Monks sell St. Bernards
The week's news at a glance.
St. Bernard Pass, Switzerland
The monks who run the hostel at the St. Bernard Pass in the Alps said this week they must sell the famous rescue dogs they’ve bred for centuries. St. Bernards, with their keen sense of smell and tremendous endurance, have plowed through snowbanks to rescue some 2,000 travelers over the past 200 years. But the last such rescue mission was in 1975, and since then helicopters have picked up stranded hikers. The dogs are now just a tourist attraction, and the monks say they can’t afford to feed the 34 dogs currently in their care all winter. “It will take a load off of us and allow us to spend more time with those who need it,” said Brother Frederic. The new owners will be required to return the dogs to the pass every summer for the tourist season.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
How China is battling the chikungunya virus
Under The Radar Thousands of cases of the debilitating disease have been found in the country
-
Deep thoughts: AI shows its math chops
Feature Google's Gemini is the first AI system to win gold at the International Mathematical Olympiad
-
Book reviews: 'Face With Tears of Joy: A Natural History of Emoji' and 'Blood Harmony: The Everly Brothers Story'
Feature The surprising history of emojis and the brother duo who changed pop music