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Wednesday, September 01, 2010
Indian woman breastfeeds calf
Breastfeeding has become a thorny issue in the West, with some women declaring the act 'creepy' while others fervently believe 'breast is best'. But for Couthi Bai, a villager from Kilchu, India, the decision to breastfeed an orphaned calf after its mother died was a natural one. She tells her story.
Since the death of the calf's mother when it was only three days old, Chouthi Bai has breastfed the animal three or four times a day. "After her mother died, I held her in my arms and breastfed her. I nurtured her by feeding her my milk. She was so young when the cow died. For me there is no difference between a calf and an infant," Bai, a resident of Kilchu village in India's desert state of Rajasthan, said on Saturday.
Bai's calf seems to have taken naturally to the breast-milk, which is supplemented with chapatis and water. "I feed her three or four times a day, the same amount an infant requires in a day. Sometimes we have to feed her chapatis, we give her water to drink and slowly she will grow on this diet," Bai said.
The 46-day-old calf now follows her wherever she goes. Hindus consider the cow a sacred animal. "The gods will be pleased if I raise her," Bai said.
Since the death of the calf's mother when it was only three days old, Chouthi Bai has breastfed the animal three or four times a day. "After her mother died, I held her in my arms and breastfed her. I nurtured her by feeding her my milk. She was so young when the cow died. For me there is no difference between a calf and an infant," Bai, a resident of Kilchu village in India's desert state of Rajasthan, said on Saturday.
Bai's calf seems to have taken naturally to the breast-milk, which is supplemented with chapatis and water. "I feed her three or four times a day, the same amount an infant requires in a day. Sometimes we have to feed her chapatis, we give her water to drink and slowly she will grow on this diet," Bai said.
The 46-day-old calf now follows her wherever she goes. Hindus consider the cow a sacred animal. "The gods will be pleased if I raise her," Bai said.
Angry naked man wields spanner
Livid Chinese mechanic De Tseng went nuts when he was laid off – and stripped down to his toolbox to hammer home his discontent.
The main thrust of the protest from the 43-year-old, in Kunming, southern China, was a prolonged waving of the spanner at passers-by, while shouting about his perceived mistreatment by his bosses.
Flatmate Ho He explained: ‘He was very angry and had a couple of drinks which only made things worse.
‘He grabbed the biggest tool he could find in his box and took all his clothes off and marched out into the street to tell people what had happened to him. The police were very kind and waited for him to sober up and put his spanner away.’
The main thrust of the protest from the 43-year-old, in Kunming, southern China, was a prolonged waving of the spanner at passers-by, while shouting about his perceived mistreatment by his bosses.
Flatmate Ho He explained: ‘He was very angry and had a couple of drinks which only made things worse.
‘He grabbed the biggest tool he could find in his box and took all his clothes off and marched out into the street to tell people what had happened to him. The police were very kind and waited for him to sober up and put his spanner away.’
White tiger cub turns black in southern India
A white tiger cub born in Arignar Anna Zoological Park in India's southern Tamil Nadu state seems to have changed its colour, with most of its body and legs now appearing black.
The cub, along with its two siblings and mother, were brought out into the open area of the zoo for public viewing. The cubs were in an enclosure since their birth nearly three months ago. Zoo officials think the change might be due to genetic reasons.
Nevertheless, visitors to the zoo are excited to see the rare cub. "I am really delighted to watch it, and it has three cubs and one cub is really looking different. It has a pink coating on it; looks like some biological change, it seems, and it's really beautiful. I am really excited to watch it," said Syed Ibrahim, a visitor.
The three cubs were born in June, and are active, healthy and playful. The colour-changing cub has now become the main visitor attraction.
The cub, along with its two siblings and mother, were brought out into the open area of the zoo for public viewing. The cubs were in an enclosure since their birth nearly three months ago. Zoo officials think the change might be due to genetic reasons.
