April 3, 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.
Elk herd of at least 31 perishes after breaking through ice on Palisades Reservoir, Idaho
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| At least 30 elk crashed through the ice of Palisades Reservoir recently and drowned. © John Stephenson |
An eye-opening cluster of dead elk is decaying on the shores of
Palisades Reservoir after an unusual but natural occurrence of a herd
venturing onto thin ice and breaking through.
The elk crashed through the ice on March 21 near where the Snake and
Greys rivers meet at the southeast corner of the reservoir, which
straddles the Wyoming-Idaho border, Wyoming Game and Fish Department
regional supervisor Tim Fuchs said. The elk were later pulled to shore.
Warden Todd Graham responded to a call the day of the event and found 31 dead elk floating, Fuchs said.
"They kind of straddled the state line," Fuchs said. "Twenty-five were on the Idaho side and the remainder on the Wyoming side."
There were likely more dead elk that had drifted off, he said — potentially as many as 50 total.
Last weekend a local resident pulled the carcasses onto the
shore of the lake to collect their ivories, Alpine resident John
Stephenson said. The herd that died consisted of all cows and calves; in
preceding weeks the group had been eating its way through Stephenson's
neighborhood, he said.
"They ate a lot of the bushes," he said, "so I think not a lot of my neighbors were enamored with the elk coming through."
The Alpine resident thought the die-off, though natural, was a shame.
"I'm a hunter so it seems like kind of a waste to me," Stephenson said.
"I'd like to see those on dinner plates rather than thrown out in the
river."
Elk and other ungulates do occasionally break through ice-capped waters and drown, but rarely in such large numbers, Fuchs said.
"It's not unusual to have some fall through," he said. "This is
one of the higher amounts of elk that we have ever had go through the
ice, at least in the last 10 or 15 years."
In late December about 20 elk died in the frigid waters of Echo Canyon Reservoir near Pagosa Springs, Colorado, according to The Denver Post.
Natural disasters such as lightning and avalanches also occasionally
kill groups of elk. A toxic lichen that grows in the Red Rim area
southwest of Rawlins has wiped out droves of elk at times. Fifty died
from it in 2008, and 300 were poisoned and fell dead in 2004.
The dead elk at Palisades, Fuchs said, were probably members of either
the Afton or Fall Creek herds, which mix to some extent in the Snake
River Canyon.
"Certainly we don't ever like to lose 50 animals in one shot," he said.
"But as far as impacting [the herd's] overall well-being ... both of
them are large enough that they could sustain that. We don't expect
large-scale impacts."
Game and Fish has no plans to move the dead elk, which will be left to the elements and scavengers.
"There's a flock of crows over them now," said Stephenson, who lives 400 yards away.
A photographer, Stephenson said he plans to make the best of a bad
situation and get some shots of foxes and coyotes that are drawn to the
thousands of pounds of wapiti. -
Jackson Hole News and Guide.
Thousands of dead fish turn up off Lantau Island, Hong Kong
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| Dead fish floating near Discovery Bay. © Gary Stokes |
Thousands of dead fish have been found floating in rubbish between Peng Chau and Discovery Bay.
One scientist said they could have been killed by an algal bloom that starves fish of oxygen, or waste dumped in the water.
Pictures seen by the
South China Morning Post showed some had washed up on a beach in Peng Chau, off the northeast coast of Lantau Island.
Islands District Councillor Josephine Tsang Sau-ho said: "The fish are
around half the size of a palm. There were thousands of them when they
washed up and they really smell."
She said fishermen had told her trawling was not to blame.
The fish were found on Thursday and workers later cleaned up the beach.
The Marine Department said around 80 catties of dead fish were cleaned
up from water in the area yesterday.
Gary Stokes of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society had also
taken pictures when he witnessed dead fish "numbering in thousands"
floating in the area, according to his Facebook page.
Professor Chan King-ming, director of the Environmental Science
Programme at Chinese University, believed the fish had been dead for two
or three days.
While he said he had not visited the scene, Chan suspected the changing
season from spring to summer might have proved devastating for the fish.
"When the sun shines, it warms the water. It favours the growth of algal
species and eventually leads to a drop in oxygen level," Chan said,
adding that the drop in oxygen would kill the fish.
