German police train vulture 'detectives' to find bodies

2 June 2011

German police are trying out a new weapon in the fight against crime - vultures that can find hidden corpses.

Three feathered detectives - called Sherlock, Miss Marple and Columbo - are being trained in Walsrode bird park in northern Germany.

The birds' keen eyesight and acute sense of smell might make them as skilful as their fictional namesakes.

But worryingly Sherlock sometimes prefers to hunt on foot, rather than scan the ground from above.

Police used a piece of shroud from a mortuary for the training exercise, German media report.

The vultures are thought to be better than sniffer dogs at finding bodies when a large area has to be searched and the terrain is difficult, for example if it is densely overgrown.

But the experiment raises ethical concerns because of the risk that a vulture could start pecking at a dead body, the Berliner Morgenpost newspaper says.

This week Miss Marple and Columbo, from a zoo in Austria, joined Sherlock for the exercise in the reserve, north of Hanover.

Police are using three birds because the vultures prefer to roam big areas as a group.

"The vultures may work much more effectively than sniffer dogs," said a Hanover police officer, Rainer Herrmann.

"There's a lot of interest in this. We've had inquiries from Germany, Austria and Switzerland," he said.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-13629772

First stage play with dog and cat cast debuts in Bangkok

Khoomsap is one of the stars of Thailand
Fantasy The Musichong (EPA)

Theatregoers in Bangkok were treated to the premiere of what was billed as the first ever stage play performed by dogs and cats on Saturday.

METRO WEB REPORTER - 21st May, 2011

'Dog and Cat First on Stage: Thailand Fantasy The Musichong' debuted at M Theatre with a cast that included 11 canines, one feline and six humans.

The charity show, which is raising money for Kasetsart University's animal hospital, tells the story of a group of dogs who help to save Thailand's tourism industry and their owners' travel company.

Scriptwriter and director Wanwilai Boonlon was delighted to put on a groundbreaking play for a good cause, but told the Bangkok Post working with the animal cast had posed some unusual problems.

'There's the challenge of getting man and dog to perform together, and so the human cast have to be animal lovers, who understand and can communicate with the dogs,' she said.

'In addition, the actors as well as the voiceover team have to promptly deal with any mishaps on stage.'

Despite the lack of opportunities for pets who wish to pursue a career on stage, 140 ambitious animals turned up for the auditions.

Some were looking to branch out from their film work, while others were trying to secure their first break in show business.

The male lead eventually went to mongrel Richard, a veteran of soaps and horror movies, while Maltese Porjai grabbed the female lead.

http://www.metro.co.uk/weird/863998-first-stage-play-with-dog-and-cat-cast-debuts-in-bangkok

Russian newsreader gets giggles over cannabis guarded by pot-bellied pigs

Alistair Potter - 12th May, 2011

Newsreader Tatiana Subbotina managed to get through a report about a marijuana farm in Canada - but only after corpsing, pretty dramatically, several times while trying to read out the story.

Fortunately for Ms Subbotina, the broadcast wasn't live so she got the chance to have another go after breaking down into fits of laughter when she told readers a cannabis farm had been guarded by a few different kinds of animals - including bears, dogs and pot-bellied pigs.

Unfortunately, that didn't change the fact she still found the entire story hilarious - so it took her several goes to finally make it through without collapsing into fits of laughter.

The story itself concerned a somewhat worrying find in British Columbia, Canada, where police uncovered a 2,500-plat cannabis farm that was being guarded by 13 bears.

Police also found 'a big dog' and 'a pot-bellied pig' on the premises, and it was the swine that caused Ms Subbotina such merriment.

'What the hell is a pig doing there?!' she exclaimed, after breaking down for a third time.

It seems the newscaster's laughter was infectious, as she was then repeatedly put off by studio staff off-camera failing to keep a straight face.

She eventually made it through, but still felt moved to crack a few jokes along the way (her particular favourite being about the bears sitting next to the marijuana plants and puffing on spliffs).

It's compelling watching.

http://www.metro.co.uk/weird/863138-newsreader-gets-giggles-over-cannabis-guarded-by-pot-bellied-pigs

Intense interest surrounds dog who may have participated in bin Laden raid

Thu May 5, 11:12 am ET

By Liz Goodwin

Americans are fascinated by the anonymous U.S. Navy SEALs who daringly raided Osama bin Laden's Abbottabad, Pakistan compound this week, but one canine commando is attracting especially fervent interest.

