Schoolboy in hospital after falling into a cave and being attacked by a hibernating bear

By PETER ALLEN

Ski sojourn: The bizarre attack happened in the popular Swedish resort of Funasdalen


A schoolboy skier was recovering in hospital today after being attacked by a bear in one of Europe’s biggest resorts.

The youngster, who has not yet been named, fell into a cave in Funäsdalen, Sweden, while out on the slopes with his friends yesterday.

He landed next to a hibernating bear who immediately woke up and began biting the boy.

‘It was a savage attack,’ said a local police spokesman.

‘The startled bear bit the boy on both legs, and ran his claws down his back.

‘The boy was able to free himself, however, and ran away from the animal. He was rushed to hospital in Ostersund where he was treated for very serious injuries.’

The police spokesman said the bear was later located but was not shot because he was not considered a further threat to civilians.


Ski sojourn: The bizarre attack happened in the popular Swedish resort of Funasdalen


Funasdalen, which is the third largest ski area in Sweden, is becoming increasingly popular with the British.

It is made up of 10 resorts, including Funasdalen itself, and offers more than 24,000 hotel beds.

The resorts are particularly well known for their wildlife, with bears, wolves and lynx all commonplace.

A spokesman for the hospital in Ostersund said the boy was today ‘recovering well’.

source: dailymail

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Getting in a flap: Nesting birds evicted from their home by bully boy starlings

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Starling strike: A black starling shows little mercy as its attempts to steal a pair of flickers' nest


This vicious European Starling is a real-life Angry Bird as it grasps the beak of a colourful Nothern Flicker in a bid to steal its nest.

The pair duelled for several minutes during the treetop tussle after a gang of the black birds swooped in on their unsuspecting speckled foes' new home.

The daring thieves launched themselves at the tree and fought beak and claw until they won the war - forcing the owners to flee.


One starling even pecked at the male flicker's head before grasping its beak with a claw (left) and the birds battled for several minutes until the starlings won the war - forcing the flickers to leave the nest


Photographer Fabiola Forns, 62, was told by a friend that a pair of northern flickers were being 'harassed' by starlings as they tried to establish a nest.

Mrs Forns and her photographer husband Alfred, 63, had the day off work so they drove to the Wakodahatchee Wetlands in Florida, United States - armed with their cameras.



Beak careful: European starlings resemble the Angry Birds as they attack a pair of northern flickers in Florida


A photography teacher, she said: 'The pair of flickers started arranging the nest early in the day and were harassed by a gang of starlings.

'There was a midday break and the flickers continued chipping wood inside the cavity.
'After we were there, we could see a handful of the starlings get close and apparently plotted the moment to hit again.

'Sure enough, the attack came against the male, sometimes being mobbed by more than one starling.'

She explained the fight lasted for several minutes, even inside the cavity, before one out-of-breath flicker surrendered.

'I'm not sure if any bird was critically injured but feathers flew everywhere and they were pecking at each other with fury,' Mrs Forns added.


source: dailymail

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Killed by pollution: Hundreds of pieces of plastic found inside stomach of sea turtle

By FIONA MACRAE

Jagged pieces of plastic can cause fatal internal damage to turtles by perforating organs and causing a blockage in the bowels.


They look like the pieces of a colourful mosaic.

But these shards of plastic were found in the stomach of a young sea turtle that lost its battle against the rising tide of pollution.

Environmental campaigners say the image illustrates the deadly toll that our throwaway culture is having on marine life.

Sea turtles are prone to mistaking plastic bags for jellyfish, one of their favourite foods.

The plastic can block the digestive tract, leading to a slow and agonising death from starvation.

The juvenile green sea turtle that consumed this haul of plastic was found off the coast of Argentina. Adults can grow up to 44ins long.


Harmful: This collection of hundreds of coloured, jagged shards was found in sea turtle's stomach


In the latest issue of the Marine Turtle Newsletter, biologists said up to 75 per cent of green sea turtles examined had eaten plastic debris.

