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Monday April 2, 2018

A TOUR group traveling on an African safari got more up-close to nature than expected when a cheetah decided to jump into their car and have a peek around.

Britton Hayes was taking part in a Grand Ruaha Safari through Tanzania’s Serengeti National Park with fellow travelers when a cheetah jumped on the hood of their Land Rover SUV and another cheetah jumped into the car’s back seat, according to Komo News.

“We started to notice the cheetahs became curious of the vehicle; but it was too late to drive away or anything like that because you don’t want to startle the animals, because that’s when things usually go wrong,” Hayes told the publication, adding that, though the occurrence was any-thing but common, the travelers

were thankfully prepared for the occasion.

In footage shared of the incident, the curious cheetah can be seen grabbing onto the passenger’s seat of the car and having a look around before get-ting comfortable in the vehicle’s backseat.

The cheetah spent 10 minutes roaming around in the car before deciding to head back out in search of food, according to the BBC, making for an adrenaline-pumped experience.

The American thanked his tour guide for helping to keep him calm during the incident, mentioning that the guide told him to avoid making eye con-tact or any sudden movements to establish a sense of trust while the animal was in the car.

“I felt like I had to clear my mind of any thoughts because

from everything you’re told about predators like that, they can sense fear and any sort of discomfort you’re feeling and they’ll react accordingly,” Hayes told Komo News.

Though the experience was one of the “scariest moments” in his life, it was also exhilarating.

“I was scared to death, but I’ve never felt more alive,” Hayes told the pub-lication.

(SD-Agencies)

Cheetah jumps into tourist’s vehicle

A cheetah has a peek around after jumping into an open vehicle. SD-Agencies

A SOUTH AFRICAN woman who hurled racist abuse at a black police offi cer in a clip that went viral has been sentenced to three years in prison with one year suspended.

Vicki Momberg was found guilty in Novem-ber on four counts of crimen injuria, or the willful injuring of someone’s dignity.

It’s the fi rst time a South Afri-can has received prison time for the offense.

“We’ve had crimen injuria (cases before), but they have always been coupled by other charges. This is the fi rst for a prison sentence for crimen inju-ria on its own,” National Prose-cuting Authority spokeswoman Phindi Mjonondwane said.

Mjonondwane said the court’s punishment sets a precedent for future cases: “We are pleased with the sentence. This sends a clear message to those who undermine other people’s rights.”

Momberg, a former estate agent, was caught on video berat-ing South African Police Service offi cers who had stopped to assist her after thieves broke into her car in Johannesburg. She repeat-edly used a highly offensive slur that was commonly used to insult and demean black people during apartheid.

Magistrate Pravina Rugoonan-dan denied Momberg bail after the sentencing in Johannesburg. Momberg’s lawyers are expected to lodge an appeal this week.

Minister of Justice and Cor-rectional Services Michael Masutha welcomed the sentence and reiterated his department’s commitment to fi ghting racially motivated crimes.

“We believe that this strong sentence will deter would-be hate crime perpetrators in our society. We also fi nd it defeating and disappointing that we are dealing with a case of this nature in a year where we celebrate the year of Nelson Rolihlahla Man-dela,” Masutha said.

The prison sentence brings a clear warning that race-based abuse for which Momberg was found guilty “will not be toler-ated,” the Nelson Mandela Foundation said Wednesday.

It was not enough to act against “incidents” of racism, and underlying privileges that cause racism in post-apartheid South Africa must be addressed, the nonprofi t organization added.

Momberg’s sentence is signifi -cant for its severity, but not for the act itself.

In 2016, a real estate agent, Penny Sparrow, was ordered to pay around US$10,000 to char-ity after she was convicted of hate speech for a Facebook post in which she referred to blacks as “monkeys.” (SD-Agencies)

South Africanwoman jailed for racial rant

THIS may not be the year for that Easter trip to the cottage, at least in Norway’s far north.

A Norwegian family canceled their annual Easter vacation for the fi rst time in 20 years after a neighbor sent a photograph of their seaside cottage buried in snow and apparently under imminent avalanche threat.

Bente Andreassen was plan-ning to take the getaway near the village of Honningsvag in Norway’s Finnmark region when her neighbor, Camilla Daae-Qvale, sent her the photo this week, the news agency NRK reported.

“When we got the picture, we said no. It was terrifying to see,” Andreassen told NRK.

The house is the childhood home of Andreassen’s mother-in-law.

Andreassen posted Daae-Qvale’s photo to a Finnmark Facebook group Tuesday.

Her post attracted hundreds of likes and more than 150 replies remarking on the ominous sight of the snowy overhang.

Avalanches have hit several roads near Andreassen’s cottage, with access cut off to nearby fi sh-ing villages in recent days, NRK reported.

Finnmark, Norway’s largest and northernmost county, is entirely located north of the Arctic Circle.

The forecast for the region called for Friday lows of minus 4 degrees Celsius with snow fl ur-ries and high avalanche danger.

(SD-Agencies)

Family cancels holiday after neighbor sends ‘terrifying’ photo

A PHOTO of a Canadian mother breastfeeding her infant daugh-ter has gone viral — because the woman is still wearing her hockey uniform, albeit without a jersey.

As TheStar.com reports, new mom and longtime hockey player Serah Small of Alberta, didn’t let her recent delivery stop her from returning to the ice for a tournament. She also didn’t let the inconvenience of accidentally leaving her breast pump behind prevent her from tending to her 8-week-old daughter, Ellie.

The solution, according to a Facebook post shared by the proud mama: Using breaks between game periods to ditch her jersey and nurse her baby in the locker room.

Small later shared a photo from the day on Facebook in a post that celebrates her ability to “do something I absolutely love while still meeting my baby’s needs.”

“I have been so scared to post this photo that I absolutely adore,” Small, who works as a teacher, wrote. “Why? Because society has made breasts sexual. After sharing the photo with a lactation consultant that has helped me and Ellie I have come to realize that it should not be something to be ashamed of but proud of.

“I have a really hard time feed-ing Ellie covered and have chose not to cover her at all. Although at times I feel the burn of judg-mental eyes I feel more empow-ered than anything to be able to meet my baby’s needs the way my body intended.

“I have really struggled with accepting my new body as I have always had that athletic build. I have played hockey my whole life and when I found out I was pregnant I signed up to play in two tournaments in March trusting that my body would just ‘bounce back.’ Well this weekend

I played four games with a short bench and really learned how different my body really is. I felt slower and lost at fi rst on the ice. My body wasn’t doing the things my brain thought it could. But I have never been more proud of myself and my body.

“Forgetting my pump created all new challenges for me as well. I felt my milk come in and leak as I played and between periods I would strip down to feed my 8-week-old babe. Being a mom is absolutely amazing, and I’m so happy I got to do something I absolutely love while still meet-ing my baby’s needs. Our bodies are amazing, and this weekend was the fi rst time I truly appreci-ated mine.”

Small’s post has largely been met with praise.

“This is what self-care and breastfeeding looks like,” cheered Milky Way Lactation Services, who shared Small’s inspiring photo. (SD-Agencies)

Photo of hockey player breastfeeding goes viral

Canadian hockey player Serah Small breastfeeds her daughter in a locker room during a game break in a photo she posted on social media. SD-Agencies

The photo shows the cottage under immi-nent avalanche threat. SD-Agencies

Vicki Momberg