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Three white lion cubs are presented to the public at the city zoo in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Wednesday Jan. 5, 2011. The cubs were born on Nov. 16, 2010. According to zoo officials these are the first white lions to be born in South America.





Men dressed as the Three Wise Men look at one of the three one-month-old white lion cubs at the Buenos Aires zoo January 5, 2011.



Sofia carries one of her three lion cubs during their presentation to the public at the city zoo in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Wednesday Jan. 5, 2011. According to zoo officials these are the first white lions to be born in South America. The cubs were born on Nov. 16, 2010.



A white lioness named Sofia holds one of its three one-month-old cubs in its enclosure at the Buenos Aires zoo January 5, 2011



A white lion cub looks out towards visitors during a presentation to the public at the city zoo in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Wednesday Jan. 5, 2011. Three white lions, one male and two females, were born on Nov. 16, 2010. According to zoo officials these are the first white lions to be born in South America.



Three one-month-old white lion cubs are seen in their enclosure at the Buenos Aires zoo January 5, 2011.



A white lioness named Sofia holds one of its three one-month-old cubs in its enclosure at the Buenos Aires zoo January 5, 2011.




Children look at one of the three white lion cubs presented to the public at the city zoo in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Wednesday Jan. 5, 2011. The cubs were born on Nov. 16, 2010. According to zoo officials these are the first white lions to be born in South America.



Sofia and her three white lion cubs are presented to the public at the city zoo in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Wednesday Jan. 5, 2011. According to zoo officials these are the first white lions to be born in South America. The cubs, a male and two females, were born on Nov. 16, 2010.

source: Daylife
photo: AP photo, Reuters

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Mum, you're embarrassing me! These cute meerkats were caught 'kissing' by a delighted onlooker at a zoo in Gelsenkirchen, Germany. But in actual fact, it's good old mum trying get sand out of the mischievous youngster's nose


It looks like this cute meerkat is puckering up for a kiss - but it's not that simples!

The mischievous youngster got sand up its snout after playing in the sand and needed his mother's help to get it out.

Library assistant Elke Terstegen, 38, photographed the playful scene at her local zoo.

She said: 'The photo isn't as romantic as it looks - it is actually a mother and her child.

'It was a kind of 'Oh, you have something in your face - let me take my handkerchief, spit on it and rub it away'.

'We all know that behaviour from our own mum.

'This picture was the only one where the pup was standing still.

'On the others it was always trying to escape its mother.

'Before that the pup was digging in the sand so its snout was full of it.'

Elke, from Gelsenkirchen, Germany, said: 'The meerkats are my favourite animals because they seem to have some human habits like in this picture.'

The picture was taken at Zoom Erlebniswelt in Gelsenkirchen, Germany.

source: dailymail

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Deaf but happy: Lucy, a 39-year-old cat from Llanelli, South Wales is believed to be the oldest cat in the world after a visiting aunt remembered her as a kitten in 1972


A family has discovered their cat is the oldest in the world after reaching its 39th birthday.

Pet Lucy was born way back in 1972 when Ted Heath was Prime Minister and petrol was 33p a gallon.

Cat experts say she has clocked up the equivalent of 172 human years - and cats live to be about 15 on average which means Lucy has more than doubled her life expectancy.

Lucy is still fit as a fiddle - and catches mice in the garden. Owner Bill Thomas, 63, inherited Lucy when his wife's Godmother Maria Lewis died in 1999.

But it was only when an elderly aunt came to visit that he realised Lucy was a record breaker.

He said: 'My aunt saw the cat and could not believe her eyes.

'She could remember Lucy scampering around maria's fish and chip shop when she was a kitten back in 1972. We knew she was old - but not that old.'

Town councillor Bill, of Llanelli, South Wales, took Lucy to the vet who was amazed by the cat's long life. Bill said: 'The vet said she was very old but it was not possible to give us an exact age.


'Great with the grandchildren': Lucy with Ethan Thomas, aged 6. Cat experts say Lucy has clocked up the equivalent of 172 human years


'Lucy has gone deaf but apart from that she is in good shape and extremely independent.

'She is great with the grandchildren and still likes to patrol the garden every day looking for mice.' Until now the world's oldest recorded cat was a pet called Creme Puff from Texas, USA, which lived for 38 years and three days.

Bill said: 'We have researched Lucy's past and found she was born in Thomas Street, Llanelli in 1972.

He said: 'We have spoken to other people who can verify seeing her in the fish and chip shop in the early seventies.

