Jockstrip: The world as we know it.

Zoo orangutans embrace the iPad

MILWAUKEE, Sept. 1 (UPI) -- Keepers at the Milwaukee County Zoo have discovered orangutans love iPads.

The apes love looking at video of themselves and other orangutans, and enjoy apps like finger painting, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported Wednesday. In fact, keepers say, electronic finger painting works better than the real thing, because orangutans also like to eat paint.

"It's like colored pudding," said Claire Richard, the primary gorilla keeper.

The orangutans are also fond of Virtuoso, Doodle Buddy, Koi Pond, Magic Piano, Fish Farm and Tap Drums. Mahal, one of the male orangutans, enjoys watching a video made by freelance photographer Scott Engel, who donated the zoo's first iPad, that features the orangutan as a secret agent.

While the apes do not get to hold the iPads, they are sometimes allowed to touch the screen.

Keepers tried iPads on gorillas and found them less inclined to embrace new technology.

"They were all very scared," Richard said. "It's a different species. Orangutans are curious about everything. Gorillas are afraid of everything."

Minnesotans play 'cow plop bingo'

WELLS, Minn., Sept. 1 (UPI) -- A Minnesota city said its "cow plop bingo" event, a licensed form of charitable gambling in the state, raised about $2,000.

The Wells Chamber of Commerce said it made about $1,000 from the event last week while the Kiester Civic and Commerce Association, which sponsored the fifth annual bingo game, raised the same amount, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported Wednesday.

Cow plop bingo, known as "Cow-a-bunga" to the Minnesota Gambling Control board, involves players purchasing raffle tickets and then waiting for a cow to place its droppings in grid square corresponding to a raffle ticket number.

"I never thought I would see the day we had a cow pooping to determine a winning raffle entry," said Tom Barrett, executive director of the Gambling Control Board. "But it is Minnesota and we do what we can to have fun and still keep the game above board -- or in this case, on the grid!"

Andrea Neubauer, executive director of the Chamber of Commerce, said event organizers made sure the cows were well fed this year after last year's event was nearly ruined by cows who spent three hours walking around without defecating.

"We basically had to draw names from a hat," Neubauer said.

Man brings grenades to gun buyback

DETROIT, Sept. 1 (UPI) -- Detroit police conducting a gun buyback event said they gave out cash for 739 guns, but one guy got nothing for a pair of grenades he brought in.

The Detroit Police Department said the Tuesday event at Second Ebenezer Church collected 339 long guns, 376 handguns, 24 assault rifles and two grenades, which were promptly detonated by authorities, The Detroit News reported Wednesday.

Sgt. Eren Stephens said the man was paid for some guns he brought in, "but we don't buy grenades."

Stephens said the event was so successful that event partner Continental Management used up the $20,000 it brought for the exchanges. He said $8,175 in vouchers will be paid out in the coming weeks.

Burglars spotted during home fly-over

JONESBORO, Ark., Sept. 1 (UPI) -- Authorities in Arkansas said a man flying over his home in an airplane spotted a pair of burglars and helped direct deputies to make an arrest.

Steven Lynn said he went flying Sunday with pilot David Hudson and another friend and they decided to fly over Lynn's Jonesboro home, KAIT-TV, Jonesboro, reported Wednesday.

"When I took him over his house, there were a couple of guys loading up a bunch of stuff," Hudson said. "I was like, someone is stealing stuff down there."

Lynn said he called his uncle to investigate and the two men fled in a truck when he arrived.

Hudson and Lynn followed the truck in the air and explained its route to deputies.

"They were giving us turn by turn directions and giving us a description by county road," Deputy Sheriff Phillip Wheaton said.

The men, identified as Jonesboro residents Roosevelt Smith III and Joseph Peel, were pulled over and arrested on Highway 158.

"When we saw the cops pull up it was just pure excitement," Lynn said. "The odds that we were flying over the house at the exact time they were there, are almost zero."