The practice Olympic volleyball court has been taken over by squirrels.
The little critters have decided to use the court as a place to hide their acorns.
The animals collect the acorns in St James’ Park and then head over to the courts at Horse Guards Parade in Central London to bury them in the sand.
As volleyball teams get in some last-minute practice, they are discovering the squirrels’ hidden treasure beneath the sand.
On Friday (July 20), Olympic organisers arranged for a group to rake the sands of the court each morning to turf up any remaining acorns and then scare squirrels away from stowing their favourite snack there.
Plans to transform the City’s iconic Gherkin building to ‘The Penguin’ could see a giant bird towering over Londoners this summer.
Bosses at ZSL London Zoo commissioned a production team to draw up a dramatic redesign of the famed skyscraper to remind visitors to the capital not to miss their penguins in 2012.
They plan to approach city bigwigs with the bold concept of turning the prominent Swiss Re Building – more commonly known as The Gherkin – into a giant penguin.
The images, show London’s landmarks eclipsed by an enormous Humboldt penguin.
The Zoo’s Head of Comms, Emma Edwards said: “We don’t want anyone to miss our penguins, and they certainly wouldn’t be able to miss this one looming over the capital.
“We think ‘The Penguin’ would be a striking addition to the London skyline and serve as a perfect reminder to Londoners and tourists alike to visit ZSL London Zoo and Penguin Beach this summer.
“We know it’s audacious, but let’s be honest – penguins are a lot more interesting than gherkins!”
Earlier this year, LOCOG awarded the Zoo the coveted ‘Inspired by 2012′ mark for its Animal Athletes events – taking place all summer. Keepers celebrated the prestigious accolade by installing a diving board in the penguins’ pool.
This is hillarious. This better happen or I will be very dissapointed. Who doesn’t want a giant penguin to be towering over London skyline?!
Moose might be solitary creatures by nature, but one animal has struck up an unlikely friendship with a Norwegian woman.
Anna-Grete Lindvik came across Svea three years ago when she was orphaned at just two days old when her mother was scared off by a dog in the woods.
The young animal managed to find her way to Anna-Grete’s nature park – and the pair have been inseparable ever since.
“She means a lot to me. I usually say that she’s one of the best things that has ever happened to me. To have a close relationship to a wild animal – she never had a moose mother, but she has me. It’s like you feel it in your heart. It’s touching.”
Anna-Grete thought the young moose wouldn’t survive the rough winter alone, so took her into her house where they slept side-by-side by the fireplace.
Now Svea has her own calf who Anna-Grete is also bonding with.
She said many visitors to the nature park do a double-take when they see the unlikely pair taking a stroll through the woods.
“I get different reactions. Most just stand there speechless. You can see their chins dropping down.”
This is adorable. So strange for this wild animal to form such a bond with a human. It clearly benifits both parties though!
The seven-year-old’s life has been transformed by his furry friend, Jessi-Cat, a cream-coloured Birman
Pals: Lorcan Dillon with Jessi-Cat
A little boy who is too anxious to talk has found his voice thanks to his pet cat.
Lorcan Dillon has selective mutism, an anxiety disorder which affects his confidence and makes it difficult for him to communicate.
But the seven-year-old’s life has been transformed by his furry friend, Jessi-Cat, a cream-coloured Birman.
His mother Jayne, 44, said: “Lorcan can find it very hard to express himself, yet he can be himself around Jessi-Cat and finds it very easy to talk to her.
“She is always interested in what he’s doing and that unconditional love she has for him has been a huge boost to his confidence.
“Lorcan is able to connect ‘love’ to Jessi-Cat, something he can’t do with people, and she’s been a great support to him when things have been really hard.”
Explaining the condition, Jayne said: “It is an anxiety disorder which means children can find it difficult or impossible to communicate verbally with adults usually, but any strangers and sometimes members of their own family.
“It was diagnosed when he started nursery school at three and a half.
“The staff were concerned because he would not speak and any of the adults and most of the children.
“The reason I got Jessi-Cat is because pets and cats in particular are very good with children with special needs and autism or anything like that.
“And it is a way for Lorcan to communicate. He does speak normally at home, he does not have selective mutism with us at all in the house but he does not express his emotions.
“He would not say ‘I love you mummy’. He just does not do it.
“But with the cat he can cuddle her, he can stroke her, he can talk to her and he does say ‘I love you Jessi-Cat’, which is really nice and it is a way for him to express emotions which otherwise he would not be able to do.”
This a truely special story. The fact that this little boy can now express his emotions is amazing. The bond between Lorcan and Jessi-Cat is heartwarming to say the least. If ever there was a news story designed to put a smile on your face, this has to be it.
Beachgoers in California have been treated to the unusual sight of two goats surfing the waves.
Goatee the nanny goat and her kid billy Pismo stood on surfboards and glided along the water at San Onofre State Beach in Orange County.
Their owner, Dana McGregor, initially got Goatee in to eat unwanted foliage on his property but soon started taking her out on his surfing trips.
When baby Pismo was born in March, he started putting him on the board too.
On Wednesday, he teamed up with local surfers Mark and Debbie Gale to try to get both goats to ride on one surfboard together.
They managed to stay upright for a few waves, by which time Goatee had had enough and swam to shore.
Dana McGregor (L) said he likes surfing, so he thought his goats would too
Pismo kept his balance and “seemed a natural” on the board, reporters said.
“They did a pretty good job. They caught the first wave and it was pretty good,” said Mr McGregor. “I love surfing so I figured the goats would like surfing.”
Stories like this always make me smile. These goats must be having a great time. It’s a nice break from headbutting fences and eating grass. It does make me wonder why Dana first thought it would be a good idea to take the goat along on surfing trips…but nonetheless it has worked out for the better and now we know that goats can surf. They do say you learn something new every day!
A kitten who travelled 6,500 miles on a boat with no food or water is currently recovering in California.
Ni Hao, an orange and white cat, was trapped in a shipping container for the entirety of the two-week trip, AFP reports.
The 3-month-old cat was only discovered when the container was opened upon the ship’s arrival from Shanghai.
Members of the Los Angeles Medical Department of Animal Control are currently looking after the kitten, who is still regaining strength after the ordeal.
Head of the department Marcia Mayeda said yesterday: “Ni Hao greeted the medical team with his first meows this morning and is attempting to stand.”
Officials are now looking for a local cat lover to adopt Ni Hao, whose name means ‘hello’ in Mandarin.
Although animals must usually remain in quarantine for 60 days upon arriving in the US, Ni Hao may be looked after by a foster family during this time.
This is one well-travelled kitten! what a cute stowaway to have, I’m glad he survived..though I can’t help thinking this has an air of Schrödinger’s cat theory. The one where a cat is in a box and it can be both dead or alive because you wont know untill the box has been opened, therefor meaning the cat is theoretically both dead and alive at the same time.
