May 14, 2014 - EARTH - The following constitutes the latest reports of unusual animal
behavior, mass die-offs, beaching and stranding of mammals, and the appearance of rare creatures.
Thousands Of Fish Die Overnight In New Jersey's Shark River
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Dead fish, which surfaced and washed ashore in the Shark River, float
near a boat ramp on S Concourse in
Neptune, N.J., Monday May 12, 2014.
Authorities are trying to determine what’s causing a massive fish kill.
(AP/The Asbury Park Press, Tanya Breen) |
Though whatever killed thousands, if not tens of thousands, of fish in a New Jersey river might be baffling locals, state officials and fishermen think a natural cause is most likely behind it. According to WCBS-TV, the state’s Department of Environmental Protection initially thought heavy rains churned up the Shark River’s water, which could have led to an algal bloom that depleted oxygen in the water. But more recent tests of the water near Belmar, New Jersey, found that neither algae nor chemicals were present at a level that they could have been the cause. Another option some are considering is that a large school of fish recently spotted in the area could have sapped each other of oxygen. “They were here last night. Biggest School I’ve ever seen,” fishing boat captain George Stella told WCBS Tuesday. “The blues and striped bass come by and chase them and they come here and run out of oxygen.” Fisherman Nick Caruso told the news station that an incident like this seems to happen every 20 to 30 years. He too attributed it to the amount of fish, especially bunker fish. There are those in the area who have heard of such events, but never witnessed them. “I’ve never seen it in this river before, anything like this. Never,” Bob Matthews from Fisherman’s Den told WCBS 880. Bunker fish “reproduce in large numbers, and typically they use up a lot of oxygen,” Michael Meddis, public health coordinator for Monmouth County Health Department, told the Ashbury Park Press. At this point, Belmar Mayor Matt Doherty said that they’re cleaning up the mess and continuing to investigate the source. The Ashbury Park Press reported that the mass death appears to be localized issue. Larry Hajna, spokesman for the Department of Environmental Protection, said such mass deaths are not necessarily uncommon and it is likely a “combination of natural causes is what did it.” -
The Blaze.
Tens Of Thousands Of Fish Wash Up On The East Coast Of Tasmania
Authorities are investigating how tens of thousands of fish washed up along the East Coast during the past week. Species include leatherjackets, flathead, salmon and one broadbill swordfish. Break O'Day councillor John McGiveron, Tasmanian Game Fishing Association president, said the fish, some still alive, had washed up along the coast from Seymour to the top end of the Bay of Fires. But he said the issue might be more widespread because fish might be washing up in unpopulated areas. Cr McGiveron said many of the fish were juveniles and the problem might have serious implications. The Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment is investigating. -
The Examiner.
650 Emaciated Sea Lion Pups Wash Up On The California Coast Over The Last 2 Months
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| Sea Lions in rehab. Pacific Marine Mammal Center |
Another 650 sea lion pups have washed up on the shores of California between San Diego and Ventura County in the last two months, emaciated and dehydrated, continuing a pattern of devastation from early last year. A new report from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) all but eliminates disease as a cause of the problem that saw another 1,600 pups stranded on beaches between January and April last year. While it does not settle on a single culprit, the report points a long finger at the decline of sardines in the region, a primary source of nourishment for sea lions. "Current data show changes in availability of sea lion prey in Southern California waters was likely a contributor to the UME, the exact mechanism is still under investigation," the report concluded. In other words, the NOAA doesn't know precisely why the sardines are harder to find. Could be climate change, or ocean pollution, natural selection, or disease taking advantage of sea lions' weakened state. It's probably a bit of all of the above, but the folks at Oceana, an international ocean conservation organization, don't think the most obvious reason is hard to figure out. The sardine population is collapsing because of overfishing, they say, and the NOAA is going out of its way to avoid admitting that conclusion. Instead, the agency is emphasizing its rehab effort to save the stranded pups while continuing its studies of the cause. "Sea lions are dying due to starvation and NOAA appears to be addressing it by spending money on rehab, but they are allowing continued overfishing," Oceana reported. "They are rehabilitating starving sea lions and then putting them back into a sardine starved ocean."
