OUT OF PLACE PALM CIVET IN CUMBRIA

From jungles of Asia ...to a shed in PenrithNews & StarBy Pamela McGowan LOOKING somewhere between a cat and a racoon, this exotic creature would usually be living in the depths of Asia's densest forests. So exactly how the animal, which helps to produce the world's most expensive coffee, came to be living ...




http://www.newsandstar.co.uk/news/from-jungles-of-asia-to-a-shed-in-penrith-1.924962?referrerPath=news

Peak time for spotting common seals in rivers

Published on Wednesday 8 February 2012 11:00

DON’T be surprised if you see common seals gliding up the Ouse or the Cuckmere at this time of year.

Sussex Wildlife Trust (SWT) said they believe the animals sometimes pursue fish up these tidal rivers and explained this behaviour is at its peak in February and March.

Members of the public need only be concerned if they can tell a seal is injured, looks very thin or if there is a pup on its own in distress.

In fact seals can live happily in tidal rivers for a week at a time before heading back to sea.

You might even be lucky enough to see them on a riverbank lifting their head and tail off the ground in a banana shape which is thought to help regulate their temperature on land and aid digestion.

Common seals have a short muzzle with v-shaped nostrils and are quite dog-like in profile.

They are one of two types of seal which breed in UK waters. The other is the grey seal.

A colony of common seals makes its home in Chichester Harbour - the animals are also known as harbour seals because they like this habitat.

To tell SWT about the wildlife you see visit the wildlife advice pages at 

www.sussexwildlifetrust.org.uk or if you have a wildlife query ring SWT’s hotline on 01273 494777.

http://www.sussexexpress.co.uk/news/local/peak_time_for_spotting_common_seals_in_rivers_1_3484219

THE MYSTERY MONKEY OF TAMPA BAY

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- A monkey that has eluded capture for nearly two years has seemingly put down roots in a family's backyard.

The Tampa Bay Times (http://bit.ly/AhT6Ol) reports that the rhesus macaque monkey lives in the backyard of a secluded Pinellas County home of a retired couple, their elderly mother and an aging cat named Koko. The family feeds the monkey and the animal is calm and friendly.
The newspaper saw the primate but is not revealing his location.

In 2009, he became known as the Mystery Monkey of Tampa Bay, after traveling from Pasco County to Clearwater and eventually Pinellas County. He was shot repeatedly by trappers' dart guns and featured on Comedy Central. A Nashville country duo wrote a song about him. He has more than 82,000 fans on Facebook.

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/02/11/2635990/mystery-monkey-of-tampa-bay-puts.html#storylink=cpy

Rare Sea Creature Appears on Seattle Woman's Dock

Hey, stranger! This guy must have taken a wrong turn somewhere. CREDIT: LDA.

A Seattle resident recently got a big surprise when she discovered a strange-looking furry visitor on her property.

"She woke up and it was lying on her dock, hanging out and sleeping — just chilling," said Matthew Cleland, district supervisor in western Washington for the USDA's Wildlife Services, and the recipient of a photo of the bizarre intruder.

"I thought, 'That's an interesting-looking creature,'" Cleland told OurAmazingPlanet. "I had no idea what it was."

A quick glance through a book in his office soon revealed it was a ribbon seal, an Arctic species that spends most of its life at sea, swimming the frigid waters off Alaska and Russia.

Somehow, the seal turned up on the woman's property, about a mile from the mouth of the Duwamish River, a highly industrialized waterway that cuts through southern Seattle. In 2001, the EPA declared the last 5.5 miles (9 kilometers) of the river a Superfund site — an area contaminated with hazardous substances in need of cleanup.

The sighting was "pretty exciting," said Arctic seal researcher Peter Boveng, leader of the National Marine Mammal Laboratory's Polar Ecosystems Program. "It's really unusual."

Ribbon seals, named for the unmistakable stark white markings that ring their necks, flippers and hindquarters, typically shun dry land.

