Thursday, April 30, 2015
Lions play tug of war with loose tow rope
A pride of lion at Savanna Lodge in the Kruger National Park, South Africa, find a tow rope still attached to a Land Rover and decide to have a game of tug of war.
YouTube link.
YouTube link.
Box found in attic contains coins, a map and a hand
Mike Lopez's sister was recently cleaning out their grandparents attic in Tampa, Florida, when she came across a box with strange contents.
Neatly organized with copper wire, the box contains coins, a map, a photograph and a hand.
The hand is secured to the box with copper wire and has a ring on one finger.
Lopez says he believes the photo is of his great grandparents Eve and Ernesto Lopez.
"It seems as though this belonged to my great grand parents because there is a picture of them in there," said Lopez. He also believes the box may have something to do with the mythical pirate Jose Gaspar. Lopez isn't sure when the photo or the box were made. The map has some clues. It's a map of downtown Tampa and shows the Hillsborough River and two bridges.
Rodney Kite-Powell, curator of the Tampa Bay History Center, was interested to examine the box and its contents. Kite-Powell noticed the photo is from the studio of the Burgert Brothers. He believes it is of the couple on their wedding day. The coins however, do not appear to be authentic spanish treasure.
"They're a little thin to be Spanish Coins or old coins in general. Generally older coins were thicker," said Kite-Powell. After a close examination of the map, Kite-Powell believes it's likely from the 1920's or 1930's. "It's fascinating, but I just don't know what to make of it aside from the fact that it's probably not Jose Gaspar's hand, these probably aren't Spanish coins," said Kite-Powell. Mike Lopez still believes the hand in the box is real.
With news video.
"It seems as though this belonged to my great grand parents because there is a picture of them in there," said Lopez. He also believes the box may have something to do with the mythical pirate Jose Gaspar. Lopez isn't sure when the photo or the box were made. The map has some clues. It's a map of downtown Tampa and shows the Hillsborough River and two bridges.
Rodney Kite-Powell, curator of the Tampa Bay History Center, was interested to examine the box and its contents. Kite-Powell noticed the photo is from the studio of the Burgert Brothers. He believes it is of the couple on their wedding day. The coins however, do not appear to be authentic spanish treasure.
"They're a little thin to be Spanish Coins or old coins in general. Generally older coins were thicker," said Kite-Powell. After a close examination of the map, Kite-Powell believes it's likely from the 1920's or 1930's. "It's fascinating, but I just don't know what to make of it aside from the fact that it's probably not Jose Gaspar's hand, these probably aren't Spanish coins," said Kite-Powell. Mike Lopez still believes the hand in the box is real.
With news video.
Paratrooper punished for jump with his pet fish
An American paratrooper who celebrated his upcoming departure from the Army by jumping with his pet Siamese fighting fish will serve 12 days of extra duty before closing out his time in uniform.
Spc. Matthew Tattersall, who is assigned to 2nd Battalion, 505th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, received a company-grade Article 15, with the extra duty as punishment.
"The way I see it, if you do the crime, you'd better be willing to do the time," Tattersall said. "They certainly, if they absolutely wanted to, the punishment could have been far worse, so I'm not upset about anything. I understand that there were going to be consequences for it."
Tattersall, who had already written a 1,000-word essay about the importance of airborne safety and professionalism in the Army, also could be bumped down to E-3 if he breaks any more Army regulations. "If I make one mistake, they take my rank," he said. "They tossed me a bone when it comes to not taking my rank." When handing him his punishment on Tuesday, Tattersall said his battalion commander explained that his actions were unsafe. "It wasn't a laughing matter," Tattersall said. "And the essay I wrote, I didn't take the essay very seriously, which I should have."
Tattersall, an infantryman, joined the Army in 2011, shipping to basic training in January 2012. He will complete his enlistment on May 20. To mark his last jump on April 11, Tattersall decided to take his fish, "Willy MakeIt", along for the ride. "It was a daytime combat jump, but with me being so close to getting out, I didn't have any gear, so it was a Hollywood jump for me," Tattersall said shortly after the jump. He and his friends had long talked about doing something special or unique for their last jump, but "no one actually went through with it," he said at the time. So when his turn came, "I wanted to make it awesome, and I did just that," he said. On the day of the jump, no one knew what Tattersall was planning, he said.