Another possibility, he said, was the illegal dumping of waste from
construction of the bridge connecting Hong Kong with Zhuhai and Macau.
A spokesman for the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department
said it had contacted fish farmers in the area but there were no reports
of deaths from their mariculture rafts. -
South China Morning Post.
Huge increase in dog attacks of 357% since 2012 in Kent, UK
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| Dangerous dog attacks are on the rise. |
Kent has seen an alarming 357% increase in dog attacks since 2012, according to figures obtained by KentOnline.
The data from Kent Police shows that
in 2012 there were 100 attacks in public places which resulted in injury; in 2014 this figure leapt to 457.
But the number of people charged has decreased, with 13% of attacks
resulting in a charge in 2012, compared to just 6% in 2014.
Trevor Cooper, a dog law specialist for the Dogs Trust, said:
"There is a perception that the number of dog attacks is on the rise and these statistics seem to bear this out
"It could be because there are more dogs around than ever before, there
could be more victims, or police are more inclined to take action.
"Dogs should be appropriately trained and socialised by the owner. It's
one of those basic things people need to do with any dog they get."
Police use other means of redress including cautions and 'community
resolutions', which in 2014 accounted for 1% and 15% of dog attack cases
respectively.
But many incidents appear to go unpunished.
In October last year new laws came into force intended to reduce the number of dog attacks.
The legislation allows police and local authorities to force dog owners to take preventative measures.
Intimidating dogs can now be reported before an attack has taken place,
and their owners ordered to attend training classes, muzzle the animal
or repair fencing to keep their pet under control.
Failure to comply could mean a fine of up to £20,000.
Dr Sam Gains from the RSPCA said: "People may now feel they have a
better means of reporting a dog they're scared of, so it may just be
better reporting. We're now aware of issues we weren't aware of a couple
of years ago.
"If people have a dog whose behaviour they are
concerned about they need to seek professional help, not only to protect
public safety, but to protect the welfare of their own dog."
But the new powers would have done little to help Folkestone historian Dr Phillip Cole.
Dr Cole and his two poodles were attacked by three Staffordshire bull terriers on an isolated footpath.
Dr Cole was knocked to the ground in the attack, and one of his
poodles, Shandi, was mauled to death. The other was injured, but
survived.
"It was a strange feeling" he said.
"It was
like an out of body experience, it was hard to believe it was happening
to you. It wasn't until afterwards you realised the danger you were in.
"Police were under the impression they were trained fighting dogs
. Even after it had been apprehended the captured dog was still very aggressive and was described as un-rehabilitable."
But Mr Cooper, from the Dogs Trust, says most owners are responsible.
"We've got nine million dogs in uk," he said.
"The vast majority of dogs are very well behaved and the vast majority
of dog owners are responsible, but there's a small minority that haven't
trained or socialised their dogs. They are the ones we need to target."
The Dogs Trust has launched a campaign to teach parents and children about dogs and how to live safely alongside them.
Mr Cooper said: "It seems sometimes as though we've forgotten how to behave around dogs.
"You hear about these tragic cases where children have been left alone
with dogs we are just reminding parents don't leave a dog unsupervised
with a child."
Police say the increase may be partly due to how attacks are recorded,
but the last ten years show a steady rise overall.
In 2005, there were 129 attacks, compared to 160 in 2008, followed by a sharp drop to just 59 in 2009.
By 2011 recorded attacks had fallen to just 15, before a massive increase to 100 in 2012, and an all time high of 457 in 2014.
So far 2015 has seen 37 attacks.
Kent Police said the fluctuations - and the increase - are down to a variety of factors.
A spokesman said: "There have been changes to dangerous dogs
legislation which have prompted more media reporting of this issue.
"That coverage, in turn, has raised these types of offences in the public's consciousness and triggered more crime reports.
"At the same time Kent Police has undergone a thorough review of all
its crime recording practices and now has a strategic lead Dog Team
Sergeant with responsibility for ensuring all reports of dangerous
dog-related crime are correctly recorded in compliance with the new
legislation." -
Kent Online.
