World Briefs

A giant Lion's Mane jellyfish found by a fisherman is thought to be the largest captive jellyfish in the world, an aquarium said yesterday.

The jellyfish has a 35.5cm diameter bell and huge pink tentacles.

It was given to The Deep aquarium in Hull after it was found off the East Yorkshire coast.

The largest Lion's Mane ever recorded was washed up in Massachusetts Bay in 1870, with a bell over seven feet in diameter and tentacles longer than 120 feet. These jellyfish are the largest known species in the world and are usually found in cold waters such as the Arctic, North Atlantic and North Pacific. They are cannibals and feed on other jellyfish such as moon jellies. (PA)

Parasailing donkey 'unhurt'

The Russian donkey who shot to international fame after flying high above the sea in a parasailing stunt has been located and is physically unscathed after her trauma, police said yesterday. The donkey ended up in the skies above the Sea of Azov in Russia as a result of an advertising campaign by several entrepreneurs to attract holidaymakers to their beach.

The donkey was examined by a veterinarian, who found that her half-an-hour-long flight over holidaymakers last week did not inflict any physical damage. The donkey's mental state however remained unclear.

Animal rights activists, who condemned the stunt as cruel, have said the animal must have been very distressed by the flight as well as a rough landing on the water. Pictures broadcast on state TV showed the donkey taken high into the sky by the stunt, frantically swinging its legs in panic as the speedboat circled around the water. (AFP)

Expensive sheepdogs

Two sheepdogs have been sold at auction for a record-breaking £5,000 each. Rex, a 26-month-old border collie, and Ron, a 14-month-old tri-coloured sheepdog, were both sold for 4,900 guineas (£5,145) at Skipton Auction Mart last week.

The price smashed the previous world record at an official sale, which was 4,100 guineas (£4,305) for a two-year-old black-and-white bitch, and also took place at a Skipton auction. (PA)

Super ale

A brewer has created a super-strength ale which costs £500 a bottle and will be sold inside dead stuffed animals.

Twelve bottles of The End Of History ale have been made and placed inside seven dead stoats, four squirrels and one hare.

And at 55 per cent volume, the brewing firm claims it is the world's strongest beer. (PA)

Cat's ashes sell for £800

The cremated remains of a cat that appeared in the opening credits of Britain's longest-running TV soap have sold for over £800 (€1,000), an auction house said.

For over a decade, viewers tuning in to Coronation Street were greeted with a clip of Frisky the cat crouching on a pigeon house.

The tabby beat 5,000 other cats to get the part in 1990, and he featured in more than 1,000 episodes of the show before he died 10 years ago.

His ashes, sealed in a wooden box with a brass plaque, were put up for auction by the cat's owner and sold for more than four times the initial estimate. (AFP)

Possum halts Sydney monorail

An injured possum called Kevin brought Sydney's futuristic monorail grinding to a halt yesterday as firefighters tried to rescue him from a city centre tree.

Kevin, named after the country's ousted Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, ran up a tree next to the monorail after being hit by a car late on Wednesday, prompting a rescue effort which drew about 100 onlookers.

The monorail, which serves parts of downtown Sydney, was closed for about half-an-hour. Vets said the raccoon-like mammal had a fractured pelvis but was likely to survive his ordeal. (AFP)

Octopus honoured

Psychic octopus Paul may have retired but he is still basking in the glory of his perfect World Cup predictions.

He was declared an "honorary friend" of a Spanish town in a ceremony and presented with gifts including a bronze likeness of himself.

Paul correctly predicted the outcome of all seven of Germany's games plus Spain's victory over the Netherlands in the final from his aquarium in Oberhausen, Germany. (PA)