Oddity Central

Oddity Central

Volkosoby – The Wolf-Dog Hybrids Bred to Defend Russia’s Borders

Posted: 28 Mar 2016 06:51 AM PDT

Protecting the borders of the largest country in the world is no easy task, but luckily Russian troops can rely on the help of Volkosoby – highly-trained wolf-dog hybrids created specifically for this purpose. Volkosoby inherit the size and strength of wolves, but retain an obedient and friendly attitude toward humans that they do not perceive as threats.

Getting the best of both species seems like a worthy pursuit, but getting the desired result took years of research and failed attempts. Over 200 wolf-hybrids bred at the University of Cologne, in Germany, were deemed failures as they all exhibited the typical wolf characteristics of extreme fearful-caution around humans. But scientists and animal experts at Russia’s Prem Institute of Internal Troops finally made a breakthrough in the year 2000. They key to their success was Naida, an usually sociable Caspian Sea Wolf who got along great with humans. Interestingly, during the breeding stage, Naida actually chose a dog as her mate, despite originally being presented with the option of a male wolf.

In 10 years, Naida birthed 40 ‘volkosoby’ (Russian for ‘wolf-dogs’) that shared both her wolf instincts and the father’s friendliness and obedience to humans and they have since then been used to propagate the species. A highly-trained volkosoby is valued $2,000 and $3,000, but in order to benefit from the use of these amazing creatures exclusively, the Russian Military does not sell wolf-dogs. Instead, it only leases them to domestic security organizations, under very strict conditions.

Volkosoby-wolf-dogs

At This Chinese Company Every Day Is ‘Bring Your Pet to Work Day’

Posted: 28 Mar 2016 04:35 AM PDT

A company in China is helping its employees de-stress by allowing them to bring their pets to work every single day. The internet marketing company in Shanghai has been practicing 'Bring Your Pet to Work Day' for a while now, and the results have been very encouraging – the staff are considerably happier and even work better as a team.

Beirut’s Stinking River of Trash

Posted: 28 Mar 2016 03:49 AM PDT

From afar it might look like a pathway of white pebbles snaking its way through the cosmopolitan capital of Lebanon, but it's actually just a landfill overflowing with stinking garbage bags. Nicknamed 'river of garbage', this urban monstrosity stretches hundreds of meters through the Jdeideh municipality in the city's suburbs.

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