Cats grounded in German town

A German town has ordered residents to lock their cats indoors over the summer for the next three years, or face fines of €500 (£420) if a cat is caught outside, noted The Guardian. The move is a bid to protect the ground-nesting crested lark in Germany and fines will rise as high as €50,000 if a cat attacks an endangered lark. “I’m really glad that’s happening,” said Peter P Marra, one of the authors of the 2016 book Cat Wars: The Devastating Consequences of a Cuddly Killer. Cats, including the feral variety, kill billions of US birds and mammals every year, according to a study.

Grandmother talks at her own funeral

A grandmother who died aged 87 spoke to mourners at her own funeral, reported The Telegraph. Marina Smith MBE, a leading Holocaust campaigner, appeared in the form of an artificial intelligence-powered hologram, answering questions and revealing family secrets. The “holographic conversational video experience” came courtesy of StoryFile, an AI-powered video platform that is available in the UK from this week.

Rescue workers save dog on mountain

Mountain rescue workers were called up the UK’s highest mountain to bring back a dog that “refused to budge,” reported the BBC. Maggie, a 35kg Turkish Akbash dog, had sore paws and refused to continue when the walkers she was with began their trek back down the hill. After the walkers were unable to carry her any further, help was called and Lochaber Mountain Rescue got the pet back home by the early hours of Sunday morning. A stretcher and chicken stick treats were among the tools used to bring the dog back down.

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