[johngriffen]

I sometimes get REALLY DEPRESSED reviewing the news these days.
It's always about a global pandemic threatening life as we know it,
protests around the world, stupid politicians, natural disasters,
or some other really bad story.
ENOUGH IS ENOUGH

Welcome to The mobi weekly news magazine
IN OTHER NEWS
SATURDAY JULY 3
What is it?
Here is your chance to become an "ACE REPORTER" for our weekly news magazine.
It is your job to fine weird, funny or "good feel" stories from around the world and share them with our readers in our weekly magazine

How do you play?
Just post a story that you have come across that made you smile, laugh, feel good...
BUT NOTHING DEPRESSING

EXAMPLE POST

​Naked sunbather chases wild boar through park after it steals his laptop bag

A naked sunbather was seen chasing wild boar through a park after it stole his laptop bag.
Amusing photographs from Germany show the man running after the animal to try and claim the plastic bag back.
But the cheeky boar and its two piglets appear to be too quick for the sunbather, who can't keep up with their speedy little trotters.
As the incident unfolds, groups of friends and family sat on the grass watch on and laugh.
Heads are seen turning in surprise and amusement in the hilarious photographs.
The incident happened at Teufelssee Lake - a bathing spot in the Grunwell Forest in Berlin, Germany.

Rules:
Each Edition of IN OTHER NEWS will be open for 7 days...
You can post as many stories as you like, but you will only get paid for One Story in any 24 hour period
So in other words, you can only earn WRZ$ once a day.
Each news day will start when I post announcing it
OR at:
9:00 AM CHICAGO TIME (UTC -5)
2:00 PM GMT (UTC -0)
on those days I space out and forget to post or can't due to Real Life
Stories may be accompanied with images - but No big images, please! 800x800 pixels wide maximum
Videos are allowed, but please keep them short, and post a short summary for those that don't like to click on videos
No Duplicate stories - Where a post has been edited resulting in duplicates, then the last one in time gets disallowed.
And please limit this to reasonably family friendly stories

Reward:
Each news story posted that I feel is acceptable (must be a real story, too few words or simply a headline are not considered acceptable) will earn you 50 WRZ$
If you post multiple stories on any given day, you will only earn 50 WRZ$ for the first story of the Day
All payments will be made at THE END of the weekly news cycle.
Special Bonus - Each week I will award "The Pulitzer Prize" for the best story of the week
The weekly winner of the "The Pulitzer Prize" will receive a 100 WRZ$ bonus
It's just my personal opinion, so my judgement is final

So help bring GOOD news to the members of mobi, and join our reporting team...

IN OTHER NEWS

[prokroustis]

Greece Gives Young People €150 Gift to Speed Up Vaccinations



Greece, very keen to speed up the vaccination rollout across the country, announced on Monday that young people aged 18-25 will receive a prepaid card with 150 euros when they get their first shot of a vaccine.

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced the initiative, dubbed the “Freedom Pass,” saying that it represents an award for this age group that has more recently been affected by the coronavirus.

“It is time for the state to reward an age group affected by the coronavirus. I am talking about the 940,000 young people aged 18-25,” Mitsotakis noted, adding: “From today a window of freedom opens for their free time. With the first vaccination dose, they will get a prepaid card with 150 euros for travel and cultural events.”

The Freedom Pass will cover costs in travel and entertainment, such as plane and ferry tickets; hotel bookings; music, theatre and cinema events; and fees for museums and archaeological sites.

“This is a debt to our youth, a gift of gratitude, particularly ahead of the summer. (It is) a ‘thank you’ for their patience and perseverance,” the PM told the ministers at the televised message.

Appealing to the younger generation, Mitsotakis said that safety precautions are paramount: “We keep masks on when we are in a crowded place. I call on our girls and boys to seize this opportunity and get vaccinated.”

The pre-paid “Freedom Pass” is an invitation for a return to normalcy, Tourism Minister Haris Theoharis said on Monday. He urged young people to take advantage of the offer to get the card.

