Outdoors, action and adventure

New Zealand diver plunges in to rescue entangled orca (video)

A New Zealand orca that had become entangled in the rope of a crayfish pot was saved Tuesday by a diver who jumped in with a knife and cut the mammal loose.

 The incident occurred a few hundred yards off the Coromandel Peninsula.

The orca, whose tail had become ensnared by the rope, had been crying out to nearby family members.  But Rhys Cochrane, a veteran diver, managed to cut the rope and allow the orca to rejoin its companions.

"He didn't seem to mind or maybe even knew that I was trying to help him," Cochrane told 3 News.

The accompanying video is from Good Morning America. The 3 News report, which does not offer an embed code, contains more footage and detail (click on the 3 News link to watch).

Said Cochrane: "The whole time he was calling; I could hear vivid calls from the orca and just at the end there were five or six orcas including the bull."

Serial sea lion killer on the loose in Western Washington?

The death toll among sea lions that have been shot to death recently in Western Washington officially stands at nine, and authorities are searching for clues and asking for tips that might lead to the arrest of the person or persons responsible for the killings.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has confirmed that two bullets were found in the head of the latest carcass found on the Nisqually Delta.

Seven other sea lions were found with bullet wounds in the same area during the past few weeks, while one carcass was found on a beach in West Seattle.

One of the carcasses was identified as a federally-endangered Stellar sea lion.

NOAA is asking that people who might have information about the killings call the agency's enforcement hotline at (800) 853-1964.

King 5 News in Seattle is reporting that the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society is offering a $10,000 reward to anyone who provides information leading to an arrest and conviction.

"This is a violation of U.S. Federal law and the person or persons responsible for these shootings must be apprehended and brought to justice," Sea Shepherd Capt. Paul Watson stated on the group's website.

Sea lions are protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act. 

-- Sea lion image is courtesy of Pete Thomas

DFG wardens nab arson suspect, may have saved hunters

California Department of Fish and Game wardens may have saved the lives of hunters last Saturday when they arrested a man suspected of setting a fire in a state wildlife area as hunting was in progress—and subsequently evacuated more than 20 hunters.

This occurred in Wister Wildlife Area in Imperial County. Wardens observed Jacob Thogmartin, 26, of Ramona, leaving the brush just outside of Wister without a weapon and "acting suspiciously," according to a news release issued this week by the DFG.

After contact was made with the suspect, a fire broke out just behind Thogmartin, who a day earlier had received a citation for driving on a closed road inside Wister.

The fire burned more than 650 acres, but there were no reported injuries.

"A fire in a wildlife area filled with hunters could have been disaster," DFG Assistant Chief Paul Hamdorf said. "The wardens quickly apprehended the suspect and ensured everyone was evacuated safely."

It may never be known whether the fire was set to deliberately disrupt the hunt.

Thogmarton was booked into county jail on suspicion of felony arson.

Zoo visitors 'horrified' as lions kill, devour popular barn owl

Cats often attack birds, but it's not often that people are witness to very large cats — in this case lions — attacking and killing a cute and very popular owl.

The bizarre incident occurred over the weekend at Colchester Zoo in Essex, England, as visitors watched in alarm.

The barn owl, named Ash, was being used in a falconry display outside the lions' enclosure.

Ash somehow became spooked and struck the window of another enclosure, then flew in a daze to the roof of yet another enclosure, before making a low flight across the lions' pen.

Ash landed to the side of the pen, but slipped and fell inside, whereupon nature took its course.

"Families were horrified when a female lion 'clubbed' the bird out of the air before a male pounced and devoured it in front of them," wrote Kiran Randhawa for the London Evening Standard.

Gavin Duthie was visiting with his 2-year-old son, Daniel, who burst into tears at the sight.

"Daniel was in tears along with most of the people who were there," Duthie told the newspaper. "Women and children were screaming but it was all over in seconds.

"It's in the lion's nature — I have taught Daniel that lions are not fluffy animals. He was very upset.

Zoo officials also were upset. A spokesman explained that "in 25 years of falconry displays nothing like this has occurred as the birds do normally instinctively know that this isn't a safe place to go."

It remains unclear what initially spooked the unfortunate bird of prey.

-- Image shows Ash the barn owl before the bizarre mishap claimed the popular zoo resident's life

California DFG devotes website to wolf from Oregon (OR7)

The California Department of Fish and Game reports that a gray wolf from Oregon, named OR7, remains inside the state and that a website has been established to post updates on the predator's status.

