Puppy love: The lion cub called Simba who has forged an adorable friendship with Monty the dog and Thumper the rabbit

By Ian Garland


..It reads like the plot of a Disney movie - three unlikely animal playmates overcoming their differences to forge an adorable friendship.

But this is a real-life story, about a lion cub called Simba, a rabbit called Thumper and a dog called Monty, all being raised together at the Glasgow home of two zookeepers.

Archive footage has emerged of the trio spending their days play-fighting and cuddling - and their antics have now become a belated smash online more than 20 years after they were filmed.

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Unlikely friends: Simba the lion nuzzles up to his playmate Thumper the rabbit in archive footage recorded in Glasgow during the 1980s that has now become a hit online

Upper hand: Monty makes the most of his temporary size advantage in a playfight with Simba

Thirteen-week-old Simba was taken away from his mother at Glasgow Zoo, which closed in 2000, after falling ill over the winter.

While sharing a home with two zookeepers in the 1980s, Simba found willing playmates in the couple's pet dog and rabbit.

Despite their obvious differences, the three became firm friends, showing genuine and heart-warming affection for each other as they scamper around the home they share.

Sadly the friendship was destined to come to an end - having shaken off the illness that kept him away from his real family, he soon had to return to the zoo.

He also quickly grew too big to be trusted around his already fully-grown playmates - as well as his human housemates.

His keeper reveals on the YouTube video, which has been viewed by thousands of people: 'As he gets older he gets more boisterous. In the morning you wake up and go to the toilet and there's a lion cub clinging on to the back of your leg.'


Simba pounces on Thumper, playfully. The cub was to quickly outgrow his playmates


Once he catches his little friend, they nuzzle and cuddle up and Simba nibbles affectionately on Thumper's fur


Simba had to be fed from a bottle while he was raised away from his pride


The lion cub grew quickly and was then returned to Glasgow Zoo, which closed in 2000




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'Who are you calling Big Ears?': Rabbit Grand National attracts the fluffy best of Britain's bunnies

By Kerry Mcqueeney


Big ears: An English lop-eared rabbit sits patently on the judging table at the event

Groomed and poised for victory, when it comes to showjumping, these bunnies certainly know how to hop to it.

These are the furry competitors of the Rabbit Grand National, which was staged in Harrogate, Yorkshire.

The popular showjumping rabbit race is part of the larger Burgess Premier Small Animal Show, which attracted more than 3,000 contenders.

Measuring up: Judges ensure another competitor's dimensions meet the strict criteria as other bunnies wait their turn

Established in 1921, the event is the longest-running and biggest small animal show in the UK.

It is open to cavies, gerbils, hamsters, mice, rabbits and rats - with some breeders travelling from as far afield as Sweden to compete.

According to the organisers, breeders - also known as fanciers - hold the event in high esteem and, along with their pets, descended on Harrogate in Yorkshire to participate in the 2012 competition this weekend.

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Run, rabbit, run: Flora, a lop-eared rabbit from Sweden, clears the final jump in the Rabbit Grand National


Hop to it: One young bunny practices its jumps on the Rabbit Grand National track (left) while Dilba, a competitor from Sweden, is put through his paces (right)


Tense wait: The competitors do their best to be patient as they prepare to be assessed by the judges

Dressing room: Any contender worth their salt knows the importance of rest and relaxation before a big event

This year saw the biggest and best competition in the show's 90-year history, with hundreds of spectators descending on the Yorkshire Events Centre to catch a glimpse of the four-legged competitors.

The show is dedicated solely to the promotion and exhibition of many species of small animals, organised by a dedicated committee on a not-for-profit basis.

Founded in 1921, it is the oldest event of its kind i

The event originally started life as the Bradford Championship Show and its inception is linked with Fur and Feather magazine, a publication dedicated to rabbits and other small animals.


