Trapped raccoon: It was a different kind of emergency, with staff from both the humane society and the fire department in Guelph, Ontario, Canada, coming to the rescue. When a delivery driver discovered a raccoon stuck in a sewer grate, he called the humane society. They responded and realised they'd need the help of the city's fire department. Personnel worked together to extricate the animal. This wasn't easy because the raccoon's fur was covered in ice due to the extreme cold temperatures that day, and the animal was trapped head first, with three-quarters of its body below the sewer grate. After some care by the humane society, the raccoon recovered and was released into the wild.
Big building: An enormous, modern castle, built to look like a medieval gem, is the source of mystery in Poland. Called Stobnica Castle, it is located in the Notecka Forest nature reserve in the western part of the country. Building started in 2015, and in 2018 people started wondering what it was all about. No one knew who owned it or if they acquired a building permit. The reserve is protected by the European Union's Natura 2000 network. Since then, court battles ensued, along with revoked permits and arrests of individuals involved. But construction continued and the mystery remains. The huge building apparently is intended to be a private residence, with 14 floors and a 70-metre tower.
Smart birds: Scientists already knew that birds can be pretty ingenious. Now researchers in the Netherlands have found that corvids and magpies sometimes take materials that humans manufacture to keep feathered creatures away, and instead use the items to build nests. Called evil architecture by urban designers, structures like metal anti-bird spikes are designed and intended to repel birds from nesting on roofs. But some birds have outsmarted the designers. Instead of staying away, the birds are snatching the spikes and pointing them inward to form lattices for their nests. Magpies are known to build roofs over their nests, too, using things like spiky branches. The birds may even be using these human inventions to deter other birds.
Convenient boogie: There is a big red button located in the washrooms of a chain of convenience stores in the U.S. state of Kentucky that has people dancing up a storm. It seems that the button transforms the bathroom into a disco dance party room. The big red buttons can be found inside Hop Shops and, when pushed, they activate coloured lights, a disco ball, and music. Presto, the room becomes a miniature dance club! The company began with just one disco bathroom, but they were such a hit that now six Hop Shop locations in the north part of the state feature them, attracting disco dancers from far and wide.