Teenager 'killed kitten by drop-kicking it like a rugby ball over a distance of 40ft'

By Daily Mail Reporter


A teenager has been charged over the death of a kitten which he allegedly drop-kicked 'like a rugby ball' - a distance of 40ft.

The 16-year-old is accused of causing criminal damage to the four-month-old black kitten.

Devastated owner Julie Duke, 45, said her daughter Tia, seven, had been in floods of tears since the incident.

She told how a horrified neighbour saw a teenage boy handling the beloved pet, called Tasmin, before he apparently took a running punt and booted her into the air.

The neighbour then alerted Julie who then found the stricken animal lying in a crumpled heap in the gutter.

Little Tia of Plymouth, Devon, said: 'I know that Tasmin is dead and it's too late for her but I just want these people to be caught so they won't do it to any other animals.'

She added: 'She was so important to me and I loved her very much and I have been left very upset by what has happened.'

Tia's mum Julie, who works as a meal time assistant at a local school, bought the cat for Tia as a Christmas present.

Devon and Cornwall police branded those responsible for the attack - which happened in March this year - as 'sick and cruel'.

A spokesman added: 'Officers were called to an address after a resident saw a young man 'pick up a cat and drop kick it into the air as if it were a rugby ball'.

'The witness heard the cat screech and land about 40 feet away.

'This was a sick and cruel attack on a defenceless animal and somebody's much loved pet.'

The 16-year-old was charged on Monday and will face magistrates at a hearing next week at Plymouth Youth Court.


Devon: A teenager has been charged over the death of a kitten which he allegedly drop-kicked 'like a rugby ball' in Plymouth


source:dailymail

No mercy: Moment a grey heron swoops in to grab its first duckling

By ANNA EDWARDS

Too late: The terrified duckling quacks in panic as the heron snaps it up


These amazing photos capture the moment a heron snapped up two newborn ducklings as their mother helplessly watched.

The drama began when the heron swooped over a lake in Dublin and attempted to panic ducks and pick off any stray birds as it searched for its next meal.

A terrified mother duck tried to shepherd her family of eight ducklings - born just the day before - into the safety of some reeds by the side of the lake.


Rush to the reeds: The mother duck frantically tries to get her day old ducklings to shelter in some plants


But the wily bird had spotted this mother's nest and was laying in wait to gobble not one, but two of her precious offspring.

Photographer, Paul Hughes, 40, from Dublin witnessed the event.

'The heron was trying to scare the ducklings away from their parents so it could pick up the stragglers,' he said.

'The mother was trying to herd her young to the safety of an island in the lake as well as the nearby reed beds.

'But this heron was very canny - he had clocked this plan and had one of his own.
'He went right in for the kill with no messing about.

'It's part of nature and people should understand that.'


Back for seconds: The heron holds up its second catch of the day


Gobbled up: The heron eats the baby bird, leaving the distressed mother duck with just six of her eight babies left


Herons, which stand at 40 inches tall, with a 77 inches wingspan and a weight around 4lbs, also raise their young this time of year.

Mother herons lay between four and five pale blue eggs - when they hatch the chicks require constant food to avoid starvation.

Herons usually feast on fish or frogs and are incredibly patient creatures, standing still for long periods of time before catching their prey by striking with their long beaks.

Once it has returned with food the parent heron will cough up the partially digested remains for their offspring to eat.

Heron chicks are prone to cold - which means the parents must not leave their young for too long or they will die.

This means they are in a constant battle against time to find as much food as possible to increase the chances of their own chicks surviving.


source: dailymail

My soaring pedigree chum: The 'flying' dogs competing to keep a frisbee in the air for as long as possible

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Got it! This furry competitor clasps his paws around the disc, leaping over the heads of a woman and girl


They're at the top of their game. Fit and focused, they show the same grit and determination as any other athlete with their eye on the prize.

But these are no ordinary athletes. While it might seem barking to some, these are the furry competitors of the Skyhoundz Disc Dog European Championship in Budapest

Hounds from all over Europe descended on the Hungarian tournament to show off their finely-tuned skills in the sport known as 'disc dog' which is played alongside their owners.


