A penguin nursery, filmed for the first time after BBC cameramen used 50 fake birds to capture amazing Antarctic scenes

By DAMIEN GAYLE

Spy in the huddle: Documentary film-makers disguised their cameras inside animatronic penguins to capture these incredible, intimate scenes of emperor penguins on the ice sheets of Antarctica

Spy cameras disguised as penguins were used to capture these incredible pictures of the flightless birds' private lives.
Documentary film-makers hid their cameras inside 50 animatronic replicas of the marine birds to get closer to them than has ever been possible before.
The were captured for a forthcoming documentary charting a year in the lives of three penguin communities, revealing the qualities that make them among nature's most devoted parents.

Chick's-eye view: The penguin-cams were able to lay their own camera-containing eggs to capture these incredible shots of infant penguins as their parents struggle to keep them alive in the frigid polar winter

Penguins - Spy In The Huddle follows emperor penguins in Antarctica, rockhopper penguins on the Falkland Islands and Humboldt penguins in the Atacama Desert of Peru as they bring up their young.
The team behind the documentary, due for broadcast on the BBC, cunningly hid their cameras inside life-size, robot replicas of each of the species they looked at.
Each was even able to lay its own 'egg-cam' to film the action from a chick's-eye view.

Nature's most devoted parents: Two emperors gaze down lovingly at their chick

'Key to the success of the spycam missions are the animatronic cameras cleverly disguised as lifesize penguins which can silently infiltrate the colonies to record the penguins’ often emotional, and sometimes amusing, behaviour,' the said documentary's makers in a statement.
'They’re on hand to chart the tough challenges these penguins face from the moment they emerge from the sea to raising their chicks and finally returning to the water.'

Little ones are growing up... The film-makers braved temperatures as low as -30C to chronicle the lives of emperor penguins over nearly a year on the Antarctic ice

Oh, isn't he cuite! Two emperor penguins peer at each other's youngsters - just like human parents

Happy Feet! This penguin chick strikes a pose reminiscent of the Hollywood CGI blockbuster

source: dailymail

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Adventurous pet rabbit jumps in owner's satchel and smuggles itself into school for a day in the classroom

By LUCY CROSSLEY

Hopping mad: Ceri Braithwaite had the shock of her life when she arrived at school to find her pet rabbit had hitched a ride in her schoolbag

Schoolgirl Ceri Braithwaite was stunned when she opened her satchel in class - and discovered that her pet rabbit had bunny-hopped inside for a nap.
The 11-year-old was rummaging inside her bag to find her pencil case when she spotted Nala, her Lionhead rabbit, snuggled up with her exercise books.
The furry fugitive caused panic as teachers and pupils rushed to take care of the floppy-eared stowaway which leapt across the classroom after Ceri discovered him.

Stowaway: Pet rabbit Nala had hopped into Ceri's bag as she fed her other pets before heading to school

In a tale similar to the nursery rhyme 'Mary had a Little Lamb', Nala had sneaked into Ceri's bag while she was feeding her three other rabbits at their home in Normanton-Le-Heath, Leicestershire, before she left for school.
Astonishingly, Ceri walked to the bus stop and then travelled three miles to Ibstock Community College, unaware that her cheeky pet had hitched a lift.

Surprise visitor: Ceri was rummaging in her bag to find her pencil case when she spotted Nala her Lionhead rabbit snuggled up with her exercise books

She said: 'I had put my bag down in the garden, where the rabbits were running freely about and Nala must have jumped in.
'I did think my bag was a bit heavy when I stood at the bus stop but I thought it must be because I had a project and some extra homework in there.

Star pupil: Ceri said that Nala was shaking a bit at first but soon calmed down, and her friends enjoyed petting the rabbit

'I couldn't believe it when I reached in for my pencil case and she jumped out. One girl screamed but most people just laughed - I was so embarrassed.
'Nala was shaking a bit at first but soon calmed down and I think she enjoyed everyone petting her.'
Ceri's shocked teacher then called the schoolgirl's mother, Janet Sladen, 49, who came to collect Nala from the school.

