Weighing little more than a bag of sugar, Chester Zoo’s newest arrival is one of the world’s smallest antelope species.

Having been rejected by her mother from an early age, baby Aluna is now being hand-reared by the zoo’s dedicated curator of mammals.

Despite standing just a few centimetres tall, the tiny Kirk’s dik-dik antelope is making a big impression at the animal haven in Cheshire.

Currently living with zoo custodian Tim Rowlands, the antelope has to be bottle-fed milk five times a day.

‘Our little one is growing stronger and stronger by the day and, all being well, it shouldn’t be too long until she‘ll be able to really hold her own,’ he explained.

‘For the time being though her feed times are staggered through the day and she has her first bottle in my living room at home at around 7am.

‘I then pop her into the car and bring her to work where she has another three feeds in my office. Finally, her last one is at 10pm back at my house.’

Native to Kenya, Tanzania and Namibia, the dik-dik gets its name from the noise it makes when running for cover.

They can live for up to 10 years and reach a maximum size of just 40cm tall.

A micro pig from Manchester has got it into his head he is a hound, in a heart-warming tale similar to that of well-known swine Babe who thought he was a sheep dog.

Gilbert, two, was raised with Yorkshire terriers and thinks he’s one of them.

His tricks include rolling over, fetching post, giving kisses and sitting when he wants a dog biscuit.

He was brought to the Wilmslow Animal Sanctuary in Cheshire when his owners moved and trustee and fundraising coordinator Melanie Hay described him as a ‘real character’.

‘Gilbert loves people and acts just like a dog,’ she said.

‘He knocks on the office door to be let in and sticks his head through the cat flap.

‘He’s totally bonkers and has mad half-hours running up and down the barn nearly sending the staff flying. He’s gorgeous.’

But the pig has grown larger and is no longer ‘micro’ sized – a reason his owners might have parted company with him.

Although he does not have any canine friends where he lives now he has found a mate in another of his (real) species.

‘Our pot-bellied pig Erica tells him what’s what and he loves cuddles and snuggling up under his fleece blanket at night,’ Ms Hay added.

Nine lives or one…it has certainly been long for Wadsworth, who is the world’s oldest cat after turning 27 – or 125 in human years.

The cat, known as Waddy, didn’t have the best start after being born the runt of the litter and was even thrown out by his owners.

His life began to turn around when he was adopted by 66-year-old Ann Munday in Ravensden, Bedfordshire when he was just four weeks old.

‘I’ve always had cats, but he is an absolute dream and he has been a fantastic companion since my husband died 13 years ago,’ she explained.

‘He was a tiny and very poorly little thing so it’s a miracle he has survived.’

Waddy has been treated by the same vet ever since meaning he has records to prove his age.

‘He doesn’t have any back claws so he is a house cat, but can go for a run in the garden,’ Ms Munday added.

‘Now he is like a little old man and mainly sleeps and eats. He has some ailments but he still gets up on my bed and the table.’

Despite evidence to the contrary, the great PR god in the sky has declared it International Happiness Day. With no unicorns made out of rainbows or mile-wide ball pits to hand, Metro has come up with 11 animals doing their best to cheer you up:

1. This Tibetan mastiff either being blown by the wind or just very finely coiffured 

2. This baby river otter with the biggest face ever

3. This Japanese macaque monkey who has just woken up

4. This squirrel’s ninja approach to birdhousin’

5. These hedgehogs intimidating a snail

6. This leopard shouting: ‘Get me the hell outta here, John!’ (N.B it escaped the reservoir tank unharmed)

7. This dog’s stance.

8. This Emperor Tamarin monkey’s curly ‘tache

9. These baby red pandas looking all confuddled

10. This polar bear cub who’s had a complete rager the night before

11. This Labradoodle completely unaware there is a MASSIVE PICTURE OF A CAT behind him

Making your way along snowy pavements when it’s supposed to be spring is hard work for anyone.

