Friday, May 23, 2014
Swallows nesting in underground bike park have learnt how to activate automatic doors
Swallows nesting in the Campus Bike Centre at the University of Victoria in British Columbia, Canada, have quickly learned how to trigger motion detectors to open recently fitted automatic doors and go in and out whenever they want.
YouTube link.
YouTube link.
Man stole bread truck before making deliveries in his underpants
A thief who stole a bakery truck in New York on Monday dutifully made the regularly scheduled drop-offs along the driver’s route.
Wearing only his underpants, David Bastar, 30, of Nanuet stole a Grimaldi’s Home of Bread truck full of $8,000 worth of baguettes, whole-wheat rolls and loaves at around 3am, police said.
He then followed instructions mapped out on a piece of paper on the front seat, delivering the baked goods to at least three restaurants and stores, police and bakery workers said. Once he finished making real drop-offs, Bastar tossed loaves of bread out the window. Port Authority Police Officer Jason Rando pulled Bastar over.
Bastar was then taken to Elmhurst Hospital’s psychiatric ward. At Queens Criminal Court on Tuesday night, he was charged with criminal possession of a stolen vehicle and released into his parents’ supervised care. His mother, Diana Bastar, said she “had no idea” why her son was fixated on delivering bread. “I’m speechless . . . He’s been estranged, so I really can’t tell you,” she said.
Wearing only his underpants, David Bastar, 30, of Nanuet stole a Grimaldi’s Home of Bread truck full of $8,000 worth of baguettes, whole-wheat rolls and loaves at around 3am, police said.
He then followed instructions mapped out on a piece of paper on the front seat, delivering the baked goods to at least three restaurants and stores, police and bakery workers said. Once he finished making real drop-offs, Bastar tossed loaves of bread out the window. Port Authority Police Officer Jason Rando pulled Bastar over.
Bastar was then taken to Elmhurst Hospital’s psychiatric ward. At Queens Criminal Court on Tuesday night, he was charged with criminal possession of a stolen vehicle and released into his parents’ supervised care. His mother, Diana Bastar, said she “had no idea” why her son was fixated on delivering bread. “I’m speechless . . . He’s been estranged, so I really can’t tell you,” she said.
Tiny pet squirrel savagely attacked owner's neighbour
A woman is recovering after being attacked by her neighbour's pet squirrel in Katy, near Houston. Elizabeth Orzechowska said she was unloading groceries from her car when she felt something climb up her leg.
"So, I looked down and it was a squirrel," Orzechowska said. "It started running up my back, started scratching my back and biting my back." Orzechowska went to the emergency room where she spent five hours getting stitched up and treated with antibiotics. She said she is in pain, her hands are swollen an she is unable to work.
The squirrel belonged to Orzechowska's neighbour who has had it since it was just 3-weeks-old. The squirrel's name is B.B., he's one-year-old and only weighs about two pounds. The owner is now facing fines from Harris County Animal Control and a Game Warden with Texas Parks and Wildlife said it is against the law to keep a squirrel as a pet.
YouTube Link. Original news video.
The owner says she feels horrible about the bite and offered to pay any medical bills for her neighbour. She also said B.B. got away from her and isn't typically aggressive. She claims to have released the animal into the wild because she didn't want animal control officers to euthanize it. Orzechowska didn't have to be treated for rabies. According to the Centers for Disease Control squirrels very rarely carry the disease and have not been known to transmit rabies to humans in the US.
"So, I looked down and it was a squirrel," Orzechowska said. "It started running up my back, started scratching my back and biting my back." Orzechowska went to the emergency room where she spent five hours getting stitched up and treated with antibiotics. She said she is in pain, her hands are swollen an she is unable to work.
The squirrel belonged to Orzechowska's neighbour who has had it since it was just 3-weeks-old. The squirrel's name is B.B., he's one-year-old and only weighs about two pounds. The owner is now facing fines from Harris County Animal Control and a Game Warden with Texas Parks and Wildlife said it is against the law to keep a squirrel as a pet.
YouTube Link. Original news video.
The owner says she feels horrible about the bite and offered to pay any medical bills for her neighbour. She also said B.B. got away from her and isn't typically aggressive. She claims to have released the animal into the wild because she didn't want animal control officers to euthanize it. Orzechowska didn't have to be treated for rabies. According to the Centers for Disease Control squirrels very rarely carry the disease and have not been known to transmit rabies to humans in the US.
