Weird News

2012-06-07T16:35:00.004+01:00

'Dead' boy wakes up at his own funeral and asks for a drink

The boy startled grieving relatives only hours after doctors were unable to resuscitate him during treatment for pneumonia

A dead boy sat up in his coffin just before his funeral and asked for a glass of water – then lay back down again lifeless.

Kelvin Santos, two, startled grieving relatives only hours after doctors were unable to resuscitate him during treatment for pneumonia.

He apparently smiled, looked round, drank his water then reclined back in his coffin.

Dad Antonio Santos could not wake Kelvin again and carried him to hospital in Belem, northern Brazil. But doctors were mystified as to what happened and confirmed he was indeed dead.

Mr Santos said: “During the wake I held Kelvin and said, ‘son, come back to daddy’.

“And a few hours later my son sat up in the coffin and said, ‘daddy, give me water’.

“Everybody started to scream. We thought a miracle had taken place and our boy had come back to life.

"Then he lay down again and didn’t move again. We couldn’t wake him.”

Kelvin died from pneumonia and respiratory failure in Aberlardo Santos Hospital at 7pm on Friday following a five-day fever.

His family held a wake throughout the night at home and at 3pm the following day, an hour before the funeral, mourners said the lad came to life.

Convinced that his son was a victim of medical malpractice, Mr Santos has now registered a complaint with police.

He said: “Dead people don’t just wake up and talk. I’m determined to find out the truth.”

Police said they are investigating.

2012-06-07T16:32:00.001+01:00

A purrfect solution: Abandoned tiger cubs are adopted by new mum... a DOG

The Shar Pei dog, called Cleopatra, has been breast-feeding and cleaning the Siberian cub as if they were her own

Two abandoned tiger cubs have been adopted by a new mum… a DOG.

The wrinkled, sandy-coloured Shar Pei dog called Cleopatra has been breast-feeding and cleaning the Siberian cubs as if they were her own. They also curl up and go to sleep together.

The cubs, named Clyopa and Plyusha, were born late last month in a zoo in the Russian city of Sochi, a Black Sea resort.

"She accepted them right away," a zoo spokeswoman said.

The cubs pose no danger to the dog, though they are already showing their claws and hissing.

"They aren’t aggressive and they depend on her for feeding," the spokeswoman added.

Fewer than 400 Siberian tigers _ also known as Ussuri, Amur or Manchurian tigers have survived in the wild, most of them in Russia’s Far East.

2012-06-07T16:28:00.003+01:00

Fingers crossed and legs crossed for man after police recover penis that Californian cut off with a craft blade

A 20-year-old who cut off his penis with a craft blade has been reunited with his severed organ after it was recovered by police.

It is hoped that doctors may be able to reattach his manhood following the painful separation in the early hours of yesterday morning.

Police were called to a home in Fremont, California at about 2am by the man’s brother, Detective Bill Veteran said.

The victim was not under the influence of drugs or alcohol, he added.

The reason for the self-inflicted wound with the X-Acto knife is currently unknown.

Rushed to hospital, police also said that the unnamed man faces a psychological evaluation.

Last year, a man who turned up at hospital with a ring stuck on his penis had to be cut free by 10 firefighters.

It took them 20 minutes to remove the ring after staff at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Woolwich were unable to prise it from the man's genitals.

2012-06-07T16:23:00.002+01:00

'Gay' penguins Inca and Rayas get their own egg to look after

A pair of very close male penguins at a zoo in Madrid have been given their own egg to look after.

Penguins Inca and Rayas have been building a nest every six years in the hope of starting a family and have finally been trusted with an egg.

Meanwhile Rayas has been filling up on food.The Gentoo penguins have both thrown themselves into their new roles as parents, with the Telegraph reporting that Inca has taken on the 'female' role of incubating the egg, a task which he does most of the day, every day.

