Today at Rescue TV

BREAKING: ASPCA Responders Help Animals Displaced by Devastating Fire in New Mexico
Volunteers with rescued dog
At the request of the New Mexico Department of Agriculture and the New Mexico Department of Homeland Security & Emergency Management, ASPCA responders arrived in Albuquerque on Monday to help shelter and care for nearly 500 animals displaced by the devastating “Dog Head Fire” in New Mexico’s Manzano Mountains.

Hundreds of evacuated animals are being cared for at three locations in Bernalillo and Torrance Counties: Los Vecinos Community Center; Bernalillo County Animal Shelter; and Torrance County Estancia Emergency Animal Shelter. ASPCA responders have been dispatched to all three locations to support local agencies with shelter operations and daily care.

The fire, which began June 14, has ravaged nearly 18,000 acres, destroying dozens of homes and forcing thousands to evacuate. As of Tuesday, local authorities began to lift some evacuation orders, allowing residents and their pets to return to their homes in certain areas.

“As evacuation orders ease, we’re seeing more and more people come in to pick up their pets and return home,” said Dr. Dick Green, Senior Director of ASPCA Disaster Response. “Our hope is that this continues as the fire dies down and that all these animals can be reunited with their owners soon. This fire has been nightmarish for the families in its path—we’re glad we could provide some relief for evacuees by caring for their animals during this traumatic time.”

The ASPCA frequently responds to wildfires, hurricanes and other natural disasters around the country, but none of our life-saving work would be possible without your support. Please consider making a donation today so we can continue to be there for animals in need at a moment’s notice.

A Second Chance for Chandler. Sometimes, it takes a village to save a life.
happy tail: Chandler
In New York City, multiple organizations—including the ASPCA, the NYPD and Animal Care Centers (ACC) of NYC—teamed up to ensure that a six-month-old kitten named Chandler got a fair shot at a second chance.

The fluffy, gray kitten was discovered clinging to life on Rockaway Beach in late February. NYPD officers responded to a call about an injured cat and took Chandler to a nearby veterinarian for an initial exam and then to ACC of NYC in Brooklyn, the second stop on his 37-day journey to a new life.
Chandler after being rescued (1)

Chandler after being rescued (2)
An ACC veterinarian determined that Chandler needed hospitalization and life-saving care, so in stepped Stephen Valentin, supervisor of ACC’s New Hope program. The New Hope team, with support from the Alliance for NYC’s Animals’ Wheels of Hope program, places about 15,000 homeless pets each year with 300 dedicated animal rescue organizations that eventually find the animals homes. These organizations include the ASPCA, which took in nearly 2,500 animals from ACC in 2015.

Stephen recalls seeing Chandler for the first time: “He was lethargic, with dried blood and sand around his nose; I felt really badly for him.” Stephen contacted ASPCA staff who agreed to take in the compromised cat the following day. Stephen drove Chandler to ACC’s Manhattan location and the next morning, with help from ACC’s Joe Dipalo and Ryan Denmark, he was transferred to the ASPCA Animal Hospital.

Upon arrival, Chandler weighed just three lbs. and “was dehydrated, dull, and depressed,” reports Dr. Danielle Delfino, an ASPCA veterinarian who oversaw his treatment. “We suspected head trauma and gave him a lot of supportive care.” Chandler remained in the ASPCA’s Intensive Care Unit for nearly a week. He was treated with antibiotics, pain medication and fluids. “As he began to feel better, he came out of his shell,” adds Dr. Delfino.
Chandler at his foster home
Chandler’s next stop: a foster home with DonnaMarie SanSevero, an ASPCA volunteer. “He was different from our other fosters,” recalls DonnaMarie, who, along with her husband, has fostered nearly 100 animals—specializing in under-socialized and near-feral cats and kittens—over the past seven years. “He didn't have a knee-jerk reaction to loud noises,” DonnaMarie explains. “While other cats would hide under the bed every time the garbage truck came rumbling by, Chandler would peek out the window to see what was causing the ruckus.” They nicknamed Chandler “The Dude,” “Lil’ Dude” and “Little Lebowski” for his “too cool” personality.
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DonnaMarie introduced Chandler to a former co-worker, Eleonora “Ellie” Kostadinova, a financial case manager who lives in Queens. On April 4, she and her boyfriend, Chris Kuntsman, adopted Chandler and renamed him Ethan.
Ethan (Chandler) with Ellie
Meet the Kind 7-Year-Old Who Has Helped Save the Lives of 17 Kittens Thanks to Her Foster Skills. Children do some pretty incredible things. Before they’re bogged down by the problems that come along with adulthood and before they start feeling like the problems of the planet will never be solved, they look at the world around them and feel like they can make a difference. And they can! Here at One Green Planet, we’ve heard some pretty inspiring stories over the years. We’ve seen a little girl transform waste into something useful, a little boy decide that helping animals was more important than his birthday presents, and then there’s Emma, a seven-year-old who has made rescuing kittens a full-time job of sorts!

