White Chipmunk

A white chipmunk has moved into Ron Dawson's front yard in north London and is defending its territory. "He chases away blue jays and morning doves. It's a wonder he's survived because he really sticks out against the background," Dawson said. The white rodent -- which Dawson has named WACy for white albino chipmunk -- isn't a true albino. He has black eyes. WACy survives on bird feed that falls from a feeder in Dawson's front yard. See a video of the cute little guy here.

Teens Allegedly Taunt Hippos and Survive

Two fourteen-year-old boys, while trying to impress a girl, climbed into the hippo exhibit at the Kansas City Zoo and threw rocks at the two-ton mammals. John Davis, a national expert on hippos, said it was a crazy stunt, considering the animals' weight and that they can run faster than the average human, at least for short distances. Next time - why not just buy flowers?

German zoo faces charges for selling animals as food

A mayor in eastern Germany has filed charges against workers at his local zoo for shooting animals and selling them as meat. A spokeswoman for the mayor's office said deer were among the animals killed and sold by workers at Erfurt Zoo without permission over a number of years.

Man Infected With Flesh-Eating Bacteria

Bacteria Caught While Fishing! A man is fighting for his life after he was infected with a deadly flesh-eating bacteria. Steve Gilpatrick said he and his family go to Galveston every year for a week of vacation. "We have a big family and everybody comes here and just has fun," daughter Erin Gilpatrick said. Steve Gilpatrick was fishing at Crystal Beach on July 8. "He was in the water for no more than half an hour," wife Linda Gilpatrick said. Within a few days, Steve Gilpatrick had an infection in his leg, Houston TV station KPRC reported. "He's diabetic and just thought he had an infection, a severe infection of some sort," Linda Gilpatrick said. "He had no way of knowing the gravity of it." Doctors at John Sealy Hospital said they believe Steve Gilpatrick has Vibrio vulnificus, a bacteria that kills tissues and cells as it spreads. The bacteria likely entered through an open wound, doctors said. After three surgeries, all the skin has been removed from his right leg. The leg may have to be amputated and the infection could kill him. "He could die at any minute," Erin Gilpatrick said. "There's nothing we can do about it, but pray and try to help him get better." *** This is what Vibrio vulnificus did to the hand of Lou Groth, a Louisianna fisherman. If Lou Groth had known, or even suspected, he might have been able to clean his hands properly after handling shrimp late one day in early July. Or, after his ring finger started swelling the next day, go to a hospital’s emergency room sooner. What he wants to do is get the word out to other people so they know about the “bad little bug,” as he calls it, that is so prevalent along the coast and a constant threat during the summer months to outdoorsmen who love to work and play in South Louisiana. Read his story here.

Keeping up with the Joneses dog

If you want your dog to keep up with the Joneses dog, you should know they're spending $107 a year on his treats and toys. And that chunk of change is just a drop in the pet spending bucket, according to information from the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association. In 2007, U.S. pet expenditures are expected to top $40.8 billion (that's up from $38.5 billion in 2006, and $17 billion in 1994). The big bucks trend is fueled by baby boomers who increasingly "humanize" their pets, says Bob Vetere, president of the Greenwich, Conn.-based pet products association. They'll buy something that they find meaningful, such as a pricey designer collar, rather than gift their pet with something like a used tennis ball. This year's expenditures will include $16.1 billion for food, $9.8 billion for veterinary care, $9.9 billion for supplies and over-the-counter medicine, $2.1 billion for live animal purchases and $2.9 billion for pet services, including grooming and boarding. More folks than ever own pets, too. Nowadays, 71.1 million U.S. households, up from 51 million households in 1988, own at least one pet. "I think one of the bigger `surprises' has to be the way baby boomers are continuing to own pets," Vetere says. "Historically, pet ownership drops off dramatically as people reach age 60 and beyond. ... Boomers are actually looking at pets as replacements for the kids who have moved out." And the top dogs among those pets aren't dogs, they're freshwater fish, which number 142 million. There are also 88.3 million cats, 74.8 million dogs, 24.3 million small animals, 16 million birds, 13.8 million horses, 13.4 million reptiles and 9.6 million saltwater fish. Other survey tidbits include: The average age and sex of the person buying pet products is a 46-year-old female. Thirty percent of dog owners buy dental products for their dog, including toothbrushes, toothpaste, mouthwash, tartar/breath control/whitening products or floss. Twenty-six percent of dogs (up from 18 percent in 2004) have their own bed. Fifteen-percent of dog owners and 11-percent of cat owners purchased an urn for their pet's ashes in 2006. More than 50-percent of pet owners purchased a gift for their pets in the past 12 months. Christmas topped the list of popular gift-giving holidays, but Halloween, Valentine's Day and Hanukkah are popular, too. Dog owners buy up to seven gifts per year, while owners of other pets purchase about four gifts per year. Regardless of species, more than $10 is spent on each gift. Salt-water fish owners spend $71 a year on decorations. Oh, by the way, speaking of spending money on your pets: i-pets.com ...

