dailypetfwd

By James Titcomb


When a rare Siberian tiger gave birth to two baby cubs at a zoo in Sochi, Russia, keepers were overjoyed.

However, when the cubs' mother refused to feed them, an unusual candidate stepped forward.

The two cubs were adopted by the most unlikeliest of nannies - a Shar-Pei dog called Cleopatra - who now breastfeeds and cleans the tigers, Clyopa and Plyusha.

Special bond: Cleopatra the Shar Pei feeds her two adoptive children. When the two cubs' mother refused to feed them Cleopatra took over mothering duties and is now giving them all her attention, zoo workers have said

Playful: Siberian tiger cub Plyusha gets the better of Shar-Pei puppy Fighter in the house in Socha, Russia

Luckily, Cleopatra had just had a litter of puppies herself, and freely accepted the cubs as her own.

Now the cubs live with Cleopatra, her puppies, and a cat called Masyanya at a house in Sochi, western Russia, where they are taken care of by owner Yekaterina Khodakova.

The cubs are fed by their adoptive mother and play and lie around the house just like regular cats.
They even play fight with their new siblings, as these adorable pictures show.

The cubs were born in late May in a zoo at the Oktyabrsky health resort in the Black Sea resort of Sochi.


Watch out: Clyopa stalks past 18-month-old baby Gleb, who shares the house with dogs, cats and tigers


Tussle: Clyopa battles with cat Masyanya. The month-old cubs have been welcomed into the house

Get off me! Plyusha and adoptive sibling Fighter playfight in the house of Yekaterina Khodakova

Zoo assistant director Viktoria Kudlayeva said the dog immediately gave the cubs all her attention.

‘She accepted them right away,’ Kudlayeva said. ‘She's cleaning them and breast feeding them as if they were her own. And they also sleep together.’

Kudlayeva said that the cubs pose no danger to the dog even though they are already showing their claws and hissing.

‘They aren't aggressive and they depend on her for feeding,’ she said.

Fewer than 400 Siberian tigers - also known as Ussuri, Amur or Manchurian tigers - have survived in the wild, most of them in Russia's Far East.


New mother Cleopatra feeds Clyopa. The dog has mothered the tiger cubs since their mother abandoned them


Caring: Yekaterina Khodakova looks after the menagerie of pets, as well as her 18-month-old son Gleb


source:dailymail

•Richard Atkins jailed after admitting nine charges of animal cruelty
•RSPCA say it was 'incredibly malicious and sadistic cruelty to animals.'


By Phil Vinter


A twisted sadist has been jailed after he bred dogs to hunt down and kill foxes and badgers so he could film it for a sick thrill.

Richard Atkins from Newhall in Derbyshire has been sentenced to 24 weeks behind bars after a photo showed him smiling with glee as he held a still live fox by the throat.

The 45-year-old, who captured the stomach-churning acts carried out by his dogs for posterity on video, admitted nine charges when he appeared at Burton upon Trent Magistrates Court on Friday.

Shocking: Smiling at the camera sick Richard Atkins caught himself red-handed in this snap that has seen him jailed for using his dogs to hunt and kill foxes and badgers

The court was told by the RSPCA’s prosecution team that Atkins was responsible for 'incredibly malicious and sadistic cruelty to animals.'

In addition to his prison sentence of nearly six months Atkins also received a lifetime ban on keeping all animals and the forfeiture of all his dogs and equipment used for baiting and hunting.

The nine charges he admitted included causing animals to fight, keeping dogs for the purpose of animal fighting, causing unnecessary suffering and animal welfare offences.

Inspectors from the RSPCA’s special operations unit spent two years investigating him.

Appalling: Atkins, 45, trained his hounds to hunt down and attack wild animals. He then filmed the sickening attacks on a digital video camera which he showed to his pals

They were able to successfully bring the prosecution to court when forensic examination of badger baiting footage seized from a digital video camera proved a voice heard in the background was that of Atkins.

The court saw graphic footage of Atkins’s black Patterdale terrier and bull lurcher type dog carrying out attacks on two badgers and a fox in separate incidents in 2010.

In another clip a badger is seen having its leg torn off, while men - including Atkins - can be heard laughing in the background.

As well as the harrowing clips which showed the wild animals being attacked, the dogs used by Atkins also suffered sickening injuries during the attacks.

