Goodbye, my dear friend: Heart-breaking moment elephant

By SUZANNAH HILLS

Emotional moment: A female elephant holds on to the tusk of a fallen friend with her trunk during a moving vigil which lasted several hours at a wildlife park in Botswana. She had to scare off vultures and hyenas, pictured to the right of the carcass, to get to her friend's body This heart-wrenching image has captured the incredibly rare moment a mourning elephant says goodbye to her fallen friend. John Chaney, 63, was on a safari trip in Botswana with his wife Diane when they came across the carcass of a dead elephant surrounded by vultures and hyenas. As their guide called park rangers to come and remove the tusks so they wouldn't fall into the hands of poachers, another elephant charged over to the body. The female elephant scared off the animals surrounding the carcass before tenderly placing her trunk around the tusk of the dead male. Mr Chaney revealed how the group were then brought to tears as the female elephant stood guard over the body of her friend for several hours in what appeared to be a moving vigil. source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2439543/Elephant-mourns-dead-friend-guards-body-moving-photo-vigil.html My Facebook My Google+ Contact me

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Puffins at sunset and baby elephants learning how to use their trunks: Stunning wildlife photographs capture nature at its best

Images by the world's best wildlife photographers have been released They are part of the UK's largest wildlife photography show, WildPhotos It will be hosted by television presenter Chris Packham Budding snappers will have the opportunity to learn the skills and tricks needed to create stunning shots By JAYMI MCCANN

African Elephants in Botswana taken by wildlife photographer and television presenter Chris Packham

Everyone believes they are a budding photographer, but these stunning images of nature at its finest show why we should leave it to the professionals. Taken by some of the world's top wildlife experts, they show the skill that is needed to take such intimate pictures of nature. The images have been released as part of the UK’s largest wildlife photography show, WildPhotos 2013.

Michael Nichols from National Geographic captured a newborn elephant being taught by its mother how to use its trunk in the Serengeti National Park Hosted by zoologist and conservationist Mark Carwardine and wildlife expert and TV presenter Chris Packham, WildPhotos takes place at the Royal Geographical Society, London on Saturday 12 and Sunday 13 October 2013.

A striped field mouse investigates a red blossom in a cornfield. Grzegorz Lesniewski's managed to get an impressively close shot of the animal The photographs feature wildlife from across the globe, from elephants on the Serengei to puffins in the north of Scotland. More than 20 of the world’s top wildlife and environmental photographers will gather in London to showcase their work and offer insight and advice. Amateur snappers will be able to learn secret tricks of the trade from industry experts through a series of workshops.

A dramatic snap showing Atlantic Puffins resting at dusk, Treshnish Isles, Scotland, by Danny Green The two-day event is aimed at bringing together keen amateurs, budding enthusiasts, professional photographers and industry experts in a lively arena of debate and display. This year’s keynote speech will be delivered by the American photographer Michael ‘Nick’ Nichols, editor at large for photography at National Geographic. Charlotte Geeves, Festival & Events Director of Wildscreen, the charity behind WildPhotos, said: ‘In addition to being able to rub shoulders with the world’s greatest wildlife and conservation photographers, you’ll also get first-hand technical advice. 'This year’s amazing line-up of the best British and international photographers appeals not only to those in the industry but to anyone interested in how nature photography can be a powerful medium in supporting the conservation of the natural world.’

A coastal black bear searching for crabs in the river by Bertie Gregory

An unusual slow exposure shot of a spider's web blowing in the wind by photographer Jodie Randall source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2381310/WildPhotos-2013s-stunning-wildlife-photographs-capture-nature-best.html My Facebook My Google+ Contact me

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Pygmy elephant calf desperately tries to wake up dead mother who was one of ten animals found poisoned

By KERRY MCDERMOTT

'Great loss': A three-month-old elephant calf attempts to wake its mother; one of ten pygmy elephants found dead in Malaysia's Sabah state

A baby pygmy elephant tries in vain to rouse its mother, one of ten of the endangered creatures found dead in a Malaysian forest.
Experts believe the rare, baby-faced animals, whose bodies were found in the Gunung Rara Forest Reserve in Sabah state, Borneo, had been poisoned.
Wildlife officials rescued this three-month-old elephant calf, which was found glued to its dead mother's side in the jungle.

Attached: The baby elephant sticks close to the body of its mother, while a wildlife department official gives it a drink

The seven female and three male elephants, which were all from the same family group, have been found over the past three weeks.
Sabah's environmental minister Masidi Manjun said the cause of death appeared to be poisoning, but it was not yet clear whether the animals had been deliberately killed.
There are believed to be fewer than 1,500 Borneo pygmy elephants in existence.
While some have been killed for their tusks in the area in recent years, there was no evidence to suggest the elephants had been poached.