Mysterious Fly Invasion in Pennsylvania

One Lancaster County neighborhood has flies -- swarms of them. "There's always flies, always, not one -- a lot," said homeowner Tracey Little. "It's horrible, absolutely horrible. You can't go out on your deck. You go out to sit in the sun and you're covered with flies," Little said. "If I'm cooking in here and have the door open, that door will literally be covered in flies because of the smell of the food." Some neighbors said they think that a nearby chicken farm could be causing the fly infestation.

Diapers on Donkeys?

Donkey owners in the Kenyan town of Limuru are up in arms over an order from the municipal authorities that their animals must wear nappies (diapers.) But recent press coverage and outrage from the town's residents has led the authorities to put their plans on hold. "If we have to put nappies on our donkeys, soon they will say our cows need them too," one donkey owner said. Limuru's mayor, James Kuria, says: "We must come up with a way to make sure that the droppings are not a nuisance." (via)

The Hickory Horned Devil Caterpillar

U.S.-born panda finds double happiness in China

A U.S.-born giant panda has given birth to twin cubs in a research center in southwest China, state media reported on Tuesday, its third pair of twins so far. Eight-year-old Huamei, whose name means "China America," gave birth to the first cub at Sichuan province's Wolong Nature Reserve early on Monday, Xinhua news agency said. The second, a male weighing 129.8 grams, came three hours later. The first cub's gender and weight have yet to be established, but both the cubs and mother were doing well, Xinhua quoted Li Desheng, vice-director of the reserve's research centre, as saying. The cubs are the third pair delivered by Huamei, who gave birth to twins in 2004 and 2005 since returning to the motherland in February 2004, the agency said. Huamei is the first giant panda to have been born and survived in the western hemisphere since 1990, Xinhua said.

Pair of cats socks it to neighbors

Found: 17 pairs of socks, not all match.

Roger and Catherine Dellor's cats - Cleo and Tony - have been bringing them presents: someone else's socks.

"At first, it was just one or two," said Roger Dellor. "Now, they are arriving every day."

The Los Altos couple thought they could return the socks to the proper laundry basket after making a plea in fliers they put in neighbors' mailboxes.

"Neighbor, are you losing socks?" the flier asked.

No one has stepped forward so far, but the Dellors think they know where at least some of the socks are coming from.

One of their neighbors, for reasons unknown, has a bag of socks in his driveway of the cul-de-sac neighborhood where the Dellors say it is safe to let their cats out.

"I saw a bag of underwear, too," Roger Dellor said. "I just hope the cats don't decide to bring home the underwear."

(via)

Rare red pandas born at Edmonton Zoo

Zookeepers across the continent are celebrating the birth of two extremely rare red pandas at Edmonton's Valley Zoo. The cubs, which were born at 3:26 a.m. Tuesday, are part of a very small population of red pandas in the world. It's estimated that there are fewer than 2,500 red pandas alive in the wild because the animals' natural habitat in China, India and Nepal is being destroyed. Forty red pandas are being raised in zoos. The Valley Zoo has joined an international breeding program in an effort to keep the species alive. Currently, the cubs are being kept away from the parents because the mother, Lala, was over grooming them and causing lacerations.