Emma’s mom, Kristine, has been saving kittens for a long time now, and when Emma came along, she recruited her onto the team! And we’ve gotta say, at just seven years old, she’s already doing an amazing job.

Together with her mom, Emma has already helped save seventeen kittens.
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Despite the fact that Emma has school, plays soccer, and has chores to do at home, she makes time for her furry friends.
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While the group does spend a lot of time playing together, they also enjoy taking some time to relax…
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It’s easy to see that Emma truly loves these kitties.
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And from the looks of it, they love her a lot too.
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Emma loves being a kitten caretaker so much, her dream is to one day work at an animal shelter!
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Emma is a great example of the amazing things that can be accomplished when one sets their mind to it. At just seven years old, an age when kids are understandably distracted with friends, sports, and school, Emma has decided to take a little time out of her schedule to show compassion for other living creatures. Not only is she learning the power of empathy and enriching her own life, she is bettering the life of these kittens and being a great role model for all children (and adults for that matter) who stumble upon her inspiring story. Props to you, Emma! All Images Source: Humane Society Silicon Valley/Blogspot

Tiger Cub Used as Selfie-Prop by Drug Dealer Gets Rescued! A male tiger cub found wandering the suburbs outside of Paris was rescued after witnesses contacted the police. Authorities had already been on the lookout for the little one after finding photos of him on the phone of a man arrested on the suspicion of dealing drugs. According to Europe 1 radio, the cub’s caretaker would let clients snap a selfie for the small price of five euros.

Unlike in the United States, where backyards house more tigers than in the wild, owning a tiger is illegal in France. Authorities searched diligently for the little  cub until he was found wandering the streets.
Abandoned Tiger Cup Rented Out For Selfies Gets Rescued
Custody of the cub was then handed over to Tonga Terre d’Accueil, a sanctuary for abandoned big cats and primates, where he was given the name Tonga.
Abandoned Tiger Cup Rented Out For Selfies Gets Rescued
It’s unknown where Tonga came from, but because he spent most of his young life around humans, he’s very friendly and playful towards his caretakers. At Terre d’Accueil, Tonga will have the chance to live with other rescued tigers, starting with an older tigress named Asia.
Abandoned Tiger Cup Rented Out For Selfies Gets Rescued
Good luck learning how to be a tiger, Tonga!
Abandoned Tiger Cup Rented Out For Selfies Gets Rescued
We’re so happy that little Tonga was rescued from a life of unnatural interaction with humans, but unfortunately, not all tigers get a happy ending. It’s completely legal to keep tigers and other exotic animals as pets in many states across the U.S. In fact, there’s a rough estimate that there are about 7,000 tigers living in backyards. Not only are they kept as pets, some are put on display at roadside attractions and because of their small size, tiger cubs are unfortunately forced to pose for photos with guests, sometimes for hours on end without any contact with their mothers. Yes, the cubs are cute — but that’s no excuse for how they’re treated. What happens once they grow up and suddenly, they’re not so cuddly? They often end up dead, abandoned, or surrendered. It’s a sad, revolting life that no living creature should have to experience.

What can we do? First, if you ever come across a photo opp with a tiger — or any exotic animal, for that matter — don’t do it. Often times, these facilities will carry a false message of conservation, using the tigers for “educational” purposes. But, don’t be fooled. The main priority of these roadside attractions is one thing only and that’s living their own wallets.

Hopefully, one day soon, the United States will make keeping big cats as pets illegal. Then, more tigers, like Tonga, will be able to have a happy ending. Image source: Terre d’Accueil.

Rescued Kittens Nursed Back to Health After Being Abandoned. When Maria heard the sound of kittens crying off in the distance, she assumed that a feral cat mother had left her babies in a safe place while out searching for food. Little kittens aren’t exaclty the best asset to have in toe when out hunting for food, so feral mothers will often hide their litter and return with snacks. However, as Maria described on My Modern Met, it was a hot day, more than an hour had passed, and Maria began to worry about the crying kittens.

