Single-horned 'Unicorn' deer found in Italy (AP)

ROME - A deer with a single horn in the center of its head — much like the fabled, mythical unicorn — has been spotted in a nature preserve in Italy, park officials said Wednesday.

"This is fantasy becoming reality," Gilberto Tozzi, director of the Center of Natural Sciences in Prato, told The Associated Press. "The unicorn has always been a mythological animal."

The 1-year-old Roe Deer — nicknamed "Unicorn" — was born in captivity in the research center's park in the Tuscan town of Prato, near Florence, Tozzi said.

He is believed to have been born with a genetic flaw; his twin has two horns.

Calling it the first time he has seen such a case, Tozzi said such anomalies among deer may have inspired the myth of the unicorn.

The unicorn, a horse-like creature with magical healing powers, has appeared in legends and stories throughout history, from ancient and medieval texts to the adventures of Harry Potter.

"This shows that even in past times, there could have been animals with this anomaly," he said by telephone. "It's not like they dreamed it up."

Single-horned deer are rare but not unheard of — but even more unusual is the central positioning of the horn, experts said.

"Generally, the horn is on one side (of the head) rather than being at the center. This looks like a complex case," said Fulvio Fraticelli, scientific director of Rome's zoo. He said the position of the horn could also be the result of a trauma early in the animal's life.

Other mammals are believed to contribute to the myth of the unicorn, including the narwhal, a whale with a long, spiraling tusk.

Source

Politician ordered to anger counseling (Reuters)

CANBERRA (Reuters) - An Australian politician who told a pregnant rival that her baby could be born a demon was ordered to seek anger counseling on Wednesday after a string of allegations about her caustic behavior.

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd interrupted his official visit to Japan to rebuke the junior member of his centre-left government, Belinda Neal, ordering her to improve her behavior and warning that her future in politics was not guaranteed.

His intervention came after a string of media reports about Neal, including her comments to pregnant Liberal Party politician Sophie Mirabella, revelations she was suspended from a soccer team for kicking a fallen opponent, and allegations she threatened and abused staff at a restaurant north of Sydney.

"I've said to her that there appears to be a pattern of unacceptable behavior," Rudd told reporters in Tokyo.

Neal is married to New South Wales state minister and political powerbroker John Della Bosca. She narrowly won her seat in the lower House of Representatives at last November's national election.

Neal and Della Bosca have attracted blanket media coverage in Australia since an incident on June 6 at a nightclub north of Sydney, where they were accused of threatening and abusing staff after waiters asked them to move to a new table. They have both denied any wrongdoing.

Neal told reporters in Sydney she had agreed to anger management counseling.

"I think frankly that it will be a good thing," she said.

(Reporting by James Grubel, editing by Miral Fahmy)

Source

Men fillet Charlie the Tuna statue in Oregon (AP)

CHARLESTON, Ore. - It turns out the fate of Charlie the Tuna of Charleston, Ore., was sorry indeed. The 8-foot Monterey cypress sculpture that used to greet visitors to the coastal fishing town was filleted by two young men who stole it as a prank and then, panicked they would be found out, took chain saws to it.

Not that Charlie would have lasted much longer anyway, the town learned, what with the way bugs and rot had hollowed out his innards.

The statue stood beside the South Slough Bridge into Charleston until Mark Santos and Marvin Terry Jr. swiped it last month.

"We had planned to wait a little while and then leave Charlie in a random place in town where he could be returned unharmed," they said in an apology letter published in The World of Coos Bay.

But someone tipped off sheriff's deputies, who started nosing around. Santos and Terry rushed to their hiding place and tried to move Charlie. But the statue wouldn't fit in their truck.

"We decided to chop him up so we could move him," they said. "This was not pre-planned."

Deputies caught them in the act and charged them with theft and criminal mischief.

Mel Campbell of the merchants association had painted Charlie many times over the years — he was in blue with an orange hat, after the StarKist ads' Charlie.

Santos has paid her a visit, and Campbell is asking for leniency.

"This was just a terrible, dumb, stupid prank that went absolutely wrong," she said.

A wake is planned Saturday at the town's visitors center. The Wild Women of Charleston and the Tuna Guys will offer musical moments. The remains are to be burned and buried at the center.

Mourners are invited to share stories about Charlie, and tuna recipes.

Source