Meet the original Firefox

The real fire fox in nature is actually called Red Panda, Ailurus fulgens, an endangered species. It is is a mostly herbivorous mammal, slightly larger than a domestic cat (55 cm long). This red panda has semi-retractile claws and, like the Giant Panda, has a "false thumb" which is really an extension of the wrist bone. Thick fur on the soles of the feet offers protection from cold and hides scent glands. The Red Panda is native to the Himalayas in India and Nepal and southern China.

Red Panda Escapes From Zoo Exhibit Again

Virginia Zoo officials on Monday began trimming the landscaping around a new red panda exhibit after the animal escaped for the second time in less than a month. Yin, a 1-year-old that resembles a raccoon with red, white and black fur, was discovered missing from her exhibit Saturday. On June 21, Yin made visitors wait two hours until she emerged from her habitat for her debut only to escape into a nearby tree. "She's just testing every limit that might be in the exhibit," zoo director Greg Bockheim said. After the zoo opened Saturday, zookeepers discovered Yin was missing. They located her near the bison exhibit, then she scampered to a tree near the back of the duck pond. Bockheim climbed about 30 feet up to retrieve her, but Yin scurried down to the zookeepers. She also was found hiding in a tree near the duck pond after she escaped the first time. "She's a character," said Alison Till, the zoo's director of development. How and why she escaped from her habitat, which includes an air-conditioned bamboo hut and logs for climbing, is unclear.

Rare white ravens

Birds of a feather stick together. But helpers at the Weardale Animal Sanctuary in County Durham were still astonished to find these three rare white ravens huddled close in a nearby churchyard. The birds, which have snow-white colouring and blue eyes instead of ravens' usual jet black plumage, were starving to death and showed signs of being attacked by other crows. Sanctuary manager Sally Rowley said the fledglings, named Tic, Tac and Toe, were "skin and bone and were just sitting, not moving". It is thought the trio had been abandoned by their parents. But thanks to a diet of mince and parrot food at their new home, they look to have left their ravenous days behind them.

Ernest Hemingway and Cats

When you hear of Hemingway and Key West, you immediately imagine a yardful of six-toed cats. But Key West was not the only town known for Hemingway cats. In Cuba, Ernest’s hilltop home, Finca Vigia [Lookout Farm], once had fifty-seven cats roaming its grounds. Among the many family letters describing his cats is one written in 1942. Ernest tells Hadley Mowrer that he had not been able to sleep the night before and had recalled a song they had composed for their cat, F. Puss, so many years earlier in Paris. It went like this, "A feather kitty’s talent lies In scratching out the other’s eyes. A feather kitty never dies Oh immortality." According to the letter, the Finca cats enjoyed Papa’s song. Hemingway's Cats: An Illustrated Biography by Carlene Fredericka Brennen, details Hemingway's love for cats. See the book's website. (via)

Bear Rummages In Elderly Woman's Home

Gladys Clark is thinking she ought to get herself a slingshot so she'll be ready the next time a bear comes for breakfast. The 91-year-old Montana woman said she was handy with one when she was a girl. She could have used a slingshot Sunday morning, when a bear got into her log home through an open a sliding glass door. Clark found the bear rummaging through her kitchen cupboards. She said she screamed, "What are you doing in my kitchen? Get out of here." And he did. Clark said in the 50 years she's lived on Rock Creek, she's seen hundreds of black bears -- but never one bold enough to have a look in her cupboards. She said they usually take off when she yells at them.