Going to investigate, Maria discovered not a den of safely tucked away kittens, but rather, a cardboard box with five kittens left alone in the middle of an abandoned lot. The kittens were skinny and infested with fleas as well as panicked from being left in a small space all alone. Maria immediately called her partner, photographer Alex Greenshpun and the two brought the crying babies to the vet to be examined, cleaned, and properly fed. The prognosis from the vet was not promising, kittens left without their mother rarely survive as they require a lot of attention and regular feeding via syringe. The couple were told if the kittens made it past two months then they would thrive.

Taking in these five little darlings, with the intention of nursing them to two months and then putting them up for adoption, Greenshpun quickly made the rag-tag litter the star of her latest photo series.

Five kittens found abandoned and left to fend for themselves in a cardboard box
The 5 Wonders: the Story of 5 Rescued Kittens Nursed Back to Health After Being Abandoned (PHOTOS)
The kittens come to live with Alex and Maria. If the kittens make it to two months being fed by syringe they can be adopted into a forever home.
The 5 Wonders: the Story of 5 Rescued Kittens Nursed Back to Health After Being Abandoned (PHOTOS)
The kittens take to Alex quickly and she becomes their adopted mother. Once they switched from syringe feeding to solid food, they still liked to sit and suckle on her fingers.
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More than foster kittens, these five became family.
The 5 Wonders: the Story of 5 Rescued Kittens Nursed Back to Health After Being Abandoned (PHOTOS)
Not just to Alex and Maria…but to their Boxer-Lab as well.
The 5 Wonders: the Story of 5 Rescued Kittens Nursed Back to Health After Being Abandoned (PHOTOS)
Titto, the kitten, became particularly fond of his new dog/mother.
The 5 Wonders: the Story of 5 Rescued Kittens Nursed Back to Health After Being Abandoned (PHOTOS)
The kittens grow stronger and become more playful by the day.
The 5 Wonders: the Story of 5 Rescued Kittens Nursed Back to Health After Being Abandoned (PHOTOS)
Their days are filled with tons of snuggle sessions.
The 5 Wonders: the Story of 5 Rescued Kittens Nursed Back to Health After Being Abandoned (PHOTOS)
As well as the ever important roaring lesson…
The 5 Wonders: the Story of 5 Rescued Kittens Nursed Back to Health After Being Abandoned (PHOTOS)
The kittens have also learned how to get into trouble…
The 5 Wonders: the Story of 5 Rescued Kittens Nursed Back to Health After Being Abandoned (PHOTOS)
They make kitten sandwiches with their siblings.
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But luckily, they have a protective mom who lets their shenanigans slide.
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After all, who could stay mad at that face!
The 5 Wonders: the Story of 5 Rescued Kittens Nursed Back to Health After Being Abandoned (PHOTOS)
Making it past the two month marker, the kitties are happy and healthy as ever.
The 5 Wonders: the Story of 5 Rescued Kittens Nursed Back to Health After Being Abandoned (PHOTOS)
Three of the kitties have already been adopted into loving forever homes.
The 5 Wonders: the Story of 5 Rescued Kittens Nursed Back to Health After Being Abandoned (PHOTOS)
These little guys have come leaps and bounds since they were first discovered in a box. Thanks to the kindness of Alex and Maria they are all now safe and loved, as kittens should be.
The 5 Wonders: the Story of 5 Rescued Kittens Nursed Back to Health After Being Abandoned (PHOTOS) 
For more photos from Alex Greenshpun, check out her Facebook page and website. All image source: Alex Greenschpun

What Elephant Who Lived With Bullet Lodged in His Head Teaches Us About the Ivory Trade. In a truly miraculous turn of events, a wild elephant survived being shot in the head. The attack was probably carried out by poachers intending to kill the elephant for his ivory. Had the shot been fired just five centimeters lower, the bullet would have entered the elephant’s brain and killed him.


Nicknamed Pretty Boy, the 25-year-old male elephant is believed to have been living with the bullet lodged in his head for up to six weeks. Despite this, he was relaxed and gentle while examined and treated by veterinarians from the Animal and Wildlife Area Research and Rehabilitation Trust (AWARE), a conservation organization in Zimbabwe.
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One of the vets who cared for Pretty Boy, Dr. Lisa Marabini ventures that he was shot outside Mana Pools National Park, and entered the park to seek refuge. The elephant also had a gunshot wound on his shoulder. “We suspect he was shot in the head first and turned to flee, and the poacher put a bullet in his side,” explains Dr. Marabini.

