August 13, 2013 - FRANCE - Severe hailstorms hit the Bordeaux region on August 2 completely destroying entire vineyards Vineyards owners described the hail as being the size of 'pigeon's eggs' Comes weeks after much of Burgundy's wine crop was destroyed by storms Many wine-makers are now facing ruin as they have no grapes to make wine.
Wine-makers in France are facing ruin after hail storms decimated
vineyards in Bordeaux just a few weeks after summer storms destroyed up
to 90 per cent of crops in Burgundy.
Ruined: Vineyards which were left seriously damaged after a summer hailstorm in Burgundy.
The torrential hail storm which struck on August 2 ravaged around 20,000
hectares of land in the region - leaving many vineyards completely
barren.
Many wine-makers in the region have been left with no crops by freak
hail the size of 'pigeon's eggs' while others have seen theirs severely
reduced.
Now two of France's best-known wine-producing regions, Bordeaux and
Burgundy, will have limited output in the next two years causing many to
lose their livelihoods and a hike in price for bottles of wine that are
produced.
Bordeaux winemaker oïc de Roquefeuil, who owns 30 hectares at the
Château de Castelneau near the village of Saint Léon, between the
Dordogne and Garonne rivers south-east of Bordeaux, told the Guardian:
'It's a catastrophe. Everything has gone: the leaves, the grapes,
everything. It happened so quickly. A year's work gone in nine minutes
of hail.
'The storm was so violent the hailstones wounded the wood. The outer
skin is shredded. There won't be a single bottle from these vines this
year.
'We have been hit by hail six times in the last 25 years, but never like
this. We had just finished trimming the vines and getting rid of the
weeds - without herbicides - ready for the harvest in September.
They were perfect. We had high hopes of this harvest.'
It comes after the majority of vineyards were wrecked by rain storms in
Burgundy, where some of the country's best wines are produced, at the
end of July.
The damage caused by the 'catastrophic' weather is threatening both the 2013 and 2014 vintages of the exclusive wine.
Growers are still assessing the impact of the storms on the vines, but
the Burgundy Wine Board (BIVB) said the Pommard and Volnay areas -
prized for their well-known and crus - were the worst hit.
'It is awful to see these vines ripped by hail and several years of wine
growers' work destroyed by the weather in one afternoon,' Xavier de
Volontat, head of France's independent wine makers said.
'Damage will be severe, which means that the 2013 vintage due to come out in 2015-2016 will become much rarer,' he said.
Many wine-makers were still trying to recover from damage caused by hail last year and from floods this spring.
Some are using extreme methods to try and protect their crops from future weather-related catastrophe.
WATCH: Bordeaux vineyards decimated by hailstorms.
One technique being used is cannons which fire silver iodide into the
atmosphere which dissolves hailstones so they turn into rain. But a lot
of iodide is needed for it to be effective and advanced warning ahead of
a storm so it can be released in time.
Another option is placing netting high above the vines to catch the
hailstones before they can damage the plants but many wine-makers found
the hailstones just eventually broke the nets and landed on the vines
anyway.
Many argue that insurance is the only viable option - but with some
areas seeing six devastating hailstorms in the last 12 years, it is
becoming increasingly costly.
- Daily Mail.
August 08, 2013 - EARTH - The following constitutes several of the latest reports of weird animal behavior across the planet.
Huge 'Frankenfish' Hooked In Virginia Sets A World Record.
This fish is even meaner than it looks.
A Virginia man who caught a fish known as "Frankenfish" has set a world record. Caleb Newton hooked the 17-pound, 6-ounce northern snakehead in a creek in northern Virginia during a fishing tournament June 1. The "Frankenfish" gets its nickname because of its appearance and adaptability. The invasive species native to Asia is able to breathe air and survive in very shallow waters or mud. The Free Lance-Star reports the International Game Fish Association confirmed the record catch. It beat a snakehead caught in Japan in 2004 by 2 ounces. Newton is a 27-year-old plumber in Spotsylvania County. He has said it only took him about a minute to get it into the boat, and the 3-foot long fish barely fit into his cooler. - FOX News.
14-Foot Brumese Python Found Eating Local Cats In Florida.
