Shocking moment polar bear attacks woman who climbed into zoo enclosure

This is the terrifying moment a woman was attacked by a polar bear after jumping into its zoo enclosure.

The 32-year-old leapt over bars at Berlin Zoo during the bears' feeding time yesterday.

Despite six zookeepers' efforts to distract the four predators kept in the enclosure, the woman was bitten several times on her arms and legs.

The brave keepers eventually managed to push the bear away and pull the woman to safety.

She was bitten by one of the four older polar bears in the enclosure and not by the famous Knut, who took Germany by storm as a cub after he was hand-raised by a keeper.

It is not known why the woman pulled the dangerous stunt but she initially appeared to be elated as she swam towards a bear in the enclosure.

It is not easy to access the enclosure, which is surrounded by a fence, a line of prickly hedges and a wall.

Heiner Kloes, a zoo spokesman, said keepers pushed the huge bear away before pulling the woman out.

She was taken to a hospital for treatment where she is now recovering after undergoing surgery to heal her wounds.

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Giant 'woodlice' take up residence in Britain

These frightening creatures may look like enormous woodlice, but are actually ancient Isopods that live deep under the waves.

The spooky one foot long Giant Isopods live up to 6,000ft down on the seabed where there is no light.

They survive in the pitch black and cold they survive by feasting on dead and decaying fish and other marine animals.


Isopods have been unchanged for 160 million years and now they are to go on display in the UK for the first time.

Experts at the UK's Sea Life Centre parks organised for nine of them to be transported from the US where they had been caught in lobster nets in the Atlantic.

Each scary-looking creature was individually wrapped in wet hessian and newspaper before being packed into a box of ice.

They were flown thousands of miles to London before being transported by truck to the Sea Life Centre in Weymouth, Dorset.

The nine Isopods - Bathynonomous giganteus in Latin - will spend time in quarantine before going on display in large dark tanks in Blackpool.

Special reflective glass will give the giant creepy crawlies the feeling they are deep at the bottom of the sea, while still allowing spectators to peer in.

Chris Brown, a marine biologist who is looking after the Isopods in Weymouth, said they had adjusted well to their new environment.

He said: "Isopods live on the seabed at great depths. There are lots of them down at the bottom of the sea but because of the depths they live at, they rarely turn up in fishing nets or lobster pots.

"At the moment they are being kept in a large quarantine tank in a shaded and dark corner at the Sea Life Centre in Weymouth.

"The tank has special coolers that keeps the water at a chilly 4C. After quarantine they will be taken to the Sea Life Centre in Blackpool."

The creatures are crustaceans related to the shrimp and crabs.

Feline good: Asthmatic cat treated with acupuncture

A cat that suffered asthma and a cough for three years has been cured, after her owner shunned traditional treatments and gave her pet a course of acupuncture.

South African alternative therapist Virginia Sanders turned to needle-based treatment to help her eleven-year-old Siamese cat Kiki.

Kiki had been given cortisone injections for her asthma but Ms Sanders was worried this might eventually damage the moggie's liver.

She approached a holistic veterinarian who recommended the unconventional treatment.

'KikI received acupuncture treatment, which will help her body to heal itself,' Ms Sanders said.

'She has already received three treatments, and her condition has improved a lot. She still has a few "old person's" problems, like a stiff back.'

According to vet Dr Barry Hindmarch, alternative treatments can be used on animals to relieve skin problems, chronic arthritis, kidney problems and cat AIDS.

'Infertile horses have been treated with homeopathic methods, and even livestock like cows with infections in their udders can be treated,' he added.

Hindmarch says nature's gifts are used to supplement conventional medicine.

'The animal is being treated holistically,' he says.

'We look at it's medical history, natural diet, surroundings, and we try to figure out a natural option. Animals also have emotional problems. They grieve, get anxious, some get traumatised, and then it makes a big difference treating them holistically.

'All conventional treatment methods are exhausted before we decide on a holistic method. With alternative medication we try to improve the animal's quality of living.'

Pictured: The extraordinary moment a shoal of fish 'attacked' duck who came pecking around

This duck ran out of luck when he attempted to have a peck at a shoal of fish.

Because while a single carp may be no match for a duck, in this case safety in numbers saw the bird's attack foiled as the fish surrounded him.

The extraordinary pictures were taken in a park lake in Changsa, Hunan Province, China, yesterday.

Reports suggest the duck started to attack the fish first, before becoming overwhelmed as the army of supporters swam in for back up to launch the counter-attack.

It didn't take long before the duck fled the scene after conceding defeat.

US accused of bombing Afghan wedding party, killing 37

U.S. warplanes bombed a wedding party, killing 37 people, including 23 children and 10 women, Afghan authorities have claimed.

The bombing on Monday afternoon in the remote village of Wech Baghtu in the southern province of Kandahar destroyed an Afghan housing complex where women and children had gathered to celebrate.

The U.S. military said it was investigating the report but an American spokesman added that 'if innocent people were killed in this operation, we apologise and express our condolences'.


Body parts littered the wreckage and nearby farm animals lay dead.

