What a dumbo! Baby elephant cools off in reservoir tank... and has to be rescued by army digger

By LEE MORAN Refreshing: The young elephant had been crossing the army quarters with his herd in west Bengal when he became stuck in a reservoir water tank This young elephant's plan to escape the heat and take a refreshing dip in an Indian army reservoir tank went awry when he was unable to get out. After splashing about for a while he found himself being approached by soldiers on a digger. But luckily for him they were coming to his rescue - and proceeded to smash the tank's wall so he could make an easier exit. He soon became stuck and found himself being approached by Indian army soldiers on a digger He had been crossing the...

Read more »

Give us a cuddle: Furry friends enjoy a team hug after hard day's lazing around

By STEPHANIE DARRALL Bear hug: Koalas snuggle up to each other at the Lone Pine Conservation Park in Queensland, Australia. Koalas are endangered due to a decline in their natural habitat Holding tightly on to each other's thick soft fur, these adorable Koala bears look perfectly posed for a family photo. The marsupials were spotted cuddling up together at the Lone Pine Conservation Park in Queensland, Australia. Koalas usually sleep for up to 16 hours a day in trees, and only come down for food, so it was a lucky chance that this heartwarming scene was caught on camera. They live on eucalyptus leaves and have become endangered due to...

Read more »

The mini moos: Tiny breed of cows that grow to just two-and-a-half feet tall

By STEPHANIE DARRALL Holy cow: These tiny animals are regarded as sacred cattle in their native Sri Lanka These tiny creatures look like new born calves but they are actually fully grown cows standing just 36 inches tall. Owner Jay Brittain's new additions to her Small Breeds Farm Park near Kington, Herefordshire, are Zebus cows - and are the smallest cows in the world. The breed, which are regarded as sacred cattle in native Sri Lanka, were saved from the brink of extinction five years ago. Fully grown: These minature cows Charlie (left) and Mary. have just arrived in Britain are the smallest cattle in the world Their numbers plummeted...

Read more »

Reunited! Puppy stolen by thieves on a motorbike is handed back to his happy owners

By EMILY ALLEN and CLAIRE ELLICOTT Reunited: Alfie the Charles spaniel is now back home with 16-year-old Ashleigh Parsons and her parents Pauline and Ian After Alfie the puppy was snatched by two thieves on a motorbike, his devastated owners feared they would never see him again. But the 16-week-old Cavalier King Charles spaniel is safely back in his own basket thanks to a kindly couple who saw Ian and Pauline Parsons’ appeal in the media. The £450 pedigree puppy was seized from his playpen outside his owners’ family business in West Bromwich last Thursday. Happy to be home: Alfie bounds around the garden with his family after opportunist...

Read more »

Meet the family of 24 (That’s 2 adults, 2 children and TWENTY pampered raccoons)

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER We are family: Michelle and Sean Rhodes share their Portsmouth home with 20 pampered raccoons. The fury creatures have the run of the house and are regarded in the same way as the couple's two children A family outing usually involves a bit of organisation. But for Michelle and Sean Rhodes, any activity is something of an adventure. With two children and 20 raccoons to consider, life is no simple challenge. But according to the couple, the loveable creatures feel left out unless they are allowed to tag along. Day out: The raccoons apparently feel left out if they are not allowed to tag along on family outings And...

Read more »

Swimmer torn to pieces in tiger shark feeding frenzy off Australian 'paradise island'

By Richard Shears Fatal attack: A tiger shark, like the ones which attacked an killed an Australian swimmer off Fantome Island, Queensland A holidaymaker has been torn apart in a feeding frenzy by a shoal of tiger sharks off a 'paradise island' in Australia. The Melbourne man, known to his friends as Rooster, had set out with three others to retrieve a small boat that had broken free of its anchor off Fantome Island, lying 40 miles north east of the Queensland city of Townsville. He failed to return from the evening swim to pick up the boat and his friends found his body the following morning. Allan Jefferson, of Queensland's Emergency...

Read more »

Great White sharks are already here and UK waters are an ideal hunting ground, claims expert

Shark Trust president Richard Peirce: 'Conditions here mirror those in parts of South Africa, Australia and northern California' By Stephanie Darrall British waters are an ideal hunting ground for great white sharks, who are already 'occasional vagrant visitors', claims a shark expert. President of the Shark Trust Richard Peirce said that it is only a matter of time until his theory that the predators visit British shores is verified. Mr Peirce believes he almost proved the presence of a great white in the UK with a photograph of a shark caught off the north-east coast of Scotland. He said: 'I sent the photo to some of the world's leading...