Imagine walking into your shed on a balmy Florida afternoon and discovering an enormous snake eating a cat's skull.
Sounds like the opening scene for SyFy's next disaster movie right?
WRONG! This is a real story with a real 100 lbs. snake. Ok, now that you
are genuinely shocked, let's discuss what happened.
A 14-foot Burmese python was found by a man while he was performing home
repairs in Hialeah, Florida. Officials immediately responded to the
home and when they entered the shed to assess the snake situation the
python was eating a cat's skull. The Miami-Dade Venom Unit also
discovered that there was a large amount of molted skin in the shed,
leading them to the conclusion that the massive snake had made the shed
his makeshift home. "It was very nicely holed up in a shed, it's been
there a while," Lt. Lisa Wood, of the Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Venom Unit, said of the reptile.The
discovered python had also solved the mystery of why there had been a
large number of disappearances of local cats and rabbits. "Speaking with
the neighbors, apparently there's a couple of rabbits and a cat missing
from the neighborhood recently so the snake may be to blame for that,"
Wood added.
WATCH: Giant albino python found in florida.
Although officials now had a new mystery on their
hands, how exactly did this 14-foot snake make its way into a shed? The
Miami-Dade Venom Unit suspected that the python was a pet who ever
escaped from his home or was abandoned after the snake had grown too
large. According to CBS,
it is illegal to own or sell pythons in Florida, and it is against
federal law to import the snakes or sell them across state lines.
Video crews captured officials attempting to work out the safest way to detain the python and remove the massive animal from
the shed. The unit eventually removed the door of the shed to expose
the body of the python, they then pulled the snake back, passing through
many people's hands before they took hold of the animal's head to
ensure safety. The unit then placed the massive white and yellow snake
into bag for traveling. What would you do if you encountered a 14-foot Burmese python? I would probably faint, then cry, then faint again. - Latin Times.
Large Snake Discovered In Leicester Garden Pond, England.
Christine McAdam holds the snake she found in netting over her garden pond in Aylestone, Leicester.
A large snake has been discovered trapped in netting in a back garden pond. Christine McAdam was in her garden in Aylestone, Leicester, on Friday afternoon when she spotted something in the netting that covers her pond. She said: "I noticed something caught up in the mesh in my pond and I looked closer and it was a big snake. "It's about two foot long and it's certainly not a grass snake or anything you would expect to find in this country. "I've never seen anything close up like this before and I was scared it would bite me." Christine, 58, enlisted the help of neighbour Rick Wright to cut the net and release the snake. She has been trying to get hold of the RSPCA to take the snake off her hands. She said: "I've been phoning and getting a message that says if you find a fox or snake or anything, just let it go. "But I don't think I should with this one. It's so big. "It's in a plastic box at the bottom of my garden for the moment. "I'm keeping it out of the sun." - This Is Leicester.
Python Holds Up Traffic On Expressway Near Birmingham, England.
Police photo of the snake discovered on the Aston Expressway.
A five-foot snake caused tailbacks on a busy Birmingham commuter route on Thursday morning. The exotic pet, believed to be a python, was spotted on the city-bound carriageway of the A38(M) Aston Expressway near to Dartmouth Circus at 9am. One lane was temporarily closed while the slithering creature was caught and safely removed from the highway by officers from the Central Motorway Police Group. They are now trying to find out how the roving reptile got there. The lane closure caused further misery for motorists using the busy Expressway to get into Birmingham. Traffic has been particularly bad on the road since the St Chad and Queensway tunnels in the city centre were closed for refurbishment on July 19. The 40-year-old tunnels are being given a long overdue overhaul and will remain closed until September 2. - Twycross Zoo, in Warwickshire, was closed for a while on Thursday after chimpanzees escaped their living area. A spokesman said: "One of their group of chimpanzees found their way into a secure service area within their enclosure. This required closure of the zoo whilst keepers encouraged the chimps back into their normal living areas with ice cream and fizzy drinks. At no time were the public at risk, and no people or chimps were harmed during the incident. "However, it is part of our safety procedures that we close the zoo whilst such events are resolved." - Birmingham Mail.
