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Animals

Bieber will have to pay for German monkey business

Justin Bieber faces bill for monkey's upkeep in Germany as deadline to reclaim it passes
Frank Jordans, The Associated Press

BERLIN - Justin Bieber will face a bill for thousands of euros (dollars) for his pet monkey's two-month stay at an animal shelter since it was seized by German customs, officials said Friday as a deadline expired for him to reclaim the animal.

A spokesman for Munich's customs office said the teenage singer had until midnight Friday to contact them, otherwise capuchin monkey Mally will be transferred to a permanent home at a zoo or animal park elsewhere in Germany.

Bear in LA-area suburbia scares swimmers, schools

Black bear wanders into LA-area suburbia, chases swimmers from pool, strands kids in class
The Associated Press

LA CANADA FLINTRIDGE, Calif. - A bear that wandered down from the mountains and into suburban backyards north of Los Angeles had swimmers scrambling from a backyard pool and brought the lockdown of two schools before it was tranquilized.

The LA County Sheriff's Department said the 125-pound black bear was first spotted in a tree Monday afternoon but was soon scaling fences into yards in La Canada Flintridge.

South Africa loses 8 rhinos in 1 day

South Africa loses 8 rhinos in 1 day, following record losses for 2011
The Associated Press

JOHANNESBURG - South African rangers say they have found eight dead rhinos that had been stripped of their horns, an unprecedented one-day toll.

Reynold Thakhuli, South African National Parks spokesman, said rangers found the rhinoceros carcasses Tuesday at two sites in Kruger, the country's flagship national park.

Thakhuli said Wednesday, "This is the first time that we've had so many in one day, and it's really a concern for us."

A snake named Matilda: New species in Tanzania

World's newest snake, Matilda, has menacing yellow scales, horns, and a little girl's name
Jason Straziuso, The Associated Press

NAIROBI, Kenya - The world's newest snake has menacing-looking yellow and black scales, dull green eyes and two spiky horns. And it's named after a 7-year-old girl.

Matilda's Horned Viper was discovered in a small patch of southwest Tanzania about two years ago and was introduced last month as the world's newest known snake species in an issue of Zootaxa.

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