Thai Panda: April 2011

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A tourist takes a snapshot of a couple of Bengal tigers

A tourist takes a snapshot of a couple of Bengal tigers presented on April 29, 2011 at the zoo of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The tigers were named Prince William and princess Kate after Prince William and Kate Middleton' s royal wedding in London on Friday.

A couple of Bengal tigers presented on April 29, 2011 at the zoo of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, lie in their cage. The tigers were named Prince William and princess Kate after Prince William and Kate Middleton' s royal wedding in London on Friday.

A female Bengal tiger in her cage at the zoo of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on April 29, 2011.

A female Bengal tiger in her cage at the zoo of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on April 29, 2011.

source : daylife
photo: gettyimages

Thugly duckling

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Ducking out: The Jack Russell tries to get away as the tiny bird gives chase

When a tiny bundle of feathers encountered a dog it quickly became clear which one was a chicken.

A brave little duckling is seen chasing after a Jack Russell - who tries to make a dash with his tail between his legs - in a classic case of David and Goliath.

Despite the loud barks of the nervous dog, the duckling kept on running at its playmate, trying to have some fun.

All bark, no bite: Despite the loud yelps of the dog, the duckling keeps on waddling towards its playmate

The Jack Russell is so keen to get away that at one point he is seen falling flat on his face.

The duckling must have realised that this dog's bark was worse than its bite.

source: dailymail

An Asian elephant calf, born at the Oklahoma City Zoo

An Asian elephant calf, born at the Oklahoma City Zoo April 15, 2011, is pictured with her mother, Asha, right, a 16-year old Asian elephant, and her aunt, Chandra, left, a 14-year old Asian Elephant, at the zoo in Oklahoma City, Thursday, April 28, 2011.

An Asian elephant calf, born at the Oklahoma City Zoo April 15, 2011, is pictured with her mother, Asha, a 16-year old Asian elephant, in Oklahoma City, Thursday, April 28, 2011.

An Asian elephant calf, born at the Oklahoma City Zoo April 15, 2011, is pictured with her mother, Asha, a 16-year old Asian elephant, in Oklahoma City, Thursday, April 28, 2011

An Asian elephant calf, born at the Oklahoma City Zoo April 15, 2011, walks with her mother, Asha, a 16-year old Asian elephant, in Oklahoma City, Thursday, April 28, 2011.

source: daylife
photo: AP photo

It's a dog's wife: Why female pooches are 'more intelligent' than males

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Eye on the ball: Using an experiment involving tennis balls scientists have discovered differences in the brains of female and male dogs

If your female dog can sit, lie down and even bring your slippers then it may not just be well trained.

It could actually be all in her brain.

A study has found that female canine brains are different from that of their male counterparts.

And in at least once task the females have the edge.

No idea: Detailed analysis of the study found that male dogs did not noticed anything odd at all about the balls - yet the females did

Scientists studied a range of common household dogs of both sexes to see whether they understood a simple cognition task that humans understand by the age of one.

The task involved the realisation that objects do not change shape simply because they disappear from view.

They set up a wooden board and using a system involving blue tennis balls and used four different scenarios.

source: dailymail

Now THAT'S a bunny hop: Rabbit dressage set to take the world by storm

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Buggin' out: Snoopy the show jumping rabbit can jump around 60cm high

That rabbits like to hop is hardly a secret. But now European rabbit enthusiasts have harnessed their bunnies' natural talents to create a new spectator sport...
rabbit showjumping.

Invented in Sweden in the early Eighties, Kaninhop involves bunnies bouncing their way around courses consisting of several small jumps of varying height and length.

Snoopy, a black-and-white bunny from the German city of Jena, is the star of the local Kaninhop club - and he makes spends his days leaping over all manner of barricades, jumps and rails.

'Snoopy can jump 60 centimeters (about 2 feet) high,' proud Claudia Fehlen, the 23-year-old founder of the Jena bunny hopping club, told Der Spiegel.

'And he has done well in tournaments. He came in second once, and third another time.'

On the hop: Snoopy is the star of the Jena Kaninhop club

Over the past few decades to sport has spread far from its Scandinavian homeland and clubs have now sprung up in several other European countries, the U.S., Canada and even Japan.

Rules vary from country to country, but generally the more jumps a rabbit clears the higher its score. There is also sometimes a time element to competitions.