One was found to have swallowed items including four types of balloon, a piece of carpet-like material and two tar balls.

The report’s authors, Colette Wabnitz of the University of British Columbia and Wallace Nichols of the California Academy of Sciences, said: ‘The bodies of almost all marine species, including some of the most vulnerable and wildest species on the planet – animals that make nearly their entire living far from humans – now contain plastic.


source: dailymail

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Knut the polar bear died after suffering epileptic fit, according to medics

By Daily Mail Reporter


Tragic: A post-mortem has revealed that Knut the polar bear died due to a brain problem at a Berlin zoo


Celebrity polar bear Knut died after an epileptic fit, medics have said.

A CAT scan revealed abnormalities in his brain and neurologists said he may have inherited epilepsy from his father Lars, also a sufferer.

Berlin Zoo confirmed the results of a post-mortem pinpointing the condition that took his life aged just four.

Germany's Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Game Animal Research conducted the autopsy on the world's most famous polar bear who died in his enclosure in the zoo last Saturday.


Some 600 visitors saw him suffer what appeared to be epileptic cramps as he basked in the spring sunshine.

Knut was seen to shake as he made his way into the pool with his left leg trailing. He never got out of the water again.

Trauma: In the deeply harrowing film, spectators' whoops turn to screams as the realisation dawns that Knut's convulsions are not one of his usual playful performances


Weaned on the whirr of video recorders and the flash of cameras, his life was marked with the tragedy that stalks so many Hollywood stars.

Rejected at birth, catapulted to fame, left-broken hearted with the death of his surrogate 'dad,' lonely and tormented by three females in his enclosure meant to normalise him, he finally gave up the will to live on Saturday.

It was a full house as Knut the show-bear would have wanted it; a crowd of around 600 to 700 spectators enjoying the beautiful spring sunshine of Berlin as it framed the star attraction in his pen.

Suddenly the script went terribly wrong. Knut convulsed on the rock he was basking on. He was still shaking as he went into the water. Then he was still as the screams of children pierced the air.

Sorely missed: Tributes, poems, flowers and candles are laid at the gate of Berlin Zoo today


A toy Knut in among a floral tribute at the entrance to Berlin Zoo last night


At just four-years-old, he died long before the normal lifespan of between 15 and 20 years for polar bears. But for those who charted his life, it was always going to end in tears.

Animal rights group Peta blamed the zoo for his death, claiming it treated him like a money machine - he made six million pounds for it with merchandising and increased turnover - and that putting him into the open with three female bears who seemed to bite and chase him away overloaded him with stress that killed him.

Others claimed he was a 'psycho bear' who went downhill after his beloved keeper Thomas Doerflein, who raised him by hand, died from a heart attack in 2008. One of his other keepers later claimed he was incapable of happiness once the camera crews and crowds had moved away.

On Sunday, crowds gathered beside his empty compound, laying down red roses and white stuffed polar bears, lighting candles and putting up pictures of Knut with personal messages for him.

His enclosure at the zoo is now a shrine to his memory. He will be stuffed and put on display in a museum, it was announced today.




source:dailymail

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7 month old panda cub Fu Hu

This photo provided by the Schoenbrunn Zoo shows seven month old panda cub Fu Hu exploring the outdoors for the first time in Vienna, Austria. , on Thursday, March 24, 2011. Fu Hu, who was born on Aug. 23, is a sensation because he was conceived naturally. He follows in the footsteps of his older brother, Fu Long, who charmed Austrians before leaving for China in 2009.



