Wonder if there's anything in the freezer... Amazing moment fox nose-dives into snow while hunting for mice

By NICK ENOCH Going up: The wily creature reckons he's spotted something in the snow, in Lamar Valley, Yellowstone National Park in the U.S.This is the incredible moment a fox was captured nose-diving into deep snow to catch a mouse. The red fox prowled the snow for several minutes listening out for mice before standing on his hind legs and jumping into the air. Almost out of shot, he dives head first into the snow leaving only his back legs and bushy tail visible. Dive, dive, dive! The red fox goes in for the kill, convinced he'll be having mouse for supperWildlife photographer Richard Peters caught the adventurous creature while travelling through Lamar Valley in Yellowstone National Park.He explained: 'We watched it walk across the snow, stopping from time to time to listen for mice...

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Tear-jerking moment lab beagles see sunlight for the first time as they are released from cages

By WIL LONGBOTTOM Freedom: This male beagle takes a tentative step outside his cage for the first time in his life after he was freed from laboratory testingThis is the heart-breaking moment male beagles kept in captivity inside a laboratory were released from their cages for the first time.Scared and visibly unsure of leaving the confines of their cages, the dogs were among many being used for lab testing in Spain before it went out of business.A total of 72 beagles were rescued by members of Animal Rescue Media Education (ARME) during the operation - most of whom had never been outside their cages. Terrified: The face of this beagle says it all as he contemplates freedom for the first time Timid: After setting foot on grass, this male beagle is unsure of his new surroundingsGary Smith,...

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The five-week-old baby elephant who just loves being stuck in the mud

By JAMES WHITE Oops! The tiny elephant baby falls over and struggles to get to its feet under its mother's legsIt appears to be a tiring and futile battle for this newborn baby elephant to stay on its four unsteady feet.But look a little closer and it appears the youngster is enjoying its apparent misfortune, returning to the same spot over and over again.Video of the animal staggering to his feet was captured by amused keepers at Whipsnade Zoo, Bedfordshire. Still down: The five-week-old rolls around in the mud at Whipsnade Zoo in BedfordshireThe five-week-old Asian elephant can be seen slipping in the mud under the towering legs of his four-ton mother. In the clip the elephant's mother and another adult are completely unconcerned by the baby's difficulties.Zoo spokeswoman Emma Edwards...

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She's not for the chop: Tinsel the turkey survives being hurled from a moving lorry – and then falls in love with a DEER

By JESSICA SATHERLEY The look of love: Tinsel, the Turkey and her friend Bramble the Roe Deer who have become the best of friends at a Warwickshire Wildlife SanctuaryBritain's luckiest turkey has been saved from the chop this Christmas after falling in love with a deer.Plucky bird Tinsel was rescued after she was thrown on to the motorway from a moving lorry.She was nursed back to health and has now fallen head over claws for a rescued Roe Deer called Bramble. The pair were brought to the Nuneaton and Warwickshire Wildlife Sanctuary and are now ‘inseparable’.Tinsel even gives Bramble a ‘peck’ on the cheek before they go to sleep at night.Sanctuary owner Geoff Grewcock, 61, said: ‘They are completely inseparable. Best of friends: Plucky bird Tinsel was rescued after she was thrown on to the...

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The purrrr-fect present: Musical cats strike chord in 2012 calendar

By NADIA GILANI Rocking out: Two cats strum out a tune on electrical guitars in a make-shift studio with an amplifierThese tow-tapping felines look like they are getting into the party spirit in a calendar that will make the purr-fect Christmas present for any cat lover.Musical Moggs shows several cats getting into their groove as they turn their paws to playing a selection of different instruments.In one picture, a pair of cool cats appear to be having a musical jam as they rock it out together on electric guitars. Brass band: Three cool cats take a deep breath as they play a tune on hornsAnother picture shows them turn to brass as they pump out a tune on a trombone and tuba.A clarinet-playing cat pelts out a tune while his companion holds up the music for it to read, while in another photograph...

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It's a doggone miracle: Family's shock as pet pooch stolen five years ago is found... riding a No.37 bus

By ANDY DOLAN Rover's return: Pat Oates (pictured with relatives) was stunned when she received a call saying her beloved Staffordshire bull terrier, T-Bone, had been found riding the Birmingham City Centre to Solihull route When Pat Oates's dog vanished from the driveway five years ago she soon gave up hope of seeing the pet again.As the days went by without any sighting of seven-year-old T-Bone, Miss Oates concluded the Staffordshire bull terrier had been stolen.So she was astonished and overjoyed to be told last week that the dog had been found five years on – riding on her local bus. Home again: Pat Oates, from Solihull, West Midlands is delighted to have T-Bone back. Right, she holds the poster after her pet went missing in 2006 - when she feared T-Bone had been stolen to order by a...

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No kidding: Woman and her goat who both have prosthetic legs - made by the same doctor!

