Weird Animal News Stories · 5:09pm Feb 20th, 2017
Here are some weird animal news stories that I found that I thought I would pass along.
Family's Worst Nightmare When RATTLESNAKE Slithers Into Toilet As 24 Terrifying Reptiles Invade Home
The shocking discovery was made in Texas and dozens of snakes were found living in the cellar and foundations of the house.
One family's worst nightmare became a reality after a rattlesnake slithered into their toilet as 24 of the terrifying reptiles invaded their home.
The adult rattlesnake was found in the toilet bowl - and another 13 were discovered in the cellar.
And a further 10 - including five babies - were later found living in the foundations of the infested building.
The terrifying discovery was made in Jones country, near Buffalo Gap in Texas.
Pest control company Big Country Snake Removal was called in to remove the animals.
The snake in the toilet is believed to have slithered in through a broken pipe.
The company shared images of the mission to round up the snakes on Facebook.
It said: "Last week we received a call from a family in Jones county who had an adult rattlesnake in their toilet. Yes, in their toilet!"
"The snake found its way in from an opening in a relief pipe that I later sealed."
"This was the first snake that the family has seen on the property in several years."
"When I arrived, I immediately noticed a few problematic areas. Intuition took me directly to a storm cellar where I safely removed 13 adult rattlesnakes."
"After a thorough perimeter check, I crawled underneath the house where I removed another 10, five being babies... 24 snakes total, including the toilet snake, and the family had no idea."
"How is this possible? It's actually quite simple - rattlesnake are secretive and can be very cryptic."
"They rely heavily on their camouflage. This is simply how they survive. Just because you don't see them doesn't mean they aren't there."
Source: http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/weird-news/familys-worst-nightmare-rattlesnake-slithers-9749227
What Doctors Found Crawling Inside This Woman's Skull Will Make You Shudder
Doctors were astonished when they discovered a live cockroach - inside a woman's SKULL.
Domestic helper Selvi, 42, was woken up in the middle of the night by a "crawling sensation" in her right nostril which became a "burning" feeling in her head.
Baffled medics used a nasal endoscopy to find the creepy crawly "sitting in the skull base between her eyes".
They were forced to used clamps and a sucker to get it out, but miraculously the bug was still alive.
Doctors said if Selvi had ignored the scratchy sensation, the insect would have died, causing an infection close to her brain.
Selvi, from Injambakkam, India, who did not want to give her full name, said: "My immediate reaction after feeling that crawling sensation in the right nostril was to brush it off in half sleep.
"But before I could do anything, it went inside. I could not explain the feeling but I was sure it was some insect."
"There was a tingling and crawling sensation. Whenever it moved, it gave me a burning sensation in my eyes."
"I spent the entire night in discomfort, sitting up and waiting for dawn to go to Stanley hospital after getting the reference of a doctor from my employer."
Selvi and her son went to the nearest clinic after the incident on Tuesday, but claim nobody could find anything wrong.
The next day she went to state-run Stanley Medical College Hospital, in Chennai, where doctors found the live roach.
Dr M N Shankar, head of the ENT department at the hospital, said: "This is the first such case I have seen in my three decades of practice."
The grim find was caught on camera.
"It was sitting in the skull base, between the two eyes, close to the brain."
"If left inside, it would have died before long and the patient would have developed infection which would have spread to the brain."
"It was difficult to remove it because of the place it was sitting in."
"I had to first drag it to a place from where I could pull it out."
"It was finally removed after 45 minutes."
Source: http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/weird-news/what-doctors-found-crawling-inside-9748796
Body Artist Slammed For Drugging His Hairless Sphynx Cat And Giving It Four TATTOOS
A body artist has been slammed by animal rights activists after drugged his hairless pet Sphynx cat and covered it in TATTOOS .
The man, named only as Aleksandr, inked the animal, which he calls Demon, himself in the city of Yekaterinburg in central Russia's Sverdlovsk Oblast region.
