© Wool Warriors / Barcroft USA

Holding on for dear life to their wooly steeds, these wild west kids are getting in on some rodeo action by taking part in America’s burgeoning ‘Mutton Bustin’ scene.

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Wearing an ice hockey helmet, face guard and a child sized protective vest, any young bronco under the age of six and weighing no more than 60 pounds can take part.

The aim of the game is to hold onto the 180 pound Cross Colombian ewes for up to six seconds as they are released from a gate into the 150 foot long and 50 ft wide run.

© Wool Warriors / Barcroft USA

Most fall off after a second or so, but for those who can ride out the rough and tumble a place awaits at the Mutton Bustin world championships being held this October in Fresno, California and a £3, 200 prize.

“I have been doing this with my company Wool Warriors for 25 years,” said rodeo entrepreneur Tommy G, who runs his sheep riding business out of Pueblo, Colorado.

“We own around 500 sheep and we take around 75 to around 14 fairs across the USA for the Mutton Bustin events.

“That way we ensure that they are rotated and properly rested and in no way over worked.

© Wool Warriors / Barcroft USA

“They are more than capable of carrying a small child on their back and the Houston Livestock Board gave us the once over for safety in 2008 and declared that skateboarding or roller blading was more dangerous for the kids than this.”

Originally starting as a filler during proper rodeo events in America, Tommy, 44, quickly so the potential for growth in riding sheep.

“The Mutton Bustin’ was done as a half time entertainment and always I would see 40 or 50 kids disappointed that they had missed their turn,” explained Tommy.

“So, by setting up Wool Warriors and having our own purpose built track and seating capabilities lets us entertain every child who wants to have a go.”

Charging around £8 for the pleasure of riding a put upon ewe, Tommy estimates that during their countrywide tours around 8,000 kids get a chance to act out as their rodeo heroes.

“Safety is the key,” said Tommy.

© Wool Warriors / Barcroft USA

“They are padded and their head is protected. No child is forced to do it if they change their mind.

“And in Fresno this year we will be hosting the Mutton Bustin world championship.

“The winners of the ‘Golden Buckle’, from each of the 14 previous fairs are invited to play off against each other.

“We are expecting 300 kids and their families to arrive and the first prize is a £3,200 saving bond for the winner.”

Words by James Nye

© MATTHEW TABACCOS / BARCROFT MEDIA LTD

Most dog’s love to chase cats but Panjo the tiger turns a common sight on its head in comical fashion – by running after loveable pooches Milo and Sky.

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In a bizarre animal-kingdom relationship the trio are actually best friends.

And as these adorable pictures show they love snuggling up together after they’ve been for walkies.

They were hand-reared by the Fernandes family in their home near Pretoria, South Africa.

Panjo has lived with the family since he was just three weeks old and clinging to life.

© MATTHEW TABACCOS / BARCROFT MEDIA LTD

Sick and abandoned by his mother he was taken in by Goosey Fernandes who brought him home and immediately took on the job of nurturing the tiny tiger cub as if he was one of his own.

He eventually returned to health and now, aged 19 months, is strong and hearty and officially one of the family.

So much so that Jack Russell’s Milo and Sky, both two years old, who he grew up with and now treat him like one of the gang.

Playing with him and teasing him and dozing with him on a sofa outside the family home.

© MATTHEW TABACCOS / BARCROFT MEDIA LTD

And while he could easily gobble them up as a tasty snack, Panjo isn’t the least bit aggressive and always plays nicely with the Jack Russells.

Goosey said: “He plays with them, they steal his bones, they run after each other. He has never hurt one of my dogs, they play all the time, they are good friends”.

And while he already looks big enough to be more than a little bit wary, he is in fact only half the size he is likely to be when fully grown.

© MATTHEW TABACCOS / BARCROFT MEDIA LTD

And Panjo is just a baby at heart, still feeding largely off the bottle milk Goosey gives him and crying at night if he is not fed.

If he is really hungry he even shows his cheeky side and raids the fridge.

“The bond I have with Panjo myself and the family is something extraordinary,” said Goosey. “At night he will cry and want his bottle of milk.

“He lies on my couch outside the house drinking milk. It’s worth every minute”.

Sadly Panjo’s days as a family pet are numbered because as a naturally wild animal it might become dangerous to keep him in such a small space.

