Gorillas in a tryst! Tired Rigo has to lie down after mating with four females in a day following 16 years in a cage on his own

By MARTIN ROBINSON Time for bed: Rigo sleeping at Melbourne Zoo after a roll in the hay with four females It is a tough, and clearly tiring job, but somebody has got to do it.Sleepy Rigo has just mated with four females in one day and takes on a very human pose afterwards to grab a well-earned snooze. After 16 years on his own in a cage the 41-year-old silverback is being allowed to hang around with other primates at Melbourne Zoo in Australia. Gentle: Julia sits with body-language just like a human as she stretches her legs in the midday sun Keepers hope he will continue to get to know the females there better and produce offspring as they are all part of the endangered Western Lowland species.And he has a bevy of beauties to choose from, including Julia, Yakini and Yuska, who despite their...

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Could this be a chupacabra? Homeowner thinks animal he shot dead is mythical creature

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER Strange: Is this the mythical chupacabra or just an emaciated dog? Truitt Barnard gunned the beast down in his Simpson County garden after spying it from 130 yards With its blue hairless body, rounded ears and scarily sharp teeth, this strange creature has been creating quite a stir.Shot dead by a Mississippi homeowner, it has re-opened the debate as to the very existence of the mythical chupacabra - which is said to hunt livestock by sucking the blood out of animals. Truitt Barnard, who gunned the beast down in his Simpson County garden after spying it from 130 yards, said: 'Strangest animal I've ever seen. I've been hunting 50 years. Identical: Truitt Barnard said the beast's 3/4 inch long double canines were the same as those seen by others on the mythical chupacabra...

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Leap of faith: The moment polar bear jumped between two melting ice caps

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER Bouncing beast: A polar bear leaps from one piece of pack ice to the next off the coast of Svalbard, Norway With ice in the polar regions disappearing at record speed this hunting polar bear is literally taking a leap of faith jumping between two ice caps. The amazing picture was taken by American wildlife photographer Rebcecca Jackrel during a 22-day sailing expedition to capture the bears in their natural environment. The photographer, from San Francisco, travelled to the islands of Spitsbergen and Nordaustlandet in the independent archipelago of Svalbard to stake out her subjects.There she spent three weeks in a tiny boat watching more than twenty different bears go about their daily routine of hunting from the ocean What emerged is a fascinating insight into the...

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Lock up your pets! Dog owners warned as giant 6ft Eagle Owl is spotted in Devon

By NADIA GILANI Surprise visitor: Residents were stunned when they caught sight of this Eagle Owl sitting perched on the window ledge of a terraced house in Westward Ho! near Bideford, Devon It is not something you expect to see while walking down a busy high street.But passers-by were forced to believe their eyes when this giant Eagle Owl was spotted perched on a the window ledge of a terraced house in Westward Ho!, near Bideford, Devon yesterday. The enormous bird - one of the world's largest species of owl, has a wingspan of two metres (6ft) and has been known to prey on animals as big as roe deer. Huge: The scale of the Eagle Owl can be seen here as it rested on the window ledge of a house for more than an hour before flying offIf hungry enough, the owl could easily pounce on small...

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Not such a Pretty Woman! Hilarious video emerges of dog who runs away at the sight of Julia Roberts

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER Beautiful: Most people wouldn't mind being shown a picture of Julia Roberts She has been one of the world's most desirable women for the last 20 years.But the mere sight Julia Roberts in a magazine is enough to send one dog running for its life.A hilarious video has emerged on YouTube showing four-legged Optimus looking decidedly scared every time the dog's owner holds up a picture of the Oscar-winning actress. It has caused a stir on the site, attracting more than 400,000 views. Get ready: The dog's ears prick up when its is shown the advert of Roberts Fearful: The dog takes an initial glance at the Hollywood movie star First the man shows a full-page advert using her face to the camera, before closing it.Then he calls Optimus over and opens the magazine in front...

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The uplifting tail of the dolphin taught to swim with the world's first artificial fin has been made into a film

By TOM LEONARD Inspirational: Winter with her prosthetic tailThis is the tale of a tail. A story which is a tribute to human ingenuity and the courage of one very special mammal who, for the past six years, has astonished thousands of visitors to her Florida aquarium.For Winter the dolphin has a custom-built plastic and silicone prosthetic tail with which she has learned to swim — and with which she has inspired many men, women and children who have lost limbs. Now, millions have learned about this remarkable story after it was turned into the Hollywood film currently sweeping all before it at the American box office and which opens in the UK next week. Fishy tale: A worker at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium in Florida holds the prosthetic tail Dolphin Tale, which stars Morgan Freeman as the...

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Fish kebab! Incredible pictures capture the moment a bird skewers its dinner before swallowing it whole

By DAILY MAIL REPORTEROuch! This fish meets a spikey end when a bird spears it using its beakThis hungry bird has given a new meaning to the term spear fishing after she turned her unlucky prey into a kebab.The Anhinga bird spotted the fish swimming in a river near Miami, Florida.She then chased it through the water after setting her sights on it for dinner. Down the hatch: Photographer Alfred Forns captured the amazing tussle near his home in Miami Watch the birdie: The hungry Anhinga shows off its catch to the camera After taking a dip, the beautiful bird expertly skewered the fish with her beak.But the predator then shook it free before throwing it into the air and catching it in her mouth, swallowing it down in one. Open wide: The crafty Anhinga can swim like a U-boat with its body...

