Monthly Archives: August 2013

Brazil Army Must Recognize Same-Sex Civil Union

Posted on by
Reply

Brazil-Same-sex-civil-unionsA court has ordered Brazil’s Army for the first time to recognize a same-sex civil union between a sergeant and his companion.

Judge Elio Siqueira says that the couple is entitled to the same rights as heterosexual couples in terms of things such as alimony and retirement benefits.

The sergeant’s attorney said Friday it was “the first time a court ordered the Army to recognize a same-sex union of one its officers.”

Attorney Laurecilia de Sa Ferraz, says turned to the court after the army refused to recognize his civil union with his companion, a computer science student.

The army said it had no comment because it has not been officially notified of the ruling.

 

Thieves in Venezuela hacking off women’s ponytails in street to sell on as $500 hair extensions

Posted on by
Reply

Robbers in the Venezuelan city of Maracaibo are now targeting women's hair1While most people worry about being mugged for their phones or handbags, criminals in the Venezuelan city of Maracaibo have their sights set on something a little more unusual.

According to local news sources, a gang known as the ‘piranhas’ is stealing women’s hair at gun point.

The criminals then sell on the stolen locks to salons for use as hair extensions, according to Venezuelan digital newspaper Informe 21.

Robbers target women with long, straight hair as this type is most in demand for extensions. They force the women tie their hair into ponytails then hack them off.

It’s a profitable business: local hairdressers can charge clients up to £322 ($500) to weave real locks into their hair, according to CNN.

Speaking to Globovision news, Jhonatan Morales, a stylist in Venezuela, explained that hair extensions are hot property – demand for the service has increased by 30 per cent.

He said that his salon refuses to buy the hair from street vendors because they don’t know where it comes from.

The mayor of Maracaibo, Eveling de Rosales, has addressed the issue, saying that security is being upped and that ‘men and women were being placed to guard and avoid this happening again.’

 

First Deputy Minister of Defence of Armenia Mr. Davit Tonoyan met with International Committee of the Red Cross delegate in Armenia Ms.Dragana Rankovich

Posted on by
Reply

դավիթ-տոնոյանOn 9th of August First Deputy Minister of Defence of Armenia Mr. Davit Tonoyan met with International Committee of the Red Cross  delegate in Armenia Ms.Dragana Rankovich and discussed issues regarding Hakob Gevorg Injighulyan who was found in the area of protection of Azerbaijani troops having lost his bearings on the terrain.

 

In order to prevent and avoid any possible misinterpretation and disinformation Mr.Tonoyan made an official plea to ICRC to assure H. Injighulyan that the incident will bear no legal consequences for him and to facilitate the secure and prompt repatriation of the citizen of Armenia should the Azerbaijani side show willingness.

Found after 40 years: Man who went missing with his son in the Vietnamese jungle when his mother and two of his children were killed in a bomb at their home

Posted on by
Reply

Ho Van Lang, 41, has been living in the jungle of Vietnam since he was two years oldA father and son have been found living in the jungle of Vietnam four decades after they went missing during the country’s war with the U.S.

Ho Van Thanh and his son Ho Van Lang apparently fled their home village 40 years ago after a bomb killed three members of their family.

They were discovered by locals looking for firewood in deep forest in the Tay Tra district of Quang Ngai province.

Yesterday authorities confirmed that the men were Thanh, 82, and 41-year-old Lang.

The pair survived by foraging fruit and cassava from the forest and planting corn.

When the foragers saw the two ‘jungle men’ from a distance acting abnormally, they alerted local authorities.

Officials set up a team to track them down, and found them yesterday after a five-hour search.

The father could speak a little of the minority Cor language, but the son knew only a few words.

The pair are now undergoing medical check-ups as a first step to being reintegrated into mainstream society.

 

An oeuf is enough: French farmers smash 100,000 eggs a day in protest at EU directive to protect hens

Posted on by
Reply

French egg producers throw crates of eggs5Furious French farmers are smashing hundreds of thousands of fresh eggs in a protest at cripplingly low prices they blame on the European Union.

In bizarre scenes in the northwest region of Brittany, piles of mangled shell, yolk and albumen are being dumped on main roads next door to supermarkets.

‘The mess is terrible and soon it will start to smell very badly indeed,’ said one shopworker. ‘It’s a strange protest, but one which will create a huge amount of publicity.’

Poultry farmers say they have been forced to start destroying their stock because of overproduction in the EU.
They insist that they are barely making any profit at all because of a strict EU directive which came into force in January aimed at protecting the well-being of hens.

