Rare Fruit Sold for $1,000 in Indonesia

In this AP photo taken on November 25, 2017, a cut Musang King durian is shown by a vendor during the International Durian Cultural Tourism Festival in Bentong, Malaysia.
In this AP photo taken on November 25, 2017, a cut Musang King durian is shown by a vendor during the International Durian Cultural Tourism Festival in Bentong, Malaysia.
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Rare Fruit Sold for $1,000 in Indonesia

In this AP photo taken on November 25, 2017, a cut Musang King durian is shown by a vendor during the International Durian Cultural Tourism Festival in Bentong, Malaysia.
In this AP photo taken on November 25, 2017, a cut Musang King durian is shown by a vendor during the International Durian Cultural Tourism Festival in Bentong, Malaysia.

A mall in an Indonesian town displayed some rare Durian fruits, which have the most powerful smell in the world and have a huge popularity in southeastern Asia. The special fruits are being sold for $1,000 apiece.

The German News Agency reported that the store located in Tasikmalaya, managed to sell two of this fruit known as "J Queen" from the first day, despite its high price -14 million rupees (over $1000) apiece - according to the Compas.com website.

The fruit price caused a significant debate in the town, where the minimum monthly wage is two million rupees (around $142).

The local media reported that some of the mall visitors came and took pictures with the singular fruit. A social media user said on Twitter: "I would rather buy a motorcycle. At least, I can use it for ten years."

Aka, discoverer of the royal type of the Durian fruit, said it has a very special peanut butter-like taste. It comes in a round form, unlike the regular Durian, which usually comes in an oval form.

Aka, 32, an Indonesian psychology graduate, explained that the "J-Queen" fruit has these unique characteristics because it is a hybrid of two good types of Durian in Indonesia.



Emperor Penguin Released at Sea 20 Days after Waddling Onto Australian Beach

In this photo released by Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (DBCA), a male emperor penguin dubbed Gus, is released back into the ocean off the south coast of Western Australia, Wednesday Nov. 20, 2024. (Miles Brotherson/DBCA via AP)
In this photo released by Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (DBCA), a male emperor penguin dubbed Gus, is released back into the ocean off the south coast of Western Australia, Wednesday Nov. 20, 2024. (Miles Brotherson/DBCA via AP)
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Emperor Penguin Released at Sea 20 Days after Waddling Onto Australian Beach

In this photo released by Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (DBCA), a male emperor penguin dubbed Gus, is released back into the ocean off the south coast of Western Australia, Wednesday Nov. 20, 2024. (Miles Brotherson/DBCA via AP)
In this photo released by Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (DBCA), a male emperor penguin dubbed Gus, is released back into the ocean off the south coast of Western Australia, Wednesday Nov. 20, 2024. (Miles Brotherson/DBCA via AP)

The only emperor penguin known to have swum from Antarctica to Australia was released at sea 20 days after he waddled ashore on a popular tourist beach, officials said Friday.
The adult male was found on Nov. 1 on Ocean Beach sand dunes in the town of Denmark in temperate southwest Australia — about 3,500 kilometers north of the icy waters off the Antarctic coast, the Western Australia state government said. He was released from a Parks and Wildlife Service boat on Wednesday, The Associated Press reported.
The boat traveled for several hours from the state’s most southerly city of Albany before the penguin was released into the Southern Ocean, but the government didn't give the distance in its statement.
He had been cared for by registered wildlife caregiver Carol Biddulph, who named him Gus after the first Roman emperor Augustus.
“I really didn’t know whether he was going to make it to begin with because he was so undernourished,” Biddulph said in video recorded before the bird’s release but released by the government on Friday.
“I’ll miss Gus. It’s been an incredible few weeks, something I wouldn’t have missed,” she added.
Biddulph said she had found from caring for other species of lone penguins that mirrors were an important part of their rehabilitation by providing a comforting sense of company.
“He absolutely loves his big mirror and I think that has been crucial in his well-being. They’re social birds and he stands next to the mirror most of the time,” she said.
Gus gained weight in her care, from 21.3 kilograms when he was found to 24.7 kilograms. He stands 1 meter tall. A healthy male emperor penguin can weigh more than 45 kilograms.
The largest penguin species has never been reported in Australia before, University of Western Australia research fellow Belinda Cannell said, though some had reached New Zealand, nearly all of which is further south than Western Australia.
The government said with the Southern Hemisphere summer approaching, it had been time-crucial to return Gus to the ocean where he could thermoregulate.
Emperor penguins have been known to cover up to 1,600 kilometers on foraging journeys that last up to a month, the government said.