Suspicious: Conservation officials believe the elephants, discovered in the Gunung Rara Forest Reserve, had been poisoned

The elephants found dead this month were believed to be from the same family group and ranged in age from 4 to 20 years, said Sen Nathan, the wildlife department's senior veterinarian.
Post-mortem examinations showed that they had suffered severe haemorrhages and ulcers in their gastrointestinal tracts. None had gunshot injuries.
'We highly suspect that it might be some form of acute poisoning from something that they had eaten, but we are still waiting for the laboratory results,' Mr Nathan said.

source: dailymail

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One lump or poo: World's most expensive coffee at £30 a cup made using beans digested and, er, flavoured by elephants

By MARIO LEDWITH

Organic production: Black Ivory coffee is now the world's most expensive varieties costing $1,100 (£685) per kilogram. Thai women collect the dung in Chiang Rai province, northern Thailand, before sifting through for Forget robusta and arabica - this is the world's most expensive coffee, given its unique flavour by...an elephant's digestive tract. The thought of a coffee bean passing through an elephant's internal organs might not leave coffee-lovers overly enthused. But the unique coffee, created in the hills of northern Thailand, is now the world's most expensive variety.

Master barista: Elephants are fed coffee cherries before they are collected in their dung. The animals' digestive process is said to give the beans their unique flavour The elephant dung coffee is created when the animals have eaten and digested the beans, with a gut reaction inside the animals said to be responsible for the unique flavouring. Attendants scurry to collect the huge animals' dung, before forensically sifting through it for the valued beans. The provenance of the beans may leave some connoisseurs feeling nauseous, but the coffee's price tag certainly places the bean at the highest end of the huge global market. The coffee is priced at $1,100 (£685) per kilogram.

Inventor: Canadian Blake Dinkin, 41, spent $300,000 developing the production process. He said the first batch of the coffee has all been sold

Acquired taste: A coffee bean picked from elephant dung. The beans digest with bananas and sugar cane which Dinkin says gives the coffee a fruity flavour But for those brave enough to give the coffee a try, only the most well-travelled will be able to get their hands on a cup. It was launched last month at a few luxury hotels in remote corners of the world - first in northern Thailand, then the Maldives and now Abu Dhabi - with a price tag of around $50 (£31) a cup. The coffee's creator, Blake Dinkin, said scientific research had made him pursue the idea of using elephants to produce the coffee.

Smelly the elephant: The unique coffee is only available in several luxury hotels in Thailand, the Maldives and Abu Dhabi Dinkin, who spent $300,000 (£187,000) developing the idea, said: 'When an elephant eats coffee, its stomach acid breaks down the protein found in coffee, which is a key factor in bitterness. You end up with a cup that's very smooth without the bitterness of regular coffee.' The coffee is similar to civet coffee, or Kopi Luwak, another exorbitantly expensive variety extracted from the excrement of the weasel-like civet. An elephant's massive stomach provides a bonus, however. It takes between 15-30 hours to digest the beans, which stew together with bananas, sugar cane and other ingredients. Dinkin, 42, from Canada, said this helped infuse unique earthy and fruity flavors.

Brew: Black Ivory coffee is poured into a cup at a hotel restaurant in Chiang Rai province, northern Thailand source: dailymail

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No entry... this is a trunk road: Terror of safari Britons as bull elephant overturns their car

By REBECCA EVANS

Rampage: The huge bull elephant emerges from the bushes and rambles onto the dirt road towards the small Chevrolet Aveo car in South Africa's Kruger National Park

Getting up close and personal to some of nature’s most fearsome beasts is the main attraction of a safari holiday.
Unfortunately for two British tourists, one elephant took his brief a little too seriously.
The newly engaged couple’s car was rammed, skewered and tossed upside down by the bull elephant, which lashed out after also trying to attack the car in front.

Might of way: The Chevrolet Aveo is now in touching distance of the charging elephant

Trunk road: The huge elephant wanders out onto the road moments before it thrusts its tusks into the little car

Amazingly the couple, who were named locally as Chris Hare and Helen Jennings, both 40, escaped the incident at South Africa’s Kruger National Park with just minor injuries.
Mr Hare said: ‘When I came around the bend, the big guy was right in front of us. He walked towards us and I pulled off the road.
'The elephant appeared to walk past the car but then turned back, pushing a tusk against the passenger door and rolling the car. It was terrifying and I just thought: “But it can’t be possible that this is happening”.’

