Death Of A Baby Elephant In Zoo

Three month old Baby elephant Lola was due to receive groundbreaking surgery for her condition but passed away during a preliminary scan. Keepers at Munich's Hellabrunn Zoo decided to return her body to the enclosure so mother Panang, 22, could say her goodbyes in peace.

Zoo director and veterinarian Dr Andreas Knieriem explained how baby Lola died after three days of treatment by experts."Considering the pathology, it has to be said it's a miracle that she lived as long as she did," said Dr. Knieriem. 'Her arteries were so blocked that blood couldn't flow through her lungs anymore.'

A 2005 study in the UK found the creatures displayed traits similar to humans and, coming across the remains of an elephant, would gently touch the skull and tusks with their trunks and feet. They are also believed to display a ritual around death, with several elephants travelling to visit a dead body and touching the corpse with their trunks. Some elephants have been seen to weep and others make sounds associated with grief as they cover the body with leaves and branches before keeping a silent vigil.

Illusion Images And Surreal Paintings By Mihai Criste

Surreal Paintings Offer Dual Perspective surrealistic cues from Dali and Magritte, painter Mihai Criste expands on the unusually expressive art form in his illusionary images. The Romania-based artist boasts a vast portfolio of imaginative works that tackle the cunning abilities of visual elements. Each image offers dual perspectives. It's a matter of what the spectator sees first and their ability to reevaluate what's in front of them, in order to see the optically crafty details.

In addition to the optical illusions, there is a quirky presence in many of Criste's paintings. Many of his works feature animals blending in with their environment, making it difficult to distinguish one from the other. The artist has really mastered the art of illusion, especially when incorporating birds and butterflies.
 

Paga Crocodile Pond in Ghana

Paga is a town in northern Ghana where the nation's main north-south road reaches the Burkina Faso border, north of Bolgatanga. Paga is known for its sacred crocodile ponds where most visitors are surprised that they can touch and sit on a live crocodile.

This famous pond is filled with some of the biggest crocodiles in the world. According to history and some myth, one of the ancient crocodiles of this pond saved the life of the first man who settled in the area by leading him to the pond to quench his thirst from a long journey.

Generally crocodiles are wild creatures but not the ones in Paga. These crocodiles coexist with humans and their friendly interactions with humans baffle the minds of many tourists. It is also believed that the soul of every native of this village has a corresponding crocodile in the pond.

Paga crocodile pond sanctuary is visited by millions of travelers from all parts of the globe. There are trained tour guides who performs some exercises before the crocodiles come out of water. A small fee is charged to buy the chicken for the show.

World Contest Of Ugliest Dog 2011

World’s Ugliest Dog Contest is an annual contest held in Petaluma, California, U.S., as part of the Sonoma-Marin Fair, to decide which of the dogs entered in the contest is the ugliest. Dogs come from across the United States generally but are welcome to enter from around the world. Along with the title of “The World’s Ugliest Dog” the winner’s owner receives a check for USD $1,000 and both dog and owner receive significant publicity for winning the contest, appearing on talk shows and in newspapers around the world.

Yoda won the $1,000 top prize as the world's ugliest dog Contest 2011 in Petaluma, California. It's 14-year old Chinese Crested/chihuahua mix with a malformed nose, short tufts of hair, protruding tongue, and long seemingly hairless legs.

Here are some more photos of ugly dog contestants of 2011.

Heaviest Man In The World - Patrick D. Deuel

Patrick D. Deuel from Nebraska is one of the heaviest man in the world. He is just 49 years old and the subject of the documentary “Half Ton Man” in Channel Four's Body Shock series, in which Rosalie Bradford gave advice after achieving a record-breaking weight loss of 410 kilograms.
Patrick D. Deuel is a former restaurant manager. At one point, he had not left his bed, in 7 years. He stands at 177.5 cm (5 ft 10 in). At his peak he weighed 1,126 pounds at the time, the only scale that could be used to weigh him was a livestock scale.

Gastric bypass surgery was thought to be his best chance for permanent weight loss. A second operation removed a mass of fat and skin hanging from his midsection. After 12 months, Patrick lost 260 kilograms. After leaving the hospital, Patrick lost even more weight, reaching 170 kilograms, a notable 318 kilograms loss.

Since then, Patrick had a setback and his guess is that he now weighs 193 kilograms.