Boveng said the animals spend only a few months per year on sea ice, to molt and give birth, and have almost never been seen so far south. "So it's a surprise, but knowing the species, it's not a complete surprise to me," he said. "They're good travelers."

The ribbon seal, which Boveng identified as an adult male, "looked to be in really good shape," he said. "We don't have any way to rule out other possibilities, but I'd say it's almost certain that it swam there."

Satellite tracking studies have revealed that ribbon seals do sometimes make it as far as the north Pacific Ocean, south of the Aleutian islands, but much about the species remains mysterious. Because they spend so much of their lives in the open water, it's a challenge to track them.

"Unfortunately we don't know a lot about their numbers," Boveng said. "There's never been a reliable survey."

A conservation groups has made efforts to list ribbon seals as an endangered species because of concerns about disappearing sea ice in the Arctic. So far the federal government has declined to do so, but is continuing to review the case for listing.

The Seattle ribbon seal appears to be only the second on record to make it so far south.

In 1962, a ribbon seal showed up on a beach near Morro Bay, Calif., a town about 200 miles (320 kilometers) north of Los Angeles. According to contemporary reports, the seal was in good shape, but totally bald except for hair on the head, neck and flippers. It died a month later at the local aquarium.

The Seattle ribbon seal's story is unknown, but one could be forgiven for thinking it a harbinger of things to come. This week, cold winds from Alaska helped create a record winter storm in Seattle, slamming the metro area with 4 to 8 inches (10 to 20 centimeters) of snow.

The ribbon seal hasn't been seen again since it was first spotted last week.

"It stirred up a lot of interest," Cleland said. "There are a lot of people out here looking for it."

http://news.yahoo.com/rare-sea-creature-appears-seattle-womans-dock-152011178.html

Crocodile invites self into Australian home

CANBERRA, Australia — Wildlife rangers have helped an Australian family deal with an uninvited guest: a 5-foot-6-inch (1.7-meter) crocodile that wandered into their living room.

The juvenile saltwater crocodile wandered into a home in Bees Creek, a suburb of the northern Australian city of Darwin. Australian Broadcasting Corp. reported that the family found it in a partially enclosed living area Saturday morning after their dog's barking woke them.

Resident Jo Dodd describes the encounter as "a very surreal moment" and "the most freakiest thing." She suspects the croc might been stalking the dog.

Crocodile management official Dani Best told ABC the croc might have been forced out of a nearby creek by a larger croc. The intruder has been relocated to a crocodile farm.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45916591/ns/world_news-weird_news/#.Tw7aoqV-XtE

Crocodile left outside animal park

Staff at an exotic animals learning centre have condemned the owner of a young crocodile who dumped the reptile outside the premises in near-freezing temperatures.


Jimmy Wick, who runs Wickid Pets animal park in Wolverhampton, said the metre-long female crocodile - left in a sealed box on Thursday morning - was the latest in a string of animals to be abandoned near his gates.

The animal expert, whose centre offers guidance in caring for exotic species, said of the crocodile: "It's the fourth one we've had in 18 months and so now when we see a plastic box we have to approach it with caution.

http://news.uk.msn.com/odd-news/crocodile-left-outside-animal-park

Killer Killer beast stalks Olympic Park as experts fear alligator or python is on the loose

• Fears of mystery creature lurking in river after 16lb goose is dragged under
• Experts say it could be giant pike, former pet alligator or snake

Wildlife experts have revealed that a mysterious giant creature is lurking in waters near the Olympic Park in East London.


Witnesses alerted environment bosses after seeing a 16lb Canada goose dragged under the surface, with fears there could now be a pike, alligator or even a large python stalking the waters near the Olympic site.

The number of swans on the river and waterways near the newly-built £9bn Olympic Park is also dropping.

Mike Wells saw the deadly attack on the Canada goose from a boat on the River Lea last month.


He said: 'We were just passing the time of day looking at a Canada goose 30 yards away, but then it just suddenly disappeared.

'It went down vertically. There wasn’t any hesitation, it went straight down. It didn’t come back up. My friend and I looked at each other slack-jawed.


