One of the cubs is a female the sicentists named Sparta. Credit: Alexey Mihaylov
According to the researchers involved in the discovery, one of the cubs starved to death while the other may have been crushed by falling rocks, both having possibly been abandoned by their mothers. 

When the cubs were found in 2018, it was thought they were male siblings who had died around 44,000 years ago. But it turns out that the youngest cub was actually a female that died roughly 26,000 years ago, the Siberian Times revealed. She is thus some 18,000 years “younger” than the cub found next to her named Boris. Sparta is believed to have died 26,000 years ago. Credit: The Siberian Times
The cave lion cub, which has been renamed from Spartak to Sparta after the truth about her origins was revealed, died of hunger, likely after being abandoned by her mother. 

Scientist speculate that Sparta’s mother either left her in the cave and went hunting, or was killed herself, leaving the tiny cub without food. Cave lion cub Sparta. Credit: The Siberian Times
Sparta was found in the Yakutia region of Russia in 2018. The discovery was made by the same mammoth bone hunter who unearthed a bigger cave lion cub called Boris a year earlier. 

Since they were just ten metres apart, scientists first theorized that the cubs must have been from the same family – but now it is clear they are separated by 26,000 years. Cave lion cub Boris. Credit: The Siberian Times
Boris died roughly 44,000 years ago, and was only about two or three weeks old when he died. Similarly to Sparta, he may have been left by his mother inside a cave, and was possibly killed by collapsing cave rock. 

“We found visible traces of internal injuries, which we believe could have been caused by rock falling on him,” said Protopopov. Cave lion cub Boris has a severed tail which led to some speculation that he might be of a different species. Credit: The Siberian Times
Boris has a severed tail. This led to some speculation among scientist that, instead of a cave lion, he was an ancient lynx. “We were all worried by the lack of a tail on Boris,” said Dr Protopopov. “But the man who found him explained that it got cut off when the cub was taken out of the permafrost. I know it raised suspicion that the lion cub was in fact a lynx, but we know from the very first tests that this was clearly a cave lion cub.” 

Complete restoration works on the baby cave lions, uniquely preserved in the Siberian permafrost, reveals a sensational level of pelt and hair preservation. 

“The most important task of this complex research on the cave lion cubs is to restore their appearance,” Protopopov noted. “It is still an enigma, in that on hundreds of published drawings of cave lions they are depicted without manes. Yet we notice spots and stripes of pigmentation in that area… which are not seen in modern day lions. So we are moving towards re-creating the way the cave lions looked.” “Their living conditions were very different to modern lions in that cave lions live in much colder climate and we believe therefore had to look different,” Protopopov added. “There was less prey in cold climate. If we understand this question about mane we might get an idea of their social hierarchy – for example, we don’t know if they created prides with alpha males and several females alike to modern lions.” 

Scientists are continuing to perform tests on cave lions, which were the largest predators in the area after bears. However, lions were more common because the areas was savanna at the time – while bears preferred woods. The researchers now hope to bring similar creatures back to life using lion DNA and cloning techniques. 

“Cave lion cubs are superbly preserved, you can even see their whiskers, and we are hoping to fetch a lot more information from them.” Scientists hope to bring the cave lion back to life using lion DNA and cloning techniques. Credit: The Siberian Times
“There is a very realistic chance to recreate cave lions and it would be a lot easier than to clone a woolly mammoth,” the scientists involved predicted. “Cave and modern lions separated only 300,000 years ago, in other words they are different species of the same genus. 

It means that we can take DNA of the modern African lion and use it to recreate cave lions. It would be a lot easier than the mammoths.” “But if we find methods to bring back woolly mammoths it would be a revolution and a pay back by humans who helped extinguishing of so many species.”

Scientists hope that they may be able to revive cave lions as a species using these cubs. Credit: The Siberian Times
Not everone agrees with that last statement though. Indeed, we could be very close to resurrecting long-extinct animals, but it’s not just a technical matter, it’s an ethical one too. 

Could it be that scientists are so preoccupied with whether or not they could do it, that they don’t stop to think if they should?
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Despite the fact that he could have easily torn it to shreds in minutes, he was always extremely gentle with it. He even took it with him on walks and slept with it every night. He lived in a loving home until he was five, but then everything changed. His owner lost his job, and they started to struggle. They downsized their home, but it still wasn’t enough. It became difficult to keep Smokey fed. So they decided to see if anyone they knew would be able to take care of him. But no one was able to accommodate such a large dog. 

