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Rescued Sun Bears, Layla and Sassy, Experience the Joy of Playtime After Years of Loneliness
Although they look like happy, energetic bears now, Sassy and Layla had a traumatic start to life. Both sun bears are victims of the illegal wildlife trade, captured from the wild at a young age and sold to bear traffickers. Sun bears are common targets of the bear bile industry, but these two are free from this horrific fate, thanks to Animals Asia.
Sassy has not interacted with any of the other bears at Animals Asia’s rescue facility, so rescuers were unsure about how she would react to Layla. Sassy and Layla lived in adjacent enclosures for months to help them acclimate to one another. Now, the divide is gone and the pair are free to play.
As you can see in this video, Layla and Sassy completely hit it off and are now bonafide besties. After so many years of trauma and solitude, it is wonderful to see these bears experience joy. There’s nothing like a good BFF to help you forget all your troubles! Play on, little sun bears!
These 3 Stories of Rescued Mother Pigs Who Got to Keep Their Piglets Will Warm Your Heart
Pigs are well known for their intelligence, but they are also very family-oriented animals that want to care for and nurture their babies. Just like human mothers, pigs are loving and concerned parents who enjoy bonding with their young, a privilege they are denied as “food animals” on factory farms.
In the wild, sows live in groups with their piglets. These mothers are known to share caring responsibilities for their young, allowing others to forage for food. Although piglets are cared for by multiple pig-nannies, the bond between the mother sow and her piglets is unbreakable.
On factory farms, sows and piglets are unable to do any of these things. Sows are confined to gestation crates that are only two feet wide for the duration of their four-month pregnancy. When a sow gives birth, she is moved to a farrowing crate which is only slightly larger than the gestation crate. Her piglets are allowed to nurse, however, they are separated by the crate’s bars.
Piglets are then taken from their mothers as young as ten days old, a traumatic experience for both the mothers and piglets. After suffering through the loss of her children, the sow is subjected to another pregnancy and the cycle continues. This is truly a miserable existence for any living being.
Luckily, some pigs escape these terrible situations thanks to farm animal sanctuaries. These organizations save sows and their piglets from factory farms and give them a chance to enjoy life on their own right. At these amazing facilities, sows and their piglets are free to experience the bond of a mother and child. Looking at a few of these porcine moms and their babies, we can’t help but to notice that pigs aren’t so different from humans.
1. Julia
Farm Sanctuary
Before her rescue, Julia was subjected to terrible abuse, including kicking, beating and being dragged by the ears. Luckily for this sow, the police and SPCA prosecuted the farm responsible for her abuse and she was released from the farm. Local authorities contacted Farm Sanctuary and rescuers quickly came to take Julia to her new forever home. Due to the combination of the stress and abuse she had endured, Julia gave birth to 16 premature piglets only hours after arrival at the sanctuary.
The piglets required around-the-clock care to ensure their survival. Julia was also in bad shape; the poor sow had flat feet and leg sores as well as bruises and burns from her recent abuse. Despite her horrific past, Julia quickly learned to trust her rescuers and made great progress in her recovery. In time, the piglets also grew strong and healthy.
This happy family can now be seen wandering around Farm Sanctuary’s Watkin’s Glen shelter, making nests and snuggling with one another. Julia’s love for her piglets is undeniable, just check them out in this adorable video:
2. Cupcake
PIGS Sanctuary/Facebook
Cupcake was rescued by PIGS Animal Sanctuary in November 2013 along with a male pig named Elmer and two other female pigs. These pigs were originally seized by Animal Control in an animal cruelty case. The pigs had to stay with a foster family while the court case was completed, and Animal Control allowed Elmer, who was not castrated, to stay with the females. This led to a surprise when Cupcake turned out to be pregnant! She gave birth to her litter a month after arriving a PIGS Animal Sanctuary and is able to live out her life with her piglets in the comfort of the sanctuary.
3. Mumma Pig and Her Piglets
You would be hard-pressed to find an example of an amazing mother-child relationship that is more adorable than that of Mumma Pig and her piglets. This happy little family now resides atEdgar’s Mission Farm Animal Sanctuary, but their lives weren’t always so blissful.
Mumma pig was raised on a farm as a breeding sow, clearly a life she did not enjoy as she managed to escape in 2013. When someone finally managed to catch this brave sow, she was sent to live at Edgar’s. The facilities must have been to her liking because she gave birth to a litter of piglets shortly thereafter.
Edgar’s has nicknamed Mumma Pig “Wonder Woman,” for her ability to manage her piglets with amazing ease. This adorable family can be spotted nestled in straw beds or out rooting with one another; truly the joyous life that all pigs should be able to enjoy.
