If something is music to your ears, it's just what you want to hear. Once one wolf starts to howl, the others in the pack join in.
Wolves are known to keep wilderness habitat healthy for the forest ecosystem. The wolf is the keystone species because they cull out weakened prey species and maintain the deer and elk populations that forage on the understory vegetation of the forest.
Along rivers and streams, ungulates such as deer and elk do not graze as long due to the presence of wolves. This "ecology of fear" improves the health of the water systems in the forests and meadows.
Studies in Yellowstone National Park have demonstrated just how valuable a healthy wolf population is to having young trees to grow to middle age. Wolves were absent from Yellowstone National Park since 1927 when the last wolf was killed by bounty hunting. After wolves were re-introduced in 1995 (with much public controversy) the Yellowstone river was brought back to a healthier state.
The river bank has less erosion and supports more wildlife. More vegetation supports more beaver that have now damned up more streams and parts of the river. This results in cooler river temperatures and healthier fish. The increased vegetation also provides for a healthier bird and small animal habitat.
Clever Russian animal takes scraps of meat and a loaf... and uses them to make a five-decker sandwich
A fox in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone stunned a radio crew when it assembled a sandwich before their eyes. The video was captured by a Radio Free Europe team who had pulled over in a restricted part of the Ukrainian city.
While filming, the team were greeted by a fox, who approached them after descending a set of steps. Coming right up to them, the rather gaunt looking fox showed no signs of fear and almost stood waiting for food to come its way.
Obliging the fox – which may have never seen humans before – the radio crew gave it some meat and a few slices of bread. Initially the fox ate the meat on the floor before him, but then began making preparations for later.
Chernobyl was the site of the most disastrous single nuclear event in the world’s history. The city was evacuated in 1986 owing to a disaster at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant when a reactor exploded. Source
What do curious camels do when they encounter a wolf?
Camels thrive on sparse desert vegetation, thorny plants, and dried grasses that other beasts of burden consider to be inedible.
The camel’s legendary ability to go endless miles and days without water was long based on the false assumption that it “stores water” in its hump. It does not.
The animal's ability to endure blazing temperatures with a minimum of drinking water stems from its unusual metabolism and fantastic cooling system.
A camel can lose up to 40 percent of its body weight in water without diminishing the fluid content of its blood. (A twelve- percent loss is fatal to man.) Undue water loss from sweating is prevented because the animal’s “normal” temperature can vary over a wide range.
Emma is a little pit bull mix with a big personality — and even though a birth defect left her back legs completely paralyzed, this heartwarming video shows that her love is bigger than her disability.
The video shows Emma excitedly hurrying over to the front door to welcome her military dad home from a 6-month deployment.
Even though Emma usually "sits at the end of the hallway and waits" when someone comes in the door, as the video description reads, she's making a special effort to reach her beloved human.
Emma may not be as fast as her doggie siblings, but she's just as excited to be reunited with Dad.
Since the video was filmed, Emma's back legs were amputated to make her more comfortable. Her humans have a Facebook page where they post regular updates about the tough little dog, and she's just as happy and loving as ever. Source
8 Year Old Peyton White Buffalo Wows The Crowd At Gathering of Nations
As drums boomed and singers chanted, more than 3,000 Native Americans and indigenous dancers swayed and circled the floor of WisePies Arena, aka The Pit, in a visual display of bright colors, feathers, fur, fringe, beads, buckskins and bells.
The Grand Entry and Powwow Opening Ceremony for the 32nd annual Gathering of Nations on Friday featured dancers from 700 tribes across the United States, Canada and Mexico.
The world’s largest event of its kind, which continues today and tonight, includes dance competitions, drumming contests, the crowning of a new Miss Indian World, Native American musical performers and comedians, a cornucopia of Native American and Southwestern foods, and more than 800 Native American artists and artisans displaying and selling their paintings, sculptures, pottery, jewelry, clothing, textiles and more.
“This is a celebration of our culture, our heritage, our beautiful native ways as Indian people,” said Larry Yazzie, one of the event’s entertainment coordinators and master of ceremonies. “We are letting the world know we are still here, alive and well, and maintaining our traditions and passing them down from generation to generation.” Source
A 90-year-old tortoise is going twice its normal speed after being fitted with a set of wheels.
The animal, called Mrs T, was facing a grim future after a rat chewed off her two front legs while she was hibernating, but her owners glued the wheels from a model aircraft onto her shell.
