December 10, 2014 - TAIWAN - A strong, 6.1-magnitude earthquake struck northeast off the island of Taiwan on Thursday, the U.S. Geological Survey said.
It
said the quake struck at 5:03 a.m. on Thursday (1603 ET on Wednesday)
at a depth of 158.1 miles (254 km) below the seabed, which would have
lessened its impact.
The epicenter was 66 miles (106 km) northeast of the capital, Taipei.
USGS shakemap intensity.
At this time, no reports have been made regarding casualties or property damage.
Earthquakes frequently rattle Taiwan, but most are minor and cause little or no damage.
However, a magnitude-7.6 earthquake in central Taiwan in 1999 killed more than 2,300 people.
Tectonic Summary - Seismotectonics of the Philippine Sea and Vicinity
The
Philippine Sea plate is bordered by the larger Pacific and Eurasia
plates and the smaller Sunda plate. The Philippine Sea plate is unusual
in that its borders are nearly all zones of plate convergence. The
Pacific plate is subducted into the mantle, south of Japan, beneath the
Izu-Bonin and Mariana island arcs, which extend more than 3,000 km along
the eastern margin of the Philippine Sea plate. This subduction zone is
characterized by rapid plate convergence and high-level seismicity
extending to depths of over 600 km. In spite of this extensive zone of
plate convergence, the plate interface has been associated with few
great (Magnitude greater than 8.0) ‘megathrust’ earthquakes. This low seismic energy
release is thought to result from weak coupling along the plate
interface (Scholz and Campos, 1995). These convergent plate margins are
also associated with unusual zones of back-arc extension (along with
resulting seismic activity) that decouple the volcanic island arcs from
the remainder of the Philippine Sea Plate (Karig et al., 1978; Klaus et
al., 1992).
USGS plate tectonics for the region.
South of the Mariana arc, the Pacific plate is
subducted beneath the Yap Islands along the Yap trench. The long zone of
Pacific plate subduction at the eastern margin of the Philippine Sea
Plate is responsible for the generation of the deep Izu-Bonin, Mariana,
and Yap trenches as well as parallel chains of islands and volcanoes,
typical of circum-pacific island arcs. Similarly, the northwestern
margin of the Philippine Sea plate is subducting beneath the Eurasia
plate along a convergent zone, extending from southern Honshu to the
northeastern coast of Taiwan, manifested by the Ryukyu Islands and the
Nansei-Shoto (Ryukyu) trench. The Ryukyu Subduction Zone is associated
with a similar zone of back-arc extension, the Okinawa Trough. At
Taiwan, the plate boundary is characterized by a zone of arc-continent
collision, whereby the northern end of the Luzon island arc is colliding
with the buoyant crust of the Eurasia continental margin offshore
China.
Along its western margin, the Philippine Sea plate is
associated with a zone of oblique convergence with the Sunda Plate. This
highly active convergent plate boundary extends along both sides the
Philippine Islands, from Luzon in the north to the Celebes Islands in
the south. The tectonic setting of the Philippines is unusual in several
respects: it is characterized by opposite-facing subduction systems on
its east and west sides; the archipelago is cut by a major transform
fault, the Philippine Fault; and the arc complex itself is marked by
active volcanism, faulting, and high seismic activity. Subduction of the
Philippine Sea Plate occurs at the eastern margin of the archipelago
along the Philippine Trench and its northern extension, the East Luzon
Trough. The East Luzon Trough is thought to be an unusual example of a
subduction zone in the process of formation, as the Philippine Trench
system gradually extends northward (Hamburger et al., 1983). On the west
side of Luzon, the Sunda Plate subducts eastward along a series of
trenches, including the Manila Trench in the north, the smaller less
well-developed Negros Trench in the central Philippines, and the Sulu
and Cotabato trenches in the south (Cardwell et al., 1980). At its
northern and southern terminations, subduction at the Manila Trench is
interrupted by arc-continent collision, between the northern Philippine
arc and the Eurasian continental margin at Taiwan and between the
Sulu-Borneo Block and Luzon at the island of Mindoro. The Philippine
fault, which extends over 1,200 km within the Philippine arc, is
seismically active. The fault has been associated with major historical
earthquakes, including the destructive M7.6 Luzon earthquake of 1990
(Yoshida and Abe, 1992). A number of other active intra-arc fault
systems are associated with high seismic activity, including the
Cotabato Fault and the Verde Passage-Sibuyan Sea Fault (Galgana et al.,
2007).
