A mother's grief: The startling images which show how chimpanzees mourn their dead just like humans

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By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Grieving process: A chimpanzee mother tenderly lays her dead 16-month-old infant on the ground after carrying the body for more than 24 hours. Scientists filmed this heartbreaking footage in Chimfunshi, Zambia


Chimpanzees appear to mourn their dead infants just like humans, scientists have discovered.

Chimpanzee mothers establish close physical relationships with their young, carrying them for up to two years and nursing them until they are six.

But now scientists have filmed how one chimpanzee mother, whose 16-month-old infant died, apparently begins the grieving process.

It’s the latest evidence highlighting just how similar chimps and other great apes are to humans.

The ape continued to carry the body for more than 24 hours before tenderly laying on the ground. Then from a short distance she watched over her child.

Periodically she returns to the body and touches the face and neck with her fingers to establish it was dead.

She then took the body to other chimpanzees in the troop to get a second opinion. The following day the chimp had abandoned the body, according to a report by scientists from the respected Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics.

Dr Cronin said the research provided 'unique insights into how chimpanzees, one of humans' closest primate relatives, learn about death'.

Dr Katherine Cronin and Edwin Van Leeuwen together with Prof Mark Bodamer, of Gonzaga University in Washington State, and Innocent Chitalu Mulenga videoed the chimpanzee in Chimfunshi, Zambia.


Devastated: Struggling to take in the news, the mother then moves to a nearby grass bank and watches over the body of her dead child


Dr Cronin said the research provided 'unique insights into how chimpanzees, one of humans' closest primate relatives, learn about death'.

She said: 'After carrying the infant's dead body for more than a day, the mother laid the body out on the ground in a clearing and repeatedly approached the body and held her fingers against the infant's face and neck for multiple seconds.

'She remained near the body for nearly an hour, then carried it over to a group of chimpanzees and watched them investigate the body. The next day, the mother was no longer carrying the body of the infant.'

The report, published in the American Journal of Primatology, said almost nothing is known about how primates react to death of close individuals, what they understand about death, and whether they mourn.

The researchers therefore believe they have reported a unique transitional period as the mother learned about the death of her infant, a process never before reported in detail.


Second opinion: The mother then invites other chimpanzees over to the body, touching the face and neck with her fingers to confirm it is dead


'The videos are extremely valuable, because they force one to stop and think about what might be happening in the minds of other primates,' Dr Cronin said.

'Whether a viewer ultimately decides that the chimpanzee is mourning, or simply curious about the corpse, is not nearly as important as people taking a moment to consider the possibilities.'

Previous reports have documented chimpanzee mothers carrying their deceased young for days or weeks, showing the strength of the mother-infant bond.
The latest research complements these observations and sheds new light on how chimpanzees might learn about death.

Professor Bodamer said: 'These data contribute to a small but growing body of data on how non-human primates respond to death.

'We hope these objective accounts will continue to accumulate and eventually allow researchers to take a comprehensive look at the extent to which non-human primate understand death, and how they respond to it.

'It was only a matter of time, and the right conditions, that chimpanzees' response to death would be recorded and subjected to analysis that would reveal remarkable similarities to humans.'

Chimps are human’s closest relatives in the wild. Like people they can use tools, using sticks to fish out termites, hunt in teams and plan ahead.

They are also one of the few animals that can recognise themselves in a mirror - and realise that they are looking at a reflection.


Chimpanzee mother learns about her dead infant



source: dailymail [endtext]

Captain Hook's revenge: The poor crocodile who swallowed a mobile phone... that can be heard ringing in its belly

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By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Unhappy: Poor Gena the crocodile, who is now listless and appears in pain after swallowing the Nokia mobile phone


The crocodile in Peter Pan happily went 'tick-tock' after swallowing an alarm clock.
But a crocodile in Ukraine has been a little less fortunate.

Zookeepers at an aquarium in the eastern city of Dnipropetrovsk did not believe one visitor when she claimed Gena, a 14-year-old crocodile, had eaten her mobile phone.

But then they heard the phone begin ringing - inside the croc's belly.

'The sound was coming from inside our Gena's stomach and we understood she wasn't lying,' said aquarium employee Alexandra.

Now Gena is refusing food and acting listless.

Rimma Golovko, a new mother in her 20s, admits the accident was her fault. She stretched out her arm to snap a photo of Gena opening his mouth and dropped her Nokia phone into the water.


