If you’re the sort of person who goes to the zoo and you went to visit a polar bear enclosure, only to end up standing opposite a bear who decided to pick up a rock and throw it at the only thing separating you from them – and that thing was made of glass – you’d probably be slightly freaked out.
And unfortunately for some visitors – and the bear – at Rotterdam Zoo in the Netherlands this situation ended up becoming a reality.
The video shared to multiple social media sites over the years shows two figures standing in front of the enclosure as the bear swam around in the tank.
Suddenly, the video shows the moment the bear emerges on the left hand side, holding a large rock in its paws, before dropping the rock as it swims past the humans it hitting the glass pane of the enclosure.
The figures give it a bit of a glance but then carry on chatting. The bear can be seen swimming back down, before up he comes again with the stone in paw dropping it from a greater height this time and spooking the visitors – a crack has been formed! Bear 1 – humans 0.
Unfortunately, your visions of scenes similar to those from the 2005 release Madagascar don’t quite come true – and would certainly come with the risk of much more grave consequences than a bunch of human-friendly all-singing and dancing animals on the loose.
The polar bear was seen throwing a rock against its enclosure (Reddit)
The HuffPost reported that the pane of glass didn’t shatter and the bear was relocated to a different pen and the pane ultimately repaired.
The bear is reportedly called Vicks and was adopted by the zoo when he was born to another bear called Olinka, the zoo saying at the time he was ‘playing’ with the stones – opposed to trying to break free, I guess.
And it’s not taken long for people to weigh in on the clip.
One YouTube user said: “This is literally my biggest fear about rooms like this…”
Social media users are sympathizing with the bear (ROBERT VOS/ANP/AFP via Getty Images)
“I remember reading somewhere that there is 2-3 layers of glass. So the bear would have to do that another couple of times to actually get out. Still, it’s kind of alarming,” another added.
A third wrote: “Prison Break, Season 5: Episode 1.”
And a fourth resolved: “i would too, if i were in a cage.”
There are quite a few things you wouldn’t want to see in the background of a photograph from your bachelorette party – your ex, your grandma, your partner-to-be spying in on whether or not there was a stripper – but that’s not what gave one party the shock of their lives after they saw an image from their night out and a figure looming in the back.
The bachelorette party in Argyll and Bute in Scotland (Twitter/ @hollydca)
A group were out celebrating their friend about to get married in Argyll and Bute in Scotland, UK, and decided to take some photographs to mark the occasion.
In pictures shared online, the first image shows the group standing in front and on top of a pile of cut tree stumps, smiling for the camera, some holding masks low down.
In the second image, many are now posing with their arms raised in the air and some holding their masks higher up.
However, spotted crouching behind one of the tree stumps is what appears to be a little boy, despite the images reportedly being taken seconds apart, and the first image showing no sign of him.
It’s also reported the group didn’t see any little boy around them before or after taking the image.
And it didn’t take long for the pictures to go viral and for social media users to weigh in with their theories.
Social media users have various theories (Twitter/ @hollydca)
A theory which has been floated is based on a tale known to locals of the area about a child – who became known as ‘The Blue Boy’ – who was reportedly staying at an inn overlooking the loch with his parents believed to be haunted. It’s said the young boy slept-walked into the lake and drowned, The Mirror reports.
The images were also shared to Reddit thread r/Ghosts by u/marcusps1, who described the images as: “Ghost child seen in background of photo – taken at a girls hen do.”
A user said: “Not a ghost. Little boy saw group of pretty girls and somehow ended up there.”
“Looks a lot like the face cut out in the second picture. In fact I’m pretty sure it’s that same cut out since it’s not being held by that girl in the ghost picture,” another added.
However, a third argued: “That doesn’t look like a little boy to me. It looks like a tiny adult. It doesn’t have kid features. What are those cardboard cut-out heads they are holding? Could the small person be one of those maybe? Just wondering because the more I look at it, the LESS it looks like a kid.”
Others questioned whether the photo had been edited at all.
And a fourth simply resolved: “If this is real, that’s pretty creepy.”
So, what do you think?
Bitcoin (BTC) is defined as a form of digital currency (cryptocurrency) which is used for encrypted, peer-to-peer transactions and operates independently of a central bank.
Because Bitcoin usually exists in cyberspace, it’s highly unlikely that you’ll ever see a coin in the wild.
But physical BTC does actually exist and, according to Crypto News, it could be worth more than its value depending on what it’s made out of.
Some physical coins are 3D printed onto plastic or metal plating while others are stamped onto metals including gold, silver and brass. But regardless of its material, the currency looks and feels like an actual coin and – if you’re lucky – could be an actual collectable.
One Redditor has revealed he is now in possession of physical BTC and has taken to social media to debate whether it’s one of these sought-after coins.
Physical coins released by a Bitcoin user named Casascius and another called Lealana are popular with auction houses and collectors – with some selling for up to $360,000.
Taking to the popular ‘Mildly Infuriating’ thread on Monday (October 28) the Reddit user, known as Martoshka, uploaded an image of a coin.
Beside it, they wrote: “A guy left this on the table of the restaurant I work in and left without paying.”
Fellow social media users have swarmed to the thread to have their say.
A restaurant employee was given a physical Bitcoin (Reddit/Martoshka)
One commented: “Lots of those were sold with associated wallets that actually had funds on them.
“Don’t throw that away until you’ve had a few (trusted) friends familiar with the tech check it out to make sure you’re not throwing away money.”
They added: “I’m not saying it’s certain or even likely, but imagine how you’d feel if dude came in next week and was like ‘So how did that 10 grand change your life?’ and you’re like ‘Wait that actually had value on it?’.
