By Phil Vinter


Waddle ya want?: Two penguins exchange glances as they are carried away by zookeepers

They are known for completing long marches across the icy Antarctic but these gorgeous Gentoo penguins took it easy for once by hitching free rides with a zookeeper.

The animal is one of 100 penguins at Edinburgh Zoo being moved to a temporary new homes at zoos in Belfast, Gloucestershire and Odense in Denmark while a leak in their current home is fixed.

A total of 50 Genkoo penguins are being rehoused with a further 50 leaving the zoo as part of the natural breeding cycle.

Visitors took the opportunity to photograph the departing birds which also include six King Penguins and comprise a third of the zoo's total colony.

Essential maintenance work needs to be carried out on the penguin enclosure pool, which is more than 20 years old.

It is hoped that the penguins don't get in too much of a flap over their new temporary surroundings before they make a welcome return to the zoo in the summer.


Gotcha: An Edinburgh zoo keeper moves one of the Gentoo penguins from its enclosure to a temporary new home


Beautiful: The beautiful white-crowned penguin takes a last look around his surroundings


On the move: More than 100 penguins are 'off on their hols' but they are due to make a welcome return for the summer


Pocket penguin: Under the wing of a zookeeper this little penguin looks to be enjoying the trip



source:dailymail

By Chris Parsons


Lifeless: Green lies on a mattress at a rescue centre, where filmmaker Patrick Rouxel said she was 'dying of sorrow'

Lying on her back helpless and dying, Green the female orangutan is a picture of sadness as she faces her final hours.

The tragic female ape has been confined to a mattress inside a shack after her rainforest home was logged and burned to the ground through ruthless deforestation.

She clutches at her pillow and sits lifelessly on her mattress, defenceless as the lush Indonesian ecosystem she called home is destroyed, leaving her homeless.

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Tragic: Green the female orangutan appears to be plucked from the mud in Sumatra, Indonesia, after deforestation left her without a home

Homeless: Ruthless deforestation in Indonesia is thought to have destroyed 70 per cent of the country's forest cover since the 1950s

Later on in the heart-breaking film, rescue centre workers carry a body bag away from the room where Green saw out her last few days, highlighting her as the latest victim of deforestation and palm oil plantations.

Her plight was filmed as part of a poignant 48-minute feature film by Patrick Rouxel, who obtained footage in Indonesian national parks to show the extent to which he believes deforestation is 'raping our planet'.

Mr Rouxel's incredibly moving film aims to show how the timber, pulp and paper and palm oil industries, along with general consumerism, are combining to ravage natural resources worldwide.

The footage of Green's final days and hours is interspersed with shots of trees being hacked down in Sumatra, Indonesia, along with shots of the wood products which result from the widespread deforestation.


Defenceless: Green had been rescued from a palm oil plantation and taken to a hospital, but could not be saved


Makeshift home: Green lies helpless on her mattress at a rescue centre in Kalimantan, Indonesia, just days before she passed away


Filmmaker Mr Rouxel took footage of Green for three days, but sadly there was nothing that could be done to save her after she was left paralysed down her left side.

Rescued: Part of the heart-wrenching film shows Green being hauled from the mud after hanging on to one of the last Sumatran rainforest trees during deforestation

In one particularly distressing segment, Green lies on the muddy floor helpless, the tall trees which were normally her natural habitat having been hacked down.

The film then shows her being packed into a large rucksack and driven away on a pickup truck.

Mr Rouxel said Green was taken to orangutan refuge in Kalimantan, Indonesia, after being rescued from a palm oil plantation several days previously.

The filmmaker told Al Jazeera Green had suffered an intracerebral haemorrhage, leaving her paralysed on the left side of her body.

He the filmed Green at her bedside for three days, culminating in a haert-wrenching final shot where the mattress on which she slept is seen empty.

Mr Rouxel, who has previously worked as a cameraman for Greenpeace and the WWF in Indonesia and Africa, received critical acclaim for his moving film.


