Shame of Euro 2012 hosts Ukraine as footage shows baby bear being tortured to entertain tourists in front of its frantic mother

By LEON WATSON

These heartbreaking pictures from Lutsk zoo in Ukraine show a bear cub is torn away from his mother and shoved screaming into a tiny box which is then nailed shut have been released to start a campaign to have the two reunited

Torn away from his mother, and then shoved screaming into a tiny box which is nailed shut - this is what happened to a bear so it could please tourists in Ukraine.
This heartbreaking footage was released by an Austrian animal charity trying to get the two bears reunited.
The baby bear Nastasia is seen screaming in terror as she is taken away by a photographer who has been using her to make pictures of tourists in the country co-hosting Euro 2012.
The campaigners from Vier Pfoten (Four paws) released the video and want support to pressurise the zoo in Lutsk in Ukraine's northern Volyn region to reunite mother and four-month-old cub.
While the youngster is screaming, the mother bear is shown racing around the cage and throwing herself at the metal mesh in a bid to get back to her cub.

The bear is dragged out of its cage where it lived with her mother by the scruff of its neck

The cub is then pushed down into a wooden box still shrieking - and it is nailed shut with a wire cover.
Four Paws spokesperson for Ukraine Dr Amir Khalil said: 'The pictures were shot in May this year and they were the most shocking I have seen in my time covering this region.

Nastasia is seen screaming in terror as she is taken away by a photographer who has been using her to make pictures of tourists in Ukraine

Brutal: While the youngster is screaming, the mother bear is shown racing around the cage and throwing herself at the metal mesh in a bid to get back to her cub

The cub is then pushed down into a wooden box still shrieking - and it is nailed shut with a wire cover

'A baby bear in the wild usually spends two years with its mother. Taking it away so young would leave the tiny bear traumatised.
'In addition being used as a tourist attraction represents a lifetime in torment for the baby bear.
'The sale of baby bears to private individuals is supposed to be illegal in the Ukraine.'

source: dailymail

'My son has loved chimps since he was a child': Mother speaks out as American student fights for life after two apes drag him more than a mile in horr

By LAURA COX

Attack: Andrew Oberle, a University of Texas graduate student was savaged by two chimps while leading a group of tourists at the Jane Goodall Institute in South Africa

A University of Texas graduate student was left fighting for his life on Thursday after two chimpanzees pounced on him at the South African reserve where he was studying their behaviour, dragging him along the ground for more than a mile.
The mother of 26-year-old Andrew Oberle said that her son had been passionate about chimps since watching a documentary about famous naturalist Jane Goodall in seventh grade.
Mary Flint added that her son knew the risks involved in working with apes, and said that the attack would probably not stop him carrying out further research.

Brutal: Andrew Oberle, was dragged more than a mile by the chimps

In a case that mirrors that of Charla Nash, a Connecticut woman, who in 2009 had her face ripped off by a 200-pound chimp, Mr Oberle suffered a ‘frenzied’ attack, in which he was bitten multiple times.
The beasts, named Mickey and Amadeus, grabbed him by his feet and yanked him down the road, under a fence and into their enclosure at the Jane Goodall Institute Chimp Eden near Nelspruit, South Africa, where paramedics were forced to wait for armed escorts before they could go in and treat him.

Brutal: Stacey Johns (right) a friend of Oberle's on Facebook, was hit in the head by a rock launched by Cozy (left). 'Cozy may hit people in the head with rocks but it's not his fault' Oberle wrote on the site

Mr Oberle, an American researcher, was giving tourists a lecture at the sanctuary as part of his master's degree in Anthropology and Primatology, based at the University of Texas at San Antonio.
He had crossed the first of two fences separating the chimpanzees from visitors and was standing close to the second fence, which is electrified, when the attack began.
The tourists were escorted to safety by staff members as the chimpanzees dragged Mr Oberle out of their enclosure. The sanctuary's director fired shots into the air to scare the chimps away from the man, before chasing the animals back into their enclosure.

