The Evil Giraffe Hunter Who Went Viral Isn't Sorry At All After Massive Social Media Backlash

A few weeks ago, news of a rare black giraffe that was shot and killed by a trophy hunter went viral after images of the slain animal were posted on social media. The hunter was identified as Tess Thompson Talley, a 37-year-old American woman who has achieved a level of notoriety on the internet for killing wild animals.

"Prayers for my once in a lifetime dream hunt came true today! Spotted this rare black giraffe bull and stalked him for quite awhile," Talley wrote in a Facebook post, which was later shared by an organisation called Africa Digest.

Though she later deleted the post, along with the pictures, they had already been shared by hundreds of people, and Talley has been receiving a huge amount of backlash as a result. However, despite all the criticism she's receiving, the hunter says she has no regrets about killing the giraffe - nor any other animal, for that matter.

"It is something I believe in," Talley told the Daily Mail. "This is more than a hobby for me, it's a passion."

The Texas-based hunter, who has garnered media attention a few times before on account of her controversial hobby, also tried to argue that she didn't do anything wrong by shooting the animal, and - much to the contrary - was actually helping the giraffe population, as well as the local community.

To read more on this story, click here: The Evil Giraffe Hunter Who Went Viral Isn't Sorry At All After Massive Social Media Backlash


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Pet Peacock Runs Away From Home And Takes Up With Wild Turkeys

A Vermont couple says that their peacock has been on the loose for six weeks, and has apparently started hanging out with a flock of wild turkeys.

The case of the fugitive bird went viral earlier this week, when the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department shared an email on its Facebook page that it had received from one of the peacock’s distraught owners.

“My peacock has run off with the turkeys,” the email read. “Do you have any suggestions on how to catch the little twerp?? I do not believe they can breed……concerned. I know where he is most days. Any information would be appreciated!”

Local news station WCAX 3 tracked down the owners, Rene and Brian Johnson of Springfield, and got the full story. The couple believes that the peacock ― who goes by Pea, Forest or Walter ― took up with the turkeys because he was lonely after his companion, a sibling peacock, died.

To read more on this story, click here: Pet Peacock Runs Away From Home And Takes Up With Wild Turkeys


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Does Your Puppy Have Swimming Puppy Syndrome?

Does your puppy have swimming puppy syndrome? Do you know the signs? Swimmer puppies are puppies that cannot walk and stand upright. Instead, they paddle their legs like a turtle.

Meet Harper, she was rescued by Erica Daniel, 26, who fosters dogs that need serious help. On Aug. 31, a woman in Sanford, Fla., first encountered the little dog when she spotted it squirming garbage bag.

“There was a man outside of a store selling pit-bull puppies for $50,” Daniel explained. “This woman approached him and noticed a noise coming from a garbage bag he was holding. She asked him, ‘What’s in the bag?” He wouldn’t answer her, so pressed the issue and the man opened the bag and gave her the puppy. Harper, was so deformed that she could not walk or hold up her head. Veterinarians advised that the puppy should be euthanized.

Daniel, a regular at the local animal shelter, decided to take the puppy home for one full and final day of affection. “I had to show her what it was like to be loved,” Daniel said. “I’d planned on taking her home that night, letting her sleep in bed with us, and having her humanely euthanized in the morning.”

The puppy had been born with a condition commonly called “swimmer puppy disorder,” and most dogs afflicted with it don’t survive. The formal name of Harper’s disorder, pectus excavatum, causes puppies to lie flat on their chests with their legs perpetually splayed out, as if they were humans or frogs swimming through water.

Daniel kept massaging Harper’s tight muscles, hoping to alleviate at least some of her stiffness and pain. Within just a few hours, Harper started lifting her head and looking around. Her front legs became more limber as well, so much so that she tried using them to walk and pull herself around.

Symptoms of Swimming Puppy Syndrome

If you notice a puppy that is always on its belly or beginning to show signs of a flat chest. Lay mom down and put this pup on a good nipple. Turn it on its side, holding its entire body and making sure it stays on its side. If the pup lets loose start over. Do this several times a day until the pup returns to normal and lays on its side; when that happens you have just cured swimmer puppy syndrome. There's no way to prevent Swimming Puppy Syndrome.



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Two South Dakota Turkeys Get Pampered Before Trump's Turkey Pardon

South Dakota's most famous turkeys will strut their stuff on the national stage Tuesday as they receive clemency by President Donald Trump in the 2018 Turkey Pardon. 

Peas and Carrots, both weighing about 40 pounds, stood out from the flock and were raised specifically for this moment — being treated almost as well as any human. 

The "presidential flock" was presented to the public for the first time Nov. 14 during their press tour around their hometown of Huron. South Dakota's stars traveled to Washington D.C. on Saturday in the back of an SUV. 

More: With turkey pardon, Trump spares Drumstick and Wishbone from Thanksgiving dinner

Jeff Sveen, chairman of the National Turkey Federation and Chairman of the Board of Dakota Provisions, is in charge of Peas and Carrots as they meet the public and national media this week. He joked that the VIP turkeys enjoyed a more comfortable road trip than their drivers.

To read more on this story, click here: Two South Dakota Turkeys Get Pampered Before Trump's Turkey Pardon

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Six Reasons Why You Should Not Swim with Wild Spinner Dolphins

Would you swim with wild spinner dolphins if you knew that they were trying to sleep?

Swimmers and boats that come to visit wild spinner dolphins close to shore during the day could be disturbing their rest and potentially harming them. Wild spinner dolphins feed off-shore at night and return to sheltered bays and coastlines during the day to rest, socialize, tend to their young, and avoid predators. Any energy used towards responding to human activity--even if they appear to just be curious and enjoy the interaction--is energy not being used for these behaviors that are critical for survival. When their rest is interrupted, especially if it happens many times in a day, it can affect their health and well-being.

