A Jacobin hummingbird was flying past the sun with open wings when the prism effect took place. It looked as if the creature’s body was made out of colorful rainbows. He captured the breathtaking rainbow movements of the bird and created a film in 2011 named ‘The Dance of Time’. This film was able to procure 10 international awards. 

After a few years, the talented photographer returned to continue his ‘rainbow hummingbird’ work. Here he attempted to capture the same phenomenon created by bird wings. The final results were impeccable and he came up with a series of images named ‘Winged Prism’. 

They display the secrets of nature that can’t be observed by the human eye. Even though many people inquire whether the pictures were edited, Spencer declares that there was no digital manipulation involved. It is all due to the diffraction of light through the wings of the Jacobin hummingbird. People find this phenomenon too magical to be true. 

Spencer receives emails from around the world telling him how his images have touched so many people. No one could believe that this was actually real. Many of the photos have won awards; Winner | Tokyo Photo Awards | Japan | 2020, Highly Commended “Natures Artistry” | WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR | London 2021, Highly Commended | Bird Photographer of the Year | England | 2020 

 Image Credit & More Info: Christian Spencer/instagram | christianspencer.pro.br
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It was in the month of May when James met the camouflaged owl in the Canadian forest. James told the media that he was looking particularly for a grey owl to click a picture. 

He chose to drive around on the forest roads and kept his eyes peeled to spot a great grey owl. He particularly chose to ride during the noon, as it was when the owl usually rested in their trees. While he was driving, he realized that something moved in the trunk of a tree close to him. 

It took some time for him to realize that the camouflaged owl had blended perfectly with the tree’s bark. He instantly took out his camera and got ready to click some pictures of the majestic bird. The pattern of the owl’s feathers and color, matched the tree’s texture perfectly. It would have been impossible for the photographer to spot the owl if it did not turn its head to look at the human. The largest owl in terms of its length is the great grey owl. It can grow up to lengths of 84 cm. The bird can be found exclusively in the Northern Hemisphere and can be differentiated by the whitish collar under the face. 

People call the collar a “bow-tie”. The bird breeds in the coniferous forests and near open areas. The owl is believed to survive in a cold climate which has now been debunked as it can survive in temperatures over 100 Fahrenheit. 

The birds wait and listen patiently for prey and then swoop down to catch them. They have great hearing and location-sensing abilities. They choose to feed on small rats or mice. They can even look for small mammals on the floor of the forest. The colors of the owl are really relevant as it helps the owl survive and get away from its predators. 

The owl needs the feathers to provide warmth during the winters. The Owl Research Institute stated that feathers are not the only mechanism that the grey owl possesses. They have various other tricks up their sleeves. 

Owls can conceal themselves by standing tall or pulling in their size. They can look skinnier and taller and it gets harder to spot one. When the owls try to pull these concealment moves, they raise their white feathers around the bill. The camouflaged owl allows it to be hidden from prey and also from eager wildlife photographers meddling with their lives.
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Without them, we will never be able to get justice for those animals that receive the bad end of life where they get mistreated and abused just because people feel like it. Some of us can't understand why a person would do such a thing, but some people are just born to use and abuse. 

Last week a rescue team from Liberia Chimpanzee Rescue and Protection (LCRP), with the help of police and the FDA rescued a baby chimp in a store in Kakata, Liberia after they received an anonymous tip. Chance is the chimp's name and she appeared to be about one-year-old. Her so to be "owners" have been keeping her as a pet in the store for a few months. It's not clear how they came about her, but the rescue team had a suspicion. 

"We know her mother was killed," founder of LCRP, Jenny Desmond said. "One cannot acquire a baby chimpanzee without first killing his or her mother and other nearby adult family members. The adults are butchered and sold on the black market for bushmeat and the infants are kidnapped and sold into the live pet trade, both locally and internationally." After Chance lost her mom in a very tragic way she would have needed a lot of love and nurturing. But instead of doing that her owners put her in a cardboard box in a corner in the shop and left her there. 

"It seems she spent most of her time in the box, and when outside the box, on the concrete and dirt ground at the shop," Desmond said. "It does not seem she was picked up or held very often as she has had to learn how to be picked up and cling to me since we rescued her." Living that way that Chance did took an extreme emotional toll on her. When she was rescued her eyes looked vacant and she showed stereotypic behavior by rocking back and forth. She also had this piece of clothing with her that she clung to and it seemed that it provided her with comfort. 

"Her rocking and clinging to the cloth are clear indicators of stress, trauma and a severe lack of attention and nurturing," Desmond said. "Chimpanzees who have 24/7 surrogate mothers do not have a need for these types of comforts as they are clinging to their ‘mothers’ and receiving the comfort from them instead." Chance's physical condition was very alarming to LCRP as she was very skinny, underdeveloped for her age and malnourished. They then realized that her owners only fed her cornmeal and rice. 