NOAA scientists published a major study in 2012 warning that collapse of the sardine population was imminent and following the same patterns that occurred during the historic collapse of the sardine fishery in the 1950s. That debacle put an end to the famous Cannery Row era. The report noted that "exploitation rates" of sardine stocks have increased dramatically since 2006 and in 2010 hit the rate at which horrible things happen. NOAA has declared the sea lion situation an Unusual Mortality Event (UME). The agency has declared only 57 UMEs in the U.S. since 1991. The agency's sardine stock assessment (pdf) in March 2014 found sardine populations had collapsed 74% since 2007 with no evidence of recovery in sight. Oceana summed up the NOAA policy thusly: "In other words, NOAA's pattern is to first deny a population collapse while continuing fishing, then once it has collapsed, blame events other than fishing." Lisa Harper Henderson at the Marine Mammal Center told NBC affiliate KSBY that the practical effect of shifting sardine populations is that they have moved farther off the coast, swim at deeper depths and are harder to find by sea lions. "So when they end up on our shores, they're weak, lethargic and sometimes injured," she said. Not to mention hungry. California sea lions range from the Pacific coast of Central Mexico to British Columbia, Canada. The estimated population of California sea lions as of 2011 was 296,750, with an annual increase of 5.4%. The main breeding areas are on islands located in Southern California, western Baja California and the Gulf of California. Sardines are a key food group for animals other than sea lions. Seals, elephant seals and humpback whales, many of which are also found along the Channel Islands, chow down on the fatty little fish. The numbers and locations of sardines and other pelagic fish, including anchovies, market squid, rock fish and hag, fluctuate a lot, making specific assessments difficult during any brief time period. But the sardine decline is not some brief event and the sea lion devastation is not ecological business as usual. -
ALLGOV.
Texas Woman Finds 12 FOOT African Python In Her Bathroom
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Veronica Rodriguez got a shock in her Texas home
earlier this month when she found
a 12ft African python slithering
around her bathroom |
Veronica Rodriguez, 50, came home earlier this month to find the huge African python slithering across the bathroom floor She thinks snake came in through back door while she was doing chores Ms Rodriguez told officer who turned up with a paper bag: 'You're going to need a bigger sack than that' A Texas homeowner got a shock when she walked into the bathroom of her College Station home to find a 12ft python wrapped around her toilet bowl. Veronica Rodriguez, 50, discovered the huge African python slithering across the bathroom floor earlier this month. It is believed that the python got in through the back door to Ms Rodriguez's home, which she shares her teenage daughter Kelsie.
Exactly when this happened is unknown - although she admitted the door had been left open while she was doing chores throughout the day. Ms Rodriguez was on the phone when she heard noises coming from the bathroom. She told The Eagle: 'When I opened her bathroom door, there was a 12-foot python. I didn't know what I was going to do with a snake that large.' She called 911 and the responding officer showed up with a paper bag. Ms Rodriguez said that she told him: 'You're going to need a bigger sack than that.' Responding officer Tony Gonzales said: 'When I opened her bathroom door, there was a 12-foot python. I didn't know what I was going to do with a snake that large.' Animal control was called into help with the officer showing up with a ten-gallon bucket - but the officers finally decided that the only way to contain the snake was in a trash can. The snake, which appeared to be around five years old and in healthy condition, was initially taken to a rescue facility but it has since been returned to its owner. Police have refused to release the owner's identity because he did nothing wrong, they say. -
Daily Mail.
Many Migratory Birds Are Close To Extinction In Britain
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| (Left to right) Nightingale, cuckoo and turtle dove numbers are all in decline.ALAMY |
Experts issue warning on World Migratory Bird Day about decline of species such as the turtle dove, cuckoo and nightingale Many common migratory birds face extinction in Britain unless ministers and farmers help tackle a conservation crisis, ornithologists have warned. They said a lack of food and nesting sites was contributing to dramatically lower numbers of species including the turtle dove, cuckoo and nightingale. A UN official warned birds were struggling to find sustenance for long migrations, particularly because of industrialisation and dry weather in Africa. Other species are being illegally shot over countries including Malta. Experts want ministers to encourage farmers to make more provision for birds to feed and breed on their land, and to urge foreign leaders to protect species migrating through their countries. The warnings coincide with World Migratory Bird Day, a UN scheme to raise awareness about the vulnerability of species that embark on long journeys each year between breeding and wintering grounds. It is held on the second weekend of May at the height of the migration season, when many species have already returned to Britain, but more birds are thought to be on the move around the world than at any other time. Data from the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds show that turtle dove numbers in Britain have declined by 95 per cent in the past four decades, and those of the spotted flycatcher by 88 per cent.
