Circus escape

Amsterdam, July 1 (AP): Amsterdam police say 15 camels, two zebras and an undetermined number of llamas and potbellied swine briefly escaped from a travelling Dutch circus after a giraffe kicked a hole in their cage.

Police spokesman Arnout Aben says the animals wandered in a group through a nearby neighbourhood for several hours after their 5:30am breakout.

They were back at the circus later yesterday after being rounded up by police and circus workers with the assistance of dogs. Aben says neighbours fed some of the animals — which he said was a bad idea — but they were tame and nobody was hurt.

Says Aben: “You have to imagine somebody rubbing his eyes first thing in the morning and saying: ‘Am I seeing things or is that 15 camels walking past?’”

Bee bother

St Leonard, New Brunswick (AP): Twelve million honey bees were released along Canada’s largest highway in northwest New Brunswick on Monday after a transport truck overturned. Royal Canadian Mounted Police said a truck carrying 330 crates of bees was negotiating a ramp when the load shifted and the truck overturned. Police said a downpour of rain has helped to contain the bees in and around the truck. “Mother nature has been very cooperative with us. Bees don’t like the rain ... thousands of bees are hanging on the back of this truck and on the pavement right behind,” said RCMP spokesman Derek Strong. Bee experts from agriculture Canada were called in to help deal with the accident.

Pam Peta

Los Angeles (AP): Former Baywatch babe Pamela Anderson has auctioned her 2000 Dodge Viper car for $65,000 as a donation to an anti-snake slaughter campaign. Michael McGraw, spokesman for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, said the group will use the cash to raise awareness about the cruel methods used to skin animals such as snakes and crocodiles, particularly in India. According to Peta, snakes used in bags and shoes are often skinned alive and suffer for hours or even days before dying. Anderson’s 450-horsepower car, which boasts a top speed of 305 kmph, was sold recently at a Las Vegas auction of Hollywood memorabilia.

Spears sale

Los Angeles (AP): Court records show Britney Spears is house-hunting — preferably for something greener, quieter and with a bigger backyard. Documents released on Monday show that Spears seeks a house with a larger yard that is closer to parks and recreation areas for her children, Sean Preston and Jayden James. She also wants a “less trafficked” locale than her paparazzi-stalked Beverly Hills home, which she bought for nearly $7 million early last year. Spears’s father, James, requested the sale in mid-June, and a court commissioner agreed.