Lead image source: Wallywonderworks/Flickr
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This Before/After Video of Dogs Rescued From a Korean Meat Farm Will Warm Your Heart
The thought of farming and eating dogs is utterly abhorrent to most Americans. We regard dogs as beloved pets and best friends, drawing a clear line of distinction between them and the animals we consider “food.” However, in part of the world, eating dog is just as culturally acceptable as eating chicken.
An estimated two million dogs are slaughtered for meat every year in South Korea. Thankfully, Humane Society International (HSI) is working tirelessly to end this practice. And it looks like they are making definitely progress!
This video features the rescue of 57 dogs from a meat farm in South Korea. The farmer who owned this facility decided to shut down his dog farming business and transition to agriculture to make a living. HSI was able to get custody of the dogs and has arranged to have them sent to the U.S.
All 57 of these lucky dogs arrived safely in San Francisco and will be on their way to a new life in no time at all. Good luck, pups!
Baby Bird Trapped in Pipe is Reunited With Parents.
Patrick Smith was outside of his workplace when he happened upon a baby killdeer that had become trapped in a PVC pipe. Freeing the little sweetheart, he noticed that two very worried looking parents were scurrying about nearby, and watched as the emotional reunion took place.
Killdeer are precocial birds, which means they are born alert and ready to run free. Due to their ability to charge around like adorable little balls of cuteness, people often mistake baby killdeer for being lost and remove them from their nesting area when their parents are actually nearby. Unless imminent danger is apparent (like a PVC pipe, for instance), resisting the urge to handle a baby killdeer, or any other baby animal, is always best practice.
Thankfully, this human just wanted to see his feathered friend safely off with his worried folks. We can practically hear the words to “Are You My Mother?” in our heads the entire time we watch this sweet example of animal family bonding.
NOTE: As an important note, do not try to help wildlife of any sort unless you are trained. Find a local wildlife rehabber/rescuer or veterinarian ASAP, or call a rescue hotline. Here are some that might help!
Rescued Baby Raccoons Enjoy the Ultimate Relaxation Session in a Hammock
Raccoons get a bad reputation for being “bandits” or unwanted “pests.” Sure, these nocturnal creatures like to tear apart our garbage cans, but that doesn’t mean they’re criminals! In fact, raccoons play a very important role in our local ecosystems. We really should really thank them for cleaning up food scraps and controlling rodent populations.
The raccoons in this video are getting the “Thank You” they deserve from their caretaker. As a certified wildlife rehabber, Elizabeth Hartman knows a thing or two about how to appreciate a raccoon and has set these babies up with a hammock.
All seven of these masked furballs were found as orphans and will need ample care before they are ready to be released back into the wild. The good new is that they get to chillax in a sweet hammock until that day comes.
So, you think there’s enough room in there to squeeze us in as well?
NOTE: As an important note, do not try to help wildlife of any sort unless you are trained. Find a local wildlife rehabber/rescuer or veterinarian ASAP, or call a rescue hotline. Here are some that might help!
Badass Vegan, Ariana Grande, is Helping 15 NYC Rescue Dogs Find Loving Homes
By following the link posted on one of Madison Square Garden’s giant mega-screens, concert-goers attending Ariana Grande’s Honeymoon tour in NYC can adopt a dog on her dime. Don’t say she never gave you anything!
They were gonna “Break Free,” but then Ariana Grande showed up.
“This weekend at both of my MSG shows, there will be a link up on screen that you can use accompanied by pics of the pups before / in between Cashmere’s set, Rixton’s set and mine,” Grande wrote on Twitter. “So if any of these babes happen to steal your heart and you are interested in providing a home for any of them, the link will be right there up on screen and all adoption fees will have already been taken care of by me.”
“Thank you, Ms. Grande! I loved you on ‘Sam and Cat’!”
In partnership with BarkBox, Grande has sponsored 15 dogs from the Badass Brooklyn Animal Rescue in the hopes of finding them forever homes. By following the link displayed on the screens, dog lovers can be paired up with a dog whose adoption fees have been entirely covered by Grande herself.
Robbie Hart (yes, named after “The Wedding Singer”) is just one of the 15 pups that Grande is sponsoring. He could be the man…who grows old with you. (#thatmovierules)
Badass Brooklyn Animal Rescue/Facebook
A massive animal lover and vegan to boot, Grande has never been shy about proclaiming her love for beings of the four-legged variety. She famously stated, “I love animals more than most people, not kidding.” And she routinely fills her Twitter and Instagram feeds with love for animals, big and small. Some pretty regular features to her pages are her own rescuedogs, Coco, Toulouse, Ophelia, Fawkes, Cinnamon and Sirius. Yes, you counted that right, she has six adopted fur babies of her own!
It’s a baker’s half dozen of adorable.
