Animals
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Attention

18 dead bison found in pasture at Fort Belknap, Montana

David Murray
Great Fallls Tribune
Thu, 09 Jul 2015 13:49 UTC
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© Richard PetersonThe first calf born to the transferred Yellowstone Park bison herd at the Fort Peck Reservation was born April 22, 2012. Eighteen bison from this original herd were found dead on the Fort Belknap Reservation last Sunday.
Multiple official sources have confirmed that the bodies of 17 dead bison were discovered over the Fourth of July weekend near a watering trough on the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation. The exact cause of the bison deaths remains under investigation, but the sudden demise of so many animals is raising concerns from both tribal members and area ranchers.

Repeated requests for comment from Fort Belknap tribal officials went unanswered Wednesday, however, a Facebook posting by the head of tribe's buffalo management program fleshes out the details of what is known.

"There were 17 head of buffalo that were found dead on Saturday mid-morning," states a post from buffalo wrangler Bronc Speak Thunder, "so between Thursday night and Saturday morning something happened that is yet to be determined. Also, one appeared in good shape and no symptoms of being anything wrong died between the time I left Sunday night to early Monday morning, making it 18 total."
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Attention

Dead sperm whale found for the first time near Singapore

Audrey Tan, Chew Hui Min
The Straits Times
Fri, 10 Jul 2015 17:40 UTC
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© Lim YaohutThe sperm whale carcass being pulled onto land at Tuas Marine Transfer Station.
A sperm whale's 10m-long carcass was found floating off Jurong Island on Friday morning.

The species had never previously been found in the waters around Singapore or peninsular Malaysia.

Oil industry worker Mr Jailani Salleh told The Straits Times that he spotted the dead mammal under a jetty at around 7.45am and posted a video of it on Facebook.

Mr Marcus Chua, curator of mammals and birds at the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum, was informed and told The Straits Times it was an "exciting find". It is to be studied by scientists.

The museum will now work to preserve the specimen, believed to be a young adult. A museum volunteer then informed Mr Chua about the incident at about 9.30am.

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Black Cat

12 deaths in animal attacks this year in Uttarakhand, India, situation alarming

Jotirmay Thapliyal
The Tribune (India)
Thu, 09 Jul 2015 16:33 UTC
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Twelve persons have lost their lives in wild animal attacks this year indicating that the man-animal conflict in Uttarakhand has reached an alarming proportion.

The death of two sisters in Chamoli in a leopard attack is the latest incident in the series of man-animal conflicts in the state. Leopards have killed five persons in June.

Experts say the death toll might break the all-time record by the year-end. Rapid changes in the forest eco-system, mainly owing to excessive human intervention and climate change, have been forcing wild animals to stray into human habitations frequently.

Since the formation of the state, 400 persons have fallen prey to leopards. The wildlife authorities, despite their best efforts, have failed to curb the increase in the fatal animal attacks on humans.

The coming months will be more challenging for the wildlife authorities as rains increase vegetation growth and thickens bushes and foliage, thereby, providing adequate cover to prowling leopards.
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Eye 2

Portents and signs: Two-headed lizard hatched in Birkenhead, UK


The Daily Star (Bangladesh)
Sat, 27 Jun 2015 19:47 UTC
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Rare two-headed lizard
It looks more like something from the TV series Game of Thrones, only this two headed dragon is just a couple of inches long.

The rare two-headed lizard hatched from a clutch of eggs being incubated by a reptile breeder in Birkenhead in the Wirral, Merseyside in the UK.

The tiny leatherback bearded dragon has two separate heads but shares the same body, legs and tail.

Although rare, the condition, a form of polycephaly, most commonly occurs in reptiles - particularly in snakes - and is thought to be the source for mythological monsters.

The bearded dragon, which has been named Olaf after the snowman character in Disney's Frozen, is thought to be one of only four bearded dragons known to have hatched with two heads in the world.

Stephan Evans, 34, who has been breeding bearded dragon lizards for 17 years, discovered the two headed creature on Thursday while checking a clutch of eggs.
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Eye 2

Portents and signs: Rare two-headed Russell's viper born in Hyderabad, India

Alekya Ettaboina
indread.com
Tue, 23 Jun 2015 19:35 UTC
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A rare and dangerous snake Russell’s viper gave birth to two-headed one at the shelter of the Friends of Snakes Society in city.
Recently for a group of animal activists from Hyderabad, Russell's viper was saved by the organisation. As per details saved Russell's viper gave birth to 18 live young ones all are healthy but one was born with two heads in a case of rare genetic condition at Friends of Snakes Society's shelter.

As per the members of the NGO, this is the first time in two decades of the organizations where a dangerous snake birth to two-headed young one. The members of organization observing that one with genetic condition called polycephaly.