Two's company: A pair of white rabbits are scrutinised by the judges. The event attracts competitors from as far afield as Sweden


The heat is on: An Angora (left) and English lop eared rabbit (right) wait to hear how they've fared in the contest


Well-groomed: White rabbits look proud and preened as they line up next to each other

Four-legged opponent: One Satin rabbit surveys his furry rivals as judges check the contenders meet the competition's standards

The magazine, which has been running since the 1880s, was owned and published by Bradford-based J.E. Watmough.

Mr Watmough wanted to bring together the specialist cavy, hamster, mouse, rabbit and rat groups under one roof and put on an animal show encompassing all of the different species.

The first show was staged in 1921, at Manningham Barracks in Bradford, and was such a success it went on to become an annual event.

A specialist committee of volunteers was formed in 1929 - called the Bradford Small Livestock Society - which still exists and organises the event to this date.


Happy bunny: A red-eyed white Polish rabbit peers out from between the bars of its cage


Under scrutiny: Antonia Galloway, 7, assists with the judging of this contender (left) while a Satin rabbit is given the once-over by the judges

Fluffy friend: Antonia Galloway with Emeranthus, a four-month-old Angora rabbit who won best fancy in the under fives show

This year the event officially changed its name to the Burgess Premier Small Animal Show, to reflect the show's primary sponsor from 2012 to 2015, Burgess Pet Care.

Other rabbit racing competitions include the European Kanin Hop Championships, the first of which was staged in Switzerland in October last year.

Breeders from a number of countries across Europe brought their showjumping bunnies to compete in the race in Wollerau.

In recent years the sport has spread far from its Scandinavian homeland and clubs have now sprung up in several other European countries, the U.S., Canada and even Japan.

The Swedish Federation of Rabbit Jumping was established in 1995.




source:dailymail

No-one loves us! Three earless pet rabbits found abandoned in basket on a doorstep

By David Baker


Abandoned: Benny, Bluebell and Polo were abandoned by their owners because of a birth defect effecting their ears


These lonely looking rabbits are desperately in a need of new home after their owners abandoned them because they are missing some ears.

Bluebell, Benny and Polo were left in a basket and dumped on a doorstep, simply because they did not have the trademark long ears synonymous with these fluffy pets.

Thought to be a defect from birth Benny and Bluebell are both missing one ear while Polo has none.


Fortunately the trio of sad looking bunnies are now in the safe hands of staff at an RSPCA shelter in Chesterfield.

Deputy manager Gary Taylor said 'We can't say for certain how they lost their ears.

'It could be that the mother was stressed when they were born and chewed them off or they may have been born this way.

'They were abandoned on a doorstep in Chesterfield and we are looking for homes for them.


Homeless: Bluebell, Benny and Polo were dumped by their owner because they did not have typically long ears like this rabbit

'They are young and need plenty of handling but they are smashing rabbits.'

Sadly these abandoned rabbits are one of hundreds of dumped animals taken by the RSPCA everyday.

Last year alone the charity took in 28,162 animals left homeless by their owners - a number which has grown every year for the past five years.

Inspector for the animal welfare charity, Tony Woodley said: 'Although it is tempting to blame the economic situation, we have no real idea of why the number of abandonments is increasing overall.

'It is so frustrating to think that the messages about caring for animals just aren’t getting through to some people.

'People might think they are doing the right thing, leaving their pets where they think they will be found, or they may feel they have no other option.

'Whatever the reason, owners have a legal responsibility to seek help for their animal and if this means making a bit of effort to find a good new home, or just waiting a few days until someone can take the animal in, this is what they must do.'


source:dailymail

Hop to it: Rabbit showjumping enjoys rise in popularity as a spectator sport

By Gareth Finighan


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Jump to it: A competitor leads her rabbit across the course as spectators look on


Great steeplechase events - in which the sharp intelligence of man and the raw power of beast unite in a sublime spectacle of nerve, aggression and high-speed - have dotted the sporting calendar for centuries.

The Grand National springs to mind as the yearly highlight of the 'sport of kings' in which thoroughbred steeds and their brave jockeys triumph - or fail - over gruelling courses and high-fenced adversity.