A second, however, wasn’t so sure and joked: “You can buy one on Amazon for a couple of bucks.”
“Is there an unpeeled sticker on the other side? If so, don’t be too hasty to throw it away, just in case,” someone else remarked.
A fourth typed: “As someone who collects these it’s a ‘Mini Brands’ toy collectable meant for kids. Got mine for 1€ few weeks ago.”
“Unless that is solid gold, I would be p***ed,” another user said.
How to check if your physical Bitcoin is real
Unfortunately, the Redditor could now have a mass-produced, novelty Bitcoin on their hands as, according to Amazon, you can buy these for a measly $8.99.
However, on the flip side, APMEX is selling a 1 oz Gold Round for $2,868.59. So, it looks like the restaurant employee could equally be rolling in cash.
According to Crypto News, there are a couple of steps the social media user can take to find out the exact BTC balance of the coin
First, they should find the wallet address or QR code and then use Blockchain Explorer to verify the validity of the coin.
Then, they will need to verify whether the wallet is secure. “There should be a private key under the public wallet address,” writes the publication.
“Verify that the public wallet address looks sound and is undamaged. If the public address sticker has been removed at any point, it’s possible that someone else has the private key as well and can access the wallet’s funds.”
Mechanic Wisatrat Tangsoh, 22, was working at the bottom of the shaft when the two-tonne glass cabin landed on top of him yesterday afternoon (August 13).
Shocked passengers pushing their suitcases on trolleys heard the cries of pain as frantic staff secured the area in the departures terminal of the Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Bangkok, Thailand.
Mechanic Wisatrat Tangsoh, 22, died yesterday, August 13. (Asia Pacific Press via ViralPress)
Colleagues from Asian Elevator Co. Ltd., rushed over and found Wisatrat’s body on the concrete base of the lift shaft.
He had reportedly been trying to retrieve a wrench from the base when the lift began slowly descending onto him – where he is believed to have faced his final few moments unable to escape in time and those above unable to stop the lift.
Medics arrived and the worker was pronounced dead at the scene.
He had sadly suffered a catastrophic head injury from the force of the elevator.
The area was cordoned off from the public and Wisatrat’s body was transferred to the Chakri Naruebodindra Medical Institute for a post-mortem examination.
However, it was alleged by the airport that he ‘did not follow safety procedures’ while working on the elevator.
The airport worker was crushed by a glass elevator. (Asia Pacific Press via ViralPress)
A statement issued by Suvarnabhumi International Airport following Wisatrat’s untimely death read: “From the preliminary investigation, it was found that the deceased did not follow safety procedures, which resulted in the accident causing his death.
“Airports of Thailand (AOT) have coordinated with medics and police to inspect the scene with forensics experts. AOT has temporarily blcoked off the area.
“We would like to confirm that the accident was not caused by a malfunction of the elevator in the area.
“The AOT would like to express its condolences to the family of the deceased. “We will fully cooperate in the investigation to find the cause of the accident.”
An investigation into the matter will be conducted. (Asia Pacific Press via ViralPress)
Yesterday’s accident follows another ordeal that happened at a different Bangkok airport last year.
In July 2023, a 57-year-old woman’s leg ended up having to be amputated after she got caught up in a moving walkway at Don Mueang International Airport.
She was transported to a nearby hospital after the ordeal where the lower part of one of her legs had to be surgically removed.
Karant, the airport’s director, said that AOT would cover the woman’s medical costs and provide compensation, ABC reports.
Karant also said that an investigation into the cause of the incident was undergoing, however, he defended the airport’s maintenance and safety checks.
Though death is a natural part of life, usually it’s a nice idea to try and shield young children from the brutal reality of the circle of life until they’re a bit older.
This usually isn’t too hard, given that kids aren’t very likely to encounter a predator tearing apart its prey in their back yard, but it turns out the same can’t be said for the zoo.
On 23 April, mom and TikTok user Rachelle took her daughter and a group of her friends to the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle, Washington, to celebrate the young girl’s birthday.
In a video shared online, the kids could be seen looking into an enclosure which housed a brown bear named Juniper, who had been taken to the zoo after being found roaming alone in Alaska.
The bear was captivated by the ducks. (Rachelle via Storyful)
The enclosure had logs and rocks for Juniper to climb on as well as a pool of water for her to take a dip, but it wasn’t one of the features of her enclosure that caught Juniper’s attention on the day the kids went to visit.
Instead, the bear was caught on camera eyeing up a mother duck and her ducklings as they swam around in the pool, seemingly unaware of the dangerous creature just a few feet away from them.
As the camera kept rolling, Juniper plunged into the water and made a beeline for the ducks, causing the onlookers to scream and hit the glass in an attempt to deter her.
Juniper soon got her jaws around the ducklings. (Rachelle via Storyful)
Unfortunately the bear wasn’t going to be stopped as she grabbed one of the little ducks between her paws and devoured it, before turning its attention to the remaining creatures.
Needless to say, it wasn’t a very happy sight to witness during a birthday party.
Rachelle shared the video of the incident on TikTok alongside the caption: “A Nat Geo train wreck for my daughter’s birthday, thanks Juniper!”
Speaking to Storyful, the mom added that the group had been ‘excited to see the bears being so active’ before they realized Juniper ‘had a snack in her sight’.
However, while the kids seemed shocked to watch nature do its thing in front of them, Rachelle made clear they weren’t ‘traumatized’ by the incident.
Hopefully any ducks will know to stay away from Juniper’s enclosure in future!
Featured Image Credit: Rachelle via Storyful
