Foal play: Young horse leads emergency services a merry dance as they attempt to rescue it from a river

By CHRIS HANLON

Catch me if you can: Foal makes a getaway from firefighters attempting to rescue it from the river

Like something out of Black Beauty a foal playfully evades the clutches of firefighters attempting to rescue it.
The foal was eventually removed from the water by firefighters using specially designed 'horse slings' at the River Lea culvert in Edmonton, London.
Three fire engines, two specialist rescue units, a command unit and two senior officers formed the attendance from the fire brigade - and were also joined by two police officers. Rescuers were called just after 2pm today following reports that the foal was in distress. However, an eyewitness reported that the foal's owners turned up shortly after the incident began and said that the horses 'occasionally get into the shallow overflow' and that they 'are not in any danger as the water isn`t very deep'. The unnamed owners did not even stick around to watch the hour-long rescue unfold.

Splash down: A firefighter comes a cropper while attempting to catch the foal using horse slings

River dance: The animal playfully jumping in the River Lea culvert at Edmonton

Looking ropey: Emergency services work together to pull the animal to safety

After the creature had led three firefighters who went in the water to catch him a merry dance for quite some time they eventually managed to apprehend it and attach ropes to allow it to be pulled from the water safely.
Despite appearing to be unconscious after being dragged back on to dry land, firefighters massaged and dried the creature to revive it.
On regaining consciousness the young horse happily ran off into a nearby field. A local said it is not uncommon for the fire brigade to rescue to horses who enter the river.

Safe and sound: The unusual rescue mission eventually comes to a happy ending

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Er, has anyone seen the snow? Penguins await the big freeze as they enjoy a waddle on the grass

By RICHARD HARTLEY-PARKINSON

Looking up at the sky, some 200,000 penguins on the islands of South Georgia have gone to their breeding colony but found there is no snow

Looking up to the clear blue skies, these penguins think there is something amiss.
Pictures taken on the islands of South Georgia, a well-known breeding colony for royal penguins, show around 200,000 of the birds that were taken by photographer Sergey Kokinskiy, lacking the usual backdrop of snow.
The naturally curious animals look so out of place that they are almost cartoon-like to watch in what seems to be outside of their natural environment.
Mr Kokinskiy only discovered the penguins living with no snow when he landed on the island. It is not unusual for the islands not to have snow. In fact, June marks the start of their winter and the more familiar white-covered landscape should return within the next couple of weeks when temperatures usually reach -5°C.

The naturally curious animals look so out of place that they are almost cartoon-like to watch in what seems to be outside of their natural environment

Snowy mountains and a glacier can be seen in the background as these penguins waddle around on lush green grass

There's not much need for huddling for these penguins while the weather's on the warm side. Although the snow will soon start to fall

Mr Kokinskiy said: ' I went to the Antarctic because I fell in love with the harsh nature of the extreme north and the extreme south. I had always dreamed of visiting Antarctica and when I did, I was struck by the beauty of this majestic place.'

Is it all over there? Not yet, but over the next couple of weeks the landscape will turn white once more as the islands' winter gets underway with the mercury plummeting to an average of -5°C

It is forbidden to get closer than five metres to penguins, so as not to frighten the birds. Mr Kokinskiy added: 'If you sit down and don't make any sudden movements, the penguins with come to you within five or ten minutes. Some will try to bite you too - out of curiosity.'
The pictures were taken in an area of the island best suited for hatching chicks. There are no enemies for the penguins here and the sea provides them with a lot of food such as small fish and krill.
In early spring, all adult penguins go out to sea and cease to care for their young - who should have learned how to fish. Any chicks who have not learned to hunt for themselves, are left to die.

With a mist forming at the base of the mountains and, the scenery is no less dramatic than when it is a barren white breeding ground for penguins

Penguins are protected so people are not allowed closer than five metres away from them but, as Mr Kokinskiy shows, if you sit down and stay still for long enough they will come to you

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Jubilee weekend horror: Granddad saves life of boy, 2, as he drags him from jaws of devil dog which ripped off his ear and nose

By ROB PREECE and LYLE BRENNAN

Dangerous: One of the two Staffordshire bull terriers kept by the Guess family's neighbours is to be destroyed after Kieron was attacked