The defendant admitted that he would attempt to treat his dogs’ injuries at home, rather than take them to a vet and raise suspicion.

Both the Patterdale terrier and bull lurcher seen in the footage were found at Atkins’ home when a warrant was carried out by police and the RSPCA in March last year.


Brutal: A badger is caught in the teeth of two of Atkins' dogs as he carries out one of his nighttime baiting sessions


Defenceless: The animal tries to escape but has no chance against the powerful jaws of the two hounds

Barbarous: As one of the dogs continues to hold the badger's neck, the second attacks the bottom half of his body and one of the animal's legs is torn off

The Patterdale terrier had suffered huge injuries to its jaw and it was partially blind in one eye.

Four other dogs - also believed to have been bred for fighting and hunting - were seized during the warrant, along with paraphernalia, digging equipment and search lights.

Chief inspector Ian Briggs, from the RSPCA’s special operations unit said: 'An enormous amount of time and effort was put into this investigation by our officers and prosecutions team.

'However, it makes it all worthwhile when you see someone like Atkins- who was responsible for such abhorrent levels of animal cruelty - admit the charges.

'After all of my years working in animal welfare, I still find it shocking that someone would deliberately go into the countryside with their dogs, with the sole intention of inflicting unimaginable suffering on a wild animal for their own twisted pleasure.

'It is even sadder knowing that, there are many others who are still doing this sort of thing in England and Wales to this very day.

'Make no mistake though, we will continue to track them down and the next knock on their door could be from us.'


source:dailymail

By Daily Mail Reporter


A British photographer's adorable images of puppies, ducklings and even kittens in hammocks will brighten up any rainy day.

Master of cuteness Mark Taylor's images are in demand all over the world for the purr-fect way they capture a softer side to our best-loved animals.

His photographs are a legacy from his late mother Jane Burton who pioneered the style so familiar on calendars in offices and maths teacher classrooms everywhere.


Fosset the kitten with a yellow gosling: Photographer Mark Taylor is famous around the world for his cute shots of animals in unusual poses


Fosset cuddles up to his gosling friend: Mr Taylor's photographs are a legacy from his late mother Jane Burton who pioneered the style

Stanley the kitten with a duckling: Despite the menacing look in Stanley's eyes, Mr Taylor has never had any incidents where one subject ate another

Using a simple clean white background and some unusual animal pairings Mr Taylor's style has seen him make the cover of prestigious wildlife magazine National Geographic.

In this set of heart-warming images Mr Taylor shows why he's one of the best in his field tapping into that desire in us all to see something fluffy.

From ducklings with puppies, to dogs with kittens and even rabbits Mark captures them all on camera as if they were the best and friends.

And thankfully so far he's had no case of any of them eating each other.


Hear me roar: Kittens Stanley and Fosset have a cuddle


Guess who! Stanley holds his paws over Fosset's face as they play


King of the castle: Stanley climbs on top of Fosset


Not just for Christmas: Stanley and Fosset pose inside a gift box


Touch on that: Stanley offers his paw for a fist bump. Right, he poses with a bright red flower


Oh you! Stanley gestures towards the camera as he lies in a hammock


Time for a cat nap: Stanley and Fosset enjoy a snooze

Keeping it in the family: Mr Taylor's daughter Siena, pictured with Stanley, helps to pose the animals for her father's photo shoots

Mr Taylor, 47, creates his images all at his home studio Warren Photographic, in Guildford, Surrey.

His father Kim is a world-renowned wildlife photographer. His mother Jane, who died in 2007 after a brave battle against cancer, was one of the first to use a unique style now so well adopted by her son.

Mr Taylor, a father of one, said: 'There have been a few close shaves when we have put the different animals together, but we often "introduce" the animals to a rabbit in a cage first to gauge the reaction.

'If the dog starts licking its lips we know it might not work out well, and for example it's best not to put a Jack Russell next to a rabbit.

'I have helpers in the studio and some of the animals extras we have here, for example we have six rabbits, but others we have to bring in.

'The key to the photograph is making sure the animals are not doing anything they don't want to do because I think you can tell if they are not enjoying themselves.

'My mother was a pioneer if you like of this idea of using the clean white backgrounds and I like to think I am carrying on her legacy.'


