Villagers kill leopard in Kurnool

KURNOOL: A fully grown leopard, which created terror in Dhone mandal, was finally trapped by the villagers of Chanugondla on Friday. The leopard succumbed to injuries later in the custody of forest authorities.

Villagers complained that the big cat has been on the prowl since a month but the forest officials did not bother to catch it. The wild animal used to attack cowherds and take away sheep and goat in the night. On Friday morning, the leopard came again to kill sheep when stray dogs saw the wild cat and started barking. The leopard tried to hide itself on a tree but villagers carrying sticks and stones attacked it. The exhausted animal was later trapped by tying it with ropes.

http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-02-25/hyderabad/31100437_1_wild-cat-leopard-forest-officials

Grandfather, 58, dies after being stung by swarm of jellyfish in South Africa

A grandfather has died after being stung by a swarm of Portuguese Man o' Wars in South Africa.

Roland Singh, 58, collapsed after suffering severe anaphylactic shock when he was stung by the jellyfish-like creatures on Saturday as he swam with his granddaughter in the sea near Cape Town.

Paramedics tried to resuscitate the South African but he was declared dead at the scene.

Cape Town emergency spokesman Wilfred Solomons-Johannes said it was extremely rare for humans to be killed by the floating creatures, which are known in South Africa as Blue Bottles.

But he added: 'It is believed that the man suffered severe anaphylactic shock as a result of the sting by the blue bottle jellyfish.

'He was swimming with his friend at the beach when they realised they had been stung.

'They tried to come out of the water however the man found himself in distress.

'His friend recovered him from the water with the assistance of the lifeguards.

'Upon recovery the lifeguards initiated CPR until the arrival of the emergency services.

'The paramedics attempted to revive the man however their attempts were unsuccessful.' 

Mr Singh's family spoke about the tragedy to the Cape Times newspaper.

His future son-in-law Angus Petersen told how he was swimming just a few metres away from the grandfather off Cape Town's Strand beach when he hear Mr Singh screaming for help.

He said: 'He was swimming and playing in the shallow side with his two-year-old granddaughter.

'The next thing I heard was his son screaming to me to come and help.' Mr Petersen said he was also stung by Portuguese Man o' Wars as he tried to help his stricken relative.

He added: 'I tried to resuscitate him while they were waiting for the paramedics to arrive, but he just wasn't responding.

Continued:  http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2084189/Grandfather-58-dies-stung-swarm-jellyfish-South-Africa.html?ito=feeds-newsxml

Shark rips at boat

RECREATIONAL fisherman Adrian Hinds says he would still go swimming off Tasmania's coast despite encountering a 4.5m great white shark at the weekend.

Mr Hinds and his mates were fishing off Port Sorell on Saturday when a massive great white started nosing around their boat.

"It was probably between four and five metres, it was 500kg I reckon," Mr Hinds, 32, of Launceston said last night.

He said the shark spent a couple of hours circling the boat, but neither he nor his fellow fishermen felt any fear.

"It was awesome. It was just checking out what was going on, pretty much," he said. "We were pretty awestruck. We never felt any danger."

Aerial shark patrols started off the East Coast on Friday because the hot weather has seen an increase in bait fish and sharks. Surveillance is concentrating between The Gardens and Scamander.

"The blokes I went out with, they've been fishing for years and never seen one before," Mr Hinds said.

He said the shark nudged the motor when the propeller was out of the water and ripped a protective mat hung over the side of the boat.

"When it had a go at the protective mat it got stuck into it a bit, had a little bit of a thrash," he said.

They were 50km off Port Sorell at the time.

Despite hearing rumours of other shark sightings, Mr Hinds said he would still swim at the beach.

"Yeah I still would, I think they're a fair way out," he said.

http://www.themercury.com.au/article/2012/01/09/290971_most-popular-stories.html

Shark beaches itself to avoid Killer Whale attack

The incident took place at Tuatapere's Blue Cliffs beach in Southland, New Zealand, where eyewitness and local farmer David Evans recorded footage of the attack taking place.

'We were just sort of sitting down to have breakfast and the farmers from the down the road came up and said they'd been watching whales, so we all just piled in the truck and grabbed a camera, grabbed the video and just went down to the beach and just started videoing,' said Mr Evans to New Zealand's TV3 Television.

The whale can be seen in the distance making aggressvie body movements, 

The shark manages to escape the whale by swimming to shallow waters and beaching itself. 

'It would appear the whales were fighting the sharks. The sharks were coming ashore because they didn't want to be in the water,' said Blue Cliffs Beach resident Peter Robinson.

Close to another section of the beach, six more Orcas were spotted along with a school of sharks. 

Small shark are commonly targeted as prey by Orcas.

Read more: http://www.metro.co.uk/weird/886016-shark-beaches-itself-to-avoid-killer-whale-attack#ixzz1iItLCC00

Pet Hippo Humphrey Mauls His Owner To Death

A hippopotamus called Humphrey who became an internet sensation after being raised as a pet has mauled his keeper to death.

The animal, which weighs over a ton, reportedly bit Marius Els, dragged him into the water and killed him on his 400-acre farm in South Africa.

The man's mutilated body was found submerged in the river where years earlier the creature had been rescued from a flood.
Humphrey had learned to swim with humans and found a home with Els when it became too big for the people who had initially adopted him.

The 40-year-old farmer, who said the animal was like a "son" to him, was confirmed dead by medics early on Sunday morning.

Netcare 911 spokesman Jeffrey Wicks reported paramedics attended Els' home on the banks of the Vaal River in Free State province.

He said: "Paramedics responded to the scene to find that the man had been bitten several times by the animal.

"It had also been immersed in the river for an unknown period."

Humphrey, who is six, was found as a calf and had been raised as a pet in Free State.

Els built a bond with him that enabled the former army major to ride on his back, feed him and even brush his teeth.

But neighbours said there were signs Humphrey was perhaps not quite as docile as Els suggested, as he was spotted wandering off the farm and onto a nearby golf course.

Els said he returned when he was called.

"We tried to warn him, but he wouldn't listen," an unnamed neighbour was quoted as saying by the Afrikaans daily Beeld.

The hippo is one of the most aggressive creatures in the world, especially when young calves are present.

And it is often regarded as among the most dangerous animals in Africa.

Hippos are very aggressive towards humans, whom they commonly attack whether in boats or on land with no apparent provocation.

Read more here ...