By CHRIS SLACK


Spectacular: Russian vegetable carver Vadim Nefedjev applies the finishing touches to his eagle work during the first ever European carving competition

With steady hand and painstaking concentration, this artist applies the finish touches to his latest spectacular work.

But this sculpture of an eagle is created using a medium many conventional artists may not have considered - fruit and vegetables.

Using a mixture of fruits, the bird was created by Russian vegetable carver Vadim Nefedjev during yesterday's round of competition at the first ever European carving competition in Leipzig in eastern Germany.


The eagle has landed: Nefedjev places the bird on display for judging in the individual competition. He was battling 26 others at the event held in Leipzig, Germany


The competition, which has 26 individual competitors and 11 teams, is part of the 'Gaeste' Trade Fair in the city - which caters for the restaurant, hotel and catering business.

His eagle creation was in competition with carvers from nine different countries.

They included Czech chef Radek Vach, who created a staggering depiction of a Viking's head using only a pumpkin.

Another entrant was Winifried Karras who represented Germany, but chose to centre his piece around a carving of an Asian beauty on a melon.


Staggering: This detailed carving of a Viking's head was created on a pumpkin by Czech Radek Vach, who gets to work on another design in the background


This aubergine penguin, complete with carrot glasses was one entrant, while German carver Winifried Karras chose to centre his piece around a carving of an Asian beauty on a melon


This pair of frogs were created using cucumbers, with their tongues and eyes made from small pieces of carrot


Most fruit and vegetables were used at some point, with one entrant choosing to create a pair of frogs using nothing but a cucumber and strategically place pieces of carrot.

And another saw a penguin crafted from an aubergine, with the designer even crafting a pair of glasses from a carrot.

The pictures here come from the two days of individual competition.

Saturday's entrants had to create two pieces to be used for two cocktails and a plate of vegetables measuring around 30cm in diameter.


Intricate: A woman carves a flower design onto a mango as part of her entry in the competition


And yesterday saw competitors asked to make a show piece to go before the judges.
Within a four hour time limit they had to make the piece using a selection of melons, papayas, cabbages, cucumbers, radish and carrots and pumpkins.

Tomorrow's competition involves teams of three again being given four hours to create a blend of fruit and vegetable carvings of specific locations.

The European competition was founded by China's Xiang Wang, who has been crowned World Champion on two occasions.

source: dailymail

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Trafficked: A panther cub receives an injection after it was seized from a United Arab Emirates citizen's luggage by Thai police at a Bangkok airport


A first-class passenger waiting to fly out of Bangkok was caught with suitcases crammed with rare baby animals.

The man, a 36-year-old United Arab Emirates citizen, was waiting to check-in for his flight at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi International Airport when authorities swooped.

The animals - including baby leopards, panthers, a bear and monkeys - had been drugged and were headed for Dubai.


Vulnerable: It is not known if the animals, a three-month old white-cheeked gibbon, left and a leopard cub, right, were to be sold or kept as exotic pets when they got to Dubai


Undercover anti-trafficking officers had been monitoring the suspect since he allegedly bought the rare and endangered baby animals on the black market, according to the FREELAND Foundation, an anti-trafficking group based in Thailand.

When authorities opened the suitcases they found two leopards, two panthers, and Asiatic black bear and two macaque monkeys - all about the size of puppies.

Steven Galster, director of FREELAND, who was present when the man was intercepted said that the animals yawned when the bags were opened.


'A virtual zoo': Four two-month-old leopard cubs look from inside a cage. Undercover anti-trafficking officers had been monitoring the suspect since he bought the rare and endangered baby animals on the black market


Let us out! A baby Malayan sun bear, left, looks out from his cage; right, a black tufted Marmoset monkey clutches the bars of his prison with a mournful expression on his face


Imprisoned: A three-month old white-cheeked gibbon reaches out from him cage


Baby: A three-month old Malayan sun bear looks from inside a cage. Authorities believe the man was part of a trafficking network and were searching for suspected accomplices


Slumber: The baby bear sleeps off his sedative. The animals had been drugged and were heading for Dubai


Let us out! A baby Malayan sun bear, left, looks out from his cage; right, a black tufted Marmoset monkey clutches the bars of his prison with a mournful expression on his face


Imprisoned: A three-month old white-cheeked gibbon looks from inside a cage


'It looked like they had sedated the animals and had them in flat cages so they couldn't move around much,' Mr Galster said. Some of the animals had been packed inside canisters punched with air holes.

Authorities believe the man was part of a trafficking network and were searching for suspected accomplices.

Mr Galster said: 'It was a very sophisticated smuggling operation. We've never seen one like this before.

'The guy had a virtual zoo in his suitcases.'


Baby: A three-month old Malayan sun bear looks from inside a cage. Authorities believe the man was part of a trafficking network and were searching for suspected accomplices.


Thailand is a hub for illegal wildlife trafficking, but authorities typically find rare turtles, tortoises, snakes and lizards that feed demand in China and Vietnam. Finding such an array of live mammals is unusual.

In Thailand, leopards and panthers fetch roughly $5,000 a piece on the black market, but their value in Dubai was presumably higher, Mr Galster said.

It was not known if the animals were destined to be resold or kept as exotic pets, a practice popular in the Middle East.


Slumber: A baby bear gets some rest. The animals had been drugged and were heading for Dubai


source: dailymail