Born to be barking: St Bernard takes to the road in motorbike sidecar (wearing goggles and a helmet of course)

-Couple buy pet dog a sidecar so he's not left home alone
-He wears a harness so he can't jump out when he is out on the open road

By Daily Mail Reporter


Born to be wild: Harley, a 17-month-old St Bernard dog, is living life in the fast lane after his motorbike-loving owners bought him his own sidecar


A petrolhead pooch is living life in the fast lane after his motorbike-mad owners bought him his own sidecar.

Harley, a 17-month-old St Bernard, even has his own crash hat and 'doggles' to go riding on the side of the family's Honda Gold Wing 1200 at speeds of up to 55mph.

Owners Alan and Tina Valkeith, who are both retired, bought the bike and sidecar because they couldn't bear to leave 12-stone Harley at home when they went out.


Now the thrill-seeking pup accompanies them on two or three outings a week shopping in the nearby city of Peterborough and has even gone for a seaside day trip to Hunstanton in Norfolk.

'We are both keen on motorbiking and didn't want to give up our hobby once we got Harley as one of us would have had to stay at home and look after him,' said Mrs Valkeith, 47, from Turves, near Peterborough, Cambrideshire.

'We didn't like the idea of leaving him at home all day while we went out as he would start to fret.

'So we came up with the idea of buying a sidecar and tried Harley in it up and down our road and amazingly he loved it.

'Now he comes with us wherever we go. As soon as he hears the sound of the engine he races to the garage and if Alan ever goes out on the bike without him he pines at the window.'

Enjoying the ride: Harley out on the open road with owner Alan Valkeith


Mr Valkeith, 62, has always been passionate about biking and has had motorbikes since he was 16.

Mrs Valkeith became bitten by the biking bug when she met her husband and when the couple got married in 2004 they even rode to their wedding on a Harley Davidson.

They bought Harley, who is 6ft tall on his hind legs, when he was eight months old from a family who couldn't cope with the large dog.

Now Mr Valkeith rides the Honda, with his wife on the back and Harley in the sidecar.

The couple have even bought the hound his own doggles - protective sunglasses for dogs - and a crash helmet so he is safe on the road.

'He loves going in the side car but we found the wind was getting in his eyes and they were burning,' she added.


Family day trip: The Valkeiths with their sidecar companion, Harley, in his helmet and protective 'doggles'


'If it continued he could have gone blind so we ordered some special dog goggles from the internet, which has made him much happier.

'We also got him a crash helmet from America, which Alan cut to size, so he can be safe.

'You can actually buy crash helmets for dogs but none of them were big enough for Harley.
'He tried to pull it off to begin with but now he has got used to it.'

Harley is strapped into the sidecar with a harness so he can't leap out while the bike is moving.

'He is very good and will actually sit there all day, he loves it so much,' said Mr Valkeith.

'If he starts to fidget it means he needs the toilet so we have to pull over and stop.

'On long journeys he rests his head on my arm and even falls asleep.

'He attracts a lot of attention from other motorists, who stop and take pictures. Some people try to overtake us so they can get ahead and take a good photo.

'We see lots of people do a double-take because they can't believe there is such a big dog in the sidecar. It's nice because it makes people laugh and smile.

'It's also lovely that we can all go out together.'

But Harley is only a fair weather passenger and the couple can't take him out if it is raining as he doesn't like the rain cover.

'It's a bit of a problem as he hates the rain cover on the car so we can only take him out if the sun is shining, I'm not sure how it's going to work during the winter,' added Mrs Valkeith.


source:dailymail

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Hungry villagers kill hundreds of orangutans for food

By Richard Shears


On the menu: A mother and baby orangutan swinging through the trees in Borneo


Hundreds of orangutans have been killed for food by villagers in Borneo as man and beast struggle for survival, a shock report revealed today.

Almost 700 of the great apes - whose name means man of the forest - have been slaughtered in the rainforests by hungry villagers, while starving animals have moved in the other direction, encroaching onto farmland looking for food.

A survey by a nature group in Indonesia - which shares occupation of Borneo with Malaysia - reveals that 691 orangutans were slaughtered in Kalimatan, Indonesia's larger portion of the island.


