Kangaroos found in van

Traffic police who stopped a driver for looking jumpy opened the back of his van - and found six kangaroos inside.

Andreai Branimir, 42, was arrested in Nickelsdorf, Austria, as he tried to smuggle more than 60 animals and birds back to his Bulgarian homeland.
The animal trafficker told police he'd bought the animals from a broke wildlife park in Holland and was driving them home across Europe, reports CEN.
Officers found dozens of parrots, peacocks, birds of paradise and small mammals crammed in with the six kangaroos.
Branimir is facing five years in jail for animal trafficking, while the animals are now being cared for at local wildlife centres.
One police officer added: "They were being kept in appalling conditions with nothing to eat or drink. It was heartbreaking."

Granny falls down manhole

An 87-year-old woman has fallen down a manhole after stepping through a loose cover while enjoying a post-breakfast walk with her husband.

Wang Jungcheng watched in horror as his wife walked onto the manhole lid, which suddenly rotated and pushed her down the hole in Changchun, northeast China's Jilin province.
He said: "I instantly caught her clothes, but she still dropped down."
Wang Lu, who suffered a few scratches, was rescued by a firefighter who went down the 3m deep hole and helped the elderly lady climb out.
Residents said the manhole lid went missing a long time ago, but the community office only replaced it with a smaller lid wrapped with a bike tyre.
The community office refused to comment on the incident.

Melon chaos on motorway

Motorists stuck in a traffic jam after a Spanish melon lorry lost its load helped themselves to the free watery fruits that were splattered along a Swiss motorway.

The accident happened when melons fell from the back of a lorry on the busy A3 near Basle in Switzerland, reports CEN.
The road was closed for two hours while firemen cleared away the carnage.
Police turned a blind eye as motorists, caught in the sweltering heat in a three-mile queue, streamed out of their cars to tuck into the melons.
One motorist said: "The police weren't giving them away but they weren't stopping anyone from tucking in either. It certainly sweetened the waiting time a bit."
        

Bear in joyride crash

A Colarado bear climbed into an empty car for a joyride, only to crash it into a thicket in Larkspur, near Denver.

The stray bear managed to open the unlocked Toyota Corolla, while the Story family were asleep in their home.
It is thought that a peanut butter sandwich left on the back seat attracted the bear, reports the Metro.
A Colorado Division of Wildlife spokesman said that it is common for bears to enter cars or even houses in search of food.
He added: "It happens all the time. They're very smart."
Ben Story, 17, stated that the bear must have knocked the gear selector into neutral, sending the car rolling down the family driveway before crashing into the thicket.
The bear remained trapped inside the car and had to be freed by local authorities, using a rope to open the door from a distance.
It also left a 'present' on the drivers seat. "A nice pile, actually," added father Ralph Story. "Something to remember."

Old hen may set world record

 

A Chinese man is set to apply for a new Guinness world record for his 22-year-old hen - the equivalent of 400 years in human age.

Yang Shaofu, 77, of Sidazhuang village, Baoshan, Yunnan province, said the hen was bought by his daughter-in-law in 1988 along with four other chickens.
"It was only half a kilo when it came in, and after raising it for two months, it started to lay eggs," said Yang.
He added that the hen is still quite healthy except for a reduced appetite - a daily feed of grounded millet shells and maize - and bad vision.
Local vets said normally a hen can live up to seven or eight years, and the longest record is 12 years - just over half the age of Yang's hen, which has laid over 5,000 eggs.
Yang said: "Although people suggested me to kill it for food, I wouldn't do that. We'll raise it till it dies."
        

Beer mat flipping records broken

 

A man from Suffolk has broken a hat-trick of world records for flipping beer mats.

Dean Gould, 45, flipped and caught 35 beer mats with two fingers whilst he was blindfolded, more than doubling the previous best of 16.
He also set a new 'speed flipping' record with 800 successful flips in just 41.06 seconds, reports the Telegraph.
The third record involved catching 108 mats after dropping them from his elbow, beating the old 'snatch' record of 107.
Mr Gould added the three records to his previous tally of 13 Guinness world record entries, which include licking and sticking 235 stamps to envelopes in five minutes.
He also holds the record for eating 113 sweetcorn kernels with a cocktail stick in three minutes, and catching 341 one penny coins from his elbow.
Gould said: "It was great to break three records and a really good event.
"It was a wonderful atmosphere in the pub and people really enjoyed the day."