Calm before the storm: On Facebook these sleeping chimps (not the ones which attacked) are described as 'cute'

Medics stabilised the graduate at the scene and he was taken by ambulance to a private hospital in Nelspruit. Beeld reported that he lost part of an ear and parts of his fingers.
'When we found him, he was in a foetal position underneath a lapa (a roofed, open-walled structure) with massive injuries, lacerations, abrasions, partial amputation from his head to toe,' Lloyd Krause, ER24 emergency service spokesman told the Herald Sun.
'He lost an ear, he lost a number of fingers and toes, he's got very deep wounds, he's got total removal of skin and muscle off his one leg and his one arm, fractures all over the place.'

Animal lover: In this undated photo Andrew Orbele poses one of his charges

Powerful beasts: Chimpanzees sit in an enclosure at the Chimp Eden rehabilitation center, near Nelspruit, South Africa

On Oberle's Facebook page he is listed as being from Saint Louis, Missouri. He now lives in San Antonio, Texas, but has been in South Africa since May.
He recently posted photographs of the chimps he was working with on the website, tagged with comments such as 'so cute' beside a picture of two of them sleeping.
Another portrays a wide-mouthed chimp named Cozy, who suffered brain damage after being abused prior to his rescue. Oberle describes the primate as 'still the best', adding: 'Cozy may hit people in the head with rocks but it's not his fault'.
One of Cozy's victims, Stacey Johns, is also pictured in the album with blood pouring from a wound in her head.

Brutal: The 26-year-old was dragged for more than a mile by the chimps at the Goodall Institute Chimp Eden (pictured)

Critical: Andrew Oberle (left) is fighting for his life following the vicious attack in which he was dragged by the chimps for more than one mile

Recovery: Six months in, Ms Nash showed off her face transplant surgery. Surgeons spent 20 hours re-building her features


Haunting image: Ms Nash is seen posing with the chimp a year before the attack

source: dailymail

Snakes on a... motorbike: Rider keeps his cool at 164mph after slippery customer appears over the ssss-speedometer

By LEON WATSON

The snake is shown at the bottom right of the picture lunging at the biker's hand from the motorcycle engine

Riding at 164mph you would expect a motorbike engine to hiss - but maybe not because it had a snake in it.
When an yellow serpent reared its ugly head out of the engine of this bike the Brazilian man in the saddle amazingly managed to remain calm at first.
That was because at first he thought it was just a prank - a fake rubber snake placed there by his friends.

Having stopped on the side of the road, the biker jumped off before returning to kick the snake out of the road so it didn't get run over

But when it stuck out its forked tongue, the rider realised it was no joke - he had a dangerous snake on his hands at while he sped down the road.
As the creature slithered over his hand, the motorcyclist headed for the kerb and tried to slow down. Finally at a standstll, he jumped off the bike and ran for cover, returning shortly after to kick the snake out of the road so it did not die.



sourc: dailymail

Splash of colour: Bright bird shows off its incredible plumage as it dives head first into bath

By DAVID BAKER

Splash of colour: The Painted Bunting bird readies itself for a wash as it perches on the side of a bird bath

This brightly coloured bird looks to be having a splashing good time as it shows of its eye catching plumage.
Readying itself to make a big splash the 'Painted Bunting' bird was snapped in these incredible shots, while washing itself in a bird bath.
The multi-coloured U.S. bird tip-toes up to the bath but its not before too long that he dives straight in.

Splashing good time: The colourful bird ruffles its feathers as it splashes around in the bath

Ray of light: The amazing shots were captured by Geoff Powell at Jekyll Island, in Georgia, USA

The amazing shots show the bird with its distinctive blue head, red chest and yellow back and were captured by photographer Geoff Powell at Jekyll Island, in Georgia, USA. He said: 'It was a thrill to witness.
'The painted bunting is arguably the most diversely colourful bird in the U.S., certainly along the east coast.

Headfirst: The Painted Bunting launches itself back into the water bath showing of its impressive plumage along the way

Soggy: Its distinctive blue head, red chest and yellow back can still just about be seen as it thrashes around in the water

De-light-ful: The incredible pictures were captures using a camera with a slow shutter speed

'I was very excited when he came to bath, which enabled me to get the images.