An above average winter for sightings of snowy owls in Northeast America
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| Snowy owl. |
A snowy owl was spotted on Mount Moosilaukee this past week, likely migrating northward.
It was seen on this White Mountain peak on Wednesday, March 25.
This winter, there have been sporadic sightings of the majestic arctic
owl in places like the Seacoast and near airports in the southeastern
part of the state.
But their numbers were far from those seen in 2014.
According to Cornell University,
"last year's blizzard of snowy owls in the Great Lakes states, the
Northeast, and down the Atlantic coast was epic, an unprecedented
irruption."
According to Marshall Iliff, a
project leader on the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's eBird team, this
year's winter snowy owl flight into the Lower 48 has been impressive but
not at the scale of last year's irruption.
For
comparison, last winter a five-state block in the Northeast had more
than 8,000 reports of snowy owls from November to January.
This winter, that same block has had 1,200 snowy reports so far.
Still, Iliff says, it's an above-average winter for snowies.
-
WMUR.
Family dog mauls 4-year-old boy in Lacey, Washington
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| American Pit Bull. © Getty Images |
A
4-year-old boy viciously attacked by his family dog is in stable
condition at Seattle's Harborview Medical Center, the Thurston County
Sheriff's Office said.
At about 11:16 a.m. Wednesday, deputies received a call of a 4-year-old boy being severely bitten by a 1 1/2-year-old dog.
When deputies and medical staff arrived at the home, they found the boy with severe bite wounds to his face.
Joint Animal Services Officer Kenneth Maynard was called to seize the dog. He said it became a tense situation.
"I wasn't sure what he was going to do," Maynard said late Wednesday.
"He had that look like he was going to attack me, and you're going into a
situation where the dog just attacked a kid."
The boy was
initially rushed to St. Peter Hospital by medics and then airlifted by
Life Flight to Harborview. His injuries are not considered
life-threatening.
The boy's 26-year-old mother was also bitten
on the hand when she attempted to get the dog off her child. It is not
known if she received medical attention.
The dog will be in
quarantine for the next 10 days, where it will be monitored for rabies
or any other contagious illness. After the holding period, it is
expected to be euthanized.
Authorities said the family got the
dog on Craigslist.org. The dog's previous owner told Q13 FOX News the
dog never showed aggression toward people, though it did to other dogs
at times.
The Thurston County Sheriff's Office is investigating that claim and whether the previous owner could face charges.
Experts said a dog's temperament is hard to determine in one meeting,
so getting to know the dog's behavior prior to taking it home is key,
especially when there are children in the house.
Editor's
note: The Thurston County Sheriff's Office originally identified the dog
as a pit bull, but later officials corrected the dog's breed to
American bulldog. Animal Services later corrected that correction and
said the dog is, in fact, an American pit bull. -
Q13FOX.
Elephant gores owner to death in Kerala, India - 4th mahout from the region to die in a fortnight
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| Elephant gores owner to death. Picture for representational purpose |
An
elephant owner was gored to death, while he was trying to pacify it.
The man killed has been identified as Babu Thomas (49), Ozhakkal,
Poonjar, one of the owners of Pala Timbers.
The tusker called
Shekharan alias Kichan, had been chained at Babu's property during the
last few days as he was not well. Shekharan again showed symptoms of
'musth' when he was moving timber at Muppathekkar, Mangalagiri, near
Theekkoy. Babu, who came to know about it, arrived at the spot and went
near the elephant with some fruit to placate it.
The
elephant gored Babu who died on the spot. Although the first mahot,
also named Babu, was riding the elephant, he wasn't able to control the
violent animal.
The animal then ran back to the place where he was chained in the morning through the road.
Although
the mahot, and Shaul from Erattupetta chained the elephant again, it
kept on trying to break free. It even uprooted rubber trees near it. After
that, the elephant let the mahout come down. The animal was calmed down
after a tranquilliser shot was fired at it by Dr. Sabu Issac of
Elephant Squad, Kottayam.
Earlier, the elephant used to obey
the commands of the owner Babu, even if the elephant was angry. Babu had
bought the elephant 15 years ago from Pathanamthitta.