Relative plate motion vectors near the Philippines (about
80 mm/yr) is oblique to the plate boundary along the two plate margins
of central Luzon, where it is partitioned into orthogonal plate
convergence along the trenches and nearly pure translational motion
along the Philippine Fault (Barrier et al., 1991). Profiles B and C
reveal evidence of opposing inclined seismic zones at intermediate
depths (roughly 70-300 km) and complex tectonics at the surface along
the Philippine Fault.
Several relevant tectonic elements, plate
boundaries and active volcanoes, provide a context for the seismicity
presented on the main map. The plate boundaries are most accurate along
the axis of the trenches and more diffuse or speculative in the South
China Sea and Lesser Sunda Islands. The active volcanic arcs (Siebert
and Simkin, 2002) follow the Izu, Volcano, Mariana, and Ryukyu island
chains and the main Philippine islands parallel to the Manila, Negros,
Cotabato, and Philippine trenches.
Seismic activity along the
boundaries of the Philippine Sea Plate (Allen et al., 2009) has produced
7 great (Magnitude greater than 8.0) earthquakes and 250 large (Magnitude greater than 7) events. Among the
most destructive events were the 1923 Kanto, the 1948 Fukui and the
1995 Kobe (Japan) earthquakes (99,000, 5,100, and 6,400 casualties,
respectively), the 1935 and the 1999 Chi-Chi (Taiwan) earthquakes (3,300
and 2,500 casualties, respectively), and the 1976 M7.6 Moro Gulf and
1990 M7.6 Luzon (Philippines) earthquakes (7,100 and 2,400 casualties,
respectively). There have also been a number of tsunami-generating
events in the region, including the Moro Gulf earthquake, whose tsunami
resulted in more than 5000 deaths. - USGS.
December 10, 2014 - UNITED KINGDOM - High winds and huge waves are affecting north-western parts of the UK as bad weather hits power supplies and travel.
The "weather bomb" has brought hundreds of lightning strikes,
temporarily cutting power across the Western Isles, affecting 17,000
homes.
The Met Office has warned parts of Scotland and Northern
Ireland to "be prepared" as the rapidly developing storm threatens
gusts of up to 80mph.
Wind speeds are expected to peak on Wednesday afternoon and early evening.
BBC weather presenter Carol Kirkwood said it would be a "wild" day from
north Wales northwards, while it would be "blustery" further south.
Explosive
cyclogenesis - known colloquially as a "weather bomb" - is when a storm
intensifies as the pressure at its centre drops rapidly (by more than
24 millibars in 24 hours).The storm currently affecting parts of the UK formed in this way.
Speaking from Barra in the Outer Hebrides, Donald MacLeod, coxswain of
the island's lifeboat, said there was rain, hail and "plenty of wind".
He said the storm had "grown through the night", adding: "The swell
conditions are pretty bad to the west - it's showing about 14m (45ft)."
Lightning over 24 hours from 09:30 GMT on Tuesday, with darker colours showing more recent strikes
Mr Macleod said this was "a lot deeper than we normally see" and was "definitely something to be wary of".
In
Aberdeenshire, about 20 vehicles got stuck in icy conditions on the
B974 Banchory to Fettercairn road. A gritter was sent and the vehicles
were later freed.
Ahead of the forecast storms, ferry operator Caledonian MacBrayne warned of severe disruption to its services. - BBC.
December 10, 2014 - UNITED STATES
- A major storm will impact the Northeast through Thursday, complete
with gusty winds, substantial snow, heavy rain, a wintry mix and
flooding.
