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April 9, 2024
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BBC HomepageSkip to contentAccessibility HelpYour accountNotificationsHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeMore menuMore menuSearch BBCHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeCBBCCBeebiesFoodClose menuBBC NewsMenuHomeIsrael-Gaza warCost of LivingWar in UkraineClimateUKWorldBusinessPoliticsCultureMoreTechScienceHealthFamily & EducationIn PicturesNewsbeatBBC VerifyDisabilityWorldAfricaAsiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastUS & CanadaNorthern marsupial mole: Rare blind creature photographed in Australian outbackPublished31 minutes agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingImage source, Kanyirninpa Jukurrpa Martu RangersImage caption, The marsupial mole was spotted in the Great Sandy DesertBy Tiffanie TurnbullBBC News, SydneyAn extremely rare blind, hairy mole has been spotted and photographed in the Australian outback.The northern marsupial mole, or kakarratul, lives in one of the most remote parts of the nation and is so elusive that authorities don’t even know how many there are.The palm-sized creatures have silky golden locks, no eyes, a stumpy tail and flipper-like hands. Sightings of marsupial moles usually occur only a few times each decade.This mole was stumbled upon by Kanyirninpa Jukurrpa Martu rangers – Aboriginal traditional owners who use cultural and local knowledge to look after their land – while they were working in the Great Sandy Desert, which is about 1,500km (932 miles) from Perth.The creatures are so uncommon that their existence remains a mystery to most people, says desert wildlife expert Gareth Catt.”[I know] somebody who spotted one but didn’t know what it was – they thought it was a baby guinea pig,” he tells the BBC.The burrowing animals live within sand dunes in isolated deserts and spend very little time on the surface.”[They] almost swim through the sand, so the main survey technique for them is to dig trenches and channels to look for their holes.”Very little is known about the cryptic creature, which is why this sighting – the second in six months – is so exciting.People often think “there isn’t a lot of life in the desert”, Mr Catt says, but it is full of unique animals. From bilbies with their giant heat-releasing ears to great thorny devils – which use their spikes to channel water into their mouths – many have developed quirks which help them cope in the harsh environment.Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, The thorny devil is one of the desert’s many weird-looking species”A lot of wildlife in a desert if you spotted it out of context, and you didn’t know what it was, it would look very unusual,” he says.Newly discovered beetle almost mistaken for bird pooMany of these animals are under-researched, Mr Catt says, and further study of them is essential for ensuring their conservation in the face of climate change.”At the most extreme ends of the environment, it becomes really obvious when things change – that’s what we’re seeing in the desert.””So that does put extra pressure on animals which are really living at the limits.”Related TopicsWestern AustraliaAustraliaMore on this storyNewly discovered beetle almost mistaken for bird pooPublished21 MarchTop StoriesNorth America awed by total solar eclipsePublished1 hour agoExtraordinary images of eclipse that transfixed North AmericaBradford stabbing victim named as manhunt continuesPublished5 hours agoFeaturesThe Papers: Labour’s tax loophole plan, and council ‘fat cats’Cloudy skies scupper UK hopes of partial eclipseThe Syria I came back to is not the one I left’Why I rewrote Huckleberry Finn to give slave Jim a voice”Carrot harvest helped me detect ancient coin hoard’BBC reporter: How I was targeted in the Westminster honeytrapWhy is Russia trying to frame Ukraine for concert massacre?Amy Winehouse film: ‘Paparazzi are the villains’ not BlakeWhen is Eid al-Fitr and how do Muslims celebrate it?Elsewhere on the BBCFinding the funny in the week’s big storiesIan Hislop, Paul Merton and a who’s who of hosts welcome a gaggle of guest panellistsAttributioniPlayerBlowing the lid on a baffling online scamPolly Weston’s determined to get to the bottom of the con involving a £138 dehumidifierAttributionSoundsWhat went disastrously wrong at Pontins?An investigation into the state of three holiday parks before their sudden closure…AttributioniPlayerThe opera-loving sisters who ‘stumbled’ into heroismHelena Bonham Carter shines a light on extraordinary stories from World War TwoAttributionSoundsMost Read1Together in wonder: North America awed by total solar eclipse2Labour’s tax loophole plan, and council ‘fat cats’3Wragg quits Commons post over Westminster honeytrap4Bradford stabbing victim named as manhunt continues5Human remains found in Croydon park are identified6Labour vows to fund pledges by tackling tax dodgers7An eerie darkness descends – eclipse in pictures8Two men jailed for footballer’s nightclub murder9Living near Sure Start boosted GCSEs – study10Why hundreds of Post Office workers were wrongly prosecuted

[ad_1] The palm-sized creatures have silky golden locks, no eyes, a stumpy tail and flipper-like hands.

