Going fur gold: Guinea pigs take inspiration from London 2012 and take part in their own version of the Olympics for new calendar

By RICHARD HARTLEY-PARKINSON

This picture shows Paula Ratcliffe running over Tower Bridge and is taken from the calendar's month of June

As London makes its final preparations ahead of Friday's Olympic opening ceremony, it appears that it's not just humans getting into the Games spirit.
This set of guinea pigs show that they also want a piece of the action as they take to the track, field and pools for a funny calendar to celebrate the event.
Maverick Arts Publishing created a calender called the 'Guinea Pig Games - Going for Gold' and shows what our furry friends would look like if they took part in sporting events.

Hopefully Team GB's Olympic sailing team will fare better than these guinea pigs who feature for July

Passing the baton: These furry creatures, featuring in December, appear worn out as they take part in the Olympic relay

Forget Eric the eel, we've got Derek the squeel(er) featuring in the swimming for the month of May

The side-splitting Guinea Pig Games 2013 calendar features the furry creatures competing in major sports events including rowing, track cycling and javelin.
They are also seen rowing, tackling the marathon and sprinting in a close-run relay race.
And the competitive critters aren't afraid to get their paws wet in synchronised diving, swimming and open-water sailing.
But animals lovers need not fear that the furry creatures were made to compete for real, the humorous calendar was created using clever image manipulation techniques.
Digital tricks allowed designers to make the guinea pigs appear to form sporty poses.

Matthew Pigsent? The calendar has been produced by Maverick Arts Club and includes this image of rowing guinea pigs in January

Bradley Piggins can be seen leading a group of track cyclists for the calendar's month of March

Maybe he's called Spike? This guinea pig has a go at javelin for the month of October

In fact, they were photographed in a comfortable studio for no more than five minutes at one time and with plenty of treats.
The guinea pigs were loaned by a animal rescue centre and a trained handler was on hand to make sure the photoshoot stars were looked after.
Steve Bicknell, owner of publishers Maverick Arts, said: 'Guinea Pig Games is one of our most successful calendars. This year we have created a stunning array of guinea pig images, showing our little furry friends competing in all the major events.
'We hired the guinea pigs from Palace Piggie Rescue in Crawley in exchange for a donation. The owner of the rescue site handled the guinea pigs.'
The £9.99 Guinea Pig Games 2013 calendar is available now.

A guinea performs a slam dunk during a game of basketball during the Guinea Pig Games for August

Rat-a-twirly: In April the calendar celebrates gymnastics (left) while September took a Tom Daley twist with the guinea pigs performing in the diving discipline

November seems to take a bit of a surrealist turn as this guinea pig takes to show jumping

I guess it makes a change from a running wheel: For February these rodents took part in the hurdles

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You really are one ugly pig! The hideous hogs discovered living deep in Chinese mountain range

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Squeally awful: One of the visually- challenged pigs discovered living deep in the mountains of southern China's Guangxi Province

Could these be the world's ugliest pigs?
Farmer Lan Yi, from Luocheng in southern China's Guangxi Province decided to raise a pair of the hideous hogs after he discovered them living deep in the mountains.
He captured the two ferocious-looking porkers last year when they were just piglets during a trip to the Jiuwan mountain range.
He said: 'They were still piglets when I discovered them in a litter in a deep mountain place.'
The two animals have large hooves, fearsome snouts and thick black hair covering their body. Yan now hopes to breed the pair and cultivate the species on his farm.

Snout pout: Farmer Lan Yi, decided to raise the pair of fearsome-looking beasts after capturing them as piglets last year

Tough customers: The animals have large hooves, fearsome snouts and thick black hair covering their body


Famer Yan Li now hopes to breed the pair and cultivate the unusual species on his farm

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Police raid garage 'cannabis factory'... only to discover it's a cosy home for guinea pigs called 'Simon' and 'Kenny'

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Hot to trot: Pamela Hardcastle with Simon her pampered guinea pig outside the super-heated garage police thought was a cannabis factory


Embarrassed police have issued an apology to a mother after officers swooped on her house thinking she had turned it into a cannabis factory - and found an electric heater for her two guinea pigs 'Simon' and 'Kenny'.

