Park officials in Miamisburg, Ohio have found a novel way to keep a steep 65-foot Native American burial mound nicely groomed. South American llamas have been brought in to live atop the mound. The animals nibble away at weeds and other vegetation, and are able to negotiate the steep slopes with ease.

NEW DOG NOSES ARE NOT SO COLD & WET

Bomb-sniffer dogs -- which are used to find land mines because of their keen senses of smell -- may soon be replaced by robots. Researchers at Penn State and Tufts universities have found a way to electronically duplicate a dog's unique olfactory system.

PRIMATE PROBATE

Six chimpanzees in the Copenhagen Zoo inherited $60,000 from an 83-year-old widow who had no family. The judge who read the will in front of the chimps' cage said the heirs behaved better than many humans during will-readings.

HERO RECOGNIZED AFTER 60 YEARS

A Canadian dog posthumously received Britain's highest animal award for bravery. A Newfoundland called Gander saved the lives of Canadian troops during 1941's battle for Hong Kong. Gander met his fate when he caught a grenade lobbed by the Japanese and ran it away from Canadian troops hidden in a ditch.

BEARING DOWN ON THE POLICE

Police in New Paltz, New York didn't have to look far after reports came in that a black bear was roaming the town. As police began to respond, the bear started walking down the sidewalk that led to the back door of the police station. The bear was sedated and released in the Catskills.

DOGGIE DNA

Researchers at the University of California/Davis are collecting DNA samples from dogs in the hopes of relieving some diseases among pedigrees, such as cancer, hip dysplacia and epilepsy. Stanford scientists have already isolated the gene that causes narcolepsy in Doberman Pinschers.

A BONE IN EVERY BOWL

Admitting some embarrassment, an elections official in Kings Mountain, North Carolina said she had no idea how her 15-year-old dog, Parker, got on the county's list of registered voters. Parker's name had previously appeared in local elections, however -- as a write-in candidate for mayor.

THEY CALL HIM FILIPPO, FILIPPO....

A dolphin known to locals as Filippo saved a 14-year-old boy from drowning in the Adriatic Sea. The boy -- who couldn't swim -- fell overboard, and the dolphin pushed him up to the surface where the crew could retrieve him.

HOWLING POSERS

The cries of wolves are heard at night from a stately British home ... but it's a pair of humans responsible for the howling. Shaun Ellis and Jan Williams bay like wolves and play tapes of wolves baying. It's a project to encourage local packs of timber wolves to breed -- by making them believe there are larger packs around.

WEDDING GOES TO THE DOGS

More than a dozen dogs were invited to participate in a wedding at St. Patrick's Church in Fairfax, Iowa. The bride and groom were both dog lovers. Their retriever, Jesse, got to be the ring bearer.

LAST STOP

Franciscan Monks have blessed Latin America's first pet crematorium, a 5-million-dollar state of the art facility in Sao Bernardo Dos Campos, Brazil. A mortuary spokesperson says, "It's a place where one has a real, decent service for a pet -- be it a dog, a spider or a horse."

DAY OF DISTRACTION

Workers arriving at an accounting firm in Sheboygan, Wisconsin were shocked to find a gigantic moth hanging on to the side of their building. The bug's wingspan was more than 6 inches, and employees spent the better part of a day watching it, while others looked it up on the internet. It was identified as a cecropia month, the largest in North America. Receptionist Dawn Hemschemeyer explained why the huge month was so distracting: "It's an accounting office. Nothing happens here."

GOT MILK?

The Beijing Zoo issued an appeal for dog milk after a Panda proved to have difficulty nursing more than one of her twins. The response from city residents -- and their lactating dogs -- was overwhelming.

THE DOGS OF SUMMER

Don Novello, who played Father Guido Sarducci on Saturday Night Live, has set up an elite team of five Portugese Water Dogs to retrieve baseballs at the San Francisco Giants' Pacific Bell Park. The Baseball Aquatic Retrieval K9s, BARK, plunge from their own special boat to fetch home runs that are slammed out of the park and into San Francisco Bay. The web-pawed dogs are used by Portugese fishermen to herd schools of fish.