As he jumped from the C-17 and fell to the ground under the canopy of his parachute, Tattersall took a quick selfie. He was careful to make sure no other jumpers were nearby, he said. Tattersall and Willy MakeIt made it safely to the ground, and the hardy fish earned a middle name. He's now Willy Did MakeIt. Tattersall, who will spend his evenings and weekends until May 9 doing everything from cleaning hallways to moving boxes, said he is relieved that he will be able to transition out of the Army as scheduled. Tattersall is expected to start his transition leave on May 20, and he has a job lined up to begin on May 28. "I'm just relieved I'll be able to go home on the 21st," he said. "That's really all I was worried about in the first place." He also wishes Willy had been punished as well. "He thinks that this is the funniest thing in the world, and it's not," Tattersall said.
Tattersall, who had already written a 1,000-word essay about the importance of airborne safety and professionalism in the Army, also could be bumped down to E-3 if he breaks any more Army regulations. "If I make one mistake, they take my rank," he said. "They tossed me a bone when it comes to not taking my rank." When handing him his punishment on Tuesday, Tattersall said his battalion commander explained that his actions were unsafe. "It wasn't a laughing matter," Tattersall said. "And the essay I wrote, I didn't take the essay very seriously, which I should have."
Tattersall, an infantryman, joined the Army in 2011, shipping to basic training in January 2012. He will complete his enlistment on May 20. To mark his last jump on April 11, Tattersall decided to take his fish, "Willy MakeIt", along for the ride. "It was a daytime combat jump, but with me being so close to getting out, I didn't have any gear, so it was a Hollywood jump for me," Tattersall said shortly after the jump. He and his friends had long talked about doing something special or unique for their last jump, but "no one actually went through with it," he said at the time. So when his turn came, "I wanted to make it awesome, and I did just that," he said. On the day of the jump, no one knew what Tattersall was planning, he said.
As he jumped from the C-17 and fell to the ground under the canopy of his parachute, Tattersall took a quick selfie. He was careful to make sure no other jumpers were nearby, he said. Tattersall and Willy MakeIt made it safely to the ground, and the hardy fish earned a middle name. He's now Willy Did MakeIt. Tattersall, who will spend his evenings and weekends until May 9 doing everything from cleaning hallways to moving boxes, said he is relieved that he will be able to transition out of the Army as scheduled. Tattersall is expected to start his transition leave on May 20, and he has a job lined up to begin on May 28. "I'm just relieved I'll be able to go home on the 21st," he said. "That's really all I was worried about in the first place." He also wishes Willy had been punished as well. "He thinks that this is the funniest thing in the world, and it's not," Tattersall said.
Villagers rescued baby elephant trapped in well
An elephant calf trapped in an abandoned well has been rescued by villagers and forestry officials in southern India.
The two-year-old animal accidentally fell in while walking with its mother and the rest of its herd. Locals went to the scene in the Kuttampuzha Forest Range in Kerala state after hearing the sound of distressed elephants.
Residents dug a makeshift slope in the ground towards the well and also put a rope around the calf. They then helped pull it to safety as it climbed back up.
YouTube link.
The animal, which was uninjured, ran back into the forest but it is not known if it was reunited with the rest of its herd.
The two-year-old animal accidentally fell in while walking with its mother and the rest of its herd. Locals went to the scene in the Kuttampuzha Forest Range in Kerala state after hearing the sound of distressed elephants.
Residents dug a makeshift slope in the ground towards the well and also put a rope around the calf. They then helped pull it to safety as it climbed back up.
YouTube link.
The animal, which was uninjured, ran back into the forest but it is not known if it was reunited with the rest of its herd.
Thief being fed bananas to recover stolen gold necklace
An thief in India who swallowed a gold necklace is being fed bananas and special liquids in the hope that he will expel it in his excreta.
Anil Yadav was arrested in Mumbai on Monday after a chase by the police and public when he snatched the necklace, worth 63,000 rupees (£648, $995), from a woman.
He was put on the special diet after X-ray scans of his body showed the necklace lodged in his food pipe.
The necklace, which has a large pendant, has now reached his stomach.