A strengthening storm along the mid-Atlantic coast will push northward on Tuesday, then inland Tuesday night through Thursday.
Major snowstorm to plaster Northeast U.S.
According to AccuWeather Chief Meteorologist Elliot Abrams, "This will
be a snowstorm for some areas well inland, while impacts similar to a
tropical storm will occur along the coast, including much of
Interstate-95." Heavy Interior Snow
The heaviest snow, a general 6 to 12 inches is forecast to fall on the
Endless, Catskill and Adirondack mountains. Locally higher amounts can
occur.
While the snow will be welcome by those with skiing
interests, travel will become extremely treacherous and AccuWeather.com
Meteorologist Ben Noll stated that the "wet-clinging nature of the snow
could lead to downed trees and power outages."
Interstates
that could quickly become snow-covered and treacherous for motorists
include stretches of 81, 87, 88, 90, 91, and 93 in upstate New York and
northern New England.
Outside of the mountains, the rate of the snow in the interior Northeast will determine travel troubles and amounts.
"Marginal temperatures could cause the snow to melt as it falls on some
of the roads for a time," stated AccuWeather.com Senior Meteorologist
Alex Sosnowski.
"The snow would have to fall at a heavy rate to accumulate on paved surfaces outside of the mountains."
Communities at risk for one or more rounds of heavy snow and slippery
travel include Scranton, Pennsylvania; Lebanon, New Hampshire; Caribou,
Maine; Binghamton and Syracuse, New York; and Rutland and Burlington,
Vermont.
"However, enough warm air could come into some of
these areas to switch snow over to a wintry mix, or even rain for a
time," Sosnowski said.
Aside from any heavier burst and icy
spots to start, the snow should be light enough for much of interstates
68, 70, 79, 80, 81 and 86 in the central Appalachians and toward the
eastern Great Lakes to be mainly wet or slushy Tuesday through
Wednesday.
In the transition zone from snow to rain in the
Northeast, a bit of icing could occur and add to the hazards for
motorists. Icy conditions have already led to several accidents and road
closures on major highways early Tuesday from central Pennsylvania to
northern Virginia.
Downpours, Poor Drainage Flood Threat for I-95
The storm will be a mainly rain event for the I-95 corridor from Boston
southward to Washington, D.C., but AccuWeather.com meteorologists will
be monitoring the potential for some wet snow at the storm's onset or
end.
The rain alone could bring some impacts to residents and
travelers. The heavy rain threatens to trigger flooding in low-lying and
poor drainage areas.
Airline passengers should prepare for an
increasing number of flight delays and cancellations. Poor visibility
from wind-swept rain and the risk of hydroplaning will be a concern for
motorists. Such travel disruptions will spread from Baltimore,
Philadelphia and New York City during the day on Tuesday to Boston for
the evening commute.
Strong Wind, Coastal Flooding Potential
The danger of coastal flooding will exist Tuesday from the Delaware and
New Jersey beaches to New York City and southern New England, then will
increase Tuesday night farther north along the eastern New England
coast as howling northeasterly winds whip the region.
The risk of coastal flooding will generally be limited to within a couple of hours of the scheduled high tides.
The winds along the coast could be strong enough to cause localized
damage and power outages. Gusts could top 50 mph on some coastal areas.
The strong onshore winds at the coast will shut off as the storm moves northward and inland at midweek.
Outlook for Wednesday Night and Thursday
Colder air will wrap into the slow-moving storm, along with bands of
snow and flurries over New England and the mid-Atlantic during Wednesday
night through Thursday.
While there is a chance of a ground
whitening snow shower as far east as I-95, the mostly likely area for a
small additional accumulation of snow will be in parts of interior New
England and the central Appalachians.
Parts of northwestern Pennsylvania and western and central New York state are likely to receive heavier lake-enhanced snow.
Gusty winds from the northwest will add to the chill around the eastern Great Lakes and mid-Atlantic into Friday. - AccuWeather.
