Tiger captured in Las Vegas

A tamed tiger that escaped from a magic act has been captured by Police in Las Vegas.
Police say the residents in the city's northwest section reported seeing the tiger wandering their streets on Thursday night at 9 pm.
Officers were despatched to recover the tiger, which belongs to the Fernando Brothers Magic Act. It was quickly tracked down to a domestic yard and returned to captivity.
The tiger was found in a resident's backyard.Animal Control and Metro Police are investigating the incident.

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Fish with Human Teeth!

Look at the fish in the picture above. Human teeth in a fish! Strange, isn't it? This is 'Sheepshead', a marine fish. The sheepshead's teeth include well-defined incisors, molars, and grinders. Their strong human-like teeth are necessary for crushing and grinding the shelled animals that they prey on.

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Monkey Urinates on President!

Animals don't care about humans. Recently, a monkey in Zambia proved it once again! According to news reports, a monkey urinated on Zambian President Rupiah Banda as he spoke to journalists at a news conference Wednesday.

But, the President took the unfortunate incident in good humor.

He softly shouted: "You (monkey) have urinated on my jacket," and paused as he looked up to see the animal playing in a tree just above his chair. "I will give this monkey for lunch to Mr Sata," he joked, referring to opposition leader Michael Sata, who Mr Banda defeated in last year's presidential elections.

Monkeys are common visitors to the president’s compound. But they never did something like this before. The president continued his speech amid laughter from the audience of journalists and diplomats.

Watch a video here :)

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Snake Massage in Israel (7 Photos)

An Israeli health and beauty spa located in Northern Israel is offering a new service for its customers. The weird and odd service is nothing but massage with snake! What? Yes, Ada Barak’s spa in Talmei Elazar, Israel offer Snake Massage after she discovered the therapeutic value of snakes after letting people hold them. Ada now uses a combination of big snakes for deep massage and little ones for light massage, though all are non-venemous. Take a look at the pictures.

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Color Changing Frog Worshipped!

According to news reports, a fog that constantly changes color is being worshipped as a God in India. The frog was a dazzling white color when Reji Kumar, 35, from Kerala, first spotted it while watering a flower bed. Then it changed to yellow and had gone gray by the time he got it home.

"By night the frog was dark yellow, and then it became transparent so you could see its internal organs. It seemed like a miracle to me that this frog had so many different coats. So now people come to see him and pray to him." Reji added.

Now, hundreds of followers flock to Reji Kumar's home every day to pray and ask for miracles, reports The Sun. India is a country where people worships millions of God and Goddesses! That's why no one is surprised when a frog is being worshipped as a God.

India's top zoologist says it's strange that an animal would change color so often. They are now planning to study the frog. But Reji is concerned for its future as the odd creature does not appear to eat anything.

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Creative Greenpeace Shopping Bag

Take a look at the pictures. Greenpeace, the environmental activist group,  created some nice paper shopping bag that shows that you care for animals. The unique shopping bags carries the message - "Give Me Your Hand". And to suit the message, the bags are so nicely designed that from a distance it looks like you are holding the hand of one of those cute animals. Create design that delivers the right message. What you say?

Greenpeace is an international non-governmental organization that works for protection and conservation of environment. It is one of the World's most popular and active environmental activist groups. If you really care about environment and animals, you must support the causes they are fighting for.

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First Commercially Cloned Dog

A couple in Florida is now the proud owner of the World's first commercially cloned dog. The Boca Raton couple have had their pet dog cloned, after it died from cancer.  On Monday,  January 26th, Lancey was hand delivered to the Ottos by Lou Hawthorne, chairman of BioArts International, a California based biotechnology company.  It is reported that the couple paid  $155,000 to the California firm for the clone of their pet dog.

Edgar and Nina Otto thought about cloning Sir Lancelot, their pet dog, about five years ago. Sir Lancelot died from a type of cancer last year. So, it was a good time to get the clone. Sir Lancelot's DNA sample was sent to the Sooam Biotech Research Foundation in Seoul, South Korea, which provides cloning services to BioArts. Researchers in Seoul put Sir Lancelot's DNA into an egg, and Lancey was born November 18, 2008.

The Ottos were one of five families to bid and win a BioArts auction for a chance to clone their pet dog, according to a BioArts press release. Lancey is the world's first commercially cloned dog and the Ottos are the first of six current clients to receive their clone from BioArts.

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Tigers skips meal one day a week

According to Reuters, tigers living in the Jawalakhel Zoo, Kathmandu, Nepal, are on a strict diet! They are not given anything to eat on Saturdays except water. Why? Because, recently they have started to gain weight in an alarming rate with the routine diet of buffalo meat.

The country's only zoo have three Royal Bengal tigers. One of the big cats now weighs in at about 220 kg (485 pounds), having gained 40 kg on a diet of buffalo meat in just eight months. This could create threat to the good health of the endangered animal. That's why zookeepers has stopped feeding the tigers for one day a week.