'Being a river person, I pieced together what we’d seen in seconds. The goose was prey to something.


'A Canada goose is not a small bird. They weigh about 16lb, so whatever took it was also large.'

Mr Wells, who lives in the Lea Valley, is convinced the beast is the same creature which took down a goose in the same area in 2005.

Lea Rivers Trust staff reported seeing a Canada goose being dragged beneath the surface in 2005, and large holes were found burrowed into the bank of the river.

He added: 'It must be the same creature. Some people I've spoken to think it could be a very large pike and I've seen some turtles about a foot across, but they're not really big enough to take a goose.'

In 2005 experts thought the creature could have been an alligator, snapping turtle, or some other kind of pet which had been released into the wild.

Experts said a trap would need to be set to catch the beast, but it appears to have returned to the same waters last month.

Mark Gallant, of the Lea Rivers Trust, said after the 2005 attack: 'Someone might buy it as a baby turtle.

'After they've had it in their pond, or bath, or whatever they are going to keep it for a while and the thing starts to grow and grow and grow and grow.

'Obviously they can't keep it in their homes anymore so what do they do? They think they are doing a good thing for the actual animal by putting it into a river or stream.'

Zoology graduate Michael Allen, who lives near the Olympic Park, told the Hackney Citizen: 'It might be an escaped pet snake like a python.


'It could survive in this climate, although it would be a bit sluggish. A small goose or a duck could be a perfect meal.'

A spokesman for British Waterways said of the incident last month: 'We don't believe there is a crocodile in the river.

'Things that have been suggested are a big pike or a mink, which can prey on ducks. But geese might be a bit big for them.'

She continued: 'In some areas you get terrapins which get dumped and have taken to the conditions well - they can get to the size of dinner plates.

'But geese might be too big for them to take as well.

'No-one has reported anything to British Waterways, but we would encourage people to get in touch if they have seen anything.'

HERE BE MONSTERS... WHAT COULD BE LURKING IN THE RIVER LEA?

• Nature experts are speculating as to what the mysterious River Lea beast could be.
• Pike have been known to grow to up over 40lbs (18kg), but although they have attacked ducklings, they normally prey on smaller fish.
• It could be an escaped pet alligator, which typically feed on anything from turtles, mammals, birds and deer to other reptiles.
• It could also be an escaped pet python, which normally eat animals the size of a cat, although such a creature may struggle to survive in winter conditions.
• Another possibility is a giant turtle or terrapin, which many buy as pets but dump when they become too big.
• Terrapins mostly eat fish, slugs and snails, but have also been known to attack ducklings and duck eggs.

By Chris Parsons

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2073486/Olympic-Park-beast-Experts-fear-alligator-python-loose.html

Baby Seal Wanders Into Home, Lounges on Couch

A baby seal entered a New Zealand' family's home through the cat door and made itself comfy on the couch.

The seal got into the waterfront home on the Bay of Plenty and crashed on the sofa with Annette Swoffer's cats, according to the New Zealand Herald. To get to its cozy spot, the baby fur seal had to cross through a residential area, cross a busy street journey under a gate and up Swoffer's long driveway, go through the cat door and up a short flight of stairs, according to the paper.

First, she saw it in the kitchen, then it made its way to the couch.

"I was in my office and I heard an awful racket down below... I thought the cats have brought a rabbit or something in so I went down and had a look - and there's a seal in my kitchen," said Swoffer. "I thought 'I'm hallucinating, this is just wrong.'"

Swoffer said the pup was "really friendly," and, according to a city animal control officer, it might have been used to hanging out in the world of humans.

Chris Clark, biodiversity programme manager for the Department of Conservation, and the man who removed the pup and set it free, had earlier in the day captured what he believed was the same seal after it ventured into another residential area and scared elderly residents.

Clark told the paper the pup had "obviously just weaned from its mum."



http://www.nbcdfw.com/news/weird/Baby-Seal-Wanders-Into-Home-Lounges-on-Couch-135667283.html

Black widows found in Bristol re-homed

A pair of black widow spiders found in a classic car have found a new home at Bristol Zoo.