Look out behind: The angry jumbo charges up behind the Chevrolet Aveo and lifts its rear into the air with its tusks

Calm before the storm: The elephant momentarily backs away from the vehicle

Vasti Fourie, who was travelling in a convoy through the park when she witnessed the attack on the hatchback, said: ‘It charged towards the side of the car, lifted it up with its tusk, dropped it on its roof and calmly walked away.
‘It all happened so quickly. Once we drove around the corner, the driver of the flipped car was kneeled down in shock.

Aftermath: The occupants of the upturned Hyundai Atos were named as British tourists Chris Hare, 40, and fiancee Helen Jennings, also 40

‘I’ve never seen anything like this before in my life and I’m sure they haven’t either.’ Mr Hare and Miss Jennings, from Stockton-on-Tees, are understood to have been spending three days on holiday at the national park before flying on to the city of Durban.
Rangers later said they found blood on the car of the British couple and thought that the elephant might have had a tooth abscess.

Damage: The raging bull elephant thrust its tusk through the passenger door before flipping the Hyundai Atos onto its side

The elephant certainly left its mark on the small Hyundai Atos belonging to two British tourists

It is now being tracked to see if it needs treatment. South Africa National Parks spokesman Reynold Thakhuli warned tourists to take extra care around wild animals and allow nothing to protrude from their cars.
He said: ‘When you see an animal approaching do not panic and try to move away as fast as you can.
‘Elephants can be very dangerous when they feel threatened.’

source: dailymail

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Twycross Zoo keepers sacked and arrested 'for beating star elephant Tonzi and two other with canes'

By ANNA EDWARDS

Tonzi, seen with daughter Tara, was allegedly whipped with bamboo canes by three men

Three zoo keepers have been sacked and arrested after allegedly whipping a female elephant at a Leicestershire zoo and harming two others.
Three male staff members are accused of beating Tonzi the elephant with bamboo canes after reportedly being caught on CCTV camera.
A source at the zoo claims that the keepers took turns hitting the 28-year-old elephant but left no marks, so it was not obvious that the animal had been harmed, it was reported.

Tonzi, seen with her daughter Tara, was allegedly subjected to beatings. The zoo says that it contacted animal welfare organisations afterwards

It is believed that the other two elephants were hit with bamboo canes.
But when other staff members were checking through CCTV footage of the zoo, they spotted the alleged abuse.
The source told The Sun: 'It appeared Tonzi was being beaten by the keepers.
'Apparently the keepers were taking it in turns
The source claims that the zoo fears people will not visit the Leicestershire attraction after the alleged cruelty to the star animal.
Tonzi, who originally came from a timber camp in Burma, became a grandmother this year when her daughter Tara had a baby.
The zoo, which has an 80-acre site, confirmed that they had sacked staff following the alleged incident and said the animals had not been permanently harmed.
A spokesman said: 'Three members of Twycross Zoo staff have been dismissed.

Investigation: Twycross Zoo sacked three members of staff accused of beating one of its elephants. Pictured are other elephants at the famous zoo

'This action follows an internal investigation and relates to an animal welfare issue. Twycross Zoo acted rapidly and comprehensively as soon as the issue came to light.
'The zoo immediately instigated an extensive investigation in line with its internal policies and legal welfare requirements.
'The small group of animals this incident relates to suffered no lasting injury, are behaving normally and are now doing extremely well.
'The animals have been and continue to be on full public show.
'The incident was reported immediately to the police who are investigating.
'In addition, leading zoo animal welfare organisations were informed.'
A spokesman for Leicestershire Police said that there was an ongoing investigation.
She said: 'We can confirm that there is an ongoing investigation in connection with the unnecessary suffering of an elephant at Twycross Zoo.

source: dailymail

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Baby elephant trapped in a well is rescued by conservationists in amazing video

By NICK ENOCH

This baby elephant was found stuck in a well in the Amboseli national park in Kenya

Perhaps it’s because many of us watched the Disney classic Dumbo as a child that we all seem to have a special place in our hearts for elephants, especially baby ones.
That’s what makes this latest video from elephant research and conservation project Amboseli Trust for Elephants - which has now started to trend on the internet - so special.
An eight-month-old calf became stuck in a shallow well in the parched grounds of Amboseli national park in Kenya - while its increasingly anxious mother, Zombe, looked on, powerless to help.

The baby's increasingly anxious mother, Zombe, looked on, powerless to help

Luckily, the Trust got word of the incident in the Rift Valley Province earlier this week and sent two jeeps to assist.
The rescue operation began early in the morning - before the mother would have been forced to leave by herders who would soon arrive to water their cattle.

