Animal News You Can Use

A big day for animals in the news. First we have the bootleg CD-sniffing dogs with a bounty on their heads:

Two female Labrador retrievers trained to sniff out the plastic used to make pirated CDs and DVDs have gotten so good at their jobs that Malaysian bootleggers are spraying chemicals on their ill-made wares — and have placed a bounty on the dogs' heads.

Local authorities moved the imperiled pooches, named Lucky and Flo, to a safe house after being notified of the threat.

Since going into action for the first time two weeks ago, the dogs, on loan for at least a month from the Motion Picture Association of America, have uncovered nearly 1 million illegal discs, a Malaysian official said Monday.

The black Labs are trained to detect the polycarbonate chemicals used in manufacturing discs, but officials received a tip-off that bootleggers are using sprays to throw them off the scent, said Fahmi Kassim, the Domestic Trade Ministry's enforcement chief in southern Johor state.

"The pirates are believed to be desperate because the dogs were so successful," Fahmi told The Associated Press.

They were trying to train dogs to detect bad music, but they hit on every rap and hip-hop CD they came across. The training was that good.

And then there's the issue of human-sheep:

Scientists have created the world's first human-sheep chimera - which has the body of a sheep and half-human organs.

The sheep have 15 per cent human cells and 85 per cent animal cells - and their evolution brings the prospect of animal organs being transplanted into humans one step closer.

To be completely accurate, the animal is 15% human and 85% Democratic congressman.

And then this - don't try to smuggle crocodiles under your burkha:

JERUSALEM (March 26) - A woman with three crocodiles strapped to her waist was stopped at the Gaza-Egypt border crossing after guards noticed that she looked "strangely fat," officials said Monday.

The woman's shape raised suspicions at the Rafah terminal in southern Gaza, and a body search by a female border guard turned up the animals, each about 20 inches long, concealed underneath her loose robe, according to Maria Telleria, spokeswoman for the European observers who run the crossing.

"The woman looked strangely fat. Even though she was veiled and covered, even with so many clothes on there was something strange," Telleria said.

The incident, which took place on Thursday, sparked panic at the crossing.

"The policewoman screamed and ran out of the room, and then women began screaming and panicking when they heard," Telleria said. But when the hysteria died down, she said, "everybody was admiring a woman who is able to tie crocodiles to her body."

Yes, that's a little known charm among Middle Easterners - the ability to tie crocodiles to your body.