You may be familiar with the story of Hachiko, the loyal Akita that returned for years hopping to greet his deceased owner at the train station (if not, go grab a hankie). But there are details of the story that you probably don't know. Evan Hadfield tells us the story with some extra background and more insight into how Hachiko became a national hero in Japan.
In fact, Hachiko's fame ended up saving his breed. That's a good dog. This is the latest episode of the video series Chris Hadfield's Rare Earth. -via Tastefully Offensive
The Fast and The Furious series is one of those things that people either love or hate, but even if you can't stand all the drama and car chases, you might just love 2 Fast 2 Furryest, which features adorable felines in cars that are just too cool. But watch out for that last minute addition to the race, he's an outsider -a real rebel.
Chris Poole is playing with his cat Marmalade. Marmalade knows his human's hand very well, but he's letting his imagination go wild. Maybe he's pretending the hand is a monster, or a large predator, or just something supernatural that's out to get him. Whoever says cats faces aren't expressive doesn't know Marmalade.
A man snuck into the panda house at the Nanchang Zoo in Jiangxi province, China. He wanted to impress his female companions by teasing the sleeping giant panda. The animal woke up and proceeded to attack the intruder.
You know how your dog can lean up against you when he wants to be hugged? Imagine that behavior in a bear-sized bear, if you will. If the man had commenced with the hugs and back scratches as directed, he might have been spared the panda rolling over on top of him. As it was, he managed to escape the pen after about five minutes. Both the man and the panda were unharmed. -via Boing Boing
I got my drill and started to drill holes in the wall until located the exact location of the cat and where it was able to break free. I then put the video on Facebook hoping to find the owner. After about two hours the owner got word from some friends who saw my video on facebook. He contacted me and I then took the cat to his home where the owner was delighted to have the cat home and thanked me.
In Turkey, a lot of cats are strays that are taken care of communally, as residents and shopkeepers feed them without trying to own them. In this system, it's no wonder a cat would ask humans for help, but one cat picked the right place -almost- when she went into labor. The pregnant cat in the in Tatvan district of Bitlis province went to the door of a health clinic Wednesday and started meowing at the door.
The nurses let her in but they could not tell what exactly was wrong with the pregnant kitty.
They soon realized that despite minutes of intense labour the cat could not produce a kitten so, they called the municipality vet.
Yeah, the cat should've gone to the veterinary clinic, but she can't read the signs. The cat was taken to the Tatvan Municipality Stray Animal Neutering and Rehabilitation Center, where Dr. Sefer Durmuş performed a C-section. The cat and her four kittens are doing fine, as you can see in a picture at Daily Sabah.
The Vienna Chamber Orchestra was performing Mendelssohn’s Italian Symphony No. 4 in Izmir, Turkey, when a wandering music fan decided to join them onstage at the amphitheater.
He's a good boy, and so deserves first chair in the violin section, although he'd rather listen than play. He knows his limitations. The conductor was amused. You can imagine what the musicians who couldn't see what was happening thought when the audience started laughing and applauding at an inappropriate time in the music. -via reddit
Condors don't strike me as being the most affectionate animals, but maybe that's just me judging them by their somewhat vulture-y look and those beady little eyes.
For all I know they're the cuddliest critters on Earth, and this video shot by Nestor David seems to indicate condors are quite loveable after all. In it we see Nestor's friend Edgardo Della getting lotsa love from the condor he nursed back to health:
One day in March he appeared here alone and with a broken leg. We were healing him from an injury that did not seem to be serious and from that day he approaches me every time I call him.
There are so many skateboarding dogs and cats out there I won't be surprised when they start going pro, especially the dogs who don't mind a crowd forming around them.
But cats seem like they'd be less keen on a crowd, preferring to skate behind a grocery store instead of at the skate park, so they can chill and focus on the ride.
However, Boomer the Bengal could go pro any day now- because he isn't afraid to show off his skating skills in front of an attentive crowd, as long as they don't touch his board...
The YouTuber who goes by the name "walter santi" (Walter is his/her dog, and Santi is a cat) tells the story of an injured stray cat who came to their house and asked for help. The video shows his wounds and may be disturbing for sensitive souls.
You'll be glad to know the cat is fine now. Here's an update video taken 40 days later, showing him chasing around like he was never hurt. -via Laughing Squid
Cats are truly amazing creatures, and since humans have never been able to fully tame those tiny tigers it's not all that surprising to hear a new study has found cats pretty much domesticated themselves.
