“Johannesburg – A 3-week old white rhino calf was trapped for at least eight hours in the fork of a young thorn tree after its mother, named Alpha, was shot by poachers on a game farm in Assen, near Pretoria. The calf blindly ran away from the poachers after one of them slashed it over its head with a panga. The calf ran helter-skelter into a bush a few meters away from where the poachers had shot the cow in her heart and head, and ended up with his head trapped in the V-shaped fork of a young tree. In its desperate attempts to escape the calf had pawed deep grooves in the ground around the tree and had rubbed its neck raw against the trunks – causing his head to swell up. A rhino cannot move backwards. The owner, Neels van Rensburg, said when he arrived at the carcass of the cow, the pitiful bleats of the calf was all one could hear.” w/ photo

“After seeing this morning’s giant vegetable PhotoBlog post, I could hardly wait to see the winning onion. Grower Pete Glazebrook, who already won for the largest marrow (squash), may be able to claim the Guinness World Record for his onion. According to the Guinness website, the heaviest onion is 15 pounds.” w/ photo

“A thousand nude Israelis floated in the Dead Sea for a photo shoot by Spencer Tunick, that well-known flesh-snapper. Mr Tunick is renowned for taking nude pics of people at famous landmarks and has previously photographed across Europe, the US and Australia. His latest endeavour was intended to draw attention to the plight of the Red Sea, the water level of which is dropping nearly four feet a year. The photographer was able to convince a thousand people to strip down to nothing and then float on the famously salty lake. The group, aged from 18 to 77 years old, then posed for a series of shots.” w/ photos

“If life imitated art, it would be a simple matter to follow the dotted line and snip a 200-foot dam near Ojai off the face of the earth. For years, an alliance of environmentalists, fishermen, surfers and officials from every level of government has called for demolishing the obsolete structure. Now, an anonymous band of artists has weighed in, apparently rappelling down the dam’s face to paint a huge pair of scissors and a long dotted line. The carefully planned work popped up last week and is, no doubt, Ventura County’s most environmentally correct graffiti by a dam site. “Everyone I’ve talked to has really enjoyed it,” said Jeff Pratt, Ventura County’s public works director. “It sends a good message.” That message? Tear the thing down already.” w/ photo

“An Iowa couple have discovered an eerie presence in their pear tree, just in time for the approaching Halloween season. Des Moines television station KCCI reports that Phil and JaNelle Lovely recently discovered a pumpkin that appears to be growing in the tree at their Greenfield home, 50 miles southwest of Des Moines. They say they have no idea how the pumpkin ended up in their tree, but it appears to be the work of Mother Nature. A nearby garden vine climbed the tree, giving the now-green pumpkin the appearance of having sprouted from one the tree’s branches.” w/ photo

“It would be easy to assume that Rob Hull is a Doctor Who fanatic given that he’s just been recognized as owning the world’s largest Dalek collection. But bizarrely — despite having 571 model Daleks and a place in the Guinness World Records Book — the 49-year-old from Doncaster isn’t a fan of the Doctor and doesn’t watch the show. However, his home is dominated by the Daleks, includng a 6ft life size replica model, which he has spent 20 years collecting. “I’ve never been a fan of the show, but I have been enchanted by the Daleks ever since I saw one in a toy store as a child,” Rob said. “My mum wouldn’t buy it for me, but I swore at that moment that I’d have my own one day.” At the age of 29 Rob purchased his first Dalek “They’ve just slowly taken over the house!” One person who won’t be celebrating is his long-suffering wife of 25 years, Dawn (43): “I hate the bloody things and I’ve got a feeling this is only going to encourage him!” w/ photo

“Marmar restaurant in Saudi Arabia has started to punish their customers with fines if they order more than they can eat. The restaurant in Damman gives a whole new meaning to fine dining, with the amount customers are charged relating to the amount left on the plate – the bigger the ‘waste’ the more you will have cough up. The reason for the fine is to cut down on wastage and to put visitors off from making extravagant orders,Gulf News reports. Restaurant owner Fahad Al Anezi said the fines are necessary because ‘there are many clients who make large orders to impress the people around them and boost their social prestige’. Mr Al Anezi also added that the charges had had positive feedback since being imposed. There is no mention however of what happens to the extra money they make from the penalties.” w/ photo

“A waitress in Italy has been branded ‘too sexy to serve’ by the wives of local men who go to drink in the bar she works. The jealous other halves launched a petition to stop 27-year-old Loredana Popesciue from working at an establishment in the town of Cadelbosco Sopra, after her antics received widespread acclaim from male regulars. Loredana likes to dance for her customers and the blonde bombshell often receives monumental tips from impressed punters. The Romanian immigrant hasn’t gone unnoticed by local authorities though – she narrowly escaped punishment from the tax man and also health officials who came investigate her dance routine that involves ‘sexy underwear’. ‘Now I have a petition to deal with. These women are just jealous. I have Brazilian roots and I love to dance. What’s wrong with that?,’ she exclaimed. ‘I have nothing against these women. But if their husbands wanted to spend time with them, they’d be at home and not in my bar.” w/ photo

“Sperm bank Cyros has started turning away redhead donors as there is little demand, it has been reported. Despite a surge in demand for sperm donors, the only place where sperm donors with red hair are in demand is Ireland, where supplies are selling ‘like hot cakes’, Cryos director Ole Schou told Danish newspaper Ekstrabladet. He said: ‘I do not think you chose a redhead, unless the partner – for example, the sterile male – has red hair, or because the lone woman has a preference for redheads. And that’s perhaps not so many, especially in the latter case.’ Mr Schou added the genes in highest demand are those that will give a child brown hair or brown eyes. Cryos’ stores are now at capacity, and there is a long list of about 600 people who wish to become donors.” w/ photo

“A thief in Spain who stole a diamond from a British woman – and then swallowed it – was caught when police forced him to undergo an X-ray. The theft happened when two British women entered a restaurant in Marbella and one of them left her handbag on the floor, reports the BBC. “Two well-dressed men came in, one sitting at the bar and the other next to the woman,” a police spokesman said. When the men left, the woman discovered her handbag, containing valuables including a pendant with a $13,000 diamond and nearly $2,759 in cash, had disappeared. Hours later, police stopped a car at a routine checkpoint and found the four occupants had criminal records. Inside the vehicle they also discovered a handbag as well as valuables and cash, which they later identified as belonging to the British woman. All that was missing was the diamond. “During the operation, officers noticed one of the men putting his hand to his mouth,” police said. “This gesture and the fact that they had found the pendant without the diamond made the police think he may have swallowed it.” w/ photo