I just had to make a bet on this years Grand National [racing at 4.15pm] after seeing the name of one particular horse that is just perfect and hilarious, considering my job, meaning that I just went and put a £10 bet on him winning:Comply Or Die
If he wins, I get £95! w00t!
UPDATE: Comply Or Die won the Grand National! Now I just wish I'd put more on him!
Showing posts with label Animals. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Animals. Show all posts
05 April 2008
The Grand National
04 January 2008
Monkeys purchase sex?
UPDATE: Wilberforce Monk has admitted that it is he who has paid for sex. He better be very careful to keep out of Harman's way should he achieve his goal of entering Parliament!
Male macaque monkeys "pay" for sex with females by grooming them, scientists have revealed.
The availability of females even affects the "price". Where there are fewer females, males are forced to groom their partners for up to twice as long before they are able to have sex, the research found. (The Telegraph)
Those monkeys better make sure that they keep away from Harriet Harman then, or she'll have them all locked up!The availability of females even affects the "price". Where there are fewer females, males are forced to groom their partners for up to twice as long before they are able to have sex, the research found. (The Telegraph)
UPDATE: Wilberforce Monk has admitted that it is he who has paid for sex. He better be very careful to keep out of Harman's way should he achieve his goal of entering Parliament!
03 January 2008
26 November 2007
A dog's not for Christmas, it's just for the afternoon:
Pet rental in Japan is booming. The number of companies dedicated to renting out pets in Tokyo alone has risen from 17 in 2000 to 134 today...
[A] shortage of space and apartment regulations banning animals are fuelling the demand for part-time pets.
From dogs, cats and rabbits to birds, ferrets and turtles, an eclectic array of domestic animals are currently available to rent in Japan for periods ranging one hour to a week.
And with costs as low as 1,500 yen (£6.30) an hour to rent a dog - the most popular rental animal - the practice is as accessible as it is popular. (The Telegraph)
I'm not convinced that it's great for the animals, but it seems quite a good idea, really, as it allows people who can't have an pet due to housing or time restrictions still enjoy the company of animals.[A] shortage of space and apartment regulations banning animals are fuelling the demand for part-time pets.
From dogs, cats and rabbits to birds, ferrets and turtles, an eclectic array of domestic animals are currently available to rent in Japan for periods ranging one hour to a week.
And with costs as low as 1,500 yen (£6.30) an hour to rent a dog - the most popular rental animal - the practice is as accessible as it is popular. (The Telegraph)
21 November 2007
Some stories just make you go "Awwww", and this is one of them:
Six abandoned kittens have found an unexpected new mother figure - a pet rabbit.
Veterinary nurse Melanie Humble took the three-week-old kittens to her Aberdeen home.
The kittens seemed to think Summer the rabbit was their mother and began to climb all over her and try to feed from her. (BBC)
It's kittens! So all together now: Awww!Veterinary nurse Melanie Humble took the three-week-old kittens to her Aberdeen home.
The kittens seemed to think Summer the rabbit was their mother and began to climb all over her and try to feed from her. (BBC)
15 November 2007
'Man marries bitch'. What's unusual about that you ask? This bitch is a dog. Seriously, an actual canine:
An Indian man has "married" a female dog, hoping the move will help atone for stoning two other dogs to death.
P Selvakumar, 33, said he had been cursed since the killings, suffering paralysis and a loss of hearing...
Superstitious people in rural India sometimes organise weddings to animals in the hope of warding off curses. (BBC)
An adaption on the 'man bites dog' storyline... and a step or so stranger than dog shoots man. But, seriously, why would someone marry an animal? It's not like it can result in a fruitful relationship, or even consummation - let alone kids!P Selvakumar, 33, said he had been cursed since the killings, suffering paralysis and a loss of hearing...
Superstitious people in rural India sometimes organise weddings to animals in the hope of warding off curses. (BBC)
14 November 2007
The cat taxi:
A cat is baffling his owner by wandering off at night before expecting to be collected by car every morning at exactly the same time and place.
Sgt Podge, a Norwegian Forest Cat, disappears from his owner's home in Talbot Woods, Bournemouth, every night.
The next morning, the 12-year-old cat can always be found in exactly the same place, on a pavement about one and a half miles (2.4km) away. (BBC)
Just... why?Sgt Podge, a Norwegian Forest Cat, disappears from his owner's home in Talbot Woods, Bournemouth, every night.