According to the New York Times and the British tabloid The Sun, a military dog (not pictured) was strapped onto one of the assault team members as he was lowered out of a Black Hawk helicopter and began the operation that killed the notorious terrorist on Monday. But who is this canine hero?

Sadly, we know very little, and the Pentagon hasn't confirmed that a dog was even on the mission, much less release information about the canine's name or breed.

"Little is known about what may be the nation's most courageous dog," the Times' Gardner Harris writes. He speculates that the dog was most likely a German shepherd or a Belgian Malinois, since those are the breeds most often found in the military's 2,700-strong military dog program. (A new breed, however, is becoming popular with the troops. Labrador retrievers have begun to "wander off-leash 100 yards or more in front of patrols to ensure the safety of the route.")

The Pentagon and White House are keeping tight-lipped about the details of the operation, but that, of course, hasn't prevented commentators from speculating on the dog's role based on the functions of other war dogs in combat. "It's possible that the commandos brought a specialized search dog, which would have been sent in ahead of the humans to find explosives or people hidden inside the building," Slate's Brian Palmer writes. Or the dog could have been a "combat tracker"--canines who are specially trained to sniff out individuals and then follow their trail. Saddam Hussein was found in a hole under a hut--the assault team could have decided that they needed a good tracking dog in case bin Laden had a similar idea.

Dogs are increasingly important in America's combat operations abroad, and some have been outfitted with special (and adorable) "doggles" to protect their eyes, oxygen masks to protect their lungs as they parachute out with soldiers at high altitudes, and even waterproof vests that contain infrared cameras that transmit video back to servicemen watching a monitor yards behind them. Check out Foreign Policy's beautiful photo essay on military dogs here.

Luckily for this courageous and anonymous furry creature, there is some precedent for war dogs receiving military honors. The Navy awarded a Silver Star in 2009 to a dog named Remco who gave his life charging "an insurgent's hide-out in Afghanistan," Harris writes. According to Foreign Policy, another dog named Eli fiercely guarded his Marine, Private First Class Colton Rusk, after he was shot by Taliban sniper fire in Afghanistan. Rusk's bomb-sniffing dog would not even let fellow Marines approach the wounded Rusk, who did not survive the attack. Eli now lives with Rusk's family.

The dog's role was not mentioned in any of the public White House press briefings on bin Laden's death. Pentagon spokeswoman Elizabeth Robbins wrote in an e-mail to The Lookout in response to our question about the dog that the Pentagon has "no additional operational details, or comments on operational details, to make at this time."

(Doggles: image from the U.S. Army's Flickr photostream)

http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_thelookout/20110505/ts_yblog_thelookout/intense-interest-surrounds-dog-who-helped-capture-bin-laden

Ohio man charged for barking at police dog

Posted on Tuesday, 04.05.11

MASON, Ohio -- Police say an Ohio man has been charged with a misdemeanor for barking at a police dog.

A police report says 25-year-old Ryan James Stephens was charged with teasing a police dog in the Cincinnati suburb of Mason.

Officer Bradley Walker wrote that he heard the K9 dog barking uncontrollably inside his patrol car while he was investigating a car crash at a pub early Sunday morning. Walker says Stephens was making barking noises and hissing at the animal.

Walker reported that Stephens said "the dog started it" when asked why he was harassing the animal. The officer said Stephens appeared highly intoxicated.

There was no answer to calls to Stephens' home in Mason. He is to appear April 21 in municipal court.

http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/04/05/2152217/cops-ohio-man-charged-after-barking.html

Iran launches first capsule for living creature into orbit

17.03.2011 15:09

The Iranian Aerospace Organization launched into orbit its first capsule with a living being on March 15, the IRNA reported.

The capsule, which is located on board the Kavoshgar-4 rocket, was designed to carry a monkey. For the pilot trip, a wax figure was placed into the capsule instead of an animal.

The launch will test the capsule's components.

The capsule took an aerial photograph of the Earth at an altitude of 120 kilometers from its surface. Technical failures were not reported.

