Baby bears, panthers and monkeys: The extraordinary menagerie smuggled in first class passenger's suitcases

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Trafficked: A panther cub receives an injection after it was seized from a United Arab Emirates citizen's luggage by Thai police at a Bangkok airport


A first-class passenger waiting to fly out of Bangkok was caught with suitcases crammed with rare baby animals.

The man, a 36-year-old United Arab Emirates citizen, was waiting to check-in for his flight at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi International Airport when authorities swooped.

The animals - including baby leopards, panthers, a bear and monkeys - had been drugged and were headed for Dubai.


Vulnerable: It is not known if the animals, a three-month old white-cheeked gibbon, left and a leopard cub, right, were to be sold or kept as exotic pets when they got to Dubai


Undercover anti-trafficking officers had been monitoring the suspect since he allegedly bought the rare and endangered baby animals on the black market, according to the FREELAND Foundation, an anti-trafficking group based in Thailand.

When authorities opened the suitcases they found two leopards, two panthers, and Asiatic black bear and two macaque monkeys - all about the size of puppies.

Steven Galster, director of FREELAND, who was present when the man was intercepted said that the animals yawned when the bags were opened.


'A virtual zoo': Four two-month-old leopard cubs look from inside a cage. Undercover anti-trafficking officers had been monitoring the suspect since he bought the rare and endangered baby animals on the black market


Let us out! A baby Malayan sun bear, left, looks out from his cage; right, a black tufted Marmoset monkey clutches the bars of his prison with a mournful expression on his face


Imprisoned: A three-month old white-cheeked gibbon reaches out from him cage


Baby: A three-month old Malayan sun bear looks from inside a cage. Authorities believe the man was part of a trafficking network and were searching for suspected accomplices


Slumber: The baby bear sleeps off his sedative. The animals had been drugged and were heading for Dubai


Let us out! A baby Malayan sun bear, left, looks out from his cage; right, a black tufted Marmoset monkey clutches the bars of his prison with a mournful expression on his face


Imprisoned: A three-month old white-cheeked gibbon looks from inside a cage


'It looked like they had sedated the animals and had them in flat cages so they couldn't move around much,' Mr Galster said. Some of the animals had been packed inside canisters punched with air holes.

Authorities believe the man was part of a trafficking network and were searching for suspected accomplices.

Mr Galster said: 'It was a very sophisticated smuggling operation. We've never seen one like this before.

'The guy had a virtual zoo in his suitcases.'


Baby: A three-month old Malayan sun bear looks from inside a cage. Authorities believe the man was part of a trafficking network and were searching for suspected accomplices.


Thailand is a hub for illegal wildlife trafficking, but authorities typically find rare turtles, tortoises, snakes and lizards that feed demand in China and Vietnam. Finding such an array of live mammals is unusual.

In Thailand, leopards and panthers fetch roughly $5,000 a piece on the black market, but their value in Dubai was presumably higher, Mr Galster said.

It was not known if the animals were destined to be resold or kept as exotic pets, a practice popular in the Middle East.


Slumber: A baby bear gets some rest. The animals had been drugged and were heading for Dubai


source: dailymail

After the Big Freeze... the Big Thaw: Britain basks in balmy blast from the West

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Braving the cold: Clyde the seal pup with frozen whiskers copes with extreme temperatures at Hessilhead Rescue centre in Beith, Ayrshire


- Overnight lows of -15C in Scotland and -13C in England

- Experts say cold snap is 'once in a lifetime'

- Army called in to help councils clear away ice and snow


The whole of Britain was today enjoying a thaw - with all parts of the country above freezing for the first time since the cold spell struck last month.

Temperatures will even reach double figures in places as shivering Britons get a balmy blast of weather from the West.


And there's more good news for the weekend, with the Met Office forecasting temperatures of up to 8c (46f) - although temperatures are set to plummet again by the middle of next week.


Two women pull a pushchair down a road near the Royal Hospital for sick Children, Edinburgh


Gemma Plumb, a MeteoGroup weather forecaster said: 'It is going to be a lot less cold. We will probably see a maximum temperature of between 7C (44.6F) and 10C (50F) today.