The animal had killed two people after that. In 2006, the elephant had
killed Vijayan of Payyanithottam, who was walking along the road. After the incident, the RDO issued an order saying that the elephant was dangerous and should be shifted to Meenachil Taluk.
Although
he was kept away for a some time, he was brought back considering his
ability to move timber. The second man to be killed by Shekharan was
timber merchant Joy, hailing from Ottayeetti.
Led by Pala DySP Sunesh Babu and SI Sureshkumar, police rushed to the
spot. The Fire Force squad from Erattupetta also came to the scene. The
body of Babu is kept at the mortuary of a private hospital. The funeral
will be held at 11.30 am at Poonjar St. Mary's Forane Church on
Saturday. He is survived by his wife Ancy and three children. -
Manoramaonline.
Elephant kills border guard in Bangladesh
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| Elephant charging. |
A
member of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) has been killed in an attack by
wild elephant in Pechar Dwip Pahari area under Ramu upazila of Cox's
Bazar district.
The deceased is Md Habibur Rahman, 43, son of Abdur Rashid Gazi, of Kandi village in Jhalakathi.
Cox's Bazar BGB 17 Captain Khondokar Saiful Alam said: "A BGB team
conducted a special drive in the area early Thursday to catch the
passengers and brokers who use the route to intrude into Malaysia."
He said Habibur got injured when wild elephant attacked him.
Meanwhile, other BGB members fired three rounds of ammunition to bring the elephant under control.
Later, the duty doctor declared Habibur dead when he was taken to Cox's Bazar Sadar Hospital. -
Dhaka Tribune.
Rare deep water Polka-dot ribbon fish caught off Charna Island, Pakistan
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| Fishermen caught a rare marine species, a polka-dot ribbonfish. © WWF-P |
A rare marine species known as polka-dot ribbonfish was caught off Charna Island by some local fishermen on Wednesday.
The fish, scientifically known as desmodema polystictum, was spotted in
Murray Ridge after the last sighting nearly five years ago.
This is the first time the fish was caught in a fisherman's gillnet as it is usually found in deep, circumtropical waters.
The fisherman, Nakhuda Nisar Hussain, has been trained by the World Wide
Fund-Pakistan (WWF-P) to make sure they do not harm endangered
species. He was working in the area where the water was at least 1,034
metres deep when he caught the specimen. The fish measured 32 inches
with flashing red fins and faint polka dots all over the body. After
taking photos of the ribbonfish, he released it back into the water.
Hussain claimed he had never seen this rare fish before. The
training on the importance of rare species has helped rescue many
non-target species which previously used to be discarded, he said. Now
they are being safely released.
"This fish normally lives at depths of hundreds of metres
but is occasionally seen in shallow waters," said Muhammad Moazzam
Khan, a marine fisheries technical adviser with the WWF-P. "The addition
of the polka-dot ribbonfish is a significant addition to the marine
fauna of Pakistan."
Khan told
The Express Tribune that this kind of ribbonfish are
not found everywhere across the globe. "It is first time in Pakistan
that fisherman caught it and fortunately it was released safely back
into the water," he said.
The maximum weight of this rare fish was not more than one kilogramme,
he added. This species is an inhabitant of the mesopelagic zone of
Pakistan and feeds on lantern fishes, squids and crustaceans. This
occurrence also indicates the rich marine biodiversity that exists in
the offshore and coastal areas of Pakistan, he added.
According to the WWF-P officials, a polka-dot ribbonfish was previously
spotted in the Northern Arabian Sea on two occasions. The occurrence was
recorded by French scientist M L Bauchot and Norwegian scientist
Gabriella Bianchi in 1994.
In 2010, another specimen was caught during a research survey carried
out by Food and Agriculture Organisation's Norwegian research vessel, Dr
R V Fridtjof Nansen, in the offshore waters of Pakistan.
In the last eight months, the fishermen have released 15 whale sharks,
three manta rays, two sunfish and one Longman's beaked whale along with
hundreds of olive Ridley and green turtles.
-
The Express Tribune.
Grey wolf attacks woman's dog in Lake Forest, Illinois
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| Wolf |
A 100+-pound grey wolf attacked a pet in Lake Forest last month, a local resident
told MySuburbanLife.com.
