# Odd Animal News **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 28, 2008, 8:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-animal-news/461528 "2008-08-28T08:33:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 12
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2009, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-animal-news/461528/221 "2009-10-16T16:26:47Z")
And speaking of elephants, I’m reading parts of the new _Lonely Planet Vietnam_ guide, because we’ll be travelling through there in a few months, north to south, and I found these two entries of interest. [Both places are near Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC), the former Saigon]: **BINH CHAU HOT SPRINGS "Until about just over a decade ago there was wildlife in the area, including tigers and elephants, but it seems humans have nearly won the area over. In 1994 six elephants were captured near the springs, but after a few months of keeping them as pets their captors turned them over to the zoo in HCMC."** Catching elephants and keeping them as pets? 😃 **CAT TIEN NATIONAL PARK "Elephants are present in the park, but their presence has caused some controversy. In the early 1990s a herd of 10 hungry elephants fell into a bomb crater, created during the American War, just outside of Cat Tien. Local villagers took pity on the elephants and dug out a ramp to rescue them. Tragically, since then a number of villagers have been killed by rampaging elephants. Theoretically, the problem could have been ‘solved’ by shooting the elephants, but the Vietnamese government wasn’t willing to risk the wrath of international environmental groups. However, none of these organisations has come up with the funds for relocating the elephants, some of which were finally removed to zoos. In the longer term such conflicts are likely to be repeated because of the increasing competition between Vietnam’s wildlife and its growing population for the same living space."** ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2009, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-animal-news/461528/222 "2009-10-17T01:24:41Z")
And now, a vegetarian spider: The [Bagheera kiplingi](http://features.csmonitor.com/globalnews/2009/10/13/bagheera-kiplingi-a-vegetarian-spider-joins-worlds-jungle-book/). ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2009, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-animal-news/461528/223 "2009-10-17T01:55:51Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > And now, a vegetarian spider: The [Bagheera kiplingi](http://features.csmonitor.com/globalnews/2009/10/13/bagheera-kiplingi-a-vegetarian-spider-joins-worlds-jungle-book/). Vegetarian, my elephant. > [@](#): > > The truth is, this spider isn’t a complete vegetarian – more of a flexitarian: it still snacks on the occasional ant attacker or ant larvae. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2009, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-animal-news/461528/224 "2009-10-17T02:09:20Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > Vegetarian, my elephant. He backslides a bit. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2009, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-animal-news/461528/225 "2009-10-18T21:07:02Z")
[Swedish bunnies fuel area power station](http://www.thelocal.se/22610/20091012/) ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2009, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-animal-news/461528/226 "2009-10-19T05:04:46Z")
> [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](#): > > [Swedish bunnies fuel area power station](http://www.thelocal.se/22610/20091012/) The Horror! :eek: ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2009, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-animal-news/461528/227 "2009-10-19T13:26:49Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > The Horror! :eek: I doesn’t seem they would burn very well by themselves, particularly if frozen. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2009, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-animal-news/461528/228 "2009-10-21T03:54:34Z")
And [a plague of rats in western Burma](http://atimes.com/atimes/Southeast_Asia/KJ21Ae01.html). As if they didn’t have enough trouble. ☹ Excerpts: \*\*“The catalyst for the rat infestation is an ecological phenomenon known locally as _mautam_, which translates loosely into English as ‘bamboo death’. The phenomenon occurs approximately once every 50 years with the flowering of the _Melocanna baccifera_ bamboo species, whose nutritious fruit attracts and increases the fertility of rats.” “The rat infestation was predictable – or at least, it should have been. British colonialists recorded in the mid-19th century that the flowering of the bamboo fruit set off a deadly domino effect every 48 years. The last cycle, in 1958-9, led to the deaths of between 10,000 and 15,000 people in Chin State and the neighboring Indian states of Mizoram and Manipur, which are currently 30% covered in bamboo forest.”\*\* ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2009, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-animal-news/461528/229 "2009-10-28T04:14:06Z")
