Torre Argentina – the Roman Cat Sanctuary
As you probably know cats in Rome are very popular and they have always found shelter amongst the ancient city ruins. They are also protagonists of numerous postcards depicting them […]
The unsolved mystery of Ding Wuling, China’s mosquito-free village
Surrounded by lush vegetation and dotted with ponds and pools of water, the Chinese village of Ding Wuling should be a paradise for mosquitoes, especially during the summertime. However, the […]
Singapore: couple divorce after wife becomes obsessed with pet cats
Singaporean media recently reported the bizarre divorce case of a couple whose separation was largely caused by the wife’s obsession with cats, which eventually drove her husband out of their […]
Do cicadas know mathematics?
You know what 2020 is missing? An invasion of trillions of screaming cicadas after 17 years underground! Yes, seriously. 2020 is the year of “Brood IX”, a horde of more […]
Over 1.8 million people join Facebook group where everyone pretends they are ants
Strange but true, “A group where we all pretend to be ants in an ant colony” seems to be one of the most popular (and unusual) Facebook groups ever created. […]
Mrs. Chippy Monument at Karori Cemetery | Wellington | New Zealand |
Early polar exploration was a lonely adventure, where sailors would be stuck on their ships for months, subsisting on barely edible rations among some of the world’s most inhospitable climates. […]
Easter Lamb: in Sicily, Italy, it is sweet, caloric and made of almond paste!
Eggs, rabbits…we already know what these symbols mean. Also the lamb is one of the most prominent symbols of Easter. In Christianity, it symbolizes purity and sacrifice, two qualities associated […]
Why do we have Easter bunny and Easter eggs?
All the fun things about Easter have pagan roots, and It is not a coincidence if the most widely-practiced customs on Easter Sunday are associated to the rabbit (“Easter bunny”) […]
Why in Havana a nude woman with a fork mount a rooster?
We are in Havana, Cuba, and there’s a mysterious brass statue in Plaza Vieja: A woman sits atop her big, feathery mount, her voluptuous form completely naked except for the […]
Ponyhenge: a Lincoln field, a herd of hobby horses, and an unsolved mystery!
On a small patch of deserted farmland in the town of Lincoln, in the US state of Massachusetts, broken-down rocking horses, plastic ponies and other assorted horse toys are scattered […]
Gereja Ayam: the curious “chicken church” in the middle of the Indonesian forest
We are in the thick forest of Magelang, Indonesia. If you be trekking here, try not to be too alarmed if you stumble upon a massive building shaped like a […]
Mie Lethek Garuda – a traditional food from Indonesia
We are in the small village of Srandakan, in Indonesia’s Yogyakarta Sultanate, which is the last remaining Indonesian region to be ruled by a Sultanate. What is the reason for […]
29/30/31 January: the Merla days (hen blackbird), according to tradition are the coldest days of the year ~
It was a very, very cold Winter. That year the month of January put every effort to live up to his reputation as a freezing, windy month. The snow was […]
The true story of Trim, the adventurous cat belonging to navigator Matthew Flinders
Outside Sydney’s Mitchell Library stands a statue of Matthew Flinders, the celebrated English navigator and cartographer who helped map Australia, declared it a continent, and was influential in giving it […]
A visit at the Cimetière des Chiens, the world’s oldest Pet Cemetery
The Cimetière des Chiens et Autres Animaux Domestiques, translated as the Cemetery of the Dogs and other Domestic Animals, in Asnières-sur-Seine, just outside of Paris, is the oldest pet cemetery […]
Greyfriars Bobby: the most loyal of little dogs, or a Victorian era publicity stunt?
An adorable scruffy dog looks out over Edinburgh, atop a granite fountain built in his honor. Popular stories said that this little skye terrier known as Greyfriars Bobby kept vigil […]
The Moffat Ram~
In Moffat, Scotland, you can see a large bronze statue of a ram proudly surveys the town’s central marketplace from his privileged vantage point atop a sandstone fountain. It seems […]
The sad story of Mieszko the Stone Bear in Warsaw – Poland
When walking past Warsaw’s Old Town and the Church of Our Lady of Grace, there is a small statue that does seem a bit out of place. It’s a bear, […]
”The big fish” of Northern Ireland
We are in Northern Ireland, along the banks of the River Lagan in Donegall Quay, Belfast. “The Big Fish,” also known as “The Salmon of Knowledge” (Irish: bradán feasa), is […]
The Red Ghost of Quartzsite, Arizona~
Quartzsite, Arizona, is a small town with a passion for camels. Camels play a big role in this community’s history, so it’s no wonder that camel replicas pop up all […]
The bizarre medieval trials against animals
Even if it might seem bizarre to modern observers, animal trials were commonplace public events in medieval and early modern Europe. Pigs, cows, goats, horses, and dogs that allegedly broke […]
Hi Jolly: Quartzsite’s legend of a camel driver~
The thing most people notice right away when they enter the Quartzsite Cemetery is a stone pyramid topped by a copper camel. There’s an insteresting story behind its presence. The […]
A curfew has been introduced in Australia for “nuisance” cats.
Mount Barker council in Adelaide, Australia, says it will curb “delinquent” behaviour by the region’s cats and they need to stop roaming the streets by night. The council has vowed […]
Olgoi-Khorkhoi: the Mongolian Death Worm of the Gobi Desert
Deep within the shifting sands of the Gobi Desert, an area already popular due its unsolved mysteries and its legends, lives the elusive Olgoi-Khorkhoi, the Mongolian Death Worm. Or so […]
England’s (almost) forgotten pet massacre of 1939
In the first week of September, 1939, London’s animal shelters were overflowing with guests. The queues of people and their pets meandered down the streets in a typically British manner, […]
Plaza de Toros de Acho in Lima, Perù. The oldest in the Americas
We are in Lima, Peru. Built over 250 years ago, the Plaza de Toros de Acho is the oldest bullring in the Americas but not only: perhaps surprisingly, considering its […]
Ariduka55: the japanese illustrator and his world where humans live among giant animals.
A super creative mysterious illustrator from Japan, imagines the world like no other. On social media, the artist is known as Ariduka55, or Monokubo, and it seems artist loves cats […]
Naples, Italy: in November the first Black Cat Museum opens.
Who does not remember “Tournée Du Chat Noir”, one of the most famous nineteenth century posters that advertised the Parisian coffee house of the same name? Even today the poster […]
Chernobyl exclusion zone has transformed into an animal refuge in the absence of humans
In the 30 years since the devastating nuclear disaster at Chernobyl, the entire area has undergone a radical change and a slow, continual process of rebirth. If the reactor is […]