In the early morning hours of March 11, Mary Kong let out her two dogs
in her fenced backyard but one came running back immediately. While
using a flashlight to search for Scottie, a 17-pound mixed former
shelter dog, Kong spotted what she says was a 100- to 120-pound grey
wolf.
"He had Scottie all the way in his jaw, both sides," Kong said.
The animal dropped Scottie upon being noticed and Kong was able to guide herself and both dogs back to safety fairly quick.
Thankfully, Scottie has made a full recovery. He suffered two deep lacerations on either side of his chest.
Since the attack, Kong says some neighbors have reported seeing
an animal that resembles the one she describes and another neighbor has
reported hearing what seemed to be a wolf.
Since wolves are protected animals, nothing can be done by any law
enforcement agency, but Kong told the publication it's important to let
as many residents with children or pets know about what happened. -
Patch.
Large number of poisonous porcupine fish found dead on Taranaki beach, New Zealand
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A poisonous porcupine fish washed up
on a New Plymouth beach. |
A wave of poisonous porcupine fish have washed up on a New Plymouth beach.
Ted Burrows said he was out walking between the Waiwhakaiho groyne and Fitzroy Beach on Monday morning and estimated up to 50 of the fish had washed ashore.
Burrows said he had seen the fish washed up before, but only two or three at a time.
Department of Conservation marine ranger Callum Lilley said the fish
were present in Taranaki waters and he had encountered them on the beach
two or three times over the past 10 years.
He said the fish, a close relative of pufferfish, were poisonous and DOC
would dispose of them. He said they might have washed up on other
beaches as well.
"We do have them offshore out here and occasionally we do have a whole lot wash ashore," he said.
"They are fairly poisonous, so we would certainly encourage
people to keep an eye out for them while walking their dogs or out with
their children.
"We will go down there and dispose of them, but they could be anywhere
and we can't get them all ourselves so we would ask people to take
precautions themselves."
Porcupine fish are from a family of fish also known as tetraodontidae, amongst the most poisonous vertebrate in the world.
Some species of the fish family contain the nerve poison tetrodotoxin, highly toxic to humans and most animals.
In Asian cultures, most notably Japan where it is known as fugu,
specially trained chefs prepare pufferfish, removing the poison so it is
safe for human consumption.
The fish are considered a great delicacy.
Initially a person poisoned by tetrodotoxin remains fully conscious
while paralysis and respiratory failure take hold. Early symptoms of
poisoning can include dizziness, exhaustion, headache, nausea, or
difficulty breathing. -
Stuff.
Mass die off of scallops in the bay of Pisco-Paracas, Peru
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| Scallops. (Photo: Imarpe)
|
A study on the status of the environmental quality of the bay of Pisco-Paracas conducted by the
Instituto del Mar del Peru
(IMARPE) revealed that the recent mass death of scallops recorded in
the area was due to the lack of oxygen and to high water temperature.
IMARPE recalled that in the Atenas area is where marine concessions of Paracas Bay are located, which is an area where scallops are put for fattening using bottom farming.
Experts assessed ten sampling stations randomly distributed along the Atenas area, where scallops were found with densities ranging from 22 to 163 individuals per square metre, demonstrating a high population density and uneven distribution in a shallow zone.
In addition, it was found that 43 per cent of the specimens did not meet the minimum legal size of 6.5 centimetres.
On the other hand, the assessed stations presented anoxia, a condition that occurs due to the little exchange of water and a high load of organic matter, which depletes oxygen as it decomposes.
Another factor was the increase in the temperature of seawater in front of Pisco, which added and caused the death of the resource. -
FIS.
Major fish kill found in a canal in Portmore, Jamaica
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File photo
|
The National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA) says it is investigating the cause of a major fish kill in Portmore, St Catherine.
It is urging members of the public to refrain from collecting or eating fish from the area since the cause of death is not ascertained.
It says death to the fishes could be from ingestion of toxic substances or biological impacts.
The fish kill, which consists of mostly sprat, is reported from the canal behind the Westchester Community in the vicinity of Dawkins Pond in Portmore, St Catherine. -
Jamaica Gleaner.
