Hogging the limelight: The piglet carefully balances itself while walking on its two front legs
A two-legged pig born without its hind legs has amazingly been taught to walk on its own.
The handicapped beast was born in July in eastern China's Anhui Province and could have struggled to make it through its first few weeks as a piglet, according to its owner.
But farmer Ge Xinping said he managed to nurse the piglet through its early life before helping it stand on its own (and only) two feet.
Farmer Ge Xinping gives the piglet a helping hand at the farm in China's Anhui Province
He has now managed to coax the unnamed young creature outside more often and has helped it get about.
The young pig can carefully balance itself on its front two trotters and can walk around unaided.
The pig now also weighs a healthy 30kg, accoring to its owner.
The young pig had struggled in early life but has grown up and learned to walk on its own
Farmer Ge Xinping said: 'Villagers all love it as it walks like an upside down gymnast.'
The amazing sight is not the first time a Chinese farmer has managed to train a young pig with no hind legs to walk on its own.
Last year a 10-month-old animal, known by villagers in Henan Province, China as Zhu Jianqiang, which means Strong-Willed Pig, was born with only two front legs, which it now uses to walk on.
Freedom: This male beagle takes a tentative step outside his cage for the first time in his life after he was freed from laboratory testing
This is the heart-breaking moment male beagles kept in captivity inside a laboratory were released from their cages for the first time.
Scared and visibly unsure of leaving the confines of their cages, the dogs were among many being used for lab testing in Spain before it went out of business.
A total of 72 beagles were rescued by members of Animal Rescue Media Education (ARME) during the operation - most of whom had never been outside their cages. Terrified: The face of this beagle says it all as he contemplates freedom for the first time
Timid: After setting foot on grass, this male beagle is unsure of his new surroundings
Gary Smith, ARME's Beagle Freedom Project spokesman, said: 'We've been told they lived on per cage in rooms of 10 beagles, but they never had any physical interaction with one another.
'They've been in kennels since they were rescued about a week ago, but aside from that, they've spent most of their lives locked up.'
The rescue operation took place in June, and the animals' first steps of freedom were posted on YouTube after they were recovered.
Forty of the beagles arrived in Los Angeles, U.S., last week where they will be put up for adoption.
Cruel: The male dogs, aged between four and seven, were among 72 rescued from the laboratory in Spain after it went bust
Set free: Beagles have been used in laboratory testing of products in the past because they are docile and forgiving
Confined: The dogs may never have been outside or on grass before, and most were understandably reluctant to step outside their cages
The remainder of the dogs, all aged between four and seven and bred in captivity, have already been adopted in Europe.
Beagles are often used in lab testing of products, including cosmetics, because of their 'docile and trusting' personalities.
Mr Smith added: 'Beagles are incredibly sweet, docile, companion animals.
'The downfall is, the same reason the beagle is a perfect companion animal, is the same reason they're used for testing.'
You've got to be kitten: Two cats strum out a tune on electrical guitars in a make-shift studio with an amplifier
These tow-tapping felines look like they are getting into the party spirit in a calendar that will make the purr-fect Christmas present for any cat lover.
Musical Moggs shows several cats getting into their groove as they turn their paws to playing a selection of different instruments.
In one picture, a pair of cool cats appear to be having a musical jam as they rock it out together on electric guitars.
Up to scratch? These three cool cats seem to have plenty of puff
Another picture shows them turn to brass as they pump out a tune on a trombone and tuba.
A clarinet-playing cat pelts out a tune while his companion holds up the music for it to read, while in another photograph an accordion player appears to be lost in the music as it plays a piece pressing its paws on the keyboard while squeezing the box.
Another picture shows a ginger tom playing a saxophone while standing beside a neon sign for a jazz club.
Steve Bicknell, from Maverick Arts, which produced the calendar, used a friend’s cats to pose for the pictures, manipulated them on a computer to give the illusion that they are really playing instruments.