This is to ensure he can take on the traditional male job of feeding his young with regurgitated fish.Speaking to the paper, Yolanda Martin, who cares for the penguins at Spain's Faunia Park, said: 'We wanted them to have something to stay together for - so we got an egg. Otherwise they might have become depressed.'While she admitted that the pair were extremely close she emphasised that they were not actually gay, but simply the best of friends. Inca and Rayas are not the first male penguins to be given an egg to care for, as staff at a zoo in China gave penguin couple Steve and Adam a chick to look after last year.

2012-06-07T16:13:00.006+01:00

New urinal allows you to play guitar while relieving yourself

Going to the toilet for a No.1 has been given a whole new meaning. While Jimi Hendrix played the guitar with his teeth, men can now record a riff and relieve themselves at the same time.

Guitar Pee is an adapted urinal, complete with frets, strings and amplifier.

Instructions are simple: take aim and fire at any one of the six targets to mix up a combination of pre-recorded riffs and solos for as long as you can keep going.

If, as you zip up, you think you have created a masterpiece, you can download and share it on your MPee3 player.

It means you can impress others with your musical prowess and keep pub cleaners happy with your precision. However, you will have to wait to turn your boring bathroom breaks into rock recording sessions. Guitar Pee was made specially for Brazil’s Billboard magazine and the porcelain urinal is only touring bars in São Paulo.

Another snag is that there is, as yet, no equivalent for female rockers.
Perhaps it will not be long before more instruments are available – meaning you can ‘play’ guitar while your friends splash out the bass and drums.

Just don’t forget to wash your hands before that high-five. Visit guitarpee.com to see those creative juices flowing.

2012-06-07T16:11:00.004+01:00

Hot air balloon drops on city centre road after failing to find landing spot

A hot air balloon skimmed dangerously close to rooftops before crash-landing by a busy city centre road in Bath.

The craft got into difficulties when it was knocked by tiny gusts every time it tried to find a landing spot.

It was seen skimming rooftops, trees and a river before the pilot finally landed on a patch of grass in central Bath.

Later it emerged the balloon had only just been repaired after being damaged by fire.

Photographer Stuart Woodward, who took the pictures, said: ‘How it didn’t hit any roofs I don’t know. It was an amazing landing.’

Laura Camper and boyfriend Richard Morris, 29, were two of the 16 passengers on Monday’s flight.

Miss Camper said the pilot was ‘totally chilled and professional’ as he said they may have to land on a road.

The 31-year-old, who was given the £150 ride as a Christmas present, said: ‘I think we hit a tree and a road sign which probably softened the landing. When we touched down we all cheered.’

However, the experience didn’t put the couple off flying and they jetted off on holiday to Zante, Greece, yesterday.

2012-06-07T16:09:00.002+01:00

'Diet goggles' convince wearers their stomach is full

Japanese scientists have developed a set of revolutionary new 'diet goggles' which trick over-indulgent eaters into scoffing less food.

Anyone donning a pair of the bespoke glasses will almost certainly have eyes too big for their belly, with the specs being specifically designed to make food appear up to 50 per cent larger than it actually is.

The goggles can also fool people eating a savoury snack into thinking they are actually eating a tasty chocolate treat.

Researchers at the University of Tokyo say the illusion tricks a person's brain into thinking they are about to eat super-sized portions, while the wearer's hand remains normal size.

Volunteers wearing the augmented reality device were told to eat biscuits until they felt full to test the effectiveness of the goggles.

'By changing the size of the food and scaling it up we have shown that participants eat about 10 per cent less over the course of a day,' said Takuji Narumi, an assistant professor working on the project.

'This is because the brain believes visual information rather than the information it receives from the stomach or our other internal sensors.'

Obesity remains a growing problem, particularly in the US, but this latest device could be an huge ally in the battle against the bulge.

However the researchers say they have not yet made plans to release the product commercially.