Allegedly intoxicated mother whose baby fell from stroller pleaded guilty
A mother from Tomball, Houston, pleaded guilty on May 19 to felony charges of child endangerment.
Sandra Luann Grohmann, 29, was arrested by the Humble Police Department on April 22 after she was reportedly pushing her baby while drunk along a Humble roadway which caused the child to fall out of the stroller. In a plea bargain arrangement, Grohmann pled guilty and was sentenced to 180 days in state jail.
Humble PD was first called to the scene by witnesses at around 6pm who had allegedly seen Grohmann pushing her baby in stroller in a grassy median. “The witnesses saw Grohmann pushing the stroller about five feet away from the roadway when she fell for the first time partially knocking her unrestrained child out of the stroller,” Humble Police Detective Sergeant Mike Flynt said after the April arrest.
“She then tried to get back up and put the baby back in the stroller when she fell again causing the baby to fall all the way out of the stroller and roll into the grass. She then tried to get back up, falling for the third time.” Humble PD, at that time, determined that Grohmann was intoxicated and that the child was in imminent danger since she was pushing the baby in a stroller, unrestrained, close to a busy roadway.
Sandra Luann Grohmann, 29, was arrested by the Humble Police Department on April 22 after she was reportedly pushing her baby while drunk along a Humble roadway which caused the child to fall out of the stroller. In a plea bargain arrangement, Grohmann pled guilty and was sentenced to 180 days in state jail.
Humble PD was first called to the scene by witnesses at around 6pm who had allegedly seen Grohmann pushing her baby in stroller in a grassy median. “The witnesses saw Grohmann pushing the stroller about five feet away from the roadway when she fell for the first time partially knocking her unrestrained child out of the stroller,” Humble Police Detective Sergeant Mike Flynt said after the April arrest.
“She then tried to get back up and put the baby back in the stroller when she fell again causing the baby to fall all the way out of the stroller and roll into the grass. She then tried to get back up, falling for the third time.” Humble PD, at that time, determined that Grohmann was intoxicated and that the child was in imminent danger since she was pushing the baby in a stroller, unrestrained, close to a busy roadway.
Raccoon survived six-storey fall during rescue from building
A raccoon that fell six storeys from the exterior of the Rose Street Market building in downtown Kalamazoo, Michigan, on Tuesday survived the fall.
"After a couple seconds, it was amazing, he got up and seems to be fine," Animal Services Enforcement Officer Deborah Themins said. Kalamazoo County Animal Control received a call about the raccoon at around noon from someone who had seen the animal on a balcony. When Themins arrived on scene, she said she attempted to remove the animal and it "shot up the building."
"It climbed like Spider-Man," Themins said. "Then it couldn't climb up any further because it had climbed up the brick and the top of the building is smooth." Themins said she called the Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety for assistance and shortly after an aerial ladder truck arrived. Then, Themins and a rescue worker were lifted toward the raccoon in the basket.
YouTube link.
She said she managed to get the raccoon into the noose, but then something went wrong. The raccoon got scared and violently resisted. "I was somewhat successful until he pushed himself out and fell to the ground," Themins said. Themins said the raccoon, who some people are calling "Lucky", appears to have suffered a punctured lung as a result of the fall and has been transported to Circle D Wildlife Refuge in Vicksburg.
"After a couple seconds, it was amazing, he got up and seems to be fine," Animal Services Enforcement Officer Deborah Themins said. Kalamazoo County Animal Control received a call about the raccoon at around noon from someone who had seen the animal on a balcony. When Themins arrived on scene, she said she attempted to remove the animal and it "shot up the building."
"It climbed like Spider-Man," Themins said. "Then it couldn't climb up any further because it had climbed up the brick and the top of the building is smooth." Themins said she called the Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety for assistance and shortly after an aerial ladder truck arrived. Then, Themins and a rescue worker were lifted toward the raccoon in the basket.
YouTube link.
She said she managed to get the raccoon into the noose, but then something went wrong. The raccoon got scared and violently resisted. "I was somewhat successful until he pushed himself out and fell to the ground," Themins said. Themins said the raccoon, who some people are calling "Lucky", appears to have suffered a punctured lung as a result of the fall and has been transported to Circle D Wildlife Refuge in Vicksburg.
Man wearing dress stole ashes of man's father kept in family's treasure chest
An man from Edmonds, Washington, is trying to identify a burglar who broke into his home dressed as a woman and stole his father's ashes.
