Battle of the sexes savannah-style: Moment two lionesses launch extraordinary attack on a threatening male

By Mailonline Reporter Back off: The two lionesses pounce on the visibly shocked lion Two lionesses stalk their male counterpart before launching an extraordinary attack on the stunned lion.The dramatic set of photographs capture in startling detail the moments two females trade blows with the bigger lion. The females were out hunting when they spotted the lion, and fearing he might be competition, they gave a show of force by landing powerful blows.Game ranger Malcolm Bowling captured the images of a lifetime as he instinctively snapped away during the dramatic encounter, which lasted just seconds.. Roar deal: The lion is outnumbered in the rather one-sided battle One of the lionesses had just given birth to a litter of cubs and had hidden them in a den while she went hunting with a fellow...

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No, I'm top cat! Tiger stands up for himself at British zoo

By Katherine Faulkner Standing up for himself: The Siberian tiger shows his rival who's boss at Whipsnade Zoo in BedfordshireWhether you're in the wilds of Siberia or deepest Bedfordshire, there comes a time in every tiger's life when you have to stand up for yourself. And this big cat left its impudent rival in no doubt who's the boss. Rearing up on its hind legs, front paws outstretched, it made a fearsome sight which served to settle an argument-without the need for bloodshed. The clash between two rare Siberian tigers was captured by Edward Grant, from London, on a visit to Whipsnade Zoo. The solitary creatures are fiercely territorial and, as the picture clearly shows, can become aggressive when another animal threatens to encroach on their living space.Only about 450 Siberian tigers...

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'Be kind to wasps, they're the key to the web of life', say conservationists

By Fiona Macrae Unfair reputation: Rather than swatting them, we should 'calmly waft' them away, according to a charityMany see them as a nuisance, but wasps have an unfair reputation say conservationists.Launching a wasp appreciation drive, Buglife insists the insects are the key to the‘web of life’ and rather than swatting them, we should ‘calmly waft’ them away.TV presenter Nick Baker, the charity’s vice president, said: ‘They are great recyclers,pollinators, pest control agents and above all they carry out their services in a vibrant buzz of colour and energy.’ Buglife, which two years ago tried to make us fall in love with spiders, is asking supporters to sign a stop swatting pledge on its website.Dale Harrison, Buglife's outreach officer, said there are hundreds of different types...

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All together now... where's our tea?: The baby swallows whose nest was saved from demolition

By Daily Mail Reporter Singing for their supper: These four baby swallows were saved when a couple about to knock down the derelict out-building spotted the small nest resting on a wooden nogging in the roofThese baby swallows have much to chirp about. Their nest, built in a barn that was about to be demolished, was saved in an elaborate removal operation by the building’s owners. Colin and Susy Varndell covered it in a tea towel, cut away the beam to which it was attached, and then reattached the beam to a part of the barn in Netherbury, Dorset, that was being left. The parents soon found their chicks, which leaves the youngsters nothing to worry about – other than lining up and shouting for supper. The Varndells couldn't afford to delay the work and wait three or four weeks for the fledgling...

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Not so cuddly now: It's claws the psycho squirrel

By Daily Mail Reporter Standing his ground: The grey squirrel makes a lunge for the cameraThe teeth are bared, the claws outstretched. Even his whiskers seem to bristle with animosity.If anyone still thinks grey squirrels are cuddly little critters, here's an image to prove them wrong.The creature had climbed into a supposedly squirrel-proof bird feeder to steal nuts left out for the birds. On guard: The squirrel clings on to the bird feeder - and his horde of nutsBut when he saw what looked like competition approaching, he quickly went into attack mode. These pictures were taken by photographer George Reszeter, 59, at his home in Abingdon, Oxfordshire.He said: 'The feeder was getting low so I went to get some more peanuts. I took my camera, as I regularly do. 'As I approached, the squirrel...

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How 'mutton bustin' (sticking your pre-school child on a 180lb sheep) is taking hold in the U.S.