Nevertheless, visitors to the zoo are excited to see the rare cub. "I am really delighted to watch it, and it has three cubs and one cub is really looking different. It has a pink coating on it; looks like some biological change, it seems, and it's really beautiful. I am really excited to watch it," said Syed Ibrahim, a visitor.
The three cubs were born in June, and are active, healthy and playful. The colour-changing cub has now become the main visitor attraction.
Hundreds race on sex dolls down Russian river
More than 500 people rode inflatable sex dolls down river rapids at the eighth annual instalment of a bizarre but popular Russian race. The competitors - and their odd props - spent three minutes hurtling down the Vuoksa River's Losevo Rapids in the Bubble Baba Challenge.
The word "baba" is Russian for "peasant woman," but is also a crude term with sexual connotations. Men and women both took part in the challenge - with a separate heat for women-only racers.
The race was won by St. Petersburg man Vladislav Pavlenko who rode his doll, dubbed "Vanilla Pelotki," to the finish in two minutes and 47 seconds. The event was dreamed up by organiser Dmitry Bulawinov who conceived the idea as a joke at a party where the men got drunk and the women failed to show up.
The event was first held in 2003. Participants must be over 16 years old and are tested for alcohol. The competition's charter allows the replacement of the rubber doll with an inflatable animal or a rubber penis of an equivalent size.
With more photos.
The word "baba" is Russian for "peasant woman," but is also a crude term with sexual connotations. Men and women both took part in the challenge - with a separate heat for women-only racers.
The race was won by St. Petersburg man Vladislav Pavlenko who rode his doll, dubbed "Vanilla Pelotki," to the finish in two minutes and 47 seconds. The event was dreamed up by organiser Dmitry Bulawinov who conceived the idea as a joke at a party where the men got drunk and the women failed to show up.
The event was first held in 2003. Participants must be over 16 years old and are tested for alcohol. The competition's charter allows the replacement of the rubber doll with an inflatable animal or a rubber penis of an equivalent size.
With more photos.
Mushroom pickers find kittens buried alive
A couple out picking mushrooms in the woods in western Sweden made a macabre find on Thursday evening after spotting the head of a live kitten peering out from the ground behind a tree stump.
The pair immediately began digging and quickly found three distressed and exhausted kittens buried in a woodland area near Hindås, 34 kilometres east of Gothenburg.
Shocked by the find, the couple contacted Tina Karlsson, who runs a local shelter for abandoned cats. Karlsson said one of the four week old kittens - two females and one male - had somehow managed to clamber out of the shallow grave and get its head above ground.
"If I got hold of whoever did this I don't know what I'd do," she said.
Karlsson said she would now nurse the kittens back to health before attempting to find a new home for them after they reach the age of twelve weeks.
"My heart bleeds for these little creatures who don't get a chance because of idiots without a heart or a brain," she said.
The pair immediately began digging and quickly found three distressed and exhausted kittens buried in a woodland area near Hindås, 34 kilometres east of Gothenburg.
Shocked by the find, the couple contacted Tina Karlsson, who runs a local shelter for abandoned cats. Karlsson said one of the four week old kittens - two females and one male - had somehow managed to clamber out of the shallow grave and get its head above ground.
"If I got hold of whoever did this I don't know what I'd do," she said.
Karlsson said she would now nurse the kittens back to health before attempting to find a new home for them after they reach the age of twelve weeks.
"My heart bleeds for these little creatures who don't get a chance because of idiots without a heart or a brain," she said.
Shocking online video of girl throwing live puppies into river sparks anger and death threats
A young woman has become the focus of death threats and hate messages after video of her throwing live puppies into a river was recently posted online.
Her identity is unknown, but some have suggested she may be from Bosnia.
Contains graphic content.
The disturbing video shows the young, blonde woman smiling as she picks several puppies out of a dirty bucket and viciously tosses them into a rapidly flowing river.