Miss Suci Utami Atmoko, a field co-ordinator with The Nature Conservancy, said hunger was the main reason for killing and eating the orang-utans.

'Some residents were desperate and had no other choice but to kill them after spending three days hunting for food,' she said.

Other reasons for killing the great apes included fear of attack, harvesting the meat to make traditional medicine - and to earn money by selling surviving baby orangutans to people who want them as pets.

Under threat: Villagers are killing orangutans for food but the young are often sold as pets

The survey organised by The Nature Conservancy was carried out between April 2008 and September 2009 and involved questioning nearly
7,000 people in 698 villages, although the researches do not specify over what period the animals were killed.

Other groups taking part in the intensive survey included the World Wildlife Fund, the People's Resource and Conservation Foundation Indonesia and the Borneo Orang-utan Survival Foundation.

The conservancy's programme manager, Neil Makinuddin, said 70 per cent of the villagers questioned knew that orangutans were a protected and endangered species when they hunted the animals.

Mr Makinuddin said that government decisions to open land in Borneo for human development had not considered orangutans, leading to the destruction of their habitat.

Emergency: Aid workers prepare to treat an orangutan caught up in illegal land-clearing fires


'We must soon open conservation areas for orang-utans or their population will become extinct,' he told the Jakarta Post.

'The government should punish orangutan killers.'

There are fears that if just one per cent of female orangutans were killed in one year, Kalimantan's great apes would become extinct.

'Uncontrolled killing will soon diminish their population,' said Mr Erik Erik Meijaard, forest director of People and Nature Consulting International.

It is estimated there are about 50,000 orang-utans in Kalimantan, although the number is rapidly decreasing due to loss of habitat, according to the World Wildlife Fund.


Hard to stomach: Orangutans in Borneo are being killed and eaten by villagers hit by food shortages


Deadly trade: Illegal logging in Borneo is a threat to orangutans who are now being hunted for food


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'I've gone to be with Beaky': Ex-marine hangs himself with dog’s lead a day after pet is put down

-Collie was stuffed into suitcase nearby
-'The dog was his life. It was like the son he never had'


By Daily Mail Reporter


Former Royal Marine Stephen Anderson with his beloved Beaky. The 44-year-old lorry driver was grief-stricken after he had the collie put down as it had became too aggressive. His suicide note read 'I've gone to be with Beaky.'

A former Royal Marine hanged himself the day after having his beloved pet dog put down.
Steven Anderson, 44, was overcome with grief after apparently deciding his beloved collie Beaky had become too aggressive, an inquest heard.
The lorry driver was found hanging from a tree suspended by the dog’s lead, with Beaky’s body in a suitcase nearby.
He left a note in his house which read: ‘I have gone to be with Beaky.’

After the inquest, Mr Anderson's adoptive father said: 'The dog was his life. It was like the son he never had.'

After the hearing in Rotherham, Mr Anderson’s adoptive father, Michael Gawthrop, said: ‘The dog was his life. It was like the son he never had.
‘He just felt that as Beaky got older the dog had become more aggressive and he was worried it might attack people.’
Veterinary nurse Liam Johnson said Mr Anderson, who changed his name by deed poll, brought the collie in to be put down. He came with a large suitcase for the dog’s body which he thought was unusual as most pet owners took their animals home in a blanket.
Mr Johnson said he asked the owner why he wanted the dog put down. He said: ‘He told me he was going to Scotland to work and the dog couldn’t be re-homed because it was nasty with kids.
‘He was very upset and was very sincere in explaining the reasons for putting the dog asleep. There was no reason to doubt him.’ Mr Anderson’s former partner, Dawn Daily, a civil servant, said they had been together for seven years but split up in March 2006.
They bought the dog together but Mr Anderson kept Beaky.
The couple stayed friends but drifted apart because of his drinking. In late December 2010, he sent a text message saying he was going to have Beaky put down.
‘I thought this was to get a reaction from me but I ignored it,’ Miss Daily said. He later texted to say the dog had been put down and she replied: ‘I hope you are proud of yourself.’
He texted back: ‘My sorrow is as deep as yours. I’m moving south tomorrow and starting a new life.’ The next day, on January 5, golfer Clifford Slater found Mr Anderson’s body hanging from a tree near the 12th hole at Sitwell Park Golf Club, near Rotherham.
There was a pair of stepladders, a baseball bat and the suitcase containing Beaky nearby.
Papers relating to the visit to the vet’s were found at Mr Anderson’s home in Whiston, Rotherham.
PC James Tongue told the inquest he found the home ‘almost empty’ with no furniture and household items boxed up. Mr Anderson’s bank account had been closed and a note indicated he wanted to donate his body for medical research at Sheffield University.
The coroner recorded a verdict of suicide.