The infamously deadly spiders were found nesting in a 1964 Ford Falcon which was imported into Britain last January, but were only discovered when restoration began a week ago.

Mechanics at the Bicester-based Damax found one in the fuel tank and another behind the dashboard.

They identified the spiders online before putting them in a lunchbox and trying to find a home for them.

Garage manager Robin Ward said he was not scared of spiders, but nevertheless was shocked when he discovered the pair were black widows.

"We brought the car over in January and it had been stored in a garage until last week when our mechanic started getting it ready to work on.

"We found the first spider tucked under the fuel tank and carefully put it in a plastic container and looked on the internet to try and identify it.

"We continued stripping the car with a great deal of caution, and couldn't believe it when we found a second spider under the dashboard," he said.

He added: "We would have never found either of the spiders had we not completely stripped the car but we've finished it now and are 100% certain that there are no more."

Bristol Zoo says the find came at just the right time as their resident black widow had recently died of old age.

Mark Bushell, assistant curator of invertebrates, said they were not as deadly as people thought, but "could still do some quite serious harm and their bite would certainly cause health problems".

One of the spiders will go on display in a replica outside toilet in the "Bug World" section of the zoo. The other will be kept off show.

The spiders, native to the US, are rarely fatal but can cause cramps and fever. Only the females are venomous, and are known for eating their male companions after mating.


http://news.uk.msn.com/articles.aspx?cp-documentid=160037703
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Freezing lemur found on UK common

Lemurs are usually found on the tropical island of Madagascar so vets were stunned when one of the animals was admitted to hospital, suffering from hypothermia, after being discovered in sub-zero conditions on a common in the UK.

The severely ill ring-tailed primate, who has been named King Julien after the character in the animated film Madagascar, was found on Tooting Common in south-west London on Tuesday night.

He had collapsed in the sub-zero temperatures and was diagnosed with hypothermia, severe dehydration and shock by staff at the Blue Cross animal hospital in Victoria, London.

He was put on a drip and taken to the hospital's isolation unit for close monitoring.

Mark Bossley, Blue Cross chief vet at Victoria animal hospital, said: "We were very concerned about King Julien's health as he was very cold, scared and didn't want to eat.

"But our nurses managed to coax him into taking some drops of honey from a syringe, then he gradually started eating bits of banana and grapes."

The animal charity said there was no way of knowing where the lemur had come from. The creatures originate from the island of Madagascar in Africa and require a special licence to own.

Mr Bossley added: "We mainly treat cats and dogs at the Blue Cross but we do get the odd snake or tortoise, and we have been known to treat chickens, goats and even possums.

"But this has got to be the most unusual animal we've ever taken in. How a ring-tailed lemur turned up in Tooting Common, I'll never know."

The lemur is now on the road to recovery and strong enough to leave the hospital. He will now be transferred to the Specialist Wildlife Services who will try to rehome him.

http://news.uk.msn.com/uk/freezing-lemur-found-on-uk-common

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Killer whales spotted off Cornish coast

Two killer whales were spotted by walker Dom Clarke 100 metres off the coast of Cornwall.


Mr Clarke saw the endangered predators swimming along the British coastline whilst walking along the coast of Padstow.


Mr Clarke, who runs Explore the Shore, a rock pool exploration company, saw a six metre long whale and then a second smaller one, thought to be a calf.

The sighting comes as experts reveal more predators like sperm and killer whales - also known as orcas - are flocking to British shores due to warmer sea temperatures.

Mr Clarke said: "I couldn't believe it, it is certainly not what you expect to see while you're walking your dog.

"It's not totally unheard of for killer whales to be off the coast of England but it's certainly incredibly rare.

"It was amazing how clearly they could be seen. I first noticed a magnificent dorsal fin coming out of the water.


"People look out for porpoises and dolphins in Cornwall but you don't expect to see a killer whale.