And if you’re a 15cm (6ins) tall hamster, it’s no fun at all.

It is not clear how petite Poppy ended up picking a path down a city centre street as blizzards battered Edinburgh on Monday.

But she probably wished she was back home working up a sweat on her wheel as she shivered in the unseasonal conditions.

The year-old Syrian hamster – who was given her name by Scottish SPCA officers – is ‘very lucky’ to have been found by a passer-by who rescued her, said the charity’s Duncan Robinson.

She may have been abandoned by her owner, he added.

‘Hamsters are fast creatures and can wriggle through small spaces so there is a chance she has escaped from home,’ Mr Robinson said.

‘However, we are keeping an open mind at this stage. We’re really glad she’s now safe.’

He added: ‘We’re keen to hear from anyone who recognises Poppy and, in the meantime, we’ll ensure she receives the care she needs.

‘If no-one comes forward, we’ll be looking to find Poppy a loving new home.’

A brave seal pup has been discovered wandering aimlessly in a Swedish forest, which is nearly 6km (four miles) from open water.

The young animal was spotted by a member of the public in Uppsala but questions are now being asked as to how it got there in the first place.

‘A somewhat confused person called and said he was out walking in the woods where he had found a seal pup. I thought he was joking at first,’ local police inspector Henrik Pederson said.

Before being released into a nearby river, the pup was in the care of hunter, Robert Sandefors, and he thinks the seal made the trek all the way to the woods by itself.

‘He must have gotten separated from his mother and gotten lost and gone in the wrong direction,’ he told a Swedish radio station.

The police added they thought the creature had travelled over sea ice to get to the forest.

Britain’s only baby brow-antlered deer is being hand-reared at Chester Zoo after she was rejected by her mother.

Zeyar, who weighed just 3.7kg (8lb) when she was born, is now going from strength-to-strength thanks to zookeeper Helen Massey’s care and dedication.

After being abandoned by her mum it is now left to Helen to ensure she gets her four bottles of milk a day – which she guzzles down with glee.

The arrival of Zeyar is great news for the future of the endangered species which is native to Burma.

Their numbers are decreasing in the wild as they are hunted by villagers and poachers who supply international markets with bushmeat and trophy antlers.

Zeyar, which is Burmese for ‘success’, is the only brow-antlered deer to have been born in Britain this year.

Chester Zoo is the only one in Britain currently breeding the species. It boasts award-winning gardens and is home to 11,000 animals.

They include more than 400 species of rare, exotic and endangered wildlife.

You might have worn a jumper your mum knitted for you in the past to keep warm, and that’s basically what’s happened to these newborn lambs.

Less than a week old, Flake, Frosty and Snowy have been adorned with brightly-coloured woolly jumpers to protect them from the Arctic weather that has the UK in its icy grip.

‘Now they look even cuter and will manage to keep warm despite not being able to snuggle up to their mother – but it may be the jumpers are made from mum’s old wool,’ said Holly Beckett of Becketts Farm, Birmingham.

‘We’ve had to take them inside to keep them extra warm as we have families planning to come to our farm this Easter – but I know many farmers have been suffering heavily in the snow.

‘We’re giving them that little helping hand to ease them through their first weeks and they’re definitely enjoying their new style.’

While the woolly jumpers are undoubtedly cute, the wintry weather is no laughing matter for livestock.

Thousands of animals are feared to have been killed following blizzards in the past month.

There is only one problem with holding an easter egg hunt for chimpanzees – you might need to watch out for a Cheetah.

That wasn’t a worry in the end for the staff at Chimpanzee Island at Blair Drummond Safari Park in Scotland though, who kicked off the holiday weekend with eggs and hot cross buns for their residents.

There’s no sign of Tarzan’s cheeky sidekick, but Blair Drummond’s five chimpanzees – including the boss, Chippie, 24, his mother Blossom, 55, Rosie, 25, and more recent arrivals 19-year-old Tupelo and Copper, 23 – all made the most of the treat.

