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POPS90 per cent of pandas in jeopardy after China earthquake Nearly all of China’s endangered pandas are in jeopardy after the earthquake last month devastated the remote mountain corner that is their last remaining habitat. Already boxed into these steep and thickly forested hillsides by the advance of Man, its numbers limited by a slow rate of reproduction and with its food supply threatened by the scarcity of its favourite arrow bamboo, the panda is now facing its most severe crisis in decades. Chinese officials, usually reluctant to reveal the real extent of a crisis, have announced that the last 1,590 pandas living in the wild face a very uncertain future after the earthquake.
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POPS Rare pygmy hogs head for the wild
The world's smallest and rarest species of wild pig was once believed to be extinct - but it may now be saved thanks to conservation efforts. The pygmy hog (Porcula salvania) stands barely 25-30 cm (10-12 inches) high and weighs up to 9kg (20lb). Just a few hundred at most are thought to remain, all of them in India's north-eastern state of Assam. Over the past decade the pigs have been bred in captivity and the process of releasing them into the wild has begun. "By 1964, the pygmy hog was thought to be extinct with no sightings reported for several years. Then in 1971, four pygmy hogs were recovered from a market in Paneri in north Assam and that gave everyone cause for hope," Dr Narayan said. It was at Manas that six pygmy hogs were captured in 1996 and the conservation programme was started. "The present 16 animals are the result of the only captive population of the species in the world," Dr Narayan said. Once out in the wilds, the pygmy hogs will be threatened by pythons an
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POPS Oldest known bust of Caesar found Divers in France have found the oldest known bust of Roman dictator Julius Caesar at the bottom of the River Rhone, officials have said. The marble bust was found near Arles, which was founded by Caesar. France's culture ministry said the bust was from 46BC, the date of the southern town's foundation.
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POPSNew Species of Mammal A new species of mammal has been discovered in the mountains of Tanzania, scientists report. The bizarre-looking creature, dubbed Rhynochocyon udzungwensis, is a type of giant elephant shrew, or sengi. The cat-sized animal, which is reported in the Journal of Zoology, looks like a cross between a miniature antelope and a small anteater. I
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POPSThe abandoned monkey who has found love with a pigeon They're an odd couple in every sense but a monkey and a pigeon have become inseparable at an animal sanctuary in China. The 12-week-old macaque - who was abandoned by his mother - was close to death when it was rescued on Neilingding Island, in Goangdong Province. After being taken to an animal hospital his health began to improve but he seemed spiritless - until he developed a friendship with a white pigeon. The blossoming relationship helped to revive the macaque who has developed a new lease of life, say staff at the sanctuary. Now the unlikely duo are never far from each other's side, but they aren't the only ones to strike up an unusual friendship.
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POPSHundreds Get Naked on Glacier in Switzerland Nearly 600 volunteers stripped before the camera on a melting Swiss glacier high in the Alps on Saturday as part of a publicity campaign to expose the impact of climate change. The eco-conscious volunteers turned up under blue skies near the foot of the Aletsch glacier, a protected UNESCO World Heritage site. Environmental group Greenpeace commissioned the photo shoot from world renowned photographer Spencer Tunick. "Their numbers are close to 600," Nicolas de Roten of Greenpeace Switzerland told AFP. "It's relatively chilly but that doesn't seem to be disturbing them." The campaign is aimed at drawing attention to melting Alpine glaciers, one clear sign of global warming and of man-made climate change, according to the group. Greenpeace says the human body is as fragile as glaciers like the Aletsch in southern Switzerland and the world's environment. The glacier itself is now shrinking by about 100 metres (110 yards) a year.
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POPSNew Jersey's Ugliest Dog Elwood, a 2-year-old Chinese Crested and Chihuahua mix, was crowned the world's ugliest dog Friday, a distinction that delighted the New Jersey mutt's owners. Elwood, dark colored and hairless—save for a mohawk-like puff of white fur on his head—is often referred to as "Yoda," or "ET," for his resemblance to those famous science fiction characters. "I think he's the cutest thing that ever lived," said Elwood's owner, Karen Quigley, a resident of Sewell, New Jersey.
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POPSFluorescent Purple Frog A purple fluorescent frog is one of 24 new species found in the South American highlands of Suriname, conservationists reported on Monday, warning that these creatures are threatened by illegal gold mining. The two-tone frog -- whose skin is covered with irregular fluorescent lavender loops on a background of aubergine -- was discovered in 2006 as part of a survey of Suriname's Nassau plateau, the conservation group said. Scientists combing Suriname's Nassau plateau and Lely Mountains found four other new frog species aside from the purple one, six species of fish, 12 dung beetles and a new ant species, the organization said in a statement.
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POPSHogzilla MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) - Hogzilla is being made into a horror movie. But thesequel may be even bigger: Meet Monster Pig. An 11-year-old Alabama boy used a pistol to kill a wild hog his father says weighed a staggering 1,051 pounds and measured 9-feet-4 from the tip of its snout to the base of its tail. Think hams as big as car tires. If the claims are accurate, Jamison Stone's trophy boar would be bigger than Hogzilla, the famed wild hog that grew to seemingly mythical proportions after being killed in south Georgia in 2004.
