Puppy Eats Yogurt With Spoon

Trying to get an infant or a toddler to eat can be a trying task. Between getting them to sit still and then convincing them that eating strained peas is a wonderful experience – meal time can easily take a full hour! We wish all the small children in our lives would take a page from the little dog in this video.

Wrapped up in a little blanket, just like a human infant, the dog in this video is all set for snack time. His guardian prepares a spoonful of food and the dog knows exactly what to do! There is no need for his guardian to even prompt him to “say ah!” He opens his little mouth and squeals as if he can’t wait to get a big heaping spoonful.

Google Hires Camel For Desert Street View

It's given us robot cars and internet-enabled glasses -- but when it came to creating a "Street View" of a desert, Google hit on a low-tech solution.

It hired a camel.

The beast has become the first animal to carry Google's Trekker camera, which is typically hoisted by humans to capture 360-degree images of destinations inaccessible to its Street View cars.

Google spokeswoman Monica Baz says the camel, reportedly named Raffia, was an apt way of documenting the beautiful shifting sands of Abu Dhabi's Liwa Oasis.

"With every environment and every location, we try to customize the capture and how we do it for that part of the environment," she told The National newspaper.

"In the case of Liwa we fashioned it in a way so that it goes on a camel so that it can capture imagery in the best, most authentic and least damaging way," Baz said.

The Liwa Oasis is a 100 kilometer-wide (62-mile) scenic desert, southeast of the city of Abu Dhabi that includes some of the world's biggest sand dunes.

To read more on this story, click here: Google Hires Camel For Desert Street View

Indianapolis Zoo: Male Lion Killed By Mother Of It’s Cubs

A lion at the Indianapolis Zoo was killed this week by another lion that it had cubs with, Zoo officials announced.

The zoo says a 10-year-old male African lion, Nyack, died Monday morning, after it was hurt by a female lion named Zuri. Zuri was OK.

Animal care staff heard "an unusual amount" of roaring from the outdoor lion yard, the zoo said in a news release. They responded and saw Zuri being aggressive with Nyack in the presence of the lions' 3-year-old daughter, Sukari.

To read more on this story, click here: Indianapolis Zoo: Male Lion Killed By Mother Of It’s Cubs

An Extremely Rare Albino Raccoon Was Captured in Tennessee When Trappers Responded to a Memphis Home

Nashville, Tennessee - An extremely rare albino raccoon was captured in Tennessee when trappers responded to a Memphis home.

Alpha Wildlife, a company which specializes in animal trapping, prevention, and repairs, responded to a Collierville home to remove raccoons.

Co-owner Matt Caldwell says he was ready for the first raccoon trapped and removed but the second one was a surprise. "I was excited and taken aback at the same time," Caldwell says. "I've seen pictures online but never in person."

That's because it was a rare albino raccoon. Caldwell says biologists tell him finding an albino raccoon is a 1 in 750,000 chance. Caldwell and co-owner David Parrish took the raccoon to Meeman-Shelby Forest State Park as is protocol when releasing animals.

To put the rarity in perspective, the odds of being struck by lighting in your lifetime is 1 in 14,600 according to the NWS.

200 Cats In Poor Health Seized From Spring Cat Sanctuary

SPRING, Texas (KTRK) -- We're getting our first look at more than 200 cats who authorities say were found in pretty bad shape at a Spring cat sanctuary.

But the owners of Dave and Faye's Cat Sanctuary tell Eyewitness News the entire raid and seizure was unjustified.

The Houston SPCA and law enforcement from Montgomery County seized the animals on Wednesday, and said they are in desperate need of veterinary care.

SPCA says many of the cats are suffering from various medical conditions, including upper respiratory infections.

To read more on this story, click here: 200 Cats In Poor Health Seized From Spring Cat Sanctuary

Tropical Fish Diseases

A home aquarium can host a large variety of bacterial, fungal & parasitic infections. Early treatment is best but there are few things you can do to increase the chance everyone will heal quickly.

Most illnesses are contagious so medicating the entire tank is suggested. Even if the disease is not contagious, it’s not going to harm a healthy fish to give him a dose of treatment too.

If you have a large aquarium it’s advised to set up a hospital tank. Use a smaller 5 gallon aquarium with air pump to place infected fish. Treating a 5 gallon tank is much easier and cheaper then treating a 90 gallon, hence the popularity of hospital tanks for advanced hobbyists and fish breeders.

Always remove carbon for the duration of treatment. In a power filter, you will need to remove the entire cartridge (carbon is located inside). Carbon absorbs medication from the water rending the treatment ineffective.

Adding freshwater aquarium salt helps with healing. A general tonic with electrolytes promoting good health, salt also can counteract the harsh effect of medication by reducing stress. Dissolve some in a cup of water before adding to the aquarium. Follow directions on the box for the proper amount to add according to tank size.

 Most diseases are caused by stress & poor water quality. After the disease outbreak is cleared, you may want to increase the frequency of water changes and perhaps consider using a stronger filter or adding a second filter. Excellent filtration can help prevent disease by keeping water chemistry prime for living conditions.

To read more on this story, click here: Tropical Fish Diseases 

Hamsters: From The Wild To Your Bedroom

Cheeks puffed, growling, and ready to pick a fight with a barn cat: The black-bellied hamster is a far cry from the domesticated hamster you might have as a pet. It’s a good thing these black-bellied hamsters are defending themselves, because in France, where only 500 to 1,000 remain in the wild, these courageous critters are literally fighting for survival.

In the December 2014/January 2015 issue of National Geographic Kids magazine, you can find out more about wild hamsters in France, their history, and what people are doing to help their populations recover. And read below to learn more about wild and pet hamsters.

Where Did Your Pet Hamster Come From?

One of the most popular species of pet hamsters in North America and Western Europe is the Syrian, or golden, hamster, which was discovered in the wild in 1797. So how did this hamster get from the Middle East all the way to your bedroom or classroom? Thank zoologist Israel Aharoni. During a 1930 expedition to look for these golden hamsters, he and local Sheikh El-Beled uncovered a golden hamster and her 11 young living 8 feet (2.4 meters) below a wheat field.

To read more on this story, click here: Hamsters: From The Wild To Your Bedroom

Billionaire Trophy Hunter Kills Endangered Black Rhino With No Regrets, And U.S. Allows Him To Import Body Parts

Black rhinos are listed as critically endangered with less than 5,500 remaining in the world. The African rhino is poached for its horns. Aside from being poached, rhinos are targeted by trophy hunters as a rare hunt.

One American trophy hunter, Lacy Harber, headed to Namibia to hunt and kill a black rhino. According to the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), “Two trophy hunting organizations, the Dallas Safari Club Foundation and Conservation Force, auctioned off the rhino hunt in December 2016 for $275,000. The auction was won by a Texas billionaire who hunted the animal on February 26, 2017, at the Veronica Game Lodge in Namibia. Conservation Force then filed the import permit application on April 12, 2017.”

Harber tells Herold Democrat, “He had turned into a rogue rhino and the Namibian game department had documented that he had killed two females and three babies,” Harber said. “If you don’t have a use for an animal, if it has no value, it’ll just disappear.”

To read more on this story, click here: Billionaire Trophy Hunter Kills Endangered Black Rhino With No Regrets, And U.S. Allows Him To Import Body Parts