William Crockett said a surveillance camera in his bedroom captured video of a man creeping inside his bedroom while he was at work on Tuesday morning. The burglar was wearing a woman's dress, Crockett said. The burglar snatched a tablet computer and a treasure chest that Crockett and his family used to hold their dad's ashes, Crockett said.
Crockett's father died while cleaning up the damage at his home in New York in the days following Hurricane Sandy in 2012, he added. "Who takes somebody's ashes? Who?" Crockett asked. "Whether you're religious or not, that's like the one thing that nobody does." Crockett said the chest was part of his dad's collection of Davey Crockett memorabilia.
Crockett claims he and his family are direct descendents of the famous frontiersman's brother. Crockett thinks he knows who the burglar was, but he's more concerned with getting his dad's ashes back. "If I'm in the house and I see you walking up, that's okay. Drop it off, I'll stay inside, and leave," Crockett said. "If you bring the ashes back, that's what I would love the most."
With news video.
William Crockett said a surveillance camera in his bedroom captured video of a man creeping inside his bedroom while he was at work on Tuesday morning. The burglar was wearing a woman's dress, Crockett said. The burglar snatched a tablet computer and a treasure chest that Crockett and his family used to hold their dad's ashes, Crockett said.
Crockett's father died while cleaning up the damage at his home in New York in the days following Hurricane Sandy in 2012, he added. "Who takes somebody's ashes? Who?" Crockett asked. "Whether you're religious or not, that's like the one thing that nobody does." Crockett said the chest was part of his dad's collection of Davey Crockett memorabilia.
Crockett claims he and his family are direct descendents of the famous frontiersman's brother. Crockett thinks he knows who the burglar was, but he's more concerned with getting his dad's ashes back. "If I'm in the house and I see you walking up, that's okay. Drop it off, I'll stay inside, and leave," Crockett said. "If you bring the ashes back, that's what I would love the most."
With news video.
Purple jellyfish with multiple mouths could be new species
Scientists believe a bright purple jellyfish covered in tiny mouths that has washed up on a beach in Queensland, Austarlia, could be an undiscovered species. The extraordinary colour of the creature has baffled marine experts, who are now trying to determine the species, which sadly died during analysis.
"It's straight out of science fiction," said marine biologist Dr Lisa Gershwin. "It's an electric, vibrant, ‘wow’ purple." She said the tentacles, or oral arms, were about a metre long and covered in microscopic mouths. Lifeguards on the sunshine coast found the jellyfish at Coolum beach on Wednesday morning and handed it over to scientists at nearby Underwater World.
Gershwin believed the jellyfish could be a thysanostoma, but said the species was normally brown or beige. "It begs the question, if it's such a vibrant, different colour, what other features does it have?" Gershwin, from the CSIRO marine and atmospheric research centre, said. The plot thickened on Thursday, with pictures emerging of a second specimen from Ballina in northern New South Wales.
YouTube link.
Dr Gershwin said it was possible the jellyfish had arrived in Australia in the ballast of a ship. If it is a species known as a thysanostoma, it could have come from the Red Sea, Malaysia or the Philippines. ``The reason we haven’t been able to progress this is because the literature is in German and from the 1800s,’’ she said. ``No work has been done on this since then. I’m getting the papers translated by a native German speaker. We need to find out if it’s new to science and, if it is, why it hasn’t been seen before. If it’s not from here, we need to work out where it came from and how it got here.’’
"It's straight out of science fiction," said marine biologist Dr Lisa Gershwin. "It's an electric, vibrant, ‘wow’ purple." She said the tentacles, or oral arms, were about a metre long and covered in microscopic mouths. Lifeguards on the sunshine coast found the jellyfish at Coolum beach on Wednesday morning and handed it over to scientists at nearby Underwater World.
Gershwin believed the jellyfish could be a thysanostoma, but said the species was normally brown or beige. "It begs the question, if it's such a vibrant, different colour, what other features does it have?" Gershwin, from the CSIRO marine and atmospheric research centre, said. The plot thickened on Thursday, with pictures emerging of a second specimen from Ballina in northern New South Wales.
YouTube link.
Dr Gershwin said it was possible the jellyfish had arrived in Australia in the ballast of a ship. If it is a species known as a thysanostoma, it could have come from the Red Sea, Malaysia or the Philippines. ``The reason we haven’t been able to progress this is because the literature is in German and from the 1800s,’’ she said. ``No work has been done on this since then. I’m getting the papers translated by a native German speaker. We need to find out if it’s new to science and, if it is, why it hasn’t been seen before. If it’s not from here, we need to work out where it came from and how it got here.’’