Creating a Cute Cat Frenzy

Take a picture of a cat doing something cute. Then make up a caption--something witty that the cat would be saying if cats could talk. Bear in mind that cats can't spell all that well and that they're not so hot on subject-verb agreement either. Photoshop the caption onto the image, and post your creation on a blog. What you get is lolcats: lol for laugh out loud, cats for cats. What you also get is the reigning instance of an Internet meme, a running gag that won't stop running but instead reproduces and mutates in the petri dish of the Net's collective imagination. A Google search for lolcats returns 3.3 million results. The website icanhascheezburger.com the definitive lolcats archive, gets 200 to 500 submissions a day. "The breadth of cultures [lolcats] has spread to is mind-boggling," says one of the site's two curators, who prefer to remain anonymous. "We think it has evolved beyond Internet subculture and is hitting the mainstream."

Big Wendy the muscular whippet

People mistake her for a pitbull with a pinhead, but Wendy the whippet is one rare breed. Wendy is a 27-kilogram rippling mass of muscle. Forget the so-called six-pack stomach: Wendy has a 24-pack. And the muscles around her neck are so thick, they look like a lion's ruff. The uber-muscled whippets are called "bullies," not because of their nature -- Wendy likes nothing better than a good back scratch and isn't shy about sitting in your lap to ask for one -- but because of their size. She's about twice the weight of an average whippet, but with the same height and small narrow head -- and the same size heart and lungs, which means she probably won't live as long as normal whippets. (via)

Powerful New Poison found in Deadly Sea Snails

Spies with a penchant for exotic poisons can add a new one to their list – snail venom. For more than 23 years, Professor Baldomero M. Olivera has been studying snail venom. This week, his team at the University of Utah reported their discovery of a completely unique neurotoxin in Conus parius, a mollusk that hunts along the coast in the Philippines. Cone snail venoms are more than an elaborate tool for assassination. In 2004, one of those toxins was approved by the FDA to treat chronic pain. Some day, they may be used to treat a variety of neurological disorders including Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.

Rare Przewalski's horse foal born in Canada

A Przewalski's horse filly has been born at Toronto Zoo, the first such birth in 15 years. Solstice was born on June 22. Przewalski's horses were once declared extinct in the wild, although re-introduction efforts have taken place. At present, the Zoo's herd consists of seven animals, with a total of 150 of these horses in captivity in North America.

Piranha Dental Floss Holder

Kai Dental Floss Holder At first glance, it's a piranha. But look again - it's really a dental floss holder. This Kai Dental Floss Holder is truly at the cutting edge in personal hygiene. The piranha's razor-sharp teeth will dispense the lifeline to your dental health. Available in different colors.

3.9 mil. yen dog house

A model poses with a 3.9 million yen dog house with a Kitty cushion made by Sanrio Co., known as the creator of Hello Kitty characters, in Tokyo on July 6. The dog house, which is decorated with glass crystals, will be sold during a July 24-30 promotion event at Mitsukoshi Ltd.'s flagship department store in Tokyo's Nihombashi district. (via)

Paws Aboard Doggy Life Jackets

Paws Aboard Doggy Life Jackets The Paws Aboard Dog Life Jacket keeps your pet safe in the water. These dog life jackets are constructed of durable non-chafing materials to provide the highest levels of buoyancy and all-day comfort.

Frog Parking Only Sign

Frog Parking Sign Reserve your parking spaces for your favorite Amphibians.

Tiger Triplets at Leipzig Zoo

Two weeks old, they're so cute - words are not needed:

Where's the cat?

Don't be fooled, this is NOT a penguin! (via)

Video: Dancing Otter

An Asian Small Clawed Otter dancing to Outkast's "Hey Ya". (via)

Video: Cute Puppies

The cutest puppies, evah! Music is "Kiss Me" by Sixpence None The Richer.

Video: Rubber Duckie

Vintage Sesame Street - Ernie sings to his beloved duckie.