2012-06-07T16:06:00.003+01:00

57st bride-to-be wants to break record for fattest woman for wedding day

While some brides-to-be try to shed a few pounds before their big day, Susanne Eman has been gorging to become the heaviest woman in the world.

The 360kg (57st) mother of two has tried on her dress – which is made of 13.7m (45ft) of chiffon and takes three people to carry – despite not being proposed to by her chef boyfriend Parker Clack.

‘When I tried the dress on, it was amazing, I felt like a bride,’ said 33-year-old Ms Eman, who is desperate to tip the scales at a record-breaking 725kg (114st).

‘Parker hasn’t seen me in it but he’s seen photos and says I look beautiful. It’s amazing to have something specially designed for me. Normally, I just buy my clothes from plus-size stores online.’

Ms Eman, from Arizona, met 35-year-old Mr Parker over the internet last year and the couple plan to marry soon. ‘I love big women but I do worry about her health and I try to make sure she eats some salad and does her exercises,’ he said.

2012-06-07T16:03:00.001+01:00

Base jumper sets new world record with Himalayas jump

Russian Base jumper Valery Rozov has set a new world record with a leap from the top of Shiving, a 6,543m mountain in the Indian Himalayas.

After a 30-day expedition, including a six-day ascent, Mr Rozov, 47, took off from a cliffside. Within seconds he hit speeds of 125mph. The Russian landed 2,200m further down on the glacier, just 90 seconds later. The other expedition members took three days to complete the descent.

"This was my first project in the Himalayas," said the two-time skydiving world champion after his record-breaking flight. "We had a few difficulties along the way, so I am really pleased that we were able to complete the jump successfully."

Mr Rosov is a superstar in Base jumping, an extreme sport which involves jumping from cliffs, bridges, buildings and towers. The Russian's breathtaking feats, such as jumping into an active volcano in Kamchatka, Eastern Russia in 2009 and from Ulvetanna Peak in the Antarctic in 2010, have made him internationally famous.

2012-06-07T15:59:00.005+01:00

Cuban man's tall bike a new sight in Havana

Felix Guirola rides 13 feet above the ground on his homemade bike, dodging the Detroit classics in Havana.

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Many people would be leery of cycling through chaotic downtown Havana, sharing its narrow, potholed streets with the darting scooters, incorrigible jaywalkers and hulking 1950s Detroit classics that clog every byway.

Felix Guirola does it every day, and not on just any bicycle.

Guirola rides 13 feet (4 meters) above the ground atop his homemade super-tall bike, peering over pickup trucks and even buses and without a helmet or other protective gear to break a fall.

"I feel good up high. I don't get nauseated or dizzy, nothing like that," the 48-year-old Guirola said. "Up there I see the scenery better. I feel relaxed. There's more of a breeze, I breathe it and I feel freer."

Since Guirola sold his home in the central province of Ciego de Avila and moved to Havana in November, the odd spectacle of him pedalling around town at eye-level with second-story apartments has become a daily occurrence. But neighbours still turn their heads and gawk, and smiling tourists whip out digital cameras.

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"It's crazy. It must be difficult to keep his balance up there," said Rafael Trejo, a 55-year-old motorist. "And when he comes to a stoplight, he must be a ninja to be able to climb down from there."

In fact, Guirola more resembles a daring child on a jungle gym than a deadly assassin. To mount, he has other people stabilise the bike while he scrambles up the metal frame. When a red light looms, he starts lowering himself while the bike's still in motion, leaps to the ground and grabs the frame before it can topple.

"It's easy. ... It's perfectly normal for me," said Guirola, an athletic man of medium stature who practised judo and boxing in his youth. "I never get scared, nor have I fallen, and I obey all traffic laws."

Guirola has been riding tall since 1983, when seeing a tandem bike inspired him to build up instead of out. He said his first tall bike measured 5.3 feet (1.6 meters), and they got progressively taller until five years later he was riding 18 feet (5.5 meters) in the air at Ciego de Avila carnivals.