'It will be warmest in the North and West of Scotland, but the warmer front will spread all over the country.

'We'll see some of the snow starting to melt, but it is going to start getting cold again on Saturday night, with the possibility of more snow towards the end of next week.'

The Met Office has warned that, despite the temperature increases, people should still look out for ice.

A spokesman said: 'With surfaces remaining very cold, there is a risk of icy conditions developing almost anywhere, particularly where skies clear overnight and during the first part of the morning.

'The highest risk is in parts of central and eastern Scotland and northeast England.'

Scotland, much of which ground to a halt this week in the worst snow since the 1960s, was on thaw alert after a spate of flood-related incidents from melting ice and snow.


A man uses a shovel to remove snow from the roof of a house in Edinburgh


Christmas lamb: The freezing conditions didn't stop the birth of Snowy the lamb in Llangibby, north Wales


Western areas of the UK will be warmest today, with 10c (50f) expected in the South West, north Wales and western Scotland.

Northern parts of Britain will feel slightly chillier in a brisk north west breeze.
It will stay above freezing all day and through the night, dipping to 1c in the coldest parts of the Highlands.

Colder conditions are then set to return on Sunday and into next week, with more snow and ice expected up until Christmas.

Britain has seen temperatures as low as minus 20c (-4f) since the country was gripped by the cold spell on November 23.

The weather started improving yesterday, with Strathclyde Fire & Rescue attending more than 120 flood-related incidents due to melting ice and burst pipes.

The thaw also means that pedestrians run the risk of being hit by icicles and snow falling from buildings.

And emergency services warned that rising temperatures were weakening already dangerous ice cover on frozen lochs and ponds.


Polar bears enjoying Scotland's big freeze







source: dailymail

Tube-nosed fruit bat, orange spider and Dracula fish are just some of hundreds of new species found in remote rainforests

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

A Nyctimene tube-nosed Fruit Bat is one of the exotic new discoveries made by scientists in Papua New Guinea


An orange spider and a tube-nosed fruit bat are among the new species discovered in remote mountain rainforests of Papua New Guinea.

More than 200 new species of animals and plants were found for the first time during two months surveying in the rugged and little-explored Nakanai and Muller mountain ranges last year, Conservation International said.

The findings included two new mammals, 24 species of frog, nine new plants, nearly 100 new insects including damselflies, crickets and ants, and around 100 spiders.


Incredible find: An orange spider, so different it has its own new genus, was one of the star discoveries of the project


A white tipped-tail mouse, at least one ant and several of the crickets, or katydids, are so different from other known species they each represent an entirely new genus, the scientists said.

They were uncovered by two scientific teams co-ordinated by Conservation International's rapid assessment programme, in partnership with Papua New Guinea's Institute for Biological Research and conservation organisation A Rocha International.

The teams explored different altitudes of the forest-cloaked Nakanai mountains, which host cave systems and some of the world's largest underground rivers, and the Muller range, accessing the remote areas by plane, dingy, on foot and even by helicopter.


A pink-eyed Caedicia, one of the 42 individuals of the leaf katydids (subfamily Phaneropterinae) in the Muller Range mountains of Papua New Guinea, found by scientists Piotr Naskrecki and David Rentz


In the Nakanai surveys, scientists discovered a beautiful yellow-spotted frog found only high up in the mountains, the mouse with the white-tipped tail and the tiny 2cm frog which calls for a mate in the afternoon - unlike most frogs in the area which call at night.

In the Muller range, researchers found what they described as a 'spectacular variety' of insects, spiders and frogs.

One of the newly-discovered katydids has exceptionally long spiny hind legs which it uses to jab at anything that threatens it, one new species has pink eyes and another has emerald-green patterning.


Newly-discovered: A mouse with a long white-tipped tail was among hundreds of new species found by scientists in remote areas of rainforest


Barely discernible: This tiny, well-camouflaged long-nosed frog's size is illustrated by a scientist's finger


A member of the Litoria genimaculata group, a frog with extremely variable colour patterns and distinct yellow spots in the groin, found in the in the Muller Range mountains


Leeanne Alonso, Conservation International's rapid assessment programme director said the discoveries made in both surveys were incredibly significant.

