Dog Injures Man With Car

In what seems to be linked to an early story about dogs learning how to drive in New Zealand, (http://thesweatycowboy.blogspot.com/2012/12/new-zealand-spca-to-teach-dogs-how-to.html) the first casualties from this development have arisen. A man in West York, Pennsylvania, was struck by a car that was being driven by a dog on Tuesday. The dog was apparently left in the car while the owner ran some errands, and the vengeful animal somehow managed to knock the car into gear. The slow moving car trapped the unfortunate passerby between the hood of the car and the tail of a nearby truck. The man was knocked unconscious, and taken to the local hospital where his injuries were treated.
http://www.ydr.com/local/ci_22876161/west-york-police-dog-pushes-car-into-drive

Russian Bears Addicted to Jet Fuel

In Russia, scientists are beginning to notice a frightening trend in brown bears. At the Kronotsky Nature Reserve, bears have been observed taking long sniffs of discarded barrels of jet fuel, often until they pass out. Researchers have noticed that some of the bears are beginning to display addict behaviors, a  truly frightening trend. Some of the bears have even been known to approach landing helicopters, perhaps expecting some of that succulent jet fuel. The habit of inhaling kerosene and gasoline is not a particularly healthy one, and scientists will continue to observe this phenomenon, and perhaps intervene for the sake of the bears' well-being. However, these are some of the largest bears in the world, weighing up to 1,200 lbs, and it is still unknown whether their addiction will make them more aggressive towards humans.

Iran Deploy's Snipers to Deal with Rodent Problem in Tehran

There are an estimated 25 million rats in Iran's capital, Tehran. They outnumber people 2 to 1. Previous attempts to control the rat population using poison have only proved semi successful  so Iran is rolling it's next best plan: snipers. Ten teams of sharpshooters have been deployed throughout the city, tasked with killing as many of the "cat-sized-rodents" as they can. They are armed with rifles equipped with infra-red sights. According to reports, the squads have bagged close to 2,000 rodents in the past week.

"It's become a 24/7 war," says Mohammad Hadi Heydarzadeh, the head of Tehran's environmental agency. 

News reports have stated that some of these pesky rodents weigh up to 11 pounds. The rodents present health problems to the capital's 12 million residents, especially as spring approaches. As snow melts and the city's water rises, the rodents are forced into close quarters with the humans. The city council of Tehran has found this method of action so effective that they are considering implementing 30 more squads.