Animals
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Attention

Dead whale found on beach in Sonoma County, California

Hannah Albarazi
sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com
Mon, 16 May 2016 18:38 UTC
Dead whale spotted near Bodega Bay.
© Sonoma County Sheriff's OfficeDead whale spotted near Bodega Bay.
A dead whale was spotted in the surf at a Sonoma County beach on Monday afternoon.

According to the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office, the dead whale was spotted at Salmon Creek Beach by crew aboard one of their helicopters on Monday afternoon.

Neither the type of whale nor the cause of its death was immediately reported by the Sheriff's Office.
Today, our helicopter Henry1 spotted this dead whale in the surf at Salmon Creek Beach pic.twitter.com/3bUY1k7rO3

— sonomasheriff (@sonomasheriff) May 16, 2016
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Wolf

Young boy killed by family pit bull terrier in Durban, South Africa


Times Live
Mon, 16 May 2016 17:34 UTC
Pit bull
© Gallo Images
A three-year-old boy died of extensive injuries after being attacked by a pit bull in Durban on Monday.

Netcare 911 said paramedics called out to a dog bite incident arrived at a family home in Umlazi at 11:39 and found the child lying on the kitchen floor with "extensive injuries from the violent attack".

Reports from the scene indicated that the dog was owned by the child's family.

"Reports indicate that the child was attacked in the garden and was then moved to the house by family members.

Tragically, it was found that the child had died before our arrival due to the extensive injuries that he sustained over the entire body," the emergency service said on their Facebook page.

Police are investigating the incident.
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Attention

24 pilot whales die following beaching in Baja California, Mexico


The Bellingham Herald
Sun, 15 May 2016 13:39 UTC
Beached pilot whales
Beached pilot whales
Two dozen pilot whales died after beaching themselves on the Baja California Peninsula despite efforts to move them into deeper waters, Mexico's navy say Sunday.

The statement said naval personnel worked along with soldiers, environmental ministry agents and local fishermen trying to save the whales on the western shore of the Gulf of California.

Only three of the 27 whales that came ashore were saved, the statement said. Some whales returned to the beach after being led into deeper water.

The statement speculated the mammals were disoriented, saying no signs of injuries were noted.


Source: The Associated Press
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Wolf

Attacks by carnivores are on the rise in North America and Europe: Are humans to blame?

Lizabeth Paulat
Care2
Sat, 14 May 2016 20:38 UTC
The number of attacks on humans by large carnivores has increased significantly during the last few decades for almost all large carnivores.
The number of attacks on humans by large carnivores has increased significantly during the last few decades for almost all large carnivores.
Attacks by large carnivores on humans have been on the rise throughout the western world. Bears, cougars, wolves and coyotes have increasingly been involved in deadly maulings and injuries, with the number of attacks nearly doubling since 1994. However, a new study out in Nature shows that it's actually humans who are often putting themselves in harm's way.

The study, which took human risk factors into account, found that, "an increasing number of people are involved in outdoor activities and, when doing so, some people engage in risk-enhancing behaviour that can increase the probability of a risky encounter and a potential attack."

With humans encroaching into wildlife areas, and wildlife adapting to urban areas, the likelihood of having to share our spaces with large carnivores has increased. With this reality, the simple act of not knowing how to coexist with these animals is causing increased fear, an increased risk of attack and, sadly, retribution killings.
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Wolf

Pack of stray dogs kill 10-yr-old child in Baheri, India; death toll reaches 9 in 18 months

Priyangi Agarwal
The Times of India
Sat, 14 May 2016 17:07 UTC
Stray dogs
© Sumit MalhotraStray dogs
In yet another incident of attack by stray dogs, a pack killed a 10-year-old boy on Saturday evening when he was going to attend a religious event at a local temple in Unai Chapta village in Baheri. This is the ninth child to be killed by dogs in Baheri in the past one-and-a-half years. Besides, more than 50 kids have sustained injuries after being attacked by strays over this period.

As per the family of the victim, Pushpendra Kumar, 10, son of Ramesh Kumar, was on his way to a temple when he was attacked by a pack of dogs. Though the distance between the victim's house and the temple is barely one kilometre, the pack of dogs pounced on him when he was halfway to his destination.

Two villagers riding a motorcycle saw the attack and chased the strays away. However, the boy had died of his injuries by then. Pushpendra, said his family, was the youngest of four siblings.
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Butterfly

Monarch butterfly population in jeopardy after Mexican storm


CBC News
Fri, 13 May 2016 13:10 UTC
Numbers are similar to those reported in 2013, when the monarch population was at an all-time low

Monarch Butterfly
© Ellen SharpFreezing rain and snow coated and killed monarch butterflies in Mexico back in March.
People hoping to catch a glimpse of monarch butterflies this spring will have to look a little harder because a harsh, late winter storm in Mexico may have wiped out up to 50 per cent of the butterfly's population.

Rain, sleet and snow ravaged over-wintering colonies in Mexico on March 8 and 9, leaving butterflies frozen to trees and dead on the ground.