Iran successfully launched the Kaveshgyar-1 missile on Feb. 4, 2008, which was used to collect data and place the first national satellite into orbit. Tehran launched the Kavoshgar-2 rocket with scientific equipment in November 2008. The rocket took the atmospheric pressure and measured the wind speed at different altitudes.

In February 2010, Iran successfully test-fired the Kavoshgar-3 rocket, which carried one rodent, two turtles, and several worms into space and returned them to Earth alive.

Iran's first astronaut will fly into space in 2017, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said earlier.

http://en.trend.az/regions/iran/1847092.html

How 'Chimpus Commercialus' Went From Ad Star to Endangered Species

Pressure From Animal-Rights Groups Has Agencies Pledging Not to Use Great Apes for Ad Entertainment

By Brian Steinberg
Published: February 06, 2011

NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- They were once stars. After a rough start in life -- taken from their mothers during infancy -- they found themselves on the national stage, making millions laugh during the Super Bowl. Their careers were short, two or three years at most, and now they've been shunted aside. But they're the lucky ones. Sent to finish out their lives in Florida, the four chimpanzees from the original CareerBuilder Super Bowl ads share a home with Michael Jackson's former pet, Bubbles, at the Center for Great Apes in Wauchula. They could have ended up in cages in roadside attractions, or on the nightly news, put down after going on a rampage.

Before this year's Super Bowl, it had likely been years since most Americans had seen a national TV spot featuring an ape. That's because chimpus commercialus and its kin, thanks to pressure put on marketers and ad agencies by animal-rights groups, are on the verge of extinction.


But there are still reminders. After moving away from the use of chimpanzees in its Big Game commercials, CareerBuilder has sparked a minor controversy by reviving interest in the animals that have long been a staple of big-budget TV advertising. CareerBuilder ads in last night's game returned to the theme from the company's memorable efforts in 2005 and 2006: chimpanzees as obstinate, time-wasting cubicle-mates who demonstrate the need for CareerBuilder's online job listings.

Last night's spot could mark the last for this close relative of the monkey that has ridden on Madison Avenue's back for decades.

Eighteen different ad agencies have agreed in the last few years to stop using great apes in the commercials they produce, the result of an ongoing effort started in 2008 by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.

Among the big firms involved are Omnicom Group's BBDO, GSD&M and Merkley & Partners; Interpublic Group of Cos.' McCann Erickson, DraftFCB and RPA; Havas' Arnold and Euro RSCG; WPP's Grey Group, Ogilvy & Mather, Young & Rubicam and JWT; and Publicis Groupe's Saatchi & Saatchi and Leo Burnett.

"The list is only going to grow," said Julia Galluci, a primatologist with PETA who studies the use of apes in commercials.

Indeed, Omnicom's DDB and TBWA/Chiat/Day, two agencies that work for marketers that have made memorable ads with chimps in the past -- Anheuser-Busch InBev and PepsiCo -- are not yet on the list.

PETA also successfully lobbied several major advertisers to modify or pull ads in 2010 when apes were featured. Pfizer edited out an orangutan used in a commercial crafted by Grey Group for its Robitussin, and decided instead to incorporate a digital image of a chimp. Dodge, AT&T and Travelers Insurance made similar moves after PETA's approach.

For its part, CareerBuilder, which created its ad in-house, said it has treated the animals involved in this year's Super Bowl plans well. "During the production of our ad, we followed the strictest guidelines to ensure our chimpanzee stars were treated well and not harmed in any way. We hired top trainers known to provide the highest standard of care for their animals. We also had a member of an animal rights group, the American Humane Association, on set during the entire filming to ensure the chimpanzees were treated with respect," the company said in a statement. "This was very important to us."

But it's not the treatment of the animals on set that is the main concern from animal-rights groups. Rather, it's the procurement and disposal of apes for acting.

Apes in the wild stay with their mothers for nearly the first decade of life, and typically nurse for the first five or six years, said Patti Ragan, founder and director of the Center for Great Apes, the private sanctuary that hosts those four CareerBuilder chimps as well as Bubbles. But to work on an ad, movie or TV program, a chimp or orangutan needs to be under the age of 8. When they pass that age, she said, "they are too dangerous and strong to work around humans" and are therefore retired. Caring for the animals after they can no longer work on shoots can require something in the neighborhood of $20,000 a year, she estimated.

