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 asleep


Larry 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 and has dug his claws in when sat on members of staff.

He's got a long way to go until he has the fierce reputation of Harry - Downing Street's first official moggy who arrived when Margaret Thatcher was Prime Minister.

The animal - who also served under Thatcher and Blair - acquired a fearsome reputation after being falsely accused of killing a family of robins in the garden.
He was known to energetically catch the rats.

Despite Larry's failure to deal with the pest problem, Downing Street's newest resident has quickly become popular among the staff.

A source told the Independent on Sunday: 'He has shown no interest in the many mice in Downing Street. There's a distinct lack of a killer instinct.'


Taking over the cabinet: Larry wanders across the table in the Cabinet Room at No 10


Rat catcher: Larry was brought in to get the Downing Street rat which appeared in Lucy Manning's report


The four-year-old cat arrived from Battersea Dogs and Cats home three weeks ago has apparently made several bids for freedom.

His former keepers at the rescue centre have recommended that he is not let out for at least three weeks until he becomes fully acclimatised to his new surroundings.
But as David Cameron posed on the steps outside with Kevin Spacey, Larry made a bid for freedom.

In between his frequent naps, the cat dines out not on taxpayer-funded meals - but dishes paid for by the Prime Minister's own staff.
With George Osborne clamping down on public spending, there is no room for a pet paid for by the public in No 10.

He arrived on February 15 - just days after a spokesman said on January 24 that there were 'no plans' for a cat to move in.


Arrival: Larry is carried in to No 10 for the first time earlier this month


The four-year-old tabby has apparently shown no interest in going after the rodents in Downing Street

source: dailymail

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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 chicks


You 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 brought home the ducklings, I thought he might not be the same as with the rabbits, but he just went over to them and licked them on the head,' she said..

'I filled a paddling pool with water so they could learn to swim in it, and Dave went and laid down in the water so they could clamber over him. He even lifted them out if they got into trouble.'

So far, Dave has helped bring up four ducks, three geese, five rabbits, 13 kittens and five puppies - not to mention countless new-born chicks.

Dave had a traumatic upbringing – his first owner docked his tail with a cleaver – but has remained amazingly good-natured and has now been voted Britain’s most inspirational dog in a contest sponsored by worming specialists Drontal.

The online contest attracted over 6,000 entries and 265,515 votes were cast.

And six-year-old Dave's owner hopes his success will help improve the breed's image.

'People see him coming and cross the road to the other side - it's so sad,' said Miss Collins.

'Most rottweilers aren't big vicious things - they can be very gentle and obedient if they're looked after and trained properly, and Dave is the perfect example of that.'

source: dailymail

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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 park

When 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 over into a ditch like a toy car as the terrified occupants hung on for dear life.


Trunk-to-trunk: Sexually charged bull elephant shows the wildlife enthusiasts in the car who's boss


Give it a rest: Massive mammal sits on top of the vehicle, driven by 66-year-old John Somers, who was on a birthday trip with a friend


Luckily the bull eventually got bored and the pair escaped with only minor cuts and bruises.

It is believed the animal was pumped full of hormones as it went in search of the mate.

The full sequence of bizarre events was captured by photographer Riaan van Wyk, who was watching from a safe distance.



Bowled over by the wildlife: The elephant flipped the vehicle like a toy car but luckily both passengers escaped with only minor cuts and bruises

source: dailymail

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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 miniatures


Here 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 at home in Konenko's construction for which he has since added a specially built air pump.


In the net: Anatoly Konenko made a small net to match, and tiny Danios fish swam around in the tank, which takes only two teaspoons of water to fill


Something fishy: The tank is just 30mm wide, 24mm high and 14 mm deep


Konenko is also a painter and is in the Guinness World Records book for making the world's smallest book.

He said: 'I've been doing microart for 30 years, doing the smallest things in the world.

'This tank was made out of curiosity.'

He works using a microscope for most of his work and has won awards in his home country and round the world.







source: dailymail

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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 from her back garden two weeks ago while she and fiance Alan Whitlock were away and friends were dog sitting.

She said: 'Obviously our friends feel terrible but it's nobody's fault, we just want him back. He is a beloved pet but he's so much more than that.

'He was a rescue dog and we started to notice that he would always be by my side, guarding me protectively, just before I had a seizure, then he would lie right by me until I recovered.

'He would growl at Alan, even though he's really Alan's dog. It was uncanny. We started giving him treats when he did it to encourage him and now I don't know how I got by without him.