Ravaged: Experts believe around 2 million hectares of forest cover are burned down or logged in Indonesia each year


Decline: Estimates show that around 160 million hectares of forest cover existed in Indonesia in the 1950s

However, this image, taken in 2009, shows how rampant deforestation in the area has taken its toll

The film, which has no human commentary at all, received over 35 international awards at various wildlife film festivals.

Mr Rouxel himself, who is half Swedish and half French, told Al Jazeera Green was taken to a hospital after being rescued, but 'died of sorrow' because she had 'lost everything'.

Indonesia is said to have one of the world's worst deforestation rates, averaging at around 2 million hectares a year.

The process expanded in the 1970s following greater demand from the timber and palm oil industries.

Experts believe that although forest cover in Indonesia in the 1950s was around 160 million hectares, today less than 48 million remain.




source:dailymail

By Matt Blake


When Ralf the giant Schnauzer does his hospital rounds, he is sure to give patients a new leash of life.

With his shaggy coat and floppy tongue, the dog has gained a reputation as something of a miracle worker since joining Royal Children's Hospital, in Melbourne, Australia.

The selfless pooch walks the wards and looks in on his young patients every Monday.

He even sits with some during gruelling chemotherapy therapy sessions.

Healer: Ralf brought a smile to 15-month-old Zeke Harrison, who has a rare genetic disorder where his body is unable to break down protein and too much can kill him

Ralf got two-year-old Claire Couwenberg to walk for the first time in the five days since her surgery to remove a cancerous kidney.

And he brought a smile to 15-month-old Zeke Harrison, who has a rare genetic disorder where his body is unable to break down protein and too much can kill him.

Ralf is one of a handful of dogs to visit the RCH each week in a program that has been boosted so more pooches are popping in on more little patients.

Miracle: Ralf also got two-year-old Claire Couwenberg to walk for the first time in the five days since her surgery to remove a cancerous kidney

Claire's mother, Marie McPhee, told of her amazement when her daughter stood up and walked of her own accord when Ralf came into the room.

'As soon as she saw him, she stood up, and she very slowly, very wobbly, got on her feet started to walk, and now you can't stop her,' Ms McPhee told the Sydney Herald.

'I'm lost for words. In a way, I can't believe it.'


Official: Ralf is an important member of staff at Royal Children's Hospital, in Melbourne, Australia



source:dailymail

By Daniel Miller


A loyal horse died of a 'broken heart' just a day before its young owner tragically passed away from leukaemia.

Emma Smith, 23, of Minster, Kent, died on January 20 almost a year to the day she was diagnosed with the condition.

Her beloved horse Lavender died a day earlier from a rare form of colic, despite having never been ill in her life.

Bond: Emma Smith, 23, lost her year-long battle with leukaemia just a day after her beloved horse Lavender passed away from a rare form of colic

According to Emma's parents Julie, 52 and Malcolm, 57, the horse and rider shared a 'special', intuitive bond, which makes them believe Lavender knew something was seriously wrong.

Emma’s mother Julie, 52, said: 'Lavender had never been ill before, the vets couldn’t explain it, we think must have been a broken heart.

'Emma used to always be there looking after her and she hadn’t been because of her illness.

'Emma brought her on right from a baby, when we got her she had been broken in but was still very young, Emma taught her everything she knew.

'It broke our hearts, losing Emma. Lavender was part of our family for eight years and she had given so much pleasure to Emma. She lived for her horses.'

When the family bought Lavender eight years ago the horse was unruly and frequently escaped her field, but when everyone else gave up patient Emma kept working with her.

Emma only rode her twice after she started chemotherapy early in 2011 and her family believe the loyal steed had been simply been unable to live without its owner.

Mrs Smith added: 'Lavender was a beautiful horse to look at but when we got her she was a real handful, she had a mind of her own and she would never stay in her field.

'But Emma was patient with her and refused to send her back, she was very dedicated to her.

'Right to the day she was diagnosed she was still riding and caring for her horses, they were her passion and she wouldn’t let anything get in the way.

'After she started chaemo she still managed to go out on Lavender twice, it was difficult for her to do but she just loved her so much.

