Oldest snake living in captivity

A 37-year-old anaconda at a zoo in South Africa, has been officially declared the oldest snake living in captivity by Guinness World Records.

Paul Swires, who owned Annie the anaconda from 1989 to 2004, said he applied to have the snake, now living at the Monte Casino Bird and Reptile Park, recognised by the record-keeping organisation as the oldest living snake.

“There was an unbelievable amount of evidence required, in the form of photographs, media articles, along with witness and vet statements from many people who have worked with Annie over the years,” Swires, who now lives in New Zealand, told.

Guinness did not have a category for oldest snake living in captivity, so the category was created for Annie.

Swires said he received Annie from a collector in 1989 and decided to donate her to the zoo in 2004.

Nasa to send mannequins to moon

Nasa’s upcoming Artemis I mission to the moon, planned for later this year, will have three inanimate occupants of the Orion capsule to measure radiation and vibrations.

The Artemis I “crew” members, manikins, will help Nasa test radiation, vibration and impacts from landing before the space agency plans to send astronauts in an Orion capsule by 2023.

New data is needed because Nasa’s technology, spacecraft and medical understanding have advanced significantly since the last lunar missions half a century ago, according to the space agency.

Two of the manikins are designed with materials to mimic bone and human organs. Named Zohar and Helga, they will be festooned with over 2,000 dosimeters to help Nasa understand space radiation exposure.

Nasa refers to Zohar and Helga as phantoms. One will wear a protective radiation vest and one will not. The third manikin is a human-sized rubber dummy used to teach cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

Teen catches world record paddlefish

Grant Rader, a Wichita teenager who took a fishing trip to Oklahoma to celebrate his high school graduation, reeled in 164-pound paddlefish while angling at Keystone Lake, near Tulsa.

The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation said the 164-pound fish is a new world record, taking the title from a 151.9-pound paddlefish reeled in by Corey Watters, of Ochelata, Okla.

The department shared a photo of Mefford holding his fish with Watters and Jeremiah Mefford, the fishing guide who assisted Rader with his catch.

Published in Dawn, Young World, July 10th, 2021