Eight million animals face death to test your toothpaste and washing-up liquid

By STEVE BOGGAN

Millions of animals are subjected to painful tests every year

Thought animal testing was banned? Think again. And it's all thanks to Brussels...

After a recent review by an expert panel determined that testing chemicals on animals in laboratories produced 'few real benefits' to medicine, but should continue regardless, STEVE BOGGAN goes behind the scenes at a testing facility to find out what still goes on behind closed doors... and examines the European policies that still allow it to happen.


Trapped: Dozens of bunnies are test at simultaneously in tests BUAV say are cruel and archaic


Clad in her customary white coat, the scientist carefully pulls the latex gloves up over her wrists and walks slowly towards the cage. Reaching in, she seizes one of the rabbits, cowering near the back and clamps it into a testing harness.

Taking it over to a sanitised laboratory bench, Dr Tamsin Decker supervises as solution is squirted into the defenceless animal’s eyes. She has done this many times before — and will watch as it’s done again until the rabbit shows some side-effects: pain, irritation, bleeding perhaps, and eventually, possibly, blindness.


Caged: The scared rabbits find their metal cages very distressing with some continually pacing and biting the bars


For what cause must the animal endure such a wretched, tortured existence? Once upon a time, Dr Decker would have imagined it was to find a cure for cancer, or, at the very least, to test a compound which would relieve suffering.

But now the young woman knows that she is verifying the safety of a chemical contained in toothpaste — a well-established brand leader that she had used to brush her teeth that very morning.


source: dailymail

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Experts are foxed as first ever footage of urban OTTER making its home in city dock emerges

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Conservation officers in Bristol first became aware of the otters after finding droppings by the city's floating harbour

Conservationists have captured this amazing footage of a new breed of 'urban' otter which is shunning the countryside in favour of city centres.

Researchers have discovered that the usually-reclusive water creature - immortalised in Kenneth Grahame's Wind In the Willows - are encroaching into cities.

They set up hidden cameras and captured an urban otter making a home by a floating dock in the heart of Bristol city centre - just yards from a shopping mall.


Researchers believe greater access to food is one of the main reasons for the change - just like the growth of the urban fox


The footage - the first to ever show otters in a city centre - has stunned experts who had previously believed the furry creatures were too timid to venture out of the countryside.

They believe greater access to food is one of the main reasons for the change - just like the growth of the urban fox.

Phil Quinn, an ecologist who launched the study, said: 'It is just extraordinary. They are a very thriving population.


The footage - the first to ever show otters in a city centre - has stunned experts who had previously believed otters were too timid to venture out of the countryside


'There have been reports of otters in smaller cities but never in a city centre like this.

'Most ecologists working with otters would look at this situation and say - no chance.

'We were not even thinking of otters and then we just found the evidence - which is their droppings. They are very distinctive looking and very distinctive smelling things.

source: dailymail

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First there was the glow-in-the-dark cat... Now meet Tagon, the world's first glowing dog

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Before and after: Tagon's paw is like any other dog's in daylight, but glows bright green under ultraviolet light when she is given a special antibiotic

By day, Tagon looks like any other beagle.

But under the cover of darkness, she can glow an eerie green.

South Korean scientists say they have created a fluorescent dog using a cloning technique that could help find cures for human diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.

The breakthrough comes three years after U.S. boffins made a glow-in-the-dark cat by modifying its DNA, also in the hope of treating a range of conditions.



Glowing with pride: Tagon feeding her puppies at Seoul National University's College of Veterinary Medicine, where she is helping with vital research


Tagon, who was born in 2009, was found to beam bright green under ultraviolet light if given a doxycycline antibiotic.

Researchers from Seoul National University (SNU)'s College of Veterinary Medicine, who completed the two-year test, said the ability to glow can be turned on or off by adding a drug to the dog's food.

Lead researcher Lee Byeong-chun said: 'The creation of Tagon opens new horizons since the gene injected to make the dog glow can be substituted with genes that trigger fatal human diseases.'

He said the dog was created using the somatic cell nuclear transfer technology that the university team used to make the world's first cloned dog, Snuppy, in 2005.



Glowing ginger tom: Mr Green Genes of New Orleans was created by US scientists in 2008 to help find cures for diseases like cystic fibrosis


The scientist said that because there are 268 illnesses that humans and dogs have in common, creating dogs that artificially show such symptoms could aid treatment methods for diseases that afflict humans.

The latest discovery published in Genesis, an international journal, took four years of research costing roughly 3.2 billion won ($3 million) to make the dog and conduct the necessary verification tests, Yonhap news agency said.

In 2008, scientists created Mr Green Genes of New Orleans - the country's first glowing ginger tom.

They adapted the six-month-old's DNA to see if a gene could be introduced harmlessly into an animal's genetic sequence.

The gene in question, known as green fluorescence protein, expressed itself in mucous membranes - causing his mouth and ears to radiate.