Heartstring-plucking details such as these are likely not immediately clear to the consumers who thrill to monkeyshines in TV pitches. And even those who protect the chimps admit that there has been no consumer outrage. If it did, the animals wouldn't show up year after year in the Super Bowl, the nation's broadest advertising showcase.

Great apes have appeared in 10 different ads tailored for the Big Game since 2000, according to research from students of Chuck Tomkovick, a professor of marketing at University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, who has studied Super Bowl ads for years. There's good reason: Mr. Tomkovick's recent research suggests that placing any sort of an animal in an ad increases its likability.

The ad industry's eagerness to distance itself from chimps and their cousins comes even though capturing consumer attention with TV ads has become increasingly difficult. And it arrives despite the fact consumers are more likely to stop and notice chimps and apes when spotted on the TV screen. Chimps and apes have particular appeal, said Barbara J. King, an anthropology professor at the College of William and Mary, who has studied apes and monkeys in the wild and in U.S. zoos for 30 years.

"They are like us, but they're not like us," she said. "It's exactly that strange paradox that grabs people."

Further, when it comes to convincing consumers that apes need protecting, there is a perception problem. "It looks to me like these commercials are making these animals seem cute and perfectly well-cared for," said Ms. King, the anthropology professor. "It's not clear to me from the surface of it why consumers would necessarily be concerned unless someone tells them the back story."

And PETA has been relaying that story to ad-agency executives to some effect. "The cruelty of separating baby apes from their mothers, the brutal training, and the tragic 'retirement' provide a real incentive not to use them," said Andrew Robertson, president-CEO of BBDO Worldwide.

"They are cute. They behave like humans. They are cuddly," said Tony Granger, global chief creative officer at Young & Rubicam. "But what really does it for me is understanding that the apes are taken away from their mothers. We honestly didn't know any of this."

PETA expects to press its case, Ms. Galluci said. The organization is in early talks with BBDO to create an ad campaign aimed at ad-industry employees and make them aware of the problems with using live apes in ad shoots. "It's the agencies that are writing the stories, writing the scripts for these ads," she said. Once agency executives hear the details about the simians, she added, "they are really quick to agree" not to use them any longer. Whether the entire industry apes the move remains to be seen.

http://adage.com/superbowl/article?article_id=148714

Saudi Arabia 'detains' Israeli vulture for spying

5 January 2011

Saudi Arabian officials have "detained" a vulture on accusations of being a spy for Israel, media reports say.

The griffon vulture was carrying a GPS transmitter bearing the name of Tel Aviv University, prompting rumours it was part of a Zionist plot.

Israeli wildlife officials dismissed the claims as ludicrous and expressed concern about the bird's fate.

Last month, Egyptian officials implied the Israeli spy agency Mossad was to blame for shark attacks off its coast.

The vulture, which can have a wing span of up to 265cm (8ft 8in), was caught after it landed in the desert city of Hyaal a few days ago.

When locals discovered the GPS transmitter, they suspected the worst and handed it over to the security forces, said Israel's Ma'ariv newspaper.

Conspiracy theories quickly began circulating in Saudi newspapers and on websites that the bird was involved in espionage.

'Terrible price'

Israeli officials told Ma'ariv they were "stunned" by the allegations and concerned that the bird could meet a horrible punishment in the notoriously severe Saudi justice system.

"The device does nothing more than receive and store basic data about the bird's whereabouts, and about his altitude and speed," a bird specialist at Israel's Park and Nature Authority told the newspaper.

The data would be used to improve understanding of the endangered species' behaviour.

"Now, this poor bird is paying a terrible price. That's very sad," said the unnamed expert.

"I hope they release the poor thing."

The vulture is the latest animal to be accused of being an unwitting Mossad operative.

In December, the governor of Egypt's South Sinai province, Mohamed Abdul Fadil Shousha, suggested the spy agency may have had a hand in a string of deadly shark attacks off the coast of the Sharm el-Sheikh resort.

He said it was "not out of the question" that Mossad had put the killer shark in the area.

The Israeli foreign ministry dismissed that allegation, saying the governor "must have seen Jaws one time too many, and confuses fact and fiction".