This photo provided by the Schoenbrunn Zoo shows seven month old panda cub Fu Hu exploring the outdoors for the first time in Vienna, Austria. , on Thursday, March 24, 2011. Fu Hu, who was born on Aug. 23, is a sensation because he was conceived naturally. He follows in the footsteps of his older brother, Fu Long, who charmed Austrians before leaving for China in 2009.


source: Daylife
photo: AP photo

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Ewe have got to be kidding! The 'puppy' born to a SHEEP

By Daily Mail Reporter


'Miracle': The sheep/dog and the ewe that allegedly gave birth to him in Shaanxi Province, China
His 'sheep dog' even plays like a hound.


Vets say it’s impossible - but to Chinese farmer Liu Naiying his birth is a miracle.

For Mr Liu insists one of his sheep has given birth to a dog

The 'puppy' has wool like a lamb but its mouth, nose, eyes, paws and tail look more like a dog's.


The birth has prompted thousands to flock to his farm in Shaanxi Province to see for themselves.

Mr Liu told how he found the unusual baby animal shortly after it was born in one of his fields.

‘I was herding the sheep, and saw a sheep licking her newborn lamb on the grassland. The lamb was still wet,’ he said.

‘When I went up close to check on the lamb I was shocked because it looked so weird, like a cross between a sheep and a dog.


Strange: The 'puppy' has wool like a lamb but it's mouth, nose, eyes, paws and tail look more like a dog's


‘I was a bit frightened, as I've been raising sheep for 20 years and had never seen such a creature.’

Yue Guozhang, a researcher at Xi'an City Animal Husbandry Technology Centre, said sheep and dogs were different species.

‘It's not possible that a sheep could become pregnant with a puppy,’ he said. ‘It's likely that this is just an abnormal lamb.’


source:dailymail

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Anne's agony: Battered, kicked and stabbed, the desperate plight of Britain's last circus elephant

By Chris Greenwood and Clare Elicott


Merciless: In secretly shot video, a worker swings a vicious kick into the belly of 58-year-old Anne the elephant. Animal Defenders International planted the device because of concerns about how Anne was being treated at Bobby Roberts's Super Circus


With each repeated blow, the pitchfork makes a sickening thwack as it slams into Anne the elephant's hide.

She flinches, at one point even appearing to lose her footing under the weight of a particularly savage strike.

The disturbing images come from a secretly shot video which campaigners say lays bare the cruel reality of her life as Britain's last circus elephant.


It shows Anne enduring the abuse at the hands of her so-called carers while shackled in a dingy barn during the circus's winter break.

As well as being repeatedly hit with the pitchfork by one worker employed to feed and look after her, the 58-year-old elephant also appears to be stabbed in the face with the tool's metal prongs during one attack.

A total of 48 strikes, including kicks to her body and head, were recorded as she was left chained to the spot by her legs.

Campaigners claimed shackling Anne with leg irons is particularly cruel because she suffers arthritis and her movements are already badly hampered.

The graphic attacks were recorded over three-and-a-half weeks by a surveillance camera concealed on a farm in Polebrook, Northamptonshire.

Experts working for the pressure group Animal Defenders International (ADI) planted the device because of concerns about Anne's welfare.

In goes the pitchfork: The weapon is used to beat the animal and even to stab her in the head. The graphic attacks were recorded over three-and-a-half weeks by a surveillance camera concealed on a farm in Polebrook, Northamptonshire during the circus's winter break


They have repeatedly called for circus owner Bobby Roberts to hand over Anne so she can live out her days in a wildlife sanctuary.

But Mr Roberts, whose Super Circus began its latest tour on Thursday, insists the elephant is 'part of the family' and to separate her from the circus would cause her to 'pine away and die'.

The hidden camera also caught the abuse of other animals in the barn, including a camel, miniature ponies and horses held in stables.

Ponies and horses can be seen jumping backwards as they are kicked and slapped by a worker.

On one occasion a man spits in the face of the camel as he pushes a wheelbarrow of straw in front of it.

Anne is the oldest surviving elephant in Europe and is wheeled out in a headdress to pose for photographs with audience members up to twice a day.

