Unusual behaviour in animals, and our pets

A number of attacks by birds have been in the news here recently. It's magpie swooping season - where magpies who have young in the nest get a bit defensive towards peeps travelling through their territory - and that is a well known. This year there are a number of where peoples eyes have been injured. The odd thing about it is that these peeps have been sitting in a cafe - the same one only different days. There is some speculation that the birds are getting edgy about people wearing masks.

Australian man suffers double eye injury after conversation with magpie turns ugly

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Second magpie attack in Sale, Eastern Victoria

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Butcher birds are smaller than magpies, are quite bold birds, but I've never heard of them attacking people. They get their name from their habit of impaling their small prey - insects or lizards, on a thorn or twig. They usually hang around and watch if work is being done in the garden that might stir up insects or lizards.

Brisbane woman left bloody after being attacked by butcher bird in backyard.

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Bison stampede at Yellowstone National Park after tourists get too close: ‘I could feel the earth rumbling’
Fortunately, the group was not injured by the bison October 22 2020 Video
A group of tourists allegedly caused a bison stampede in Yellowstone National Park after they got too close to the wild animals.

Park goer Lisa Stewart said she saw the group of tourists nearing the bison after the herd already seemed upset.

“The people saw them and started walking closer and closer toward the bison,” Stewart told USA Today/For The Win. “They [the bison] kept getting more agitated by the minute. They walked farther down. Out of my sight, but I could still hear them grunting and blowing.”

Stewart said she pulled out her phone to record what was happening – which still did not capture how many people were near the bison as they began to run.

“You only see about four-to-six people on the video, but there were more in the same spot the bison come running from,” Stewart said. “The fishermen grabbed their stuff and ran, and then you see the bison running, and I felt relief the people didn’t get trampled.

CALIFORNIA WOMAN GORED BY BISON AT YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK AFTER GETTING WITHIN 10 FEET TO TAKE PHOTOS

In the scary 30-second clip, the tourists can be seen standing close to the bison as they cross the water. They appear to try to run out of the way during the first wave of bison charging across the water. Then a second set of bison appear to turn and begin running toward the group.

Fortunately the animals turn before getting too close to the tourists.

“I could feel the earth rumbling under my feet when it was happening,” Stewart told For The Win Outdoors.

Stewart said she was amazed the group “didn’t heed the warning of grunting, snorting and stomping feet” of the bison. Though the group was not injured, Stewart told For The Win they received harsh words from bystanders for getting too close to the animals.

Yellowstone park rangers warn guests to stay at least 25 yards away from bison as they are unpredictable.

“Bison have injured more people in Yellowstone than any other animal,” the National Park Service writes on its website, noting the animal can run three times faster than humans.

Since the park has reopened after forced shutdowns for coronavirus, at least two people have been injured by bison, including a woman who was knocked to the ground by a bison the second day of the park’s phased reopening.
 
Here's one of a cow eating a snake, a non-venomous sand python.


A close up of a cow eating a snake on the Sandover Highway outside Lake Nash Station

The Top End, where the cattle are so tough they suck on snakes.(Supplied: Andrew Gertz)
 


December 1, 2020 at 12:28 p.m
RICHMOND — Two city police officers who thought they were thwarting a burglary in progress ended up face-to-face with about a dozen raccoons engaged in a raucous brawl at the corporation yard on 13th Street.

A baby raccoon is seen in a file photo. The raccoon pictured here is not suspected of participating in a brawl that was broken up by Richmond police, although its whereabouts are unknown.

True to their reputation as conniving critters, the naturally-masked procyonids promptly paraded to parts unknown, leaving one unfortunate smaller raccoon to stay and deal with the cops. A Richmond police news release said the remaining raccoon “advised officers it was just a family dispute” and they let him or her go.

The fracas got so loud that one employee at the corp yard believed someone was trying to kick down the admin building’s door, police said. The officers had set up a perimeter around the building before discovering they weren’t dealing with humans.

This marks the second time in recent memory that raccoon-related shenanigans have generated a police response in the Bay Area. In late October, a raccoon duo lived every professional heister’s dream when they somehow bypassed security to make it inside a Chase Bank in Redwood City after hours. They were thwarted when a passer-by spotted them inside and notified authorities.

