January 13, 2015 - 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.
Fin whale found dead on beach in Cornwall, UK
 |
| Surfer and dog walker stumbled across what is believed to be a Fin Whale on Saturday |
A local walker was left stunned after he discovered the carcass of a huge 60ft whale washed up on a beach in Cornwall.
Beach cleaner and surfer Ado Shorland stumbled across the massive mammal on Wanson Beach near Bude on Saturday.
Marine biologists are now examining the carcass, which is believed to
be an endangered fin whale - although the state of decay means that this
has not yet been confirmed.
"I found it yesterday morning. It
measures around 20m and the lower jaw has been detached and alone it is
about 5m. It is a very large whale," he told the
Western Morning News.
"From a distance I thought it to be a large tarp or mesh netting. When I
realised it was a whale I was excited and saddened at the same time.
"I felt humbled to be honest, the sheer size suggests it to be an adult, and alive it would have been such a majestic mammal."
Huge Fin Whale found by WTF organiser Ado shorland. See more on Facebook page. pic.twitter.com/UCXzGDH0tc
- Widemouth Task Force (@WidemouthTaskFo) January 10, 2015
Fin
whales are the second largest whale species after the Blue Whale, and
can grow to up to 90ft in length and weigh between 40 and 80 tonnes.
Solitary mammals, they travel the world's oceans, only avoiding the
highest and lowest polar climates where there is a danger of ice.
Fin whales are still hunted in Greenland, and under limited controls in the seas surrounding Japan. -
Independent.
Elephant runs amok in Thailand, attacks cars and shops
A
shop and restaurant at Khao Yai National Park in Thailand were damaged
in an elephant attack today; two days after another elephant rammed a
car.
A wild elephant stomped the grocery shop and shattered window glasses with its trunk, park officials say.
The incident happened after an eight-year-old male elephant attacked a car on a road in Khao Yai on Saturday.
Amateur video shows the elephant put its front feet on the car, causing
a dent on the car hood and fractures on the windscreen.
 |
| The elephant put its front feet on the car, causing a dent on the car hood and fractures on the windscreen |
Another vehicle sustained minor damage. No one was injured in the incidents.
Officials did not confirm that it was the same elephant, but Khao Yai
National Park chief Kanchit Srinoppawan said the aggressive behaviours
were results of the mating season.
He said male elephants are forced to leave their herd to prevent them from mating with blood relatives.
These lone and stressful pachyderms could behave like in the two encounters, Mr Kanchit added.
The rare elephant attacks prompted the National Park to warn visitors to be careful of the pachyderms. - RTE.
Dozens of birds found dead in Sultanpur National Park, India
Gurgaon:
As many as 45 birds have been found dead in the Sultanpur National
Park, around 15 kms from the city, following which the sanctuary has
been closed, a forest official said on Monday.
"The Sultanpur Sanctuary was closed on January 10 after the department found 45 birds dead. However, it is too early to comment whether the birds died due to avian influenza virus (H5N1)," District Forest Officer Kulwinder Singh said.
He, however, said no more dead birds have been found in the sanctuary or nearby areas in the last two days.
The carcasses of the birds have been sent to the National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases in Bhopal for avian flu tests, Singh said, adding that the report will come after 10 days.
He said the cause of death of the birds will be clear only after the report comes.
However, sources in the sanctuary claimed that the birds died as they had eaten pesticide-infested crops at a nearby field.
Of the 45 dead birds, 35 are Eurasian coots, eight are common moorhen, one spot-billed duck and one jungle babbler.The Sultanpur National Park is located on Gurgaon-Jhajjar Road. -
ZEE News.
Elephant gores vet to death in India
A
veterinarian was today killed by a tusker while he was attempting to
tackle the pachyderm after it ran amok at Vaypur in Pathanamthitta
district, police said.
The victim identified as Dr Gopakumar
(52) was a veterinarian and a member of the Elephant Squad which is
specialised in containing elephants that turn violent, police said.
The
tusker kicked the vet and then gored him while he was trying to
administer a tranquilizer shot in its rear. The elephant created panic
in the area by running amok for several hours.
Police and local people rushed the doctor to a hospital in Tiruvalla but
he died soon after reaching there, police said, adding, the elephant
was later brought under control.
The animal had started showing signs of uneasiness in the morning and
later managed to slip free from its chains and ran amok. The elephant
squad at nearby Konni was alerted as efforts of the mahout with local
people failed to contain it.
- Mathrubhumi.
Thousands of fish dead 'due to pollution' in a canal in Leicestershire, England
Attempts are being made to rescue thousands of fish from a Leicestershire canal after it became polluted.
Farm
slurry was washed into the Grand Union Canal Leicester line last month,
polluting a four mile stretch between Kilby and Foxton.
The Environment Agency said an estimated 2,000 fish had been killed and they were now working to contain the pollution and remove the dead fish.
Staff are trying to move thousands more live fish away from the area.