Aleksandr, who has 10 tattoos on his own body, has given his hairless pet four major tattoos on its sides and chest.
He said that he had to give Demon an anesthetic so that he could stand the pain of the ink needle and admitted that he might not have been doing the right thing.
Aleksandr said: "Of course I feel pity for doing it to him. It's not like he wanted to do it himself. He has a different skin, so tattoos are applied differently."
"I hope it is not too bad for him, it is not his first tattoo. Usually he feels fine and recovers from the anaesthesia pretty fast."
The tattoos that Aleksandr chose for Demon are of the type typically worn by criminals in Russia, including representations of a prison tower, a pretty woman and a cigarette.
They are often used to denote the seniority of the member of a criminal gang, how long they have served in prison and the seriousness of their crimes.
Animal activist Yelizaveta Skorynina condemned Aleksandr for putting Demon through the pain of the ordeal for no reason other than his own vanity.
She said that the skin of Sphynx cats was extremely sensitive and that giving the pet an anaesthetic was also an unnecessary risk.
Ms Skorynina added: "The drug turns off the movement of the cat, but the brain is still working. If he does it frequently, it could affect its heart."
However, another local tattooist, Aleksandr Purtov, defended his namesake, saying that what he had done was no worse than a farmer branding his livestock.
"It is an old practice, this is why I am neutral to it," he added.
Sphynx cats were developed through selective breeding and are known for their lack of fur but are not completely hairless.
Source: http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/weird-news/body-artist-slammed-drugging-hairless-9748136
Woman Gets Pet Snake Stuck Somewhere Incredibly Awkward
A woman had to go to hospital after her pet snake got stuck somewhere upsetting.
Ashley Glawe owns a ball python called Bart. He likes to slither around, as snakes do.
Unfortunately – for Ashley and for Bart – the slippery little man decided to wiggle into his owner's sizable ear piercing. One of those big ones that some people like to have.
The curious snake managed to firmly wedge itself in Ashley's right earlobe. Ashley, from Oregon in the US, had been playing with Bart without her jewelry in, and the snake thought it might be fun to pop its head through the vacant hole.
It was a disaster.
Ashley shared photos of her predicament on Facebook. She wrote: "Before I even knew what was going on, it was already too late."
What was at first quite an amusing situation turned sour when Ashley realized Bart couldn't fit his entire body through, but was unable to reverse back out again. She headed to ER.
Ashley snapped the pictures while waiting in the doctor's office and said: "BY FAR one of my CRAZIEST life moments! Went to the Emergency Room because my Ball Python decided to get STUCK in my gauged earlobe!"
"It all happened SO fast."
Luckily, Ashley's doctor was able to remove Bart from Ashley's earlobe.
"They numbed up my ear and used string to pull and stretch it out more so that they could get him out without hurting him," Ashley explained on her Facebook post."
People really enjoyed the bizarre scene. The case was certainly a rare one.
Source: http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/weird-news/woman-gets-pet-snake-stuck-9737144
Mysterious 'Half Cat-Half Kangaroo' Caught On Camera Lurking Around The Bushes In Australian Forest
A mysterious 'half cat-half kangaroo' has been caught on camera lurking around bushland in Australia.
The creature was captured on a night vision camera sneaking through the undergrowth looking for food.
It then stands up on its hind legs and sniffed the night air before slinking off under some nearby branches.
Eamon Wooster shared the footage on the Centre for Compassionate Conservation's Facebook page after catching a glimpse of the animal north of Sydney.
He wrote: "Found this critter on my cameras. Anyone got any knowledge on the species?"
Many claimed it looked like a "hybrid," while others said it could be a tree kangaroo or a wallaby.
Melanie Bradshaw-Dunn wrote: "It looks like a tree kangaroo to me, especially the swing in the hips but I'm no expert."
While Kerry Hughson wrote: "It looks like a possum like animal or perhaps a wallaby? Oxford falls is outer Sydney near French's Forest isn't it?"