Six officers, in three vehicles, rushed to Pam Hardcastle's home and the 42-year-old was shocked to receive a call from her mother telling her the police were asking her to return from work.

The officers had been alerted when a police helicopter picked up a hotspot on the roof of Pam's garage and assumed it was a drug den, when in fact it was a cosy home for her loveable pets.

Pam, a primary school learning mentor, was forced to return home to Bradford after officers from West Yorkshire Police obtained a search warrant believing they had uncovered a specialist heating system designed to grow cannabis.

She said: 'The officer said they wanted me to go home. He said my garage lit up when the police helicopter was out and they believed I could be growing cannabis.
'He said they had a warrant and they wanted to search my premises.

'It was unbelievable. My mum told them I had guinea pigs in the garage and would have a heater in there to keep them warm. But they cut a bolt off my neighbour's gate to gain entry.

'My neighbours told me police were everywhere. Everybody was asking what I had done wrong. It is embarrassing.'

Simon and Kenny belong to Pam's ten-year-old son Jack. They have lived in her garage for three months and she had put the heater inside because she was concerned they would get cold.

She added: 'I have no criminal record. I haven't even got an unpaid bill. I told the police I was squeaky clean and they said they knew, but they wanted to look in the garage.


Mistaken identity: Simon shares the cosy garage with his fellow guinea pig Kenny



Whoops: A police helicopter used a thermal imaging camera to capture this image of Mrs Hardcastle's garage


'When I opened it up and they saw the guinea pigs, they didn't say anything. They were in the garage two seconds and they left. People are now wondering what I've been up to, it's like I've been branded a drug dealer.

'I have contacted a solicitor because I am concerned I might now have a criminal record. I am worried that this would come up on a CIB check if I went for another job. People think there's no smoke without fire.'

Neighbourhood Policing Team Inspector Darren Brown said: 'The majority of operations of this nature are intelligence-based and often rely upon swift action.

'Due to the location of the garage, we could not make further observations without alerting the occupants. On this occasion, it transpired that the significant heat source coming from the property was not connected to the production of cannabis.

'Officers who attended explained the full circumstances to the occupant and discussed any damage. I would like to apologise for the distress this may have caused. However, I would point out that these tactics are essential in tackling drugs across the district.

'I can also reassure the occupants that their details will not be kept on police records and I will be personally visiting them to discuss any concerns they may have.'

Pam said that a police inspector had now visited her to issue an apology in person and the police had bought a new lock for the neighbour's gate.


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Plucked from the jaws of death: The blind guinea pig dumped on a wheelie bin

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Beattie beside the box in which she was dumped and the note from the confused owner who thought she was a boy and named her Fred


This blind baby guinea pig escaped from the jaws of death - literally - after it was plucked to safety from the compacter of a dustbin lorry.

The tiny animal had been callously dumped in a cardboard box and placed on top of a wheelie bin which was on the pavement waiting to be tipped into the lorry's crusher.

The box had previously contained a BT phone and answer machine and, along with the four-month old guinea pig, there was a note which read 'His name is Fred. Please take care of it thank you :).'

But the black, white and ginger animal is actually a female and has been renamed Beattie by staff at animal charity the RSPCA.

Animal welfare officer Sue Brooks took little Beattie to a nearby vet in Southampton for an examination.

'This poor creature had a very lucky escape,' she said. 'Had someone not thought to look in the box before putting it inside a bin she could easily have been thrown in the back of a rubbish lorry and been crushed in its metal jaws.

'There is never an excuse for abandoning an animal in this way and I would urge anyone with information about this animal to contact the RSPCA so we can ensure there are no other animals in the home which are not being properly cared for.'

Vets discovered Beattie to have a shrunken right eye and little vision in her left eye.

Her eye problems were probably birth defects possibly as a result of her being undernourished while still in the womb, suggesting her mother may not have been adequately fed when she was pregnant.

RSPCA investigators hope that the BT phone box in the picture may provide some clues as to who is responsible for dumping Beattie, and attempts are being made to trace the serial number on the box.

Despite her ordeal the RSPCA said Beattie was eating well and does not seem to mind being handled.

She is currently being cared for at the RSPCA Ashley Heath animal centre near Ringwood, Hampshire, but is not yet ready for rehoming.


source: dailymail

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