The next morning, the 12-year-old cat can always be found in exactly the same place, on a pavement about one and a half miles (2.4km) away. (BBC)
31 October 2007
"Dog bites man" isn't news. "Man bites dog" is. But where does dog shoots man fit in?
A man out hunting in Iowa was shot in the leg after a hunting dog stepped on his gun, authorities said.
The accident happened after James Harris, 37, put his gun on the ground to retrieve a fallen pheasant.
One of a pack of hunting dogs following behind stepped on the trigger, and up to 120 birdshot pellets hit Mr Harris in the left calf at short range. (BBC)
It seems that it is news, and "man shoots dog" probably wouldn't be. "Man bites dog" would have been a more amusing story, though.The accident happened after James Harris, 37, put his gun on the ground to retrieve a fallen pheasant.
One of a pack of hunting dogs following behind stepped on the trigger, and up to 120 birdshot pellets hit Mr Harris in the left calf at short range. (BBC)
25 October 2007
Absolutely shocking...
Six elephants have been electrocuted in the north-eastern Indian state of Meghalaya...
The Meghalaya wildlife department said that the elephants may have been looking for food, before stampeding into a line of pylons. (BBC)
Who's for elephant burgers? [What does elephant taste like anyway? Chicken, probably.]The Meghalaya wildlife department said that the elephants may have been looking for food, before stampeding into a line of pylons. (BBC)
12 October 2007
Why did the lorry-load of chickens cross the road? [And no, it's not even a joke about Chicken Brown.]
Major roads in central Scotland were brought to a standstill after a lorry containing 1,800 chickens crashed on the A80, leaving birds running loose. (BBC)
The most absurd result of this story is this one line in the BBC report:The Scottish SPCA said it had concerns for the welfare of the chickens.
WTF? They were on their way to an abattoir! They were going to die and become our dinner! If anything, they were better off with the crash than before! Idiots.29 September 2007
I've heard of homing pigeons, but homing crocodiles?!
Three homesick crocodiles in Australia have shocked experts by returning hundreds of kilometres back to their homes after being relocated.
The discovery was made after tracking devices were attached to the reptiles.
Saltwater crocodiles caught near popular Australian beaches and rivers are often shipped to more remote areas.
But the policy of relocating rogue crocodiles will now be questioned - since it seems the animals have a well-developed homing instinct. (BBC)
The concept of home sweet home exists even for crocodiles, it seems!The discovery was made after tracking devices were attached to the reptiles.
Saltwater crocodiles caught near popular Australian beaches and rivers are often shipped to more remote areas.
But the policy of relocating rogue crocodiles will now be questioned - since it seems the animals have a well-developed homing instinct. (BBC)
23 September 2007
Never trust a one-legged man?
A Californian man has been charged with using his false leg to smuggle three endangered iguanas from a nature reserve in Fiji to the United States.
Prosecutors say Jereme James stole the banded iguanas while on a visit to the South Pacific island in 2002.
He is alleged to have constructed a special compartment inside his prosthetic limb to move the reptiles. (BBC)
Now that's using your leg!Prosecutors say Jereme James stole the banded iguanas while on a visit to the South Pacific island in 2002.
He is alleged to have constructed a special compartment inside his prosthetic limb to move the reptiles. (BBC)
18 September 2007
It's one way to travel...
An iguana which was smuggled into Blackpool Airport in a woman's bra has found a new home at the resort's zoo.
The green reptile was discovered when a police officer noticed something was moving under a woman's dress at the airport on Friday.
She was stopped and after a security guard found the iguana peeking out of her bra, she admitted it was hers. (BBC)
The iguana evidently didn't seem to mind travelling in a bra too much...The green reptile was discovered when a police officer noticed something was moving under a woman's dress at the airport on Friday.
She was stopped and after a security guard found the iguana peeking out of her bra, she admitted it was hers. (BBC)
16 September 2007
Gerbils in space!
The Russian space agency has blasted ten gerbils into space for a 12-day mission to test the possible effects on humans of a flight to Mars.
The small mammals, similar to mice and rats, are being kept in special cages with a supply of nuts and cereals.
Day and night will be simulated and special machines will clean their excrement in the weightless conditions...
The furry rodents lifted off from the Russian-run Baikonur space centre in Kazakhstan on Friday in a Soyuz rocket. (BBC)
There is nothing else that I can add.The small mammals, similar to mice and rats, are being kept in special cages with a supply of nuts and cereals.
Day and night will be simulated and special machines will clean their excrement in the weightless conditions...
