Jamaican Could Become First Black Musher To Complete Longest Dog Sled Race

An athlete from tropical Jamaica could become the first black musher to complete the world’s longest dog sled race. Later this month, Newton Marshall, 26, will take part in the Iditarod, a 1,150-mile dog-sled race across the icy wilderness of Alaska. The race is hailed as one of the world’s great endurance tests.Marshall’s entrance in the race echoes the success of the Jamaican bobsled team in the 1988 Winter Olympics, which inspired the movie “Cool Runnings.”

But his entry is no joke. Last year he completed the lengthy Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race. Out of 29 mushers, Marshall finished a respectable 13th.Marshall, who lives in Jamaica’s St. Anne Parish, said he was impatient to begin the Iditarod, which kicks off with a ceremonial start in Anchorage on Saturday. The competitive race begins on Sunday in Willow, 50 miles to the north.

Eagle's Broken Beak Fixed By Dentist

A bald eagle has had its broken beak fixed with a filling by a dentist. In a first of its kind operation a dentist applied putty used to fill holes in human teeth to repair Cyrano the eagle’s top beak.The bird of prey had lost almost all of it after catching it in heavy duty fishing line somewhere off the Alaskan coast. With the circulation cut off and the grinding effect of the line a massive hole developed which had stopped him from hunting.In a few weeks vets suspected further wear would have snapped off the beak completely leading to certain death in the wild.Cyrano was rescued and taken to the Bird Treatment and Learning Centre (BTLC), in Anchorage, Alaska, USA.

Eagle's Broken Beak Fixed By Dentist

A bald eagle has had its broken beak fixed with a filling by a dentist. In a first of its kind operation a dentist applied putty used to fill holes in human teeth to repair Cyrano the eagle’s top beak.The bird of prey had lost almost all of it after catching it in heavy duty fishing line somewhere off the Alaskan coast. With the circulation cut off and the grinding effect of the line a massive hole developed which had stopped him from hunting.In a few weeks vets suspected further wear would have snapped off the beak completely leading to certain death in the wild.Cyrano was rescued and taken to the Bird Treatment and Learning Centre (BTLC), in Anchorage, Alaska, USA.