'She appears to be the genuine article.' A spokesman for Guinness World Records said there was no entry for the world's oldest cat.


source: dailymail

By DAVID DERBYSHIRE

Are we there yet? Leatherback sea turtles travel thousands of miles for anything up to 150 days to reach feeding and breading grounds


They are famed for their epic voyages across the world's roughest oceans.
But until now, nobody quite appreciated just how good leatherback turtles were at navigation.

In a new study, British scientists have discovered that the gigantic females can swim for thousands of miles in a perfectly straight line.

Following a course that would be the envy of a state-of-the-art cruise liner, the turtles make the transatlantic journey from Central Africa to South America using the shortest possible route.


Inbuilt sat-nav: Scientists from Exeter University have now discovered that these amazing creatures are able to make their long journeys traveling the shortest possible route - often swimming in a perfectly straight line


Exactly how turtles can swim in a straight line remains a mystery to biologists.
However, they are thought to use a combination of vision - relying on the position of the stars and sun - and a sense of the Earth's magnetic field, to steer their way.


Fancy a dip? Leatherbacks spend almost their entire lives in the water. The only time they leave their watery sanctuary is when they are nesting or when hatchlings, like this little fella, emerge from their nests


The findings come from a study led by the Centre for Ecology and Conservation at Exeter University.


Over five years, the researchers tagged 25 females with satellite tracking devices strapped or drilled to their shells as they left their hatching grounds in Africa to seek food across the Atlantic.

They discovered three migratory routes - including one 4,699 mile journey straight across the Atlantic from Gabon to the coastal waters off southern Brazil and Uruguay that took 150 days.

Dr Matthew Witt, who published the findings in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B, said: 'Despite extensive research carried out on leatherbacks, no-one has really been sure about the journeys they take in the South Atlantic until now.

'What we’ve shown is that there are three clear migration routes as they head back to feeding grounds after breeding in Gabon, although the numbers adopting each strategy varied each year.

'We don’t know what influences that choice yet, but we do know these are truly remarkable journeys – with one female tracked for thousands of miles travelling in a straight line right across the Atlantic.'


A map of the three routes taken by migrating turtles. Group 2, made up of leatherback turtles, travelled in a straight line

source: dailymail

An Indian elephant lifts a Christmas tree at Prague Zoo January 4, 2011.



An Indian elephant eats snow at Prague Zoo January 4, 2011.



A zookeeper strokes an Indian elephant at Prague Zoo January 4, 2011.




An Indian elephants plays with Christmas trees on January 4, 2011 at Prague Zoo in the Czech capital.



source: Daylife
photo: Reuters

A polar bear plays on January 4, 2011 at Prague Zoo in the Czech capital.



Polar bears play in their enclosure at Prague Zoo January 4, 2011.



Polar bears play in their enclosure at Prague Zoo January 4, 2011.



source: Daylife
photo: Reuters

Zookeeper Kate Sanders poses for photographers with a group of spider monkeys during the annual stocktake at London Zoo, north London, on January 4, 2011. With over 16,000 creatures, the headcount will include 10,000 invertebrates, 4,700 fish and 100 reptiles.




A photographer gets close to some squirrel monkeys during a photo-call media event to mark the annual stock-take at London Zoo in London, Tuesday, Jan. 4, 2011. The zoo, which houses over 700 species of animals, is required to carry out the annual head count of all their animals as part of their zoo license



LONDON, ENGLAND - JANUARY 04: Zoo keeper Kate Sanders makes note of the Spider Monkeys as she conducts ZSL London Zoo's annual stocktake on January 1, 2011 in London, England. London Zoo is home to over 16,000 animals from over 700 different species including over 10,000 invertebrates, 4,700 fish and 100 reptiles.



Senior keeper Mark Tansley poses with a locust during the ZSL London Zoo's annual inventory count in London January 4, 2011. Zookeepers are conducting an annual headcount on over 16,000 different creatures including over 10,000 invertebrates, 4,700 fish and 100 reptiles.



Insect keeper Kate Pearce poses with a red kneed bird-eating tarantula during the ZSL London Zoo's annual inventory count in London January 4, 2011. Zookeepers are conducting an annual headcount on over 16,000 different creatures including over 10,000 invertebrates, 4,700 fish and 100 reptiles.



Mammal keeper Angela Ryan poses with Llamas during the ZSL London Zoo's annual inventory count in London January 4, 2011. Zookeepers are conducting an annual headcount on over 16,000 different creatures including over 10,000 invertebrates, 4,700 fish and 100 reptiles.