Scientists unearth shaman's Stone Age snake staff


RAUTAJARVI LAKE, Finland (Zenger News) — Finnish archeologists have found a 4,000-year-old serpent staff possibly used by a Stone Age shaman for ritual purposes.

In cooperation with the Finnish Heritage Agency, researchers from the University of Turku and the University of Helsinki unearthed the wooden staff at the Jarvensuo 1 archeological site on the shores of Rautajarvi Lake in southwestern Finland.

The site was accidentally discovered by ditch diggers in the 1950s, and the first find was a wooden paddle dated back to the Neolithic period. In the 1980s, scientists discovered several more well-preserved artifacts — including pottery, fishing implements and a wooden ladle with a handle carved into the shape of a bear’s head.

Excavations at the site have been ongoing since then, but most of the work remains unfinished.

New research recently began at the site after 35 years, which revealed the serpent staff. The object is almost two feet long and was carved from a single piece of wood. According to experts, the staff was either lost or purposely discarded amid the lakeshore vegetation.

Archeologists said the discovery of the staff is unlike other wooden items from Neolithic Northern Europe, despite the ancient Pit-Comb Ware Culture depicting snakes in cave carvings. Motifs of humans, elk and waterfowl are more typical in comparison.

Though the significance of the staff is uncertain, researchers say it may have been used by a shaman for rituals during the Stone Age. Snakes have symbolic meaning to the area’s cosmology, and at the time many believed shamans could transform into snakes.

[Fatima99]

Bizarre moment body bag moves after bungling medics wrongly pronounce biker dead

Raimundo Nonato Santana da Silva, 71, had been pronounced dead after falling off his bike on the way to a market. But a reporter covering the story later noticed his body bag moving



A pensioner has had a lucky escape after bungling paramedics pronounced him dead and placed him in a body bag – only for a reporter to notice the bag moving.

Raimundo Nonato Santana da Silva, 71, fell off his bike after suddenly falling ill as he travelled to the market in the Brazilian city of Araguaina.

When paramedics arrived at the scene, they pronounced him dead.

Poor Raimundo was then placed in a body bag before the medics left. The police then supervised until the coroners arrived but then something bizarre happened.

A reporter covering the incident suddenly noticed the bag moving very slightly on its own.

Footage taken by Giovanni Pereira does in fact capture a subtle movement and it eventually resulted in the man being rescued.

"When I arrived, the bag was already closed,” he said.

"They (the cops) opened it and I saw a small bubble of air coming out of the corner of his mouth. I performed CPR on him for 10 minutes out of a gut instinct to help."

The sheepish paramedics were called back to the scene and they took the man to hospital alive. His current condition has not been revealed.

It has since been revealed the medical professionals performed CPR on the man when they first arrived at the scene.



But they pronounced him dead “based on technical evaluation”.

They have said they will look over the man's medical record to try to understand what happened.

Pereira told G1: "We were in the right place at the right time. I think it was a miracle."

Incredibly, it is not the first time medics have mistakenly pronounced someone dead.

Last year, a so-called deceased woman gave a morgue worker the shock of her life when she woke up and casually climbed off the mortuary slab.

[goldie0608]

Florida Dog Missing for 7 Years Reunited with Owner, Found Over 1,000 Miles Away in Michigan



It's a reunion seven years in the making!

A dog named Sgt. Pepper was reunited with his owner on Wednesday in Michigan — more than 1,000 miles from where he went missing in 2014.

The Yorkshire terrier mix was just 6 years old when he disappeared from his Florida home, according to the Eaton County Animal Control.

Though his owner discovered a "found" posting for him on Craigslist at the time, Sgt. Pepper had already been "claimed by someone who was not his real owner" when his family reached out to collect the pup, the department said in a statement.

Unable to trace Sgt. Pepper, his owner filed a police report and notified the microchip company where she had registered the dog that he had been stolen.

"While we don't know every detail of Sgt Pepper's journey, we did discover how he made it to Michigan," animal control officials said. "Sgt Pepper had been living with a family for the last 5 years who were unaware of his microchip and stolen status."