At one point, as the woman lobs a black-and-white pup into the water, she can clearly be heard saying, "whee."
Her identity is unknown, but some have suggested she may be from Bosnia.
Contains graphic content.
The disturbing video shows the young, blonde woman smiling as she picks several puppies out of a dirty bucket and viciously tosses them into a rapidly flowing river.
At one point, as the woman lobs a black-and-white pup into the water, she can clearly be heard saying, "whee."
Cat adopts squirrel
An Ohio woman said her cat has adopted a baby squirrel as one of its litter of kittens, but experts said the experience may not end well for the squirrel. Lisa Reichel of Wilmot said the baby squirrel fell from a maple tree in her yard and a naturalist from the Wilderness Center told her on the phone that the animal would likely soon die.
Reichel said the baby squirrel rejected an eyedropper full of a milk-replacement substance so she attempted introducing the infant to her cat, Jingles, who had given birth to a litter of kittens about a week earlier. "I thought maybe, if I snuck that squirrel in there underneath her other kittens, that it could find a place to latch on and nurse from her and that she wouldn't mind, if she didn't notice it," Reichel said.
She said Jingles now nurses and grooms the squirrel as one of her own kittens. Wildlife experts said the experience may be dangerous for the squirrel later in life.
"If he opened his eyes already, he's going to associate the cat as mother and that's what we don't want," said Stephon Echague, director of animal care at Stark Parks' Sanders Wildlife Rehabilitation Center in Perry Township. "Unfortunately, when the squirrel gets older, he's going to recognize cats as something friendly and not worry about being around them. But cats are true hunters and could possibly cause his death. He needs to be with other squirrels so that he knows that he is a squirrel."
With photo gallery.
Reichel said the baby squirrel rejected an eyedropper full of a milk-replacement substance so she attempted introducing the infant to her cat, Jingles, who had given birth to a litter of kittens about a week earlier. "I thought maybe, if I snuck that squirrel in there underneath her other kittens, that it could find a place to latch on and nurse from her and that she wouldn't mind, if she didn't notice it," Reichel said.
She said Jingles now nurses and grooms the squirrel as one of her own kittens. Wildlife experts said the experience may be dangerous for the squirrel later in life.
"If he opened his eyes already, he's going to associate the cat as mother and that's what we don't want," said Stephon Echague, director of animal care at Stark Parks' Sanders Wildlife Rehabilitation Center in Perry Township. "Unfortunately, when the squirrel gets older, he's going to recognize cats as something friendly and not worry about being around them. But cats are true hunters and could possibly cause his death. He needs to be with other squirrels so that he knows that he is a squirrel."
With photo gallery.
New Zealand motorist keeps 'offensive' number plate
New Zealand officials have allowed a motorist to keep her licence plate "ARYAN 1" because it was intended as a gesture of affection towards her former partner, not a statement of white supremacy. The NZ Transport Agency investigated the plate after a member of the public complained that the term "Aryan", used by Hilter's Nazis to describe the so-called "master race", was offensive.
But the plate's owner, Wellington woman Lisa Marie Thompson, successfully argued in favour of keeping the plate, saying it simply comprised the initial and surname of her former boyfriend - Andrew Ryan - and had no racial overtones. The NZTA found that banning the plate would impinge on Thompson's right to free speech. "NZTA finds racism and racist speech as abhorrent as all right-thinking New Zealanders, which is why this was not an easy decision to make," it said in a statement.
"However, we consider that the original decision not to require the surrender of the plate was correct." Thompson said she had no idea about the connotations of the word Aryan when she bought the plate four years ago and still did not see why displaying it on her car could be considered offensive. "I've had it for years and I don't see the problem with it. It would be no different to having `Maori Pride'," she said referring to New Zealand's indigenous population.
