Latest news with #St.Bernards
Bangkok Post
11-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Bangkok Post
Funny old world: the week's offbeat news
PARIS - From a hero lapdog Lassie to why tennis stars can't stop pinching Wimbledon towels. Your weekly roundup of offbeat stories from around the world. - Chihuahua to the rescue - A chihuahua saved a hiker who fell eight metres (26 feet) into a glacier crevasse high in the Swiss Alps. The lapdog's "extraordinary" heroics surely saved his master, the Air Zermatt rescue service said, refusing to leave the spot where the man disappeared into the crevasse, leading rescuers straight to him. While the man was able to call for help with a walkie-talkie, rescuers struggled to locate him. "The glacier surface was wide and the hole was barely visible," they said. But then they spotted the tiny shivering chihuahua perched on a rock, refusing to budge. "Thanks to the dog's behaviour, the crew was able to abseil down to the casualty and save him." - Doggone luxury - In the past, stricken alpinists could count on a sup of warming brandy from a St Bernard dog. But these days, the gentle giants are more likely to be getting a massage, a manicure or a spot of hydrotherapy at the new Barryland theme park over the mountains at Martigny, where Switzerland's national dog is a major tourist attraction. Helicopters have now taken over their mountain rescue role, allowing the St. Bernards to enjoy their retirement as pampered pensioners or care dogs. - Leaping mad - Life can get a little dull on the flat Friesian polders, which may explain why the Dutch came up with one of the world's maddest sports, "fierljeppen". This involves crossing canals by clambering up a 12-metre (40-foot) pole -- roughly the height of a four-storey building -- so you can land (or be catapulted) to the other side. The uniquely Dutch sport combines pole-vaulting, long jump and, when misjudged, some unplanned swimming in the soup. Farmer and fierljeppen world record holder Jacob de Groot told AFP that the sport may not have caught on elsewhere because "in the rest of the world there are not so many canals and also maybe the people are not so crazy". - Centre Court steal - Polish tennis ace Iga Swiatek powered through the women's singles at Wimbledon, bagging as many of the tournament's trademark towels as she could carry. "No one talks about it, but we love your towels," she admitted after dispatching Russian Polina Kudermetova on Monday. "Every time I come back 10 members of my family want the towels. Sorry Wimbledon, I am not sure if I'm allowed." But the 24-year-old makes sure to keep some for herself. "I have lots at home. If I play on the circuit for another 15 years, I will have to build another room to keep them in," she laughed.
Kuwait Times
08-07-2025
- General
- Kuwait Times
Hiker in Alpine crevasse rescued... by a Chihuahua
This handout made available by Air Zermatt, an air rescue company operating in the canton of Valais, shows a chihuahua dog that helped rescuers in finding its owner who had fallen into a crevasse in Fee glacier above Saas-Fee, Western Switzerland. --AFP When it comes to mountain rescues, St. Bernards may have met their match, with a Chihuahua being hailed for helping save a man who fell into a glacier crevasse in Switzerland. The 'extraordinary' rescue took place last Friday on the Fee Glacier above Saas-Fee in the southern Swiss Alps, the Air Zermatt rescue service said in a statement over the weekend. A man had been hiking on the glacier with his Chihuahua early Friday afternoon, when he suddenly plunged into an eight-meter (26-foot) deep crevasse, leaving the tiny dog alone on the edge. The man was carrying an amateur walkie-talkie and managed to call for help, but rescue workers long struggled to locate the site of the accident. 'On site, the search for the collapse site proved difficult. The glacier surface was wide and the hole was barely visible,' Air Zermatt, a regional rescue service in Wallis canton, said. But then one of the rescuers spotted a small movement on a rock: the Chihuahua had not budged from the edge of the crevasse. 'Thanks to the dog's behavior, the crew was able to locate the exact site of the accident,' Air Zermatt said, adding that 'rescuers abseiled down to the casualty and were able to save him'. 'It is fair to say that his behavior contributed significantly to the successful rescue.'—AFP
Observer
07-07-2025
- General
- Observer
Hiker in Alpine crevasse rescued... by a Chihuahua
Geneva: When it comes to mountain rescues, St. Bernards may have met their match, with a Chihuahua being hailed for helping save a man who fell into a glacier crevasse in Switzerland. The "extraordinary" rescue took place last Friday on the Fee Glacier above Saas-Fee in the southern Swiss Alps, the Air Zermatt rescue service said in a statement over the weekend. A man had been hiking on the glacier with his Chihuahua early Friday afternoon, when he suddenly plunged into an eight-metre (26-foot) deep crevasse, leaving the tiny dog alone on the edge. The man was carrying an amateur walkie-talkie and managed to call for help, but rescue workers long struggled to locate the site of the accident. "On site, the search for the collapse site proved difficult. The glacier surface was wide and the hole was barely visible," Air Zermatt, a regional rescue service in Wallis canton, said. But then one of the rescuers spotted a small movement on a rock: the Chihuahua had not budged from the edge of the crevasse. "Thanks to the dog's behaviour, the crew was able to locate the exact site of the accident," Air Zermatt said, adding that "rescuers abseiled down to the casualty and were able to save him". "It is fair to say that his behaviour contributed significantly to the successful rescue."
