Black and white miracles: Rare white Bengal tiger triplets born in Czech zoo

By ALEX WARD

Mother and cub: White Bengal tigers are only born one in every 10,000 so triplets born to mother Surya Bara at in a Czech Republic zoo are a cute, black and white miracle

White tigers are so rare that only one in every 10,000 Bengal tigers is born white with black stripes and a pink nose.
So when triplets were born in captivity in July, the white cubs proved to be a cute, black and white miracle.
The cubs are living with their mother Surya Bara in ZOO Liberec in the Czech Republic and now the public has been asked to name one of them.
From more than 2200 suggestions, the zoo has narrowed it down to five names - Liam, Samburu, Sigmar, Titan or Woody – for one of the male cubs.

Name the baby boy: The public has been asked to vote for their favourite name for one of the boy cubs from five choices: Liam, Samburu, Sigmar, Titan or Woody


According to Czech news website iDNES.cz, voting polls will open tomorrow.
The other male and female cubs will be named by the zoo keepers.
During a veterinary examination in August, the two males weighed around 15lbs and the female around 14lbs.
The triplets will be baptized on Saturday according to iDNES.cz.
At ZOO Liberec, the oldest zoo in Czech Republic, two lions killed a 17-year-old white tigress after entering her enclosure in 2009.
Zoo workers were alerted by the tiger’s cries but were unable to stop the killing.

Genetic hiccup: The white tiger is not albino nor a separate subspecies but the result of a rare recessive gene

White Bengal tigers are neither an albino nor a separate subspecies. Instead, they are a result of a rare recessive gene.
In the past century only 12 have been spotted in the wild. Most survive in captivity because they do not survive long in the wild as they struggle to catch prey because their colouration stands out in the jungle.
Bengal tigers are fully grown at two to three years of age and live for up to 15 years in the wild.
Males weigh 440-500lbs and grow up to nine feet in length. The females are 285-375lbs and grow up to eight feet long.

Survival in the wild: White Bengal tigers do not survive long in the wild as they struggle to catch their prey because their colouration stands out in the jungle

source: dailymail

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A jar of moles, half a chimpanzee's head and the skeleton of a loris: Inside the incredible Grant Museum of Zoology where tens of thousands of animals

By JILL REILLY

Row upon row: A tray of preserved butterflies is displayed

A chimpanzee's head chopped in half, a glass jar of tiny moles and a small aardvark curled up as if it is just sleeping are just a few of the 67,000 specimens preserved in fluid display at a London museum.
The Grant Museum of Zoology is the only remaining university zoological museum in the city and covers the whole animal kingdom.
Its cabinets are packed with weird and wonderful treasures such as skeletons, mounted animals and specimens.

History in lines: Specimens are kept in the spirit store at The Grant Museum of Zoology

A particular favourite with museum guests is the glass jar filled with 18 tightly-packed moles.
There is also a comparative anatomy collection displaying the differences between the brains of a number of mammals and a reptile.
Each brain is preserved in alcohol and suspended in glass jars with thread.

Skulls: An elephant skull (left) and a tiger skeleton sit side-by-side at The Grant Museum of Zoology

The brains were collected from Africa, Asia, South America and Australia and Europe.
Many of the species the collection features are now endangered or extinct including the Tasmanian Tiger or Thylacine, the Quagga, and the Dodo.
The Grant Museum’s two boxes of dodo specimens are from the Mare aux Songes in southeast Mauritius, although its last two stuffed dodos were lost to fire and attack from museum pests.

Giant beast: The skeleton of an Indian One-Horned Rhino is pieced together at the museum

The museum was established by Robert Edmond Grant (1793-1874) to serve as a teaching collection at the newly founded University of London, which is now known as University College London.
He was the first Professor of Zoology and Comparative Anatomy in England.
Wwhen he began his career at the University, he began building up a collection which form the backbone of the museum today.