And still the torture goes on: Anne, who is shackled despite having arthritis, is battered with a stave in the farm building


Elephants' life expectancy is around 70 years but the arthritis has taken its toll on her ageing body.

Campaigners have claimed her back right leg locks and weight gain has put even more strain on her frame.

The Asian elephant has been travelling with the Bobby Roberts Super Circus since the 1950s when she was bought by Mr Roberts's parents for around £3,000.

At the time she was one of many performing elephants but since then most circuses have stopped using animals.

In 2005, the RSPCA and the Government refused to intervene in her case after claims that she was being kept in appalling conditions.

Her plight then was revealed by our sister paper the Mail on Sunday and angry readers sent more than 1,500 letters to Ben Bradshaw, then Labour's Animal Health and Welfare Minister.

On show: Anne with owner Bobby Roberts, who runs the Super Circus. Anne has been with the circus since she was a baby


However ministry vets reported that Anne was in good health and kept clean and the RSPCA said there was no proof that she was a victim of 'unnecessary suffering'.

The distressing footage from ADI suggests a different story.

It was released as ministers prepare to announce new policies on the treatment of wild animals in circuses.

A consultation found 95 per cent of people said it was unacceptable to use any species of wild animal in a travelling circus.

The Government has since come under pressure to ban the practice but some expect it will unveil a framework for self-regulation instead.

Jan Creamer, who leads ADI, said her organisation has been concerned for Anne's welfare for 'many years'.

She called on police to examine the material with a view to investigating the circus for offences under the Animal Welfare Act.

Ms Creamer said: 'ADI is discussing the potential for legal action with its lawyers and will be in touch with the police.

'Poor Anne has been with the circus for over 50 years since she was a baby, having been caught in the wild and torn from her family.

'Elephants are social and extremely intelligent so this has been a living hell for her. At last we have managed to expose this circus operation for the cruel farce that it is.

'Anne's tragic story symbolises the plight of circus animals and is a shocking indictment of the circus industry at a key time as the Government considers a ban on the use of wild animals in circuses.'

Last night, confronted with the evidence, Bobby Roberts said he would fire the Romanian groom paid £8,000 a year to care for Anne.

'I'm so disgusted and I can't believe this has happened under my nose,' he said.

'We trusted him and we'd check on her every hour or so, but I can't be there 24 hours a day.'

Asked whether he would consider handing over Anne, he said: 'We have talked about sending her to a sanctuary, but the only ones are in America and the journey would kill her.

'If the circumstances were right, I would part from her. But she'd pine, like I would.'

Mr Roberts's wife Moira said: 'It would break his heart to be parted from her.'

Shocking new ADI cruelty exposé shames UK circus industry


source:dailymail

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My REALLY little pony: Einstein, the world's smallest stallion, gets set for first birthday

By Daily Mail Reporter


Little and large: Regular-sized stallion Playboy stoops down for a closer inspection of his tiny cousin, Einstein


He may not be able to compete in the Kentucky Derby, but he is surely as popular as the winner.

And with appearances on Oprah and across the U.S. it has certainly been an eventful first year for Einstein, the world's smallest stallion, as he approaches his birthday.

Standing just 20inches tall, the horse attracted huge media interest when he was born in April last year.


Thousands queued at a farm in Barnstead, New Hampshire for a glimpse of him.

But while human interest was high, he didn't have many friends of his own breed.

Now his quest to find buddies and his life at home with owners Charlie Cantrell and Rachel Wagner in Gilmanton, New Hampshire, will be published in a new a book to celebrate his birthday.

'This has been a remarkable year for us and for Einstein,' said Mr Cantrell, 44, who bought Einstein for their small farm along with his wife Rachel.

'We are both horse enthusiasts and we decided to get ourselves a miniature horse from the renowned breeder Judy Smith at a Miniature Horse Farm in New Hampshire.

Cute: Standing only 20 inches high hasn't stopped Einstein becoming quite a celebrity with appearances on Oprah and across the U.S.