"It was like fitting her with a turbo charger - she's going double the speed she used to," said owner Jude Ryder. "She uses her back legs to push herself along. She seems quite happy, but it's difficult to tell with a tortoise."
The 56-year-old was horrified when she went to check on her ancient pet last month and found her front legs had been eaten in the rat attack. Mrs Ryder said: "She took to them straight away, but she has had to learn how to turn and stop. She can get a good speed up, much faster than before. Mrs T is still quite young for a tortoise. She could go on for another 50 years - all she needs is a new set of tyres every now and again."
Mrs T was in her 60s when she was bought as a pet for Dale when he was eight. It has the run of Mrs Ryder's garden in Pembroke, West Wales, in the spring and summer before being tucked away in in the garden shed to hibernate. Mrs Ryder said: "We were afraid she may have to be put down, but her new set of wheels have saved her life. She has the run of the garden again and we can always find her because she leaves very strange tracks behind wherever she goes." Source
Why do Native American and Indigenous people point with their lips and not their fingers
Most of us, regardless of our heritage, have been taught that it is rude to point at a person, but few people will go to such great effort to avoid pointing as indigenous people of the western hemisphere. For native people, it isn’t just people that you shouldn’t point at, but also trees and animals, homes, graves, regalia and medicine items. Why?
There are several explanations. “Native people were familiar with their surroundings” says Aldo Seoane of the Mayo nation. “Not only with other members of their family, clan, or nation, but also with the plants, animals and physical features of their surroundings. These had names”.
Pointing to an object or person is unnecessary when you can describe it with a name or word, and when the person you are conversing with knows the name or description of the subject intimately. There were few things that were unfamiliar. You wouldn’t need to point out a stranger; their unfamiliarity would be quite obvious.
Pointing would also have been confusing in communicating, since there was a system of sign language that often bridged the gap between native peoples who spoke different languages. The sign made to ask someone their name is about as close to pointing as this language comes, and it is done with the palm toward the person making the sign, and the index finger pointing upward as much as toward the person in question. Pointing is perceived, with somewhat universal agreement among tribal people, to be accusatory. As one Hupa grandmother told her grand daughter, “finger pointing was an accusation of someone doing something bad and that was a way of telling on that person”. She said “there was always a silent agreement among our people to never tell on one another”.
There is another all-important factor that is often not expressed with regard to pointing, whether it is at a person or an object. There is energy, or medicine, relating to all living things. To point at someone could be perceived as affecting them with your energy, or taking theirs. When you live with a conscious awareness of the physical, spiritual and energetic presence of those around you, pointing takes on additional gravity.
As one Creek woman from Green Country, Oklahoma put it, “We don’t point with our fingers or hands. I think that it is not just rude, but also because some people use their hands for medicine, and so it creeps people out. It’s rude to make people feel like you might be doing something when you are not. It’s also bad to touch people you aren't close to unless you are shaking hands at certain times. Even then, many people are still uncomfortable about that...no touching and no pointing...may be someone puttin’ their bad on you”.
“I was taught that by pointing your finger you were taking away a person or thing’s spirit” said Christina of Berrien Springs, Michigan.
It is safe to say that most Native American nations avoid pointing, and teach various reasons why it should not be done. Michael Reifel, a tribal member of the San Carlos Apache nation, was raised by his adoptive parents, a Chickasaw mother and a Lakota father. His upbringing was a blend of private schools and traditional values, and both of his parents taught him not to point with his hand or fingers, but to use his lips or chin to indicate a person or direction. When he returned to the San Carlos Reservation, he was quick to observe that this was also the way of his nation of birth.
“My parents taught me by example” Michael recalls. “They never made a big scene over my behavior. There was never any reprimanding in public. They would use their chin or their lips to point, and quietly discourage the use of hands or fingers. They didn’t offer a lot of explanation. I just caught on to what the right behavior was by their example”. Not everyone has been raised with this sensitivity. “I would say that younger people, let’s say forty and under, are much more likely to point unabashedly and without a second thought” Michael reflected. “Usually when I see elders use their hands to point, they do it in a general way, without fully extending their fingers, and keeping their palms upturned, almost the way you would use your hands to tell a story or survey a landscape”.