A boy of two was in a coma last night after his ear and nose were bitten off in a vicious attack by a neighbour’s dog.
Keiron Guess was playing outside his house when the Staffordshire bull terrier savaged him. He was saved by his grandfather, who was also injured.
Astonishingly, the man responsible for the dog suggested Keiron would not have been mauled if his parents had kept a closer eye on him.
Garfield King said: ‘If you’re a parent you have to look after your children 24 hours a day. If it wasn’t a dog it could have been a paedophile.’
The toddler had seven hours of emergency reconstructive surgery and last night his parents, Stacey and Anthony, were at his bedside.
Keiron’s grandfather Shaun Leonard said the boy was playing in a lane behind the family home in Swindon, Wiltshire, at 6pm on Sunday when the dog burst out of Mr King’s back yard.

Victim: Kieren Guess suffered horrific facial injuries in the attack

Mr Leonard said: ‘The dog took his left ear off and bit off most of his nose. His left eye was hanging out.
‘He has injuries from his forehead right down to his chin. There were holes in his face. The dog also took a chunk out of the back of his head.’
Keiron’s 49-year-old paternal grandfather, David Guess, heard his screams and raced to help.
Mr Leonard, a lorry driver, continued: ‘He managed to pull Keiron on to his shoulders but the dog was still jumping up at him. It just kept coming back for more.’

Mauled: The boy is being treated at Frenchay Hospital in Bristol, where he has undergone surgery

Owner: Neighbour Garfield King outside his home

Keiron was airlifted to hospital in Bristol, where doctors placed him in an induced coma after surgery.
His 22-year-old mother, who is pregnant and has another son, Kenzie aged four, with her 23-year-old scaffolder husband, wrote on Facebook: ‘Just waiting for my gorgeous baby. Just want to hold you in our arms.’
Mr King said he was watching the Jubilee celebrations on TV while looking after his son’s dog.
‘All of a sudden the dog went outside. I heard squeaking and then I had to go outside to check on the dog.
‘The dog was looking like he was playing with something. I thought the neighbours had thrown a dolly over the fence but then I saw it wasn’t a dolly because I saw all the blood. I’m still in shock now.’
Wiltshire Police said the dog was due to be destroyed yesterday but no arrests had been made. In September last year, a police team raided Mr King’s address, and an officer was bitten by a dog after the animal had been Tasered.
During the raid a local newspaper photographer took a photograph of two dogs jumping at the glass door. It is not known if the picture features the dog which attacked Keiron.

Scene: An alleyway behind Swanage Walk in Swindon, where the attack happened

Jubilee: Kieron had been playing outside shortly after a street party was rained off near Swanage Walk (pictured)

After the raid, PC Mark Giles from Wiltshire Police said: ‘The owner was trying to control the two of them but they were trying to fight each other and get at us.
‘I had to deploy my Taser to try to prevent them from attacking but one leapt up and bit me even after I hit it in the mouth.’
Under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991, if a dog bites someone while on its owner’s property, police are not required to take action unless the injury is severe or the dog is thought to be a danger to others.

Panic: The boy's grandfather was also hurt as he tried to pull the animal away during the horrific incident in Swanage Walk

Attack: The dogs, believed to be Staffordshire Bull Terriers like the one pictured, mauled the toddler in a garden. (File photo)

source: dailymail

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Wild leopard mauls 13 people on day-long rampage in Indian oil compound

By SUZANNAH HILLS

Attacked: A man wrestles with a leopard as a forest official tries to catch it with a net in Duliajan near Dibrugarh in Assam state

A wild leopard was shot dead after injuring 13 people during a day-long rampage in a company compound near an Indian village.
The fully grown male leopard managed to get inside the Oil India Limited field headquarters campus at Duliajan in the Dibrugarh district where he attached several staff members.
The shocking photos show the animal attacking an Oil security guard after he tried to rescue his colleague. Forest guards were called to the scene and eventually managed to shoot the animal with a tranquillizer but were forced to shoot it dead when the drug didn't take effect.

Trespasser: The animal was found hiding inside a residential campus in the India Oil compound where it attacked 13 people

P Shiv Kumar, divisional forest officer of Digboi forest division, said: 'We were informed about a leopard straying into a bungalow of an Oil executive on Sunday morning.
'I accompanied a team of veterinary doctors from the Centre for Rehabilitation and Conservation of the Wildlife Trust of India to the spot.
'By the time we got there, the leopard had attacked five people. We tried to tranquillize the leopard, but it got agitated - which is normal before sedatives takes effect - and pounced on the large crowd gathered at the spot.