Chicken spotted with Jesus in feathers

 

Gloria the chicken has been found with the face of Jesus Christ on its feathers.

Owner Mitchell Grainger, 25, discovered the 'miracle' in a photo of his pet chicken having a dust bath, reports the Metro.
Grainger told Halesowen News: "I literally said 'Jesus Christ' when I saw the picture. The face of Jesus is clear to see and when I showed my mom she even pointed out the ring of thorns."
Gloria, from Rowley Regis, West Midlands, obviously has someone watching over her, after miraculously escaping a vicious fox attack.
"It is strange that it would appear on Gloria because not long ago she was the only chicken out of 20 that wasn't killed by a fox. She was standing on the step when he came and miraculously wasn't touched," Grainger added.
"That's why we called her Gloria, after Gloria Gaynor's song I Will Survive."

Hotel creates 'train room'

  

A hotel in Tokyo has has created its very own special model railway room for guests to sleep in.

The new room includes a grand model of Akihabara town that comes complete with its own fully functioning railroads.
Train enthusiasts can bring their own model trains or, alternatively, the hotel is more than happy to provide some, reports Rex Features.
Using the dual set of controls, guests can navigate their miniature trains round the cityscape - past highrise buildings and even through a tunnel under a mountain.
The unique room costs around 23,000 yen (£170) a night and is the only one in the Akihabara Washington Hotel.

Snake curled up in washing machine

  

A woman unloading her laundry from the washing machine was given a huge scare after finding a five-foot snake curled up in her clothes.

Wendy Foley, 51, spotted the huge corn snake which had crawled into the washer when the door was open - and survived the wash, reports The Sun.
The mum-of-two, from Exeter, Devon, said: "The washing had been through a full cycle and was ended so I was going to take it out and put more washing in.
"I opened the glass door at the front and I saw something.
"I took it to be part of a pair of jeans and then I wondered if it was a toy snake that children use. But then it poked its tongue out at me."
She was horrified when discovering she would have to wait until the next day before the RSPCA would take the snake away.
She said: "The boys and I waited outside the house for a while because we were so scared. Then they went to bed and I just sat on my bed all night absolutely petrified.
"I kept thinking that it would get out and that there could be more than one in the house. I hate snakes. They scare me and I've absolutely no idea where this one came from."

Woman breaks record for slowest Channel swim

 

A 56-year-old woman who used to weigh 20 stone before she had a gastric bypass in November has become the slowest person ever to swim the Channel.

Jackie Cobell from Tonbridge, Kent, took 28 hours and 44 minutes to get from Dover to Calais on Sunday after swimming 64 miles instead of the 21-mile direct route.
Mrs Cobell's circuitous trip to Calais was due to being pushed wildly off course by the strong tides.
She 'beat' the previous record, set by Henry Sullivan in 1923, by one hour and 56 minutes, reports the Daily Telegraph.
"I kept seeing the beach and thinking I was nearly there, then the tide would sweep me along the coast," she said.
"It has been very different swimming since I lost eight stone. I never used to get cold and I'm not as buoyant now, but I am a lot fitter and I don't have to worry about having high blood pressure."
Her husband David, who followed in a boat, said: "There were times when she seemed to be moving away from the beach rather than towards it and her stroke was getting weaker and weaker, but I wasn't ready for the amount of energy and persistence she had in doing the job."

Ice cream van for dogs set for debut

  

An ice cream van exclusively for dogs will make its first appearance at a pet festival in Regents Park on Saturday.

The canine-friendly, K99 ice cream was created by a team of scientists and will be on show at the Boomerang Pets Party, reports Rex Features.
The treat comes in two flavours; Dog Eat Hog World - a gammon and chicken sorbet topped with a biscuit bone and served in a cone, and Canine Cookie Crunch - dog biscuits and ice cream topped with a biscuit bone and served in a cone.
Head chef Ceric Nale said: "After a lot of research, a gammon and chicken ice cream and a mixed dog biscuit ice cream were the clear winners, and we hope they'll be flavours dogs simply can't refuse".
Sally Bezant, spokesperson for Boomerang Pets Party, added: "We wanted to give our furry friends the chance to enjoy their own refreshing snack and an ice cream van for dogs seemed like the perfect answer".