A bombing run by fighter aircraft a short while later destroyed the compound and killed 37 people, including 23 children, ten women and four men, according to a local farmer whose daughter was to get married.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai referred to the incident at a news conference today held to congratulate Obama on his U.S. presidential election victory.

Karzai said he hopes the election will 'bring peace to Afghanistan, life to Afghanistan and prosperity to the Afghan people and the rest of the world'.

He applauded America for its 'courage' in electing Obama.

But he also used the occasion to immediately press Obama to find a way to prevent civilians casualties in operations by foreign forces.

He then said air strikes had caused deaths in the Shah Wali Kot district of Kandahar province.

'Our demand is that there will be no civilian casualties in Afghanistan. We cannot win the fight against terrorism with air strikes,' Karzai said.

'This is my first demand of the new president of the United States - to put an end to civilian casualties.'

The alleged air strikes come only three months after the Afghan government found that a U.S. operation killed some 90 civilians in western Afghanistan. A U.S. report said 33 civilians died in that attack.

Another incident with a high number of civilian casualties could severely strain U.S.-Afghan relations.

Police officers facing jail after being caught on video 'kicking and throwing' their pet dogs

Two police officers are facing jail after they were caught violently kicking and throwing their pet dogs around their backyard.

Anja Mason and Craig Macleod were filmed by a concerned neighbour, who watched Tess, a collie pup, and Snoopy, a rottweiler, being abused at their house in Prestatyn.

Both officers have since been removed from front-line duties.

The pair watched in court as the video of the abuse was shown. Glenn Murphy, prosecuting for the RSPCA, said the DVD showed the dogs being kicked and hit.
Mr Murphy said Tess, who was just 14 weeks old at the time, was picked up by the scruff of her neck by Macleod, which was both excessive and unnecessary.

An RSPCA inspector had been unable to find evidence of abuse but told the neighbour that if she was prepared to do something about it, they may be able to take action.

She then took several hours of footage on her camera. In April the dogs had been seized by the RSPCA and they were now happily re-homed.
A vet who viewed the footage said in a report that it was not necessary to use violence as a training regime.

Mason, 29, and Macleod, 34, pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to a collie, and Macleod alone to a Rottweiler.

Defence solicitor Joanne Stephens said neither Tess nor Snoopy was injured and a report described them as "lovely, happy dogs" with no ill effects.

'The dogs were fed and watered regularly and they were concerned for their welfare,' she said. They were exercised on a regular basis.'
She said Mason had suffered health problems after an operation and Macleod had been a little concerned that Snoopy had been "over-zealous" when his eight-year-old daughter called.

When he picked Tess up by the scruff of the neck he said he was trying to teach her not to chew something on which she could have choked.

Miss Stephens said Macleod had been told by a dog handler that squirting water at a dog was a deterrent. However, the solicitor said both defendants were remorseful "and ashamed of what the dogs were put through."

She added : 'They would accept on occasions being heavy handed, there was no intention to cause any pain to the animals. Both stand to lose their jobs as a result of their criminal conviction.'

Court chairman Wendy Gibbs said all sentencing options would remain open, including custody and a high-level community penalty. There were several instances of deliberate ill-treatment and frightening of both dogs.

'You caused pain and suffering and mental terror to both dogs, you risked injury to both dogs by kicking,' she told them.

Later a North Wales police spokeswoman said: 'Following today's appearance, both officers have been removed from front line duties and placed in non operational roles pending the result of the case.

'As matters have not yet been finalised in court, it would be wholly inappropriate to make further comment at present.'

Magistrates at Denbigh in North Wales adjourned the case until November 25 for a pre-sentence report.

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Could this be the daughter of King Tutankhamun?

Egyptian scientists are performing DNA tests on two mummified foetuses found in the tomb of Tutankhamun to discover whether they were the boy king's children.

British archaeologist Howard Carter found the mummified foetuses when he discovered the Pharaoh's tomb in 1922.

Many scholars believe their mother to be Ankhesenamun, the young pharaoh's only known wife.

Ankhesenamun was the daughter of Nefertiti, renowned for her beauty.

'For the first time we will be able to identify the family of King Tut,' Zahi Hawass, the head of Egypt's Supreme Council for Antiquities said.

Tutankhamun, born in 1341 BC, died less than a decade after taking the throne at the age of eight or nine.

His significance stems from his rejection of religious innovations introduced by his predecessor Akenhaten, who tried to compel Egyptians to worship the god Aten.

The boy king's family lineage has long been a source of mystery among experts.

The identity of his parents is not certain though many experts believe he is the son of the 18th dynasty pharaoh Akhenaten.

However, the Council said that if the foetuses are not related to Tutankhamun, they may have been placed in his tomb to allow him to 'live as a newborn in the afterlife'.

He was also buried alongside hundreds of richly decorated objects. It was believed he would travel with these in his afterlife.

Egypt has been trying to check the identity of all its royal mummies using DNA and CT scans.

Tutankhamun's was one of the first mummies to be examined with the technology in 2005.

The latest DNA tests and computerised tomography (CT) scans, to be performed at Cairo University, should be finished by December.

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