Lola lives! Lola the boxer from Plymouth in Devon, England, is alive today because her owner knew cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). The pooch had the unfortunate problem of suffering an immediate and serious allergic reaction after being stung by a bee. She became unconscious and did not have a heartbeat, so owner Emma Harris started gently pounding on the pup’s chest. A nursery school assistant, Harris had recently taken the CPR course, so she knew what to do. It took a few minutes, but Lola started breathing again, and the vet was called. After a thorough going-over, Lola was back to normal in a couple of days.

Molting mammal: It is unusual for a molting elephant seal to beach itself in a public area, but that is what happened in Ambleside, a suburb of Vancouver on the west coast of Canada. Elephant seals shed their fur and a layer of skin once a year and it takes about a month for them to do so. Residents of Ambleside were surprised when the 230-pound seal landed on their beach, but the community made sure the seal was safe from other animals and curious people by erecting barriers around it. For the most part, the molting mammal was still and slept until it was time to take to the water again.

Unique ears: Most people are aware that police use fingerprints in an attempt to catch criminals. But ear prints? That is exactly what gave away a thief in Lyon, France, who had broken into 80 homes. He was caught in the act in one burglary, but after checking his ear print with those left at other crime scenes, he was charged with many more break-ins. It seems this particular burglar had the habit of pressing his ear to the door in an attempt to hear if anyone was home. Unfortunately for him, police can identify ear prints, which are unique from person to person.

Long flight: The pilot of an ultra-light plane experienced quite a trip when he decided to fly from his home in Ljubljana in Slovenia over the North Pole to America and back again. Matevz Lenarcic accomplished this feat, becoming the first person to do so. Lenarcic encountered a few problems during his journey, such as bad weather in France and a lack of the right fuel at an airport in Ireland. However, the trained biologist was able to collect data about air pollution while in the Arctic and bring that information and his aircraft safely back to Slovenia after the 15,600-kilometer (9,672-mile) journey.