When they found out that they were going to lose their house, they tried even harder to find him a new home. But finally, they had to face the facts that they could no longer care for Smokey. They made the extraordinarily difficult decision to surrender him to a shelter. They dropped him off with his favorite toy, and said goodbye forever. Smokey was shattered. His heart was completely broken. 

After losing his people and having to adjust to life in the shelter, Smokey started to suffer from severe anxiety. He had no interest in playing or interacting with any of the shelter volunteers. He simply laid in the corner of his crate, clutching his elephant in his mouth. The shelter scrambled to get him adopted as soon as they possibly could as accommodations for intaking animals were extremely limited. The photos of him with his elephant drew attention from potential adopters, and the shelter was extremely hopeful that he would be adopted soon. 

But every time a family came to see if they connected with him, he would hide in the corner. When they tried to approach him, he was so scared that he would growl. Since he started to show signs of aggression, the shelter was forced to take him off the list of “adoptable dogs.” 

Unfortunately, this essentially put him on death row, and he was headed towards being put down. The shelter didn’t have the space or ability to accommodate a dog that they couldn’t get adopted. So the date was set. He had to be adopted by then or he would be euthanized. But the shelter wasn’t going to give-up. They didn’t want Smokey to die. So they started to search for other rescues that could take Smokey. They knew he would do so much better out of a stressful shelter environment. 

Thankfully, I Have A Dream rescue organization swooped in at the nick of time to save him. They promised that they would find him the perfect foster, and that they were willing to be incredibly patient to find him the forever family of his dreams. 

As soon as he moved in with a foster family, everything changed. All the stress he was feeling in the shelter seemed to melt away. Suddenly, he had so much energy and was willing to play. Much earlier than they expected, the rescue decided to make him available for adoption again. But first, they wanted to reach out to his former family and see if they were able to take care of him again. 

Unfortunately, they still weren’t in a fitting financial position to take him back. They were just so grateful that he was saved from being put down and that he would be able to live a lovely life. The pictures of him clutching his beloved stuffed elephant made him very popular on social media. So it wasn’t long after he was officially up for adoption that Smokey, with his favorite stuffed toy in tow, found himself a wonderful new forever family. 

 See Smokey’s heartfelt story of hope below.

 
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  Despite the odds stacked against him, Lucky continued to fight. Thanks to the love and care of his mom, Clanay, Lucky is a textbook example of what the power of love and special care can do! Lucky was the smallest and weakest of the litter. His siblings passed away one by one, and she wasn’t sure if Lucky would survive. 

However, Clanay was determined to give him a fighting chance. She took him in and worked around the clock to give him the care he needed. At first, Lucky was so tiny that he looked like a baby hamster. He had trouble latching onto a bottle, but he showed a strong will to live by taking droplets from a syringe. 

As the days went by, Lucky continued to fight for his life, and his mom began to believe that he might have a chance at survival. When Lucky reached one week old, Clanay was hopeful. By two weeks, he was standing up and taking his first steps. As he continued to grow, he faced new challenges, such as being diagnosed as blind at two weeks old. 

Despite these obstacles, Lucky remained strong and resilient. At four months old, Lucky had to have one of his eyes removed. Even then, he remained a loving and happy dog, wagging his tail and seeking affection. Clanay took him to a specialist, who informed her that Lucky needed to wear goggles for sun protection due to his albinism. Now Lucky is full-grown and keeps on thriving. He has defied all the odds stacked against him and continues to be a strong, happy, and loving dog. 

He has no idea he is different and that’s exactly what Clanay wanted– for her precious pup to live the life every pet deserves!

 
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Upon closer inspection, they realized this was no ordinary cat — it didn’t look like any of the other kittens they had seen. 

The family decided to call The Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand (WFFT), an animal organization, who soon showed up to have a look at the animal. After careful examination, the organization concluded that this animal was a fishing cat — a special kind of cat on the brink of extinction. This ‘wild cat’ can grow up to become twice the size of a regular cat and is a big fan of marine life. The cat is especially fond of hunting and eating fish, hence its name. 