That would put Guirola in the ballpark of the world record.

A representative of Guinness World Records told The Associated Press in an email that it currently recognises as the world's tallest rideable bicycle an 18-foot, 2.5-inch (5.55-meter) contraption that was ridden more than 1,000 feet (300 meters) in 2004 by Canadian Terry Goertzen.

Guirola is nearing completion of another 18-footer to use in Havana, and he's planning a 26-footer (8 meters) sometime in the future. But he said he was returning to Ciego de Avila this week to work out some residency issues, so he's not planning an immediate attempt to mount the taller bike.

His dream is to earn a living from the bike through tips or performance payments, and along the way honour the memory of his disabled sister, who died two decades ago. Guirola's sister Eneida had a brain tumour that was operated on when she was in her early 20s, and afterward had problems with balance and was unable to walk without assistance. After living that way for about a decade she died at age 33.

"I told her that one day with my giant bike I would make enough money to buy her everything she needed for her disability," Guirola recalled tearfully. "Eneida is no longer around to see me, but I want to keep my promise. And if one day I win an award, I'll give part of the money to help disabled children in Cuba like my sister."

For now, the occasional tip is not enough to pay the bills, and he lives off savings and the meagre income from his wife's privately run cafeteria.

A welder by trade, Guirola has used the proceeds from the sale of his home to buy parts for the new bike he is building. A nearby workshop charges him a nominal fee for a space to store and work on the bike, which he has yet to try out even though it lacks only the finishing touches.

"I haven't ridden the 5.5-meter one yet," said Guirola, "because I want to do it when it's painted and all pretty and try to win a Guinness record."

2012-06-07T15:46:00.002+01:00

Japanese dock washes up in US over one year after tsunami

A 70-foot dock that was washed away from Japan by last year's devastating tsunami washes ashore on a beach in Oregon.

The origin of the nearly 70-foot-long dock was confirmed by the Japanese consulate in Portland, Oregon, by means of a commemorative plaque naming the manufacturer, and the discovery of a starfish native to Japan among the marine life still clinging to the structure more than a year after it went adrift, said Chris Havel, Oregon Department of Parks and Recreation spokesman.

"This is tsunami debris, not just from Japan, but from the tsunami itself," Mr Havel said.

A radiation check of the dock came up negative, which was to be expected if the dock broke loose before the nuclear power plant accident triggered by the waves, Mr Havel said. The parks department was overseeing efforts to identify and remove the dock.

The dock was first spotted floating offshore Monday, and mistaken by several people for a barge. It washed ashore early Tuesday on Agate Beach, a mile north of Newport on the central Oregon Coast. It's made of concrete with a metal pontoon and measures 66 feet long, 19 feet wide and 7 feet high.

State police were posted to keep people from climbing on the dock, said Mitch Vance, shellfish programme manager for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. Vance took samples of the mussels, barnacles and other shellfish clinging to the dock Wednesday morning. There also was green algae and brown kelp, he said.

2012-06-04T23:35:00.001+01:00

Shocked family wake to find a Lexus at the bottom of their swimming pool

A family from California were taken aback when they woke up to find a Lexus at the bottom of their swimming pool.

On US Mother's Day the Diaz family were woken up with a bang when driver Modesto Cabral allegedly ploughed his Lexus through a breeze block wall surrounding their family home, plunging straight into their swimming pool early Sunday (May 13th) morning.

Family shocked at finding a Lexus in their swimming pool

However, while the family from La Puente were certainly shocked, the incident wasn't totally unexpected.

Janelle Diaz, 16, told the San Gabriel Valley Tribune: 'We had always joked around about it that someone was going to end up in the pool - because they've hit our wall before.'

According to ABC News officials from the California Highway Patrol believe that Cabral drove his 2006 Lexus GS 430 through a cross roads, over a pavement and through the wall.

