He was such a special delivery, and such incredibly fragile goods, that the usual sort of wrapping just wouldn't do.The little mite swaddled in bubble wrap is Gregor Craig, who was born at just 24 weeks weighing a tiny 1lb 14oz - so small that his father's wedding ring fitted over his arm.His chances of survival were slim, but doctors wanted to give him every chance.
So they wrapped him in the bubble wrap to keep him warm. Hospitals often use plastic wrap to help premature babies retain their body heat, but this was the first time the doctors in Kintyre, western Scotland, had used the bubble variety.Luckily their efforts paid off and five months later he has finally been allowed home with his family in Argyll.His mother, Martine Craig, 29, said: 'Gregor is one of life's true survivors. We can't believe that we have him home with us after his long fight for survival.'We just couldn't believe that anything so tiny could possibly survive.'
The couple were thrilled when Mrs Craig became pregnant with Gregor as she had suffered a previous miscarriage.Mrs Craig said: 'We were worried about losing this baby too, but at my ten-week scan I could feel some strong kicks coming from him.'But then just a week after her 23-week scan Mrs Craig began suffering severe stomach pain. She went to Campbeltown hospital in Kintyre where doctors told her she was suffering from a urinary tract infection. A few hours later, the infection had triggered labour and the doctors couldn't stop it.But amazingly Gregor survived the birth. Mrs Craig, whose husband Keith, 33, is a bus driver, said: 'I was allowed to see him two hours later when I had recovered from the birth.'He looked so fragile lying there, but at least he was alive. His nappy came up to his neck and his tiny hand was the size of a penny piece. Doctors only gave Gregor a 10 per cent chance of survival but he kept hanging on.'
He was transferred by air ambulance to the Queen Mother Hospital in Glasgow to receive specialist care. After 24 hours, doctors said his chance of survival had increased and, on the fourth day, Mrs Craig was allowed to hold her son for the first time.She said: 'He felt so light it was just like holding a ball of wool.'His skin was completely see-through and he was covered in wires and tubes, keeping him alive. But every day that he hung on he gave us more hope.'At ten weeks he had laser eye surgery to stop him going blind as the blood vessels in his eyes hadn't developed properly.After 17 weeks in hospital, when Gregor had reached 7lb, he was allowed home. He has to have daily oxygen, and his parents had to learn how to resuscitate him if necessary.Mrs Craig said: 'He is now a happy six-month-old and incredibly all he seems to have is some slight hearing problems. It's a small price to pay for having him here with us.'
Mondex, a Chihuahua, wears a pirate costume during a Halloween dog show for the benefit of an animal welfare organization in Manila.Amazingly, Mondex actually won the prize for the most creative costume.
The world's heaviest male - known as Half-Tonne Man - has got married, after being taken to the ceremony in his custom-made bed on the back of a flatbed truck.Mexican Manuel Uribe, 43, wore a white satin shirt and had a sheet wrapped round his legs as he wed his longtime girlfriend, Claudia Solis, in front of 400 guests in a civil ceremony in Monterrey, northern Mexico.
The bed - which Uribe hasn't left in six years - was decorated with a canopy, flowers and gold-trimmed bows.Two police patrol cars escorted him ahead of a long line of traffic.Uribe tipped the scales in 2006 at 1,230 pounds (560 kilograms), earning him the Guinness Book of World Records' title for the world's heaviest man.He has since shed about 550 pounds (250 kilograms) with the help of Claudia, whom he met four years ago.
He said: 'I am proof that you can find love in any circumstances. It's all a question of faith. All I want is to be happy and to love and be loved. And today is a very special day because of that.'It took an hour to take Uribe to the ceremony 10 miles away with the efforts of over ten men with two tow-trucks - one a spare - and a police escort at hand. All the time Uribe waving to well-wishers and the many journalists and photographers present.
