LARS THOMAS: On the subject of leopard hairs

A leopard in Huddisford Wood
had dropped some hairs where it stood
they were found on a lane
by a Brit and a Dane
who both exclaimed: This is good!

CARL PORTMAN WRITES...

Jon,

Before I met Sue, I used to sport a rather marvellous 'lip weasel' but alas, she is not a fan. What terrific news then to find that such creations are attractive to the fairer sex, as demonstrated by this rather marvellous fish.

I consider this important enough to share with the wider CFZ fraternity so that next year everyone - excluding the ladies - can sport something for the Weird Weekend. (Link below) I feel good today - not least because of the support of people like you....

Carl

http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_news/newsid_8767000/8767973.stm

RICHARD FREEMAN SENT THIS

Time is running out for the animal survivors of Pakistan's devastating floods. As I write this, monsoon rains that have caused the worst flooding in Pakistan's history are forecasted to strengthen. And where no rain is falling, temperatures are reaching a scorching 50'C. There is no food for animals, not even grass, due to the floods.

Find out more

WEIRD WEEKEND 2010: Richard Freeman et al

WEIRD WEEKEND 2010: Mike Williams/Ruby Lang

WHEN HARRIET MET THE COLONEL

Weird Weekend 2010
Part three
Now to pepper the famous explorer Colonel John Blashford Snell, president of the Scientific Exploration Society, with well-aimed questions…

Name: Colonel John Blashford Snell
Most proud of: Helping to protect an unknown species of elephant, theorised to be a surviving woolly mammoth. The elephant’s name was Raja Gaj, meaning King Elephant. It was 11’3” in length at the shoulder.
Has been travelling for: 55 years; 37 spent with the army as a royal engineer.
Nowadays we know that any mammoths still surviving quite possibly wouldn’t have remained undetected for this long, or they may not have coped with the climate.

CORINNA DOWNES: Yesterday's News Today

This is the last offering from me for a while, as Oll will be back tomorrow.

Tiger cub found among stuffed toys in Bangkok luggage
Mystery boa constrictor left on woman's doorstep
Kayaker forced out of race by aerial fish
Panda-keeper contest attracts thousands
Genomes of Two Separate Ant Species Sequenced
Scientists Bring New Species of Turtle Out of Its Shell
22 Komodo dragons hatch this month at Los Angeles Zoo, boost to the endangered species
A novel method for collecting dolphin DNA (via Chad Arment)
Nessie nominated for tourism award (via Lindsay Selby)
Chinese bear poses for pictures with tourists

The person reporting on the last on this list does not appear to know whether the bear is a ‘he’ or a ‘she’, and with something that looks akin to heavy fish wire fastened to its top lip I am not surprised the poor creature does what it is supposed to do. Or am I just finding fault?

SAD NEWS...

Sadly, Jerry the Jackdaw died last night. There was no apparent cause of death; he was as noisy and cheeky as ever yesterday, and was flat on his back when Graham went to see him this morning. We are all sad about losing him but can comfort ourselves in the knowledge that he lived for sixteen months longer than he would have done if we had left him in the rainy gutter outside the fish and chip shop where we found him in May 2009.

Rest in Peace old buddy.