Baby elephant gets stuck upside down in a ditch... and has to be rescued by a BULLDOZER

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER Trapped: The baby elephant ended up on its back after falling into the ditch A baby elephant who accidentally fell into a ditch and became stuck upside down has been rescued... with the help of an excavator.The male calf, aged four of five years old, stumbled and slided into a ditch in Bokakhat in north-east India's Assam state. He was crossing a tea estate with the rest of his herd at the time of the accident. On all fours: The calf manages to turn over and get uprightThe mother of the calf and several other elephants tried to drag him out of the ditch, but to no avail.After several local residents tried to pull the struggling...

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Swim in the Arctic? I'm hitching a lift: Polar bears develop new tactics to protect their cubs from the chill... and it's all down to global warming

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER Hold on tight: A mother carries her cub as she prepares to swimWhile the idea of global warming may be far from the thoughts of Britons at the moment, it is being blamed for changing the behaviour of polar bears.They have been spotted carrying their cubs on their backs while they swim through icy waters. The phenomenon, which is thought to be new, was discovered while researchers tagged and tracked the animals. It is understood to be the result of the bears having to swim longer distances because of reductions in the Arctic ice in the summer.Conservationists from the WWF charity say that travelling on the mother’s back...

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That's a bit too much crunch in my salad: Woman finds live giant Egyptian grasshopper in her bag of greens

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER Creepy crawly: This giant Egyptian grasshopper was found alive in a bag of supermarket salad A Sussex woman's lunch almost became a Bushtucker Trial this week when she discovered a live giant grasshopper in a salad bag.The likes of Alison Hammond and Kayla Collins got close to some creepy critters during Sunday's episode of I'm A Celebrity... Get me Out Of Here! but an unnamed Brighton woman had a bigger shock after picking up a healthy lunch from a branch of Tesco in Lewes. The unnamed shopper was about to sit down for lunch on the East Sussex coast when she found the three-inch insect alive and well among her bag of leaves....

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Strictly come barking!... or how I taught my mad mutt to ballroom dance (with a little help from Britain's Got Talent's Tina and Chandi)

By ANNE SHOOTER Anne Shooter is trying to teach her dog Rufus to danceFor the past 18 months I have been trying to teach my beloved but rather excitable dog, Rufus, one simple trick: not to jump up all over every person he meets. I know that practice makes perfect. But some days, getting Rufus to sit quietly on his mat, instead of pouncing on every unsuspecting guest, has seemed harder than climbing Everest on a pogo stick. So what am I doing, standing on stage in a freezing church hall in Shropshire, dangling a piece of chicken above Rufus’s nose and pleading with him to jump up on me? For that matter, why am I dressed in a spangly waistcoat...

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These pussycats are NOT afraid of water: Meet the Bengal tigers who just love splashing around

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER Mine! Two tigers fight each other in a pool as Six Flags Discovery Kingdom in California, U.S., as they chase chunks of meatMost cats run away at the first sign of water, but as these purr-fect paddlers show some just love to make a splash.The trio of unusual underwater playmates fight each other underwater as they chase after a chunk of meat at the Six Flags Discovery Kingdom Zoo, near San Francisco. Big cats are known to use water as a way of cooling down but it is rare to see so many striped swimmers enjoying the pool. Cat-fight: The two adult males cause a real splash as they battle against each other in front of hundreds...

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This hotel's a bit of a dive: Abandoned rig that has been converted into scuba paradise

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER Big population: The nutrients of the coral attracts a vast array of exotic sea creatures to the reef beneath the Seaventures resortAn abandoned oil rig had been transformed into the world's first ever scuba diving hotel.The isolated 25-bedroom Seaventures Dive Resort in the Celebes Sea of Malaysia is surrounded by a coral reef which is populated by regal sharks and barracudas, making it ideal for diving. Just to reach the rig at Wisma Sabah, guests must fly to Kuala Lumpur, complete an hour long drive to the coast and then jump on a boat for another hour trip. Well rigged: The Seaventures Dive Resort in Wisma Sabah was...