And now steeplechase enthusiasts can add another event to the annuals of great sporting occasions.


Run rabbit, run: The rabbits faced a number of different-sized hurdles along the route


Winner's enclosure: Lada Sipova-Krecova of the Czech Republic pets her rabbit after winning the competition

Furry friend: A girl kisses her rabbit after an obstacle course during the rabbit-hopping championships


For organisers in Switzerland have held the first ever European Kanin Hop Championships - in which dozens of rabbits compete to be first across the finish line.

The showjumping bunnies, representing a number of countries across Europe, hopped their way around a course consisting of several small jumps in the town of Wollerau, just south of Zurich.

More than 50 rabbits took part in the event, which attracted hundreds of spectators.

In recent years the sport has spread far from its Scandinavian homeland and clubs have now sprung up in several other European countries, the U.S., Canada and even Japan.


Bushy tailed: Two rabbits clear different hurdles as they race against more than 50 competitors


Happy bunny: One athlete in training before the championships in Switzerland


Flopsy, Mopsy and Cottontail: Another rabbit is put through its paces before Lada Sipova-Krecova and her pet (right) eventually win the day


The Swedish Federation of Rabbit Jumping was established in 1995.

The current rabbit jumping record holders are both Danish.

Yabo holds the Long Jump record with a leap of 10ft, while a rabbit by the name of Tosen completed a High Jump of 3.3ft in 1997.




source:dailymail

Hero pet rabbit saves family from house fire ... then dies of smoke inhalation

By Daily Mail Reporter



A terrible death: The pet rabbit awoke the homeowner by scratching on her chest


A pet rabbit is being credited for saving its owners from a house fire in south eastern Alaska before it died of smoke inhalation.

The rabbit woke up the homeowner in Anchorage, Alaska, early on Tuesday morning by scratching on her chest, the Ketchikan Fire Department said in a statement.

The homeowner realized that the house was full of smoke, woke up her daughter and fled the house.


The fire was brought under control fairly quickly, with four engines, a ladder truck and 33 firefighters responding.

Damage to the house from flames, smoke and water was considered moderate.

While there were no injuries to the mother or daughter, the rabbit was not so lucky.
The animal succumbed to smoke inhalation and did not survive, the fire department said.


source:dailymail

Strictly bun dancing: Hilarious calendar shows rabbits strutting their stuff on dancefloor

By Inderdeep Bains


Rumba rabbits: The bunnies show off their rhythm in July's shot


When they were invited to a hop, they probably expected something of the garden variety.

But despite the unfamiliar setting, these rabbits quickly got into the swing – and the rumba, the bolero and the ‘bunny smooth’.

It takes two: A cosy pose in February


The pets gave the Strictly Come Dancing contestants a run for their money as they showed off a range of routines for a calendar called Ballroom Bunnies.

They are seen practicing lifts in April, holds in August, the 'bunny smooth' in November and in September there is a Dirty Dancing tribute.

The picture shows the pair of rabbits emulating the iconic lift from the film, which made Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey world famous.

Are you leading, or am I? Two rabbits take to the floor for a dancing calendar photoshoot


No one puts bunny in the corner: The pets emulate the famous lift scene from Dirty Dancing


But no one had to pull a rabbit out of a hat to get them to dance – because the pictures were perfected with the help of a little computer wizardry.

Steve Bicknell, from publishers Maverick Arts, said: ‘We gently posed the rabbits by moving their limbs, but obviously used computer software to complete the more energetic moves.’

Hot in here: These bunnies on the left are really getting into the swing of things, and right, Nina Dallyn, holding one of the stars of the calendar, her pet Bunny

Wabbit waltz: A carefully choreographed pose in the spotlight


Nina Dallyn, ten, whose three-year-old pet Bunny took part in the photo shoot, said: ‘I think she really enjoyed it.’

No doubt some of the Strictly celebrities wish they could use such wizardry themselves - as they graft away in the studio ahead of the first proper show in just over two weeks.