'While very encouraging, these discoveries do not mean that our global biodiversity is out of the woods,' she said.

'On the contrary, they should serve as a cautionary message about how much we still don't know about Earth's still hidden secrets and important natural resources, which we can only preserve with co-ordinated, long term management.'

Dr Martin Kaonga, interim director of science and conservation at A Rocha International, who is based in Cambridge, said: 'It's very important we find these species, because it's only when you know what species exist in an area that you may be in a position to understand how to manage that given area.'


Beautiful blooms: A newly discovered Rhododendron in Papua New Guinea (left) and the striking Nepenthes bokorensis, found on Cambodia's Bokor Hill


He also said species may have uses, for example as medicines, and that there was a need to raise understanding among local people of the value of the wildlife found in their forests.

Meanwhile, several new discoveries in Southeast Asia’s Mekong river are also causing a stir.

A fish with curving vampire fangs, a gecko that looks as if it's wearing lipstick and a carnivorous plant more than seven metres high may sound like creatures from a nightmare but they are real.

They are just three of 145 new species found in the area in 2009 and highlighted in a WWF International report issued today, ahead of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity in Nagoya, Japan, this month.


A female Protobothrops trungkhanhensis found in northern Vietnam


A cricket-chirping frog (LeptolalaxApplebyi) is seen in the Quang Nam province of Vietnam


The diversity of the region, so rich that an average of three new species were discovered each week last year, also highlights the need for action to ensure these new finds survive, WWF International said.

Among the animals highlighted in New Blood: Greater Mekong New Species Discoveries 2009’ is the Dracula minnow, with bulging eyes and two sharp fangs curving from its low-slung jaw. Luckily, the fish only grows to a maximum of 16.7 mm.

More attractive by far is the lipstick gecko, barely big enough to perch on a finger, with a dark barred pattern across its lips suggestive of cosmetics.


Danio tinwini, a spotted Danio fish found in Myanmar


Other featured creatures include a fangless snake, a frog that chirps like a cricket, and a pitcher plant that traps insects and grows to a height of over seven metres.

‘This rate of discovery is simply staggering in modern times," said Stuart Chapman, Conservation Director of WWF Greater Mekong, in a statement.

‘Each year, the new species count keeps going up, and with it, so too does the responsibilty to ensure this region's unique biodiversity is conserved.’


The Bare-Faced Bulbul (elft), is only known to live in the sparse, deciduous forest on limestone karsts in central Laos, while the Murina eleryi (Eleryi's tube-nosed bat), is found in northern Vietnam


The report said these discoveries highlight the Greater Mekong's immense biodiversity but they also pinpoint the fragility of the region's diverse habitats and species.

The WWF report cited the likely local extinction of the Javan rhino in Vietnam as one tragic indicator of the decline of biodiversity in recent times.

The Greater Mekong region covers Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam and the southern Chinese province of Yunnan.


The Coluberoelaps nguyenvansangi, a rare a dwarf fossorial snake found in southern Vietnam



source :dailymail

Stray Afghan dog that saved British soldiers by sniffing out roadside bombs rewarded with new home in UK

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

On Patrol: Brin in action in Helmand Province before he was flown back to the UK


A stray desert dog who saved soldiers' lives by sniffing out deadly roadside bombs in Helmand has been given a new home in the UK after a campaign to fly him back.

Brin the Afghan Hound was first adopted by the Coldstream Guards at the beginning of the year after he wandered on to their Helmand base.

They handed Brin on to the Gurkha Rifles in May and he soon became so central to their mission the Taliban kidnapped him, prompting a daring raid to get him back.

Brin faced being left to the mercy of the militants when the battalion fly home next month and soldiers feared he could be killed in a revenge attack once they had gone.
But now he is settling into a life of comfort and security in the UK after campaigners raised £4,000 to bring him back.

The dog, which looks like a cross between a Staffordshire Bull Terrier and a Jack Russell, started following units on dangerous patrols.

Soldiers soon realised he had a natural gift for detecting deadly roadside bombs.
He would stand and bark at suspicious mounds, allowing them to avoid or destroy any explosive devices.

