DAVID ADAMS provides a round-up of some stories on the odder side of life…
An elephant munches a Christmas tree. PICTURE: Screenshot via Reuters TV
• Elephants and other animals at Berlin Zoo enjoyed a belated Christmas treat of unsold Christmas trees last Thursday, clearly enjoying the publicity-grabbing recycling event. The yearly tradition across German zoos regularly attracts additional visitors. For the animals the trees are a special delicacy and treat as they are only available once a year, said Berlin Zoo spokesperson Svenja Eisenbarth. Even though the annual Christmas tree feed is somewhat of a tradition, the zoo does not accept private tree donations, Eisenbarth added. Instead the zoo teams up with Christmas tree sellers, who pack up unsold organic trees and drive them to the zoo. This year the zoo was delighted to receive two lorry loads full. And it’s not just the elephants who got a delicious post-Christmas treat – reindeer and and the bison also got to tuck in or get a good back rub with the crunchy Christmas trees. – Reuters TV
A person throws boiling water into the air following cold weather, in Pyhatunturi, Finland, on 1st January, 2024, in this screen grab obtained from social media video. PICTURE: Lauri Untamo/via Reuters/File photo
• Finland’s record low temperatures this week inspired a tourist on a trip to the Arctic to try a trick that had long intrigued him: throwing boiling water in the air when it’s extremely cold outside and seeing it turn into an instant cloud of icy dust. This is not something to try unless the temperatures are at a level of cold that most places on earth rarely, or never, see. Lauri Untamo, a 49-year-old sales manager from southern Finland, was on holiday in Finnish Lapland with friends when the temperature fell to minus 30 degrees Celsius on New Year’s Day. “I had seen videos of the trick on social media or YouTube that it was possible to perform but had never had a suitable frost to give it a try at minus 30 degrees or more,” Untamo told Reuters. He said he boiled water in his cabin, quickly brought it outside and threw it in an arc over his head – surviving the attempt without burns as the water immediately turned into an icy cloud that drifted away. The Nordic countries have seen extremely cold weather for the past few days, with the lowest temperature in 25 years at minus 44.3 Celsius recorded on Friday in Enontekio, further north in the Arctic from Pyhatunturi where Untamo was staying. Despite the icy weather, Untamo and his group of friends have been enjoying outdoor activities such as Nordic skiing and walking in the snow-clad forests. “We even saw the Northern Lights on a few nights so Lapland has really given its best to us this week,” he said. – ANNE KAURANEN, Helsinki, Finland/Reuters
• North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is believed to have turned the big four-oh on Monday, but state media continued its decades of silence on his birthday. Kim’s birthday is believed to be on 8th January, though his secretive regime has never confirmed the date. The US Government lists Kim’s birth year as 1984, making him 40 years old this year. The birth dates of Kim’s father and grandfather, who preceded him as rulers, are national holidays in the authoritarian state. Kim Jong Un’s presumed birth date, meanwhile, has always passed quietly without mention in media or on the country’s calendars. The closest North Korea has come to confirming the date came in January 2020 after authorities acknowledged Kim had received birthday greetings from then-US President Donald Trump, though they did not mention the exact date. This year, state news agency KCNA on Monday showed Kim visiting a chicken farm with his daughter and senior officials. South Korea’s intelligence agency said this month it believes the daughter, known as Ju-ae, may be a likely successor. Kim’s government is heavily sanctioned over the country’s nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs, as well as human rights abuses. – JOSH SMITH, Seoul, South Korea/Reuters