Lingering effects of the storm aren't yet known for sure, but experts are preparing for plummeting numbers.

"Right now, it certainly looks like it's going to be a much lower population. It doesn't look particularly good," warned Chip Taylor, a professor in the department of ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of Kansas and founder and director of Monarch Watch.

Monarch Watch described the storm that affected nine colonies in Mexico as "unprecedented."

There is no firm count of the monarchs that died in the storm. Estimates range wildly from three to 50 per cent because monarchs had already started their journey north.
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Attention

Elephant kills farmer in southern Tanzania; second death in 2 days


Coastweek
Sat, 14 May 2016 17:23 UTC
African elephant
A 42-year-old farmer in southern Tanzania's district of Namtumbo was killed by an elephant, which is believed to have strayed from Selous Game Reserve, the official said on Wednesday.

In a telephone interview, Namtumbo District Commissioner, Chande Nalicho confirmed the incident, saying the incident occurred on Tuesday at around 10am local time.

He said: "Before the incident, the man who was identified as Yassin Kalimoni was on his farm.

"He saw elephant herd coming in his direction and he tried to chase them but the jumbos became furious and attacked him to death."

According to the DC, the wildlife officials were in the area, so that they chase them to the game reserve.

Nalicho cited increasing poaching incidents were the reasons for the jumbos to run away from protected areas to residential areas.
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Attention

Dead Gray whale found in Seattle's Elliott Bay


The Seattle Times
Fri, 13 May 2016 16:46 UTC
Gray whale found dead in Seattle
© Cascadia ResearchGray whale found dead in Seattle
A juvenile gray whale found dead in Seattle's Elliott Bay over the weekend had air in its chest cavity that likely prevented it from diving for food, according to exam results released Friday.

A necropsy conducted by biologists with the Cascadia Research Collaborative confirmed what scientists observed when they assessed the whale a couple of days before it died. At the time, they suspected the animal was suffering from an infection or a collapsed lung that had filled its chest cavity with air, which would have made the animal too buoyant to dive.

Jessie Huggins, the group's stranding coordinator, said Friday they still don't know what caused all that air to build up in the whale's chest. It could be a previous traumatic injury, disease or both, she said. Tests of tissue samples may provide more information.
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Attention

Sloth bear kills 3 before being shot dead in India


Daily Mail
Sun, 13 Mar 2016 13:41 UTC
Sloth bears are found in India, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Bhutan but shrinking habitats and rampant poaching have reduced their numbers
© Manpreet RomanaSloth bears are found in India, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Bhutan but shrinking habitats and rampant poaching have reduced their numbers
A bear killed two villagers and a wildlife officer sent to tranquilise it before being shot dead in a forest in central India, police said Sunday.

The sloth bear mauled the villagers late on Saturday, sparking a police hunt for the beast after fearful locals in Chhattisgarh state demanded its capture.

Police shot and killed the female bear after it also fatally attacked the wildlife official who had been sent to trap and tranquilise it, said Rajesh Kukareja, deputy police chief of Mahasamund district.

"The bear was very aggressive and killed the officer at the spot. We had no option but to shoot it," Kukareja told AFP.

"It was on a rampage, attacking everyone," he said.


Comment: See also these other selected reports from within the last 9 months: Three injured in two bear attacks in Kaghan, Pakistan; over 5 recent incidents in 2 months

Bear attacks in Russia increase as population explodes and climate goes haywire

Russian town besieged by hungry bears; one man killed and other locals attacked

Hunter attacked by grizzly in fourth British Columbia bear attack in 10 days

Second bear attack this week for New Mexico; 7th for the year

Grizzly bear attacks 2 hunters near Fort Nelson, Canada

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Attention

Backcountry shelter closed following black bear attack in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee


local8now.com
Thu, 12 May 2016 20:06 UTC
Rangers in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park are investigating a hiker's report that he was bitten by a black bear while he slept along the Appalachian Trail.
Rangers in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park are investigating a hiker's report that he was bitten by a black bear while he slept along the Appalachian Trail.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park officials closed the Spence Field Backcountry Shelter after an Appalachian thru-hiker was bitten by a bear. Park officials are stationed onsite to monitor for bear activity.

Bradley Veeder, 49, Las Vegas, was asleep in a tent when he says a bear bit through the tent and into his lower leg. This happened on Tuesday, May 10 at 11:16 a.m.

The bear was scared away before Veeder or other backpackers got a chance to see it.

After the attack, Veeder and the other hikers gathered at a shelter for the rest of the night. During that time, the bear came back and tore through Veeder's tent and another empty tent.

Veeder was taken out of the backcountry by horseback and then went to Blount Memorial Hospital by ambulance at 3:45 p.m. the next day.

Park officials urge everyone to exercise caution while hiking, camping, and picnicking to ensure their personal safety and to protect bears. Black bears in the park are wild and unpredictable. Though rare, attacks on humans do occur, causing injuries or death.
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