Police smash canary-fighting ring

Regular readers of our print edition may remember that we ran a story in our August 6 issue about a canary-fighting ring being smashed in the US. 

Yes, you read that right: a canary-fighting ring. 

Police confiscated more than 150 canaries and saffron finches that were apparently being primed for bird fighting, along with $US8,000 in cash, after a raid on a suburban house in Shelton, Connecticut on July 26. A total of 19 people were charged with cruelty to animals and illegal gambling.

Here's how one US TV station covered the story.

The magic of canary flight

We see birds flying about us all the time, whether in cage, aviary or the wild, but how many of us have seen them flapping their wings in slow-motion?

This above clip shows a succession of canaries doing just that. It's quite surreal to see these beautiful feathered creatures flying against an inky background -- and if you'll forgive the cliche, it's the closest thing to poetry in motion you're ever likely to witness.

Watch, enjoy and marvel.

[Thanks to our sub-editor Margaret for the tip-off]

Phoenix from the flames

Demolition workers clearing a fire ravaged pet shop were amazed when they found a canary alive. A total of 100 pets perished in the blaze at Blackpool Aquaria and Pet Supplies, which also destroyed a number of businesses and Blackpool's historic Yates Wine Lodge. The bird, nickmaed Phoenix after the mythical bird that rose from the ashes, was the only animal to survive. It is thought that dislodged masonry may have protected it from smoke and temperatures of up to 1,000 degress celcius. Local vet Fiona Cummins said the bird was in remarkably good health, considering what it had been through. She told the Blackpool Gazette: "When the bird was brought to me I listened to its chest and found that it was breathing normally. "It was able to fly so its wings had obviously not been damaged and there was no real problem with it at all. The only evidence that it had been in the fire was a quantity of dust on its head and tail feathers."