All about unusual and funny news

A herd of cows in Yorkshire are to be monitored by satellite as part of a conservation project. Fifty cows will be fitted with electronic collars with a Global Positioning System in them. The project is to help track where the cows go and what they eat and should help farmer improve the management of their land and also help assess the cows impact on the local ecology.

These water spiders survive below the surface because they spin an air tank from their own web. The spiders make an air bell trapping air bubbles from the waters surface. They then carry it down under the water where it works a bit like an external lung. How cool is that?

Scientists have finally done something really useful. A team in Italy have come up with a formula for a suit which will allow the wearer to scale a wall and hang upside down, just like Spiderman. The formula is based on natural technology that enables spiders and lizards to stick to concrete and glass. It would work by coating the gloves and boots with structures called carbon nanotubes that mimic the hairs on a gecko’s foot. Obviously its very much still a work in progress, but how cool is that, we could soon be sticking to buildings. 

A man who was arrested for speeding was driving at 172mph, the highest recorded speed for the offence yet in the UK. He was driving a Porsche 911 along the A420 when he was caught. He is due to be sentenced in September.

A New York cop who was suspended after failing a drugs test blamed it on his wife’s cooking. The cop said that his wife had used marijuana in the meatballs as a substitute for Oregano. His wife backed up his story but unfortunately for the cop no one believed him.

A lady unknowingly drove around for two days with a quail stuck in the grille of her car. It is thought the quail became stuck when it was crossing the road as the car passed above it. The bird was later removed unharmed and is now recovering.

Wildlife groups in Southern India have created identification cards for wild elephants. The ID cards are a new idea to try and track the effects of poaching. The ID cards contain a picture of the elephant and records data such as tuck length, thickness, angle and arrangement, as well as the shape of the ears and tail length and any scars. The study is currently focussing on male elephants because they are more prone to being targeted by poachers.

Fire fighters in Hampshire were called out to rescue a pig after it became stuck in a drain. The pig had become stuck in the mud and fire fighters had to dig around her before putting a strap underneath to lift her out.

A man running from the police was eventually caught when he managed to shoot himself in the groin. The incident happened in Utah when police stopped his car. The man abandoned his vehicle and tried to escape on foot. After he vaulted a fence he managed to shoot himself in groin, and was captured by police. It was later found that the car he was driving was stolen.

I found this article about the world’s most expensive desserts. The most expensive one is $14,500 and contains an 80-carat aquamarine gem that rests on a sliver of chocolate. I think the Valrhona Chocolate Sphere looks the most tasty. At a more palatable $48 Warm chocolate sauce is poured over a very thin chocolate shell, causing the sphere to implode, which reveals luscious raspberries and layers of chocolate inside.

OK, it’s not a real sheep. This giant sheep has been created in a field in Basingstoke. The sheep which is visible from the M3 is part of a campaign to promote British Lamb. Police are currently investigating whether the sheep is causing a dangerous distraction to drivers.

A cattle rancher spent seven days in a tree after he wandered into a crocodile swamp. The rancher fell from his horse and injured himself. He decided to climb back on the horse hoping it would take him home, but instead he ended up surrounded by crocodiles. He climbed a tree and spent six nights surviving on two meat sandwiches. He was later rescued by helicopter.

Oliver the monkey has a history of escaping. Oliver lives at the Tupelo Buffalo Park and Zoo in Mississippi but obviously craves his freedom because he keeps getting out. Oliver has managed to pick the locks of his cage and has managed to break out of his cage twice this month. His cage has now been triple secured with extra chains and locks.

A man who was feeding his horses was confronted with a 5ft rattlesnake. After pinning it down and cutting off its head with a shovel Mr Anderson could have been forgiven for thinking it was dead. The head was completely severed from the body, but even so when Mr Anderson bent down to pick up the severed head it managed to bite him.

I read this article about mummified birds that have been displayed in a textile factory for around a century. There are three ibises and five falcons. The birds will now be displayed in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. Animals were often mummified because of their symbolic association with certain Gods.

Swimmers in Sandgate have been warned to be careful around a dolphin. The dolphin tolerates being patted on the head and will play with swimmers, but it is a wild dolphin and could be unpredictable. He has already been known to try and stop swimmers leaving the water when the games have finished and there are fears that he could even injure a person.

A man who found a Christ-like image in a piece of concrete has sold it on Ebay for £500. The image was caused by a smudge of sealant and to me just looks like a smudge of sealant. It’s interesting the places these “divine” images pop up.

Is it Christ? You Decide

A German woman who has had a pencil stuck in her head for 50 years has just had it removed. When she was four she fell over whilst carrying a pencil and it became stuck in her head. At the time it was decided it was too dangerous to remove it because it was near to the brain. She has suffered headaches and nosebleeds since the pencil became stuck. A 2cm tip still remains in her head as it grown in to firmly to be removed.

Engineering students in the Netherlands have developed microplanes with unique morphing wings. They developed the tiny planes after studying swifts. The bird design makes them more agile that standard aircraft and means they can mimic the swift’s abilities to change the shape of their wings in flight, meaning they are highly manoeuvrable.

A man who stole a necklace in Calcutta might have been forgiven for thinking he would get away with the crime if he swallowed the stolen item. After being given an X-ray it was found out that he was lying when the necklace clearly showed up. Police then force fed him 50 bananas to act as a laxative. The necklace was eventually retrieved, cleaned and reunited with its owner.

A farmer who had created a maze out of his maize crop became lost inside it. He had been mowing paths through the maze when he became lost and had to mow his way out. He has now decided to make the maze easier for visitors.

A couple who were watching the birds in their garden were surprised to see a baby monkey climbing one of their trees. They eventually managed to catch the monkey by tempting it down with a banana. Staff from a nearby wildlife park later came to collect the monkey. It’s still not clear where he came from but he seems to be used to contact with humans.

I came across this story about a lamb with seven legs which has been born in Wellington, New Zealand. The condition is caused by a genetic mutation that occurs once in every several million sheep. Unfortunately this lamb will have to be destroyed because it is also missing part of its bowel.

A birth control product is to be added to bird food in an effort to control Hollywood’s pigeon population. There are currently around 5,000 pigeons in the area and the pigeon population is currently enjoying something of a boom. If the scheme works the pigeon population should halve by 2012.

These cute little ducklings were rescued after being washed out to sea. They were found by a canoeist and are now living in a teacup.