It's my fault: Rimma Golovko, who has confessed to dropping her phone while trying to take a photo of Gena



'This should have been a very dramatic shot, but things didn't work out,' she said.
Ms Golovko is resigned to losing her phone, but still wants its SIM card back since that has her precious photos and contacts.

The mishap has caused bigger problems for the crocodile, which has not eaten or had a bowel movement in four weeks and appears depressed and in pain.

'The animal is not feeling well,' said Alexandra.

'His behaviour has changed, he moves very little and swims much less than he used to.'

Doctors tried to whet the crocodile's appetite this week by feeding him live quail rather than the pork or beef he usually gets once a week.

The quail were injected with vitamins and a laxative, but while Gena smothered one bird, he didn't eat it.

He also won't play with three fellow African crocodiles, despite being the leader in the group. Crocodiles can live up to 100 years.

'He is the biggest and the oldest, perhaps he went for the phone to protect his group,' Alexandra said.

Dnipropetrovsk chief veterinarian Oleksandr Shushlenko said the crocodile will be taken for an X-ray next week if he continues to refuse food.


Never smile at a crocodile: In the tale of Peter Pan, as shown here by Disney, Captain Hook could always hear the crocodile coming from the ticking of an alarm clock it had swallowed (though sometimes he wasn't quick enough)


Surgically removing the phone would be a measure of last resort, he said, since incisions and stitches usually take at least three weeks to heal in reptiles and the procedure is dangerous for the animal and the vets.

'Everything will depend on where the foreign body is located,' Shushlenko said.
'We don't have much experience working with such large animals.'

The crocodile in 'Peter Pan' with the ticking stomach was on the hunt for Captain Hook after getting a taste for the pirate's flesh from eating one of his hands.
But luckily for Hook, he could always hear the crocodile coming.


Crocodile Eats Mobile Phone, Now Not Eating



source: dailymail [endtext]

He'll always be on the ball now: Paul the Octopus receives permanent memorial in honour of World Cup predictions

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By LEWIS BAZLEY

On the ball: Paul the Octopus's monument is unveiled at the Sea Life aquarium in Oberhausen today


He'll go down in history as one of the faces of 2010 but now three months after his death, Paul the Octopus today received a permanent memorial.

The cephalopod shot to fame last summer after correctly predicting the results of several matches in the football World Cup in South Africa.

And after he passed away in his sleep in October, Paul's former carers at the Sea Life Centre in Oberhausen, Germany, decided the octopus should be given a shrine to mark his seemingly expert predictions.


The ashes of the tentacled creature are contained in a golden octopus urn visible through a see-through screen


Golden moment: The urn of a sculpture of Paul inside the ball


The tentacled creature correctly predicted the outcome of eight matches at the 2010 World Cup, including Germany's thrashing of England and Spain's victory over the Netherlands in the final.

He cost bookmakers thousands after floating languidly towards boxes of mussels draped in the colours of competing teams in the South African tournament last year.

The aquarium where Paul lived first mooted the idea of erecting a memorial to the octopus after his death last year and now the soothsayer's legacy has been enshrined with the permanent monument.

The statue is around 1.80 metres high with Paul straddled on top of a football, with a see-through window displaying a goden urn containing the octopus's ashes.


World Cup star: Paul the Octopus predicted the results of all seven of Germany's matches at the 2010 World Cup, as well as the final


Predictive Paul: The octopus oracle has been honoured with a shrine after his death at a German aquarium


A successor to Paul, a French octopus named Paul II, was unveiled at the aquarium on November 3 after spending two months in quarantine.

He has yet to attempt to follow his predecessor's fortune-telling but it is thought the Sea Life Centre may tempt him with flag-covered mussel treats for the 2012 European Championships in Ukraine and Poland.

After the original Paul's death last year, Stefan Porwoll, manager of the Oberhausen Sea Life Centre, said: ‘Paul delighted people from all continents with his seven consecutive correct predictions for the matches of the German national team and for the final.


Guessing game: Paul shot to world renown after selecting mussel boxes emblazoned with the flags of the World Cup teams that would go on to win the matches in question


‘He was dear to all our hearts and we will sorely miss him. It is a comforting thought that he had a good life with us with the best possible care delivered by a committed team.

‘His success made him almost a bigger story than the World Cup itself.'