Because the fluorescence gene will go alongside the cystic fibrosis gene, it will make it easier for experts to spot the condition.

source: dailymail

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I like you but you don't say much: Rescue centre gives tiny duckling a mirror so it doesn't die of loneliness

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Don't I know you from somewhere? This baby duckling has been kept alive by looking at it's reflection in a mirror

A lonely duckling separated from its family at birth has been saved thanks to a mirror - which has become its only friend.

Seven-day-old Alice was taken to a rescue centre after being mauled by a gull at just one day old.

But the bird was in an agitated state and refused to eat because of the stress of being separated from its siblings.


Through the looking glass: Vets at the Devon Wildlife Centre are keeping the duckling alive by using a mirror to combat isolation from other ducklings


So quick-thinking keepers installed a mirror which tricks Alice into thinking its reflection is actually another duckling.

Now it happily huddles up to the mirror for companionship - and even 'talks' to it.

Liz Dyas, of Devon Wildlife Visitor Centre, near Newton Abbot, Devon, said: ''If we remove the mirror it goes absolutely crazy and squawks and complains until we put it back.

'The duckling regularly wanders up to the mirror and pecks at it, licks it and is constantly happily chirruping away.

'It is very common for ducklings to die once separated from the flock and we're amazed at the change in condition.

'The duckling was withdrawn, not eating and in quite a bad way when it arrived. But the transformation is incredible.

'It's really sweet to watch it nestling against the mirror.'

source: dailymail

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Love is… two dragonflies mating

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

True love: These dragonflies remarkably formed a heart shape while mating

This picture shows two dragonflies making love in the most romantic way - by forming a heart shape.

Shocked Chelyapin Dmitry almost choked on his picnic as he sat with his family by a lake near his hometown of Chelyabinsk, Russia.

Out of the corner of his eye, he was stunned to see the pair creating the universal sign of love.

Chelyapin quickly dropped his sandwiches and grabbed his point-and-shoot digital camera to snap this incredible close-up picture of the moment.

The amateur snapper's amazing shots perfectly capture the bright blue dragonfly and its brown companion topping and tailing in the warm summer sunshine.

The 46-year-old said: 'It was a hot day. We had a rest by a lake and had a picnic. I saw the dragonflies out of the corner of my eye and just started laughing.

'I was surprised to see them making a heart shape - it was very unusual taking into consideration the awkward way they were going about making love and continuing the never ending circle of life.

'But everything in life happens for a reason - I believe it was a sign that love was in the air.'

The amateur photographer nicknamed the dragonflies Yin and Yang after spending 20 minutes watching and photographing them.

He added: 'Nature is all about love and these images show that.'


source :dailymail

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Neigh-bears from hell: Family helicoptered to 'polar bear jail' after straying too close to town hunting for food

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Rescue: Polar bears being carried off by helicopter after entering a prohibited zone

This is the moment a family of polar bears were airlifted to a new home after stealing food from bins in a nearby town.

The bears usually reside on Hudson Bay, in Manitoba, Canada for seven months of the year and come inland when the ice melts between July and November.

But wildlife officials decided to take drastic action when this particular family entered the prohibited 'control zone' in the nearby town of Churchill.


The polar bear 'jail' where the family were taken until the ice returns


The group were tranquillised and transported by helicopter to Eskimo Point - known locally as Polar Bear Jail - where they will now live until they can be taken back home when the ice returns.

Californian wildlife photographer, Suzi Eszterhas, captured the entire mission on camera.

The 35-year-old said: 'They had become problem bears so they had to be moved.

'This type of relocation doesn't happen very often but it's absolutely necessary when they start getting too close to people.

'Actually watching them be transported by helicopter is certainly not something you see everyday.'


Caught out: The bears are tranquillised before being removed after stealing food from bins



Too close for comfort: Churchill, Manitoba, where the polar bears had been caught stealing food

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Nuts for the camera! The vain squirrel who loves posing for a picture

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Up close and personal: The squirrel takes a peek at the camera lens


They normally tend to keep clear of humans, only venturing near if there is a promise of food.

But this vain squirrel clearly had no qualms about getting up close and personal, as it seemed intent on having its picture taken.

The preening rodent was quite content to be snapped, while it struck a number of poses so the camera could capture its best side.


Ready for its close up: The inquisitive squirrel was enthralled by the snapping camera


Strike a pose: The rodent pulled a variety of shapes, but refused to let go of its precious nut

With its bright eyes and bushy tail the friendly squirrel was happy to be snapped in Kelsey Park in Beckenham, South London.

And while some animals are a little camera shy, this one was even happy to be papped while it chomped away on nuts.


Does my tail look big in this? The very friendly squirrel was happy to be photographed in such close contact with humans

It peered inquisitively at the lens, but refused to relinquish its precious nut.
Grey squirrels are notorious for displacing red squirrels in European woodlands.