Read more »

Emergency haircut for sheepdog Floyd sees him lose TWO STONE of matted hair

By Emily Allen Neglect: Emma Midgley with Floyd, the Old English Sheepdog, when he arrived at an animal charity after suffering severe neglect. He struggled to see, hear and go to the toilet A rescued dog can finally see again after he was so severely neglected he became trapped in a filthy ball of his own matted hair - weighing two stone. Floyd, an Old English Sheepdog, was picked up by an animal charity after he was bundled out of a van and left tied up with a piece of string on the street. His dirty hair was so long and matted that he struggled to see, hear or go to the toilet and his claw-like nails made it painful for him to walk. But...

Read more »

The bear who dared: Awesome polar animal descends 300ft cliff in a bid to scavenge eggs from some VERY surprised birds

By Julian Gavaghan -Previously undocumented scene stunned tourists as they watched bear scramble and slip down Russian precipice -It is believed hungry bears are being attracted to more dangerous terrain because usual icy hunting spots are melting Watch the birdie: A hungry polar bear inching down a 300ft cliff face in a desperate search for food on in Novaya Zemlya, Russia For birds nesting on a precarious cliff, the last visitor they might expect to see would be a hulking polar bear clambering down to join them. Yet this bulky beast somehow managed to descend a craggy precipice in Russia’s remote Arctic archipelago of Novaya Zemlya. The...

Read more »

Reunited! Couple handed back 16-week-old puppy stolen by motorbike thieves

By Emily Allen Puppy love: Pauline and Ian Parsons with daughter Ashleigh Parsons 16, re-united with their puppy Alfie The delighted owners of a 16-week-old puppy that was snatched by opportunistic motorcycle thieves have been reunited with their pet. Tiny spaniel Alfie was taken by a pair of thieves in a bank raid-style operation last week and was captured on CCTV. Despite frantic efforts by his owners, Pauline and Ian Parsons, both 45, to find him, it was only after their story hit the headlines on Mail Online that Alfie's new owners got in touch. The puppy was returned by a couple who bought him just hours after he was snatched from...

Read more »

I'm just a shy guy! Timid chipmunk who tried to hide from the camera

By Daily Mail Reporter This chipmunk wanted to see no camera, hear no camera - then a giant flash bulb drove him NUTS. The tiny rodent settled on a comfy stump before being startled by a photographer in a garden in Delaware, Ohio, United States. The Eastern Chipmunk was right at home in the garden of Mark Hardymon, 45, who caught his hilarious expressions on film. Camera shy: This chipmunk covered up for his close up by Ohio-based photographer Mark Hardymon A keen photographer, he tempts birds and other wildlife to the garden with seeds, the cute little thing's favourite food. Mr Hardymon, who builds custom houses for a living, made his...

Read more »

We're going to need some bigger chips to go with that! Angler reels in giant 185lb catfish by himself after friends head to the bar

By Hugo Gye Fishing fan John Whittaker was delighted to reel in a 13-stone catfish on an angling holiday. But he had no witnesses - because his friends had already given up for the day and headed off for a drink. John, 45, from Stockport in Greater Manchester, had headed to the River Ebro in Spain with two pals to try and land one of the area's giant fish. Whopper: John Whittaker landed this huge catfish on a fishing holiday in Spain So he was over the moon to catch the 185lb whopper - but disappointed that his friends Dave Watkins and Nick Duffield had already called it a day and gone to the pub. Luckily, angling guide Gary Sheridan...

Read more »

Dognapped: Motorbike thieves caught on camera grabbing a 16-week-old puppy from under owners' noses

By Stephanie Darrall Stolen: Alfie was snatched in front of his owners by two men on a motorbike Cruel thieves were caught on CCTV as they snatched a 16-week-old puppy while its owners who were standing just 10ft away before making off on a motorbike. The footage shows adorable spaniel Alfie gazing in to the camera lens as he is wedged between the two men in bike helmets Owners Pauline and Ian Parsons, both 45, and their daughters Ashleigh, 18, and Jordanne, 16 from Brierley Hill, West Midlands, said they were 'heartbroken' by the loss of their beloved pet. Mrs Parsons said: 'It happened just ten feet from where we were standing. 'One...

Read more »