DAVID ADAMS looks at the odder side of life…
• The daily lockdown walk has been brightened by the addition of scarecrows dressed as key workers in a village in southern England, as the community pays tribute to doctors, nurses, shop assistants and waste collectors in its own quirky way. About 30 of the adult-sized stuffed dolls, complete with wigs and face masks, stethoscopes and surgical gloves, are propped up in front gardens in the village of Capel, about 48 kilometres south of London. “We needed to cheer up the village and get people to have a laugh as they went around on their daily exercise,” said Sally Wyborn, who instigated the idea of the scarecrows.
Puppies in make-shift beds. PICTURE: Animal Emergency Service
• Amid the multitude of records being broken at the moment as people look for diversions during coronavirus lockdowns, comes an unexpected one from Australia. Shadow, a Neapolitan Mastiff, had already given birth to three puppies when she was taken to the Animal Emergency Service in Underwood, Brisbane, where veterinarians were able to remove a further 18 puppies in an emergency Caesarian section, bringing the total number of pups to 21. While the birth sets a new Australian record, Guinness World Records says the record for the largest ever litter of puppies was set by Tia, another Neapolitan Mastiff, who gave birth to 24 pups in the UK in 2004.
• A US reporter was caught out recently when he appeared on Good Morning America – apparently without his pants. Will Reeve, the son of late Superman actor Christopher Reeve, was reporting for US ABC News on how drones are being used to deliver drugs to patients when the camera inadvertantly revealed that, while he was wearing a shirt and jacket on his top half, his legs were bare. He later clarified on Twitter that he had been wearing a pair of workout shorts (hidden by his shirt) in anticipation of a work-out he’d planned on doing after the segment. He added that he hoped everyone had a laugh.
– with MARK JOHN and KARISHMA SINGH, Reuters
