Napcatcher rather than ratcatcher: Larry the Downing Street cat shows 'no interest' in going after the rodents

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER Napcatcher: Photographers had to wait 45 minutes to meet the new recruit when he arrived - because he was asleepLarry the Downing Street cat may have been brought in to catch the rats but he has spent his days curled up asleep, it has been claimed.The tabby was expected to go chasing after the rodents who have been seen scuttling down the street during television reports - but he's shown no interest in going after them.Within hours of arriving at No 10 he had courted controversy by taking a swipe at ITV News reporter Lucy Manning when they tried to get him to pose for an item. And he kept waiting reporters and photographers waiting for 45 when he was unveiled as the new pet because he was asleep.The cat has also apparently covered the Prime Minister's suits with fur...

Read more »

Foster mutt: Rottweiler plays mother to orphaned bunnies, birds... and even kittens

By JAMES TOZER Dave the rottweiler has helped bring up four ducks, three geese, five rabbits, 13 kittens and five puppies - plus countless new-born chicksYou probably wouldn’t pick a ten-stone rottweiler to nursemaid orphaned bunnies and birds. But even kittens are in no danger from Dave the Dog. All he wants to do is look after them.Owner Amanda Collins discovered her six-year-old pet’s maternal nature when she brought home an unwanted French giant rabbit.‘Dave just walked over to him and started licking him to clean him,’ said the 25-year-old, who runs a pet shop in Blackpool. ‘They bonded straight away. Now they sleep together, and I’ve even seen them sharing each other’s food.’Miss Collins, who has looked after a menagerie of abandoned animals, soon found this wasn’t a one-off.'When I...

Read more »

'Now wonder he felt a little ruff': Metal detector finds 100-year-old diamond ring inside puppy

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER Hungry hound: The puppy named Barney was taken to the vet for an X-ray, which showed the ring passing through his body When a distressed woman couldn’t find her diamond ring, she decided to scan her puppy with a metal detector and discovered the pooch had swallowed it.Karen Woolley, from Thrumpton, Nottinghamshire, panicked when she noticed the priceless family heirloom had gone missing from behind her bedside table. Karen, 40, and husband Steve, hunted high and low for the diamond-encrusted ring - before suspicion fell on their three-month-old puppy, Barney.Quick-thinking Karen whipped out a metal detector - and was stunned when her hungry hound started to beep. Bed and Breakfast owner Karen said: 'It's a bit of an odd thing to use a metal detector for - and I didn't...

Read more »

Getting to the core of the problem: Playful orangutan crams SEVEN apples into his mouth for a mid-morning snack

By RICHARD HARTLEY-PARKINSON Hungry: An orangutan at Moscow Zoo manages to get SEVEN apples into its mouth at the same time This orangutan at Moscow zoo gets to the core of his hunger problem as he chomps down on not one, not two, but seven apples all at once.The content primate was photographed by martial arts teacher, Olga Dmitrieva, 51, on an outing to the zoo.He playfully tossed one of the apples in the air before sitting happily and shoving in as many as he could. Olga said: 'Sometimes the orangutans use apples like balls. This one crammed his mouth full - he seemed to do it for fun.' Juggling: The orangutan plays with an apple before greedily devouring as many as it can at once Staring: It seems transfixed on something in the distance as it chews another apple a bit more politelysource:...

Read more »

A little fishy: World's smallest aquarium creates a (tiny) splash

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER Small fry: The tiny fish tank was made by a Russian artist who specialises in miniaturesHere is the perfect home for small fry: the world's smallest aquarium.Created by Russian artist Anatoly Konenko, who specialises in miniatures, the tiny tank is made of glass, contains tiny stones and plants and is home to a group of tiny fish.It is just 30mm wide, 24mm high and 14 mm deep - enough to hold just 10ml of water, or about two tablespoons' worth. The water has to be applied using a syringe so as not to disturb the landscape the Siberia-artist lovingly created.Konenko, who calls his art 'micro-miniatures', even made a minuscule fishing net which he used to place the fish, baby Danios.The adults are usually a favourite with more normal sized tanks but the tiny fish look...