Stored away: A primate skeleton is kept in a drawer with other specimens

As well as the thousands of artifacts, the museum also houses around 20,000 microscope slides.
The collection has being carefully preserved over the years, despite the roof of the museum falling in several times.
During World War Two the collection was evacuated to Bangor.
Robert Grant died of dysenteric shock on 23rd August 1874, but in 1995 the museum was renamed in memory of its founder and moved from the Darwin Building to the a location in the Rockefeller Building.

History on display: The bones of a dodo bird which lived on Mauritius until the 1680s

Rare treasures: Containing 67,000 specimens, the Grant Museum of Zoology is the only one of it's kind in London

Employee Emma-Louise Nicholls checks the display cabinets at The Grant Museum of Zoology


Not so deadly now: The skeleton of a Loris is shown on a tree branch. Slow lorises are a group of primates from southeast Asia and possess a very rare trait for a mammal - a toxic bite

source: dailymail

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A too-many-sausages dog! Giant Alfie the Labrador is put on a crash diet after he tipped the scales at 12.5 STONE

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Britain's fattest dog Alfie weighed as much as Wayne Rooney after arriving at the RSPCA's door for help.

Britain's fattest dog is on a crash diet because the owner kept forgetting he’d already been fed.
Alfie the labrador weighed in at 12st 5lb (80kg) when the RSPCA took him in.
That’s almost three times the normal weight of a labrador - and as heavy as Manchester United forward Wayne Rooney.
It took four people using towels as slings to lift him when he arrived at the RSPCA’s Leybourne Animal Centre, in Kent.
The 12-year-old canine was signed over to the RSPCA after his elderly owner kept forgetting he had already fed his pet.

Alfie was passed to the RSPCA after his elderly owner kept forgetting he had already fed his pet.

Christine Dooley, centre manager, said: 'He literally could not stand up when he arrived because he was so fat. I have never seen a dog that fat before in my 27 years with the RSPCA, he must be Britain’s fattest pet.
'He was just a massive blob with a leg at each corner.
'He was being fed to death, it’s amazing he was alive given his size. A healthy Labrador weighs about 30 kilos (4stone 7lbs), so poor Alfie was carrying the weight of two Labradors, and a Staffie too.'
Alfie struggled to walk more than a few steps and could not even lift his legs a couple of inches into a raised bed in his kennel - so staff at the centre made him comfortable with a piece of carpet and blankets on the floor.
Alfie's s neck is so big wears the same size collar as a St Bernard.

source: dailymail

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The mare in this picture is dying. And she's leading her foal from the wilds of Dartmoor to the safety of human care

By RYAN KISIEL

Final journey: The emaciated mare walked across Dartmoor for five days in order to deliver her foal to the home of owner Lorraine Chambers

Trudging for days across the exposed moor, this is a dying mother’s final act of love for her newborn.
Just hours after leading her foal to the safety of a farm, the mare died.
Experts believe she knew she did not have long to live when she spent five days fighting illness and exhaustion to guide her young offspring across Dartmoor.

Sad tale: The mare then died less than 24 hours later

The foal was dependent on her mother’s milk, and would have died alongside her if she had not been escorted to human care.
But the tired and emaciated mare battled to deliver her to the home of her owner, Lorraine Chambers – only to die less than 24 hours later. Vets confirmed that the mother died of natural causes but said she would have been aware of her failing health.

Doing well: Now the orphaned foal is being hand reared by Charlotte Faulkner of the Dartmoor Hill Pony Association

Now five months old, the foal, who has been named Queenie, is being hand-reared by Charlotte Faulkner of the Dartmoor Hill Pony Association. She will be rehomed on another farm after she is weaned in the coming months.
Mrs Faulkner said: ‘Both mare and foal would have been out there on the moor for the whole summer and would have been brought off the moor in the annual round-up next month.