Man's best friend: German competitors Jergen Bartz and his dog Summi compete in the Skyhoundz Disc Dog European Championship in Budapest


In what looks like a complicated move, a border collie jumps over two human competitors to catch the frisbee


Disc dog - of frisbee dog - is described by enthusiasts as a sport celebrating the bond between handler and canine and involves thedog and its handler keeping the frisbee in the air for as long as possible.

It began in the early 1970s, and sees both dog and human working together as team mates to keep the disc in the air for as long as possible.

According to enthusiasts of the sport, it can handlers a while to get the animals to understand the concept of the game as most dog might not instinctively know to turn and chase a disc thrown over its head.

Handlers training hounds for competition start by throwing the disc straight to the dog over short distances.

Once the animal has learned how to catch handlers teach them the concept of running for the disc.


Team work: Krisztina Herberling of Hungary and her dog Roni. Hounds from all over Europe descended on the Hungarian tournament


Taking the lead: Eva Nagy, of Hungary, with her dog Babu and Jergen Bartz with Summi


Flying through the air: A border collie leaps over its owner as it reaches for the frisbee


Further on in the training, the disc should be thrown at increasing heights to encourage the dog to leap higher to catch it.

It's only once the dog has mastered these moves that it will instinctively follow the disc wherever it goes, meaning it has the skills to be capable of competing.
The handler can then enter the dog in a number of categories, which include 'toss and fetch' and freestyle.

In competition categories, dogs chase multiple discs in short routines choreographed to music.

Skyhoundz staged its first ever World Canine Disc Championship in 2000 and is now the largest disco dog competition series in the world, with more than 100 free local events held in the United States and other countries, including the European championships.


Gotcha: Hungary's Zsuzsanna Varga and her dog Alex compete. The sport is described by enthusiasts as a celebration of the bond between human and canine


Acrobatic: The dogs show off their finely-tuned skills in the sport which is played alongside their owners



Eye on the prize: The dogs must master routine manouevres to ensure the grasp the concept of the game


Skyhoundz Worlds 2009 / Christina Weiß & Ronja




source :dailymail

Jewish court 'condemns DOG to death by stoning'... as rabbis believe it was reincarnation of lawyer they'd once cursed

By Daily Mail Reporter


Rabbis at a Jewish court allegedly condemned a dog to death by stoning - because they thought it was the reincarnation of a secular lawyer who they'd cursed for insulting them.

The rabbinical court reportedly passed down the draconian sentence after a large dog wandered into a court in Mea Shearim, an ultra-Orthodox neighbourhood in Jerusalem.

When it refused to leave, one of the judges allegedly declared the lawyer's spirit must have moved into the dog as punishment, and sentenced it to death by stoning - at the hands of local children.

Reincarnation? A rabbinical court in Jerusalem allegedly sentenced a dog like this one, pictured in the Gaza strip, to death by stoning


The dog managed to escape, but an animal rights organisation called police and lodged a complaint against the head of the court, according to Israeli website Ynet.

According to the site, the incident happened after the dog made its way into Mea Shearim's Monetary Affairs court, where it frightened both judges and plaintiffs.

Although staff tried to get rid of the animal, the dog refused to leave.

One of the rabbis then allegedly remembered a curse the court had put on a secular lawyer after he insulted a judge more than 20 years ago.

He declared the lawyer's spirit had been reborn in the body of a dog as divine retribution.

Some schools of thought within Judaism believe in reincarnation - and dogs are considered impure by orthodox Jews.

As if that wasn't punishment enough, one of the rabbis then allegedly declared the dog should be stoned to death - by local children.

But before the animal could be killed, Let Animals Live, an animal welfare organisation, filed a police complaint against Rabbi Avraham Dov Levin, who denied the allegations.

One of the court's managers, however, told Israeli newspaper Yediot Aharanot the story was true.