Chocolate is off the menu for the Stirling chimps, so staff painted giant ostrich eggs and then filled them with goodies such as yoghurt, honey, peanut butter and mealworms.

Head Keeper Alasdair Gillies said: ‘Chimpanzees, our closest living relatives, are extremely intelligent animals.

‘We provide many forms of enrichment for them every day to stimulate them and prevent them from getting bored and fed up.

‘Staff came up with the Easter theme for a bit of fun, but it does have a serious side and the chimps certainly seemed to enjoy it.’

Naturally, there is always one who has to play up.

‘While the ladies were interested in the contents of the eggs, Chippie, after an initial investigation, found it very amusing to throw one of his eggs back at the keepers showering them in strawberry yoghurt.

‘It’s all part of the fun,’ said Mr Gillies.

Easter appears to be this cute canine’s favourite time of year as he fools around with his favourite animal friends.

Boom, a three-year old Staffordshire bull terrier, was more than happy to be snapped with three rabbits ahead of Easter Sunday.

The award-winning pooch looks to be a natural in front of the camera as he plays in the grass with baby chick Itty in the garden of his home in sunny Florida.

‘Boom is a complete clown and loves showing off,’ explained his animal-mad owner Carla.

‘He is extremely intelligent, willing to please and loves to work. He is so fun and loves the camera.’

Boom and Itty have become completely inseparable, according to their owner, and spend their days playing in the garden together.

‘We have several rabbits and a couple of dozen chickens, and he has always pretty much just gone about his business and ignored them,’ she said.

‘Boom and Itty are super cute together. She climbs all over him and the only thing I have ever worried about, was him squishing her when he is running around.’

A polar bear cub whose mother was unwittingly shot by a hunter is thriving at his new temporary home.

The three-to-four-month old orphan has been named Kali by staff at the Alaska Zoo in Anchorage after the Inupiat name for Point Lay on the state’s north-west coast where his mother was shot.

Under the US state’s law, native tribes are allowed to harvest polar bears, but the hunter said he did not know the bear was with a cub.

Kali was just 18lbs when he arrived at the zoo, but several weeks on is already 35lbs.

But the cub will not be in Alaska for much longer, as he is set to be moved to Buffalo Zoo in New York state, where he will be introduced to the zoo’s own female cub, Luna, who was born last November and was recently introduced to the public.

Luna is being raised by zoo staff after being rejected by her mother Anana, and it is thought both cubs’ development could be helped by being raised together.

Kali’s long-term home is Saint Louis Zoo, however, which is building a state-of-the-art polar bear exhibit set to open in 2015.

A keen koala is so hooked on kisses from a pretty cafe boss he meets her once a week for an after-hours smooch.

Eddie has been romancing Lucy Ziwiski at her home in Noosa, on Australia’s Sunshine Coast, for the past month.

He gave her a kiss to say hello and ever since then has returned to the same spot at least once a week for more.

‘I heard a rustle in the bushes next to me so I went to investigate and there was this lovely koala,’ she explained after spotting Eddie when she returned home from work one evening.

‘He seemed very curious and not afraid of me. I’d never been as close to a koala like that before.

‘Luckily I remembered I had my camera with me so I reached in my bag with my left hand and took a photo.

‘As I did, his lips touched my lips, it was quite a kiss, and after a few seconds off he went.’

The koala now returns every week for his kiss from the 36-year-old and even turned up on the porch of a neighbour’s house she was visiting.

‘His breath smells of eucalyptus, so it’s very fresh,’ she added. ‘If only guys were the same.’

Exam week can be a stressful time for students as the pressure and anxiety slowly builds ahead of that big assessment.

Wired on high-caffeine energy drinks and double shots of espresso to combat tiredness, the knowledge-hungry pupils have barely enough to catch a breath.