On Monday, Sgt. Pepper was found in Charlotte and ended up in the hands of Eaton County Animal Control, who were able to track down his original owner courtesy of the contact information found on his microchip.

"We are grateful for their understanding that Sgt Pepper had to be reunited with his original family, and we ask that people please be sensitive towards their situation," the department said. "This incredible story is a testament to the value of microchipping your pet and keeping your contact info current."

Animal control officials said Sgt. Pepper's owner had updated the contact information on his microchip as recently as February 2020, so workers were able to reach her "within minutes of having the dog in possession."

Sgt. Pepper's owner flew to Michigan this week and was reunited with her dog.

"This story also serves as a reminder why it is SO IMPORTANT to have all found dogs scanned for a microchip," Eaton County Animal Control said in a statement. "It is also a great idea to have any new dog you acquire scanned for a microchip just in case, especially if any portion of the pet's history is unknown."

[ozswede]

Don’t be such a stick in the mud! Elephant is saved by rescuers after sinking into the ground in Kenya

An African elephant was rescued last month after it become stuck in the mud and began sinking into the ground.

Dr Kieran Avery, 34, from Kenya, was part of the small team that made the dramatic rescue of the female elephant after she became stuck in the waters on the edge of a dam.

The veterinary surgeon and conservationist took images of the elephant in June after receiving a call from the local community to inform him that an elephant had become stuck at in Isiolo County in Kenya.


A distressed and exhausted elephant fights for her life after becoming stuck in a muddy dam in Isiolo County, Kenya

A small team of rescuers were called to the scene by concerned locals who found the elephant stuck in the mud.

With past experience of rescuing elephants from similar predicaments, the team knew they only needed a few tools - including straps and a tractor - to pull off the rescue operation.

Dr Avery said they put the straps around the elephant, and gently pulled it from the muddy prison until she was well clear. Having been left behind by her heard, she ran off after them once she regained her energy.


A picture showing the exhausted elephant as it struggles to free itself from the muddy prison.

The doctor said: 'A call came in from the community first thing that morning to inform us of the stuck elephant.

'Given our experience with removing elephants stuck like this, we mobilised immediately to assist.

'Members of the community sent us photos to guide us on what would be needed to remove her.

'She was stuck on her own and her herd had moved away from the dam. She was clearly distressed and exhausted - but she still had a fight in her which is always a good sign that there is hope.

'To free an elephant of this size you have to have the right tools. This included a tractor, heavy-duty straps and shackles, and knowledge of elephant behaviour.'

It took the team an hour and a half to free the stuck elephant.

Kieran says that the process involves carefully positioning the straps in a way that will allow the tractor to pull her out and ensuring that the elephant doesn't grab you with her trunk which would result in serious injury to the team.

He added: 'Ideally the straps should be placed around her bum, below her tail.

'The tractor then applies careful tension and we observe the elephant and the position of the straps - if all looks good then the tractor continues to pull until the elephant is well clear of the mud and on stable ground.

'It doesn't take a big team - just a handful of us with the right tools.


The rescued elephant runs away to find her her after she was freed from the mud in a dam in Kenya in June

'Elephants are magnificent animals with a massive presence. Being up close with a wild adult like this makes you realise how powerful and intelligent they are.

'Their eyes capture you and you can see their emotions in their expressions.. It is humbling.

'To me, there is nothing better than seeing free-roaming wild elephants across the landscape, and to be able to free one from an inevitable death trap and watch her walk away back into the wilderness where she belongs just can't be beaten.'

As of 2021, African elephants are considered to be at heavy risk of extinction, and are on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN ) Red List.

Habitat loss and fragmentation, as well as poaching for the illegal ivory trade are both major threats faced by the rare creatures.

Today, just two species make up the African elephant genus - the African bush elephant, and the smaller African forest elephant. Four other species of African elephants went extinct between the 18th and 20th centuries, with evidence of their existence found only through fossils.