NDTV
07-07-2025
- General
- NDTV
"Extraordinary": Hiker Rescued By Chihuahua After Falling In Swiss Glacier Crevasse
When it comes to mountain rescues, St. Bernards may have met their match, with a Chihuahua being hailed for helping save a man who fell into a glacier crevasse in Switzerland. The "extraordinary" rescue took place last Friday on the Fee Glacier above Saas-Fee in the southern Swiss Alps, the Air Zermatt rescue service said in a statement over the weekend. A man had been hiking on the glacier with his Chihuahua early Friday afternoon, when he suddenly plunged into an eight-metre (26-foot) deep crevasse, leaving the tiny dog alone on the edge. The man was carrying an amateur walkie-talkie and managed to call for help, but rescue workers long struggled to locate the site of the accident. "On site, the search for the collapse site proved difficult. The glacier surface was wide and the hole was barely visible," Air Zermatt, a regional rescue service in Wallis canton, said. But then one of the rescuers spotted a small movement on a rock: the Chihuahua had not budged from the edge of the crevasse. "Thanks to the dog's behaviour, the crew was able to locate the exact site of the accident," Air Zermatt said, adding that "rescuers abseiled down to the casualty and were able to save him". "It is fair to say that his behaviour contributed significantly to the successful rescue."
Kuwait Times
01-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Kuwait Times
St. Bernards romp at unique Swiss theme park
Syrah walks slowly and deliberately on a treadmill submerged in a large water tank, as two therapists help keep her steady, and a crowd looks on in awe. The eight-year-old St. Bernard is receiving her regular hydrotherapy session, while visitors to the newly reopened Barryland theme park in the Swiss Alpine valley town of Martigny follow every move. 'We give hydrotherapy to older dogs or dogs that have undergone surgery,' Barryland director Melanie Glassey-Roth told AFP. 'Everything here is conceived for the wellbeing of our dogs.' Revamped from a smaller, 'living museum' focused on St. Bernards, after two years of work Barryland has morphed into a large, interactive theme park fully dedicated to Switzerland's national dog. Built in the shape of a paw print, the main building offers interactive experiences and virtual reality tours of the history and myths surround the St. Bernard, as well as the chance to interact with the big dogs themselves. The park is hoping to see its visitor numbers soar to potentially 200,000 a year, up from 83,000 before the renovation. Head of the breeding program Manuel Gaillard holds two puppies of the Saint Bernard dog breed during a press visit ahead of the inauguration of the Barryland museum and parc in Martigny, in the Swiss Alps.--AFP photos Two puppies of the Saint Bernard dog breed are photographed. A Saint Bernard dog receives care during a press visit ahead of the inauguration of the Barryland museum and parc in Martigny, in the Swiss Alps. A journalist films a video of a Saint Bernard dog during a press visit. A Saint Bernard dog mascot reacts during the inauguration of the Barryland museum. This photograph shows an old picture of a Saint Bernard dog and a priest taken at the Great Saint Bernard pass and diplayed at the Barryland museum and parc. A journalist takes a picture of a giant photograph showing a Saint Bernard dog and diplayed at the Barryland museum and parc. A Saint Bernard dog has exercise in a pool during a press visit. 'Emblematic' The St. Bernard breed, which reached a new level of stardom when it figured in the 1992 blockbuster Hollywood comedy film 'Beethoven', was cross-bred into existence centuries ago in the Swiss Alps, not too far from where today's theme park lies. It was originally bred from farm dogs indigenous to the region by a hospice monastery, perched 2,500 metres (8,200 feet) above sea level, to use for rescue work in the perilous Great St. Bernard Pass between Switzerland and Italy. 'This is an emblematic dog that represents the entire region,' said Jean-Maurice Tornay, head of the Barry Foundation, which runs Barryland. Barryland got its name from the most famous and heroic St. Bernard of all. Local lore holds that Barry, who lived from 1800 to 1814 and was credited with more than 40 rescues in his lifetime, carried a little barrel of alcohol around his collar, a welcome drink for weary travellers. In his honour, the monastery always had one dog named Barry -- a tradition that continues at Barryland today. The park's current Barry, a towering 7.5-year-old male weighing around 80 kilograms (176 pounds), is the largest and most decorated of its dogs. The Barry Foundation has 36 St. Bernards in all who live at a nearby kennel in Martigny. Some dogs spend whole summers up at the Great St. Bernard Pass. But with the reopening of Barryland, 16 dogs from the Martigny kennel will crowd into a large van each morning and be driven across to the theme park, ready to play stars. New mission At Barryland, the giant dogs, with their dark-ringed eyes and fur covered in reddish-brown patches, run around in spacious, grassy parks, lounge in large indoor enclosures and submit to grooming, massages and treatments. For Thursday's reopening, the park presented two new puppies, Xcell and Xaver, who tumbled enthusiastically around their mother Lio, nudging her until she sat down to let them nurse. Nearby, dog handler Sahel Robette encouraged Tosca, an eight-year-old female, to climb onto a large weighing scale. 'Sixty-five kilos (143 pounds)!' he exclaimed, as he began brushing her down, searching her fur for tics and inspecting her ears and nails. Once the heroes of the Swiss Alps, St. Bernards today are doing heroic work in other settings, Tornay said. With helicopters having taken over their rescue role, the St. Bernard has 'found a new social mission', he told AFP. The foundation's dogs make hundreds of visits each year to hospitals, nursing homes and prisons, where they are used for therapy and social training, 'sharing a little bit of kindness', he said. The St. Bernard is perfect for these missions, Glassey-Roth said, as one of the dogs laid its giant head on her lap. 'It has a quiet force; it is calm and very social.'—AFP