Laura, a Lipan Apache from Indiana, refuses to give in to pointing, even at work. “People often look at me in confusion when I’m at work, and I tell them to pick up their order ‘down there’ and motion with my head or chin”. Some don’t remember being taught to point with their lips or chin…it is simply an inherent part of their behavior. Rick, of the Comanche nation, stated “Just about everybody in my nation seems to do it, including me. I never really thought about why. I really don't know except that I just kind of picked it up from my family. When my ex-wife, who is not native, first met my family, she said, ‘How come you guys are always making the kissy face at each other?’” Article By Corina Roberts
Cuddles from an elephant seal would normally end in a crush - but this pup was just about small enough to indulge in some hugs with this lucky lady.
Canadian Charlene Fritz, 35, encountered the curious baby during an expedition to Snow Hill Island in the Antarctic Peninsula.The seal was no more than two months old but already weighed a whopping 200lb.
Fortunately yoga enthusiast Charlene was able to perform a reclining hero pose to prolong the magical encounter - as a friend captured filmed them.
Charlene, from Saskatchewan, said: "The seal climbed on top of me without hesitation. We shared a very sweet moment in time I will never forget."
"Her mouth was all pink inside and her eyes were amazing to look into. Like the deepest depths of the sea. I could have stared into her eyes forever."
She added: "It was made very clear to me that I was in no way allowed to touch her with my hands or approach her." Source
Bryan Coleman has had his German Shepherd, Diamond, since she was just a few weeks old. Now 8, Diamond’s mobility recently deteriorated after hip dysplasia set in and she lost the use of her back legs.
Bryan describes caring for Diamond as being a lot like “having a disabled child” albeit one that weighs 100 pounds. Bryan scoured the internet to help find Diamond solutions that would help her.
He found a wheelchair, which helped Diamond begin walking again. He also wanted to build a ramp for her at his home too, but he didn’t have the funds to do so immediately. That’s when his co-workers at the Home Depot in Richfield Minnesota took him completely by surprise.
They pitched in to help him and raised money for ramp supplies and their generosity didn’t end there. His coworker Paul Kajer came over to his home and build him the ramp too!
"I was trying to explain it to [Coleman] how to frame it up and build it, and I could tell it was over his head, so said I have all the tools. I'll throw them in the truck and meet you on Sunday before work," Kajer said.
Diamond can now use her wheelchair to get in and out of the house because of the new ramp.
Bryan was deeply touched by his co-workers’ gesture and says their generosity has changed his family’s life. He told Fox Chicago that it’s one thing to read about people’s acts of kindness and another thing to live it. He is also grateful that Diamond has some restored mobility and told the news station she is a very happy dog!
Five beautiful beagles who spent the last five years locked in stark metal cages finally know of a simple pleasure no dog should ever be denied.
For the first time in their lives, these former test subjects are feeling the warmth of sunlight on their faces and grass beneath their paws in the company of people who cherish them.
These dogs are among a group rescued from a research facility in South Korea earlier this year under the direction of the Beagle Freedom Project and local animal charities. After being forced to endure a life of confinement and subjugation, the beagles had been slated to be euthanized before rescuers convinced their handlers to release them into retirement instead.
Despite the many years they'd spent devoid of comfort in the lab, valued only for what could be learned from their suffering, the timid beagles' spirits were not broken. Described as "all incredibly sweet," they slowly began to open up to feelings which up until then had been foreign to them, those of human love and affection.
It was a moving scene for the crowd of well-wishers, but for the dogs themselves it was only a first tentative step on the grassy road to a better life. As the Beagle Freedom Project reports, each of the former lab subjects are currently in foster homes being showered with love as they adjust to their bright future as family pets.
Rescued tigers swim for the first time with overwhelming happiness
The wild tiger population is in serious trouble. Not only are these animals greatly endangered by habitat loss and poaching in their native territory, but they are also very susceptible to the illegal wildlife trade. Bought and sold into this illicit trade, these animals often end up as exotic pets. While the concept of keeping a tiger as a pet in your backyard might sound ridiculous, the reality is that there are currently more tigers in American backyards than there are in the wild … yes, it’s that bad.
Luckily, organizations like International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) exist to make sure that exotic animals, like tigers, who have been wrongly taken from the wild and forced into captivity get a chance at retirement. IFAW actively rescues and rehabilitates tigers from abusive captive situations; the tigers in this video came from this sort of life.
Lily and Carli, the tigers featured, are enjoying the good life at their sanctuary home in Nevada. These two rescued big cats are getting to experience the wonder of swimming in a cool, refreshing pool for the very first time in their lives!
