WELLINGTON – Scientists say they are hoping to develop a deodorant for New Zealand's native birds to stop them falling prey to introduced predators.
New Zealand has an abundance of native bird species, including the famous kiwi, but no native land mammals, meaning introduced animals such as cats and stoats have had a devastating impact on bird numbers.
Canterbury University reseacher Jim Briskie said Friday it appeared New Zealand birds suffered from body odor, making them an easy target for predators.
Briskie said unlike their overseas counterparts, which evolved alongside mammals, New Zealand birds emitted a strong smell when preened to produce wax to protect their feathers.
He said the kiwi smelled like mushrooms or ammonia, while the flightless kakapo parrot's odor was like "musty violin cases", possibly contributing to its endangered status.
The Marsden scientific research fund has given Briskie a 600,000 New Zealand dollar ($440,000) grant to study native bird body odors over the next three years in the hope of making them less exposed to predators.
"Down the line, if we do find some species are particularly smelly or vulnerable, perhaps I can design a deodorant for kiwis," he told the Dominion Post newspaper.
Sunday, 26 September 2010
Yob arrested after he bought £1.99 goldfish and then swallowed it in pet shop
A yob has been arrested after buying a goldfish in a pet shop and swallowing it in front of horrified shop staff. Chris Caswell, 30, was arrested yesterday over the prank that was videoed by his friends and posted on Facebook.
He paid £1.99 for the fish and then asked staff to put it in a glass he had bought with him, claiming he just lived across the road. A shopworker agreed and then watched in horror as he downed the fish in one gulp. After Caswell ate the creature, his friend, videoing the encounter, said: ‘Goldfish down the hatch!’ They then walked out of the shop laughing and joking.
Police were alerted after the footage was posted on the social networking website.
Caswell, a roofer, was arrested in a dawn raid at his home in Newton Aycliffe, County Durham, yesterday, on suspicion of cruelty to animals. He was quizzed at a police station for an hour then released.
Last night he insisted he was an animal lover and said he had been drinking at the time.
He told the Sun: ‘It was over a year ago. We had been out drinking at a friend’s party. I can’t remember much about it. I have just got a puppy. I like animals.’
The RSPCA last night said it was still investigating the stunt at the Petals and Pets shop in Newton Aycliffe. If Caswell is found guilty of animal cruelty he could face a £20,000 fine or six months in jail.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1315075/Yob-arrested-bought-1-99-goldfish-swallowed-pet-shop.html?ITO=socialnet-twitter-dmailnews#ixzz10cyf882M
He paid £1.99 for the fish and then asked staff to put it in a glass he had bought with him, claiming he just lived across the road. A shopworker agreed and then watched in horror as he downed the fish in one gulp. After Caswell ate the creature, his friend, videoing the encounter, said: ‘Goldfish down the hatch!’ They then walked out of the shop laughing and joking.
Police were alerted after the footage was posted on the social networking website.
Caswell, a roofer, was arrested in a dawn raid at his home in Newton Aycliffe, County Durham, yesterday, on suspicion of cruelty to animals. He was quizzed at a police station for an hour then released.
Last night he insisted he was an animal lover and said he had been drinking at the time.
He told the Sun: ‘It was over a year ago. We had been out drinking at a friend’s party. I can’t remember much about it. I have just got a puppy. I like animals.’
The RSPCA last night said it was still investigating the stunt at the Petals and Pets shop in Newton Aycliffe. If Caswell is found guilty of animal cruelty he could face a £20,000 fine or six months in jail.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1315075/Yob-arrested-bought-1-99-goldfish-swallowed-pet-shop.html?ITO=socialnet-twitter-dmailnews#ixzz10cyf882M
Saturday, 25 September 2010
White elephant discovery 'a positive omen' for Burma
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The seven foot tall beast was captured on Thursday in Rakhine state in the northwest, and is the fifth white elephant caught in a decade. The elephant is estimated to be 18 years old. Photo: AP |
Published: 10:59AM BST 25 Sep 2010
The seven foot tall beast was captured on Thursday in Rakhine state in the northwest, and is the fifth white elephant caught in a decade. The elephant is estimated to be 18 years old.
The newspaper, a mouthpiece for the ruling junta, hailed the elephant's capture as a sign the country will be peaceful and free from all dangers, and its people will enjoy greater prosperity and progress.