Many of the protestors have been wearing masks as they take the thousands of ‘We will continue to destroy 100,000 eggs a day until Sunday,’ a spokesman for the protest group told AFP, France’s national news agency.

He threatened that radical action would increase in intensity ‘with inevitable collateral damage’ if the group’s demands were not met.

One hundred thousand eggs a day equates to five per cent of he number of eggs being produced each day by the farmers involved in the dispute.

They want France’s entire egg production to be reduced by five per cent to help raise prices, and called on President Francois Hollande’s government to help with the smashing.

 

Burglars return computers with apology letter after realizing they had stolen from charity which helps sexual violence victims

Posted on by
Reply

Police investigate the roof of the charityThieves who ransacked a charity’s office had a crisis of conscience and returned the stolen goods – along with a contrite letter of apology. The non-profit organization, which counsels those who are victims of violent sexual attacks, was hit by burglars on July 31 in San Bernardino County, California. The burglars dropped into the building from the roof and made off with laptops and other computer equipment. The director of San Bernardino County Sexual Assault Services Candy Stallings was called to the scene at 4am. She said that police officers were asking questions among the local transient community and explaining the work that the charity carried out. She said that the following night, she was called out again by police but what greeted her at the organization’s door was a pleasant surprise – all the charity’s computer equipment had been returned. There was a note attached which read: ‘We had no idea what we were takeing [sic]. Here your stuff back we hope that you guys can continue to make a difference in peoples live. God bless.’

STATE DEPARTMENT CALLS ON ALL SIDES IN SYRIA TO PROTECT CIVILIANS

Posted on by
Reply
save_aleppo—  Letter to ANCA Outlines U.S. Humanitarian Response to Syria Conflict
WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of State, in response to concerns raised by the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) and a broad cross-section of Armenian American civic and church leaders, has stressed the urgency of ongoing U.S. diplomatic initiatives to remind all sides in Syria of their obligations under international law to protect civilians and to allow humanitarian organizations safe access to all people in need.
The Department’s letter comes following a July 17th U.S. government briefing on Syria humanitarian assistance efforts hosted by the State Department and U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) for representatives of Armenian American civic, church, and charitable organizations from across the United States.  The letter to the ANCA underscores the importance that the United States attaches to ensuring regular medical and humanitarian access to Aleppo, and notes the life-saving U.S. contributions to meeting basic needs for those in host countries, including Armenia and Lebanon.
The full array of urgent humanitarian issues of concern to Armenian Americans has consistently been raised by community leaders, including:
1) Ensuring the balanced and needs-based distribution of U.S. humanitarian aid to all areas of Syria, including those like Aleppo with large Armenian and other Christian populations;
2) Preventing humanitarian blockades of civilian populations, such as those creating crises in Aleppo;
3) Providing additional assistance to the Armenian government and NGO’s supporting and helping to settle Syrians who have fled to Armenia, and
4) Assisting the Armenian Church and charitable groups in Lebanon as they support the very considerable humanitarian needs of refugees from Syria.
In his August 5th letter to the ANCA, State Department Director of the Office of Europe, Central Asia and Americas, Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration for John Underriner referenced community concerns about getting vital humanitarian aid to the affected communities in Syria and the devastating effects of a recent blockade of assistance to Aleppo.  “We recognize the critical need to ensure regular medical and humanitarian access to those who remain in Aleppo and for all displaced and conflict-affected people in Syria,” noted Underriner. “Humanitarian workers are risking their lives to provide life-saving assistance to those suffering and have worked tirelessly with contacts on all of the conflict to attempt to negotiate humanitarian pauses to allow aid delivery. We have reminded all sides to the conflict of their obligations under international humanitarian law to protect civilians, and urge them to allow humanitarian organizations safe access to all people in need.”
The full text of Underriner’s letter is provided below. Since issuing the letter, President Obama announced an additional $185 million in assistance to those affected by the Syrian crisis, bringing to $1 billion the total U.S. assistance commitment to date.
The Armenian American community, along with Armenian communities around the world, has undertaken far-reaching and life-saving humanitarian efforts, through the Armenian Apostolic, Catholic, and Evangelical churches, Syrian Armenian Relief Fund, Armenian Relief Society, Armenian General Benevolent Union and other avenues. The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) has undertaken a grassroots effort to educate Congressional legislators about the plight of Armenians and other affected minorities in Syria and urged Congress to provide relief and resettlement support for at-risk Armenians and other Christian populations in Syria and throughout the Middle East as part of the FY 2014 foreign aid bill.
#####
Text of State Department Letter to ANCA Regarding U.S. Humanitarian Assistance to those Affected by the Syrian Crisis