source:dailymail

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Rhino Air: Hold onto your horns! Dangling miles above the earth, the amazing flight which saved a herd of rhinos from certain death

By Emily Miller


Dangling from cords tied to their ankles, 19 hulking animals were transported out of the South African hills inaccessible by road in the country's Eastern Cape.
And these incredible images show exactly how conservationists used a military helicopter to carry the herd of 1,400-kilo rhinos to their new home, away from poachers.
Conservationists put the endangered beasts to sleep and hoisted one at a time for the 15-mile flight.
The big move was orchestrated by World Wildlife Fund experts, who yesterday drove the rhinos 1,000 miles to fresh breeding ground in the northern Limpopo province.

Flying high: Each animal, which weighs at least two tons, spent 20 minutes in the air being flown to safety

Today photographer Michael Raimondo, who captured the spectacular scenes, said each animal spent around 20 minutes in the air.
He said: 'It was quite incredible. These things are so heavy - some of them weigh a couple of tons.
'The main aim was to ensure the rhinos were moved in a way that would not distress them, so they were darted and put to sleep before being lifted.'
Mr Raimondo, director of environmental body Green Renaissance, was among a team of 25 who helped with the painstaking process.
He added: 'We couldn't get trucks to them as they were in a very remote area, so military choppers were needed to bring them out.
'The helicopters had been tried and tested during exercises so we knew they could carry incredibly heavy things.'


Hold onto your horns: Even though the rhinos were fast asleep, they were blindfolded to stop them becoming frightened if they suddenly woke up

Heavy load: The rhino's were darted and put to sleep before being airlifted to a secret location in a bid to increase the number across South Africa

The mammoth cargo included males that were nearly four metres long, and weighed up to 2,000 kilos.
Black rhinos are under threat across Africa, where poachers in safari parks and private reserves kill and maim the beasts for their horns.
New figures published today by the WWF revealed that more of the vulnerable animals have been slaughtered in the first 10 months of this year than during the whole of 2010.
Official statistics show that that 341 rhinos have been lost to poaching this year in South Africa, compared to 333 last year.
This week's herd was the seventh to be transferred to new bushland by WWF, which is attempting to increase the population.
The precise locations were not revealed in an effort to prevent criminals from targeting the animals.
WWF project leader Jacques Flamand helped revive the animals after each helicopter journey, which took place around half a mile above the ground.
He said: 'The operation was difficult due to the number of animals and the long distances involved.


Flight of the Rhino: Black rhinos are under threat across Africa, flying the animals out of danger was the only option for conservationists as their habitat was inaccessible by road

What just happened? One of the rhino's is woken up in his new home by Conservationist Jacques Flamand after taking a 15 miles flight upside down

'But wildlife veterinarians, conservation managers and capture teams worked cooperatively to ensure the success of the translocation. We were united in a common cause.'
The project was the first of its kind in South Africa, but previous trips with elephants in Malawi demonstrated how humane the procedure could be.
Dr Flamand added: 'Previously rhinos were either transported by lorry over very difficult tracks, or airlifted in a net.
'This new procedure is gentler on the darted rhino because it shortens the time it has to be kept asleep with drugs, the respiration is not as compromised as it can be in a net and it avoids the need for travel in a crate over terrible tracks.'
The WWF Black Rhino Range Expansion Project has been running in South Africa for eight years, and seen 120 animals moved.
The operation is one of many conservation attempts to curb the death of the animals, which are classified as 'critically endangered'.
The increase in illegal hunting has been fuelled by a demand for horn in the Far East, where it is ground up and used in traditional medicines.
Earlier this year experts said the substance was being sold on the black market for around POUNDS 35,000 a kilogram - making it more valuable by weight than gold.
A world-first scheme launched in June saw a DNA database of rhino horns set up to crack criminal networks that kill and torture the beasts.
Black and white rhinos are popular sights in South Africa's array of game parks, which are visited by millions of tourists every year, many from Britain.


