News of the Weird: A new use for pets: feeding lions

A zoo in Denmark has made an unsettling request of pet owners in Aalborg, the Associated Press reported. In a July 31 Facebook post, the zoo suggested, “If you have an animal that has to leave here for various reasons, feel free to donate it to us.” Not for a domestic pet display, mind you. The zoo is planning to “gently euthanize” the donated animals and feed them to its predators. Zoo officials said they’re trying to mimic the natural food chain, calling out specifically guinea pigs, rabbits and chickens as preferred donations. “That way, nothing goes to waste — and we ensure natural behavior, nutrition and well-being of our predators,” the post read.

Fire investigators in British Columbia, Canada, discovered an unlikely culprit in a brush fire that knocked out power in the town of Ashcroft on July 30: a fish. Ashcroft Fire Rescue posted on social media that an osprey pulled a large fish from a river about two miles away, but as it labored to fly with its super-sized meal in the July heat, it became tired and eventually dropped the fish ... directly onto a power line, which sparked the blaze in the dry grass below. It took about 4,800 gallons of water to stop the fire — quite a lot of trouble over a bird whose eyes were bigger than its stomach. “Another suspicion could be that it’s tired of raw fish and wanted to give cooked a try,” the post from Ashcroft Fire Rescue said.

In the Hautes-Vosges region of France, farmers have become discouraged with the lack of help from the law regarding squatters who park their camping vans illegally on private property. So, the Economic Times reported on Aug. 4, the farmers unleashed the power of poo on the interlopers. Six tractors circled around the campers and released slurry — a mixture of manure and water — that’s used to fertilize the soil. “We’ve had enough,” one farmer said. “If no one listens, we make ourselves heard another way.”

To be awarded a scholarship for college, South Korean students with lofty aspirations can take a hike. Literally. According to UPI, Seoul National University offers a scholarship of up to $540 to students who climb any six mountains in the Blackyak Apline Club’s 100 Famous Mountains and 100+ Famous Mountains lists, excluding those traversed by a cable car or gondola. The Misan Mountain Hiking Scholarship, which is funded by alumnus Kwon Jun-ha, 81, is highly competitive — only 70 spots are available, but 1,400 students applied for it during the open period from July 8-18. “The scholarship reflects the donor’s desire to foster healthy individuals with a spirit of challenge and community spirit,” the school said.

Farmers near Yellowstone National Park, struggling with wolves attacking their livestock but prohibited from harming the protected animals, have turned to technology — and Hollywood — for help in keeping the predators away. Yahoo News reported on Aug. 4 that quadcopter drones equipped with speakers blaring AC/DC songs and audio from a Scarlett Johansson movie had been dispatched in the ongoing fight. Per the USDA, “People arguing is a distressing sound for wolves, and so the fight scene between Johansson and Adam Driver in the 2019 movie ‘Marriage Story’ is a perfect deterrent.” It seems to be working: Since their deployment, the number of cows killed by wolves in southern Oregon has fallen from 11 over a 20-day period to two over the next 85 days.