First-grader Madison Gordon won a trip to Thailand after judges chose her name for a baby Asian elephant at the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle. "Hansa" was chosen from among 15 thousand entries. It's a Thai word meaning "supreme happiness." Madison is giving away her prize, though. She says her teacher has always wanted to go to Thailand, so she'll pass the trip on to her.

NOT CHARMING ENOUGH

It seemed like part of the act -- a snake charmer in Allentown, Pennsylvania asked his audience to call 911 because he'd been bitten by his snake. But John Walker wasn't kidding. Paramedics were called after a poisonous cobra bit Walker during his attempt to "hypnotize" it.

BLABBER BEAK

A parrot at a pub in Castleton, England yelled, "Hello, big boy," and got himself and a feathered friend rescued during a fire. Henry the Parrot and Alfie the Budgie were found in a smoke-filled room after Henry loudly greeted firefighters.

SEALED ENTRANCE

Office workers had to use a side door at a complex in Cape Town, South Africa when a giant elephant seal decided to rest against the front entrance. The seal was later enticed back to the water by animal control officers, who feared the 3-thousand-pound 15-foot creature would walk into the street.

UNWELCOME CALIFORNIANS

Wildlife experts said southwest France has been overrun by California Bullfogs. The frogs proved to be a threat to the local balance of nature. A small number of the frogs were released into a private pond as a joke in the early '80s. With their eggs transported to other ponds by birds, the lizard-, fish- and bird-eating Bullfrogs have flourished.

BAAAD DOG

Romania launched an educational billboard campaign after shady traders began passing off dead dogs as lamb meat. The ads tell consumers how to tell the difference between skinned dog and lamb by observing jaw bones, paws and blood color.

LEFT CLICK, RIGHT CLICK, CHEESE CLICK

The problem with a business computer in Lancashire, England was its mouse. Not the hand control, but an actual mouse that chewed through wires and built a nest in the hard drive. Engineer Gary Taylor repaired the computer and set the mouse free.

FLYING TOPAZ

Topaz the Dog is a survivor. During an earthquake in Seattle, the pooch freaked out and jumped out the window of a fifth-floor apartment and disappeared. An amazed John Rucker found his dog bruised -- but alive and well -- at the animal shelter. Animal control officials reckon Topaz' fall was broken by some bushes.

CHEAP DATE

A New Zealand farmer was thrown out of a Wellington-area drive-in movie theater after complaints that his mode of transportation was blocking the view. The 35-year-old bachelor, who can't drive, was riding to the drive-in on his donkey. Geoff Roder says his donkey is his only companion.

SNIFF, SNIFF

A man who stole expensive perfume from a store in Germany wasn't hard to find. During his getaway, he struggled with a security guard and one of the bottles broke inside his coat pocket. Police K9s easily tracked the strong scent all the way to the suspect's apartment.

TOONCES' KIDS

Four kittens were rescued just in the nick of time at a junkyard in Gosport, England. Workers spotted the litter inside a car just moments before it was to be crushed.

KA KA

A man in Lardal, Norway told police that a love-starved moose tried to mate with his car while it was parked in front of his house. Leif Borgersen said the moose covered his Ford Ka with lick marks -- and when the moose got no response from the car, he pooped on it.

TAKING A SHEEP SHOT

A shepherd in northwest Egypt was shot to death while sleeping beside his flock. Authorities say he was shot by one of his sheep, which discharged Mokhtar Adl's rifle by kicking it.

PIGGING OUT WITH DOMINO

If you'd wanted to adopt Domino the rooster from an Arlington, Texas shelter, you'd have to take Wilber the pig, too. The black and white rooster and 120-pound potbelly pig forged an inseparable bond at the shelter. They went on to work together in a pet therapy program at a central Texas nursing home.

FLYING FELINE

A Massachusetts woman sued Continental airlines after sitting next to a cat on a flight from Boston to Miami. Her attorney said flight attendants refused to move the cat, which allegedly triggered severe allergies in his client.

MORE PAINFUL THAN THE VULCAN NECK PINCH

William Shatner was filming a public service announcement on behalf of endangered gorillas when he was injured by one. To prepare for a scene, Shatner kept telling a female gorilla, "I love you," to let it know he posed no danger. While cameras rolled, the gorilla reached out and squeezed Shatner's private parts.

WHALE OF A VIEW

One passenger on a whale-watching trip out of Port Allen, Hawaii got an all-too-close look at a baby humpback whale. The 20-footer jumped into the boat, breaking Sandra Gieb's knee. The whale was unharmed.

NOT SAVED BY THE BELL

The United Kingdon's Mammal Society says regular house cats are serial killers if left outdoors at night. The Society blames domestic cats for killing up to 300 million animals and birds in Great Britain each year. They say cats with bells are the deadliest -- they become better hunters by learning to keep their bells quiet.

COW ON THE MOOOOVE

Four men were charged with cow-rustling in Russia after dozens of witnesses told police they'd seen them in action. Moscow police say the cow had been stuffed into a hatchback and was spotted with its head sticking out the window while its abductors were driving it to another town.