He escaped with only minor injuries after squeezing himself through the passenger-side front window as the vehicle sunk to the bottom of the swimming pool.

Officer Steve Licon told reporters that investigating officials determined that Cabral was 'under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs,' during the 5.25 am incident.

Cabral is currently being held in police custody; meanwhile a crane was used to lift his Lexus out of the pool and return it to dry land.

2012-06-04T23:29:00.003+01:00

Students construct 15ft sculpture with chewing gum

Teachers normally spend much of their time stopping their charges from chewing gum but for more than 3,000 pupils, mastication was all part of a school project.

Chew beauty: Pupils added their gum to the work

This 4.5m (15 feet) high sculpture of a man with his arms raised aloft, created to mark the union of two Dutch art schools, is made entirely of chewing gum. The students, from De Eindhovense and SintLucas in the Netherlands, each chewed on a piece of gum before adding it to the structure.

Jurian Strik, a spokesman from PR agency KesselsKramer, which was behind the project, said: ‘Youngsters no longer left their chewing gum under chairs and tables, but used it to create their own work of art.’

The work will stick around as gum can take five years to biodegrade. It will be at the STRP festival in Eindhoven in November.

Chewing gum stuck to pavements costs councils millions of pounds a year to clean up, but this could soon be a thing of the past.

Irish researchers have pioneered a new non-sticky, biodegradable gum by using cereal proteins instead of rubber.These proteins can be modified to increase their chewiness and could also be altered to have the same flavour and shelf-life as existing gum.

2012-06-04T23:25:00.004+01:00

Raining cats and dogs: Lucky puppy survives 30ft fall through the sky

It was almost raining cats and dogs in California recently after a young boy looked up to see a young puppy falling through the sky from a perilous height.

The lucky puppy survive after falling from over 30ft (Picture: KSBW)

The fortunate canine had a lucky escape after being grabbed by an eagle-eyed hawk and then flown through the sky as it struggled to escape from its clutches.

He was finally released from the hawk's sharp talons, but was sent plummeting through the sky from over 30ft and into the arms of a loving young boy in Los Banos, California.

The two-month old nearly didn't survive the fall, but is now making a steady recovery at the home of youngster Taylor Callaway, who explained the moment it landed in his garden: 'All of a sudden I saw this little puppy laying there, he was almost dead.'

Taylor Callaway with his lucky new dog (Picture: KSBW)

Speaking in her back yard, his grandmother Elaine Bouschard added: 'Right here is where Taylor started yelling that he saw the puppy.

'I looked up and the hawk was just flying right here, circling around and at that point, we all just went to the puppy.

'My thought is that when God drops a puppy from the sky, you keep it,' she added.

The family believe the dog may have been a stray picked up from a junkyard because it was covered in grease when they found it.

It has been named TJ Heavenly after its new owner and in honour of its miraculous tale of survival.

2012-06-04T23:23:00.002+01:00

Concerned resident calls police over neighbour's loud toilet noises

A concerned Canadian called 911 after mistaking her neighbour's early morning noisy toilet efforts for something rather more serious.

Police were quick to answer the man's call of nature

The resident in British Columbian capital Victoria feared her neighbour was in trouble after hearing a lengthy period of loud yelling and shouting coming from the man's basement suite at approximately 5am last Wednesday.

Police rushed to the unidentified man's apartment on Empress Avenue to investigate the call of nature.

After banging on the door of the apartment for several minutes, the unharmed man finally came answered the door to the baffled officers.

Writing on the Victoria Police Department's official blog, Stories Beyond The Beat, deputy chief John Ducker explained: 'When questioned about the amount of noise he was making, the man explained that he had been essentially (in his own different words) on the toilet having his morning constitutional but he was done now.

'The officers asked him to try to keep the noise down in such future endeavours and he said he would do his best.'

