oddlyenough

Man in bear costume harasses grizzlies

A man in a full-body bear costume approached a grizzly and her two cubs in front of shocked spectators by a river in Alaska, before a state Fish and Game worker scared away the animals to stop anyone being hurt. At one point, the man came within 3 metres of the cubs during the strange and dangerous encounter near Haines, said Carl Koch, an assistant area biologist with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.

It was not clear what led the unidentified individual to put on the costume, which included a head, and get close to the bears. “As you can imagine, that’s a really dangerous thing for the guy to do,” Koch said. Spectators were standing at a safe distance and watching the grizzly and her cubs at a weir, which is a barrier on a river, Koch said. People often go to the location on the Chilkoot River to see bears feeding on fish. Suddenly, the man in the bear outfit appeared, startling some of the spectators who feared he was a real predator, said Koch, who did not know whether the costumed man was walking on all fours or two feet.

(Reuters)

‘literary litterbug’ tossed 600 books from vehicle

A man dubbed the ‘literary litterbug’ for tossing more than 600 books along a busy Colorado highway must complete 30 hours of community service and pay $1,725 in restitution and court costs.The longmont Times-Call reported that 62-year-old Glenn Pladsen pleaded guilty to three counts of littering. He was pulled over in April after throwing books from his vehicle in Boulder County. Colorado Department of Transportation crews began noticing the books showing up along US 287 in February and spent more than 20 hours picking them up by hand.Pladsen says he was dumping the books on his way to work because he couldn’t figure out any other way to get rid of them. The Arvada man used to sell books online.

(AP)

26-year-old Oregon cat dubbed world’s oldest

An Oregon cat that turned 26-years-old August 1 has reclaimed the title of the world’s oldest living cat, Guinness World Records confirmed. The record-keeping organisation said Corduroy, owned by Ashley Reed Okura of Sisters, Oregon, held the title of the world’s oldest living cat in 2014, but surrendered the title when a cat named Tiffany Two was found to be older.

Tiffany Two died recently at the age of 27 years, 2 months and 20 days, giving the title back to Corduroy.Corduroy, who is a little more than four months older than pop star Taylor Swift, has been with Okura since he was a kitten. “We are thrilled! I bought Corduroy a mouse to celebrate, it is wonderful to share him with the world,” Okura said. The oldest-ever cat, Crème Puff, died in 2005 at the age of 38 years and 3 days old.

(UPI)

Tooth Fairy paying less for second year in row: survey

The tooth fairy must be having a lean year because she paid children 24 cents less per tooth than she did last year, a Visa survey indicates. Visa’s sixth annual Tooth Fairy survey found children received on average $3.19 per lost tooth, down from $3.43 in 2014. This is the second year in a row the going rate for a lost tooth has decreased. In 2013, kids were receiving $3.70.

“The Tooth Fairy is finally fluttering back to earth,” said Nat Sillin, Visa’s director of global financial education. “No matter how much is left under the pillow, a visit from the Tooth Fairy is an ideal opportunity to talk with children about the importance of saving and budgeting.”The survey found that how much the Tooth Fairy leaves under kids’ pillows is directly related to household income. For families who make less than $75,000 a year, children received on average $3.07 per tooth in 2015. Children whose families have a higher income receive $3.46.

Children who live in the Northeast receive the most money — $3.56 — while those who live in the South get the least, $3.07. The most common form of payment for teeth reported are crisp $1 bills for 32 per cent of children. Five per cent receive $20 or more, 20 per cent received $5, while 10 per cent nothing from the Tooth Fairy.

(UPI)

New Zealand zoo bans ‘wizard’ for upsetting three gorillas

A New Zealand man who describes himself as a ‘wizard’ has been banned by a zoo for chanting and beating his chest at gorillas. The Orana Wildlife Park in Christchurch said Andrew Wright, a self-proclaimed wizard and energy healer, has been banned from the zoo after back-to-back visits last week left the park’s three gorillas agitated.

Nathan Hawke, the zoo’s marketing manager, said staff members asked Wright to stop chanting, beating his chest and mimicking the primates, but his behaviour persisted. Wright said officials misunderstood the gorillas’ reaction to his presence. “They weren’t agitated at all — they seemed to be enjoying the singing,” he told Stuff.co.nz.Wright said one of the gorillas came up to the glass to give him a high five, but officials said the gesture was misunderstood by the visitor.

(UPI)