Ezquara If the love of your life has whiskers, claws, beaks or scales

Pool-Playing Chihuahua A Hit At Washington Billiards Club
by Ezquara
Posted September 4th, 2010 at 12:10 am

It started out as fun and games. Connie Baldwin would be playing pool in her Washington home, when her Chihuahua pup, Amadeus, would come sniff around, wanting to be held. "One day, I just put him up on the table and said, 'Go get the ball,' " "He couldn't really bite them, but when I said 'Go get the ball' again, he started knocking them around." Every time the eager pooch would knock one into the pocket, Baldwin would praise him — and that's how the world's smallest pool player got his st...

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Odd-Looking Creature Nicknamed Shrek By Scuba Divers
by Ezquara
Posted September 4th, 2010 at 12:06 am

It is not exactly blessed in the looks department.In fact some divers who came across this unusual-looking fish off the Japanese coast have now nicknamed it 'Shrek' because of its bizarre features.'Shrek' is a type of Asian sheepshead wrasse which are well-known for the odd protrusions on their head and are relatively common in the waters around Japan. But this particular specimen is so odd-looking that scuba divers who videoed him instantly christened him after the famous animated og...

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Orangutan Mum Cradles Lion Cubs
by Ezquara
Posted September 4th, 2010 at 12:01 am

Nothing beats cuddles with mum.But when she's no longer around, these two lion cubs can rely on the most unlikely of babysitters.Hanama, a three-year-old male orangutan, is only too happy to cradle Skukuza and Simh, who are both male and a month old.The ape formed a bond with the boisterous cubs as soon as he met them, according to their keepers at Myrtle Beach Safari, in South Carolina in the United States. (more...)...

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Kevin Richardson – The Lion Whisperer
by Ezquara
Posted September 3rd, 2010 at 12:15 am

At first glance, Kevin Richardson may look like any other 35 year old, but when you see his friends, you might have a different perspective… Kevin’s job is to prevent poaching around the wildlife refuge area of Lanseria, South Africa. The way these animals interact with him is absolutely stunning! The lions seem to know he’s there to protect them. His charm works with hyenas and panthers too. Hyenas are usually vicious. Check out the pics taken in the river – amazing becau...

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Heroic Dog Saves Owner From Boyfriend’s Knife Attack
by Taanuu
Posted September 3rd, 2010 at 12:12 am

They say a dog is man's -- or woman’s -- best friend. And never was this made more clear than early last Wednesday morning when Princess, a five-year-old pit bull/Rhodesian Ridgeback mix, was stabbed multiple times as she tried to protect her owner from a violent boyfriend."I feel like she's my hero," Marie Wells, 31, of Southbridge, Mass. "If she hadn't been there, I don't know what could have happened. [My boyfriend] snapped." Wells says Princess began nipping at her boyfriend, Eric R...

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SeaWorld Fined $75,000 For Safety Violations
by Ezquara
Posted September 3rd, 2010 at 12:02 am

SeaWorld has been fined $75,000 by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration for three safety violations, including one classified as willful, after an animal trainer was killed in February. In a statement Monday, Cindy Coe, OSHA's regional administrator, said that SeaWorld knew of the inherent risks of allowing trainers to interact with dangerous animals. "Nonetheless, it required its employees to work within the pool walls, on ledges and on shelves where they were subject to da...

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Japan’s Ice Aquarium Displays Fish Frozen In Mid-Swim
by Ezquara
Posted September 2nd, 2010 at 12:10 am

What a way to explore the ocean. Japan’s Kori no Suizokukan (Ice Aquarium) in Kesennuma, northeastern Japan has about 450 specimens of about 80 species on display for anyone to examine or ponder. But they aren’t floating or zipping through aquariums. Nope…they’re frozen in blocks of ice… Crave writes, “Turn on the TV in Japan and you’re bound to see someone slicing up a tuna on a cooking show while commentators ooh and aah. It’s no wonder, then, that during the curre...

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Nicky Hilton Cozies Up To A Koala
by Ezquara
Posted September 2nd, 2010 at 12:05 am

Nicky Hilton went from the catwalk to walking among wildlife during her visit Down Under. The designer, who was in Sydney to model during Australian Fashion Week, visited with a curled-up koala on Wednesday at the Taronga Zoo. She wanted to get even closer to the fluffy marsupial, but Tweeted that she wasn't allowed to cuddle it. "I was just informed [it’s] illegal to hold a koala in New South Wales. You can only pet them," she wrote. No exceptions — not even for heiresses! Hilton ...

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Teashop Owner Attacks ‘Spying’ Dog Wardens
by Ezquara
Posted September 2nd, 2010 at 12:03 am

A teashop owner has hit out at dog wardens who "spied" on her for half an hour before fining her £50 for failing to keep her two Jack Russell terriers on leads. Juliet Howard-Allen says she was upset and embarassed when the wardens walked into her Harlequin Tea Room in Cheltenham, Glos, and issued the fine notice in front of customers. Miss Howard-Allen disputes that her dogs Fifi and Missi were in the High Street without leads but says she will pay the fixed penalty to avoid more fuss a...

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Swim With Killer Crocodiles
by Wish
Posted September 1st, 2010 at 12:19 am

Tourists to this unusual theme park are sure to get some holiday snaps with a difference.Inspired by the popularity of cage shark-diving, a tourist attraction has opened that allows adrenalin junkies the chance to swim with killer crocodiles.And, as these incredible pictures show, participants can get up close and personal with one of the worlds deadliest creatures. All that separates thrill-seekers from the huge saltwater crocodiles is a five-inch thick perspex box that has, we are assur...

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Stand Aside, The Behe-Moths Of The Insect World Have Arrived
by Taanuu
Posted September 1st, 2010 at 12:10 am

With their stunning colours and 12in wingspan they're not the sort of insect you could ignore.And now not just one but nine of the world's largest moths have hatched at a butterfly sanctuary in Gloucestershire.The giant Atlas moths emerged from their chrysalises at Berkeley Castle Butterfly House. Atlas moths are named after the intricate, colourful map-like patterns on their wings It is the first time the moths have successfully bred and hatched offspring in two years.The moths, whi...

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British Man Claims To Have Bred Indestructible Bees
by Ezquara
Posted September 1st, 2010 at 12:04 am

A British man claims to have bred a strain of bee capable of protecting itself from a deadly parasite that is wiping out the environmentally vital insect.Ron Hoskins, a 79-year-old beekeeper, lost tens of thousands of bees after the parasitic varroa mite entered Britain in 1992.The mite poses a threat to mankind because the billions of bees it kills world-wide are crucial to pollinating crops and plants. Mr Hoskins, who has carried out research on his colonies for 18 years, has isolated ...

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Iran Issues Fatwa Against Pets
by Ezquara
Posted August 31st, 2010 at 12:22 am

Iranian authorities have banned all advertisements for pets, pet food and other pet products. The decision by Iran’s Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance comes after the fatwa was issued by powerful cleric Grand Ayatollah Nasser Makarem Shirazi.While keeping dogs as pets has become increasingly fashionable in Iran in recent years, the fatwa cited Islamic tradition, which dictates that dogs are unclean. In June, Ayatollah Shirazi declared dogs unclean, saying that dog owners were �...

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