'I can have four or five seizures a week when I am bad and I never know when they are coming on. I have hurt myself in the past and even fallen in the road.

'I am terrified I will have one at the top of the stairs and lose my baby without Max here. He is a lifesaver.'


Expectant mother: Andree Trotter, pictured, is concerned she will injure herself and her unborn child without missing dog Max


Max even runs upstairs - normally out of bounds to him - if she is about to have a seizure in the bedroom or bathroom.

She said: 'It gives me just enough time to lie down somewhere safe. He lies next to me cushions me and it is comforting to have him watching over me when I come round.

'I just hope he has wandered off and someone has taken him in as a stray. I would beg them to call us so we can bring him home.'

Alan, a 45-year-old graphic designer, said: 'We got him from the dog's home after he was found tied up next to a motorway.

'He is incredibly jumpy and gets spooked easily, by a vacuum cleaner or any loud noise.

'I think someone must have taken him in because he doesn't particularly like being outside.

'We're offering a substantial reward for anyone who finds him.'

They have put up hundreds of flyers, visited local rescue homes and even been to a pet psychic in a desperate bid to find him and bring him home.


source: dailymail

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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 Club, said: 'The immigrants have certainly got good taste. It does make you wonder how they got in.


Caught: Two illegal immigrants cover their faces after being caught trying to smuggle themselves into the country in the shells of luxury Rolls Royce cars


'The only thing the Germans make is the shell, the skeleton. There's no interior or panels. I very much hope they haven't been messing about and damaged anything.'

The aluminium shells are supplied to Rolls Royce technicians from German BMW factories because the car giant owns the famous British brand.

Andrew Ball, from Rolls Royce, said: 'A group of people were found in a truck from one of our suppliers and it was heading for our Goodwood factory.

'They were not complete vehicles but body shells for either our Phantom or Ghost models. The French authorities dealt with the matter and I do not believe there was any damage.'


One of the nine stowaways covers his head and face while he hides inside one of the cars. The German lorry was transporting the luxury vehicles to the car makers in Goodwood, West Sussex


The German driver and haulage company each face a potential fine of up to £2,000 per stowaway if they are unable to prove they took steps to secure the vehicle properly.

The immigrants were found at 7.20am on February 15, but the details have only just been released. The sniffer dog was a four-year-old Labrador cross collie called Jake.

Mandy Jones, UK Border Agency deputy director for south and Europe, said: 'This incident shows why we base UK Border Agency staff in France - to stop would-be illegal immigrants before they can reach the UK.

'Our strong presence in French ports like Calais helps protect the whole of the UK from people attempting to enter the country illegally.

'As well as using sniffer dogs, officers also use heartbeat detectors and carbon dioxide probes and physical searches to find people hiding in vehicles.'

The UK Border Agency said they had no details of the ages of the men because it was the responsibility of the French authorities to record such information.


source: dailymail

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On reflection, I think I do look rather human...

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Mmm... maybe: Orangutan Suman, pictured at Melbourne Zoo, looks contemplative in the 97% Human exhibit


Amazing facial expressions in portraits for 97% Human, project that proves how closely we're related


An orang-utan appears trapped in thought by his own reflection in this amazing portrait captured at Melbourne Zoo.

Using techniques normally employed by baby photographers to produce emotional pictures, talented Arthur Xanthopoulos, 38, has forged an incredible relationship with our primate brothers.

And his striking shots of facial expressions not so dissimilar from theose of humans add tangible evidence to the fact that monkeys share so many of our genes.

The pictures were taken as part of a project called 97% Human, and give us incredibly moving images of orang-utans, gorillas and baboons.

'These primates have the ability to recognise I have a camera and I'm taking photos of them,' explained Mr Xanthopoulous.

'They change their behaviour in response to my presence just like a human model would do.

'There's a personal interaction between myself and the apes which I convey through the pictures.

'I hope to let their unique personalities shine through so people can feel this for themselves, particularly through eye contact- which is a powerful way of communicating for both humans and apes.'


Get lost, this is private? A western lowland gorilla seems perturbed by photographer Arthur Xanthopoulos


In one heart warming image, female orangutan, Suma, 32, gazes at the ripples of her own reflection in the pool of her enclosure.

Another picture shows a western lowland gorilla at Melbourne Zoo in Australia playfully sticking his tongue out at the camera while a very human sadness is evident in the eyes of baboons and apes in the exhibition.