And Michelle Fischer wrote: "What location? I wondered if it could be a Tree Kangaroo... but the walk doesn't look right."
Donna Bruce wrote: "I agree, would love to know what it is! Walks like a cat, looks like a Wallaby."
Source: http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/weird-news/mysterious-half-cat-half-kangaroo-9790937
Harassed Looking Eagle Is Bothered By Crow In Brilliant Snaps
That is one angry bird! These hilarious pictures show a rather annoying crow irritating an eagle.
The crow tirelessly circles the bird of prey and repeatedly lands on his head - much to the crow's displeasure.
The encounter was spotted by Greaves Henriksen in Tamilnadu, India.
The 52-year-old amateur photographer believes the eagle was sitting close to a nest, which the crow was trying to defend.
Greaves, a manager in a tea gardens, said: "I just couldn't stop taking photos of this truly rare sight."
"The short-toed snake eagle was perched on a branch near the nest and the crow was trying to chase him."
Source: http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/weird-news/plumin-cheek-harassed-looking-eagle-9773703
Adorable Cat Moves Into Wilko Store And Wins An Army Of Fans
Meet George - the tabby cat who has made a Wilko shop in Bristol his home.
The marvellous moggie has set up home in the town center shop and already earned himself an army of Facebook fans.
Gorgeous George has already been mistaken for a very lifelike garden statue when he wandered in and had a nap on the shelves.
But it isn't just shoppers who are in love with the cheeky cat.
He now has his very own Facebook page so his fans can keep up with his every purr.
Michelle Pibworth, 42, and Sarah Fowler, 45, who created the page, told The Sun George has been visiting the store every day for the past six months.
Legal secretary Sarah said: “Since just after Christmas he’s become a bit of a celebrity and Wilko just put up with him now."
“People just love him. He’s so cheeky. It’s a pity they can’t train him to serve customers. I think it’s fab – he seems such a character.”
And gorgeous George just can't help posing for his fans.
He has been snapped climbing all over the shelves, bags of cat litter, curled up asleep on a huge pile of rugs and even snoozing under a till.
Michelle said he is already a big hit with Wilko workers.
She added: "People love going in and giving him a little stroke. He doesn't seem to move, he's just lapping it all up."
"One woman thought he was a statue. He's not doing anything wrong, he's just being a cat."
Source: http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/weird-news/its-purr-fect-advert-adorable-9807593
Reporter Left Speechless After Interviewee Begins Breastfeeding A PIG Live On Television
A reporter was left speechless after an interviewee began breastfeeding a PIG - live on television.
The journalist was asking locals in San Juan de Lurigancho, in Lima, Peru, how their businesses had been affected by the recent heavy rains and floods.
One woman, a farmer who sold pigs to butchers for meat, was explaining how her animals had been evacuated from their fields after the river Huaycoloro had burst.
To demonstrate, she had brought along a piglet, which was temporarily being kept in a cardboard box while new shelter was found.
But as she lifted the animal up to her chest, the woman then made the bizarre decision to lift up her top in front of the rolling cameras and place the pig on her breast.
The America Television cameraman immediately flicked the camera away, onto the faces of bemused locals who appeared to laugh nervously at the bizarre sight.
Taking control of the situation, the journalist walked away from the woman and continued her report on the overflowing river.
Source: http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/weird-news/reporter-left-speechless-after-interviewee-9778548
Unlikely Passenger Hitches Seven-mile Ride On Back Of Rubbish Truck
A raccoon has become an international superstar after casually clambering up a rubbish truck ladder and hitching a ride for several miles.
The mammal was spotted by politics journalist Helena B. Evich in Rosslyn, Virginia on Friday. It looks adorable. So relaxed, so nonchalant.
Evich tweeted a snap of the raccoon after spotting it on an American Disposal Services truck, and said that the driver was helpful when she alerted him to the fact that he had an animal stowing away.