San Francisco expecting 'storm of the decade' - hurricane-force winds, torrential rain
Winds
above 74 miles per hour in hills above 2500 feet, and 80 miles per hour
in the mountains are forecast for Thursday in what could be the storm
of the decade according to Bay Area meteorologists.
The
computer models are able to break down the exact time of highest danger.
By mid-morning Thursday, models indicate winds peaking at 74 miles per
hour sustained, not gusts, above 2500 feet. Above 5,000 feet the
forecast is for 80 miles per hour. Along the coast, 60 mile per hour
winds are forecasts, with higher gusts. The flatter areas around the bay
will have widespread gusts from 40 to 50 miles per hour.
KPIX 5
chief meteorologist Paul Deanno said, "Given the long-term drought and
short-term saturated ground, many trees will lose the battle with the
wind on Thursday."
Deanno compares this week's storms to other
significant events saying, "For those of us who have lived here for a
while, the potential of this storm is comparable to the ones in January
2008 and February 1998, both of which caused widespread wind &
flooding damage. As always, the forecast can change."
The
National Weather Service has issued a whopping 15 separate warnings and
advisories for the system including a Flash Flood Watch, Gale Warning,
Hazardous Seas Advisory, and High Wind Watch.
Rainfall amounts
above eight inches are forecast for the coastal ranges, triggering the
Flash Flood Watch, an official notice to be looking for potential
flooding. During the storm, these alerts will change from watches to
warnings as actual floods begin occurring.
A hurricane, though
only used to refer to tropical storms, is declared when sustained winds
reach 74 miles per hour, and that level of wind is predicted for
Thursday, along with rainfal amounts of over half an inch per hour, and
if the storm slows, it could reach one inch per hour, causing serious
flooding in the Bay Area.
Waves approaching 30 feet are
predicted for certain surf breaks, and ocean swells will build to at
least 20 feet by Wednesday, triggering the Small Craft Advisories and
Hazardous Seas alerts. - CBS News.
December 10, 2014 - EARTH - The following constitutes the latest reports of unusual and symbolic animal behavior, mass die-offs, beaching and stranding of mammals, and the appearance of rare creatures.
Large amount of dead fish washing up in a lagoon in Malargue, Argentina
Laguna Blanca, between the decline and loss of fish fauna.
For years, the Malargüe Fly Fishing Association has been working on the preservation of Laguna Blanca.
On several occasions they have warned about the retraction of the
mirror, since they have cut channels ingress of water into the lagoon. For this situation are fighting a while, but in recent days have seen a lot of dead fish in the area. The lagoon is located at the boundary between Malargüe and Sosneado,
and is a place where, thanks to the work of hundreds of people Real-
advantage to go fishing. Unfortunately, almost no water enters the mirror is drying, so that the fish die and also threatens the rest of the fauna. So far the lagoon lost almost half of its length, and this is because
the only closed from Irrigation water inlet grounds that it was illegal
diversion and that was hurting the water level in the Atuel. In this situation, from the Association seek to recover water ingress,
with the main objective of safeguarding the flora and fauna, and not
lose a space that has been very attractive for tourism since the place
came fishermen throughout Mendoza and neighboring provinces for fishing
Silverside. Note that during the
summer of last year had already experienced this situation, which is
compounded by the passing of the years. - Diario San Rafael. [Translated]
Large number of grey seals washing up dead on Cornish beaches, UK
Huge numbers of dead seals have been found stranded on Cornish beaches recently,and wildlife experts admit they are baffled.
Cornwall Wildlife Trust says it has attended almost twice as many
strandings of seals as would normally be expected for this time of year
adding that, throughout October and November, 35 dead seals have washed
up along the Cornish coastline, and over the same period a further 37
seals have been rescued alive from Cornish beaches by British Divers
Marine Life Rescue.