'When people look at the images I've created I hope they will see their own reflection and this will make them think how much more we have in common with primates than the difference in our bodies might suggest,' said Mr Xanthopoulous.

'I see my work as a way to create a degree of awareness in people's minds and help them to see these animals in a different way.'


I want to be alone: A baboon at Melbourne Zoo seems to have recently heard some distressing news


Living close to Melbourne Zoo and striking up friendships with staff gave Arthur prime access to the unusually open primate enclosures he found there.

He prefers to shoot on days where the sky is overcast and the light is even enough to allow him to bring out the features of the primates.

'I try to pick moments when I'm going to see the best of the animal I'm photographing,' he explained.

'I focus on the human characteristics of how primates look and how they sit in front of the camera.'

Melbourne Zoo is home a total of 320 animals species including six orangutans, eight gorillas and many other primate species.


Life - don't talk to me about life: A tree-hanging ape stares sadly into the middle distance


Since Australia's oldest zoo opened in 1892 it has launched international campaigns to save the endangered orangutans of Borneo and the gorillas threatened in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

'I think the most important aspect to my work is that although the primates are living in a zoo, 97 per cent human shows that they're not just animals,' Mr Xanthopoulous added.

'In the wild the habitats these apes depend on are being destroyed at a very high rate.

'They may not be humans and they may not possess the kinds of rights and benefits humans enjoy.

'But they have the same capacity for emotion and feeling as we do and we should respect them as such.

'Ninety seven percent human is food for thought in this regard.'


Can I help you? Menyaru the Orangutan seems to be questioning the photographer's interest

source: dailymail

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I didn't think you'd miss a hair or three! Cheeky crow feathers his nest at horse's expense

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Mind the crow's feet: Retired police photographer David Offord captured this jackdaw pinching hair from a horse's back while on holiday in Buston, near Norwich, Norfolk


When you’ve got a young brood to look after, home improvements have to be done on the hop.

So this determined jackdaw took a plucky approach to feathering its family nest.

The cheeky crow was caught pinching hair from the backs of unsuspecting horses to make a comfortable home for its chicks.

Retired police photographer David Offord captured the bird on camera while on holiday in Buston, near Norwich, Norfolk – then searched for three days until he found its cosy hair-lined nest on top of a chimney on a nearby home.

The 66-year-old, from Stowmarket, Suffolk, said: 'I'm always on the look out. I saw this jackdaw landing on the horses back and thought it was picking insects off it or something.

'But then I saw it was picking up hair. It took me two or three days to work out where it was taking the hair to and then I found the nest on the top of a chimney.

'The horse didn't seem too bothered at all so it must not hurt it too much.'


source: dailymail

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Rescued from floods: The lucky to be alive badgers weighing less than four spoons of sugar each

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Week old: Tiny badgers in the hands of Pauline Kidner. They weigh less than four spoons of sugar each - and will grow to an average of seven kilos


These super sweet baby badgers weigh less than four spoons of sugar each - and are lucky to be alive after being saved from British floods last week by their quick-thinking mother.

The 2oz cubs are just over a week old and are the smallest ever seen by Secret World Widlife Rescue in Highbridge, Somerset, and signal the approaching Spring.

And because the animals aren't normally seen until they first venture out of their sett at three months, they give a rare glimpse of what early life is like for the animals.

They were found abandoned in a barrel when floods battered Wales a week ago.
Staff say their mother detected the oncoming danger - as animals often sense disasters before they strike - and moved them to higher ground to stop them from drowning.

A local foun
d them desperately calling out while stashed inside and, with their mother nowhere to be seen, they alerted Secret World who took them in.

Because of their light weight and the need to measure them carefully the two females and one male were named Lavender, Saffron and Nutmeg after spices used for cooking.

As the badger cubs' umbilical cords had dropped off and their belly buttons had formed, Secret World charity founder, Pauline Kidner, 60, knew the babies must have been at least three days old when they reached her animal rescue centre last Sunday.

'They're the first of the year and its a nice message for everyone that Spring is just around the corner,' said Pauline.


Tiny: Three lucky to be alive baby badgers being weighed on some scales at Secret World Wildlife Rescue in Somerset


Rescue: Tiny badgers were find inside a barrel - and it is thought their mother had moved them up onto higher ground to stop them drowning


'They were very tiny - the smallest cubs we've ever had,'

'I was actually shocked to see they were badger cubs - I thought at first they must have been rabbits, which are smaller.