Escaped sheep wanders into hotel, waits for elevator

Dec. 3, 2020
SPOTTED: One very sheepish looking guest! 🐑 Help us caption this and we'll let you know the baaaaaaahst one - you herd it here first.
 
Surfer dies after being bitten by 4.5m great white shark on NSW mid-north coast


Shark attacks increased in year 2020

2020 was an 'unusually deadly year' for shark attacks, with the most deaths since 2013
In what's called "an unusually deadly year," sharks killed 10 people around the world in unprovoked attacks in 2020, the highest number since 2013, according to a report released Monday by the International Shark Attack File.


Is Australia really seeing more shark attacks?
816


What do the numbers show?

Looking at the total number of shark attacks reported - fatal and non-fatal - this year doesn't necessarily stand out.
There have been 21 incidents recorded so far this year, according to the Australian Shark Attack File - the official record.
This is just above the average 20 attacks seen per year for the past decade, said curator Dr Phoebe Meagher.
She contrasted this year's numbers with the "noticeable spike" of 2015, when there were 32 attacks - two of which were fatal.
Australia would see warm months (and more beachgoers) for the rest of this year, but "just by looking at the data there's no increase in actual reported attacks", she told the BBC last month.
However, the number of deaths in 2020 is a record in modern times, and the highest since shark nets and other intended deterrents were introduced in the 1930s.

Historically, dying from a shark bite is not common. In over a century of records, the shark attack mortality rate is 0.9 - less than one person per year.
 
Strange deaths of fishes are reported across Croatia in last month;

Today´s report:

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In the village of Ciglenik near Slavonski Brod in the river Orljava, a large fish death has occurred in recent days. Residents complain about the stench and carcasses of fish on the surface of the water, and informed the institutions about it.

The culprit is the storm?

"Live fish of that frog were also spotted in the watercourse, which indicates that there is no pollution. It is presumed that the said death of fish was due to a large amount of water that flowed from the entire surrounding area during the storm and brought an unknown type and amount of pollution and the difference in water temperature and a sharp drop in oxygen in the water, "explained the State inspectorate.

From May
Police reported that fish died in the Glogovnica River in the afternoon. This most likely happened due to water withdrawal, and the fish removal process is underway.

From May as well

Almost a ton of fish died in Vransko Lake, the biggest death so far​

In the largest Croatian lake, Vransko Lake, almost a ton of fish has died in the last few days. In the Vrana Lake Nature Park, they claim that the reasons for the death of fish are the high salinity of as much as 17 per mille, the high temperature of the lake of 23 degrees, as well as the low level of the lake.

Those 3 events took place in different parts of Croatia; Slavonski Brod is east Croatia, Glogovnica River is in north-west Croatia and Vransko Lake is south Croatia.

Btw, the ground is still shaking because of earthquakes in both central Croatia near Pozega - and Slavonski Brod (where first article takes place) is pretty close to that area.
But also there are earthquakes in south Dalmacija - while Vransko lake is in middle Dalmacija.
Glogovnica river is north from Zagreb - where were also earthquakes felt last year.

Probably there is connection.... Some pockets of gas leaking out and cause fish to die in rivers and lakes...?
The scientist only guess, according to articles, why those events happened....
 
What might this be about?

Thousands of sea creatures wash up dead on UK beaches in 'worst case ever seen'

Massive "waist high" piles of sea creatures including crabs and lobsters have been washing up on Teeside beaches leading to an investigation into the cause
Same incident:

Piles of sea creatures wash up on beaches as probe considers if 'pollution incident' is to blame

Worried locals say they have never seen anything like it as thousands of crustaceans lay dead and dying on the shoreline

DEFRA probe into dead crabs washing up on Teesside's beaches given 'highest priority'

Here's when the results are expected as strange shoreline occurrence continues to cause worry
 
Stange…….VERY STRANGE!

I heard of this on a radio interview and couldn’t believe it. I’ve checked it out, and found it from more than one source. Maybe someone from India here, could confirm the news agency’s authenticity.