“It usually takes more time to find the animal than it does to treat it,” details the AWARE Trust in a Facebook post, but this wasn’t the case for Pretty Boy who came right up to the team’s car and “made himself available for examination within half an hour.” Despite the harm done to him by humans, Pretty Boy was reportedly remarkably gentle towards the veterinarians who treated him.

While Dr. Marabini states she doesn’t usually feel fully comfortable coming quite so close to a wild elephant, Pretty Boy was extremely calm and “there were no aggressive vibes coming from him whatsoever.” The massive animal “literally emanated serenity,” according to her and it seemed “he knew we were there with the intention of helping him,” she adds.
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The team sedated Pretty Boy, took an X-ray of his skull and thoroughly cleaned the wound, removing pus and pieces of infected bone. He was given long-lasting antibiotics and parasiticides. The animal will have to be monitored by wildlife tour operators and may require further treatment.

Unfortunately, Mana Pools is an area frequently targeted by poachers who kill elephants to steal their ivory tusks and sell them at high prices. This problem runs rampant all across Africa. Most aren’t as lucky as Pretty Boy and thousands of elephants are killed for their tusks each year.

In fact, studies show that one African elephant is killed for ivory every fifteen minutes, that’s close to 100 elephants being slaughtered for this evil trade each day. Tragically, elephant numbers in Africa have been plummeting since the 1970s, slashed by 60 percent between then and now. This may lead to the extinction of this grand and significant species by 2020 according to scientists as elephants are being killed faster than they are being born.

Pretty Boy’s story proves how resilient, resourceful and intelligent elephants are. Yet, we continue to allow thousands of these majestic animals to be gunned down each year, their tusks ripped out of their heads so that a clueless consumer on the other side of the globe can purchase an ivory statuette.

If the illegal wildlife trade wasn’t bad enough, this impressive species faces a wealth of other threats from the human population. Worldwide, elephants are confined in zoos, brutally forced to perform tricks at the circus and ridden around to exhaustion as a tourist attraction. Elephants are strong enough to crush us with their trunks alone, but more often than not, they refrain from using their physical superiority to do us harm. Why, then, can’t we extend them the same privilege?
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How You Can Help Elephants
While most of us know the evils of ivory and of the wildlife trade, it is important to share that awareness for the benefit of consumers who may not yet be clued in about the extent wild animals suffer for this cruel trade. Moreover, there are countless easy steps to take to ensure we never cause elephants harm and to speak up for these magnificent creatures.

Firstly, never patronize a zoo, circus, tourist attraction offering elephant rides or any other facility that keeps wild animals captive for human entertainment and encourage family and friends to do the same. Additionally, you can speak up against poaching and wildlife trafficking by signing petitions against the bloody ivory trade on Rainforest Rescue, Avaaz, and SumofUs for instance. You can also check out these 10 Simple Ways to Stop Wildlife Poaching to help curb the illegal wildlife trade as a whole.

While Pretty Boy escaped death thanks to an auspicious twist of fate, countless other individual elephants continue to suffer at the hands of humans. These include Nosey, Kavaan, Hanako, Happy, Bubbles, Anna Louise, Laura, Lucky, Billy, and several others.

Finally, you can support organizations who are fighting for elephants, such as the WWF, the Born Free Foundation and IFAW, as well as the AWARE Trust who treated and saved Pretty Boy. All images from the AWARE Trust/Facebook

Adventurous Piglet Found Wandering on Highway is Successfully Reunited With Guardian. Pigs are rambunctious little creatures. Known to get bored fairly easily, pigs will do pretty much anything for some good entertainment. They know how to play games, they enjoy a good wrestling sesh, and they’re extremely social and love to explore.

In fact, just recently, a piglet, later named Dahlia, was found romping around the I-5 expressway in Oregon. Thankfully, the piglet was wandering around the edges of the expressway and even as people whizzed by, they took a moment to pick up the phone and call the state police. They reported that they had seen a dog on the highway (we could see how they could make that mistake, pigs are a lot like dogs) but when state troopers arrived at the scene, they figured out what was actually happening: there was a piglet on the loose!

