WEIRD STUFF

Mum donates daughter's pony to feed lions

A woman who gave her daughter's pony to a zoo as lion food has fired back at her critics.

In Denmark, a mother called Pernille Sohl donated her daughter's pony to the Aalborg Zoo, which has launched a "food drive" to mimic its lions' natural food fair, with animals being sent to the tourist attraction as "whole prey".

She told The Times newspaper: "It might sound very dramatic and bizarre that you would feed your pet to animals in the zoo.

"But they are going to be put down anyway and it is not like they are alive when they are given to the predators."

The zoo, located in Aalborg, Denmark, said in a recent post on its Facebook page that people can hand in chickens, rabbits and guinea pigs.

These animals "make up an important part of the diet" for some of their big species, including the European lynx.

And these predators need "whole prey, which is reminiscent of what it would naturally hunt in the wild".

Chickens, rabbits and guinea pigs can be given, but "no more than four at a time", and the zoo assured that the donated pets will be "gently euthanised" by trained staff.

However, the Facebook post sparked outrage in the post's comments section.

One user raged: "How disgusting. Having your healthy pet killed.

"This is how people are encouraged to stop thinking twice before getting a pet, because, well, they can get rid of it anyway, thanks to the Aalborg Zoo!"

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New app sells strangers wedding access

A new app allows couples to sell invites to their wedding to total strangers.

Invitin founder Katia Lekarski founded the start-up earlier this year after realising she isn't invited to as many weddings as she'd like.

As reported by The Guardian newspaper, the platform sees people buy tickets to weddings to help with the cost, while getting a chance to mingle with other guests.

Lekarski told the outlet: "I was renting my house in southeastern France to some people who were attending a wedding, and my five-year-old daughter asked: 'Why aren't we also invited to weddings?'

"I thought: what if we could pay for tickets to a wedding and help the couple getting married in that way?"

Invitin takes commission, with a small number of paid guests attending each wedding.

As well as following the dress code and turning up on time, the ticket buyers have to drink in moderation, and can't share any photos without permission.

Party pig busted at school

Police were called after a pig escaped a children's birthday party and crashed a local high school.

Evanston Township High School in Illinois revealed the slippery swine -- whose name is Wilbur --was "seeking refuge" on campus.

They wrote on Facebook over the weekend: "Message from our Safety Department:

"This morning, our Safety star received multiple calls about a fugitive pig seeking refuge at the Home of the Wildkits.

"After a short (and slippery) pawsuit, the elusive subject was safely apprehended and taken to the Evanston Animal Shelter.

"Huge thanks to EPD for making sure the situation didn't go completely hog wild."

The Evanston Police Department arrived on the scene and took the animal to the shelter, where Executive Director Vicky Pasenko realised it had escaped from a child's party.

Adults from the bash arrived at the shelter but weren't allowed to take the pig with them, as they rented the animal.

Pasenko noted that pigs aren't legal to keep in Evanston city, while animal warden Perry Kabula confirmed the animal will either be returned to its owner or be sent to a new home.

In the meantime, Wilbur is staying at the shelter in his own pen, complete with fresh vegetables, two towels, water to drink, and a lot of attention.

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