Dog that completed Iditarod sled race dies of pneumonia
Anchorage: Iditarod race officials say a dog on a racer’s team has died of pneumonia, and the crew has been withdrawn from the event. In a statement, the Iditarod organization announced that Oshi, a 5-year-old female on the race team of Richie Beattie died Saturday evening at an animal hospital in Anchorage from aspiration pneumonia. Beattie and his team finished the race on Thursday. The organization says that while carrying out post-race checkups, Iditarod Trail Committee veterinarians examining Oshi noticed signs of pneumonia. The dog was transported by emergency charter flight to Anchorage on Friday. The dog died the next day. The Idiatord says a necropsy will be conducted by a board-certified veterinary pathologist to determine the official cause of death. The 2019 race came during a bruising two-year stretch for the Iditarod that included a dog doping scandal and the loss of national sponsors amid protests by animal rights activists. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is the biggest critic. (AP)
Muscular monkey that looks like body builder stuns visitors
NEW YORK: A muscular monkey that looks like a ‘body builder’ has left zoo visitors stunned. Santeri Oksanen, 34, snapped the pumped-up primate while it kept a close eye on its territory. The game developer, from Lauttasaari, Finland, captured the White-Faced Saki’s grumpy expressions while visiting Korkeasaari Zoo in his country’s capital, Helsinki. He said: “I couldn’t believe the huge muscles that the monkey had. “The other monkeys were very small in comparison, they all looked a bit scared of her. The pictures make it look like it’s competing in a body building contest.” This species of monkey live almost entirely in trees and seldom come to the ground – meaning they must have strong muscles to move around. The burly beast is native to South America and Santeri believed she might be one of the dominating mothers of the troop. The male and female White-Headed Sakis are identified by the colour of their faces – a male would have a white face while a female would have a brown-grey coloured complexion. (Agencies)