Sound of mewsic: One cat plays the clarinet while the other helps out by holding up the music
Narrow squeak: A grey and white moggy squeezes a tune out of an accordion
He told the Sunday Express: 'We are very experienced shooting with cats and make sure they are not overworked.'
Maverick Arts, based in Pulborough, West Sussex, which specialises in publishing humorous calendars, greetings cards and children's books, has also produced a calendar called Ballroom Bunnies, featuring two rabbits performing an impressive range of dance styles.
Classical cat: A feline flautist appears to be playing on a concert stage
Cool for cats: A ginger tom cat purrs over a saxophone in an underground jazz club
Bursting onto the scene: Bennie, the German Shepherd, catches bubbles to the delight of baby Molly in the clip which has gone viral
A baby laughs infectiously as her pet dog pops bubbles in a clip that has become an internet sensation.
The nine-month-old tot begins by looking inquisitively at her mother who is holding a bubble gun from behind the camera.
Then, as she fires it, their dog comes bounding into the picture feverishly bursting the bubbles with its mouth, much to the youngster's hysterics. Infectious: Molly creases up with laughter as Bennie waits for the next round of bubbles to be fired from her mother
Molly, who is sitting among her toys in the living room, finds the whole episode hilarious as her canine companion attempts to eat as many as possible, licking his lips with delight after each one.
Needless to say, the video has gone viral and now you can even get Molly's laugh as a ringtone.
Her mother has posted the video and others of Molly on YouTube under the username JessOrT.
Pop-ular: Molly beams from ear to ear as Bennie clamps his jaws round another bubble. The tot's laugh has now become a ringtone
Cute: Bennie waits eagerly for more bubbles to be shot out from behind the camera. Molly can't wait for more action either
Sweet: At first, Molly was confused as to what was happening. Until Bennie came bounding into the picture, that is. Her mother said Molly wasn't that interested in bubbles until their pet showed her how fun they could be
The 29-year-old, who describes herself as a stay-at-home mum, said: 'On a lazy day, I decided to try blowing bubbles for my daughter, Molly.
'At first, she didn't think they were all that, but then Bennie, the dog, showed Molly how much fun bubbles can be.
'Molly thought Bennie's bubble popping was the funniest thing she has seen in her 9-1/2 months!'
She said the family adopted Bennie from a shelter in Illinois in 2008. He is a German Shepherd and Beagle mix.
Stay close: As they battle the elements of a Canadian snowstorm, these 24 swallows huddle to keep warm
Like the hilarious Pixar animation 'for the birds', these swallows huddle together to shelter from the cold.
But, instead of pecking the feet of a larger bird until the wire twangs, these little creatures are snuggling up against the harsh winter weather along the Yukon River in Canada.
Struggling to stay warm as temperatures plummet below freezing in a bitter snow storm, they clamour onto a single branch to conserve heat. And because of their ingenuity, every single one of them survived.
They were pictured on a tree on the banks of the Yukon River as they fluffed up their feathers to stay warm
Photographer Keith Williams, 59, spotted the remarkable scenes while out walking his dog, Brandy.
He said: 'I noticed several hundreds of swallows taking cover in the trees during the storm and immediately recognized how rare it was to see so many clinging together.
'I was amazed because I had never seen them in such large numbers and at such close range.
'They coped by crowding together on branches to conserve body heat and forming a pile, something I have never heard any bird do before.
'They also created their own warm jackets by fluffing their feathers and tucked their heads under their wings to conserve heat.
'Perhaps one of the reasons why I was able to get so close may have been because they had lowered their metabolism to conserve precious calories, so were in slowed-state called torpor, similar to hibernation.
'Extreme cold and snowstorms don't allow for flying insects their main food, but they did seem to be trying to pick some sort of aquatic insect off the surface of the river.
