There’s great news coming from Philadelphia Zoo.

A 100-year-old tortoise, aptly named Mommy, has become a first-time mom with the hatching of four critically endangered Western Santa Cruz Galapagos tortoises at the Philadelphia Zoo.

 Since there were only 44 individual tortoises of their kind in all U.S. zoos combined, the arrival of these baby turtles is essentially a lifeline for the survival of this species.

 Continue reading.

 

Home at Last

After an unplanned nine-month stay on board the International Space Station, Nasa astronauts return to Earth.

 

The strangers who saved each other’s lives

Marius (left) with Nick (right) 

 With an anonymous stem-cell donation, Marius Werner saved a British doctor's life - and, the young German says, it may have saved him too, giving him purpose when he had felt suicidal. 

 With a rare type of blood cancer, Dr Nick Embleton's only hope was a bone marrow transplant. 

 And unable to find a match in the UK, the search was extended worldwide. 

 Two years on, BBC News and charity Anthony Nolan help two "blood brothers" find each other for the first time. 

 Read more

 

Beam me up, Scotty

 Yes, it's from Australia. A goanna is any of around 70 species of lizard found in Australia. 

The name came from iguana, which is an unrelated South American lizard. A weir is a short dam that doesn't hold back all the water, but keeps the river above it at a deeper level.

 The story involves an almost 5-foot goanna who wandered onto a weir, which is not safe. 

Waterworks employees rescued the goanna by lowering a log by crane down to where the animal sat. The lizard eventually moved into the log, it being the only thing familiar to him. Then they raised the log up with a winch, with the goanna holding on for dear life. Once the goanna was safe on the riverbank, the workers gave him a large snack of carp, which he finished before wandering off. 

All's well that ends well, right?

 via

Dog helps save owner who fell in frozen Michigan lake

A man who fell through the ice on a frozen Michigan lake was rescued after a quick-thinking state police officer used the stranded man’s dog to get rescue equipment to him and pull the man to safety. 

 Bystanders called 911 on Thursday after the 65-year-old Traverse City man fell through ice-covered Arbutus Lake, state police said.

 Read more, see video.

 

12-year-old Shanya Gill designed a fire detection system that works faster than the average smoke detector.

To bring her fire detection system to life, Gill used two key components: a thermal camera and a Raspberry Pi computer, which sends an alert to the owner's smartphone.

 Read more

 

How long would you wait for the love of your life?

A moving marriage proposal by an older man is melting hearts around the world.

 In a video posted to TikTok, Dr. Thomas McMeekin is seen on his knees at Tampa International Airport. As he reads a heartfelt letter to his sweetheart, Nancy Gambell, she wipes away tears from her face.

 When he pops the big question, you can almost guarantee what the answer will be.

 

Missing children found alive 40 days after Amazon jungle plane crash

Malnourished and covered in insect bites, four Indigenous children were rescued alive from the Colombian Amazon on Friday afternoon, 40 days after the plane they were travelling in crashed into the jungle. In a remarkable feat of resilience, the children survived heavy storms in one of the most inhospitable parts of the country, home to predatory animals and armed groups. 

Read more

 

12-year-old boy graduates college with 5 degrees

Clovis Hung, a mere 12 years old, has set a new record at Fullerton College in California, becoming the youngest person to graduate — and he didn't stop at just one degree. 

Hung has been awarded five associate of arts degrees in the areas of history; social sciences; social behavior and self-development; arts and human expression; and science and mathematics. 

The precocious scholar, who first enrolled via the school's special-admit program at the age of 9, surpassed the previous record held by 13-year-old Jack Rico. Homeschooled by his mother, Song Choi, who recognized his early intellectual curiosity, Hung started his college career with a single class and gradually added more. Describing him as inquisitive, diligent, and self-disciplined, Choi noted her son's drive for knowledge surpassed what traditional public schools could offer. Faculty, such as Biology Professor Kenneth Collins, initially expressed concern about Hung's ability to relate to his older peers, but found their fears were "unfounded." Hung's next ambition?

 Acquiring a pilot's license at 16 and, one day, going to Mars.

 more

Missing Senior Dog Found Alive in Cave Two Months Later

A 13-year-old mixed-poodle named Abby went missing on June 9. The last place her owner Jeff Bohnert expected to find her was 500 feet underground.