While these two tigers should have never been captured from the wild, we are so pleased to see them enjoying themselves in their new home. Enjoy your swim, Lily and Carli! Source
There are only three wolves left in Michigan’s Isle Royale National Park, which could spell disaster for the group’s survival, according to new research.
“There is now a good chance that it is too late to conduct genetic rescue,” John Vucetich, associate professor of wildlife ecology at Michigan Technological University, said in a statement. Vucetich conducted the annual study of the park’s animals along with Rolf Peterson, a research professor at Michigan Tech.
t’s believed that this last remaining pack is made up of two adults and one 9-month old pup, though the pup does not appear to be healthy. It looks to have a deformed tail and hunched posture among other abnormalities, meaning it could easily be dead within a year.
Regardless of the pup’s health, recovering the wolf population on the island is not likely to happen naturally. Since 2009, the wolves have been rapidly declining in numbers, dropping from 24 to just three in six years. This is partly due to inbreeding among the pack. Inbred pups have a very low survival rate, and researchers believe it would be nearly impossible to recover the population without introducing new genetic material into the group.
However, the two resident adults are likely a mating pair, meaning they wouldn’t be interested in mating with outside wolves if given the chance.
In fact, researchers recently observed two other wolves that made their way onto the island via an ice bridge from the U.S.-Canadian mainland, but the pair left after less than a week. It’s possible the two pairs of wolves didn’t even notice each other.
This doesn’t mean the population could never recover naturally, especially because we now know it is possible for other wolves to enter the park. But the only scenario that would result in re-population would require the resident adults to be interested in mating with outside partners.
The declining wolf population also correlates to a rapidly increasing moose population on the island. Without as many predators, moose are thriving, and if the unbalance of predator-prey worsens, it could cause severe and permanent damage to the vegetation on Isle Royale.
Sadly, humans are largely to blame for the severe decline in the wolf population across the United States. Hunting has nearly depleted them from the western part of the country. According to Defenders of Wildlife, there are only 7,000-11,200 gray wolves left in Alaska, 3,700 in the Great Lakes region, and 1,675 in the Northern Rockies.
It remains to be seen whether humans can prevent the Michigan Isle Royale wolves from disappearing entirely. Source
Verdict handed out in south-eastern town of Elverum is historic first step to encouraging people to live with nature, says WWF head in Norway
Five wolf hunters have been given jail sentences in Norway in an unprecedented environmental crackdown to protect a tiny stock of about 35 of the predators living in the country’s eastern pine forests.
The men, who were given terms of between six and 20 months, are the first to be convicted for shooting wolves since a few dozen animals were re-introduced in a joint environmental project with Sweden in the 1990s.
Hunting almost wiped out the species in Norway in the 1960s. Many locals oppose having wolves on their doorsteps, saying they kill sheep and roam close to homes and schools.
Nina Jensen, the head of the WWF conservation group in Norway, said the verdict handed out in the south-eastern town of Elverum was a historic first step that would encourage people to live with nature and allow wolves to roam from the Arctic to the Mediterranean.
“Illegal hunting is the single largest cause of death for wolves in Norway,” she said, urging Norwegians to tolerate packs, perhaps even as a tourist attraction in remote areas.
Over the past winter, about 36 wolves were recorded as living in Norway, with another 39 crossing over the border from bigger stocks in Sweden, according to the environmental monitoring group Rovdata.
A study last year in the journal Science estimated that 12,000 wolves live across 28 European countries that populations are stable or rising. Source
Shamans rouse the ancient Siberian spirits. Stunning pictures as shamans from around the world gather in Sayan Mountains.
A shaman, in the dictionary definition, is 'a person regarded as having access to, and influence in, the world of good and evil spirits, especially among some peoples of northern Asia and North America. Typically such people enter a trance state during a ritual, and practise divination and healing.'
These images - giving an extraordinary glimpse inside this largely unknown world - have emerged of a conclave held this summer over nine days near the village Khorum-Dag in Tyva Republic.
This festival, named 'Call of 13 Shamans' was held in an area of Siberia that retains great respect for shamans and was intended as a show of unity by the planet's most respected practitioners.The shamans began by going to different locations in the mountains for three days of meditation, making rites and holding ceremonies.
The timing had been selected to match the natural cosmic cycles and calculations of experts from various theological schools.
