Gorilla meets duck: love at first sight
After wandering into a gorilla enclosure, this feathered guest probably hoped to duck out without being seen.
But one friendly ape seemed determined to persuade it to stay a little longer — scooping the duckling into his arms for a hug.
Four-year-old Komale held the tiny creature up to his face and nuzzled it before cuddling it against his body.
But his very warm welcome failed to win over the terrified duckling, which tried several times to wrestle free before finally making its escape and rejoining its family.
A spokesman for Bristol Zoo said: “The baby gorillas are always fascinated by the ducklings which arrive every spring.
They often try to catch them but this is the first time we have seen them actually pick one up — it was very sweet. Komale lives with his two sisters Kera and Namoki and they are very playful together.”
Komale was born at the zoo after its mother Salome was treated with the fertility drug Clomifene in an attempt to boost the endangered species of Western lowland gorillas.
The number of Western lowland gorillas in the wild has fallen by 90 per cent in the past 60 years as animals have been shot for bushmeat while deforestation has damaged their environment.
SOURCE: dailymail.co.uk
Hong Dong: the million-dollar dog
All pet lovers love to spend on buying the best pet in town, but a Chinese industrialist has taken the lead with his recent purchase of an eleven-month-old red Tibetan Mastiff pup named Big Splash (Hong Dong).
He paid a record breaking 10 million Yuan (Rs127.5 million) for the three-foot-tall, 180-pound dog. Tibetan mastiffs are said to have guarded nomad camps and monasteries, and are rarely seen outside of Tibet. Thought to be among the world’s oldest and most respected breeds, legend claims that Genghis Khan had a Tibetan mastiff and so did Buddha. The breed was also popular among European royalty and in the early 19th century, King George IV owned a pair of Tibetan Mastiffs.
Among the wealthier classes in China, this breed of dog has become as much of a status symbol as an expensive sports car or diamond-encrusted Cartier watch. Once these dogs fetched a few hundred dollars, but the rising demand to own one has driven up the price to hundreds of thousands of dollars. In 2009, another Tibetan Mastiff known as Yangtze River, sold for $500,000 (Rs42.5 million). “Raised on a diet of beef, chicken, abalone and sea cucumber, Big Splash is a perfect specimen. He has excellent genes and will be a good breeding dog. When I started in this business, 10 years ago, I never thought we would see such a price,” said the dog’s breeder who is only known as Lou.
Believe it or not, the Chinese man may even be able to get some of his money back by using the dog as a stud. He may even be able to charge as much as $100,000 (Rs8.5 million) for a doggy roll in the hay with his prize canine.
SOURCE: WEIRDASIANEWS.COM
A real-life Scissorhands!
A man crippled in a horrific mountaineering accident is climbing again thanks to revolutionary new prosthetic hands complete with built-in ice-axes.
Stephen Ball, 54, from Newbiggin, Cumbria, fell 2,000 feet down Mount McKinley, one of America’s tallest mountains, and lost part of his left hand, his right fingers and his right foot to severe frost bite. His left leg also had to be amputated after it was shattered in 12 places.
After the horrific fall in 1999, the father-of-four thought his climbing days were over until he approached leading prosthetic technician, Phil Myers.
The pair eventually came up with the ground-breaking “axe hands” which have been specially designed for ice climbing.
Stephen said: “Even straight after the accident I knew I couldn’t give up. I went to Phil to get my new leg and while I was there I asked for his help with some custom-made hands.”
He added, “He’s very innovative and he won’t let obstacles get in his way. These hands are quite specialised and I adapted to them really easily and I am now climbing better than I could have ever imagined.’
source: dailymail.co.uk
Always say dye
A UK farmer painted his entire flock of sheep orange to discourage thieves, after a rise in sheep rustling. John Heard (we swear that’s his real name!) decided desperate measures were needed to stop the raids that were decimating his flocks. And his solution to the problem has created an eye-catching sensation on his farm after he turned his sheep orange.
The 48-year-old has put his flock of 250 blackface ewes through a harmless dip of orange dye making them so highly visible that wary thieves are giving them a wide berth. Heard, who runs his livestock farm near Okehampton, Devon had lost 200 sheep over the past few years but says the orange dye is working wonders.
He explained:”Sheep rustling has become a big problem with ewes worth around £140 (Rs20,000) each. My flock roams Dartmoor and I was getting mighty fed-up with losing so many. My son James suggested the orange dye and although it produces some strange looking sheep it has done the trick and I haven’t lost one this year.”
The non-toxic dye does the sheep no harm and they are lambing in peace this year, added Heard. The dye eventually wears off with no side effects for the animals but has caused bemused reactions from onlookers.
