Heartbreaking footage shows bride’s final moments as helicopter surprise for groom ends in tragedy

A former nurse has been ordered to return over $550,000 after allegedly inherited it from a 92-year-old patient she’d only known for less than a month.

Abha Anuradha Kumar had been given over $880,000 AUD ($550,000 USD) from a grant of probate she received from her late patient, 92-year-old Lionel Cox of Melbourne, Australia.

A lawyer representing a relative of Cox claimed that the will was created under “the most suspicious circumstances imaginable” before his death in 2015, as reported by the Daily Mail.

Kumar had been a manager at Cambridge House, a residential aged care facility in Collingwood, Melbourne, when she met Cox less than a month before his death, court documents state.

She’d allegedly bought a will kit just three days after meeting Cox. Credit: Peter Dazeley/Getty Images

Within three days of learning that the elderly man owned a valuable property in nearby Fitzroy but had no immediate family or will, Kumar allegedly bought a will kit and three weeks later is reported to have persuaded two other staff members to withes Cox’s handwritten will, a statement of claim alleged.

However, Kumar allegedly did not tell either of the witnesses that she was listed as the executor and sole beneficiary of Cox’s estate.

Cox died following a short battle with pneumonia on August 9, 2015, and while Kumar was reportedly not working on the day of his death, she allegedly called Cambridge House and told a junior staff member to search his belongings for his house key, before his body was taken to a funeral home.

She also became the ‘informant’ on Cox’s death certificate and obtained a grant of probate from the Supreme Court in November 2015.

Cox’s estate totaled well over $1million AUD ($645,000 USD), with Kumar gaining $1,117,000 AUD ($721,000 USD) from the sale of his home in 2016, as well as over $36,000 AUD ($23,000 USD) in cash and $3,000 AUD ($1,900 USD) in personal items.

The lawyer representing his cousin, Geoffrey Cox, had argued that Kumar’s actions amounted to elder financial abuse.

Kumar was handed a ‘summons for revocation’ in a Supreme Court action launched by State Trustees, owned by the Victorian Government, in August 2021, with lawyers alleging that Kumar did not execute Cox’s will in compliance with legislation and acted against his wishes.

On Thursday, Supreme Court Justice Melissa Daly ordered the grant of probate be revoked, revoking Kumar’s power to manage Cox’s estate.

She now must return the remainder of his estate, valued at $880,000 AUD ($550,000 USD) to his family in Australia, with the money she’d used to fund legal costs and administrative fees, including $150,000 for the 2019 hearing deducted from the total she’d originally received.

The decision comes five year after Kumar was banned from being a registered health practitioner after an investigation by the Nursing and Midwifery Board found she had engaged in professional misconduct.

“Ms. Kumar transgressed the boundaries that should and ordinarily do exist between a registered nurse and her patient in that she was over-involved in the affairs of Mr. Lionel Cox,” the Nursing and Midwifery Board stated in their review.

She had allegedly made two other staff members witness the will without telling them she was the executor and beneficiary. Credit: DMP/Getty Images

James Dimond, lawyer for Cox’s cousin, said of the latest court decision: “It’s an important reminder that the law can and will catch up with you eventually.

“This is a rare situation involving a medical professional, but elderly and vulnerable people are separated from their assets or pressured to sign dodgy wills and other legal documents all the time.”

Featured image credit: Peter Dazeley/Getty Images

A baby gorilla has died at a zoo in Canada after suffering from a fatal injury.

Last week, the Calgary Zoo announced the death of a two-year-old female western lowland gorilla called Eyare which has been confirmed to be an accident caused by human error.

The gorilla died last Wednesday after being involved in an incident that saw her sustain traumatic head injuries after a member of staff at the facility accidentally opened the wrong door to the enclosure.

Eyare was said to have been moving around in the back of the enclosure, “roaming from bedroom to bedroom”, and interacting with the other gorillas when the incident occurred.

Colleen Baird, Director of Animal Care, Health and Welfare said that the team tried their best to save the little one’s life.

“A member of her care team intended to activate a door to separate Eyare from other members of the troop for an individual animal training session but mistakenly activated the wrong door, resulting in Eyare being struck by the door and sustaining traumatic head injuries,” Baird said in the statement.

“The gorilla team retrieved Eyare from the troop and the Veterinary team immediately commenced lifesaving measures, including CPR. Sadly, Eyare succumbed to her injuries,” she added.

Once the news was posted to Instagram, social media users took to the comments to leave well wishes as well as their opinions about what had happened.

“I’m so sad for this baby. Just another reason why maybe we don’t need exotic creatures behind glass for us to gawk at. Rest easy, little babe,” wrote one person, while another added: “Sending your team and community our warmest condolences.”

A third also commented: “As heartbreaking as it is to read, thank you for your full transparency. So much love to the gorilla troop, and in particular to the staff person who was involved.”