'Einstein is the smallest horse on record ever to survive and when the news got out to the media the level of interest was incredible.

'The average weight of a newborn miniature horse is 18lb. The average height at birth is 21 inches.

Einstein is all the remarkable because he shows no dwarf characteristics and is simply a very small miniature horse.

His mother Finesse stands a relatively tall 32 inches and his dad Painted Feather measures 30 inches.

Little and large: Einstein's stallion friend Playboy towers over him as the pair meet up at home in New Hampshire

Best of friends: Einstein stands alongside Hannah, a St. Bernard he has become buddies with. He also plays with his owner's dog Lilly


'Guinness approached us straight after the original press that surrounded Einstein,' said Mr Cantrell.

'He can't be officially recognised as the smallest stallion until he is four, but we are both relatively sure that he has stopped growing.'

With the press surrounding him, it wasn't long before Einstein did make friends - of all shapes and sizes.

He now spends his time mingling with his giant friend Playboy - a full sized stallion - and messing around with Charlie and Rachel's dog Lilly.

'Playboy is owned by a young lady who lives next to our farm and Einstein sometimes meets him to have a head sniff and a simple hello,' explained Charlie

'You see the adorable thing about Einstein is that he doesn't seem to be too aware of his height at all.

'He approaches Lilly and Playboy just like he was a fully grown stallion. He rears up and huffs and gallops around.

'However, due to his extraordinary size he can't mingle around with other horses because it would be dangerous and he might get trampled underfoot.


Having a ball: Einstein is even smaller than a football but that doesn't stop him using his nose to push the ball around


'So him and Lilly kiss and say hello, he knows a particularly friendly St Bernard at the farm he was born at and we have a couple of Nigerian Dwarf Goats that he spends time with here in New Hampshire.'

Living peacefully in his own pen on his owners land, Einstein's first birthday is something that GP Rachel and Charlie can't wait to share.

'He loves children and they of course love him,' said Charlie.

'They get wide eyed because they have never seen a horse this size before and they want to smother him.

'However, he is so small, so hopefully the book will satisfy everyone's desire to see Einstein and his cute and unusual life.'



source:dailymail

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Fit for porpoise: Poor mite swept a mile inland by tsunami returned to sea

By Daily Mail Reporter


Ryo Taira and Takashi Wagatsuma pull the stricken porpoise from the flooded paddy field a mile inland


Rescuers haver returned a baby porpoise to the sea after it survived in a paddy field for two weeks when it was washed a mile inland by the Japanese tsunami.

The youngster was dumped there by the tsunami which experts now believe was up to 14 metres high when it devastated the east coast of Japan on March 11.

Pet-shop owner Ryo Taira, who has been rescuing animals abandoned after the catastrophe, said: 'A man passing by said he had found the dolphin in the rice paddy and that we had to do something to save it.'

They tried to catch the the youngster in a net, but couldn't so had to resort instead to wading in


Taira, 32, found the porpoise struggling in the shallow seawater and after failing to net it, waded in to the field to cradle the 4ft creature to safety.

'It was pretty weak by then, which was probably the only reason we could catch it,' he said.

He wrapped it in wet towels and drove it back to the sea, where he set it free. He said it appeared to perk up at the sight of the Pacific, he said.

'I don't know if it will live, but it's certainly a lot better than dying in a rice paddy,' Taira told the Asahi Shimbun newspaper.

With great care they prepared the porpose for the trip back to the sea

After suffering from the ordeal of the tsunami, the porpoise's knight in shining armour returned it to the sea two weeks later


Finless porpoises, which lack a dorsal fin, can grow to be about 1.6 meters (about 5 feet) long. They are native to much of coastal Asia.

Sendai, 320 kilometers (200 miles) north of Tokyo, was among many communities that suffered massive damage when the magnitude 9.0 earthquake and tsunami struck, wrecking entire communities.

