Author: Lisa Mungovan

The Premier Inn, in Holyhead Wales, had an unexpected visitor. A sheep escaped from a nearby field, and entered the hotel through the automatic doors. The sheep, nicknamed Sydney, was found waiting for the elevator. Maybe the hotel guests wanted to count sheep, to help them go to sleep!

Today is World Wildlife Conservation Day. Many species of Earth’s wild animals are endangered, and need special protection. They are hunted by poachers, and their habitats are shrinking and becoming polluted. Organizations like the World Wildlife Fund, use donations to help endangered species. They’ll let you symbolically adopt an animal, and learn all about it.

Today is International Cheetah Day. The fastest land animal, the big cat can go from 0-60 miles-per-hour in 3 seconds, speeding up to 75 in short bursts! They live mainly in Africa. You can identify a cheetah by its spots, and black lines on its face. They sound more like a chirping bird, than like a lion!

Today is Sock Day. What socks will you wear? Whether they’re short, long, woolly, stretchy, striped, or mismatched, make sure they’re clean! It’s also Brown Shoes Day, so now your feet are dressed. Since it’s Faux Fur Day too, wear a fake fur coat to top off your outfit. How about pink tiger stripes?

Today is Dice Day. Dice have been found in Egyptian tombs, that were 4000 years old! A standard die has 6 sides, but role-playing games have dice with 4, 12 or even more sides. It’s also Cookie Day. How many cookies do you get to eat? Roll a 120-sided die, and you might get 10 dozen!

A south African man reached new heights, while setting a world record. Thomas Van Tonder climbed a 164-foot rope, in 3 minutes and 19 seconds. That’s as tall as a 16-story building! The rope was suspended between 2 buildings. I wonder if he got rope burns on his hands, while sliding back down!

The Rockefeller Christmas tree was delivered with an owl last month, but a woman in Australia can do better than that. She found a koala in her tree! She had wandered into her house, and decided to climb her Christmas tree, to get a better look at the ornaments. Wildlife rescuers safely relocated her.

A pachyderm named Kavaan, was known as the world’s loneliest elephant. He’d lived in a run-down zoo in Pakistan, with no animal friends. Now, he’s been moved to the Cambodia Wildlife Sanctuary, where he has a new elephant friend. He’ll have 25,000 acres to roam, and will soon meet 3 more elephant pals. Hooray for Kavaan!

Utah’s first wildlife bridge, is a big success. The overpass gives animals a safe way, to cross the busy interstate highway. Animals quickly grew comfortable with the bridge, which is covered with soil and logs to look natural. Video has captured moose, elk, bears, bobcats, coyotes, and more, enjoying the bridge to safety.

Eating meat is hard on the planet, not to mention the animals! But going vegetarian is hard, for people who love the taste of meat. The Eat Just company, has a solution. They grow meat in a lab! Singapore will be the first country, to serve lab-grown chicken in restaurants. Chickens will be thankful!