Oops! Bunnies are scored by the number of jump they can successfully clear, and there is often a time element to competition

As well as the dressage-style courses, there are also long-jump and high-jump challenges. The world height record is 99.5cm while the best distance is fully three metres, according to Swedish fan site kaninhoppning.se.

Miss Fehlen discovered the sport on the internet about five years ago. She practiced with her pet rabbits in her back garden before starting the Jena club in 2009.

Now there are 13 members who gather once a week in the eastern German city to train their animals.

Mad as a March hare: James the rabbit jumps while he is held on a leash. Trainers say restraints are vital to prevent uncontrolled breeding

Spring in his step: James easily clears another jump while training with his Jena- based Kaninhop club

Animal rights activists are alarmed by the past-time. Sweetrabbits, a private animal rights initiative in Germany, has criticised the use of leashes in Kaninhop competitions.

The group has even accused trainers of using the tethers to pull uncooperative rabbits over the obstacles.

But Miss Fehlen points out important practical reasons for keeping competing rabbits leashed: 'We use them in tournaments for safety,' she said.

'Just think of what would happen if a male were to break free. We want to avoid uncontrolled reproduction. It has happened before.'

source: dailymail

Ape close and personal: Stunning images which capture primates at their most unguarded

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Transfixed by the lens: Pangi, left, is a two-year-old bonobo who was born in Frankfurt Zoo. Right, other members of her family preen each other

Staring into the camera, they appear to be baring their soul.

These intimate portraits of apes at Frankfurt Zoo reveal a side of the animals rarely seen.

German photographer Volker Gutgesell has spent the past four years visiting the zoo's primate enclosure to capture the candid images.

Intimate portrait: Gorilla Rebecca, 27, has had eight babies and is also helping look after her sister Quemba to bring up her children

The 58-year-old says the years spent studying the bonobos, orangutans and gorillas has allowed him to pick up on their body language and take the perfect shot in a way few other photographers have managed.

Gutgesell started taking the images to help him cope with severe back pain caused by a slipped disc. He used to travel the world as a media manager until the injury in 2004.

Then in 2007 he developed tinnitus as a result of his injury, causing a constant ringing in his ears. But despite his condition, he has found a way of communicating through his pictures.

He said: 'I stand for many hours watching both the apes and the families that visit them.'

Eye contact: Galdikas, left, is one of four orang-utans at the zoo, and bonobo Heri, right, is also ten years old

'The more you watch them the more similarities you see between us and them.'

'Their movement is so strikingly similar to ours it becomes quite easy to read what's going on.

'Eye contact is very important - sometimes they see into the camera lens and become transfixed.

'The bonobos are funny creatures - they're my favourite.They live in a society where the males are ruled by the females.'

'So you see the males trying desperately to socialise as much as possible - by preening the females - they can't do enough for them!

'My urgent message is for us to learn from the gentle conduct of our animal relatives the primates.'

Total control: A bonobo balances a nut in her lips

Peak of his powers and recent arrival: A male gorilla and a young bonobo at the zoo

source: dailymail

A month-old ring tailed lemur, left, receives a lick from it's one-year-old

A month-old ring tailed lemur, left, receives a lick from it's one-year-old sister "Safina," right, in an exhibit at the Franklin Park Zoo, in Boston, Wednesday, April 27, 2011.

A month-old baby lemur, right, rides on her seven-year-old mother's back in an exhibit at the Franklin Park Zoo, in Boston, Wednesday, April 27, 2011.

Nebbie, a seven-year-old ring tailed lemur, left, carries her month-old baby on her back in an exhibit at the Franklin Park Zoo, in Boston, Wednesday, April 27, 2011. Nebbie gave birth to twins on March 31, 2011, but the baby primates have yet to receive names or have their sex determined. Lemurs, endemic to Madagascar, are social animals and live in female dominated groups in the wild.

source:daylife
photo: AP photo

Swim and bear it

By MICHAEL HANLON

It's all too much for tired grizzly as he rests beside a stream after hard day catching salmon under water

Smarter than the average bear: This one checks out a waterproof camera

They are some of the most powerful carnivores on Earth, weighing up to half a ton each, and, if riled, they won’t think twice about attacking humans.

So getting up close and personal with the grizzly and brown bears of Alaska shows a degree of courage bordering on lunacy.