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12120259

Lifedogs trained to rescue swimmers in Italy

August 24, 2010 5:00 PM

They many not look quite like Pamela Anderson in a red swimsuit, but dogs are being trained to work as lifeguards on Italian beaches.

Dozens of the pooches are currently undergoing training which will see them taught how to jump from helicopters or boats and save stranded swimmers.

In total the Italian Coast Guard uses 300 lifedogs - mostly golden retrievers and labradors - which each work with a human lifeguard.

Bosses say the dogs are great for taking inflatable rubber rings to swimmers who are in distress and act as an "intelligent lifebuoy".

The dogs are credited with saving the lives of some of the 3,000 people rescued each year -- not bad considering they can only swim doggie paddle.

http://newslite.tv/2010/08/24/lifedogs-trained-to-rescue-swi.html

Military dog recovers from PTSD after Iraq war

5 August 2010

A military dog named Gina is recovering from post-traumatic stress disorder after a six-month tour in Iraq, where she conducted door-to-door searches.

A veterinarian diagnosed the dog with PTSD, which some experts say can affect animals in a similar way to humans.

The two-year-old dog returned home to Peterson Air Force base in the US state of Colorado one year ago terrified, skittish and fearful.

But Gina is close to a full recovery, kennel master Sgt Eric Haynes says.

Sgt Haynes takes care of about 18 dogs on the military base but says he has never seen "any dogs with issues this extreme".

"She was terrified all the time. She wouldn't go in and out of buildings," he said.

PTSD, which the military characterises as a condition that develops after a life-threatening trauma, has not been researched in animals as thoroughly as in humans. But some experts say animals can experience a form of it.

"There is a condition in dogs which is almost precisely the same, if not precisely the same, as PTSD in humans," Tufts University animal behaviour specialist Nicholas Dodman told the AP news agency.

And Gina was displaying symptoms of PTSD until just a few months ago.

Upon arriving home from Iraq, Sgt Haynes says the dog frequently crouched low to the ground and would lock her legs. She was also afraid of loud noises and would regularly turn her head to check if anyone or anything was lurking behind her.

But Sgt Haynes says Gina is turning around with the help of proper recovery exercises.

"She isn't fully recovered, but she's doing really well now. She's been re-certified and is performing operational duties again."

Several bags of treats, walks around the base, interacting with strangers and a slow reintroduction of loud noises have helped to rebuild the dog's confidence, says Sgt Haynes.

But Sgt Haynes does not expect to send Gina back to Iraq any time soon.

Since catching the attention of the media this week, Sgt Haynes says he has received approximately 60-70 e-mails a day from people around the world trying to adopt Gina.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-10873444
(Submitted by Liz R.)

Ron the border collie: the Rooney of the sheep dog transfer market

RIGHT: Ron the border collie was sold for £5,000 at auction. Photo: rossparry.co.uk

At 14 months, he has attracted a record transfer fee at an age when many footballers were unable to walk.

By John Bingham
Published: 7:30AM BST 22 Jul 2010

And when it comes to running rings round the opposition, Ron is very much the Wayne Rooney of the sheep dog world.

The tricoloured border collie was sold for £5,000 at an auction that set new ground for the value of sheep dogs, which have become increasingly difficult to come by because of a shortage of trainers.

A 26-month-old sheepdog named Rex fetched the same sum at the sale in Skipton, North Yorkshire, as farmers competed to snap up the best animals in scenes more akin to Sotheby’s or Christie’s.

Ron’s trainer, John Bell, said he knew the dog had star quality the moment he bought him as a six-month-old pup in Northumberland.

“Quite honestly he is just a special dog,” he said.

“He was going far better than the average and he is also, at 14 months, a year younger than the average.

“He has come on so quickly, he has the brains, style, power.” The sale at Skipton Auction Mart drew an audience of 1,000 and broke all records for sheepdog sales.

Potential buyers travelled from as far as the Shetland Islands and the west of Ireland in search of the elite of the sheepdog world, while others even put in bids by telephone.

Adopting the currency of the horse racing world, the two dogs went for 4,900 guineas (£5,145), breaking the record set at the same auction mart six years ago.

