In 2001, a drug dealer’s property was raided and authorities found much more than they expected. Baloo, an American black bear, Leo a lion, and Shere Khan the Bengal tiger were rescued from their abusive conditions in the drug dealer’s basement and given a second shot at life at the Noah’s Ark Animal Sanctuary in Locust Grove.
Photo credit: Noah’s Ark Animal Sanctuary
The three were inseparable friends with a bond as thick as brothers. Nicknamed BLT, the group lived together in happiness for 15 years. That was all until the sanctuary workers made a horrible discovery.
Photo credit: Noah’s Ark Animal Sanctuary
Photo credit: Noah’s Ark Animal Sanctuary
Leo had not been acting like himself for weeks. Refusing to move and barely eating led the staff to decide to do an exploratory surgery to see if there was underlying medical issue. The doctor revealed that Leo was in desperate health. With 80 percent of his liver covered in inoperable masses, they knew the beloved lion didn’t have much time left.
Photo credit: Noah’s Ark Animal Sanctuary
So, they began a celebration of Leo’s life. Working hard to prepare his brothers for a life without Leo, they helped BLT enjoy their last moments together.
Photo credit: Noah’s Ark Animal Sanctuary
In August, Leo passed away and the sanctuary posted a sweet video to remember BLT’s days of brotherhood. You can get more information on the Noah’s Ark Animal Sanctuary and how you can help their mission on their Facebook page.
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The three were inseparable friends with a bond as thick as brothers. Nicknamed BLT, the group lived together in happiness for 15 years. That was all until the sanctuary workers made a horrible discovery.
Leo had not been acting like himself for weeks. Refusing to move and barely eating led the staff to decide to do an exploratory surgery to see if there was underlying medical issue. The doctor revealed that Leo was in desperate health. With 80 percent of his liver covered in inoperable masses, they knew the beloved lion didn’t have much time left.
In August, Leo passed away and the sanctuary posted a sweet video to remember BLT’s days of brotherhood. You can get more information on the Noah’s Ark Animal Sanctuary and how you can help their mission on their Facebook page.
For years, balloon releases have been used to celebrate events or honor the memory of someone lost. Schools release them during football games, they’re sent floating into the air at running events, and released by crowds of people at weddings, funerals, and memorials. And while those who organize and participate in balloon releases have the best of intentions, what they fail to consider is what happens when those balloons eventually land – and when they do the results are detrimental to wildlife and marine animals.
Balloons negatively impact our environment by littering streams, lakes, and beaches. It’s basically the same as intentionally throwing trash on the ground or into the ocean. Even balloons marketed as biodegradable or “eco-friendly” can still take years to disintegrate, meaning they’re not any better for the environment than standard balloons.
BalloonsBlow.Org/Facebook
What You Can Do If you know of someone planning a balloon release, please urge them to consider one of these earth- and animal-friendly options instead. There are so many other symbolic acts that don’t involve the use of balloons. We’ve listed a few options for you below, and you can find more by visiting this website that offers not only fun alternatives but educational materials to help you spread awareness about the dangers of balloons and balloon releases.
Bubbles are not only fun but can create stunning photo ops. Watching hundreds of bubbles float up into the sky can be mesmerizing and just as symbolic as seeing a balloon float away, but without the resulting of litter and endangerment to wildlife and marine animals.
Luminaries
Luminaries are a beautiful way to honor and memorialize loved ones. Instead of writing messages on balloons and releasing them, you can write messages on recycled paper bags or reusable glass jars with candles placed inside to create a lighted path, or spell out a word or name. Each person can bring their bag or jar home afterward as a personal keepsake to remember the event.
Plant a Tree
Planting native trees and wildflowers is a beautiful way to create a memory that lasts for years to come – and give a little something back to nature. Another fun idea is to have people release milkweed seeds, which helps populations of monarch butterflies thrive by replenishing depleted supplies of the milkweed plant that is essential to their survival. Just remember: If you choose to plant trees or flowers somewhere other than your own yard, make sure you have prior permission if it’s a public park or nature area, as they often have restrictions about potentially invasive species of plants.
Celebrations and commemorative events are meant to allow us to reflect on important times in our lives, there is no reason these should come at the expense of wild animals.
Lead image source: U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service/Flickr
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Balloons negatively impact our environment by littering streams, lakes, and beaches. It’s basically the same as intentionally throwing trash on the ground or into the ocean. Even balloons marketed as biodegradable or “eco-friendly” can still take years to disintegrate, meaning they’re not any better for the environment than standard balloons.
BalloonsBlow.Org/Facebook
Bubbles are not only fun but can create stunning photo ops. Watching hundreds of bubbles float up into the sky can be mesmerizing and just as symbolic as seeing a balloon float away, but without the resulting of litter and endangerment to wildlife and marine animals.
Luminaries
Luminaries are a beautiful way to honor and memorialize loved ones. Instead of writing messages on balloons and releasing them, you can write messages on recycled paper bags or reusable glass jars with candles placed inside to create a lighted path, or spell out a word or name. Each person can bring their bag or jar home afterward as a personal keepsake to remember the event.