Without this risk-taking, Paul Sounders, a 50-year-old wildlife photographer from Seattle, would never have captured these exquisite images.

Some of the pictures were taken with the magnificient creatures just 12 inches from the camera lens.

Relaxing: The bear sniffs the air as he lies back and rests near a salmon stream

So how did Sounders avoid being eaten?

‘There are some bears who want nothing to do with people, and some who are quite tolerant — even curious,’ he explains.

Paul travelled alone to Kodiak Island in Alaska and the nearby Katmai National Park on a 22ft motor boat. For six weeks he roamed up and down 60 miles of bear-inhabited coastline.

Now which one shall I eat? The bear edges closer to the school of salmon

‘Katmai’s bears live in paradise,’ he says. ‘They have plenty of food — sedge grasses in the spring, abundant salmon and berries in the summer and autumn.

‘These bears haven’t been hunted for more than a century, and that’s the main reason they don’t fear us. We’re not a threat, we’re not food — and if you’re not a complete idiot they leave you in peace.’

The bear is perfectly at ease as it swims through the waters in search for his lunch

Majestic: It's hard to believe this impressive half-ton brown bear would have weighed just one pound when born

If you go down to the beach: A snap of a grizzly hunting salmon by moonlight

source: dailymail

Living the high life: The family of ducks who moved into a FLOWER BASKET

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

No place like home! This mother duck needed a rest after her ten baby ducklings hatched - so took sanctuary in a hanging basket at the Castle Hotel in Kirby Muxloe, Leicestershire

This mother duck needed a rest after her ten baby ducklings hatched - so took sanctuary in a hotel's hanging basket.

The new arrivals were uncovered after one of the chicks tumbled out of the nest on to the ground and wandered into the hotel.

Sammy Preston found the duckling waddling around the foyer of the Castle Hotel in Kirby Muxloe, Leicestershire.

Familiar territory: Pictured here in more familiar watery surroundings, the new arrivals were uncovered after one of the chicks tumbled out of the impromptu nest on to the ground and wandered into the hotel

Hotel events co-ordinator Sammy, 20, said: 'The little duck was unharmed and must have fallen out again as I found him wandering around in reception.

'I thought he may have been rejected and mistook me for his mother. He was so cute and I wanted to look after him.

'Fortunately, it seems he is actually his mum's favourite as by the afternoon he was swimming around after her in the pond while the others stayed in the nest.

Quackers: The mother duck guards her new home after 'moving in' to the flower basket to hatch her eggs

'We've called him Harry and her Jemima.' Hotel manager Kate Whitehead, 39, added: 'The mother duck has been sitting in one of our hanging flower baskets at the side of the hotel, on and off, for the last few days, but we didn't think anything of it.

'It was so cute. We helped it back into the nest and that's when we noticed the others.

'The ducklings have been the centre of attention, especially with children.
'Everyone has been fussing and cooing over them.'

source: dailymail

Oh deer, I'm a bit out of my depth: Stag swims quarter of a mile out to sea

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Cooling off: The red deer stag makes its way across Duporth Bay near St Austell, Cornwall

At first they couldn't quite work out what mystery creature was out at sea.
A seal? A swimmer?

But no, a quarter of a mile out off the Cornish coast, a stag was having a swim.

Rich Brown, 31, spotted the red deer making its way across Duporth Bay near St Austell, Cornwall, on Saturday, while out with a group of friends.

Is that really a deer? Photographer Rich Brown used the zoom on his camera to work out what he was seeing

By using the zoom on his camera he was able to get a clear view of its head and antlers as it made its way through the sea water followed by a flock of seagulls.

'I just couldn't tell what it was at first,' he said. 'It looked odd - like the creature from the deep.

'Then when I managed to zoom in it became clear it was a red deer - but it looked very strange out there.

Made it: The stag dries itself on the beach after completing its journey

'It was way out - I'd say about 300 metres out. I've no idea how it got there but it was being followed by a flock of seagulls that were flying low over it.

'There was nothing else in the sea anywhere near it at the time and it was pretty flat.

'It was just the weirdest thing. I've never seen anything like it before - none of us had.'

Deer are very competent swimmers and have been recorded travelling at up to 13 miles per hour in the water.

The stag eventually hauled itself out of the sea and on to rocks after completing its journey across the bay - and then stayed there to dry off.