Now, Brin's future is secure after Captain Mark Townsend, who cared for him in Afghanistan, sent a rallying call back to his friends and family in England.

They raised the cash to fly the dog home. Teacher Sally Baldwin, 49, who led the fundraising together with animal rescue charity Nowzad, will give him a comfortable new home in the Sussex countryside once he has completed six months in quarantine.


New home: Brin the stray desert dog with new owner Sally Baldwin


She said: 'He has been back for a week and he is really tired after his 4,000 mile journey, but he's eating well.

'During his battle experience he learned to sleep while standing up. It's so moving when he dozes off and relaxes completely, seeing this adorable refugee dog safe at last. All the soldiers are thrilled he will be home when they get back.

'I know Mark is especially desperate to see him safe after all he has been through. It has been a huge ongoing operation to raise the money and arrange quarantine.

'But everyone agrees this dog is worth all the trouble. I've had a lot of animals but never one like Brin so I understand why they all loved him so much. There's something about him, it feels like he?s looking out for you. He's very special.

'Mark said he played a massive role in lifting morale among the troops as well as sniffing out bombs.'

In July Captain Townsend told the Mirror: 'He's a big morale booster. He's a reminder of our pets in the UK and it's nice to have a bit of a break once in a while and have something that's like a comfort from home.

'Brin was so effective at saving soldiers' lives, the Taliban suspected he was a specially-trained SAS dog.'



He was captured and held by the enemy, then dramatically rescued after Afghanistan Army commandos seized him back in a raid.

Life will be much more peaceful for Brin, named so because of his brindle colouring, once he relocates to the sedate Sussex countryside with Sally, her husband Ray and their menagerie of rescue pets.

Animal lover Captain Townsend could not offer him a home because of his deployments, but he can't wait to be reunited with the mutt when he gets home.

Sally said: 'Mark is already planning his visit to see Brin and he is absolutely thrilled. He says he owes me a pint for getting him to the UK .

'Brin is loved by so many people and will have lots of visits from his army pals which will no doubt delight him.'

She admits it will be not be easy for the dog to adjust to his new life and plans to help him settle in gradually.

She said: 'This is a dog who will have never seen grass, who it took the troops weeks to teach how to fetch a ball and who has lived all his life surrounded by the sound of gunfire.

'I know it will be difficult and I am prepared to provide the specialist care he will need. I live in a nice big house with a big garden and I am near plenty of lovely country fields so in time he will be a very happy dog.'



source: dailymail

Ruff luck: Devastated Sheridan Smith appeals for help after thieves steal her Shar-Pei dog for the SECOND time

By JODY THOMPSON

Dog gone: Sheridan Smith and her Shar-Pei dog Enid, who also went missing earlier this month and was found in Dagenham, miles from the actress's north London home


Gavin And Stacey and West End star Sheridan Smith has been left devastated after her beloved dog Enid was stolen from her home for a second time, she has revealed.

The 29-year-old actress - currently starring in the musical Legally Blonde - was only recently reunited with the black female Shar-Pei after she went missing earlier this month.

Smith has taken to Twitter to appeal for help in finding Enid yet again, but wrote earlier today: 'I don't know how to get through this.'


Dog-nuts: Sheridan Smith taking doughnuts into Radio 1 for Chris Moyles and his team last week for their help in recovering her dog Enid the first time she went missing


Posting on her official Twitter page (http://twitter.com/sheridansmith1) last night after discussing the matter with police, she revealed the dog was stolen from her London home on Thursday.

Smith, who's previously also starred in Two Pints Of Lager And A Packet Of Crisps and Jonathan Creek, posted up pictures of the pooch in a bid to help the search.
The originally Chinese breed are known for their wrinkled skin and blue-black tongues and puppies for anywhere between £300 and £1,000 depending on their breeding.

Smith revealed: 'The police are convinced that it is a repeat offence and that last time was no accident. On their advice, I can't give too much information.
'She needs daily medication and I'm worried about her health and safety.'
Talking to MailOnline this afternoon, a spokeswoman for Sheridan said there was still no news as to Enid's whereabouts. She added: 'She is distraught as you can imagine.'