 

12 die in building explosion in Argentina; authorities suspect gas leak

Posted on by
Reply

building explosion in Argentina3Leaking gas was likely to blame for an explosion that killed at least 12 people, injured 60 more and brought down part of a building in Argentina on Tuesday, state media reported Wednesday. A man who was working at the scene in the city of Rosario before the blast ignited at 9:15 a.m. local time has been taken into custody, said the Telam news agency, which cited investigator Juan Curto. The explosion gutted one multi-story residential building, and destroyed at least one other building next to it, while blowing out the windows of surrounding structures, images broadcast by CNN affiliate Canal 9 showed. A swath of white smoke and dust dominated the skyline of the city, located about 200 miles northwest of the capital, Buenos Aires. Rescuers are still searching for over a dozen people who were in the residential building at the time of the blast, local newspaper Clarin reported.

Obama Cancels Summit With Putin After Russia Grants Asylum to Snowden

Posted on by
Reply

barack_obama_putinPresident Obama will not travel to Moscow next month to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin, the White House announced today, citing Russia’s “disappointing decision” to grant asylum to National Security Agency-leaker Edward Snowden and a lack of progress in the U.S.-Russian bilateral agenda.

“Even though we don’t have an extradition treaty with them, traditionally, we have tried to respect if there’s a law breaker or alleged law breaker in their country. We evaluate it, and we try to work with them,” Obama told Jay Leno on NBC’s “The Tonight Show” Tuesday. “They didn’t do that with us, and in some ways it’s reflective of some underlying challenges that we’ve had with Russia lately.

The president will still travel to St. Petersburg on Sept. 5-6 to attend the G-20 Summit.

Shortly after announcing it was canceling the Moscow visit, the White House announced that the president would instead travel to Stockholm before going to Russia.

 

North Korean comedian sent to do hard labour in a coal mine after making a ‘slip of tongue’ about regime during performance

Posted on by
Reply

Kim Jong UnNorth Korean comedian sent to do hard labour in a coal mine after making a ‘slip of tongue’ about regime during performance A North Korean comedian was sent to do hard labour in a coal mine midway through her performance after she made a ‘slip of the tongue’ about the country’s draconian regime. Lee Choon Hong, a popular comedian known for satirising and mimicking people in North Korean society, was performing for workers on a vast farm project ordered by leader Kim Jong Un when she commented on ‘sensitive issues’, it was reported. The comedian was immediately taken off and sent to the Jikdong Youth Coal Mine, without even having a chance to say goodbye to her family, according to local reports in the notoriously secret country. It is not known how long Lee will be held for, but a typical punishment is likely to involve a six-month evaluation period during which she would be observed at work in the mine before a decision to release her was made. What the comedian said has not been reported, but it is said to be the second time she has upset authorities in North Korea – she was reportedly sent to do reform work in the mid-2000s after ‘misspeaking’.

Not in Turkey’s interest to Provoke Border Clash with Armenia

Posted on by
Reply

Harut SassounianBy Harut Sassounian

Publisher, The California Courier

 

A deadly incident with potentially serious consequences took place on the Armenian-Turkish border in the night of July 31.

 

Armenian and Turkish sources have provided conflicting versions of this event. They agree, however, that a Turkish shepherd was shot dead after crossing into Armenian territory.

 

Kars Governor Eyup Tepe claimed that without warning “Armenian soldiers” opened fire on 35-year-old Mustafa Ulker, as he was trying to retrieve his “sheep” from the Armenian side. The Turkish Governor accused Armenians of using “excessive force,” alleging that “the shepherd did not have a gun in his hand.” Another local Turkish official, Osman Ugurlu, identified the intruder as a Turkish citizen of Azeri origin who was armed only with a knife and was shot in the back.

 

In a diplomatic note of protest delivered to Armenia, the Turkish Foreign Ministry stated: “We strongly condemn the shooting of an innocent citizen for a simple border infringement apparently made very innocently. There is no valid explanation for the disproportionate use of Armenian force in such an ordinary event.” In a separate public statement, Ankara called on Armenia to show “good sense” in its relations with Turkey and Azerbaijan, warning Yerevan of the dire consequences of wrong moves that could endanger regional stability and peace.