Dazzling: Some of the backdrops for the calendar photos are as sparkly as the celebrities' Strictly outfits

Pulling out all the stops: The bunnies are shown attempting the 'headbanger' lift


How it is actually done: Last year's Strictly champions Kara Tointon and Artem Chigvintsev in action


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What a porker! Cesira weighs 14 stone and loves pigging out on biscuits and ice cream...but is the perfect pet

By Daily Mail Reporter


Home is where the hog is: Family pet Cesira loves ice cream, pictured here with owners Marina Squicciarini, husband Ali and son Joel


When it came to choosing a pet, one family went the whole hog.

The Squicciarini family from Lecco, Italy adopted piglet Cesira she was just two months old and the smallest piglet of the litter.

But after a diet of pigging out on biscuits, ice cream and sweets Cesira has ballooned to just over 14 stone.


Father Ali, wife Marina and their children, Joel, 13 and Rebecca, 17, saved Cesira from the chop.

She was one of 20 pigs bred for meat, but the family fell in love with the little piglet and bought her home.

But the pet porker has now grown into a 14-stone hog, she sleeps in her own kennel of the balcony of the family's flat.

Piglet: Cesira was the smallest of the litter when she was born


She enjoys daily walks, pigs out on around 3kg of fruit and vegetables a day and enjoys treats of biscuits, sweets and ice-cream.

Cesira is even house trained, uses a litter tray, has learnt to wake Marina and Ali each morning by pulling at their duvet and enjoys watching TV with the family in the evening.

The Squicciarini family even take Cesira on holiday with them and said she enjoys nothing more than to roll around in the sand, while the family relax on the beach

One of the family: Cesira is house trained and sleeps in her own kennel


Piggy in the middle: Cesira even gets on with the family's rabbit


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How owners' ignorance sentences pet rabbits to a life of misery in cramped hutches with poor food

By JAMES TOZER

Saved: The RSPCA has rescued a shocking 33,000 rabbits over the past three years, with 250 owners convicted of cruelty in that period


They are seen as low-maintenance animals, happy with a hutch full of sawdust, a bottle of water and half a carrot.

But the nation of Watership Down and Peter the Rabbit is condemning its third most popular pet to what too often are dull, unhealthy and short lives, experts said yesterday.

They revealed that up to three quarters of Britain’s two million pet rabbits are being badly treated by owners who are ignorant of their basic dietary and lifestyle needs.

And they said the pet shop industry bore responsibility for continuing to sell unsuitable, cramped hutches to unsuspecting owners.

As a result, the RSPCA has rescued a shocking 33,000 rabbits over the past three years, with 250 owners convicted of cruelty in that period.


Cramped: Experts say the pet shop industry bore responsibility for continuing to sell unsuitable, cramped hutches


The situation is so bad that some animal shelters won’t rehome them as pets for children.

According to a new survey, more than two thirds of owners believe carrots are a key part of a rabbit’s daily diet.

In reality, they should only be given occasionally in small amounts, if at all, as they are high in sugar and can lead to obesity or digestive problems.

Six out of ten were unaware that rabbits are intelligent and social creatures who need lots of mental stimulation, while almost half didn’t know they required large amounts of space in which to exercise.


source: dailymail

Now THAT'S a bunny hop: Rabbit dressage set to take the world by storm

By Daily Mail Reporter


Buggin' out: Snoopy the show jumping rabbit can jump around 60cm high


That rabbits like to hop is hardly a secret. But now European rabbit enthusiasts have harnessed their bunnies' natural talents to create a new spectator sport... rabbit showjumping.

Invented in Sweden in the early Eighties, Kaninhop involves bunnies bouncing their way around courses consisting of several small jumps of varying height and length.

Snoopy, a black-and-white bunny from the German city of Jena, is the star of the local Kaninhop club - and he makes spends his days leaping over all manner of barricades, jumps and rails.


'Snoopy can jump 60 centimeters (about 2 feet) high,' proud Claudia Fehlen, the 23-year-old founder of the Jena bunny hopping club, told Der Spiegel.

