Emus Banned For Bad Behavior

Featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!

This Week

[July 27-August 2, 2020] A 99-year-old pilot, spectators in the sky, and the great Australian pub emu ban—all round-up in this week’s weird news from Ripley’s Believe It or Not!

Let’s Give This Farmer a Hand (or a Leg?)

Vermont farmer Joe Marszalkowski discovered a peculiar object out in his 110-acre soybean field last week—a prosthetic leg! On a skydiving adventure, double amputee Chris Marckres realized shortly after the jump that one of his prosthetics was missing. Marckres took to social media in search of his lost limb and, to his delight, Marszalkowski answered the prayer. “You’ve always got to keep an eye out,” said Marszalkowski. Undamaged and untouched by the farm’s harvest machine, the prosthetic was returned in near-perfect shape to its rightful owner, despite falling nearly 10,000 feet.

Reindeer Herders Make a Mammoth Discovery

In the shallows of Pechevalavato Lake of Siberia, a group of reindeer herders came across a very rare discovery: the skull, the lower jaw, several ribs, and a foot fragment from a wooly mammoth. Unlike many other previous finds, this particular skeleton still has some ligaments attached to it. Following the initial report, scientists have retrieved more bones and located additional massive fragments from the silt. They said it would take significant time and special equipment to recover the rest of the skeleton. A discovery of this magnitude is a huge stepping stone in allowing scientists to deepen their understanding of this over 10,000-year-old animal.

Reaching New Heights at 99

99 years young and still ready for adventure, Robina Asti just broke the world record for the oldest flight instructor and the oldest active pilot. Asti claimed the title (previously held by a 98-year-old man in Iowa) when she gave her final flight lesson last week. After decades of flying, Asti says she wanted to show seniors are strong, vital, and can still contribute. Her students have always been impressed with her knowledge and enthusiasm. In fact, she brought one of her students, Brandon Martini, along with her during her record attempt. “She taught me some things up there that I haven’t learned in well over 1,000 hours,” said Martini. “It was neat getting a new perspective from somebody who’s been flying so long.”

How AWESOME!