Object of affection: Photographers surround the monument of Paul


Memorial to World Cup Predicting Octopus Opens


source: dailymail [endtext]

Cat summoned for jury service in the U.S. and court says he 'must attend'

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By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Not guilty, your honour: Sal has been summoned for jury duty from March 23 - and his owner has been told he is not exempt from serving


A pet cat has been summoned for jury duty in the U.S. - and has been told by courts he 'must attend'

Despite owner Anna Esposito's protestations that a mistake has been made, a jury commissioner has ruled that Sal must attend the court.

She wrote that Anna was 'unable to speak and understand English' - and included a letter from her vet saying that the animal was a 'domestic short-haired neutered feline'.


Amazed: Sal's owners Anna and Guy Esposito are preparing to take their pet to court after a jury commissioner turned down their request to have the animal exempted from service


Bizarrely, the court ruled the animal must report to the courtroom. If the matter is not resolved he will have to report to Suffolk Superior Crown Court in Boston, U.S. on March 23.

Anna wrote her Sal's name under 'pets' on the last census - she crossed out 'dogs' and said he was a cat.

She said: 'When they ask him guilty or not guilty? What's he supposed to say - miaow?

'Sal is a member of the family so I listed him on the last Census form under pets but there has clearly been a mix up.'


Case closed? Sal's details were recorded when there was a Boston state census - and he appears to have been mistakenly identified as a human when the forms were processed


Husband Guy added: 'I said, Sal, what's this? I was shocked. He likes to sit on my knee and watch crime shows with me but even so he's still under qualified for jury duty if you ask me.'

There are ten statutory disqualifications preventing people from serving on a jury - and Mrs Esposito said Sal was not suitable because he could not understand the language.

However, jurors are 'not expected' to have a perfect command of the English language.
The other exemptions did not apply because Sal was not ill, too old or a convicted felon.

It is thought he accidentally ended up on the juror list when paperwork was misread at the last census.




source: dailymail [endtext]

Cher Lloyd steps out with a copycat Rihanna hairstyle

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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 [endtext]

Foreign tourists pose with an elephant dressed in a Santa Claus costume

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Foreign tourists pose with an elephant dressed in a Santa Claus costume for a group photo during a promotional event to mark the Christmas season at a school in Ayutthaya province on December 24, 2010. The event, where the elephants passed out presents to the school's students, was held as part of a campaign to promote Christmas in Thailand.


An elephant dressed as Santa Claus distributes candy to students during Christmas celebrations at Jirasart school in Ayutthaya, 70 km (44 miles) north of Bangkok, December 24, 2010.




An elephant dressed in a Santa Claus costume gives out gifts to students to mark the Christmas season at a school in Ayutthaya province on December 24, 2010. The event was held as part of a campaign to promote Christmas in Thailand.



Elementary school students at Jirasartwitthaya school in Ayutthaya, Thailand, reach out to receive presents from elephants dressed as Santa Friday, Dec. 24, 2010. The Christmas event has been held for at least five years at the Thai school where the majority of the students are Buddhist.



Thai mahouts dressed as Santa's helpers gather outside Jirasartwitthaya school in Ayutthaya, Thailand, prior to a show featuring elephants dressed as Santa Claus Friday, Dec. 24, 2010. The Christmas event has been held for at least five years at the Thai school where the majority of the students are Buddhist.




An elephant dressed in a Santa Claus costume performs by standing on its hind legs before giving out gifts to students to mark the Christmas season at a school in Ayutthaya province on December 24, 2010. The event was held as part of a campaign to promote Christmas in Thailand.



A Thai mahout, dressed as Santa's helper, watches outside Jirasartwitthaya school in Ayutthaya, Thailand, prior to a show featuring elephants dressed as Santa Claus Friday, Dec. 24, 2010. The Christmas event has been held for at least five years at the Thai school where the majority of the students are Buddhist.


Christmas Elephant twirling hoola-hoop (old clip)


source: Daylife
photo: Gettyimages
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Surf's up! Dogs show they can ride the waves too in a swell canine calendar

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By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Smug mug: July features Betsy the bulldog posing on the board


It's barking mad!

These pictures of surfing dogs show that pooches can ride the waves just as well as their human surfer counterparts.

Part of a 2011 Surf Dogs calendar, the photos feature mainly rescue animals, dubbed SurFURS by the photographers.


March's model is Stanley. He wore a blue life jacket as he rode to shore on a pink and white board


November's sur-fur is Toby, who eschewed the life jacket for a pink collar and lead



Barney caught a wave while standing up on his blue board and wound up as the calendar's cover boy


Husband and wife team Dina Demeo-Grover, 51, and†John Grover, 58, from San Diego, have taken their best shots to produce the novelty item, with proceeds going to various charities, including ones that support spaying and neutering pets.