Avinash Visvanathan, general secretary of the society said that "Dangerous snake Russell's viper gave birth to 18 young one, among those 17 are healthy and one was born with two heads due to the genetic condition. This may occur normally in wild, however those will not alive for long period. Both heads of snake were functional, still processing two heads is a disadvantage in terms of flexibility and management. They may hunt for food till adulthood or might be face death due to inefficient hunting abilities".

This two headed Russell's viper will be kept in captivity at the shelter and care will provide to it.
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Attention

2 dolphins die on beach at San Simeon Cove, California

Kathe Tanner
The Cambrian
Wed, 08 Jul 2015 19:22 UTC
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© Carolyn SkinderThis baby dolphin died after being found on the beach at San Simeon Cove.

Two dolphins were found early Monday, July 6, on the beach at San Simeon Cove.

The adult marine mammal was dead when it was spotted under the San Simeon Pier. The baby dolphin, found somewhat north of that, died as trained rescuers frantically tried to keep it alive, even though they knew the odds were heavily stacked against that effort being successful.

It's not known yet whether the two short-beak common dolphins were together, perhaps as mother and her about 3-foot-long baby.

"It was heartbreaking, so sad" to hear the dying baby calling out, said Carolyn Skinder, program coordinator for the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary's southern region. She was one of those called for the rescue effort.

Officials say they don't yet know what killed the animals.

Skinder said the carcasses have been shipped to Sausalito, where scientists will do necropsies (the animal equivalent of an autopsy). They hope to determine whether the two dolphins were related, and what may have killed them.
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Attention

Dead minke whale washes ashore on beach in Babylon, New York


7online.com
Thu, 09 Jul 2015 19:06 UTC
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© Riverhead FoundationDead minke whale
Experts are investigating the death of a 12-foot minke (MIHNK'-ee) whale found on a Long Island beach.

Rob DiGiovanni of the Riverhead Foundation for Marine Research and Preservation says the whale was found Wednesday night at Robert Moses State Park.

He says the adult male appears to be about 3 years old. The whale appeared to have shark bites, but he says that may have happened after it died.

A necropsy is being performed to determine the cause of death.

DiGiovanni says minke whales are common in the waters off Long Island.

In recent weeks, a humpback and a True's beaked whale have also washed up on Long Island beaches.

Source: The Associated Press.
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Snowflake

2,000 alpacas killed by snowstorm in Peru

Robert Felix
iceagenow.info
Wed, 08 Jul 2015 14:51 UTC
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© Correo PunoAlpacas
Although data of the losses caused by the snowstorm last weekend are still being consolidated, regional deputy manager and head of the Civil Defense Operations Center Regional Emergency (COER), German Chaiña Quispe gave some preliminary scope.

He said that eight provinces received snowfall, with the hardest hit being San Antonio de Putina, Carabaya and Sandia.

Snow killed more than two thousand alpacas in Puno, while more than 2000 families and 73 thousand animals were harmed in the town of Ananea.

He added that the other affected districts are Quilcapunyo, Putina and Sina.

Thanks to Argiris Diamantis for this link
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Binoculars

Lost yellow-nosed albatross from the South Atlantic turns up near Reykjavík, Iceland

Emilía S. Ólafsdóttir Kaaber
Iceland Review
Wed, 08 Jul 2015 12:57 UTC
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© Jared MeinAtlantic yellow-nosed albatross and whale
Last week a tourist on a whale-watching trip in Faxaflói, just outside Reykjavík, was attempting to photograph a humpback whale when a bird interrupted the shot.

Upon further inspection, the bird was discovered to be an albatross, and likely an Atlantic yellow-nosed albatross, a rare sight so far north.

Bird-watching enthusiast Mike King shared the photo, taken by his nephew Jared Mein, on Twitter, where it was noticed by Birding Iceland.

"Albatrosses are rarely found in the Atlantic region of the northern hemisphere. The species that live in the Atlantic are all native to the southern hemisphere, and some are known to go into the northern hemisphere of the Pacific Ocean. So this is a bird far outside of its normal territory," ornithologist Gunnar Þór Hallgrímsson told RÚV.
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Info

Bonobos observed making wooden spears, daggers and stone shovels like our human ancestors

Richard Gray
Daily Mail, UK
Wed, 08 Jul 2015 15:27 UTC
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The bonobos used sticks to dig out food hidden under the ground and lever large rocks out of the way, as shown in the sequence of images above.
They are our closest living relatives in the animal kingdom and now it seems bonobos may actually be far more human-like than we ever believed.

The great apes, which are cousins of chimpanzees, have been seen creating and using tools much like our early human ancestors.

Researchers have reported witnessing bonobos modifying branches to create spears and using antlers and rocks as daggers, scrapers, shovels and hammers.

They claim their skills with these tools resembles the techniques attributed to the Oldowan stone tool culture that appeared in ancient humans living between 2.6 million and 1.7 million years ago.

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