How Dahlia managed to escape her guardian’s property is unknown but what matters most is that state troopers were able to successfully rescue the one-month-old piglet and relocate her to a nearby shelter.
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Unsurprisingly, Dahlia was the only animal in the barnyard section of the First Avenue Animal Shelter. During her time there, she was seen romping around the  yard, snacking on some fruits and veggies, taking naps, and letting out some friendly snorts.
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Dahlia’s sweet demeanor and clear love for belly rubs and scratches led shelter workers to believe that she was a pet. Surely enough, the morning after she was rescued, her guardian came forward (along with several other folks who were willing to take the cutie in if her guardian was not identified).
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In addition to inquiring about possibly adopting Dahlia, some callers wanted to make sure that the little piglet would not be sent away to a slaughterhouse. The fact that Dahlia truly acts the same as a dog or cat highlights the fact that these animals are not so different after all. If a dog was found wandering the street, no one would be calling to make sure they didn’t get shipped off to the slaughterhouse. One day, we hope that it will be ridiculous for someone to ask this about pigs. Until then, we’ll just celebrate that this little piglet made her way back home. All Images Source: Register Guard

A Group Of People Work Together To Save A Dog Seconds From Drowning
Group Of People Work Together To Save A Dog Seconds From Drowning
With all the animal abuse videos and photos we see online, we sometimes lose our faith in humanity. We see animals being abandoned, neglected, and even tortured. People can be so cruel and downright evil.

However, there are still some good left in this world. Our faith in humanity is restored when we see people who are passionate in saving animals. Just like the group of guys in the video below.

In the video, you will see a dog who somehow got stranded in what looks to me like a dam. One guy bravely went down to get the dog, but getting them up would be difficult. So a group of people worked together and formed a human chain to get them to safety! Click to watch the rescue!
Rescue Story Of The Day!
Animal rescue: bear caught in wire trap freed and returned to wild by Four Paws Kosovo - TomoNews


Inspiring Photo of Former Lab Beagle Shows Just How Far a Little Love Can Go! When most people think about animals used for testing and experiments, they imagine small rodents. We’ve been conditioned to think about “lab rats” dutifully and mindlessly running through mazes in the pursuit of cheese, but we are never told that there are other animals who are also subject to horrific lives in laboratories. In fact, in addition to monkeys, cats, bats, and countless other animal species, dogs are the common victims of cruel testing.

Beagles are the breed of choice for testing in the pharmaceutical industry due to their docile nature. In labs, they undergo extreme pain and are poisoned with experimental substances via force-feeding, injection, or skin application, in order to measure toxicity. Instead of getting to experience all of the love and joy that comes with being a beloved companion, these dogs know nothing but pain and fear for the duration of their lives in captivity. To make matters even more tragic, most dogs are euthanized after their trails are over.

Thankfully, there is an amazing organization dedicated to giving beagles, and other animals, a chance at life outside of the cold, concrete walls of labs: Beagle Freedom Project.

This organization works with laboratories to arrange for the release of their animals once tests are completed. They then help to rehabilitate these dogs – many of whom are terrified of humans and have no idea what it means to be a dog – and find them caring forever homes.

While life outside of the lab is difficult at first for many of these pups, most are not house broken and maintain strange coping mechanisms such as hoarding food or acting out aggressively, once they finally learn that they are safe and loved – things take a miraculous turn!

All it takes is one look at this photo to understand the power of freedom!
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This sweet little pooch is an adoption success! With the fear of life in a cage far, far behind her, the beagle is finally learning what it means to live.

There is nothing that warms our hearts more than knowing that a better life is possible for former lab animals. You can help make more happy endings like this one possible by supporting the incredible work of Beagle Freedom Project.

We hope to see one day where all dogs get to know this freedom. Until then, share this post and encourage others to learn more! All image source: Beagle Freedom Project/Instagram

Saved From Life as Illegal Pets, 2 Otters and a Civet Find Peace in Sanctuary Home! Humans’ relationship with animals is dysfunctional, to say the least. Despite the fact that we both live on the same planet and have each created our own unique and intelligent way of surviving, humans are convinced that they are the superior being. With this egotistical mindset, it’s no surprise that humans often exploit animals for entertainment, scientific advancements, fashion, or sometimes simply to keep as pets. Take the two otters and civet who recently arrived at Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand‘s (WFFT) headquarters. The trio had all been kept as exotic pets, but as many owners eventually realize, wild animals are a handful to take care of. So after two years of selfishly housing these animals, the owner finally made the decision to drop these lil’ guys at the sanctuary. Like many otters and civets nowadays, these animals were likely illegally poached before being sold in the illegal wildlife trade.