HIP HOP

The fake frogs that promote beer have nothing on the stars of a commercial for the Detroit Zoo. Real frogs, toads and salamanders move to the beat of Rapper's Delight in the zoo's TV ad.

TOWN'S TOP DOG

Dylan the retriever has officially been appointed Town Hall Dog by the Board of Selectmen in Ashby, Massachusetts. Dylan has worked as a Pet Facilitated Therapy dog for geriatric patients, helped out the Red Cross disaster team and even starred as Sandy in a local production of Annie. Perks of Dylan's new position include a listing in the phone book under the town clerk's office staff.

ANNUAL TURTLE

A turtle named Turtle has shown up at the door of a Mullen, Nebraska family every summer for a decade. Turtle scratches at the door when he's hungry. If he doesn't get his food of choice -- like raw hamburger or bacon -- he'll tuck his head in his shell and pout for about 20 minutes. Turtle spends about six weeks living in the the Simonson family's back yard. They have no idea where turtle goes for the rest of the year.

MY SON, THE BIRD

A Christchurch, New Zealand pit bull named Cindy has become the mother of a parrot. Since Cindy's mom brought home a rainbow lorikeet named Monty, the pair have been inseparable, day and night. Cindy even went through a false pregnancy and lactation due to her maternal feelings for Monty.

ALTERNATIVE TO GASOLINE

Fed up with high gas prices, a Shelbyville, Indiana man has switched to a cheaper form of transportation: horsepower. Milford Girdler started riding his horse, Lightning, to and from work ... expecting to save about 50 bucks a month.

GOT SOME BONDO FOR MY BITE MARK?

State police were summoned to a traffic jam caused by an alligator in Ajax, Louisiana. When a unit arrived, a truck driver was in the middle of the road, holding the gator by its tail. Trooper Steve Childers ordered the driver to release it, and it made a sharp turn and took a chunk out of the cruiser's fender before wandering off.

LIVING UP TO HER NAME

A dog named Lassie saved her family's lives, but this was no TV collie. When a kitchen fire broke out, Lassie -- a 12-year-old mongrel in Bedlington, England -- clamped her teeth on her deeply-sleeping owner's arm and led him to the door through the thick smoke. He was able to evacuate the rest of the family through a different portion of the house.

DUCT TAPE: USE #1002

Some people call duct tape "duck tape." Marge Brennan and her elementary school class in Midland, Michigan had good reason to. A nesting duck decided to settle down under the slide in the school's playground. Brennan & her students wrapped the open portion of the slide so Mrs. Duck could sit on her 5 eggs in privacy.

CAUGHT BY THE LONG CLAW OF THE LAW

Two decorated Canadian Navy divers were convicted of poaching a hundred pounds of lobsters off the coast of Nova Scotia. Military prosecutor Capt. Nancy Koppang said the incident took place during a government dispute over fishing rights with the lobster industry.

GOLDILOCKS & FRIENDS

Gaston County, North Carolina police got a call saying a bear cub had been spotted in a car. When police traced the license plate to a local home, they found a 20-pound female baby bear playing with several unattended children. A Wildlife Commission spokesperson says the cub was "cute as a button" and looked like a living teddy bear. The bear was taken to an animal shelter.

NO PETS

A British tourist sneaked his deep sea fishing catch into his Vilamoura, Portugal hotel room -- only to find out it was still alive. When the man checked out, the staff was left to deal with a live shark in a bath tub.

TUSKS R US

Burglars in Banff, Alberta stole a 30-thousand-year-old ivory tusk from a gallery. Then they took it to a company in Calgary and tried to sell it for 40 grand. Coincidentally, the company was the one that had supplied it to the gallery. They promptly notified police.

THEY'RE GREAAAT!