Enraged monkeys kill 250 dogs by dragging them to tops of roofs, and tops of trees and dropping them to their deaths. (There are photos)

The entire dog population of the village is gone, and now the monkeys are going after the human children.

The radio show had speculation about how the monkeys are being driven mad and is thinking the human population is next…but we can leave that speculation aside for now. Also, the article says the villagers suspect the monkeys were driven mad by a dog killing an infant monkey, but again, there is speculation that there is something more.

Horrific incidents reported in Majalgaon and Lavul village in India’s Maharashtra

According to local reports, there are now barely any dogs left in Lavul village

Villagers say monkeys drag dogs up to high place and drop them to their death

But without any dog targets the monkeys are now reportedly turning on children


By Chris Jewers For Mailonline

Here’s one of the articles: (this one from CNN-News 18 India)

 
Stange…….VERY STRANGE!

I heard of this on a radio interview and couldn’t believe it. I’ve checked it out, and found it from more than one source. Maybe someone from India here, could confirm the news agency’s authenticity.
[...]

I can't confirm that story's authenticity, but i had heard about chimpanzee's intentionally killing others of their kind as well as waging battles with other groups, which share similarities with the behaviours mentioned in the article above. Even so, it's still quite surprising to read about them attacking the dogs like that.

Although, i guess if monkeys can learn quickly, and the dogs had killed one of their young, one can understand that it could happen. However, i'm not discounting that the story is unusual.

Article about the chimpanzees battles:
'Gangs of chimpanzees carry out violent attacks on individuals from rival groups in order to secure more resources or mates, a 10-year study in Uganda has found.' Chimpanzees expand their territory by attacking and killing neighbours

I've also heard about them attacking people and generally being quite troublesome in areas near to their habitat. Whilst checking out the India story, i came across a report from Indonesia from 2017 where monkey's were attacking people, particularly the young and old (i.e. weaker and more vulnerable):


Indonesian authorities have taken drastic measures against hordes of aggressive wild monkeys responsible for attacking the local population.

More than 100 officers from the army and the police were deployed on Thursday as part of a week-long operation that will cover at least five villages in central Java.

The officers were given license to shoot on sight
but, the police explained, the intent is not to kill or exterminate the animals and they will only be shooting rubber bullets to neutralize the primates, local media reported.

Monkey attacks are a long standing problem for Indonesia, particularly during the dry season, but residents have recorded increased levels of aggressions in the mischievous macaques.

According to the residents, the destruction of the monkeys’ natural habitat in Mount Merapi is the reason why the primates descend onto the villages and wreak havoc on fruit and vegetable crops, cattle and humans.

Children and elderly people particularly vulnerable to monkey attacks. In July, an 80-year-old was attacked when he went outside his home to relieve himself (around 40 percent of the Indonesian population lacks access to sanitation), the monkeys tearing the flesh on his left leg calf.

On Tuesday, 82-year-old grandfather was given 42 stitches on his right arm and chest after he used a stick to shoo away a group of monkeys approaching his chicken cage.


But some doubt that shooting the monkeys will lead to any improvement in the situation. Similar measures were taken in March, but the officers deployed to shoot the monkeys soon found out that the primates are a difficult target to catch, and continue to coming back.

"A similar approach has been adopted in other regions, but the monkeys keep coming back when they are hungry," animal activist Ning Hening said, quoted in the Jakarta Post. Indonesia Wages War on Monkeys: Authorities Ordered to Shoot on Sight to End Attacks Against Locals

I thought the more humane method of deterring the monkeys was interesting:
According to her, there are better methods to deal with the monkeys’ rampages, such as using wet chicken manure along the monkeys’ usual routes, as they abhor the smell, or painting one monkey in red paint and release it back in the habitat to terrorize the others.

"Such traditional ways are more humane than shooting them," she said.
 
Not sure if this exactly fits here, but we've noticed that in the last year, all the ducks (lots of wild ducks around where I live) breeding season seems all messed up and spread out - In past years, all the ducks have had their little ducklings at around the same time, and then had no more until the next year, and we watch that year's ducklings all grow up together. But now, we keep seeing groups of new tiny ducklings, months apart, like the different duck families are having their babies at all different random times...
 
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