On top of being frequently exploited, Asian small-clawed otters, like the ones rescued, are in severe decline due to habitat loss and are therefore considered endangered animals.
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Civets are also abused for various reasons, including being kept as exotic pets, being used to make civet coffee or “kopi luwak,” and being captured for the bushmeat trade.
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The three animals are in relatively good health but all have been fed unsuitable diets for the past two years.
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WFFT is slowly transitioning them to an appropriate diet, and has given them much more room to explore than the wire cage they were used to!
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The civet has been named Steve, and the otters have been named Jessie and James!
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The civet is now being housed in a large enclosure at the WFFT Nocturnal Forest Zone while the otters are now being housed in an enclosure with a large pool. They seem to be enjoying getting back to their aquatic adventures!
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We wish these lil’ guys nothing but the best!
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Although the illegal poaching of otters, civets, and tons of other animals is a problem that still is far from being solved, we sure are glad that these otters have found a happy ending despite all of the pain they have had to endure. They will surely be leading much happier lives now in the safe and caring hands of WFFT. To learn more about Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand, check out their website. All Images Source: Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand/Facebook
Helpless kittens need you. Learn more.
It's 2:00 A.M. All around you, the city is quiet. Lights are off, people are asleep—but not you. You work at the ASPCA Kitten Nursery, and at 2:00 A.M., you are bottle-feeding a newborn cat. You will do the same thing at 4:00 A.M., 6:00 A.M., and every two hours after that. Because when it comes to saving an animal's life, there is no time to rest.

At 7:00 A.M., you brush a tiny kitten's body with a toothbrush to recreate the feeling of a mother cat's tongue.

At 12:00 P.M., you give a kitten a soothing bath and dry him with a gentle blow dryer, because he is not yet old enough to regulate his own body temperature.

At 3:00 P.M., you socialize with a kitten to ensure that she is friendly and comfortable being handled.

At 7:00 P.M., you warm a kitten's formula to 102 degrees Fahrenheit, the temperature of the milk she would have received from her mom. - Donate

You continue this all day, every day, until each of the approximately 2,400 homeless newborn cats who come through the nursery's doors every year are ready for adoption.

This is only a small glimpse of the work that we do at the ASPCA Kitten Nursery. It is not easy, but it is essential: The nursery saves thousands of lives every single year, and helps give these most vulnerable animals a fighting chance. But none of this work—no feeding, no bathing, no playtime—can happen without your support.

When you donate to the ASPCA, you can make a critical difference for innocent animals in need. Your generosity can translate directly into life-saving programs just like the Kitten Nursery, and can mean the difference between a short, tragic life on the streets or the chance at a safe, loving home for an abandoned or neglected pet.

You keep our teams running, and without you, these helpless animals will have no one. Please make a gift to the ASPCA today.


Stray Dog with a 4 lb Mass Gets Life-Saving Surgery and A Loving Home


Meet the World’s Most Interesting Rescued Orangutan … Seriously, You’re Welcome. The rescue team at Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand (WFFT) has received a lot of calls from exotic pet owners who have come to the realization that they simply cannot continue caring for their wild charges. In most cases, the animals were purchased on a whim and the reality of what it means to care for a wild animal sets in too late.  Orangutans are a favorite amongst exotic pet owners, many of which opt to dress the animals up and raise them like human children. This was exactly what happened to Chico, a six-year-old orangutan who spent the majority of his young life as a pet.

WFFT was called in to rescue Chico after his owner decided he no longer wanted the adolescent monkey. As a small baby, Chico was easy to manage and his human family happily played with him and set him up with an entire wardrobe of human clothing. But as Chico grew, he became stronger and grew aggressive, so it was decided he was no longer a suitable pet. When the WFFT rescue team stepped in to save the orangutan, they knew they’d be faced with a highly intelligent, emotional little animal – what they could not have realized is that when they rescued Chico, they rescued the world’s most interesting orangutan.