By LUCY LAING Best foot forward: Jenny Brown with her pet goat Albie show off their prosthetic legs at her animal sanctuary in New York state When Albie the three-legged goat needed a prosthetic leg, owner Jenny Brown knew exactly who to turn to.Having lost her own limb at the age of ten to cancer she contacted the doctor who had made her prosthetic leg and begged him to help.Now Albie is skipping around the Woodstock Animal Sanctuary in New York state where he lives with Mrs Brown and her husband Doug Abel, 43 Albie arrived at the sanctuary in August 2007 when he was found wandering in a park after escaping from a local slaughterhouse.But injuries inflicted when he was trussed up with wire in the abattoir infected his leg and vets had to amputate. Albie: The goat escaped from an abattoirMrs...

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Let's get outta here! Impatient labradoodle honks the horn to tell his family it's time to go

By MIKE O'BRIEN Now hear this: The angry labradoodle repeatedly hits the hornThey say labradoodles are both intelligent and unpredictable ... and this pet pooch seems to fit the bill.On an outing with the family he managed to make his feelings quite clear.He was stuck in the car while mom, dad, the children and others got out to get a breath of fresh air. Patience is a virtue, but suddenly his ran out.Beckoning the family to 'get in and get outta here,' the 18-month-old pup simultaneously honked the car's horn and barked.He can hardly be blamed - tensions can run high during the family car ride season. Hilarious: The children crack up as their pet pup angrily honks the horn and barks at the same time If looks could kill: As the patriarch heads for the driving seat, the labradoodle shows...

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Glamorous Leona Lewis, Pixie Lott and Keisha Buchanan get all dolled up... to visit the stables

By LUCY BUCKLAND Horsing around: Leona Lewis, a well known animal lover, looked stunning on a visit to Hopefield Animal SanctuaryThe stables aren't a place you would usually expect to spot a set of glamorous chart toppers.And although Leona Lewis, Pixie Lott and former Sugababe Keisha Buchanan might not have mucked out at Hopefield Animal Sanctuary the trio helped raise valuable funds to keep the Brentwood facility open.Bleeding Love singer Leona, 24, is an patron for the organisation and roped in some of her famous friends to help raise funds at this weekend's Christmas Fayre.Leona roped in her friends to the event on Sunday to help raise funds for the centre which faces an uncertain future after owner Ernie Clark died from liver cancer last year aged 84. Strike a pose: Pixie Lott (left)...

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'Cause cats need iPads too: The adorable kitties getting into gaming

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER Gone fishing: This kitten looks like she's getting the hang of itThere's no doubt the iPad has been a game changer. For years cats have been languishing in gaming hell, forced to make their own fun with real toys. But not any more. These days our feline best friends can get in on all the action. New iPad apps let our pets hone their mouse catching skills, trail fish in a pond or even compose music. Making music: There's an impressive variation of games for felinesPretty soon they wont need to go outside at all. And as these adorable kitties show there's nothing we humans do that cats cant pick up and perfect in minutes. Mouse trap: These two cats take it in turns to hone their mouse catch skillsThey seem just as fascinated with the glow of the screen and the repetitive...

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Just take a quarter of a million sprinkles and a lot of patience . . . artist creates amazing picture from cake decorations

By STEPHANIE DARRALL Shower of sprinkles: Artist Joel Brochu created a work of art that appears as a high definition photograph. However it was created with thousands of sprinklesAt first glance, it looks like a doting owner has taken a photograph of their beloved pet being showered but closer inspection reveals this piece of art is made up of thousands of sprinkles.Joel Brochu, a fine art student, meticulously created the piece using 221,184 coloured sugary balls usually used on cakes and ice cream.The Canadian artist said he used double-sided sticky tape to attach the myriad sprinkles to a board using a customised template. The artist said the work began as a university fine arts project on Pointillism - the technique of using tiny dots to create a painting.Mr Brochu said: 'It looks like...

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Hamstand: 'Gymnast' piglet born without hind legs learns to walk on two front trotters

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER Hogging the limelight: The piglet carefully balances itself while walking on its two front legsA two-legged pig born without its hind legs has amazingly been taught to walk on its own.The handicapped beast was born in July in eastern China's Anhui Province and could have struggled to make it through its first few weeks as a piglet, according to its owner.But farmer Ge Xinping said he managed to nurse the piglet through its early life before helping it stand on its own (and only) two feet. Farmer Ge Xinping gives the piglet a helping hand at the farm in China's Anhui ProvinceHe has now managed to coax the unnamed young creature outside more often and has helped it get about.The young pig can carefully balance itself on its front two trotters and can walk around unaided.The...

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Bubbled-up! Video of baby laughing hysterically as her pet dog tries to catch bubbles in the air becomes a YouTube hit

By SIMON TOMLINSON Bursting onto the scene: Bennie, the German Shepherd, catches bubbles to the delight of baby Molly in the clip which has gone viralA baby laughs infectiously as her pet dog pops bubbles in a clip that has become an internet sensation.The nine-month-old tot begins by looking inquisitively at her mother who is holding a bubble gun from behind the camera.Then, as she fires it, their dog comes bounding into the picture feverishly bursting the bubbles with its mouth, much to the youngster's hysterics. Infectious: Molly creases up with laughter as Bennie waits for the next round of bubbles to be fired from her motherMolly, who is sitting among her toys in the living room, finds the whole episode hilarious as her canine companion attempts to eat as many as possible, licking his...

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