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The dog with a painful skin condition whose life was saved by PYJAMAS

By RICHARD HARTLEY-PARKINSON They call me Mr Bojangles: 'Bo' shows off the pyjamas that stop him from scratching and biting himself. He was hours away from being put to sleep when an animal charity in Burton, Staffs, came to his rescueA dog with a painful skin condition has been saved hours before he was due to be put down - thanks to some new pyjamas.Mr Bojangles, a five-month-old crossbreed, was due to be put to sleep but was rescued by a charity from Burton, Staffordshire, in the nick of time. They gave him 'dog pyjamas' to stop him scratching and he is now making a good recovery. Life savers: The pyjamas prevent Mr Bojangles from scratching himself, giving his skin a chance to heal while he is treated for the painful skin condition Demodex mange It turned out that Mr Bojangles has Demodex...

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Down here! Baby tortoise hatches that is 3,000 times smaller than its mother

By MAIL FOREIGN SERVICE Hello titch: This newborn Galapagos hatchling weighed just 87 grams when it was born and will take 30 years to get to the same size as its mother This newborn Galapagos tortoise looks tiny as it stands next to its massive mum - who is a staggering 3,000 times bigger.The hatchling weighed just 87 grams when it was born and will take 30 years to get to the same size as its mother, who is a massive 256 kilos. Keepers will not know if it is male or female for several years so have given it the unisex name NJ.The tortoise - who is barely the size of its mum's foot - can expect to live to 150 years. Hungry fella: Keepers will not know if the Galapagos addition is male or female for several years so have given it the unisex name NJIts mum has become a first-time mother at...

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The ultimate in teacher cutbacks? Primary school children told to read to a LABRADOR to improve their public speaking skills

By NADIA GILANI Story time: Ten-year-old, Hollie the labrador listening to Ethan Moss, and Erin Jennings, both five and Ellie Moss 10, to help improve their literacy skillsStory time just got more exciting for school children who have a new reading partner.Ten-year-old labrador, Hollie has been drafted in to help children at Gawsworth Primary in Macclesfield, Cheshire improve their literacy skills. The black pooch will visit the school for one afternoon each week to quietly sit and listen to the children read her their favourite books. The project is part of a programme launched by the charity Pets As Therapy (PAT), which provide animals for therapeutic visits in schools, hospitals and hospices. Ellie Moss, 10, reads to Hollie who listens patientlyHeadteacher Pam Childs said: 'Research has...

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Sorry, this is a trunk road! Elephant causes safari park jam by lying down in front of traffic

By LOUISE BOYLE Ready for my close-up: Five the elephant strikes a pose in front of a queue of traffic at a safari park in the West Midlands The recent heatwave all got a bit much for this elephant who decided this was as good a spot as any to take the weight off. The African elephant, named Five, plonked himself down in front of a queue of traffic at the safari park and stretched out earlier this month. Bewildered visitors were left with no choice but to wait until nap-time was over and the 11,000lb creature wandered off to find a quieter spot to sleep in the West Midlands. Big laughs: Zoo keeper Andy Plumb managed to capture the comic snaps of Five the elephant at the safari parkThe comic pictures were taken by head keeper Andy Plumb, who rushed to grab his camera when he spotted Five....

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Monkeys trained to move and feel through thought in study that could help paralysed patients

By PRESS ASSOCIATION REPORTER Two rhesus monkeys learned to operate a virtual arm with their brain power - It was the first ever demonstration of a primate brain operating a machine Monkeys have been trained to move and feel virtual objects using thought alone in a scientific breakthrough that could help paralysed patients.Two rhesus monkeys learned to operate a virtual arm with their brain power and were able to differentiate between the textures of virtual objects. It is hoped this could pave the way for the development of a "robotic exoskeleton" to be worn by severely paralysed people, helping them move and experience the world around them using brainwaves, the senior author of the American study said. Without moving any part of their real bodies the two monkeys used their electrical brain...

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Bored girlfriend who only took up fishing to spend more time with her man smashes his record catch with a 215lb catfish

By EMILY ALLEN Delight! Alexa Turness, 28, pictured holding the huge fish she hooked while on holiday in Spain after battling to reel it in for half an hour. It was later released back into the water When you go on holiday with your long-time angling boyfriend it is perhaps not a good idea to show him up.But Alexa Turness managed it in dramatic style when she became a record holder after reeling in a 215lbs catfish. She managed to outdo boyfriend Kim Hamilton who could only muster a fish weighing 189lbs.The 28-year-old, who only took up fishing to see more of her boyfriend, hooked the catch while on holiday in Spain after battling to reel it in for half an hour. Whopper: Alexa with the fish which was more than 1.5 times her weight and at 8ft 4in, stretched longer than her entire body The...

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Pregnant cat thrown out of moving car gives birth in a barn... and then leads RSPCA man to her kittens

By EMILY ALLEN RSPCA Inspector Jon Knight with Jolie who led him to her kittensA pregnant cat rescued after being hurled from a moving car has stunned an RSPCA inspector by leading him from the scene of the crime to her kittens.The one-year-old black cat was thrown out of the window of a vehicle in March, Cambridgeshire, last month.A passerby spotted her being hurled from the vehicle and kept an eye on her for two weeks before managing to coax her into her greenhouse.She was taken to the vets for treatment for her grazed face but was returned to the scene as it was clear she had very recently had kittens. Happy family: Jolie safe and sound with her kittens at Block Fen RSPCA centre in Wimblington, CambridgeshireInspector Jon Knight said when he took the cat to the scene of the crime she...

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