Monday, January 26, 2015
Tiger entertains self by making giant snowballs
Tanya the tiger at Kaliningrad Zoo in Russia plays with a giant snowball that she made herself. Keepers at the zoo were mystified as to how the giant snowballs were appearing in the enclosure, suspecting that youths were heaving them over the fences after the zoo was shut to the public.
Tanya only plays like this when she thinks no-one is around. She rakes up as much snow as she can and then rolls it from one side of the enclosure to another, resulting in multiple snowballs being formed. .
YouTube link. Alternative video.
Tanya only plays like this when she thinks no-one is around. She rakes up as much snow as she can and then rolls it from one side of the enclosure to another, resulting in multiple snowballs being formed. .
YouTube link. Alternative video.
Council wants to rename Love Shack Route because it’s too rude
For years it’s made locals laugh and tourists titter, but the Streaky Bay Council in South Australia now wants to rename Love Shack Route because it’s just too rude.
The sleepy lane runs through a small housing estate just outside the picturesque Eyre Peninsula town and was named by the land’s owners for a bit of fun when the subdivision was approved about eight years back.
The name pays tribute to an old shack on the property that for decades served as an informal party palace, hosting the town’s young people on Friday and Saturday nights after the pub closed. The council signed off on the name, but now thinks Love Shack Court would be more appropriate. A public notice published by the council states: “Notice is hereby given that Council resolved at its December 2014 Council meeting its intention to rename Love Shack Route to Love Shack Court and request community comment on the proposed renaming.”
Just who’s offended by the name is unclear - original landowner Janet Williams believes it’s one of the road’s residents, but Deputy Mayor Robert Stephens said he thought it was someone from another part of town - one thing is certain: someone wants the Route retired. Mrs Williams said the land had been owned by the Williams family for 125 years, and she was angry that the Council was looking to change the name against the family’s wishes. “As far as I’m aware it was nothing more than a verbal request put to the Council to change the name,” she said.
“They surveyed the landowners on the road and they voted to keep the name. When they didn’t get their way they said, ‘Oh well, let’s put it out to public consultation’.” Mrs Williams said the sign had been stolen a number of times by souvenir hunters, but she believed a larger, harder-to-steal sign would actually work as tourist attraction. Mr Stephens, who was Mayor of Streaky Bay for a number of years, said he voted against changing the street’s name. “I think the residents are probably 50-50 on it,” Mr Stephens said. “But to be honest, I think most people in Streaky Bay see it as a bit of fun. It’ll go out to the community now for feedback.”
The name pays tribute to an old shack on the property that for decades served as an informal party palace, hosting the town’s young people on Friday and Saturday nights after the pub closed. The council signed off on the name, but now thinks Love Shack Court would be more appropriate. A public notice published by the council states: “Notice is hereby given that Council resolved at its December 2014 Council meeting its intention to rename Love Shack Route to Love Shack Court and request community comment on the proposed renaming.”
Just who’s offended by the name is unclear - original landowner Janet Williams believes it’s one of the road’s residents, but Deputy Mayor Robert Stephens said he thought it was someone from another part of town - one thing is certain: someone wants the Route retired. Mrs Williams said the land had been owned by the Williams family for 125 years, and she was angry that the Council was looking to change the name against the family’s wishes. “As far as I’m aware it was nothing more than a verbal request put to the Council to change the name,” she said.
“They surveyed the landowners on the road and they voted to keep the name. When they didn’t get their way they said, ‘Oh well, let’s put it out to public consultation’.” Mrs Williams said the sign had been stolen a number of times by souvenir hunters, but she believed a larger, harder-to-steal sign would actually work as tourist attraction. Mr Stephens, who was Mayor of Streaky Bay for a number of years, said he voted against changing the street’s name. “I think the residents are probably 50-50 on it,” Mr Stephens said. “But to be honest, I think most people in Streaky Bay see it as a bit of fun. It’ll go out to the community now for feedback.”
One-year-old baby boarded bus alone in China
A public bus in Changsha City in central China's Hunan Province received a special passenger on Tuesday night, as an unaccompanied one-year old baby climbed onto the bus.