Swimming with resting spinner dolphins may constitute "harassment" under the Marine Mammal Protection Act. Any act of pursuit, torment, or annoyance that has the potential to disrupt a marine mammal's behavior is "harassment" under this Act and is, therefore, against the law.

To read more on this story, click here: Six Reasons Why You Should Not Swim with Wild Spinner Dolphins

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War Horse, Sergeant Reckless, Statue Dedicated at Marine Corps Museum

A plaque and photo were dedicated in her honor at the Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton stables and a statue of her was dedicated on July 26, 2013 at the National Museum of the Marine Corps in Quantico, Virginia.

The war horse, “Sergeant Reckless,” was used by U.S. Marines fighting in the conflict to carry ammunition to the front lines of battle. The horse also carried wounded Marines from the front lines to safety — a task the horse did on her own even after being wounded.

 “Reckless” was eventually brought to the U.S. to live out the remainder of her life following the end of the war.

          Staff Sergeant Reckless, the greatest war hero horse in U.S. history, according to Marines.

Sgt. Harold Wadley USMC spoke of serving with "Reckless" at the dedication ceremony held at the National Museum of the Marine Corps.

Commandant of the Marine Corps General James F. Amos and sculptor Jocelyn Russell talk at the unveiling of her bronze statue of "Reckless".

Commandant of the Marine Corps General James F. Amos, Robin L. Hutton, Mike Mason, and Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps Michael P. Barrett.

Hundreds of visitors gathered at the National Museum of the Marine Corps for the unveiling of the bronze statue of "Staff Sargent Reckless" the greatest war hero horse in American history.

Hundreds of visitors gathered at the National Museum of the Marine Corps for the unveiling of the bronze statue of "Staff Sergeant Reckless."

                  Artist Jocelyn Russell bids a final farewell to her creation of Reckless, a bronze statue.


Take a look at videos of Sgt. Reckless below:






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Former Vice President Joe Biden, And His Wife, Dr. Jill Biden, Adopted A 10-Month-Old German Shepherd From The Delaware Humane Association

Former Vice President, Joe Biden, and his wife Dr. Jill Biden, adopted a 10-month-old German Shepherd from the Delaware Humane Association (DHA) on Saturday, after fostering him for several months. The pup’s name is Major.

DHA posted about the lucky dog on their Facebook page  as the Bidens took him to his new “forever home.”

“Today is Major’s lucky day! Not only did Major find his forever home, but he got adopted by Vice President Joe Biden & Dr. Jill Biden!” the post said. “The Bidens have gotten to know Major while fostering him and are now ready to make the adoption official. Best of luck and thank you for being one of our Friends for life!”

According to DHA, Major is from a litter of German Shepherd pups that were given up for adoption and are currently “not doing well at all.”

“Once we posted about them… Joe Biden caught wind of them and reached out immediately. The rest is history!” DHA said.

The Bidens are proud owners of another German Shepherd named Champ.

In a statement, the Bidens thanked the shelter for their help finding dogs permanent homes.

“We are so happy to welcome Major to the Biden family, and we are grateful to the Delaware Humane Association for their work in finding forever homes for Major and countless other animals,” the statement read.




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Did You Know that Apes Get Mid-Life Crisis?

Across many cultures, people report a dip in happiness during their late-40s, a time when they generally feel less satisfied with their lives than they do in their younger and older years.

Apes, too, experience a kind of midlife crisis, found a new study. The surprising result suggests that the middle-aged blues may be a result of biology, not culture, and its evolutionary roots run deep.

"It was an astounding thing for us to find this pattern, to be honest," said Andrew Oswald, an economist and behavioral scientist at the University of Warwick in the United Kingdom. "It may be that the midlife crisis is driven by primate biology in a way we don 't understand, and if that 's the case, we all have to learn how to deal with it."

"I think it 's helpful for people to understand this dip," he added. "With luck, this could people them see that this is completely normal and that could help them get through it."

Studies in more than 50 countries over the past 20 years have revealed a near-universal pattern. Over the course of life, happiness tends to follow a U-shaped curve, with people ranking their sense of well-being higher in the first and last decades of life than in the middle.

The low point generally strikes between age 45 and 50 for both men and women, and the pattern crosses economic and demographic lines.

For each animal, zookeepers, researchers or caretakers answered four questions about the well-being of their primate friends, including whether the apes seemed to be in good or bad moods. The humans also ranked how happy they thought they 'd be if they were to become the animal for a week. They had spent time with the animals for at least two years and knew them well.

Apes live to be about 50 or 55 years old and, just like in people, results showed a drop in happiness that reached its lowest point about halfway through the animals ' lives, the researchers report today in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The magnitude of the dip was on par with the dips in happiness that people experience in their middle age, Oswald said. He compared the difference between the apes ' highs and lows to the loss in well-being that people report with marital separation.

The new findings help rule out some theories for midlife slumps in humans, said Arthur Stone, a psychologist in the psychiatry department at Stony Brook University in New York. For example, a whole generation of people can end up feeling less happy at a certain time in their lives simply because of some external historical situation. But that is unlikely to happen in societies of apes.

Instead, it might be chemical or physical changes in our bodies that influence how our feelings morph throughout our lifetimes.

"What this really starts to point to is that maybe there are biological things that we just don 't know about," Stone said. "Maybe there are changes in the brain, changes in how neurotransmitters work or changes in how hormones work that relate to how people view their lives and how animals feel. People will be looking at this more seriously, I think."

Apes Giggle Like Humans

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