Source

[mrvictor]

Diver Gets Glorious Glimpse of Giant Sea Worm That Only Comes Out at Night, Normally



It turns out there are people in the world who, during a dive, choose to swim towards a 26-foot-long pink tube coming right for them. Thank goodness for that, because if there weren’t humanity wouldn’t have gotten the video below.

Videographer Steve Hathaway and his friend Andrew Buttle were diving off the coast of New Zealand in 2019 when they happened to cross paths with a pyrosome—a sometimes-giant, pink, translucent worm-like creature that was so big they could swim through it.

What would normally cause most people to get the heck out of the water was something the two men recognized immediately as totally harmless, and actually a rare spectacle.

Pyrosomes are free-flowing colonies known as tunicates, which consist of thousands of tiny creatures called zooids that come together to form a sort of frame.

Zooids filter feed by pumping water through their bodies and chowing down on plankton, poo, or detritus. This has earned them envious nicknames like “sea squirts” or “cockroaches of the sea.”

In total the divers spent 4 minutes swimming around it, an experience that “was pretty incredible,” Buttle reports to National Geographic. “We could see hundreds of thousands of tiny creatures right up close.”

These creatures and their cousin the salp are actually very common—it’s just that they’re normally a few centimeters long.

They feed by swimming vertically up to the ocean’s surface at night, and diving back down into the blackness when the sun comes up, a behavior theorized as a necessity for avoiding predation—as the ‘sea squirt’ has no defenses of any kind and is essentially a sort of all-you-can-eat buffet for a fish lucky enough to find one of that size.

One scientist told National Geographic such an event would be as if a human could simply hand on to the back of an elephant whilst eating it.

The marine creatures “reproduce” both sexually and asexually (they are also known for their bioluminescence, or ability to glow) but how they form their large colonies is not understood.

Hathaway, who spotted the translucent form off of Whakaari Island, 30 miles from the New Zealand coat, says the rich volcanic waters attract all kinds of sea life in summer, something that’s allowed him to have an 11-year career as a videographer filming animals like mantas and whales.

https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/26-foot ... nd-island/

[PennySerenade]

Troupe of circus performers swings back into action as live performances resume across Ontario



TORONTO -- Soaring several feet above the stage, aerial acrobat Sabine Van Rensburg is rehearsing for her first show in more than a year.

She loves to perform, and on Canada Day, she will finally get the chance to appear before an audience again.

"I mean, it's quite an emotional experience," she says. "You work so hard for so many years and it's all condensed into this one hour show."

Van Rensburg is one of 10 performers in a show called "Together Apart." Premiering on July 1 at the Markham Fairgrounds, it will be one of the first live audience shows to open now that the province has entered Step 2 of its reopening plan.

"I'm super anxious, excited," The 24 year old, who is originally from South Africa but is now based in Montreal, says. "I think the dose of adrenaline is going to be incredible and just being able to connect with people in that way again."



The show uses a 360 degree, 240 foot stage with a large catwalk splitting the audience into four sections.

The audience will sit on distanced platforms that will allow a maximum of six people, to be in compliance with the province's Step 2 regulations.

The performance was designed by world renowned arts collective "The Seven Fingers" out of Montreal.

The show’s creator, Isabelle Chasse, says the show is a unique opportunity, as these 10 world-class performers would not normally be available to appear together.

"It seems like the perfect time again like, OK seize the moment right now because afterwards they'll be all over the place again," she says.

What may be most remarkable about this performance, is that they had to prepare for this as if they could go ahead, but not knowing if they would.

Training began over three months ago, before knowing if the pandemic would allow an audience to gather in person. So when word came from the provincial government just days ago, they kicked into high gear.



Monica Gomez, CEO of the Concierge Club and planner for this event, says, "now knowing that we're allowed to do it, everyone is kind of feeling like on this high and the energy is up there."

They group will perform from Thursday to Sunday's starting Canada Day until August 1 -- with two shows per night. The first at 6:30 p.m. and the second at 9:30 p.m.