Adolf Hitler lookalike cat beaten up and dumped in a bin
A defenceless cat that some people say bears a resemblance to Adolf Hitler was attacked and left for dead in a bin in Tredworth, Gloucester.
Kirsty Sparrow, 26, feared the worst when timid tomcat Baz failed to return after a weekend prowling the neighbourhood.
The seven-year-old black and white moggy was found days later by a neighbour, dumped in a bin and gripping on to life. Kirsty, who has just left her job to go on maternity leave, said: “I couldn’t believe the state of him. His eye was all swollen, it was like a marble. The vet said he would lose it. They said he was unlikely to have been hit by a car as there were no other injuries, and that he was probably kicked.
“A lot of people say he looks like Hitler, but he is so timid and gentle. I put a photo on Facebook of Baz as he has a distinctive black mark under his nose, and asked if anyone saw him to contact me. I took a call at work from the vet to say he had been found in a bin, but was in a bad way. He had been there for a while. She took him straight to the vet for treatment. It is shocking someone would do something like that.”
Baz was taken for emergency treatment and underwent an operation on Wednesday. Kirsty may be facing a £600 veterinary bill, but vets insist he is lucky to be alive. Gloucestershire police are now investigating the incident and appealing for witnesses to come forward. Kirsty’s gran, Cath, said: “To think there is someone out there walking the streets who can do something like that to a defenceless animal is frightening. It is absolutely horrific.”
The seven-year-old black and white moggy was found days later by a neighbour, dumped in a bin and gripping on to life. Kirsty, who has just left her job to go on maternity leave, said: “I couldn’t believe the state of him. His eye was all swollen, it was like a marble. The vet said he would lose it. They said he was unlikely to have been hit by a car as there were no other injuries, and that he was probably kicked.
“A lot of people say he looks like Hitler, but he is so timid and gentle. I put a photo on Facebook of Baz as he has a distinctive black mark under his nose, and asked if anyone saw him to contact me. I took a call at work from the vet to say he had been found in a bin, but was in a bad way. He had been there for a while. She took him straight to the vet for treatment. It is shocking someone would do something like that.”
Baz was taken for emergency treatment and underwent an operation on Wednesday. Kirsty may be facing a £600 veterinary bill, but vets insist he is lucky to be alive. Gloucestershire police are now investigating the incident and appealing for witnesses to come forward. Kirsty’s gran, Cath, said: “To think there is someone out there walking the streets who can do something like that to a defenceless animal is frightening. It is absolutely horrific.”
Fox found sleeping in family's spare bedroom
An opportunistic fox treated itself to a lie-in at the weekend in the spare bedroom of a family home.
Sarah Preddy and her partner Colin Linton, of Romford, Essex, were enjoying a Sunday morning cup of tea, when they discovered the ‘arrogant’ animal relaxing on the bed in their spare room after pet dog, Molly, became restless. They said upon opening the door they saw bushy-tailed squatter had made itself at home on top of the duvet.
“It was just sitting there in the corner,” said Sarah. “It must have wandered in through the patio and up the stairs. It was so bold, I couldn’t believe it.” It apparently stayed at their house for another hour before it finally left, with Sarah’s step-sons managing to take photographs of the fox lying on the bed and then making its way out down the stairs.
An RSPCA spokesman said: “It is unusual for foxes to enter homes as by nature they will tend to avoid human contact. In the rare instances when they do venture into a home, it is likely they are attracted to food which has been left out.”
Sarah Preddy and her partner Colin Linton, of Romford, Essex, were enjoying a Sunday morning cup of tea, when they discovered the ‘arrogant’ animal relaxing on the bed in their spare room after pet dog, Molly, became restless. They said upon opening the door they saw bushy-tailed squatter had made itself at home on top of the duvet.
“It was just sitting there in the corner,” said Sarah. “It must have wandered in through the patio and up the stairs. It was so bold, I couldn’t believe it.” It apparently stayed at their house for another hour before it finally left, with Sarah’s step-sons managing to take photographs of the fox lying on the bed and then making its way out down the stairs.
An RSPCA spokesman said: “It is unusual for foxes to enter homes as by nature they will tend to avoid human contact. In the rare instances when they do venture into a home, it is likely they are attracted to food which has been left out.”
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