© MATTHEW TABACCOS / BARCROFT MEDIA LTD

But Goosey does have plans to find a mate for him so he can breed and become a father himself one day.

But however far Panjo roams Goosey hopes he will always remember his first family, who saw him through his first precarious days of life and gave him a loving home.

Words by Ben Cooper

© CHRISTOPHER AMERUSO / BARCROFT USA

They maybe famous for their blockbuster hits, big egos and diva tantrums but even Hollywood’s finest have a soft spot for man’s best friend.

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Meet Christopher Ameruoso – premier animal photographer to some of the world’s biggest stars.

Top dog in the world of celebrity pet photography, Christopher has snapped almost 500 stars with their pooches, lizards and even baby pigs.

During his 13-year career, the ex-musician has rubbed shoulders with the likes of Megan Fox, Geri Halliwell and Ozzy Osbourne and recently photographed Cheryl Cole’s Derek Hough with his dog.

© CHRISTOPHER AMERUSO / BARCROFT USA

Turning the old saying, ‘never work with animals’ on its head, Christopher sometimes finds the ‘talent’ to be more difficult to work with than the pets themselves.

Putting the celebs at ease with his natural style, Brooklyn born Christopher, 45, manages to get them to lovingly pose and in some cases such as Sharon Osborne, to show perhaps too much affection.

“It is really tough to have a favourite celebrity from my career because there have been so many, but I always remember something special from each one,” said Chris.

© CHRISTOPHER AMERUSO / BARCROFT USA

“Pamela Anderson has been there for me in helping the animals and has really stood her ground on what she believes in with animal rights.

“She is a great animal rescue person.

“She will foster dogs and then find them great homes. She just recently went to the Gulf and rescued a few dogs that were abandoned by their owners after they lost their jobs because of the BP oil spill.

“We love to work together. We work quickly and get amazing photos all the time.

“I’m sure I will be working with Pamela for years to come.”

Of course, working with animals does bring its problems, but usually of the more humorous kind.

“When I photographed Slash with his snakes and bearded dragon at one point I had asked him to place the bearded dragon on his famous top hat that he was wearing,” said Chris.

“Soon after the lizard jumped off and went for a run in the streets of Beverly Hills.

“It looked like a mini scene from Jurassic Park. It was classic.

“Another time, when I was photographing Megan Fox she brought along her entire collection of pets.

“That is she brought her pot bellied pig, two birds, three dogs and a cat.

“There I was behind my lens with one of the most beautiful women in the world with a cat purring, the dogs barking, birds whistling and the pig squealing and I thought to myself, “Wow, my life is great!’

“It was a surreal moment.”

© CHRISTOPHER AMERUSO / BARCROFT USA

Because of his fame within the niche of celebrity pet photography, Chris never finds it difficult to find stars willing to pose with their pets.

“They are always fine and usually very keen to do it with their pets,” said Chris.

“However, I always find that after the first 30 frames the celebrities start to get a bit restless with the shoot, while it is the dogs, cats or lizards who relax the most.

“Ozzy and his bulldog were great, that is such a natural pose.”

Moving to LA from Long Island 22 years ago with his thee brothers, Chris originally wanted to find fame and fortune with the band he and his siblings were in, The Ameruoso’s.

“When that came to an end I tried my hand at photography,” explained Chris.

“I am totally self taught in all elements of my photography.

“The pet photography started about 13 years ago.

“I would see all these great celebrities walking their dogs and I thought it would be a great idea to put a book out with all this people at home with these pets.

“Completely out of what we are used to seeing them as, on screen on television.”

© CHRISTOPHER AMERUSO / BARCROFT USA

Heavily into animal rights, Chris likes to use his photography to promote causes like Pamela Anderson’s recent mission to the gulf region to rescue dogs tossed out by owners who couldn’t afford them any longer.

“I have always had a great love for animals,” said Chris.

“I got that from my grandfather Joe Spinelli. He was always rescuing stray dogs and would nurse them back to health.

“I always admired that in him and that really inspired me to enjoy animals.

“So I try to portray that in my work.”

Still working every day, Chris completed another photo shoot with Pamela Anderson only last week.

“I love my job and I would have to say that the next person on my list would most definitely have to be Angelina Jolie,” explained Chris.

“She is the next person I want to photograph for sure.”