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Fashionable felines show why they're the cat(walk)'s whiskers

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER Precocious: Bruce is only 11 months old but already has sophisticated tastes in clothing Step aside puss in boots because these models are showing off the latest designer clothing in a new calendar. The amusing pictures show the fashionable felines are more than ready for the catwalk as they proudly display the new winter collection of fashion house, United Bamboo. Designer and creative director of United Bamboo, Miho Aoki got the idea to put together the feline range after discovering his pet kitten, TG, had a penchant for high fashion. Model moggies: Oscar (left) looks the cat's whiskers in a natty white blazer...

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London Zookeeper Laura Childs poses for a picture with a spiney stick insect

London Zookeeper Laura Childs poses for a picture with a spiney stick insect as she takes part in a photocall to promote London Zoo's annual stock take of animals on January 5, 2010. At London Zoo, the animals come two by two -- and sometimes in fours and sixes as well. The zoo's annual 'stocktaking' took place on Tuesday, giving keepers a chance to check on the numbers of everything from stick insects to tigers -- and even a sex-change meerkat.source: Daylife photo: Gettyimages...

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The black-headed spider monkey baby 'Azusa'

The black-headed spider monkey baby 'Azusa' holds a fluffy toy at the zoo in Wuppertal, western Germany on April 1, 2010. The baby was born on October 31, 2009, but was raised by hand after integration problems with the monkey group.source: Daylife photo: Gettyimages...

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Female ring-tailed lemur 'Susen'

Female ring-tailed lemur 'Susen' (R) enjoys fresh food as she carries her twin babies on her back on April 13, 2010 at the zoo in Dresden, eastern Germany. The still nameless lemurs were born on March 17, 2010 at the zoo. Lemurs are endemic to the island of Madagascar.source: Daylifephoto: Gettyimages...

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Komodo dragons eat chickens at Jakarta Ragunan Zoo

Komodo dragons eat chickens at Jakarta Ragunan Zoo on November 28, 2010. The komodo dragon is a vulnerable species found on the International Union for Conservation of Nature's red list, with approximately 4,000 to 5,000 living in the wild. Workers feed komodos at Jakarta Ragunan Zoo on November 28, 2010. The komodo dragon is a vulnerable species found on the International Union for Conservation of Nature's red list, with approximately 4,000 to 5,000 living in the wild.Komodo Dragons gather in enclosure at Ragunan zoo in Jakarta, Indonesia, Sunday, Nov. 28, 2010.Komodo activist Zebby Febrina (R) feeds komodos at Jakarta Ragunan Zoo on November...

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Bizarre beaked toad one of three new species discovered deep in the Colombian jungle

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER Discovery: The new beaked toad species found in Choco, Columbia Discovered deep in the heart of the Colombian jungle, this bizarre-looking beaked toad had never been seen before.Smaller than a human thumbnail, the tiny beaked toad, with deep purple skin and small blue blotches, was among three new species of amphibian discovered by a British-led scientific team. The environmental research team responsible for the discovery were hunting for a 'lost' species of toad not seen since World War One. Tiny: The new beaked toad is no bigger than a human fingernailInstead the researchers unearthed these three creatures - caught...

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The Great Barrier Reef of Norfolk: 20 mile chalk bank found of British coast is world's longest

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER The spectacular chalk reef photographed by diver Rob Spray off the Norfolk coastIt is a mere stone’s throw from the shore and just 25ft under the sea’s surface.But for 300 million years, no one realised that the world’s longest chalk reef lay off the coast of Norfolk.It was only when divers surveyed what they thought was a small rocky plain earlier this year, that they discovered the towering arches of rock and deep chasms actually stretched for more than 20 miles The marine haven has so many species, including sponges, sea slugs and fish, that experts are describing it as ‘Britain’s Great Barrier Reef’.It is one-and-a-half...

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