At the current rate of decline, the charity warns, the turtle dove could be extinct in the UK by the middle of the next decade. With other migratory birds, it is considered particularly vulnerable because of its long journeys. Grahame Madge, an RSPB spokesman, said: "For millennia, the birds which visit the UK and the northern hemisphere each spring have been regarded as beacons of an advancing summer. But now these birds are representing a rapidly escalating conservation crisis, as the numbers of many species are declining dramatically." Borja Heredia, head of the avian unit at the UN Environment Programme's Convention on Migratory Species, said: "We are very concerned. If we don't take any action, maybe we will not hear the call of the cuckoo or the skylark in the future. This would be very sad." Migratory birds tend to arrive in Britain around April. After nesting and breeding, they depart around October. The turtle dove, osprey and nightingale generally travel more than 2,000 miles to West African countries such as Mali and Nigeria, while the Arctic tern has been found to fly up to 11,000 miles to Australia. RSPB and UN officials believe that in the UK, a lack of food and a shortage of safe nesting sites due to farming practices means some struggle to breed. Abroad, the birds face hazards on their migratory routes ranging from illegal shooting in Malta to deforestation and the degradation of land in Africa due to oil exploration and other industries. Mr Heredia said the Sahel, a green belt spanning Africa south of the Sahara, was a key "stopover site", but "degradation and desertification is affecting [it] in a way that means birds are not finding the necessary food". He added: "Many of them do not arrive because they cannot make it, and of the ones that arrive they don't have enough energy to build the nests and raise a family." The condition of land in the UK was "equally important". Mr Heredia said governments such as Britain's should do more to provide safe habitats by encouraging "more respectful agriculture". Natural England said it was addressing the decline in projects including the development of an "extensive network" of protected areas. The Government said the EU birds directive provided "robust protections", but compliance was up to member states and the European Commission. -
The Telegraph.
Tens Of Thousands Of Reindeer Die Of Extreme Weather In Russia's North
More than 60,000 reindeer died of starvation over winter and spring in the far northern Yamal-Nenets autonomous district, the regional governor's office said.The high mortality rate is likely to have been caused by extreme weather conditions in the Arctic region, such as heavy rain and snow, which made it more difficult for the deer to feed themselves, the statement said, Interfax reported Tuesday.A operation is now underway to herd the reindeers to greener pastures, though many of the animals may be too weak to travel, the statement said.The governor's office was also quoted as saying the regional government would allocate 10 million rubles ($287,000) to a fund set up to help herders in the Yamal region. The regional government has already given 31 million rubles to the fund, which helps farmers purchase necessary equipment, such as snowmobiles, as well as medicines and deer feed.In total, almost 700,000 domesticated reindeer graze in the Yamal-Nenets district - about 35 percent of the world's domesticated reindeer population. -
The Moscow Times.
Forest Worker Killed By Elephant In Bandipur Tiger Reserve, India
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| Prime elephant habitat consists of forested areas.Moorthy Gounder/ Wikimedia Commons |
A forest staff has been killed by wild elephant inside the Bandipur tiger reserve on Friday night.Lokesh (38), a resident of Mukti Colony in Gundulpet in Chamarajnagar district, was patrolling the forest area deep inside the tiger sanctuary when he was attacked. He died on the spot, Bandipur tiger reserve director H C Kantharaju said.The forest department is planning to extend Rs 5 lakh compensation to the family of the deceased like for others who are killed by the wild animals.Lokesh, a guard with eight years experience, was patrolling in Kamapura area along with another ground staff. He excused himself to attend nature's call at around 7 pm when his colleagues went ahead. When he didn't join them after a lapse of some 20 minutes, they came back to search him and found him dead. The injuries on him and the movement of the wild elephants established that he was killed by the pachyderms. Kantharaju told The Sunday Times of India that Lokesh was found dead at the spot. He was a permanent employee and has three daughters, the eldest studying in SSLC.Earlier, he was serving at Gundre range in Bandipur and was shifted to Yediyala range three years back. It is suspected that the elephant attacked him as it was dark and he failed to escape from it. This is second incident of a forest staff killed while on duty in the area in recent times. In December last, B Suresh, a watcher, was mauled by the tiger in Nagarahole.Incidentally Lokesh was married to daughter of Javaraiah, who was mauled by tiger in Maddur range in Bandipur two months back. Police visited the site and conducted the mahazar. A case has been registered in H D Kote police station. -
Times of India.
