Leopard goes on the attack after straying into village

This is the horrifying moment a fully grown leopard pounces on a forestry department official in a village in deepest India.

The big cat mauled six people after it strayed into the village from a nearby national park and became startled by the curious humans.

The forest guards eventually managed to corner and successfully tranquilise the beast but not before it attacked one of their own men.

These pictures show the amazing scene as it unfolded in Prakash Nagar village, near Salugara on the outskirts of Siliguri, in Assam, north-east India.

Perched on corrugated rooftops and walls, the villagers watched the action in a mixture of horror and excitement.

Kanchan Banerjee, a forest ranger of the Sukna Wildlife Range, told The Hindu newspaper: 'It was spotted near a house in the morning by villagers who raised the alarm, and this startled the leopard.

'With the villagers trying to chase it, it tried to flee and injured five of them in the process.

'Then, the leopard took shelter in an abandoned house.'

During the forest guards' attempt to capture the beast alive, the leopard - which weighed up to 198lb (90kg) - critically injured one as he tried to tranquilise it in the house.

It then fled into the bushes.

Three policeman armed with batons and knives eventually caught the animal after it leapt on rangers as they approached it.

The leopard was tranquilised and fell into unconsciousness as it made its way into an alley. 

It was taken to a veterinary centre in Sukna but died from its injuries.

Forest department officials believe the animal wandered into the village from either the Mahananda forest reserve or the Baikunthapar range.

Prakash Nagar, which is surrounded by national parks, sits in the slim section of India between Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh.

16 dalmatian puppies born to one tired mother - who was also one of 16

Owners of a dalmation who gave birth to a rare, huge litter of 16 spotted pups have had to have a  letter signed by vets to confirm the unusually large brood.

Bitch Milly, who was coincidentally one of 16, gave birth to the huge haul of puppies six weeks ago.

Owners Lisa and Terry Elvins, from Church Stretton, Shropshire, said registering the pups with the Kennel club had proved difficult because no-one believed Milly had had such a large litter.

Mum-of-three Mrs Elvins said veterinarians couldn't believe the size of the haul of puppies when they performed a caesarian operation on Milly.

She said: 'During the caesarian the vet pulled out eight puppies and gave a sigh, so we thought that was it - but there were still eight more to go. The vets were amazed.

'It's really unusual to have so many puppies in one litter and the Kennel Club actually don't believe us 

'We have had to get a signed letter from the vet confirming it was 16 puppies in one letter so they can all be registered.'

It's all the more amazing as the bitch Milly was one of 16 puppies herself.'

The family are all hard at work taking care of the pups which will be sold on to new homes, however Mrs Elvins said they have decided to keep one - named Maisie.

She said:'Everyone loves having the dogs around - my daughter Becky had her 21st birthday party recently and the puppies were a really big hit, everyone wanted to see them.

'It is really hard work looking after 16 dogs in the house as someone always has to be around them at feed time and as they are puppies they eat quite often. 

'But at the same time it is lovely and rewarding.

'We are keeping Milly and one of the puppies Maisie, but the rest are all available to loving homes.'

St Bernard in balmy Bangkok: Mighty Milo struggles in the heat

Spare a thought for Milo, the two-foot tall St.Bernard struggling to cope in the heat.

While the St.Bernard originates from the Swiss Alps and was initially bred as a rescue dog, Milo resides in Bangkok, Thailand, where he doesn't really have need of such a warm coat.

The sweltering heats of 33C yesterday were taking their toll on the pooch, who was spotted out padding the streets for a walk with his owner.

He looked desperate for a drink of water, but was able at least to use his mighty tongue to regulate his body temperature.

As all children learn, dogs' tongues becomes larger during exercise because of increased blood flow and tend to hang out of the mouth. 

Thus, when a dog pants, its quick shallow breaths cause moisture on the tongue to evaporate - thus cooling the entire body.

Beastly Brutus gives tourists a scary snap

The tourists had paid for a close-up view of crocodiles – and when this beast burst from the water they certainly got their money’s worth.

For when it comes to crocs, they don’t come much bigger than Brutus.

Lured by a tour guide dangling kangaroo meat from a pole, the 18ft, two-ton monster was, er, snapped by photographer Katrina Bridgeford, who was on the Adelaide River cruise with her family.

‘It got the adrenaline going,’ Australian Mrs Bridgeford said. ‘It was so close you could almost touch it.’

She recalled that when her son Dylan, 11, saw the massive creature rise out of the water he had only two words to utter - 'Holy crap!'

Brutus is missing his front leg following what is believed to have been a confrontation with a shark in the river's estuary - leaving many people to wonder just how big the shark was.

'When it came up out of the water there were a lot of "Oos" and "Ahs",' said Miss Bridgeford.

'I wasn't expecting anything like this. I couldn't believe how close it got to us.

'If you had put your hand out you would have been able to touch it - if you'd dared.'

Jumping crocodile cruises are a major tourist attraction in the Northern Territory, where the Crocodile Dundee movies, starring Paul Hogan, were shot.

Thousands of the monsters live in waterways around the Darwin region, resulting in the local government erecting signs in tourist areas warning people not to swim or wash their vehicles in the water.

They are also told not to camp near rivers because crocodiles roam up to a mile inland.

Several people have been killed by the reptiles over the years.

Three people were taken by crocodiles in northern Australia in 2009 alone, including an 11-year-old girl who was playing with friends in the Black Jungle Swamp near Darwin.

Shock for baby monkey who thought she had discovered a treat

Picking up a piece of nettle, this inquisitive baby rhesus monkey had no idea she was about to get stung.

As she explored her enclosure, the two month old primate reached out and placed the green 'food' into her mouth at Longleat Safari Park, Wiltshire.

At first she appeared unsure about what to do with the leaf before she put it in her mouth.

