IamOne
January 19th, 2006, 06:23 PM
http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/41233000/jpg/_41233234_hamstersnake_ap203b.jpg Aochan, the snake 'seems to enjoy' being with Gohan, the hamster
A rodent-eating snake and a hamster have developed an unusual bond at a zoo in the Japanese capital, Tokyo.
Their relationship began in October last year, when zookeepers presented the hamster to the snake as a meal.
The rat snake, however, refused to eat the rodent. The two now share a cage, and the hamster sometimes falls asleep sitting on top of his natural foe.
"I have never seen anything like it," a zookeeper at the Mutsugoro Okoku zoo told the Associated Press News agency.
The hamster was initially offered to Aochan, the two-year-old rat snake, because it was refusing to eat frozen mice, the Associated Press news agency reports.
As a joke, the zookeeper said they named the hamster Gohan - the Japanese word for meal.
"I don't think there's any danger. Aochan seems to enjoy Gohan's company very much," zookeeper Kazuya Yamamoto told the Associated Press news agency. The apparent friendship between the snake and hamster is one of many reported bonds spanning the divide between predator and prey.
Police take Brother 'gorilla' fur
http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/41199000/jpg/_41199826_burns_body_getty.jpg Singer Pete Burns has said he supports wearing animal furs
Police have seized a "gorilla coat" belonging to Celebrity Big Brother contestant Pete Burns.
Officers from the Hertfordshire Constabulary took the coat from the Big Brother house on Thursday after a number of complaints from viewers.
A spokeswoman for the force said: "The coat will now be tested."
Last week a government minister warned Burns could face jail for wearing a gorilla fur. Owning a gorilla skin without a permit is illegal in the UK.
'Number of complaints'
Burns said the coat was made from gorilla fur when he entered the Big Brother house at the start of the series in early January.
The police spokeswoman added: "Following a number of complaints from members of the public regarding a coat taken into the Big Brother house by Pete Burns, the coat in question has been handed across to police officers from Herts Constabulary."
A spokesman for the Channel 4 programme confirmed the fur had been taken.
"We have passed the coat to police for investigation. Pete is aware of the situation." he said.
Animal rights group People For The Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta) welcomed the police action. "We have been encouraging our supporters to vote Pete Burns out of the house at every opportunity," a spokeswoman said. "Whether it's a gorilla coat, a mink coat or a fox coat, all animals suffer equally at the hands of the fur trade."
A rodent-eating snake and a hamster have developed an unusual bond at a zoo in the Japanese capital, Tokyo.
Their relationship began in October last year, when zookeepers presented the hamster to the snake as a meal.
The rat snake, however, refused to eat the rodent. The two now share a cage, and the hamster sometimes falls asleep sitting on top of his natural foe.
"I have never seen anything like it," a zookeeper at the Mutsugoro Okoku zoo told the Associated Press News agency.
The hamster was initially offered to Aochan, the two-year-old rat snake, because it was refusing to eat frozen mice, the Associated Press news agency reports.
As a joke, the zookeeper said they named the hamster Gohan - the Japanese word for meal.
"I don't think there's any danger. Aochan seems to enjoy Gohan's company very much," zookeeper Kazuya Yamamoto told the Associated Press news agency. The apparent friendship between the snake and hamster is one of many reported bonds spanning the divide between predator and prey.
Police take Brother 'gorilla' fur
http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/41199000/jpg/_41199826_burns_body_getty.jpg Singer Pete Burns has said he supports wearing animal furs
Police have seized a "gorilla coat" belonging to Celebrity Big Brother contestant Pete Burns.
Officers from the Hertfordshire Constabulary took the coat from the Big Brother house on Thursday after a number of complaints from viewers.
A spokeswoman for the force said: "The coat will now be tested."
Last week a government minister warned Burns could face jail for wearing a gorilla fur. Owning a gorilla skin without a permit is illegal in the UK.
'Number of complaints'
Burns said the coat was made from gorilla fur when he entered the Big Brother house at the start of the series in early January.
The police spokeswoman added: "Following a number of complaints from members of the public regarding a coat taken into the Big Brother house by Pete Burns, the coat in question has been handed across to police officers from Herts Constabulary."
A spokesman for the Channel 4 programme confirmed the fur had been taken.
"We have passed the coat to police for investigation. Pete is aware of the situation." he said.
Animal rights group People For The Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta) welcomed the police action. "We have been encouraging our supporters to vote Pete Burns out of the house at every opportunity," a spokeswoman said. "Whether it's a gorilla coat, a mink coat or a fox coat, all animals suffer equally at the hands of the fur trade."