2012-06-04T23:20:00.006+01:00

Basking shark spotted swimming off Cornwall coast

Residents in Looe, a small coastal town in Cornwall, were left stunned after a shark swam within metres of onlookers on Sunday.

A basking shark was spotted in shallow waters surrounding the town harbour

Those who witnessed the jaw-dropping incident need not have worried however, as the menacing creature turned out to be a harmless basking shark.

The 3m (10ft) fish glided into the harbour in Looe by accident according to local lifeboat staff.

It spent an hour swimming in front of stunned onlookers before eventually finding its way back to the open sea.

Looe lifeboat operations manager Dave Haines said it was the first time in nearly 20 years a basking shark had been seen in the river.

'It's really unusual to see them there in the harbour. He went right in close to the people, I'd say he was around 8ft away,' he revealed.

'I saw one there 20 years ago, and we think that was the last sighting, so I couldn't believe it when I saw this one.

'It was great to see him, it's not the sort of thing you see all the time - I hope I don't have to wait another 20 years to see another one.'

2012-06-04T23:16:00.004+01:00

World's meatiest sandwich contains 5kg of meat and weighs more than 2st

Weighing more than two stone and crammed with over 40 different cuts of meat, this carnivore's dream has been dubbed the world's meatiest sandwich.

The monster meat masterpiece took attentive chef Tristan Welch over four hours to create to mark the launch of reality TV programme Man vs Food Nation on Food Network UK.

Standing at a colossal 1.2ft high and spanning 24 inches wide, it's estimated that it would take anyone hungry enough to take on the challenge over 10 hours to devour.

The heaving sarnie contains a whopping 1.4kg of ham, 2kg of salami, turkey and bacon, 1kg of sausages, 720g of chorizo and just a sprinkling of salad.

Nick Thorogood, from the Food Network, said: 'The world's meatiest sandwich is an epic creation.

'We expect only the very brave will take on the challenge and attempt to eat it.'

2012-06-04T23:05:00.002+01:00

Chandra Bahadur Dangi, World's shortest man

A 72-year-old Nepali has made a late bid to be crowned the world's shortest man. Chandra Bahadur Dangi is 56 centimetres (22 inches) tall and weighs 12 kilos. The diminutive Mr Dangi, who lives as a single man in a remote valley in Midwestern hills of the Jhapa district in eastern Nepal. has revealed that he was ashamed of his height and only started a campaign for the long-delayed recognition as the world's shortest man after being encouraged by his family. Guinness Books of World Records officials have said they will visit Nepal to evaluate Dangi claims. The current record of world's smallest man is held by Filipino Junrey Balawing, who measures 59.93 centimetres. He claimed the title last year from Khagendra Thapa Magar, 18, whose height is 67 centimetres.

2012-06-04T23:01:00.000+01:00

Britain's Punniest Business 2012

2012-06-04T22:57:00.001+01:00

Britain's Punniest Business 2012

2012-06-04T22:52:00.002+01:00

Playful hamster shows off impressive acting skills by pretending to be shot

While most hamsters spend their days running on a wheel, this hamster could be set for his very own film career after displaying some impressive acting skills.

Sitting upright next to some shredded newspaper, the adorable pet can be seen looking intently towards its owner who is filming the incident.

In a seemingly well-practiced routine, the cameraman points his fingers in the shape of a gun in the direction of the hamster.

Upon hearing a fake gun shot, the rodent slumps back against the wall, before slowly closing its eyes and dramatically rolling onto his side while playing dead.

The video was uploaded onto YouTube with the caption: 'Adorable hamster plays dead. No hamsters were hurt in the making of this film. If you'll like to help this hamster with his acting career, you can click the like button and share this video.'

It has racked up over 85,000 views in just four days, receiving hundreds of likes.

One amused user commented: 'This has completely made my day!'

While another added: 'That's no hamster, its a hamSTAR! '

2012-06-04T22:49:00.001+01:00

Un-bear-lievable! Relaxed bear takes dip in family's luxury swimming pool

The scorching Californian sunshine appeared to be too much for one chilled out bear after it sneaked into a family's backyard to take a relaxing dip in their pool.

