Tag: US News

Montana angler kills grizzly bear north of Yellowstone

A Montana angler shot and killed a grizzly bear Wednesday north of Yellowstone National Park in an apparent case of self-defense.

A Montana angler shot and killed a protected grizzly bear Wednesday in an apparent case of self-defense.

According to Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks, two anglers surprised the adult male bear while hiking on private land along Tom Miner Creek north of Yellowstone National Park.

The bear charged both anglers in what Fish, Wildlife & Parks described as “defensive behavior” in close quarters. One angler shot and killed the bear.

The case is under investigation and further details were not provided.

The incident occurred four days after two hunters shot and killed a female grizzly bear in self-defense near the Montana town of Whitefish.

The men were scouting in advance of the fall hunting season for non-protected game when they surprised the bear. Both men opened fire and one was shot in the shoulder and required hospitalization.

The grizzly bear had a cub that ran off after the incident.

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks stated in a news release that anyone venturing into bear country should make “localized noise” to alert bears and reduce the likelihood of surprise encounters.

–Generic grizzly bear image courtesy of ©Pete Thomas

Montana hunters kill grizzly bear during surprise encounter

Two men from Whitefish, Montana, shot and killed a grizzly bear Saturday in self-defense while scouting in advance of hunting season.

Two men from Whitefish, Montana, shot and killed a protected grizzly bear Saturday in self-defense while scouting in advance of the fall hunting season for other species.

One of the men was shot in the back shoulder during the chaotic encounter in the Whitefish Range. The man was treated at a nearby hospital.

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks stated in a news release that the men were in dense woods when they surprised a female grizzly bear with one cub. The adult bear charged and the men shot and killed the animal.

Fish, Wildlife & Parks explained that the bear’s behavior appeared to have been in defense of her cub. She did not have a history of conflict with humans.

The bear, tagged by researchers in 2009, was about 25 years old.

As of late Monday, FWP had not located the cub.

The agency determined after an investigation that the bear was shot in self-defense. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service concurred with the findings.

–Generic grizzly bear image courtesy of ©Pete Thomas

Watch: Yellowstone tourists sprint toward bears, spooking them

Footage captured this month in Yellowstone National Park shows people sprinting toward bears in a meadow, in blatant violation of park guidelines.

Tourists in Yellowstone National Park are supposed to remain at least 100 yards from bears whenever they’re out of their vehicles.

While lots of people violate this rule, few do so as blatantly as the group caught on camera this month sprinting toward three bears as though they were long-lost buddies.

The accompanying footage, captured by Will Spencer, shows several vehicles stopped on a road near the momma black bear and her two cubs.

The bears are ignoring the traffic until several occupants of one vehicle, including a man carrying an infant, begin running toward the animals.

The lead man is in a full sprint when momma bear begins to move out of  frame. As the tourists approach, the cubs become spooked and trot after mom.

The man carrying the child is also sprinting on pavement, a dangerous act on its own.

Carrie Dent, Will’s mother, told FTW Outdoors that the encounter occurred Aug. 8, not far from the park’s North Entrance.

A ranger or bear management specialist eventually arrived and ordered everyone back to their vehicles, but the men apparently were not cited.

“I haven’t checked yet but I might have dash cam video that shows the ranger coming through and turning around, but I don’t believe he personally talked to or did anything with those crazy people,” Dent said.

In Yellowstone, tourists are responsible for their own safety. But they’re sometimes cited and prosecuted if their actions are determined to represent animal harassment.

Twin baby elephants fight over vegetables in adorable video

The Rosamond Gifford Zoo in Syracuse, N.Y., made history last October when an Asian elephant named Mali gave birth to “miracle twins.” Not only are both male twins thriving, they’re acting as you’d expect any young brothers to act by scuffling …

The Rosamond Gifford Zoo in Syracuse, N.Y., made history last October when an Asian elephant named Mali gave birth to “miracle twins.”

Not only are both male twins thriving, they’re acting as you’d expect any young brothers to act by scuffling occasionally over trivial matters.

The accompanying footage shows the twins – named Yaad and Tukada – fighting over veggies tossed to them by keepers.

“The twins fight over vegetables, too!” the zoo stated in a tweet. “By Yaad preventatively trying to keep his brother away from his lettuce he only made Tukada more interested.”

In the footage, Yaad keeps attempting to shove or box out Takuda to protect a clump of lettuce that he apparently was saving for himself.

The roughhousing seemed playful, and it’s certain that the pachyderm siblings were adequately fed.

Yaad and Takuda were born on October 24, 2002, and the zoo explained why they were described as miracle twins in a news release announcing their births:

“Elephant twins comprise less than 1% of elephant births worldwide. Of twin pregnancies, twins are often stillborn or are too weak to survive. Sometimes the mother elephant does not survive.”