Put down: The fully grown male leopard was shot dead by forest officials after tranquillizer drugs failed to take effect

'The security personnel were left with no option but to shoot it.'
A forest official said leopards were often spotted on the Oil campus because of its proximity to the Joypore reserve forest.
Another leopard was caged by the forest department in neighbouring Sivasagar district early this morning.
In the Sivasagar incident, the forest department managed to capture a female leopard from Serekapar early this morning.
Sivasagar divisional forest officer Ranjan Das said: 'At least four leopards have been sighted in the area in the past few days. The leopard family had killed several cattle in the area, as such we have placed a cage using a goat as a bait.'
He said the female leopard was later released at Abhayapur reserve forest and officers were trying to track down the remaining leopards.

source: dailymail

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Tail as old as time: Family cat Thomas O'Malley Flufferpants falls head over paws for Murkin the dog

By SNEJANA FARBEROV

Cheek to cheek: Murkin the dog cuddling with his new friend, Thomas O'Malley Flufferpants

When people think of cats and dogs, the image of bitter enemies comes to mind, but that is until they meet Murkin and Thomas O’Malley Flufferpants.
The owner of Murkin the dog and his whiskered friend posted a YoutTube video this week showing the two love birds snuggling. The clip has already received more than 200,000 views.
According to the owner, identified as D.C. Janelle, Murkin, a Pyrenees-Labrador-golden retriever-Australian shepherd mix, was adopted from a shelter in Santa Clara, California, in 2003 when he was just six months old.

Foster pooch: Murkin is used to being around cats since his owner has been fostering animals for years

Homeless: Flufferpants came into Murkin's home a month ago when his owner found the feline wandering the streets

As a puppy, he was very shy and wary of strangers, but after much behavior training, the once-timid pooch has become a love machine around anyone who is willing to give him attention, even if it is a cat.
Murkin’s owner has been fostering kittens for years for her local animal shelter, and Murkin the dog has played an integral part in the process, spending time with the newcomers and keeping them calm.

Fixed: The feral cat had to undergo dental surgery, and he was also neutered and vaccinated

Viral: The YouTube video showing Murkin cuddling with his new four-legged pal has already received more than 200,000 views

A month ago, Murkin’s owner rescued a homeless cat that was hanging around her apartment complex. The feline was suffering from serious medical problems, including an upper respiratory infection, severe food allergies and dental issues.
Through a Facebook page dedicated to Murkin and his feline companions, the owner was able to raise $900 needed for the feline’s dental surgery at Sacramento Cat Hospital to remove his infected teeth.

Old-timer: Murkin, a Pyrenees-Labrador-golden retriever-Australian shepherd mix, was adopted from a shelter in 2003 when he was just six months old

While Murkin and his owner are waiting for someone to offer the tabby cat, now neutered and vaccinated, a permanent home, she has named him Thomas O’Malley Flufferpants at the suggestion of several Facebook users.
Flufferpants and Murkin hit it off right away, with the dog allowing his companaion to rub against his fur and lay next to him.
But Murkin does not only like to cuddle with cats. He has also befriended a foster bunny named Tebow.



source: dailymail

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Cats away! Artist turns his dead pet into flying helicopter after it is killed by a car

By SUZANNAH HILLS

Paws for thought: Cat Orville was turned into a helicopter by his artist owner Bart Jansen, pictured right,after he was run over by a car

Many animal lovers find it hard to part with their pets when they die.
So when cat Orville, named after the famous aviator Orville Wright, was run over by a car, his artist owner decided to turn him into a permanent piece of artwork as the ultimate tribute by transforming him into a flying helicopter.
Dutch artist Bart Jansen first stuffed Orville before teaming up with radio control helicopter flyer Arjen Beltman to build a specially-designed flying mechanism to attach to the cat.

Flying high: Bart Jensen has dubbed his cat art The Orvillecopter

Cat overhead: Radio control helicopter flyer Arjen Beltman, pictured back right, controls The Orvillecopter

The end result, named the Orvillecopter, is now on show at the Kunstrai art festival in Amsterdam where visitors can watch Orville flying for themselves.