According to Wikipedia, “the fishing cat (Prionailurus viverrinus) is a medium-sized wild cat of South and Southeast Asia. Since 2016, it is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. Fishing cat populations are threatened by destruction of wetlands and declined severely over the last decade. Fishing cats live foremost in the vicinity of wetlands, along rivers, streams, oxbow lakes, in swamps and mangroves.” WFFT discovered that the kitten had left its mother’s womb just a few hours prior to when the family found him. Specialists at the organization were baffled as to how a mother had been able to abandon its new born baby like that — unusual for the breed. The family took a liking to the rare cat and were allowed to keep it for a trial period. They decided to call him Simba. It was apparent that the cat felt very attached to the family. The family kept an eye out at all times for the mother of the kitten, whom they assumed would show up at any time for her child. Sadly, that never happened. 

Simba was milk-fed by the family instead, and grew up to become a beautiful fishing cat. Luckily, so far he is still alive and well but it’s extremely important that Simba continues to thrive. 

According to the WFFT, “poaching and retribution killing were the major causes for a high Fishing Cat mortality of 84% in Thailand.” So, not only is it a miracle that Simba was rescued and survived — his existence is vital for the continuation of his breed. Here’s a video showing other cats who have been rescued. These might not be fishing cats but they sure are cute:

 
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He was also unable to walk due to a severely fractured front limb. His already grave situation is made worse by the fact that he has Cushings Disease, which has gone undiagnosed. The local shelter requested assistance from the Northeast chapter of Special Needs Animal Rescue Rehabilitation (SNARR), and its director, Courtney Bellew, came to his aid. 

Even though Courtney is accustomed to taking care of critically ill animals, witnessing Rudy made her cry. She told the Huffington Post that his front leg was in such horrible health that she didn’t want any images of it taken. Rudy also felt emotionally distressed. It is a miracle this distraught child survived, the organization posted on Facebook. 

Rudy was thankful and nothing but a lovebug as soon as we saved him, despite being absolutely fearful and afraid of a light human touch. 

Among other things, Rudy has benefited immensely from medicinal baths.

  The organization released a video of Rudy getting one of his special spa treatments, which are aiding in the repair of his skin and fur. 

Thankfully, because his foster parents are veterinarians, they can give him all the medical care he requires to recover. They also have a gorgeous New England farm house where he may find love and a peaceful location to let his spirit recover. 

His days are filled with friends from kids to dogs to cats to farm animals like Harold the lamb. According to Courtney, who talked with HuffPost, “his eyes are full of love and optimism,” Rudy has a way of quickly winning your heart when he looks at you. 

He has always loved pampering himself, and you could tell by his many trips to the spa. I’m simply so relieved that we can give him a respectable life. Up until his departure, they continued to show him what a nice life was like. According to a message that was updated after the initial one, Rudy recently left due to issues with his spinal illness. 

SNARR gave Rudy all the attention he could manage before he departed. I’m happy Rudy had the chance to live out his final weeks surrounded by affection.
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  To add extra hilarity to the incident, the youngster then planted a huge kiss on his patient mom’s face to repent for the emotional display. The whole episode was caught on camera and quickly went viral. 

When Berani’s mother, a 16-year-old orangutan named Sari, dragged her son away from a play session in his enclosure at Pairi Daiza, what ensued was a scenario that many parents of young children may find relatable. 

“Just like all small children, Berani still has to listen to what mom says even though he’s getting a bit more independent,” said photographer Koen Hartkamp, who caught the hilarious moment on camera, as per the Daily Mail. “Judging by the picture, he didn’t like it.” The tenacious mother didn’t give up, holding her young son by the arm and persisting in relocating him to a different part of the enclosure. Berani’s tantrum was short-lived, though. 

Photos taken just moments after the young orangutan’s amusing episode show the tot snuggled under a gold-colored blanket and sipping a refreshing drink from the enclosure’s water fountain. Feisty Berani, his mother, Sari, and his father, Ujian, moved to Pairi Daiza in 2017 from Germany. Berani will celebrate his fourth birthday on March 21, 2020. 

On Berani’s third birthday in 2019, Pairi Daiza took to Facebook to share cheerful pictures of the baby ape tucking into his birthday treat. “Happy birthday Berani,” staff began. “Our beloved orangutan is 3 years old today.” “For the occasion,” they continued, “his trainers prepared a hearty party snack for him: his favorite seeds in the gift, and a carrot cake decorated with fruit and rose leaves (without thorns, of course).” 