Escaped Python Kills Two Kids In New Brunswick, Canada.
Two young boys who were at a sleepover in an apartment above an exotic
pet store in Campbellton, N.B., were killed by a large African python
that got loose early Monday.
The python escaped from the Reptile Ocean exotic pet store and killed
the children, reportedly five and seven years old, who were found at
6:30 a.m.
According to deputy mayor Ian Comeau, the snake escaped and slithered
through the ventilation system to the residence above where the children
had spent the night.
Well before the tragedy, an online petition was asking for Reptile Ocean to be shut down.
On thepetitionsite.com,
the page's administrator wrote: "The way his animals are treated is not
right, and I will fight against them till something is done. Sick
animals should not be around healthy ones. They should not even be up
for adoption. I am disgusted by that place and will no longer step a
feet (sic) in there ever again."
On its Facebook page,
Reptile Ocean describes itself as an "Exotic pet store open to the
public for purchase and viewing! Wonderful animals. fun for everyone."
Responding to a post by Reptile Ocean on Saturday that read "sharing is
caring," one visitor to the page commented: "You know what ISNT
caring...have your snakes escape and then kill some children."
QMI Agency could not reach Reptile Ocean, local police or the mayor of Campbellton. - The Toronto Sun.
Eight-Foot Sturgeon Found Belly Up In Lake Washington.
Keith Magnuson who lives in Seattle along the shores of Lake Washington, was waterskiing Saturday when he came across a giant dead fish. "At first I thought it was a shark, but then we figured out it was a large sturgeon," Magnuson said. Magnuson found the sturgeon that he and a friend estimated to be about 8 feet long floating belly up north of Matthews Beach. The dead sturgeon is now tied to a post, and state Fish and Wildlife planned to send out a biologist to take a look at it in the next couple days. "It is not a common fish to find in the lake and rather unique," said Annette Hoffman, a state Fish and Wildlife biologist in Mill Creek. "We recalled another sturgeon was found in the lake (back in 1987 that was 11 feet long and weighed 640 pounds)." Another 5 ½-foot sturgeon was caught in 2005 by a University of Washington research boat. According to Hoffman, sturgeon commonly migrate up and down the vast Columbia River. Locally, sport anglers also pursue them near the mouth of the Snohomish River. "Sturgeon live in deepwater, and are bottom feeders so they're not easy to spot," Hoffman said. Sturgeon are one of the oldest - dating back to the prehistoric times - and largest freshwater fish in the world, growing up to 20 feet long and weighing more than 1,000 pounds. - Seattle Times.
Man Finds 2 Meter-Long Snake In His Car In Bordeaux, France.
Firefighters in Bordeaux extracted a 2m boa constrictor from a car after the runaway snake fell asleep in the engine. The unnamed snake was initially seen making its escape down rue du Commandant-Charcotin in the Caudéran area, but by the time fire fighters arrived, it had sought shelter by climbing into the engine of Mario Poularas' car via the gearbox. Mr Poularas told Sud Ouest newspaper that he was relieved not have needed his vehicle on the morning that fire fighters knocked on his door to tell him that a boa constrictor had fallen asleep inside it. "I don't know what I would have done if I'd seen the animal in the passenger compartment," he said. Boa constrictors are not venomous, but are still, as Sud Ouest put it, "not cool to find while changing from first". Fire fighters took half an hour to extract the animal, during which time its owner realised it had escaped after he left the vivarium door open. - Connexion France.
Australian Police Find 5.7m Python In Queensland Shop.
A 5.7m (19ft) python has been seized after it fell from the ceiling of a charity shop in Australia. The python, weighing 17kg (37lbs), was recovered by a snake-handler after police investigated a suspected break-in at the shop in Ingham, Queensland. "Its head was the size of a small dog," said police spokesman Sgt Don Auld. The snake fell through a ceiling panel, smashing shop goods. Police said it may have got in through the roof, which was damaged by Cyclone Yasi in 2011. When police were initially called to the property on Monday, they believed a person had fallen through the ceiling because the roof panel had been cut in half. Crockery, clothes and other goods were scattered all over the floor. Police were called back to the shop the following day when a large crowd formed outside. Sgt Auld said the snake must have been hiding when police went there the first time. It has been released in nearby wetlands. - BBC.