'The whole time she was in hospital all she wanted to be at home with us and the horses.'

Showgirls: Emma was 15 when she got Lavender and the pair had competed in several competitions together

Riding horses had been Emma’s passion since she took up the hobby when she was aged just four.

She got her first pony aged eight and was just 15 when she got Lavender.

The pair had competed in several shows together.

Mrs Smith said: 'If the disease hadn’t stopped her she definitely would have continued to compete. She was aiming to make it to the horse of the year show, she always wanted to go to the top.

'It was a real shock for her to be diagnosed, she had just graduated from university and set up her own business selling animal feeds.'

Tamed: Lavender had been extremely difficult to handle at first and would frequently escape her field but Emma persevered

He parents who run a family removal company and her 19-year-old sister Amy have now set up the Emma Smith Memorial Fund to raise more money for Medway hospital where Emma had the majority of her treatment.

They have already handed over a cheque for £1,620 raised at Emma’s funeral and more than 200 charity wristbands have already been sold in Emma’s memory over the last two weeks.

Mrs Smith said: 'We want to give something back to the hospital that cared for Emma when she was first diagnosed.

'The staff on the Lawrence ward at the Medway hospital were absolutely brilliant and we just wanted to say thanks.

'Emma was a quiet girl but I think since she died we have seen just how popular she was.'


source:dailymail

By Matt Blake


With its bulging yellow eyes and giant floppy ears, this cute baby aye-aye just wants to be loved.

But the six-week-old lemur is considered an evil omen in parts of its native Madagascar and must be killed on sight to avoid bringing bad luck.

It is believed by that if one points its long and narrow food-foraging finger at you, you are condemned to death.

Some even say the appearance of an aye-aye in a village predicts the death of a villager.


Elphaba the aye-aye: The six-week old lemur was born at the Duke Lemur Centre in Durham, North Carolina and named after the young girl in the musical Wicked who becomes the Wicked Witch of the West

It is considered by many to be the strangest primate in the world with unusual physical characteristics including incisors that never stop growing, something unique among primates, extremely large ears, and a middle finger which is skeletal in appearance and is used by the animal as a primary sensory organ.

The six-week old was born at the Duke Lemur Centre in Durham, North Carolina and named Elphaba, after the young girl in the musical Wicked who becomes the Wicked Witch of the West.


It has a very specialised diet including grubs, nuts and animal matter. It walks along a branch tapping it with its bony finger and cupping its huge ears to listen to any movements within.

When it finds an insect tunnel, it rips the bark away and inserts its finger into the hole to hook the grub.

Unlike many lemur species that are hunted for food, aye-ayes are sometimes killed as crop-threatening pests in agricultural areas.

Recent research shows the Aye-aye, the only living member of the family Daubentoniidae, is more widespread than was previously thought, but it is still categorised as 'near threatened'.

One of the reasons it was thought to be so rare was because it is so elusive. They are nocturnal, solitary foragers who spend up to 80 per cent of the night feeding and travelling through the forest canopy.

The Duke Lemur Centre is home to 20 of the world's 32 captive aye-ayes.

For millions of years, lemurs, the ancient relatives of monkeys, apes and humans, evolved in isolation on the island of Madagascar.

With only a few natural predators, expansive habitat, and lush vegetation, lemurs flourished on the island paradise until slightly less than 2,000 years ago when humans began to settle there.

Since the first immigrants arrived, one third of the lemur species have become extinct and more teeter on the brink of extinction.

As Madagascar's population is currently doubling every 25 years, there is ever growing pressure for land, mainly for slash-and-burn agriculture.

Therefore, the protection and preservation of these truly unique primates requires an approach both in Madagascar and internationally.

To this end, the Duke Lemur Centre was established in 1966 and today is the world's largest sanctuary for rare and endangered prosimian primates.



source:dailymail

Dog weighed just 1.5oz and was three inches long when she was born


By Nick Enoch


This tiny puppy weighs less than a pound and is only the height of a 50p piece

Meet Miracle, the tiny puppy who weighs less than a pound, is the height of a 50p piece - and sits comfortably in the palm of a hand.

