Tragedy at the Queen's Salute: Horse has to be put down in front of shocked crowd after being run over by a gun carriage in Hyde Park

By REBECCA ENGLISH


Behind the foreground rider the horse can be seen as it falls and entangles its legs in the wheels of the gun carriage


Members of the public looked on in horror today as an army horse died on parade during a freak accident in London’s Hyde Park.

The animal, called Murphy, was taking part in the Royal Gun Salute which takes place on June 2 each year to mark the coronation of the Queen.

Soldiers from the King’s Troop were lining up when the horse tripped while galloping and his legs became entangled in the wheels of a gun wagon, which then dragged him across the grass.


Soldiers rush to disentangle the fallen horse


Realising the animal is bady hurt, a soldier dashes off to find expert help


As he fell, Murphy suffered a ‘complex fracture’ of his leg and after being examined by an on-site vet was immediately put down by injection.

Devastated soldiers erected a green tent around the animal to shield onlookers from the distressing scene which took place shortly before mid-day.

An army spokesman told Mail Online: ‘Unfortunately the horse, called Murphy, became entangled in the gun carriage which was being moved into position and very sadly broke its leg.


A soldier looks up as he realises the severity of the animal's injury


Distraught, a horseman buries his face in his hands


'The vet officer in place immediately gave him pain relief but it was a very complex fracture and the only course of action was to put him down by injection. It was really the only course of action.

‘Everyone involved was naturally distressed. Murphy had been with the regiment for a very long time.

‘It was a tragic accident, one of those split second things that happen and he went down straight away.

‘It is very rare, though, that something like his should happen. No-one can remember anything like this happening before.’


n a shot taken from the watching spectators, soldiers from the King's Troop erect a barrier around the horse as a vet gives it a lethal injection


The salute, to mark the 59th anniversary of the Queen’s accession to the throne, was cancelled as a mark of respect.


Horse injury cancels Queen's 41-gun salute



source: dailymail

Tragedy at the Queen's Salute: Horse has to be put down in front of shocked crowd after being run over by a gun carriage in Hyde Park

By REBECCA ENGLISH


Behind the foreground rider the horse can be seen as it falls and entangles its legs in the wheels of the gun carriage


Members of the public looked on in horror today as an army horse died on parade during a freak accident in London’s Hyde Park.

The animal, called Murphy, was taking part in the Royal Gun Salute which takes place on June 2 each year to mark the coronation of the Queen.

Soldiers from the King’s Troop were lining up when the horse tripped while galloping and his legs became entangled in the wheels of a gun wagon, which then dragged him across the grass.


Soldiers rush to disentangle the fallen horse


Realising the animal is bady hurt, a soldier dashes off to find expert help


As he fell, Murphy suffered a ‘complex fracture’ of his leg and after being examined by an on-site vet was immediately put down by injection.

Devastated soldiers erected a green tent around the animal to shield onlookers from the distressing scene which took place shortly before mid-day.

An army spokesman told Mail Online: ‘Unfortunately the horse, called Murphy, became entangled in the gun carriage which was being moved into position and very sadly broke its leg.


A soldier looks up as he realises the severity of the animal's injury


Distraught, a horseman buries his face in his hands


'The vet officer in place immediately gave him pain relief but it was a very complex fracture and the only course of action was to put him down by injection. It was really the only course of action.

‘Everyone involved was naturally distressed. Murphy had been with the regiment for a very long time.

‘It was a tragic accident, one of those split second things that happen and he went down straight away.

‘It is very rare, though, that something like his should happen. No-one can remember anything like this happening before.’


n a shot taken from the watching spectators, soldiers from the King's Troop erect a barrier around the horse as a vet gives it a lethal injection


The salute, to mark the 59th anniversary of the Queen’s accession to the throne, was cancelled as a mark of respect.


Horse injury cancels Queen's 41-gun salute



source: dailymail

Tragedy at the Queen's Salute: Horse has to be put down in front of shocked crowd after being run over by a gun carriage in Hyde Park

By REBECCA ENGLISH


Behind the foreground rider the horse can be seen as it falls and entangles its legs in the wheels of the gun carriage


Members of the public looked on in horror today as an army horse died on parade during a freak accident in London’s Hyde Park.