He said: 'It was ordered... as an appropriate way to "get back at" the spirit which entered the poor dog.'


source:dailymail

Starving blackbirds resort to cannibalism after dry spring and early summer leaves them without worms

By Daily Mail Reporter


Starving blackbirds are resorting to cannibalism of their chicks as they struggle to survive the dry spring and early summer.

The weather has forced their diet of worms too far underground for the birds to feed.

As a result, gardeners have witnessed blackbirds resorting to desperate measures to avoid going hungry.


Hungry: Blackbirds are resorting to desperate measures including cannibalism as they struggle to survive the dry spring and early summer


They have been waiting on freshly-watered lawns ready to pick up worms that rise to the surface.

Blackbirds have also been eating tadpoles and young slow worms, and snatching baby mice from their nests.

The mistle thrush and song thrush have also been affected by the unseasonably warm weather.

Paul Stancliffe, from the British Trust for Ornithology, said an annual survey of 250 birds has shown the average weight of a blackbird has plummeted from 130g to 90g this year.

He told the Daily Telegraph: 'The birds have got once chance left for another brood this year and if the weather doesn’t change, things look pretty bleak.

'Taking tadpoles, slow worms and mice is not normal behaviour.'

In East Anglia, the south-east and south-west, birds that normally rear one or two batches of chicks have not yet reared any.

A spokesman for the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds said: 'It's not going to be a wipe-out but we can expect a big drop in numbers.'

Parts of Britain this year enjoyed the hottest and driest spring for more than a century.

Last year, experts warned that the overpowering glare of street lights was disrupting the sleep patterns of song birds and forcing them to start the dawn chorus too early in the morning.

Researchers said blackbirds, blue tits and robins are so exhausted by their early starts in towns and cities, they are more likely to be hunted by predators as the day wears on.

Street lights were also found to be interfering with the breeding habits of birds - and could contribute to a decline in numbers.


source:dailymail

How did it get up THERE? Deer 'with wings' causes power outage (maybe it was trying to imitate Rudolph)

By JOHN STEVENS

Flying high: A power company lineman using a pole to remove a young deer carcass that was dropped onto a power line in East Missoula


It would have taken an incredible leap for this young deer to end up on the power lines above East Missoula.

But it is unlikely that the animal had an accident while trying to act like its distant-cousin Rudolph.

This fawn took out the power in the Montana town after it was dropped by a bird that bit of more than it could chew.

Lee Bridges said that shortly after the power went at around 9am, she spotted a bald eagle sitting in the top of her tree.

When a worker from the energy company turned up to investigate the power problems he spotted the fawn dangling from the power line.



The cause? A bald eagle deeds on a deer in Montana (file picture)


‘I ask him the problem,’ she said. ‘He pointed up at the power line and said, "Well you had a deer with wings on it.”

‘I looked up there and there was this fawn, a carcass of a fawn, up in the power line.’

Mrs Bridges suspects that the eagle dropped its prey and could not retrieve it.

Northwestern Energy removed the deer from the line and restored power after about a half-hour outage.

The lineman who removed the carcass from the power line said he had never seen anything like it.


source: dailymail

The mountie always gets his man - even when he's on patrol in Middlesbrough: Pc on horseback chases down criminal through busy town streets

Getting their man: Reg the horse and his rider Pc Martin Lindsley chased through the busy streets of Middlesbrough to apprehend a suspect


After all, a mountie always gets his man - even if it means chasing him through the streets of a busy town centre.

That is what happened when Pc Martin Lindsley, 38, and his partner, Reg, an eight-year-old Shire Cross, were on routine patrol in Middlesbrough on Monday.

In a series of remarkable scenes dozens of shoppers watched as the policeman and his charge galloped down a main road after their suspect.

For the next mile or so the pair negotiated the traffic as the fugitive tried to shake them off.

Eventually, however, the exhausted 28-year-old could run no more and finally gave himself up to Pc Lindsley and his trusty sidekick.

The man then vomited before confessing: ‘I’m never going to run from a police horse ever again.’