 

Armenia disputed the Turkish version of events, stating that two Turkish young men had crossed the border at 3 a.m., to steal sheep. When Russian soldiers guarding the Armenian frontier ordered the intruders to go back, the Turks mocked them and refused to retreat. The border guards then fired two warning shots in the air at which point one of the Turks opened fire on them. The Russian troops responded, killing one Turkish intruder, according to the Armenian Border Department of the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation.

 

Turkish sources have repeatedly stressed that the shepherd was shot by Armenians, despite Ankara’s awareness that Russian troops are the ones guarding Armenia’s borders with Turkey and Iran, in line with the Moscow-Yerevan agreement of 1992. Instead of blaming the Russians, the Turkish government insists on holding Armenia responsible for the shepherd’s killing, turning it into an Armenian-Turkish incident rather than a Russian-Turkish quarrel.

 

The Armenian Foreign Ministry issued a restrained statement, expressing regret for the loss of life and hoping that such incidents will not recur in the future. It is clear that Yerevan does not wish to inflame tempers and trigger a more serious incident with unintended consequences.

 

It is understandable that Turkish leaders would want to exaggerate the significance of this relatively minor border incident in order to distract attention away from Turkey’s multitude of domestic and foreign troubles, in particular:

 

·  On-going mass protests in Turkey, challenging Prime Minister Erdogan’s despotic rule.

 

·  Arresting 3,000 demonstrators, injuring 8,000, and killing five others as a result of the “disproportionate use of force” by Turkish police.

 

·  Announcements placed in major American, British, and German newspapers, denouncing Erdogan’s “Nazi-like” actions. The Turkish Prime Minister’s threatened lawsuit against The (London) Times for publishing a full-page paid letter, signed by dozens of prominent Western intellectuals and artists, would more widely expose his intimidating tactics.

 

·  Letter addressed to Turkey’s President Abdullah Gul by 46 Members of the US House of Representatives, asking him to condemn the recent anti-Semitic statements of Turkish leaders, including Erdogan, who had referred to Zionism as a “crime against humanity” and blamed the recent Gezi Park protests on Jewish instigators.

 

·  Serious internal feuds with Kurdish groups, opposition political parties, and high-ranking imprisoned military leaders.

 

·  Repeated military intrusions into Iraqi Kurdistan.

 

·  Strained relations with Egypt’s new rulers after the overthrow of Pres. Mohamed Morsi, Erdogan’s fellow Islamist.

 

·  Frictions with Cyprus, Greece, Iran, Iraq, and Israel, and hostilities with Syria.

 

·  The bombing of the Turkish Embassy in Somalia last month by an al-Qaeda-linked group.

 

With all these problems swirling in and around Turkey, Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu’s announced policy of “zero problems with neighbors” has turned into “zero neighbors without problems.”

 

At a time when Armenians are planning worldwide commemorations of the Genocide Centennial, Turkey can ill afford to add to its host of troubles a border clash with Armenia, which would only serve to publicize Turkey’s long list of past and present crimes!

Oops! American tourist accidentally snaps finger off 600-year-old marble statue in Florence museum

Posted on by
Reply

An American tourist broke the pinky finger off a 600-year-old marble statue at a Florentine museumAn American tourist has caused outrage in Florence, Italy, after accidentally snapping a finger off a priceless 600-year-old statue of the Virgin Mary at a museum.

The unnamed tourist, a 55-year-old from New Fairfield, Connecticut, was attempting to comparing his finger to that on a marble sculpture at the Museo dell’Opera del Duomo (Museum of the Works of the Cathedral) when the digit broke off.

A security guard spotted the tourist and tried to stop him, but it was too late.

The American, originally from Missouri and who was on holiday with his wife and another couple at the time of the mishap, was mortified and apologized profusely, fearing prosecution and a massive fine for damaging the historic piece of work.

The sculpture was created in the 14th or 15th century by Florentine Giovanni d’Ambrogio.

Timothy Verdon, an American who is the head of the Diocesan Office of Sacred Art and Church Cultural Heritage and the Cathedral Foundation Museum in Florence, condemned his countryman’s behavior.

He said the damaged finger was not an original, but was actually recast later.

He said he is not sure how much the repair would cost – or whether it was even possible.

‘In a globalized world like ours, the fundamental rules for visiting a museum have been forgotten, that is, “Do not touch the works,”‘ he fumed.

Today, a spokesman for the museum told MailOnline that luckily the highly embarrassed tourist will not be fined or face criminal action, as the museum has a permanent team of restorers on its books – and the statue has been broken three times in the past already.