While Van Rensburg has been practicing, she says she longs to connect with an audience in a way that only comes through performance.

"This moment can't happen without one another," she says. Adding, "They're just as important as the artists and vice versa."

So together apart will allow some to be together again.

The Swiss air force: armed and dangerous, but only in office hours

It's no fly-by-night military outfit and it doesn't start work too early in the morning, either, as the recent Ethiopian Airlines hijack proved. The neighboring countries of France and Italy had to send their own air force jets to the scene because the incident happened outside of Swiss Air Force business hours.

The Swiss air force sticks to office hours. Photograph: Str New/Reuters
Emine Saner
Wed 19 Feb 2014 07.00 GMT

There's something almost too civilized about a country whose fighter jets stick to office hours (note to would-be terrorists and airspace infiltrators: they also stop for an hour and a half for lunch, and there's no service at weekends). It was French and Italian jet pilots who escorted the Ethiopian Airlines plane hijacked by its co-pilot safely to Geneva airport on Monday morning – because, at 6.02am, it was still nearly two hours before the Swiss air force came to work.

"Switzerland cannot intervene because its airbases are closed at night and on the weekend," spokesman Laurent Savary told AFP. "It's a question of budget and staffing."

It was not always so. The Swiss air force was founded in 1914 with nine pilots. By the 1940s it was well capable of defending its neutral airspace. But in recent years military spending has decreased. Fewer jets have been bought and many of its pilots have become reservists. Now the country relies on its neighbours' military capabilities – last month the Austrian air force helped police Swiss airspace during the World Economic Forum in Davos.

"The capability to provide a 24-hour response with interceptors is currently missing for financial reasons," says David Cenciotti, an Italian journalist who blogs as The Aviationist. "There are agreements with neighbouring countries – Italy and France in particular – that enable fighter jets from both air forces to enter Swiss airspace whenever needed to manage an aerial threat. So the risk is limited. Still, there is a residual risk. If a plane is hijacked over Switzerland and directed to hit a sensitive target within the country fighter jets launched from France or Italy would have little to no chance to intervene."

The Swiss government now wants to spend more than £2bn on 22 new Swedish-made fighter jets. The deal will be put to a referendum in May, though according to recent polls 53% of voters are against it. If it happens, it could mean a move to round-the-clock capabilities from around 2020; bad news for the pilots enjoying those long lunch breaks.
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[hija]

An ‘extinct’ mouse reappeared in Australia



A mouse believed to have been wiped out 150 years ago has been found alive and well on a remote island in Western Australia.

Distinguished by its shaggy fur, the Gould’s mouse has been hiding in plain sight for decades: researchers monitoring the rodent thought it was a different species. This week scientists set the record straight.

The ‘resurrection’ of the mouse is a rare piece of positive news against a backdrop of population declines. However, it’s not the only cause for celebration down under: in May, Tasmanian devils bred on mainland Australia for the first time in 3,000 years, delighting conservationists.

Former addict shares message of hope after college graduation: 'Stop selling yourself short'

Virginia Burton spent most of her life in and out of jail. In May, she graduated from the University of Washington after receiving a scholarship in 2020.
Virginia “Ginny” Burton was 6 years old when she was introduced to marijuana by her drug-addicted mother. At the age of 12, she was using crystal meth. By 14, Burton, a student in an accelerated learning program, had dropped out of school and was smoking crack.

“I went from being a really sweet kid to an angry and aggressive one,” Burton, 48, told TODAY Health. “I didn’t want to be in a classroom. I just wanted to get high.”

Burton found herself bouncing from one juvenile detention facility to the next. By 2012, Burton, a mom of three, was homeless, addicted to heroin and had served multiple prison sentences. Her children were taken away.

“My kids would grab my ankles when I went into the kitchen because that’s where I smoked crack,” Burton revealed. “My life was a nightmare.”

But it's not anymore.


In May, Burton, who is more than eight years clean after getting sober while incarcerated, graduated from the University of Washington with a degree in political science.