source:dailymail

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S-s-seeing double: Rare albino snake with two heads bred in Florida

By Ted Thornhill


Rare: This albino milk snake was hatched at a wildlife centre in Florida, much to the staff's surprise


Here’s a snake with a split personality.

The odds of a two-headed, or bicephalic, snake being born are 10,000 to one, but nevertheless, this albino Honduran milk snake was recently hatched in the U.S.

Staff at conservation group Sunshine Serpents in Florida were incubating seven milk snake eggs, but got a huge shock when nine heads emerged, because as well as the two-headed snake, one egg contained twins.

Owner Daniel Parker, a University of Central Florida biologist, said: ‘I did a double take. I couldn’t believe what I was looking at.’


Often, the term albino refers to white colouring, but for snakes, it simply means a lack of dark pigmentation.

Biologist Parker says two-headed snakes have been documented to live as long as 20 years in captivity.

With two brains giving commands to a single body, he says the snake, which isn’t venomous, would have a difficult time surviving in the wild.

Risk: Biologist Daniel Parker says that the snake may have a hard time surviving in the wild


Milk snakes are said by some to suck milk from cows’ udders, but this is a myth. They do however favour living in barns, as they like cool dark environments, which may be the source of the misconception.

Their diet consists of insects, lizards, birds and small mammals.

Another two-headed creature that hit the headlines this year was an African Spurred Tortoise born in Slovakia.

It was given two names Madga (left head) and Lenka – and even had five feet (see picture below).


Food for thought: The milk snake likes to eat insects, small mammals and birds - but this one will want double portions


Double header: Magda (left) and Lenka make up a seven-week-old African Spurred Tortoise discovered in Slovakia


source:dailymail

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Come on in, the water's freezing! Amazing images of polar bears diving into icy pool

By Daily Mail Reporter


I'm coming in! A polar bear dives from a ledge into icy water to play with a friend at a Quebec zoo yesterday


Sometimes there's nothing more refreshing than a nice cooling swim.

This polar bear certainly seems to think so as he dives into icy water to play with a friend at a Quebec zoo.

Two mammals at the St-Felicien Wildlife Zoo enjoyed a swim and a spot of play-fighting yesterday.

Coming up for air: The bear mugs for the camera underwater at the St-Felicien Wildlife Zoo


They even indulged in hamming things up for the camera as they rolled around contentedly in the water.

Canada is home to around 15,000 of the estimated 20,000 polar bears in the world.

Alaska, Russia, Greenland and Norway are the other four countries where polar bears - the world's largest land carnivores - can be found.

They have black skin and transparent hairs which appear white, turning yellow with age.

On land, they can reach up to 25mph (40kph) when sprinting after prey.

Earlier this year, animal researchers were astonished to discover that a polar bear had swam continuously for over nine days, covering 426miles.

The scientists, who were studying bears around the Beaufort Sea, north of Alaska and Canada, claimed this endurance feat could be a result of climate change.


Shaking on down: Canada is home to around 15,000 of the estimated 20,000 polar bears in the world


Two's company: The two polar bears playfully hug each other

Ticklish? The fun and games continue as the mammals enjoy frolicking in the water


Polar bears are known to swim between land and sea ice floes to hunt seals.

But the researchers said that increased sea ice melts push polar bears to swim greater distances, risking their own health and the survival of the species.

In their findings, published in the journal Polar Biology, researchers from the U.S.

Geological Survey reveal the first evidence of long distance swimming by polar bears.

One of the bears they fitted with a tracking collar made an epic journey in search of food between an initial capture in late August and a recapture in late October 2008.

'This bear swam continuously for 232 hours and 687 km and through waters that were 2-6 degrees C,' said research zoologist George M. Durner.