The NZTA has the power to pull personalised plates from cars if they are deemed offensive. Plates that have been deemed too offensive include: DRGDLR, QUICKE, 18750 (American slang for police murder), 4QANC, 50KILA, H8ACC, HOBNGR, JAPSUX, KCUFME, MDAFKR, OLDKNT, PIZZDA, SIKCNT, TAMPON, TBAGGD and ZYKLON (Zyklon B gas was used in WW II gas chambers).
But the plate's owner, Wellington woman Lisa Marie Thompson, successfully argued in favour of keeping the plate, saying it simply comprised the initial and surname of her former boyfriend - Andrew Ryan - and had no racial overtones. The NZTA found that banning the plate would impinge on Thompson's right to free speech. "NZTA finds racism and racist speech as abhorrent as all right-thinking New Zealanders, which is why this was not an easy decision to make," it said in a statement.
"However, we consider that the original decision not to require the surrender of the plate was correct." Thompson said she had no idea about the connotations of the word Aryan when she bought the plate four years ago and still did not see why displaying it on her car could be considered offensive. "I've had it for years and I don't see the problem with it. It would be no different to having `Maori Pride'," she said referring to New Zealand's indigenous population.
The NZTA has the power to pull personalised plates from cars if they are deemed offensive. Plates that have been deemed too offensive include: DRGDLR, QUICKE, 18750 (American slang for police murder), 4QANC, 50KILA, H8ACC, HOBNGR, JAPSUX, KCUFME, MDAFKR, OLDKNT, PIZZDA, SIKCNT, TAMPON, TBAGGD and ZYKLON (Zyklon B gas was used in WW II gas chambers).
Catholic school teacher filmed caning students in Thailand
A teacher at a Thai school has been sacked after a concealed camera caught him beating children with a cane wrapped in electrical wire. Somchai Limthanmaporn is accused of abusing at least 40 pupils at a Catholic boarding school in northeast Thailand.
A pupil secretly filmed the abuse on a mobile phone, and it caused uproar when it was broadcast on Thai television. Nongkran Prathumtri, an administrator at St Mary's School in Nakhon Ratchasima province, confirmed the art teacher had been fired.
In the footage, Somchai is seen aiming baseball-like swings at the childrens' back-sides, and leaves at least one of his victims in tears. Pictures of scarred buttocks were widely shown in the Thai media.
Somchai is said to have carried out the punishment on students who failed to tidy their rooms. "He must be responsible for his wrongdoing," Mr Nongkran said. "There will be no protection from the school." Thailand's Education Ministry bans teachers from using force against children, but corporal punishment is not unusual in the country. Police are deciding whether to take action against the teacher.
A pupil secretly filmed the abuse on a mobile phone, and it caused uproar when it was broadcast on Thai television. Nongkran Prathumtri, an administrator at St Mary's School in Nakhon Ratchasima province, confirmed the art teacher had been fired.
In the footage, Somchai is seen aiming baseball-like swings at the childrens' back-sides, and leaves at least one of his victims in tears. Pictures of scarred buttocks were widely shown in the Thai media.
Somchai is said to have carried out the punishment on students who failed to tidy their rooms. "He must be responsible for his wrongdoing," Mr Nongkran said. "There will be no protection from the school." Thailand's Education Ministry bans teachers from using force against children, but corporal punishment is not unusual in the country. Police are deciding whether to take action against the teacher.
Ryanair tells girl to buy £190 plane seat for violin
A Cheshire music student was ordered to buy an extra seat for her violin after an airline refused to let her take the instrument as hand luggage.
Francesca Rijks, 12, from Macclesfield, was flying home with her family from Dusseldorf after a holiday in Germany.
Staff told them to put the violin in the hold - which would potentially ruin the instrument. Francesca and her family got off the plane to buy the ticket, and missed the flight.
They had been advised to buy the £190 ticket after calling the airline. The family ended up flying back with Easyjet, who let them board the plane with the violin as hand luggage.
Francesca Rijks, 12, from Macclesfield, was flying home with her family from Dusseldorf after a holiday in Germany.