The animal, called Murphy, was taking part in the Royal Gun Salute which takes place on June 2 each year to mark the coronation of the Queen.

Soldiers from the King’s Troop were lining up when the horse tripped while galloping and his legs became entangled in the wheels of a gun wagon, which then dragged him across the grass.


Soldiers rush to disentangle the fallen horse


Realising the animal is bady hurt, a soldier dashes off to find expert help


As he fell, Murphy suffered a ‘complex fracture’ of his leg and after being examined by an on-site vet was immediately put down by injection.

Devastated soldiers erected a green tent around the animal to shield onlookers from the distressing scene which took place shortly before mid-day.

An army spokesman told Mail Online: ‘Unfortunately the horse, called Murphy, became entangled in the gun carriage which was being moved into position and very sadly broke its leg.


A soldier looks up as he realises the severity of the animal's injury


Distraught, a horseman buries his face in his hands


'The vet officer in place immediately gave him pain relief but it was a very complex fracture and the only course of action was to put him down by injection. It was really the only course of action.

‘Everyone involved was naturally distressed. Murphy had been with the regiment for a very long time.

‘It was a tragic accident, one of those split second things that happen and he went down straight away.

‘It is very rare, though, that something like his should happen. No-one can remember anything like this happening before.’


n a shot taken from the watching spectators, soldiers from the King's Troop erect a barrier around the horse as a vet gives it a lethal injection


The salute, to mark the 59th anniversary of the Queen’s accession to the throne, was cancelled as a mark of respect.


Horse injury cancels Queen's 41-gun salute



source: dailymail

Tragedy at the Queen's Salute: Horse has to be put down in front of shocked crowd after being run over by a gun carriage in Hyde Park

By REBECCA ENGLISH


Behind the foreground rider the horse can be seen as it falls and entangles its legs in the wheels of the gun carriage


Members of the public looked on in horror today as an army horse died on parade during a freak accident in London’s Hyde Park.

The animal, called Murphy, was taking part in the Royal Gun Salute which takes place on June 2 each year to mark the coronation of the Queen.

Soldiers from the King’s Troop were lining up when the horse tripped while galloping and his legs became entangled in the wheels of a gun wagon, which then dragged him across the grass.


Soldiers rush to disentangle the fallen horse


Realising the animal is bady hurt, a soldier dashes off to find expert help


As he fell, Murphy suffered a ‘complex fracture’ of his leg and after being examined by an on-site vet was immediately put down by injection.

Devastated soldiers erected a green tent around the animal to shield onlookers from the distressing scene which took place shortly before mid-day.

An army spokesman told Mail Online: ‘Unfortunately the horse, called Murphy, became entangled in the gun carriage which was being moved into position and very sadly broke its leg.


A soldier looks up as he realises the severity of the animal's injury


Distraught, a horseman buries his face in his hands


'The vet officer in place immediately gave him pain relief but it was a very complex fracture and the only course of action was to put him down by injection. It was really the only course of action.

‘Everyone involved was naturally distressed. Murphy had been with the regiment for a very long time.

‘It was a tragic accident, one of those split second things that happen and he went down straight away.

‘It is very rare, though, that something like his should happen. No-one can remember anything like this happening before.’


n a shot taken from the watching spectators, soldiers from the King's Troop erect a barrier around the horse as a vet gives it a lethal injection


The salute, to mark the 59th anniversary of the Queen’s accession to the throne, was cancelled as a mark of respect.


Horse injury cancels Queen's 41-gun salute



source: dailymail

Tragedy at the Queen's Salute: Horse has to be put down in front of shocked crowd after being run over by a gun carriage in Hyde Park

By REBECCA ENGLISH


Behind the foreground rider the horse can be seen as it falls and entangles its legs in the wheels of the gun carriage


Members of the public looked on in horror today as an army horse died on parade during a freak accident in London’s Hyde Park.