Pet project: Stuart Kay, vice-principal at Ibstock Community College described the school as 'so good that even pets want to come'

'Since she carries a lot of books to school Nala must have just crawled in there in the snug warm with them.
'I think it sent the whole school into hysterics.
'Initially they assumed it was deliberate but when they realised what had happened the whole school went to work to look after Nala.
'They took her to reception for the youngsters to see and grabbed some lettuce from the kitchen to feed her.

source: dailymail

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Meanwhile in Kenya: Lounging lions bring rush-hour traffic to a standstill as they have a lie-down in the middle of Nairobi road

By SARA MALM

Don't mind us: Two lions roll around in the road bringing rush hour traffic in Nairobi, Kenya, to a stand still

Two lions brought rush-hour traffic to a standstill in Nairobi, Kenya when they decided to have a lie down in the middle the street.
It was during the morning commute on the the edge of the Nairobi National Park that two young males appeared on the side of the road and strolled out in front of cars and trucks for a roll-around.
The African lions' antics caused tail backs as they found the busy road the perfect place to rub themselves in buffalo faeces,

They see me strollin': Cars began to pile up as the two male lions claimed the road for their own in the middle of the busy commuter hour

Amateur South African snapper Gareth Jones was one of the drivers stuck in the traffic jam last month and decided to get out and photograph the unique scene at 6.40am.
Gareth, originally from South Africa but now living in Kenya, said: ‘I had only driven about 500 metres when the shapes of two big male lions could be seen in the road.
‘They went into a ridiculous pose, with their rear ends up in the air and their faces down over some buffalo dung. They were trying to mask their smell so they could hunt undetected.
‘They both looked like they were enjoying themselves and it was an incredible start to the day.’

My spot: One of the lions looks perplexed as to what could be the problem as he stands in front of a line of cars

Even better: The lions find the perfect place for a lie-down - in the middle of the road in a pile of buffalo dung

Gareth's images show the lions rolling in Buffalo dung to mask their scent in a bid to go undetected when hunting.
But that was no consolation for commuters, who sat watching the ten minute display, before the lions left the road.
Gareth added: ‘After driving ahead of them, I began to take pictures of them walking up the road.
‘As the lions were walking slowly, all the cars entering the main gate of the park were effectively blocked by their pace. Everyone was very patient.’

Rear-view mirror: The two lions use the faeces to disguise their own smell for an upcoming hunt

No rush: As more cars were brought to a standstill, the lions rolled around on the tarmac

Nairobi National Park opened in 1946. It is located just over four miles from the Kenyan capital’s city centre and its skyscrapers can be seen from within the protected area.
The park is home to a wild range of species, including giraffes, leopards, wildebeest and hippos.
The closeness to the city proves a risk to the park as it is completely exposed to the pollution of the capital as well as threats from a growing population in need of land for farming and infrastructure.

Majestic: They appeared to have no fear of the cars, camera or humans during their walkabout in Nairobi National Park in Kenya

Roadkings: The animals showed complete disregard to the traffic trying to get around them as they lay down on the street

Casual stroll: The pair stopped traffic for a full ten minutes before they slowly made their way off the road

source: dailymail

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Are you sure you can't get some more in there? Chipmunk tries to get as many peanuts in his mouth as possible

By TARA BRADY

Cheeky: The chipmunk stuffed as many peanuts as he could into his mouth before scurrying away to hide them

This cheeky chipmunk set himself a challenge of trying to stuff as many peanuts as possible into his mouth.
The fluffy rodent’s keen nose picked up the scent of a handful of peanuts being eaten by photographer Richard Bishop.
And Mr Bishop, 33, from Toronto, Canada, couldn’t resist sharing his snack with his newfound friend.
Mr Bishop, who was visiting friends in Ontario, said: 'I was visiting the countryside to escape the city for a summer weekend. 'As I stood in the sun outside my friend’s cottage eating some peanuts from the shell, the chipmunk came out of the forest.