$BBC HomepageSkip to contentAccessibility HelpYour accountLiveNotificationsHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeMore menuMore menuSearch BBCHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeCBBCCBeebiesFoodClose menuBBC NewsMenuHomeIsrael-Gaza warCost of LivingWar in UkraineClimateUKWorldBusinessPoliticsCultureMoreTechScienceHealthFamily & EducationIn PicturesNewsbeatBBC VerifyDisabilityAsiaChinaIndiaIndia Kerala: Protests rock Wayanad after elephant attack deathsPublished3 hours agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingImage source, Arun ChandraboseImage caption, Kerala’s Wayanad district is known for its dense forest coverBy Ashraf PadannaReporter, Trivandrum, Kerala”I’m afraid the elephant that killed my father could come back to attack again,” says 13-year-old Alna Joseph.On 10 February, Ms Joseph was returning from morning prayers at her village church in Mananthavady town in the hilly Wayanad district of the southern Indian state of Kerala when she saw a vehicle carrying a bleeding man.When she reached home, she found out that it was the body of her father Ajeesh Joseph, a 42-year-old farmer, who had been trampled to death by a radio-collared wild elephant – the second such death in the district in three weeks.As soon as the local hospital confirmed his death, protests erupted in the town. They were withdrawn only after the authorities announced a 1m-rupee ($12,067, £9,525) compensation for Joseph’s family and a job for his widow.Neighbouring Karnataka state, to which the elephant belonged, also announced a compensation of 1.5m rupees.Six days later, another wild elephant killed Pakkam Vellachalil Paul, a 50-year-old employee of a state-owned eco-tourism project, while he was on duty in Pulpally town, about 24km (15 miles) away.Since then, Wayanad district – known for its dense forests – has witnessed massive protests as angry residents blame authorities for failing to protect them from wild animal attacks.”We often see elephants roaming around when we go out,” Ms Joseph says. “Most of them don’t attack us. But how do we distinguish them from the dangerous ones?”Last week, the funeral procession for Paul turned violent as protesters sat with his body – his last rites were performed only after the intervention of local politicians and religious leaders.Protesters also placed the carcass of a calf killed by a tiger in the town on a forest department vehicle and booed local representatives. Police accuse protesters of “assaulting forest department employees, damaging a vehicle and stopping policemen from carrying out their duties”.Opposition Congress party leader Rahul Gandhi, who represents the Wayanad constituency in parliament, rushed to the state on Sunday to meet the families of the animal attack victims.The state government held an all-party meeting and promised to cover medical expenses of those affected by such attacks, while the forest department said it had issued orders to tranquillise the elephant that attacked Joseph.Image source, Arun ChandraboseImage caption, Last week, protests against frequent animal attacks turned violentResidents say they want strong boundary walls, solar-powered fencing, elephant-proof trenches, early warning electronic systems, radio-collaring of all wild elephants and creation of wildlife corridors – all things that have been promised by the authorities in the past.There is also growing resentment that the state’s chief minister and forest minister have not visited the area since the attacks.Man-animal conflict is a major issue for Kerala, state Forest Minister AK Saseendran admits.Known for its lush green landscape, the state covers only 1.2% of India’s land area, but accounts for 2.3% of its forest cover.Wayanad has 11,531sq km (1.1m hectares) under forest cover, which is 29.6% of the state’s geographical area. Residents of the district say most of the electric fencing and trenches dug to protect them from animal intrusions are in ruins. Mr Saseendran says habitat loss and climate change and its impact on the ecosystem have contributed to rising human-animal conflicts here.”Most of the raids are by reclusive elderly elephants who are hurt while fighting with youngsters in a herd,” the minister adds.Authorities say they are installing 250 surveillance cameras to track animal