Nature Knows

Orangutan mom, thought to be infertile, gives birth and is captured on camera for the first time

As humans we can only marvel at the animal kingdom and appreciate what a privilege it is when we are granted any glimpse into this special world.

At Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, a mom orangutan was captured on camera giving birth and then brought her baby to the staff to show her off in a truly magical moment.

The moment was witnessed at the Jersey-based trust, in the U.K., set up by Gerald Durrell, who wrote “My Family and Other Animals”, later adapted into award-winning TV show “The Durrells.”

What made this birth even more special is that Dana the Orangutan was thought to be infertile after staff said her fallopian tubes were blocked.

The 25-year-old Sumatran orangutan had been suffering a number of issues during her pregnancy and was being closely monitored.

But when the moment of birth happened everyone gave her the space she needed and could only watch in awe at this remarkable mom.

The footage, which is graphic, shows Dana give birth to her baby and then clear his airways, clean him and detach the umbilical cord.

This successful birth, and the first time a Sumatran orangutan has been filmed giving birth, was nothing short of a miracle.

The baby was being monitored and an infrared camera was keeping a close eye on the heavily pregnant mom.

Although Dana was given the space she needed to give birth, a professional team of vets were on standby in case anything went wrong.

Dana delivered her child on her own, and after cleaning her newborn and making sure he’s okay, she then carries him over to zoo staff to show him off, to their astonishment.

“This is amazing, she’s come to show us the baby – that is fantastic!” a member of staff can be heard saying in the video.

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Animals

Meet Τhe Μan Who Spends His Time Cuddling Lions and Tigers

When it comes to dangerous animals, large felines as lions, tigers or cheetahs are definitely on the top of the list. Though their beauty is beyond imagination, those majestic animals are not actually the type of cats to be around of.

However, that doesn’t stop Armand Gerber and his wife, Beatrice from spending, most their time with the most dangerous wild cats in the world. The couple runs the Iron Throne Predator and Wildlife Park in South Africa, a 200 acres sanctuary, where ten lions, three tigers, two leopards and a cheetah are happily living among other wild rescued animals.

“All the animals here are captive-born, 90 percent of them remain raised by us – but the most important thing is that eight of our lions come from a facility that was closed down for bad publicity. In our eyes, they’re rescues,” Armand says. “They’ve got a forever home. I’ve had to defend the fact that we own lions every day, but if I could, I would own all the captive lions in the world.”

The say ‘once a cat, always a cat,’ never fits better, as Armand admits that all of his wild felines adore one thing: to be cuddled. And of course, to play with their human friend all day long.

Armand is aware that working with such large animals, who’re actually top predators, is extremely dangerous. But he declare himself extremely like to be in this position. However, he admits wild animals should be treated with the upmost respect.

“Some people think I’m crazy for doing this job. Some people think I’m testing my fate. You must remember, I do this for a living and I do it out of love and trust. I forget how fortunate I am to be able to work and love these animals. They’re my family,” Armand said!

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Animals

This man lost his beloved dog: In his grief, he died of a broken heart 😥

Our four-legged friends can be comfort to us in so many ways. For the elderly they can offer companionship, exercise, a purpose and sometimes even keep us going.

For 80-year-old Ken Pendagraft, his dog of 14 years offered him a reason to go out every day and take him for a walk, not to mention companionship and unconditional love.

But when Ken was found distraught with a very sick dog, neighbors rallied around to help.

What happened after this shows just how connected we are to our animals and how much we need them.

Ken lived in a mobile home community in Hemet, California with his 16-year-old dog Zack. According to his neighbors he was friendly but generally kept himself to himself.

That was until his dog became very sick and Ken didn’t have the money to rush him to the vet.

Reached out to ask for help
Neighbor Carol Burt said: “Ken was in tears …He said, ‘I don’t know what to do. I have no money to take him to a vet’.”

Carol decided to post about her neighbor’s plight on social media in the hope that someone could help treat Ken’s sweet dog.

Her appeal was answered by Elaine Seamans, founder of the At-Choo Foundation, a rescue organization that helps dogs in need of medical care.

He and his papa have been together for 14 of Zak’s 16 years. They are each other's best friend and I am pretty sure, we...
Posted by At-Choo Foundation on Saturday, March 3, 2018

Elaine did all she could for Zack who was diagnosed with “glaucoma, severe arthritis and a 6/6 heart murmur, making any surgery impossible.”

Sadly, Zack didn’t make it and Elaine posted an update on Facebook saying: “Prof. Zack’s loving papa was with him as his soul was released from his body that had stopped working for him. He is now feeling like a puppy again and doing all things happy and joyful.”

Void of loneliness
But unfortunately, the sadness doesn’t end there.

On behalf of Ken, At-Choo Foundation posted a message from him thanking all his well wishers who had sent cards and messages of condolences but said he was experiencing a “void of loneliness.”

Not long after he lost his beloved Zack, Ken died of a heart attack.

Anyone who loves their pet knows how stressful it is when they pass.

To each and everyone of you who took the time to reach out with kindness and compassion to Prof. Zack's dad in his time...
Posted by At-Choo Foundation on Tuesday, March 13, 2018

May Ken rest in peace with his beloved dog Zack.

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Animals

Sick Shelter Dog Finally Gets Care From Woman Who Wouldn’t Give Up On Her

Ruby is a shelter dog that was abused for most of her life by her previous owner before being rescued by the Care Rescue LA.

The pooch’s former owner is now on trial for abusing her but unfortunately, the damage and trauma on this beautiful dog was already done… and that’s when Shira Astrof, volunteer at the shelter, stepped in to help.

For starters, Shira re-named the dog Ruby, so she wouldn’t have the old name from her abuse days. And even tho Ruby was so depressed at first, with Shira’s help, she has completely changed. “From the minute I got her, she put her whole trust in me, and she just trusts and loves everybody,” she shared. “And the first thing I said to her is that she’s safe, and that nobody will ever hurt her again.”

According to Ruby’s foster mom, she loves all animals and humans, despite being mistreated for so long. Still, Ruby has a long way to go to recover her health: she’s in constant pain due to the trauma, needs to gain a lot of weight and has some psychological stuff to work through, but she has Shira to help her on all that and is enjoying life like she never had the chance to before!