Ron was bought by a Scottish farmer and Rex by Nigel Watkins, a farmer from Llangadog, Carmarthenshire.

“There was silence,” said Mr Bell, 77, of Howden, East Yorks. “When dogs go up to £4,000 you can hear them go quiet.

“You get an atmosphere, you get 1,000 farmer types there are a lot of characters.”

Although exceptional, the prices were not unexpected.

With around 90 highly trained sheepdogs for sale, all went for several thousand pounds each.

As the number of specialist trainers available has declined, the market for Britain’s best sheepdogs has begun to resemble the Premier League transfer market.

So highly valued are they that some farmers have installed extra security to prevent them being stolen to order.

Mr Bell also earned more than £4,000 for Floss, a 15-month-old border collie bitch at the same sale.

“People who can’t manage dogs go and buy quad bikes at £7,000 or £8,000,” explained Mr Bell.

“A quad bike will depreciate by about £1,000 a year but a dog, if you multiply that by 10 years of work it is very very little to get a job done bringing in 3,000 sheep.”

In demonstrations on a hillside next to the auction mart, Ron impressed the crowd by carefully rounding up one sheep which seemed determined to break away from the flock.

“Its head was up the moment they let them out of the release pen, I could see straight away that there was going to be a problem,” said Mr Bell, a former horse trainer. “The way he handled it for his age was amazing.

“A lot of them are only just beginning to be trained at that age and he was tracking sheep in two fields.”

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/agriculture/farming/7903305/Ron-the-border-collie-the-Rooney-of-the-sheep-dog-transfer-market.html

Bad Hare Day

10:52am UK, Thursday July 22, 2010
Alex Watts, Sky News Online

A greyhound race was thrown into chaos in Australia - when a real hare strayed on to the track.

A dog called Ginny Lou was in third place on the last bend when it spotted the animal and veered off after it.

The incredible scene was captured on TV cameras as the 20/1 outsider sprinted off the track at Shepparton in Victoria.

Angry gamblers were forced to tear up their betting slips when the 390m Finer Fruit Stakes race was then abandoned.

Bookmakers handed back the £18,500 that had been waged.

Racing officials spent the night searching for the hare, but it could not be found.

Trainer Scott Stefanos said the intruder had cost him $75 (£43) in prize money for the third place.

"Ginny Lou is pretty smart because she's the only dog who set off after the real thing," he told the Sydney Daily Telegraph.

"It's a shame she didn't get rewarded for her efforts.

"The lure must have scared it because it's come from underneath the inside fence, took a couple of strides towards the dogs, realised it was going the wrong way and then darted across the track.

"Ginny Lou has slammed on the brakes and off she went. To her credit she thought she was doing the right thing, then had the nous to carry on and join the rest of the field."

Shepparton club president John Martin said he had no idea where the hare had come from.

"We've got full-time staff here who are still looking for that damn rabbit," he added.

Racing experts said the odd snake or duck had been seen on greyhound courses in Australia, but never a live hare.

See video at: http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/World-News/Australia-Greyhound-Race-Hare-Strays-On-To-Wrong-Side-Of-Track-At-Shepparton-Victoria/Article/201007415669087?f=rss

Four legs and a cool head in the midst of 7/7 chaos

Click to enlarge

http://e-edition.metro.co.uk/2010/07/07/ - p11.

Bin busker employs guard dog

1 July 2010

A Suffolk busker who performs from inside a litter bin has bought a dog to protect his takings.

Charlie Cavey, 31, sings and plays guitar whilst squeezed inside a tiny metal bin in Cambridge.

But he can't keep an eye on his money from inside the bin so he employed eight-year-old Obi the Jack Russell to stand guard.

"I have had problems with people taking money as they don't always realise I am in the bin and it looks like free cash," he said.

"It's quite a struggle to keep getting in and out of the bin so now I bring Obi with me. He is really good and just stands on top of the bin and watches people going by."

Mr Cavey, from Newmarket, first started performing in a bin as a joke.

"I saw a man empty a metal rubbish bin one day in the city centre and thought I could fit inside it," said Charlie.

"I managed to squeeze myself in much to the amusement of all my mates. Then I learnt to play the guitar and a friend reminded me about the bin so I decided to combine the two."