Hundreds of dead fish wash up along Elizabeth river in Virginia, United States
Chesapeake Sheriff Jim O'Sullivan tasked inmate crews Tuesday with a
smelly venture -- cleaning up dead fish that have washed up at the Cove
and along the Elizabeth River.
Hundreds of fish have washed up dead in Deep Creek after cold temperatures hit the area recently.
The Chesapeake Sheriff's office contacted the Virginia Marine Resource Commission regarding environmental concerns before sending inmates to collect the fish.
O'Sullivan said he wanted to help clean the area because of the upcoming holiday weekend. The spot next to Chesapeake Yachts is popular with boaters.
 |
Hundreds of dead fish washed up at the Cove along the Elizabeth River in
Chesapeake on Tuesday, March 31, 2015. Chesapeake
Sheriff Jim
O'Sullivan tasked inmate crews to clean up the area.
(Bill Thompson | Courtesy of the Virginia Marine Police) |
There were no risks to the water or the people handling the fish, according to Laurie Naismith of the commission.
The recent cold snap is most likely to blame. Temperatures dipped below freezing last Sunday morning, according to the National Weather Service.
"It's because of the horrible, horrible weather we've had," Naismith said.
Fish in the area used to have help staying warm because the nearby Dominion Power coal-fired generating plant warmed the water around it. The plant shut down Jan. 1. Normally, the property owner adjacent to the water would be responsible for cleaning up the dead fish, but the Sheriff's Office was performing the cleanup as a public service, according to Jen Bichara, a spokeswoman for the city. -
Pilot Online.
Dead fish washing ashore for the past week in a lake in New Jersey, United States
For the past several days, dead fish have been washing up along the shoreline of Lake Parsippany. The cause is currently uncertain, but fish and game experts suspect the cause is possibly “winterkill.”
Winterkill is a term used to describe the loss of fish over the winter because dissolved oxygen was lacking in a waterbody. Submerged vegetation and algae create oxygen through the process of photosynthesis. During the winter, oxygen production is often reduced because growing ice cover and accumulating snow on the lake limit the amount of sunlight reaching vegetation. In small, shallow lakes the available oxygen can quickly be used up by fish and by bacteria that feed on dead and decaying vegetation during the process of decompositions. When the oxygen level declines, less tolerant fish species, and fish in poor condition overall, can begin to suffocate and die.
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| (c) 2015 Parsippany Focus |
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| (c) 2015 Parsippany Focus |
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| (c) 2015 Parsippany Focus |
Winterkill is a natural process and not all results are detrimental. It should be noted that Lake Parsippany was stocked with fish this past weekend.
Parsippany Focus did observe what appear to be oil booms in the water. It is unknown if any oil in the water contributed to the fishes demise.
A spokesperson for Lake Parsippany Property Owners Association said “It is a normal occurrence each year. We experienced a very cold winter and the fish get stressed.” -
Parsippany Focus.
75,000 birds dead after heavy rains in Chimborazo, Ecuador
Give them us caused in the hacienda bone cross, then overflow the Chimbo River that swept some 75,000 birds of the hatchery, puts at risk Cumandá, in the province of Chimborazo. Although the incident occurred two weeks ago already, the environmental pollution that has been generated, product of the thousands of dead birds, causes fear in the population.
Pablo Morillo, 3 of the risk management Secretariat (SGR) zonal Coordinator, reported that last week an equipment technicians already ranged the area and verify give them us, so I deem it necessary to call a meeting of the Bureau of health.
Yesterday, the Mayor of Cumandá, Marco Maquisaca, is gathered with members of the technical Bureau work, health, hygiene and sanitation and of the Committee of emerging operations (COE) cantonal to evaluate actions to take.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture says it has confirmed avian
influenza in a commercial turkey flock in eastern South Dakota's Beadle
County.
The U.S. in recent months has seen an increase in cases of the highly pathogenic H5N2 strain of avian influenza, also known as bird flu, affecting poultry in multiple states including Minnesota.
USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service says the South Dakota flock of 53,000 turkeys is within the Central Flyway bird migration route, where the strain of bird flu has previously been found.
The South Dakota flock has been quarantined, and the birds will be killed to prevent the spread of the disease. The state Health Department also is involved.