Dedication: Ms Faulkner is now giving the little pony her undivided attention as a tribute to the courage shown by its mother

‘The mother must have known what would have happened to her foal if she had died so she brought her in.
‘Queenie has her own little paddock at the moment and has a friend in another foal close by, but if she gets a little lonely she cries out for my attention, just like any other young toddler.

source: dailymail

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Polish dog owners celebrate their love for Dachshunds in bizarre fancy dress parade

By EMMA CLARK

The cute dog wears a bow and feathers on its head as it takes part in the annual parade with the help of a prosthesis

While a parade of costumed-sausage dogs through a city centre is a spectacle in itself - one little participant stood out from the rest for his extra effort.
The handicapped dog, who appeared to have three legs, walked with a prosthesis in the form of a wheeled contraption through the streets of Krakow in Poland for the annual Dachshund Parade - determined to take part.
Owners dressed their little pets in a range of amusing outfits for the unique event which celebrates the Poland's love for the breed and is now its eighteenth year.

One Dachshund is styled in Mexican attire for the unique event now in is 18th year

The diminutive pooches and their owners strutted through the streets of the Old Town, with hundreds of residents and tourists lining the route.
The theme of the event was 'Dachshund the traveller' which ensure plenty of bright and bizzare traditional outfits from across the world, as well as Poland.
Dachshunds from across the country joined in the with the parade from the city's Barbican to the market square, organised by Radio Krakow.

A relaxed-looking dog adorned in a hat, plaits and jumper peeps out of a leather satchel carried by its owner, left, while another looks ready to dance in a salsa-style outfit complete with a flower garland

Among the best was a Mexican-style pet trotting along in a poncho, sombrero and guitar and a cool-looking Dachshund in a hat and plaits who looked well-used to the colouful affair, hanging out of an owners handbag.

One little black pup shows he is a real sausage dog after his owner squeezes him between a baguette costume

A pair in matching astronaut outfits were a crowd-pleaser but lost out on the best fancy dress award

A brown participant appear to be wearing a traditional Polish dress with a red trimmed outfit and decorated hat

'They are individualists. They reign over their owners and the whole house,' said one parade participant.
Two would-be astronauts and a hot dog were among the crowd favourites, but they were upstaged by a little four-legged Mexican who took the top prize in the fancy dress competition.
Another appeared to have a big grin across his face as he took his place in the parade with frilly ankle decorations and flower garland wrapped around its neck.
The event also acts as a way to promote dog health and safety, with local police on hand to offer advice on reporting cruelty.

source: dailymail

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'It was like an aircraft crash': Horror after sixteen pilot whales die in mass stranding as rescuers battle to save rest of the pod

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER and EMILY ALLEN

Horror: Dead pilot whales litter the shore as rescue workers survey the scene after the mass stranding near Pittenweem off the coast of Fife

Sixteen whales - including three calves - have died in a mass stranding off the coast of Fife as dozens of rescuers desperately tried to save the rest of the pod.
The mammals were part of a group of 26 pilot whales stranded at Pittenweem, near St Andrews.
Vets from the British Divers and Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR), with help from the emergency services including Fife fire service, saved the remaining 10 whales and returned them to the sea.

Grim: Emergency Service workers were unable to help save 16 pilot whales after they beached near Pittenweem off the coast of Fife

The 20-feet long animals came ashore around 7am yesterday in a scene described as like that from 'an aircraft crash.'
About 50 vets and members of the emergency services worked around the clock using wet blankets and sheets to keep the remaining 10 whales alive, give them shade and keep them cool.

Shocking: The scene of horror that greeted rescuers was described as 'like an aircraft crash' as more than a dozen whales lay dead on the beach near Pittenweem off the coast of Fife

Two breached again but were re-floated by scores of volunteers.
The BDMLR said in a statement: 'All ten whales have now been reported as having left the harbour. 'The two that had turned back re-stranded but BDMLR volunteers were able to get them straight back into the water.

