Last week 2oceansVibe correctly doubted the authenticity of footage that claimed a woolly mammoth had been spotted by a government-employed engineer in the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug region of Siberia. The video became an internet sensation, making headlines around the world. But now everyone is having a laugh at The Sun, Michael Cohen and Barcroft Media.
Nine people were recently killed in Kosovo when an avalanche covered their house under 10 feet of snow. A little girl, only five years old, was pulled alive from the snow after being buried for more than 10 hours. How do you find someone buried under a storey of snow? With their cellphone.
As the death toll from the bout of extremely cold weather in Europe has surpassed the 500 mark, a Swiss man is doing his best to stay warm. He’s installed a wood-burning stove to heat up his car when he needs to drive.
A man in his thirties has given birth to a healthy child, in what is Britain’s first “male mother” case in recorded history. The man, whose name has not been made public, was born a woman but underwent a sex change as an adult. The news has been met with much tsking from Brits, wondering whether the kid’s going to call him “Mummy” or “Daddy”.
Commenting on the weather is usually as insightful as commenting that a pregnant chick’s belly “is growing”. It’s obvious, a bit silly and we all still do it. But in Cape Town this week the weather really was worth mentioning – and worth looking back at.
The 102 turbine Walney Offshore wind farm located approximately 15 kilometres off Walney Island, Cumbria, in the Irish Sea in the UK, is about to start harvesting the wind. It will provide electricity for 320 000 homes and the project has cost £1 billion.
I just had to look up the words “EPIC” and “FAIL” in the dictionary, and would you know, this story was listed underneath each description. A South African conservation group demonstrating an anti-poaching method for reporters accidentally killed the rhinoceros they were using in the demonstration.
Scientists have done something they have been working on for over two decades: successfully drilled more than three kilometres through sheer Antarctic ice into a freshwater lake to take a sample. All they really know now is that Lake Vostok has had no contact with atmospheric pollutants for millions of years.
There have been two incidents recently where “rehabilitated” dogs have attacked people. Each time it sparked online discussions about whose fault it is – the owner, the dog or the victim? But these situations are much more complex. Check out this clip of a dog biting a news anchor, unprovoked, in the face during a recent interview.
Scientists believe they have discovered the oldest works of art known to mankind. Although the six pieces are supposedly of seals, they’ve been described as somewhat of “an academic bombshell”. That’s because they’re 42 000 years old, and are the only known pieces created by Neanderthal man, who preceded homo sapiens, more commonly known as humans.
A teen surfing in the wake of a yacht off the Gulf of Mexico was pleasantly surprised when two animal friends decided to join him. Watch this very cool video – featuring a pair of curious Bottlenose dolphins swimming and jumping beside the boy – after the jump.
On Monday, the Minister of Water and Environmental Affairs in South Africa, Edna Molewa, met with the Minister of Tourism in Mozambique, Fernando Sumbana Junior. They met in Pretoria to discuss solutions to the rhino poaching epidemic occurring in the Kruger National Park. This is what they’ve concluded so far.
Peta, the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, has launched a lawsuit against SeaWorld in which five killer whales have been named as the plaintiffs. The court case argues that they deserve the same constitutional protection from slavery as humans.
Overnight temperatures in Finland have been plummeting to minus 40 degrees Celsius, all forms of travel have begun to become severely effected, and the cold is expected to continue for days to come.
Last year we reported about a tribe in western Brazil that had, until then, not been contacted by modern man. But they were a bit shy and even fired arrows at tourists in passing boats, resulting in the death of one man. Check out these rare images of them, taken from 120m away using a telescope mounted on a camera.
New research funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and published in the British medical journal the Lancet, suggests 1,24 million people died from the mosquito-borne disease in 2010: nearly twice the number previously estimated for that period. Oh, and six cases of infection were diagnosed in Pretoria recently too.
A question for all those hyper-nice, socially aware, dream dinner party guests out there – have you ever considered that your people-pleasing tendencies may be making you fat?
This does not happen, but it has: an elephant has decided it would like to go for a few waves and has been spotted surfing the beach breaks in Nuarro bay, just off the coast of northern Mozambique. Elephants don’t go into the sea, period, so this is definitely a rare sighting.
Dozens are dead and countless more are seeking medical attention as an icy winter rages on in Eastern Europe. At last count 58 people were reported dead in the last week, most of them succumbing to hypothermia and severe frostbite.
A potentially devastating custom could pose a new threat to the survival of the species in Thailand – the taste for eating elephant meat. People are now eating everything from the trunks and sex organs, to straight up elephant sashimi.
Preparation at the site designated for the Chapman’s Peak four-lane toll plaza and office complex began last week, with official construction beginning this week. Estimates put completion of the complex to happen around Easter next year.
It’s good to see that the law is at least making the news when it comes to South Africa’s current problem with rhino poaching. Another arrest has been made, this time a 58 year old farmer in Limpopo, who was busted with rhino horn and illegal firearms on the farm that he manages.
Yosemite HD from Project Yosemite on Vimeo.
The ability to record footage in high definition (HD) has literally changed the way we look at digital media. And when used to bring out the best of nature’s inherent beauty, the results are simply jaw-dropping.
This is little Juliet. She’s eight years old, and she and her mummy recently posted a video to Youtube where she sings about her pet dog Robert, whom she loves, and her stinky fish tank. All set to thrash metal. Odd doesn’t quite cover it, but who can argue with 12 million hits on YouTube. Take a look.
I love the fact that we still live in a world where people care enough to do something like this. A horse recently fell down a 15m rocky cliff in Wales. It survived the fall only to find itself trapped by rough seas. This video details the rescue operation by two lifeboat crews who just happened to pass by as the incident took place.
Large parts of the Kruger National Park have been completely closed off until further notice, and more than two dozen people have had to be airlifted to safety following heavy rains and flooding in the area.
A game farmer has been mauled to death by a buffalo on his Free State farm. Willie Cronje farmed in Boshoff and was also a qualified doctor. The incident was witnessed by his 18-year-old son.
Cape Medical Response recently got a call to transfer a patient to Constantiaberg as an emergency. But they were stopped at the Chapman’s Peak toll first. According to Entilini Concession – the company that operates the road – even ambulances must stop and pay the toll fee, “irrespective of whether it is an emergency.”
James Lech, the dog whispering shaman, and so-called “dog behavioural specialist,” appears to be a wolf in sheep’s clothing. His pilot television series never made it to air, and a number of incidents of animal abuse have begun to emerge – all painting a dismal picture of the man.
Morning spice reported that a dog attacked a two-year-old girl at Clifton’s first beach on Wednesday this morning. It turns out that the same dog whisperer, James Lech, responsible for a dog that mauled a girl in a similar attack last year, is responsible for this latest incident too.