Words by James Nye

© TONY WU / BARCROFT MEDIA

It is one of the rarest sights in nature but these incredible images show a pair of courting humpback whales moments before diving deep into the clear blue waters to mate.

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Underwater photographer Tony Wu witnessed the incredible moment earlier this month off the islands of Vava’u in the Kingdom of Tonga.

Swimming closely to a pod of southern hemisphere humpbacks, Tony witnessed the notorious ‘heat run’ where one female is pursued by a number of males until she selects a partner.

On this occasion, Tony, was able to capture the rare sight of an aroused triumphant male humpback whale swimming gracefully next to the chosen female.

© TONY WU / BARCROFT MEDIA

“There is no documented case of anyone seeing humpback whales mate,” said 40-year-old Tony.

“I know the whales come here each winter in part to find mates, so there’s always a hope of catching something like this.

“But taking this actual photograph was somewhat by chance.

“The two resting whales surfaced every ten minutes or so, took a few breaths of air, and then settled back in the water column to rest.

“On this occasion, they swam for an extended period, perhaps up to five minutes. I swam alongside, making eye contact with the male.

“At one point, the male’s body language indicated that the pair would dive soon, and I took several photos as they did so.

“They dived deep, which was slightly different from the previous behaviour. When I examined the photos, I realised that the male’s penis was showing.

“I’d like to think that they went deep for some private time, but no-one can be one hundred percent certain of that.”

Witnessing the courting ritual known as the heat run, Tony was able to see many examples of interaction between the whales.

“The heat run involves one female and several male suitors,” said Tony.

“The female and males swim, and the males challenge one another, show off to the female, until the female selects a male.

“The process can take a long time, many hours or even days, and has the potential to get rough and violent among the males.

“Once the female has chosen a mate, they spend time together.

© TONY WU / BARCROFT MEDIA

“I have spent time with many mating pairs over the years. Typically, they are relaxed, often inquisitive and clearly demonstrate amorous intent to one another.

“They often make body contact, swim in graceful, elaborate, almost choreographed motions.”

Each year southern hemisphere humpback whales visit the area to mate, give birth, raise young, socialise and then head back south to Antarctic waters to feed.

Spending six to eight weeks of each year (August-September) with humpbacks in this area, Tony uses his years of expertise to witness such events.

“Southern hemisphere humpbacks have many places they visit in the winter each year,” said Tony.

“The Vava’u group of islands in the Kingdom of Tonga is one of those places.

“I have photo IDs of repeat visits by some whales, so it’s clear that some whales do visit the same areas, but whales can swim far, and there are many islands in the region.

© TONY WU / BARCROFT MEDIA

“There is photo evidence of whales visiting many islands in the area, so they are not necessarily restricted to this particular group of islands.”

Despite his years o experience though, this is the first time he has photographed humpbacks so close to mating.

“This isn’t the first time I have photographed mating pairs,” said Tony.

“But it is the first time I have photographed the obvious deploying of a penis prior to diving, possibly for the purpose of mating.

“I still want to see the actual mating event and a whale giving birth, but seeing this whale couple preparing to mate is a positive sign.

“I’ve come across five such pairs so far during this winter season in Vava’u.

“Each pair means the possibility of a new humpback calf being born and raised next year, which means increased odds of continued healthy recovery of the southern hemisphere humpback whale population. ”

Words by Jack Fletcher

© WWW.NICKGARBUTT.COM / BARCROFT MEDIA

It is startling enough to come face to face with a bear in the wild, but to then discover that it is an incredibly unusual white ‘Spirit Bear’ makes it an exceedingly special encounter.

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Lucky wildlife photographer and writer Nick Garbutt got within five metres with this spirit bear as he rambled through the Great bear Rainforest in British Columbia in Canada.

“I knew instantly, this was no ordinary bear, black or brown”, said Nick, “but instead a pale honey-cream, fairy tale bear as rare as it was beautiful”.

Nick froze as the near-mythical creature, pondered his new neighbour. After some sniffing, posturing and a little thought the bear decided that Nick was nothing to be concerned about and went back to fishing for salmon, allowing the Nick to get these superb shots.

© WWW.NICKGARBUTT.COM / BARCROFT MEDIA

Soon the explanation for the dismembered salmon became very apparent. With an abundance of food around, the bears can be picky, so prefer to eat only the high-fat, high-energy brains of male salmon, or the equally nutritious caviar from the female fish. The remains then get spread around and help fertilise the forest.