Ariana Grande/Instagram
The links will likely garner a lot of attention over her two shows. But don’t fear, just because someone follows the link doesn’t mean they’ll be getting a dog. It’s not going to be like a gift-with-purchase kind of thing where you walk away with a free puppy after buying an Ariana Grande concert ticket.
“The team WILL OF COURSE be making sure that the people who reach out will make a suitable family / home for the pups in need… of course,” Grande assured on Instagram.
“No, no, no, you’ve gotta pucker up your lips if you wanna do duck face…oh, okay, doing the Miley Cyrus tongue works too.”
We applaud Ariana Grande for doing something great for animals in need and BarkBox for making sure those animals get paired up with the right family. Bringing a pet into your home is a commitment for the duration of that pet’s life and it’s important to remember that it should only be done if you have the time, means and space, to do so.
With that in mind, providing a loving forever home to an animal is a wonderful way to help a dog or cat in need. If you don’t live in New York and aren’t hitting up the former Nickelodeon star’s concert this weekend, you can still support your local shelter any old time in order to give a new companion “Just a Little Bit of Your Heart.”
Lead image source: People
We’re going to let you in on a little secret: baby cows LOVE milk. Yes, that’s right. These little calves just cannot get enough of our favorite beverage. Oh … wait.
Contrary to popular belief, cow’s milk is not created for human consumption, it is indeed meant to nourish baby calves. Unfortunately, calves born into the dairy industry never get the chance to drink their mother’s milk.
Just take Carlin, the calf in this video, for example. As with most males born to dairy cows, Carlin was considered “waste” by the dairy farmer and sold to become veal. Luckily, this little guy was rescued by Manning River Farm Animal Sanctuary before this could happen.
Now, Carlin lives at the sanctuary where he is free to drink as much milk as he likes! As you can tell from the way he comes running when his caretaker yells “bottle time,” Carlin just adores milk.
With the availability of so many amazing plant-based alternatives to cow’s milk, there is truly no need for humans to take milk from calves like Carlin. While ideally this calf would be drinking milk from his mother, we are so happy to see that he is getting the care and nourishment he needs at Manning River Sanctuary.
2 Moon Bears Who Spent the Past 15 Years in Cages on a Bile Farm are Free Thanks to Rescuers
Bear bile is a popular remedy used in Traditional Asian Medicine. Yes, the name means exactly what it sounds like. This fluid is obtained by extracting bile from the bear’s gallbladder.
It is believed that bear bile possesses anti-inflammatory properties and it is used to treat a variety of conditions. Although there are many herbal and synthetic alternatives to bear bile, the bear bile industry is still immensely popular across Thailand, Cambodia and China.
Bear bile farms typically keep sun bears, moon bears and brown bears in small “crush” cages where they have their bile fluid extracted daily. Not only is this an incredibly painful experience for the bears, but they also rarely receive proper food or water and are deprived of medical care. Most bears develop malignant tumors and other ailments as a result of having their bile continuously drained.
Thankfully, Animals Asia is working to save bears from this sad existence. Most recently, they rescued two moon bears, Coco and Yogi, from this cruel fate.
Coco and Yogi spent 15 years in crush cages. Rescuers estimate that this is the first time they have been free from their cages since they were cubs.
The bile farmer who was keeping these bears decided to retire from the industry and set Coco and Yogi free.
Rescuers performed a medical assessment before taking Coco and Yogi to their new home at the Animals Asia sanctuary.
Both bears are missing front paws. This is a sign that they were poached from the wild as infants. They are also severely malnourished.
When the bear’s exams were complete, they were given a fresh meal of watermelon and pumpkin. This is just a taste of the wonderful fresh food they can expect in their future.
Yogi and Coco are now on the road to their new sanctuary home. With a proper diet and the freedom to forage and play in their enclosure, these two will forget their horrific past in no time!
Good luck, Yogi and Coco!
To learn more about Animals Asia, check out their website and Facebook page.
All image source: Animals Asia
The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) rescued 90 cats dogs from a suspected hoarder in July, 2013. The conditions in which the animals were living were deplorable, at best. HSUS rescuers found a number of dogs chained outside in addition to others left to roam free in the house.
Zoey was one of the dogs chained outside. Unable to leave the tree she was tied to, this poor pup survived by eating rocks and dirt. When Zoey was rescued, however, this all changed.
Amanda, one of HSUS’ rescue team members, immediately fell in love with Zoey. It wasn’t long before Amanda decided that Zoey would come home with her and start an entirely new life.
While Zoey still bears the marks of her past, including missing teeth and a scar around her neck from the rope that held her, she has made tremendous progress. Now Zoey loves to walk and take hikes, but most of all she loves spending time with her best friend, Amanda.
