Flyin’ Lion: Heroic Cape Buffalo Flips Predator Skyward in South Africa

A buffalo in South Africa’s Kruger National Park recently showed a lion who the true king of the jungle is—well, king for the day anyway.

In viral footage (25 million visits and counting) posted to YouTube on Dec. 13, a 1,200-pound cape buffalo can be seen digging his horn into a lioness’ stomach and flipping her an estimated sixteen feet skyward after she attacked another buffalo.

Oliver Matheson, the South African teenager who captured the footage while driving through the park with his father, described the moments leading up to the scene to The Daily Mail.

"Two young lions had been silently stalking the buffalo for about 45 minutes when one finally made its move,” he said. “But the predator was so focused on bringing down his prey that it left itself open to a surprise attack.”

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Sunny, chilly days reveal giant gators on La Chua Trail

It’s an alligator-eat-alligator world at Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park — and on the La Chua Trail, the fittest have survived.

When the sun comes out on these chilly days, alligators can be seen basking all along the canal to Alachua Sink. And they are big, thanks — biologists theorize — to a drought a few years ago and cannibalism.

Yes, alligators will eat each other.

“They do look healthy — we’ve definitely observed that also,” park biologist Andi Christman said. “During that extended drought, there was some amount of alligator cannibalism. They naturally do eat smaller alligators — a 9-footer eating a 6-footer.”

The longest Florida alligator on record is 14 feet, 3½ inches from an Orlando-area lake, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. The weight record is 1,043 pounds from a male captured in Orange Lake in Alachua County.

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Lion attacks lioness at zoo

November 2013: An investigation has been launched into why a male lion attacked and killed a lioness at Dallas Zoo in Texas in front of shocked onlookers. Five year-old Johari died after being bitten in the neck by a male lion in her pride and there were no visible outward signs of trauma.

Five lions lived together at the zoo, two males, Denari and Kamaia, and three females, Johari, Lina and Josiri, and after the incident the keepers immediately brought the other four lions off of the exhibit, which remained closed for the rest of the day. 

“Johari was a remarkable animal, as are all of our lions,” said Lynn Kramer, D.V.M., vice president of animal operations and welfare at the Dallas Zoo. “This is a very rare and unfortunate occurrence. In my 35 years as a veterinarian in zoos, I’ve never seen this happen.”

The lion habitat is in the Giants of the Savanna area of the zoo. The Serengeti Grill, which has a wall of glass windows that look onto the habitat, is one of the most popular places to see the lions.

http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/Lion-attacks-lioness.html

Families warned after fox kills and eats three dogs

A rogue fox has killed and eaten three dogs in a housing estate in recent weeks prompting authorities to warn homeowners of the risk of a child being attacked.

Two of the dogs were attacked in their owners’ yards in Ennis, Co Clare, while a third was dragged to a wooded area where it was eaten. 

County dog warden and ISPCA animal welfare officer, Frankie Coote, has set up a trap in an effort to catch the animal which has been frequenting the Tobartaoscáin area of the town. 

It’s believed the animal is travelling through lands or along the railway tracks to the estate from the nearby Clare Abbey area. 

Local man James Marrinan was targeted twice and lost two pet dogs. “One was a lovely little Jack Russell and I know it was the fox that did it. I was driving home one night and saw two foxes in the middle of the road in my headlights so they’re around the place. 

“I’ve lost two dogs, but I got a new one last week. I keep it in the shed all the time when I’m not here. I’m not taking anymore chances. It’s not something I would ever have expected to happen,” he said. 

Mr Coote said: “At first I found it hard to believe a fox was doing this, but now we have witnesses who have seen it. Foxes are easily identifiable by a big, bushy tail but this one’s tail is not bushy, it has mange. 

“The fox has killed two dogs in their owners’ gardens and another dog has been taken from the area to the woods where it was eaten. If a fox will attack a dog, kill it and eat it, I’m very concerned that a child could be attacked.”

http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/cwmhsnmhcwid/rss2/

Beaver Bites Man To Death In Belarus Attack

A fisherman has been bitten to death by a beaver after trying to take its photograph.