The Canal and River Trust, which is helping the Environment Agency and Natural England with the rescue attempt, said the waterway was currently closed to boaters.
 |
| The Canal and River Trust said the fish killed by the pollution included pike, roach and perch |
 |
| Three organisations are working together to rescue the fish and contain the pollution |
Three organisations are working together to rescue the fish and contain the pollution
Waterway
manager for the trust, Neil Owen, said: "It's really sad that we've had
so many fish die from the careless actions of an individual which
allowed slurry to enter our waterway.
"Fortunately we have managed to move many thousands of fish away from the pollution plug but we still have a busy task ahead of us in trying to break down the pollution."
Matthew Gable from the Environment Agency said: "Unfortunately there has been some environmental damage already done."Our efforts now are aimed at trying to reduce that and limit it to where it currently is and stop it from spreading further down the canal and into the River Soar."
- BBC.
Hundreds of pigeons are 'falling dead out of the sky' in Antrim, Northern Ireland
A killer disease is taking a disastrous toll of wood pigeons in North Antrim.
At the time of writing the disease has not been definitively identified, but farmers and shooters have told me that in a three miles pigeon flightpath between Glenann and Glendun hundreds of dead pigeons can be found lying in the fields.
On Tuesday of this week I found a pile of pigeon feathers in Paddy McCurday’s field a couple of hundred yards from my home on the Clady Road near Cushendun and when I was walking home my neighbour John McAuley told me he had found a similar pile of feathers in a field behind his house.
I would say that the pigeon which came down in Paddy’s field was taken by a fox: I could tell by the saliva on the feathers and it would seem that the bird in John’s field was also taken by a fox.
Another regular hill walker told me that two miles to the North of Cushendun he had found two peregrine falcons lying dead among dead pigeons in a field close to Cushleake moor where the shooting rights are held by the National Trust. When he went back next day to collect the dead peregrines, they were gone – with fox again the prime suspect.
I first heard about the tragic loss of wood pigeons on New Year’s eve but nobody, except locals, seemed to be interested in the details.
I am long past the stage where I can walk up the steep hill to the flightpath but men who have been there since the start of the year tell me they have seen, not only dead pigeons lying around in profusion, but they have watched as pigeons, coming in to roost or feed on holly berries, could not hold on to the branches and fell to the ground to die a short while later.
They said they had watched as pigeons, coming in on their normal flightpath, just ‘fell out of the sky like flies.’ The man who first told me of the wildlife disaster said some of the dead or dying pigeons had a greenish substance on their beaks.
My granson Daniel said he had seen a wood pigeon staggering about on the road at Coskib near Cushendall in what looked like a drunken state; it was unable to fly away.
When I asked another person – not a shooter – if he would bring in some of the dead birds so that I could send them off for scientific examination, he said with a hint of malevolence:
“I’ll not be touching any dead birds; if the buzzards and falcons pick them up and pay the price I’ll not be shedding any tears. These raptors take a heavy toll of our own wildlife every year and we could do with a rest from them.”
I am indebted to www.wildlife –rescue.dot.org.uk and www.bto.org for information which might be helpful in determining the cause of the deaths. I have calls out to several other experts but at the time of writing I have not had the information I require.
The sources mentioned above say: “Alternatively known as frounce or canker, this ailment is caused by an organism called Trichomonas gallinae, a mobile single celled protozoan that lives in the sinuses, mouth and throat of birds and which, under certain conditions, can multiply out of control. It has become a well known garden disease after the noticeable effect it has had on greenfinches in recent years.
“Rescue centres tend to see it more in pigeons and doves, as well as the birds of prey that feed on birds, such as sparrowhawks, kestrels and tawny owls. It is most prevalent in warm, damp weather, particularly late summer/early autumn.
“Characteristic lesions in the mouth of a juvenile wood pigeon characterised by yellow/white lesions in the mouth and throat of the bird, a thick, mucoid saliva and swellings around the eyes, the organism will grow until eventually the bird cannot feed properly and dies of starvation or predation. The more advanced the disease is, the more difficult it is to treat.
“Other signs of the disease that would be noticeable to members of the public would be birds that have dirty looking beaks with patches of wet feathers around the beak area and swollen eyes. Any birds that have difficulty swallowing food are fluffed up, lethargic and slow to fly off will also need help. It should be noted that this is a disease of birds only and cannot be passed on to cats, dogs, rabbits or humans.
“It is believed that the increase in the spread of this disease in recent years is due partly to a lack of hygiene around bird feeding and watering stations. A bird with trichmoniasis drinking from a bird bath is likely to pass the disease on to others and so continue the spread of the disease.
“Disinfectants are all very well but the only definitive way to kill trichomonas gallinae is by desiccation, i.e. drying out. Leaving feeders and especially bird baths to dry out after washing them is vital. A recommended drying time is 48 hours or at the very least (when regularly cleaned, i.e. weekly) 24 hours.”
The above sources also mention Chlamydiosis which, they say is most commonly recognised as a disease of pets. They say affected birds may appear to have difficulty breathing and/or have discharge from their mouth, nose or eyes. Affected wild birds may also simply be found dead.They say: “Chlamydia psittaci bacteria can persist in the environment for months in a resistant form. Transmission can occur through direct contact between infected birds, ingestion of infected secretions (faeces, ocular and respiratory secretions), and/ or inhalation of contaminated dust or aerosols.”
- Farming Life.