PLEASE DON'T FEED THE HUMANS

A 150-pound gorilla escaped from her exhibit at the Pittsburgh Zoo and headed straight for the concession stand. She dined on human food for about 45 minutes before she could be tranquilized and returned to her exhibit.

DR. DOOLOTS

A British dentist who performs routine procedures on humans has some wild dental equipment tucked away in his back room. Dr. Peter Kertesz also flies around the world as a dentist for elephants, tigers and other large animals. Among his recent adventures: extracting a tusk from an elephant in Germany and filling a decayed fang for a tiger at a zoo in Oregon.

SOFT SPOT FOR A COD

A fisherman in Norway had caught the same cod and let him go at least 35 times. The underfed, blind cod would feed on the crabs caught in Harold Hauso's nets. After its many weekly visits, Hauso took the infirmed fish to an aquarium where it could retire with all the food it could eat.

CREEPY CRAWLIES CAN'T FLY

Officials at the airport in Bogota, Colombia found 20 scorpions and 250 tarantulas in a trash bin, figuring they were left behind in an unsuccessful attempt to smuggle them to Japan. The exotic creatures were taken to a rehabilitation center to be fattened up on crickets and worms and released into the wild.

SEILA STEALER

An Austria man accused of kidnapping an elephant surrendered after his 5-ton hostage and two other pachyderms were found near Berlin, Germany. The circus director allegedly fled with Seila the elephant and two of her companions when an inquiry began into whether or not her ownership was legal.

DOO GET A GRIP, PLEASE

City officials in Liverpool, England have found a substance which is more effective than salt at keeping cars from slipping on snowy streets: animal dung. "Zoo Doo" contains urea which provides effective gripping when the poop is reduced to pellets, which are often used to clear airport runways. Luckily, the pellets are odorless.

NO PLACE LIKE HOME

A million-dollar renovation at the Animal Rescue League Shelter in Pittsburgh has provided strays with all the comforts of home. Instead of cages, the shelter features "Doggy Dorms," wherein four dogs share a comfy room, complete with wall hangings and chairs for two-legged adopters. League officials say the surroundings help eliminate the animals' stress, making them much more adoptable.

NATURAL-BORN ROUNDER-UPPER

A 6-year-old dog in Banchory, England has perfected the art of rounding up the birds on a turkey farm. Judy the border collie began rounding up 700 turkeys every night -- without ever being trained or prompted to do so.

RATS!

When a Cape Town, South Africa woman locked herself out of the house, police were astonished to find over 1,000 rats living inside. Gwynneth Quick told authorities she took the rats home from the research lab where she worked because she didn't like the way they were treated.

CAT IN HEAT

A feline and human occupants of a house in Stamwood, Washington escaped injury when a fire caused 12-thousand dollars damage to their home. The fire started when the cat walked across a stovetop and stepped on a button which ignited a burner.

LOBBED-STER

A British man was seriously injured by a live lobster police say he stole from a seafood store. After the suspect stuffed the crustacean down his pants, officials said, the lobster performed a vasectomy on him.

CEASE AND DE-GEESE

A plan by the Cleveland Museum of Art to keep geese out of its lagoon has backfired. They thought plastic geese floating on their sides in the lagoon would look enough like dead geese scare the real geese away. But they've been fooling humans, who've been reporting the museum to police for maintaining a toxic lagoon.

CUJACK

Police in Colonie, New York found something better than an alarm or The Club for preventing car theft. When a man hopped into the passenger seat and attempted to carjack a woman, her dog lunged forward from the back seat, causing the crook to bash his head into the dashboard. He ran off.

DONNER & BLITZEN BLITZIN'

An American family vacationing in Sweden got a feel for what Santa Claus may have to put up with. While they were out skating, two reindeer crashed through a sliding glass door and trashed their hotel room. Robert Franck of Fresno, California said, "One of them pooped in my open suitcase."

POOCH POINTS OUT PANTY PILFERER

A burglar who was stealing underwear from a woman's apartment in Tokyo left a sandal behind when he fled as the woman arrived home. Police used a dog to sniff the sandal and follow the scent to a neighbor's door. The neighbor confessed when confronted by officers and Dago the German Shepherd.

SEE A JUDGE ABOUT A HORSE

A municipal court judge in Hamilton, Georgia found himself in contempt of court and fined himself two weeks pay. Judge Paul Stansel punished himself for missing a day of work while caring for an ailing 15-year-old horse.

SOMETHING FISHY

A 78-year-old Durham, New York man was sent to the slammer for landscaping his yard. Conservation agents caught John Smits stealing rocks and stones from a protected trout stream.

SOMETHING EVEN FISHIER

It rained dead fish in Great Yarmouth, England -- covering lawns and roofs with tiny silver sprats. Meteorologists say the fish were probably whipped up by a waterspout on the North Sea and delivered by a thunder cloud.