The adorable Jack Russell Chihuahua-cross is the only one in a litter of five to survive.

Her owner Kayley-May Coles, ten, has fed her special baby dog milk through a syringe for nine days after the puppy’s mother abandoned her at birth.

The tiny Jack Russell Chihuahua-cross, aptly named Miracle, is the only one in a litter of five to survive

Besotted Kayley-May, of Swindon, Wiltshire, said: 'Everyone thinks she is absolutely beautiful. My friends absolutely love her.

'My teacher thought she might be the smallest dog ever to be born. She is just perfect.'

Miracle weighed just 1.5oz and was three inches long when she was born.

Kayley-May’s father James said the family were amazed when the litter arrived while they were out.


Miracle's owner Kayley-May Coles, ten, has fed her special baby dog milk through a syringe for nine days after the puppy's mother abandoned her at birth

Miracle weighed just 1.5oz and was three inches long when she was born

Sadly, they returned to find four of the puppies had died but Miracle survived and was given a clean bill of health by a vet.

James said: 'We just never dreamed she would be this small, she doesn’t even seem like a real dog.

'We really didn’t think she would make it but she has grown quite a bit already and is so much more alert than she was.

'We are keeping her to ourselves now. There is no money in the world that could buy her.'


Besotted Kayley-May, of Swindon, Wiltshire, said: 'Everyone thinks she is beautiful. My friends absolutely love her'


Kayley-May's father James said the family were amazed when the litter arrived while they were out



source:dailymail

By Tom Gardner


Rough and tumble: German shepherd Lilica met as part of a scheme called Return of Lynxes aimed at trying to reintroduce the cats into the wild after numbers suffered from hunting

Could it be the LYNX effect?

The age old feud between cats and dogs seems to have been put to one side as Lilica the German Shepherd becomes inseparable from her feline friends Liza, Viki and male Muro.

But what makes this friendship even more unusual is as well as being cats, the cubs are also wild lynxes.

Lilica is helping to teach the little cubs how to fend for themselves in the wild as part of a conservation project in the National Park Velka Fatra, Slovakia.


Firm friends: German shepherd Lilica has become inseparable from her feline friends Liza, Viki and male Muro

Inseparable: German shepherd Lilica was introduced to his feline friends as part of a conservation project in the National Park Velka Fatra, Slovakia

The animals met through a scheme in the country called ‘Return of Lynxes’ aimed at trying to reintroduce the cats into the wild after numbers suffered from hunting.

Conservationist and photographer Tomas Hulik said: ‘The first part of the project was that we took two young lynxes, Liza and Munro at the age of five weeks.

‘Lilica helped us to communicate with lynxes, she was like their mother.

‘After the success lynxes Liza and Muro we gat a new lynx called Viki. This was a unusual moment for Lilica, she started to produce milk just like they were puppies.

The 35-year-old added: ‘Lilica became a lynx mother and they went everywhere together. It was very useful for the young lynx.

'They had a new mother, they had partner for playing, and they had a guard and teacher in forest.’


Cosy: The lynx cubs know they can have some fun with mild mannered Lilica


Feline friendly: Little lynx cubs are being taught a thing or two about life in the wild from Lilica


Got it licked: Lilica is teaching the cubs Liza, Viki and male Muro about how to fend for themselves in the wild as part of the conservation scheme


Play time: Despite the difference in size, the young lynxes are not afraid of having a bit of play time fun with Lilica



source:dailymail

By Ted Thornhill


Paws for thought: The two dogs are guided by their owner on an ocarina

Dogs are known for being clever animals, but two golden retrievers have upped the ante by learning how to play a duet on the piano.

The musical mutts enthusiastically play the Waltz Of The Flea on an over-sized keyboard – and a video of their performance has proved to be a huge hit on YouTube with over 130,000 hits.

The duetting dogs aren’t quite clever enough to play the piece on their own, though.