The man was on a fishing trip at Lake Shestakov in Belarus with two friends when they spotted the animal on the side of the road.

He stopped so that he could take a picture but as he approached the beaver it pounced on him, biting him in the thigh.

His friends attempted to stem the flow of blood from the wound but the animal’s bite had severed a main artery and the man, who came from Brest, bled to death.

Beaver attacks are rare and according to experts those animals that do go for humans are usually rabid.

However, they are not unheard of.

Earlier this week a video was posted on YouTube showing a man in the Tver region, northwest of Moscow, running away from a beaver who charged at him as he was filming in the area.

Last year in the US two girls were mauled by a beaver in a lake in Virginia as they swam. They suffered serious bite and scratch injuries. A man was also attacked in New York and an elderly woman in Washington .

In 2003 in Belarus a farm manager and farmhand were bitten by a rabid beaver as they tried to chase it from a barn. They survived the attack.

Beavers are the second largest rodents in the world.

video:http://uk.news.yahoo.com/beaver-bites-man-death-belarus-attack-102911690.html#Zz68cfz

Bulldog stabbed 500 times by rogue porcupine

The encounter left her with 500 quills stuck in her face, mouth and paws. 

Sticky situation: Bella Mae comes off second best in her fight (PICTURE: bbc.co.uk)

‘It was devastating,’ said her owner, Allison Noles. ‘These animals are our kids and when you see them hurt, you can’t imagine the intense pain she had to be in. It affected our whole family.’ 

Bella Mae was taken to the Norman Animal Emergency Centre, Oklahoma, to have the needle-like spines, which can be fatal, removed. 

She was put under general anaesthetic and it took a vet and two nurses two hours to remove them. 

The dog quickly became an internet star as well-wishers left messages on the centre’s Facebook page, where pictures of her being treated were posted. 

She is now at home on painkillers but rogue quills are still turning up. 

Vets say dry conditions in the US have led to wild animals venturing into backyards more often as they forage for food and places to cool down. 

Porcupines are rodents and not naturally aggressive but will defend themselves when threatened. 

The animals have more than 30,000 stiff quills on their back, sides and  tail, which grow back when lost in self-defence.

Read more: http://www.metro.co.uk/weird/stories/907560-bulldog-stabbed-500-times-by-rogue-porcupine#ixzz22yDA24uz

Pet dog dies after violent cougar attack on Vancouver Island

Joanne Green has lost her seven-year-old dog Rupert to a violent cougar attack in East Sooke.

On Tuesday morning at 7:30 a.m., Green let her two lakeland terriers outside as she normally does.

“About 15 minutes later, I heard a scream from one of the dogs,” she said.

Green ran outside to see a cougar rushing into bushes on her rural property, and noticed Rupert lying still on the grass, bleeding.

“The cat got him and shook him,” Green said. “He had severe brain trauma and there were puncture wounds.”

She immediately rushed her dog to the Glenview Animal Hospital.

“They got him somewhat stabilized and we transferred him to the central hospital,” Green said.

Rupert spent the night in critical condition at the Central Victoria Veterinary Hospital, and died on Wednesday morning.

Conservation officers attempted to track the cougar with the help of a houndsman, but were unsuccessful.

The Conservation Officer Service is no longer searching for the cougar as tracking dogs won’t be able to find a scent.

“[The conservation officers] basically said they couldn’t go back unless they got another call of another sighting,” Green said.

She said she wasn’t aware there was a cougar in the area.

“I heard that some of my neighbors knew, but there were no signs up, nothing,” she said.

On June 1, the Times Colonist reported the sighting of two cougars outside of a Sooke bed and breakfast. Both animals, which may have been suffering from distemper, were tracked and shot.

Green is at home with her other lakeland terrier, Chester. For now though her thoughts remain on Rupert, a scruffy tan terrier Green could cradle in her arms.

“He was just the coolest little dog anyone could ever want to have,” she said.

Any cougar sightings can be reported to the Conservation Officer Service at 1-877-952-7277.

cclancy@timescolonist.com

Read more: http://www.timescolonist.com/life/dies+after+violent+cougar+attack+Vancouver+Island/6782141/story.html#ixzz1yLAmhMb6