When the bus door opened, both the driver and passengers were surprised to see a baby climb the door steps. A female passenger behind the boy looked around but failed to find any adult taking care of the toddler. The bus driver pulled over the bus with the consent of the passengers, and called police for help.
Some passengers on the bus volunteered to take care of the baby while waiting for the arrival of police officers. After receiving the call, officers of a local police station checked with nearby neighbourhood, and managed to find the baby boy's parents an hour later. "My baby boy was playing outside (my cellphone store) alone.
YouTube link.
"In just two to three minutes, I couldn't find him any more. We looked for him everywhere around, but failed to find him," said Mrs. Zhang, the baby's mother. According to Zhang, she and her husband run a cellphone store near their home, and the baby was playing outside the store alone before wandering away.
When the bus door opened, both the driver and passengers were surprised to see a baby climb the door steps. A female passenger behind the boy looked around but failed to find any adult taking care of the toddler. The bus driver pulled over the bus with the consent of the passengers, and called police for help.
Some passengers on the bus volunteered to take care of the baby while waiting for the arrival of police officers. After receiving the call, officers of a local police station checked with nearby neighbourhood, and managed to find the baby boy's parents an hour later. "My baby boy was playing outside (my cellphone store) alone.
YouTube link.
"In just two to three minutes, I couldn't find him any more. We looked for him everywhere around, but failed to find him," said Mrs. Zhang, the baby's mother. According to Zhang, she and her husband run a cellphone store near their home, and the baby was playing outside the store alone before wandering away.
Two Chinese men caught by Bulgarian customs officers with 2 million baby eels in their luggage
Customs officials in Bulgaria have seized two million live baby eels hidden in luggage.
Two Chinese men arriving from Madrid were detained at Sofia airport for trying to smuggle the eels in eight containers.
Officials said that the tiny eels, known as elvers, had been declared as food items. The European eel is classified as a critically endangered species and cannot be exported outside the region. Their sale is also heavily regulated within the EU.
Elvers are seen by some as a delicacy. Just 1kg (2.2lb) can fetch up to €1,300 (£1000; $1500) in Asia, according to customs officials. The eels had been placed in bags filled with water and are believed to have been worth several thousand euros.
A rescue centre at an aquarium in the coastal city of Varna has taken them in. The European eel is protected by an international agreement and trading in the species without a permit is forbidden worldwide.
Officials said that the tiny eels, known as elvers, had been declared as food items. The European eel is classified as a critically endangered species and cannot be exported outside the region. Their sale is also heavily regulated within the EU.
Elvers are seen by some as a delicacy. Just 1kg (2.2lb) can fetch up to €1,300 (£1000; $1500) in Asia, according to customs officials. The eels had been placed in bags filled with water and are believed to have been worth several thousand euros.
A rescue centre at an aquarium in the coastal city of Varna has taken them in. The European eel is protected by an international agreement and trading in the species without a permit is forbidden worldwide.
Fake bank in China that operated for a year scammed customers out of £20 million
A fake bank in China that looked exactly like a real bank managed to scam people of almost 200 million yuan (£21m, $32m) worth of deposits in just a year.
The “bank”, in Nanjing’s Pukou district in Jiangsu province, promised customers 2 per cent interest a week for their deposits. Almost 200 people were conned.
One businessman from Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, deposited 12 million dollars from his company, but stopped receiving interest for the money after just four weeks. He went to the police after travelling to Nanjing from Hangzhou and trying in vain to get his money back.
YouTube link.
Police investigations revealed that the “bank”, although designed to look just like a real one, with LED screens and counters manned by people dressed like bank staff, did not have the permits required to operate as a financial institution. Rather, it branded itself as a “cooperative”. Police detained four people involved in the operation.
The “bank”, in Nanjing’s Pukou district in Jiangsu province, promised customers 2 per cent interest a week for their deposits. Almost 200 people were conned.
One businessman from Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, deposited 12 million dollars from his company, but stopped receiving interest for the money after just four weeks. He went to the police after travelling to Nanjing from Hangzhou and trying in vain to get his money back.
YouTube link.
Police investigations revealed that the “bank”, although designed to look just like a real one, with LED screens and counters manned by people dressed like bank staff, did not have the permits required to operate as a financial institution. Rather, it branded itself as a “cooperative”. Police detained four people involved in the operation.