The animal, called Murphy, was taking part in the Royal Gun Salute which takes place on June 2 each year to mark the coronation of the Queen.

Soldiers from the King’s Troop were lining up when the horse tripped while galloping and his legs became entangled in the wheels of a gun wagon, which then dragged him across the grass.


Soldiers rush to disentangle the fallen horse


Realising the animal is bady hurt, a soldier dashes off to find expert help


As he fell, Murphy suffered a ‘complex fracture’ of his leg and after being examined by an on-site vet was immediately put down by injection.

Devastated soldiers erected a green tent around the animal to shield onlookers from the distressing scene which took place shortly before mid-day.

An army spokesman told Mail Online: ‘Unfortunately the horse, called Murphy, became entangled in the gun carriage which was being moved into position and very sadly broke its leg.


A soldier looks up as he realises the severity of the animal's injury


Distraught, a horseman buries his face in his hands


'The vet officer in place immediately gave him pain relief but it was a very complex fracture and the only course of action was to put him down by injection. It was really the only course of action.

‘Everyone involved was naturally distressed. Murphy had been with the regiment for a very long time.

‘It was a tragic accident, one of those split second things that happen and he went down straight away.

‘It is very rare, though, that something like his should happen. No-one can remember anything like this happening before.’


n a shot taken from the watching spectators, soldiers from the King's Troop erect a barrier around the horse as a vet gives it a lethal injection


The salute, to mark the 59th anniversary of the Queen’s accession to the throne, was cancelled as a mark of respect.


Horse injury cancels Queen's 41-gun salute



source: dailymail

Tragedy at the Queen's Salute: Horse has to be put down in front of shocked crowd after being run over by a gun carriage in Hyde Park

By REBECCA ENGLISH


Behind the foreground rider the horse can be seen as it falls and entangles its legs in the wheels of the gun carriage


Members of the public looked on in horror today as an army horse died on parade during a freak accident in London’s Hyde Park.

The animal, called Murphy, was taking part in the Royal Gun Salute which takes place on June 2 each year to mark the coronation of the Queen.

Soldiers from the King’s Troop were lining up when the horse tripped while galloping and his legs became entangled in the wheels of a gun wagon, which then dragged him across the grass.


Soldiers rush to disentangle the fallen horse


Realising the animal is bady hurt, a soldier dashes off to find expert help


As he fell, Murphy suffered a ‘complex fracture’ of his leg and after being examined by an on-site vet was immediately put down by injection.

Devastated soldiers erected a green tent around the animal to shield onlookers from the distressing scene which took place shortly before mid-day.

An army spokesman told Mail Online: ‘Unfortunately the horse, called Murphy, became entangled in the gun carriage which was being moved into position and very sadly broke its leg.


A soldier looks up as he realises the severity of the animal's injury


Distraught, a horseman buries his face in his hands


'The vet officer in place immediately gave him pain relief but it was a very complex fracture and the only course of action was to put him down by injection. It was really the only course of action.

‘Everyone involved was naturally distressed. Murphy had been with the regiment for a very long time.

‘It was a tragic accident, one of those split second things that happen and he went down straight away.

‘It is very rare, though, that something like his should happen. No-one can remember anything like this happening before.’


n a shot taken from the watching spectators, soldiers from the King's Troop erect a barrier around the horse as a vet gives it a lethal injection


The salute, to mark the 59th anniversary of the Queen’s accession to the throne, was cancelled as a mark of respect.


Horse injury cancels Queen's 41-gun salute



source: dailymail

Not tonight, I'm closing my wings: How female butterflies avoid the attention of over-zealous males

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Scientists have found that female butterflies keep their wings closed when they do not want male attention


When being chased by a man, women have a number of techniques to show they are simply not interested.

Now scientists have discovered that butterflies also have a tell-tale sign.

A team in Japan has found that females of the species closed their wings when they want to avoid unwanted male attention.

They say that by folding away the wings, which often have striking patterns, they are less visible to males.