Berani’s parents, the park’s staff added, also enjoyed the delicious birthday treat with their young son. For Sari’s 16th birthday, almost seven months later, Pairi Daiza staff threw an equally festive celebration, also posting on Facebook about the happy event. 

“Happy Birthday Sari,” they began. “This beautiful Sumatran orangutan is 16 years old today.” “For the occasion, we carefully prepared an enrichment in the form of boxes in which delicious seeds and fruits were found,” staff added. “Sari also received sheets and blankets offered by visitors, which she immediately shared with Uijan and Berani in their territory of the Temple of Flowers.” 

Hiding under sheets, staff explained, is one of the playful orangutans’ favorite activities. One of the award-winning Pairi Daiza safari park’s main missions is to raise awareness of deforestation owing to palm oil plantations. 

The park actively contributes toward Borneo forest restoration projects; such forests are prime habitat for myriad species, including orangutans. 

As per Pairi Daiza, “orangutan” translates as “man of the forest” in Malay. The orangutan is a large primate that lives and thrives in the bountiful canopies of rainforests. Berani, Sari, and Ujian are Sumatran orangutans and may live until around the age of 50 in captivity. The creatures are extremely intelligent. They are able to employ twigs and branches as “tools” to extract insects from hard-to-reach crevices or the juicy innards of fruit from their skins. 

They are also masters of body language, primarily communicating through gesticulation. As per the World Wildlife Fund, rampant deforestation has rendered the orangutan a critically endangered species. 

There are only around 7,500 Sumatran orangutans remaining in the wild. It has never been more important to protect these magnificent creatures.
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But at home, it appears that the former California governor has a soft spot for animals. According to Celebrity Pets, Arnold Schwarzenegger currently has a total of six pets, including several rather unique choices! Back in 1997, Arnold and his family adopted their first unusual pet. In an interview with the Columbus Dispatch, Arnold explained that he wanted a miniature pig after working with George Clooney on the movie, “Batman and Robin.” 

After a breeder said that their new pet, Bacon, would not grow very large, the pig grew to be an enormous 300-pound behemoth.

 

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A post shared by Arnold Schwarzenegger (@schwarzenegger)

Arnold’s animals are truly members of the household, and happily parade around inside. Lulu, the mini donkey, and Schnelly, the mini pig, are also learning chess. 

The current list of Schwarzenegger pets includes three dogs, a mini horse, a mini pig (a real mini one this time), and Lulu, the mini donkey. Let’s meet the members of the mini zoo! Arnold has three dogs named Schnitzel, Dutch, and Cherry. Schnitzel is a Leonberger breed and is named after Arnold’s favorite Austrian dish. Dutch is possibly a malamute, or malamute mix. 

He is named after Arnold’s character in the “Predator” movie. Finally, Cherry is an adorable little Yorkshire terrier. She is the smallest of the bunch. Arnold’s mini pig, Schnelly, was adopted in April of 2023. She is slightly larger than cute little Cherry. Arnold is attempting to teach Schnelly to play chess, but we don’t think the lessons are sticking. The last two members of Arnold’s little farmstead are Whiskey, the mini horse, and Lulu, the mini donkey. Both animals roam freely inside his expansive home and participate in the daily routine. 

When perusing Arnold’s social media, you might catch Lulu supervising a workout in the gym. It is clear that, regardless of his on-film persona, Arnold is an animal lover. 

The videos and articles we read in researching this tell us that these pets are truly members of his household. Watch the drill sergeant supervising a workout!

@arnoldschnitzel

Lulu pumps up.

♬ Hard Work - U.S. Drill Sergeant Field Recordings

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  One day, Scott decided to go on a drive to clear his head. He was driving through a small farming town in Payette, Idaho when he saw a sign that said, “German Shepherd puppies.” He had recently lost his German Shepherd and was in need of some puppy love. 

While Scott had no intention of adopting another dog at that time, he took one look at Biggie and fell in love instantly. Biggie had several issues, including a hernia, which is why he was one of the last puppies to be adopted. However, Scott didn’t mind these issues. Scott took him home that same day. “I want to give him the best life that I can,” Scott told GeoBeats Animals. 

And what a wonderful life Biggie currently has. Scott says that the mountains are Biggie’s happy place. They go hiking, swimming, and snowboarding together. They also skateboard and Biggie loves to run in wide open fields. You can see Biggie happily jumping around the snow while Scott snowboards in front of him. When they go hiking and end up in a deserted area, Scott lets Biggie run around freely. 