"There was another man walking too and I grabbed his binoculars to get a better look.

"There was no mistaking what it was. I was just gutted I didn't have a camera."

Killer whales have a distinctive black and white colouring and males can grow up to eight metres (26ft) long and their dorsal fins can reach up to two metres (6ft).

They are the largest members of the dolphin family, weighing up to six tonnes, and are typically found in the Arctic and Antarctic seas and in warmer waters like the coast of Australia.

The sighting, which was made last week, follows news that more predators are likely to be found in waters around the South West of England as water temperatures rise.

It is thought that some species are hunting for new territories as global warming bites.

A dwarf sperm whale was spotted for the first time in the UK off the coast of Mount's Bay, in Cornwall, this autumn.

And experts now expect the 16-metre (52ft) grey whale to one day be found in water around Cornwall.

The whales, which can weigh 36 tonnes are usually found in the North Pacific and North Atlantic oceans.

Peter Evans, director of the Sea Watch Foundation, said: "We are now seeing a number of species far from home, and they probably will continue to recur with increasing frequency.

"Several are normally found off West Africa. For the moment they tend to be seen at times of year when our sea temperatures are at their warmest.

"Whales and dolphins can cope with a wide range of temperatures but their fish and squid prey tends to be more constrained, and their ranges are extending significantly northwards.

"The dwarf sperm whale was a big surprise when it was spotted.

"If the fish are extending their range, as we know many are, then the whales and dolphins will follow.

"Anchovies for example were really quite scarce in the North Sea 10 to 20 years ago.

"Now they are widespread and may be why the common dolphin is now a regular in the North Sea."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/wildlife/8937921/Killer-whales-spotted-off-Cornish-coast.html

Dead bird found in Tesco salad by Somerset family

A shopper said his family had found a dead bird in a prepared salad he bought at a supermarket and served for dinner.

Paul Streeter, from Weare, Somerset, said his girlfriend had been sick after the carcass was discovered in a baby leaf and rocket salad bought at Tesco's Burnham-on-Sea branch.

He said: "I couldn't believe my eyes. It was horrific. She was seconds away from eating it."

Tesco said it was conducting a "thorough investigation".

Read more and see video here ...

Truck Stop Tiger Permit Pulled

By MARY FOSTER, Associated Press
GROSSE TETE, La. -- Leonard Foster peered into the cage holding the 550-pound tiger at the Tiger Truck Stop in Louisiana and snapped one photo after another in awe.

"He's so big. He's wonderful," exclaimed Foster, a 47-year-old trucker from Atlanta.

Foster might just be lucky to see the tiger when he did. If a state district judge's ruling stands, this tiger named Tony may not be at the truck stop much longer. And gone will be one of the biggest curiosities for truckers and motorists coming off a nearby interstate into the south Louisiana community of Grosse Tete.

Judge Mike Caldwell ruled Wednesday in favor of a motion by the Animal Legal Defense Fund to force the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries to revoke the permit that allows Tiger Truck Stop Inc. and its owner, Michael Sandlin, to keep the tiger at the business.

For years, the Siberian-Bengal mix has been a draw for gawking motorists who patronize this truck stop, buying food, gassing up and sticking around to get a picture with Tony. Since he was 11 weeks old, Tony has been at the truck stop, bottle fed as a cub.

Sandlin and the truck stop company argue that moving the tiger now would be cruel.

But Caldwell disagreed. His ruling also would bar Wildlife and Fisheries from issuing a new permit to keep Tony at the stop. He ruled that the agency failed to abide by its own rules in issuing the permit, rules that state tigers must be owned by an individual. The corporation that owns the truck stop is listed as the tiger's owner.

Caldwell had issued a similar ruling in May. But in August, an appeals court ruled Caldwell had to hold another hearing to collect input from Tiger Truck Stop Inc. and Sandlin.

Sandlin's attorney, Steve LeBlanc, pointed out in court that seven other tigers beside Tony have been kept at the truck stop in the past 22 years and none ever escaped.