Mammal keeper Angela Ryan coaxes a meerkat for the benefit of photographers during the ZSL London Zoo's annual inventory count in London January 4, 2011. Zookeepers are conducting an annual headcount on over 16,000 different creatures including over 10,000 invertebrates, 4,700 fish and 100 reptiles



Zookeeper Evelyn Guyett poses for photographers with flamingos during the annual stocktake at London Zoo, north London on January 4, 2011. With over 16,000 creatures, the headcount will include 10,000 invertebrates, 4,700 fish and 100 reptiles.



LONDON, ENGLAND - JANUARY 04: Zoo keeper Kate Sanders makes note of the Spider Monkeys as she conducts ZSL London Zoo's annual stocktake on January 1, 2011 in London, England. London Zoo is home to over 16,000 animals from over 700 different species including over 10,000 invertebrates, 4,700 fish and 100 reptiles.




Zookeeper Kate Sanders poses for photographers with a group of spider monkeys during the annual stocktake at London Zoo, north London, on January 4, 2011. With over 16,000 creatures, the headcount will include 10,000 invertebrates, 4,700 fish and 100 reptiles.



LONDON, ENGLAND - JANUARY 04: A Bolivian squirrel monkey sits in its enclosure during the ZSL London Zoo's annual stocktake on January 4, 2011 in London, England. London Zoo is home to over 16,000 animals from over 700 different species including over 10,000 invertebrates, 4,700 fish and 100 reptiles.


source : Daylife
photo: AP photo, Gettyimages, Reuters

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

This orangutan soaked up the midday sun at Taman Safari Park near Jakarta, Indonesia looking a little full around the middle


Louise, a retired social worker, said: 'These orangutans were all in a special enclosure which was a wide-open, lush, green area.

'There were about 20 orangutans and they were going about their daily lives, which looked much like ours on occasion.

'It was around noon time at the park and it was rather hot.


The sedentary creature was too lazy to even swing on the trees and ropes


'There was an area where the orangutans could swing in the trees but I only saw one using the rope.

'The orangutans in question seem to lead a sedentary way of life.

'The really plump ones look like females.

'There were male orangutans in the enclosure and they were all of normal weight and more animated.' Louise, from California, United States, added: 'Later in my trip, I observed orangutans in the wild in Borneo in a conservation area.

'It seemed to me that the orangutans in captivity used more human-like gestures.


In addition to the overfed orangutan, this guy looked like he had a bit of a headache


source: dailymail

The San Diego Zoo's first baby of the year, a satanic leaf-tailed gecko born on January 1, 2011, crawls on a keeper's finger at the San Diego Zoo January 3, 2011. The San Diego Zoo is one of only seven zoos in the United States with this species in its collection and one of only two breeding them. The gecko weighs less than a gram and is smaller than a dime and is not yet named.




source: Daylife
photo:

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Before: Garcia the goose had the top half of her orange beak sheared off in an accident


This farmyard goose has had a nose job after breaking off the top half of its orange beak in a freak accident.

Garcia was left with her tongue exposed after apparently becoming tangled up in a fence at her animal sanctuary.

Vets fitted a black prosthetic nose and she is back to eating as normal - even if the matt finish does make her stand out by the lake.


After: A fibreglass replica was fitted to the farmhouse goose under general anesthetic. Eventually the original will grow back and the 'false' £175 nose will be removed


There were fears the farmyard goose would have to be put down as she was left unable to fend for herself - but vets managed to create a false nose.

Bird expert Dr Alan Jones crafted the fibreglass beak before it was fitted while the animal was under general anaesthetic.

It was attached with wires which were placed in the goose's skull at the British Wildlife Centre in Newchapel, Surrey.


Back at home: Garcia with her new 'false' nose back with her friend Morgan back at the Happy Endings Animal Rescue Sanctuary


A metal framework was built for the new beak before it was filled with a fibreglass paste called Technovit.

Terry Kemp, a veterinary nurse and founder of the Happy Endings Animal Rescue Sanctuary in Hailsham, East Sussex, where Garcia lives said: 'We couldn't believe how great she looked after her nose job.

'Who would have thought you could save a goose's life with a piece of fibreglass - it's absolutely incredible. We are delighted.'

Garcia and her friend Morgan - named after actors on American police drama Criminal Minds - were taken in by Happy Endings four months ago after they had been dumped by their owner at a wildlife sanctuary.


source: dailymail

Tale from the riverbank: Marius Els with his pet hippo Humphrey at his farm in Free State, South Africa


The hippo is most dangerous animal in the whole of Africa.

But they're not all bad - as these incredible pictures show.