Help: Members of the emergency services attempt to refloat pilot whales after they beached near Pittenweem off the coast of Fife

'One was in difficulty and listing to one side, but the whales from the main pod swam beside it, physically keeping it upright until it could right itself. Once it was balanced and able to swim without support, the pod all swam strongly out towards open water.
'It is hoped that they will turn north soon to return to the deeper water but observers along the southern coast of the Forth are on alert if they are seen again.'

Lifesavers: Teams of specialist vets steer a stranded pilot whale towards deeper water

Post mortem examinations will now be carried out to find out what caused them to come ashore.
Forth Coastguard was alerted to the incident shortly after 7am, with initial reports suggesting a mass stranding of dolphins.
Teams of volunteer medics from BDMLR were sent to the area, with specialist rescue pontoons being moved to the location from across Scotland, Newcastle and Cumbria.

Frantic efforts: Emergency services attempt to rescue a large number of pilot whales who became stranded

Gareth Norman, area co-ordinator for the British Divers Marine Life Rescue, said the scene was 'like an aircraft crash.'
'It was like an aircraft crash scene. We had 24 medics here with our pontoons, there are four vets, Anstruther RNLI, police, coastguards - everybody did everything they could to save those whales.
'Pilot whales have a habit of beaching. One strands and the others tend to stick together.'
A further 24 pilot whales from the same pod are in the shallows three miles along the coast at Cellardyke.

Major operation: Dozens of specialist vets waded into the water in an attempt to refloat some of the surviving whales

The group of 26 pilot whales became stranded at Pittenweem, near St Andrews, Scotland

Drama: Crowds gathers to watch the drama unfold as rescuers battled to save the rest of the pod which had stranded at low tide near Pittenweem off the coast of Fife

source: dailymail

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The snake charming toddler: Two-year-old boy shows no fear as he eyeballs boa constrictor

Not rattled: Charlie Park shows he is not afraid as he comes face-to-face with Pablo, a 10kg boa constrictor

Fearless Charlie Parker looks far from rattled as he comes face-to-face with a 10kg snake.
While the youngster's legs may wobble under the weight of Pablo - a 2.5m boa constrictor - the enormous reptile holds no fears for him.
At just two-years-old, the pint-sized animal lover is already an expert snake wrangler and is laying claim to being Australia's youngest wildlife ranger.

Snake charmer: Charlie's legs may wobble under the weight of Pablo but the snake holds no fears for him

Charlie comes from a long line of animal lovers who own and run the Ballarat Wildlife Park in Victoria.
Proud dad and park owner Greg Parker said Charlie comes from three generations of animal carers and has grown up around the sanctuary.

Slippery customer: At just two-years-old, Charlie is already an expert snake wrangler

Animal lover: The young Australian comes from a long line of animal carers

'Remarkable to watch': Family are shocked by Charlie's natural ability with the animals

Greg said: 'We're still shocked by his natural ability with the animals. It's quite remarkable to watch - he has absolutely no fear of them and he doesn't just handle them, he also has the knowledge.
'We've never purposely exposed him to the animals - he's just got this obsession with snakes and lizards. It must be genetic.'

Dolittle: Charlie is comfortable with animals of all shapes and sizes, including Junior baby alligator Junior

Natural: Charlie's proud dad said the toddler's obsession with snakes and lizards must be genetic

Runs in the family: Charlie's dad Greg owns Ballarat Wildlife Park in Victoria

source: dailymail

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Saturday Night Fur-ver: The disco dancing polar bear who thinks he's John Travolta

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Shake your groove thing: This one year old polar bear was captured swinging its hips and striking poses uncannily reminiscent of John Travolta in the 1977 disco classic Saturday Night Fever

He's wearing white, hangs out in a very cool location and has all the funkiest moves... could this polar bear cub be the Arctic Circle’s answer to John Travolta?
In a series of astonishing photographs, the one-year-old was captured swinging his hips and striking poses uncannily reminiscent of Travolta in the classic 1977 disco film Saturday Night Fever.
With paws dripping in meltwater the bear started his routine on one leg, before swinging his hips and arms to his own beat. And he even captured Travolta’s iconic pose from the movie poster, one arm aloft, the other by his side.