'We are in awe that an animal that spends most of its time on the surface of sea ice could swim constantly for so long in water so cold. It is truly an amazing feat.'

The study found that, in addition, the bear then intermittently swam and walked on the sea ice surface another 1,200miles.

Although bears have been observed in open water, this is the first time one's entire journey has been followed.


Jump around: Polar bears have black skin and transparent hairs which appear white, turning yellow with age


Wet and wild: The bears can reach up to 25mph (40kph) when sprinting after prey


Here's looking at you: The polar bears face off before playtime is finished at the zoo


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'He just got up and walked out': Miracle dog Daniel the beagle up for adoption after surviving gas chamber

By Associated Press


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Beagle: Daniel, who is better known as the 'Miracle Dog', sits still while waiting for a treat in the home of Mark and Jill Pavlik after surviving the gas chamber


The animal-control officer loaded the dogs, one by one, into the death chamber. Four or five were facing their final moments of life as Cody Berry did what he had to do.

'It’s the toughest part of the job,' said Berry, who has spent the last five months working for the Animal Control Department in Florence, Alabama.

Berry turned the key and pressed a button. A light came on, and carbon monoxide seeped into the chamber.


Unnamed and unwanted, the young beagle mix was left anonymously in a drop box outside an Alabama pound. His life was supposed to end in a gas chamber.

Instead, the young stray emerged frightened but unscathed, wagging his tail. Now, he's being hailed as a miracle dog, given the name Daniel after the biblical figure who survived the lion's den.

And he has a fresh start in New Jersey, where a rescue group hopes to find him a good home.

Only three animals have survived the gas chamber at the Animal Control facility in Florence in the past 12 years.

'Maybe God just had a better plan for this one,' said city spokesman Phil Stevenson.


Miracle: Jill Pavlik plays with Daniel moments after arriving home from work. The stray beagle mix cheated death in an Alabama dog pound

New Home: Daniel is being fostered by the Pavlik's while a permanent home is found for him after he walked out unscathed from the carbon monoxide


Daniel's tail never stopped wagging as he stepped off a plane at a New Jersey airport, where he was flown on Wednesday by the nonprofit Eleventh Hour Rescue group and placed with volunteer Jill Pavlik until he can be adopted.

'He's absolutely fabulous,' Ms Pavlik, a hairdresser who works and lives in northern New Jersey, said on Friday.

'He walked in the house like he had always lived there. He's very sweet, happy and outgoing.'

Linda Schiller, the shelter's founder and president, said the facility has already received about 100 applications from people around the country seeking to adopt Daniel.

About half said they weren't interested in adopting another dog if the 20-pound Daniel wasn't available.


Popular: Hundreds of offers have been flooding in to adopt Daniel


'Maybe we'll get a cosmetic surgeon to make all our dogs look like Daniel,' Ms Schiller said jokingly. She added that Daniel, while thin, hadn't shown any residual effects of his ordeal.

No one is sure why Daniel was the lone survivor. 'It may be that his breathing was shallow because of a cold or something,' Mr Stevenson said.

He said the gas chamber is a stainless-steel box roughly the size of a pickup truck bed, and dogs are put into the chamber about seven or eight at a time.

A computer-controlled pump slowly feeds carbon monoxide into the chamber once it's sealed, and an operator presses a button.

Normally, the animals just go 'to sleep slowly. It's like the cases you hear about where people are overcome by carbon monoxide in their home and just never wake up', he said.

On that October 3 day, a new animal control officer placed the stray beagle into the chamber with several other animals and started the machine, Mr Stevenson said.

Variables that could allow a dog to survive such a gassing include the number of animals placed in the chamber, the concentration of carbon monoxide, whether the chamber is airtight or gas is leaking out and the health of the animal, said Julie Morris, senior vice president of community outreach for the ASPCA.

Young, healthy animals have the best chance for survival.

Since carbon monoxide is heavier than air, it sinks, so a tall dog, or one that climbed to the top of a pile, would have a better chance of surviving, she said.

Vinny Grosso, the Florence animal shelter's director, said Daniel showed up in one of the shelter's 'drop box' cages where people can drop off animals anonymously.