Read more »

I've lost my psychic, life-saving dog: Pregnant mother-to-be distraught at losing pet who senses when she will have a fit

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER Remarkable: Max has not had any formal training but can predict when Andree Trotter is going to have a fit A pregnant mother-to-be has lost her 'superdog' which can predict when she is about to have an epileptic fit.Andree Trotter's missing greyhound-Weimaraner cross Max rushes to her side when she is about to have a seizure and she gets into a safe position.The remarkable animal has not been specially trained to help her - although he was a rescue dog. The 31-year-old is due to give birth to her first child in two months time and is scared of hurting herself and her unborn baby without the dog at her side. Miss Trotter, from Oxted, Surrey, has up to five seizures a week when her condition is at its worst - and does not know when they are about to happen.The dog disappeared...

Read more »

Out of my way, don't you know this is a trunk road? Angry elephant rams car into ditch

By JOHN MCDONNELL Road hog: Five-tonne elephant tries to barge car off road in South African safari parkWhen an elderly man booked a safari adventure of a lifetime to South Africa he knew he'd been in for a trip he'd never forget.But little did he know that he'd end up getting involved in a physical encounter with an aggressive elephant.Irishman John Somers took a friend for a relaxing holiday to the Pilansberg Game Reserve in Johannesburg to celebrate his 66th birthday. But as the wildlife enthusiasts drove along a dusty road they found themselves in the path of a five-tonne bull elephant, who charged towards them.At first the massive mammal, named Amarula, went trunk-to-trunk with the grey car, before resting his weight right down on top of it.The boystrous elephant then flipped the vehicle...

Read more »

If you need to come to Britain, you might as well do it in style: Illegal immigrants caught hiding in Rolls Royce body shells

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER Sniffer dog Jake, a four year old labrador helped make the discovery at the Calais port Illegal immigrants tried to smuggle themselves into the country by hiding in the body shells of £275,000 Rolls Royces, it was revealed today.The nine men were discovered by a sniffer dog at Calais Port, France, in a German lorry heading for the luxury car maker in Goodwood, West Sussex.The stowaways, from the African country of Eritrea, were handed to the French border police and the lorry was allowed to continue on its way. Rolls Royce Motor Cars today confirmed the lorries usually carry four car body shells and they would have been for either their Rolls Royce Ghost or Phantom.The Ghost costs around £200,000 and the Phantom £275,000. Stephen Fabman-Beker, from the Rolls-Royce Enthusiasts...

Read more »

Sumatran tiger, during a routine checkup at the Smithsonian Institute's National Zoo

Veterinary technician Jessica Sosa and veterinary technician Peter Flowers perform an examination on Soy, an 18-year-old Sumatran tiger, during a routine checkup at the Smithsonian Institute's National Zoo in Washington, DC, February 24, 2011. The tiger receives a physical exam, complete with dental cleaning, x-rays, ultrasounds and blood work, every one to three years. Veterinarians look at the paws as they perform an examination on Soy, an 18-year-old Sumatran tiger, during a routine checkup at the Smithsonian Institute's National Zoo in Washington, DC, February 24, 2011. The tiger receives a physical exam, complete with dental cleaning, x-rays, ultrasounds and blood work, every one to three years.Veterinarians look at the mouth and teeth as they perform an examination on Soy, an 18-year-old...

Read more »

How the leopard REALLY got his spots: Scientists identify gene that determines patterns of colour on mice

By FIONA MACRAE Distinctive: Scientists have unlocked a gene that determines patterns of colour on the coats of mice - and believe it plays a role in the formation of leopard markingsKipling would have us believe that the leopard got its spots to hide in the ‘stripy, speckly, patchy-blatchy shadows’ of the African forest.But the reality behind the big cat’s distinctive coat is much more prosaic. Scientists have identified a gene that determines the patterns of colour on the coats of mice. While the research is still preliminary, they believe that the stretch of DNA may also play a role in the formation of the markings of other animals – including the leopard’s spots.Researchers already knew that the gene, called Agouti, affects how deeply adult fur is shaded.But the latest research also...

Read more »

Better luck next time bird lovers! Mission Impossible rodent make short work of breaking into 'squirrel proof' feeder

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER Treasure: The cheeky squirrel has a look round the cage to get to its prizeThis is supposed to be a 'squirrel proof' bird feeder, but it didn't out-smart one particularly crafty critter when he turned up in a British garden.The feeder had flummoxed his friends but this clever creature was determined not to be beaten.After some careful negotiation of the extraordinary-looking feeder in front of him, the squirrel cracked it by squeezing his fat body through the protective wiring. His incredible feat was captured on camera by Sandra Carter in her garden in Gosport, Hampshire, who snapped away as he rewarded himself with the bird nuts inside.The 57-year-old support worker said the grey squirrel had become a regular visitor in recent months.She and her husband, Richard, 63,...