Last month, Burton shared side-by-side photos of the milestone moment on Facebook. The picture on the left is a haunting mug shot taken in 2005, and the other shows Burton beaming in her cap and gown.

“How about that for motivation? I honestly thought I’d die on a park bench with a needle in my arm or by gunshot to the head. I never would’ve in a million years thought my life would look the way it does today,” Burton wrote. “Stop selling yourself short. You don’t know what tomorrow might bring so you might consider starting today.”



It was an emotional day for Burton and her children, Joseph, 29, Jordan, 28, and Gia, 15.

“I began crying as soon as the commencement program started,” Burton explained. “I’d let myself down for so long. I always felt people like me from broken homes don’t get to have good things. But we can."

In many ways, Burton feels reborn. She’s discovered a love of hiking and climbed 9,000 feet on glaciers to the top of Washington’s Mount Rainier in 2019. Burton meditates daily and eats a mostly plant-based diet. She hopes to use her education to one day recreate the prison system by turning it into a rehabilitative environment. To stay on track in her recovery, Burton attends regular Narcotics Anonymous meetings.

“I started using when I was 6. I don’t know who I was before I started using,” Burton said. “I’m like this new creation. Today, I really feel like I am the person that I always knew was in my heart.”

[lush]

Tuition is Now Free at the Yale Drama School
Published 1 July 2021*

That's thanks to producer and business magnate David Geffen's endowment of $150 million.


Image via John Phelan/Wikimedia Commons

On June 30, 2021, Yale University’s Graduate School for Drama announced that starting in August 2021, tuition would be free for all full-time returning and new students in their masters, doctoral, and certificate programs.

The school had received an endowment of $150 million from business magnate and film producer David Geffen, and would subsequently be renamed the David Geffen School of Drama at Yale University.

The school’s deans also said, “Our vision, made possible by Mr. Geffen’s generosity, is of world class graduate theater training that visibly eliminates financial barriers for all prospective students. We aim to reduce educational debt so that aspiring artists and managers may enter the field with both passion and prudence.”

Yale News reported that the endowment is the largest donation on record in the history of American theater. Before this donation, tuition at the school had been $32,800 per year, not including estimated living expenses. It will be the second program at the university to eliminate tuition entirely, after the Yale School of Music did so in 2005.

Geffen is worth around $10 billion, according to reports, and made a fortune in the music and film business.

The school’s graduates include actors like Meryl Streep, Frances McDormand, Lupita Nyong’o, notable playwrights, directors, specialists in design and production, and more.

More details about the gift and what it means for student can be found here.

[HogwartsExpress]

Man in Florida town reportedly 'pretending to be a firework' late at night ahead of holiday weekend

Residents living in a Florida town got an early Fourth of July show when a neighbor yelled fireworks noises late into the night.

There wasn't much to see, but residents could definitely hear it.

"The dogs were barking and we go outside, and this guy is screaming. I mean, so loud," Sara Warnecke told WBBM-TV.

The man was apparently protesting others who set off fireworks a little early this year. He was caught on security footage yelling, "Boom!" "Firecracker!" and "Bottle rocket!" in the wee hours of the morning earlier this week.

"Pretending to be a firework is also going to run afoul of our noise ordinance," Phil Mullen, Master Corporal at Cape Coral Police Department, told the TV station.

source: https://www.wmur.com/article/florida-man-firework-pretend/36917933

There's a video in the link. Watch it. It's hilarious

[Zbignieww]

Rare albino bear sends terrified tourists fleeing as it charges them on volcano
The group of seven mountaineers were climbing a volcano in the Turkish province of Agri when they stumbled upon a brown and albino bear. The brown one ran off but the white bear seemed angry and charged towards them



Tourists were left fearing for their lives after an albino bear began charging towards them while they were climbing a volcano.

The group of seven mountaineers had just embarked on the second day of their climb when they came across two bears and one of them attempted to attack.

The two women and five men from the Ukraine had come to Dogubayazit, Turkey, on June 24 to climb Mount Ararat.