Plant a Tree
Planting native trees and wildflowers is a beautiful way to create a memory that lasts for years to come – and give a little something back to nature. Another fun idea is to have people release milkweed seeds, which helps populations of monarch butterflies thrive by replenishing depleted supplies of the milkweed plant that is essential to their survival. Just remember: If you choose to plant trees or flowers somewhere other than your own yard, make sure you have prior permission if it’s a public park or nature area, as they often have restrictions about potentially invasive species of plants.
Celebrations and commemorative events are meant to allow us to reflect on important times in our lives, there is no reason these should come at the expense of wild animals.
Lead image source: U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service/Flickr
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Malissa Sergent Lewis wasn’t expecting to save a life on her way into the office last week. But that’s exactly what she did. Little did she know the trip would change her life forever.
Lewis was running a little late to the elementary school in Kentucky where she works, so she decided to take a shortcut through a back road instead.
It was there along that quiet country street that, despite her hurry, Lewis took notice of something shockingly out of the ordinary.
“I saw this trash bag in the road, and I thought to myself, ‘Did I just see that bag move?’ The closer I got, I realized it was moving,” she told The Dodo.
“I saw this trash bag in the road, and I thought to myself, ‘Did I just see that bag move?’ The closer I got, I realized it was moving,” she told The Dodo.
“I could hardly wrap my mind around that. Something was alive in that bag, and I just knew I had to get whatever it was out.”
Video Lewis captured on her cell phone shows the trapped creature hobbling toward her approaching vehicle.
Not knowing if it was a dangerous sort of animal inside the bag, Lewis approached with caution. But she helped regardless.
“The bag was tied off in a knot, so I carefully tore a corner and looked inside,” she said. “It was a puppy. And he sure was glad to see me. As soon as I opened it up, and he saw light, he just started wagging his tail. He knew he was OK. I couldn’t believe it.”
The puppy had a collar but no identification, so she took him to work. When she got home that night, she took the puppy to the vet for an examination.
The vet said he was no more than eight weeks old but that he was completely healthy!
It isn’t known if the puppy had been discarded by his owner, or was perhaps stolen and put there by someone else. Lewis says authorities are investigating the case, but there’s no doubt in her mind someone did it on purpose – and that he would have likely died had she not been fortunate enough to spot him in time.
“Who could do something like that to any animal? I don’t care who you are; everybody loves puppies,” she said. “It’s a real coldhearted person to put an animal, any animal, in a garbage bag and dump it on the side of the road. They had bad, bad intentions doing that.”
Thankfully, though, the puppy found just the person to help him, not just in that desperate moment, but for a lifetime. Malissa decided to keep the puppy and named him Hefty. Needless to say, her sons were pretty thrilled with their new dog! 🙂
It’s only been a few days now, but Lewis and her family have already bonded with the little dog she saved. They’ve even given him a name hinting to the circumstances of his chance discovery: Hefty.
Things for him are now looking up.
Since there’s a good chance no one will ever come forward to claim Hefty, Lewis and her family have decided to give him a forever home themselves.
“We all love the puppy,” Lewis said. “He’s going to be loved, and have a good home with us. I’m just glad I was in the right place at the right time to save him. That’s what it was.”
What a happy ending! 🙂
Photo credits: Malissa Sergent Lewis
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Video Lewis captured on her cell phone shows the trapped creature hobbling toward her approaching vehicle.
Not knowing if it was a dangerous sort of animal inside the bag, Lewis approached with caution. But she helped regardless.
“The bag was tied off in a knot, so I carefully tore a corner and looked inside,” she said. “It was a puppy. And he sure was glad to see me. As soon as I opened it up, and he saw light, he just started wagging his tail. He knew he was OK. I couldn’t believe it.”
The puppy had a collar but no identification, so she took him to work. When she got home that night, she took the puppy to the vet for an examination.
The vet said he was no more than eight weeks old but that he was completely healthy!
It isn’t known if the puppy had been discarded by his owner, or was perhaps stolen and put there by someone else. Lewis says authorities are investigating the case, but there’s no doubt in her mind someone did it on purpose – and that he would have likely died had she not been fortunate enough to spot him in time.
“Who could do something like that to any animal? I don’t care who you are; everybody loves puppies,” she said. “It’s a real coldhearted person to put an animal, any animal, in a garbage bag and dump it on the side of the road. They had bad, bad intentions doing that.”
Thankfully, though, the puppy found just the person to help him, not just in that desperate moment, but for a lifetime. Malissa decided to keep the puppy and named him Hefty. Needless to say, her sons were pretty thrilled with their new dog! 🙂
It’s only been a few days now, but Lewis and her family have already bonded with the little dog she saved. They’ve even given him a name hinting to the circumstances of his chance discovery: Hefty.
Things for him are now looking up.
Since there’s a good chance no one will ever come forward to claim Hefty, Lewis and her family have decided to give him a forever home themselves.
“We all love the puppy,” Lewis said. “He’s going to be loved, and have a good home with us. I’m just glad I was in the right place at the right time to save him. That’s what it was.”
Photo credits: Malissa Sergent Lewis
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