Compiled by C. ARUNO and JUSTIN ZACK
A WOLF in China’s Qinghai province that became famous for begging food from motorists died after being run over by a lorry, China Press reported.
Dubbed the “Influencer Wolf”, the canine began approaching people for food along the Qinghai-Tibetan Highway in 2023.
In just a few months, the wolf with a skeletal body grew fat from the feeding.
It also saw a rise in Internet fame as people would post videos of the feeding. The feeding was so popular among motorists that other wolves started begging too.
On Dec 23, a passer-by spotted a wolf underneath a lorry lying in a pool of blood, believed to have been run over.
Realising that it was still breathing, the woman called for help.
A nearby rescue station staff member arrived 40 minutes later but the wolf was already dead by then.
The woman posted about the incident on social media.
The Sanjiangyuan National Nature Reserve later issued a statement confirming the wolf’s death and warning people not to feed wildlife as it could cause the animals to lose their natural ability to find food.
The nature reserve added that food for human consumption tends to be high in sugar, salt and saturated fats, and could cause wild animals to grow fat and fall sick.
“For your own safety and for the safety of wild animals, please do not feed them. Let us protect our wildlife and animals together.”> In just over a week, Taiwanese police have arrested two Malaysians suspected of working for scam syndicates.
China Press reported that just days after Malaysian influencer Edy Hu was arrested in a sting operation on Dec 11, another Malaysian, whose surname is Chen, was arrested by police on Dec 19.
The 28-year-old man was arrested while collecting money from a scam victim in Lukang town, Changhua county.
The Yuanlin police station confiscated NT$240,000 (RM33,000) and a mobile phone from Chen.
He has been sent to the Changhua District Prosecutors’ Office to be charged with fraud and money laundering.
According to police, they saw a rise in the number of Malaysians entering Taiwan as tourists but secretly working for scam syndicates.
These scams involve luring potential victims with fake investment schemes offering lucrative returns.
To avoid leaving a paper trail, the scammers would request victims to withdraw cash and physically hand it to them.
Both Hu and Chen were arrested three days after entering Taiwan during meetings with victims to collect cash.
The above articles are compiled from the vernacular newspapers (Bahasa Malaysia, Chinese and Tamil dailies). As such, stories are grouped according to the respective language/medium. Where a paragraph begins with a, it denotes a separate news item.