The research was carried out by the Kurume Institute of Technology in Fukuora and published in the journal Ethology.

The head of the team, Jun-Ya Ide, noticed during analysis of small copper butterflies that they often closed their wings when others flew nearby.

He decided this required further investigation so used a male model to trigger a reaction in the females.


Female small copper butterflies only mate once during their lifetime


He at first believed that the closure of wings was used to avoid the harassment of males.

But as the small copper butterflies only have sex once in their entire life, he then used the model with females who had mated.

'When I brought the model close to a mated female, she often closed the wings,' he told BBC Nature.

He then tried with virgin females of the species and discovered that they left their wings open.

'I concluded that, since females don't need more copulations, they close their wings to conceal themselves,' Dr Ide added.

source: dailymail

The gorillas in the midst of an Atkins diet plan: When fruit is scarce they load up on protein

By FIONA MACRAE

When fruit was thin on the trees, the gorillas gorged on protein-rich leaves, meaning that protein accounted for 30 per cent of their calories


Some might look like they could do with losing a few pounds, but it is unlikely your average gorilla has much idea about slimming.

That said, researchers have found a group of great apes are unwittingly following the Atkins diet.

A study shows that when fruit is scarce, mountain gorillas follow a low-carbohydrate, high-protein diet, similar to the Atkins plan followed by slimmers worldwide.

When fruit is plentiful, their diet is still protein-rich, but is more similar to that recommended by heart charities for health.

The observation comes from researchers who spent a year watching gorillas at Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, the Royal Society journal Biology Letters reports.



When fruit was thin on the trees, the gorillas gorged on protein-rich leaves, meaning that protein accounted for 30 per cent of their calories.

But between February and March and from June to July, when fruit was easy to find, protein made up just 16 per cent of their diet.

Jessica Rothman, of the City University of New York, said the balance during fruit periods was close to the current recommendations of the American Heart Association.

‘By contrast, when leaves dominated diets, 31 per cent of total energy is consumed as protein, a value close to the upper energy limit recommended for humans and similar to high-protein weight loss diets.’

The Atkins diet, which promoted swapping white bread and potatoes for fry-ups and steaks, was followed by millions.

However, it fell out of favour after being dogged by side-effects such as constipation and claims it could increase the risk of heart disease.

source: dailymail

Otter-ly adorable! Boy racing sea otter at San Diego Zoo is an internet sensation

By JENNIFER MADISON

New pals: A toddler has become an instant internet sensation after a video of the boy racing a sea otter went viral


You could say they got on swimmingly.

A toddler has become an instant internet sensation after a video of the boy racing a sea otter went viral.

The video of the boy playing chase with a sea otter at the San Diego Zoo has scored over 1million hits in less than one week's time.

The video - the only uploaded by YouTube user mmoyerssd1 - was posted last Sunday and quickly caught the attention of animal fans around the world.

It shows a blond little boy running back and forth alongside the California zoo's sea otter tank, side-by-side with his new pal.



Somersaults in the sun: The otter, feeling quite social, playfully follows his every move even as the boy tries to trick his new mate


The otter, feeling quite social, playfully follows his every move even as the boy tries to trick his new mate.

The marine mammal is seen doing an underwater somersault in a bid to catch up and give chase in the opposite direction.

The boy giggles in response, running back and forth as passers-by laugh in delight.


San Diego Zoo: One of the largest in the world with with over 4,000 animals of more than 800 species, it is known for its many friendly characters


The zoo - one of the largest in the world with with over 4,000 animals of more than 800 species - has become widely-known for its many friendly characters.

In March, a playful young panda bear named Su Lin grabbed headlines after cameras caught her having a roll in the snow and sticking her tongue out at spectators.

And last year Otis the hippo became a sensation after beaming a smile for visitors' photos as they posed next to his tank.


Playing with an Otter-1


source: dailymail

Smotherly love! A reassuring snuggle for the kitten having a nightmare

By MIKE O'BRIEN

Deep sleep: The kitten starts to move its paws as its imagination takes over


Awww factor 10! People usually say they're either a dog person or a cat person, but this display of motherly love should have universal appeal.