The truck stop is neatly kept, flowers blooming outside, on a quiet road away from the interstate. The cage has a grassy area, a large water tank for Tony to swim in, hanging tire and other toys - even shade and an air-conditioned den.

The Animal Legal Defense Fund contends it's dangerous holding a big tiger at a business. It recalled last month's episode when an owner of exotic wildlife in Ohio released wild animals before taking his life.

"Louisiana has a law designed to protect people from animals like this," said Lisa Franzetta, a defense fund spokeswoman.

Wildlife and Fisheries has rules requiring the owner of such an animal to live on the premises. But Sandlin's home is about five miles away, even though an employee lives at the stop and the business is staffed around the clock every day of the year.

Sandlin said all employees have taken the state hunter safety course, there's a written plan to handle an escape and a "kill gun" and a tranquilizer gun are kept at the stop.

The 3,600-square-foot cage is surrounded by a 10-foot chain link fence topped with barbed wire, set back several feet.

"I've seen the exhibit and I think the tiger is safe from the public and the public is safe from him," said Rick Dietz, general curator at Audubon Zoo in New Orleans. "That does not rule out operator error, but that could happen anywhere."

But on this sunny afternoon, the tiger paced languidly and none watching cited safety concerns.
One man ate fried chicken nearby. Another sought a picture of himself and the tiger behind him.

"I don't worry about it being unsafe," said Ricky Arnold, a local who brought his 3-year-old son. "He's got that big old cage and nothing has happened all these years."

The defense fund has argued the enclosure is substandard and the arrangement unsuitable.
"It's just common sense that a tiger doesn't belong in a truck stop," Franzetta said.

Sandlin notes the pen and the tiger are inspected annually by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Neither he nor Wildlife and Fisheries have decided if they will appeal Wednesday's ruling. Sandlin said he was more inclined to sue authorities to force them to issue another permit.

"I've done everything they ever told me to do," he said, tears brimming in his eyes. "There is no reason to say I can't keep my tiger. He is my pet, not just an advertising gimmick."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/03/truck-stop-tiger_n_1073640.html?ref=weird-news

Train affected by lion 'sighting'

6 November 2011

A police helicopter was scrambled and passengers were stopped from leaving a train after police received a report of a lion on the loose.

West Yorkshire Police received a call at 3.30pm on Sunday from a woman who thought she saw a lion as she was driving in the village of Shepley near Huddersfield.

The search lasted almost two hours as officers tried to locate the lion and passengers were forced to remain onboard trains at Shepley station.

But at 5.15pm the inquiry was ended as no lions were found and there were no additional sightings.

Inspector Carlton Young, of West Yorkshire Police, said: "We've had unconfirmed reports of a lion or a lion cub in the area. We've had officers looking around. At the moment we've had nothing confirmed and we've not located anyone who is claiming to have lost an animal."

Officers believe the woman - who claimed to have seen a lion on Penistone Road, Shepley - was a genuine caller. Around 12 officers were dispatched to look for a lion along with a police helicopter.

Insp Young added that the search would be resumed on Monday if there were any more reports.

National Rail Enquiries wrote on its Twitter feed: "Passengers are currently unable to alight from trains at Shepley due to reports by police of a lion in the area." It later issued an update that normal service had been resumed.

In May a police helicopter was scrambled and a golf course cleared after a white tiger was spotted in a field in Hampshire by members of the public - only to turn out to be a stuffed toy. Police received several calls reporting sightings of the tiger in a field near Hedge End, Southampton.

Specialist staff from nearby Marwell Zoo were called in to advise and potentially tranquillise the wild animal and a local golf course was evacuated. But as police officers carefully approached the dangerous animal they realised it was not moving and the helicopter crew, using thermal imaging equipment, realised there was no heat source coming from it.

http://www.liverpooldailypost.co.uk/liverpool-news/uk-world-news/2011/11/06/train-affected-by-lion-sighting-92534-29731105/

Man withdraws snake from cash machine

A Spanish man had a shock when he went to withdraw some money - and a snake came slithering out of the cash machine.