Mr Yadav, 30, snatched the necklace weighing 25g (0.06lbs) from a 52-year-old woman as she was walking home in Mumbai's Sion area, police official Rahul Pawar said. "After the lady screamed for help, our police patrol and members of the public gave him a chase and caught him," Mr Pawar said. "We searched him thoroughly in the police station but did not find the necklace. Then some people who had caught him told us that they had seen him swallowing something," he added.
Mr Yadav was taken to Sion hospital where an X-ray revealed the necklace inside his body. Mr Pawar says doctors are now feeding him the special diet and once the pendant is retrieved, it will be handed over to the owner. Doctors, however, say bananas do not really work as laxatives. "The only thing bananas will do is add bulk in his stool," Delhi-based doctor Debangshu Dam said. "Eating lots of bananas will cause gastro-colic reflex which will make him pass stool.
"But it's a very primitive method, it's not a scientific thing to do. I can understand if it happened in a police station in rural India, but I can't understand why would they feed bananas in a hospital when they can easily use laxatives?" Dr Dam says an endoscopy could be a much easier way of retrieving something from a person's stomach. But then, it would require a gastroenterologist and the use of the operating theatre for at least half an hour and that would cost money. "So this is probably the cheapest and the simplest way - but also the dirtiest way."
Mr Yadav, 30, snatched the necklace weighing 25g (0.06lbs) from a 52-year-old woman as she was walking home in Mumbai's Sion area, police official Rahul Pawar said. "After the lady screamed for help, our police patrol and members of the public gave him a chase and caught him," Mr Pawar said. "We searched him thoroughly in the police station but did not find the necklace. Then some people who had caught him told us that they had seen him swallowing something," he added.
Mr Yadav was taken to Sion hospital where an X-ray revealed the necklace inside his body. Mr Pawar says doctors are now feeding him the special diet and once the pendant is retrieved, it will be handed over to the owner. Doctors, however, say bananas do not really work as laxatives. "The only thing bananas will do is add bulk in his stool," Delhi-based doctor Debangshu Dam said. "Eating lots of bananas will cause gastro-colic reflex which will make him pass stool.
"But it's a very primitive method, it's not a scientific thing to do. I can understand if it happened in a police station in rural India, but I can't understand why would they feed bananas in a hospital when they can easily use laxatives?" Dr Dam says an endoscopy could be a much easier way of retrieving something from a person's stomach. But then, it would require a gastroenterologist and the use of the operating theatre for at least half an hour and that would cost money. "So this is probably the cheapest and the simplest way - but also the dirtiest way."
Police rescued giant tortoise from railway lines
Police in Germany saved a giant tortoise from grave peril after it wandered onto railway lines near Munich.
An S-Bahn driver reported spotting the reptile on the tracks between Schwabhausen and Bachern at about 7:30 pm on Monday.
Federal police officers rushed to the scene in a patrol car and found the tortoise strolling blithely along the track near a crossing with the road. They picked up the 20-kilo beast and found that it was unharmed despite its dangerous choice of escape route.
Workers from the Munich Reptile Society then took the chelonian into their expert care. The police weren't able to identify the species of the tortoise or who it belonged to, but have asked the owner to get in touch.
An S-Bahn driver reported spotting the reptile on the tracks between Schwabhausen and Bachern at about 7:30 pm on Monday.
Federal police officers rushed to the scene in a patrol car and found the tortoise strolling blithely along the track near a crossing with the road. They picked up the 20-kilo beast and found that it was unharmed despite its dangerous choice of escape route.
Workers from the Munich Reptile Society then took the chelonian into their expert care. The police weren't able to identify the species of the tortoise or who it belonged to, but have asked the owner to get in touch.
Police seek vandals who bricked up train door
Vandals in Hamburg, Germany, apparently broke into the train depot at Barmbeck in the north-east of the city and bricked up the door of an S-Bahn train on Tuesday afternoon.
Once they were finished, an accomplished looking wall of breeze blocks, eight rows high and glued to the door frame with expanding foam had completely blocked an entrance. A spokesperson for the Bundespolizei (federal police) said that, having studied CCTV evidence, they believe the door was already bricked up when the train left the depot at 3.10 pm.
The depot was not guarded and its fences could easily be traversed, he said. The overground train seems to have been in operation for quite some time before anyone noticed the unusual irregularity. When the driver was finally alerted the train had reached Sternschanze in the west of the city.
