Couple waddle down the aisle in rare penguin marriage

Marriage rates for humans may be going down, but wedding planners needn't panic as they may have plenty of penguin business coming their way - because penguin matrimony is definitely on the up!

Little Brat and Little Beauty recently got married in a Chinese zoo and are looking forward to a life of wedded bliss.

One insider told Animal News: "I think Little Brat just did it for the tax breaks, he's not a romantic. But Little Beauty just loves confetti! I think that was her main motivation."

A more cynical onlooker had another take on the affair: "Penguin marriage may be increasing but that just means one thing - get ready for a whole lot of penguin divorce!"

DO NOT DEFILE MY TEMPLE!

The BBC have reported a loyal follower of the hindu god Hanuman has been defending his temple. The local infidels had been planing in destroying the temple just to widen some poxy road. We salute this faithful agent of Hanuman.

No Kentucky rain for aquaphobic penguin

From The Sun (which has a video):

While his feathered friends dive happily through the icy depths, poor Kentucky the penguin perches hopelessly on his favourite rock.

Why? Because he’s afraid of WATER.

The petrified penguin, described as a ’runt’ by his keepers, is terrified by the cold H20. He refuses to take the plunge with his other 23 penguin pals at Blackbrook Zoological Park, in Leek, Staffs. Staff at the zoo have seen 11-year-old Kentucky become a surprise hit with visitors at the park due to his unusual phobia. The hapless Humbolt penguin was born smaller than his Arctic brothers and sisters and has had malting problems since birth which make the water ’a bit too cold for him’, staff say.

Looks like we won't see Kentucky water-skiiing any time soon...

Imagine 101 of these!!!

Yes that really is a dalmation riding a bike.

Hat tip: Sophie

Reptile born during reign of Queen Victoria fathers 11

From Metro:

A reptile in New Zealand has unexpectedly become a father at the ripe old age of 111 - after receiving treatment for a cancer which had made him hostile toward prospective mates.

The centenarian tuatara, named Henry, was thought to be long out of the mating game, until he was caught canoodling with a female named Mildred last March. That consummation that resulted in 11 babies being hatched on Monday.

....

Henry was at least 70 years old when he arrived at the museum, 'a grumpy old man' who attacked other reptiles, including females. He stayed that way until a cancerous tumor was removed from his genitals in 2002, said Hazley.

'I went off the idea he was good for breeding,' Hazley told The Associated Press, but once the tumor was removed, 'he was no longer aggressive.'

Henry may be a bit of a dinosaur (and that's not just because he's reptilian) but apparently 111 is not too old to become a Dad!

Chirac taken down by depressed Maul-tese pet dog

From Perez Hilton:

Woof! That must have hurt!

According to new reports, 76-year old former French president, Jacques Chirac, was hospitalized after he was mauled by his 'clinically depressed', little, white Maltese pooch, Sumo. Yes, Sumo as in the Japanese sport. The ex-pres was apparently fascinated by sumo wrestling!

The elder statesman is expected to make a full recovery. Can we just pause for a minute, though. How the fuck is a dog "clinically depressed"?????? And how do you treat that????

The former president's wife, Bernadette, told the media, "The dog went for him for no apparent reason. We were already aware the animal was unpredictable and is actually being treated with pills for depression. My husband was bitten quite badly, but he is certain to make a full recovery over the coming weeks."

Mrs. Chirac did not reveal where on his body the former pres was attacked. Sumo was given to Chirac as a gift from his gandson. What's going to happen to Sumo? Eternal sleep????

It's a hen, for cluck's sake!

Yet another outbreak of cross-species canoodling! (see here and here)

The Pakistan Daily Times reports:

A hen in China has reportedly shacked up with a dog to help raise its three newborn puppies.

Owner Yang said the hen moved into the dog’s kennel after it gave birth last month. Since then, the hen refuses to leave the kennel, staying inside all day and only walking out when the dog is nursing its puppies.

Yang says the hen is very protective of the puppies and refuses to allow strangers to come close to the kennel. The dog seems to have given up the idea of driving the stubborn intruder out and has decided to share the space with the hen.

That hen is doggone crazy! But the dog might be feeling a tad hen-picked...

Snout for trout

From the wires:

A pig in China has started to catch fish from a pond for its supper.

Han, the pig's owner, created a small pond for breeding tropical fish, at her home in Dahangou village, Zhenping. She gave up on the venture when the market price for the fish dropped - but found she still had one eager customer.

"I was amazed to see that the pig I raised is helping himself to fish from the pond," she told the Eastern Asia Trade and Economic News. "It steps into the shallow water, catches fish in its mouth and happily eats them on the spot."

Han said she was happy for the pig to help itself to the fish rather than let them go to waste. "Maybe it just decided it wanted a bit more protein in its diet," she added.

Is Your Rabbit Road Worthy?

Haredly a day goes by when the Amazing Animal News office isn't excited by a new facility or venture designed to improve our pets' lives. Fresh in the AAN inbox today was news of free MOTs for rabbits.

