Really?

Duck in a Truck

I chick you not

You may remember that in previous posts I have swooned over one of my favorite UK supermarket items, Old Cotswold Legbar eggs. You know, those lovely green and blue shelled free range eggs from hens whose "freedom of expression" underpins their farmers' business plan? Yes, those eggs. Which I cook with all the time.

Well, I caught a disturbing tidbit in the news last week about a 9 year old British kid who successfully incubated an OCL egg he bought at the supermarket, resulting in a new pet named Celia. Read about it here. Not sure why this disturbs me, but it does. Deeply.

I'm With Stupid

Ok, this is just bizarre.

Oh Dear

How does the BBC find these stories?

Also, looking at the farm's web site makes me realize I really want to have a pair of ducks! Check out the jaunty Indian Runner or the handsome Saxony. Probably not practical here (cats, foxes, irritated neighbors), but maybe some day.

Faux Flipper Fix

Asian sea creatures have had a rough couple of months, what with botched capture attempts and questionable medical interventions making the news.

But things are looking up. A 37 year old Japanese dolphin has been fitted with the world's first prosthetic fin! Look at her go!

You know you're getting old when...

I was vaguely aware yesterday of some kerfuffle in Boston over a street art ad campaign gone wrong. Something about a bomb scare.

Upon opening the full article in this morning's New York Times, my eyes went first to the photo of the "performance artists" who were detained in connection with the incident and my immediate thought, before reading a word, was "Lock 'em up. Especially the one in the middle."

Nice Work, Stupid Scientists

Japanese researchers have just released the first ever video footage of a giant squid in its natural habitat. Cool, right? Well, it would have been if they hadn't KILLED IT trying to capture it.

From reports I read, it was a small female, not yet fully grown. And it put up a tremendous fight, so much so that it sustained serious injuries and died after they got it aboard. What kind of heartless people are these researchers? Don't they know they're supposed to be stewards and protectors? Hacks.

If you want to watch the footage (not graphic), here it is.

Squid and octopus are among my favorite animals. Do you know how smart they are? Octopus in captivity can solve puzzles, navigate mazes, open jars, and are known to sneak out of their habitats at night to hunt crabs in other tanks (returning to their own before scientists arrive in the morning). Some scientists argue that they have individual personalities, can play, use tools, plan, and learn from one another (as in, one octopus shows another which button to push to get a treat).

And then of course, there is the amazing ability octopus have of changing shape/color instantly:

Are they for real?

BBC reports on "Paris Syndrome" in which Japanese tourists suffer psychiatric breakdowns as a result of Parisian rudeness. Perhaps they should have consulted this new web site before traveling.

He's not even wearing gloves

Please read this very odd article reported by the BBC today. It describes an unconventional intervention that vets at a marine park in China resorted to after they were unable to treat two dolphins who swallowed plastic junk.

How on earth did they come up with this idea? Is anyone investigating their medical "credentials"? I picture them getting blotto at the local bar after a long day at the aquarium, feeling defeated. And then after the fifth or sixth round, one of them stands up and proclaims he has a brilliant idea. The others may initially laugh it off and call him a total dumb ass quack, but after a few more drinks they begin to reconsider. You know, it JUST MIGHT WORK!

Don't turn your back on a pelican

You will never look at a pelican the same way again after reading this article. Scott and I were walking with his mother in St. James Park in London a few weeks back, admiring the water fowl which for some reason includes pelicans, and he claimed he had witnessed the exact same occurance. "Oh, yeah, sure," we told him, convinced he was telling one of his typical tall tales*. So when he came across this in the paper yesterday he immediately brought it to my attention.

~~~~~~~

*Scott's mom told me that the family became so immune to his tricks that when he was ten, and the kitchen caught fire, no one believed him when he called for help. He has not changed. Several years back, Scott convinced his brother, after a trip to the Pacific Northwest, that he'd gone humpback whale riding. He explained in detail the saddles custom made for the whales, how riders wear special harnesses, and the special "release" feature that allows a rider to detatch from the harness quickly in case the whale suddenly dives far below the surface.