Massive fish spillage meant free dinner for locals
Locals in Ravenhill Road, East Belfast, Northern Ireland, were gifted a free fish supper on Saturday night.
A fish tanker coming to an abrupt halt at a traffic light caused the huge spillage.
Many local residents then rushed out to gather hundreds of the mackerel in plastic bags
Police later contacted environmental health officers to clean up the road.
There are photo galleries here and here.
A fish tanker coming to an abrupt halt at a traffic light caused the huge spillage.
Many local residents then rushed out to gather hundreds of the mackerel in plastic bags
Police later contacted environmental health officers to clean up the road.
There are photo galleries here and here.
Tampered-with fire hydrant created new water feature in city centre
A fire hydrant caused a geyser to erupt on a city centre street when it was switched on, causing amusement for some local people.
The tall column of water on Navigation Street, Birmingham, could be seen for several hours on Saturday morning.
A Severn Trent Water spokesman said the firm believed the hydrant, intended for emergency service use, had been tampered with.
A team of engineers arrived at the scene at 08:00am to switch the hydrant off. There were no supply issues to nearby properties, the firm said.
Video.
The tall column of water on Navigation Street, Birmingham, could be seen for several hours on Saturday morning.
A Severn Trent Water spokesman said the firm believed the hydrant, intended for emergency service use, had been tampered with.
A team of engineers arrived at the scene at 08:00am to switch the hydrant off. There were no supply issues to nearby properties, the firm said.
Video.
Woman horrified after finding strange creature in tin of tuna
A woman was horrified when she spotted a pair of beady eyes staring back at her from a tin of tuna.
Zoe Butler, of Arnold, Nottingham, had just opened the can of Princes tuna when she noticed the strange creature.
The mother-of-two, aged 28, has complained to the company and is keeping the remains in the tin while she waits for a reply.
Mrs Butler said the can of tuna chunks preserved in spring water was part of a multi-pack bought from Asda in Arnold.
She said: "I opened the top of the lid and saw a purply thing, a gut sack or intestine – then I turned it round and pushed it with a fork and saw it looking back at me. It's got like a spiny tail along the bottom – it's quite grim. I dropped the fork, jumped back, screamed a bit and shouted for my nan to come and have a look." Mrs Butler has sent photos of the fishy find to Princes. She added: "I haven't shown it to the kids because they might get put off eating tuna.
"I just want to find out what it is and to make sure it doesn't happen to somebody else. I didn't set out to get compensation and I don't a want lifetime's supply of tuna!" Zoe's grandmother Susan Goddard, 69, said: "It's a little red and has eyes, bright black, looking at you. We did manage to ascertain that it was dead." Dr Hany Elsheikha, associate professor of veterinary parasitology at the University of Nottingham, said it could be some form of juvenile crab.
He said: "All I can see from the picture is a body and the eyes are very prominent. The legs have been chopped off during the process." A spokesman for Princes said: "We were contacted by Mrs Butler and immediately responded to apologise. We are arranging for her to send us the product so that we can look into this matter fully." An Asda spokeswoman said they were awaiting the outcome of the investigation.
She said: "I opened the top of the lid and saw a purply thing, a gut sack or intestine – then I turned it round and pushed it with a fork and saw it looking back at me. It's got like a spiny tail along the bottom – it's quite grim. I dropped the fork, jumped back, screamed a bit and shouted for my nan to come and have a look." Mrs Butler has sent photos of the fishy find to Princes. She added: "I haven't shown it to the kids because they might get put off eating tuna.
"I just want to find out what it is and to make sure it doesn't happen to somebody else. I didn't set out to get compensation and I don't a want lifetime's supply of tuna!" Zoe's grandmother Susan Goddard, 69, said: "It's a little red and has eyes, bright black, looking at you. We did manage to ascertain that it was dead." Dr Hany Elsheikha, associate professor of veterinary parasitology at the University of Nottingham, said it could be some form of juvenile crab.
He said: "All I can see from the picture is a body and the eyes are very prominent. The legs have been chopped off during the process." A spokesman for Princes said: "We were contacted by Mrs Butler and immediately responded to apologise. We are arranging for her to send us the product so that we can look into this matter fully." An Asda spokeswoman said they were awaiting the outcome of the investigation.
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