With most species of tigers about to become extinct, cat breeders are trying to help their cause by creating a tiny tiger replica, called Toyger.

Jennifer Santee has always had a thing for tigers and dreamed of having one as a pet. But knowing that wasn’t ever going to happen, she decided to make a tiger of her own, one that she could keep in her house. Together with a small group of cat breeders, she managed to create the Toyger (for toy tiger), a breed designed “specifically to preserve the beauty of an exotic animal”.

Although Toygers don’t actually have any tiger genes, their rusty color and dark stripes closely resemble those of the Bengal tiger. But they are friendly and playful animals that will go for walks, play fetch and come when they are called. Unlike the Margay,  they are perfect human companions.

Santee says 25 breeders all around the world are working on perfecting the Toyger breed, to make the cats resemble tigers even more. The new species is already in demand and, although each specimen costs over $3,000, they have all been sold. Part of the profits go towards the conservation of wild tigers, the inspiration behind the Toygers. The breeder estimates will truly be tiger replicas by 2010, when the last tigers will disappear from zoos.

via National Geographic

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Tattooed Parrot Fish and other species of ornamental fish are becoming quite popular at a pet-shop in Chengdu, China.

Known as Fortune Fish, these tattooed swimmers bear patterns, such as flowers and rainbows, and characters that are said to bring good fortune and happiness to their owners. The tattoos were apparently done with lasers and made the common Parrot Fish quite popular.

A normal Parrot Fish sells for 10 yuan, while a tattooed Fortune Fish sells for 25 yuan.

via ImagineChina

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Very different than traditional bullfighting, bull dallying is a lot more fun and doesn’t involve killing the bull at the end.

People in San Sebastian, a small town in central Spain, have come up with a way of having fun and keeping the bull as a part of their ancient tradition. Instead of torturing and finally killing the animal to show off their matador skills, the brave Spaniards simply taunts the bull and try to dodge its attacks.

That’s it, no swords, no blood, no animal cruelty, just pure guts and, they say, a lot of fun. I have to say I like bull dallying a lot better than old fashioned bullfighting and I just wish they had thought about this sooner.

Photos by Xinhua/Chen Haitiong

via Xinhua

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Ralph, a nine-year-old Humboldt penguin wears a custom-made wetsuit that might just save his life.

Ok, so it’s not designed by Armani or Versace but it’s good enough to protect Ralph from the harmful rays of the sun. Unfortunately for him, Ralph lost all of his feathers in just one day, instead of five weeks, as it usually happens, so the caretakers at Marwell Wildlife Center had to find a way to protect his sensitive pink skin from sunburns.

They came up with the original idea of converting the leg of a human wetsuit into a penguin wetsuit. It didn’t seem to bother Ralph and the other penguins, although curious at first, accepted Ralph into the group.

via People.com.cn

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It’s hard to believe a dog can walk on his back paws without losing its balance, but Chouchou proves it’s not impossible.

Chouchou may look like just a small dog, but he’s one of the biggest stars in Chongqing, Southwest China. People stop and stare every time he goes out for a walk with his master, and it’s not because of his looks. Unlike most dogs, he enjoys walking like a man, on his back paws, and can do it for long periods of time.

He has been practicing his human walk with his master and he’s gotten quite good at it. The only other dog I know can walk on two paws only is Faith the Wonder Dog, who has no choice, since she has no front paws.

Photos by icpress

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Grooming a poodle is not easy, but these photos go to show you just how complex this craft can be.

Ren Netherland is the owner of animalphotography.com, an online pet photography studio and the man who tours the country to take photos of winners at grooming competitions all over the United States.

Personally I never considered grooming to be an art, but more like something that needs to be done, but Ren’s photos prove just how wrong I was. And to think groomers complete these living masterpieces in just two hours, amazing!

via Telegraph.co.uk

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Actually, I’m not just talking about one, but hundreds of small “doctor fish” treating serious skin conditions like psoriasis.

Garra Rufa Obtusa, also referred to as Doctor Fish, is a special species of fish, found in northern and central parts of the Middle East. In countries like Turkey, people have started breading them artificially, in giant basins, and use them to treat severe skin diseases.

The small fish can survive in waters as hot as 43 degrees Celsius and love to fed on dead tissue. The little miracle workers aren’t fed, so when patients dip their sick limbs into the water, they act like a pack of gentle piranhas, nibbling with their gummy mouths.

Doctor Fish aren’t recognized as a cure for Psoriasis, although there have been cases of complete healing following a treatment at a Doctor Fish Spa, but they do help improve the condition of the patients, at least temporarily. The fish eat away the red, scaly spots on the patients’ bodies and the mineral water helps the healing process. Thousands of patients travel to Doctor Fish Spas, like the one in Kangal, Turkey, and spend 21 days being eaten alive by the Garra Rufa Obtusa, in two daily four-hour sessions.

Doctor Fish cosmetic facilities have become very popular recently, and you can find them in countries like Japan, Malaysia or China.  After all, Doctor Fish are a lot healthier than a chemical exfoliation.

Photos by Xianhua/Reuters, via People.com.cn

Unlike the Spanish, who like to get involved, the Chinese just like to watch as two bulls brutally fight each other. I’m not talking about the Spanish and the Chinese in general, but there’s no denying there are those who actually enjoy this type of displays.

