ANIMALS & NATURE

Italian Cat Becomes Third Richest Animal In The World After Owner Leaves It £10m In Will

December 13, 2011

Tommasino (bottom) was taken in as a stray

Nick Pisa, in Rome An Italian cat has become the third richest animal in the world after inheriting almost £10m after his wealthy owner died and left him the entire family fortune. Maria Assunta died last month aged 94 and, according to lawyers entrusted with her estate, left the fortune in property to Tommasino,...
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NY cops scolded for mocking pigeon called Fred at WTC Ground Zero

December 11, 2011

NY POST: CHAD RACHMAN FOWL BALL: A cop on duty at the 9/11 Memorial plaza yesterday is in the line of fire of Fred the pigeon, who has been pestering police from his perch atop this fence

NEW York police were admonished for mocking a dive-bombing pigeon at Ground Zero after a bizarre battle between cops and the angry bird. Fred, an unmistakable brown and orange pigeon, recently took up residence on a metal fence surrounding the World Trade Center’s memorial plaza — and has been dive-bombing cops stationed nearby ever...
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‘Gay’ penguins to be torn apart

November 8, 2011

A relationship between two ‘gay’ penguins has fascinated keepers at Toronto Zoo, but the couple is to be separated and will each be paired with a female for breeding. The two birds have shown signs of mating behaviour usually only seen between male and female birds, including preening each other and sleeping together at...
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How’d you like your koala – braised or stewed? Mar-soup-ial madness

October 31, 2011

These cuddly creatures are reportedly being served up as stew in some Chinese restaurants. Picture: Adam Head

A RESTAURANT in southern China is reportedly serving up stewed koala. An Australian man visiting the Panyu district in Guangdong has told radio 3AW he was shocked to see the marsupial offered on the menu. The traveller said hungry diners were able to select the live animal from a cage, where its price...
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African Animals Getting Drunk From Ripe Marula Fruit

October 23, 2011

Nicholas Bakalar for National Geographic News Almost anyone who has read a travel brochure about Africa has heard of elephants getting drunk from the fruit of the marula tree. The lore holds that elephants can get drunk by eating the fermented fruit rotting on the ground. Books have been written asserting the truth of...
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A two-faced cat is celebrating his 12th birthday, breaking a Guinness record in the process

October 1, 2011

Frank and Louie, record-breaking cat with two faces. Image: AP Photo/Steven Senne.

FRANK and Louie – an American cat born with two faces – has made it into the Guinness Book of World Records after celebrating his 12th birthday. The Janus cat is the longest surviving feline of its kind after he was rescued as a kitten when his former owner wanted to have him put...
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Panda babies have the cute market cornered

September 28, 2011

A giant panda breeding centre in China has shown pictures of its new crop of cute babies. The giant panda breeding centre in Chengdu, in south-west China’s Sichuan province, started with just six pandas in 1987 and now has more than 100. The centre looks after red pandas and other endangered Chinese animals as...
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Meet Gary, the Chocoholic fish addicted to Kit Kats

August 2, 2011

STAFF at a London aquarium have managed to wean a chocoholic fish raised on Kit Kats onto a healthier diet, Sky News reported today. Staff members at the Sea Life London Aquarium initially could not understand why Gary, an inherited 4 kilogram, 40cm-long gourami, refused to eat. They later discovered he had been fed...
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Owl leaves imprint on Kendal woman’s window

July 12, 2011

The silhouette was left by the bird’s powder down – a substance protecting growing feathers A woman returned to her Cumbrian home to find a near perfect imprint of an owl on her window. The bird had apparently crashed into the window of Sally Arnold’s Kendal home, leaving the bizarre image – complete with...
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5.5m saltwater croc Brutus photographed on Adelaide River Jumping Croc Cruises

July 12, 2011

By Meagan Dillon From: Northern Territory News Brutus introduces himself to Adelaide River Jumping Croc Cruises. Picture: Katrina Bridgeford. THIS 5.5m saltwater croc has given a boatload of tourists a moment they’ll never forget. And yes, it’s real, says photographer Katrina Bridgeford who took the picture on board Adelaide River Jumping Croc Cruises, the...
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