Rare sighting of white-tailed eagle
The white-tailed eagle was spotted by bird watchers at Stainmore, on the border between Cumbria and County Durham.
It has been identified as G818, a female eagle originally released on the Isle of Wight in 2021, by volunteers from the Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation.
Tim Mackrill, an ornithologist for the foundation, said a number of eagles pass through Cumbria each year but sightings are "rare".
G818 has spent the summer in the Scottish Highlands and is now making her way down to the south coast.
"She began heading south on 2 August and then spent 3-9 August near Stanmore," Mr Mackrill said.
"We are hopeful she will find a mate and settle somewhere on the south coast over the course of the coming autumn and winter.
"There are currently three established pairs of white-tailed eagles on the south coast as a result of the reintroduction, with two of the pairs breeding successfully this summer."
White-tailed sea eagles
Brown body with a noticeably pale head and neck, which can become almost white in older birds
Enormous, broad wings – much broader than a golden eagle's – with fingered ends
Huge, chunky yellow beak (dark in juveniles) and yellow feet
Adults have white tail feathers, as their name suggests
Soars with wings held flat, rather than in a 'V' shape like golden eagles
Source: RSPB
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Yahoo
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Many towns are unprepared to handle train derailments and hazmat spills
A train derails and spills at least 1,000 gallons of hazardous materials in the U.S. about once every two months. Nearly half of those derailments resulted in evacuations; more than a quarter resulted in a fire or explosion since 2015, an analysis of federal derailment data showed. And many communities along the rail lines aren't prepared to keep people safe when it happens. That's the finding of an investigation by the University of Maryland's Howard Center for Investigative Journalism that reviewed hundreds of rail safety documents and reports and interviewed dozens of industry professionals and first responders. The Howard Center also obtained unprecedented access to rail data collected by a network of AI-enhanced camera sensors, which allowed reporters to track shipments of hazardous materials along 2,200 miles of rail lines between the U.S.-Canadian border and West Texas. 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And federal regulators have delayed the requirement to immediately supply that information. In a letter to federal regulators this month, East Palestine Fire Chief Keith Drabick criticized the delay and urged regulators to enforce a stricter timeline on railroads. 'The 2023 East Palestine derailment in my village highlighted a critical lack of timely communication with public safety about hazardous materials information involved in rail emergencies,' Drabick wrote. Without strict enforcement by regulators, he added, 'I am concerned that the derailment in my community could be repeated.' 'We were untrained ... we were ill prepared' When communities are unprepared for a hazmat spill, the consequences can be dire. In 2012, a derailment in Paulsboro, New Jersey, sent several tank cars carrying vinyl chloride — a highly toxic and flammable chemical — plunging into a creek. One of the tank cars broke open, spewing a cloud of toxic gas that engulfed the surrounding area. 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Associated Press
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Many towns are unprepared to handle train derailments and hazmat spills