When Enid went missing earlier this month, Smith appealed to her Twitter followers for help, and Radio 1 DJ Chris Moyles spoke about her disappearance on the radio.
The dog, who is micro-chipped for identification purposes, was found in Dagenham and taken to Battersea Dogs Home where staff recognised her from the appeal.

But staggeringly, some Twitter users have been less than sympathetic about this second disappearance.


Dog days: Sheridan as Elle Woods with her onstage canine chum in the West End musical version of Legally Blonde


One follower called Daniel Butler wrote: 'Got no sympathy. To get it stolen once is terrible, but twice is completely stupid on your part. Didn't u learn u lesson.'

Smith, who split from comedian James Corden last year after a lengthy on-off relationship last year, blasted back to her detractors: 'She was stolen from my home! How could I stop them?! You heartless cruel human being.

'I genuinely hope no one ever breaks into YOUR home and steals something u love.'


source: dailymail

Sparkling Kelly Osbourne is the belle of the ball at PETA dinner... but bleary-eyed Pamela Anderson is the dog's dinner

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Belle of the ball: Kelly Osbourne and Pamela Anderson at PETA's 30th Anniversary Gala and Awards


Posing for pictures alongside a perfectly poised Kelly Osbourne did Pamela Anderson absolutely no favours last night.

The pair were photographed together at PETA's 30th Anniversary Gala and Humanitarian Awards.

Looking immaculate in a cutaway draped metallic silver dress, newly-svelte Kelly's glamorous look only served to highlight where a bleary-eyed Pamela was falling short.


Fab and drab: Kelly wowed while Pam disappointed at the annual event for the animal lovers charity


Kelly, 25, teamed her outfit with black platform heels, wearing her hair swept up in a chic side do, and looked the epitome of elegance.

Pamela Anderson on the other hand looked a lot less polished, wearing a loose-fitting and unflattering coral pink dress with clashing red shoes.

The 43-year-old Baywatch actress looked unkempt with messy hair and trashy-looking make-up.

She also wore sunglasses while on the red carpet at the event, held at the Palladium Theater, despite the fact it was dark outside, and looked sloppy as she posed for pictures with the a serene Kelly.


Stunning: Lea Michele won a humanitarian award at the event


The annual even was this year hosted by 30 Rock actor Alec Baldwin and celebrated the charities 30th year in business.

The animal-loving organisation marked the occasion with a luxurious dinner and awards ceremony which honoured high profile individuals and their charitable achievements.

Winners included director Eli Roth, actresses Olivia Munn, Anjelica Huston, Lea Michele, Eva Mendes and Joanna Krupa, rocker Dave Navarro and actor Kellan Lutz.

Also at the event was Sophia Bush, Jenna Dewan, Abbie Cornish and Cheryl Hines while Joaquin Phoenix and Casey Affleck also turned up for the festivities.


Other winners: Eva Mendes and Anjelica Huston both wore red to pick up their humanitarian awards






source: dailymail

He squawked! Lorenzo the lookout parrot becomes a jailbird after he's arrested for warning drug cartel that police were on the way

By DAVID GARDNER

Behind bars: Lorenzo the lookout parrot, who was tried to say: 'Run, run, the cat is going to get you!' every time police came near a drug cartel's hideout


Lorenzo the parrot is facing life behind bars in Colombia after being caught squawking on the police for a drug cartel.

Every time a police officer came close to the traffickers’ headquarters, the bird was trained to scream in Spanish: ‘Run, run, the cat is going to get you!’

Police trying to shut down gangs behind the lucrative drug route to the U.S. couldn’t work out at first how they launched raids only to find that the birds had flown the coop


I know why the caged bird sings: Lorenzo is now facing a life behind bars... but fortunately he is already used to that


But detectives finally got wise to the parrot. They sneaked past the loud-beaked lookout to find a hidden stash of weapons and marijuana at a safe house in Barranquilla.

Police also found two more specially-trained parrots.

‘We found a very interesting situation when we confiscated some exotic birds,’ said one Columbian police officer.

'Among them we have a parrot that alerted the people by saying run, run so they would run away before we could arrive.’

Animal officials said police had handed over as many as 1,000 parrots, many from the same coastal region, that had been taught to act as lookouts.

