Around the Globe

Lady fingers still a delicious treat
A visitor to the Amsterdam Zoo got an unpleasant surprise on Aug. 9 when a Giant South American turtle bit off the tip of her finger. However, the turtle was quite satisfied. An Artis Zoo spokesman said that the finger tip could not be recovered from the 30-year zoo resident, so the woman now has a permanent stump. According to zoo officials, the turtle's normal diet consists of fish and small mammals. However, as Yale freshmen will soon learn, everyone craves a little variety in their dining hall menu.

The quickest way to blow apart a marriage
Police in the Russian far east were called to a domestic dispute on Aug. 10 when the husband allegedly turned a shoulder-fired rocket launcher on his wife. However, according to the interfax news agency, the man could not be charged because the rocket launcher was not loaded. Besides, his wife had been nagging him.

Shoot the monkey
As many as thirty monkeys were electrocuted in Kathmandu, Nepal, on Aug. 13. Authorities believe that the monkeys came from the temple of Lord Pashupati Nath, also known as the "Monkey Temple." According to one witness, "The unsuspecting monkeys tried as usual to cross over to a nearby jungle by lifting the barbed wire but they got the shock of their lives." Evidentally, a high voltage electrical cable snapped and had fallen on the barbed wire fence.

It takes a real jackass to cause a mountain rescue
Tragedy struck when five-year-old Regina tumbled 165-feet down a mountain ravine in the Orecchiella Nature Park in Italy. The accident occurred as Regina was hauling wood back to her nearby village. Fortunately, five mountain climbers were able to attend to her for the four hours it took for a helicopter to arrive and airlift the 400-kilogram mule to safety.

--Compiled by Michael Rubin from the Tehran Times