'He must have smelled or heard me eating peanuts on the deck outside and came back time and time again to take peanuts from me.
The greedy chipmunk would then scurry away and stash his feast in his hideout in the forest before returning for more. 'He never tried to break the nuts in front of me but instead to stuff as many as possible in its mouth before going back to put them in storage,' said Mr Bishop.
'He got very close, climbing up my leg, onto my hand and the table -basically anywhere necessary to grab more peanuts from me.
'I thought it was hilarious so after a while grabbed my camera when he came back for a few more peanuts.'

source: dailymail

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Dog owner spends £1,800 building a kennel which is an exact replica of own house

By TARA BRADY

Pampered pooch: Wellington outside his lavish home which is an exact replica of his owner's house

For most dogs, a kennel is made out of a few planks of wood and some rusty nails.
But Wellington, a two-year-old St Bernard, is living it up in his very own brick-built house with carpets, working lights and insulated walls.
It even has a gravel drive complete with patio stepping stones and ceramic statues.
Owner Julian Kite, 37, spent a 84 hours creating the 6.5ft tall, one third replica of his own three-bedroom detached house in Swadlincote, Derbyshire.

Home sweet home: Julian Kite outside the house he built for Wellington his two-year-old St Bernard

He transformed half of his back garden to accommodate Wellington's kennel, which also boasts glossed skirting boards and a slate roof.
All the hard work paid off when Mr Kite was awarded a £1,000 prize in a national competition to find Britain's grandest dog home.
He said: 'Designing and building Wellington's house has been a hobby, so being rewarded in such a way is truly brilliant.

Creature comforts: Wellington's brick-built home has carpets, working lighting, insulated walls and fully-functioning guttering and is a third of the size of his owner's house

'It's just the beginning though, by the time I've finished with his kennel I'll probably want to live in there myself.'
Mr Kite started a business making luxury built-to-order kennels after he was made redundant from the construction industry several years ago.
He had been in the building trade since his teens and decided to turn his hand to making replicas of people's homes after he was laid off.

Kennel Club: Wellington loves sleeping in his own house which was built by his owner Julian Kite who worked in the construction industry

Living it up: Owner Julian Kite spent more than four days building Wellington's home to look like his own

Top dogs: Julian Kite based Wellington's brick built kennel on his own home in Derbyshire

He said that his experience allows him to build the bespoke kennels to a high standard.
He said: 'It's exactly the same as a traditional house, the masonry, the foundations, a traditional cut roof, it's got electrics and external lights.
'I made one for my own dogs, then friends started asking about them and I decided to do some more.
'I've done about 30 or 40 so far and things just keep picking up.'

Inspired: Wellington's home was based on the design of Mr Kite's house in Derbyshire

Wellington the St Bernard enjoys roaming around his very own gravel drive which comes with patio steps and ceramic statues

source: dailymail

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Two heads are better than one...when it comes to love: Cranes captured in courtship dance

By JAMES RUSH

Embrace: The cranes lean their heads back to touch each other as part of the graceful courtship dance

These beautiful cranes prove that two heads are better than one with this graceful courtship dance.
The long-legged lovers kept warm in sub-zero temperatures by performing the coy ballet-like routine.
They strutted around in the snow and flapped their black wings at each other, then leant their heads back in a touching embrace.
Photographer Takaaki Ishikawa, 55, enjoyed watching the majestic red-crowned cranes' afternoon display.

Dance: The birds strutted in the snow and flapped their wings at each other before the embrace

This pair's eye-catching plumage caught his attention in a 50-strong group who had flocked to the spot on the Japanese island of Hokkaido to feed.
Mr Ishikawa said: 'This final head-touch is one of the gestures of courtship.
'They only attached heads for a few seconds, but there was a warning about 30 seconds before it happened.
'After reaching their necks up and nearly touching beaks, they then went back to the dance of courtship.
'When it was over, they snuggled together for a while and then took off with the rest of their group to find a place to sleep.'

