Now this picture seems to indicate that our little ducky friend has got himself into hot water and is about to become duck soup for the shoebill, especially bearing in mind the 4 ft tall shoebill is a renowned predator and not impartial to a bit of wildfowl for dinner, but read on!

Having grabbed the duck, the shoebill merely moved him to one side …

and dropped the poor little blighter onto his back.  As you can see it ruffled a few feathers but, according to onlookers, the duck appeared none the worse for wear!

The shoebill is a threatened species as it’s believed there are only about 5,000 or so remaining, and it tends to be found in large swamps in eastern Africa where it can grow to more than 5 ft tall and have a wingspan of up to 10 ft – quite an imposing figure I would imagine if you’re a duck trying to get out its way!.  It was only discovered in the 19th century when some shoebill skins were brought to Europe.  They mainly feed on fish, frogs, reptiles (including baby crocs), insects and small mammals.

Our next little furry friend is completely barking!

Meet dizzy Daisy the Staffordshire terrier – no, she’s not headless but the mad mutt managed to get her head stuck in a tumble dryer vent!  She was trapped for over an hour with her head in the 6 inch hole in the wall of the utility room in her home in Cambridgeshire.  Unfortunately, as she struggled to set herself free her head became swollen making it impossible for her owners to free her so they had to call the local fire brigade who chipped away the wall around her neck and removed some bricks.

Naturally the terrified terrier didn’t make life easy for her rescuers so the firemen administered oxygen to her to keep her as calm as possible.  After about half an hour she was free with nothing worse than a few scratches.  She was subsequently checked over by a vet who gave her a clean bill of health – no pun intended… utility room?  Laundry??  And just for those of you who are interested in seeing Daisy in a slightly more dignified manner, here she is.

The next animal is bound to have all you animal fanatics out there going aaahhh!!  Meet Baldrick the bald hedgehog – oh bless!!!

This little chap was found in a garden at Great Yarmouth in my home county of Norfolk and is now being looked after by a wildlife rescue centre.  He’s about four months old and, as you can imagine, is a bit of a rarity.  This wrinkly little critter would normally have around 500 prickles to protect him from predators and to help keep him warm but he’s got absolutely zilch!

In order to keep him alive his ‘foster parents’ clean him using an antiseptic scrub and then rub baby oil into his skin in the hope that it’ll soften enough to promote the growth of spikes.  Apparently Baldrick is partial to mealworms and has been known to go to the edge of his cage and put his paw up to take in the odd mealy morsel!!

It’s thought that Baldrick was probablyy abandoned by his mother but it seems he’s doing just fine now … He was a mere 240 grams when he arrived at his new home but he’s now reached a hefty 800 grams!

Now we meet Meadow, who’s half the calf she used to be!

This little Black Angus calf was found in a paddock having lost her hooves and part of her ears due to severe frostbite, but help was at hand via Nancy Dickenson, a rancher who bought the calf and then proceeded to spend thousands of dollars on surgery for her.  Part of her back legs were amputated back in August and vets and students from Colorado State Uni have just fitted her with prosthetic legs and hooves.  Apparently Meadow is now enjoying her life frollicking around in the fields … and before you ask, no she’s not going to end up on the barbecue but is very much a family pet in the Dickenson household!!

And last but not least – meet the stag who decided to spend a night at a Five Star Hotel.

This handsome looking guy held the security team at bay when it gatecrashed into the lobby of the Five Star hotel in northern China.  It’s thought that, due to it being the rutting season, the deer saw himself in the glass and charged the reflection.  Having found himself in the lobby of the hotel he became a bit twitchy – whether it was due to the strange surroundings or the price of the B&B I don’t know, but he started to run amok.  Eventually wildlife experts sedated him, took him to a zoo close by to get him checked out and then returned him to the wild.  Certainly puts a new slant on the term ’stag do’!!!!