[Ancient “Monster” Insect: “Unicorn” Fly Never Before Observed](http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091026152934.htm) **“Just in time for Halloween, researchers have announced the discovery of a new, real-world ‘monster’ – what they are calling a ‘unicorn’ fly that lived about 100 million years ago and is being described as a new family, genus and species of fly never before observed.”** ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2009, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-animal-news/461528/230 "2009-10-29T03:30:24Z")
[Getting Tough on Elephant Abuse in Bangkok](http://nationmultimedia.com/breakingnews/30115432/Getting-tough-on-elephant-abuse) Lat Phrao is a district in northern Bangkok (the city is divided into 50 districts). Bt2000 = US$60. This will probably turn out to be yet another instance of big talk and then forgotten. ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2009, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-animal-news/461528/231 "2009-10-30T20:01:22Z")
[When Hedgehogs go bad](http://www.metro.co.uk/weird/article.html?Drunk_hedgehog_taken_to_hospital&in_article_id=759898&in_page_id=2) > [@](#): > > A ‘legless’ hedgehog was found rolling around an orchard after getting drunk by gorging on fermented apples. The prickly creature - nicknamed Tipsy - was ‘squealing loudly’ when animal rescuers arrived at the scene in Braunton, Devon. She was taken to the Prickly Ball Hedgehog Hospital in nearby Newton Abbot and woke up the next day nursing a massive hangover. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2009, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-animal-news/461528/232 "2009-10-30T20:50:22Z")
[Bat species engages in oral sex.](http://news.mongabay.com/2009/1027-hance_batsex.html) ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2009, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-animal-news/461528/233 "2009-10-31T19:23:48Z")
[Monkey + dog = cute](http://www.metro.co.uk/weird/article.html?CUTENESS_ALERT:_orphan_baby_monkey_rides_a_dog&in_article_id=759639&in_page_id=2). ---
**Author:** ![Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/malleus_incus_stapes/32/3293_2.png) [@Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malleus_Incus_Stapes)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2009, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-animal-news/461528/234 "2009-11-01T00:00:19Z")
^ What, no videos? ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2009, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-animal-news/461528/235 "2009-11-06T19:34:34Z")
[Snake on a pane](http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/6506615/Snake-pictured-slithering-across-car-windscreen.html). ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2009, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-animal-news/461528/236 "2009-11-17T02:27:47Z")
[Panda Cam](http://www.zoothailand.org/panda/livepanda.php)! A live video feed of the 6-month-old panda in the Chiang Mai Zoo, up North. Her name is Lin Ping, and her parents are on loan from China. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2009, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-animal-news/461528/237 "2009-11-19T19:52:21Z")
[Rare crocs found hiding in plain sight in Cambodia](http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iXrMKlYxiCkGyB8bjbzJXeLIfo-gD9C1TV900) **“DNA taken from 69 crocodiles housed in the moats of the Phnom Tamao Wildlife Rescue Center showed nearly 50 percent were Siamese crocodiles, which until recently were believed to have become extinct in the wild.”** ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2009, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-animal-news/461528/238 "2009-11-20T17:36:50Z")
[Netting a giant arapaima](http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2009/11/14/travel/travel_30116531.php) in southern Thailand. [Extinct goat was cold-blooded](http://www.physorg.com/news177755291.html). [World’s first photo of a baby coelacanth](http://www.boingboing.net/2009/11/19/first-photo-of-baby.html), taken off Indonesia’s Sulawesi Island. ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2009, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-animal-news/461528/239 "2009-11-21T18:19:11Z")
Pig hunter bags more [than he bargained for](http://www.ntnews.com.au/article/2009/11/16/101241_ntnews.html) > [@](#): > > “It was about 1am and running away from us - from the tail end it just looked like a big pig,” the station worker said. “We got out, had a look at it, and thought 'that’s not a pig, it’s a hippo. Then we thought ‘you don’t get hippos in Australia’.” > > They both decided to get some shuteye and “reassess the situation in the morning”. But it was still a hippo come daylight. ---
**Author:** ![Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a9a28c/32.png) [@Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oslo_Ostragoth)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2009, 6:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-animal-news/461528/240 "2009-11-22T06:59:25Z")
> [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](#): > > Pig hunter bags more [than he bargained for](http://www.ntnews.com.au/article/2009/11/16/101241_ntnews.html) ROFLMAO. Any chance alcohol was involved? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-animal-news/461528.md?page=11) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-animal-news/461528.md?page=13)