Dashing dachshunds, elephants doing yoga and otters shooting hoops are all making news

Dashing dachshunds, elephants doing yoga and an otter shooting hoops* are just some of the sports-mad animals making news around the world this week.

In Melbourne, thousands of little furry legs walked around a park in the suburb of Elwood on Sunday to break the Guinness World Record for the largest dog walk for a single breed.

Devoted 2 Dachshunds Rescue planned the attempt and organiser Adele Gullick said 1385 sausage dogs* pounded the pavement.

“The atmosphere was electric because there were just so many little dogs there,” she said.

The current largest dog walk record stands at 1029 Beagles during a United Kingdom event in 2018.

Melbourne’s achievement is yet to be formally recognised with Guinness now studying pictures and drone* videos before approving the record.

“We had to adhere* to the really strict Guinness rules and regulations,” Ms Gullick said.

Those rules include only one dog can be walked with one person, dogs in prams can be counted, walking in winter coats is allowed but no fancy dress outfits, and all dogs must be pure* dachshunds.

ELEPHANTS DOING YOGA
Elephants at the Houston Zoo in the US have been staying limber* by taking up yoga.

The zoo’s 12 pachyderms* do “elephant yoga” sessions as part of their daily health checks.

One 40-year-old named Tess is able to balance her massive body on her front legs and do several other stretches.

Zoo elephant manager Kristen Windle said despite weighing 3000kg, Tess is very flexible and the only one who can do a handstand.

Each session lasts less than five minutes with some older elephants doing two sessions a day to keep their joints loose.

“We’ll get a good look at their skin, we’ll check their feet, we’ll check their mouth,” Ms Windle told the Houston Chronicle newspaper. “But we’re also looking at their range of motion and how they’re moving so we can know exactly what they’re feeling by these training sets.”

OTTER SHOOTS HOOPS
Staying healthy is a slam-dunk* for rescued sea otter Juno.

Juno was trained a few years ago at the Oregon Zoo in the US to put a ball through a plastic basketball hoop as a way of exercising her elbow joints to avoid stiffness and arthritis*.

Until recently, her athletic feats* took place behind the scenes in a training pool.

But now, thanks to the zoo’s maintenance team, nine-year-old Juno is slam-dunking for everyone to see in a specially made hoop mounted to the rock wall of her public enclosure*.

“Juno loves to play basketball,” said senior marine life keeper Nicole Nicassio-Hiskey.

“She gets so excited whenever we bring the ball out for her training sessions. And she’s good too!”

Juno “dribbles” the ball by swimming around the hoop with it. She ends each session with some of her favourite fresh seafood.

POLL

GLOSSARY

• shooting hoops: playing basketball
• sausage dogs: nickname for dachshunds
• drone: a flying robot that can be controlled remotely
• adhere: obey
• pure: not mixed with anything else
• limber: flexible
• pachyderms: another word for elephants
• slam-dunk: a shot in which a player thrusts the ball down through the basket
• arthritis: a disease causing painful inflammation and stiffness of the joints
• feats: achievements taking great skill
• enclosure: an area that is fenced

EXTRA READING
Australia’s incredible dinosaur boom
Dog has world’s longest tongue record licked
New vaccine trial to save koalas

QUICK QUIZ
1. How many dachshunds attempted to break the record?
2. List the five strict rules set by Guinness for this record.
3. How do the elephants benefit from doing yoga?
4. What unique skill can 3000kg Tess complete?
5. Playing basketball helps Juno avoid what disease?

LISTEN TO THIS STORY

CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. Dachshund lovers
These people must really love their dachshund to participate in this Guinness World Record attempt — 1385 is a lot of sausage dogs.

The organiser of this event, Devoted 2 Dachshunds Rescue, is a charity that tries to ensure all dachshunds find a loving home.
If you were to help them to raise some money, by selling some dachshund merchandise, what would it be?

Design some dachshund merchandise to sell for charity. Think keyrings, socks, greeting cards, teddies, etc. Sketch your design and write why you think it would sell and how much you would price it at.

Time: allow 40 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English; Design and Technologies; Critical and Creative Thinking

2. Extension
What cool animal tricks have you seen or know about?
Think of an animal and some exercise or tricks you would like it to do for it’s own physical or mental health.

Time: allow 15 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English; Science; Personal and Social; Critical and Creative Thinking

VCOP ACTIVITY
1. Epic animal tales
Wow, some of these animals are very talented. In fact, maybe we should get them together for an Epic Animal Talent Show.
Which act would you like to see and which animal is going to perform it?

Write a short Epic Animal Tale reviewing one of the acts you saw at the amazing talent show.
Make sure you capture the audience’s attention with a dazzling hook. Then keep them engaged with your detail and specific language choices.
Share it with a classmate when you are done to see what they think.
You could even make a class book of animal tales.