Dogwood pet shop in Sendai has become a collecting point for strays and pets whose owners have lost their homes in the disaster and are unable to bring the animals with them to shelters.


Raw Video Porpoise Rescued in Japan



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Giant panda Mei Xiang, the National Zoo in Washington

Animal keeper Juan Rodriguez feeds giant panda Mei Xiang apples and pears as an ultrasound is performed on her at the National Zoo in Washington, Thursday, March 24, 2011. "She's looking great," says supervisory veterinarian Jessica Siegal-Willott, "it's too early to say if she's pregnant or pseudo-pregnant but she's progressing normally for both." Mei Xiang was artificially inseminated in January, and is now having weekly ultrasounds to monitor her condition.


Jessica Siegal-Willott, right, supervisory veterinarian, performs an ultrasound on giant panda Mei Xiang, as animal keeper Juan Rodriguez feeds the panda apples and pears at the National Zoo in Washington, Thursday, March 24, 2011.




Jessica Siegal-Willott, right, supervisory veterinarian, performs an ultrasound on giant panda Mei Xiang, as animal keeper Juan Rodriguez feeds the panda apples and pears at the National Zoo in Washington, Thursday, March 24, 2011. "She's looking great," says Siegal-Willott, "it's too early to say if she's pregnant or pseudo-pregnant but she's progressing normally for both." Mei Xiang was artificially inseminated in January, and is now having weekly ultrasounds to monitor her condition.

source: Daylife
photo: AP photo

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Snake from the Miami Metro Zoo during the Sony Ericsson Open

KEY BISCAYNE, FL - MARCH 24: Tzvetana Pironkova of Bulgaria holds a snake from the Miami Metro Zoo during the Sony Ericsson Open at Crandon Park Tennis Center on March 24, 2011 in Key Biscayne, Florida.



KEY BISCAYNE, FL - MARCH 24: Tzvetana Pironkova of Bulgaria holds a snake from the Miami Metro Zoo during the Sony Ericsson Open at Crandon Park Tennis Center on March 24, 2011 in Key Biscayne, Florida.



KEY BISCAYNE, FL - MARCH 24: Juan Ignacio Chela of Argentina holds a snake from the Miami Metro Zoo during the Sony Ericsson Open at Crandon Park Tennis Center on March 24, 2011 in Key Biscayne, Florida.



KEY BISCAYNE, FL - MARCH 24: Jarmila Groth of Australia and Juan Ignacio Chela of Argentina hold a snake from the Miami Metro Zoo during the Sony Ericsson Open at Crandon Park Tennis Center on March 24, 2011 in Key Biscayne, Florida.

source: daylife
photo: Gettyimages

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Two new zoo-perstars take a bow and help to ease the pain after Knut's sudden death

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Polar bear cubs Gregor and Aleut make their first appearance at Nuremberg Zoo today


Their timing was perfect as these cute new zoo-perstars celebrated their first outing in front of an adoring public still in mourning following the death of the world's favourite polar bear Knut.

Polar bear cubs Gregor and Aleut, now four months old, took an Arctic roll watched by mum Vera as they met their fans for the first time at Nuremberg Zoo in Germany - exactly four years after Knut made his public debut in Berlin.


Gregor and Aleut make a playful debut with their mother Vera in the zoo's specially cooled Arctic pond


Their appearance came just a week after four-year-old bear Knut died suddenly. Doctors have since determined that brain damage may have been a contributing factor.

Today, Gregor and Aleut couldn't wait to chill out in the zoo's pond especially cooled to create an Arctic Circle environment.

They stayed outside for three hours as people watched them play and swim.


The polar bear family stayed outside for three hours as people watched them play and swim


The cubs, born in early December, already tip the scales at 45 lbs - and will one day get close to three quarters of a ton.

Keeper Petra Fritz said: 'Vera is taking to motherhood very well and the cubs are in excellent health. They are are just like her - bold and adventurous. They are just so sweet.'



