Animals
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Black Cat

Woman suffers brutal animal attack - but the culprit isn't what you might expect

Liz Klimas
The Blaze
Wed, 18 Dec 2013 08:27 UTC
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The footage of a woman being attacked by an animal she had saved is so extreme you might initially question its validity, but the Melvin, Mich., victim has the wounds to prove it and is speaking out, in somewhat unlikely terms, about the animal.

That animal? A cat.

The woman identified by WJBK-TV only as Maxx said the cat was a stray she had taken in over the summer and named Buddy. But in late November after Buddy attacked her mom's dog, Maxx tried to shoo it away, kicking snow at it at one point.

Captured on her home security camera, the cat, enraged by the snow, launched itself at Maxx and her pink pajamas.
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Eagle

Golden eagles with mange in California

krogers2012
calwil.wordpress.com
Fri, 06 Dec 2013 13:07 UTC
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© K. Shawn Smallwood.Photo of golden eagle with mange
The Wildlife Investigations Lab has been involved in the investigation of three cases of severe mite infestation, or mange, affecting subadult golden eagles in central California. Two cases were reported to WIL by SPCA for Monterey County in December 2012 and August 2013, while a third case was reported by biologists with the East Bay Regional Park District, also in August 2013. The eagles had significant feather loss and crusting of the skin on their head, neck, legs, and lower abdomen.

Severe mite infestation is unusual in birds and especially uncommon in adult birds. The degree of feather loss and infestation exhibited by these golden eagles has not been previously documented. Mange likely affects the eagle's ability to maintain normal body temperature and they may have difficulty obtaining food, becoming weakened, possibly increasing their susceptibility to trauma or other disease.We are currently working with researchers from the East Bay Regional Park District, SPCA for Monterey County, and the University of California, Davis to thoroughly document these cases, identify the mite, and evaluate any underlying health conditions.

The public is urged to notify the California Department of Fish and Wildlife if additional golden eagles, or other raptors, are seen with severe feather loss. If you find a live-eagle on the ground, do not attempt to capture the bird yourself, as these birds can be extremely dangerous; rather, please contact your local licensed wildlife rehabilitation center for assistance.
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Eagle

Another Utah bald eagle may have mysterious deadly malady

Brett Prettyman
The Salt Lake Tribune
Mon, 16 Dec 2013 12:49 UTC
The raptor displays symptoms of four others which died in Utah this month.

Mitch Lane was expecting a dead bald eagle when he responded to a report from a waterfowl hunter. His first glance at the raptor from across the river seemed to confirm the report.

But once the conservation officer with the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (DWR) reached the eagle he found the bird was alive. How long it remains alive is another matter.

Lane picked up the live bald eagle Saturday in an area along the Weber River in West Weber, close to where another eagle was collected on Dec. 1. The eagle retrieved earlier - and at least three others from wide-ranging locations - eventually died from a yet unknown cause.
"There were a lot of eagles in the area this time of year. This one was on the ground and had his wings spread out; he looked dead from a distance," Lane said. "When I got closer it was obvious it was still alive."
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Black Magic

Alleged animal sacrifice discovered at Lake Merced, San Francisco

Rob Nagle
SF Examiner
Tue, 17 Dec 2013 21:37 UTC
Animal Sacrifice
© Courtesy @DStevensonKTVU/Twitter Two chukars were found at Lake Merced in what Animal Care and Control described as an animal sacrifice.
San Francisco police and Animal Care and Control were called out to Lake Merced on Tuesday morning to clean up the scene of what appeared to be an animal sacrifice, officials said.

Police were contacted about 11 a.m. regarding two dead animals seemingly sacrificed in the area of John Muir Drive and Lake Merced Boulevard, Officer Gordon Shyy said. Police then forwarded the call to the Animal Care and Control department.

Once there, ACC officers determined that the two animals were chukars, a type of partridge, which can generally be found at live food markets sold as game birds, spokeswoman Deb Campbell said.
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Question

Mysterious disease kills 100 goats in Nepal


Himalayan News Service
Tue, 17 Dec 2013 14:16 UTC
Rajbiraj: The death of scores of goats in the past two weeks in Rajbiraj has got farmers of Saptari worried.

The goats have suddenly started dying one after another in Sitapur, Tairahauta, Prasabanni, and Pato among other VDCs in the district.

According to Dik Bahadur Moktan, a farmer of Tairahauta-5, the goats die within two to three days after they start a fever.

"Their chins are swollen, they salivate excessively, and accumulate water in their lungs before they die," he added. Though we have informed the livestock service centre, they have not taken any initiative so far, he said.

Moktan, who has lost three dozen goats within a fortnight, said his family depended on the income from goats. "I don't know how to pay back the loan and feed my children now."

Likewise, Bishwonath Mandal has lost more than half-a-dozen goats in two days. "When we reported to the Livestock Service Sub-Centre Pato, they said there was no medicine available," he said. About 100 goats have died in the past two days in Pato VDC.