Meet Chico.
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Now, you might be thinking … how can you be sure that this little orangutan here is, in fact, the most interesting orangutan in the world? After all, that is rather high praise.
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Well … take a look into those smoldering eyes and then ask us that question again.
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As a mere house pet, Chico was never able to realize his full potential. But now that he is out of the cage … he is coming into his rightful place at the WFFT sanctuary.
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He spends his days pouring over the conflict of man and laughing at the simplicity of finding the solution to World Peace.
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“Seriously, you’re telling me our DNA is 10 percent different … and you choose to keep orangutans as pets?! Blasphemy!”
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“Wow … it sure is good to be me.”
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When Chico isn’t climbing his jungle gym or indulging in other orangutan activities, he makes time to take phone calls – lately he’s been getting tons of calls from Elon Musk for his advice on how to build spaceships…
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If Jay-Z invented swag … Chico just took it apart and reinvented it, about 100 times better.
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“Hey, it’s not that easy being me … but someone’s got to do it.”
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“Alright, just kidding, when you’re born with this much charisma, being this fantastic is a breeze.”
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Seriously, all Chico has to do is sit and be and people can’t help but get all giddy!
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“You’re welcome, world.”
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If you were as dazzled by Chico as we were, you can keep up with his brilliant antics on the WFFT Facebook page. A huge thank you to the incredible people who rescued Chico and allowed him to finally reach his full, incredible potential. All image source: WFFT/Facebook

The Lengths These Compassionate People Go to to Help Farm Animals Will Give You Chills. There’s no doubt that people love animals. Just take one look at YouTube or scroll through Facebook and you are bound to find tons of cute videos supporting this fact. However, even the fiercest of animal lovers sometimes separate animals into two categories: companions and food. This dual perception can be seen in many of our actions. We’ll care for dogs and cats, going so far as calling them our “fur babies,” while at the very same time ignoring the plight of the millions of animals in commercial animal agriculture. We enjoy going to the petting zoo and feeding animals, and then right after we’ll go to a diner and eat a burger, without a second thought as to where that burger came from.


There are certain places, where this contrast does not exist. Places where animals of types are all given the same love, care, and chance to survive. Take Samantha, the sheep, from Farm Sanctuary, for example. Within the haven of Farm Sanctuary, Samantha is treated like an individual who deserves to live, even if she is not perfect. Even with her injured legs (something that would have likely gotten her terminated on a commercial farm) Samantha is given the best care possible. She’s not considered “broken” or “useless” but simply a work in process, just like anyone, human or animal, who accidentally gets hurt.

Thanks to the amazing people who work with Farm Sanctuary, particularly a man by the name of Ronnie Graves who has been providing state-of-the-art orthotic care to hundreds of animals, Samantha was able to get a cast and a prosthetic leg to help her achieve mobility.

And you know what? She’s still lookin’ cute as ever!
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Although the animal agriculture industry would very much like us to believe that animals like cows, pigs, chicken, and sheep don’t feel pain the same way that we do, nowadays we know that this is simply not true. Sheep are intelligent, affectionate, and most certainly feel pain. Which is why, when they’re injured, they deserve just as much care as a dog or cat. We’re glad that places like Farm Sanctuary exist to illustrate this truth. Image Source: Farm Sanctuary/Facebook
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When Potato got her wheels. A tiny, crippled puppy with a deformed spine. Left at a temple in Thailand.

Alone in a land where each year as many as 100,000 homeless dogs are smuggled into dog-eating countries like Myanmar (Burma), Vietnam and China to fuel demand for a bloody, butchering meat trade. Where impoverished citizens abandon dogs and cats because they don’t have the money to feed or care for them.

As her useless back legs dragged behind her, Potato the crippled pup was in a frantic fight for survival. She was losing the battle. And as you’ll see in the video above, Potato desperately wanted to live…

Supporter, please join hands with us to fund a new partnership we’ve just begun with a remarkable sanctuary doing urgent work for stray animals like Potato.

It’s called Thai Animal Sanctuary. They’re a brave, shoestring rescue group operating out of remote and poverty-stricken corner of Thailand.

Their selfless efforts mean that hundreds (ultimately thousands) of dogs and cats have a chance at life that didn’t exist before. Were it not for their on-site veterinarian, the next closest care for these gravely ill and injured animals is an arduous four-hour drive away.

Somehow, sanctuary staff have also spayed, neutered, vaccinated, and cared for many more animals on the streets. It’s part of their quest to slow the sad cycle of overpopulation. And it’s working. Yet it’s reported there are up to ONE MILLION homeless dogs in Thailand.

So when the call for help went out, Network for Animals answered.