A South African farmer has developed a friendship with one that is so trustworthy, the hippo helps him cross lakes on his 400-acre farmstead.


Balancing act: Marius manages to stay on Humphrey's back as he cadges a lift across the river with the tame hipp at his farm in Free State, South Africa


Marius Els breeds 20 different species of wildlife on land near Petrus Steynlakes, including giraffe, buffalo, rhinos and antelope.

But he has a real soft spot for Humphrey, whom he bought aged just five months and allows to roam free. He even built a dam to create a 200m wide and 18m deep lake that is perfect for wallowing in.


Across we go: Marius Els bought Humphrey when he was just five months old and is looking for a mate but tame females are hard to come bywith his pet hippo Humphre


The gargantuan pet is now six, and as Marius, 40, explains, 'could rip a man my size apart with no problem'.

Sometimes he does get tired of his ferrying role. 'If he decides to get me off his back, then he throws me over like a horse.'

However, it is usually a case of Marius clinging on for dear life as Humphrey plunging through the water like like a giant grey tank .


Best friends: Marius pats the back of 1,200kg Humphrey who is so powerful he could rip a human apart in an instant


The powerful hippopotamus, who at 1200kg weighs well over a metric tonne, is such a strong swimmer that the water barely reaches Marius' knees before they ride to the far side of the lake where the two sit down for a well deserved break.

'Humphrey's like a son to me, he's just like a human,' said Marius,
'There's a relationship between me and Humphrey and that's what some people don't understand.

source: dailymail

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Full of the joys: The penguin dances around the compound, much to the bemusement of his friends


It's normally little children that get excited at the sight of their first snowflake.

As permanent residents of the chilly, snow-covered South Pole, you'd think for penquins it would all be a bit, well, mundane.

Not so for this little chap who clearly couldn't control his excitement as the white stuff started to fall.

Looking like the real-life star of animated film Happy Feet, the baby penguin tears up and down while his bemused friends look on.

Or maybe he's a fan of penguin-suited dance legend Fred Astaire, who often went through his paces wearing a top hat and tails.

The clip was posted on YouTube two days ago and has already attracted thousands of views.


Inspiration: Is our dancing penguin a film fan? If so he might have seen Happy Feet or one of Fred Astaire's many films


In the Happy feet film, Mumble the penguin is cast as an outsider because he has a terrible singing voice. But he soon becomes the star of the show when he discovers he has talent for something none of his friends has seen before - tap dancing.







source: dailymail

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Laughing matter: Two brown bear cubs playfight on the beach at Lake Clark National Park near Port Alsworth, Alaska


Life's a beach for this pair of unlikely sunbathers.

Frolicking in the surf without a care in the world, these bear cubs are inseparable as they play together in Alaska's Lake Clark National Park.

Rambling along the waterfront hunting for food, these beach-loving brown bears provide an intimate record into the families of bear which frequent the area.


Tiring work this: The two cubs rest side by side on the shoreline as photographer Doug Merrick was able to get within 12ft of them


British photographer Doug Merrick spent two weeks at Silver Salmon Creek observing the playful cubs mirroring the hunting techniques of their mother during the salmon spawning season.

Mr Merrick, 75, from Biggleswade, Bedfordshire, completed a lifelong ambition to photograph the animals up close.

He said: 'I have been planning the trip for 12 years. I have always wanted to get really close to bears in their native wild environment.

'Most places have raised observation platforms which I've used in the past and I wasn't happy with the results.

'This time I was determined to be on the ground with them and take the kind of shots I love, kneeling down in front of them as low as possible.'

Taking a private plane from Soldotna, Alaska, Mr Merrick landed on the beach at Silver Salmon Creek - a premier holiday destination for fishing, bear viewing and wildlife photography.


Mine! The two cubs share a salmon after copying their mother to catch the fish in the water


He was able to creep up to within just a few feet of the bears.

'It was important for me to get as close to the bears as I could and to do this I had to travel the bears' territory independently on foot,' he said.

'At one point, I was only 12ft away from the mighty female, but I knew as long as I remained out in the open I would be safe.

'Bears are so powerful they could decapitate a person with a single swipe of their huge paws - but only if they chose to.

'Both solitary bears and families gather during the low tide of the early morning because salmon battling to reach their spawning grounds upriver become stranded.'

There are more than 200,000 brown bears in the wild, which can grow up to 10ft tall and weigh more than 100 stone.

Mr Merrick plans to revisit the area in June for the mating season.

He added: 'They usually live in the hills beyond the tree line in dens and the trees themselves.