'And he has done well in tournaments. He came in second once, and third another time.'

Over the past few decades to sport has spread far from its Scandinavian homeland and clubs have now sprung up in several other European countries, the U.S., Canada and even Japan.

Rules vary from country to country, but generally the more jumps a rabbit clears the higher its score. There is also sometimes a time element to competitions.

On the hop: Snoopy is the star of the Jena Kaninhop club

Oops! Bunnies are scored by the number of jump they can successfully clear, and there is often a time element to competition


As well as the dressage-style courses, there are also long-jump and high-jump challenges.

The world height record is 99.5cm while the best distance is fully three metres, according to Swedish fan site kaninhoppning.se.

Miss Fehlen discovered the sport on the internet about five years ago. She practiced with her pet rabbits in her back garden before starting the Jena club in 2009.

Now there are 13 members who gather once a week in the eastern German city to train their animals.

Mad as a March hare: James the rabbit jumps while he is held on a leash. Trainers say restraints are vital to prevent uncontrolled breeding


Spring in his step: James easily clears another jump while training with his Jena- based Kaninhop club


Animal rights activists are alarmed by the past-time. Sweetrabbits, a private animal rights initiative in Germany, has criticised the use of leashes in Kaninhop competitions.

The group has even accused trainers of using the tethers to pull uncooperative rabbits over the obstacles.

But Miss Fehlen points out important practical reasons for keeping competing rabbits leashed: 'We use them in tournaments for safety,' she said.

'Just think of what would happen if a male were to break free. We want to avoid uncontrolled reproduction. It has happened before.'




source:dailymail

Lab test horror: Terrified rabbits starved for 30 hours then put in stocks and injected with drugs

By Ted Thornhill


Torture: The rabbits are kept in stocks for hours at a time while drugs are injected into their ears


An undercover investigation has revealed that bunnies are being subjected to excruciating drug tests after being starved for up to 30 hours, denied water, then locked into vices – with some not surviving the ordeal.

Some may feel that dying would be a better option for the rabbits, because those that did live through it were simply re-used and kept in bare metal cages that drove them half-mad.

The British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection, or BUAV, spent eight months at Wickham Laboratories in Hampshire secretly filming their procedures – and say that the lab inflicted ‘appalling suffering’ on thousands of animals in tests that are ‘crude, archaic and extremely cruel’.


Among the lab’s subjects are a colony of around 100 rabbits which are used to test the side effects of antibiotics, blood filters and saline waters.

BUAV say that the test substances are injected into an ear vein that sometimes results in painful damage to the ear and weeping eyes. In other instances a temperature probe is inserted into the animal’s rectum and left for hours at a time.

The rabbits clearly find these tests uncomfortable and distressing. Those that are too weak to be used again are killed afterwards, the others are returned to bare metal cages that just add to the suffering.

Trapped: Dozens of bunnies are test at simultaneously in tests BUAV say are cruel and archaic


Rabbits are naturally social and inquisitive animals and the undercover operative discovered that with opportunities to mix and burrow denied to them, some were displaying signs of mental distress such as repetitive pacing and biting of the cage bars.

What’s more, some of the rabbits are used over and over again for months at a time.

BUAV insists that many of the tests are not required by international law and point to a recent Home Office report on the Wickham Laboratories that was highly critical of it.

The report found that staff training at the facility was ‘poor’, non-animal alternatives were not properly explored and some animals were killed in an entirely inappropriate way, such as mice being put to death by workers who broke their necks with a pen on the floor.

Caged: The scared rabbits find their metal cages very distressing with some continually pacing and biting the bars


The report also stated that some of the tests ran for far too long.

‘We continually review the requirement for these tests and have reduced the number of substances tested in this way,’ a Wickham Labs spokesman told the Sunday Mirror. ‘Paramount to us is the well-being of our laboratory animals.’

For more information visit www.buav.org.


No way out: BUAV's undercover investigator films this rabbit in a cage it may spend several months in


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