Flashback to March 23, 2007, when Knut made his first public appearance at Berlin Zoo


source: dailymail

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Squeak, squeak! The cheetah cub reared by hand that sounds like a little bird

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Cuddly: The cheetah being reared at Busch Gardens animal theme park in Florida


It looks like a cute baby cheetah, but it sounds like a bird.

The cuddly five-week old cub has yet to find his growl and squeaks when it wants food which it gulps down at Florida's Busch Gardens theme park in Tampa.

It will grow up to be the fastest cat in the world, but for now it needs round-the-clock care.

Experts are hand rearing the animal because its mother wasn't able to care for him at Jacksonville Zoo.

Soon after birth, the still-unnamed cheetah lost weight as its mother couldn't produce milk, so zoo officials sent him to Tampa for some tender loving care.


Curious and hungry: The cheetah cub is being cared for round-the clock care by animal experts


Now, at just over two pounds - the weight of two bags of sugar - the cub is becoming stronger everyday.

The animal has already melted hearts at the theme park and once the baby is strong and old enough, he will join a group of cheetahs in a new habitat that will soon open at the park which brings guests face to face with the cats.

The cub is also likely to be part of a cheetah breeding program which is aimed at boosting the population of these critically-endangered animals.

There are estimated 12,400 cheetahs living in the wild. Cheetah Run is an area of the park specifically set up for the cheetah with a 250ft run for the fast cats to run free on.


Raw Video: Baby Cheetah Squeaks, Scrambles



source: dailymail

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Village divided in row over bird-lover who feeds flock of 250 swans

By Daily Mail Reporter


Row: Alex Smith feeds 250 wild swans every day - but the locals are kicking up a stink


A women who has fed Britain's largest herd of swans every day for the past 20 years has caused locals to kick up a stink.

Alex Smith daily visits the River Stour in the picturesque village of Mistley, Essex, with bags of grain to feed the wild swans - but locals are disgusted at their mess.

And Mrs Smith claims she has become a hate figure in the village for feeding the swans, whose dropping - they argue - are ruining the idyllic river scene.


The row has divided the pretty village and Mrs Smith claims she suffers daily abuse and taunts - but has vowed to carry on feeding the swans claiming they are reliant on her visits and would simply starve to death if she stopped.

She said: 'There have been swans here for hundreds of years but there used to be many thousands.

'And whilst the swans are not endangered yet, they will could soon be as they are large birds and need a lot of feed.'

Villagers claim the large number of birds are damaging the riverside greensward with their mess and are a danger because they wander into the nearby road.

The iconic birds feature on the village sign and in the local rugby clubs crest and attract a tourists to the area.

But not all villagers are so please to see large flocks of birds on the riverside.
Mistley resident Angela Kilmartin said: 'Feeling in the village is running very high against the despoliation of a known beauty spot.

'This is not a designated swan centre, it is a public highway, footpath, beach and greensward, and people passing by in cars and on foot need to take great care to avoid damage to themselves or any of the swans, because numbers are now so great and the swans are dirty and not easily seen.'

Bird lover: Mrs Smith claims she is verbally abused while feeding near Mistley, Essex


Row: The argument in Witham, Essex, has flared up - even though swans are part of the village


She called for people who 'overfeed' the swans to be slapped with Asbos.

Richard Ling, clerk to Mistley Parish Council, said the greensward was 'virtually impossible to walk on' because of the swan mess.

He said: 'I hope it doesn't come down to an Asbo but it is one of the options we will have to consider.'

Mrs Smith, who set up her own charity called Swan Watch, was taken to court for civil proceedings in 2008 but was cleared by a judge of overfeeding.

Despite her court victory the bird lover said she still faces daily abuse and snide comments from villagers but has vowed to continue feeding the regal flock.

She said: 'People say quite abusive things - I was out shopping the other day and someone said something quite derogatory that I could not repeat. But it is ignorance really.