"At this time, there is only one documented gray wolf living in the wild in California," states a passage on the website.

OR7, a young male wolf originally from a pack in northeast Oregon, made headlines during a zig-zagging adventure that spanned across the Cascades and ultimately into eastern Lassen County in Northern California.

The wolf, which was fitted with a GPS collar before he left the pack, is the first known wild wolf to have ranged in the Golden State in nearly 90 years. The last one was killed by a trapper in 1924.

The only known probable photograph of OR7 is a black-and-white trail-camera image captured in Butte County, in Southern Oregon, last Nov. 1 (top right).

The presence of OR7 and the possibility of other wolves entering California has farmers and ranchers worried, because wolves are notorious for livestock predation in some areas in western states where they've flourished since recently being reintroduced.

The California DFG is formulating a wolf policy in case other wolves return to California and what was once prime wolf habitat.

OR7 and other gray wolves that might enter California are protected under the Endangered Species Act and the DFG will post only general information regarding OR7's whereabouts.

In a news release, the DFG states that many reported sightings of gray wolves in California have been investigated in recent years, but most of those turned out to involve coyotes or dogs.

The DFG adds that wolves pose little threat to humans. "Concerns about human safety are largely based on folklore and are unsubstantiated," the news release states. "In recent years there was one human mortality in Canada caused either by wolves or bears and one confirmed human mortality in Alaska by wolves.

"[But] based on experience from states where substantial wolf populations now exist, wolves pose little risk to humans. However, DFG recommends that people never approach a wolf, or otherwise interact with or feed a wolf."

Farmers and ranchers can reduce the threat of livestock predation "by removing potential sources of food and other attractants from their land, such as discarded animal carcasses, bone piles, etc."

-- Trail-cam image shows what is likely OR7 during his trek through Southern Oregon toward California. DFG website graphic shows OR7's path in California through a period through Jan. 11

Boaters on watch for tagged gray whale from Russia

Southern California marine mammal enthusiasts should note that a special whale named Varvara will be passing through local waters today and Friday.

The 8-year-old female gray whale, sporting a satellite tag that reveals her position, is special because she has swum all the way from Sakhalin Island in the western North Pacific off Russia, providing scientists with more evidence that Western Pacific gray whales may not be as distinct from Eastern Pacific gray whales as previously believed.

Varvara hails from a critically endangered population of perhaps 130 Western Pacific gray whales, with very few breeding-age females. There are about 20,000 Eastern Pacific gray whales, famous for their annual 10,000-mile round-trip migration from the Bering and Beaufort seas to and from winter breeding areas in lagoons along the Baja California coastline.

It has become increasingly evident that both populations utilize the same breeding areas. However, David Weller, a marine mammal specialist with the National Marine Fisheries Service, has authored a manuscript (under peer-review) which states that despite this mixing, "Significant DNA and nuclear genetic differences between whales utilizing the Sakhalin feeding ground and those summering in the Eastern North Pacific support the continued recognition of Sakhalin animals as a distinct genetic unit."

Varvara is expected to pass through the Los Angeles/Long Beach area late today and pass Orange County and San Diego on Friday.

Her position is relayed to scientists at Oregon State University's Marine Mammal Institute. (People can obtain weekly updates of Varvara's progress, each Monday, via this link.)

Her odyssey follows that of Flex, who was fitted with a satellite tag a year earlier. Flex, a male Western Pacific gray whale, surprised scientists when he crossed from the western Pacific to this side, and joined with Eastern Pacific grays during their migration.

The tag worn by Flex, however, stopped transmitting off southern Oregon. Varvara's tag is still relaying her position. She has been photographed with other gray whales off Oregon and Northern California, but it was not clear whether they were Western Pacific or Eastern Pacific grays.

Little girl gains fame for staring down African lion (video)

Sofia Walker has become famous on the morning show circuit for bravely staring down a large African lion at the Wellington Zoo in New Zealand (see video).

 
The 3-year-old had climbed onto a small platform facing the glass at feeding time. If the lion seems upset it's probably because the food had been placed very close to the glass.

The lion "walked up to the glass and this is the surprise reaction," said her father, Julian. "This went on for five minutes and I am very proud of my daughter. She is always very strong and is very innocent to have not been scared by him."

It's probably safe to state that many adults would not be so brave. Sofia's story aired Tuesday on ABC's "Good Morning America" and the CBS "Early Show."