Caz Waddell, from Cornwall
Wildlife Trust said: "While bad weather will undoubtedly have been the
cause of some of these strandings, the sheer number of cases has left us slightly baffled. We
don't yet have any answers as to why this is happening, but it shows
just how important it is for people to tell us about any stranded marine
animal they see. The more animals we can study, the more we can try to
get to the bottom of what might be going on."
"Although it
would be easy to assume that large numbers of stranded seals might mean
we have large populations of seals in our waters, this is simply not the
case. Many people don't realise that grey seals are actually an
endangered species worldwide, and we are incredibly lucky to have them
around our shores. Britain currently has over a third of the entire
world's population, and this of course means that we have an
international responsibility to help in their protection and
conservation."
Sue Sayer from the Cornwall Seal Group added
that while surveys by the group have shown that overall seal numbers in
Cornwall have been relatively stable over the last eight years, recent
strandings have included young adults in their prime.
"If we
are losing breeding age adults from the population the implications for
future generations could be huge. Whilst it is sadly quite common to
find dead pups at this time of year, deaths of adult seals are more
serious and we are concerned about the numbers that are dying around our
coast", said Sue
"Grey seals in Cornwall are highly mobile,
moving internationally around the Celtic Seas. At least two individuals
found dead in Cornwall were known to have been breeding seals from the
island of Skomer in West Wales, an important Special Area of
Conservation for seals. This highlights how important it is to remember
the bigger picture. The large numbers of strandings occurring in
Cornwall is of concern not just to us locally, but nationally as well."
The Marine Strandings Network coordinates the investigation and
recording of all dead stranded animals in Cornwall. Volunteers are sent
to each animal in order to gather data about the individual, as well as
the state of our marine environment such as incidents of pollution,
entanglement in storm-damaged or discarded net, evidence of bycatch, and
disease. Where possible animals are sent on to post-mortem to establish
how they died.
Niki Clear from the Marine Strandings Network said that at the moment the spike in deaths remains a mystery.
"Further down the line these present trends may be nothing more than
anomalies and the situation may return to normal. It's only by gathering
information about each case that we can build up a true picture of what
is happening. We need to collect as much information as possible from
these seals - and in fact from any dead marine animal we find", said
Niki. "It's
not just seals that wash up dead along the Cornish coastline. The
Marine Strandings Network has also attended over 80 strandings of dead
dolphins, porpoises and whales, as well as three turtles, and one
basking shark in the last year. In addition almost 2,000 stranded
seabirds have been reported, plus thousands of fish and jellyfish.
The Marine Strandings Network is now asking people to help by reporting
any stranded dead animal to their 24-hour hotline on 0345 201 2626.
Live stranded animals should be reported immediately to British Divers
Marine Life Rescue on 01825 765546. The public are advised never to
approach any stranded animal. - Falmouth Packet.
Rare deep sea fish found on Mooloolaba Beach, Australia
A
rare fish species with an odd mating habit and a light dangling from an
antenna on its head to attract prey has washed up from the depths at
Mooloolaba Beach.
Thirteen-year-old Mia Cornwall discovered the
Angler Fish, also known as a Black Sea Devil or a Melanocetus, during a
morning walk.
Mia's grandfather Peter Beinssen, who shares her
love of all things in nature, arranged for the specimen to be dropped
at SeaLife from where it is destined for the Queensland Museum.
Rare Angler Fish washes up at Mooloolaba
Deep Secrets: The Angler Fish which was found at Mooloolaba.
Mr Beinssen said the Angler Fish normally lives at depths of around 1600m.
He said the deep sea creature attracts prey with its light then sucks
it into its cavernous mouth, which has mean-looking, inward-sloping
teeth to stop its prey from escaping.
"This light-assisted way of feeding is rare but not unique," Mr Beinssen said.
"However its reproduction process is thought to be unique. The male
can't survive unless it finds a female to attach itself to. It bites on
and then merges to become an appendage on the female host, like a gonad,
with the sole function of pumping out sperm."
Fisheries
researcher and university lecturer Geoff Dews said the find may have
been by-catch of a prawn trawler working at depth off the coast. - Sunshine Coast Daily.