Despite busy schedules filled with last-minute cramming sessions at the library, undergraduates at Aberdeen University are being offered an alternative to help beat exam stress.

Cute puppies will be drafted for the exam period in May following a successful trial earlier this year with Guide Dogs Scotland.

The golden retrievers and labradors are going into a special ‘puppy room’ where undergraduates can stroke them to help combat stress.

‘Hopefully we can boost students’ health and grades,’ explained Emma Carlen, of the university’s students association.

A similar initiative was successfully launched at a Canadian university last year, with hundreds of students embracing the puppy love.

MORE: Entire book full of baby animals may cause ‘cute headaches’ 

Only the most highbrow moggies have the intellectual capacity for self-awareness and this clever cat appears to be among the select band.

Having already conquered the internet, many cat lovers believe it’s only a matter of time before our beloved felines take over the world.

While the majority are yet to develop the opposable thumbs that could bring them a step closer to world domination, there are signs the domesticated animals are slowly getting smarter.

The latest evidence comes from a black and white cat named Sox who was filmed raising a paw in front of a bathroom mirror while checking out her reflection.

While most cats would attack the ‘ghost cat’ that has suddenly appeared, Sox can be seen carefully studying her reflection.

Her antics have racked up almost 30,000 hits on YouTube, with one amused user commenting: ‘That is one smart cat.’

The top comment from one eagle-eyed user simply says: ‘Is that you reflected naked in the tap?’

MORE: Cat sits on a wall like a human

Apparently Tuesday morning is the new Monday morning, but then Wednesday morning isn’t too gorgeous either – really whatever day of the week it is it could probably use brightening with this selection of dogs who have carved out careers for themselves.

1. This dog is in the military

2. This dog is a fireman/possible impostor

3. This dog is the First Dog, Bo, seen here tossing a football with the president.

4. This dog is a boxer with a mean left hook

5. This dog is trained to attack South Korean Defence Minister Kim Kwan-jin

6. This dog is a model

7. This dog is a guide dog and completely unperturbed by languorous cats

8. This dog is an Ozzy Osbourne impersonator

9. This dog protests plans for policing at universities in Greece

10. This dog is a sniffer dog on the Tube

11. This dog is, I don’t know what it does, but it’s well hydrated and just having a lovely time in Paris

They may be cute and just finding their way in the world but these three cubs are vital in the fight to save a leopard species from extinction.

The trio of clouded leopards – the rarest breed of leopards in the world – were born on March 26 at Nashville Zoo, in Tennessee, the US.

Clouded leopard Jing Jai gave birth to one female cub and fellow leopard Baylie gave birth to one male and one female as part of a special conservation programme at the zoo.

This is Jing Jai’s sixth litter at just seven years old. Both she and mate Arun came from the Khao Kheow Open Zoo in Chonburi, Thailand in 2008.

It was the second birth for four-year-old Baylie and her mate Chet.

All three cubs are now being hand-raised by experts at the zoo.

The future of the species is at risk because of deforestation, poaching and the pet trade.

‘The zoo is a leader in clouded leopard conservation – with 18 clouded leopards born at our off-exhibit breeding facility since 2009,’ said zoo supervisor Karen Rice.

‘These cubs, born March 26, will remain a part of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums clouded leopard population as breeding cats, education or exhibit animals.

‘Whatever role they play, they will contribute to the ongoing conservation effort.’

Nashville Zoo is a member of the Thailand Clouded Leopard Consortium – a collaboration with the National Zoo, Point Defiance Zoo, Clouded Leopard Species Survival Program and Zoological Park Organization of Thailand.

The programme aims to develope a ‘self-sustaining captive population’ of the endangered leopards.

A child’s love for his shaggy friend is captured beautifully in this intimate series of pictures.

Boy and dog have been inseparable since five-year-old Julian Becker was born.

For the last two years, the relationship between Julian and Max, a 75kg (165lb) Newfoundland, has been charted by mother Stasha.

