It is now illegal for wild animals, such as lions, bears, elephants, and giraffes, to be used in circuses in the Netherlands! On Tuesday, September 15, 2015, a ban on wild animals in circuses officially went into effect in the Netherlands.

Wild animals, such as lions, bears, elephants, and giraffes, will no longer have to endure extensive travel or life in cramped, poorly-laid-out enclosures for the sole purpose of entertaining humans.

Credit: shutterstock

As has been shared before, life for an animal in captivity is not at glamorous as it might appear to be in the ring. Oftentimes, circus animals undergo rigorous training (causing mass amounts of stress) and/or abuse inflicted by trainers seeking to instill fear.

Wilde Dieren de Tent Uit, the association of Dutch animal welfare organizations, has spent the last nine years working towards the ban. The association is now offering to help circuses find new, species-appropriate homes for the animals.

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A heartbreaking photo has surfaced of a park ranger comforting a gorilla that had just lost its mother to poachers. In this photo, Patrick Karabaranga, a ranger at the Virunga National Park in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, sits with an orphaned mountain gorilla in the park's gorilla sanctuary.

The gorilla appears to be showing his appreciation for the sympathy by placing his hand on the ranger's leg.

Photo: Phil Moore/AFP/Getty Images
This gorilla, like the other three orphans currently living in the sanctuary, were brought there after their parents were killed by poachers or as a result of illegal attempts by traffickers to smuggle them out of the park.

With more than 200 mountain gorillas, Virunga National Park accounts for about a quarter of the world's mountain gorilla population.


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Caleb Howard was just 6 years old when a head-on car collision left him with broken bones and a traumatic brain injury. His heartbroken parents weren’t sure how quickly he’d be able to recover — or if he’d make it at all — as much of Caleb’s progress was nearly impossible to recognize.

One day, it was suggested that a dog named Colonel step in and act as Caleb’s therapy animal. His parents were desperate for a solution, so they obliged. The video below follows Caleb and Colonel’s journey together. You’ll see an immediate boost in Caleb’s awareness, and how this relationship marked a turning point for Caleb’s family in their belief in his ability to recover.

Caleb learned to gain control over his hands again by playing fetch with and petting Kernel. He gained mobility by taking the dog for short walks and being more active than he had been in a very long time.

Colonel the therapy dog also helped Caleb find excitement and joy again. Who would have thought this very special dog would hold the key to Caleb’s recovery? Before his parents and the doctors knew it, Caleb made strides in leaps and bounds, helping to prove the power of therapy animals.

Though this video was posted to YouTube in 2009, it’s just as powerful as ever. Dogs truly do have healing properties!

Watch the emotional and heartwarming video below, and please SHARE this with all your fellow dog lovers on Facebook.


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The first 3 months in the lives of kittens are very important when it comes to proper development. During this period the entire litter needs to be with their mother in order to learn the basic rules about how to be a cat.

Of course, they can make progress even without their mother, but this is the best option. Their mothers feed them; teach them how to find food, how to walk and run and how to play!

In order to do that mother cats often use their paws to guide their little ones, but most of them including the cat in this video use their vocal skills too.


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