Interesting & funny news from around the world, Интересные и забавные новости со всего мира

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'Mysterious winged and horned creature' caught on camera at zoo

England's Bristol Zoo is asking for the public's help to identify a "mysterious winged and horned creature" caught on a trail camera in a woodland area.

The zoo said the trail camera in the facility's woodland area, which is home to numerous wild animals, captured a photo of the "mysterious winged and horned creature."

"Our U.K. Conservation team made the discovery when looking through night-vision images from camera traps set up in the award-winning habitat where bears and wolves live alongside wolverines and lynx," the zoo said on its website. "After reviewing the images they say the creature appears to have four legs and is like nothing they have spotted before."

Many observers said the animal in the photo appears to be a muntjac deer, but zoo officials expressed skepticism in a Facebook post, posting the mystery creature photo side-by-side with a deer picture.

Many comments under the post theorized out that the creature's "wings" and "horn" are likely the result of the camera's exposure capturing the animal's ears multiple times as it moved.

The zoo acknowledged the sighting came conveniently close to Halloween.

"The sighting of this mythical-like creature is a mystery to us here at Bristol Zoo Project and has been a great inspiration for the Halloween trail this year. Scotland has the Loch Ness monster and Cornwall has the Beast of Bodmin Moor — have we discovered a similar mythical here in Bristol perhaps?" said Rosie Sims, the zoo's public engagement manager.

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Saskatchewan, Canada, town can't find anyone to run for mayor.

A town in Saskatchewan, Canada, is facing one major hurdle in the run-up to its November municipal election: No one is running for mayor.

Officials in Kyle said Mayor George Williams, who was elected in November 2021, is retiring this year, and so far, no candidates have come forward to seek the office.

An open spot on the Town Council also has no nominees.

Chief Administrative Officer Amber Dashney said two rounds of applications have gone out seeking nominations for mayor, but so far no one has signed up.

"It's a little concerning, but I am confident that someone will step forward," Dashney told CKOM-AM.

Dashney said the council will select a deputy mayor to handle the duties of the office if no candidates run for mayor in the Nov. 13 election.

"At that meeting, we will decide on a date for a by-election, and we will continue calling a by-election until we fill the mayor spot and the other councilor spot, as well," Dashney said.

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'Kitten' brought into German animal shelter turns out to be a wildcat

A seemingly orphaned or abandoned kitten brought to an animal shelter in Germany displayed unusually aggressive behavior that resulted in it being identified as a European wildcat.

The Bergheim Animal Shelter said the small feline was brought in by a member of the public who found it alone on a country road and became concerned by the animal's aggressive behavior and refusal to eat.

Shelter staff suspected the kitten wasn't a domestic cat at all, and contacted the Retscheider Hof wildlife center, which confirmed the animal was a European wildcat, a protected wild species native to the area.

The wildlife center said the young wildcat is being cared for alongside another member of its species until they are old enough to be returned to the wild.

"We do our best to make their stay as comfortable as possible. Every progress they make is followed here with great enthusiasm and hope," a wildlife center spokesman told The Dodo.

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Man wins lottery jackpot for the second time in 9 years

A Michigan man scored a $148,443 prize from the Michigan Lottery after previously winning $29,048 from the same game in 2015.

Portland resident Marc Finkbiner, 66, told Michigan Lottery officials he opted for the easy pick option when he bought a Club Keno The Jack at Hot Shots Tavern on Kent Street in Portland.

He matched eight of the 20 numbers in the drawing, earning a $148,443 prize.

"I was at Hot Shots Tavern with my wife playing Club Keno, and I won $3 on one ticket, so I reinvested my winnings and purchased another one," Finkbiner said. "I was watching the drawings and saw that all eight of my The Jack numbers were drawn and when the jackpot reset to $10,000, I knew I really won! When I showed my wife the ticket and told her I'd just won $148,443 she was amazed!"

The jackpot marks Finkbiner's second big win in the game.

"I won a $29,048 Club Keno The Jack prize back in 2015, so I am thrilled that I won again. Even though I've already won twice, I plan to keep playing because I believe there are more big wins in store for me," he said.

The winner said his prize money will go into savings.

"Winning this prize puts me one step closer to retirement," Finkbiner said.

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Two sheep rescued from quicksand on British bay shore

A search and rescue team was called to a bay in England, where two sheep became stuck in a large patch of quicksand.

The Bay Search and Rescue team said on social media that crews responded to Morecambe Bay with amphibious rescue vehicle The Sherp when a local hunter spotted stuck sheep.

The rescuers soon determined two sheep were stuck in the sand.

"The crews from Grange and Flookburgh got to work on the animal that had been initially reported, and the Sherp crew came across the other stricken animal just behind the viaduct at Arnside on their way the the job and went to work on her," the post said.

The team determined the animals "had clearly been stuck for several hours, as the sand had set like concrete around them."

However, the sand around the sheep was "too soft to safely walk on," rescuers said.

They used inflatable walkways to reach the sheep, which they plucked out of the sand just as alarms sounded warning of an incoming tide.

The two animals were safely returned to their owner.

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'Halloween crab' stows away on plane from Costa Rica to Denver

A "Halloween crab" that stowed away on a flight from Costa Rica to Denver International Airport has a new home at the Denver Zoo.

The Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance said on social media that a flight crew discovered the blackback land crab — also known as a Halloween crab, moon crab and Bermuda land crab — was found by a flight crew after a plane from Costa Rica landed in Denver.

"Thanks to our amazing conservation partners at U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, this crab has found a safe and cozy home with us at Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance," the post said.

The crab's arrival came just in time for Halloween.

"To lean into the Halloween spirit, you can catch this crab in our Animal Ambassador demonstrations at the Gates Amphitheatre all month long. After October, it will scuttle over to its permanent home in Tropical Discovery, where you can continue to learn about this charming crustacean," the post said.

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Romania's concert pianist Thurzó Zoltán announced this week that he set a new world record for most piano key hits in 30 seconds. This is his fourth Guinness World Records title and was achieved during a special concert on October 23, when he hit the piano key 500 times in 30 seconds.

So far, the most piano key hits in 30 seconds was 495, achieved by Japan's Keita Hattori in December 2023.

According to Agerpres, after the Guinness certification, the pianist from Oradea will become the only musician in the world with four world records. The documentation is to be sent to the Guinness World Records headquarters in London this week.

Thurzó Zoltán previously set a Guinness World Record for the highest altitude grand piano performance in June 2022. At the base camp of Mount Everest in Nepal, he performed the piano concert entitled "Hymn On Hights" at an altitude of 5325.77 meters, at a temperature between 1 degree Celsius and 3 degrees Celsius, which lasted 132 minutes. He played 37 pieces of classical music and the national anthems of 26 different nations.

Also in 2022, in September, in Nagyvárad/Oradea, he successfully broke the Guinness World Record of the "Longest marathon playing keyboard/piano by an individual" too, thus becoming the top performer in this category as well.

Then, on June 12, 2024, Thurzó Zoltán broke his own 2022 record for the highest altitude grand piano performance at the top of the Umling La Pass in India, Ladakh region, with the title "Hymn on high 2. – Genesis." Held at a height of 5798.51 meters, this piano concert lasted for 31 minutes and 42 seconds, during which he played 9 works of classical music and the anthems of 4 different nations. The extraordinary performance took place in freezing conditions at -10 /-13 degrees Celsius.

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A ghostly Guinness World Record attempt is taking place in Dorchester this Halloween.

Brewery Square, Dorchester will be making history with a daring world record attempt for the largest ghost gathering in the world. The audacious attempt, set for Thursday, October 31, will see hundreds of costumed ghosts converge in Brewery Square, aiming to break the current world record of 560 ghosts in one location.

Famed for its haunted history, Dorchester boasts tales of secret tunnels and chilling sightings of the infamous Judge Jeffreys, the dreaded "Hanging Judge" of the Bloody Assizes. His ghost is said to roam the streets, while the tunnels beneath Dorchester hold the restless souls of prisoners he condemned. Paranormal investigators have even captured eerie presence in various corners of the town.

While other figures, like Martha Brown, the last woman publicly hanged in Dorset, are also said to haunt the town’s visitors.

Following the record attempt, attendees can enjoy an evening filled with live music, dancing, entertainment and fun competitions for all ages.

Tara Bailey, centre manager at Brewery Square said: “Halloween is one of the highlights of the Brewery Square event calendar and what better opportunity to have another go at this world record breaking attempt. Last year, we came so close to breaking the record, but we’re determined to make history this time.”

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Kentucky transit group's giant thumbtack is largest in the world

A giant thumbtack measuring 21 feet and 7 inches tall in Kentucky was dubbed the world's largest pin by Guinness World Records.

Officials at the Transit Authority of Central Kentucky, or TACK, said they came up with the idea of a giant push pin when they were granted federal funds to refurbish their headquarters in Elizabethtown.

Glenn Arney, TACK's executive director and CEO, said a portion of the funds had been earmarked for signage, so he started to research companies that would be able to create giant thumb tacks.

"I found one place in Florida," Arney told the Paxton Media Group. "They wanted $109,000, plus shipping, plus installation."

Arney and a team of three employees decided to build the tack themselves, which turned out to be difficult as none of them had welding experience.

He said one member of his team "did what anyone else would do, he watched a YouTube video."

The finished pin weighed in at 3,000 pounds and measured 21 feet and 7 inches tall.

A Guinness World Records adjudicator confirmed it surpassed the goal of 19 feet and 8 inches, which the organization had set as the benchmark to originate the record.

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Four raccoons escape from zoo in England

Four 18-month-old female raccoons escaped from their enclosure at Amazon World, near Sandown, prompting a search.

One of the escapees was captured within the zoo's grounds shortly before midnight on Friday, and two others were spotted nearby.

The search has been scaled down during daylight hours when the raccoons are expected to go to sleep.

Head keeper Rachel Patrick told Radio Solent: "We managed to capture one just before midnight and we've had sightings of two more but they've gone to ground this morning.

"The one we found and the two we had sightings of were on zoo property still.

"They'll go to sleep now and they'll come out again at dusk this evening."

Ms Patrick urged locals to keep an eye out "in sheds and up trees".

"The more eyes the better," she said. "They'll be hiding in any nook and cranny to go to sleep during the day."

The captured racoon is one of five siblings that arrived at Amazon World three weeks ago. Four of them escaped.

The recaptured animal is "absolutely fine" after being reunited with its sister.

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