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Big hit: Over 130,000 YouTube users have watched the video

Their owner plays an ocarina to guide them to the correct notes.

Hundreds of YouTube users have left glowing reviews of the video, with ‘david007max’ saying: ‘Bravo! Great job by your retrievers, they deserve a treat, so gifted.’

‘Ghostwhisperer2011’, meanwhile, said: ‘This cannot be possible! I want those two goldens!’

The Waltz of the Flea is a simple piano piece played all over the world – though its composer is unknown.





source:dailymail

By Julia Lawrence


There is no unseemly yapping when you ring the doorbell at the Anderson family home. No scuffling or snarling, either.

No harshly snapped orders to ‘get down!’, and, most delightfully, no smelly hound launching itself, wet nose first, at the cowering visitor when the door is opened.

Such behaviour would be unbecoming to a dog such as Champion Zentarr Elizabeth, queen bee of all she surveys.

Far too posh for fussing and barking, she sits regally in the arms of her owner-cum-courtier Margaret, and haughtily lifts her perfectly-coiffed blonde head to be stroked in greeting.

This is no ordinary canine. This is Elizabeth, (not Liz, Lizzie, Beth, Betsie or Betty — heaven forbid), the beautiful Lhasa Apso who this week beat stiff competition from more than 21,000 dogs to be crowned Best In Show at Crufts. She is a princess among dogs.

On walking into the pristine semi that she shares with her owners in Coventry, all, at first, seems reassuringly normal. Family pictures adorn every wall. But, look closer, and it’s Elizabeth’s four-legged relatives you will see. Everywhere.

Her pedigree forebears stare out snootily from the photos. Elizabeth’s image is everywhere, too — on oil on canvas, as well as on huge replicas of the covers of dog magazines, on which she has starred.

This house is a shrine to Elizabeth. The numerous rosettes and trophies from her seven-year career as a show dog, line every surface.

And now, taking pride of place on the sideboard, is the solid silver Crufts champion’s cup and magnum of Moet champagne that Margaret and her husband Andy brought home from the Birmingham NEC last Sunday night.

‘It still hasn’t sunk in yet,’ says Margaret, taking her excited, glittering eyes off her beloved Elizabeth just briefly to survey the collection. ‘It’s unbelievable.’

Pampered pooch: Julia Lawrence styles Elizabeth's fur as she gets up close and personal with the canine diva

After 35 years showing dogs of all breeds, this is the zenith for the Andersons.

Elizabeth is special. In fact, looking at her, it’s easy to forget she’s a real dog at all. The floor-length, gleaming, blow-dried coat streams behind her like a curtain, beneath which her dainty, soft paws trot elegantly.

Up close, she doesn’t even smell like a dog. Salon-fresh, she smells of shampoo and expensive hair oils. Even her breath is sweet, her teeth white and plaque-free.

Margaret is never too far away, bristle brush in hand, to keep the coat that wowed the audience and judges in pristine condition at all times.

Here's looking at you! Julia gets to know the diminutive Lhasa Apso

The hair around Elizabeth’s face is carefully braided out of her eyes today.

Elizabeth accepts all the grooming with the grace and stoicism befitting a lady of her class. She is a living, panting, barking (only very occasionally) canine version of Barbie.

Yet when you look her, you can’t help pondering, with a tinge of sadness, that this is a dog that has never chased a squirrel, scratched a flea or sniffed a lamp post in her life.

Would it, I ask her devoted owner, be totally out of the question for Elizabeth to rough it a little, now and then?

‘She’s far too precious to take out for walks,’ explains Margaret, a 59-year-old retired social worker. ‘That’s not to say she is kept indoors all the time — she has to be kept fit and healthy. She can run around in the back garden for exercise.’

But even the garden has been specially crafted to suit Elizabeth’s status. The vegetable patch and flowers have long gone, replaced instead by paving stones which can be kept scrubbed, bleached and hygienic at all times.

‘She can be walked on grass in the summer, when it is dry and short, but we couldn’t risk twigs and mud getting into her coat. In the house, she sleeps in a special dog crate in the kitchen, where she’s put if ever we are out or busy.

