Etc...

There's still a lemur available

With her wedding imminent, the soon-to-be Joannah Barnard did some outside-the-box thinking for her bridal registry. Now, most women (at least those in Western countries who are about to marry lawyers) might be contemplating gifts of place settings or a silver service. And, naturally, they'd want everything to match, right? Not Joannah. Instead of table linens or sterling flatware, she wanted penguins, pandas, and spider monkeys. Huh? "[She] went for those that were cute and cuddly," explained her fiancé, Damon. "She said absolutely no reptiles , but I did manage to squeeze a tortoise onto the list." The explanation is simple. The couple, who live in Warrington, England, aren't exactly kids anymore, so they've had years to fill their housekeeping needs. Besides, as supporters of the local zoo, they have developed a deep affection for the species in its collection. So they asked their wedding guests to buy shares in its adoption program. And the guests did, to the tune of $2,130 , choosing from a list that also included bats, sea lions, tigers, bears, elephants, rhinos, zebras, giraffes, tapirs, and chimpanzees. Joannah and Damon did receive one gift for themselves, however: a joint membership from the zoo in appreciation.