A Rochester, England couple returned from their honeymoon to find that their best man had repainted the outside of their house ... with tiger stripes. After the initial shock wore off, the couple told a local paper they were considering keeping the pattern because it was so well done.

SEE YA LATER, ALLIGATOR

A firefighter in Sparks, Nevada who was checking an apartment for a water leak peeked into a bathroom ... only to have an alligator slam the door shut with its tail. Tenant Cynthia Rully was caring for the giant reptile while the local zoo was repairing its cage. Rully was cited for not having an exotic animal permit when officials also found pythons, an iguana, tarantulas and rats in her apartment.

TOPPING THE RAIN SCALE

Peasant farmers in drought-stricken southern Ethiopia were pelted by millions of fish that fell from the skies. An expert says a heavy storm in the Indian Ocean churned up the fish blew them inland.

BAMBI'S BATH

A Howard, Pennsylvania couple were jarred awake by loud, strange noises in their house. A deer had crashed through a screen door. The animal managed to turn on a bath faucet, knock over a bottle of bubble bath and submerge itself in the tub. Animal Control officers burst into laughter when they saw a deer taking a bubble bath. They eventually subdued it and released it into the wild.

CUTEST COWS & BOVINE BEAUTIES

The Dairyfest in Marshfield, Wisconsin now has a beauty contest for cows. Criteria includes sparkling eyes, bent-back ears, even colors and a shiny coat.

CUB CLUB

California has its first orphanage for black bear cubs. Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care will nurse orphaned cubs and train them for release back into the wild.

TIME FOR TREATS

A volunteer at a wild life park in Colorado was asked if a Bengal tiger had ever bitten anyone. To show it was tame, she reached into its cage to pet it ... and the tiger tore off her arm and ate it. The animal let out a huge belch as the woman was being taken away on a stretcher.

STING OPERATION

300 people were marching to benefit a Punjab hospital, when several of them threw rocks at some honey bee hives. The bees attacked. Nearly all of the walkers wound up being treated for stings at the hospital which was the subject of the benefit.

HARVARD'S ANIMAL HOUSE

Harvard University is now offering a course on animal rights law. Instructor Steve Wise says there's a thick legal wall with humans on one side and non-humans on the other. Wise is the author of Rattling The Cage: Toward Legal Rights For Animals.

BONE CRUNCHING FOR A BEAR

How do you treat a 700-pound Grizzly Bear with neck pains? You call a very brave chiropractor. Fred the Grizzly at West Yellowstone's Discovery Center had such severe neck pain he held his head tilted to one side. Chriropractor Kyle Goltz was able to help straighten out the problem while Fred was under sedation. Rangers say Fred's problem was probably the result of rough play with other Grizzlies.

WHAT'S IN A NAME?

Have you noticed you never really see a dog who's named Fido or Rover? Among the top names chosen for dogs in the Salt Lake City area during the '90s were Bear, Max, Buddy, Sadie, Scooter, Princess and Beethoven. Some took the simple route, naming their canines Dog.

LOST SHEEP

Franklin the Sheep has earned his freedom after leading New York City police on a two-mile chase. The sheep was spotted by officers on 120th Street and, by coincidence, an ASPCA official saw the chase and joined in to help corral the confused animal. Authorities suspect Franklin escaped from a Harlem slaughterhouse. After he was captured at 88th Street, the ASPCA sent Franklin to a sanctuary for abused animals.

A PYTHON NOT NAMED MONTY

A Guelph, Ontario man was convicted of stealing a python from the Grand River Conservation Authority. Police found the large snake -- used for educational displays -- hiding in a coffin used as a coffee table in the defendant's apartment. Laughter broke out during the trial when the prosecuting attorney announced the python's name ... Julius Squeezer.

#%$*#@$#!!!

Flounder the foul-mouthed parrot presented a problem for the Humane Society of Charlotte, North Carolina. He'd been taught so much profanity by his former owner, he was unadoptable. So the Society's founder and president, Patti Lewis, says Flounder now lives in her office. "The bird makes us laugh," says Lewis, "and we don't get many laughs, so we kept him."