When he arrived at the wedding venue, Club de Leones, it took 20 minutes to lower the tow-truck's ramp over the hall's steps and then rotate his bed before pushing it through the venue's large front doors.The bride was mobbed by more than 30 photographers when she arrived half an hour later in a black jeep.Happy: Claudia Solis arrives for her weddingHappy: Claudia Solis arrives for her weddingShe said: 'I'm not nervous. I'm just very happy. It's a very special day for us. We are marrying because we are in love.'The couple met four years ago when Claudia, 38, visited to tell him that her then-husband, a school friend of Manuel's, had died - due to complications from being morbidly obese.They grew closer due to their dedication to Christianity and eventually started a romantic relationship, including sex, they say.After the wedding ceremony there was a huge banquet with three huge cakes - which the groom vowed not to eat, as he is still dieting, in the hope that he will shed enough weight that he can walk again.The main dish was a chicken with vegetables. Uribe said: 'It is a heavyweight wedding, but low in calories.'The whole thing was arranged in less than a month when the couple decided they could not wait to wed. Friends, local politicians and sponsors donated money to help pay.
They contain no artificial sweeteners, colours, or preservatives and their natural 'health boosting' claims entice millions worldwide to spend an incredible £2.8billion on these drinks a year. But what health benefits - if any - do they really have?'Drinking "natural" is a lifestyle choice because too often we assume artificial ingredients are bad for us,' says nutritionist Dr Carrie Ruxton.'Although there are lots of scare stories about artificial additives, E numbers have been tested rigorously by the European Union and put on an approved list. Health drinks are mainly water and many products don't contain enough of an active ingredient to make a difference to you,' she adds.Here Dr Ruxton takes a closer look at the bestselling natural beverages to see what they might - or might not - do for your health.
Red Bull Cola, 69p
Ingredients: Water, sugar, carbon dioxide, caramel sugar syrup, natural flavourings from plant extracts (0.37pc), galangal, vanilla, mustard seeds, caffeine from coffee beans (0.013pc), lime, cola nut, cocoa, liquorice, cinnamon, lemon, ginger, coca leaf, orange, corn mint, pine, cardamon, mace, clove, lemon juice concentrate.Verdict: Caffeine from the coffee beans and cocoa is a stimulant and in moderate amounts it makes you more alert, improves cognitive functions and sports performance. Safe limits are 300mg to 500mg a day - after that you may have sleep problems. But this has a tiny amount of caffeine, almost negligible.It's interesting that coca leaf - another stimulant - is in there because it is classed as a drug in the US (but not in the UK) thanks to its link with cocaine. Cardamon and mace don't add to the stimulant effect, they are simply for flavour.
Purdeys Multivitamin Fruit Drink, 82pIngredients: Fruit juices from concentrate 57 per cent, (grape, apple), carbonated spring water 42 per cent, botanical extracts (damiana, bayberry bark, prickly ash bark, Chinese ginseng), natural flavourings, citric acid, Vitamins (C, niacin, B6, thiamin, riboflavin, folacin, B12), glucose. Free from caffeine and artificial sweeteners.
Verdict: The active ingredient here is damiana, which is linked to weight management. A study on the herbal remedy Zotrim, which contains damiana, yerba mate and guarana found significant weight loss. The herbs are believed to stimulate metabolism and increase feelings of fullness.The Chinese root ginseng - which is less active than the Siberian form - is thought to reduce stress. But is there enough here? You need between 0.3g and 2g a day of ginseng to have any effect on stress. Folacin is good for women who are planning to get pregnant, but the rest is all fluff. There might be a study on a mouse somewhere to say bayberry bark is good for you, but it doesn't mean it's any good for humans.
Naked Superfood, £2.30Ingredients: Apple juice 59pc, mango puree, pineapple juice 10pc, banana puree, kiwi puree 9pc, botanical extracts 0.5pc, powdered spirulina, chlorella, broccoli, spinach, barley grass, wheat grass, parsley, ginger root, blue green algae and odourless garlic, natural flavourings. No added sugar, no preservatives.
Verdict: Probably very tasty as apple, mango and pineapple are all very sweet, but there's not much of real value in there.Garlic is good for the heart, but I doubt there's enough in here to have an effect. As for powdered spirulina, chlorella, blue green algae etc, these things may have benefits but there's no evidence on humans. In 2010, when new health regulations come in, this drink will not be allowed to say it contains a 'superfood' unless it has an approved health claim.