Mr Brown added: 'It seemed none the worse for wear - it looked fine.

'It was still there when we left. I've no idea where it came from or how it came to be in the sea but it was a very hot day so maybe it went for a cooling dip.'

source: dailymail

Student charged with theft after meerkat was stolen from wildlife park

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

A meerkat, similar to this, was stolen from a Kent park and later found dead

A student has been charged with stealing a meerkat, police said.

The animal went missing from its enclosure at Wingham Wildlife Park, near Canterbury, Kent, on December 29 last year.

A spokeswoman for Kent Police said Adam Catherick, 19, of Laburnham Avenue, Sandwich, was charged with theft yesterday and will appear at Folkestone Magistrates' Court on May 11.

Popular: Adverts for comparethemarket.com's meerkat has fuelled the popularity of the creatures

It was later found dead on a road and, according to reports, had then been dumped in a dog waste bin in Sandwich.

Deborah Margaret Smith, 47, of Burch Avenue, Sandwich, who was also arrested at the time, has been charged with possession of cannabis and will appear at the court on the same date.

Meerkats have increased in popularity following adverts for comparethemarket.com, featuring cuddly puppet Aleksandr.

source: dailymail

A baby douc Langur plays with the mother is one of two born recently at the Singapore zoo

A baby douc Langur plays with the mother is one of two born recently at the Singapore zoo, making the zoo the first in the world to breed the endangered species successfully in Singapore 30 September 2003. The animal is native to countries like Vietnam and Laos. The public is invited to name the one--and-a-half month-old babies, who join the colony of three female and two male adults at the zoo.

A baby douc Langur clinging to its mother is one of two born recently at the Singapore zoo, making the zoo the first in the world to breed the endangered species successfully in Singapore 30 September 2003. The animal is native to countries like Vietnam and Laos. The public is invited to name the one--and-a-half month-old babies, who join the colony of three female and two male adults at the zoo.

source: daylife
photo: Gettyimages

How a white ram and 37 white ewes produced a flock of entirely BLACK lambs

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

The flock of 37 white ewes - and one white ram - has produced 60 black lambs

A farmer was left stunned when her flock of 37 white sheep gave birth to 60 lambs - that are all BLACK.

Sally Du Toit, 39, and husband Jacob, 29, helped deliver the first black lamb on April 2 this year at their smallholding near Royston, Herts.

Since then their flock of 37 white ewes has given birth to a total of 60 black lambs, all sired by a one-year-old ram called Rowley.

The first black lamb was delivered on April 2 this year at a smallholding near Royston, Herts., and since then all other lambs have been black

Incredibly, the South African Dorper ram also has a white fleece, leaving mother-of-one Mrs Du Toit baffled by the freak births.

In sheep, a white fleece is the result of a dominant gene that actively switches colour production off - that is why most sheep are white.

This means a black fleece in most sheep is recessive, so if a white ram and a white ewe are each heterozygous (have the black and white forms of the gene for fleece colour), in about 25 per cent of cases they will produce a black lamb.

This is quite a rare occurrence though, and in most white sheep breeds only a few white sheep are heterozygous for black, so black lambs are usually much rarer than this. That is why this case is so special.

It is believed a genetic throwback is the reason for the colour of the lambs - but the gene must be very strong for this to happen

Mrs Du Toit said: 'We have had 60 lambs this month and every single one of them is black but all of their parents are white.

'Usually you see just one black sheep in an entire flock and that's where you get the saying from, but all of ours have this jet black coat.

'It is amazing. We don't know why it has happened. When the first few were born we thought it was great but now lamb after lamb has come out black.

'We feel blessed. I love the colour. People are stopping on the cycle path and in their cars to look at the lambs and ask us if they are a special kind of breed.'

source: dailymail

Ducking the limelight: The newborn bird who refused to face the camera for a family photo

Odd one out: Just as the photo was about to be taken, the very individual duck turned his back on the camera

They’re only three days old, but it’s not hard to spot who’s going to be the troublemaker.

As these seven fluffy ducklings lined up on a log to get a good look at the big world facing them, it seemed like an ideal opportunity for a family photo.

Except that one member of the brood took it as a moment to express his individuality – and turned his back to the camera.

He then stood up and accidentally caused the whole brood to fall off their perch at Pennywell Farm, near Buckfastleigh, Devon.