LABRAHUAHUA?

The Hearing Dogs For Deaf People organization in London is developing a new breed of good-natured small dogs. Hearing dogs let their owners know when someone's at the door and alert them to dangers such as traffic. The new breed is a cross between a Chihuahua and a Labrador.

DISTINGUISHED SERVICE

One of the U.S. Customs Service's top dogs has retired after a successful career sniffing out more than $120,000,000 worth of illegal drugs. A Chocolate Lab named Pucket worked nine years at the Los Angeles International Airport and the Port of Long Beach. His talented nose discovered 2,500 pounds of cocaine, over a ton of marijuana and 32 pounds of opium. After a retirement party with dog food cake, Pucket went off to spend his golden years at his handler's home.

DOUBLE-OH-EIGHT

British researchers say Roger Moore the Octopus has learned to unscrew a jar in just 60 seconds. When they first lowered a jam jar containing a tasty crab into Roger's tank it took 21 minutes for the eight-tentacled creature to figure out how to open it, but by the third time he got it down to a minute. Brighton University biologist Tim Fullford and his crew wanted to show that the much-maligned species was smarter than most biologists had thought.

GUARD CATS

Three men assaulted a prominent taxidermist and began robbing his house in Joannesburg, South Africa. But when the crooks went into one of the rooms they came face to face with two leopards, dropped their weapons and ran off. They were stuffed leopards.

WHOA, NELLIE!

It's not often police find a lone horse in the middle of an L.A. intersection. The full-size fiberglass replica of a thoroughbred included racing tape around its hooves and a lifelike tail. It took up a lot of room at division headquarters, but a supervising detective joked that it didn't eat much.

LEONARDO LICKS HIS LIPS

Neighbors contacted police when a sociable southern Italy man hadn't been seen in over a week. Police entered his home and discovered he'd been eaten by a pet lion.

OOPS

Workers at a Yorkshire, England park made a mistake when they installed a bin where people can empty their pooper scoopers. The bin was red, instead of green, so many park vistors were using it for a mailbox.

BARK WORSE THAN HIS BITE

Rexbo the Dog was a friend to police officers in Macomb, Illinois, but he wasn't trained to be a K9. But when two suspected drug users ran into a wooded area, officers used Rexbo as a bluff. They told the hiding perps that they were about to send a dog in after them, then had Rexbo bark through a bullhorn. The suspects gave themselves up. Rexbo greeted them with a wagging tail as they emerged from the woods.

DO NOT SQUEEZE

An animal control officer says an Arlington, Virginia shelter received an unusual package. Using a fake return address, someone shipped two 10-foot pythons by parcel post. Sylvia Smith says that luckily, the snakes arrived alive.

ANIMALS ON THE TOWN

Residents of Yucca Valley, California were terrified when an elephant strode down a local street. The pachyderm had broken away from the Culpepper & Merriweather Circus, and was recaptured quickly. Hours later, some horses broke away from the circus and were rounded up in the same section of town.

DUCT TAPE: USE #1001

A man who got lost while photographing alligators in a Florida swamp didn't want to be eaten by the big reptiles while he caught some sleep. When rescuers found Gemini Wink, he had climbed a tree and bound himself to a branch with duct tape so he wouldn't fall out when he dozed.

HERPETOLOGICAL HOMEBODY

A 19-year-old man set off a panic in Toronto when he told authorities his highly-poisonous viper was missing from his apartment. Police sent out warnings that the snake's venom could kill a human, and launched a massive search of the man's neighborhood. 30 hours later, the viper was found just feet from its tank, enjoying the warmth underneath a radiator. The owner was cited for possession of 20 illegal exotic pets.

ADOPTED PET BECOMES IMMEDIATE HERO

Less than 24 hours after a Grandview, Missouri family adopted a cat from the local SPCA shelter, the feline saved their lives. Doc the Cat jumped on the chests of everyone in the house and awakened them when smoke began to fill the house. Bryan Rouse and family say Doc reacted even before the smoke alarm.