You wanna start something? Stanley goes nose to nose with a Bichon Fris


My big mate: Stanley nuzzles up with Great Dane pup Tia

Where u go? Stanley and Tia have a play

Keeping it in the family Mr Taylor's daughter Siena, 10, is also on hand to pose up with the animals in the pictures.

Mr Taylor, who uses a Cannon 1DS Mark III camera, said that he felt his photographs were so popular because they tap into an desire in us all to relate to animals.

He said: 'I think the fascinating aspect of this type of photography is that it taps into something in us all that sees ourselves and human emotions in our pets and other animals.'


source:dailymail

By Alex Ward


This once-podgy pug has been given a new leash on life after losing almost a quarter of his body weight.

Gibbs, who was once so fat he couldn't go for short walks without collapsing, climb stairs or get off the sofa without help, has shed the extra kilos and is putting his best paw forward.

At his heaviest, the portly pooch weighed a whopping 14kg (2.2stone) and was 6kg overweight.

Don't look so sad Gibbs...

Gibbs no longer tips the scales after his amazing weight loss thanks to regular visits to a pet obesity clinic, a special diet of high fibre food and increased exercise

... this is how overweight you used to be!

Before: Gibbs was so overweight he couldn't go for walks and had to be carried around in a specially-adapted bike basket

Now, after regular sessions at a pet obesity clinic, a special diet of high fibre food and increased exercise, Gibbs weighs a lighter 10.3 kg and enjoys two long walks a day.

His owner, charity worker Claire Scofield, 47 from Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, said: 'He's like a different dog now and his cheeky personality is really coming out.'

The Scofield family adopted Gibbs in 2009 when he was one after his previous family no longer wanted him.

Claire said: 'He looked like a walrus he was so overweight.

Gibbs is now able to frolic through the park without collapsing from exhaustion and can keep up with the family's other dogs

He couldn't climb the stairs and if he wanted to get on the sofa we would have to pick him up.'

She added: 'We can't stop him now, he get's into everything and jumps on the bed.'

Gibbs lives with the Scofield family in Cheltenham, and no longer struggles to keep up with the Scofield's other dogs, Stig the pug and Floyd the collie.

He has been on his strict diet of dried dog food for three years - although like any dieter he does still allow himself the odd naughty treat.

Claire said: 'He once trotted out of my son's room looking very pleased with himself, and we discovered he had scoffed a giant double chocolate chip cookie.

'There was nothing but crumbs left.'

Claire said: 'It was a bit embarrassing at first as I was worried people would think his weight was my fault.

'I have two other dogs and they never had any problem with their weight - we think Gibbs may have a slow metabolism.

'Now it's Gibbs pulling at the lead, going in and out of the house, and he's always following me around.'


Gibbs enjoys healthy treats like carrots and apple cores which are low in fat and high in fibre as part of his strict doggie diet


source:dailymail

By Amy Oliver


They are our closest living relatives.

But one chimpanzee may have taken the similarities between primate and man too far after being snapped chain smoking and enjoying a cold, can of lager.

The ape puffed on a cigarette at Tianshan wild animal zoo in Tianshan, Xinjiang, China, exhaling like a pro in the sweltering heat.

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Puffing away: A chimpanzee exhales a huge draw of cigarette smoke at Tianshan wild animal zoo in Tianshan, Xinjiang, China

One is never enough: The chimpanzee then lights another cigarette from his first, unfinished one

He then used the half-smoked cigarette to light another one.

As if that habit wasn't bad enough, the chimp was then photographed guzzling down a can of beer, while his cigarette rested in his other hand.

The chimp is not the first ape to light up.

Another, from Zhengzhou Zoo in Henan province, China, took up smoking and spitting in 2004 after becoming sexually frustrated.

A beer as well? Why not: The chimp then gets stuck into a can of lager

Feili, then 13, had aped tourist behaviour, taking up the foul habit when her partner - 28 years her senior - was unable 'to meet her sexual demands'.

Then there was Ai Ai, a 26-year-old chimpanzee, from Xian, in central China's Shaanxi province, who took up comfort smoking when her mate died in 2005.

But the most famous smoking chimp was Charlie who died aged 52 in Mangaung Zoo, South Africa in 2001. He first sparked up after tourists threw him a couple of lit cigarettes.

At the time, a zoo spokesman said Charlie had only been an 'occasional smoker'. He lived around 10 years longer than the average chimp.

