15 Unusual Animal Workers

14. WINGS AT WORK

A small bird has chosen a life of labor as an assistant at a Chinese office. The wild flier accidentally ended up in the office and then decided to get comfortable. Though workers have tried releasing the bird several times, the animal keeps returning to check up on its fellow employees. (Mirror)

13. MICKEY MOUSERS

The place ruled by a wish-granting, giant mouse is also home to quite a few cats. Back in the 1950s, Disneyland discovered a colony of feral cats living on the property. Instead of booting the felines, the park kept the kitties on to control the mouse population, setting up feeding stations for the cats throughout Disneyland. New generations of the cats have lived in the park ever since, carrying on the job of their feline forefathers. (CNN)

12. THE NOSE KNOWS

Dogs have been trained to sniff out many things, but one of the weirdest is dry rot. Rothounds are canines that learn to find the scent of building materials that are decaying due to fungus and insect infestations. These sharp-nosed doggies can detect this potentially destructive problem before any other conventional means, saving homeowners money and materials. (H+R)

11. WORKING LIKE A DOG

Trixie the Pit Bull stays in shape thanks to her occupation. The 3-year-old canine helps model the perks of aquatic treadmills made for dogs. Her wet and wild demonstrations have helped many dogs get the low-impact exercise they need to stay healthy. (Mercury News)

10. LET ME GET THAT FOR YOU

Ferrets are part of the weasel family for a reason. They really know how to wriggle through a tight situations. Oodles of concertgoers have three ferrets to thank for an awesome performance. Electricians used the slinky animals to lay down thousands of feet of cable through narrow tunnels for the show. (BBC NEWS)

9. CAT ART CONNOISSEURS

The felines of St. Petersburg Hermitage Museum always get in for free. A squad of 70 cats call the museum home, and even have a devoted staff to care for them. The animals receive these perks because they are responsible for protecting the paintings in the museum's storage from any destructive vermin. (Catster)

8. CANINE CRIER

Millie had better take today to rest her vocal chords. This precious pooch is Britain's only canine town crier. That is a lot of dog news for one little barker to cover. (BBC)

7. MOW AND MUNCH GOAT

Got an unsightly lot and no time to clean it? Then you may want to invest in a goat. A new company called Mow Goats is shopping around the impressive eating skills of this animal. Their goats are available to chomp down ugly weeds in vacant lots for a small fee. The best part? Unlike lawn mowers, goats do no damage to the environment. 

6. CAT IN CHARGE

Tama the cat has several titles to her name: station master, celebrity and CEO. After the cat was adopted by a Japanese train station, she rose to fame, attracting tourists from around the world. The company was so happy by the boost in business, they made Tama an honorary CEO. 

5. CHICKENS CASH IN 

Poultry is finding a way to get paid and make humans look like bird brains, so we're calling it a double win. Several casinos have started using tic-tac-toe-playing chickens in their facilities to attract new business and get some extra cash. While it may seem easy to beat the bird in this game, the chicken rarely loses. 

4. PRIMATE PROTECTION 

While fighting fire with fire may not work, fighting monkey with monkey seems to. When an Indian government building was being plagued by pestering rhesus monkeys, the building hired a larger langur monkey as a bodyguard. Pawan, the langur-monkey protector, shows up to the building each morning and scares off any smaller relatives. (Christian Science Monitor)

3. DONKEY HOT SPOTS ON HOOVES

Donkeys are being enlisted as the newest form of mobile WiFi hot spots. Israel's historic park, Kfar Kedem, outfitted five of their donkeys with gear that makes them Internet friendly. Now visitors can live like the olden days, but still Google like it's 2012. (Los Angeles Times)

2. PUSSYCAT ON PATROL 

Millie the Bengal cat has became an honorary ThunderCat of sorts. The feline spends her evenings protecting toys, including ThunderCats and Power Rangers, at a U.K. factory. Millie uses her loud purrs and long jumps to alert workers to any suspicious behavior among her plastic wards. 

1. AIR BOO

Boo, the "World's Cutest Dog," was hired recently as Virgin Airlines' pet liaison. The adorable dog is in charge of dishing out pet-travel tips and keeping folks calm and cuddly. He hasn't gotten his paws on a pilot's license yet.