Do man-eater’s young have taste for humans?
The orphaned cubs of a man-eating tiger killed in a state-sanctioned hunt have been spotted in a forest in western India and could be rescued and rehabilitated, officials said on Thursday. The mother was shot dead in early November after being accused of killing more than a dozen villagers, capping off one of India’s most high-profile tiger hunts and angering conservation activists. The months-long search deployed 200 hunters using paragliders, infrared cameras, sharpshooters on elephant back, and even Calvin Klein fragrance to lure the big cat. Maharashtra state’s forestry department’s AK Mishra said the cubs were “healthy and are surviving” and that specialists would assess whether they had acquired a taste for humans from their mother. “But we are hopeful of rescuing and rehabilitating them.” Activists said the tiger – called T1 by forestry officials but Avni by her advocates – said the mother was merely acting in defence of her cubs. – AFP
Shower is no excuse for not picking up
A rural Chinese government official who did not respond to phone calls from an anti-corruption inspection team while he was in the shower one evening has been reprimanded, state media said on Thursday. The inspection team in the eastern province of Anhui called the rural roads official on his cellphone four times between 7.31pm and 7.35pm to check on poverty alleviation efforts, state media said. But his failure to answer had hurt the county’s efforts to battle poverty. China, which aims to wipe out poverty by the end of the decade, wants to cut the number of its rural poor by more than 10 million this year, including 2.8 million who are to be shifted from “inhospitable areas”. The official, who has received a warning, told state media he was unable to respond because he was in the shower after a post-dinner walk, and there was no answer when he tried calling back. – Reuters
You’d probably do better at Hogwarts
British universities are falling behind in employability rankings as foreign institutions increasingly use English. The UK’s position in The Times Higher Education’s Global Employability Rankings has declined more than any other European country in recent years. Meanwhile, the rapid improvement of universities in the East has seen countries – including South Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Singapore – rise in the rankings. There are now 10 British universities in the top 150, down from 15 in 2011. The US, which has also traditionally dominated the rankings, now has 34 institutions in the top 150, down from 55. The trend for universities around the world to teach courses in English has been a significant factor in Britain and American institutions losing their edge, analysts say. – © The Daily Telegraph
Yob-mobbed but saved by the bell
A town crier fought off teenage “yobs” using his ceremonial bell after they tried to snatch his hat and wig. Alan Myatt was dressed in full garb following an appearance in Gloucester town centre on Tuesday when he was attacked by three youngsters riding bicycles. Myatt, who has been a town crier for 30 years, said the hoodie-wearing “yobs” rode near him “like a gang of sharks” before they grabbed his headgear. The 61-year-old, who set a Guinness world record for being the loudest crier after he recorded a cry at 112.8 decibels, suffered minor injuries as he fended off his attackers, which included throwing his bell at one of them. – © The Daily Telegraph
Bread ban is a ‘load of quack’
Feeding the ducks bread, once a beloved tradition for many families, has in recent years become a guilty pleasure as campaigners warn it is not a healthy food for the birds. Now, the queen’s swan guard has warned that campaign has caused swans to starve as people have stopped feeding them entirely. “Bin the Bread” was a highly successful campaign, officially launched by rescue charity Swan Lifeline, but the man charged with looking after the queen’s swans has said it did more harm than good. The Queen’s Swan Marker David Barber, Member of the Royal Victorian Order, said there is “no good reason” not to feed the swans bread and that many are underweight as a result of the ban. He added that they are put at further risk by wandering on to roads in search of food. “Swans have been fed bread for many hundreds of years without causing any ill effects.” – © The Daily Telegraph
Disney’s long-lost rabbit suddenly big in Japan
A short animated film that was created by Walt Disney in 1928 but feared lost has been discovered in Japan. The two-minute black-and-white film footage features Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, a character Walt Disney created in 1927, a year before he came up Mickey Mouse. Titled Neck ‘n’ Neck when the film was released in the US, a handful of copies reached Japan, where one was bought by high school student Yasushi Watanabe from a toy wholesalers’ market in Osaka. Watanabe failed to realise the significance of his purchase, the Asahi Shimbun newspaper reported, until he read Oswald the Lucky Rabbit: The Search for the Lost Disney Cartoons, published in 2017 by David Bossert, who had worked for many years on animated movies at Walt Disney Studios. According to Bossert, Disney created 26 short films that starred Oswald, but only 19 have survived. – © The Daily Telegraph