The volcano is also the country's highest peak and was declared by the Agri Governorate to be a 'special security zone' in 2015, when it was closed to climbing because of the military operations carried out due to terrorist incidents.

The site was opened once again for climbs in February 2021 when the ban was lifted, and domestic and foreign tourists began visiting Mount Ararat from all over the world and trying to reach its summit once again.

But it seems that rare albino bears had also moved into the area and clashed with a group of native brown bears.

The white bears, which are also known as 'Kermode' or 'Spirit' bears are incredibly rare – they are thought to have a population of less than 1,000 and are a subspecies of the black bear.

The Ukrainian climbers had started to climb together with their guide Saffet Akkus when they encountered one.

The mountaineers, who reached the base camp at 3,200 metres on the first day, had continued their climb after spending the night there. When they reached 3,800 metres, they came across the albino with a brown bear.



While the brown bear (Ursus arctos) ran away, the albino bear wanted to attack the group.

The terrifying moment was captured on one tourist’s phone camera’s before they too turned and ran for their lives.

In the footage, the albino bear can be seen coming out from behind the rocks and roaring as it runs towards the screaming climbers.

Frightened off by the noise, the albino bear then apparently turned around and was last seen disappearing towards the summit.

Saffet Akkus, 31, who has been guiding on Mount Ararat for 16 years, said it was the first time he had ever witnessed anything like it.

"It took seconds for the bear to rush towards us to attack us when we heard his voice,” he recalled. “It was a bear as white as a polar bear. I had never seen a bear on Mount Ararat until today. It was a huge bear.



"When we all started screaming at the same time, the bear changed direction and disappeared. We felt very lucky. In the first half-hour after the incident, everyone was in shock. We went back to our first campsite.

"After getting over the shock, we decided to complete the climb. Everyone was so excited to see an albino bear. It is very interesting that we saw the bear there. The climbing route is so crowded that no animal can come there easily."

He added: "But we are certainly very lucky. We had an event that we will never forget.”

Albino bears rarely attack humans on sight, and they usually avoid people. They are, however, unpredictable in temperament, and may attack if they feel threatened.

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-new ... d-24451636

[Fivetide]

Big cats, bears, ferrets get COVID-19 vaccine at Oakland Zoo


In this Thursday, July 1, 2021, image released by the Oakland Zoo, a tiger receives a COVID-19 vaccine at the Oakland Zoo in Oakland, Calif. Tigers are trained to voluntarily present themselves for minor medical procedures, including COVID-19 vaccinations. The Oakland Zoo zoo is vaccinating its large cats, bears and ferrets against the coronavirus using an experimental vaccine being donated to zoos, sanctuaries and conservatories across the country. (Oakland Zoo via AP)

A San Francisco Bay Area zoo is inoculating its big cats, bears and ferrets against the coronavirus as part of a national effort to protect animal species using an experimental vaccine.

Tigers Ginger and Molly were the first two animals at the Oakland Zoo to get the vaccine this week, the San Francisco Chronicle reported Saturday. The doses were donated and developed by veterinary pharmaceutical company Zoetis in New Jersey.

Alex Herman, vice president of veterinary services at the zoo, said none of the animals have gotten the virus, but they wanted to be proactive. Tigers, black and grizzly bears, mountain lions and ferrets were the first to receive the first of two doses. Next are primates and pigs.

In a press release, she said the zoo has used barriers for social distancing and staff have worn protective gear to protect susceptible species. “We’re happy and relieved to now be able to better protect our animals with this vaccine,” she said.

Zoetis is donating more than 11,000 doses for animals living in nearly 70 zoos, as well as more than a dozen conservatories, sanctuaries, academic institutions and government organizations located in 27 states, according to the press release.

The San Diego Zoo started inoculating primates in January after a COVID-19 breakout among a troop of gorillas at its Safari Park.

Great apes share 98% of their DNA with humans and are especially susceptible, as are felines. Confirmed coronavirus cases include gorillas, tigers and lions at zoos, and domestic cats and dogs.