Rajlal Pandit, a technician at the centre, said the situation would not have gotten so bad if the goats had received timely treatment. He suspects the cattle might be suffering from PPR.
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Ice Cube

Ice Age Cometh: Unprecedented influx of Arctic Ivory Gulls into UK

Lee G R Evans
uk400clubrarebirdalert.blogspot.co.uk
Mon, 16 Dec 2013 13:01 UTC
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On par with a mammoth influx of juvenile Snowy Owls in North America (involving at least 750 so far), the UK has experienced its largest-ever influx of first-year Ivory Gulls from the Arctic ice-shelf.


Following the first off Seaburn (County Durham) on 30th November, an unprecedented five more have been discovered since......

Comment: See also: Ice Age Cometh: Snowy Owl invasion coming in North America?

Maine experiencing a Canadian owl invasion

Incredible Hawk Owl invasion in Estonia!

Huge Snowy Owl invasion becomes official in Canada and U.S.

Thousands of Hawk Owls descend on Finland as food in northern Russia runs out

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Cow Skull

50 head of cattle die from mysterious disease in one week in Matabeleland North, Zimbabwe.


bulawayo24.com
Sun, 15 Dec 2013 13:26 UTC
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UP to eight families in BH3, Jambezi in Hwange, lost more than 50 head of cattle last week to a yet-to-be identified disease in the latest mass animal deaths in Matabeleland North.

Chief Shana of Jambezi confirmed the mass cattle deaths and said about eight households had been affected.

"At the moment we don't know what is killing the cattle; we are waiting for the veterinary people to come back to us. So far they have not identified the disease because they are still conducting tests. What I can tell you is that a lot of families, about eight of them, lost their cattle to the disease," said Chief Shana.

Villagers said veterinary officials, who came and took samples which they sent to veterinary laboratories in Hwange for tests, fear that the cattle were wiped out by an infectious disease whose exact cause remains unknown.
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Eagle

Eagle influx doubles this year at Goldstream Park, BC, Canada

Christine van Reeuwyk
Victoria News
Thu, 12 Dec 2013 12:40 UTC
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Eagles abound in Goldstream park now through, hopefully, the new year
The eagles have landed in droves at Goldstream Provincial Park.

"Every year we have the eagles that come after the salmon run but this year there seems to be more than previous years," said park naturalist Bre Robinson.

The flock has more than doubled from the 65 last year to 158 counted today (Dec. 12).

They scan the park with binoculars as a head count, but figure there's even more.
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Question

Mystery illness kills four bald eagles in Utah

Brett Prettyman
The Salt Lake Tribune
Fri, 13 Dec 2013 22:01 UTC
Bald Eagle
© Wildlife Rehabilitation Center of Northern UtahUtah wildlife officials are scrambling to determine what led to the death of four bald eagles in northern Utah in the last week. The eagles all appeared healthy, with the exception of head tremors, but eventually died. Three were delivered to the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center of Northern Utah in Ogden and another to Great Basin Wildlife Rescue in Mapleton.
Utah wildlife officials are scrambling to determine what led to the deaths of four bald eagles in northern Utah in the last week.

The eagles all appeared healthy, with the exception of head tremors. The raptors also displayed evidence of paralysis and digestive issues.

The birds were delivered to or picked up by officials from the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center of Northern Utah in Ogden and the Great Basin Wildlife Rescue in Mapleton.

The deaths are particularly troubling and mysterious because the birds were found in different locations - Corinne, Grantsville, Lehi and Weber County.

"It just rips your guts out. They are obviously suffering and you are helpless. It is so hard to watch," said DaLyn Erickson with the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center of Northern Utah. "Never in my career have I heard of four bald eagles in such a widespread area dying at the same time like this."

The first bald eagle arrived at the Ogden facility Dec. 1 from Weber County. Another eagle landed at the Mapleton rehabilitation center on Dec. 8. The last two arrived in Ogden this week.

All four displayed head tremors - uncontrolled shaking of the head; something that made Erickson suspicious of possible lead poisoning. But preliminary results from testing at the Utah Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory in Logan, a cooperative lab with Utah State University and the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food, came back with unexpected results.
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Question

Hundreds of birds fall dead from the sky on Aden Road in Nokesville, Virginia


insidenova.com
Thu, 12 Dec 2013 11:10 UTC
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© Katty Bell
Witnesses say hundreds of black birds fell dead from the sky in Nokesville on Thursday afternoon, littering Aden Road with their feathery remains.

Prince William County police spokesman Jonathan Perok said it happened about 2 p.m., near Aden Grocery.

Police, animal control and crews from the Virginia Department of Transportation were called to the area, where witnesses said they were shoveling dead birds off the road.

It was unclear Thursday night what type of birds they were, and what caused them to die.

Several people reported seeing large numbers of birds gathered on power lines in the area earlier in the day.

Kevin Rose, a wildlife biologist with the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, said mass bird die-offs are usually the result of lightning or some sort of trauma. That trauma often includes birds in flight striking power lines.

"Without a few samples we can't really tell," Rose said in an email. "Unless it starts happening more, we are not concerned."

Comment: Radar Doppler images confirm overhead 'turbulence' cause of 2011 mass bird death case in Beebe, Arkansas Meteoric Deja-vu: Exactly one year later, dead blackbirds fall again in Beebe, Arkansas

A Sign for the New Year: 1,000 Birds Fall From the Sky in Beebe, Arkansas

Reign of Fire: Meteorites, Wildfires, Planetary Chaos and the Sixth Extinction

Read More...