'The original call was from a couple in Wales who had their own piece of land.
'Some of the setts in the area were flooded and we believe the mother probably moved the cubs into the barrel for their protection.

'They were distressed so the couple moved them closer to a nearby badger sett - hoping that the mother would return. But nothing happened.

'The cubs were becoming really cold and at such a small size they can't retain their body heat alone, so they called us knowing we had the facilities to rear them.'

The baby badgers will be kept in an incubator and fed milk by members of staff for the first five weeks.

They will then be moved to a cubby hole in Pauline's kitchen where they will be provided with a heat lamp, a warm bed of fleeces and even a webcam so anyone in the world can follow their development on line.

Eventually they will out grow their cubby hole and roam in the kitchen until they are ready to be weaned from their milk.

After this the youthful trio will move to a nearby enclosure with other badger cubs to from a new family. All the badgers will be transferred to a grassy field where all human contact will be restricted -to prepare them for life in the wild.

While there they will learn survival skills such as digging and foraging.


Rare: The animals aren't normally seen until they first venture out of their sett at three months


The cubs can now look forward to a healthy upbringing before they are released back into the wild.

'They're just starting to move their ears - it's interesting to see the development as the days go by,' said Pauline.

'It will probably be another week before they can use their back legs to scratch.
'Badgers are one of the slowest maturing animal we have so it's five weeks before their eyes and ears open.

'They wouldn't normally come up above the ground until they're 12 weeks old.
'What we're seeing is obviously something that people wouldn't normally see.'
When fully grown the badgers can expect to weigh an average of seven kilograms.


source: dailymail

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New Home for Giant Pandas, Xiannu and Bili

A female giant panda named Xiannu is carried inside a cage in Sichuan province February 20, 2011. Xiannu and Bili, a male giant panda, will be flown from Shanghai to Narita International Airport and be delivered to Ueno zoo in Tokyo on February 21, 2011.




In this photo released by China's Xinhua News Agency, the female giant panda "Xiannu" strolls in the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda in Chengdu, southwest of Beijing, Sunday, Feb. 20, 2011. Two 5-year-old pandas are due to arrive at Tokyo's Ueno Zoo on Monday. They'll be the zoo's first since the 2008 death of its beloved giant panda Ling Ling.




A male giant panda named Bili is carried inside a cage in Sichuan province February 20, 2011. Bili and Xiannu, a female giant panda, will be flown from Shanghai to Narita International Airport and be delivered to Ueno zoo in Tokyo on February 21, 2011.



In this photo released by China's Xinhua News Agency, people carry female giant panda "Xiannu" in Chengdu, southwest of Beijing Sunday, Feb. 20, 2011. The two 5-year-old pandas are due to arrive at Tokyo's Ueno Zoo on Monday. They'll be the zoo's first since the 2008 death of its beloved giant panda Ling Ling.



A male giant panda named Bili eats inside its enclosure in Sichuan province February 19, 2011. Bili and Xiannu, a female giant panda, will be flown from Shanghai to Narita International Airport and be delivered to Ueno zoo in Tokyo on February 21, 2011.




A female giant panda named Xiannu is pictured inside its enclosure in Sichuan province February 19, 2011. Xiannu and Bili, a male giant panda, will be flown from Shanghai to Narita International Airport and be delivered to Ueno zoo in Tokyo on February 21, 2011.


source: daylife
photo: Reuters, AP photo

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Doggone it: Eddie the Jack Russell is saved by truck driver owner after 19 HOURS trapped underground

By OLIVER PICKUP

Happy ending: Eddie the Jack Russell sticks his nose out of the steel pipe, where he was stuck for hours


This is the heart-warming moment when Eddie the Jack Russell was saved, after 19 hours of being trapped underground.

The one-and-a-half year-old had come loose from his lead, scurried underneath a fence and accidentally fell into a nearby irrigation distribution box, before squeezing into a narrow steel pipe under the asphalt.

Owner Glen Farrell, a truck driver, thought that he had lost his best friend when he returned to the yard in Boise, Idaho, but when he heard backing underneath where he was standing, he and his colleagues quickly set about saving the dog.


Dig for victory: Eddie's owner and his friends dig into the asphalt and dirt to save the dog


Half a dozen men sprung into action and used their diggers and heavy duty equipment to left the earth and cut Eddie out - he had scrambled 30ft up the pipe from its entrance, and could not backtrack.

