DAVID ADAMS takes a look at the odder side of life…
Chris the woolly sheep is seen in this undated picture from social media obtained by Reuters on 22nd October. PICTURE: RSPCA ACT/via Reuters
• An Australian sheep who made headlines in 2015 for the record-breaking weight of his fleece has died, according to its carers. Kate Luke, co-founder of the Canberra-based animal shelter Little Oak Sanctuary, said that Chris, believed to be aged about 10, was found dead on Tuesday morning, having died of old age. “We are heartbroken at the loss of this sweet, wise, friendly soul. Chris is known as the world record holder for having grown the heaviest fleece on record,” the sanctuary said in a Facebook post. “He was so much more than this, so very much more, and we will remember him for all that he was – someone, not something.” Chris was discovered on the northern outskirts of Canberra, struggling to walk under the weight of his wool, which had not be shorn in more than five years. The 40.2 kilos of wool subsequently removed from the sheep – worth about $US413.6 at current prices – made him the unofficial carrier of the world’s heaviest fleece, dethroning New Zealand sheep Big Ben, who was found carrying nearly 29 kilograms of wool in 2014.
• It will be Holland no longer. Authorities in The Netherlands have reportedly decided to switch the country’s official branding to ‘The Netherlands’ instead of ‘Holland’ as the nation looks to rebrand itself as a co-creator of “pioneering solutions to global challenges”. The country’s official marketing approach – which sees the name Holland displayed beside an orange tulip – is expected to change ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics as well as the Eurovision Song Contest which is being hosted in the Dutch city of Rotterdam. It’s unclear whether the tulip will remain as part of the new branding.
• Is that a pumpkin – or a kayak? A farmer in the US state of Tennessee has converted a 412 kilogram pumpkin he grew into a kayak. Videos shows Justin Owenby floating in a pond on his property seated inside his hollowed-out gourd. His wife Christin told local TV channel WVTC that he had grown the pumpkin using a seed from a record-breaking pumpkin which had grown to weigh more than 770 kilograms. The pumpkin was apparently last seen still floating on the pond (we gather without Justin in it). “It will make a great snack for the catfish!,” said Christin.
– with Reuters