Normally, an adult tiger can weigh up to a 300 kg. So, the zookeepers thinks that feeding tigers for six days a week is good for their health.

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The Cat with Contact Lens!

Ernest, 15-year-old cat at the RSPCA rescue centre in Godshill, Isle of Wight, has got a pair of contact lenses. What contact lens and cat? Sounds odd, but it is true. The cat, who has lived at the centre for 13 years after he was injured in a car accident, recently suffers from entropion - an inward rolling of the eyelids, which causes inflammation and hinders sight.

Due to the complications, the cat had trouble seeing where he was going. And because of his old age, doctors avoided any operations. So, the ultimate solution to his problems was a pair of contact lenses. Recently a vet successfully fitted the contact lenses and Ernest is now doing well.

Via: link

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Drunken Horse in Swimming Pool

A horse in Cornwall became so drunk that it fell into a swimming pool. Well, soon his swimming session ended as police and fire crews arrived and took him away from the pool!

How all this happened? The horse called Fat Boy, escaped from his stable, broke into Sarah Penhaligon's back garden in Newquay and ate hundreds of rotting apples. The rotting apple worked like wine and Fat Boy started to stumble across the garden. And soon he lost control and fell into the swimming pool.

Sarah, 28, woke up after hearing a huge splash. When she checked the pool, she found a pony taking some bath! Unaware that Fat Boy was already drunk, Sarah, fed him more apples to keep him calm before fire crews arrived.

After receiving a call from Sarah, police and fire crews raced to the scene at 3am. After more than two hours of work, they finally hoisted Fat Boy out of the water at 5am with the help of several harnesses.

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Second case of "Virgin Birth" in Shark

A female Atlantic blacktip shark in the Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center fertilized her own egg without mating with a male shark. In a study report published in the latest issue of the Journal of Fish Biology, scientists have confirmed that it was the second case of a "virgin birth" in a shark.

The female shark, dubbed Tidbit, was caught in the wild when she was very young and lived in the aquarium for eight years without any contact with male shark. She died due to stress-related complications related to her pregnancy, during a routine physical exam in May 2007. Necropsy after her death revealed that she was carrying a 12 inches long pup foetus. DNA tests of the pup confirmed that it was a case of "virgin birth", that means the embryo came from the mother.

The first "virgin birth", which means asexual reproduction or parthenogenesis, in shark was ducumented at an Omaha zoo in 2001. The baby bonnethead shark born at the Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha, Nebraska was killed within hours of its birth by a stingray in the same tank.

So, this second case of "virgin birth" confirmed that like some other vertebrates, birds, snakes and reptiles, parthenogenesis occurs among shark species. Link

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Putin gets Tiger as Birthday Gift

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin got an odd but interesting gift in his 56th birthday. It is nothing but a two-month-old female Siberian tiger cub! Don't believe me? Take a look at the picture above, where Putin can be seen alongside the cub, which is yet to be named. Perfect gift for a powerful man!

Putin didn't revealed who gave him the rare Siberian tiger cub as a gift. But he told the reporters that proper care will be taken to find a new home for the 20lb cub. Point to note that in August Putin shot a full-grown Siberian tiger with a tranquilizer in Ussuri reserve.

via AP

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Siamese Twin of Nile Tilapia Fish

You have seen Siamese human, but did you ever heard about Siamese fish? Well, you may not believe that there are two conjoined fish in Thailand. Take a look at the pictures. These two are Nile Tilapia fish, a common species of freshwater fish and they are conjoined twins!


These two fish are attached to each other at the stomach. In normal case there is hardly one in a million chance that conjoined fish will survive. But these two Nile Tilapia fish survived and they are now eight months old. The bigger fish protects the smaller one by keeping it under it's stomach. Now, they are perfectly enjoying their connected life in a Bangkok aquarium.

Link

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Chicken Soup for Pandas!

Even Giant Panda needs chicken soup! Zookeepers in the Wuhan Zoo, China have started to feed their pandas with home-cooked chicken soup. No, this is not a joke. Xiwang and Weiwei , the pandas in the zoo are being given chicken soup twice in a month to reduce stress and give them a nutritional boost

The pandas of the Wuhan Zoo were tired and suffering from a little shock since Monday, the start of weeklong National Day holiday. Because, in holiday season more visitors comes to see the pandas. As people shouts to get attention of the animals, the pandas are becoming more restless and fatigued. So, in order to reduce their stress, the zookeepers are giving slow-cooked chicken soups to the pandas.

Each pandas were served 1 kg of chicken soup in giant dishes, in addition to their regular diet of bamboo, milk and buns. Zookeepers hopes that it will help them to stay fit and brave the upcoming cold weather.

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Man Attacks Shark and Saves Dog

It is said that dog is man's best friend. And I believe that it is true. But what men do for their dogs? Well, if you really love your dog, you will do anything to save the life of your dog. And this is what a Florida man did when his pet dog was attacked by a giant shark in the ocean.