The train was then evacuated and driven to Ohlsdorf where the police arrived to carry out their investigation. The police spokesperson said that there was no clue as to why the perpetrators had carried out the act. “There was no message left behind,” said he confirmed. Investigators will continue to study the CCTV footage to gather evidence.
Once they were finished, an accomplished looking wall of breeze blocks, eight rows high and glued to the door frame with expanding foam had completely blocked an entrance. A spokesperson for the Bundespolizei (federal police) said that, having studied CCTV evidence, they believe the door was already bricked up when the train left the depot at 3.10 pm.
The depot was not guarded and its fences could easily be traversed, he said. The overground train seems to have been in operation for quite some time before anyone noticed the unusual irregularity. When the driver was finally alerted the train had reached Sternschanze in the west of the city.
The train was then evacuated and driven to Ohlsdorf where the police arrived to carry out their investigation. The police spokesperson said that there was no clue as to why the perpetrators had carried out the act. “There was no message left behind,” said he confirmed. Investigators will continue to study the CCTV footage to gather evidence.
Ungrateful goose pooed in policeman's pocket
A disoriented goose wandered from the town pond of Hafnarfjordur, a small town south of the Reykjavík, Iceland.
The goose was wandering around in the midst of traffic until it was spotted by a police officers in their patrol car.
They decided to give the goose a lift back to the pond. However, the goose was not satisfied with its treatment and pooed in the trouser pocket of one of the officers.
It was then decided to secure the ungrateful bird in a plastic container with air holes. The goose was then driven back to its residence and released back into the pond.
The goose was wandering around in the midst of traffic until it was spotted by a police officers in their patrol car.
They decided to give the goose a lift back to the pond. However, the goose was not satisfied with its treatment and pooed in the trouser pocket of one of the officers.
It was then decided to secure the ungrateful bird in a plastic container with air holes. The goose was then driven back to its residence and released back into the pond.
Dead dog's girlfriend collects posthumous award
A police dog who sniffed out firearms, cash and drugs worth some £5m has been given a posthumous award.
Springer Spaniel Jake died aged 13, just weeks before picking up the PDSA Order of Merit, sometimes referred to as the animal equivalent of the OBE.
The Order of Merit was collected by Jake's "girlfriend", a police dog called Gwen, at a ceremony in London on Wednesday.
Jake was Warwickshire Police's longest serving dog when he retired in August. Handler PC Andy Crouch said the whole family had been "devastated" by Jake's sudden death in March and the award would "take pride of place". Jake was teamed up with PC Crouch soon after the dog joined the Warwickshire force aged 18 months.
"Even after his retirement, he loved playing and we would often set up finds for him to seek out, to keep him stimulated," PC Crouch said. "Jake would have carried on working, given half the chance, but it was important for him to take some time out. He was a joy to work with and I doubt that many handlers will find a dog so willing to work and to please."
YouTube link.
During a 10-year career, he made more than 500 finds, including assault rifles, hand guns and ammunition, as well as drugs with an estimated street value of £4.5m. The PDSA said at one music festival Jake found cannabis worth more than £2,000 concealed on a tour bus, resulting in the delay of a major act. The Order of Merit is awarded to any animal which "merited recognition for exceptional acts of devotion and represents outstanding examples of the special relationship that exists between animals and humans".
Jake was Warwickshire Police's longest serving dog when he retired in August. Handler PC Andy Crouch said the whole family had been "devastated" by Jake's sudden death in March and the award would "take pride of place". Jake was teamed up with PC Crouch soon after the dog joined the Warwickshire force aged 18 months.
"Even after his retirement, he loved playing and we would often set up finds for him to seek out, to keep him stimulated," PC Crouch said. "Jake would have carried on working, given half the chance, but it was important for him to take some time out. He was a joy to work with and I doubt that many handlers will find a dog so willing to work and to please."
YouTube link.
During a 10-year career, he made more than 500 finds, including assault rifles, hand guns and ammunition, as well as drugs with an estimated street value of £4.5m. The PDSA said at one music festival Jake found cannabis worth more than £2,000 concealed on a tour bus, resulting in the delay of a major act. The Order of Merit is awarded to any animal which "merited recognition for exceptional acts of devotion and represents outstanding examples of the special relationship that exists between animals and humans".
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