Elk and safety: Zoo keepers stunned as moose rescues drowning marmot from watery death

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER Mammoth: Shooter the elk stands 10ft tall from his hooves to the tip of his antlers Keepers at Pocatello Zoo, Idaho, were worried when they noticed Shooter, a four-year-old elk, acting strangely at his water trough.Baffled, they watched as the animal - who is so massive some keepers are afraid to even enter his enclosure - tried to dip his hooves into his drinking trough, before attempting to dunk his whole head in the water.But they were amazed as 10ft tall Shooter lifted his head from the trough clutching a tiny marmot - a kind of large squirrel - between his jaws. To the rescue! Shooter pulls the hapless marmot from his water troughThe gentle giant placed the hapless rodent down and nudged it with his hoof, as if checking it for signs of life, before calmly watching...

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Open ... wide: The astonishing gathering of manta rays to feast on plankton

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER Monsters of the deep: Swooping gracefully through the water like giant bats, these huge manta rays gather to feed on microscopic plankton Swooping gracefully through the water like giant bats, these huge manta rays gather to feed on microscopic plankton.These amazing pictures were taken by British photographer Warren Baverstock who spent nine days on the Maldives to capture these beautiful creatures.Up to 200 mantas gather in Hanifaru Bay which is just the size of a football pitch to feed and be cleaned of parasites by smaller fish. Swimming with giants: The pictures were taken by British photographer Warren Baverstock who spent nine days on the Maldives to capture these beautiful creaturesMr Baverstock, 42, from Plymouth, Devon, said: 'I slowly approached a 10ft-wide...

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The pony that can prance again: Horse born blind can see for the first time after vets perform ‘miracle’ £6,000 operation

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER Sight and sound: Shire horse Mary Anne launches herself through her paddock after regaining her sightThis is the moment an endangered rare-breed shire horse regained her sight after six hours of pioneering veterinary surgery and became the first horse in Britain to undergo the ground-breaking operation.Shire foal, Mary Anne, faced being put down by vets after she was born unable to see.Owners Donald and Jane McIntyre were told that the mare was worthless and faced a miserable existence unable to negotiate even the easiest of obstacles.But the 62-year-old farmer and his 54-year-old wife from Bristol wouldn't give up on the foal - one of only 1500 left in the country - even when her mother, Faith, abandoned her moments after she was born. After carrying out extensive research...

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Gymnastic Mr Fox! Cubs sneak into garden to have a bounce on children's trampoline

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER Boing! One of the fox cubs leaps into the air on a trampoline in a garden in Colorado, U.S., as his sibling watches on They're more used to bounding about, chasing each others' tails and steering clear of humans.But for these fox cubs, the chance to enjoy a bounce on a trampoline in a back garden was clearly too much to deter their natural caution.The two were captured on video playfighting in the garden of a home in Colorado, before curiosity got the better of them and they decided to investigate the trampoline. Outfoxed: But the cub hasn't quite got the hang of this bouncing lark as he sniffs suspiciously at the surface of the trampolinePerhaps the wild cubs had spotted a child having a go on the trampoline and thought they would have had a try.But the footage -...

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The cat that's NOT afraid of the water: Meet the Siberian tiger who'll risk getting wet for food

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER Fangs out: The tiger pounced after a hunk of meat was thrown towards himIt's a fearsome sight - enough to send a shudder down the spine of even the most foolhardy photographer.And this incredible photo of a 400lb Siberian tiger leaping out of a river shows the bigger beasts of the feline world are certainly not scaredy cats when it comes to food. Finnish photographer Arno Enzerink captured the magnificent moment during a wildlife close-up workshop at a U.S. game reserve in Kalispell, Montana. Terrifying: The Siberian tiger captured as he leaps out of the waterAt first glance it seems as if the tiger is worried about the water or has had a nasty surprise from something lurking beneath. Shake down: The tiger dries himself off after his exploits But Arno admitted that...

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'My king cobras would never hurt me': Snake breeder dies after being bitten by deadly reptile he boasted would never turn on him

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER Brave: Luke Yeomans bends down to kiss the snake on the head. He died after being bitten by one at home in Eastwood, Nottinghamshire A snake breeder who boasted that his snakes would never harm him has died after being attacked by one of his deadly cobras.Luke Yeomans, 47, suffered a heart attack after the snake bit him injecting its poisonous venom into his blood.In a recent interview, the conservationist with 30 years experience insisted the reptiles would never harm him. He was even pictured bending down to kiss one king cobra on the back of the head. The snake breeder - dubbed the local 'Steve Irwin' after the Australian wildlife presenter who was killed by a stingray - kept 24 reptiles in a 'sanctuary' compound behind his home in Eastwood, Nottinghamshire, which...

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Don't worry, it just means he loves me: Polar bear trainer's jaw-dropping photos

By DAILY MAIL REPORTERMouthy: Agee clamps her jaws around Mark's neck in an amazing demonstration of just how much he trusts the huge bearGrizzly man Mark Abbot Dumas is the only man in the world who can touch a polar bear. The fearless animal trainer even goes for dip in a swimming pool where he and 16-year-old polar bear Agee enjoy a watery cuddle together. Back on dry land he wrestles with the 60-stone (800lb) beast in her enclosure and bravely lets Agee clamp her huge jaws around his head.And when the wrestling has tired both the animal expert and huge Agee out, they both enjoy a nap together inside Agee's enclosure. Mark, 60, and wife Dawn, 49, from Abbotsford, British Columbia (BC), Canada, train the polar bear - the world's largest land predator - to star in high-budget TV adverts....