Donkey parachutes onto Russian beach

Russian beachgoers reacted in bemused shock as a distressed donkey circled overhead attached to a parachute.

The donkey only just survived his ordeal after landing in water near Golubitskaya in the Krasnodar region of Russia, reports The Daily Telegraph.
The donkey took to the skies as part of an advertising campaign launched by a group of entrepreneurs to attract locals to their private beach.
Regional police have now opened an investigation.
Spokeswoman Larisa Tuchkova said: "The donkey screamed and children cried. No one had the brains to call police."

Baboon begins world circus tour

  

A baboon from China has begun a world tour showcasing his gymnastic and dare-devil skills - the first to do so.

Moco, from the Changzhou Yancheng Wild Animal Park, specialises in flying rings, but can also perform other stunts such as horizontal bars, parallel bars, balance beam, fire hoops and bike riding.
The baboon will join up with the Ringling Circus or New York Big Apple Circus later in the summer, reports Quirky China News.
Trainer Li Jing started to teach Moco the flying rings out of curiosity, but the training has not gone without a hitch.
"He dropped down from the high place during training and he refused to go up since then," said Li.
"I nearly aborted the plan since the accident, and only gave some basic training to him. However, one day he jumped onto the ring and looked at me, seemingly to say 'let me try again'. With safety equipment, Moco finished a set of actions perfectly."

Boy with 24 fingers

  

A 12-year-old boy with 12 fingers and 12 toes won't be having surgey to remove his extra digits - because they are not affecting the functions of his hands and feet.

Ouyang Guangchun, from Songpo village in southern China's Hunan province, is the only member of his family with the condition known as polydactylism.
It is not unusual for children to be born with additional digits, but it is rare for the extra digits to look and function normally.
Guangchun's mother said: "If people don't look at his hands or feet carefully, they can hardly tell any unusualness, as the extra digits are growing so naturally with the others."
Strangely, three months before the birth of Guangchun, his family's sow also labored a weird shaped piglet, which had eight legs, two mouths and four ears.
"The pig died two days later. It possibly was a bad omen to the family, leading to the birth of my son with extra fingers and toes," the mother added.

Monkey smuggler arrested

  

A man has been stopped at an airport in Mexico for carrying 18 small monkeys in a girdle under his t-shirt.

Roberto Cabrera arrived at Mexico City's international airport on a commercial flight from Lima, Peru, but authorities noticed a suspicious bulge in his clothes and conducted a body search, the Public Safety Department said in a statement.
They say that Cabrera, 38, was carrying the six-inch baby titi monkeys in pouches attached to the girdle. Two of the monkeys were dead, reports the Metro.
Cabrera, who was arrested on charges of trafficking an endangered species, told authorities he had been carrying the monkeys in a suitcase, but decided to put them in his girdle instead 'so the X-rays wouldn't hurt them'.

Man changes name to Buzz Lightyear

  

A mechanic from the West Midlands has changed his name to Buzz Lightyear, to celebrate the release of Toy Story 3.

Steve Bolton, from West Bromwich, used the UK Deed Poll service to make it official, reports The Sun.
The 26-year-old said: "I'm a massive fan of Toy Story and Buzz is a great name.
"My girlfriend is going to love telling people she's going out with Buzz Lightyear.
"I hope kids will ask me for my autograph. It's going to feel great signing my name and introducing myself to people."
A spokesman for the Deed Poll Service added: "Steve seems to be a dedicated fan and we were more than happy to help him out with his name change."

world's fastest snail

  

"Ready, steady, slow!" - Sidney the snail stormed to victory at the World Snail Racing Championship in Norfolk.

He beat off stiff competition over the 13-inch course to win a silver tankard stuffed with lettuce.

The event at Congham near King's Lynn has been running for nearly 40 years, and although there are a number of imitations it's the only recognised World Championship.

This year's winner belongs to 62-year-old Claire Lawrence, from Litcham in Norfolk, and crossed the line in three minutes 41 seconds.

"I'm shell shocked my mum has won, as it's the first time she has entered," her son Harry Lawrence told Rex.

"She selected Sidney a couple of days ago and she has been training him in our garden and feeding him on a diet of rocket salad."

The world record stands at two minutes and was set by a snail called Archie in 1995. Unfortunately this year's windy conditions meant times were much slower than usual.