Firefly - All Natural, £1.49Ingredients: Still water, fruit juices from concentrate (white grape, grapefruit, orange, passion fruit), apple juice extract, botanical extracts 1pc (yerba mate, Siberian ginseng, cardamom, guarana, rosemary, Chinese wolfberry), natural flavourings. Verdict: There is evidence that yerba mate and guarana are linked to weight management. Guarana is also a natural source of caffeine and ginseng is believed to lower physical and mental stress. Chinese wolfberry (aka goji berry) is an approved ingredient in the EU but some people could be adversely affected by it. Two case reports described elderly women who experienced increased susceptibility to haemorrhaging. It's wise to avoid anything used in Chinese medicine if you have any underlying conditions or are pregnant.
Big Shotz, £1.49Ingredients: Water, fruit juice from concentrate (apple 14pc, mango 12pc, passion fruit 5pc), fructose, inulin, malodextrin, fish oil. Mineral premix: Magnesium phosphate, calcium phosphate, zinc gluconate, sodium selenite, ferric pyrophosphate, copper gluconate. Acidity regulators: Citric acid, malic acid. Flavourings. Vitamin premix: Vitamin C, Vitamin E, niacin, beta-carotene, biotin, pantothenic acid, Vitamin B6, folic acid, Vitamin D, Vitamin B2, Vitamin B12. Thickeners: Guar gum, xanthan gum, Korean ginseng. No artificial colours, flavours or sweeteners.Verdict: Good to see this has the prebiotic inulin - this helps stimulate good bacteria in your body and it also helps you to absorb calcium and magnesium. You need 2g-5g for it to be of any benefit but we don't know how much is in this drink. I'm doubtful there is enough fish oil. You need 5ml to 10ml a day, which would surely affect the taste in such a small bottle.The label says it contains your 100 per cent recommended daily amount of all the vitamins apart from Vitamin A, which is sensible as too much Vitamin A is not good for pregnant-women.
Sip (your way to better, beautiful skin), £1.29Ingredients: Water, fruit concentrate, lemon juice concentrate, natural flavours, herbal extract blend (lime flower, rose petal, sweet violet, marigold, heather, white tea), antioxidants, Vitamin C (ascorbic acid), sodium selenite, natural beautifying complex with no artificial sweeteners.Verdict: I can't find anything that will help the skin apart from Vitamin C, which is an antioxidant. I have found no clinical evidence that lime flower or rose petal have any benefits for the skin. And at £1.29 for 500ml you'd be better off eating an orange.
A crippled horse has been given a false leg in a pioneering operation to stop her being put down after suffering an awful injury.These amazing pictures show how technology has given the lame horse a new lease of life rather than face the prospect of being put down. Now this mare Riley will spend the rest of her days in an animal sanctuary.
Thanks to the artificial leg, she is able to trot around her paddock and graze normally with her pony friends.And the vet who treated her believes the surgery will be able to prevent many more otherwise healthy animals being destroyed because of broken or infected limbs.Staff at the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Wyoming feared the worst for Riley when she was brought in four years ago with what was describes as ‘an awful’ hind leg injury. The buckskin horse had a severe cut on her left hind leg. Scar tissue formed, causing her tendons to contract to such an extent that her fetlock (or ankle) was pulled out of place. The best option at the time was to surgically insert a metal plate into her leg to fuse the fetlock and straighten the leg.For a few years, the plate helped Riley lead a decent life.But despite the best treatment, the plate became contaminated and an infection developed around it, causing the bone to deteriorate.Removing the plate and putting in a new one wasn’t feasible because it would entail removing bone that had grown around the plate, which would have destabilised the leg even more.