‘We couldn’t have her roaming about freely, in case she had an accident and hurt herself. If she broke a leg falling off a table, or accidentally swallowed something, she’d never show again.

‘Anyway, she’s a bit of a diva and very lazy. A trot around the field at a dog show and she’s bored and wants to come back. If ever I throw a ball for her, she just looks as me as if to say, “So, are you going to fetch that back, or what?” ’

Showing dogs is the Andersons’ passion. They have four grown-up children and seven grandchildren, but share their home with 20 dogs, four other Lhasa Apsos, including Elizabeth’s mother, Madonna, and a clutch of Pomeranians, those little puff-ball toy dogs, many of which are already champions or champions in the making.

Each has its own bed in a special, gated-off section of the large kitchen. Their bedding is washed daily, and each breed has its own allotted play time in the garden, to prevent any squabbles and, most importantly, to stop the Poms damaging the Lhasa Apsos’ treasured locks.

They are as impeccably behaved as Elizabeth, with not a yap to be heard from the garden or conservatory, where they play during Elizabeth’s latest photoshoot. The neighbours have certainly never complained.

It’s a lot of work, admits, Margaret, and a full-time job. They attend around 20 dog shows a year, driving a five-ton van, with all 20 dogs stacked in their individual beds in crates, and towing a family-sized caravan, packed with supplies.

Pristine: Elizabeth proudly poses next to her Best in Show trophy

‘We make quite a sight whenever we hit the road,’ laughs Andy, 66, who used to work as a carpenter.

The caravan has two fridge freezers, one for human food and one for dog food, a generator for electricity, gas bottles, and a proper shower for washing the dogs before a show. It also has an industrial-sized dog hairdryer, a behemoth resembling something out of a steelworks, which travels with them everywhere.

The van has, of course, been specially adapted to keep their darling dogs comfortable on the road.

‘I stripped out the panelling and lined it with foam for extra insulation, and installed a customised fan system to keep them cool in hot weather,’ says Andy, who describes himself as ‘chief dog-poop picker-upper’ in the Elizabeth roadshow.

‘These are show dogs, they have to be kept happy and comfortable. If a dog is unhappy, it is not going to perform well.’

The couple cannot put a figure on how much their hobby costs them in dog food, petrol and vets’ fees. ‘We totted it up once in the early Eighties, and it horrified us so much, we vowed never to do it again,’ says Andy.

‘We’re not puppy farmers, we’re not in this for the money,’ explains Margaret. ‘This is our passion, and as with all passions, you find the money somewhere.’

The prize money for winning Crufts, in case anyone is considering dog showing as a career, was a paltry £100. But love is its own reward and there is certainly a lot of passion and love that goes into keeping Elizabeth beautiful. Listening to Margaret recount the pampering routine, you are put in mind of an A-list actress preparing for the Oscars.

Elizabeth’s vanity case is brought out to illustrate the point. As a none-too-low maintenance blonde myself, looking at the cornucopia of bottles, lotions, clips, scissors and hair accessories, I realise that I barely know the meaning of proper pampering.

Twice a week, and always before a show, Elizabeth is shampooed and her coat conditioned, using Pantene hair products.

Blow-drying her hair straight takes more than an hour. Margaret will then trim it, to keep the edges razor straight. The fur between her toes is also trimmed and her nails clipped. Her gleaming gnashers are then thoroughly cleaned and scraped with a dental pick.

An American blend of baby powder, mixed with corn starch, is dusted through the hair around her mouth to absorb extra moisture. The whole process can take anything up to four hours. Beat that, Paris Hilton.

‘The only thing she objects to is the nail clipping,’ says Elizabeth. ‘But even then, it’s only with a grimace or grumble. I’ve never heard her growl or snap — ever. She has such a lovely, easy-going temperament.’

Fine pedigree: Elizabeth surrounded by the many awards she has won over the years

Under Kennel Club rules, hair lacquers and conditioning sprays are strictly banned in shows. Strands of hair can be taken for spot checks, and offenders banned from the competition. Rules are always bent though, say the couple. ‘I saw someone putting eyeliner on a boxer dog at a show last year,’ says Andy.