But as Eddie has wiggled his way up the pipe, he was only a matter of feet under the ground and owner Farrell, who had left Eddie tied in the yard before he went on his job the day before, told KTVB.com: 'I could see him down in there, way down in there.'

An anxious dig, though the asphalt, dirt and, after cutting the steel pipe, Eddie excitedly popped his nose out and saw daylight for the first time in 19 hours.


Heave! Farrell's pals lend a hand in saving one-and-a-half year-old Eddie


Daylight! The Jack Russell squeezes hi nose out of the steel pipe as his owner Glen Farrell cuts the metal


Mucky pup: The rescuers look on as Farrell pulls his dog free from the ground


Shortly afterwards the rest of the dog emerged, and he jumped into Farrell's arms.
'He's shaking a little bit,' said the relieved owner, looking at his shivering black-and-white dog caked in mud.

'He just wants to go home now, and have a bath and sit by the fire, probably. You hear these stories, and you think, well, you know... but here we are. We're one of them now.'

Farrell said that Eddie is always getting into scrapes, but this was the first - and hopefully last - time he has managed to do something like this.


Freed: Eddie jumps out of the hole that has been dig to save him - and after 19 hours underground, boy is he happy


Happy dog: Eddie is delighted to be free - and can't wait for a hot bath and to lie by a roaring fire



source: dailymail

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Giant pandas named Bili and Xiannu

A male giant panda named Bili eats inside its enclosure in Sichuan province February 19, 2011. Bili and Xiannu, a female giant panda, will be flown from Shanghai to Narita International Airport and be delivered to Ueno zoo in Tokyo on February 21, 2011.



A female giant panda named Xiannu is pictured inside its enclosure in Sichuan province February 19, 2011. Xiannu and Bili, a male giant panda, will be flown from Shanghai to Narita International Airport and be delivered to Ueno zoo in Tokyo on February 21, 2011.


source: daylife
photo: Reuters

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Vermin...or awesome bird of prey? The red kite is back in British towns

By JONATHAN PETRE AND VALERIE ELLIOTT

Flying high: Back from the brink of extinction, the red kites are flourishing across Britain


In Victorian times they were treated like vermin and hunted to the brink of extinction.

But red kites are once again flourishing across Britain, thanks to the efforts of conservationists...and local councils who leave household rubbish to pile up.

The birds of prey are natural scavengers, and experts believe the growing amount of food thrown away, combined with less frequent bin collections, is helping the species thrive.

In Reading up to 60 red kites have been spotted from the roof of a multi-storey car park, apparently watching for the roadkill on which they like to feed.

Earlier this month, BBC1’s The One Show featured a flock attracted to the waste left at a roadside cafe in Oxfordshire, and there have also been sightings in Leeds, Gateshead, Manchester, Birmingham, Coventry and Hampstead and Hackney in North and East London.

Despite the efforts of conservationists, the numbers of red kites plunged to just a handful of breeding pairs in the 1960s, confined to rural mid-Wales.

But a concerted reintroduction programme begun 20 years ago means that there are now thought to be 1,800 breeding pairs across the country.

In medieval times, red kites proliferated in Britain.

By snatching discarded food from the streets, they helped keep towns and cities clean – and kites were protected by a Royal decree, with the death penalty for killing one.

William Shakespeare wrote about their habit of stealing laundry to adorn their nests, and they are known to have carried away dolls, teddy bears and toy cars.

However, by the 16th Century, kites were considered vermin, with a bounty placed on their heads.

By the 1890s, they had been virtually wiped out by landowners who wrongly believed they killed their lambs.

But in the early 1990s, the RSPB released a batch of red kites into the wild in the Chilterns, the first of several such reintroductions across Britain.


Soaring again: A red kite spotted over houses near Slough in Berkshire. Up to 60 have been seen in Reading


One of the sites used was the Buckinghamshire estate of the late American-born multi-millionaire Sir Paul Getty, who hired security guards to protect nests from egg collectors.

Wildlife experts said red kites are drawn to cities because they do not like live prey.

Grahame Madge from the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds said: ‘The red kite is a scavenger, not a hunter, and the birds will gather to feed on carrion, mainly dead rabbits, mice and pheasant, and animals killed on the road.

‘They are not the fearsome predators that people in the Victorian era thought them to be and they are not like a sparrowhawk or kestrel, which would go for a live prey.

‘There have been complaints about red kites attacking dogs and cats but I think these would be very occasional instances.’