The Numbers Of Birds Dying Off Are Huge And A Warning To Humanity
Birds have a more intimate and enduring relationship with humans than the one that occurs around a fried chicken bucket. As most know, the act of carrying a caged canary into a coal mine used to be a method for the carrier to save his comrades in the event of deadly gas buildup in a dark, leaky shaft. Enlightened miners took a canary's dropping dead as a strong suggestion that prolonging their own lives depended on a quick flight to fresh air. The first requirement of such an alarm system is to pay attention. The second is to accept that the physical world is ruled by cause and effect rather than magic. The third consists of the willingness to rationally assess a situation - hastily, if need be - and only then to act. May is generally accepted as the month when the spring migration peaks. The return of birds, their singing and their good-natured showiness contribute a fair measure of what makes May merry. Humans have a connection with birds that works at multiple levels, including the inspiration for flight. The loss of birds helped spur the conservation movement when more than a century ago the numbers of egrets, herons and cranes plunged, while species including heath hens, Carolina parakeets, ivory-billed woodpeckers and passenger pigeons disappeared entirely. Later, after World War II, eagles, falcons and hawks began to vanish, spurring another flurry of environmental action. The title of one of the 20th century's iconic books, Rachel Carson's Silent Spring, refers to a day when, as the result of indiscriminate use of chemicals, few birds, if any, would survive.
Despite sporadic efforts to save emblematic species, birds continue to die unnatural deaths. Check it out:
- During the past three winters, emaciated snowy owls have
been turning up in greater numbers south of their normal winter range in North America, a
Canadian government avian pathologist reports. Some were hemorrhaging,
and some had a breathing condition believed caused by weakened immune
systems or malnutrition. What a warming Arctic is doing to predators'
prey availability counts among the suspects.
- The latest estimate by a group of scientists of the number of bird
deaths caused by the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of
Mexico is 800,000,
The New York Times reported last week.
- The federal government has acknowledged that the future of the
greater sage grouse might be extinction in coming decades because of
habitat loss, but so far it has done little except to form a plan that
saves habitat only if individual ranchers voluntarily agree to do so.
Fracking contributes to the dwindling of the habitat.
- Wind farms, recent peer-reviewed articles suggest,
kill an estimated 573,000 birds and 888,000 bats annually. The number of dead birds, including threatened and endangered species, could exceed 1.4 million by 2030 without policy changes.
- The Ohio-based Black Swamp Bird Observatory is suggesting that an
experimental wind farm planned for offshore on Lake Erie could have
deadly consequences for migrating birds, including the endangered
Kirtland's warbler and piping plover. Western Lake Erie sits on one of
North America's important migratory routes.
- A solar-energy power plant in California has killed birds from at
least 71 species. Light reflected from the panels and aimed at
water-filled boilers generates 800-degree air temperatures, enough heat
to burn feathers of birds flying overhead.
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About 20 million additional tons of plastics end up in the world's oceans each year,
" increasing harm to marine wildlife," wrote a team from the UCLA
Institute of the Environment and Sustainability. Among the victims are
thousands of birds that swallow bits of indigestible plastic and, unable
to eat because their stomachs remain full, starve to death.
- A warming planet is forcing some mountain-dwelling birds to seek
higher elevations. If the trajectory remains unchanged, some of those
species will run out of climbing space and will have to adapt or vanish,
concluded a researcher form the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
- A review published in
The Condor: Ornithological Applications found that as many as
365 million to 988 million birds die in the United States each year by flying into windows.
Low-rise buildings account for 56 percent of the deaths, and residences
about 44 percent. A study published last year found that
cats kill between 1.4 billion to 3.7 billion birds annually. -
The Columbus Dispatch.