Yes, geek veterinary scientists at Bristol University have announced The Rabbit Clinic, the UK's first and only dedicated rabbit-only clinic! Spokesperson Sharon Redrobe, Head of the Rabbit Clinic at Langford, said: "Even if your rabbit looks fine, it's still a good idea to bring them in for a quick MOT." So don't hang around bunny-lovers, hop on down to Langford and give your rabbit a servicing.

The opening of the clinic coincides with National Rabbit Week 2009, during which the message that rabbits are 'fibrevores' will be promoted. As part of the week's events members of the Bristol public are invited to a Rabbit Awareness evening at the Small Animal Practice on Tuesday 27 January. If you have been unaware of rabbits until this time, AAN strongly urges you to attend this event.

The elephant art club

A group of elephants in Thailand regularly get together for a painting session - these creatures have art in their souls and a paintbrush in their trunks.

The elephants' artistic talents have long been appreciated by tourists but have now started to create waves in the art world. One canvas even sold for £20 000, with more modest efforts going for £2 000 apiece.


The £20 000 painting was created by new recruit Lankam - just as with all artistic communities, fresh blood proved to be a stimulant of greater creativity and stylistic novelty.

Other hobbies pursued by this group of talented elephants include playing football and basketball. But with their art club, these amazing animals have scored a veritable slam dunk!

Pooh Two

From The Scotsman:

In the 80 years that have passed since AA Milne last wrote about him, generations of young readers must have wondered what happened to Winnie the Pooh and his young owner.

In October, they will be able to find out, the publishers Egmont announced yesterday, with the publication of the first authorised sequel to Milne's books, Return to Hundred Acre Wood.

Family saves Bounty's bacon

We're not telling porkies, a Potteries family really has adopted a pig!

A family of animal lovers didn't know what they were letting themselves in for when they offered to foster a pot-bellied piglet.

The Lawtons allowed Bounty to stay with them on a temporary basis ten months ago after he was rejected by her mother. But porker won over their hearts and is now a permanent fixture.

The 82kg (13-stone) pet dominates the living room, where he spends the night in a sleeping bag, requires feeds every three hours – raising the family food bill by £100 a month – and enjoys being taken for walks....

[Mother Audrey Lawton:] 'He's very affectionate and likes it when Michelle lies with him, giving him strokes and kisses, and he licks your face. When you come home he makes a noise that says he's happy to see you.'

Here at Animal News, we think it would have been more fitting if Bounty had been adopted by this family:


Bounty's story just about sums up the essence of Animal News - simply a series of highs and lows, pigs and troughs...

The amazing story of Argentinian streetboy saved by gang of wild cats.

From the Daily Mail:

A young boy was kept alive by wild cats while living rough on the streets, it emerged today. The one-year-old ...was discovered by police in Misiones, in Argentina, surrounded by eight of the animals.

The cats snuggled up with him during freezing nights that would otherwise have killed him, doctors believe. The boy was seen eating scraps foraged by his feline friends while they licked him. And they hissed as police approached the child.

Officer Alicia Lorena Lindgvist said: ‘I was walking and noticed a gang of cats sitting very close together. It is unusual to see so many like that so I went for a closer look and that’s where I saw him. The boy was lying at the bottom of a gutter. There were all these cats on top of him licking him because he was really dirty. When I walked over they became really protective and spat at me. They were keeping the boy warm while he slept.’

The officer, who noticed scraps of food near the boy in the Christ King district, also told The Sun: ‘The cats knew he was fragile and needed protecting.’

Police have found the boy’s father who is homeless and said he had lost the boy several days ago while out collecting cardboard to sell. He told officers cats had always been protective of his son.

Many observers have noted the similarity between this story and that portrayed in the 1967 Disney movie 'The Jungle Book', in which a young boy, Mowgli, is raised in the jungle by wolves and is befriended by an amiable bear named Baloo.

Hat tip: Chris

It's a Big Brother life: eviction bird finds love

Cock lovers everywhere were outraged when Basil the Cockerel was evicted from his home on a housing estate in Gateshead - allegedly for noise violations. Even a heartfelt plea to the Queen fell on deaf ears. Apparently, if you're not a swan, you can forget about it. Not all birds are equal!

But, as with every cloud, this story has a silver lining. Basil has decided that moving has its upsides, for he has fallen in love with a fellow resident of his new home - Bonnet the Hen.

Cock-a-doodle-doo!

My name is Bronx. I'm a bulldog. And I'm an alcoholic.

Metro has the shocking story of a dog forced to become an alcoholic:

A man who plied a dog with Stella Artois lager has received the first ever conviction for getting a dog drunk.

Andrew Wilson, 31, of Bristol, gave American bulldog Bronx a can of Stella Artois beer and was accused of forcing him to drink vodka before giving the hound a beating.

By the time he was found he was over the drink drive limit for a human, it has been reported.