Staff told them to put the violin in the hold - which would potentially ruin the instrument. Francesca and her family got off the plane to buy the ticket, and missed the flight.
They had been advised to buy the £190 ticket after calling the airline. The family ended up flying back with Easyjet, who let them board the plane with the violin as hand luggage.
Dead dog sparks Yorkshire raccoon hunt
Vets have been asked to help in a raccoon hunt in South Yorkshire after a local practice put down a dog with symptoms of paralysis similar to those reported to be caused by bites or saliva from the native American mammal. The dog's owners, from the Barnsley area, had reported seeing a raccoon being walked on a lead near where they exercised their seven-year-old Lhasa apso, according to a letter about the case in the Veterinary Record.
Its author, Pip Boydell, said a similar case had been reported in the Barnsley area, although that dog had been put down before any detailed investigation. There may have been a third case in the area, although signs were less specific. Now he is trying to discover whether the animals were suffering from coonhound paralysis after possible contact with a raccoon. The animal occasionally turns up as a pet in UK households.
Boydell works for Animal Medical Centre Referral Services of Manchester and Rotherham, a business that deals with tricky cases normal vets find unusual or need help with. His letter concedes that the symptoms of the dog, which needed a ventilator to help it breathe during part of the treatment, may also be linked to botulin intoxication, tick paralysis or have other origins, including an auto-immune reaction.
But the dog was said not to have been exposed to anything edible on walks. "Tick paralysis has not been reported in the UK. In North America association with raccoons has been recognised as a cause of polyradiculomyelopathy, although the mechanism remains uncertain." Boydell's letter adds: "A raccoon in the same locality is likely to be a coincidence, but, without wishing to scaremonger or jump at possible red herrings, we would be very interested to hear from veterinary surgeons in the South Yorkshire area."
Its author, Pip Boydell, said a similar case had been reported in the Barnsley area, although that dog had been put down before any detailed investigation. There may have been a third case in the area, although signs were less specific. Now he is trying to discover whether the animals were suffering from coonhound paralysis after possible contact with a raccoon. The animal occasionally turns up as a pet in UK households.
Boydell works for Animal Medical Centre Referral Services of Manchester and Rotherham, a business that deals with tricky cases normal vets find unusual or need help with. His letter concedes that the symptoms of the dog, which needed a ventilator to help it breathe during part of the treatment, may also be linked to botulin intoxication, tick paralysis or have other origins, including an auto-immune reaction.
But the dog was said not to have been exposed to anything edible on walks. "Tick paralysis has not been reported in the UK. In North America association with raccoons has been recognised as a cause of polyradiculomyelopathy, although the mechanism remains uncertain." Boydell's letter adds: "A raccoon in the same locality is likely to be a coincidence, but, without wishing to scaremonger or jump at possible red herrings, we would be very interested to hear from veterinary surgeons in the South Yorkshire area."
Teenager passes test then lamppost crashes down on car
A teenage girl’s car got trashed when a concrete lamppost fell on it an hour after she passed her driving test. Charlotte Carrington, 19, from Sawston, passed her test just before noon and by 1pm her green Renault Clio was a write-off. It was parked on the grass verge outside her house at Woodland Road.
She said: "I had just passed my driving test – it was the third time I had taken it and I was really happy. I was at my laptop and could see a guy cutting the lawn outside from the window. I heard a bang and I looked out and the lamppost was lying on the floor but it had snapped in half. It had slid down the side of my car. It damaged the back of the roof and it smashed a window and scratched the frame."
She said the grass cutter, an employee of firm CGM (Commercial Grounds Maintenance and Garden Services for Norfolk Suffolk and Cambridgeshire), had driven into the lamppost causing it to fall. Miss Carrington, a student, said the car, which is 11-years-old, had just passed its MOT, adding: "I bought it myself out of my savings.
