Bus-riding dog reunited with owner

A dog that boarded a Scottish bus in frigid temperatures and refused to leave has been reunited with its owner. The Cairn terrier boarded the bus at the Dumbarton Road stop in Glasgow. Witnesses said the canine had icicles hanging from his fur and refused to budge from a warm spot on the vehicle. The dog was taken to the Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals’ building in Glasgow. More

bear facts

One of the things that makes Alaska so special is that all three species of North American bears flourish here. There is a chance that you may be lucky enough to see a bear. But even if you don't you will never be far from one, because Alaska is bear country.
Brown/grizzly bears are found from the islands of southeastern Alaska to the arctic. Black bears inhabit most of Alaska's forests. Polar bears frequent the pack ice and tundra of extreme northern and western Alaska.
Bears are curious, intelligent and potentially dangerous animals, but undue fear of bears can endanger both bears and people. Many bears are killed each year by people who are afraid of them. Respecting bears and learning proper behavior in their territory will help so that if you encounter a bear, neither of you will suffer needlessly from the experience. More

Trained bears go into hibernation during road trip

Four trained bears with a touring circus went into hibernation during a road trip to a venue in the Russian Far East. It took us eight days to cover the distance because the truck broke down on the way. The situation was further aggravated by extremely low temperatures, which forced the trainer to give the dormant bears large quantities of strong tea and chocolate candies to stop them from falling asleep.

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World’s Smartest Dog Knows 1,022 Words

A border collie named Chaser has learned the names of 1,022 individual items — more than any other animal, even the legendary Alex the parrot. But it’s all in a day’s work for these researchers. Psychologists Alliston Reid and John Pilley of Wofford College in Spartanburg, S.C., wanted to test if there was a limit to the amount of words a border collie could learn. More

Racing pigeon gets lost, ends up 5,200 miles away

Nutty News Panama City - The 10 month-old bird had been undertaking a six hour race from Guernsey to Dudley, West Midlands in the UK more than five weeks ago. But it failed to arrive and its owner Darren Cubberly, 45, had give up hope the bird would return from the 224 mile trip. He was surprised to get a phone call this week from Panama City, where the bird had ended up. It is thought she landed on a ship travelling to the area. More

Firefighters save 18-foot snake in home fire

Nutty News Rhode Island - Firefighters often have to rescue people from burning homes, sometimes even a dog or cat. But the 18-foot Bermese python that firefighters had to drag out of a burning Rhode Island home may have been a first. Acting Chief Peter Henrikson said that it took two firefighters to carry out the python with a diameter like a “Frisbee” in the middle. More

Harry Potter Ride

Nutty News Florida - Universal Orlando is tweaking an attraction to ensure even guests with butterbeer bellies can enjoy the park’s most popular Harry Potter ride. After taking heat from ride critics and guests too big to squeeze in, the company said it has started tinkering to make “Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey” more accessible. Workers are adjusting the overhead harnesses that keep guests in place while a robotic arm flings them through a chaotic sequence in the boy wizard’s life. More

Man calls police because of cat

Nutty News UK - A panicked man called a police emergency line for help because there was a cat in his kitchen in just one of thousands of inappropriate calls. The call to Britain’s 999 line starts with the man, saying: “There’s a cat in my kitchen I don’t know how to deal with him.” The bemused operator asks “You’ve got a what in your kitchen?”, and the man responds: “A cat, cat, cat.” More

Chimpanzees throw rocks at people

Nutty News Jerusalem - With officials long worried that a serious injury, or even death, is just waiting to happen, a multimillion-shekel barrier is under construction in the capital to separate loud, unruly crowds from frequent rock-throwers. Sound like another security hot spot? Try the chimpanzee exhibit at the Tisch Family Zoological Gardens in Jerusalem, popularly known as the Biblical Zoo. “It’s kind of embarrassing to be stoned by a chimp,” said zoo director Shai Doron. More

Camel milk coming to Europe

DUBAI - Hard on the hooves of cow’s and goat’s milk, European grocery shelves may soon be invaded by milk from that proverbial ship of the desert, the camel. An animal famous for bad breath and ill humour might seem an unlikely source of liquid to lubricate a bowl of breakfast cereal or froth up a latte, but promoters from the United Arab Emirates say it is healthy — and almost like mother’s own. “People with lactose intolerance can drink it with no problem, unlike cow’s milk, it doesn’t cause protein allergies, and it’s high in insulin,” said Ulrich Wernery, the scientific director of Dubai’s Centre for Veterinary Research Laboratory. more

Man broke into zoo and climbed onto the back of a crocodile

PERTH, Australia - A man ejected from a pub in Australia broke into a zoo and climbed onto the back of a crocodile named Fatso, which bit him on the leg but then let him go. Police say they’re surprised the croc didn’t inflict worse damage. The 36-year-old man, who police said had just been thrown out of a pub for being drunk, told officials he scaled the barbed wire fence surrounding the Broome Crocodile Park in remote northwest Australia because he wanted to give the 16-foot (5 meter) Fatso a pat. more