Experts believe the growing amount of food thrown away, combined with less frequent bin collections, is helping the red kite species thrive


John Bryant, an urban wildlife expert, said that the amount of food thrown away by families was fuelling the wildlife invasion.

‘The problem is that we’ve got all these bin bags that are raided at night by foxes, rats and squirrels, then the contents are strewn on streets and in gardens,’ he said.

‘Red kites are scavengers and it is not surprising they are also now being spotted in towns.

‘If wheelie bins are too full because the rubbish is not collected as frequently as it once was, people will leave black bags on top or put them inside but not close the lid, so the wildlife can still get at them.

‘In some areas, people are expected to leave black bin bags in the street to be collected. That is an invitation to scavengers.’


source: dailymail

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Monster meets its match: Record-breaking alligator gar fish caught in Mississippi lake

By Daily Mail Reporter



Biologists with the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks measure the record-breaking alligator gar


It may not have been love at first sight but it was certainly a Valentine's Day to remember for angler Kenny Williams when he landed an alligator gar that tipped the scales at a world record 327lbs.

Williams, from Vicksburg, Mississippi, bagged the fish in Chotard Lake, Issaquena County, using nets to catch it and then grabbing it by the gills to heave it into the boat.


Biologists with the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks measured the beast at 8ft 51/4ins long, with a girth of 47.95ins, and estimated it to be between 50 and 70 years old

The current International Game Fish Association record belongs to a 279-pounder pulled from the Rio Grande in Texas in 1951.

'At first I didn't think he was that big. But as I was getting him into the boat, it was like, How big is this thing? It was a lot of effort just to get him into the boat,' Williams told ABC affiliate WAPT-TV in Jackson.


Chotard Lake where the gigantic alligator gar lurked for between 50 and 70 years


Williams donated his catch to the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science in Jackson, where it will be mounted and placed on display.

Alligator gars are the biggest species of gar. It is not uncommon for an average alligator gar to reach a length off 7-8ft and a weight around 100-120lbs, making it one of the biggest species of freshwater fish in North America.

It has several notable characteristics, the most notable being a dual row of teeth in the upper jaw. The teeth are small, but they are razor-sharp and can easily shred prey.


Source:Dailymail

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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 prize


This 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, invested in the £19.95 Gardman 'squirrel proof' feeders after watching the greedy animal devour the nuts from all their other feeders.

They hoped the space-age looking design, which protects the bird nuts with a wire globe, would be a strong enough deterrent.

But they were stunned when they peered out of the window one day and saw the squirrel had worked his way around it.


Greedy: The cage's manufacturers say the squirrel will soon be too fat to fit between the bars


Ms Carter said: 'This particular squirrel is very greedy and very clever.
'He comes into the garden a dozen times a day to eat from the bird feeders.

'The poor birds hardly get a look in - they just sit in the surrounding trees waiting for him to finish.

'We've tried so many things to stop him - we tried making our own 'squirrel proof' feeders but he always work them out.

'Once we tried hanging bird feeders on wires out of his reach but he managed to get to them by tight-rope walking.

'When we saw a "squirrel proof" feeder on sale we thought it was the answer to all our problems.


Squeeze: The squirrel manages to get its head and body through one of the wider holes in the middle of the cage


'We bought one first to test it and, initially, it seemed to work so we bought another one.

'But I peered out of the window one day and was stunned to see he was inside one of the feeders, eating all the nuts.

'And it wasn't long before he figured out the other one, which contained seeds.
'We thought it would be a little harder for him to feed from because it has a plastic covering.

'But he simply shakes it from side to side until the food comes out of the holes.

'My husband has since tried to put more wire on the outside of both feeders to make the holes smaller but it hasn't worked.' When Ms Carter wrote to Gardman to inform them of what had happened she was refunded the cost of both feeders.


Victory! It manages to squeeze its whole body into the cage to get its reward


She said: 'I wrote to them and said it was perhaps time to go back to the drawing board with the design and they gave me my money back.

'My husband and I have now given up trying to outwit the squirrel.

'It is very frustrating but you can't deny he's a clever little animal and I admire his tenacity.'

Jane Lawler, marketing director at Gardman, said: 'Our squirrel proof feeder is designed to keep squirrels out but to let as many birds as possible into the feeder.

'Very occasionally, some skinnier squirrels squeeze through and with all the extra food this one is eating, it won't fit through the bars for long.'


source: dailymail

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