'Jekyll Island is a great place to view migrating song birds and warblers, which is why I visited the island that week.
'Being in a southern climate the birds were very much drawn to various baths that people put out for them.
'This particular bath was at the campground at which we stayed.
'Before too long he is fully in the water shaking ferociously without the slightest care for his appearance.
He used a slow shutter speed to capture the rapid bird movements.

source: dailymail

Sea you later! Crab who picks up unwanted friend in adorable puppy... and leaves him disappointed as he runs for ocean

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Stare: The pup stopped its chase for the occasional starting contest

A playful pup has found its match in an unlikely opponent - a crab.
An adorable video, posted on YouTube, captures the moment a two-year-old dachshund makes friend, or foe, with a side-stepping ghost crab on a South Carolina beach.
The energetic puppy, named Madeline, is shown bounding around with her new playmate on the sandy beach in Pawley's Island.
She only stops to stare down her rival, who looks like he'd like to take a swipe at her snout. Instead, the white crab darts in all directions in an unsuccessful attempt to escape Madeline's clutches. But the game of cat and mouse finally comes to an end when the agile crustacean gets close enough to the water that a wave washes him out to sea.

Friends: The ghost crab, pictured, tries to evade the playful dachshund

The rescue dog is left looking toward the horizon forlorn and pensive, missing her new best buddy.
The two minute video could be an advert for the South Carolina island, with the sea sparking in the sunshine and the bright white sand clean and deserted.
The footage was uploaded last year by Madeline's owner, Jason Wheeler, but has gone viral in the past week, clocking nearly 100,000 views.

Cute: Two-year-old pup Madeline, pictured, chases the crab energetically around the beach

Confused: Madeline, pictured, watches as the crab scurries away

Pensive: The pup looks forlorn after her friend rides a wave out to sea



source: dailymail

Why dolphins can recognise themselves in a mirror (and do tricks for fish) - their brains are surprisingly similar to ours

By ROB WAUGH

Surprisingly smart: 'It was something we were hoping to find, since studies have shown that they have a large brain and high cognitive ability,' says McGowen

Dolphins are born to be intelligent - and share many of the genes that make them brainy with us.
A new study of the genome of the bottlenose dolphin has shown that the aquatic mammals share many genes with human beings.
The finding could be key to understanding why dolphins have such big brains.
Dolphins can recognise themselves in mirrors and understand ideas such as 'zero' - an ability normally restricted to primates such as chimpanzees and humans.
Dolphin brains involve completely different wiring from primates, especially in the neocortex, which is central to higher functions such as reasoning and conscious thought. Dolphins are so distantly related to humans that it's been 95 million years since we had even a remotely common ancestor.

Thanks for all the fish: Bottlenose dolphins are born to be intelligent - and share many of the genes that make them brainy with us

Yet when it comes to intelligence, social behavior and communications, some researchers say dolphins come as close to humans as our ape and monkey cousins.
'We are interested in what makes a big brain from a molecular perspective,’ researcher Michael McGowen, of Wayne State University School of Medicine in Michigan said in an interview with Livescience.
‘We decided to look at genes in the dolphin genome to see if there are similarities in the genes that have changed on the dolphin lineage and those that have changed on the primate lineage.’
They found 228 gene sequences in dolphins had changed significantly relative to other mammals such as cows, dogs, horses and humans.
About one in 10 of those genes affects the nervous system - and could be key to understanding the creatures' mental powers.
'It was something we were hoping to find, since studies have shown that they have a large brain and high cognitive ability,' says McGowen.

‘They understand concepts like zero, abstract concepts. They do everything that chimpanzees do and bonobos can do,’ said Lori Marino, a neuroscientist at Emory University who specializes in dolphin research.
‘The fact is that they are so different from us and so much like us at the same time.’
Dolphin brains look nothing like human brains, Marino said. Yet, she says, ‘the more you learn about them, the more you realize that they do have the capacity and characteristics that we think of when we think of a person.’
These mammals recognize themselves in the mirror and have a sense of social identity.
They not only know who they are, but they also have a sense of who, where and what their groups are.
They interact and comprehend the health and feelings of other dolphins so fast it as if they are online with each other, Marino said.

source: dailymail

He's made a dog's dinner of that! Hungry pet raids the fridge - and empties its contents across kitchen

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Dogged determination: A video shows a dog opening a fridge with his teeth

Make no bones about it, that's one hungry dog.
A video shows the moment a famished pet discovers how to open a fridge door - and proceeds to rummage through its contents for a snack.
With the camera rolling from a nearby table top, the animal tries a few times before he gets hold of the door in his mouth.

