and the cost of handling the incidents.

The animal is believed to be a male sperm whale, about 12 meters (39 feet) long and weighing an estimated 20 tons, and was earlier spotted in the Sakai Semboku Port in mid-January.

It had since been spotted in a number of locations in Osaka Bay, until Sunday, when a boat captain reported to the coast guard that the whale was not breathing. Prefectural officials and experts took a boat out to check on the whale and confirmed its death on Monday, presumably due to starvation.

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Doberman

Girl mauled to death by stray dogs in Uttar Pradesh, India - 10TH such fatality in 15 MONTHS for the Bijnor district


The Free Press Journal
Wed, 21 Feb 2024 12:11 UTC
dog attack
A eight-year-old girl was mauled to death by a pack of stray dogs in Bijnor district of Uttar Pradesh. Two other girls sustained injuries in the dog attack that took place at Nagla Maheshwari on Monday (February 19) evening. The deceased has been identified as Sonam. The district has recorded 10 deaths in separate dog attacks in the past 15 months, locals told a daily.

Sonam and two other girls were going to the fields where their father was working. They were carrying food for him. A pack of stray dogs suddenly attacked them. While Sonam suffered serious injuries on her neck, other two girls sustained injuries on their face, neck and limbs. Hearing their cries, farmers working in nearby fields came to the girls' rescue and rushed them to a hospital.

"Sonam died while undergoing treatment. The condition of other two girls is stable and they are out of danger. Further action is being taken," Sangram Singh, a police official, said.
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Attention

Basking shark washes up on Grand Manan Island, New Brunswick - experts say it is a rarity in winter


CBC News
Sun, 18 Feb 2024 14:11 UTC
Photographer Gary Weekes said the sight of a 7.6-metre basking shark is something he’d never experienced.
© Gary WeekesPhotographer Gary Weekes said the sight of a 7.6-metre basking shark is something he’d never experienced.
An unusual find on the southeast shore of Grand Manan Island is attracting the attention of locals and visitors.

A 7.6-metre basking shark washed up on the island's shore earlier this month.

Island resident Debbie Bath first came across the carcass while out for her evening walk.

"Just very surprised," said Bath of her reaction. "We didn't realize what it was until we got up to it and then it was the initial, 'Wow, this is a very large fish.'"

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Black Cat

Cougar attacks five mountain bikers on a trail in Washington state

Diba Mohtasham
kcrw.com
Mon, 19 Feb 2024 12:31 UTC
A cougar
© DreamstimeA cougar
A group of five cyclists were riding on a trail in Fall City, Wash., when they were attacked by at least one cougar this past weekend.

The incident occurred on Saturday around 12:30 p.m., according to the King County Sheriff's Office, in a wilderness area along Tokul Creek approximately five miles north of the city of Snoqualmie.

A 60-year-old female was hospitalized for non-life threatening injuries, but is in stable condition, according to a statement from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW).

"We are thankful that the victim is stable after the incident this weekend," said Lieutenant Erik Olson. "The people on scene took immediate action to render aid, and one of our officers was able to arrive within minutes to continue medical aid and coordinate transport. We may have had a very different outcome without their heroic efforts."
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Wolf

Stunning drone footage shows wolves digging tunnels through deep snow in northern China


Sky News
Mon, 19 Feb 2024 13:40 UTC
nnnnnn
Drone footage shows a pack of wolves digging tunnels through one-meter-thick snow in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous region.


Comment: Meanwhile in not too far away Kyrgyzstan: Snow as high as a horse falls in Kyrgyzstan

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Attention

Two women, three cows killed in wild elephant attack in Tamil Nadu, India


English.publictv.in
Sun, 18 Feb 2024 15:00 UTC
mmmmmm
Two women and three cows were trampled to death by a wild elephant near Aniyala on the Anekal border. The incident occurred when the villagers attempted to drive away the wild elephant that came to a farm. The elephant suddenly attacked those who were working in the farm and they died on the spot.

Of the two deceased women, one was identified as Ashwathamma. Following deaths of the two women, locals staged a protest by, blocking the roads with tree trunks.

Villagers expressed their outrage, accusing the forest department of failing to take appropriate action to stop the conflict between humans and elephants. People are dying due to repeated attacks by elephants, but the forest department is not taking any action, they charged.
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Fish

Dead oarfish found in the seas off Phuket, Thailand


Thaipbsworld.com
Sat, 17 Feb 2024 13:41 UTC
mmmmm
A rare deep-water Oarfish was caught in the net of a Thai trawler in the Andaman Sea, about 8 nautical miles from Phuket, on Thursday.

The fish, which is the second to be found in Thai waters, was already dead when it was hauled on board the trawler. It was, however, transferred to another boat bound for the fishing pier in Mueang district, because the trawler which caught it had yet to complete its fishing operations.

On being informed of the find, the provincial fisheries chief, Sitthiphol Muangsong, and officials from the Phuket Coastal Fisheries Research and Development Centre went to the pier to investigate.

The Oarfish remains were in good condition, measured at 2.85 metres long and weighing at 8.6kgs. It was subsequently taken to Thailand's National Science Museum for more detailed study.

The first dead Oarfish was found in the sea off Satun province on January 4 this year. That one was 2.4 metres long.


Comment: A day earlier: Giant 12-foot 'Harbinger of Doom' oarfish spotted bloody and disfigured on beach in Philippines, igniting natural disaster fears among locals

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Doberman

Man mauled to death by his dogs in Compton, Los Angeles

Amy Maetzold
CBS News
Sat, 17 Feb 2024 13:28 UTC
mmmmm
A 35-year-old man died after he was attacked by multiple dogs in the backyard of a home in Compton.

Authorities and paramedics responded to the scene around 7 a.m. on Friday after receiving a call from a woman who said her boyfriend was attacked by several dogs.

KCAL flew over the the scene, which appeared to be a breeding operation for large dogs.

Investigators believe the attack happened around 7 or 8 p.m. on Thursday evening.

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Fish

Giant 12-foot 'Harbinger of Doom' oarfish spotted bloody and disfigured on beach in Philippines, igniting natural disaster fears among locals

Shannon McGuigan
Daily Mail
Fri, 16 Feb 2024 14:43 UTC
A rare 12.5 foot oarfish which was discovered bloody and disfigured on the shore in Leyte province, Philippines
A rare 12.5 foot oarfish which was discovered bloody and disfigured on the shore in Leyte province, Philippines.
A rare 12.5-foot oarfish, which was discovered bloody and disfigured on the shore in Philippines, has ignited fears of an impending natural disaster.

The ribbon-shaped fish, which is also known as the 'Harbinger of Doom', was spotted to be heavily bleeding with severe injuries to its face by fisherman on Wednesday.

Its discovery has sparked fear amongst locals, as the more superstitious believe the sighting of the animal signals an impending earthquake.

In Japanese mythology the long creature are notorious for being a bad omen, dubbed 'ryugu no tsukai' or as messenger's from god's palace in the sea.

Around a dozen oarfish were washed ashore between 2010 and 2011 prior to the Tohoku earthquake which killed more than 20,000 - an argument many mystics used to support the theory.


Comment: A day later: Dead oarfish found in the seas off Phuket, Thailand

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