Medusa, the world’s largest snake weighs more than 300 lbs (135 kg), is 25ft (7.5 meters) long and it takes 15 people to hold her. Medusa, a massive python is set to slither into the Guinness Book of World Records as the world’s largest snake living in captivity. The giant snake, which will be on display at the Edge of Hell haunted house attraction in Kansas City, eats a 40lb animal about o…
Sep 23 2011 | Posted in
World |
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…went about his daily business as if nothing had happened. He says he finally agreed to go to hospital after pressure from family, neighbours and police. The incident took place on Tuesday in a village 200 km (125 miles) south-east of Nepal’s capital, Kathmandu. The snake he killed is reported to have been the common cobra. Nepal has a wide variety of snakes, many of which are venomous –…
Aug 23 2012 | Posted in
Asia News |
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…ks, called on people to “resist” the rebels. Aid agencies say tens of thousands of people have fled their homes in the last five days as conflict escalated. One camp near Goma, where about 60,000 people from previous conflicts were taking refuge, has emptied as people flee, the agencies report. This is the first time since the war officially ended in 2003 that rebels have entered Goma,…
ng transferred to a hospital in neighboring South Africa. The government has set out to reassure people the tourist attraction is safe, despite the incident. Tourism minister Given Lubinda said around 50,000 people made the leap each year at the world-famous beauty spot. “The bungee has proven to be a very viable operation considering that more than 50,000 tourists jump on it every year. “It has b…
Former US President George W. Bush showed his compassionate side by spending Fourth of July at an orphanage in Lusaka, Zambia. George Bush, 66, and his wife Laura visited the Kasisi Children’s Home in Lusaka, one of the largest orphanages in the country. Pictures released during George Bush’s one-week stay in Africa show him tenderly hugging a young boy and holding a baby while his wife loo…
ers, and that the armed men had been trying to free a militant who was condemned to death. There have been no executions in Democratic Republic of Congo since President Joseph Kabila came to power in 2001 Dikanga Kazadi said also that the two who died were a police officer and a young man who was visiting his detained brother. There have been no executions in Democratic Republic of Congo since P…
Sep 7 2011 | Posted in
Africa news,
World |
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An outbreak of the Ebola virus in the Democratic Republic of Congo has now killed 31 people and could threaten major towns, the World Health Organization has warned. An epidemic was officially declared on 17 August in the northwestern Orientale Province. WHO official Eugene Kabambi told Reuters that the situation was “very serious” and was “not under control”. An outbreak…
…g through the waters of an Icelandic river have been captured last week by Hjörtur Kjerúlf The notorious “snake-like” creature is said to live in the Lagarfljót lake, which is 25 miles long and 367 feet deep – and it has been the subject of many a supposed sighting since reports of it first emerged in 1345. However, an expert on the legendary Lagarfljótsormurinn lake beast believes th…
A baby elephant and its mother were rescued by conservation workers after they got stuck in the mud of Kapani Lagoon in Zambia. Conservation workers from South Luangwa Conservation Society, who normally have a policy of leaving nature to fend for itself as much as possible, unless the problem was created by humans. A baby elephant and its mother were rescued by conservation workers after they go…
Venomous reptiles may provide a good source for new drugs for human diseases, British researchers in Liverpool say. Venom has already been used to create drugs, but the chemicals in it are often too deadly for human consumption. However, a study, published in the journal Nature Communications, has shown snakes and lizards have “reclaimed” some toxins and used them, safely, elsewhere i…
Sep 19 2012 | Posted in
Health |
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…s been arrested in connection with a Nigerian oil deal Shortly after being released, Rupiah Banda addressed his supporters, telling them to remain calm and that he would win the case in court. He lost 2011 elections to Michael Sata, whose government is investigating several high-profile deals made by Rupiah Banda’s administration amid accusations of corruption. Rupiah Banda led Africa’…
Thomas Lubanga, the Congolese warlord, has been found guilty of recruiting and using child soldiers between 2002 and 2003 by the International Criminal Court (ICC). It is the court’s first verdict since it was set up 10 years ago. Thomas Lubanga will be sentenced at a later hearing. The warlord headed a rebel group during an inter-ethnic conflict in a gold-rich region of Democratic Republic…
recently swallowed a doe the size of a child. An autopsy was conducted at Everglades National Park by Skip Snow, a python specialist who said the reptile had a girth of 44 inches (112 cm) with the 5st 6lb (35 kg) deer inside its stomach. Skip Snow told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel: “This is clearly an extreme event. “It shows you they can eat huge things. “The Burmese python &#…
