A photographer has captured an amazing picture of what appears to be a small weasel hitching a ride on a woodpecker’s back.
Martin Le-May, from Essex, who took the photo while walking with wife Ann in Hornchurch Country Park in East London, said the weasel was actually attacking the bird.
He told the BBC: “I heard a distressed squawking noise and feared the worst.
“I soon realized it was a woodpecker with some kind of small mammal on its back.”
Le-May said the woodpecker was in a struggle for its life with the unwanted passenger.
“I think we may have distracted the weasel as when the woodpecker landed it managed to escape and the weasel ran into the grass,” he said.
The picture was posted to Twitter by Jason Ward and has been retweeted thousands of times.
“I’m so proud so many people are getting to see my image. I’m totally taken aback by the response to it,” he said.
Cats take over Japanese island
A Japanese island which is home to just 22 people is being overrun by cats.
The felines were originally brought to the island of Aoshima, off Ehime prefecture, to deal with mice that were damaging fishing boats.
But with no predators, their breeding got out of control – and so far the authorities have done little about it.
There are now around 120 cats on the island, and only 10 of them have been neutered.
The cats have survived by foraging on local crops and food left in rubbish.
The island village, which has no shops or hotels, has come to be known as Cat Island and it is drawing crowds from the mainland on twice-daily ferries.
At its peak, the island had a population of 900, but this gradually dropped over the past 70 years as young people moved away.
Now, with the sudden surge in its popularity, some of the island’s inhabitants are worried that their quiet lives are going to be disrupted.
One said: “I just hope that (tourism) doesn’t become a burden on the people who live here and if so then I don’t think it’s a problem.”
Motorist has to pay £40,000 speeding fine
A Finnish motorist has been ordered to pay a whopping 54,000-euro £40,000) speeding fine.
Finland’s speeding fines are linked to income, meaning high earners get hit with bigger penalties for breaking the law.
So, when businessman Reima Kuisla was caught doing 103km/h (64mph) in an area where the speed limit is 80km/h (50mph), authorities turned to his 2013 tax return, the Iltalehti newspaper reports.
He earned 6.5m euros (£4.72m) that year, so was told to hand over 54,000 euros. The scale of the fine hasn’t gone down well with Mr Kuisla.
“Ten years ago I wouldn’t have believed that I would seriously consider moving abroad,” he says on his Facebook page.
“Finland is impossible to live in for certain kinds of people who have high incomes and wealth.”
But his plight does not appear to have elicited much sympathy from his fellow Finns on social media. “If you follow the rules you won’t have to pay fines,” says one user commenting on the Iltalehti website.
“He should stop complaining and hang his head in shame instead.”
Yoga woman sends her pet dog flying
A Yorkshire terrier got the shock of his life when he was kicked through the air by his owner as she practised yoga in her front room.
Chewy was in the wrong place at the wrong time when his owner attempted a handstand against the wall, unaware her dog was standing right behind her.
The incident was caught on a video which shows Chewy trotting towards the woman before her foot flicks upwards, sending him sailing across the room.
The little dog gave a yelp but appeared to escape without injury as he ran straight back towards his owner, who was ready to comfort him with plenty of cuddles.
The 20 second video has gone viral in just a few days but it is not clear who uploaded the original clip, or where it was filmed.
Post published in: World News