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Photo: CTK Few people expected to spend the first days of the New Year weighing snow, but that is just what many house owners are now doing. The thick layer of snow on rooftops is not only considered a threat to passers-by but to buildings themselves and Czechs have been advised to weigh their snow in order to minimize the danger. According to various sources on the internet this involves climbing up a ladder and sweeping all the snow covering one square metre of roof into a plastic bag. You weigh the bagful of snow and if the scales show more than 50 kilos you need to get your roof cleared by a professional or tackle it yourself.

Photo: CTK The heavy snowfall has brought quite a few unexpected sights in the city of Prague and one is the sight of town hall clerks shoveling snow. On the worst day of the snow crisis, the town hall sent close to two hundred of its employees out armed with shovels to help clear the pavements of snow. In line with a new law the responsibility of keeping pavements clean now lies with town halls rather than house owners. With maintenance crews unable to cope – clerks were sent out as reinforcements. Although many Prague house-owners have been helping out of their own goodwill, the sight of Prague’s bureaucrats armed with shovels caused a small sensation. Bureaucrats tend to give people a hard time and many passers by could not resist a jibe. “Some people would walk up to us and watch, advising us on how to do it properly and pointing out where we had left a patch of snow, or else they would note that at last we were doing something useful” one clerk said later. But in general, Prague’s clerks appeared to be in a good mood and seemed to enjoy their day out in the streets. The only other day that people see them other than in their cubicles is during the Bureaucrats Rat Race – a popular annual event in which the town’s clerks show off their physical prowess in a variety of contests.

Photo: CTK The cold snap has also impacted the market – boosting sales of shovels, snow chains and warm wear – not just for humans. Sales of dog’s overcoats, shoes and even hats are up by 80 percent with most canines in the street now dressed to brave the cold. Vets say that while people have the right idea in seeking to protect their pets most of the articles are more fashionable than practical. Overcoats apparently need to protect a dog’s tummy, even more than his back and the shoes are allegedly unnecessary unless they are being used to protect the animals’ paws from salt on the ground. So if you have got it all wrong – start again – your dog will be grateful.

Photo: CTK It’s not just people who are looking forward to warmer weather - some of the animals at Prague’s Troja Zoo have had to be locked up in their winter enclosures for fear that they might escape or fall through the ice covering the moat that forms a natural outdoor barrier. The zoo’s gorillas – used to running free are said to be increasingly restless. In an effort to distract them, their keeper placed a huge snowman into their enclosure, but the gesture failed to arouse any enthusiasm. The troupe attacked the newcomer, decapitated him and ate the vegetables that made up his face and coat buttons.

Illustrative photo Even emergency services look different these days – a cross country skier who was hurt by a falling tree branch in the woods near Hradec Králové was surprised to see help arrive in the form of 8 huskies pulling a sleigh. The ambulance driver found that there was no way of reaching the woman because of the heavy snow and just as he was calling the emergency call centre for help he saw a musher and his huskies out on a practice run. The musher agreed to help out, the doctor mounted the sleigh, gave the woman first aid and they had her out of the woods in no time at all.

Illustrative photo A 39-year-old Czech man has fraudulently deprived a health insurance company of over two million crowns by pretending illness and seeking medical care for years. The man was a “regular” at hospitals and clinics around the country getting cat-scans and other expensive tests and treatment after fabricating various health problems. The man was allegedly out to get free food and housing at various health care facilities – which he managed to do with surprising success from 2002 until 2008. The police are now investigating the extensive fraud and the report is already a bit of a saga. So far officers have documented 349 cases of abuse and they’re only half way through.