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POPSCranes found breeding after 400 yr absence Cranes have been found breeding in the fens of East Anglia after 400 years. The Suffolk wetland which the birds are nesting in was a carrot field until the RSPB turned it into Lakenheath Fen Nature Reserve 11 years ago. Large-scale drainage of fens for agriculture had led to the birds' disappearance in the 1600s
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POPSRussia's riot police show fluffy side. Their faces encased in Darth Vaderesque helmets, phalanxes of riot police descend on peaceful demonstrators, swinging their truncheons at anyone opposing President Vladimir Putin's increasingly authoritarian rule. The scenes have become commonplace in the last few months and, with a well deserved reputation for casual brutality, Russia's Omon security service has become a symbol of the president's war on dissent. But then Ajax the attack alsatian appeared and Omon's cuddly side suddenly shone forth.
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POPSThousands stripped naked It was a sea of flesh almost as far as the eye could see, as 18,000 people stripped off and stood around stark naked. The hordes bared all for photographer Spencer Tunick's biggest nude project so far. The US artist's stunt in Mexico City dwarfed his previous record, when 7,000 people stripped off to be photographed in Barcelona.
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POPSNew Species of Big Cats Long thought to be identical to the clouded leopards living on mainland South East Asia, genetic analysis has shown that the Bornean big cat is in fact a separate species. Scientists have counted at least 40 key differences in the DNA of the two felines - making the two species of clouded leopard almost as different as a lion is to a tiger. The research, which forms part of the WWF's Heart of Borneo conservation project, brings the number of new species to have emerged from the island's jungles in the last year to over 50. The clouded leopard, which at 35 inches from head to start of tail, is about the size of a small Labrador.
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POPSFriends After being abandoned by their mothers shortly after birth, the four play fight, nipping and teasing each other, and cuddling up for a shared nap when they are worn out.
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POPSRare US Ivory-billed Woodpecker The spectacular red, white and black ivory-billed woodpecker was long thought to be extinct, but was reported to have been filmed alive in 2004. More than 100 volunteers and experts spent the winter scouring the woods of eastern Arkansas for the bird. But they have failed to find further evidence of the bird's existence. The stunning red, white and black woodpecker was formerly distributed across the south-eastern US and Cuba. The bird carves out a narrow niche for itself by drilling in mature trees. Logging and forest clearance for agriculture began to impinge on its environment. By the 1920s, it was assumed to be extinct, although, in 1944, there was one more confirmed sighting in North America of a lonely unpaired female, above the remnants of an over-cut forest.
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POPSGrand Canyon Skyway The horseshoe-shaped walkway, scheduled to open later this year, (2007) will jut out seventy feet off the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, suspending its occupants about 4,000 feet above the ground (about thrice the height of the Sears Tower) as they stand on a glass floor, looking down. The walkway's walls will be comprised of the same four-inch-thick glass as the floor, which will leave the spectacular view relatively unobstructed, even for those people who opt to remain on all fours.
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POPSCat adopts Rottweiler Puppy Workers at the Meriden Humane Society are marveling at a short-haired mother cat that has adopted a 6-day-old Rottweiler puppy that was rejected by its mother. The tiny pup, named Charlie by Humane Society volunteers, nurses alongside a jumble of black and gray kittens recently born to Satin, who was taken to the shelter by an owner unable to care for her. Charlie’s mother was found by the side of the road in Meriden a couple of months ago. She gave birth to two puppies, but one was stillborn. As sometimes happens with a stillborn in the litter, the mother refused to accept Charlie.
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POPSArtificial Fin for Dolphin A dolphin at an aquarium in Japan has been given a new lease of life, after being fitted with an artificial fin. Fuji's tail fin was attacked by a mystery disease and four years ago two thirds of her tail fin had to be amputated. But thanks to an artificial fin developed by vets and a tyre manufacturer, Fuji is back in the water.
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POPSGolden Monkey Los Angeles Zoo has hired the services of a Feng Shui expert to help three golden monkeys loaned by China feel at home in their future surroundings. Simona Mainini, who is also a qualified architect, believes the move may be a first in animal enclosure design. (Feng shui (pronounced "fung shway") is the ancient Chinese practice of placement and arrangement of space to achieve harmony with the environment. The literal translation is "wind and water".)
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POPSPussycat on Prozac It was a classic case of clinical depression. The patient would not go out for fear of being bullied, moped around the house and sought comfort in eating. Eventually there was nothing for it. Twiglet the cat had to be put on Prozac. The 12-year-old grey tabby, whose weight had ballooned to 15lb, became one of the first pets in Britain to be given anti-depressant drugs, on the advice of a vet who said she had 'anger management issues'. And the results have been dramatic. Five months later, Twiglet has lost almost 7lb and is roaming around the back garden without fear.
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POPSPrince Beckham Soccer king David Beckham plays a prince in a new Disney campaign — his first showpiece endorsement since announcing his move to Los Angeles
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POPSWhite Rhino Baby Jan. 24: Animal keepers Arpad Kover, left, Gabor Szoke, second left, and Peter Czifra, right, lift the Budapest Zoo's newborn southern white rhinoceros calf.
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POPSFoxy lady who went shopping for shoes But the vixen which wandered into a store in the heart of London did not get much opportunity to browse. Pandemonium broke out as shoppers realised what was tiptoeing between the high heels and boots.
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POPSPrimitive Shark A species of shark rarely seen alive because its natural habitat is 600 metres (2,000 ft) or more under the sea was captured on film by staff at a Japanese marine park this week.
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POPSPolar Bear A polar bear peers through the Arctic hut window of a BBC film crew.
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