Negociated: The pair had to weave their way through traffic on one of Middlesbrough's busiest routes in order to catch the suspect after a mile


The crime-fighter had received a radio alert just moments earlier about the fugitive who had failed to appear in court charged with a series of offences.

The 28-year-old had been spotted by other officers nearby who raised the alarm.

‘We saw him very, very quickly,’ said Pc Lindsley, who pulled up alongside the suspect and dismounted.

‘As soon as I spoke to him he said ‘I’m really sorry about this’ and ran off.

‘It was a massive shock because people so very rarely ever run from police horses.

‘But at the time Reg was facing the wrong way and he’s a big horse – there’s about a ton of him – so by the time I’d turned around our suspect was well down one of Middlesbrough’s main arterial routes.

‘We immediately went after him – us on the main road and this chap on the pavement. I could see that he was tiring.


sourc: dailymail

Seeing red, the evil-eyed owl perched on a lamppost and ready to swoop

By Daily Mail Reporter


What a hoot: The owl was photographed sitting on top of a lamppost in South Africa but the reflection from the camera's flash caused the bird's eyes to appear bright red like lasers


At first glance, you would be forgiven for thinking that this owl was possessed.

But the laser-like stare of the bird is actually the reflection of a camera's flash.

An amateur photographer spotted the Cape Eagle Owl perched on a lamp-post while driving down a quiet road one early morning in South Africa.


Gavin Nicholls, who was born in Fareham, Hampshire, was eager to take snaps of the bird and so fired off a volley of flash photographs.

Gavin, 57, said: 'It was only once I'd arrived at work that I looked at the results. I thought: wow, the eyes are stunning!

'All my colleagues were over the moon with it.

'Normally in photography we try and avoid the red eye problems, but just for this one shot, I am so glad it happened as it did.'


source:dailymail

Woman sends two cats to the vet when one falls ill... and he puts the wrong one down by mistake

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Heartbreaking: Maddy, right, was due to be put down but vets put down the couple's other cat Tammy by mistake


Vet forced to put sick kitten down too after blunder

Surgery supplies memorial plaque and ashes to devastated pet owners

A couple who were devastated to be told one of their two cats needed to be put to sleep were horrified when blundering vets put down the other cat by mistake.

Mandy Raab said she was told by vets that her beloved pet Maddy needed to be down because of a deteriorating leg condition.

But Miss Raab, from Telford, Shropshire, and partner Paul Saxton said they later discovered the wrong cat had been put down.

Now heartbroken Miss Raab, 36, says she will make a complaint to the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons.

The couple had arranged to have the rescue cats, Tammy and Maddy, neutered last week.
Vets said that Maddy was suffering from a deteriorating leg condition and needed to be put to sleep.


Mandy Raab and Paul Saxton plan to make a complaint to the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons


Miss Raab said that Maddy was in the poorer condition when she took the kittens on in December.

'Tammy became my little girl. She used to follow me everywhere. When it came time for them to be neutered, Paul took them to Wrekin View and explained that Maddy had a bad leg.

'The vet called me later in the day to say the leg condition was deteriorating and the kindest thing would be to put Maddy to sleep. That left me in bits but I agreed. I didn't want her to suffer.'

She alleged: 'When Paul went to collect Tammy the same day he knew instantly that the cat they had at the vets was Maddy.

'It was Tammy they had put to sleep.

'A staff member told me subsequently that a veterinary nurse had picked Tammy up by mistake when it was time for Maddy to be put to sleep. I was so upset.'

Miss Raab said the vets were returning both cats' ashes to her next week as well as a memorial plaque.

Wrekin View Vets, in Wellington, Shropshire, refused to comment on the matter but Miss Raab said they had given her two new kittens.

Ian Holloway, Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons spokesman, said: 'Allegations of negligence are usually resolved between the parties or by the civil courts.

'There are occasions, though, when the alleged negligence is so serious as to be an issue of professional conduct.

'Where this appears to be a real possibility, we will investigate.'


source: dailymail

Better call the fire baa-gade: Sheep stuck on roof of house is rescued by firefighters

By Daily Mail Reporter


This is the bizarre moment two fire engines were called to rescue a sheep - which was stuck on the roof of a house.