Man spends seven years doing 5,000 piece puzzle

UK - It had cluttered up Jack Harris’s dining table for almost eight years. Nevertheless, the 86-year-old was determined to finish his five-foot long, 5,000-piece jigsaw. And when he thought the painstaking process was complete, he stood back to admire his work - only to find a dog may have eaten the final piece. more

4,000-pound rhinoceros escapes cage at zoo

JACKSONVILLE, Florida - Workers at the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens spent about five hours trying to get a 4,000-pound rhinoceros back in his cage. Archie was out of his overnight stall when employees showed up for work. He had escaped once before, years ago, and was lured back to his cage with food. Craig Miller, the zoo’s curator of mammals, said the food didn’t work this time. More

Squirrel traps family in their home

STRONGSVILLE - Residents called police because they were trapped in their home by a temperamental squirrel. The squirrel was desperate to get in the house, according to the residents. The squirrel kept jumping at the garage door and would run at the residents any time they opened a door.

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Skunk`s head freed from peanut butter jar

GRAND JUNCTION, Colorado - It was a sticky -- and potentially stinky -- rescue for a Colorado wildlife officer who pried a peanut butter jar off a skunk`s head. The officer got a call that the animal was disoriented in someone`s front yard, its head stuck in a jar of peanut butter. More

Pigs find World War II weapon

BERLIN, Germany - German police say a couple of hungry pigs digging for food came nose-to-nose with a long-buried World War II anti-tank weapon. Police said Friday the two pigs found the single-shot "panzerfaust" on private land southwest of Dresden. more

World’s biggest beaver dam

OTTAWA, Canada - A Canadian ecologist has discovered the world’s largest beaver dam in a remote area of northern Alberta, an animal-made structure so large it is visible from space. Researcher Jean Thie said he used satellite imagery and Google Earth software to locate the dam, which is about 850 metres (2,800 feet) long on the southern edge of Wood Buffalo National Park. more

Plane lands at bus station

FAIRVIEW HEIGHTS, Illinois - Authorities are trying to figure out why a small plane made an emergency landing at a southwestern Illinois commuter station. No injuries were reported in the Cessna plane’s landing in one of the bus lanes at the Metrolink station in Fairview Heights. more

Bulldog attacks police car

Chattanooga - Police Officer Clayton Holmes says he had been running radar on Workman Road when he felt his car shaking after stopping to write a report. He got out of the car and noticed a bulldog chewing on his patrol car. The dog chewed two tires and the entire front bumper off of the car. more

Spongebob

LONG BEACH, New York - A New York state 12-year-old saved the life of a friend using the Heimlich maneuver, which she learned from watching "SpongeBob Square Pants." Miriam Starobin, 12, said she used the lesson she learned from the popular Nickelodeon cartoon when her friend Allyson Golden, 12, began choking on a piece of gum. more

Students’ School Sinks

The SV Concordia was basically a huge sailboat designed to be a floating classroom. On Thursday, the Concordia was capsized while carrying over 40 high school students. Fortunately, no one was killed in the accident. It took only 20 seconds for this 57 meter sailboat to sink.more

Soy Sauce Kit Kats

Japan - Kit Kat bars are now available from Nestle in 19 new flavours that reflect specialities from regions across Japan, ranging from sweet potatoes from Okinawa to melons from Hokkaido, strawberries from Tochigi, green tea from Kyoto and soy sauce from Tokyo. More

Olympic torch

The Olympic flame, which was lit in Greece and has now touched every province and territory of Canada in the hands of thousands of torchbearers, was finally set to arrive in the host city of Vancouver on Thursday. The torch relay was scheduled to reach Vancouver in the early afternoon before passing through nearby communities of Port Moody, Port Coquitlam and Burnaby. More...

Hunter shot by his own dog

Merced County - A hunter trying to retrieve duck decoys got a surprise when he was accidentally shot by his own dog. The accident occurred Saturday when the female Labrador retriever stepped on her owner`s loaded shotgun, causing the safety to disengage and the weapon to fire, according to the Merced County Sheriff`s Department. More

School bans Valentine’s Day cards for kids

UK - A British school has banned its pupils from sending cards on Valentine’s Day, saying the youngsters are not mature enough for romance. Ashcombe Primary School in England- which teaches students aged four to 11 - has threatened to confiscate any cards found on the premises in Somerset, southwest England. More

Olympic Opening Ceremonies

VANCOUVER, British Columbia - In time-honored tradition, the show went on. Despite the training-run death earlier in the day of a luger from the country of Georgia, the Olympics' opening ceremonies were launched Friday night with a jubilant countdown by the crowd filling BC Place Stadium. More

Marathon for kids

Running a marathon is tough, but rewarding and now kids in the Roanoke Valley now have a chance to try it. On Friday, the Roanoke Valley YMCA announced a marathon for young people. It works like this -- Kids have from now until race day to complete 25.2 miles on their own or with family and friends. More