intrusions in vulnerable areas of the district.”We need to protect the lives of both humans and animals and ensure a healthy coexistence,” Mr Saseendran told the BBC.The authorities also say a higher population density exerts more pressure on forest resources from dependent communities.But residents don’t entirely agree and blame government policies for shrinking natural habitats that are forcing animals into residential areas.Image source, Arun ChandraboseImage caption, Wayanad MP Rahul Gandhi met Paul’s family after his death sparked protests in the districtN Badusha, a 71-year-old farmer and environmental activist who lives near the district’s Muthanga Wildlife Sanctuary, says the area lies at the junction of wildlife reserves of three states.”Traditional farmers like me and the tribespeople lived here harmoniously for years,” he says. But decades of bamboo extraction from areas that the elephants relied on for sustenance have destroyed their food source, he says, adding that the government’s push for monoculture plantations such as teak, sandalwood, mahogany, acacia and eucalyptus has also affected the movement of wild animals.”Today, around 36,000 of 96,000 hectares of Wayanad forests are monoculture plantations such as eucalyptus,” Mr Badusha says.”The pristine and precious green spaces, vast swamps and wetlands are depleting,” he explains, pushing wild animals, such as elephants onto farmlands and residential areas.Residents say the district’s burgeoning tourism industry, cattle grazing, invasive plants and forest fires are also destroying wildlife habitats in the region.They blame the authorities for failing to find a solution to the resultant animal attacks.In some of the recent cases, residents have also questioned the shoddy response by the authorities. They say that the elephant that attacked Joseph had a radio-collar. So, how come the authorities failed to track the animal and drive it back to the forest? Mr Saseendran told reporters there had been a delay in tracking the elephant due to signal disruption from the radio-collar.In the case of Paul’s death, his family also alleges that he failed to get medical treatment at the right time.”He was shivering in fear and pain,” his 16-year-old daughter Sona says. “Had he got timely medical assistance, he would have survived.”The state government said it would inquire into the allegation.Image source, Arun ChandraboseImage caption, Sharath, a 14-year-old tribal boy, got fractured ribs after a wild elephant attacked him last month in the same area where Paul was killed”People have lost faith in the system,” says V Mohammed Ali, who runs a tourist home in Wayanad.It’s not just wild elephants they are worried about but animals like wild boars, tigers, bison and monkeys that make off with their cattle and eat their crops.”Two months ago, a tiger killed a man and his half-eaten body was recovered later,” Mr Ali says. “People wanted to shoot the animal but were stopped by the authorities.”Forest officials have also not been able to locate the tiger that killed the cattle in Pulpally as its pugmarks were untraceable.”My only prayer is that no child is orphaned because of irresponsible authorities again,” Ms Sona says. “No other little one should ever have to cry like I did. We should be able to leave our homes without fear of an attack.”Read more India stories from the BBC:India state bans candy floss over cancer riskOne dead in India’s farming protests – officialRare turtle discovered in India by UK scientistsIndian official visit ‘death knell’ for island tribeThe spin maestro who defied odds to reach 500 wicketsRelated TopicsAsiaIndiaTop StoriesAmerican company makes historic Moon landingPublished2 hours agoEnergy bills expected to fall as new cap announcedPublished4 hours agoSpeaker’s decision on Gaza vote concerning – PMPublished7 hours agoFeaturesThe Papers: ‘Two years of lunacy’ and possible ‘new Brexit deal’Britain’s biggest Bollywood star taking on HollywoodWhy are American XL bullies being banned?The ‘mind-bending’ bionic arm powered by AIWeekly quiz: What word did Emma Stone have trouble saying?Rosenberg: How two years of war have changed Russia‘I miss you’: Ukraine’s children orphaned by Russian missileSpeaker Hoyle on the Brink + Shapps on Ukraine. 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