Zookeepers in northern Japan are racing against nature to catch a fugitive flamingo before it freezes or migrates south for the winter.

Bird experts have tried to net the escapee on the lake it has made home using captive flamingos as bait, and have even donned diving gear to sneak up on the pink-feathered bird from underwater.

A five-year-old New Zealand boy was shot dead by his eight-year-old cousin in Samoa as they tussled over a rifle during a hunting trip, it was reported Monday.

The Samoa Observer said the the boy was visiting Samoa for a religious festival when his uncle took him and his cousin on a pigeon shooting expedition in a remote coastal area of the South Pacific nation.

Spanish shepherds led a flock of more than 2,000 sheep through central Madrid on Sunday in defense of ancient grazing, migration and droving rights threatened by urban sprawl and modern agricultural practices.

Many tourists and residents were surprised to see traffic cut to allow the ovine parade to bleat its way across some of Madrid's most upscale urban streets.

Fancy a set of crocodile-hide luggage? Or luxe-look croc-skin shoes, or a croc filet? A farm in Honduras is betting on striking it rich by tending the endangered beasts until it is legal to sell them.

Cocodrilos Continentales opened in 1989 focused on, according to the company, raising American crocodiles "for commercial purposes" and -- until it is no longer endangered -- to help "preserve the species."

A British sommelier Saturday smashed the world record for the number of wine glasses held in one hand, according to organizers of the event, handling 51 glasses to surpass the previous record of 39.

Philip Osenton, a 43-year-old wine consultant based in Beijing, began handling dozens of glasses at a time early in his career working at major London hotels the Ritz and Savoy, which he said laid the groundwork for the feat.

Golf club employees in Southern California came to the rescue when a shark dropped out of the sky and flopped around on the 12th tee.

San Juan Hills Golf Club operations director Melissa McCormack says a course marshal found the leopard shark Monday afternoon and brought it to the clubhouse. It had puncture wounds where it appeared a bird had snagged it from the Pacific Ocean, about five miles (eight kilometers) away.

Scottish airport staff got a slithery surprise when they stumbled on a Mexican serpent stowaway under a seat.

The Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals says quick-thinking workers at Glasgow Airport remained "remarkably calm" when they discovered the 18-inch (45-centimeter) snake Tuesday under seats in the passenger cabin of a flight from Cancun, Mexico.

A New Zealand woman has admitted giving her three-month-old baby cannabis -- through her breast milk, it was reported Saturday.

The 29-year-old, from the North Island town of Wanganui, was sentenced to six months' supervision after pleading guilty to administering the drug to her baby, the Wanganui Chronicle said.

Could her highness Lady Gaga be tickled by something as earthly as having a fern named after her?

Scientists in Costa Rica hope so.

Barack Obama's campaign team urged reporters not to get "distracted" by a word on Thursday after the U.S. president was quoted using a profane term to tag rival Mitt Romney as dishonest.

Obama communications director Dan Pfeiffer did not deny Obama had used the word "bullshitter" in a conversation with journalists from the magazine Rolling Stone, and insisted: "Trust is a very important part of this election."