Owning a cat can reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes by more than a third, researchers have found.

Having a furry friend around the house cuts stress and anxiety, and helps protect against heart disease by lowering blood pressure and reducing the heart rate.

Read the rest of this entry »

• 0 Comments

They say curiosity killed the cat – but one Texan moggy’s exploration of its new home helped uncover a huge stash of child porn.

The cat was snooping around its new flat in Austin, Texas, when it came across a gap in the wall.

The woman who owns the feline remarked on it to a friend, who put his hand into the gap and found a number of DVDs apparently hidden by the apartment’s previous owner.

Read the rest of this entry »

• 0 Comments

A man has been accidentally shot by a rescuer who was trying to free him from the jaws of a crocodile in northern Australia.

The victim, in his late 20s, was attacked by the reptile near a popular tourist spot on the Mary River south-east of Darwin.

He was flown to hospital by helicopter for emergency surgery for bite and bullet wounds.

Read the rest of this entry »

• 0 Comments

A rare creature, persecuted and hunted to near-extinction in its native Madagascar, has been born at Bristol Zoo.

Two-month-old Raz is only the second aye aye to be born in Britain.

The tiny mammal fits in the palm of his keeper’s hand but will grow to be the world’s biggest nocturnal primate.

Read the rest of this entry »

• 0 Comments

Scientists believe they have discovered a giant rat previously unknown to science in a jungle in Indonesia.

They also came across a pygmy possum which they think could be another new species.

Conservation International (CI) and Indonesian scientists made the finds in the jungles of a remote mountain region in the country’s Papua province.

Read the rest of this entry »

• 0 Comments

The whale is descended from a deer-like animal that lived 48 million years ago, according to fossil evidence.

Remains found in the Kashmir region of India suggest the fox-sized mammal is the long-sought land-based ancestor of whales, dolphins and porpoises.

Read the rest of this entry »

• 0 Comments

The 15th annual World Pie Eating Championship was thrown into chaos when a pet pooch ate all the pies.

Former champion Dave Williams had been entrusted with the pies, specially made for the contest in Wigan.

But as he was taking delivery of them, he was distracted by a pigeon stuck up the chimney and left the fridge door ajar.

When he returned, he found his dog Charlie had pounced – and scoffed the lot.

Read the rest of this entry »

• 0 Comments

A dog that inherited $12m (£5.8m) from late New York hotelier Leona Helmsley is in hiding after it was targeted by death threats, US media say.

Trouble, a white Maltese that belonged to the billionaire until her death in August, was flown by private jet to Florida, the New York Post reported.

Read the rest of this entry »

• 0 Comments

One of the biggest thresher sharks caught off the coast of Cornwall has been sold at market.

The 16ft (5m) shark, caught off Lands End on Wednesday, weighed in at 510kg (1,125lb).

The “monster of the deep” sold at Newlyn Fish market for 50p per kilo – fetching a total of £255.

Read the rest of this entry »

• 0 Comments

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.

Read the rest of this entry »

• 0 Comments