World Briefs

The life of a rare Asian mammal has been saved with medicine usually used on pet dogs.

Staff at Paignton Zoo in Devon became alarmed when Josh, a male pigmy slow loris, kept losing weight despite being fed twice as much as each of the rest of his group.

Vets found that he was not producing an enzyme that helps loris digest food. After some treatment he is back to normal.

Ghislaine Sayers, head of veterinary services at Paignton Zoo, said: “The deficiency meant that he wasn’t absorbing nutrients. It can be a common problem in some dogs and we were able to use an off-the-shelf medication.

“We don’t know of a published case of this nature, so we hope to write a paper in due course. With more research, we may find out why it happens and possibly develop a better diagnostic test.”

The pygmy slow loris (Nycticebus pygmaeus) comes from the forests of South East Asia, where it lives on a diet of insects, fruit, slugs and snails. The small nocturnal primate has what is considered a comical appearance and the name loris is believed to come from an old Dutch word for a clown. (AFP)

Giant lobster

A giant lobster which is believed to be more than 50 years old has been saved from the pot after a fisherman took pity on it after catching it off the UK coast.

The creature, which measures about one metre in length and weighs nearly 4 kilos, was landed in 14 metres of water in Bracklesham Bay, West Sussex, by Marcus Hyde on his boat, Hey Jude, while fishing for sole.

But because Mr Hyde considered the lobster too old and too special to be eaten, he donated it to the Blue Reef Aquarium in Portsmouth, Hampshire, where it is enjoying a “peaceful retirement”. (PA)

Green bottles

Pepsi has unveiled its latest weapon in its never-ending corporate war with Coca-Cola – a bottle made entirely of plant material.

The bottle is made from materials including switch grass, pine bark and corn husks. Pepsi hopes to use orange peel, oat husks, potato scraps and other leftovers from its food business.

It claims the innovation beats the technology of its rival and reduces its potential carbon footprint. It plans to test the product next year. (PA)

Kazoo record

Comic Miranda Hart and actor David Morrissey were among the stars who buzzed their way into the record books as part of the world’s biggest kazoo band.

They joined members of the audience at the BBC Radio 3 Red Nose Show at London’s Royal Albert Hall to set a new record for the Largest Kazoo Ensemble when they played Wagner’s Ride Of The Valkyries and the Dambusters March.

They set a new record with 3,910 members taking part – 49 more than the previous record, set in Sydney, Australia, in 2009. The event will be broadcast on BBC Radio 3 on Friday at 7 p.m. (PA)

Hair today

Police in the Colorado town of Durango are now allowed to have goatees, although full beards are still banned.

Several officers, including the chief, have been sporting them since the new policy took effect.

The Colorado State Patrol and some others bar its officers from having either beards or goatees. Durango would not say why the change was made. (PA)

Nasal invasion

Critics of a proposed new law in Nevada banning air fresheners and candles in public places say it will lead to smelly rooms.

Backers said air fresheners give them migraines or asthma attacks and prevent them from going to the movies or restaurants.

Opponents say the Bill would affect everything from candlelit restaurants and weddings - along with unmasked odours in public toilets which would drive away tourists. (PA)

Olympic countdown

Official Olympic timekeeper Omega has confirmed the countdown clock has stopped only a day after it was unveiled in Trafalgar Square.

The clock was the centrepiece of celebrations to mark 500 days to go to the 2012 Games, which it counts down in days, hours, minutes and seconds.

A statement from the company read: “We are obviously very disappointed that the clock has suffered this technical issue.

“We are currently looking into why this happened and expect to have the clock functioning as normal as soon as possible.”

The clock, which is 21 feet high, 16 feet long and weighs around four tonnes, took 10 people two days to assemble. (AFP)

Hacked off

A hacker got into the computer controlling an electronic road sign in Texas, treating drivers to an earthier message than intended.

The temporary traffic sign in central Houston which should have said “Detour” in large orange letters instead read “Poop”.

Two years ago a similar prank in Austin displayed the message: “Zombies in area! Run!” (PA)