'It was an unwanted dog. ... We didn't have a history on him,' he said.

As many as 30 animals a month are put down; Mr Stevenson said Daniel was the third dog he could remember surviving in the last 12 years.

'It's just very, very rare,' Mr Grosso said, adding that the shelter's policy calls for officials to find surviving animals a new home.

He said the shelter is limited by law on how many dogs it can hold and had just taken in 60 in one day.

Because of the huge number, it had to pick some to put down, and strays like Daniel, dropped off with no evidence of an owner, are the first to go.

Mindy Gilbert, Alabama director for the Humane Society of the United States, said Daniel's story explains why the group pushed the Alabama Legislature to ban gas chambers for euthanizing dogs, effective December 31. She said many states still use them.

'They are still considered a humane method in many parts of the country.'

At least 15 states, including New Jersey and New York, have banned carbon monoxide for euthanizing shelter animals.

The ASPCA recommends injections of sodium pentobarbital for euthanizing shelter animals because it is faster, quicker and safer than carbon monoxide.

Ms Pavlik, who was worked with Eleventh Hour Rescue for seven years, said she planned to proceed with the adoption process with an abundance of caution due to the publicity generated by the case.

'We're going to be very careful,' she said. 'He's a dog; he's a lucky dog, but he's a dog. And there are a lot of nutty people out there.'

Mr Grosso said he was pleased to see the reception Daniel got in New Jersey and hopes his story will increase adoptions.

'It was a great ending to a kind of bizarre story,' he said.




source:dailymail

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Now that's a claws encounter... Fearless photographer's amazing close-up image of a bear in the wild

By Graham Smith


Too close for comfort? A Kamchatka brown bear inquisitively prods a handheld camera at the Kronotsky Nature Reserve in Russia


Staring into a camera with a mischievous glint, a bear inquisitively prods the lens with his nose.

But this isn't an image taken by a secured device operated from afar by remote control.

Instead, it was captured by a photographer with nerves of steel brandishing a handheld camera.

The stunning shot was one of several snapped by Igor Gushchin as he chronicled the behaviour of Kamchatka brown bears at the Kronotsky Nature Reserve in Russia.

The expedition caught the animals at the moment red salmon go for spawn, drawing the bears out.

His images also show other photographers getting up close and personal with the bears.

The 52-year-old said: 'All of us there are pretty experienced wildlife photographers - we have learned the behaviour of bears and are strictly guided by safety rules.

'But it's impossible to eliminate the risk of being so close to wild bears, and I wouldn't recommend anyone try and repeat this experience themselves.

In his element: These stunning shots were taken by photographer Igor Gushchin during a recent trip to the national park


'I was expecting to get some shots of the bears fishing into the lakes, but I never thought one would get so close to me as it did.

'The contact between humans and bears is so unusual, it's extremely rare to see.

'But it was such and incredible moment - I will never forget it.'

Mr Gushchin, from Moscow, has been photographing wild animals since 2005.

Bearing down: Mr Gushchin took this photo of another photographer seeking the perfect shot


But he almost never got to take these pictures as the bears in the Kronotsky region recently almost became extinct.

He said: 'About ten years ago, the bears were really rare - almost extinct with the "help" of poachers.

'But thanks to the selflessness of the nature defenders and workers of Kronotsky Nature Reserve the brown bears population was not only preserved but got substantially bigger.

'On the territory of the reserve there is no poaching at all now and the bears are free.'


On the up: Bears in the Kronotsky region recently almost became extinct


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Hop to it: Rabbit showjumping enjoys rise in popularity as a spectator sport

By Gareth Finighan


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Jump to it: A competitor leads her rabbit across the course as spectators look on


Great steeplechase events - in which the sharp intelligence of man and the raw power of beast unite in a sublime spectacle of nerve, aggression and high-speed - have dotted the sporting calendar for centuries.

The Grand National springs to mind as the yearly highlight of the 'sport of kings' in which thoroughbred steeds and their brave jockeys triumph - or fail - over gruelling courses and high-fenced adversity.

And now steeplechase enthusiasts can add another event to the annuals of great sporting occasions.


