Frenchman shares home with 400 reptiles

In an unassuming house on France’s River Loire, a cobra lives on the coffee table, a 50 kg (110-pound) tortoise roams the garden and a two-meter (seven-foot) alligator sleeps in the owner’s bed while another keeps watch at the door.

Over two decades, 67-year-old reptile enthusiast Philippe Gillet has amassed a collection of more than 400 phobia-inducing animals, including rattlesnakes, tarantulas and lizards in his home in western France, near the city of Nantes.

Gillet says the two alligators were rescued from a leather farm but most of the animals are pets that outstayed their welcome elsewhere and have been abandoned or donated.

“I think it’s unfair to treat these animals the way we do because we don’t understand them,” he told Reuters after feeding chicken to his alligators.

Gillet says he has all the necessary permits to keep and transport the animals for road shows which he runs to raise awareness about reptiles.

He insists the locals do not mind their unusual neighbours and regularly pop in for coffee, safe in the knowledge that the most dangerous snakes are kept in a room behind two sets of doors.

But the local fire department is under instructions not to enter his house in an emergency.

Man fined for kicking seagull

A man accused of kicking a seagull that tried to eat his cheeseburger at a New Hampshire beach has been fined $198 (£95). Seagulls are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act in New Hampshire.

According to the Evening Standard, Nate Rancloes had just returned from getting a cheeseburger and fries and was sitting on the sand. He said seagulls got to the burger, and he spun around with his leg to shoo one away, but struck the bird. He said it was a simple mistake.

Rancloes said that attacking a seagull in front of numerous people would make him “the stupidest criminal ever,” and described the incident as “bad luck.”

Rancloes also described having to leave the beach after people started shouting at him. A witness said it appeared the bird’s leg was injured and that it struggled to fly away. The injured seagull was taken to a lifeguard by a concerned woman, who was then bitten by the seagull, as was her child.

So never try to eat food on a seagull-ridden beach.

Tired Londoners rent sleep pods for some zzz’s

Exhausted Londoners hoping to take a rest from their busy schedules are being offered an alternative to coffee breaks: a sleep pod where they can grab some shut-eye for £15 ($20) an hour.

Inspired by Japanese capsule hotels, Pop & Rest in London’s trendy Shoreditch area boasts four “sleep pods” — rooms with dark walls and a lavender aroma to aid relaxation, each supplied with ear plugs and an eye mask.

Mauricio Villamizar, 28, said he and his Pop & Rest co-founder Yoann Demont came up with the idea for their venture after observing Londoners’ hectic lifestyle and long working hours.

“You could see they were tired all the time and just with coffee and tea wasn’t enough, so we thought we should set up something like a private space where they can relax in peace,” he said.

Pop & Rest currently averages between 30-35 customers a week.

A 58-year-old customer says, “What can you get for 15 pounds in Central London, you know, you have a lunch… So 15 pounds to have a decent rest and clear mind for the afternoon or for a meeting late on in the day is perfect as far as I’m concerned,” he added.

The owner aims to ‘flood’ the city with sleep pods, eventually expanding to other UK cities and across Europe.

Published in Dawn, Young World, September 29th, 2018