Taking a look at recent, positive, uplifting, news stories and yarns, from New Zealand and all around the world, to bring a smile and a bit of cheer.

Abandoned kitten survives gruelling ordeal

This is a good news story with a whole lot of bad news at the beginning of it. As we all know, the worst of our species have no qualms about dumping their pets without any thought about their well-being. I can’t say this is absolutely the case in this instance, but let’s say I wouldn’t be surprised.

A kitten in Auckland was found at a depot after being caught up in the city’s recycling after her cries alerted workers.

“‘This tiny meowy cutie pie wasn’t quite what our materials recovery facility team expected to run into when sorting recycling!’ a post on the Auckland Council Facebook page said. “Her survival was nothing short of a miracle as she was in a box with all the commingled recycling and had survived being thrown around by machinery. ‘Her cries alerted staff in the pre-sort line who rescued the weeks-old kitten. She is now safe and being cared for with staff lining up to adopt her.'” (Source: “‘Nothing short of a miracle’: Kitten survives Auckland’s recycling system,” January 13, www.stuff.co.nz).

5 stars to this wee trooper surviving what would have been a terrifying experience. Good to know she will end up in a new home being cared for and loved.

Ingenious solution eases huge fish’s anxiety

A lonely sunfish at an aquarium in Japan stopped eating and was struggling until an inventive worker concocted a solution to alleviate its anxiety.

“The huge fish is one of the stars of the Kaikyokan Aquarium in Shimonoseki, Japan but had been on a downward spiral after the facility had to close for renovations. Staff noticed the fish had stopped eating, and initially thought it was ill with parasites or digestive issues. But one worker thought it may be something else – the sunfish was missing the interaction with visitors.” (Source: “‘Lonely’ sunfish gets some cardboard human mates to cheer it up,” January 21, www.stuff.co.nz).

Deciding the sunfish needed company, they created cardboard cut-outs of human beings and dressed them up in aquarium staff uniforms. Affixing the cardboard ‘mannequins’ to the glass, the sociable sunfish’s mood rapidly improved, as well as its appetite.

“Aquarium worker Mai Kato told the Mainichi Shimbun the sunfish was ‘popular’ with visitors before the renovations: ‘It’s curious and would swim up to visitors when they approached the tank.'” (Source: “‘Lonely’ sunfish gets some cardboard human mates to cheer it up,” January 21, www.stuff.co.nz).

5 stars – thinking outside of the box to solve what would have been a perplexing issue! A great upside to a challenge.

Buried ancient city continues to amaze

I imagine most of us have a list of places we would like to visit and Pompeii in Italy is high up on that list for me. I’ve been fascinated by it since first reading about Pompeii and Herculaneum, buried by volcanic ash after Mt Vesuvius erupted thousands of years ago. Over the centuries, archaeologists have unearthed houses, shops, streets, and artefacts trapped in time, since the city’s catastrophic destruction.

Recently another wonder was found, suggesting that Pompeii will continue to surprise us for many years to come. A sumptuous bathhouse with mosaics and the facility for hot and cold water as well as dry spas was found – part of a villa of a wealthy merchant or public official.

“’We have here perhaps the largest thermal complex in a private house in Pompeii,’ said Gabriel Zuchtriegel, director of the Pompeii archaeological park. ‘The members of the ruling class of Pompeii set up enormous spaces in their homes to host banquets.’

“The baths were unearthed in the so called Regio IX, a large central area of Pompeii park still unexplored, where major archaeological excavations are revealing new aspects of Pompeians’ daily life.” (Source: “Watch: 2000-year-old bathhouse discovered at Pompeii after excavation,” January 18, www.stuff.co.nz).

5 stars – archaeology is a fascinating science and informing us about our past is fantastic.