Odd News
Whale’s tail sculpture saves train from crashing
A Dutch metro train was saved from disaster when it smashed through a safety barrier but was prevented from plummeting into water by a sculpture of a whale tail.
The driver of the train, who was the only person on board, was unharmed in the incident which happened just after midnight at Spijkenisse, near the port city of Rotterdam.
The front carriage was left hanging 10 metres (30 feet) above the water, propped up only by the giant silver-coloured sculpture.
“Because of the whale’s tail the driver actually was saved, it’s incredible.” Carly Gorter of the Rijnmond regional safety authority told reporters.
He said the driver was later held for questioning and the cause of the crash was still being investigated.
The sculpture was built about 20 years ago. It features two large whale tails poking out of the water, one of which saved the train.
A team of experts, including the architect of the sculpture, was on site to work out how to safely remove the train.
– theweek.co.uk
An Alberta baseball team hosted a Guinness World Record attempt involving an Australian shepherd jumping across the backs of 56 people.
The Edmonton Riverhawks, an amateur summer collegiate team in the West Coast League, hosted the record attempt for the most jumps between people by a dog in one minute during a June 14 game.
Chardonnay, a 4-year-old Australian shepherd belonging to dog trainer Jennifer Fraser, bounded across the backs of 56 fans arranged in a straight line in the outfield.
The record’s rules set a time limit of one minute, but Chardonnay managed to set the record in just 16 seconds.
Fraser said she trained Chardonnay to jump onto her back a few years ago, and her trick repertoire has since expanded.
“Jumping across backs is just one of her many skills,” Fraser said.
Firefighters and an animal control officer in San Francisco came to the rescue of a wild parrot that got its head stuck between panes of glass on a third-floor balcony.
San Francisco Animal Care & Control said on social media that Officer Mullen responded alongside the San Francisco Fire Department on Sunday when a parrot was spotted with its head stuck between two panes of glass on the balcony of an under-construction building.
Firefighters went to the roof of a building and lowered a ladder to the balcony, where they were able to slide the bird upward to free its head.
“They wrapped the bird in a towel and handed it off to Officer Mullen, who checked out the bird,” the post said. “Thankfully they were fine: their wings, legs and neck were all OK, so Officer Mullen released the bird.”
The parrot made its way to a nearby tree to rest on a branch. UPI.com
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