“As soon as we found out that the raccoon was on the truck, the driver pulled over because we didn’t want the raccoon to get injured,” Anna Wilkinson, communications director for American Disposal Services, told ARL Now .
According to ARL, the raccoon traveled for about seven miles and ended up at a place called Falls Church. Luckily, it was unharmed when coaxed down.
But the raccoon did evade capture. Local animal control officers arrived at the scene, only to see the animal flee, scrabbling away all flustered.
“The raccoon avoided capture and escaped towards the Larry Graves park area,” a news release said.
Authorities said that animal welfare officers didn't think the raccoon was unwell. But added that if the public spotted one looking out of sorts, or "hitching a ride on a vehicle," they should get in touch.
Source: http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/weird-news/unlikely-passenger-hitches-seven-mile-9844841
Who Ordered Frozen Moose? Huge Beasts Found Submerged In Ice With Just Their Antlers Showing
Astonished pals found two massive moose frozen solid into an Alaskan lake.
The huge beasts were found near Unalakleet, Alaska, by a group of friends during a bible camp in the wilderness in November. And the first sighting of the animals was a pair of antlers poking through the snow .
Jeff Erickson and his friend Brad Webster then discovered an incredible scene that appears to show the two animals had been fighting with their antlers locked when they got into difficulty.
As these pictures show both moose - which can weigh up to 1,500 lbs - were frozen solid in the water and when Jeff and Brad worked to remove them they found puncture wounds which suggest the animals died fighting.
It's thought because the pair had locked antlers, if one survived he couldn't free himself, and both perished before being quickly preserved by the ice and freezing temperatures.
Jeff Erickson, who took these amazing photographs, said: "It was actually a friend of mine who by great chance found them. I was just lucky to go up with him to take some pictures...then remove the two heads.
"At the time it was 10 F (-12 C). I've lived up here more than 50 years and never seen anything like it. The two beasts were suspended in the ice as if they were sleeping."
Source: http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/weird-news/who-ordered-frozen-moose-huge-9722102
Adorable Real Life Hairy Barker Who Loves Motorbike Rides In Full Leathers With Devoted Owner
This dog is a real-life Hairy Barker - and goes on motorbike rides dressed in full leather gear and goggles.
The motorcycle-loving hound called Milly is a regular sight speeding around the country lanes in jacket and helmet.
Milly, a Bichon Frise, dons the gear and hops into her specialized travel bag on her owner’s bike when they go on adventures.
Retired plumber Paul Crossan, 39, first met “timid” Milly while he was looking for a canine companion for his camper van road trips.
She had been neglected by previous owners, but Paul says he “fell in love” from the moment he set eyes on her.
The daredevil duo are practically inseparable nowadays -- travelling about the country on Paul’s motorbike.
Paul said: “I think my wife does get a bit jealous. When we go out I ask if we can take the dog and it doesn’t always go down well."
“When Milly sees me outside, she’ll start clawing at the window to get out. She rules the roost in our house."
“She’s got attachment issues, hence the reason she comes everywhere with me."
“A lot of people don’t like bikers as they can peeve them off when they weave in and out of traffic and overtake cars."
“But when they see the dog, I’ve never seen anyone with their face tripping them.”
Paul’s other dog, Staffordshire terrier Tia, prefers staying at home in Drumchapel, Glasgow, with mum Lynne and big brother Brian.
But little Milly enjoys getting glammed up in her head-turning ensemble of jeans, a leather jacket and her diamante-encrusted helmet.
Paul built it by cutting open an old piggy bank, attaching sponges to the inside and transforming a collar into a chin strap.
And he even attached a visor so Milly can properly see.
The pint-sized dog diva has earned plenty of admirers for her rock chick get-up, with passers-by whipping out their phones to take photos of her on the road.
Paul said: “She’s got 'Wee Man Syndrome'.