Another problem was the fluid build-up in her head that would have occurred from a head trauma. They then knew they had to get her out of there as quickly as possible and unfortunately her piece of clothing was left behind. 

But Desmond immediately realized this and gave her a new soft and wooly blanket to hold onto. When they took Chance back to the rehabilitation center she remarkably got a little bit better. She stopped depending on the blanket for comfort. 

"We give all the little ones blankets at night and they are certainly welcome to carry them anytime," Desmond said. "It is generally our experience, however, that their need for the blankets as unhealthy sources of comfort disappear rapidly with increased care and proper nurturing." She has also stopped rocking back and forth and started to stand up on her own and raise her arms to be picked up. Desmond says this is a great sign! 

She also started to wrap her legs around Desmond's waist and not hold her feet when she is being carried, which is perfectly normal. 

"She is progressing and recovering rapidly," Desmond said. "We have found chimpanzees to be unbelievably resilient." Chance is doing so much better know that she even started to laugh and smile, which of course warmed the hearts of her caretakers. "It’s been very uplifting seeing this beautiful little girl blossom before our eyes," Desmond said. 

Over the next few years, Chance will receive 24/7 care that will help her grow strong and healthy, with the help of lots of love and good food. Once she is ready to tackle the world again they will introduce her to the other young chimps at the rehab center. "She will be introduced to other chimpanzees in a safe and slow process, allowing her to choose the level of interaction and time with other chimps," Desmond said. "Slowly but surely, she will be integrated into our youngest nursery group and will never again be without chimpanzee family members." 

Nobody knows if they will be able to release little Chance back into the wild, but it is their main objective, but it will take a long time before they can do that. "Returning to the wild, known as reintroduction, is a long and complex process and while we dream of this it is not simple or assured," Desmond said. "There is hope for chimpanzee reintroduction in Liberia as chimpanzees naturally occur here, and there are still large tracts of forest remaining. Reintroduction involves many factors and multiple groups and experts to assess and determine feasibility." 

If they, however, can't reintroduce her to the wild they will make sure she will have a happy and long life at the center. 

"I expect full rehabilitation and she will live in a seminatural spacious forest environment with other chimpanzees for her lifetime," Desmond said.
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They were briefly separated during their rescue, but other than that, they were rarely ever apart. “Leo and their sons, Chino, Coco and Rolex, were successfully removed during a raid on the first day of the mission in August 2014, but the circus blocked the seizure partway through and then went into hiding,” Jan Creamer, president of ADI, told The Dodo. 

“ADI caught up with them six months later and over 600 miles away, saving Muñeca and their daughters, Africa and Kiara … They were almost always together, exploring their 4-acre habitat and resting together under the trees.” In August, Muñeca suddenly fell ill — and Leo immediately became even more protective over her than he already was. 

“Leo has always watched over Muñeca, but when she became unwell, he clearly realized something was wrong,” Creamer said. “He was seen trying to encourage her to her food, and appeared to comfort her.” While she was sick, Leo stood watch over Muñeca, and even cuddled her to try and help her feel better. In those moments, it was clear just how much the pair loved each other, a beautiful example of the way lions express their love. 

“We have seen the closeness between lion companions and the bonds they share on many occasions,” Creamer said. Studies have shown that lions cuddle each other to strengthen their social bonds, and Leo and Muñeca were caught cuddling many, many times during their years together. 

Sadly, Muñeca passed away in September at 19 years old. Leo stayed by her side until the very end, and she left this world knowing exactly how loved she was by him. Leo’s rescuers have been keeping a close eye on him as he mourns the loss of his beloved Muñeca. He’s been getting lots of extra treats and attention to help him cope. 

Even though losing Muñeca was heartbreaking, watching the way Leo cared for her was such a beautiful moment that everyone around him will remember for years to come.
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But when it comes to catching the action with a GoPro, the conditions might be a little bit different. Still, it seems that capturing the choicest clip is just as hard for bears as it is for us. 

While out in the wilderness last week, archery hunter Dylan Schilt happened to stumble upon a GoPro that had been lost while snowmobiling. He immediately took the camera back to his camp and charged it up, only to be greeted by some surprising and hilarious video clips shot by…a bear! 

The inquisitive animal seemed equal parts curious and confused by the tiny recording contraption. “After four months of it sitting there, a big old black bear found it and not only managed to turn it on but also started recording himself playing with it,” Schilt explains in a Facebook post he shared with the GoPro footage. 

“Hands down the craziest thing I've ever found!” Scroll down to see the amusing yet impressive footage shot by the resourceful bear playing around with the lost GoPro camera. 

 This bear recorded an entire video with a GoPro camera.

 
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That was the case recently, after one Australian zookeeper stepped in to give a baby gorilla a chance of survival after he was rejected by his mother. 