Chilling: The bear takes a dip in the pool

Two sisters were shocked after returning to their home in Monrovia, California, to find the wild black bear cooling off after a long day in the woods.

The bear appeared to be enjoying its time in the luxury pool and the stunning panoramic views as it looked out across the Golden State.

His unlikely excursion was filmed by teenagers Rachel and Valerie Gasparini from the safety of their kitchen on a camera phone.

'It kind of like walks over to the pool, and we thought it was gonna drink some water,' revealed one sister.

'It ends up jumping over the ledge, and it’s kind of like floating around there, chilling.

She added: 'It wasn’t any making a ruckus or it wasn’t like destroying things in our backyard, so we didn’t really feel the need to call anybody.'

The girls called their parents following the incident but said they found it more entertaining than scary.

2012-06-04T22:46:00.006+01:00

Hungry hedgehog put on a diet after becoming too fat to roll into a ball

A hungry hedgehog has been put on a diet after becoming so fat he was unable to roll into a ball.

Tipping the scales: Roly Poly is too fat to curl into a ball

The greedy mammal, nicknamed Roly Poly, piled on the pounds after he was found dangerously underweight in a garage by a couple last October.

Realising he was too skinny to survive hibernation they decided to fatten up, but he gorged on cat food and ballooned to 2kg, well above the average 600g.

The worried couple took him to the Secret World Wildlife Rescue Centre, near Highbridge, Somerset, where he was placed on a strict diet.

Roly Poly is now slowly losing weight on 150g of cat food and biscuits per day.

'Overfeeding hedgehogs is an easy thing to do, as they're very greedy and love to scoff,' said staff member Debbie O’Keefe.

Secret World founder Pauline Kidner added: 'We've had to house him in an otter box because a normal hedgehog one is far too small.

'His intake of cat food and cat biscuits has been reduced to 150g per day so he's gradually losing weight.'

2012-06-04T22:44:00.001+01:00

Pigs in China treated to villas and playtime to help produce 'better pork'

A group of lucky pigs in China are enjoying a comfortable living after being moved into their own bespoke villas in a bid to produce better tasting pork.

Animal Farm: The pig village has been a huge success

Government advisers decided on the drastic action after concluding that happier pigs would also mean they were healthier and of better quality too.

More used to living in an absolute pig sty, the playful pigs' mood quickly brightened in their new surroundings in Weiji, Suining, which has been dubbed China's first pig village.

The 600 pigs are also given toys to play with and allowed to roam in the woods every day from 8am to 5pm, seven days a week.

Despite initial scepticism over the decision to move the pigs from their industrial pens to the £800 luxury villas, agricultural officer Hu Juchun believes it has now been justified.

'A good environment will leave pigs in a good mood and keep them healthy, and its therefore logical that the pork will be better,' he said.

'As well as better pork we are getting income from tourists who come to see the pig village, and in any case pigs are clever animals - it is not kind to keep them in a small pen all their lives.'

Hu added that there were now plans to open up a further 2,500 more villas across the 2,000 hectares of woodland available.

2012-06-03T23:44:00.001+01:00

Man, 71, fights sledgehammer wielding robbers

CCTV footage shows the moment a 71-year-old man fights robbers wielding sledgehammers.

Michael Graver, 71, confronted four armed men as they smashed into a jewellers using stolen scooters on Abbeygate Street in Bury St Edmonds on February 28 2011.

The pensioner, who had been out shopping, confronted the robbers as they were pouring out of the shop's broken doorway.

The fight spilled onto the street where the robbers swung at Mr Graver with their sledgehammers.

Mr Graver can be seen grabbing a bag from one of the thieves which contained £22,000 worth of watches.

The thieves then make their getaway, with passers-by chasing after them.