Luckily, the Amboseli Trust for Elephants got word of the incident in the Rift Valley Province earlier this week and sent two jeeps to assist

At first, the team struggled to attach a rope around the calf in the 5ft-deep hole as the low-lying water caused the cord to float to the surface.
Finally, they managed to secure it and, with the other end of the rope attached to a jeep, hauled the animal to safety.

Finally, they managed to secure it and, with the other end of the rope attached to a jeep, hauled the animal to safety

After it was free, the calf thundered across the barren plain

What followed was truly tearjerking.
The calf thundered across the barren plain, leaving a trail of dust in its wake.
In the distance, the cries of Zombe could be heard as she came running in the opposite direction.
And then they were reunited, embracing each other with their trunks.
They then turned to the camera, perhaps as a sign of gratitude to the little one's saviours.

In the distance, the cries of Zombe could be heard as she came running in the opposite direction

And then Zombe, her partner and calf were reunited, embracing each other with their trunks

Baby elephant trapped in a well is rescued by conservationists in amazing video



source: dailymail

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Now that's a heavy sleeper: Perfect imprint of an elephant's head left in the sand at the spot where it slept

By KERRY MCQUEENEY

Animal art: This incredibly detailed imprint of the elephants was left in the sand when the beast arose from its slumber

On first glance, you might be forgiven for thinking you'd stumbled across an impressive piece of wildlife art.
The fine detail - right down to the elephant's trunk and eyes - shows the perfect outline of the gigantic beast.
But this is not the work of an artist. Nor is it likely to remain in the spot where it was found for too much longer.

Jumbo slumber: Two elephants sleep side-by-side on the sand in their enclosure at Chester Zoo

This incredible image shows the imprint of Sundara, an eight-year-old Asian elephant, where it fell asleep in the sand at Chester Zoo.
Staff at the zoo were amazed when they ventured into the elephants' enclosure and found the perfectly-preserved impression of the animal's head in the ground.
The indentation is so clear, it even shows the fine detail of the ridges on the animal's trunk, as well as its ear and eyes.

Staff at Chester Zoo (pictured) were amazed when they ventured into the elephants' enclosure and found the perfectly-preserved impression of the animal's head in the ground

The enclosure's two elephants had fallen asleep on the ground, side-by-side, and - judging by the imprint - Sundara did not appear to move too much during its jumbo slumber.
And, in another stroke of luck, it didn't seem to disturb the impressive artwork when it arose from its snooze.

source: dailymail

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Ouch! Now I feel silly: Baby elephant lands on his trunk after tripping over log at Vienna Zoo

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Crash landing: The youngster lost his footing as he tried to negotiate a log at Vienna Zoo and fell on his trunk

When you’re a baby elephant there’s much to learn.
For instance, some logs you can simply step over – and some are so big it’s best to go round them.
Unfortunately for this little one at Vienna Zoo, mum was too busy to offer any advice, so he had to learn the hard way, tripping up and landing, rather uncomfortably, on his trunk.

Look at me: Under the watchful eye of mum, the little elephant makes a tentative attempt to step over the log

The Schönbrunn zoo in Vienna is the world's oldest animal conservation facility and is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Last month, the zoo announced that one of their elephants had become pregnant from frozen sperm.
Scientists succeeded for the first time in impregnating an elephant with frozen sperm, ultrasound pictures presented by the zoo showed.
The scan showed a 10.6-centimetre-long (4.2 inch), five-month-old elephant foetus with its trunk, legs, tail, eyes and ears clearly discernible.

Over he goes: One of the animal's back legs gets caught on the log which send him toppling to the ground

The foetus, which was scanned in April, is likely now 20 cm long, the zoo said, and is due to be born to 26-year-old African elephant Tonga in or around August 2013 after a pregnancy of about 630 days.
Elephants have been impregnated with fresh or refrigerated sperm in the past in an effort to protect endangered species, but frozen sperm can be transported further, and allows the female elephant to be inseminated at her most fertile time.
A zoo spokeswoman said the sperm was taken from a sedated wild elephant in South Africa using electroejaculation in the project known internally as 'Operation Frozen Dumbo'.

source: dailymail

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Adorable moment Chendra the elephant befriends sea lion at Oregon zoo captured on camera

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Adorable: Chendra - Oregon Zoo's smallest Asian elephant - was delighted to meet Gus the sea lion during one of her morning strolls

Chendra, the smallest Asian elephant at the Oregon zoo, was taking her morning stroll with a couple of her handlers when someone caught her eye.
Stopping for a breather at the zoo's Stellar Cove, Gus the sea lion swam over to make an acquaintance.
And, as this heart-warming photo shows, Chendra was delighted that he did.
As Chendra grins and reaches out her trunk - seemingly by way of introduction - Gus lifts his head, appearing to want a tickle under the chin.