Wrong time, wrong place: Rare bird found in Barrie, Canada
If
you were a bird, you may want to consider flying south in October and
not returning to our area until next May. Many human snowbirds do just
that. Many birds migrate south to warmer climates for winter, then
return in the spring, but some seed-eating birds tough out the winter
with us.
There is a family of birds called flycatchers that
survives by hawking flying insects out of the air in mid-flight. There
are not many insects flying around in winter, so a flycatcher that tried
to overwinter instead of migrate would have little chance of survival.
Flycatchers mainly eat insects and other invertebrates, but also fruit.
One of the largest and most common species of flycatcher that nests in
our area in summer is the great-crested flycatcher. It is a member of
the Myiarchus genus and the second-largest flycatcher in our area,
slightly smaller than the eastern kingbird. Great-crested flycatchers
leave our area in late summer and early fall to fly south to southern
Central America or northern South America. There are few records of this species staying around in late fall or winter in our area.
Great-crested flycatchers mainly eat insects but will also eat a good
amount of fruit, which they swallow whole, then regurgitate the pits.
The one member of the flycatcher family that leaves later than most and
arrives back in our area in late March is the eastern phoebe. It winters
in the southern United States and Mexico. It eats mainly insects, but
survives long periods on small fruits and seeds when they are unable to
find insects.
Imagine
the surprise when Barrie resident Darlene Deemert saw a flycatcher drop
from the sky into her small residential backyard near the Barrie
Country Club at about 2 p.m. Nov. 18, in the middle of a snowfall.
The bird looked like a great-crested flycatcher, but smaller, and
didn't have the grey throat and breast along with the deep yellow belly
of a great-crested flycatcher. The throat and breast was white and the
belly was a washed-out, light yellow colour. She
checked her bird guide and the bird looked like an ash-throated
flycatcher known only to nest as far north as northern California and
winter in Mexico and Central America.
This is not a bird one would expect to see in Ontario, especially in the middle of a snow storm in mid-November.She
then wondered if it could be a young great-crested flycatcher that did
not migrate with the rest of the species a few months ago. She captured a
few distance photos of the bird with her camera and posted her
observation on my Simcoe Nature Board website.
Although still
considered rare, they predictably appear on the East Coast from Florida
north to the Atlantic provinces from early November to mid-December. In
fact, during this season, one is more likely to encounter an
ash-throated flycatcher on the East Coast than a great-crested
flycatcher that departs from our area in early October.
This
bird stayed in Deemert's backyard flying around a low burning-bush shrub
loaded with berries in company with a small flock of juncos that were
visiting a feeding station and millet and sunflower seeds. She saw it
flying up from the bush and catching snowflakes in midair like they were
flies for about 30 minutes. Then, it flew away with a flock of juncos.
It was not seen again, but the following morning, a number of us
checked the area unsuccessfully for signs of the bird since it would be a
new species for our Simcoe County and even Ontario personal lists.
There were no further reports received in the following days.
The ash-throated flycatcher is a rare but regular vagrant to the East
Coast and individuals have been recorded nearly every year in all the
coastal states and provinces, with inland sightings being less in the
east and midwest. - Orillia Packet and Times.
A rare bird caused twitchers to flock to Wakefield today (Monday).
A Blyth's Pipit was spotted late morning by birder Jonathan Holliday
close to the Calder Wetlands site, which is across from Pugneys Country
Park.
The bird, which breeds in Mongolia, is believed to be the first county record for Yorkshire.
Birders from across the region rushed to Denby Dale Road to see the
"archetypal little brown job" after the news broke on social media and
pagers. More twitchers are expected tomorrow.
Fellow birder
Mick Hemingway, 50, managed to get pictures of the bird before it flew
off towards the M1 at Durkar at about 3pm.
He said: "It's a
rare vagrant, a first for Yorkshire. It's huge for an inland patch, you
expect this sort of thing on the coast.
"I've been birding for nearly 30 years and it's my first one."
