QUIRKY WORLD ... I smell a rat — and that rat smells a deadly mine
Pit is not human. He is part of a team of elite rats, imported from Africa, that Cambodia is training to sniff out landmines that still dot the countryside after decades of conflict.
“Under a clear sky, he would have been quicker,” said Hul Sokheng, a veteran Cambodian deminer, who oversees training of 12 handlers on how to work with 15 large rats to clear Cambodia’s farmland and rural villages of bombs. “These are life-saving rats,” he said.
Their work could prove vital in a country where unexploded devices, including mines and shells, have killed nearly 20,000 Cambodians and wounded about 44,000 since 1979.
Pit and his rat friends — all Gambian pouched rats — were deployed to Cambodia from Tanzania in April by a Belgian non-profit, Apopo, to help clear mines. They have been trained since they were four weeks old.
At the training field, Pit sniffed TNT-scented objects, stopped, dug a little, and was rewarded by his handler with banana.
“He knows his duty: Search,” said Hul Sokheng.
Makes you blush
Hundreds of phallic sex toys have been seen hanging in recent days from power lines across Portland, Oregon, provoking laughter, blushing, and lots of photos.
The large white and bright orange dildos appear to have been strung together in pairs, and have prompted numerous reports to the Portland Office of Neighbourhood Involvement.
A spokesman for public utility Portland General Electric said he did not believe the rubber products posed a fire hazard.
Portlanders posted photos online of dildos swaying in the wind above a number of major commercial streets, and speculated about their origins.
Portland resident Lucila Cejas Epple said she encountered the phalluses at a neighbourhood street fair over the weekend. “You could spot them in several intersections and you could see all sorts of reactions to them,” she said.
“Some would blush, others would laugh, and most would take photos.”
Puppy fat
A quarter of dogs competing in the world’s biggest dog show are overweight, scientists have said.
An analysis of canines at the Crufts show — held annually since the reign of Queen Victoria — found 74% were in ideal condition but 26% were overweight.
None of the animals studied were underweight, researchers from the University of Liverpool reported in the journal Veterinary Record.
The team reached their conclusions after studying 1,000 images of 28 dog breeds placed between first and fifth in their class during competitions from 2001 to 2013.
The issue was most pronounced in certain breeds, with 80% of pugs, 68% of Basset hounds, and 63% of labradors proving excessively fat.
While obesity at Crufts is still less common than in the general pet population, researcher Alex German said the proportion of overweight animals was a concern because show dogs were assumed to be perfect specimens of their breed.
Obesity causes significant health problems in dogs, including arthritis and diabetes.
Wench takes down thief
A man faces charges of theft and resisting arrest after crashing a jousting performance at the Colorado Renaissance Festival and trying to make off with a sword.
A witness says the man was chased down by two women in costume. Steve Chapman says they followed him up a hill and one of them, dressed as a wench, held him in a headlock for five minutes until her husband, in a knight’s costume, showed up and held him down until security arrived.
Douglas County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Sergeant Ron Hanavan confirmed that bystanders were able to stop 22-year-old Connor Ward.
Chapman, who was photographing the event for his travel website, said Ward appeared to be drunk and was laughing much of the time.
Help the aged
Cuddle cushions with sensors to give the sensation of being wrapped up in someone’s arms and water bottles which can tell if drinkers are dehydrated have been suggested as innovative ways to improve the lives of the elderly.
A kettle which could take its owner’s blood pressure as they make their drink and a barcode scanner that could share the contents of the fridge with neighbours to encourage them to collaborate on meals are also suggestions in a report by the International Longevity Centre.
The ideas were dreamt up to emphasise how the ageing population opens up a huge commercial opportunity for companies to design products for this age group, due to developments in wearable technologies, 3D printing, cloud computing, the internet of things, and smart cities. The report was produced with the Institute of Engineering and Technology and the University of Cambridge’s Engineering Design Centre.
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