Stunned residents dialled 999 after the creature was spotted scrambling across roof tiles in the remote village of Pontycymer, South Wales.

A team from Bridgend Fire and Rescue Service took 40 minutes to bring the animal down from the terraced row using a Large Animal Rescue appliance.

Feeling sheepish? The animal found itself having to be rescued after being stuck on a rooftop


Homeowner Claire Walters, 38, photographed the drama as it unfolded on the roof of her house on Saturday afternoon.

She said, 'I was sitting in my lounge watching television when suddenly I could hear a noise out in the street.

'When I went outside and was facing the front of my house, I looked up towards the roof and there was a sheep standing there.'

Woolly-headed: The sheep, which reached the roof by climbing up a nearby garage, was coaxed down by firefighters


A spokesman for Bridgend Fire and Rescue Service said the sheep had got on to the roof by climbing up from a garage at the rear of the terrace.

He said, 'We have never had anything like that before, though we have found sheep in some difficult places.

'It was running back and forward on the roof, but eventually it must have realised how many firefighters were there trying to get it down. So it thought, I'd better come down now.

Rescue squad: Two fire engines were dispatched to deal with the stranded sheep in the small Welsh village of Pontycymer


The spokesman added that the sheep was fine and had not been harmed by its adventure.

'It was certainly an interesting call-out, it's not where you'd expect to find a sheep, really quite funny,' he added. 'It brightened up our weekend, that's for sure.'


source:dailymail

Bored teenager sparks outrage after pegging puppy up on washing line and posting photos on Facebook

By Daily Mail Reporter


Cruel: Filipino Jerzon Senador pegged his puppy on a clothes line and posted these photographs of the struggling animal on Facebook


A Filipino teenager has sparked outrage after pegging his puppy out on a clothes line and posting pictures of the helpless animal on Facebook.

Jerzon Senador, from Calamba, Laguna, is likely to face animal cruelty charges after deciding to carry out the stunt because he was bored.

The teenager suspended the struggling puppy from the skin on its back as he took photographs from different angles.

Helpless: The teenager, from Calamba, Laguna, decided to carry out the stunt because he was bored


But he later took the images down and issued a public apology after he was swamped with angry messages from internet users.

More than 3,000 Facebook members have joined a campaign group - 'Jerzon Senador the Animal Abuser' - calling for him to be prosecuted and the Philippine Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) has launched an investigation.

Animal lovers also took to Twitter to voice their outrage at the stunt.

One user, KenTuriano, said: 'Hang Jerzon upside down on a clothes line.'

Another, IamRHEA16, added: 'Well I guess you can't even go outside now because of your abusive act.'

Backlash: But the stunt could now land him with animal cruelty charges after angry internet users bombarded him with emails

Forlorn: The puppy's owner has since taken the pictures down and apologised for what he did

Mr Senador begged people for forgiveness after removing the pictures from his page.

He said: 'To all animal lovers and to people all over the world please read this.

'I would like to ask for forgiveness for the wrong I've done against my dog. I hope you could forgive me and I promise it will never happen again.'

In May 2010, a student from the University of the Philippines was fined 2000 Philippine peso (£28) and sentenced to two months' community work for killing a cat inside the university campus and bragging about it on his blog.

The case was the first successful conviction of someone accused of animal cruelty in the Philippines.


source:dailymail

Can you be-leaf it? Realistic animals sculpted out of plants go on display in China

By JANE BUNCE

Colourful: Experts have created realistic-looking elephants out of plants


The Chelsea Flower Show may be over for another year, but green thumbs in search of weird and wonderful garden art need only look to China for inspiration.

A series of animal-shaped plant sculptures have proved immensely popular with visitors to the International Horticultural Exposition in Xian, capital of northwest China's Shaanxi Province.

The exhibits include one of China's national animals, the Red-crowned crane, sharing a tree with a monkey.


Looking trim: The giant panda, one of China's national animals, also features


Another national animal, the iconic giant panda, is seen nursing a baby panda.