Barking mad: The dog peers into the fridge to see what takes his fancy

Once he's inside, he gets his teeth into the contents of the fridge - although he doesn't seem particularly taken with any of the options.
Balancing on his back legs, he pulls out pizza boxes and food containers and throws them to the floor, before peering back inside the fridge.
Clearly not content with anything on offer, he eventually resorts to tugging out an entire shelf, which clatters to the floor.

Takeout: The pet pulls out pizza boxes and throws them to the floor

Nothing fur me: Not taken with any of the contents, he pulls out the fridge's shelves which clatter to the floor

The video, uploaded to pet entertainment network Petsami's YouTube page, has received more than 27,000 hits in just two days.
As one viewer helpfully suggests, perhaps the star of the video was just a 'hot dog' in need of a cool down.



source: dailymail

The red, green, blue and yellow sea: Fluorescent lights turn the bottom of the Red Sea into a sponge disco

By ROB WAUGH

Cylinder water lily pictured at a depth of 49 feet - glowing fluorescent yellow under neon light

The depths of the sea are normally a dark, colourless environment - but a new trend in diving has revealed the hidden colours of the unlit depths of the Red Sea, turning sponges and corals into a glowing light show.
'Fluo dives', where divers take near-ultraviolet lights into the depths, show up the hidden colours of the denizens of the deep - with everything from brain corals to algae and bacteria glowing with a natural bioluminescence.
The colourful 'glow' of the creatures is created by ultraviolet light reflecting off pigment cells in their skin. Under normal light, the creatures look far less interesting.

Four sea anemones pictured lit up by the neon lights carried by divers in the Red Sea

Scorpion Fish is seen surrounded by coral and algae during a fluo-dive


Stony coral: Ultraviolet torches were used to see the bio-fluorescent properties of the marine life

The technique has been used to discover new species at dive resorts around the world - and divers at the Red Sea used the lights to capture sponges, scorpion fish and algae in a new, disco-coloured light.
The technique is particularly spectacular at uncovering the 'hidden' colours of coral reefs - turning the bottom of the Red Sea into a riot of colour. A scorpion fish turns orange, a water lily becomes fluorescent green, and stony coral takes on several shades. The images were captured at night, during a fluo-dive. Ultraviolet torches were used to see the bio-fluorescent properties of the marine life . At times the photographer was at depths of 49ft.

Algae and bacteria pictured during a fluo-dive

Stony coral glows a bright greenish-yellow at the bottom of the Red Sea

Iridescent scallops and stony coral glow brightly under the fluorescent lights



source: dailymail

'He's slow, deaf and blind and his breath smells like a sewer... but I love him': A foreign correspondent's heartfelt tribute to the rescue dog

By TOBY HARNDEN

Toby and Finn leave Washington DC for London in 2005. Finn used to travel quite happily in a crate in the cargo hold

In his day, Finn, a hairy mongrel and former Belfast stray, was a daredevil. He would leap spread-eagled into huge waves at the seaside and launch himself off 10-feet-high banks during river walks.
Soon after I got him in early 1998, I thought our brief relationship was over when he leapt over a harbour wall at Howth. I ran over, my heart in my mouth, expecting the worst. There he was, perched on a rock having landed cleanly, looking just a little sheepish.
A favourite trick of ours was me throwing a tennis ball close to the top of some rapids. Finn would swim towards the ball, grasp it in his jaws and then be swept down the rapids, emerging sodden and triumphant on the other side.

Back in 2001, Finn was more than capable of getting a bit of speed up, even on dry land

Alas, such antics are long gone. Now, Finn, who used to be able to run like the wind, is so arthritic he has to be carried up and down stairs. Sometimes we find him splayed on the hardwood floor unable to get up.
Although he still enjoys his walks – two a day – he is so slow and deaf and blind that I often have to retrace my steps to find him and point him back in the right direction. He is given four pills twice a day and will occasionally yelp from the pain in his limbs. Massaging them seems to soothe him.
His teeth, for many years almost perfect, are now rotten and he can’t eat biscuits as he used to. His breath smells like a sewer.