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The snake with a sssplit personality: Meet the python born with two heads

By DAILY MAIL REPORTERTwice the bite: This python regius, or ball python, was born with two heads in Villingen-Schwennigen, Germany This is one snake who is likely to be more than a little snappy if provoked.The mutant black and gold python regius - royal python or ball python - was born in Villingen-Schwenningen, southern Germany, with two heads. Which way next? The one-year-old snake is now 20in long and appears to be coping well with its mutationSnake breeder Stefan Broghammer said the slippery customer is around one years old and has grown to around 20 inches.He said the creature is only the second python known to be born with two heads.The snake is non-venomous, found in Africa and are a popular pet.Adults generally grow up to around 4ft and when threatened their instinctively curl...

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The incredible X-ray that showed how cat named Hope survives being blasted by THIRTY airgun pellets

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER Evidence: The vet's X-ray shows Hope's body filled with the bulletsA cat called Hope has miraculously survived being blasted by around 30 airgun pellets, during a wave of senseless shootings across the UK.The RSPCA has launched a hunt for the evil shooter and has released X-rays of some of the pellets inside Hope's body.Hope's owner found her bleeding and near to death in Great Walsingham, Norfolk, and at first it was thought she'd been attacked by a dog because her body was ripped and torn.But when she was transferred to the All Creature Healthcare centre in Norwich, X-rays showed that she had been peppered by around 30 shotgun pellets. They were mostly in the back of her body but four were lodged in her head. Miracle survivor: Hope the cat was shot with 20 metal pellets...

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Hide 'n' peek! The damselfly who thought he was hidden... but was given away by his bug eyes

By DAILY MAIL REPORTERPeek-a-bug: This little Damselfly was caught hiding behind a blade of grass in Fordwich Lakes, near KentThis little damselfly thought it was cleverly hiding behind a blade of grass at a British lake, but didn’t realise its big bug eyes gave away its disguise.The tiny insect concealed its two-inch body and transparent wings by clinging onto the grass with its black legs.But instead of being incognito, photographer Tony Flashman captured the common blue damselfly’s piercing eyes with his camera at Fordwich Lakes, near Kent. Mr Flashman crawled around the lake’s meadows at 5am to try and photograph the flies before they become too active at sunrise.And the Kent-born photographer said: ‘This little fly thought it was being clever by hiding behind the grass in a game of hide...

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A guy and his gorilla: Huge beast treated like one of the family by zoo owner

By EMILY ALLEN Big love: Pierre Thivillon, owner of the zoo of Saint-Martin-la-Plaine, gets a kiss from adopted gorilla Digit To describe your child as a gorilla is a bit rude to say the least.But for French zoologists Pierre and Elaine Thivillon, who own a zoo in Saint-Martin la-Plaine near Lyon, this is exactly what their 'little one' is.They have fostered a gorilla called Digit who was rejected by her mother and they now treat her as their own. Right at home: Pierre and Elaine Thivillon pose with Digit at their bedroom windowIn these adorable pictures she is pictured spending time with her 'parents' and even giving her 'father' a loving peck on the lips. She is clearly very comfortable in their company and despite her enormous size and strength, the couple obviously have not the slightest...

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Flipper meets trout pout: Sharon Osbourne gets up close and personal with a dolphin during Hawaiian holiday

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER Kissy: Sharon Osbourne takes a dip and gets a smooch from a dolphin whilst on holiday in Hawaii with her daughter KellyShe has long been known as a lover of animals having famously paraded her menagerie and pack of dogs on her reality show The Osbournes.But TV host Sharon Osbourne, who has been outspoken about her surgically enhanced face, recently got well acquainted with a different sort of beast as she joined daughter Aimee on a dolphin experience during their Hawaiian vacation. X Factor judge Sharon, 58, took to the water to swim and play with the amphibious mammals even planting a big kiss on the nose of one lucky friend.Wearing a life vest and a cover-up to protect her from the sun, Sharon seemed completely at ease in the water alongside the wild life. source:...

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Could this moody moggy be Britain's grumpiest cat? Bad tempered Mr Pip scowls for his close-up

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER Do not disturb: Mr Pip glowers from the doorway to his little iglooCould this moody moggy be Britain's grumpiest cat?Scowling at the camera with more than hint of discontentment, this irritable puss is constantly in a grump.According to his owner, Rose Oughton, Mr Pip does not like noise, bad weather and especially hates football. The Persian Burmese breed's favourite past-time is 'staring at dogs' and sitting quietly in his favourite bush in the back garden.But even when he's at his happiest, you wouldn't think it to look at the sour-faced feline.Mrs Oughton, 65, from Kings Lynn, Norfolk, a part-time dinner lady and cleaner, has owned the eight-year-old for a year and a half. She said: 'He always looks that grumpy and acts it as well.'He doesn't like any noise in the...

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Mirror image: Kingfisher barely causes a ripple as he dives into the water

By DAILY MAIL REPORTERSeeing double: The kingfisher produced a perfect mirror image when it dived headfirst into the River Alde in SuffolkDiving effortlessly head first in to the water, this kingfisher appears to become two as its reflection is revealed in breathtaking detail.Photogapher Paul Sawer spent five weeks watching a family of Britain's most fascinating birds at the River Alde in Rendham, Suffolk.The 39-year-old captured this extraordinary sight after setting up a glass tank full of fish in the water to attract the birds, with their images reflected in the glass as they dived into the river. His shot shows the kingfisher's reflection with such clarity that, at first glance, it appears as if the bird has collided with another in the water. Feeding time: Photographer Paul Sawer set...

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