By Chad Love

Remember that one time when you were a kid at the carnival walking down the seedy, sticky midway trying not be creeped out by all the carnival barkers waving you over to their booth. After a little time and a little too much cotton candy and funnel cake you finally got up the nerve to pony up your fifty cents to see the giant, terrible, bloodthirsty man-eating rat contained in an escape-proof cage waiting just beyond the tent flap? And remember when you finally, and with great trepidation, peeked down into the "Cage 'O Doom" expecting to see an animal worthy of your nightmares munching on body parts, and instead all you saw was an overgrown guinea pig nibbling on a lettuce leaf and farting?

Well, move over sideshow capybaras, there's a new giant rat in town...

By Chad Love

Note to self: Do not quit day job, move to Kenya and become a poacher.
 
From this story in The Washington Post: 
 
The Kenya Wildlife Service says its rangers shot and killed three suspected poachers in one of its national parks, the latest in a series of poacher killings. KWS spokesman Paul Udoto said Wednesday the organization has “re-energized” its efforts to stop the poaching of wildlife, especially elephants, who are hunted for their ivory tusks. On Tuesday rangers shot and killed three suspected poachers in Tsavo National Park. Last week rangers shot and killed another three suspected poachers near Mount Kenya.
 
Note to self: Also, do not quit day job, move to Kenya and become a game ranger.

By Chad Love

A Panamanian fisherman was recently rescued after spending 28 days adrift in the Pacific Ocean.

From this story on msnbc.com:

A teen has apparently survived 28 days adrift in the Pacific Ocean after going on a fishing trip with two friends, according to reports. Adrian Vasquez, who was rescued by the Ecuadorean navy on Sunday, said he stayed alive by drinking rainwater and eating raw fish, the BBC reported. Vasquez said neither of his friends survived, but that he had always held onto the hope he would be rescued. The 18-year-old was found drifting alone near the Galapagos Islands on his friends' 10-foot fishing boat more than 600 miles from where they had set out.

By Chad Love

Hot on the heels of a new Sooner State record largemouth comes word that Deleware's largemouth bass record has fallen.

From this story on wired2fish.com:

When James D. Hitchens of Georgetown set out yesterday for his favorite Sussex County fishing hole, he planned to catch largemouth bass, baiting his line with a live shiner minnow. However, he didn’t expect to set a new state record with the big bass that took his bait. “I’ve never had one over eight pounds,” Hitchens said. “So I was hoping for over eight pounds.”