DOGS BREAK ICE

British psychologists have found that dogs can be more than a best friend. They can give a shy person better social contact, too. A study shows that those who can't make small talk or start a conversation stand a much better chance of social interaction when accompanied by a dog.

FUTURE VET?

An eight-grader from Springfield, Missouri is credited by a veterinarian with saving the life of her class's pet tarantula. When the eight-legged creature took a tumble, Felicia Daniels led a team of students that stuffed its insides back into its cracked abdomen, following an illustration in a biology book. Felicia used Super Glue to mend the wound. The tarantrula, Sir Isaac Newton, made a full recovery.

HAPPY ENDING TO DOGJACKING

An Apple Valley, Minnesota man left his daughter's Shi Tzu in his Jeep Cherokee with the motor running - only to find the Jeep and dog gone when he returned from a fast food restaurant. Police found the Jeep and its thieves a few hours later. Newman the Shi Tzu was found shivering in the snow a few blocks away. Paul Miller had stopped at the restaurant to buy Newman a sausage sandwich

COURT SPARES PENNSYLVANIA PIGEONS

The state supreme court granted the Pennsylvania's SPCA's animal control officers the right to enforce the state's cruelty-to-animals law at an annual pigeon shoot in the town of Hegins. The action has effectively brought the town's annual Labor Day event to an end.

THREE-LEGGED PET SAVES FAMILY OF FOUR

Copper the three-legged Golden Retriever saved an entire family during a house fire in Raleigh, North Carolina. The dog - who lost a front leg when hit by a car as a puppy - had just recently been allowed to sleep on the bed of Dallas and Chrstie Cameron. Using her lone front paw, she awoke the couple when smoke began filling the house in the middle of the night. The Camerons, Copper, their teenage sons, two cats and a parrot made it to safety before the house was completely engulfed in flames.

BUGGING BUGS

Randy Hunt likes to eavesdrop. On bugs. The Indiana University professor is one of the few scientists who studies insect communication full-time. His research shows that bugs not only communicate with each other, but across species, too. And for all his evesdropping, Hunt says he's more likely to get bitten than punched in the nose.

A LEGAL TAIL

A New York state lawyer is challenging the American Kennel Club on the issue of cutting or "docking" the tails of some breeds. Jon Hammer's Brittany Spaniel was disqualified from an AKC dog show competition because Hammer refused to dock its tail. Hammer wants the courts to declare docking as cruel and illegal.

PERCY THE PARROT SENT PACKING FROM PRODUCTION

Producers of a stage production of "Pirates On Treasure Island" in London had to fire Percy the Parrot from its cast. The bird's language became a bit too foul for the kids in the audience. The Jake's Ladder Theater Company said Percy performed his lines perfectly in rehearsals. But on opening night, he forgot his lines and let fly with a string of expletives. Percy was replaced by a fake bird with an off-stage voice provided by a human cast member.

DOGS SNIFF OUT SURVIVOR

Sniffer dogs helped locate the sole survivor of an avalanche at the Schoppernau Ski Resort in Austria. The dogs located and dug out a German snowboarder who had been trapped alive for several hours under 6½ feet of snow.

CHICKEN FETED

An 8-year-old Rhode Island Red Bantam Chicken was among the animals receiving awards from the ASPCA at a New York luncheon. Ruby the Chicken was recognized for her contributions to a Pet Facilitated Therapy program. In respect of Ruby's appearance, salmon - not chicken - was on the luncheon menu.

CHARLIE SAVES THE DAY

Charlie the Cat has been credited with saving his human companions from deadly carbon monoxide. Despite the fact that the gas is not noticeable to humans, Charlie knew something was wrong and awakened a Reading, Pennsylvania couple with unusual behavior. A few minutes later, a carbon monoxide alarm went off, but the ringer was defective and would not have awakened anyone. The problem was traced to a faulty furnace.