The man had stopped to get some cash from a branch of the Caja Madrid bank in Llodio, Alava, at 8am on his way to work.

The middle-aged man managed to grab hold of his money despite the snake attempting to attack him, reports Euro Weekly News.

He then alerted the police, who arrived on the scene, and with the help of the bank manager, discovered that the snake was trapped by the mechanism of the cash point.

The manager activated it from the inside, freeing the snake, which was put in a box and taken to a shelter.

Police say they have not ruled out the possibility that someone may have put it there for a prank.

However, they say that it is a rural area so it's possible the snake got there of its own accord.



http://web.orange.co.uk/article/quirkies/Man_withdraws_snake_from_cash_machine

Arctic seal visits Scottish nature reserve

Bearded seal at St Cyrus National Nature ReserveNovember 2011. There has been a rare visitor to the St Cyrus National Nature Reserve this autumn - a bearded seal, a mammal usually more at home in the high arctic than in Scotland.
St Cyrus reserve manager, Therese Alampo, said of the unusual visitor: "We were unsure what type of seal it was at first; it looked like a seal version of bag puss, with stunning markings and wonderful white whiskers! Seeing a bearded seal in these waters is perhaps a once in a lifetime opportunity."

Bearded seals
Bearded seals usually live along the Arctic Ocean coasts of America, Europe and Asia, spending the winter in heavy offshore ice. They grow to 2.7 metres in length and weigh from 275 to 340 kilograms.

Waders and Pink-footed geese
St Cyrus reserve is coming to life with other creatures this autumn as well, with the calls of wintering waders and the thousands of pink-footed geese which migrate from Greenland to Northeast Scotland. The bird hide at the Southern end of the reserve is a great place to shelter from the elements and watch the comings and goings of these wonderful birds. Visitors may even catch a glimpse of the reserve's elusive resident otter and kingfisher.

Mushrooms
The colourful dunes and grasslands are taking on a more subtle beauty at this time of year. In the autumn, hundreds of mushrooms burst into life with colourful waxcaps, Antler fungus and the majestic Parasol mushroom scattered around the reserve. The beach is changing daily as well, with the autumn and winter weather setting in, moving sandbars and driftwood with ease along the shore.

More about St Cyrus

http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/bearded-seal.html

Peckish python: 16ft-long snake found with adult deer in its stomach

A 16-foot-long Burmese python was found to have a whole adult deer in its stomach after it was captured and killed in a U.S. national park.

The reptile - one of the biggest ever found in South Florida - had recently swallowed a doe the size of a small child.

Skip Snow, a python specialist who conducted the autopsy at Everglades National Park, said the animal had a girth of 44ins with the 5st 6lb deer inside its stomach.

'This is clearly an extreme event,' he told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. 'It shows you they can eat huge things.'

The python - an ambush predator - would have staked out a known deer trail, seized the animal in its sharp teeth, crushed it by coiling around it and then eaten the corpse, he said.


Read on ...     WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT

Dead porcupine found in western Newfoundland (via Chad Arment)

A very dead porcupine — an animal not native to Newfoundland — has been found on the Island's west coast.

A wildlife official said the animal was found by the side of a road in the Codroy Valley area.
"It's in very rough shape. It's very flat. It looks like it was run over at some point. It's pretty mangled. We're not even sure if it was male or female," said Shelley Moores.

Moores, a senior manager with the wildlife division of the province's department of environment and conservation, said wildlife officials believe it's the first sighting of a porcupine on the island of Newfoundland. However, it's not clear if the animal was ever actually alive when arrived on the island.

Porcupines are native to other parts of Atlantic Canada and Labrador. Other animals that are not native to Newfoundland, such as raccoons, are believed to have hitched a ride to the island on trucks coming by ferry to western Newfoundland.

But hitched a ride may not be the right way of describing how the animal's body arrived there. It's possible the porcupine's carcass was stuck to a vehicle that travelled from another part of the country, according to Moores.

