A young female brown bear wandered into the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius, prompting a national response. The government issued a permit to kill the bear, a decision met with strong opposition from Lithuanian hunters. Hunters, citing the bear’s non-aggressive behavior and the species’ critically low numbers in Lithuania (estimated at 5-10), refused the order. Instead, they proposed sedation and relocation, a more humane alternative. The bear subsequently left the city and was later filmed safely foraging in a forest.
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A DHL cargo plane crashed near Vilnius airport, resulting in one fatality and three injuries among the Spanish crew. Investigations are underway in Lithuania and Germany to determine if the crash was accidental or a deliberate act, with officials considering possibilities ranging from technical malfunction to sabotage, mirroring recent incidents involving incendiary devices in DHL facilities. While Lithuanian authorities have not yet linked the crash to prior investigations into incendiary devices, German officials have raised the possibility of a hybrid incident. The investigation is ongoing, and several agencies are working together to determine the cause.
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John Q. Hosedrinker