The topiarists have also crafted a cow and a herd of elephants, one with its trunk raised, in a field of flowers.

To achieve the unique living sculptures, the specialists must regularly clip the foliage and twigs of trees and shrubs to train them to grow in the right direction to form the decorative shapes.

The exposition opened in April and runs for around six months. It is expected to attract around 12 million visitors to Xi’an, one of the most important cities in Chinese history and renowned as the location of the terracotta warriors.


Living sculptures: The exhibition - including this cow - has proved hugely popular with visitors


Impressive: The animal sculptures will continue to grow while on display


The 2011 Chelsea Flower Show, which was held in May, also had its share of strange exhibits, including the Korean Hae-woo-so garden and its feature toilet.

Diarmuid Gavin’s gold medal-winning Irish Sky Garden featured classic English plants suspended in the air in a large pink pod, while the Thailand Garden featured its own exotic animals made entirely of flowers, including an elephant and Guardian Lion.


Another elephant - this one made out of flowers - featured at the Chelsea Flower Show

source: dailymail

Definitely ready for HER close-up: Leopard who got a little too close for comfort to photographer

By Daily Mail Reporter


Close and personal: The baby leopard leapt up to the roof of the Jeep, shocking photographer Sergey Ivanov, 50


This big cat is definitely ready for his close up, as he leaps up on to the top of a Jeep, where a wildlife photographer gets the shock of his life while trying to capture the leopard.

Sergey Ivanov, 50, was petrified as the beast jumped up for a close encounter while he was on safari in Namibia, near the Botswana border, along with his friend Sergey Kotelnikov, who had originally pointed out the animal.

As the pair stopped to take a closer look, they both hauled themselves on to the roofs of their respective Jeeps, so as to gain a fantastic photographic position.

Here, kitty kitty: The photographer recoils as the big cat jumps five-metres to reach the roof


And as both amateur photographers whipped out their cameras to begin snapping the baby leopard - it slowly crawled towards them.

But, completely out of the blue, the female leopard amazingly leapt over five feet on to the roof of the Jeep Mr Kotelnikov was perched upon.

Staring the cat in the eye, Mr Kotelnikov's face dropped with sheer panic as the cat lunges towards him.

Shock: The Russian photographer has a panic as the leopard jumps up on to his Jeep


But luckily it is only interested in having its picture taken up close and personal and calmly sits in front of the Russian photographer.

Mr Ivanov, who took the incredible pictures from an adjacent Jeep, said: 'Me and my close friend Sergey were on a photo-safari in Africa and were "shooting" big cats in a private park in Namibia not far from Botswana border.

'We both suddenly spotted a baby leopard hiding in the long grass at the side of the dirt track. We watched as it slowly crept up to us, thinking we couldn't see it, and waited for the best shot.

'Unfortunately, Sergey was struggling with his camera as the leopard was too close to him. So as he was blind to what the Leopard was doing he didn't see it get right up close to his van.

'The it just leaped on to the roof - you can clearly see how he felt by his facial expression!'

Yikes! The leopard then set upon Ivanov's bag and refused to let go


Part-time Russian wildlife photographer Mr Ivanov, from the city of Kirov, who ventured to the wilds of Africa last year, added: "It was amazing - we never thought this small leopard could jump on to the roof of the car.

'My friend was scared. I was frightened too even though I was on the roof of the other car as you expect it to begin attacking.

'But we soon relaxed as we understood that this big kitten was just playing.'

After realising the leopard was harmless, the pair jumped down from their vehicles and begin interacting with the playful the animal.

But, as the little leopard took a shine to Mr Kotelnikov - whom it had earlier scared - the cheeky kitten jumped on to his bag and smashes his camera into pieces.

The 44-year-old, from Kirov in Russia, said: 'I wasn't really upset - as this was the last day of our safari!

'And the joy of getting so close to a wild animal made up for all the sorrow I felt about my broken camera.

'The leopard did leave me with small bruises on my hands and face from where it kept jumping up on me.

