Saturday, November 3, 2007

Pets and their owners share traits: Study

Believe it or not, pets and their owners are just like married couples and they get more alike over a period of time, a study has indicated.

In a survey, Prof Richard Wiseman of the University of Hertfordshire asked about 2,500 people to complete online questionnaires about their characters and those of their pets.

The survey found that many dog lovers, cat owners and even reptile keepers said they shared many of the same traits - such as happiness, intelligence, independence and sense of humour - as their pets.

Wiseman also discovered that the longer an animal had been with its owner, the more likely it were to have picked up his/her characteristics.

Prof Wiseman told The Daily Telegraph : "For years, owners have insisted their pets have a unique personality.

"Not only does this work suggest they might be right, it also reveals people's pets are a reflection of themselves."

He said: "Similarity promotes liking in humans. Research has shown couples that are like each other stay together longer.

"Extending this to the animal kingdom, I think it is likely someone who is fun and playful is more likely to go for a dog, for example", Wiseman said.

Crocodile arrested for chasing fishermen...


An "aggressive" crocodile spent a night behind bars at a remote Australian police station after being "arrested" for having a go at a group of fishermen.

The fisherman told police they were retrieving their vessel from a boat ramp at the Nhulunbuy Yacht Club in eastern Arnhem Land when they spotted the crocodile in the water on November 1st.

The aggressive animal then "had a go at them", the fishermen were quoted as saying.

They alerted police in the small mining town on the Gove Peninsular east of Darwin and warnings were broadcast on local radio until the reptile was captured by wildlife officers in shallow water about 30m from the ramp.

The fiesty animal was then put in the Nhulunbuy police station watch house for the night, police said, adding the reptile was to be released from its cell shortly and moved to a crocodile farm.

Tuesday, October 30, 2007

German teen escapes prison in a suitcase!

A 19-year-old German woman has escaped from prison by hiding in a friend's suitcase.

The fugitive hid inside the large case when her 17-year-old fellow inmate was released from the youth prison in northwest Germany on Friday, Lower Saxony ministry spokesman Dennis Weilmann said on October 29th.

The girl simply walked out of the building with her friend concealed in her luggage, Weilmann said.

"Our staff are going to make sure they inspect big suitcases more carefully in the future," Weilmann said.

Neither of the teenagers has since been caught. Both had been jailed for theft. The escaped prisoner had less than two weeks left to serve.