Restricted to a handful of off-shore islands in the Great Bear Rainforest, the Spirit Bear, a distinct and rare genetic variant of the more common and widely distributed Black Bear, is an extraordinary sight, and appears to glow “ghost-like” in the dark, primordial forests it inhabits.

© WWW.NICKGARBUTT.COM / BARCROFT MEDIA

In the Great Bear Rainforest, there is only one ‘Spirit Bear’ for every 10 regular Black Bears, so Nick believes he encountered one of only around 300 in the world.

To the native First Nation communities of the region the white bear is revered as an ‘ancient forest spirit”, that stirs powerful beliefs and emotions. The creatures are entwined in their folklore, considered sacred and are forbidden from being hunted.

But today, all bears in British Columbia have become prized trophies for foreign hunters, and this severely threatens their future.

Words by Jack Fletcher

© Marcin Nawrcki / Barcroft Media

Incredible pictures show two birds of prey spectacularly fighting each other like kung-fu movie legends.

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In one image a large crane adopts a Matrix-style mid-air flying kick at an advancing eagle.

Striking with supreme accuracy that even Bruce Lee would be proud, the crane successfully warns off the eagle from her young.

The rare encounter was captured on camera last week by office worker Marcin Nawrocki, 33, in the valley of Bzura in the centre of Poland.

© Marcin Nawrcki / Barcroft Media

“I have never seen that situation before,” he said.

“The fight broke out because the adult crane was trying to protect her children.

“Eagles and cranes rather don’t meet so close in one area. I heard that adult eagles sometimes hunt for young cranes.

© Marcin Nawrcki / Barcroft Media

“But this was still a great surprise for me.

“I think that young eagle was just curious. The crane attacked him because the distance between the predator and its young was too short, and eagles are excellent hunters.”

Lasting just a few minutes, the acrobatic crane successfully saw off the young eagle.

“The crane was stronger than young eagle but it the eagle managed to escape,” said Marcin.

© Marcin Nawrcki / Barcroft Media

“That kind of situation doesn’t happen every day but you could feel the raw emotion of a parent protecting its young.”

Words by Jack Fletcher

© ANIMAL PRESS / BARCROFT MEDIA

Two Pelicans tease donkey “Apollo 13″ in the private animal park of Roland Adam 55, in the Teutoburg forest, near Horstel, Lower Saxony, Germany.

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Nobody likes to be made an ass of, especially by a couple of cheeky pelicans. But this pair at an animal park in Germany just can’t keep their bills to themselves.

© ANIMAL PRESS / BARCROFT MEDIA

Their hapless victim, a donkey called Apollo 13, who for unknown reasons has been forced to endure being picked on by the two.

© ANIMAL PRESS / BARCROFT MEDIA

The teasing appeared to be good natured as these pictures, taken by amateur photographer Roland Adam who owns the animal park in Teutoburg forest in Horstel, Lower Saxony, show.

Words by Jack Fletcher

© DAN BORRIS/BARCROFT

Incredibly cute and extremely flexible, these beautiful pups and kittens strike classic yoga pose’s for 2011’s Yoga Puppies and Yoga Kittens calendars.

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The hilarious images by Texan couple Dan and Alejandra Borris are the follow up to last year’s wildly successful Yoga Dogs.

Inspired by a Mexican yoga holiday, fifty-three year old professional photographer Dan has uses photoshop to get his kittens and pups striking hero poses or the famous lotus positions.

“Alejandra moves the kittens and the pups as much as she can into the yoga moves but some of those positions in the calendar are anatomically impossible,” laughs San Antonio resident Dan.

“Bear in mind though that kittens and pups are very flexible.

“But, rest assured if they were real images we would have animal rights activists from around the world knocking on our door.

© DAN BORRIS/BARCROFT

“There is no forcing the animal to do anything. We will get the kittens and pups in a general position but each of the animals that I photograph is well looked after.

“They come from the San Antonio Defence League, which is an animal shelter that has a no-kill policy on stray animals.”

© DAN BORRIS/BARCROFT

Relying on his wife Alejandra’s animal skills, Dan gets her to hold and coax the dogs into certain positions.

“She is a yoga teacher and works with animals for a living,” says Dan about Alejandra, 42.