Read more »

He's one cool cat: Jimmy's party trick gets a big thumbs-up

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER Jimmy the cat stars in a YouTube video in which a woman with a British accent asks him to give her the thumbs upJimmy the cat has an amazing party trick.In a YouTube video a woman's voice can be heard saying: 'Hi Jimmy. Can you give me a thumbs-up, Jimmy?'And then the woman and a man are heard laughing as Jimmy obliges and sticks his 'thumb' up. The description attached to the video says: 'Jimmy is a polydactyl cat. He's probably the laziest cat in the world but he's also super clever and has thumbs. And he's got a great party trick :-)'Jimmy has polydactyly, which means he has extra digits, a physical anomaly that's sometimes caused by a genetic defect.Polydactyl cats are fairly common in some parts of New England in the U.S. and they are sometimes called Hemingway...

Read more »

Apestronaut! Meet Ham, the chimp recruited by the U.S. 50 years ago to help beat Russia in the space race

By BILL MOULAND The right stuff: Ham is bolted into his capsule on top of the rocket that will blast him over 150 miles into spaceHe may sound like a comic book character from the age of Dan Dare, but Ham the astro-chimp had a serious purpose.One of a squadron of 40 chimpanzees specially trained by the U.S. to make a monkey out of the Soviet Union’s attempt to win the space race, Ham made history 50 years ago as the first chimp to be launched into space. With the Russians inching ever closer to the Holy Grail of sending a human into orbit, the Americans decided to use a three-year-old chimp — in the style of a gas-detecting canary in a mine — to find out whether humans would be able to survive in space. The Soviet Union had previously sent dogs into space, but the U.S. chose chimps because...

Read more »

An Academy Award-predicting possum? Cross-eyed Heidi's tips for the top Oscar winners

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER Squinting possum: Heidi's pronounced squint doesn't prevent her from leading a full life...and she has hidden talents A cross-eyed possum in Germany is predicting this years Oscar winners.Following in the footsteps of Paul the octopus, who predicted the World Cup results, Heidi the possum is giving her tips for the Academy Awards. Heidi the cute marsupial gives her tips for the Academy Awards by sniffing and touching the fake Oscar statuettes, complete with squinty eyed actors pinned to each oneEach day the cute marsupial is being released in a pen, where she comes face to face with a row of fake Oscar statuettes.Whichever statue she touches with her paw first signifies the winner in that category.On Tuesday night, Heidi picked Black Swan star Natalie Portman to take...

Read more »

Loyal to the very end: Dog risks his own life on busy road to protect his dying four-legged friend

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER Doggone: The faithful dog lies by his dead friend, who has been knocked over on the busy Chinese roadDogs are noted for their loyalty to their owners, but this pooch shows his extreme dedication to his four-legged friend.On the busy Dazhi road in China, where his companion has been knocked down by a car, vehicles, with their scary lights on, zoom past the dog, who risks his own life to look after his pal.With horns honking and other terrifying sights and sounds all around him, the yellow mutt stays put, standing guard over the hit dog. Earlier this week the first dog was struck on the Dazhi road - which is always teeming with cars - in Taiwan, when the pair managed to lose their sense of direction.He died from his wounds, and - thanks to the help of the other loyal dog...

Read more »

Catch of the day! Amateur photographer captures amazing images of osprey snatching koi carp from an Israeli pool

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER Takeaway dinner: Assaf Gavra took this dramatic picture of an osprey hawk carrying away a koi carp in its talonsWe all have to eat on the move sometimes but for this hawk, pausing for refreshment clearly isn't an option.But if a quick dip of your wings into water is all that's needed to grab a bite, you can't blame the predator for his enjoyment of really fast food.An amateur photographer lay in wait for hours to capture the amazing moment when this osprey caught a koi carp from a secluded pool in Israel. Meals on wings: The carp was grabbed from a pool in Pardesiya, IsraelAssaf Gavra, 35, framed the photo beautifully against a crisp and clear blue sky as he lay by the side of the pool near his home in Pardesiya, Israel.Mr Gavra said: 'I am not a professional photographer,...

Read more »