Cookie the cockatoo turns 78

Cookie may not only be the oldest animal at the Brookfield Zoo near Chicago but the oldest Major Mitchell cockatoo in any zoo, a spokeswoman said. Sondra Katzen told the Chicago Tribune the venerable Cookie turned 78 and is the only remaining resident from the zoo’s opening in 1938. The pink Major Mitchell has been going strong since the Roosevelt administration and appears to be the oldest of its species at any zoo, Katzen said. Cookie was shipped to the United States from Australia when it was just 1 year old. More

Penguin Critically Ill - Thought Sand Was Snow, Ate It

“Happy Feet,” the emperor penguin who took a wrong turn somewhere in Antarctica and wound up on a New Zealand beach, remained critically ill after a second operation to remove sand from his stomach, the Sunday Star-Times reported. Vets told the Star-Times that there is still more sand in Happy Feet’s stomach and while the penguin may undergo another procedure, additional surgery may further endanger his life. One danger is that the sand may harden into balls that could rupture the penguin’s stomach. It was thought the penguin may have mistaken the sand for snow. More

Light bulb been burning for 110 years

An incandescent light bulb recognized by Guinness World Records as being the longest burning is still glowing strong days after celebrations that marked its 110th anniversary. The Centennial Light Bulb, at Fire Station No. 6 in Livermore, Calif., has been burning bright since it was first installed in 1901. Since then, the 60-watt bulb has been alight 24 hours a day, operating at about 4 watts, to provide night illumination of the fire engines. Other than a few power outages, there has only been one break in its operation, when it was removed from one fire station and fitted in another in 1976. More

7-year-old boy charged with driving a car

A 7-year-old Michigan boy who drove a car at high speeds for 20 miles has been charged with unlawful use of a vehicle. Huron County Prosecutor Tim Rutkowski said he will not seek to remove the boy from his home. He says he filed the juvenile charge to get the boy and his family some assistance, such as counseling. Rutkowski says it’s “strictly” to help the boy. The boy told authorities that he drove off in his stepfather’s car to see his father, who also lives in Huron County, 110 miles north of Detroit. Still in his pajamas, the boy reached speeds of 50 to 60 mph before police boxed him in and he stopped the car on a rural road. More

Kids Gummi Bears attract real bear

For one bear in Monroe County, it wasn’t as easy as taking candy from a baby. A bear reportedly advancing on a 2-year-old girl holding candy in Coolbaugh Township was chased away by a neighbor who fired three warning shots at the bear, Pocono Mountain Regional Police said. Game Commission officials say the 150- to 200-pound black bear likely wandered into the Pocono Country Place developments looking for food and was attracted to the candy the girl was holding: Gummi Bears. More

Graduates received diplomas with spelling errors

Graduates of a Massachusetts high school who received diplomas this month containing spelling errors are getting corrected versions - plus an apology. The diplomas handed out to 263 Plymouth North graduates had the word “for” spelled “fro” while the word “and” was spelled “ans.” Schools officials signed all of them without noticing. Principal Kathleen McSweeney tells The Enterprise of Brockton that Jostens, the Minnesota company that printed the diplomas, sent new ones to the school. School officials will sign them and mail them this week. More

Penguin takes wrong turn, stops off at New Zealand

New Zealand - He’s healthy, well-fed and far from home. And he’s quickly become the most popular attraction on a New Zealand beach. If only he could talk. A young penguin apparently took a wrong turn while swimming near Antarctica and endured a 2,000-mile journey to New Zealand, the first time in 44 years that one of the creatures has been sighted here in the wild. Estimated to be about 10 months old and 32 inches (80 centimeters) tall, the Emperor penguin was probably born during the last Antarctic winter and may have been searching for squid and krill when it got lost, experts said. More