“She works with them while I am setting up lights etc and she gets them as close as she can to the poses.

“We think about the animals and what pose they could do and would they do if it were possible and what would be interesting and funny.

“In the photo you see my wife is holding them and then she is photo-shopped out.

“Some of the poses are very simple – like Candy the cat. She is one of our favourites because if you look you can see that she has two different coloured eyes. Like David Bowie.”

© DAN BORRIS/BARCROFT

Dan and Alejandra look for inspiration everywhere.

“We photographed 15 puppies and 13 kittens for the two calendars,” said Dan.

“The kittens were obviously naughtier than the dogs, but they were all lovely to work with and well behaved.

“Pansy, the Great Dane was a real cute one and we are donating proceeds from the profits to animal welfare charities.

“This is something that we enjoy greatly and since the response from the Yoga Dogs calendar, we are hoping for more success next year.”

Words by James Nye

© BARCROFT MEDIA

Cute Rambo has become the first dog in the world to be successfully treated with stem cell therapy.

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The 15-month-old boxer was paralysed after being run over by a car on his evening walk in Chennai, India.
In desperation his owner, Jyoti Pillai, begged vets to do whatever they could to cure Rambo and after months of gruelling treatment he is finally walking again.”We literally begged the doctors to save our naughty Rambo and asked them to do whatever they could,” said Jyoti, 23.

“Doctors initially didn’t think they could do anything so we carried him home on our shoulders.

“A few days later the vet called and told me about a new treatment that had never been successful.

© BARCROFT MEDIA

“They told us there was a 50 per cent chance Rambo would walk again. We had no other options so we lost no time to give our nod.”
The process started in November last year, just days after Rambo was mown down while trying to get his end of walk ice cream from a roadside seller.
The impact severed Rambo’s spinal cord, leaving him unable to use his back legs”We were terribly shocked to see Rambo but we took him to a nearby clinic where he was given some painkillers but they told us to take him to the Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (TANUVAS) as he had suffered major injuries,” said economics student Jyoti.

© BARCROFT MEDIA

Here vets removed stem cells from Rambo’s bone marrow and harvested them in a special laboratory.
Twenty million stem cells were later grafted onto the dog’s spine by vets in a delicate six-hour operation.
During his recovery, Rambo was given a further 20 million stem cells intravenously. In total the treatment cost just £350.
The months following surgery were full of anticipation for Jyoti and her four sisters, who were anxiously waiting for the Rambo to stand up and run again.

© BARCROFT MEDIA

After 12 weeks Rambo started to take his first tentative steps and began walking again.
The success has been hailed a breakthrough by vets, who believe Rambo is the first dog in the world to walk again following stem cell therapy.
Dr P Thangaraju, Vice-Chancellor of the University, said: “This is a preliminary case we are projecting. The dog recovered within couple of months of the procedure being performed. More studies will be conducted.”

Words by Lucy Tatchell

© BARCROFT PACIFIC / BARCROFT MEDIA

A tourist is lucky to be alive after climbing into a crocodile enclosure and trying to ride on top of a five-metre beast called Fatso.

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The man was ejected from a pub in Broome, Western Australia, on Monday night before climbing the fence of Broome Crocodile Park.
He then entered the pen of a giant saltwater crocodile, called Fatso.
Police said the man, “affected by alcohol”, wanted to touch the crocodile and tried to sit on its back.
Broome Police Sergeant Roger Hayne said: “The five-metre long male crocodile took exception and attacked the drunken intruder, who managed to escape with severe lacerations to his right leg.”

The narrow enclosure © BARCROFT PACIFIC / BARCROFT MEDIA

He added: “For some reason he’s made a decision to climb the fence into the pen where the crocodile was living.
“He appears to have wanted to touch that crocodile and sit on its back, and the crocodile has taken offence to that and bitten him on the right leg.
“He’s extremely lucky to be alive. This is a large male saltwater crocodile, who aren’t renowned for letting people escape once they’ve got hold of them.”
The man, believed to be an Australian on holiday from an eastern state of Australia, has been treated at the Broome Hospital, where he has undergone surgery and received dozens of stitches to a severe wound on his leg.
A spokesman for Broome Police said it was a miracle the man was alive but said he could still face charges of trespassing in the crocodile park.

Words by Jon Kaila