These particular bullfights took place in Lianglong Village, Guanxing Province, China and were part of the local Xinmi Festival. As always, violence and blood managed to gather quite a crowd. And you can’t really blame the animal, they don’t know any better, but the people…

At least I hope they don’t kill the bulls, like they do in the corrida.

via China.org

As a horse, you have to be really small to be called a small pony and Koda is smaller than most dogs and only a bit bigger than a cat.

The smallest pony in Australia, Koda weighs just 35 kg and is only 59 cm tall. As an American Miniature pony, he was supposed to be small, but not this small. Diagnosed with dwarfism soon after his birth, Koda has struggled to survive as long as he has. The 13-month-old pony had serious health problems and had to go through extensive surgery.

He might look like a cute plush toy, but Koda has a pretty tough life. he’ll soon have to go through some dentistry to remove his adult teeth that simply don’t fit in his tiny mouth. His eyes look so sad, but i hope he’ll soon be able to live a normal life.

via Telegraph.co.uk

Apparently these photos were taken in Norway, where a ram was found hanging around on a steel wire. It seems the animal tried to leap over a living fence, but overshot his jump and one of his horns hooked the wire. The ram ended up being stuck 5 meters into the air, until it was rescued by tourists. They made sure they took some photos first.

I have to say this is one of the strangest things I’ve ever seen, stranger than the acrobat goat and almost as strange as the tree goats of Morocco

Not the Mexican drink, although I’ve seen pigs eat and drink anything, but a 2-year-old Rottweiler/pit-bull named Tequila, who adopted six little pigs.

It all started on a rainy Monday morning, when both farmer John Favreau’s dog and his sow gave birth. Because of the rainstorm, John had to move the piglets in his home, where his dog, Tequila, was nursing her newborns. As the farmer turned his head for just a moment, the piglets rushed to Tequila and she welcomed them like they were her own pups.

Now they’re all one big happy family, and the piglets follow Tequila everywhere she goes. She in turn cleans them when they get a little dirty (that’s going to be a tough job in the long run). Favreau says he tried reuniting the piglets with their natural mother, but they started acted strange so he took them back to the dog.

Cases of dogs adopting pigs are very rare, with just one similar case being recorded, this June, in Thailand.

via news-press

Rats have been called many things, but… talented? That doesn’t happen very often, but these two rats aren’t ordinary either. Just like the surfing rats, they do cool tricks.

Trained by Dutch photographer Ellen van Deelen to hold different musical instruments and pose for the camera, the Roosendaal Rats are considered very talented by their owner. She confesses rats weren’t exactly her favorite creatures, but, after buying these two, she realized they are highly intelligent creatures.

They simply grab the instruments, hold them in a professional manner and aren’t camera shy at all. On the contrary, they listen to their trainer’s commands to the letter, during photo-shoots.

Now, Ellen aims even higher and wants to teach her furry pets to play the instruments  and wants to turn the duo into a larger band.

via Ellen van Deelen

via Telegraph.co.uk

And I don’t mean it’s slightly larger than your every day carrot-muncher, Benny is a regular bunny giant.

Two year-old Benny is a Flemish buck who’s about to receive the title of longest rabbit in the world. He probably also holds the record for the world’s heaviest bunny, but the Guinness Book of Records no longer certifies this title, due to problems with owners who overfed their animals.

Benny’s owners also set up a website for him on Facebook and use it to promote the Oxfordshire Animal Sanctuary, which faces serious financial difficulties. Benny already has 270 online friends.

The giant buck measures 85 centimeters in length and weighs over 10 kilograms. Benny is house-trained, knows how to ask for treats and spends a lot of time with the family dog. He kisses him often and the owners think Benny doesn’t know for sure if he’s a rabbit or a dog.

Photos by Caters News Agency Ltd

via Daily Mail

Spanish people really have a thing for bulls, don’t they. Bullfighting, the festival of Pamplona, they’re all centered around the bull.

During the Bous a la Mar Festival, in Denia, near the city of Alicante, people get chased by bulls through the streets and into the Mediterranean Sea. The brave participants plunge into the waters just before the bulls are about to catch them. The animals often fall into the sea as well, where they are taunted some more. Eventually, the bulls are caught with a lasso and towed back to shore by a boat.

via Telegraph.co.uk

Sharing your bed with common pets like cats or dogs is so last year. Right now it’s all about big cats, and lots of them.

Riana Van Nieuwenhuizen thought she should do her part in saving cheetahs from extinction, so she bought one back in 2006. The 46-year-old South African left her job at the department of justice and found some temporary employment on a game ranch, where she could raise Fiela.

Now, Riana runs Fiela Funds Cheetah Breeding Project, a non-profit that fights to ensure the survival of cheetahs in their own ecosystem. Along the way, she also took in another 10 big cats, with which she often shares her bed.

Her four cheetahs, five white lions and two tigers are a handful, but Riana loves every one of them and puts up with all their naughtiness. Her 2 dogs have also grown quite fond of the felines and don’t mind snuggling up to them.

Photos by John Liebenberg/BARCROFT MEDIA

via Daily Mail