Finn in 2007: 'OK, it's a deal - you and me going through life together'

I first met Finn when looking for a pet at the National Canine Defence League home outside Ballymena in Northern Ireland where I was working as a newspaper reporter. Then, he was called Buddy and listed as a ‘terrier cross, reference number 34/98’. All the other dogs were barking and flinging themselves at the sides of their cages. Finn was quiet, just looking up at me and wagging his tail.
His look seemed to say: ‘OK, it’s a deal - you and me going through life together.’ When I got him home, it was clear he’d never really been touched by people before. But within days, he was curling up next to me. The kennel I had bought for him went unused – Finn made it clear he was sleeping on my bed.
He soon became minutely attuned to my moods. I remember returning to Belfast after more than a week away covering the Omagh bomb in 1998. After picking Finn up from friends, I sat down on the sofa in silence.

Same dog, different stick: Finn in Jerusalem's Old City in 2003

It was the first time I had been able to reflect properly on the horror of what had happened and the carnage that had killed 29 people. Tears welled up. Then I felt Finn’s head resting gently on my thigh; he had sensed my sadness and was looking up at me with those soulful, consoling brown eyes.
In the 14-plus years since then, Finn has lived the life of a foreign correspondent’s dog. I took him with me to Washington where, coming from the UK, he suffered no quarantine restrictions.

In 2007, I was a family dog: Toby with his wife Cheryl, daughter Tessa and Finn, whose life changed when wife and children came along

As a bachelor’s dog, Finn was a fine wing man. A female guest in the house always brought the best out in him. After Finn had wagged his tail, rolled on his back and nuzzled against her, she would invariably exclaim: ‘I think he really likes me!’
Finn’s life, along with mine, changed in 2006 when I got married. We moved back to Washington and he began sleeping on the floor, not the bed. He immediately accepted Cheryl as a co-owner.
A year after we were married, I was away when Cheryl suffered an early miscarriage. Finn knew something was very wrong and throughout that awful night he never left her side.
Happily, in 2007 Finn witnessed a small bundle being brought back from the hospital - our baby daughter Tessa. I’ll never forget his ears pricking up when he first heard her cry.

Finn takes Toby's children Tessa and Miles for a walk this month

From day one, Finn would sleep beside Tessa’s crib. When she began to walk, she and Finn would play games in which they would wrestle a toy duck off each other. Sometimes we would catch Tessa chewing one of Finn’s old bones. Perhaps it helped her build up antibodies.
When Miles came along three years ago, Finn decided his new sleeping spot was right outside their bedrooms – or inside one of them if a door was left open. He had become a faithful guardian to our children. Sometimes, they would pull his tail, grab clumps of his hair or try to ride him like a horse. But Finn never snapped or bit.
Finn can’t play much with the children any more. They hug him and lie beside him to talk to or kiss him. They realise he is too old to do much. He chased his last squirrel quite some time ago. When he’s gone, the kids say, we’ll get a new puppy, or perhaps a hamster.

Tessa hugs Finn during a family holiday in North Carolina, where the dog played happily on the beach last month

Throughout his life, whenever I’ve been home Finn has almost always been in the same room as me during the daytime. That’s still the case. If he wants to come up or go down stairs, he barks so I can carry him. He’s never minded being picked up and at about 35lbs I can lift him with one arm.
He won’t eat his pills if they’re put in his food but he’ll let me put my hand in his mouth and place them in his throat.
Finn’s decline has been slow and steady. He knows his limitations and seems to sense he is in his final days. Occasionally, however, he still wags his tail.
Every few days or so he’ll briefly break into a trot and try to chase a stick. He stills rubs his face on the sofa and snorts – an expression of happiness. We recently took him for a beach holiday in North Carolina, where he happily padded around in the surf.

Finn follows Miles along the beach in North Carolina

Up until recently, Finn has seemed like the dog he once was, just older. But there are some signs of dementia now. The other day, he was stuck in a corner of our bedroom, whimpering and apparently unsure where he was.
The most difficult decision will be when to accept Finn is at the end of the line. When that happens, a vet who has been kind to him will come to our house to give him that final, lethal injection. I don’t want his last minutes alive to be spent slipping and scrambling on a metal table while smelling the disinfectant of the animal hospital.
I have a hunch that a lot of people put their pets down prematurely. We don’t want to do that. On the other hand, it would be wrong to keep him alive if he’s just miserable.

source: dailymail