Image 'likely' that of famous Oregon wolf, now in California

It turns out that a photo of the Oregon gray wolf that crossed into California last week, and is still roaming in the Golden State, most likely does exist (at right).

OR-7, a 2-year-old wolf that made history on Dec. 28 by becoming the first known wild wolf in California in nearly 90 years, has been tracked by Oregon biologists since they fitted him with a GPS collar last February.

They did not take a photo, though, and there were no verified sightings of the predator as it trekked from northeast Oregon to California on a zig-zagging path spanning more than 700 miles.

But Allen Daniels, a deer hunter, has come forward with an image produced via his trail camera last Nov. 1 in the woods east of Butte Falls in Southern Oregon.

Roblyn Brown, assistant wolf biologist for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, told the Ashland Daily Tidings that satellite tracking technology confirmed OR-7's presence in that area at the time the image was captured.

She added that the image was "likely" that of OR-7.

The wolf remains in California and has been ranging in a large area within Siskiyou County.

Its presence has ranchers concerned that others might follow and establish a new population in California. The state Department of Fish and Game is working on a plan that deals with the eventual return of wolves.

OR-7, who also became the first wolf west of Oregon's Cascades in 65 years, is believed to be searching for a mate if he didn't find an un-collared companion in Oregon.

Wolf from Oregon is first to roam California in nearly 90 years

The cry of the wolf may now be heard in California for the first time in nearly 90 years, thanks to the presence of young gray wolf that entered state territory on Wednesday from Oregon.

The 2 1/2-year-old male wolf, named OR7 by Oregon wildlife officials, had already gained notoriety for a zig-zagging trek that spanned more than 700 miles from northeast Oregon, across the Cascades, to the southwestern part of the state.

The California Department of Fish and Game announced Thursday that OR7 had entered Siskiyou County, just south of the Oregon border. He becomes the first known wild wolf to have ranged in California since 1924, when the last verified gray wolf was killed by a trapper in Lassen County.

OR7's trek is believed to have been sparked by a desire to find a mate and new territory. It remains unclear whether the wolf, which has a GPS collar unit that sporadically relays his position, found an un-collared mate during his travels.

OR7 has avoided large towns and there have been no verified sightings of the predator since he was collared last February. There are no photographs of the animal, adding to its mysterious allure.

While some might find this news exciting, California ranchers are wary about the possibility of wolf expansion into the state, because of the threat that would pose to livestock, and the California DFG is already formulating a plan to deal with the eventual return of wolves.

"Whether one is for it or against it, the entry of this lone wolf into California is an historic event and result of much work by the wildlife agencies in the West," said DFG Director Charlton H. Bonham. "If the gray wolf does establish a population in California, there will be much more work to do here."

Sea Shepherd anti-whaling vessel damaged by rogue wave

Somewhere in Antarctic waters,  Japanese whalers are cheering their good fortune as Mother Nature has knocked one of the enemy's three ships out of its fight against the killing of whales.

The Brigitte Bardot, a scout boat for the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, was struck by a rogue wave in heavy seas as it pursued the whaling factory ship, Nisshin Maru.

According to Sea Shepherd, the vessel suffered a cracked hull and damaged pontoon. It will be escorted to Fremantle,  Australia, by Capt. Paul Watson aboard the Steve Irwin. There were no injuries to any of the 10 Brigitte Bardot crew members.

This temporarily leaves only one Sea Shepherd boat, the Bob Barker, to attempt to stay with the whaling fleet as the fleet bounds toward the hunting grounds.

In the accompanying Sky News video report, Watson said the Steve Irwin will return to the Antarctic after the escort mission and rejoin a campaign the group calls "Operation Divine Wind."

"It's not going to stop our attempt, but it is a setback because it takes out one of our boats," Watson told the Associated Press.

Japan annually targets more than 900 whales in what it refers to as scientific missions, thus skirting a long-standing international moratorium on commercial whaling. The wording in the moratorium allows for lethal research.

This is Sea Shepherd's eighth campaign against the effort. Last season the whalers were forced to quit early, far short of their quota, because of Sea Shepherd's harassment efforts. This season one of the Japanese harpoon boats is carrying members of the Japan Coastguard.

These hunts are expensive and Japan has been criticized not only for continuing to hunt whales, but for funding the extra security with money earmarked for relief in the aftermath of the devastating earthquake and tsunamis last March.