Biggie is also an excellent listener. His large ears are usually alert so he can listen to the things around him. One ear is soaking in all the surrounding sounds, while the other ear is reserved for listening for any commands Scott might give him. Although he’s a big dog, Biggie is still a puppy at heart. He loves playing with a small ball and Scott says Biggie always has a ball with him and treats it like a pacifier. 

“If you give your dog the best life you can, in turn, you can have the best life you can have as well,” Scott shared. Scott also said that having Biggie helps him overcome depression. “It gives me the will to get out there and see things and do things.” Of course, their relationship isn’t perfect. 

Scott says that caring for Biggie can be challenging. This includes Scott exercising Biggie for at least two hours every day, which helps keep Biggie’s energy levels manageable. A few weeks ago, Biggie was hospitalized for fluid in his lungs. He spent three days in the ICU before he got better. Thankfully, Biggie made a full recovery. Scott says that incident taught him never to take things for granted. Their bond is truly unique. Scott says, “I feel like I can go out and do anything, as long as he is with me.” 

We’re so happy Scott and Biggie have each other. From being a dog that no one wanted to someone’s best friend and family member, Biggie has come full circle. While not everyone can have a bond as special and as strong as Scott and Biggie, getting a dog will change your life for the better. Consider adopting, or fostering, one from a shelter and see how you can help improve each other’s lives. 

Watch the video below to see the special bond between a previously unwanted puppy and his new owner!

 
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  Image/Story Source Credit: GeoBeats Animals via YouTube Video
A guy went to the shelter to look at a dog, but the line was long and people were waiting with adoption applications. A tiny dog with no one waiting to apply was next to him. 

Nobody wanted the grumpy, old man, so nobody wanted him. But this individual decided to treat him like a king! Image/Story Source Credit: GeoBeats Animals via YouTube Video
After that, he brought home Rocky and discovered the dog was a little misunderstood. The dog had just gotten his teeth pulled but still had a lot of life left in him! 

He’s otherwise very healthy and has his distinct personality that Dad wouldn’t change for the world. See below for Rocky’s tale! 🙂

 
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Doug told TODAY: 'I've never quite had the feeling that I had when that owl just nuzzled her neck against mine. 'I've worked with a lot of birds of prey that come in, but the connection I have with them is nothing like this owl giving me a hug.' 

He had helped to nurse the owl back to health alongside Missy Dubuisson - the founder and director of the rescue - when she was brought in in late May. She was found to have suffered head injuries - believed to be from a car crash - and a fungal infection in her lungs. 

Photos capturing the moment have gone viral since the rescue posted them on their Facebook page, writing: 'Nothing these birds of prey do any more surprises me. 'I have learned to accept the fact that it's just going to happen, and to have the camera ready at all times~These moments must be captured and frozen in time.' The post says that the winged animal 'threw both wings around him and gave him an owl hug' when he approached. It adds that she was calmed by Doug's presence, eventually laying her head on his shoulders in a state of 'pure contentment'. VIDEO
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For this reason, when they see someone who is defenseless, they do not hesitate to give them a hand. This has been the experience that she has been able to see with her own eyes, the rescuer of a litter of puppies. Who introduced the puppies to their monkeys and they had an excellent attitude towards the puppies. So much so, that one of the monkeys hugged the recently collected puppies. Through a video that was shared on the YouTube platform, you can see the sensitive moment where the woman presents the monkeys with the puppies. Those who had just been rescued from being abandoned, and they were moved by this situation. 

However, the meeting was not mere improvisation. Since the woman did not know how her monkeys would react with the arrival of these puppies. So she was encouraged to put together a meeting plan between them. 

First, she set up a room and brought the primates to sit on a blanket. At that moment, she released the puppies to make sure that everyone was comfortable in that first meeting. 

Although she knew that nothing bad would happen, she was surprised when one of the monkeys picked up one of the puppies and placed it in her arms. After her, like a protective mother, she brought him close to her chest in a very subtle way to give him an affectionate hug to show him that she was already safe. The woman, who is an animal rescuer of all kinds, was totally captivated by the behavior of her hand, although she remained to monitor the meeting in case of any emergency. 

A moment that social networks enjoy, as they demonstrate the innate sensitivity of animals.

 
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