I knew that as someone who loves animals, you’d want nothing less. We’ve sent a significant donation to the sanctuary, and with your help will pledge continued monthly support.

Supporter, with your contribution of any size now, great good will continue to be done.  $5 could pay for a vaccine, $10 for a bag of food, or $25 for emergency care.  You will be a hero to Thailand’s animal rescuers and the stray dogs and cats they save.



As I said, Supporter, you’ll see in the video how with help from you, Thai Animal Sanctuary will change the lives of more abandoned animals like Potato. She now has her own set of wheels and a happy home!
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Potato’s story is just one of many. And while I’m aware of only very limited dog eating in Thailand and even though there are laws against trade in dog meat, I can tell you the laws are poorly enforced and criminals take full advantage when they can to smuggle strays away for horrible deaths at the dinner table in bordering countries.

With your help, Network for Animals will support more care at Thai Animal Sanctuary AND work to effect stronger legislation and stricter enforcement that will end illegal dog meat trafficking and the trade itself, similar to victories you helped bring about in the Philippines.

Join hands with me now and give generously for friends like Potato. Happy endings for Thailand’s suffering strays can’t happen without you.
Rescued From Life as Exotic Pets, Bobcat and Canadian Lynx Find Friendship at Sanctuary Home. Wild cats are such majestic creatures. You’d be hard pressed to find anyone who is not taken aback by their beauty and grace. Unfortunately, since these animals are so awe-inspiring, they are often held captive in decrepit zoos or are purchased as exotic pets. In fact, it is estimated that there are currently more tigers living in homes and backyards throughout the United States than there are in the wild! Unfortunately, big cats are not like domestic kitties and they suffer immensely in captive environments. 

Thankfully, there are a few sanctuaries that take in formerly captive big cats in and give them a home where they can truly flourish. The Wildcat Sanctuary in Minnesota is one of these havens. These cats even form strong friendships! Take Morgan and Shalico, the two wild cats in the video above, for instance.

Morgan, a bobcat, and Shalico, a Canadian lynx, were both abandoned by their owners. While this is a prime example of the negligence and frankly the lack of thought people who think keeping exotic pets is a good idea possess, we sure are glad these cats found their way to the Wildcat Sanctuary at the same time!

Since both cats were young upon arrival, sanctuary workers decided to introduce them to each other. Their love quickly blossomed and the two are now inseparable! In the wild, cats of different species don’t usually co-mingle, but within the safe and peaceful home at Wildcat Sanctuary, these cats were able to form a strong bond. We hope they are able to grow together for many years to come!

To learn more about the amazing work being done at the Wildcat Sanctuary, check out their website.

Courageous Mama Cat Who Sustained Horrible Burns Trying to Save Her Kittens Gets Rescued. They say there are no lengths that a mother won’t go to to help her children, and the story of Flame the courageous cat proves this. Flame was found covered with burns by members from the organization Alley Cats and Kittens. They discovered that a fire had broken out on a nearby farm two weeks ago and from the looks of Flame, she had likely sustained burns trying to rescue her babies who she had been nursing in the farmhouse’s shelter.  Unfortunately, Flame’s babies were nowhere to be found.

Alley Cats and Kittens volunteers urged community members to keep an eye out for Flame’s kittens; however, it is most likely that they did not survive.  This brave creature was in intensive care for two weeks at Rufford vets and the compassionate veterinarian even took Flame home for a time to show her some love and to help her cope with such trauma.

The kind people of Rufford vets treated this cat with respect, naming her Flame to demonstrate how this experience strengthened her.
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Flame is healing nicely; her fur is growing back and her skin shows no indication of infection.
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This is the vet that was kind enough to take Flame home after the cat spent an intense 18 days undergoing treatment.
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These fantastic humans treated Flame not only as an individual but a hero as well. 
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Her wounds were wrapped so she couldn’t aggravate or lick them, to prevent infection.
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Flame was given baths daily and cream applied to ensure healing.
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This cat’s strength is truly encouraging, that after all this trauma she still has the strength to heal.
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Though this situation is extremely unfortunate and saddening, Flame can still be considered lucky.
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The vet team has set up a GoFundMe page to help cover the costs of Flame’s recovery. From their updates, it looks like Flame has a good chance at a full recovery and we certainly hope once she’s healed she will get adopted into a loving home!

To help Flame on her road to recovery, please consider donating to help pay for her medical fees. All image source: Asifyoudid/Imgur