MidnightWatcher – Prophecy in Motion

“LOS ANGELES (KTLA) — Sick sea lions and other marine mammals are washing up on shore at Southland beaches.

Rescuers say the animals are suffering from domoic acid poisoning, a neurotoxin found in large algae blooms that naturally occur in the spring.

So far this year, Marine Animal Rescue has removed at least 34 sea lions from beaches in Los Angeles, Orange and Ventura counties, according to rescuer Peter Wallerstein.

The animals that are washing up are suffering from seizures, paralysis and foaming at the mouth.

Rescuers warn that if you see a sick animal, stay away because the disoriented animals could bite.

In addition to sea lions, rescuers say sick dolphins and pelicans have been found.”  Read more.

By Michael Marshall – “Something is causing young penguins in South Africa and Argentina to lose their feathers.

The condition was first seen in black-footed penguins (see picture, top) in a rehabilitation centre in South Africa in 2006. The following year it was found in wild Magellanic penguins, living on the other side of the Atlantic in Argentina. Wild penguins in South Africa have also been affected.” Read more.

By Chen Yilian – “In a small hotel across from the Beijing Center for Disease Control and Prevention, a reporter from New Express Daily, dressed in an isolation suit, interviewed a dozen ‘unusual’ patients from different areas of China. Their symptoms are painful and debilitating, and AIDS-like, but repeated tests for HIV have come up negative.

Lin Jun, one of the patients interviewed in the March 24 New Express Daily report, said he used to be chubby, but now he is skin and bones, and his joints have become all deformed.”  Read more.

By Amir Tejo – “Surabaya. East Java’s deputy governor has ordered officials to prepare for possible evacuations in areas hit by a caterpillar outbreak, a report said on Friday.

Saifullah Yusuf also requested authorities to monitor the situation in Probolinggo district, where villages were swamped by thousands of caterpillars, said Edi Purwinarti, the governor’s assistant on people’s welfare.

‘So far, the condition is not that bad yet,’ Edi said on Friday.

‘The possibility of evacuating residents is [an option] if the conditions become worrying or dangerous,’ Edi was quoted by Detiksurabaya.com as saying.

In the past two weeks, the swarm has spread to five subdistricts in Probolinggo, with the insects crawling into homes and fields, causing skin rashes among residents.

The herbivorous insects have also destroyed more than 8,800 mango trees — the district’s main agricultural product.” Read more.