BLESS THE BEASTS

Father Richard Davis of Perryville, Arkansas says his second-most unusual assignment was blessing ten giant donkeys. The studs were being shipped to Honduras to help repopulate the donkey population, which was nearly wiped out by a hurricane. Father Davis says his most unusual service was last rites for a goldfish. A little girl insisted her fish wouldn't go to heaven without them.

RATS 1, CATS 0

Hernando County, Florida authorities thought they'd use a little biological warfare in a family's nightmarish battle against a rat infestation. They gathered up the biggest, meanest, toughest-looking cat in the county animal shelter and sent her inside the house. As two dozen rats scurried around the bedroom, Jumbalaya the Cat hopped up on the waterbed, curled up and fell asleep.

ONE COLOR CHANGE TO GO...

Until 1994, there was seldom a visitor to Dave and Valerie Heider's farm in Janesville, Wisconsin. Then along came a Miracle. That's the name they gave to a pure white buffalo born on their farm. By the end of the 1900s, a quarter-million people had stopped by to see Miracle. According to Native American legend, Miracle will turn from white, to brown, to black, to blonde and back to white again -- then there will be world peace. So far, Miracle has turned brown, black and blonde.

MOOSE ON THE LOOSE

A couple was driving along a highway outside Oslo, Norway when they spotted a gigantic moose in the roadway. They screeched to a halt, stopping short of the 800-pound animal by about 20 feet. The moose was not amused. It walked toward the car, got up on the hood, kicked in the windshield and stormed off. Raymond Johansen and Kristen Nodengan were unhurt, but left wondering how they'd explain it to their insurance company.

SPAMMY SAVES SPOT

Spammy the Pig is being credited with saving her pal Spot the Calf at a farm in Chico, California. The two animals had been inseparable friends, and a testiment to that bond came when a fire broke out in the shed they share. The 40-pound pig used her rump to smash a hole in the shed wall and lead the calf to safety.

KLEIN'S KITTY COLOGNE

A Dallas Zoo research project shows that Obsession cologne is the prefered scent of spotted ocelots. The expensive Calvin Klein concoction has proven to be the most effective scent for luring the endangered felines to a breeding area. Although the cologne often causes humans' eyes to run and throats to swell, the ocelots just love it. Officials at Calvin Klein thought the finding was "cute" -- and they were grateful the zoo wasn' trying it out on vultures.

YOU MAY LICK THE BRIDE

25 people attended a wedding ceremony for Miss Millie and Sir Frazier in a Huntsville, Alabama back yard. The bride wore a veil of pleated silk organza and lace. The groom sported a plastic bow tie. The bride and groom were Yorkshire Terriers. The ceremony came at the insistance of two young children who told their parents they couldn't breed Miss Millie unless Sir Frazier was her husband.

LIVE LONGER WITH ANIMAL COMPANIONSHIP

University of New York at Buffalo researchers have found that a playful dog or purring cat can cut stress-related increases in blood pressure. Among 48 stockbrokers taking medication for hypertension, those with pets reduced by half the increase in blood pressure that came from stress. Just another reason to adopt a pet from the CC/SPCA!

GEE!

Sheryl Smith of Lincoln City, Oregon has made it into Ripley's Believe It Or Not with Speckles G-G, a chicken that laid an egg with a perfect "G" on the shell. Perhaps it stands for "golden?"

EIGHT FEET STOMPING AROUND ALL NIGHT

A British woman who suffered loss of sleep from headaches and strange noises in her head had the shock of her life when her doctor discovered the cause -- a large spider living next to her eardrum! Her doctor says he's glad the female arachnid was removed before laying eggs.

COCKADOODLE DOOOOO!

Ashley and Tyler Davis have a new alarm clock. The Albany, Oregon kids found a stowaway rooster on the bumper of their dad's trailer after he visited the Clark County, Washington Fair. John Davis says the bird must have held on to the bumper with a "death grip" at speeds up to 65 miles an hour on a 75-mile trip home.

RETRIEVER