"It is auspicious that a rare white elephant emerged at a time when Myanmar was going through a democratic transition and the elections will be held peacefully and successfully," it said.
White elephants, actually albinos, have for centuries been revered in Burma, Thailand, Laos and other Asian nations.
They were normally kept and pampered by monarchs and considered a symbol of royal power and prosperity.
Burma's military rulers, like many of the country's citizens, are said to be particularly superstitious.
The Nov 7 general elections will be the first in 20 years.
The National League for Democracy party of Nobel Peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi won the last polls but was not allowed to take power by the military. It is boycotting this year's vote, charging that the election rules are unfair and undemocratic.
The New Light of Myanmar said the elephant's capture will ensure that peace, stability and prosperity will continue under the new elected government, explaining that white elephants only emerge in places where the practice of Buddhism flourishes and rulers govern justly.
It said that according to ancient treatises, it is hard to find even a single white elephant among a thousand, but five of the rare beasts have emerged from 2001 to 2010, and the latest discovery is a matter of "national pride."
The country's fourth white elephant, a 38-year-old female captured in the jungles of Rakhine state in June, was given a lavish welcome ceremony when it was taken to the administrative capital of Naypyitaw.
Three other white elephants caught earlier are kept in a special park in Yangon, where they live in an enclosure with spiralled pavilions, a man-made waterfall, ponds and trees.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/burmamyanmar/8024818/White-elephant-discovery-a-positive-omen-for-Burma.html
See also: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/home/Burma-finds-rare-white-elephant-in-western-forest-30138736.html
'Sick prank' leaves cat dyed pink in Swindon
The RSPCA have criticised a "sick prank" in which a cat had its fur dyed pink and was then thrown over a garden fence in Swindon.
Officers are looking for the owner of the cat, which was found by a man in his garden in Wesley Street on 18 September.
The two-year-old, who has been named Pink, is said to be in good health.
However, vets have not been able to wash the dye out of her fur and she will have to wait for it to grow out.
It is thought the naturally white domestic short-haired cat is either a stray or has been abandoned.
This is because the fur around her neck has a pattern which suggests she has been wearing a collar fairly recently.
But the RSPCA said she could be someone's missing pet who was the victim of a prank.
Veterinary surgeon Penny Gillespie, who is caring for Pink at Cheldene Veterinary Centre and Boarding Cattery, said: "We have no idea what the dye is or how long it will last.
"It is clearly not toxic but still unpleasant.
"The person responsible has covered her thoroughly all over but avoided putting any around the animal's eyes and nose.
"Further washing would stress Pink and probably would not help to remove the colour so it will be case of waiting for it to grow out."
RSPCA officer Carl Hone said: "When I got the call I thought perhaps it would be a cat with something natural on their coat or which had rubbed against wet paint but this poor creature has been dyed completely pink, except around her eyes and nose, so she looks like she has a white mask on."
He added: "We are very keen to trace the person responsible for doing this to the cat and I would urge anyone with information, or who knows who she belongs to, to please call the RSPCA."
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-wiltshire-11407516
Fish with 'human teeth' bit angler
An angler had a shock in the US - when a mystery fish bit him back with distinctly human-looking teeth.
Frank Yarborough was fishing in Lake Wylie, South Carolina, when he hooked the fish which was 5lb and nearly 1ft 8ins long.
Assuming it was a catfish, he scooped his hand in the water to pull it out, only to find his fingers clamped between what appeared to be a set of dentures.
Robert Stroud, a freshwater fisheries biologist with the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, has confirmed that samples from the fish have been sent off to determine the fish's species.
Stroud told WBTV: "This fish is more than likely a common species of Pacu, Colossama macropomum, originating from the Amazon River basin of South America and is quite common in the aquarium trade."
Pacus, a distant relative of the piranha, is a warm water fish, and not native to Lake Wylie. Biologists believe it was probably raised in an exotic fish tank and released when it got too large for the tank.
The fish is currently in a freezer in Mr Yarborough's Clover home, but unsurprisingly he has no plans to cook his catch.
http://web.orange.co.uk/article/quirkies/Fish_with_human_teeth_bit_angler
(Submitted by Naomi West)
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