Photographer Keith Williams captured the images while he was out taking a walk with his dog, Brandy
The scene was like something from the Pixar animation 'for the birds' but without a larger bird coming to disturb them
'I'm not sure how successful they were but I saw no dead birds.'
Mr Williams added: 'I returned early the following morning to check up on the birds, as I feared many might have died from cold, hunger and exhaustion. All seemed fine.
'They allowed me to take photos from close range, which is unusual for this species.
'I was wearing camouflage gear and had been standing still for a quite a while.
'I was blown-away by some of the photos, especially the colourful close-ups which revealed the blue, metallic plumage.
'Normally when I think of swallows, it's little brown and white birds swooping about in the sky at a distance, because that is all I usually get to see of them.'
Star attraction: Happy in her new home at the Akvatoria 'dolphinarium' in Russia, ginger seal Nafanya is quickly becoming a hit with tourists
Things are looking up for the little ginger-coloured seal pup whose fate touched the world after being rejected by the rest of its sleek black family.
Left as an outcast, the vulnerable creature was found huddling under a pile of logs on Tyuleniy Island in the far east of Russia.
Photographer Anatoly Strakhov, 61, took heartbreaking pictures of the world's loneliest seal, which would have been unable to survive in the wild. Heartbreaker: Anatoly Strakhov's shot of the shunned seal melted the hearts of animal lovers worldwide
Two months on and Russians have taken the rare albino seal - who turns out to be female - to their hearts.
Named Nafanya - after a lookalike Soviet cartoon character - the seal was given VIP treatment and has now moved into a plush new home at the country's leading aqauarium.
Nafanya was taken on a 7,890-mile odyssey to the Russian mainland and then by special plane to Adler, near Sochi on the Black Sea coast, where she is rapidly becoming a star attraction.
Yulia Frolova, head of the Akvatoria dolphinarium - Nafanya's new home, said: 'She now has a special enclosure with a pool, and two weeks after her arrival, people are already coming to see her.
And, quickly adapting to life among humans, the seal has her own live webcam so her worldwide fans can follow her - http://www.nafanya-sochi.ru/ - which broadcasts between 7am and 1pm UK time.
Miss Frolova said: 'She has a good appetite, and always seems in a happy mood. She is such an unusual seal with very beautiful bright blue eyes. When she arrived, she was tired after the long flight, but soon picked up her appetite.'
What's in a name? The seal bears a striking resemblance to Nafanya, a Soviet-era cartoon character
Still lonely: Nafanya can't shrug off the title as 'loneliest seal in the world' yet, as she has to be kept in quarantine for a month before joining other seals at the aquarium
Experts at the dolphinarium say Nafanya's eyesight is not as poor as at first feared. Originally thought to be almost blind, it turns out she only has trouble seeing in bright sunlight. And, given her celebrity status, some dark sunglasses may not be a bad idea.
Her keepers say she loves being the centre of attention, and Ms Frolova added: 'She has a playful nature. She loves to play with her toy - a small blue ball.
'But what she likes the most its to play with a fish at feeding time. She will follow it, catch it, put it in her mouth, release it and finally eat it.
'Nafanya is such a lovely animal and is certainly not afraid of people.'
But she might have to wait a little longer before she finally shrugs off the 'loneliest seal in the worl' monicker.
Ms Frolova explained: 'We cannot yet let her swim with our other creatures as she is on a month-long quarantine, but we will do later. We will make sure she has a happy life in our dolphinarium.'
Hers is a tale that began in war-torn Samarra, Iraq, in early 2007.
Justin Rollins, of 82nd Airborne Division, had found the tiny puppy, one of a litter of eight, living underneath an abandoned portable toilet near his base.
One man and his dog: Justin Rollins befriended a tiny puppy on the night he was killed by an IED in Iraq
Smiling and enjoying the company of the young litter, he and his team-mates took some photos to send home. Just hours later, Justin was killed by an IED.
The happy pictures he had taken and emailed home that night were the last contact he'd have with his girlfriend and family - but the start of an unlikely tale of determination.
