A Floyd County ordinance in Kentucky could strip an Appalachian family of its pet lion by Friday. The Collins family owns a more than 400 pound lion which the family considers "kitty. " To some neighbors of this family, the animal is a source of menace.

Bananas, the world's most popular fruit and the fourth most important food crop, is in deep trouble. Its genetic base, the wild bananas and traditional varieties cultivated in India, has collapsed. Virtually all bananas traded internationally are of a single variety, the Cavendish, the genetic roots of which lie in India. According to New Scientist, for years, the world Cavendish crop has been threatened by pandemics of diseases such as that caused by the black sigatoka fungus. The main hope for survival of the Cavendish lies in developing new hybrids resistant to the fungus, but this is a difficult and time-consuming task because the seedless modern fruit does not reproduce sexually and has to be bred from cuttings.

Banks Island, Canada (AHN)-Northern hunters, scientists and people with vivid imaginations have discussed the possibility of a hybrid bear for years.

Jacob Cherian - All Headline News ContributorShimla, India (AHN)-- A woman in the state of Himachal Pradesh in India was critically injured when she took a bite out of a home-made explosive, which she thought was some kind of a candy.

The people of Jacques Spur are mourning over the death of a wild turkey nicknamed Rufus, which had became a tourist attraction by adopting a rural cafe and greeting its visitors. For about six months, Rufus was a fixture at the Jacques Spur Junction Cafe. His boldness apparently carried him through Thanksgiving as diners feasted on turkey while watching Rufus in the parking lot.