By Mailonline Reporter A 'mutton bustin' girl clings on for dear life while riding a sheep at the Alameda County Fair in Pleasanton, California. The children must be under the age of six and weigh no more than 60lbHolding on for dear life to their wooly steeds, these wild west kids are getting in on some rodeo action by taking part in America's burgeoning 'Mutton Bustin' scene.Wearing an ice hockey helmet, face guard and a child sized protective vest, any young bronco under the age of six and weighing no more than 60lb can take part. The aim of the game is to hold onto the 180lb Cross Colombian ewes for up to six seconds as they are released from a gate into the 150ft long and 50ft wide run. Most fall off after a second or so, but for those who can ride out the rough and tumble a place awaits...

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How to make a crocodile smile: Swim in a pool full of deadly salties with just a perspex cage for protection

By Mail Online Reporter Definitely no running, ducking bombing or petting in this pool: Face to face with one of the 125 stone monstersTourists to this unusual theme park are sure to get some holiday snaps with a difference.Inspired by the popularity of cage shark-diving, a tourist attraction has opened that allows adrenalin junkies the chance to swim with killer crocodiles.And, as these incredible pictures show, participants can get up close and personal with one of the worlds deadliest creatures. All that separates thrill-seekers from the huge saltwater crocodiles is a five-inch thick perspex box that has, we are assured, undergone 'extensive' safety testing.Fearless participants climb into the clear container - nicknamed the Cage of Death - which is suspended on a monorail track that runs...

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Butterflies soar again: Public count shows decline is reversed

By Fay Schlesinger On the up: The Small Tortoiseshell, which are often attacked by a parasite, are set to flourish againTwo butterflies which have suffered a severe decline have revived to flourish again, the biggest count of its kind has shown.The Small Tortoiseshell came under attack from a parasitic fly which caused numbers to drop by more than 80 per cent.But it made the top ten list of butterflies spotted by members of the public last month The orange Gatekeeper, which has suffered a run of extremely bad years, surprised experts by ranking number three, with 29,000 sightings in the UK – one in six of the total.A rise in city habitats has helped the boom, with people taking greater care to plant window boxes and allow long grass and flowers to grow.The results came from the first Big...

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The Danish craze that has growing numbers of animal lovers hopping on the bandwagon

Jumping for joy: Breeders in Denmark have been 'rabbit hopping' for years and - despite animal cruelty concerns - say the animals are doing what comes naturally and enjoy the challengesIt's quite simple for the human being involved. All they have to do is give a little pep talk to their long-eared athlete, and then hang on to a lead while the rabbit does all the work. Started in Sweden around 1980, the craze really captured the imagination of neighbours Denmark in 1993.From there it has been going from strength to strength, with a rabbit hopping club opening recently in Germany and a number in the U.S. as well.*** Scroll down to see video *** Get 'em while they're young: For owners, breeder and judge Aase Bjerner says the trick is to start training your rabbit at around eight weeks. For spectators,...

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Anything to declare? Shocked airport officials find drugged tiger cub in passenger's suitcase among soft toys

By Mail Foreign Service Drugged: The three-month-old tiger cub was found by airport officials in a woman passenger's suitcase after she checked in at Suvarnabhumi Airport in ThailandAt first glance it looked to airport officials like just another stuffed toy in a suitcase.But on closer inspection, the tiny tiger cub was found to be real and alive but unconscious after it was drugged.Shocked police then arrested the woman owner of the luggage at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Thailand where she was allegedly planning to smuggle the three-month-old animal to Iran. 'We have monitored him closely. As of today, he looks better and can walk a little now.'A DNA test was expected to provide details about its origin, said Chaiyaporn.The woman, identified as Thai national Piyawan Palasarn, 31, faces up to...

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Hoo are you looking at? Owl poses for the cameras

By Katherine Faulkner What a hoot! This short-eared owl plays up for the photographerThey are wary of humans and seldom seen up close. But it seems that for this short-eared owl, the opportunity to pose for the camera was too good to miss. This image was captured by wildlife photographer Mark Trabue, who said: 'They usually stay quite far away from human contact but this one flew right up to me. It was almost like he was showing off. 'He looked straight down the lens and almost seemed to smile.' Mr Trabue added: 'It's one of those uncanny things that will probably never happen to me ever again.' The picture was taken in Indiana in the U.S., but bird lovers in Britain can sometimes catch a glimpse of the owls on coastal wetlands as they migrate from Scandinavia, Russia and Iceland in the...