US scientists have announced that the biggest Burmese python ever recorded in Florida has been caught in the Everglades. The snake measuring 17 ft 7 in (5.18 m) and weighing 164 lbs (74 kg) was found in Everglades National Park, the University of Florida announced. The python – now dead – was pregnant with 87 eggs, also believed to be a record. Non-native Burmese pythons have been bla…
…A form of virgin birth has been found in wild vertebrates for the first time “I think the frequency is what really shocked us,” said Prof. Warren Booth. “That’s between 2.5 and 5% of litters produced in these populations may be resulting from parthenogenesis.” “That’s quite remarkable for something that has been considered an evolutionary novelty,” h…
court in The Hague that, taking into account the time Thomas Lubanga has already spent in jail, he will effectively spend eight more years behind bars. Campaign group Human Rights Watch says more than 60,000 people were killed in the conflict between Hema and Lendu ethnic groups in Ituri, in north-eastern DR Congo. In June, ICC chief prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo said he was asking for a “se…
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has announced this week a massive, month-long hunt for Burmese pythons in the state – offering a $1,500 prize to the person who harvests the most snakes. The Commission’s 2013 Python Challenge kicks off on January 12th as an initiative to inform the public of the dangerous impact of the tens of thousands of snakes that are threaten…
Dec 9 2012 | Posted in
U.S. News |
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Scientists from Dickinson College, Pennsylvania, have found that boa constrictors halt squeezing a prey when their victim’s heart stops. This accurate calculation of death, while seemingly just cruel, allows the snake to expend the minimum amount of energy Scientists discovered boas can actually “feel” their victim’s heartbeat after a series of experiments. First they used dead rats w…
…n emergency meeting of the UN Security Council. It has sent 350 soldiers to ensure the security of its citizens, a senior official told AFP, bringing the total number of French troops in CAR to nearly 600. “I call upon all sides to show the greatest restraint,” said French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius, urging French nationals to stay at home. The UN Security Council voiced concern a…
…get hold of on the other side of the pond. Website Greensations.com sells it to UK customers but expect to pay in dollars. SNAKE VENOM When British beauty brand Rodial launched Glamoxy Snake Serum in 2010, a trend for reptile-based beauty was born – despite the fact that Rodial’s potion doesn’t actually have any venom in it. The same can’t be said for Planet Skincare’…
Dec 18 2012 | Posted in
Fashion & Style |
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Angelina Jolie was spotted without her engagement ring as she arrived in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda with British Foreign Secretary William Hague on Sunday night. Instead Angelina Jolie, 37, wore a more modest gold band on her wedding finger. Angelina Jolie was spotted without her engagement ring as she arrived in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda with British Foreign S…
Mar 26 2013 | Posted in
Entertainment |
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Mica Craig from Clarkson, Washington, is recovering after he was bitten by a rattlesnake in a garden department of Wal-Mart. Mica Craig, 47, said the reptile pounced as he was shopping at Wal-Mart in the north-western US state of Washington. The man stamped on the serpent and was later treated at hospital with anti-venom, after his hand suffered serious swelling. Wal-Mart apologized, and said it…
May 15 2012 | Posted in
U.S. News |
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by Maurizio Seracini who features in Dan Brown’s Da Vinci Code. The fresco that is currently in place is the Battle of Marciano in Val di Chiana by Giorgio Vasari and was painted in 1543, nearly 60 years after Leonardo da Vinci started his work. The painting technique, used experimenting with an oil paint technique, was not successful and he abandoned the work, unfinished. Copies, however, h…
Edward Archbold, the winner of a cockroach-eating competition, died shortly after eating dozens of the live insects and worms in Florida, authorities have said. Edward Archbold, 32, became ill and collapsed at a pet shop where the contest took place in the city of Deerfield Beach on Friday. About 30 others competed in the event at the Ben Siegel Reptile Store. Officials are waiting for the result…
Oct 9 2012 | Posted in
U.S. News |
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you I gain five pounds every time I go in there.” The Gotham eatery, which has only been in business since February, began ruffling feathers in the sanitary department shortly after opening. The West 68th Street spot first fell foul (literally) of health standards less than one month after launching, scoring a boarder-line “C” with 31 violations. It sharpened up its act, being up-graded and just…