Reindeer calf joined goat herd

A young and apparently lonesome reindeer took up company with a herd of goats in the Norwegian mountains this week, and then followed them right into their barn when milking time rolled around. Rancher Einar Lie of Norway got quite a surprise when he went into the barn to milk his goats. The wild reindeer apparently comes from a herd in the mountainous area. Lie thinks the calf was separated from his mother and simply attached himself to the herd of goats instead. "He must have survived alone for awhile, and then followed the goats home from their grazing area," Lie said. (via)

Adopt a Husky, Inc.

Adopt A Husky, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization devoted to finding new homes for stray, abused, abandoned, or otherwise homeless Siberian Huskies. Evolving from a small group of caring individuals in September of 1998, the organization has expanded to include Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Michigan, Indiana, Missouri and the Pacific Northwest, placing more than 1,000 Siberian Huskies in loving and permanent homes. Every dog that enters the rescue is spayed/neutered, receives all vaccinations, is microchipped for identification, tested negative for heartworm, and provided with heartworm preventative during the season. Adopt a Husky, Inc. has never refused to accept any dog based on the expense required to bring him back to health. The most costly medical expenses come from car crash victims (broken legs, jaws, pelvises, hips), pregnant mothers, heartworm positive cases, abuse cases (such as one dog set on fire), and puppy-mill shutdowns with severely malnourished, sickly dogs. They average over 75 dogs in foster care at any given time with a continual waiting list. Their foster homes provide the food, toys, treats, and most importantly, the love that these dogs so desperately need. They have no paid employees and exist entirely on private and corporate donations.

Cute Baby Snow Leopards

Ten-week old snow leopards Lanak, left, and Askai hiss to photographers during their first appearance in the Berlin Zoo in Germany. (Photo credit: Markus Schreiber - AP)

Baby dies of salmonella from pet turtle

A three-week-old girl died of salmonella transmitted by a pet turtle, while 22 other people have been infected by the reptiles across the United States since September, health authorities said. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) revealed the incidents in a weekly report dated Friday reminding Americans of the health risks associated with small turtles, whose sale was banned in 1975 because they can infect children. The infant girl was taken to a Florida hospital, where she was in febrile and in septic shock, on February 20. She was given antibiotics but died on March 1.

Giant squid washed up on Tasmania's west coast

Zoologists say it remains a mystery how a 200-kilogram giant squid came to be washed up on Tasmania's west coast. The squid was found by a member of the public on a beach. Zoologists from the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery say the squid's hood and body is more than three metres long and they estimate its full size with tentacles would have been seven metres, with a weight of around 200kg.

Cute Baby Tamarins

(AFP/Frederick Florin)

Borneo Clouded Leopard Classified as New Species

New research reveals the existence of two completely separate species of clouded leopards. In a study comparing differences in clouded leopard coat patterns and coloration throughout the cat's range, researchers concluded that individuals found on the islands of Borneo and Sumatra are markedly different from animals found on the Southeast Asian mainland. These observations have been supported by genetic testing that determined the two populations of clouded leopards are so distinct as to warrant classifying them as different species. Researchers estimate that the two species diverged approximately 1.5 million years ago due to geographical isolation. (Photo credit: Photo: Alain Compost/WWF-Canon)

Baby mammoth find promises breakthrough

The discovery of a baby mammoth preserved in the Russian permafrost gives researchers their best chance yet to build a genetic map of a species extinct since the Ice Age. "It's a lovely little baby mammoth indeed, found in perfect condition," said Alexei Tikhonov, deputy director of the Russian Academy of Science's Zoological Institute, which has been taking care of the mammoth since it was uncovered in May. "This specimen may provide unique material allowing us to ultimately decipher the genetic makeup of the mammoth," he said.

Chinese Villagers Ward Off 2 Billion Mice Overrunning Lake Area

BEIJING — People living in communities surrounding a large shallow lake have been overrun by field mice after floodwaters drove the rodents out of islands on the lake. The mouse invasion began on June 23 when the Yangtze River flooded, raising the water level in central China's Dongting Lake and submerging mouse holes on lake islands, the official Xinhua News Agency said. Now, an estimated 2 billion mice are ravaging crops in 22 counties around the lake, and authorities were rushing to construct walls and ditches to keep the rodents out. Residents have killed more than 2.3 million field mice — or 90 tons of the rodents, Xinhua said.