Farmer Chris Murray, 60, said: ‘The ducklings had been incubated and this was their first outing after they hatched three days ago.

‘The weather was so glorious we thought it would be lovely for them to get outside and enjoy the sunshine.

‘Ducklings are wonderful, inquisitive animals and they love to walk in a line.

Duckling dominoes: The inquisitive bird caused his newborn siblings to topple off after moving on the branch

‘They all followed each other and walked across the log to sit there and get a better vantage point, as ducklings like to be able to survey their surroundings.

‘It was so funny as they were all facing the same way staring at the camera out of curiosity, apart from one who sat with his back to it, before deciding to stand up and make all the others tumble off like dominos.’

source: dailymail

Having a muddy good time: Orphaned elephants frolic in filth

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Muddy waters: The orphaned elephants play in a muddy pool at David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust in Kenya

These orphaned baby elephants decided some mud treatment was just the thing to keep cool in the baking heat.

They could barely hide their excitement as they bundled towards the rust-coloured pond before diving in and playfully giving each other a soaking.

Frolicking in the water at the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, Kenya, the elephants play just like one big happy family.

Amateur photographer Alexey Tishchenko, 40, captured the heart-warming moment while on a trip to the capital Nairobi.

He said: 'There are so many playful baby elephants growing up at the park - all orphans taken in from different parts of Kenya.

Happy families: The wildlife reserve is filled with orphaned elephants taken from all over Kenya

'The orphanage is only opened to visitors for an hour a day but it's well worth it because the little ones are so much fun.

'First of all they get fed with bottles of milk then after lunch it's the time to play.

'It's a real pleasure to see them rolling about in the muddy water playfully fighting and butting each other - they look so happy.

'It was a really touching moment to be able to take photos of such loving animals.'

Touching moment: Amateur photographer Alexey Tischenko said that the elephants looked happy at the park despite their tragic start in life

source: dailymail

First twin girl-and-boy polar bear cubs to survive in China

By TED THORNHILL

Got a lotta bottle: Raisers feeding the twin boy-and-girl polar bears at Dalian Laohutan Ocean Park in China

These great big cute balls of white fur are an amazing success story – because they’re the first twin girl-and-boy polar bears in China to make it beyond cubhood.

The pair were born on January 7 this year at the Dalian Laohutan Ocean Park, which declared today that at 109 days old, they are officially young adults.

They will both grow into enormously powerful animals, easily capable of killing a human – but that’s hard to imagine when you look at pictures of them having fun as baby bears.

Life's a dream: The twin bears send the cuteness meter to 11 as they sleep on a patch-work style blanket

When they were very little a colourful blanket was one of their favourite places to sleep. They would curl up together on it without a care in the world.

It’s a far cry from the freezing Arctic conditions that they’d be enduring in the wild.

Their home in China’s Liaoning Province also contains beluga whales, sea otters, sea elephants, dolphins and penguins – but it’s safe to say that the young polar bears are going to be one of the star attractions.

Thirsty work: The twins are looking a little less cub-like now and will soon be dwarfing their handlers

At bear-ly four months old, the cubs are still almost as big as their handler, who cradles them in her arms as they drink milk. The male will eventually weigh between 350 to 680kg, with the female reaching roughly half that size.

Captive polar bears are fairly rare. There is now only one left in Britain after Mercedes, who live at Edinburgh Zoo, was put down on April 15 following a string of health problems.

There was, of course, more polar bear heartbreak this year with the death of Knut, who died at Berlin Zoo last month just four years into an expected life span of between 15 and 20.

Bearing up: Out in the wild the bears would be battling sub-zero temperatures and relying on mum to fetch them food, but here they don't have a care in the world

The polar bear rose to global fame after he was rejected by his mother when he was born in captivity on December 5, 2006. The fluffy cub was shown to the public 15 weeks later, and attendance at the zoo doubled after that.

The resulting 'Knutmania' even led to a 2007 Vanity Fair cover shot with actor Leonardo DiCaprio.

Some experts had warned that Knut developed psychological problems after becoming too dependent on human contact and suffering the loss of his keeper, Thomas Dörflein, who died of a heart attack in 2008.

Let’s hope that the Ocean Park pair don't suffer the same fate and enthral visitors for many years to come.

source: dailymail