“She loves kids and dogs, but when other people come up to clap her she looks at them like, ‘Wit ye dain? Go away!'
“She loves it. You find you ride much more carefully with her. When I tell her to say hello, she’ll turn around and yap at people. She’s a good girl."
“It’s great that she gives people this other idea about bikers and I love the smile she puts on people’s faces.”
The adventurous pair regularly ride to Loch Lomond and visit The Dug Cafe in Bowling.
They also completed the North Coast 500 last year on an adventure of a lifetime.
Paul added: “We rode through the fields and passed sheep on the roads and she kept turning her head to look at them all around her."
“I think she thought she was a lamb herself.”
Paul admits he’s faced backlash for taking his dog with him on his motorbike -- but he insists it’s “as safe as can be.”
He added: “I’ve had some people messaging me, ‘How dare you take the dog out on your bike?’ but if she didn’t like it, I wouldn’t do it."
“I ride safer with her on the bike. She has a proper dog bag and I know all the risks. She’s my number one priority. I’d be lost without her.”
Source: http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/weird-news/adorable-real-life-hairy-barker-9832509
Shop Owner 'Shames' Rice-Stealing LIVE Rat By Tying It Up And Hanging 'Confession Note' Around Its Neck
A shop owner has come up with a bizarre way of 'punishing' thieving rodents - by 'shaming' them with tiny signs declaring their crimes.
Photographs of live rats tied up with notes tied around their necks appeared on China's Twitter-like micro-blogging site Weibo.
The pictures are thought to have been taken in Heyuan city in south eastern China's Guangdong Province.
One shows a rat tied up with a note, written in Chinese, that reads simply: 'I dare not do it again!'
And another, with the rodent tied by each of its limbs in the same way, with a lengthier message that reads: 'Huh, is this the best you could do?'
'Even if you beat me to death, I would not admit that the rice at your home had been stolen by me.'
The pictures, uploaded by a Weibo user, were captioned: "A friend of mine found a small rat in the warehouse of a convenience store."
"After [it] was arrested, it was shamed with a poster. Poor rat! How will it celebrate the Lunar New Year?"
They later told MailOnline that the rat was caught and strung up by staff at a convenience shop and that they were surprised at the huge reaction to the photographs online.
While his name has not been revealed, he added: "Some people pitied the rat, some people hated the rat, and some people found it to be funny."
One Weibo user commented: "I pity the rat. It's just a small animal. It would almost certainly die being treated like this."
Lai Tiancai, the owner of the shop, defended the actions taken by staff, saying it was 'just a rat'.
Last year, a Chinese couple filmed themselves tying up a mouse and 'interrogating it' after accusing it of stealing bananas.
Source: http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/weird-news/shop-owner-shames-rice-stealing-9680944
Stunning Image Of Kingfisher Flawlessly Diving Into A River Steals Photography Judges' Hearts
A stunning image which captured the hearts of photography judges is so enthralling that many have claimed it’s too perfect to be real.
The dazzling picture features a kingfisher flawlessly diving into a river with an amazing trail of bright blue light shining behind it.
The phenomenon is rarely seen as it involves catching the bird hit the surface of the water at speeds of up to 25 mph - with the perfect amount of natural light.
Photorgapher Mario Cea spent five months and 5,000 attempts trying to achieve ‘The Blue Trail’ at a small pond on the outskirts of Salamanca in north-western Spain.
On Friday, he was crowned the winner of the 2016 Wildlife Photographer of the Year People’s Choice Awards for his work, which many thought must have been photoshopped.
Mario Cea said: “The incredible speed of the bird means the movement is almost invisible to the human eye, so I had to use lighting to both illuminate the image and freeze movement."
“I think one of the reasons people like this image is the palpable trail of light the bird leaves behind.”
Some photographers use bait to predict where the bird will strike but for Mario, he found persistence was the key to capturing the lightning-fast dive in the wild.
He said: “I observed this particular kingfisher for a long time and visited the location regularly for five months."