Chef Under Fire For Serving Half-Dead Fish

A chef in Taiwan is in trouble with animal lovers after reportedly serving a not-quite-dead fish as a gourmet delicacy. A Taiwanese newspaper said the fish dish includes a carp covered with sweet-and-sour sauce, its body deep-fried but its head still twitching. Animal lovers criticize the practice, saying deep-frying will cause a fish extreme pain. The chef said the dish -- known as "yin yang fish" -- is popular in China. Chefs use it to show customers how very fresh their food is. The newspaper said Taiwanese officials will try to persuade the chef to cook something else.

Man Gets Stabbed In Back By Catfish

DESTIN, Fla. -- A cat fight between two Destin friends ended painfully for one man. One man threw a catfish at his 22-year-old friend Monday. The fins went in about three-quarters of an inch and stuck in the unidentified man's back. Lifeguards cut the fish away and the man was taken to a hospital.

Move to cut methane emissions by changing cows' diet

Burping cows and sheep are being targeted by UK scientists to help bring down Britain's soaring levels of greenhouse gas pollution. Experts say the diet of farm animals can be changed to make them produce less methane, a more potent global warming gas than carbon dioxide. Ruminant animals are thought to be responsible for up to a quarter of "man-made" methane emissions worldwide though, contrary to common belief, most gas emerges from their front, not rear, ends.

Key West commission moves to protect Hemingway's famous 6-toed cats

City officials have sided with Ernest Hemingway's former home and its celebrated six-toed felines in its catfight with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The Key West City Commission exempted the home from a city law prohibiting more than four domestic animals per household. About 50 cats live there. The house has been locked in a dispute with the USDA, which claims the museum is an "exhibitor" of cats and needs a special license, a claim the home disputes. The new ordinance, approved Tuesday, reads in part, "The cats reside on the property just as the cats did in the time of Hemingway himself. They are not on exhibition in the manner of circus animals. ... The City Commission finds that family of polydactyl Hemingway cats are indeed animals of historic, social and tourism significance." It also states that the cats are "an integral part of the history and ambiance of the Hemingway House."

Family Outing

from flickr, by iravande

Hardwood Hideaways Dog Crates

Hardwood Hideaways Dog Crates Hardwood Hideaways are designer indoor dog crates that double as fine furniture. Made from solid tropical hardwood and enhanced with a glossy finish, this unique den is a perfect addition to your living room, family room or bedroom. Your dog will love having a safe, private space and you will enjoy the flexibility and style of these beautiful crates.

Dog Tent

Umbra Pet Dog Tent - Collapsible Great for travel, the Umbra Pet Dog Tent is ultra light and comes with a shoulder bag for easy stowing and transporting. Only 3 steps to open and close, using an umbrella mechanism. Convenient and light, it can be used outside for a trip to the beach, camping, a day in the park or inside, even the back of an SUV. It provides an appropriate mix of ventilation and privacy, and excellent sunlight protection. Made with heavy duty nylon. Water resistant. Wear resistent. Available in Small, Medium, or Large.

Dip-A-Dog-A-Bone

Dip-A-Dog-A-Bone Dip-A-Dog-A-Bone is a do-it-yourself dog bone decorating kit. It’s simple! Just heat up the vanilla dipping sauce, dip the bone, and decorate with sprinkles. Your dog will love them! Makes a great gift! Kit includes: 12 pre-baked bones, vanilla dipping sauce, fun-shaped sprinkles, “doggy disc” lid, and instructions

World's largest equestrian bronze

It's big, it's bronze, and it's beautiful. The Texas town of El Paso, a bustling city with a colorful history, is home to the world's largest equestrian bronze figure. The massive statue, which stands nearly 12m tall, is made up of 400 pieces. It consumed nearly 10 tonnes of bronze and requires more than 4.5 tonnes of supporting steel. The sculpture is the work of artist John Houser, called The Equestrian, it portrays Mexican conquistador Don Juan de Onate riding a rearing Andalusian stallion. It has been installed at El Paso's international airport, and was formally dedicated at a ceremony on April 21, 2007.