But this discovery does seem to indicate that cats like humans as much as we like them, a secret the Feline Illuminati would kill to keep under wraps.
The earlier ancestors of today’s domestic cats spread from southwest Asia and into Europe as early as 4400 B.C. The cats likely started hanging around farming communities in the Fertile Crescent about 8,000 years ago, where they settled into a mutually beneficial relationship as humans’ rodent patrol.
Mice and rats were attracted to crops and other agricultural byproducts being produced by human civilizations. Cats likely followed the rodent populations and, in turn, frequently approached the human settlements.
“This is probably how the first encounter between humans and cats occurred,” says study coauthor Claudio Ottoni of the University of Leuven. “It’s not that humans took some cats and put them inside cages,” he says. Instead, people more or less allowed cats to domesticate themselves.
A second lineage, consisting of African cats that dominated Egypt, spread into the Mediterranean and most of the Old World beginning around 1500 B.C. This Egyptian cat probably had behaviors that made it attractive to humans, such as sociability and tameness.
The results suggest that prehistoric human populations probably began carrying their cats along ancient land and sea trade routes to control rodents.
Clever dogs have been known to call 911 when they or their humans are in trouble, and their call to 911 actually ended up saving their owner's lives.
But you shouldn't encourage your dog to call 911 whenever they smell danger because they might start tying up the emergency lines while you're at work.
True wildlife enthusiasts like to make sure there's something animal related to do wherever they go on vacation, and these days it's not hard to find small nature reserves and sanctuaries that allow guests to visit with their animals.
But if you adore animals and you're looking for places to add to your bucket list then you should make your way to Phuket, Thailand so you can have lunch with the elephants at the Phuket Elephant Sanctuary:
Phuket is home to an ethical sanctuary where you can observe and feed the elephants as they roam and do as they please. Being able to watch, understand, and respect the majestic beasts as they go about their day is truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
If Thailand is too far away and elephants aren't your jam then perhaps you'd rather head north to Hudson Bay, which is near the town of Churchill, Manitoba, so you can see polar bears in the wild.
Known as the “polar bear capital of the world,” Hudson Bay near the town of Churchill, Manitoba, is the gathering place of hundreds of the cuddly-looking creatures every autumn. You can book a tour in a tundra buggie where you’ll be able to observe the bears up close while they hang out and wait for the sea ice to refreeze so they can get their seal-hunting back on.
But if one species of animal isn't enough to earn a spot on your bucket list then you must pay a visit to Kruger National Park in South Africa, where you can see all kinds of critters, including the Big Five:
Kruger National Park is home to the Big Five: elephant, lion, rhino, leopard, and buffalo, and a plethora of other magnificent mammals, birds, and reptiles. There are a wide range of safari options available, but no matter which one you choose be sure to have your camera constantly at the ready. You never know when a casual herd of rhino may wander by!
The Sonoma Marin County Fair in Petaluma, California, crowns the World's Ugliest Dog every year. And most years, a Chinese crested has won the title. But not this year! Congratulations to Martha, a 125-pound Neapolitan mastiff who took the top honor on Friday. Martha is notable for her loose and droopy skin, and her lack of enthusiasm for the contest. Why show off when you can lay down and take a nap?
The dog, from nearby Sebastopol, was rescued when she was nearly blind from neglect by the Dogwood Animal Rescue Project in Sonoma County, where the contest was held. After several surgeries, she can now see again, Zindler said.
The only animal in this year's contest too big to be held by her handler, Martha beat out 13 other dogs, most of them the kind of older, smaller dogs who win here.
Symba was surrendered to the Human Rescue Alliance a couple of weeks ago when his owner went to a nursing home. Symba is 6 years old and weighs 35 pounds! The shelter in Washington, DC, put him on a diet and hoped to find a new owner who would continue the program. Publicity helped, and Symba has been adopted by Kiah Berkeley and Peter Sorkin.
“He is lovely. He is a really sweet guy,” Berkeley, 31, told ABC News of Symba’s personality.
The engaged couple heard about him like everyone else: on the news.
“There were a bunch of news stories about him,” she said. “We love cats. My fiancé and I had two cats already. I have a particular affinity for very large animals and he obviously was a really sweet, loving guy. Very cute.”