“The bird repeatedly hunted in the same spot several times - a small bend in a shallow pond with a high concentration of fish."
“My understanding of the bird’s natural behavior and hunting routines was essential in achieving the shot."
“The pond was created artificially as the minor diversion of a nearby riverbed. Over the years, the wildlife and ecosystem around the pond have grown naturally and it is now an established and attractive habitat.”
Mario, who was one of 25 finalists in the photography contest, added that he has heard of another wildlife photographer who took about 20,000 attempts to capture a similar kingfisher image.
Responding to the negative social media comments, fellow photographer and contest finalist Cari Hall said: “Wildlife Photographer of the Year ask you for the original RAW image so they can see that it hasn’t been photoshopped."
“I don’t know why anyone would doubt that such a prestigious competition would not have this check, so everyone questioning the authenticity of this image needs to give it a rest.”
The picture, which received almost 25,000 votes, will be showcased in the Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition at the Natural History Museum until it closes on September 10, 2017.
Source: http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/weird-news/stunning-image-kingfisher-flawlessly-diving-9686717
Fearless French Waitress Drags Hungry Giant Lizard Out Of A Restaurant By Its TAIL After It Wandered In
A fearless French waitress had to remove a giant lizard from a restaurant with her bare hands.
The video shows the giant reptile being dragged away by its tail as shocked customers watch the bizarre scenes in bemusement.
It appeared that the lizard had accidentally wandered onto the terrace of Mimosa Wines restaurant in New South Wales, Australia.
The brave waitress was forced to drag the reptile by its tail in order to get it out of the diner as customers cheered her on.
Some women can be heard screaming as the lizard gets a little too close for comfort when the server hurries past.
The footage was uploaded to Mimosa Wines' Facebook page on Sunday, February 19.
It has now been viewed more than 327,000 times.
One Facebook user wrote: "Thank god that didn't happen when we were there!"
Another added: "Pretty much like trying to get a Labrador away from the kitchen table."
Source: http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/weird-news/fearless-french-waitress-drags-hungry-9859953
Zoo Wants 'Responsible Adults' To Catch Deadly Spider That Can Kill Humans In 15 MINUTES For Milking Venom
An Australian zoo is appealing to 'responsible adults' to collect deadly funnel-web spiders so they can be milked for their venom.
The funnel-web spiders, which are dangerous to humans, are found in areas with rotting wood, under piles of logs, hidden in rockeries - and even in piles of clothes and towels.
But now, the Australian Reptile Park in New South Wales, is asking people who find the spiders to catch them for milking.
The initiative is all part of the park's anti-venom program and an official video has been released showing members of the public how to secure the spiders in a safe way.
Supplies of venom are constantly needed to cure snake and funnel-web spider bites.
The park is the sole supplier to the Commonwealth Serum Laboratories, whose employees are tasked with keeping a steady stock of the anti-dote.
On regular occasions, more than 300 snakes and 500 spiders are milked to keep on top of supplies for the program.
Park ranger Mick Tate told The Courier Mail : "We're encouraging residents of NSW to not kill funnel-web spiders that they come across, but rather follow our safety guidelines online to capture the spider, and hand them in at the park or participating drop off center.
The Australian funnel-web spiders are around 1 cm to 5 cm and have large powerful fangs pointing straight down the length of their body.
Their fangs are so powerful that they are capable of piercing through soft shoes and fingernails.
They are regarded as one of the most dangerous groups of spiders in the world and it has been reported that there have been 27 recorded deaths from the eight-legged creatures in the last one hundred years.
It is usually the young, ill or infirm that are most affected and unable to recover from the spider bites.
The symptoms of a funnel-web spider bite are:
Goosebumps
Sweating
Tingling
Muscle spasms
Vomiting
Shortness of breath
Unconsciousness and even deathThe center urges anyone who has been bitten by a funnel web spider to seek medical attention immediately so it can be treated in the proper way.