Heard said,” Other farmers as well as a fair few ramblers have been shocked but others have said they are now willing to try the idea if it works. At the moment it is doing exactly what I hoped it would and stopping the rustlers in their tracks.”
SOURCE: TELEGRAPH.CO.UK
Couples’ cow carcass causes customs craziness
A couple tried to check a dead cow onto a transatlantic flight, Virgin Atlantic has revealed in a list of the most bizarre items passengers have attempted to bring onto flights.
The couple in question arrived at New York’s JFK airport with the carcass wrapped up on a trolley and attempted to board a flight to Heathrow airport in London with the dead cow.
Unsurprisingly, staff refused to allow the pair to check in their bizarre luggage.
A survey by Virgin Atlantic revealed a giant wheel of cheese and cutlery stolen from a previous flight were also among the items brought in to airports. One couple even tried to check in a bag of sand, sea and water to help themselves remember the holiday in Grenada during which they fell in love.
Commenting on the findings, director of corporate communications Greg Dawson, said: ‘Virgin Atlantic check in staff see thousands of passengers on a daily basis but every now and then, a passenger will arrive at check in with something you would never expect – it certainly brightens up their day.’
SOURCE: metro.co.uk
Tallest teen still growing
Towering head and shoulders above her parents Malee Duangdee, at six-feet 10 inches is one of the world’s tallest teenagers. Weighing 287 pounds, the 19-year-old from eastern Thailand has suffered painful school memories of bullies and a lifetime of loneliness.
“I used to feel like a freak, school children used to bully me and call me names,” she said. “But since leaving school I’ve tried to feel more comfortable with who I am. I’ve gotten used to living on my own, but it’s hard.”
Malee’s mother, Ji, 40, did not realise Malee was ‘different’ until she was around nine-years-old when she began to grow much faster than her school friends. “She looked different to her friends and I got a little worried,” Ji said. “I took her to the doctor because I wanted to be sure there was nothing seriously wrong with her.” But Malee was diagnosed with a brain tumour, which was pressing on a nerve causing a hormone imbalance. As a result, Malee has also lost her eyesight.
Malee needs an injection every three months to control the benign brain tumour and stop her from growing. For the time being, Malee’s condition appears to be under control and her life has turned around.
She no longer attends school and is glad those days are behind her. Malee now spends all her time with her family, especially her three-year-old little sister, Daoruang. “I’ve never had a boyfriend. I don’t think marriage is possible for someone like me, I’m just too different,” Malee said.
Malee was in The Guinness Book of World Records as the tallest girl in January, 2009.
source: telegraph.co.uk
See no evil...hear it all
A blind girl who is fluent in four languages has become the youngest interpreter to work at the European Parliament — at the age of ten.
Alexia Sloane lost her sight when she was two, following a brain tumour. But she has excelled at languages and is already fluent in English, French, Spanish and Mandarin — and is learning German.
Now she has experienced her dream job of working as an interpreter after an English MEP Robert Sturdy invited her to the parliament building in Brussels.
Alexia has been tri-lingual since birth as her mother, a teacher, is half French and half Spanish, while her father, Richard, is English.
She started talking and communicating in all three languages before she lost her sight but adapted quickly to her blindness. By the age of four, she was reading and writing in Braille.
When she was six, Alexia added Mandarin to her portfolio. She will soon be sitting a GCSE in the language having achieved an A* in French and Spanish last year. The girl is now learning German at school in Cambridge.
Alexia has wanted to be an interpreter since she was six and chose to go to the European Parliament as her prize when she won a young achiever of the year award.
She asked if she could shadow interpreters and Mr Sturdy agreed to take her along as his guest.
Alexia worked with the head of interpreting and had a real taste of life in parliament.
‘It was fantastic and I’m absolutely determined now to become an interpreter,’ she said.
SOURCE: metro.co.uk
Feeling flush? A loo for £3,900
Spending a penny is about to become a lot more expensive with the introduction of a new toilet costing £3,900 (Rs 550,000).
For those feeling a bit flush, an American manufacturer has created the ultimate lavatory, which comes with a heated seat and foot-warming hot air vents.
But the makers of the newly developed Numi have gone even further in their attempt to give buyers the most luxurious experience possible.
They have fitted the toilet with a touch-screen computer panel and a built-in sound system with speakers playing either pre-programmed music or FM radio.
It can also be used as a bidet, with the ability to customise the pressure and temperature of the water.
Other features include a deodoriser, motion-activated seat and lid, illuminated side panels and environmental shoppers will be glad to hear there is even an eco-friendly flush option.
SOURCE: telegraph.co.uk
Published in The Express Tribune, April 23rd, 2011.
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