She has photographed the pair every day on her iPhone – and what started as a way of keeping in touch with her husband, a US naval officer, has turned into a charming document of mutual companionship and devotion.

‘I will say “picture time” and both of them will come up with something,’ said Ms Becker.

‘Max usually sits there and takes orders from Julian. I just snap a few and post the photo that made me giggle the most.’

Pictures of the friends on snow-capped mountains, in a sun-kissed field, on a blustery beach and even dressed as Waldo give a sense of their unbreakable bond.

Both were born in England, but now live in Whidbey Island, Washington. ‘My boy still drinks tea every morning but has mostly lost the accent. Max still barks with a Yorkshire twang,’ said Ms Becker, a lifestyle photographer.

‘They have been together all day, every day, since Julian was born.’

Wandering alone through the vast Kenyan savannah, this orphaned elephant had little chance of survival after its mother was killed by ivory poachers.

Still dependent on its mother’s milk, the baby male calf was spotted trudging through Tsavo East National Park by a David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust (DSWT) pilot earlier this month

The elephant, named Tundani, was soon rescued and transported to the DSWT’s Nairobi Orphanage where he will be hand-raised and gradually rehabilitated back into the wild.

He has received medication and round the clock care at the animal refuge and is now growing in strength.

Tundani’s rescue is just one of many that the DSWT has undertaken this year, according to founder Dame Daphne Sheldrick.

‘This latest rescue only shows the devastating effect that poaching and human-wildlife conflict has on elephant populations,’ she said.

‘Without the care of his mother, Tundani would have no hope for survival. At least now he has a second chance at life in the wild.’

She added: ‘This is not the first time we have rescued a young elephant – and sadly we know it won’t be the last.

‘With up to 35,000 elephants killed every year by ivory poachers, elephants are dying in droves on a daily basis to feed the infamous ivory trade fuelled by demand from the Far East.’

Along with 21 other orphaned elephants currently in the care of the DSWT, Tundani now roams Nairobi National Park’s forests daily.

When it comes to adorable animals, baby penguins named after characters from hit TV show Dr Who have got to be high up the cute scale.

The newly born Humboldt penguins are the newest arrivals at Chester Zoo and are the first to hatch this year.

The chicks are named after icons from BBC sci-fi show Dr Who, which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year.

Doctor was the first of the penguins, which are an endangered South African species, to be born and weighs just 66g. He was soon joined by Tardis, Davros and Dalek.

Keeper Karen Neech said: ‘Just as Dr Who has his companion we’re very much the companions for the baby chicks at the moment

‘We’re weighing them daily to make sure they’re developing properly and feeding from their parents.

‘With extra mouths to feed a lot more food is required, so it’s a busy time for both us and the adult penguins.

‘So it’s a real combined effort – but without a sonic screwdriver in sight!’

After around eight weeks they will leave the nest and learn how to swim in the zoo’s baby pool, before joining their parents in the main pool.

Chester Zoo funds conservation initiatives in the penguins’ homeland where they are faced with many pressures including over fishing of their food and habitat loss.

There have been many unusual tales of unlikely animal friendships which have warmed our hearts down the years.

First, there was Susie the boxer dog and Tabitha the pig who were filmed play-fighting to I’m A Believer by Neil Diamond.

This was followed by the tale of a female gorilla and rabbit who became best friends following the death of her long-term partner at a zoo in Pennsylvania.

The latest clip of animal companionship features a sloth called Prince stroking a cat to sleep in what could be the weirdest animal friendship yet.

And when you add the uplifting sounds of I’m Yours by Jason Mraz into the mix then you are looking at one of the most bizarre videos on YouTube.

‘Prince, the sloth loves hugging and kissing the cats,’ explains the video description.

He most certainly does, using his extended claws to gently stroke the relaxed feline while cuddling up next to it.

Sloths appear to be getting reputation for the unexpected, earlier this year a video of a sloth speeding down the Amazon in a boat went viral.