Moving art: The Orvillecopter is on display in a gallery during at the Kunstrai art festival in Amsterdam

Jansen said the Orvillecopter is 'half cat, half machine', and part of a visual art project to pay tribute to his cat Orville.
Jansen, part of the art cooperative Generaal Pardon, said: 'After a period of mourning he received his propellers posthumously.'
He added that Orville will soon be 'flying with the birds' stating: 'Oh how he loved birds. He will receive more powerful engines and larger props for his birthday. So this hopping will soon change into steady flight.'

Tribute: Dutch artist Bart Jansen made the The Orvillecopter as part of a visual art project to pay tribute to his cat Orville

Putting on the finishing touches: Bart Jansen, left, made the cat contraption with radio control helicopter flyer Arjen Beltman, pictured right

source: dailymail

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Bird on a plane! The stowaway songbird that crossed the Pacific on an international flight... only to be seized by customs agents

By BETH STEBNER

Free bird: A songbird was discovered on a 10-hour flight from Taiwan to California when it hopped down their plane's aisle

Passengers on a 10-hour flight from Taiwan to California were in for a surprise when they found there was a stowaway passenger in the plane – a rare songbird.
They discovered the surprising fare-dodger when the tawny songbird hopped down the aisle of the plane.
Officials suspect the bird’s transcontinental flight was most likely a failed animal smuggling attempt.
A flight attendant had captured the bird and handed it over to customs agents who put the bird in a cage and gave it seeds and water.
After screening and X-raying all passengers, crew and carry-on bags, no other birds, droppings or feathers were found.

Sinister intent? Authorities believe the rare bird was part of a botched smuggling attempt

U.S. Customs and Border Protection specialists said in a statement Friday that they seized the bird upon the flight's arrival at Los Angeles International Airport on May 27.
The bird was offered veterinary services, and released to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
While there were no arrests made, LAX officials said that the species is identical to others found at the busy Los Angeles airport.


Final destination: Once the plane reached LAX, the bird was turned over to the U.S. Department of Agriculture

In 2009, a man from Garden Grove, California was caught trying to smuggle rare songbirds into the country by securing them to his legs.
His cover was blown after officials found feathers and bird droppings on his trousers, the Los Angeles Times reported at the time.
He was sentenced to four months in federal prison.
Customs officials say smuggled animals can carry diseases, such as avian flu, which is potentially fatal.

source: dailymail

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'I'd have already buried my daughter if it wasn't for Ruby': The incredible story of 3-year-old diabetic girl kept alive by her devoted dog

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Special companion: Ruby the dog, pictured with three-year-old Faith, is a trained diabetes-alert dog that has saved Faith's life on several occasions

For three-year-old Faith Wilson who suffers from a severe and rare form of infant diabetes, she wouldn't be alive today if it weren't for her dog Ruby.
Ruby, a golden Labrador in East Texas who's trained to detect by smell low blood sugar levels, has on countless times according to Faith's mother saved her life.
'Night times were the worst. I used to have panic attacks every night and wake up and run to her bed, holding my breath, just hoping she was alive,' Faith's mother Sarah Wilson told KLTV.
If Faith's blood sugar levels weren't caught in time, she would go into a seizure or coma, proving possibly deadly.
'It's a very difficult disease to manage and I always tell people, basically it's organ failure and you have to live your life on life support,' Mrs Wilson said.

Detection: Ruby is able to detect when Faith's blood sugar levels have dipped lower than they should, alerting her mother before she potentially suffers a seizure or goes into a coma

Fear: Before Ruby entered Faith's life, her mother would live in fear that one morning her daughter may not wake up

At a cost of $10,000, diabetic alert dog's don't come easy, however.
Faith's mom says they have church and community donations to thank for Ruby's affordability.

Guardian: Today Faith's mother says she can rest easy knowing Ruby is watching out for her daughter, pictured here asleep in her crib, in ways she cannot

Gift: At a cost of $10,000, church and community donations helped Faith's family purchase Ruby from a special kennel in Mississippi that trained her

Training: That kennel in Mississippi trains dogs to have an exquisite temperament and sense of smell, detecting when diabetics' sugar levels are off

'I can't imagine life without Ruby. I know if it weren't for her I would have already buried my child,' Mrs Wilson said, he voice breaking.
'It's a very researched, very scientific breeding to produce the quality of dog we're looking for,' Rachel Thornton, director of service programmes at Wildrose Kennels in Mississippi, where Ruby came from, told KLTV.
'We breed for scent ability and temperament, and it yields a dog that has done very well as a diabetic alert dog,' she said.
According to ABC, right before a diabetic may suffer a seizure or other harm due to blood sugar levels, their metabolism changes.