Video: Charlie the chimp filmed when he was a young smoker in Paignton Zoo, Devon




source:dailymail

By Laura Pullman


A 10lb, fluffy Pomeranian dog called Sammy is at the centre of a bitter $500,000 lawsuit.

One New Yorker who used his photogenic dog to create a blog dubbed ‘Sammy and the City’ is now dragging his estranged girlfriend to court claiming she stole the lucrative website.

Scott Smith, 43, his ex-girlfriend Anna Camara, 44, and Smith’s sister, Jessica, launched the site last year, posting photos and videos of Sammy at different landmarks in New York.


Sammy and the City: Scott Smith, seen right with his dog Sammy, has landed his ex-girlfriend with a $500,000 lawsuit claiming she stole their blog about the Pomeranian pooch


Canine celebrity: Sammy and the City attracted 40,000 visitors a month after it launched last year

The site soon became an online sensation, gaining an impressive following of 40,000 visitors a month keen to check in on Sammy’s exploits.

The 7-year-old canine attracted more than 51,000 followers on Instagram, the photo-sharing app, as well as more than 10,000 fans on Facebook and Twitter.

After their relationship broke down Smith and Camara continued to work on the expanding business together with Camara in charge of photography, reported the New York Post.

However, in April, Camara shut her ex-boyfriend out of the project, listing herself as the sole owner in an attempt to trademark the business name, Smith claims in court papers.


Fighting for justice: Sammy's owner claims that his ex-girlfriend shut him out of the expanding website, which featured photos and videos of the 10-pound pooch


Dog-fight: Smith says the dog and project are his but 'not one bit of it is in my name'

She allegedly changed online passwords and IDs to lock Smith out of the site so he could not add new content.

Last week Smith landed Camara with a $500,000 lawsuit for scuppering their website.

‘This is my dog, this is my project, and not one bit of it is in my name,’ Smith told the New York Post.

In the lawsuit filed at the Manhattan Supreme Court, Smith alleges that Camara stole his iPad, which he used to upload pictures of Sammy, and returned it with changed passwords.


Fall out: Anna Camara, left, denies the allegations that she stole 'Sammy and the City' by changing online passwords and IDs to prevent Smith from uploading any new content


New Yorker: The successful site showed the adorable 7-year-old pooch taking in the sites of New York, Smith is trying to re-launch both their careers with a new site - Sammy and the World

This particular incident led to a scuffle where Smith tried to snatch Camara’s phone. Smith ended up in jail on a petty larceny charge, the Post reported.

Smith now hopes to re-launch his pooch’s career with a new website called EverybodyLovesSammy and keeps fans happy with a Facebook page, Sammy and the World.

He conceded that his ex-girlfriend is a 'brilliant' photographer but said she 'lacks business ethics'.

Camara denied the allegations to the New York Post.


source:dailymail

By Daily Mail Reporter


A young cat named Anakin has a lifetime of challenges facing him ever since he was born without a pelvis and his rear two legs.

But, like the Star Wars character who inspired his name, it would be fair to say that the force is strong with the little kitten as it adapts to a two-legged life.

The male cat was found by Carrie Hawks, a 36-year-old Florida artist who focuses much of her work on fantasy cats.

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Adorable: The kitten named Anakin was born without a pelvis or his back to legs and a Florida woman has taken him and cared for him after finding him wandering in the woods

'I have always felt a special connection to cats because of their unique personalities. This helped make them a natural subject choice for me,' she writes on her website.

'My own cats are my inspiration and models for much of my work.'
Now Anakin, who is affectionately called Ani, is one of those subjects.

Ms Hawks first discovered the disabled kitten wandering in the woods near her father's work with a group of other feral cats looking for food.

She eventually caught the cat and is raising it as her own.

She has posted a number of videos and photos of the white and dark charcoal gray cat on Facebook in order to allow animal lovers to track his progress as he grows.

Adapting: The kitten, who is thought to be two-to-three months old, plays and scurries around like any other cat his age, but does so by balancing on only two legs and his tail

Given the way that she found the kitten, his health history is unclear.

Ms Hawks took the tot to a veterinarian and has since posted his x-ray which shows that besides the fact that he is missing his pelvis and his back legs, 'the rest of his insides are all just the way they should be'.

In spite of the obvious difficulties that come with the lack of back legs, the videos show that Anikan is able to scurry around just fine.

