THE WORLD'S TALLEST DONKEY

A mule named 'Oklahoma Sam' is today celebrating being crowned the 'Tallest Living Donkey' on the planet.

Measuring 15.3 hands (155.45 cm; 5ft 1in) tall, she dwarfs the common donkey (8 hands high) and her own larger 'Mammoth Jackstock' breed (12 hands high).

The four-year-old record-breaker lives in Watsonville, California, USA, where she shares her one acre of land with a Macaw, duck, goose and four cats.

The other animals, unfazed by Sam's size, enjoy playing with the giant donkey, and when Sam isn't chasing them around the farmland she can usually be found sleeping in an area of shade or nibbling on her bale.

Sam's overall care is handled by 54-year-old Linda Davis, a keen gardener and animal lover.

Linda, who calls Sam her "soul mate", says: "It actually doesn't cost anymore to have a donkey of this size.

"He doesn't eat more. In fact, if I give him more bale he'll just use it to make his bedding more comfortable. He loves his sleep"

Psittacula Bird Species

These brightly-colored Asian and African parakeets are often kept as aviary birds, but they’re making their way into homes as pets with their grace and social nature. Psittacula parakeets earned a reputation as nippy, noisy birds, but their pet bird owners are fiercely loyal to them, pointing out their good qualities, such as their easy-going and independent nature. Fourteen species make up the Psittacula genus, but the plum-headed, ring-necked, Alexandrine and moustached parakeets are the most common species kept as pets in the United States.