'There have been no recorded attacks on humans in the 15 years that Silver Salmon Creek has been accessible.

'Only in the tree line would I have been a bother to them as the cover adds the element of surprise.'



Watch with mother: The two cubs sit next to each other as the adult bear catches salmon in Silver Salmon Creek


source: dailymail

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

A school of pilot fish swarming around a oceanic whitetip shark. The two species co-exist - he smaller fish get protection from larger predators while the shark gets freedom from parasites


Just like Finding Nemo this hungry shark looks like it has learnt 'fish are friends not food'.

In the Pixar blockbuster, great white shark Bruce gives up his fish-munching ways at an alcoholics anonymous style, self help meet.

And as this incredible real life image shows, sharks in the real world seem to be following in Bruce's fin-steps.

The image taken by underwater photographer Daniel Selmeczi, shows a school of pilot fish swarming around an oceanic whitetip shark.

Pilot fish are carniverous and are often found in the company of sharks, manta ray and giant turtles.

The relationship is mutually beneficial - the fish gain protection from the larger predators known as 'mutualism' where different species exist side-by-side while the shark is kept clear of parasites.

The oceanic whitetip is the pilot fish's preferred companion, eating 'ectoparasites' from the sides of their body.

A similar harmonious co-existance can be seen on land with birds entering the mouths of crocodiles to clean it out without fear of being eaten alive.

Pilot fish are also carnivores so they have the added benefit that when a shark tears its meal to pieces they can share it and eat the scrap bits that fall off.

The name given to the pilot fish either comes from the belief that they helped to guide ships safely to shore in shallower waters or they helped sharks towards food.

Such is the close relationship between the two different species that sailors have reported the pilot fish staying with a boat for up to six weeks after their host shark has been caught.

The image bears an uncanny resemblance to the poster for the film Finding Nemo, which features Bruce the shark surrounded by hundreds of fish and other marine life.


The Finding Nemo poster which resembles Daniel Selmeczis underwater photograph


Daniel, 32, from Hungary took the image while diving in the Red Sea in Egypt.

He said: 'I have been taking underwater photographs since 2002 and have travelled to Egypt, the Bahamas, Costa Rica, Indonesia and Malaysia in search of the perfect photograph.

'And this one is one of my favourites, it's rare to capture fish surrounding a shark quite like this.

'I was shocked when someone pointed out my picture looked like a scene from Finding Nemo, I love the film so it has just made me like my image even more.'

'Luckily this shark is friendly, just like Bruce, so I was in no danger photographing it.

'Many people are terrified of sharks especially with the attacks in Egypt recently but Oceanic Whitetip sharks don't eat humans, they eat fish, so I vote we save the sharks.'

source: dailymail

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Love, Actually: Four-year-old tabby Kaiser reaches into the bowl to kiss goldfish Fishy


The average cat seldom looks upon a fish as anything more than a potential supper.

But four-year-old Kaiser has developed a rather closer – and more lasting – relationship to Fishy the goldfish. He regularly leans into the goldfish bowl to help himself to a kiss and a drink of water.


Owner James Armstrong, 45, a landscape gardener from Newcastle who bought Kaiser from a cat shelter, said: ‘We often joke that he likes fish-flavoured water. It happens with such regularity I think the fish enjoys the company.’

Meanwhile, a cat that went missing for 11 years was miraculously reunited with her teenage owner on Christmas Eve - making the furry feline a surprise Christmas present for her overjoyed family.

Chloe Hill was just six years old when she was given tiny kitten Salem as a present from her mum, Karen.

But she was heartbroken when the little cat disappeared just weeks later after slipping through an open door.


Incredible reunion: Chloe Hill, with her cat Salem that went missing for 11 years and was miraculously reunited with her teenage owner on Christmas Eve


The family spent weeks searching the neighbourhood for their kitten, but never spotted their beloved pet.

They eventually feared the much-loved moggie was gone forever and got on with their lives.

Yet on Christmas Eve the RSPCA called the family from Halesowen, West Midlands to say Salem had been handed in and an emotional reunion followed.

Overjoyed Chloe, now 17, said: 'I just couldn't believe it when I saw Salem again. I never thought she'd come back after all these years.'

'I couldn't believe it when we got the call to say she had been found. I thought it was a joke at first, as we'd forgotten all about her.

'We rushed over to the pet store on Christmas Eve and spent GBP100 on litter trays and food.'


Homeward bound: Salem gave his owner a festive surprise after being found on December 24, over a decade after going missing


source: dailymail