Greg LeNoir, 53, saved the life of his pet dog by attacking a shark! He said that he was swimming at a Florida Keys marina when a shark suddenly attacked his pet dog Jake. Without wasting time, he also jumped into the ocean and began to pound on the head of the 5 to 6 feet long shark.

"I saw a big, dark green shape which I realised was a big shark’’s head. It zoomed up under from Jake," LeNoir said to a newspaper.

The pounding was effective and the shark released the small dog immediately. Jake, a terrier cross, got some wounds in the abdomen, chest and back. But still he is fine and recovering.

LeNoir really needs appreciation for his good work. Not everyone can dare to fight with a shark, even when his/her most beloved one is under attack!

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Auction of Zoo Animal Artworks

On Tuesady, in a first of it's kind collaborative effort by zoos in USA, some beautiful artworks by zoo animals were sold in an online auction. I am sure that you have already heard about animals creating beautiful paintings. Take a look at the picture above. This beautiful painting is a creation of a 7 year-old Rockhopper penguin named 'Ricky', who lives in Columbia's Riverbanks Zoo. It fetched $180 in the auction. Similarly a painting by Cha Cha the Lion had sold for $550 while Pinto the Pig's masterpiece sold for $250.

The auction took place at auctionnetwork.com and was sponsored by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. The money raised from this odd auction will be used for zoo conservation efforts.

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Dog calls 911 and saves Owner's Life

Once again a pet dog in USA proved that dog is a very helpful animal and they can save your life in certain situations. According to a report by Sky News, a German shepherd in Arizona saved his owner's life by calling the 911 emergency services. How? Because he was trained to do so in case of emergency situation.

The name of the dog is 'Buddy' and it was adopted by Joe Stalnaker of Scottsdale, Arizona. Mr Stalnaker has suffered seizures for ten years because of a head injury during a military training exercise. So, he trained 'Buddy' to use the phone if he began to have an attack.

And the intelligent dog did exactly what he was trained to do! When Mr Stalnaker got into difficulties, 'Buddy' hit the speed-dial button on the emergency phone. When the operator answered the phone call and asked if the caller needs any help, Buddy started to bark. Out of curiocity police arrived and saved Mr Stalnaker, who recovered after two days.

Interesting! Isn't it? Now, Mr Stalnaker's address is flagged in the official records, with a notification that a trained dog might call for help when the owner was incapacitated.

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Water Bears : First Animal to Survive in Space

The findings of a new study published in a US science journal says that tardigrades or water bears can survive in space. It was for the first time, an animal has been tested for survival in space without any protection. And the water bears proved that they are the toughest animals on the planet by becoming the first animals to survive in space, without protection. The study was supported by the European Space Agency, was headed by Dr Ingemar Jonsson, of the University of Kristianstad, Sweden.

Tardigrades or water bears are very small eight-legged invertebrate creatures that are commonly found on wet lichens and moss. They are just 0.1 to 1.5 mm long and exists in nearly all ecosystems of the world. They are resistant to drying out, heat, cold and radiation, and can be brought back to life after years of dryness.

One year ago, about 3000 water bears were dried and taken into space to test if they could handle the cosmic rays, a near vacuum and freezing cold of the space. They were kept in a chamber of the FOTON-M3 spacecraft as it orbited 270km above the Earth 270km. And after 10 days, scientists found that some of them survived. They even survived the exposure to extreme solar UV radiation that is more than 1,000 times higher than UV radiation on the Earth's surface.

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Armoured Mistfrog discovered in Australia

Take a look at the frog in the picture above. It is a Armoured Mistfrog, a tiny frog species that had not been seen since 1991 and thought to have been wiped out by a fungus. But, this July, a doctoral student at James Cook University in Townsville came across several Armoured Mistfrogs in a Queensland creek.

The student was actually conducting research on another frog species in Queensland and the rediscovery of Armoured Mistfrogs was unexpected. DNA tests of the tissue samples from the frogs confirmed that they were elusive Armoured Mistfrogs.

The 1.5 inch-long, light brown frogs, with dark brown spots, congregate in areas with fast-flowing water. Earlier, chytrid fungus was blamed for decimating frog populations worldwide. Now, professor Ross Alford, head of a research team on threatened frogs at the James Cook University and his team plans to study the creatures to try and determine how the Armoured Mistfrogs managed to coexist with the fungus.

http://www.jcu.edu.au/

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Green-colored Polar Bear!

Three white polar bears at Higashiyama Zoo and Botanical Gardens in central Japan, has got their color changed to green, after swimming in a pond with an overgrowth of algae. Take a look at the picture above. These three green-colored polar bear draw attention of lots of visitors in the Japanese zoo. Now, visitors asks whether these bears are sick or just carrying mold?

Zoo official, Masami Kurobe said that due to high temperatures in July and August and less-frequent water changes caused the algae growth in the bear pond and safety moat. And the algae that enters the hollow space in the bear's fur is hard to rinse off. So, they have to wait till November to see the bears in natural white color. AP

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