Just two weeks later, Justin was given a military funeral in the U.S. His grieving mother, Rhonda Rollins, was asked if there was anything the U.S. military could do to help. Well, yes, she answered.
She wanted to bring the brown and white spotted dog that Justin had befriended on the night of his death back to America.
Her request was certainly an unusual one, but, with the help of Brittney Murray, Justin's girlfriend, the ball started to roll.
Animal contact: Jason Wheeler, left, and Justin took photos of their new friends and sent them home to family. They were the last images Justin sent home
Happier times: Brittney Murray, Justin's girlfriend, helped his mother Rhonda Rollins with lobbying to bring the puppy to the U.S after Justin's death
The high-school sweetheart made six phonecalls and eventually piqued the attention of former New Hampshire Congressman Paul Hodes, who took up the challenge.
Skip Rollins, Justin's father, spoke about the million-to-one chance of finding the dog - and then getting the clearance to bring it back to the U.S.
The request had to go along 'the chain of command all the way to to the top and then all the way back to the bottom,' he told Animal Planet.
Rhonda told ABC News' 20/20 show: 'They said one in a million. And I had already said, because Justin was a hero, the dog, whether it was male or female, it going to be named Hero.'
An old friend ran the story in a local newspaper and soon Operation Hero had gained the momentum it needed. With the help of the Congressman, strings were pulled within the chain of command.
Puppy lottery: Jason describes the puppy whimpering and crying after they found him. They gave him a bath in a washing machine and prepared him for the long journey to his new home
Luckiest dog in Iraq: 'No one ever expected for it to actually work' said Jason of the unusual plan to bring the Iraqi dog to the U.S.
Jason Wheeler, one of Justin's friends from 82nd Airborne, had originally found the puppies with Justin.
'No one ever expected for it to actually work...' he said of the audacious plan. But one day, 'the call came down: "Hey, we have to get this dog,"' he recalls to Animal Planet.
Against the odds, he helped find the stray puppy months after that fateful night.
'It was crying and whimpering but we were like "You won the puppy lottery and you don't even know it."
'This dog had to think "What the heck just happened to me? I was living underneath the porta-potty, now I'm in a washing machine getting the dirtiest stuff washed off me,"' he told Animal Planet's Saved programme.
New family: Hero is united with Justin's father, Skip, left, girlfriend, Brittney Murray, centre, and Rhonda, right
United at last: After three long months of battling red tape, Hero was delivered to Congressman Hodes' office
Relieved: The perfect moment was only marred by Hero 'christening' the Congressman's office carpet
On May 25, 2007, after three months of logistical battles, needle-in-a-haystack searches and swathes of red tape, Hero arrived at Congressman Hodes' office.
Skip told the ABC: 'One of the biggest decisions for wanting to get Hero out of Iraq was to honor him by saying, this is the last life that he saved, so that's the importance and the love that we have for this dog.'
His wife echoed his sentiments, describing the joy Hero brought, albeit briefly, to her son. 'She gave him the last bit of happiness, by the smiles on his face, when he was holding her, it's just beautiful.'
'We were expecting a little tiny puppy and she'd gotten so big,' Brittney told Saved. Cramped into the small room, the Rollins family, Brittney and military representatives all greeted the animal to its new home town.
'It's the perfect moment,' Brittney remembers. 'She's finally here... and she squatted and peed on [the congressman's] floor.'
Hogging the limelight: The piglet carefully balances itself while walking on its two front legs
Farmer Ge Xinping gives the piglet a helping hand at the farm in China's Anhui Province
The young pig had struggled in early life but has grown up and learned to walk on its own
Hogging the limelight: The piglet carefully balances itself while walking on its two front legs
Farmer Ge Xinping gives the piglet a helping hand at the farm in China's Anhui Province
The young pig had struggled in early life but has grown up and learned to walk on its own