Make sure you get my best side! The squirrel does a turn before springing off


But they aren't aggressive to native UK red squirrels, they're just bigger and bolder, as this cheeky chappy clearly demonstrates.

They have become increasingly tame as they come into contact with humans on a more regular basis in parks and gardens.

They out-compete the native reds for food, feeding more at ground level and being able to digest acorns, which their fellow reds can't.

source: dailymail

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Two goldfish survive 134 DAYS since New Zealand earthquake without food or a filter in their tank

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Survivors: The goldfish are thought to have survived by eating algae (file picture)

There were no Scooby snacks to eat - but at least they had each other for company.

Two goldfish, named Shaggy and Daphne after characters from the animated television show Scooby Doo, have become the smallest and hardiest survivors of the devastating February earthquake in Christchurch that killed 181 people.

The fish spent four and a half months - 134 days - trapped in their tank in the city's off-limits downtown without anyone to feed them or even any electricity to power their tank filter before they were discovered this month and rescued.

'It's certainly an incredible story. I wouldn't have guessed that fish could survive on their own for four months,' said Paul Clarkson, curator at the Monterey Bay Aquarium in California. 'Goldfish are very hardy critters.'


Devastation: The Christchurch earthquake claimed 181 lives in February

So how did they do it?

Luckily for the fish, they lived in a large 26-gallon (100-litre) tank. They had weed to munch through.

And, according to Clarkson, the fish may have gleaned some nutrition from eating algae growing on the tank's rocks and walls. He said naturally growing bacteria may have helped keep the water clean enough to sustain life.

Then there's the delicate question of their missing companions. There were six goldfish in the tank when the earthquake struck.

By the time the survivors were found, no trace remained of three of the fish. A fourth was found floating in the tank. Goldfish are, after all, omnivores.

source: dailymail

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The Fat Lady sings for the last time: Anglers mourn as Britain's largest freshwater fish is found dead

By DAVID DERBYSHIRE

In mourning: Gordon Howes holds The Fat Lady, when he successfully caught her. The fish, regarded as a celebrity in angling, has now passed away

With her monstrous size and incredible appetite, she has enticed more anglers than you could shake a rod at.

But the Fat Lady, thought to be the largest freshwater fish in Britain, has finally moved on to the great lake in the sky.

The body of the 61lb 6oz mirror carp was found floating on the surface close to the Cambridgeshire spot dubbed Fatty’s Point in her honour.


Farewell to the Fat Lady: Anglers would make pilgrimages to the Fatty's Point in an attempt to land the colossal carp

She was more than 30 years old, was caught about 200 times, and leaves a community in mourning.

Gordon Howes, owner of the St Ives Lakes fishery that was her home, blames her demise on the stress of rapid weather changes in recent weeks.


Catch of the day: This angler caught the carp in 2009, before it was crowned the biggest freshwater fish in Britain

The recent mix of hot and cold conditions meant the female fish aborted spawning several times and the stress is thought to have brought about her untimely end.

The Fat Lady - who had been caught and set free dozens of times in her lifetime - has now been buried next to her bank.

Anglers used to travel from around the country to her home at St Ives Lakes, Cambridgeshire, in a bid to land the fish, which became an object of obsession for many.


Farewell fatty: This man was one of last to catch the fish, reeling her in during May this year


She had only taken over the mantle of Britain's biggest freshwater fish a year ago following the death of the legendary 67lbs Two Tone at a fishery in Kent.


What a catch: Another angler shows off the fish after successfully landing it during May 2010

source: dailymail

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Let Miaowt! Kitten gets in a spin after surviving hour-long cycle in a washing machine

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

In a spin: Princess jumped into the washing machine before being set on a full spin

They say curiosity killed the cat.

But eight-week-old kitten Princess is the exception, after the fluffy feline survived an hour-long cycle in a washing machine after she climbed inside.

Adorable Princess has definitely used up one of her nine lives after her ordeal, which began when she started exploring her owner Susan Gordon's new home.

Susan, 49, didn't see her sneak in - and promptly slammed the door and set the machine on a full wash cycle.

She was horrified when she spotted the little kitten emerging from the machine soaking wet and clinging onto a pair of jeans.


Careful kitty! Princess made a recovery after her wet and wild adventure


The distraught animal lover rushed Princess to the Vets Now emergency clinic in Kingswells, Aberdeen, for emergency treatment.

Princess had suffered a nose bleed and sore eyes during her wash and spin but recovered just two days later.

'She was admitted to hospital for emergency care which included oxygen, IV fluids, diuretics to remove the water from her lungs, lubrication for soap damaged eyes and pain relief.'

Princess was also placed on heat pads to bring her temperature back up to normal levels.

Two days later, Princess was purring again and had regained her appetite
Vet Arlene Ortley of Vets Now added: 'Princess was very lucky to have survived her ordeal with no serious injuries.

'Thankfully she is safe and well, however I think she has certainly used up one of her nine lives.'

source: dailymail

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