The Marlboro ape

Published 12:01 am Saturday, September 17, 2011

It’s all happening at the zoo: A wildlife activist says that zoo officials in Solo, Indonesia, are taking no steps to stop their orangutans from smoking cigarettes, which they get from zoo visitors. The activist said he saw at least one orangutan smoking.

The zookeepers say they’ve tried to get the orangs to quit, but it’s tough to get a monkey off an ape’s back.

—

Stuck on you: Although scientists are skeptical, a Serbian woman claims that her sons, 4 and 6 years old, are human magnets. Items of metal, such as spoons and forks, stick to their bodies. Doctors say the boys are healthy, but they can’t explain their magnetic properties.

Their mother was frightened at first but has come to see the advantage of magnetic children: The 4-year-old keeps the shopping list fastened to the fridge, while the older son holds her sewing needles.

—

Think I’ll eat a worm: A natural sciences museum in Raleigh, N.C., is hosting its annual BugFest Critter Cook-off, challenging chefs to create dishes with mealworms, wax worms, crickets and a “mystery” bug.

Well, why not? If the apes are going to start smoking, we might as well eat bugs.

—