It's the fourth annual Surf Dogs calendar and, they insist, the original.
Just in time for Christmas, the 2011 calendar is available for purchase on Amazon.com.


May features Dozer in a red life jacket. In the background is some of San Diego, including the famous red-roofed Hotel del Coronado


January features a not-too-happy looking pooch named Toby, wearing a orange life preserver as a wave comes up from behind


There is no missing February's pretty girl Nani in her neon life jacket as she rides the breaker


April features a slightly stricken looking dog named Kona, ears pinned and leaning back



For September, King glides in lying on his stomach as a frothy wave crashed behind him




source: dailymail [endtext]

How clever is that doggie in the window... the one with the wiggly hips? Salsa-dancing pooch becomes an internet sensation

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By OLIVER PICKUP

Take your partner by the paw: This dancing doggie has attracted almost 200,000 hits on YouTube in only five days


This dancing pooch clearly knows his Mambo from his Cucaracha as he dances the salsa on his hind legs in front of his excited owner.

A 35-second YouTube video has become an internet sensation with almost 200,000 worldwide hits.

The lap dog wiggles his hips and wags his tail as he shows the sort of moves that Ann Widdecombe could have done with.

The unknown mutt salsas happily - and in perfect time - to a track called Salsa Dura by New York group La Excelencia.

This four-footed star is a hit with youngsters, in particular. And he looks as though he is searching for a dancing partner to grab by the paw.


The dog-trot: The salsa dancing pooch is an Internet sensation and could spark a new craze


Perhaps it will catch on as a craze? We have heard of the fox-trot... well here's the dog-trot.

And if you were wondering how much that doggie in the window is to buy, well, he's priceless.

Or, of course, it could just be clever editing of a dog scratching at a glass door, wanting to be let in from the cold. But it's nearly Christmas, so we will let him have his moment in the spotlight.


source: dailymail
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The deer who did a real-life Bambi after getting stuck on frozen pond

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By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Oh deer! The doe with her back legs splaying and front ones bent on a frozen pond in Fareham, Hampshire


Looking like the cartoon Bambi, this deer struggles to get back on her feet after slipping on the ice.

But unlike in the classic Disney film, it was the fire brigade rather than best chum Thumper the rabbit who had to come to the rescue.

Concerned motorists dialled 999 after spotting the doe which had become trapped after venturing out onto the 45ft wide pond in Fareham, Hampshire.

She was seen with her back legs splaying while her front legs bent and buckled.
Animal Rescue specialist Buster Brown raced to the frozen scene along with fire crews and an RSPCA inspector to free the fallow deer.’

‘The deer appeared to have exhausted itself whilst trying to escape from the ice and was stuck in the middle of the pond on the ice.’

Using the same techniques that would be used to free a human caught in the same situation, two ice rescue paths were inflated and pushed out towards the dear by four firefighters wearing immersion suits and flotation devices.



Safe: An RSPCA worker holds the deer who was rescued by firefighters after being spotted by motorists


Mr Brown and two crew members the edged their way carefully towards the animal along the paths.

Mr Brown was then able to use a crook to grasp the deer's neck and placed a towel over the animal's head to stop it from panicking before carefully helping the creature back to the safety of dry land.


Cartoon: Bambi and Thumper on ice in the 1942 film


The deer was then passed to the RSPCA inspector and taken to a small barn close to the pond so it could warm up.

However, the sub-zero temperatures meant that the deer had eventually to be taken to the nearest RSPCA centre for observations.

Once it has fully recovered from its ordeal it will be released back into the wild.

Mr Brown said: ‘The animal was rescued using the same techniques that Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service would use to rescue people who might become trapped on ice, and this rescue provided an excellent opportunity for crews to utilise and practice the procedures.’

The fire brigade has reminded the public that they should not venture onto any ice covered water to rescue a trapped animal as they would place themselves in great danger.

Instead people should call the fire service who have the correct equipment to rescue both people and animals safely.

Now watch a video of the cartoon Bambi on the ice...




source: dailymail
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For once, Ann is doing the dragging: Miss Widdecombe discovers how Anton felt after tussle with difficult donkey

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By DAILY MAIL REPORTER


Strictly Come Donkey: Ann Widdecombe takes asses Teasel and Dove for a walk as she launches the Safe Haven for Donkeys in the Holy Land charity's Christmas campaign


Now she knows how Anton Du Beke feels.