 

SKorea Approves $6 Million in Aid for NKorea

Posted on by
Reply

Park Geun-hyeSouth Korea has approved $6 million in government aid for vaccines, medical care and food for North Korean children. Seoul says it’s the first such humanitarian aid set aside for Pyongyang since President Park Geun-hye took office in February.

Seoul’s Unification Ministry said Tuesday that it will send UNICEF the money Wednesday. Seoul last provided aid through the U.N. agency in 2011.

Park has vowed a tough response to any North Korean provocations but has also worked to build trust and encourage dialogue.

The aid comes as the Koreas remain deadlocked over efforts to restart a jointly-run factory park in North Korea that has been shuttered since Pyongyang withdrew its workers in April.

Pyongyang hasn’t responded to a call by Seoul in late July for another round of talks.

 

Wildfire Rages Overnight Near Athens

Posted on by
Reply

Wildfire near Athens1Firefighters and soldiers are battling a wildfire that broke out overnight and burned through forest near Greece’s capital city, Athens. Authorities have managed to prevent the flames from moving into a nature reserve near the city’s northern suburbs.

The fire department says nearly 300 firefighters, soldiers and volunteers struggled through the night to contain the blaze that broke out in the Varibobi area north of Athens. At first light Tuesday they were joined by 10 water-dropping planes and two helicopters. At least four homes in the area were burned.

The blaze broke out late Monday night, the fire department said in a statement. Earlier Monday, another large wildfire burned about 10 homes as it raged through a hamlet near Marathon, north of Athens.

 

Ronaldo ‘signs new five-year deal worth £75m to end career at Madrid’ and overtake Messi as highest-paid player in Spain

Posted on by
Reply

Cristiano RonaldoCristiano Ronaldo has reportedly signed a new five-year deal with Real Madrid worth £75million to keep him at the club for the rest of his career. Madrid-based newspaper Marca reports that Ronaldo will earn around £900,000 more each season than Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi, making him the highest-paid player in Spain. Ronaldo, who cost Madrid £80million in 2009, met with club president Florentino Perez in Los Angeles and the pair ironed out their differences. The former United and Sporting Lisbon player had remained coy on his future at a press conference over the weekend. ‘The situation still hasn’t been resolved and I don’t think now is the right time to talk about it,’ he said.

Lady Gaga, Madonna Facing Punishment in Russia

Posted on by
Reply

gty_gty_gaga_madonna_kb_130804_16x9_608Pop stars Lady Gaga and Madonna are facing punishment in Russia after authorities determined they violated their visas when they held concerts there last year.

Technically, the artists were not allowed to work in Russia on their tourist visas, but experts say it appears the visa warning is a veiled attempt punish the pop stars for their vocal support of gay rights in Russia.

The investigation into their visas came at the urging of a lawmaker who has spearheaded Russia’s anti-gay campaign.

During concerts in St. Petersburg last year, both Lady Gaga and Madonna denounced the city’s harsh anti-gay law from the stage.

“Tonight, this is my house Russia. You can be gay in my house,” Lady Gaga said during her performance in December.

A few months earlier, Madonna made similar comments during her concert.

“Gay people here and all around the world have the same rights,” she said.

Those comments have landed the pop stars in hot water in Russia. The two have been accused of spreading what the law calls “gay propaganda” under St. Petersburg’s anti-gay law.

Russia hasn’t announced any plans to prosecute the pop stars, but if convicted they could face steep fines or even be banned from entering the country.

So far there has been no response yet from either Lady Gaga or Madonna.

 

President Serzh Sargsyan met in Tehran with the newly-elected President of Iran Hasan Rouhani

Posted on by
Reply

3568

In the framework of his working visit to the Islamic Republic of Iran, President Serzh Sargsyan in Tehran met today with the newly-elected President of Iran Hasan Rouhani.

At the beginning of the meeting, the President of Iran expressed gratitude to President Serzh Sargsyan for accepting the invitation and bringing his participation to the ceremony of inauguration. Serzh Sargsyan once again congratulated Hasan Rouhani on his election as President of Iran and wished him productive work and recurring success on this high and responsible position.

At the meeting, the Presidents of the two countries discussed a wide range of issues pertinent to the bilateral as well as multilateral issues. The parties underscored that the agenda of the Armenian-Iranian cooperation is pretty extensive and testifies to the implementation of a number of major projects. Expressing satisfaction with the high level of the mutually beneficial cooperation based on the ages-long traditionally friendly relations between Armenia and Iran, Presidents Serzh Sargsyan and Hasan Rouhani stressed that it is necessary to elevate the cooperation to a new, higher level.