The furry rodents lifted off from the Russian-run Baikonur space centre in Kazakhstan on Friday in a Soyuz rocket. (BBC)
12 September 2007
In ur govmint, sheddin on ur ministers.
It must be one of the most privileged, and soon-to-be best known cats in British public life.
Sybil - as in Basil and Sybil Fawlty - the black and white moggie is much loved in the home of the current Chancellor of the Exchequer, Alistair Darling.
And that home is now the flat above the heart of Britain's government - 10 Downing Street - where the Darlings, including Sybil, have moved to from north of the border.
Prime Minister Gordon Brown's official spokesman confirmed a new cat was in residence...
Asked if the moggie was being given free rein in the building, the spokesman pointed out that cats were not the easiest of animals to deny access to. (BBC)
In ur Cabinet, makin ur laws.Sybil - as in Basil and Sybil Fawlty - the black and white moggie is much loved in the home of the current Chancellor of the Exchequer, Alistair Darling.
And that home is now the flat above the heart of Britain's government - 10 Downing Street - where the Darlings, including Sybil, have moved to from north of the border.
Prime Minister Gordon Brown's official spokesman confirmed a new cat was in residence...
Asked if the moggie was being given free rein in the building, the spokesman pointed out that cats were not the easiest of animals to deny access to. (BBC)
08 September 2007
Kill A Kitten...
Are you an animal lover? If so, I suggest you don't watch this video of Stephen Lynch performing his song 'Kill A Kitten'...
06 September 2007
Real wildlife photography - wildlife taking photos!
UPDATE: It was actually a hoax.
Meerkats at Longleat safari park hijacked the camera when a photographer left his equipment in their enclosure.
Having used the tripod as a climbing frame the inquisitive animals soon discovered how to fire the shutter. The results may not be perfect, as they were a little out of focus, but they are better than many first snaps taken by human beings...
Monty [the meerkat] did, however, make the habitual mistake of the amateur snapper – managing to cut off his subject’s head in one photograph. (The Times)
Well, they don't have any thumbs to put tin front of the lens, do they!Having used the tripod as a climbing frame the inquisitive animals soon discovered how to fire the shutter. The results may not be perfect, as they were a little out of focus, but they are better than many first snaps taken by human beings...
Monty [the meerkat] did, however, make the habitual mistake of the amateur snapper – managing to cut off his subject’s head in one photograph. (The Times)
UPDATE: It was actually a hoax.
03 September 2007
Dragons Are Political Animals Too!
Yes, we are! Even if the monkey with a blue rosette doesn't think so. He included Mutley the dog, and the Millennium Elephant, but not me, ThunderDragon!
When I first came out as a Conservative, nobody believed me. "Why do you want to be a Tory? You can't be a Tory!" they cried. "Is it 'cos I is red?" I asked. Yes, they said. It was 'cos I am red. They thought that all red dragons must be Communists or, at least, Socialists. That offended me.
I didn't choose my colour! I was just made born that way! It's not my fault that my mother, StormDragon, and father, LighteningDragon, happened to be a shade of red! But they cast that curse down to me. Why couldn't I be a nice blue colour like the dragon image I use on here? I'm jealous of the monkey's blue rosette. I want one! People still make the mistake of thinking that I, ThunderDragon, am a Leftie. But I soon put them right. But I wouldn't have to if I had a blue rosette...
Whatever you do, don't forget that dragons are political animals too! Just because I am red doesn't mean that I support Labour! Below is a picture of me with some of my Tory-supporting mates [apologies for the bad photography - the human I employ to do that kind of stuff, including type these posts (you have no idea how many keyboards I ruined at first) isn't very good at it. But you know what they say: if you pay beer, you get a student!]:
23 August 2007
Not faster than a speeding bullet, but T-Rex could outrun a footballer:Tyrannosaurus rex would have been able to outrun a footballer, according to computer models used to estimate running speeds of dinosaurs
The work used data taken directly from dinosaur fossils, rather than referring to previous work on modern animals.
The University of Manchester study published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B, shows T. rex had a top running speed of 8m/s (18mph). (BBC)
So the T-Rex could outrun a footballer and tastes like chicken... What a lot of absolutely pointless information we know about them! It's not like we could ever test it, or if it would make any difference. Unless Jurassic Park becomes real, anyway...The work used data taken directly from dinosaur fossils, rather than referring to previous work on modern animals.
The University of Manchester study published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B, shows T. rex had a top running speed of 8m/s (18mph). (BBC)
11 August 2007
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