"It was on the side of the road for at least a day, but it looks to us that it has been dead longer. It's starting to decompose. There's a good chance that it was dead when it got here," she said.

The porcupine was found by Eric Leukert who saw the carcass by the side of the road, took photgraphs, and called wildlife officials.

It's unknown what impact the species might have on the environment if it flourished in Newfoundland. Despite that, Moores said wildlife officials discourage anyone from introducing non-native species to the province.

Moores said wildlife officials would like to hear from anyone who believes they have any information about the hapless porcupine. In the meantime, they are doing what they can with the information they have.

"The only thing we can measure is the size of a paw and we are still looking into the literature to see if we can determine anything from that," said Moores.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/story/2011/10/20/nl-porcupine-newfoundland-120.html

First record of a Dwarf sperm whale in UK waters

Dwarf sperm whale off Cornwall
October 2011. Dr Peter Evans, Director of the marine research charity Sea Watch, has confirmed that a small whale spotted in Mounts Bay next to the Cornish town of Penzance was a dwarf sperm whale - a tropical/subtropical species that has never before been recorded off the UK coast.

The animal, little more than the size of a porpoise, swam into Mounts Bay on Sunday October 9. As it came close to shore, a local person spotted it on the beach and reported it to the local coastguard and to the Cornwall Wildlife Trust strandings officer, Jan Loveridge. A member of the public then managed to re-float the animal which subsequently swam away.

Local members of British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) and a local tourist boat operator, Marine Discovery, then observed the whale for some time before it disappeared from view. Initially they thought from its size
that it was a harbour porpoise.

On Tuesday October 11, Dr Peter Evans received a phone call from manager of Shetland Wildlife Tours, Hugh Harrop having just received photos from a friend, Glenn Overington, who on his return from a birding holiday in Cornwall was wondering what the species was that he had seen in Mounts Bay.

Read on...

'Avoid like the plague' - killer jellyfish washed ashore in Kerry

A LETHAL jellyfish has been found washed ashore on a beach, sparking a public warning from fisheries experts to avoid it "like the plague".

The Portuguese Man of War was washed ashore on Wine Strand in Smerwick Harbour, west of Dingle, Co Kerry, on Friday night.

The beautifully coloured jellyfish may be attractive to look at but the poison in its tentacles is enough to kill its prey and can also kill humans.

Fisheries protection officer Kevin Flannery, based in Dingle, said they were normally found in tropical southerly seas but the prevailing southerly winds could sometimes carry them to northern Europe.

"They're a beautiful colour, all the colours of the rainbow, but the beauty comes with a price," Mr Flannery told the Irish Independent.

"I would advise members of the public, please, please do not touch them," he stressed. "They will sting, they will burn and they are lethal."

According to the fisheries expert, the Portuguese Man of War's tentacles can stretch out up to 30 metres to touch its prey. It then releases a venom that kills.

"They're fascinating creatures to watch. They can inflate themselves in the water so they move faster with the wind," he added.

"The southerly winds from Africa we've been experiencing lately brought this one ashore. It has happened before and you do get the odd one that makes its way on to Irish beaches."

Mr Flannery explained that the Portuguese Man of War is a living colony of minute organisms and can reproduce within itself. Its name is borrowed from the man-of-war, a 16th-Century English armed sailing ship, which was based on an earlier Portuguese vessel.

There may be others out in the ocean but so far only one has come ashore. However, local fishermen say they have spotted the tropical jellyfish in the water and that they're not an unusual sight at this time of year.

"Luckily, there aren't too many people swimming at this time of year, but to any member of the public, I would advise them to avoid it like the plague," he said.

The Man of War is now at the Oceanworld Aquarium in Dingle where it is being kept in isolation. Staff have learnt from past experience -- the last time one was kept at the facility it was put on display but killed all the other fish in the tank.

- Majella O'Sullivan

http://www.independent.ie/national-news/avoid-like-the-plague-killer-jellyfish-washed-ashore-in-kerry-2900944.html