Rare: Photographer Takaaki Ishikawa, who caputred the scene, said: 'I had never seen two birds press their heads together before and I think most people have never seen it'

The birds also made their signature trumpet-like cry as they danced.
Mr Ishikawa, who works for a company in Anjo, southern Japan, calls this photo series 'Duet'.

source: dailymail

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You can hardly see the sky! Spectacular scenes as eight million bats flock together in one of Africa's largest mammal migrations

By MARK DUELL

Astounding: Straw-coloured bats flock together during migration in Kasanka National Park, Zambia in one of Africa's largest and most spectacular mammal migrations

These astonishing photographs show the scenes as eight million bats flock together in one of Africa's largest and most spectacular mammal migrations.
The 6ft-wingspan fruit bats couldn't have found a tinier corner of the continent to live on - just one acre of forest at the Kasanka National Park in Zambia.
Upon coming home after their daily hunt each tree holds up to 10 tons of bats, making this the highest density mass of warm-blooded mammals on Earth.

Home: The 6ft-wingspan bats could not have found a tinier corner of the huge continent to live on - just one acre of forest at the Kasanka National Park

British photographer Will Burrard-Lucas, 29, found the bats leaving their trees as the sun went down and returning to the treetops at dawn to sleep.
He said: ‘Most people who see my pictures are amazed by the sheer numbers. Some people are freaked out by bats and as a result find these images quite disturbing.

Light: When they come home after their daily hunt each tree holds up to 10 tons of bats - making this the highest density mass of warm-blooded mammals on Earth

'In some of my pictures the bats are so dense that you can barely see the sky behind them. This migration is less well known than the great wildebeest migration of the Serengeti and Masai Mara and so people are often surprised to find out about it.
‘In fact many more bats are involved in this migration than wildebeest and zebras in the great migration.’

Impressive snaps: Photographer Will Burrard-Lucas, 29, found the bats leaving their trees as the sun went down and returning to the treetops at dawn to sleep

The straw-coloured bat is a sub-species of the fruit bat population, which is found throughout sub-Saharan Africa. The plentiful fruit they eat allows them to weigh up to 11oz and live up to 30 years in the wild.
While the African wildebeest migration is often referred to as the largest mammalian migration in the world at an estimated 1.5million, it is in fact the largest where the animals migrate at ground level.

Close-up: Eight million bats flock together in one of Africa's largest and most spectacular mammal migrations, at the Kasanka National Park in Zambia

Amazing scenes: Photographer Will Burrard-Lucas said that in some of his pictures, 'the bats are so dense that you can barely see the sky behind them'

source: dailymail

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Dog sentenced to death because he is 'gay' is SAVED at the last minute by animal lover... and she's going to call him ELTON!

By DANIEL MILLER and JAMES NYE

Now safely with a new owner - Elton the dog is pictured in his pen at an animal shelter where he was being threatened with destruction because his owner thought he was gay

The dog dumped at a Tennessee animal shelter to be destroyed because his owner thought it was gay has been saved at the last minute by a kindhearted animal lover.
After the the plight of the American Bulldog mix was seen by millions online, Stephanie Fryns, a veterinary technician from Jackson, stepped up this afternoon and adopted him from Jackson TN Euthanasia.
Naming him Elton, Fryns, who already owns four dogs said that she had planned to rescue him even before his story had traveled around the Internet.

Animal lover Stephanie Fryns has rescued Elton the dog from the animal shelter were he was scheduled to be gassed

Describing the 50 pound dog as 'pretty friendly', Fryn said, 'He's pretty scared of everything, which is understandable. But he loved the car ride.'
She said she suspected that Elton had been involved in illegal dog-fights, but that it was impossible to confirm. However he did have some redness on his ears.

New brothers: Stephanie already has four dogs of her own at her home in Jackson

Fryn doubted he had been used routinely in dog fights because of his 'submissive' nature.
The last minute reprieve for Elton came with only hours to go until he was scheduled to be euthanized at the Tennessee animal shelter.

