Two male bears brutally battle over mating rights
A group of tourists were left ‘distressed’ as two grizzly bears brutally battled over mating rights mere metres away from their boat.
Vanessa Obran and her husband John were on a tour of a bay in British Columbia, Canada, when they spotted two bears mating on the shore.
Dramatic footage captured the moment a jealous male sprinted across the shale and tackled one of the mating pair and pinned it to the ground.
In an epic 17 minute encounter, the two testosterone-fuelled bears tore chunks of flesh off each other with their teeth and paws, and even took their fight into the water.
Vanessa, from Australia, said: “While filming, the violence made me feel physically sick to the stomach.
“I love bears so much and the violence was so hard to watch. There are parts of the video that I don’t watch now as it is distressing.
“One minute we were watching a tranquil scene of two bears mating on the beach. We thought how lovely, that is something you don’t see very often. Then all hell broke loose.
“They were fighting over mating rights. Both bears had a lot of injuries, cuts and bites. They were about 8ft tall on their hind legs.
“I had filmed a bear fight before in Alaska but it was only a few swipes. Nothing as brutal as this.
“Having said that, I knew what a rare occurrence this was to witness and I feel so lucky to have been there at the right time and right place.
“To see them fight for so long is nearly unheard of. Wildlife guides we have since spoken to, who have been watching bears for 30 years, have never seen anything like it.
"We made our first trip to Yellowstone National Park in 2012 where we saw our first wild grizzly bear. We were hooked.
“Since then we go to the US and Canada every two years and spend up to three months going to the National Parks to see bears, moose, wolves. Any animal at all we are happy to spot.
“It becomes an addiction. It is so thrilling to spot an animal in the wild.”
Dad 'creeped out' after spotting face of Grinch in Christmas tree
A dad was given the creeps when he spotted a Grinch lookalike in the trunk of his Christmas tree.
Daniel Martyn, 39, couldn't believe his eyes when he unwrapped his new 9ft tree only to discover a pair of eyes staring back at him.
Stunned Daniel called in his daughter, six, to have a look - leaving her so scared that she ran into the kitchen.
Fortunately, the 'creepy' face has now become a welcome addition and Daniel and his partner even plan to give it some decorations of its own.
Initially, Daniel thought it looked a bit like the Grinch - with the chipped wood reminiscent of the mean-tempered character's smile.
Daniel, an IT project manager from Gravesend, Kent, said: "I thought it looked like it had a kind face so it's not going to cause us any mischief but my daughter wanted me to cover it up at first - she even ran into the kitchen!
"I can definitely see the Grinch in it - if you stare at it long enough you see a nose as well!
"But I don't stare at it for too long as it gives me the creeps!
"When I first saw it I thought someone had drawn it on - It's just the luck of the draw with the tree I assume.
"Either way, we'll have to learn to love it as it's too late to be getting another tree so we've decided to call it Kris after Kris Kringle."
Daniel bought the tree from someone at his local pub.
He said: "I went to meet him and when I got home and opened it up and just as I looked down I saw this strange pair of eyes looking at me."
Daniel says his mother, Amanda, 61, suggested the face could be a loved one sent to watch over the family.
He said: "I spoke to my mother and as my grandfather has just recently passed, she said it's him being sent to watch over us."
With the decorating yet to be complete, Daniel says he hopes they can "do Kris proud".
He added: "I've left the decorating to my partner, Natasha, 49, now but I'm sure she'll make it look good.
"I think we're going to try and give him something to wear - my daughter wants to put sunglasses on him!"
Driver battles through 150mph tornado in Tennessee
This is the incredible dash-cam moment a man battled through a deadly tornado in his car.
Cameron McNeil, 25, said his car was "totally totaled" when he was caught up in the storm in Clarksville, Tennessee, on Saturday.
Dashcam from his vehicle shows lightning, telegraph poles bending, debris flying - and then the windscreen cracking - but Cameron still keeps driving.
He added: " In the video you can see transformers blowing up and my windshield getting cracked and things going everywhere."
Six people - including two children - died when a series of tornadoes with winds up to 150mph ravaged Tennessee and Kentucky.
Homes were destroyed and tens of thousands of people were left without power after poles were snapped.
Bird poop-covered classic Corvette sells for more than double estimate
A bird poop-covered classic car has sold for more than double its estimate.
The 1966 Chevrolet Corvette C2 Stingray is believed to have been stored in a barn for years.
The dusty model was expected to make £25-£30k, but sold for £68,625 in a Warwickshire auction.
Classic Car Auctions (CCA) say: "This Corvette C2 Stingray’s bones were still in good enough shape for it to attract bidding that took it to more than twice its estimate."
The previous owner remains anonymous, but CCA say: "Definitely a farm find, as evidenced by the straw and bird droppings in the images, it still presented a tremendous opportunity."
The auction house add: "Imported around 25 years ago, there was no history file as such, but the V5C was present, and the VIN confirmed the car as a 1966 Convertible built in St Louis.
"This car deserves to be lavished with attention, and once fully prepared, it should reward such effort with an excellent outcome."
The Corvette was part of a 9 December sale of twenty cars that had stood in barns and fields for many years, so were all presented as "project cars in need of restoration".
Gary Dunne, Sales Manager of CCA, says: "Once in a while a collection of classic cars comes to market at No Reserve – with all this collection being restoration projects needing copious amounts of TLC, it gave bidders an unrepeatable opportunity to secure a car they have been dreaming of, with the chance to save the vehicle and put their own stamp on it. CCA’s Christmas Sale was just such an opportunity. And the bidders did not disappoint us."