Snake Slips Out Of French Postal Packet.
A French post office employee had the fright of her life when a metre-long python slithered quietly out of a parcel and rubbed against her. The woman was alone in the post office in the village of Blenod-les-Pont-a-Mousson in eastern France, when she felt the chilling caress and screamed for help. Firemen caught the fugitive reptile and discovered a second one in the parcel. The pair was identified by a vet as ball pythons - non-aggressive snakes that coil up into a tight ball when threatened - and was donated to a nearby zoo.
"They're not dangerous but they're very impressive," an officer said. Ball pythons are popular with snake enthusiasts as pets but are also a protected species for which owners need a legal certificate stating they have not been taken from the wild. Customs officers raided the home address of the parcel's sender, where they found no certificates but two other snakes, a stuffed caiman and a stuffed turtle which the owner had been trying to sell over the Internet. The post office stressed that its terms and conditions clearly forbade the shipping of animals, live or dead. - Daily Times.
Shark Found On New York Subway Car.
Commuters encountered an unexpected passenger when they boarded a New York City subway train early Wednesday: a shark. A still wet 1-and-a-half foot shark carcass was discovered on the floor of a subway car at around midnight in downtown Manhattan. "I thought it was just a plush toy or a prank," passenger Juan Cano told CNN. "When I saw the teeth that's I knew it was real, it was no toy." The shark, described as weighing between five to 10 pounds, was discovered near a row of seats by passengers on the Queens-bound N train at the 14th Street stop. The shark had blood on its mouth, as though it has recently been punctured by a fishing hook, according to Cano.
The shark quickly drew a crowd, as entering subway riders began to photograph and pose with the shark, even adding a subway fare card, soft drink can and a cigarette to the supine shark as props. After several stops, an MTA official entered the train at Queensboro Plaza, cleared it of passengers, and locked its doors, Metropolitan Transit Authority spokesmen Kevin Ortiz told CNN. The shark was removed later that night and disposed of. The shark's species was never identified. MTA officials were unable to "determine the shark's origin," according to Ortiz. This is not the first case of a mysterious shark appearance. In Nantucket last week, a 5-foot-long shark carcass was discovered outside the door of a bar on Water Street. "I have no idea how or why it got there." Sea Dog Brew Pub manager Jim Agnew told CNN.
WATCH: Shark found on New York subway car.
Asked whether anything out of the ordinary happened that evening, Agnew could only point to having to ask two people to leave, but those were "peaceful ejections" he said -- adding that the customs had since returned to the bar. Some have speculated that the appearance of sharks in mysterious places is a publicity stunt for the Discovery Channel's "Shark Week." Photos of the two mysterious sharks have exploded on social media using the hashtag #sharkweek. Discovery Channel denies any involvement. "Shark Week is all about conservation, so it deeply saddens us that someone would think that this was funny or in any way connected to our celebration of sharks," said spokeswoman Laurie Goldberg. MTA officials told CNN they have no plans to "continue investigating" how the shark got on the subway. - CNN.
8 Injured After Rodeo Bull Gets Loose At Minnesota Fair.
Authorities say a bull ran through the Dakota County fairgrounds Wednesday night, injuring eight people before being shot by a county deputy and captured by handlers. Dakota County Sheriff Dave Bellows said a penned 1,200-pound bull got loose at around 8:15 p.m. and ran through the fairgrounds for about 15 minutes. “It was just stampeding through the crowd,” said Andrew Larsen, a witness.
WATCH: Several injured after rodeo bull escapes at Minnesota fair.
The bull injured eight people, including a woman who suffered head injuries and was airlifted from the scene. She was not named, but her condition was listed as serious. The seven other victims, including a child, suffered what medics deemed to be a variety of non-serious injuries. They received treatment on site. Bellows said bull handlers captured the bull after a deputy shot it twice. The bull is still alive. Rice Rodeo sponsored the fair event, Bellows said, and the bull is owned by the Gold Medal Cattle Company. - CBS Minnesota.