Normally in such a situation, the horse would be put down but sanctuary manager Jen Reid and the centre’s veterinarian Dr Tara Timpson were determined not to let that happen.Then one day two volunteer workers at the sanctuary in Utah mentioned Vet Ted Vlahos in Wyoming, who had successfully fitted horse amputees with artificial legs.He was one of three veterinarians who pioneered the procedure and came to assess whether Riley would be a good candidate for a prosthetic limb.To endure recovery and get accustomed to an artificial leg, a horse must have a calm temperament because post-op rehabilitation involves spending a good deal of time hoisted in a sling. If the horse is prone to anxiety, the stress incurred while in the sling could lead to colic.
The horse also needs to have a strong opposing leg - in Riley’s case, a strong right rear leg - because she would be bearing much of her weight on that leg until she adjusted to the prosthesis.He decided she fitted the bill and agreed to perform the surgery a discounted rate while a generous benefactor met the cost of the treatment.The vet transported Riley to his clinic where he amputated her leg just below her knee and fitted her with a temporary prosthetic limb.Five months ago Dr Vlahos loaded Riley into his horse trailer and transported her to his clinic where he fitted the first of three titanium limbs she will receive while the swelling in her stump heals.Not long after the procedure, she was trotting, running and even playing, as well as easily bearing the weight of Dr Vlahos’s daughter, whose birthday wish was for Riley to be well enough to ride.
Then last month Riley returned home to Best Friends.Though stiff from the long ride, she now wanders her pasture grazing, trotting and flirting.Jen Reid said: ‘She’s eating great. She takes lots of naps. She likes to flirt over the fence with her male neighbour.‘She’s doing everything a normal horse would.’Best Friends spokeswoman Barbara Williamson said:‘Each year, thousands of horses are put down for reasons very similar to those that necessitated the amputation of Riley’s leg. ‘Nowhere has that fact been more apparent than at the racetrack, where countless thoroughbreds have been destroyed after breaking a leg. ‘Riley now shows that horses’ lives don’t have to end that way, thanks to this advance in equine medicine.’
She added: ‘This procedure isn’t for every horse with a broken or severely infected leg, but many horses can be saved from a death sentence if people simply knew that having a prosthetic limb fitted is an option.’Tara Timpson who is now taking daily care of Riley said: ‘She has always been an amazing patient.‘We knew we needed a horse like that to be a good candidate for this procedure.’Dr Vlahos said the ideal candidate for the procedure was a thoroughbred racehorse because they are incredibly fit.He added: ‘We really feel that its old school to quit on these horses.’He stressed it isnt for every horse with a broken or severely infected leg, but feels many horses can be saved from a death sentence if people simply know about this option. Currently, two other veterinarians, Dr Barrie Grant of California and Dr Rick Redden of Kentucky, perform the procedure.Dr Vlahos believes that eventually the prosthesis option will become a common practice.He went on: ‘We’re hopeful that horses like Riley will get the word out that we don’t always need to kill them.‘We have thousands of guys who come back from Iraq with amputated limbs. We don’t throw them away, and nor should we with horses.’
If you or I were to flout an angling ban in a royal park, we might not expect to get off the hook so easily.But this bold heron clearly isn’t worried by rules as he brazenly holds his catch in his beak while perched on a ‘No Fishing’ sign.The elegant long-legged bird was spotted in Bushy Park, near Hampton Court Palace, Surrey.
An onlooker said: ‘It was the oddest sight. The heron almost looked as though he was mocking the law by standing on the sign.‘He stayed there and held the fish a while before gulping it down. It was quite a sight.’Herons natural habitat is in marshland and estuaries, but over the last few years an increasing number have settled in urban areas.And despite the threat to fish in gardens and parks, legal protection, mild winters and improvements in water quality have all helped to encourage more of the birds than ever.There are at least 13,000 pairs across Britain, according to recent research.And they can live for up to 25 yearsThe birds are opportunists, readily eating anything that comes near the water's edge.Among their prey are frogs, toads, rats, water voles and even ducklings.