He tends to walk with his front feet pushed back so that they are almost in the middle of his torso. If needed, he uses his tail to help balance things out.

All clear: His new owner, who calls herself a fantasy cat artist, got him checked out by a vet and posted his X-rays. The top (which gives a side view) and the bottom one (which gives a view from above the cat) show that his internal organs are all working properly

As for the question of potty training, Ms Hawks writes that he 'uses the litter box just like any other cat. He kind of squats to pee...He does have a harder time pooping and we are giving him warm water enemas if needed to help things along.'

Though she and her vet have decided that the do not need to fit the young kitten- who they estimate is between two and three months old- with a set of wheels to replace his missing legs, they are leaving their options open for the future if the so-called 'miracle cat' needs to get around a bit more easily.

Attention: His new owner says that she is giving the little tyke some solo-attention before introducing him to her old cats and dog

Ms Hawks has set up a Facebook page which accepts donations for his medical bills and Twitter account for the kitten, and since he already has 718 followers, it is clear that he is becoming quite the cool cat.

'Now, he is home getting comfy in his little bathroom and will be there for a while till he is bigger, stronger and ready to be socialized with the other cats and our dog,' she writes on his Facebook page.

'He is such a sweet calm little guy.'

WATCH THE VIDEOS HERE






source:dailymail

By Daily Mail Reporter


Don’t you just love it when animals prove you wrong?

This adorable video shows Anouk, a golden retriever and Maxwell, a British shorthair cat, cosying up to share a catnap together.

Putting paid to the stereotype that cats and dogs never get along the pair, both aged four months, snuggle in and pet each other tenderly.

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Adorable: Anouk drapes a protective paw over Maxwell and treats the kitten to some grooming

Protective Anouk drapes a lazy paw over Maxwell, and affectionately grooms the kitten.

The pup glances up at the camera as though to question what all the fuss is about, before returning to its playmate.

Anouk and Maxwell lean in to rub noses and Maxwell reaches up to paw at the dog’s face, stroking its thick golden fur.


Tender: Maxwell reaches up an affectionate paw to stroke Anouk

Snuggles: The cute pair get ready to settle down for a snooze

The kitty then grabs Maxwell with both paws, bringing the pup’s face lower down onto the bed.

They both lie still for a moment in a heart-warming embrace before Maxwell takes over the maternal role and starts grooming Anouk.

As they nuzzle in together, paws entwined, they seem ready to fall asleep, but still the excitable Anouk continues to wag its tail.

Wiped: They look totally exhausted as they collapse onto the bed

They swap a few loving kisses and then settle down for what looks like the most comfortable nap ever.

Owner Ana Queiroz shared the love by posting the video on YouTube and it has since received 9,141 hits.

Watch the video here:




source:dailymail

By Rob Preece


The odds might be stacked against them, but there is no shortage of volunteers willing to take on a zoo's unusual challenge - to play tug-of-war with a tiger.

Visitors to Busch Gardens in Tampa Bay, Florida, are being given the chance to play with some of the most world's most fearsome animals.

In each contest, volunteers take a rope in their hands and a tiger tries to pull it from them with its mouth.

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Getting a grip: A tiger at Busch Gardens takes part in a tug of war contest with visitors

The challenge is called 'tiger tug' and several videos showing volunteers giving it a try have been posted on YouTube.

Even children have taken part in the scary contests, which involve tugging at the rope through a hole in the tiger's cage.

One video shows NASCAR motor racing driver Matt Kenseth, who won the Daytona 500 race in 2009, doing his best to hang on to the rope.

The challenge has been running for a number of years, but its popularity shows no sign of waning.


No fear: Even small children have volunteered for the 'tiger tug' challenge at the zoo


Heave: A girl starts to show the strain as the tiger takes charge


Pulling teeth: NASCAR motor racing driver Matt Kenseth tries to hang on

What a drag: The driver gets pulled forward by the tiger

Earlier this week staff at Busch Gardens put an invitation on the zoo's Facebook page, where more than 1,500 users have clicked to say they like it.

The tiger tug is one of the main events staged in the zoo's Jungala area, where seven Bengal tigers are kept.

Other star attractions at the zoo include cheetahs, hyenas, lemurs, meerkats, peacocks and elephants.


Popular: In only three days, more than 1,500 Facebook users have clicked on an invitation to take part in the challenge

Now watch the videos...






source:dailymail