Yasmin, a two-year-old from Bodmin, Cornwall, the UK, was playing with a toy in a local park on Sunday when a bird grabbed it away. Her father, Matthew Blanchard, said the gull(鸥）“dived in and grabbed” the doll, named Baby, when Yasmin dropped it while walking. The gull eventually dropped the toy on the roof of a nearby school and it was rescued from there by some workers.

Mr. Blanchard said: “Yasmin was happily playing on the swings and taking her baby down the slide. There were lots of seagulls in the park, and she managed to drop the baby as she was walking up the hill. The seagull took the opportunity and dived in and grabbed it.”

Mr. Blanchard said Yasmin was “crying” as other gulls joined in, fighting for the toy. “I thought once it realised it wasn't food it would let it go, but then all the other seagulls thought it had some food on it, so they all dive-bombed the baby dolly,” he added. One of the gulls got hold of the doll and took it up onto the roof of a nearby school, where it eventually dropped it.

“I had to get her out of the park because she was so upset,” Mr. Blanchard said. “I convinced her that somebody would be able to get it down for her another day, but I couldn't see any way of us getting it back.” Mr. Blanchard said his daughter was so upset she talked about nothing else over the following days.

The family contacted Bodmin Town Council who sent a worker to get the doll back on Tuesday enabling a reunion between Yasmin and Baby that evening. “It was just a small gesture which meant a lot to Yasmin. She was over the moon when she got that baby back and she hasn't let it go since.” Mr. Blanchard said.

Marie Tonkin-Couch, the council receptionist who dealt with the request, said: “The member of staff was a bit surprised when we asked them to go and get the doll, but it was an easy rescue as they just needed to climb up a ladder.” Ms. Tonkin-Couch said she had not heard of a gull stealing someone's toy before. “It was nice to be able to get it back to her when you have kids, you know how precious toys are to them. It was a happy ending.”

Veteran Oksana Chusovitina called time on her career on Sunday night after competing at a record eighth Olympic Games.

After failing to secure a spot in Sunday’s vault(跳马) final, the 46-year-old, representing Uzbekistan, waved to the small crowd inside Tokyo's Ariake Gymnastics Center. “We thank her for her contributions to artistic gymnastics,” the arena announcer said while athletes, officials and media workers gave Chusovitina a standing applaud as she left the sport’s biggest stage.

Born in Uzbek in 1976, Chusovitina took up gymnastics at age 7. She made her Olympic first appearance at the 1992 Barcelona Games as part of the gold medal-winning unified team from former Soviet states. When Chusovitina’s 3-year-old son suffered from leukemia(白血病) in 2002, she sold her possessions to pay for his medical treatment. She switched to German citizenship, which was pushed by the promise of a higher income and better medical care. But the medical care was much too expensive, so Chusovitina once again began competing in international competitions to raise more money for her son. Not only was her comeback successful, more importantly, so was her son’s treatment. In 2008, her son was declared cancer-free. Chusovitina continued to compete, but this time it was her passion for gymnastics that kept her going. Just months later, Chusovitina won her first individual Olympic medal in Beijing.

Chusovitina had already finished her eighth Olympic Games in Tokyo. When her ranking of 11th was shown on the screen, Chusovitina was overcome with emotion. She said, “I have been crying with tears of happiness, because so many people have supported me for such a long time”, adding, “I’m just so grateful. 99 She told reporters, according to The Guardian, “My son is 22 years old and I want to spend time with him. I want to be a mom and wife.”

Her trophy cabinet(奖杯柜) now holds no less than two Olympic medals, eleven World Championship medals, two World Cup medals, eight Asian Games medals, four Asian Championship medals and four European Championship medals.

Last summer, staff at the San Diego Zoo welcomed 41 baby turtles (海龟) from the Indian narrow-headed softshell turtle species, which is native to South Asia. It makes the Zoo the first officially recognized organization in North America to hatch (孵化) and raise the species.

Three Indian narrow-headed softshell turtles have been at the Zoo for over 20 years. All that time, zoo staff had been hoping they would one day reproduce. “This is a thrilling moment for us, and a big step forward in the protection of this species,” said Kim Gray, director of the Zoo.

The eggs were found in two separate nests (窝). Some of the turtles hatched in their habitat, while most of the eggs were stored in an artificial box to create the best conditions for survival. Turtle experts at the zoo say eggs in the habitat are often difficult to find, as the turtles like to lay their eggs overnight and cover them with dirt.

The species is listed as endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List, though it’s unclear how many remain in the wild. Environ- mental pollution, habitat destruction, the international pet trade and human food harvesting have all led to the species’ reduction over the years.

“We have been caring for these turtles for a very long time, and part of that care is to gain a greater understanding of the species’natural history,” Kim Gray added. “With the knowledge we gain here at the Zoo, we can better assist our partners in India to help this essential species develop and grow in their native habitat.”