But seconds later her face grimaced in shock as the nettle gave her a nasty nip before she spat it out in her hand and looked at it puzzlingly.

The hilarious moment was caught on camera by Longleat's deputy head warden Ian Turner who had noticed the two-month-old monkey acting curiously around the nettles.

Ian said: 'I had only hoped to get a quick close-up snap of the baby looking towards me. I didn't quite expect her to begin eating the stinging nettle.

'The monkeys here are normally pre-occupied with visitor cars but this young monkey obviously found something which appeared more interesting.

'Most animals don't generally react in the same way humans do to stinging nettles. I was quite surprised at the reaction this little one had towards it. She was a little shocked.

'She's probably no more than a couple of months old but clearly has no fear.

'We normally feed the monkeys a special primate diet as well as a mix of fruit to feed on but obviously on this occasion the temptation of a stinging nettle seemed irresistible!' But the sting from the nettle appeared to be short-lived as the animal was soon seen with the rest of the troop happily playing.

The monkey is one of more than 100 Rhesus Macaques at Longleat who normally spend their days leaping on thousands of cars that pass through their enclosure each day.

Rhesus macaque monkeys are found throughout south east Asia and across the Indian sub-continent.

In some parts of India they are believed to be sacred and have lived in close contact with humans for centuries.

They are extremely intelligent, naturally inquisitive animals which can learn to manipulate simple tools and distinguish colours and shapes.

They live in family troops of 20 or more and are led by a dominant male.

Agile bird shows off remarkable gymnastic skills

This bearded tit proved quite the acrobat when she landed on an awkward perch.

Lea Roberts photographed the agile bird doing the splits between two reeds in East Tilbury, Essex.

The 42-year-old, from East Tilbury, said: 'I spotted some of the birds flying in and out of the reeds so I decided to wait there with my camera.

'As luck would have it, this one popped up right in front of me and I was able to take a photograph.

'It's characteristic of the birds to perch like this and this one proved quite the gymnast - she managed to stay in the same position for around 15 seconds.

'It's the first time I've captured one of the birds doing this and I'm pretty chuffed.'

Bearded tits are usually spotted flying rapidly across the top of a reedbed.

But rather than having bearded the males have black 'moustaches'.

They are sociable and noisy , their 'ping' calls often being the first clue to their presence. 

They are particularly vulnerable to severe winters and their population has declined in recent years, making them an Amber List species.

Bearded tits are particularly vulnerable to long cold winters, when populations can be reduced to mere handfuls.

The Barkley, LA's most exclusive hotel... for dogs

It's not surprising that the guests of an exclusive hotel in Los Angeles feel like they are treated like top dogs.

They are not worried that the residents at the Four Seasons across the road can order breakfast in bed, have a massage or take a swim in the pool. 

For those staying at the Barkley can do the same, plus much much more -  because it has the reputation of being the most luxurious pet hotel in the world.

To its burgeoning list of guest services, the hotel In Westlake Village, has recently added swimming lessons as an alternative daily exercise routine.

Personal swim instructors take the guests for a splash with pool toys, and life jackets for the less confident swimmers. After the fun, they can relax in a poolside cabana with a cool drink and a gourmet dog treat.

On the spa treatment menu, fur dyeing is now offered. With natural dyes dogs can have their ears, paws, or tail coloured pink, blue or green or be stencilled with fetching leopard spots or zebra stripes, or even an all-American flag design. 

The design stays put for up to four weeks, and causes no harm or discomfort to the dog.

It is also a very quick process involving a paintbrush, some foils and then a trip to the high tech no-heat drying stations that gently ruffle the pooches fur to perfection. 

Since the hotel opened last spring dog parents have the option of having their pets stay on 'Rodeo Drive' or 'Hollywoof Boulevard' in suites that provide individual climate and lighting control, piped soothing music and frequently freshened air. 

Cats have smaller suites but are entertained by television screens featuring birds in flight and the tropical fish swimming in the central tank. 

The streets of 'Rodeo Drive' are lined with 'stores' with names inspired by famous brands around the world, with a pet-friendly twist of course.

Among the stores are Chewnel, Sniffany & Co, and Chewy Vuitton.

Every area of the hotel is under 24-hour surveillance and pet parents can check in on their fur baby via webcam or even on their phone as they sit poolside on their own vacation.

If they feel their pet looks like he's missing home too much, the hotel offers a special list of add-on services to ensure their total comfort.

A dog can get an ice-cream social with his friends, a bedtime biscuit and tummy rub or a limousine ride to McDonalds where the chauffeur will pick them up a cheeseburger, hamburger or McNuggets. 

For those who take their pet's diet as seriously as they take their own, Barkley staff will order in steak from the Four Season's room service menu. 

There's tuna sushi for the cats that don't like their dinner from a tin. 

The Barkley is also home to the Barkley Academy - a pet training facility run by dog trainers that is the first choice for many celebrities, including Sandra Bullock, who submitted her large family of rescued dogs to the programme. 

Barkley trainers Nichola Bond and Vendy Fris offer 'Pawsitive Power' training, utilising only positive methods and rewards. Owners can opt for a full doggie camp, as many celebrities do, and board their dog with the hotel for six weeks. 

An at-home training facility is within the hotel grounds with a dining room, bedroom and kitchen for intensive daily training within a natural environment. 

When the dog graduates - complete with cap and gown ceremony - their behaviour has a life-time guarantee for goodness. 

After a hard day's work, there's the spa. Pet parents can choose from a massage, facial or 'pawdicure' with optional nail jewels and glitter. 

A trained pet masseuse relaxes your dog before his summer trim with a back rub. If your dog prefers to relieve stress with a good game of fetch, there's always the day camp where they can play with fifty pals in a park equipped with all manner of distractions.