The interlocutors spoke also about regional issues, particularly, the current stage of the NK peace process.

Presidents Serzh Sargsyan and Hasan Rouhani recalled warmly the meetings held in their capacity as the Secretaries of National Security of their respective countries and expressed readiness to work in the same vein for the deepening of the Armenian-Iranian cooperation.

 

The Eiffel Tower’s new rival: Gothic tower in the heart of Paris opens to the public for the first time in 500 years

Posted on by
Reply

Tour Saint Jacques in ParisIt has stood in the heart of Paris for more than 500 years – yet very few people will have heard of the Gothic Tour Saint Jacques.

But that is all about to change after the 170-ft high structure built in the 1500s has been opened to the public for the entire summer for the first time.

The 62-metre (203-foot) stone tower offers visitors stunning bird’s eye views from the heart of Paris – provided they have the energy to walk up its 300-step spiral staircase and pay the €6 euro entrance fee.

Adorned with gargoyles and topped by a 3.5-metre statue of St James the Apostle, the tower is all that remains of the medieval church of Saint-Jacques-de-la-Boucherie, pillaged and destroyed by French revolutionaries in the late 18th century.

The bell tower – which will be open until September 15 – was spared for its beauty and possibly to be used as a watchtower to spot the capital’s frequent and deadly fires, curators say.

In the early 19th century, the bells were removed and Tour Saint Jacques became a smoke-spewing ‘shot tower’, or ammunition plant.

Molten lead passed through a sieve and dropped from the top of the tower to land in a tub of water in the shape of a bullet. Later, it hosted a meteorological station until the 1990s.

The Tour Saint Jacques underwent a meticulous €8.3-million restoration between 2000 to 2009, during which time it was shrouded by scaffolding and decades of pollution were scrubbed from each of its stones.

The city of Paris granted a local association an exceptional permit to organize summertime visits until September 15.

‘We would like it to be open for a longer period each year,’ said Remi Riviere, head of the association. ‘If we get a lot of visitors this summer and nobody jumps from the terrace then hopefully the city will give us the green light.’

New Rome Mayor Bans Cars Near Colosseum

Posted on by
Reply

colosseum-at-nightIn a bid to protect its ancient glories from modern perils, Rome has banned cars and motors scooters from the boulevard that slices through the city’s ancient Roman forums toward the Colosseum.

Traffic police started enforcing the new restrictions at dawn Saturday, diverting private cars and motor scooters to side streets so they will no longer clog the famed Via dei Fori Imperiali.

Only buses, taxis, bicycles and pedestrians will be allowed on that boulevard, which was constructed in the 1930s by dictator Benito Mussolini so military parades could roll past reminders of the ancient Roman empire.

Rome’s new mayor, Ignazio Marino, says the ban will stop the Colosseum from being a traffic “roundabout” and reduce pollution.

Sidewalks have been widened so people can stroll in leisure down the boulevard.

 

Mystery over bizarre behaviour of baboons at Dutch zoo who have been turning their backs on visitors

Posted on by
Reply

bizarre behaviour of baboons at Dutch zooThe bizarre behaviour of a troop of ‘hysterical’ s at a Dutch zoo has been blamed on everything from an earthquake to a UFO.

Ordinarily seen scampering around on their island at the in the northern Netherlands, the gang of 112 monkeys have been sitting frozen on the ground and turning their backs on visitors this week.

The baboons have even lost their appetites, say baffled zoologists at the park, who have heard various theories as to what may be behind the animals’ strange behaviour.

‘They became panicked at the end of the day on Monday, they were hysterical, not jumping around but behaving strangely,’ zoologist Wijbren Landman told AFP.

‘On Tuesday and Wednesday they just sat in the trees or on the ground, hardly moving or eating.’

Mr Landman described various theories put forward to explain the bizarre scenes at the zoo, with some suggesting the baboons may have spotted a predator – either a real one or an image of one on a visitor’s t-shirt – or felt the rumblings of an earthquake.

The zoologist admitted he was yet to hear an explanation that ‘holds water’.

‘The craziest suggestion was that it was caused by a UFO,’ Mr Landman said.

Baboons at the zoo, who were all born in captivity, have behaved this way four times in the past 20 years, the team at Emmen Dierenpark said.

But their activity has not been observed among any baboons anywhere else, either in captivity or in the wild, according to a report in the Huffington Post.

Experts consulted by staff at Emmen Dierenpark have so far failed to shed any light on the mystery, but the animals have shown signs of returning to normal.