In a tragic role reversal above the Serengeti, a helicopter pilot who was tracking the activities of hunters in a wildlife reserve was shot down by those same poachers.

If you're acrophobic, then this video of a Los Angeles County Sheriff's deputy being lowered out of an airborne helicopter by a thin cable to rescue some canyon climbers trapped on a cliff side will probably freak you out a bit. But rest assured, there's a happy (if somewhat incomplete) ending!

Thirty-eight soldiers—including 25 Navy SEALs—were killed when a Chinook helicopter crashed during an apparent raid on Taliban forces in eastern Afghanistan. It's the single worst day for U.S. casualties since the start of the war. [AJE]

Last week, we showed you a pair of stranded deer who were blown to safety by a helicopter. Now, another rescued-by-helicopter video—this time starring a calf who was stranded on a frozen Oklahoma pond. The harrowing footage, inside.

[Barack Obama arrived by helicopter in Manhattan today to speak at the U.N. He cruised around town in a motorcade to avoid the hideous new TVs on the subway, naturally. Image via Getty]

The Bernalillo County Sheriff's Department in New Mexico has has formed a "party patrol" to deal with underage drinking. Here is what the "party patrol" consists of: 16 specially-assigned deputies, and a goddamn helicopter.