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Local police and volunteer firefighters, initially confused about the chemical released, approached the wreck without breathing protection — even standing in the cloud. The initial evacuation area was too small, investigators later found, and many nearby residents spent hours in the exposure zone. More than 700 residents and responders reported symptoms of chemical exposure. A subsequent NTSB report found the poor emergency response contributed to the severity of the accident. 'We've never experienced anything of this magnitude in my entire career,' said Chris Wachter, Paulsboro's police chief at the time of the derailment. 'We were untrained for it. We were ill-prepared for it.' Paulsboro fire officials declined to be interviewed for this story. Emergency officials for Gloucester County — which includes Paulsboro — also declined an interview but said in an emailed statement there has been 'significant improvement' in the capabilities of the county's Hazardous Materials Team and relationships with municipal first responder organizations. Vinyl chloride represents just a fraction of the hazardous chemicals that move regularly on the rails. A Howard Center analysis of RailState's data found that, excluding petroleum and alcohol, the top hazardous chemicals moved by train include sulfuric acid, chlorine, hydrochloric acid and ammonia — all highly toxic, and potentially lethal in high concentrations. Vinyl chloride is a key ingredient in PVC plastic, used in construction and packaging materials. Chlorine is a widely used disinfectant and is used in water treatment plants across the U.S. Sulfuric acid and ammonia make fertilizer used on farms. 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Port Huron, Michigan, can't afford to skimp on emergency preparedness for toxic chemical spills. Located on the Canadian border, the city of 30,000 sits across the St. Clair River from what locals call 'Chemical Valley,' where dozens of chemical plants and oil refineries are clustered in Sarnia, Ontario. Many of these chemicals are exported to the U.S. According to the St. Clair County emergency operations plan, it's the second-most highly trafficked border crossing in the country for toxic chemicals. Over the last six months, RailState data showed an average of 450 train cars with hazardous material placards passed through a mile-long tunnel that runs under the St. Clair River between the U.S. and Canada. A placard indicates the car is loaded with hazardous material or contains hazmat residue. In 2019, a Canadian National train derailed inside that tunnel, spilling over 12,000 gallons (45,400 liters) of sulfuric acid. 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'There's so many mouths to feed and there's only so much money to do it with.' ___ Aline Behar Kado, Paul Kiefer, Alaysia Ezzard, Ijeoma Opara, Menna Ibrahim, Molecule Jongwilai, Marijke Friedman, Josephine Johnson, April Quevedo, Tiasia Saunders and Declan Bradley of the Howard Center for Investigative Journalism contributed reporting and data analysis for this story. ___ The Howard Center for Investigative Journalism at the University of Maryland is funded by a grant from the Scripps Howard Foundation in honor of newspaper pioneer Roy W. Howard.
Yahoo
an hour ago
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Fact Check: Rare spotless giraffe lives in Tennessee zoo. Reports suggest it's not the only one
Claim: As of August 2025, the only known spotless giraffe in the world was living in a Tennessee zoo. Rating: What's True: In 2023, a rare spotless giraffe named Kipekee was born in a Tennessee zoo. She still lives there as of this writing. What's False: While Kipekee may have been the only known spotless giraffe at the time of her birth, the Giraffe Conservation Foundation announced the discovery of another giraffe without spots in Namibia just one month later. In August 2025, posts about a supposed "spotless giraffe" living in a Tennessee zoo spread online. "Meet Kipekee — the only spotless giraffe alive today. In rural Tennessee, Brights Zoo welcomed a giraffe unlike any seen in half a century," said one Aug. 14 Facebook post, a claim echoed by similar posts. This was not the first time social media spread claims about Kipekee; posts about the allegedly solid-colored giraffe have circulated on Facebook, Instagram and Reddit since 2023. An extremely rare spotless giraffe born yesterday at a Tennessee zoobyu/TheSentinelsSorrow ininterestingasfuck Kipekee is a real spotless giraffe who, as of this writing, lives at Brights Zoo in Tennessee — with "no plans" of moving anywhere else, according to an email from David Bright, the zoo's director. At the time of Kipekee's July 31, 2023, birth, news outlets reported that Brights Zoo may have welcomed the only giraffe without spots alive in the world, as evidenced by Kipekee's name, which means "unique" in Swahili. However, just a month later, another spotless giraffe was … spotted … in Namibia. Given that the August posts accurately described Kipekee's existence and living situation but relied on outdated information about the rarity of the giraffe's coat, we rate this claim a mixture of truth and falsehood. Numerous legitimate news outlets, including NPR and National Geographic, covered Kipekee's birth. Broadcast journalists have filmed Kipekee at the private, family-owned zoo. Furthermore, zoo visitors have posted various images and videos of the giraffe online at different angles, and the dates of these posts range from 2023 to 2025. As such, we are confident that the giraffe exists. Kipekee was reportedly the first known spotless giraffe born since 1972, when one such giraffe was born at Ueno Zoo in Tokyo, according to archival photos. But in September 2023, the Giraffe Conservation Foundation announced that another patternless giraffe was photographed at Mount Etjo Safari Lodge in central Namibia — the first recorded in the wild. The Giraffe Conservation Foundation, which partners with organizations like the Smithsonian Institution, says it is the only nongovernmental organization in the world dedicated solely to the conservation of wild giraffes. The foundation's news release included images of the spotless Namibia giraffe. At the time, experts said they did not know why the giraffes had no spots. "The lack of spots could be caused by genetic mutations or recessive genotype in one or more genes related to the pattern, but without detailed genetic analysis, these are mere speculations," Julian Fennessy, the organization's co-founder and director of conservation, said in the statement. @lushandbashful. "She's Sooo Cute." 26 Sept. 2023, Accessed 18 Aug. 2025. @ohgiveitupdude. "EDIT: Guys She's a Girl :(((( Also Apparently She Isn't the Only One! Super Cool! But Also They Advertise Her as 'Spot-Less' so Idk about All the Debate about If They're Spots or Lines That's Just What They Say ." 29 Mar. 2025, Accessed 18 Aug. 2025. "A Short History of GCF - Giraffe Conservation Foundation." Giraffe Conservation Foundation, Alamy Limited. "Jun. 29, 1972 - Spotless Giraffe Appeared for Public: A Spotless Baby Giraffe, Who Has Been Born at Ueno Zoo in Tokyo This Winter, Has Appeared for Public. The Rare Little Animal Has None of the Usual Markings of the Father or Mother, and No Signs That It Will Develop Them Later. Photo Shows the Spotless Baby Giraffe with Its Mother." Alamy images, Accessed 18 Aug. 2025. ---. "Jun. 29, 1972 - Spotless Giraffe Appeared for Public: A Spotless Baby Giraffe, Who Has Been Born at Ueno Zoo in Tokyo This Winter, Has Appeared for Public. The Rare Little Animal Has None of the Usual Markings of the Father or Mother, and No Signs That It Will Develop Them Later. Photo Shows the Spotless Giraffe Seen at Uenc Zoo." Alamy images, Accessed 18 Aug. 2025. BBC Newsround. "Baby Giraffe Born with No Spots Named by the Public." BBC Newsround, 7 Sept. 2023, Accessed 18 Aug. 2025. Guzman, Francisco, and James Powel. "Tennessee Zoo Reveals Name of Rare Giraffe without Spots – Kipekee. Here's What It Means." USA TODAY, 5 Sept. 2023, Accessed 18 Aug. 2025. Maron , Dina Fine. "Extremely Rare Spotless Giraffe Born in U.S. Zoo." Animals, 23 Aug. 2023, Milman, Oliver. "Spotless Giraffe, Thought to Be Only One in World, Born at Tennessee Zoo." The Guardian, The Guardian, 21 Aug. 2023, Accessed 18 Aug. 2025. NPR. "A Baby Giraffe Was Born with No Spots and That's What Inspired the Calf's Name." NPR, 8 Sept. 2023, Accessed 18 Aug. 2025. O'Kane, Caitlin. "Tennessee Zoo Says It Has Welcomed a Rare Spotless Giraffe - CBS News." 22 Aug. 2023, "Rare Patternless Giraffe - Home." Brights Zoo , 5 May 2024, Accessed 18 Aug. 2025. "Reticulated Giraffe-Bright's Zoo-April 2025." Apr. 2025, Accessed 18 Aug. 2025. "Seeing Double - Spotless Giraffe in Namibia - Giraffe Conservation Foundation." Giraffe Conservation Foundation, 11 Sept. 2023, Accessed 18 Aug. 2025. WFAA. "World's Only Spotless Giraffe Born at Tenneesee Zoo, Named 'Kipekee.'" YouTube, 6 Sept. 2023, Accessed 18 Aug. 2025. WJHL. "Kipekee Turns 1: A Year of Her Life and Her Success." YouTube, 31 July 2024, Accessed 18 Aug. 2025. Google Reviews, 2025, Accessed 18 Aug. 2025.