However, not everyone was as supportive, with some people vowing to cancel their memberships over the accidental loss.

“Why’s there been so many animal deaths lately? makes me want to cancel my membership and stop supporting.. you guys gotta get it together,” this user wrote.

Another agreed, writing: “We have decided not to review our zoo membership… the quality has been declining year after year. Animal welfare combined with the Dino area losing animatronics makes it not worth the cost.”

In the wake of the terrible accident, the zoo has launched a formal investigation into the matter and has shared a handful of new measures that will be put into place to ensure things like this don’t happen again.

“While the investigation into the cause of death has concluded, the zoo doesn’t take these findings lightly and is continuing to conduct a thorough review to identify any potential opportunities to enhance staff training, improve animal care processes, and reinforce safeguards moving forward,” a statement posted to the website read, before going on to add that they will also be “[enhancing] safeguards and new animal behavior training” as well as “reassessing control lever locations.”

Baird noted that the tragedy “has struck us all in the deepest way imaginable.”

“Eyare’s short but impactful life brought so much joy to our community, and she will be deeply missed by all. We will do everything we can to prevent future incidents,” she added.

According to the Daily Mail, Eyare’s unfortunate death marks the second human-caused animal mortality case at the Canadian zoo.

Featured Image Credit: Mario Tama/Getty

In the remote stretches of Southwestern China, within the bounds of the Leye-Fengshan Global Geopark, lies a natural wonder that seems more like a scene from a fantasy novel than reality.

Incredible forest worlds have been discovered in sinkholes in China. Credit: VCG/VCG via Getty Images

Two years ago, scientists uncovered a colossal sinkhole that hosts an ancient, lush forest with trees soaring nearly 130 feet into the air.

Situated in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, this sinkhole extends over 1,000 feet in length, 490 feet in width, and plunges nearly 630 feet deep.

Known as a “heavenly pit” or “tiankeng” in Mandarin, these breathtaking sinkholes were previously unexplored as people feared “demons” or “ghosts” may be hiding in the mists swirling up from the depths, according to the BBC.

However, some of their mysteries have now been uncovered due to the use of drones as well as brave explorers who have lowered themselves into parts of the Earth not visited in thousands of years.

The intrigue deepens with the revelation that this cavernous ecosystem might be home to previously unknown flora and fauna.

People are beginning to explore the terrain, left untouched in thousands of years. Credit: VCG/VCG via Getty Images

The UNESCO Global Geopark, where this sinkhole is located, forms a unique ‘S’-shaped structure in the karst areas of Leye and Fengshan counties, influencing the development of two large subterranean rivers, the Bailang and Poyue.

This complex geological formation has given rise to various ‘karst geosites’ including springs, natural bridges, and extensive caves.

Karst terrain, characterized by its soluble bedrock, is known for creating dramatic landscapes riddled with sinkholes and cave systems due to the erosion of the landscape both above and below ground.

According to George Veni, the executive director of the National Cave and Karst Research Institute, the visual spectacle of karst in China is exceptionally striking compared to other parts of the world, where karst features might be subtler.

Chen Lixin, who led the sinkhole expedition, expressed his anticipation of scientific breakthroughs, stating to Live Science: “I wouldn’t be surprised to know that there are species found in these caves that have never been reported or described by science until now.”

Lush green forests have been discovered below the Earth. Credit: VCG/VCG via Getty Images

His excitement underscores the potential for these hidden ecosystems to contribute significantly to our understanding of biodiversity and the evolutionary processes that shape life in isolation.

Furthermore, the formation of these sinkholes is a fascinating geological process in itself. Slightly acidic rainwater, after absorbing carbon dioxide and percolating through the soil, dissolves the underlying bedrock, carving out vast underground voids. Over time, if one of these chambers grows large enough, the ceiling may collapse, creating a sinkhole like the one discovered in the Geopark.

This particular sinkhole is just one of 30 identified in the region, though not the largest. That title belongs to the Xiaozhai Tiankeng, also known as ‘The Heavenly Pit,’ which is the world’s biggest sinkhole by volume and houses over 1200 species of plants and animals within its 2,100-foot-deep chasm.

Zhang Yuanhai, a senior engineer at the Institute of Karst Geology, describes the site as harboring a “well-preserved primitive forest at the bottom,” with three cave entrances.

The world is known to have over 300 sinkholes, two-thirds of which are in China, largely in the west of the country, with Gunagxi province in the south having 30 known tiankeng, more than anywhere else.

However, the discovery of these incredible new frontiers has drawn interest from tourists hoping to explore them themselves, raising fears that these finds could then be lost forever.

The discovery of such ecosystems is a reminder of the Earth’s hidden wonders and the importance of protecting these fragile environments.

As scientists continue to explore these subterranean realms, each finding contributes to a greater appreciation of the natural world and the interconnectedness of life across diverse habitats.