She suffered an injury only a few days into her life, so had to be moved away from her mother to a special incubator and required constant monitoring and care. After a month of care, she was taken back to her mother, Yuan Yuan. 

 Their caretakers made sure to slowly re-introduce the pair to one another and carefully monitored Yuan Yuan’s reaction to the cub. 

They put Yuan Zai in another room before they opened the doors to see what her mother would do. They needn’t have worried as Yuan Yuan gently carried her cub in her mouth and back to her enclosure. 

They watched in anticipation as she cradled her baby trying to stop Yuan Zai’s crying. 

 She tries a few different positions, maybe a bit nervous at first, but her mothering instincts helped her find the perfect cuddle position. Much to everyone’s delight Yuan Zai began nursing her baby and after a busy day feeding and getting to know one another again, mother and daughter are exhausted and take a nap together. So as to not overtire Yuan Yuan or her infant they kept the two separate at night so they can properly rest. 

You can watch their heartwarming reunion in the video below. 

Since the video was shot, Yuan Zai has gone on to grow into a healthy young panda.

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 Jesse Dahlberg was watching as railroad crews using explosives set off a series of small avalanches near the town of Field in southeastern British Columbia when he noticed a lone elk directly in the path of the next manmade snow tsunami. 

 Although he hoped the elk might be able to outrun the oncoming peril, the animal was engulfed in a wave of white as the avalanche coursed around it on its way down the mountainside. 

  “I didn’t know how big the avalanche was going to be so I was hoping for the best… When I saw it, I thought there’s no way that elk is going to survive,” Dahlberg told CBC News.. “That wall of snow caught up to that elk so fast and just blasted it.” 

 Enlisting the aid of a friend, Dahlberg decided to drive over to see if there was any chance the elk might have survived. After parking at a spot close to where the elk was felled, they followed a trail of debris uphill. 

 Miraculously, Dahlberg saw a portion of the animal’s face peering out from its snowy prison. The elk was also totally immobilized by the weight of the snow in which it was buried. 

 Once Dahlberg realized the elk was alive, he knew they’d have to act quickly to extricate it. He could only hope that none of its limbs had been fractured by the impact of the avalanche. 

 Dahlberg began digging with his hands, sending his friend back to their vehicle for a shovel. Jesse Dalhberg, Facebook
Working steadily, it took them only 15 minutes to dig the elk’s hind legs free. Then, with a little prompting, the hapless critter was able to shake its way clear and walk out of the snowdrift. 

  “I put my arms up and started cheering because I was so excited that it was alive,” Dahlberg said. “I was so happy.” Rather than take flight, the forest denizen stood by calmly gazing at its rescuers as they left the scene as if saying a silent “thank you.” 

 To which Dahlberg might have rightly replied, “You’re very welkcome.”
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 Either way, it seemed to find the perfect solution to its predicament - by hitching a bear-back ride on its mother. These adorable pictures show the moment a polar bear cub was granted its very own water taxi between the islands of Svalbard in Norway. 

 Earlier, the pair were spotted on an ice floe floating between the islands. While mother bear seemed to be contemplating her next move, her little one appeared to huddle into the warmth of her thick fur to shield against the bitter winds. 

 It was after she got into the water the cub clambered on to her back and the pair made a safe passage to mainland. Once back on dry land, mother and child set about exploring the islands - located in the Arctic Ocean, halfway between Norway and the North Pole - in their search for food. 

 The adorable family scene was captured on camera by photographer Kevin Schafer, from Seatte, while he was on a cruise. Kevin, 60, said: 'In 25 years of observing polar bears, this was easily the most moving thing I have ever seen. 

  'It was a moment of pure tenderness - unusual for such a world-class predator.' He added: 'Small cubs do not have the insulation needed to spend a lot of time in the icy waters. The young bear was probably trying to keep warm.' 

 Rising temperatures caused by global warming has seen the polar bear's natural habitat fall apart in recent years, resulting in them having to swim longer distances to reach a food supply. 

 Last year scientists at the University of Colorado in Boulder revealed water flowing from the North Atlantic into the Arctic is at its warmest level for more than 2,000 years. According to their research, the sea in the Gulf Stream between Greenland and the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard reached an average of 6C (42F) in recent summers, warmer than at natural peaks during Roman or Medieval times.

 Scientists fear the temperature spikes could lead to an ice-free Arctic in years to come and could endanger polar bears, who need the ice in order to survive. Studies show between 1979 and 2009 an area larger than the state of Alaska disappeared.

Hitching a ride: The cub clambers on to its mother's back to avoid the icy waters of the Arctic Ocean... and she seems happy to oblige Easy street: Perhaps the cub was too tired to take plunge on this occasion... or maybe it just didn't want to brave the ice-cold waters of Svalbard Taking the plunge: The pair were spotted floating on an ice floe shortly before getting into the water, with the cub appearing to huddle into its mother Intimate moment: Photographer Kevin Schafer captured the scene during a cruise and said it was most 'moving' thing he had seen in 25 years of observing polar bears Photos by Kevin Schafer.
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 An elephant found himself drowning in the Indian Ocean after he was swept five miles out to sea by a strong current. Sailors from the Sri Lanka navy spent 12 long hours rescuing the struggling elephant from the water. 

Elephants are known to be good swimmers, but this poor guy became exhausted after being stranded and treading water out there for so long. The long rescue began after the navy spotted the elephant franticly trying to keep his trunk above the water. 

They didn’t even hesitate to help him and knew they had to act quickly if they wanted to save him. Navy divers, along with wildlife officials, got close to the distressed elephant and tied ropes around him. 

They then worked together to gently tow him back to the coast. After examining him and giving him a clean bill of health, they eventually released him back into the wild. The navy believes that the elephant may have gotten swept out to sea while he was crossing the Kokkilai lagoon, a long stretch of water between two areas of jungle that elephants swim across as a shortcut. 

 Thankfully the navy was out there and spotted the poor elephant or he may have eventually drowned.

 The rescue wasn’t easy, but the divers refused to give up until they brought him to safety. 

A huge thank you to the Sri Lanka navy for helping this poor elephant out! Watch the long, brave rescue in the video below:

 
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