bow wow

Barking bird

Have you heard about the bird that barks? Take a trip to the Andes in South America. It was there that ornithologist Robert S. Ridgely discovered a black and white, duck-like bird with long legs, which startled the daylights out of him by barking like a dog. The bark is a natural sound and not a learned imitation. The species, now named Antpitta avis canis Ridgely, is the largest bird species discovered in the area at the time, and it was suspected that they have remained concealed from man due to their remote location. The bird looks like a stuffed duck on stilts. You’d be surprised but there are also dogs that do not bark! The basenji, a small dog with a silky copper coat, does not bark. Instead, it yodels when it gets excited. Wild dogs like the African wild dog also do not bark.

tall order

On a high

Jordan romero loves to set records. When he was in his fourth grade social studies class, 10-year-old Jordan decided he wanted to travel to Africa to climb to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro. Jordan travelled to Africa with his father and stepmother Karen Lundgren to reach his goal. He joined local guide Samuel Kusamba and climbed the 19,339 feet high peak in just 72 hours.