 Read more 

 

Man Experiencing Homelessness Throws a Birthday Party for His Dogs, Then His Life Changes

A man named Choko José Luis Matos was spotted in a park in Bucaramanga, Colombia, throwing a birthday party for his two dogs, Shaggy and Nena. Matos was experiencing homelessness and had been for years.

 Shaggy and Nena have been stabilizing forces in his life, ensuring he’s never alone.

 Someone filmed the entire party and put it online. It went viral.People started donating supplies to Matos, and another person donated a phone. He started posting on Instagram and has amassed over 182K followers in a short time.

 Things are looking up for Matos, Shaggy, and Nena. They now have a place to stay.

 Read more

 

In searching for Mia

  For more than a month, countless animal lovers across a rugged swath of western Colorado were gripped by the same question: Where is Mia? 

 The shy, 8-year-old rescue dog, with brown spots and floppy ears, was lost in the winter cold. 

Her owner, Charles Reigies, remembers the moment she disappeared, the day after Christmas. 

He and his girlfriend, Hanna Poscente, were driving back home to Grand Junction on Interstate 70 in one of the first storms of the season. Reigies hit a patch of black ice, and they went swerving.

 The Jeep crashed onto its side. It was dark out, and they were miles from any town, about two hours from home. An ambulance rushed Poscente to a hospital with a broken neck.

 As Reigies waited for a tow truck, he kept searching for Mia in the snow. 

 But there were no signs of her.

 

  Read more

 

Rescued sloths at the home of Haydée and Juan Carlos Rodríguez in Venezuela.

In an attempt to cross from one tree to another in the Venezuelan town of San Antonio de Los Altos, near Caracas, the sloth had climbed on to a high-voltage power line and been electrocuted. 

 The animal had lost the claws on three of its paws because of burns and the Rodríguezes were told by a local wildlife expert that it was not likely to survive, and that they should leave it to die.

 Today, the sloth is not only thriving but has proved the inspiration for the couple to create what they believe to be Venezuela’s first dedicated sloth rescue and rehabilitation centre.

 Read more

 

The pig whisperer

A unique ‘pig toilet’ and a diet of organic leftovers are part of former vet Kees Scheepens’ plans to put animal welfare and sustainability first. 

 Read more

 

The Batman

Photo by Anadolu Agency/Getty Images 

 Mersin, Turkey

 The Batman-costumed taxi driver Omer has become a local hero during the pandemic, delivering groceries to elderly people and giving gifts to the children.

 via

 

True Love

When a stray dog named Sisu found a purple stuffed unicorn in a Dollar General store, he broke in five times to try and steal it. Animal Control Officer Samantha Lane understood it was true love, so she bought the plush toy for the dog. Sisu and his beloved unicorn are now adopted!

 Read more

 

Art Teacher Has Her Students Transform Her Plain Dress Into a Wearable Work of Art

In 2018, art teacher Rebecca Bonner of McAuliffe Elementary School in Highland Village, Texas, began a collaborative project with her over 500 art students. The young artists helped design a unique piece of fashion that their creative teacher wore—not once, but twice—to display their work. The dress then went viral and is still enchanting viewers today.

 Read more

 

Purrfect rescue

Andaman Sea, Thailand

 A naval officer swims to shore with a cat on his back after rescuing it from a sinking boat.

 Photograph: PO1 Wichit Pukdeelon/Reuters

 via

 

The town of Onil has changed the lives of children everywhere

The town, home to around 7,500 people and 38 toymakers, made headlines across Spain last year after a local collection of four dolls with Down’s syndrome won the country’s much-coveted “toy of the year” prize.

 more

 

How creating wildlife crossings can help reindeer, bears – and even crabs

A wildlife overpass in Banff national park, in the Canadian Rockies. Photograph: Ross MacDonald/Banff National Park

Red crabs on Christmas Island climb a bridge designed for their protection. Photograph: Chris Bray

 Sweden’s announcement this week that it is to build a series of animal bridges is the latest in global efforts to help wildlife navigate busy roads.

more