A LOT OF DOE FOR ONE BUCK

A southern Ontario, Canada farmer was found gored to death in a deer camp near his property. Officials speculated that William McCavanaugh ventured into the territory of a buck who was courting thirteen doe during mating season.

HAIRY VANDALS

Cars on Interstate 95 near Jarratt, Virginia were being pelted with bananas and crabapples. A state trooper responding to complaints had crabapples thrown at at him, too -- from three monkeys in a tree. Police say the animals probably escaped from a circus caravan.

WIRELESS BIRD

A 4-year-old African Grey Parrot is causing pet shop owners to reach for their pocket phones in a Tyneside, England pet shop. Blue the parrot does a perfect imitation of a cell phone ring.

EYESIGHT TO THE BLIND

Kissing her seeing-eye dog proved to be a godsend to an Aukland, New Zealand woman. 24-year-old Lisa Reid regained 80 per cent of her eyesight when she hit her head bending to kiss guide dog Ami good night. She'd lost her sight 10 years earlier following surgery for a brain tumor.

THE "BULL" IN BULLFIGHTS

Spain's Salamanca University says the odds are loaded in favor of bullfighters -- in a sport considered too cruel to be legal in most countries. A scientific study shows Spain's fighting bulls are drugged before they enter the ring. The anti-inflammatory drugs detected in the bulls could also be damaging to Spain's lovers of bull meat, the study says.

SANDAL SCANDAL

A police K-9 helped capture a thief who ran from an apartment in Tokyo when its resident caught him stealing her underwear. The panties thief lost a sandal when he fled. A sniffer dog traced the suspect's scent to another apartment in the same building.

WANTED: WOLFISHLY HANDSOME, OUTGOING MALE

The Texas Zoo in Victoria, Texas put out the call for a male red wolf to replace Rusty, who was put to sleep after developing crippling arthritis. Rusty was credited with rescuing red wolves from the brink of extinction -- fathering 17 pups.

MUSHY FISH

When a Bristol Bay, Alaska fishery went bankrupt, it was left with ten tons of sockeye salmon that wasn't fit for human consumption. But musher dogs -- who aren't subject to salmonella poisoning -- were starving due to a poor fishing season. When Northland Services employee Steve Hardin heard that mushers planned to shoot their starving dogs, he arranged for the 20,000 pounds of fish to go to the dogs.

JOISEY'S FAW DA BOIDS

You wouldn't think of New Jersey as home to a flock of wild parrots, but in Edgewater, displaced monk parrots are flourishing -- despite the dire predictions of ornithologists. The Argentina natives are propagating in their 6-foot multi-unit nests, surviving the cold northeast winters.

PAR FOR THE COURSE?

Golfers were a little unnerved at the North 40 Golf Course near Lincoln, Nebraska -- where a vulture made his summer home. The big bird would sit on the number one tee box and watch golfers tee off. Occassionally, he'd interrupt a game by perching on the clubs resting in the players' golf bags.

CASH RETRIEVER

A golden retriever is following in his father's paw prints at a gas station in Saline, Michigan. Benjamin -- son of the late Charlie -- collects money from customers. But Benjamin demonstrated less reliability than his dad during his first week on the job. He ate $68.

GUARD GATOR

You wouldn't expect to find a 9-foot alligator in chilly northeastern Alberta, Canada. But there's a plastic replica of one on guard duty at a park in Lac La Biche. The phoney gator scares off birds that would eat thousands of rainbow trout in the park's pond.

GET A PLURAL PET YET?

Scientists at Texas A&M University claim it won't be long until they can clone your dog. Until they can, a commercial venture called Genetic Savings & Clone will keep your dog's DNA on file ... for $895.

BRINGING BACK THE YAKS

It sounds like a Dr. Seuss story -- to track the yak who each have a rack and put them back using a Mack. Yak trackers corralled three wayward beasts in Whitefish, Montana and trucked them back to the ranch from where they'd orginated. The wild long-haired oxen had been spotted in town for several months since they'd run off during Independence Day fireworks.

THAT AIN'T HONEY

Olympic Women's Marathon gold medal winner Naoko Takahaski attributed a bizarre natural supplement with her nearly super-human speed and endurance. She says she got a buzz from drinking the stomach juice of giant killer hornets.

WOMAN'S BEST FRIEND

A four-year-old mongrel was given a German government award for helping to stop a woman from threatening suicide. Knowing the woman loved dogs, Purzel was chosen from a Frankfurt shelter to be let into a restroom in which the despondant woman had locked herself. After she cuddled the dog, authorities were able to reason with her.

GNAWING STATISTICS

An insurance expert in Denmark says rodents are to blame for 13 per cent of all fires on farm properties. Most fires occur in autumn when rats and mice move indoors and chew through electrical wiring.

A BOAR AT SEA

Fishermen three miles off the coast of Spain were amazed when they caught a live wild boar in their nets. The crew and animal experts were at a loss to explain how the boar swam so far out to sea. The animal was brought back to shore and released into the wild.

OPENED PASSAGE