Baby gorilla Kaius was born at Mogo Wildlife Park, in New South Wales last month, but the beautiful newborn’s life was almost cut short.

  It was the first birth for the zoo’s gorilla family, and new mom Kipenzi reportedly “did a great job” with the birth, and everything seemed to be going smoothly. 

But for reasons unknown, the baby’s father, Kisane, took Kaius away from his mother during a critical feeding period. 

While the dad was “very gentle and caring” with the newborn, removing the infant from his mother put his life in danger.

  Zoo staff were able to get the baby back to Kipenzi, after 14 hours, but Kaius had developed sepsis pneumonia and was rejected by his mother. 

The newborn gorilla’s life was in danger — but zookeeper Chad Staples, along with veterinarians and staff, were not ready to give up. 

“On the first night I had him, when all the health care people had treated him and left, we all knew there was a high chance he would crash overnight,” Chad told The Sunday Telegraph.

  Chad, who has been sharing updates on the story on his Facebook page, has been caring for Kaius round-the-clock, giving him special love and attention as if he were his own child. 

“Right now a lot of his care mimics the exact care you would give a human baby with all of his nutritional requirements, his hygiene and medical care but also in some ways most importantly his emotional care and development,” Chad wrote. 

Over the past few weeks, Kaius has made a steady recovery — all thanks to the zookeeper’s special care. “Everyone puts it down to skin on skin contact and giving him the emotional connection and stability,” he told the Telegraph. 

“What got his heart rate down and what stabilised his breathing was that contact of him being on my chest, listening to my heartbeat.” In recent updates, Chad has reported that Kaius is doing “so so good” and is putting on weight and getting “stronger and stronger.”

  While human hand-rearing has been the perfect solution for Kaius’ recovery, the ultimate goal is for him to one day be reunited with his family and fellow gorillas. 

“He is a tiny baby now but I want to see him as a beautiful, strong Silverback in the future with his own family group to look after,” Chad wrote. But in the meantime, Kaius is making a steady recovery in the arms of his very special carer. 

We’re so glad this beautiful baby gorilla is making a recovery, thanks to the special care from this loving zookeeper. We hope Kaius grows up big and strong and can be reunited with his fellow gorillas!
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She’s incredibly loyal, and recently, she proved this in the most beautiful and heartbreaking way. When her dad – or granddad, rather – had to stay at the hospital overnight, she demonstrated just how much she loved and missed him. Earlier this year, Leia’s mom, Katie Snyder, sent Leia to her parents for a little vacation. 

Leia quickly fell in love with Snyders’s mom and dad, but since she’s not excessively cuddly, nobody realized just how deep her connection to Snyder’s dad ran. However, one night, Snyder’s dad experienced some unexpected medical issues and had to go to the hospital. 

Snyder’s parents had been out celebrating their 40th anniversary when Snyder’s dad suddenly had to leave for the hospital, and Snyder’s mother found herself having to return to their home alone. Due to the current situation she wasn’t allowed to stay with her husband in the hospital, but at least she had Leia at home to keep her company. 

But when Leia realized that Snyder’s dad wasn’t coming home, she grew deeply upset and showed just how much she’d grown to love him.

The heartbroken pup sat by the door with her head hanging low and waited for her daddy to come home. She missed him so much and just wanted him to come back to her. 

Seeing how much Leia had grown to love Snyder’s dad, Snyder decided that Leia’s little “vacation” would become permanent. It was clear that for Leia, he was now her dad too. The next day, Snyder’s dad returned home and Leia was overjoyed. The sweet pup was so relieved and happy to have her favourite person back. 

“He is her human now,” Snyder said in an interview with The Dodo. Now, Leia is thrilled to get to spend the rest of her days with her new dad, and it’s more than clear that the two of them were always meant to be together.
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Rajah, a lab-Catahoula Leopard Dog mix, was spooked by the sound of fireworks that she darted off outside and ran away. 

Her owners Mary Lynn Whitacre and Ryan Washick, tried to run after her, but they lost her. They searched for her for hours. They even posted it on Facebook and asked people for help in case they find her. 

Mary Lynn posted that Rajah was probably just around their area in Simpsonville and Woodruff Roads near Heritage Lakes. They also said that she was microchipped, and her tag has phone numbers. The couple drove around the area, too, hoping to find Rajah at the side of the street. After hours of searching, they surrendered and went back home. It was a tiring night for Mary Lynn and Ryan, and they were hoping that tomorrow would be better. 

But they got the biggest surprise at 3 AM. Their doorbell rang. And guess who they found? Rajah!

Click to watch the video below:

  This incident is a good reminder for people out there who light fireworks during festivals. Animals have a different hearing ability compared to humans. 

They tend to have sharper hearing and perceives sound to be louder than what most humans hear. The sound of firecrackers or gunshots frightens them. It may also cause irreparable hearing loss.
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