The Facebook page which started the outcry: Posted to their timeline Jackson TN Euthanasia explained why the dog was with them to be destroyed

He was dumped there because according to the owner of the shelter, the dog's master noticed him 'hunched over' another male dog, which led him to assume he was gay.
Yesterday a Facebook user became of aware of his plight after seeing his picture on the shelter's timeline and contacted Jackson TN Euthanasia to discover the reason why he had been left there to be destroyed.
'His owner threw him away bc he refuses to have a 'gay' dog!' wrote a user who calls herself 'Jackson Madison Rabies Control Stalker'.

Two male penguins cuddle at the Bremerhaven zoo, in Germany.

'Don't let this gorgeous dog die [because] his owner is ignorant of normal dog behavior! He's in kennel 10L and he WILL be put down tomorrow bc there is no room at the inn!'
Following an outcry over the Internet numerous people including Stephanie Fryns arrived at the shelter this morning to adopt the unloved dog.

source: dailymail

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Aw can I go running too mom? Super cute puppy is determined to get on the treadmill (but why is the bulldog jogging in the first place?)

By DANIEL MILLER

Determined: Little bulldog puppy Bandit tries to join his mother on the treadmill

This cute little bulldog puppy gets himself into a right old scrape as he tries to keep up with his mother on a treadmill workout.
The hilarious video shows determined pup Bandit refusing to give up as he scrambles onto the exercise machine only to be unceremoniously dumped onto the floor.
His initial tactic is to climb onto the machine from the front only to quickly fly through his mother's legs. Again and again he scrambles back up only for the inevitable to happen.

Wrong way: At first Bandit attempted climb onto the exercise machine from the front

Guided by some larger dogs he eventually appears to grasp what it is he should be doing and tries to climb up onto the machine from the back.
But his legs are simply too small to keep up the pace and yet again he ends up on the ground. Meanwhile his mother trots along quite nonchalantly seemingly oblivious to her pup's escapades.
It is not quite clear why Bandit's mother is actually running on the treadmill in the first place - whether she's a four-legged fitness fanatic or if it's a case of world's laziest dog owner.

What's going on? But the little pup is sent flying through his mother's legs

Attaboy: Eventually little Bandit figures out he need to climb on from the back

source: dailymail

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This is bound to raise a few eyebrows! Meet Sam the cat whose funny black hair has made him an internet hit

By AMANDA WILLIAMS

Sam the cat has become an internet hit thanks to his furr-owed brow and unfortunate hair markings

He may have nine lives, but thanks to his unusual fur markings, Sam the cat has only one expression - worried.
The mystified moggy has become an internet sensation after his owner set up a page dedicated to him and his 'eyebrows'.
The feline, believed to be from New York, has more than 10,000 followers on picture sharing site Instagram, with his quizzical expression earning him world wide fame.

If the saying is to be believed Sam may have nine lives, but he has just one expression - worried

The unusual fur markings, which make it appear as if he has eyebrows, have provoked much hilarity online from his many followers

The two black marks on his forehead give him a range of expressions that is wider than that of his feline friends, who usually reserve expressions of disdain for their owners.
Sam's owner started the Instagram account which features almost 50 photos of the interestingly marked pet.

But Sam looks less than impressed with his owner's sense of humour. In fact, he looks a little worried

The photos instantly became popular on the account named, 'samhaseyebrows,' with his owner stating in the biography: 'Sam This is Sam. He has eyebrows.'
The pictures of the cat quickly became an Internet sensation, spreading from Instagram to Twitter and Facebook.
Even Sam looks surprised by his new found fame.

Even while relaxing before bed, Sam cannot wipe the expression off his face

Sam the cat clearly does not share his owner's good sense of humour, and seems to find the whole affair rather... worrying

The rare and unusual markings are caused by dark spots in his pure white fur

Quirky cats have long been an internet favourite.
In 2011, the web was flooded with pictures of people's cats that 'looked like Hitler' thanks to their unusual fur markings.
Last year a bizarre trend for posting pictures of cat's faces encased in bread emerged.
A Facebook group dedicated to dressing cats in bread, and promoted by blogs across the internet, earned more than 10,000 followers.
2012 also saw plans for the world's first Internet Cat Video Film Festival, which featured home videos of cats doing 'adorable activities.'

source: dailymail

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