Run rabbit, run: The rabbits faced a number of different-sized hurdles along the route


Winner's enclosure: Lada Sipova-Krecova of the Czech Republic pets her rabbit after winning the competition

Furry friend: A girl kisses her rabbit after an obstacle course during the rabbit-hopping championships


For organisers in Switzerland have held the first ever European Kanin Hop Championships - in which dozens of rabbits compete to be first across the finish line.

The showjumping bunnies, representing a number of countries across Europe, hopped their way around a course consisting of several small jumps in the town of Wollerau, just south of Zurich.

More than 50 rabbits took part in the event, which attracted hundreds of spectators.

In recent years the 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.


Bushy tailed: Two rabbits clear different hurdles as they race against more than 50 competitors


Happy bunny: One athlete in training before the championships in Switzerland


Flopsy, Mopsy and Cottontail: Another rabbit is put through its paces before Lada Sipova-Krecova and her pet (right) eventually win the day


The Swedish Federation of Rabbit Jumping was established in 1995.

The current rabbit jumping record holders are both Danish.

Yabo holds the Long Jump record with a leap of 10ft, while a rabbit by the name of Tosen completed a High Jump of 3.3ft in 1997.




source:dailymail

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OranGUTan! Sweet tooth Bendot beats the heat by begging ice lolly from zoo visitor

By Jessica Satherley


The king of cool: Bornean orangutan Bendot enjoys an orange ice lolly at Rangunan Zoo in Jakarta, Indonesia


With temperatures reaching up to 32 degrees in Jakarta this week, it was no surprise that this hot and bothered orangutan was trying to find measures to cool down.

The hungry ape, named Bendot, was spotted savouring the icy treat at Rangunan Zoo in Indonesia’s capital.

But the sugary orange ice lolly, which he managed to beg from a zoo visitor, might not have been the best snack for the overweight primate.


The Bornean orangutan’s bulging belly was on clear display as he sat in his grassy enclosure sucking on the snack.

Photographer Tri Saputro managed to snap 25-year-old Bendot as he carefully held the wooden lolly stick and slurped away.

Tri said: "Bendot spotted a zoo visitor walking alongside the enclosure with the ice lolly and started to follow him.

"Eventually the man took sympathy and threw the lolly into the enclosure.


Beating the heat: Temperatures in Jakarta this week are set to reach 32 degrees, and this is how one orangutan decided to cool down

Hefty appetite: The overweight ape's belly was on clear display as he ate the sugary treat in his enclosure


"It landed on the grass and Bendot immediately picked it up and took it to a shady place protected form the sun.

"He appeared in no rush to finish the lolly quickly and enjoyed every lick."

Around 65-90 per cent of an orangutan’s usual diet should consist of fruit, while they also enjoy leaves, bark, insects, honey and bird eggs.

But they are opportunistic foragers, which explains why Bendot enjoyed the unusual sweet when he got his hands on it.

Typical diet: Around 65-90 per cent of an orangutan's usual diet should consist of fruit, while hey also enjoy leaves, bark, insects, honey and bird eggs


Planet of the Apes (and monkeys) exhibition reveals hidden humanity

These expressions of rage, pride and sadness come from the heartfelt portraits of apes in captivity.

The photographs capture the faces of man's closest relatives as zoo exhibits, in a series called ‘Planet of the Apes (and monkeys)'.

From a raging male silverback gorilla, to a relaxed orangutan and an inquisitive chimpanzee, the series reveals the hidden humanity in these noble creatures.


Raging male: A silverback gorilla in a zoo in America's midwest expresses his anger in captivity

Through a glass window: A gorilla is watched through glass by a young boy in a zoo in America's midwest


Photographed over the past 18 months in zoo's across America's midwest, they are the work of 29-year-old photographer Steven Miljavac.

Inspired to rail against the cruelty of some zoo visitors who knock on the glass of the animals enclosures and take the animals existence for granted, Steven, of Omaha, wanted to re-balance man's attitudes to our genetic cousins.


Family ties: A silverleaf monkey and its mother in one of America's zoos is captured by photographer Steven Miljavac


Man's closest relatives: This sad chimp is one of the portraits from the Planet of the Apes (and monkeys) exhibition


source:dailymail

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