How far would China’s conservationists go to safeguard the country’s giant pandas, a struggling species of a couple thousand? This far: oversized, fuzzily oppressive bear costumes.
Animals
Wounded Fox Shoots Man. Yep. Kind of Like Man Bites Dog.
It’s the dream of every animal rights campaigner: Fox Shoots Man.
Penguin Pain: Scientists Discover Research Bands May Actually Be Harming Wildlife
Those cute and cuddly penguins that we all love to gawk at may be having a hard time going about their business, and all because of the way we’ve been tracking them.
Shocking NYC Subway Rat Video: Some Say It’s Staged, But New Yorkers Know Better
Blizzards, terrorism, rats climbing on train passengers! We just don’t get why everyone doesn’t want to move here.
New Zealand Saves Beached Whale; Others Die
New Zealand volunteers and conservation rescuers have managed to save a beached whale, refloating it in the water, after it had become displaced with four other whales on New Zealand’s North Island.
The Case of the Smuggled Turtles Ends in Two Arrests (People, Not Turtles)
Two Japanese men were apprehended and charged at Los Angeles International airport on Monday for committing the crime of turtle smuggling.
Swiss Village to Dog Owners: Pay Your Taxes, Or Poochie Dies
The taxman has never been a popular figure anywhere. But in the tiny Swiss village of Reconvilier, that functionary has assumed the even more detestable profile as the guy who’ll waste your dog if you don’t cough up what you owe.
Heidi the Cross-Eyed Opossum: Germany’s Newest Star
Not content with Knut the polar bear, Paul the octopus and David Hasselhoff, Germans now have a brand new fascination.
Man’s Best Fuhrer: Was Hitler-Saluting Dog a Threat to the Nazis?
This Finnish dalmation had a shocking talent: a spot-on Hitler impression.
Time-Worn Tabby: At 39, Is Lucy the Oldest Cat in the World?
What’s her secret? It must be something in the Fancy Feast.
Can’t Be Tamed: Exotic Pets Get Nixed in Ohio
Want a bear as a pet? If you live in Ohio, you’re now out of luck. (via Swampland)
Sluggish Bugs: Malaria Parasites Are Affected By Jet Lag
Seems like jet lag isn’t always a bad thing. Unless you’re a parasite, that is.