"I was really angry. We had to ring the number on the lamppost as wires were hanging out and it was still sparking." She said the insurance will cover the value of the car, but it will cost £900 to fix – more than the original cost of the car.
She said: "I had just passed my driving test – it was the third time I had taken it and I was really happy. I was at my laptop and could see a guy cutting the lawn outside from the window. I heard a bang and I looked out and the lamppost was lying on the floor but it had snapped in half. It had slid down the side of my car. It damaged the back of the roof and it smashed a window and scratched the frame."
She said the grass cutter, an employee of firm CGM (Commercial Grounds Maintenance and Garden Services for Norfolk Suffolk and Cambridgeshire), had driven into the lamppost causing it to fall. Miss Carrington, a student, said the car, which is 11-years-old, had just passed its MOT, adding: "I bought it myself out of my savings.
"I was really angry. We had to ring the number on the lamppost as wires were hanging out and it was still sparking." She said the insurance will cover the value of the car, but it will cost £900 to fix – more than the original cost of the car.
Man blows himself up trying to kill a spider
A man suffered flash burns after he accidentally blew himself up trying to kill a spider. 28-year-old IT engineer Chris Welding suffered severe burns after attacking the arachnid with an aerosol can at his home in Clacton in Essex. He was summoned by his wife to deal with a spider she had seen scuttling behind the lavatory on Bank Holiday Monday. Not being able to reach it, the man decided to kill it by spraying it with the can.
However he was unable to see whether it was dead because the bulb in the bathroom light had blown. At this point he turned to a cigarette lighter to illuminate the room, but in the process ignited the gas fumes and caused an explosion. The blast was so strong it blew him off his feet and lifted the loft door off its hinges. He suffered flash burns to his head, legs and torso and was rushed by ambulance to hospital after dousing himself in cold water.
A spokesman for Essex Fire Service said: "It appears the wife had spotted the creepy crawly in the bathroom and asked her husband to capture it. He sprayed it first with an aerosol where it was lurking behind the toilet bowl and when that didn't appear to work, he lit up his lighter to spread some light on the situation as the bathroom bulb had blown. There was an almighty explosion which blew the man back into his hallway and lifted the hatch on the loft. He did exactly the right thing by jumping into the shower and cooling his burns with cold water while his wife raised the alarm."
Firefighters administered emergency first aid at the scene while waiting for ambulance teams to arrive. A spokesman added: "We're not entirely sure whether the spider got away or not but there was no sign of it at the scene." Ambulance crews treated Mr Welding for burns to his arms, legs and face and breathing difficulties and he was taken to the Colchester General Hospital, in Essex, where he was given pain relief and discharged in the early hours of Tuesday morning.
However he was unable to see whether it was dead because the bulb in the bathroom light had blown. At this point he turned to a cigarette lighter to illuminate the room, but in the process ignited the gas fumes and caused an explosion. The blast was so strong it blew him off his feet and lifted the loft door off its hinges. He suffered flash burns to his head, legs and torso and was rushed by ambulance to hospital after dousing himself in cold water.
A spokesman for Essex Fire Service said: "It appears the wife had spotted the creepy crawly in the bathroom and asked her husband to capture it. He sprayed it first with an aerosol where it was lurking behind the toilet bowl and when that didn't appear to work, he lit up his lighter to spread some light on the situation as the bathroom bulb had blown. There was an almighty explosion which blew the man back into his hallway and lifted the hatch on the loft. He did exactly the right thing by jumping into the shower and cooling his burns with cold water while his wife raised the alarm."
Firefighters administered emergency first aid at the scene while waiting for ambulance teams to arrive. A spokesman added: "We're not entirely sure whether the spider got away or not but there was no sign of it at the scene." Ambulance crews treated Mr Welding for burns to his arms, legs and face and breathing difficulties and he was taken to the Colchester General Hospital, in Essex, where he was given pain relief and discharged in the early hours of Tuesday morning.
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