'They are strong animals even at that age.'

Popular: Tourist from all over the world travel to Namibia to enjoy safari trips


source:dailymail

Crazed elephants kill security guard during three-hour rampage in Indian city

By Damien Gayle


Two elephants have been captured and will be returned to wild

Rampage: A wild elephant gores a security guard Mysore, in the southern Indian state of Karnataka


At least one man was killed amid widespread panic when two wild elephants went on a rampage across a southern Indian city.

The raging elephants left a trail of destruction across a suburb of the city of Mysore, in the southern Indian state of Karnataka, after they walked into town from a nearby forest, leaving residents running for their lives.

One man, a 55-year-old from the Bamboo Bazaar district, was trampled to death after he came out of his house to see what was going on.


Footage shown on New Delhi Television news shows the body of another man at the feet of one of the animals being repeatedly gored, butted and trampled.

The footage also shows an elephant angrily kicking a cow.

Karnataka state higher education minister S.A. Ramdas told the AFP news agency the elephants entered the city from a nearby forest early in the morning.

One elephant barged into a women's college compound and stalked the grounds, while the other wreaked havoc in a residential area.

Schools and colleges were closed for the day, said Mr Ramdas, and extra police were deployed as forest rangers and Mysore zoo staff tried desperately to contain the raging beasts.

Tussle: One of the elephants also attacked a cow as it caused havoc across the city

Terrifying: Onlookers can only flee as the wild beasts attacked everything in their path


Officials ordered residents to stay indoors and urged them not to throw stones at the raging elephants for fear of provoking them further.

The two young elephants came with two others from a forest about 22 miles from Mysore. The other pair remain at large on the outskirts of the city, which is 87 miles from Bangalore.

Every year hundreds of people across India die when wild animals wander into cities as their natural habitats shrink and they have to range farther for food.

Havoc: An elephant, with a tranquliser dart in its side, brushes past a car as it lumbers along a street, sending people fleeing in terror

Trail of destruction: The same elephant attacks a pair of motorcycles resting against a wall


Fear: Mysore residents were ordered to stay indoors, and urged not to throw stones at the beasts for fear of enraging them further


India's national parks suffer massive encroachment from people who live and forage for food in the forests or graze their cattle inside.

'Unregulated expansion of farm lands and increasing movement of people and transport vehicles through the elephant corridor are making the wild jumbos enter into villages and towns in search of food and shelter,' one official told AFP.

After a three-hour hunt, the two elephants were eventually brought down with tranquiliser darts and captured. They are set to be released back into the wild.

'Human-elephant conflict': A problem on the rise

Though they rarely stray into urban areas, elephant attacks are not uncommon in Karnataka.

The state - large parts of which are heavily forested, and even unexplored - supports 25 per cent of India's total elephant population.

They are even honoured as the state animal and, thanks to conservation efforts, their numbers have risen quickly in recent years.

Beautiful, intelligent... but deadly: Elephant attacks are all too common in Karnataka, but are rarely as dramatic as the rampage in Mysore


But as the massive creatures' habitat has been gradually destroyed tragic encounters between humans and elephants have increased.

In Karnatka, elephants are mainly concentrated in a number of national parks, several of which are clustered just south of the city of Mysore.

But India's national parks suffer massive encroachment from people who live and forage for food in the forests or graze their cattle inside.

Because forest cover is shrinking, elephants have no other option but to raid villages and farms in search of food.

As well as killing and injuring people, elephants destroy homes and cause massive damage to crops in the areas they stray into.

Loss of habitat: Indian forestry officials and villagers crowd around the carcass of an elephant, one of seven killed by a goods train over a railroad track


In 2005 the Journal of Nature published an article theorising that today’s elephant populations suffer from 'species specific stress' originating from trauma.

Culling and poaching mean that older animals are often missing from the delinquent elephant groups involved in tragedies.

Today these large animals live in what some conservationists say are little more than animal concentration camps, and there is no quick solution to what has been dubbed the 'human-elephant conflict'.




source:dailymail