'If I reacted to everything that is said, I would not have the energy to carry on - yes sometimes the going is a bit tough - and then there are the nasty comments.

'It is just ridiculous at times - when they were talking about the ASBO - but I just carry on and do it for the swans.

'If you stick your head above the parapet for anything you are shot down but I know that I have a lot of support out there as well.

'You have to accept that it is not going to please everybody but there is an undercurrent that does not go away.

'What really drives me is that the swans could be endangered one day or even extinct but I would like them to be here for the people to enjoy for the generations to come.

'They are hugely good for Mistley's economy at a time when we are losing a lot of small shops - the swans are a tourist attraction and people come here to see them.'

Last year the village was rocked when eight swans had their necks broken and a cygnet was decapitated in a horror attack.

The culprits were never caught and even those opposed to the swan numbers in the village were outraged by the cruel act.


source:dailymail

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Horse power: Skateboarders pulled along by horses in latest extreme sport craze

By Daily Mail Reporter


Horse play: Daniel Fowler-Prime shows of his adrenaline sport, horse boarding, which is rapidly taking off


Thrill seekers are competing in Britain's latest extreme sports craze of 'horse boarding' - where participants are towed behind a horse at 35mph on an off-road skateboard.

Professional stuntman Daniel Fowler-Prime, 31, invented the sport five years ago after he strung a rope between his off-road 'mountain board' and a horse.

Now he has developed the daredevil stunt into a fully fledged sport and is looking forward to hosting the UK's first ever horse boarding championships this summer.


Adrenaline junkies stand on a mountain board while gripping a rope and attempt to maintain their balance as the horse is spurred into a gallop by its rider.

The rush of acceleration provides the greatest thrill, with riders reaching speeds of 35 miles per hour in just five horse strides.

Mr Fowler-Prime, who grew up in Bude, Cornwall, revealed that he came up with the idea while messing around on a farm with friends.

And, with the sport gaining more popularity, he has now opened the National Horse Boarding Training Centre in Seisdon, near Wolverhampton.

He said: 'This is a fast, adrenalin-fuelled equine team sport and it is growing rapidly.

'There's a raw surge of natural power you wouldn't get from any other sport, and the acceleration is explosive.

'A lot of skill is involved and the horse rider and boarder have to work together because if they don't the boarder goes flying.

'We have people from all over the country coming to the training ground to try it. It's very accessible for people of all abilities, you only need a bit of space and a lot of guts.

'But you have to be prepared to take a few knocks because falling off has been compared by one board rider to getting out of a car at 30mph.'

Popular: The sport, invented five years ago, relies on the relationship and clear communication between the horse rider and the boarder

Mr Fowler-Prime works as a professional stunt horse rider and has appeared in films such as the Da Vinci Code, Kingdom of Heaven and Vanity Fair.

He invented his new sport in 2006 after he visited a friend's farm in Devon and they experimented with towing mountain boards behind cars and horses.

Mr Fowler-Prime, founder of the Extreme Horse Riding Association, has also experimented with horse surfing, where a horse rider drags a person on a surf board.

After interest in horse boarding grew rapidly he organised the National Horse Boarding Championships, which will be held over five events this summer.

In the competition two teams of one horse, one horse rider and one board rider, will race over an 100m course.

The board riders wear protective pressure suits and must communicate with the horse rider to control speed and acceleration.

Mr Fowler-Prime added: 'I have always been a skate boarder, and later a surfer, and working in the field with horses it was just a matter of time before I put the two together.

'For me it beats being dragged by a car because horses can be unpredictable and they get excited when they know they'll get to run.

'Horses generally take to it very easily and normally it only takes a couple of hours to get them used to it.

'It's the first new equine sport for a long while and in our show we have added ramp jumps over four metre gaps. It takes horse riding to another level.

'It attracts both boarders and horse riders, mainly aged from early teens to adult.'



source:dailymail

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