Sadly, this was the first and last time the two met as the zoo stopped taking the elephants for morning walks.
The zoo's photographer, Michael Dunham, told the Huffington Post that the pair were snapped in 2007, adding that the picture was not digitally manipulated at all.
Asian elephants, which are smaller than their African cousins, are highly endangered. They face danger due to poaching, hunting, and a decreasing natural habitat.
Stellar sea lions are also threatened - their population declined more than 80 per cent between 1965 and 1994, according to the zoo's website.
Protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, currently there are approximately 67,000 or less in U.S. waters.
According to the zoo, sea lions in the wild are threatened by pollution, habitat degradation, illegal hunting, boat strikes or entanglement in fishing equipment.

source: dailymail

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A jumbo embryo: Meet the first baby elephant created with frozen sperm

By IAN GARLAND

Operation Frozen Dumbo: Schoenbrunn zoo director Dagmar Schratter shows off the ultrasound

Scientists in Austria are celebrating after successfully impregnating an elephant with frozen sperm for the first time.
Stunning ultrasound images unveiled at Viernna's Schoenbrunn Zoo yesterday show a perfectly-formed five-month-old elephant embryo measuring just 10 centimetres long.
The artificial insemination was carried out on Tonga, a 26-year-old African female.
But staff have a long wait to meet the tiny creature in person - he, or she isn't due to be born for another year.

Up close: The scan shows already-developed head, legs and trunk

Elephants have a gestation period of 630 days, almost twice as long as humans - meaning Tonga isn't due to give birth until August 2013.
Elephants have been impregnated with fresh or refrigerated sperm in the past in an effort to protect endangered species, but frozen sperm can be transported further, and allows the female elephant to be inseminated at her most fertile time.
The sperm was taken from a sedated wild elephant in South Africa using electroejaculation in the project known internally as 'Operation Frozen Dumbo,' a zoo spokeswoman said.
It took eight months to clear customs on its way to France due to lack of an established procedure for such wares.

Proud mum: Tonga, a 26-year-old female African elephant stands in her enclosure at Schoenbrunn zoo

The project was a joint effort of Schoenbrunn Zoo, Berlin's Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, France's Beauval Zoo and Pittsburgh Zoo in the United States.
Both African and Asian species of elephant are endangered, especially the Asian, mainly due to poaching for meat and ivory tusks and destruction of their habitats.
Around 2,000 elephants live in zoos, and a further 15,000 Asian elephants are estimated to be kept privately, employed in the timber industry or living in temples.
Schoenbrunn Zoo Director Dagmar Schratter said: 'Since the survival of elephants in their natural habitat is under threat, zoos around the world are striving to preserve them.
'Artificial insemination with the semen of a wild bull elephant is a chance to enrich the gene pool to further species conservation,' she said, adding that there were five female elephants living in zoos to every one male.

source: dailymail

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The biggest swimming trunks ever: Elephant drinks from a pool as stunned bathers look on

By JILL REILLY

Drinking time: With a couple of quick glances around the African giant, complete with long tusks, slowly dipped his trunk in the cool water, unperturbed by the people bathing in the pool

Walking around in the heat can be thirsty work and when this elephant decided he needed a quick drink he headed to the nearest watering hole - even though it was a swimming pool with humans inside.
In a video clip posted online the adult bull elephant can be seen padding up to the edge of the pool as the bathers in the water look on in stunned silence.
With a couple of quick glances around the African giant, complete with long tusks, slowly dips his trunk in the cool waters.
After two sups, it looks like the magnificent beast caught sight of the people sitting motionless in the water.

Thirsty work: The elephant spies the pool and starts to make his way over to the water

They remain motionless, entranced by the giant creature they are sharing their swimming pool with.
With some small swishes of his head, the elephant decides not to take a refreshing full bath, but it looks like he was thinking about it.
He then turns silently and walks away in the direction he came from.

Cheeky: The elephant places his trunk in the pool unfazed by its occupants

Drinking it down: The elephant soaks the water up through its trunk and then blows it in to its mouth

The video has already been viewed by hundreds of thousands of users since it was posted on YouTube.
One user posted: 'I would have been terrified if this happened to me!'
While another person wrote: 'That is what you call a one with nature.'

Re-hydrated: With some small swishes of his head, the elephant turns and wanders off



source: dailymail

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