Faced with a stubborn partner who’ll move only when prodded, Ann Widdecombe did the only thing she could.

She cajoled, wheedled and finally resorted to muscle power to get this donkey trotting along.

The Strictly Come Dancing star led two of the animals through Newton Abbot in Devon as part of a Christmas campaign by the charity Safe Haven for Donkeys in the Holy Land.

The campaign aims to raise awareness of neglected and abused donkeys in Israel and the Palestinian territories.

She said: 'I've supported SHADH for many years as the work they do is amazing.
'I've spent time at the donkey sanctuary in Israel myself and know that too many donkeys in the region are treated cruelly or abandoned.

'It's terrible that these gentle animals, which play a key part in the Nativity story, should be so badly treated.

'SHADH is the only charity in the area helping these lovely donkeys.'


Don't be shy! Ann tries to encourage the donkeys to pose for the cameras


Ann added: 'I'm hoping to attend SHADH's 10th Anniversary dinner this year but it's the same night as the Strictly Come Dancing Final.

'I've promised to come along if I can but that will be up to the public in the end.
'I am hoping to visit the sanctuary again soon - it's incredibly inspiring to see the work they do there and I love helping out with the care of these lovely animals.'

Safe Haven for Donkeys in the Holy Land rescues injured, neglected and abused donkeys in Israel and the Palestinian territories.


No, I don't want to waltz with you! Ann tugs at Teasel who looks determined to stay where he is


I'm not going anywhere! Teasel refuses to budge as Ann and the sanctuary worker try to coax him towards them


Ann has been a patron of the charity for many years and spent a week working with founder Lucy Fensom at the sanctuary in near Tel Aviv, Israel.

Donkeys are still beasts of burden in the Middle East but sadly many suffer from neglect, cruelty and abuse.

The harsh political climate can mean that these innocent animals end up the victims of the poverty and violence which sadly dominates the region.


My new best friend: Ann cuddles up to Dove as she raises awareness of the charity


Since 2000, SHADH have rescued over 1,000 donkeys and horses and run free mobile vet clinics and education programmes in the region, to teach both children and adults how to care for their working animal.

Those who adopt a Safe Haven donkey in the Holy Land will receive presentation folder, portrait photo of your donkey, record card and an adoption certificate plus a cuddly donkey and updates on your animal through the year.



'Flying canary': Brave Anton Du Beke attempts to lift Ann off the ground in their disastrous samba on Strictly Come Dancing last weekend




source: dailymail [endtext]

Giant panda Bai Yun plays with her baby, Yun Zi

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This Friday, Nov. 19, 2010 photo provided by the San Diego Zoo shows Giant panda cub Yun Zi as he tugs at his 19-year-old mother, Bai Yun, during a tremendous play bout at the San Diego Zoo.

After more than two weeks of renovations, the pair returned to the spruced up Giant Panda Research Station to find new items to interact with including the log that Bai Yun is hanging from and a large pile of dirt that the cub was rolling in. The pair spent 20 minutes wrestling in dirt, climbing logs and exploring the exhibit before taking a nap and starting over. Other new items in the panda exhibits are Chinese elm trees, shrubs and sod, thanks to donors to the Zoo.




San Diego Zoo veterinarian Tracy Clippinger (R) is assisted by Kathy Hawk, a senior keeper, in order to listen to the heartbeat of Yun Zi, a 17-week-old giant panda cub, at the San Diego Zoo in California, in this picture taken and released on December 3, 2009.




Five-month-old giant panda cub Yun Zi makes his official media debut at the San Diego Zoo in San Diego, California, in this image taken and released on January 6, 2010. Yun Zi was born on August 5, 2009.




Five-month-old giant panda cub Yun Zi makes his official media debut at the San Diego Zoo in San Diego, California, in this image taken and released on January 6, 2010. Yun Zi, who was born on August 5, 2009, will be unveiled to the general public on January 7.




In this photo provided by the San Diego Zoo, the giant panda cub Yun Zi, 6 months old, climbs an elm tree on Tuesday Feb. 16, 2010 in San Diego.




Giant panda Bai Yun plays with her baby, Yun Zi, at the San Diego Zoo in San Diego, California in this publicity photograph taken on December 21, 2009 and released by the Zoo on December 21. This was one of the first times Yun Zi, the San Diego Zoo�s four and a half-month-old giant panda cub, has ventured out of his den into a private outdoor area. Picture taken December 21, 2009.


source: Daylife
photo: AP photo, Reuters
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