Baby Doves

from flickr, by corsi photo

Domestic cats have common ancestor

12,000-year-old feline history traced to Middle East Inside the cells of your pet cat lies a history book, a story that stretches back to when humans first settled into civilizations and discovered agriculture. Using DNA from modern house cats, researchers have traced the origin of domestic cats to a specific time and region that coincided with the settlement of humans in the Middle East known as the Fertile Crescent. "The evidence tells us that cats from throughout the entire world have a single common ancestor," said study author Carlos Driscoll. Scientists have long debated whether cats were independently domesticated at several regions and points in time, or whether they were first kept as pets in one civilization before being spread around the world. The identification of a single ancestral species for modern house cats supports the single-origin theory. When this domestication occurred remains cloudy. In 2004, French researchers found the remains of a cat buried with a human who died roughly 9,500 years ago on the island of Cyprus, where there are no native wildcat species. This discovery placed the association between humans and cats much older in history than previously thought. Earlier theories speculated that Egyptians were responsible for cat domestication, roughly 4,000 years ago, based on the animal's appearance in art and tombs of the era. Dating the origin of domestic cats earlier and placing this process in the Middle East suggests that cats played a role in the lives of the first farmers.

Cat returns home after 10 years

Lynx disappeared from her home in Hook, Hampshire, in 1997, and her owner, Patricia Charnet, thought she would never see her pet again. Earlier this week a stray was found in Carterton, Oxfordshire, and handed in to the Blue Cross centre in Burford. A scan showed that the 12-year-old tabby was microchipped and the centre tracked down her owner, who lived 60 miles away. "If only she could talk she would have a story to tell."

Pet hippo becomes a weighty problem

When a newborn baby hippo was washed up by a flood onto the lawn of his riverside home, the game ranger who found the dying animal lovingly nursed her back to health. But what started out as a cute, tubby 35lbs baby is now a boisterous seven-year-old - equivalent to a human 'teenager' - weighing nearly three-quarters of a ton. And like many modern teenagers, Jessica, as she has been named, finds family life too comfortable and just won't leave home. She eats, sleeps, swims and plays with retired game warden Tonie Joubert and wife Shirley at their home in South Africa. She wanders round the house, drinks coffee on the verandah, hangs out with the pet dogs and enjoys Shirley's soothing massages that help her relax at the end of a happy hippo day.

Rare white humpback whale spotted

Record numbers of humpback whales are on their annual migration up Australia's east coast, including the rare white whale Migaloo, scientists say. Migaloo, whose Aboriginal name means "white fella", is believed to be the only completely white humpback whale in the world. The 14-metre whale was spotted off Heron Island, on Queensland's central coast, by resort staff on a fishing trip. (via)

Plastic duck armada heading for Britain

A flotilla of plastic ducks is heading for Britain’s beaches, according to an American oceanographer. For the past 15 years Curtis Ebbesmeyer has been tracking nearly 30,000 plastic bath toys that were released into the Pacific Ocean when a container was washed off a cargo ship. Some of the ducks, known as Friendly Floatees, are expected to reach Britain after a journey of nearly 17,000 miles, having crossed the Arctic Ocean frozen into pack ice, bobbed the length of Greenland and been carried down the eastern seaboard of the United States. Ebbesmeyer said that those that had not been trapped in circulating currents in the North Pacific, crushed by icebergs or blown ashore in Japan are bobbing across the Atlantic on the Gulf Stream. Any beachcomber who finds one of the ducks will be able to claim a $100 (£50) reward from the toys’ American distributor, First Years Inc.