The calves weighed 220 and 237 pounds at birth.

–Image is a video screen shot 

Footage shows large Florida gator trying ‘to climb up a house’

A home security camera has captured nighttime footage showing an alligator attempting to climb the outside wall of a Florida residence.

A security camera on Monday captured nighttime footage showing a large alligator attempting to climb the outside wall of a Florida residence.

Matt Devitt, chief meteorologist at WINK News, stated via X that the attempted break-in by the ‘huge Florida gator’ occurred in Babcock Ranch.

“That’s a new one!” Devitt observed.

 

The footage was credited to a WINK viewer named Kayla.

Devitt receives plenty of gator footage from viewers.

A haunting image he showcased last February showed a massive alligator sprawled on a golf course, gazing toward the photographer in what Devitt described as a “Jurassic’ moment.

In March Devitt shared footage of a large alligator tearing through a metal fence to with astonishing ease, although it was later revealed that the fencing was aluminum.

“Only in Florida,” Devitt wrote.

It’s not surprising that alligators occasionally generate headlines in Florida.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) states on its website that about 1.3 million alligators reside in the state, and that they inhabit all 67 counties.

–Generic alligator image is courtesy if the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Watch: Yellowstone tourists face down 200 stampeding bison

The accompanying footage reveals what a Yellowstone bison stampede looks like from inside the nearest vehicle stopped on a park highway.

Many would agree that a bison stampede is best observed from a distance, but in Yellowstone National Park it doesn’t always turn out that way.

The accompanying footage reveals what a stampede looks like from inside the nearest vehicle stopped on a park highway.

Keep in mind that bison are the largest land animals in North America and can weigh as much as 2,000 pounds. The iconic beasts can sprint up to 30 mph, so a stampede might literally be earth-shaking.

“I think this is where I was saying ‘Oh God Dave’ fearing they would run right into the car,” Megan Baker-Murray, who captured the footage, stated recently on a Yellowstone-themed Facebook page. “Nothing we could do, nowhere to go.”

Baker-Murray and her husband Dave were in Lamar Valley when the bison stampede developed after they parked to allow the animals to pass.

“There were a number of different groups that ran past us,” Baker-Murray told FTW Outdoors. “Rough estimate is about 200 bison.”

Megan’s reactions varied as she captured the scene with her phone camera. Perhaps the scariest moment was when a male bison appeared briefly as though it might strike the vehicle.

The encounter was so intimate that Dave and Megan could hear grunting and detect the animals’ musty scent.

Megan said that while the prolonged encounter was unnerving at times, “It was truly amazing.”

More than 5,000 bison reside in Yellowstone National Park and the animals are commonly spotted feeding on grasses and sedges.

Occasionally, in what might seem a whim, they begin to relocate en masse. These short migrations can develop into what are referred to as bison stampedes.

First-time angler lands rare moonfish, a pending world record

A first-time angler on an overnight trip out of San Diego has landed a potential world-record opah, or moonfish.

A first-time angler on an overnight trip out of San Diego has landed a potential world-record opah.

Beau Leaman of Santa Clarita, Ca., caught the 188.6-pound opah, or moonfish, after a 45-minute battle while fishing Monday aboard the Horizon.

Capt. William Wilkerson told FTW Outdoors that Leaman was using a rental rod on a 1.5-day tuna excursion with friends. “He was fishing pretty deep and at first he thought he was stuck on the bottom,” Wilkerson said.

The opah, caught on a jig, was reeled from 300-plus feet and the crew knew by its movements that it was not a tuna. They used four gaffs to hoist the fish through a gate near the stern (see video below).

The wounds on its side, visible in the images, were caused by cookie-cutter sharks as the brightly colored fish was reeled toward the surface.

Leaman, 37, implied that the experience was as bittersweet as it was surreal, saying:

“Once it was on the boat, I think most of us were in dismay. From the shark bites on its side, to its blend of orange and red, its tail fin slapping the deck, its massive eyes and fins that don’t seem to do much work… It did not look real.”

Opah catches are rare because the fish do not typically swim in schools and their whereabouts are unpredictable. Because of this, there is no directed commercial fishery for opah and catches almost always are incidental.

The world record stands at 180 pounds, 12 ounces, for a 2014 catch south of San Diego.

Wilkerson said the International Game Fish Assn. has been contacted about Leaman’s catch and that a world-record application will be submitted.

–Images and video courtesy of Horizon Charters and H&M Landing

Massive grizzly bear in for a shock during next back scratch

A massive grizzly bear that claimed a Montana storage shed as its personal scratching post has apparently been persuaded to stay away.