It's fun in the water for these amazing animals who love to swim at their owner's outdoor pool.Measuring over two metres in length and weighing 200lb, these one-year-old tigers are having the time of their lives.Reaching for their human playmates with their giant paws, they dive, splash and even swim - in the same pool.Together with their handlers, Moksha Bybee and Ragani Ferrante, tigers Balavan, Bali, and Oden display unusually close interaction between man and beast.Animal expert Dr Bhagavan Antle has taught these amazing creatures to swim as part of an enrichment programme at his animal park in Miami.
'Tigers have a natural desire and ability to swim, exceeding that of all the other big cats,' said Dr Antle.'It is rarely seen and we wanted to be able to present it to people so they could really get the feel of that incredible beauty and grace that a tiger has in the water.'Tigers have modified webbing between their toes that makes their feet like flippers and they are superior swimmers.'Because of those attributes we thought it was something people would love so we built this custom-made pool to allow people to experience this unique behaviour.' The water-loving animals all live at the Institute of Greatly Endangered and Rare Species, or TIGER, in Myrtle Beach, near Miami.Filled with 100,00 gallons of water, one side of the entire pool is made of glass, allowing guests of the institute the unique opportunity to see the handlers and the animals up close swimming together.
'There are other pictures out there of tigers underwater but people have never been able to get this close to a tiger because it is so dangerous,' says Dr Antle.'These are the only shots I have ever seen where people are swimming with tigers like this.' Dr Antle has a 25-year career caring for threatened species and has about 200 animals in large enclosures at the TIGER park.He said: 'I started swimming with tigers about 25 years ago.'We found that in the water people and tigers were on a more equal footing when the tiger was swimming around on the top.'As they were floating around we could manipulate them more easily because they don't stand up on their back legs.'When they are younger they love taking baths and then we slowly introduce them to the pool.' 
Dr Antle and his animal-trainers give one-on-one tuition to each of the animals while they are in the water.'These are hand-raised tigers,' he said.'At the institute we feel that swimming with the big cats gives them a closer bond between the animal and their human companions.'As part of our wildlife education program they are all hand-reared.' But despite the apparent danger, Doc ensures his trainers are never at risk.'There is always a team of handlers in the water at any given time,' he explains.'I don't think many people in the world try to get in the water with a tiger these days. It is all done from the edge when people throw meat and the tiger chases it.'We are playing with the tigers and letting then have that interactive capacity with the handlers instead of allowing them to have meat.' Each tiger is introduced to the pool a few months after they are born. With a potential to grow to over 500lbs and 8ft in length, it is often considered that handlers will only swim with the tigers when they are no more than a year old.
However Dr Antle often looks at each individual case when considering how close his trainers can remain to the tigers.'I depends on the tiger,' he says.'I personally have had full-grown 15-year-old adult tigers that I swam with and adult ligers [cross between a lion and tiger]. But that is me and I wouldn't put my staff at the same risk.'We will allow the tigers to swim with the handlers as they mature but we have to monitor each one on its own merits.' The TIGER centre has several programmes allowing people to interact closely with the animals.Many of the animals are also trained actors and have appeared in advertisements and films including Forrest Gump and Ace Ventura.
We may not really care what our view is when we use the loo.But maybe we should - for according to the World Toilet Organisation we spend three years of our lives on the throne.And that fact was enough to set author Luke Barclay off on a mission to flush out the planet's best loos with a view.
Among them are remote wilderness loos, such as the ones at Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia and the Boulder Pass Campsite in Montana, which overlooks the spectacular Agassiz Glacier.Many are on sacred sites - including those in the Valley of Longevity in Ecuador, where locals are said to live to 135, and on Mount Sinai in Egypt, where God is said to have handed the Ten Commandments to Moses.
The loos on the lookout tower at Alcatraz clearly worked, as no escape attempts were successful in the prison's 29-year history.But women using the aquarium toilet at Mumin Papa Cafe in Akashi, Japan, have complained of being watched by a male sea turtle.However, the future for interesting toilets is bright, as the new men's loo in Terminal 3 of Singapore's Changi Airport proves.
Loo With A View, by Luke Barclay, is published by Virgin Books at £7.99. To order your copy with free p&p, call The Review Bookstore on 0845 155 0713.