A fluffy young kitten is lying, snuggled as close to her mother as possible, with the parent's front left leg draped over the young 'un's stomach.

The orange and cream striped kitten seems to be deep in sleep with its little mouth wide open.


Kitty nightmare: The arms start flailing and mother is waking


Suddenly the kitten's left paw jerks quickly.

Then the right, then the left, then both.

Clearly having something of a nightmare, the kitten lifts both front legs up in the air.


We'll have none of that: Without opening her eyes, the cat pulls the kitten close


Safe enough for you: The kitten is virtually smothered by its mother


Fighting off a vicious dog, perhaps, or some other big nasty animal.

At that point, mother decides she's had enough.

She lifts her left leg, puts her right leg under the kitten's body and reassuringly pulls her baby as close to her as possible.


Comfy now: The kitten moves her head to a better position


The kitten obviously enjoys her new safer position, eventually moving its head to face her mother's.

The video has had more than 1.3 million views since it was posted on Thursday.
So cute! It's enough turn even the bitterest old man into an emotional ball of fluff!




source: dailymail

Mason the miracle dog: Canine crawls home on TWO broken legs three weeks after being blown away in deadly Alabama tornado

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

On the mend: Mason underwent surgery last week to pin his broken front legs after managing to crawl home on them two weeks after being blown away by a tornado


He probably didn't have to walk 300 miles.

But it was certainly an 'incredible journey' for Mason, the plucky pup who crawled home on two broken legs after a tornado tossed him up and left him for dead.

The scrappy dog had been hiding in a garage in North Smithfield, Alabama, when the storm hit on April 27.

It whipped through the community, destroying houses and uprooting trees, but when it had passed Mason was nowhere to be seen.

His family had all but given up hope when two weeks later they returned home to sift through belongings only to find the dog on their doorstep.

He was in a bad way with what appeared to be broken limbs.


Four legs not so good: Before his op Mason was still having to hunker down to walk


The family rushed him to the Birmingham Jefferson County Animal Control shelter where veterinarians gave him once over.

'He's got two broken legs and they're distal radial unal fractures,' Dr Barbara Benhart told Wavy-TV 10.

'They've not been able to be in alignment so neither one of them have healed so he had to crawl on two broken legs to get home,' she added.


Serious: Dr Barbara Benhart with the Birmingham Jefferson County Animal Control shelter said Mason had distal radial unal fractures in both front legs


Mason's owners asked the shelter to look after him while they try and put their own lives back together.

And with the help of donations and the generosity of a nearby veterinary clinic Mason underwent an operation to fix plates into his two front legs last week.

He is now doing well and will go home to his family in six weeks time, a spokesman from the animal shelter said.


Scene: The tornado whipped through the Jefferson County community destroying houses and uprooting trees, left. Mason had bee hiding in his family's garage, right, when the storm hit


Deadly: A wave of deadly tornadoes hit the state on April 27, including a massive F5 one that destroyed Tuscaloosa, which is around an hour's away from North Smithfield


Now the pup has become something of a celebrity and even has his own Facebook page with 1,255 friends and counting.

He also speaks 'woof' according a list of language skills on his profile.

Phil Doster, who works at the shelter, said the amount of animals brought in because of the storm is starting to taper off, but added that Mason's injuries were the most dramatic they'd seen in an animal that had survived so long on its own.


Mascot: Mason has become something of a celebrity dog after attracting more than a thousand friends on his very own Facebook page


Adventure: Mason's tale smacks of the fictional story of the three pets in 1993 remake Homeward Bound: The incredible journey, in which they travel 300 miles to get home


'For an animal to go through what he's gone through and not to be ugly, to be happy for any companionship is remarkable,' Mr Doster told Wavy-TV.

'We're honoured to be part of his recovery,' he added.

The shelter has been inundated with pets, mostly dogs and cats that have been lost in the storms


After tornado, dog crawls back home [CNN: 5-19-2011]


source: dailymail