Charlie said he always attracts crowds as people can't work out where the songs are coming from.

"They can hear me but can't see me so they always stop and try to work out where I am," he said.

But he said singing in a bin does have its drawbacks: "I get people throwing rubbish into the bin not realising I'm inside," he said.

http://web.orange.co.uk/article/quirkies/Bin_busker_employs_guard_dog

NY police dog finds parole violator 1st day on job

Jun 16, 2:06 AM EDT

NEWBURGH, N.Y. (AP) -- A new police dog has learned an old trick - tracking down a parole violator outside New York City on its first day on the job.

Bloodhound Tank Tebow (TEE'-boh) is handled by Officer Curtis Hahne (hayn) in Newburgh, 60 miles north of New York.

Tank was donated to police Monday and began his career with the officer Tuesday. Two hours later police were dispatched to an apartment complex on a tip the parole violator was there. But by the time police arrived the man had disappeared.

Police say Tank followed the man's scent into a commercial area, through woods, across streets and into another apartment complex several blocks away. They say the man surrendered without incident.

Tank is certified by the National Police Bloodhound Association. He'll also be used to find missing people.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_ODD_BLOODHOUNDS_1ST_DAY

Restaurant fined for 'gay' guide dog ban

Monday, April 26 2010, 12:47 BST
By Mayer Nissim, Entertainment Reporter

A restaurant in Australia has been banned after banning a blind man from entering the premises with a "gay" guide dog.

Ian Jolly, 57 of Woodville North, was barred from restaurant Thai Spice in May 2009, the Adelaide Sunday Mail reports.

Restaurant owners Hong Hoa Thi To and Anh Hoang Le gave a statement to an equal opportunity tribunal stating that they thought Jolly's partner Chris Lawrence said that "she wanted to bring a gay dog into the restaurant".

"The staff genuinely believed that Nudge was an ordinary pet dog which had been desexed to become a gay dog," the statement continued.

Despite the restaurant displaying a "guide dogs welcome" sign, Jolly and Lawrence were refused entry to the Grange eatery with the canine.

At the tribunal conciliation hearing the restaurant agreed to attend an equal opportunity course, issue Jolly a written apology and pay him the sum of AU$1,500 (£970) in compensation.

http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/odd/news/a216557/restaurant-fined-for-gay-guide-dog-ban.html

Thai Police Force Takes Monkey On The Beat

10:13am UK, Friday April 02, 2010

Tom Bonnett, Sky News Online

A Thai police force has begun taking a monkey dressed in officer's uniform on patrol each day to help improve relations with Muslim separatists.

The five-year-old pig-tailed macaque was adopted after policemen in Yaha province in southern Thailand found him injured with a broken arm.

Trainers taught Santisuk, which means peace in Thai, to pick up coconuts and he now lends a hand collecting the fruit with residents.

The monkey also helps supervise a police checkpoint and his boss says he has made it a much happier place.

Motorists now stop to play with Santisuk, rather than getting angry at the hold-up.

Other forces are now considering introducing monkeys to better their image in the troubled province.

Separatists are blamed for most of the attacks in Thailand's predominantly Muslim deep south.

Buddhists and Muslims associated with the Thai state - such as police, soldiers, government officials and teachers - are often targeted.

http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/Strange-News/Monkey-Police-Macaque-On-Patrol-With-Thai-Force-To-Help-Improve-Relations-With-Muslim-Separatists/Article/201004115591175?f=rss

Ferrets key to bridging the digital divide between cities and rural areas

Ferrets have been used by Virgin Media for over a year to help lay cables for its broadband service. Photo: VIRGIN

Specially trained ferrets are being used to deliver broadband to rural areas following groundbreaking techniques used by an internet provider.

Published: 7:00AM BST 01 Apr 2010

The animals have been used by Virgin Media for over a year to help lay cables for its broadband service, the company has disclosed.

The ferrets wear jackets fitted with a microchip which is able to analyse any breaks or damage in the underground network.

The development could help increase broadband in current Internet "dead zones", giving access to inaccessible places, and and helping bridge the 'digital divide'.

Currently most broadband technologies are limited to short distances from central switching offices so most companies focus on cities to keep costs down.