As well as her intense beauty regime, Elizabeth’s diet is also strictly controlled. Ordinarily, she eats top-quality, £40-a-bag dog food, with fresh chicken wings to gnaw on to keep her teeth and gums healthy.

During shows, however, she is served sirloin steak, cubed and fried in organic olive oil as a treat. ‘That’s why she loves shows so much,’ says Elizabeth. ‘Also, she gets to spend time with me, on her own, which she enjoys. She knows it’s a special occasion, she’s very intelligent.’

After her Crufts win, the Andersons are aware that Elizabeth is hot property.

Neither can put a figure on what their champion is now worth, but to them she is priceless. ‘I wouldn’t sell her for £2 million,’ says Margaret.

With her impeccable breeding and ancestry — she’s the daughter of two Lhasa Apso champions, the mother reared by Margaret herself — Elizabeth is very eligible in dog breeding circles. At the ripe old age of seven, the time is now right for her to put show life behind her and settle into motherhood. Potential suitors are being carefully screened.

‘I use every dog show as an opportunity to weigh up the males to see if there are any good enough for Elizabeth,’ says Margaret. So far none has made the grade.

‘I think I’ll probably use one of my own males. There’s Morgan, who’s just one certificate away from champion status,’ she says. The dogs are, she admits, distantly related, a few generations back. But then that’s royalty for you.

Ordinary Lhasa Apso puppies can sell for as much as £1,000 each, but for the offspring of such a high pedigree as Elizabeth and Morgan — presuming he’s up to the job — Margaret could probably name her price.

‘But I won’t sell to just anyone,’ she says. ‘I have to like the owner and know where they are going. ’

And when the time comes, Margaret plans to convert her back bedroom into a special birthing (whelping) suite for Elizabeth, suitable for a royal mother-to-be.

The grandchildren’s bunkbeds will be stripped out, and replaced with a bed for Margaret, midwife elect, so she can support Elizabeth through her first birth. ‘It will be a very anxious time for me,’ she says with a shudder.

But as with all celebrities, there will be no slackening of the beauty routine post childbirth. Anyone calling in unannounced is unlikely to find Elizabeth with tangled hair and less-than-perfect nails.

‘She’s far too beautiful to allow that to happen,’ says Margaret.


source:dailymail

-Two dogs die after eating poisoned pork loin
-Another three suffer agonising deaths after being found with similar symptoms
-Vet described the meat as being covered in something 'suitably evil and suspicious'

By Chris Brooke


Among the five dogs killed was three-month-old puppy Monty, which belonged to Emma McGuire from Knottingley, West Yorkshire

Five dogs from the same street have been killed by a mystery poisoner who left meat laced with pesticide in their owners’ gardens.

One mother described how she came home to find two of her dogs dead on the kitchen floor, and a third dying in agony.

The horrific incident came just weeks after two dogs belonging to another family in the same road were killed in two separate poisonings. Their third pet has twice survived.

Monty's mother Poppy (left) was also poisoned after eating meat laced with pesticide. Georgina Weatherall, who lives nearby, returned home on Monday to find her eight-year-old golden Labrador Chloe (right) gasping, fitting and foaming at the mouth. She had to be put down

Georgina also found her three-month-old Jack Russell Murphy (left) dead, along with her five-year-old black Labrador Moz (right)

The first family were left so traumatised that they are looking to move house. They fear a malicious neighbour could be behind the killings in Knottingley, West Yorkshire, and have spoken out to help police catch the culprit.

The latest death happened on Monday. Georgina Wetherall, a housewife, returned home at 10.30am to find her five-year-old Labrador, Moz, and three-month-old Jack Russell, Murphy, dead. Chloe, her eight-year-old labrador, was gasping for air, fitting and foaming at the mouth.

Mrs Wetherall, a 34-year-old mother of three, said: ‘I came home and saw our other dog Paddy at the kitchen window and clearly upset. I walked into the kitchen and found Moz and Murphy laying lifeless on the floor, while Chloe was foaming at the mouth.’