"Vicious" piranhas are really wimps

Rather than aggressive killers, research shows piranhas are omnivorous scavengers, eating mainly fish, plants and insects, Anne Magurran of Scotland's University of St Andrews said. "Previously it was thought piranhas shoaled as it enabled them to form a cooperative hunting group. However, we have found that it is primarily a defensive behaviour," she said. Piranhas face constant attack from predators including river dolphins, caiman -- a relative of the crocodile -- and bigger fish, such as the giant piracucu. "Their cautious behaviour is crucial to avoid being eaten," Magurran said.

Resort workers free frantic bear cub

A baby black bear found itself in a tight spot yesterday when its head got stuck in a plastic jug. Workers at the Mount Washington resort in Bretton Woods raced to the rescue when the little bear came staggering by the golf course about 8:30 a.m., its entire head enveloped in a translucent plastic container. "He couldn't see where he was going, and he was running around in circles, pretty wild," said Dan DeMaio, a security officer at the hotel.

Pig E Bank - Electronic Bank with LCD

Electronic Piggy Bank The Pig E Bank Electronic Bank with LCD teaches children the value of money. Deposit coins and listen to the Pig E Bank tell you the total! This pig is a hungry animal; in his polished silver color he really makes a great appearance. Kids learn about the denomination of coins and the LCD screen keeps track of the total. Pig E Bank loves to talk and he always wants more!

Animal Cocktail Picks

Animal Cocktail Picks (set of 6) Consider these Animal Cocktail Picks for your next party. Each set comes with six cocktail picks with a matching holder. Comes in three different styles. Your guests will be delighted!

3 pigs still have a Lake Forest home

A Chicago-area judge has upheld Estelle Walgreen's right to keep three pigs on her suburban property despite a petition from 300 neighbors about the smell. Walgreen, moved into the house on 2.3 acres of land in Lake Forest, Ill., last year after her divorce from a member of the Walgreens drugstore family, along with two 200-pound teenage pigs named Pinky and Piggy. She has since acquired a 2-year-old pig named Cooper, the Chicago Tribune reported. Tuesday, Circuit Judge Mitchell Hoffman frustrated Walgreen's neighbors and upheld the City Council's decision to allow the pigs to remain until at least 2011 when an ordinance regulating farm animals takes effect.

Golden Piggy Memory Card Reader

Golden Piggy Memory Card Reader USB Golden Piggy T-Flash / Micro SD Card Reader is an ideal way to bridge the gap between your desktop computer and new multi-function cell phones and other portable devices. It is also an ideal solution for hi-speed, bi-directional image and data transfer from T-Flash / Micro SD memory cards to PCs. Convenient and easy to bring your digital images and data with you wherever you go. (via)

Alleviate pig boredom, Dutch ministry tells farmers

Dutch farmers need to do more than just provide a bit of mud and food for their pigs, according to the country's agriculture ministry. The ministry said farmers ought to liven up the hog pen with toys, hay or straw to keep the swine amused and has sent brochures on its new pig policy to farmers. "Without good diversion, pigs can become bored. This can be expressed in behaviour such as tail-biting," the ministry said.

Little Piggy Foot Massager

Little Piggy Foot Massager # Fun pig design with cosy fleece lining. # Massages feet with 2 intensity settings. # Fits any foot size. # Removal lining for washing. # Hand held control panel.

Painting pig in treatment

The cancer returned, but the pig-nosis is good. Richmond's beloved painting pig, Smithfield, was diagnosed with nasal cancer four years ago, treated and -- after surgery and 19 rounds of radiation -- pronounced cured. No pun intended. Smithfield's most recent appearance was June 2 at Pocahontas State Park. "I knew by then," his "mom" said. "I was watching it; I was worried. I could see the lump on his nose, just like last time." Martin took Smithfield to his vet, who referred him back to North Carolina State College of Veterinary Medicine in Raleigh. "They were very encouraging," Martin said. "They said four years [of remission] was a long time. They said his prognosis is very good. He should have two years, maybe four . . . or maybe [the cancer] will never come back."