A giant grizzly bear that claimed a Montana storage shed as its personal scratching post has apparently been persuaded to keep away.

The male grizzly bear in the top image is shown scent-marking a shed that stands nearly 6 feet tall.

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks explained Tuesday that the bear had been spotted on the same private property for years. It liked to mark the shed to communicate with other bears (note the giant paw print on the door).

Generator shed now protected by electric fence. Photo: Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks

FWP explained via Facebook:

“This generator shed contained no food attractants and was mostly empty. Bears are often curious about wood stains/oils/varnishes/shellacs and other outdoor treatments and will readily chew and rub on these treated woods.

“Once a scent post is created, other bears traveling in the area will rub in the same spot to make their presence known to other bears.”

Since this presented a danger to humans on and near the property, state biologists and the property owner teamed to construct an electric fence around the structure.

Bear markings on generator shed. Photo: Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks

FWP stated: “The need for an electric fence on this structure is to prevent bears from being accustomed to and comfortable with rubbing on human structures, which can lead to them becoming more conflict-prone.

“Proactive measures, such as this one, teach bears to avoid human structures keeping people safe and reducing the need for management removal of bears.”

FWP had previously use the the image as part of a Facebook quiz that asked  followers to guess whether this was a grizzly bear or black bear. But the answer was clear in the description’s wording:

“Here is a helpful hint: Grizzly bears are generally larger than black bears and may be bigger than a small shed. Also, they can be distinguished by longer, curved claws, humped shoulders, and a face that appears to be concave.”

Poachers in Florida nabbed with gross over limits of lobster

Three fishermen were cited in Florida on Wednesday after they were caught in possession of 102 lobsters over the legal limit.

A sad reality in fishing is that some people exhibit blatant disregard for regulations designed to protect resources.

That appears to have been the case Wednesday in Florida, when officers cited three fishermen for possessing 102 lobsters over the legal limit.

The bust might not have occurred had the fishermen not been flying a dive flag while they were underway. (Dive flags should only be flown when divers are in the water.)

ALSO: Massive relief as ‘King Otis’ the brown bear is alive and well 

“On the first day of the two-day mini-season, our officers saw a commercial vessel with a dive flag flying while the boat was underway,” Florida Fish and Wildlife explained in a news release. “Stopping the vessel to speak to the operator about the incorrect use of the dive flag, they conducted a routine fisheries inspection, discovering a total of 138 lobsters!”

The fishermen were cited and the poached lobsters, which had perished, were collected as evidence in a case that remains under investigation.

The mini-season Florida Fish and Wildlife referred to was the Spiny Lobster Sport Season conducted Wednesday and Thursday.

–Image courtesy of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission 

‘Cool as ice’ swimmers face down 1,000-pound hammerhead shark

A Florida videographer has captured footage showing a 14-foot great hammerhead shark approaching within feet of waders who, remarkably, seemed unfazed by the encounter.

A Florida videographer has captured footage showing a 14-foot great hammerhead shark approaching within feet of waders who, remarkably, seemed unfazed by the encounter.

Evan Parness watched on his screen as he flew his drone overhead to capture the shark’s approach “in just feet of water.” He stated via Instagram that it was “the most intense clip I’ve ever filmed.”

The men, standing waist-deep on a reef, could see a portion of the shark but clearly did not enjoy the same perspective as Parness, who could see the entire shark.

Parness estimated the weigh of the shark at 1,000 pounds.

“This video is obviously slowed down, but while this was going down in real time, it felt like it was in slow motion while I was watching it live on my screen,” he recalled, adding that the swimmers were friends visiting from Michigan.

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A post shared by Evan Parness (@evan_parness)

They remained as “cool as ice” as the shark veered away before making contact with the men.

“When you come down to FL on vacation, don’t rule out a massive hammerhead checking you out!” Parness joked.

ALSO: Massive sea creature startles family on Mexican beach; video

Great hammerhead sharks can measure nearly 20 feet. They sometimes patrol Florida’s coast in search of smaller sharks, stingrays, bony fishes and other prey.

They’re not considered to be especially dangerous to humans but, according to the Florida Museum, “Because of their size and unpredictable nature, they should be treated with respect.”

Parness wrote: “As this was unfolding, I didn’t know exactly what was going to happen. I was expecting the shark to turn earlier than it did, but clearly, it wanted to fully investigate the Michigan bros.

“Since this was a Great hammerhead, I knew the odds of something bad happening were slim. But at the end of the day, nature is unpredictable & anything can happen.”

Parness theorized that the hammerhead was hunting blacktip sharks.