Quick response: When Faith's blood sugar level drops, her body's metabolism changes and with it, releases a smell similar to nail polish remover that Ruby senses

Signal: When Ruby notices Faith's drop, she is trained to grab a type of toy, seen here, to alert Faith's mother to check her daughter's blood sugar levels

Terrifying reality: Faith's mother Sarah Wilson, seen with her sleeping daughter on her lap, says that if it weren't for Ruby, she would have already buried her child

That change releases a subtle scent recognizable to dogs trained like Ruby. It's a smell similar to nail polish removed.
When this happens, Ruby knows to look for a specific type of toy and bring it to her owner, notifying Faith's mother that it's time to check her daughter's blood sugar levels.
'I can't even put into words what that dog has meant for our family,' she said while cradling her sleeping daughter, tears forming in her eyes.



source: dailymail

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Pleased to meet you! Touching picture shows the moment a little girl came face-to-face with an underwater giant

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Greetings: Reaching their hands and faces forward, both the tiny girl and this manatee expressed curiosity in the other during a friendly visit at an Orlando water park

A surprised little girl received a huge greeting when she pressed her hands and face to the glass of a manatee tank in Orlando, Florida.
Tilting her head up to take in the gentle giant, the toddler was captured by a photographer facing one of the SeaWorld park's equally curious sea cows which averages 800 to 1,200lb in weight. (363 to 544 kg)
Several times her own size, the water mammal floated before her, a rescued sea cow from the area recovering from outside injuries more often due to boating propellers.
An herbivore, the only water mammal in fact to prefer marine and freshwater plants, the gentle beast posed no threat to the girl even if she were bathing in the water herself. Typically moving at speeds of five miles per hour, as evidenced by those who collect both algae and boat propeller scars on their backs, humans have shown more of a threat to them with their numbers placing them on the endangered species list.

Big eaters: Herbivores, whose size averages between 800 to 1,200lbs in weight, the mammals related to elephants consume 100 to 150lbs of food a day

Found in warm tropical and subtropical waters in North America, South America and West Africa, once the park’s manatees are found healthy once again, they will be returned to their natural habitat.
Making a recent example, in February two of their manatees - named Mud Puppy and Bodacious - were released at Satellite Beach, just south of Cocoa on Florida's eastern shore, the SeaWorld team reported.

Rescue efforts: All of the manatees at the Orlando water park were rescued from the wild after popular injuries like boat propellers. Once they've recovered they will be re-released into the wild

As the temperature rises this summer, those two are expected to seek cooler waters, traveling up the coast typically around the Carolina states.
In some rare cases manatees have been reported as high as Massachusetts.
On display at the park in Orlando year around, guests venturing to the top of the manatees’ tank, including the small girl, can watch the manatees munch on floating cabbage, a favourite of the creatures with their daily food intake requiring between 100 to 150 pounds a day.

source: dailymail

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Codebreaking cat helps his owner solve word puzzle by putting his paw on the final answer

By REBECCA SEALES

Hidden talent: Chas the cat found a unique - and very cute - way to help his owner with a crossword clue

All pet owners like to think their furry friends are smart - but college lecturer Arthur Farminer may have a better case than most.
The Gloucester pensioner couldn't help but chuckle when his quick-witted cat Chas provided him with the answer to the very last clue in his crossword.
The persistent puss kept plonking his paw down on the page, preventing Arthur from finishing his 'codebreaker' puzzle.
It was only after repeatedly moving the ginger cat out of the way that Mr Farminer realised the word he needed was - of all things - PAW.
'We love Chas to bits but he does like jumping on homework, keyboards or getting in the way at any moment you are trying to concentrate,' said Mr Farminer, who lectures at Hartpury College in Gloucestershire.

Helpful: Chas the cat buries his face in the clues... Then celebrates a job well done with a giant yawn

'I was trying to work out the last couple of letters in the Weekend [Gloucester] Citizen’s Codecracker and Chas kept putting his paw on top of the puzzle.
'Every time I moved it away he just put it back again and it was only then I realised he was trying to help.
'His perseverance made me realise the missing word was "paw".'


Paws for thought: Arthur Farminer is a college lecturer, but found he still had something to learn from his pet

source: dailymail

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