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Copy cats (and dogs): The quirky new calendar that uses pets to spoof the rich and famous

By Daily Mail Reporter You're Havana laugh: Revolutionary Che GuevaraTheir images are iconic, but surely there's something a little strange about these 20th-century heroes and villains... Taken from a quirky new calendar by design company Takkoda, photos of pets were digitally altered to create spoof poses of the rich and famous. So which lookalikes do you think belong in the doghouse, and which are simply purrfect? The final front ear: Straight out of Star Trek, the Rex generation Your fez looks familiar: A bewhiskered Tommy Cooper Off the wall: Small, yappy, pale faced - it can only be Wacko Jacko A eureka moment: This Einstein needs to discover where the comb is A British bulldog: Winston Churchill Nice! My name-a Borat, my swimsuit-a sexy Audrey Hep-purrn in Breakfast at Tiffany's:...

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Funi the Panda enjoys eating her birthday cake

ADELAIDE, AUSTRALIA - AUGUST 23: Funi the Panda enjoys inspecting her present and birthday cake to celebrate her first Australian birthday at Adelaide Zoo on August 23, 2010 in Adelaide, Australia. Funi, meaning 'Lucky Girl', turns four years old today. Funi, who shares an enclosure with Wang Wang, are the only Giant Pandas in the Southern Hemisphere and the first to live permanently in Australia. ADELAIDE, AUSTRALIA - AUGUST 23: Funi the Panda inspects her birthday cake to celebrate her first Australian birthday at Adelaide Zoo on August 23, 2010 in Adelaide, Australia. Funi, meaning 'Lucky Girl', turns four years old today. Funi, who shares an enclosure with Wang Wang, are the only Giant Pandas in the Southern Hemisphere and the first to live permanently in AustraliaADELAIDE, AUSTRALIA -...

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Giant panda mother Yang Yang holding her newborn cub inside a birth box at Vienna zoo

A still image from a monitoring camera shows giant panda mother holding her newborn cub in her mouth, inside a birth box at Vienna zoo on the day of the cubs birth August 23, 2010. The panda cub, whose sex is not yet detectable, measures some 10 to 12 cm (3.9 to 4.7 in) and weighs about 100 grams, the zoo reported August 24. Picture taken August 23, 2010. Picture rotated 180 degrees. HANDOUT - In this photo taken with a surveillance camera and provided by the Schoenbrunn Zoo, female giant panda Yang Yang holds her newborn cub in an enclosed compound in Vienna, on Monday, Aug. 23, 2010. Yang Yang gave birth to her second cub on the third birthday of her first baby _ called Fu Long _ who has since left for China.HANDOUT - In this photo taken with a surveillance camera and provided by the Schoenbrunn...

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Giant Panda

This file picture taken on August 3, 2010 shows a Chinese zookeeper playing with a giant panda at the Chengdu Panda Base centre in Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan province. The Chengdu Panda Base centre and the WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature) have launched 'Project Panda,' on August 17, and a global search for six people who would spend a month looking after the endangered animals, as part of an awareness and conservation campaign. Zhen Zhen, a three-year-old panda at the San Diego Zoo celebrates her birthday with a cake made of ice and bamboo on Tuesday, Aug. 3, 2010 in San Diego.A giant panda plays at the Research and Conservation Center for the Giant Panda in Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan province, on August 3, 2010. There are only 1,590 remaining pandas in the wild, mostly in...

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Un-bull-ievable! Calf saved from the farmer's shotgun grows into towering 6ft 5in, one-tonne beast

By Daily Mail Reporter Holy cow! Trigger the Friesian, who stands at 6ft 5in tall and weighs over one tonne, is fed by owner's daughter Kim LaytonTrigger the Friesian was only a day old when his farmer aimed his shotgun at him - and because he did not want any more males he intended to kill the baby calf. But neighbour Shaun Layton stepped in, saved his life and now Trigger is 6ft 5in - and still growing! Weighing in at nearly 1.2 tonnes and measuring a staggering 14ft from nose to tail, Trigger is set to move into the record books. Amazingly, the seven-year-old bullock is still growing meaning he could smash through the current British record in a matter of months.When Shaun, a carpet fitter, saved Trigger he had no idea his new black and white friend would grow up to his magnificent size.Trigger's...

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