The government has set a target of universal broadband access of 2Mbps by 2012. Analysts estimate that the cost of running fibre optic cables to all parts of the country could cost anywhere between £10 billion and £25 billion. A 50p levy of every phone line in the country has been proposed to cover costs.

Currently around two million homes, one in 10 households, are without broadband.

Jon James, director of broadband for Virgin Media, said: "For hundreds of years, ferrets have helped humans in various jobs. Our decision to use them is due to their strong nesting instinct, their long, lean build and inquisitive nature, and for their ability to get down holes. We initially kept the trial low-key as we wanted to assess how well the ferrets fitted into our operations before revealing this enterprising scheme."

Ferrets have been used to run cables through hard-to-reach places in the past.

Events organisers in London used them to run television and sound cables outside Buckingham Palace for the wedding of the Prince of Wales and the late Diana, Princess of Wales.

A similar system was used to lay the cables for televised coverage for the Party in the Park concert in Greenwich at the Millennium.

With their long lean build ferrets have historically been sent down holes to chase rodents and rabbits out of their burrows.

Caesar Augustus is thought to have sent ferrets to the Balearic Islands to control the rabbit plagues in 6BC.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/7541455/Ferrets-key-to-bridging-the-digital-divide-between-cities-and-rural-areas.html

Mary Rose's dog unveiled for the first time

The only female crew member of The Mary Rose is to go on display after years of painstaking reconstruction - a two-year-old mongrel called Hatch.

By Chris Irvine
Published: 7:30AM GMT 11 Mar 2010

The 16th century sea dog acquired the nickname after divers discovered her remains near the sliding hatch door of the ill-fated ship's carpenter's cabin, where she had lain since it sank in 1545.

Hatch's skeleton will be on display at this year's Crufts as the special guest of the Kennel Club, along with a selection of other Tudor artefacts.

The mongrel was most likely on board as the ship's ratter - superstitious Tudor seamen did not have cats on board as they were thought to bring bad luck. According to experts, analysis of Hatch's skeleton suggests she spent most of her life within the confines of the ship.

"We are delighted to bring Hatch, the world's oldest lost sea dog, to the world's premier dog show, so that visitors can meet an ancestor of their much loved pets," said John Lippiett, Chief Executive of the Mary Rose Trust and Hatch's guardian.

"Hatch is just one of 19,000 extraordinary Tudor treasures recovered with the wreck of the Mary Rose, but she has never been on display in Portsmouth simply because we have not had the room."

Following her appearance at the annual dog show, Hatch will finally return home to Portsmouth where she will be displayed in the Mary Rose Museum.

Caroline Kisko, Communications Director of the Kennel Club, said: "It is fantastic to host Hatch before she finally returns home. She is undoubtedly the oldest, most unusual and most historically important exhibit that we have ever had at DFS Crufts and her tragic story is bound to fascinate visitors. We are delighted to have her with us - after nearly 500 years of loyal service she is due a little 'shore leave'!"

The sinking of Henry VIII's flagship the Mary Rose has always remained a mystery. Research has suggested that the warship sank when it performed a sharp turn during a battle with the French and heeled so steeply the water flooded through its open gun ports.

In 2008, experts suggested that the gun ports may have been open because of a major misunderstanding between the ship's captain Admiral George Carew and his Spanish-speaking crew. The sinking of the ship resulted in the loss of almost 500 lives.

The wreck was found in the 1830s but lost again as The Solent silted up. It was not rediscovered until 1967.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/culturenews/7412865/Mary-Roses-dog-unveiled-for-the-first-time.html

'Old Baldy' horse head going back up in Philly

Mar 8, 11:34 PM EST

PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- A museum in Philadelphia will once again showcase the head of Old Baldy, the horse Gen. George Meade rode during many of the Civil War's most infamous battles.

The warhorse's preserved head was the subject of a battle between two city museums that both claimed ownership.

A deal has been reached that allows the Grand Army of the Republic Museum and the Civil War Museum to share Old Baldy. The head could arrive at the Grand Army museum this month.

The Civil War Museum closed in 2008 but plans to reopen in 2015. Other items in its collection have been sent to several area museums.

Old Baldy was considered a Union hero after surviving the battles of Antietam and Gettysburg and soldiering on after being shot in battle many times.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_ODD_OLD_BALDY