‘I quickly scooped Chloe up and put her on the back seat of my car to drive her to the vet but nothing could be done to save her. Signing the consent form to give the vet permission to end her life was heartbreaking. We had her since she was a pup and she whimpered right until the very end.

Devastated: Georgina Weatherall and her daughter Jessica, with their surviving dogs Paddy (left) and Roxy (right)

‘Telling my daughter Jessica was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do. She was distraught. They weren’t just dogs, they were my family and I’ve never felt so empty.’

'I want to know who has done this. It is absolutely devastating. My ten-year-old daughter Jessica is distraught.

'Our two-year-old Jack Russell Paddy survived but he’s a wandering dog and it has been his saving grace. He is not leaving my side.'

Mrs Wetherall said she and her husband, Darren, 33, had been ‘extra vigilant’ about their dogs after the McGuires, who live eight doors down the road, were targeted earlier in the year. Emma McGuire, 27, and her partner Kevin McGuire, 31, lost the first of their two Jack Russells, a puppy called Monty, in January.

After his death, the couple found pork steaks covered in poison in the garden. A month later his mother, Poppy, was also killed.

Miss McGuire, who uses her partner’s surname, said: ‘They might only be animals to some people, but they were my animals. They might as well have poisoned me.’

She continued: ‘Monty was just three months old and I found him lifeless in his cage. He’d been playing in the garden that morning, so when I found six pieces of blackened meat out there, I took them to the vet.

‘I couldn’t believe my eyes a month later when I saw my other dog Poppy eating something in the garden. I rushed out but it was too late and she died at the vet later that afternoon. I was absolutely distraught.

‘Our dogs were the friendliest you could wish to meet and they wouldn’t harm anyone.’

Their other dog, Roxy, has survived being poisoned twice in the intervening period.

The families’ vet, Michael Shewring, confirmed that in the McGuire case the pork loin steaks from the garden were ‘coated in something suitably evil and suspicious’, which he believed was pesticide.

He said: ‘For two dogs to go from young, fit and healthy to seizing uncontrollably, there’s no doubt these dogs were maliciously poisoned.’

West Yorkshire Police has appealed for information and said inquiries were ongoing.


source:dailymail

By Allan Hall


After Paul the Octopus, Knut the polar bear and Heidi the cross-eyed Opossum, the world has been waiting for a new animal celebrity.

Step forward Til, the earless rabbit - who appeared destined for super-stardom, or a few extra carrots at least, when his touching disability was first discovered.

But his brush with fame was cut tragically short when he was accidentally trodden on by a cameraman at a photoshoot.

Gone too soon: Rare earless rabbit Til was destined to become a star in his native Germany, before he was crushed to death during a photoshoot. (Picture shows Til with intern Sophie Hartig at the animal park in Limbach-Oberfrohna, Germany)

Til was born in a small zoo in Limbach-Oberfrohna in Saxony, eastern Germany, three weeks ago. His earlessness was a rarity and he was destined for animal stardom.

He was meant to be presented to the press at a news conference today and was filmed on Wednesday.

But Uwe Dempewolf, the director of the zoo, said: 'During the filming, the cameraman took a step back and trod on the bunny.

'He was immediately dead, he didn’t suffer. It was a direct hit. No one could have foreseen this. Everyone here is upset. The cameraman was distraught and I am completely floored by the whole thing.'

Compare and contrast: Tiny Til (right) pictured a week ago with one of his five siblings. The babies were born in February, and Til was the animal park's star attraction

Til died almost a year after the demise of Germany’s famous orphaned polar bear Knut who suffered a brain haemmorhage and drowned in his enclosure at Berlin Zoo on March 19 2011.

He was named after Til Schweiger, the German hardman actor who co-starred in Quentin Tarantino’s wartime romp ‘Inglourious Basterds’.

It remains unclear why he had no ears, but clearly he did not hear the cameraman coming towards him.



source:dailymail