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09 March 2009
Blue Ducks likely to die out in UK after male birds get together
Attempts to breed a rare species of duck to avoid extinction in the UK have backfired after the only two remaining males fell for each other.Keepers at a bird sanctuary in West Sussex hoped that the last remaining female Blue Duck in the country - called Cherry - might mate with either of the drakes, Ben or Jerry.
But neither male duck appeared interested and are now inseparable at the Arundel Wetland Centre, leaving Cherry to her own devices.
Centre warden Paul Stevens said he was disappointed that efforts to produce new Blue Duck offspring had failed but said the two male birds made "a lovely couple".
"They stay together all the time, parading up and down their enclosure and whistling to each other as a male might do with a female he wants to mate with," he said.
"People who visit the centre think they're a fantastic couple, without really coming around to the idea that they are two males.
"They both have very big personalities and people come from all over the country to come and see them.
Cherry doesn't seem bothered by it, she's just happy to keep herself to herself."
Blue ducks originate from New Zealand but there were thought to be just three birds in the UK.
Keepers initially introduced Ben to Cherry, but neither seemed keen. They then brought Jerry down from a sanctuary in London.
Mr Stevens said: "Cherry showed some interest in him. She displayed typical mating behaviour - she approached him and called to him, she even looked like she was nesting.
"We thought it was great and it was all going to happen but nothing ever did."
Mr Stevens said the male ducks were then placed in the same enclosure: "To our surprise the two males really took to each other and it was obvious that they really liked each other.
"It would have been nice to get a last clutch of eggs from Cherry but Ben and Jerry do make a lovely couple."
Source
08 March 2009
05 March 2009
Motorist stopped by police for laughing
A motorist was stopped by a police officer and questioned because he was laughing at the wheel.Gary Saunders, a company director, was using a hands-free phone when he burst out laughing at a joke told by his brother-in-law, who he was talking to.
A few moments later he noticed a traffic officer flashing his lights at him and gesticulating at him to stop his Renault.
When Mr Saunders got out of his car, the policeman told him: "Laughing while driving a car can be an offence."
The officer spent half an hour questioning his suspect before reluctantly allowing him to carry on his way.
However, he took another hour-and-a-half of Mr Saunders' time by ordering him to produce his licence and other documents at a police station.
Mr Saunders, the managing director of Spontex Workwear, of Liverpool, said the delay meant that he missed an important appointment.
"I couldn't believe it when he told me I'd been pulled over for laughing," he said.
"I was driving very safely in the Birkenhead Tunnel and took a call.
"He said something funny and I was laughing - simple as that. I never took my eyes off the road and was in full control of the car.
"I definitely wasn't speeding so I asked what the problem was and he told me I was laughing too much."
He went on: "The officer accused me of throwing my head back in a dangerous way, which I denied since it is definitely not something I do.
"It became a bit ridiculous when he wanted to know the colour of my hair as I have alopecia and there isn't a hair on my head.
"When I pointed this out he asked: 'What colour was your hair when you had some?'
"It went from ludicrous to unbelievable. He definitely had a bee in his bonnet about something and I got the brunt of it.
"In the end he reluctantly admitted that he had nothing he could accuse me of, but still required me to take my documents to the station."
Supt Kevin Hagger, of the Mersey Tunnels Police, said: "I wouldn't want to make a comment as I don't know the full details.
"There is no record of the incident in the system so it seems the gentleman was just spoken to by the officer and the matter not taken any further."
A spokesman for the Association of British Drivers said: "This is a shocking example of the police harassing innocent motorists simply because they are an easy target.
"To suggest that a driver could be prosecuted for laughing is ludicrous beyond belief. What next? Can we expect to hear of people being stopped for sneezing or coughing while they are at the wheel?"
Source
03 March 2009
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