Yes Fur, I can boogie: The bear cub seems to be jiving as he struggles to stand upright

But rather than showing off his excellent dancing skills, the cub was actually making his first tentative steps towards standing upright.
Wildlife photographer Steven Kazlowski, who caught the moment from a nearby boat, said: ‘The bear was trying very hard to stand up and keep its balance.

‘Young bears are always trying to stand and get a better look at what’s around them, as their mothers do, but they are incredibly unbalanced.
‘This curious and overexcited cub was trying to get a better look at us as we passed a few yards away on the skiff.’
Kazlowski, who specialises in images of polar bears, took the amazing pictures from Bernard Spit, a narrow strip of land extending from Northern Alaska.

source: dailymail

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Surgery on blind orangutan allows her to see her baby twins for the first time (along with their father)

By NINA GOLGOWSKI

Surgery: Gober, a 40-year-old Sumatran orangutan is seen during cataract surgery on Monday in the provincial capital of Medan

A formerly blind Sumatran orangutan has been given a remarkable gift of being able to see her baby twins for the very first time after undergoing cataract surgery in the first such operation in Indonesia.
Prior to her surgery on Monday afternoon, Gober, a 40-year-old orangutan, had spent at least the last four years blind due to cataracts leading to her capture in North Sumatra province in late 2008 by the Sumatran Orangutan Conservation Program (SOCP).
‘If we hadn't brought her here she would have been killed by local farmers, as she was raiding their crops to survive,' SOCP veterinarian drh Yenny Sarasqati said in a press release.

Monumental: The surgery, conducted by a human eye specialist, was Indonesia's first on an orangutan though the first ever was in Malaysia in 2007

Performed in the provincial capital of Medan, the 90-minute cataract surgery conducted by a human eye specialist from Samarinda was Indonesia’s first on an orangutan. The surgery comes just several years after the very first one was performed on an orangutan in Malasyia in 2007.
While Gober’s first moments with her awaiting babies has yet to be reported by the SOCP, it is at least somewhat known what’s awaiting her.

Unconditional love: Gober is seen after the birth of her twins, a boy and a girl pictured with her in 2011 though then without the ability to see them

While in captivity, to help ease her life in darkness, the conservation program allowed her to breed with another orangutan named Leuser, who as it happened, is also blind.
'[We] felt that being blind, it would dramatically improve her quality of life,' said Sarasqati of their decision which she admitted was rare being that there are already many orangutans in captivity in Indonesia.

Family: Gober's two babies Ginting and Ganteng are pictured with her at the quarantine center run by the Sumatran Orangutan Conservation Programm prior to her surgery on Monday

Coming out of surgery this week Gober returned to the responsibilities of mom to the now 18-month-old twins named Ganteng - a boy whose name means handsome in Indonesian - and Ginting - a little girl.
The program said that twin births by orangutans are not unheard of, though coming from two blind parents - in the words of Dr Ian Singleton, head of SOCP - it was 'totally unique.'

Hope: Veterinarians allowed Gober to mate hoping to increase her quality of life after, until this week, spending her last four years in darkness

Father: The father of Gober's children, Leuser, who's pictured, is also blind after suffering an air rifle attack that lodged 62 pellets into him, making him a permanent resident at the program

After twice released from captivity prior to the air rifle attack - in hopes of his successful adaption into the wild - Leuser will be a permanent resident with the SOCP, along with Gober. Their babies, once fully grown, however, will be released into the wild the program reports.
Sumatran orangutans are critically endangered, with only about 6,600 left in the wild.
The program reports Germany's Orang-Utans in Not (Orangutans in Peril) foundation as having covered the logistical costs for Gober’s surgery.

Tragic end: An x-ray shows the pellets lodged into just Leuser's head alone after a group of villagers attacked him following his second attempt by the program to release him into the wild

source: dailymail

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