He believed the bird may still be in the reedy area and expects more
birders to turn up at first light on Tuesday to try and relocate it. - Wakefield Express.
Man dies after vicious hippo attack in South Africa
A Limpopo man has died following an attack by a hippo, the provincial health department said on Tuesday.
"The man was fishing on Friday afternoon when the hippo attacked him," spokesperson Macks Lesufi said.
"When he was rescued, he was badly injured."
Dashi Makhuvele fought tooth and nail with the large animal when it attacked him at Makuleke dam while fishing.
Following his ordeal, the 34-year-old man survived to tell the tale but
due to the nature of his injuries he died in hospital on Sunday.
The Daily Sun
reportedly spoke to him while in hospital and he told the paper that
during his scuffle with the hippo it bit him on the hip and groin.
"I knew my life was in danger and I fought the hippo like a warrior. I
beat the beast repeatedly in the eyes with my fists. It let go of me but
it had ripped open some of the flesh on my hip and groin. Somehow I
managed to get to dry ground," he said.
Makhuvele was spotted by a friend who called an ambulance and he was taken to hospital for treatment.
Michigan man shoots demented ram during crazy attack
A relentless attack waged on the Richard family by a Thanksgiving party crasher in Whitmore Lake. "He kept pounding and pounding and pounding."
It started right after dinner when Mike Richard took his dog Murphy for a walk.
"I took a look off to my right and the ram was over here," Mike said.
WATCH: Man shoots runaway ram after it attacks family on Thanksgiving.
A ram broke free from a neighbor's land and wanted very badly to be a part of the Richard's holiday gathering.
"It looked at us and I could see the aggression in its eyes," Mike said. "And started charging after us."
"I slammed the door in its face and that's when all hell broke loose," Paula said.
"He wanted in this house," Mike said. Marks
were left on the family's garage door by the horns as the battering ram
crashed into the door repeatedly, trying to get inside.
He didn't give up there, as Mike went outside to get Murphy.
"Meanwhile the ram saw us and chased us to the front door," Mike said.
"I heard the glass break and was like, 'is this happening,'" Paula said.
"My father-in-law and brother in law were at the front door," Mike said, but that didn't deter the beast.
"I could see the door just being banged out like that," Mike said.
The ramifications were getting serious at this point.
"My pregnant sister-in-law was sitting here at the table, my disabled
mom was on the couch, so I was a little worried," Paula said.
An avid hunter, Mike then grabbed his gun and went out back.
As the ram charged him. he fired. "I want to make clear how aggressive this animal was," Paula said. "It was really pushing it. I never saw anything like it.So unfortunately we had to shoot it."
Mike said the owner of the ram is understanding of what happened. and
he's hoping the man will help pay for some of the repairs as well.
As for hosting another Thanksgiving ...
"We'll have to do it again," Mike laughed.
There will be plenty to talk about with his invited guests. - My FOX Detroit.
Rampaging moose stomps on 2 women walkers in Colorado
A moose on the rampage attacked two women walking with their dogs, injuring both severely.
The animals can weigh a half ton or more.
"We were just moseying along, hiking, enjoying our hike, and then all
of a sudden, I looked up and he was looking right at me,"said Jacquie
Boron, 50, who was hiking with her neighbor Ellen Marie Divis, 57, near
their homes in Black Hawk, Colo., about 35 miles northwest of Denver.
Boron
said the moose grunted and immediately charged toward her, hitting her
squarely in the chest and knocking her off her feet.
"I knew
that they were aggressive, and I knew that I should be very careful with
them," she said. "But I didn't expect them just to charge me."
The moose repeatedly returned to stomp on her,leaving her with four broken ribs, 15 stitches in her leg and 10 staples in her head. "He kept coming back for me," Boron said. "I had to get away from him."
Boron said she tried to get away by hiding behind a tree and then moved from tree to tree until the moose wandered away.
Her neighbor, who was also injured, managed to escape and call for help. Their two dogs ran off as well but are home now.
