Her last meal was an entire white-tailed deer, and she was on her way to a rendezvous with a male snake when the largest python ever found in Florida met her demise. Weighing in at 215lbs (98kg) and nearly 18ft long (5m), the female Burmese python was caught after researchers used a male “scout” to find her. She wrestled with biologists for 20 minutes before she was “subdued”, they said Wednesday. Pythons have become pests in Florida as invasive snakes with no major predators, out-competing native species. The serpents have been periodically found in the state since irresponsible pet owners … Continue reading Florida nabs largest python ever found in state

A giant stingray caught in the Mekong River in Cambodia is the world’s largest recorded freshwater fish, scientists have said. The stingray, which measured almost four metres (13ft) from snout to tail and weighed slightly under 300kg (661lb), was captured on 13 June, according to a statement by Wonders of the Mekong, a joint Cambodian-US research project. It was caught by a local fisherman south of Stung Treng in the northeast of the country and nicknamed “Boramy”, or “full moon”, by locals because of its round shape. The fisherman alerted a nearby team of scientists from Wonders of the Mekong. … Continue reading Photos: World’s largest recorded freshwater fish caught in Cambodia

As temperatures climbed to over 90F in the US state of  Minnesota, a man living in his car with his 47 cats was forced to surrender his pets to the Animal Humane Society. On Tuesday, authorities said that a man who had recently become homeless was found parked at a south-eastern Minnesota rest area with his nearly four dozen cats packed inside. A concerned officer tapped on the van’s window to inquire about his wellbeing after noticing that the sweltering heat outside, in combination with the humidity, was likely driving the temperatures inside the vehicle to near unliveable highs. “Unfortunately, with the … Continue reading Man found living in car with 47 cats

A guest at a motel in Florida had a close encounter with a massive 7-feet alligator which he mistook for a dog, police said. The 49-year-old man, who has not been identified, was attacked by the alligator around midnight on Tuesday when he was taking a walk in the garden of Warm Mineral Springs Motel in Sarasota County. During his stroll, the man said he noticed a dark silhouette moving through the bushes but he did not get alarmed as he assumed it to be a dog on a long leash, “which is why he wasn’t hesitant to move out of the way”, according to WTVT News. That’s … Continue reading Man bitten by alligator at Florida motel after mistaking it for dog

One person has died after a car carrying two people crashed into a retention pond, prompting a daring underwater rescue from first responders as police stood watch with long guns onshore looking out for alligators. The crash took place in Florida on Friday when a blue Toyota minivan was moving south on the Florida Turnpike in West Miami-Dade, according to authorities. The Florida Highway Patrol said that shortly before 12pm the vehicle was exiting to head west when the driver lost control of the vehicle while turning right on the exit ramp. The car flipped over before entering the water. “The vehicle lost control, overturned, … Continue reading Police snipers surround alligator-infested Florida pond after deadly car crash

An ailing killer whale has been found dead after swimming up the River Seine in Normandy, France, activists say. The four-metre male orca was first spotted two weeks ago near the river’s mouth, but made its way dozens of miles upstream towards the city of Rouen. A plan to guide it back to the sea using sound stimuli failed, and experts concluded it was seriously ill. The authorities had been preparing to euthanize the animal but activists say it died of natural causes. Environmental campaign group Sea Shepherd tweeted that the orca’s corpse was found at 11:48 local time (09:48 … Continue reading Sick killer whale found dead in France

In a gripping underwater rescue, Spanish divers have freed a 12-metre long humpback whale entangled in an illegal drift net off the Balearic island of Mallorca. One of the divers was 32-year-old marine biologist Gigi Torras. Torras said last Friday that the rescue was a great birthday present for her – the ‘best ever’ in her words. She also felt that she received a little gesture of appreciation from the giant mammal itself.  “It was like out of this world, it was incredible, just incredible,” she told Reuters on Tuesday. It was only the third time that a humpback has been seen around … Continue reading Spanish diver rescues 12-metre long whale who was trapped in an illegal fishing net

One of the world’s biggest great white sharks, measuring over 12 foot, has been spotted prowling close to the United States coast. The gigantic creature, known as Ironbound, measures up at 12 foot 4 inches and is reported to weigh roughly 452kg (71 stone). The shark, named after West Ironbound Island near Lunenburg, was tagged in October 2019 in waters around Nova Scotia, Canada, and has travelled an estimated 13,000 miles since then. Ironbound’s tracker was fitted by the marine research group OCEARCH. It pings whenever the dorsal fin breaks water surface. In recent weeks, the great white shark has been located to the US coast … Continue reading Great white shark stalking US coast ‘is one of biggest in the world’

A fox chewed a hole in a supposedly predator-proof metal fence before killing 25 flamingos and hurting three others at a Washington zoo. Keepers at the National Zoo made the macabre discovery when they entered the enclosure, which housed 74 of the wading birds, earlier this week. A northern pintail duck was also killed by the wild fox, believed to have come from the neighbouring Rock Creek Park. It is the latest in a string of fox-related incidents in the nation’s capital. Last month, a rapid red fox attacked a politician, who fought it off with an umbrella. And Capitol … Continue reading Fox chews through fence before killing 25 flamingos at zoo

A big-game hunter is facing international controversy for shooting dead a ‘big tusker’ elephant. Leon Kachelhoffer is a professional hunter who is paid by clients around the world to help them track and hunt some of Africa’s most dangerous animals. Most recently, he was reportedly paid $50,000 (£38,312) to kill the biggest elephant professionally hunted since 1996. The elephant is known as a ‘big tusker’ or a ‘hundred pounder’ for its size and its iconically huge tusks. A second elephant was also killed, thought to weigh 90 pounds. The hundred-pounder was reportedly in his 50s – past breeding age – … Continue reading Sad: Trophy hunter ‘paid $50,000 to kill one of Botswana’s biggest elephants’

Police inspect some of the stuffed animals including rhinos, polar bears, elephants and other animals In what is being called one of Europe’s biggest taxidermy hauls, police in Spain have discovered a private collection of over 1,000 stuffed animals- including rhinos, elephants and polar bears at a giant warehouse. Spain’s Civil Guard said in a statement on Sunday that it discovered the specimens in a 50,000 square meter industrial warehouse in Betera, Valencia on Wednesday. The haul of 1,090 stuffed animals has more than 400 protected species, including at least one specimen of the already extinct North African oryx. The … Continue reading Spanish police discover warehouse full of taxidermy animals

At least 31 pilot whales have died after a mass stranding at a New Zealand beach known to be a notorious spot for whale deaths. Wildlife officials said the pod was first spotted on Thursday, beached across three kilometres of Farewell Spit on the South Island. On Friday, rescuers managed to refloat five whales who had survived the night. But just hours later, at least two had washed back up and had to be euthanized, officials told the BBC. This beaching is just the latest in mass strandings at Farewell Spit, the northernmost tip of New Zealand’s South Island. Authorities … Continue reading Over 30 pilot whales die at notorious New Zealand beach