Baranquilla is Columbia's fourth largest city after the capital Bogota, Medellin and Cali as well as the most populated city on the country's Atlantic coast.



source: dailymail

Moos-flash: 'There's a polar bear on the beach!' Newsreader mistakes dead cow washed up in Cornwall for Arctic beast

By Daily Mail Reporter

Mistaken identity: The dead cow, whose skin had been bleached white by the sea water, was found washed up on a beach in Bude, Cornwall


When TV newsreader Naomi Lloyd told hundreds of thousands of viewers that a polar bear had been found washed up on a Cornish beach, spectators were amazed that something so extraordinary could happen in a sleepy town like Bude.

However she was left red-faced when it was revealed that the ‘polar bear’ was actually a cow whose skin had been bleached white by the sea water.

News of the stranded beast was broadcast to viewers in Devon and Cornwall on ITV's West Country bulletin at 7.55am yesterday.

It appeared alongside video footage shot by a viewer from a cliff top of a large white animal lying on the shore.

‘A walker in Cornwall has caught an extraordinary sight on camera,’ Lloyd announced.

‘A polar bear has washed up on a beach near Bude. The bear comes from the Arctic Circle and an investigation is under way as to how it could have ended up there.’

But officials who went to investigate discovered the animal was in fact a cow.

Several dog walkers and ramblers in the resort had woken up to see the large white animal slumped on the shore.


Red-faced: Newsreader Naomi Lloyd made the embarrassing error during ITV's West Country bulletin which is regularly broadcast to up to 2 million viewers


They feared it was a polar bear washed several thousand miles from the North Pole and immediately rang the local TV station.

A spokesman for ITV West Country, which regularly broadcasts to up to two million viewers, said they had dropped the article after its morning bulletin when they discovered the animal was a cow.

He said: ‘It was a bit embarrassing. When we realised what it was we pulled the slot straight away.’

Several local people who took photos and video of the animal rang the British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) service.

A spokesman said: ‘The animal caused quiet a stir in Bude. Several people had seen the animal from a cliff top and thought it was a polar bear.

‘It's size and colour and its lying position on the beach did make it look like a polar bear and we had several calls.

‘But on closer inspection we discovered it was a cow. The tides was very strong and it did bring several dead animals in along that stretch of coast.’


source: dailymail >

Who could dump poor Ginger? Dog's desperate chase after car as callous owner abandons her in field

Abandoned: Ginger the dog was dumped in a field in Weymouth, Dorset after her owner took her for a walk


She thought they were going for a gentle walk in the field together.

But suddenly, inexplicably, Ginger's owner turned on his heel, ran back to the car and drove off, leaving the dog behind.

Terrified to see him disappearing, the Shetland-cross terrier chased the car as it pulled away. But, limping badly thanks to her overgrown claws, she had to stop.

Luckily for Ginger, staff at a nearby office block saw what had happened. They ran outside and took the distressed dog inside.

One took her to the vet to have her claws trimmed - which is what had been causing the limp and then she was collected by the council's dog warden team.

However, the scene was also captured on CCTV. So officials are also trying to trace the owner, in the hope that he can be prosecuted for his cruelty to the pet.

Steve Sudworth, who was working in the offices at British Marine Technology, in Weymouth, Dorset, explained how saw the man dump Ginger.

'I happened to see the man and dog walk towards the woods behind our building. After a few seconds I saw the man walking very fast back to the car and he jumped in.

'I thought he was going to shout for the dog but the car started reversing and pulled out of the car park fast.

'The dog tried to follow but couldn't because of the limp.'

The dog is being kept by Weymouth and Portland Borough Council. Chris Robertson, assistant dog warden, said: 'Ginger is a really nice dog, she has a lovely temperament.

'I don't know why anyone would just abandon her.'

If prosecuted, her owner could face six months in prison and/or £20,000 fine.


*** Scroll down for video ***


Callous: Ginger's owner lets her out of the car after parking up


The pair can been seen on CCTV walking towards a field at the side of the car park


Ginger is left on the grass verge, while the owner prepares to drive off


Deserted: Ginger cuts a lonesome figure as she peers hopefully after her owner




source: dailymail