WATCH: Two women injured in moose attack.
State wildlife experts said it's possible the dogs triggered the moose's aggressive behavior.
"They do not like having dogs anywhere near them, so very often they
will try and stomp the dog or will actually follow the dog," said
Jennifer Churchill, a Colorado Parks and Wildlife spokeswoman.
Boron said she won't be hiking around her home any time soon.
"I think I'll stay away from there as long as I know that moose is back
there because they're quiet and they're stealthy and they come up on
you," she said. "And you can come up on them so quickly and then they
react immediately."
Boron expects to be released from the
hospital Tuesday. Divis is in fair condition in St. Anthony hospital in
this Denver suburb.
State wildlife officials say the moose
population is growing fast in Colorado. A hiker who comes across one
should walk away and put something large between the two of you. - USA Today.
Over 400,000 fish have died in a lake in Florida, United States
Florida wildlife officials say thousands of fish in a popular Marion County lake are dead, and more could die in the next few days.
Residents say the dead fish in Lake Bryant near Levy Hammock Road are creating a terrible smell.
"About
three days ago fish started washing up on shore," said Angela Rivers.
"It was pretty sad though, all of the fish were at the top of the water,
and you could see they were trying to get air."
Florida
Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officials estimate more than
400,000 fish have died so far. Unusually large numbers of birds are
showing up at the lake, eager to feed on the dead fish.
"The whole entire lake, including the canal, just looked like it was raining, but it was fish coming to the top," said Rivera.
WATCH: Thousands of fish dead in popular Marion County lake
Tuesday afternoon, Channel 9's Myrt Price was at Lake Bryant as fisherman, unaware of the problem, showed up to fish.
"There
is no sense in going fishing, the fish are dying already. (I) can't
take them home to eat or anything like that," said fisherman Larry
Godfrey.
Some residents told Price that they were concerned that
there might be an issue with the water, but they said wildlife
officials showed up and put those fears to rest.
"They told us it was low oxygen levels, and that it is uncommon for this time of year, but it does happen," said Rivera.
Wildlife biologists took samples of the water and are conducting tests.
People who spoke to Price are convinced the fish population in the lake will bounce back.
"Nature will straighten this back out," said Rivera.
While there are still fish alive in the lake, wildlife officials said they expect more fish to die over the next few day. - WFTV.
3 MILLION fish have died 'reasons unknown' in Lake Poopo in Bolivia
The
government of Bolivia's Oruro department reported today the death of
over three million fish in the lake Poopó, for reasons still unknown. The director of the Department of Agriculture and Livestock Service of
governance, Severo Choque, advanced three hypotheses about the death of
fish, including the reduction of the water surface, which allegedly
caused warming and lack of oxygen.
Likewise, also argued as a possible cause strong winds that rocked in
recent weeks the lake and also fish, bird caused the death of the
second-largest after Lake Titicaca.
Finally, he warned that the third hypothesis relates to toxic elements expressed in the only saltwater tank country.
The specialists as Crash, collected samples of water, soil and dead
animals for analysis to determine the causes that led to this disaster.
Shock noted that fish kills began registering since late last month.
Poopó Lake is the largest of which only belong to Bolivia, because the Titicaca shares it with Peru. - Prensa Latina. [Translated]
24 Geese drop dead out of sky during a storm in Jutland, Denmark
Farmer
Brian Rostgaard got himself something unusual experience when he
Thursday afternoon during a storm heard what he described as hollow thud
sounds. It turned out to be
nothing less than 24 barnacle geese that had fallen dead from the sky
and had spread over a smaller area around Tonder. Several of the birds had hit the roof of Brian Rost's barn and made large holes.
Not uncommon
How unusual it sounds, it's actually not uncommon especially migratory birds are in danger of losing his life in the air. Both storms and collisions with other migratory birds pose a threat to the birds. New Year's Eve 2010 crashed 5,000 birds on the ground in the town of Beebe in Arkansas. - DRDK. [Translated]