'On these days the sky, as if taking a step toward the ridges of the Sayan Mountains, is getting closer. So the inner eye of the wisest shamans of Earth will open new horizons through communication with spirits, planets and stars of far Black Heaven (Cosmos), comprehension of the mysteries of the interaction of stars, planets and Mother Earth in modern times, and what to expect on our planet in the future,' said the organisers in advance. Source
The rescue mission was captured on camera and features Mr Cowell, who runs the Wildlife Aid Foundation in Leatherhead, Surrey, travelling to the cub’s location in his car.
He notes that the young fox is unable to go forwards or backwards in its current position and that it has been stuck around 40 minutes so in desperate need of being set free.
Upon arrival, Mr Cowell gloves up and immediately begins tending to the fox.
The cub is clearly distressed however and spits at the wildlife expert’s incoming hand before making a lunge at it with its mouth open.
Remaining calm, Mr Cowell distracts the fox with a stick – taking its attention away from his hand – as he goes to pick it up.
Choosing an appropriate location, the wildlife expert sends the fox on its way and tells it to go back to its mother. Source
This could be the best (and only) eagle playing soccer video you’ll ever see — and it was filmed in B.C.
A plumed player dropped in for a tryout during a soccer practice in North Vancouver last week, much to the delight of onlookers.
The North Shore Football Club was holding a practice with one of its boys teams at Sutherland when a large eagle appeared on the field and began playing with a soccer ball.
The eagle’s antics brought the practice to a halt while the team and spectators watched in awe as it followed, jumped on and even kicked the ball with one of its claws.
“It was probably one of the most incredible things that I’ve ever seen. Just to be able to be that close, 20 feet from an eagle and to be able to watch it for two-and-a-half minutes was amazing,” said Stuart Ince, club president, who was able to capture the raptor in a video on his phone. Source
Do you love your dogs like they're your children? There's a reason for that—actually, many reasons, from their cute faces to their affectionate natures.
In a new study, researchers in Japan find hints of yet one more: When dogs and their owners look into each other's eyes, it raises, in both human and canine, levels of a hormone associated with bonding and social behaviors. In fact, a rise in the hormone in a pet dog is able to trigger a parallel rise in the owner. It's like a positive feedback loop of love.
The study provides evidence that humanity and its best friend might have a truly special bond, built by evolution. That relationship could be based on the same materials—the same hormones, the same processes—that work in certain one-on-one human relationships, like one between a parent and child. "Evolution is notoriously thrifty, often recycling old mechanisms for new purposes," two Duke University researchers write in an essay that the journal Science is publishing today as a companion to its report about the Japanese study.
Humanity and its best friend might have a truly special bond, built by evolution.
To test the idea that dogs and their owners have a love feedback loop, biologists from various universities in Japan performed two experiments. In one, study volunteers and their dogs gave the researchers samples of their urine before and after interacting. Those human-canine pairs who spent the most time gazing into each other's eyes had the steepest rises in their urine levels of the hormone oxytocin. However, the same thing didn't happen among the other test group, who had raised wolves. This suggests the feedback loop evolved sometime after dogs diverged from their wolfish ancestors.
In the second experiment, researchers spritzed oxytocin into the nostrils of dogs. Compared to dogs who got a dose of salt water in the nose instead, oxytocin-ed female dogs looked at their owners significantly longer (although male dogs did not do the same). Afterwards, the owners of female dogs had elevated levels of oxytocin in urine samples, evidence that a dog's oxytocin levels can affect her owner's levels.
Recent research has found that oxytocin is involved in many human relationships. One study, published last year, found that mothers' oxytocin levels rise when they look at their babies. Could the same be happening when dog owners look at their pets? There's other evidence that domestic dogs evolved to work with people. A few studies have found puppies quickly understand what it means when people point with their fingers, whereas wolf pups require extensive training to get the same message. So it's plausible they've evolved around us in other ways as well. Don't think of it as a hijacking of our human parenting urges, however. Remember, their oxytocin levels rise when they look at us too. We're in this together, as we have been for more than 10,000 years. Source
This is the moment a baby horse mimics a dog as it rolls over and nuzzles with its handler on the ground.
Footage shows the seven-day-old foal nuzzling Sunny Bayne's shoulder before pushing her to the ground and lying on top of her belly.
The young rider from Kentucky can't stop smiling at the animal's silly antics.
'This is the best day of my life,' she exclaims as the cuddling session continues.
'Horses have a way about them that touches my soul. Every now and again horse people come across a horse that places a mark on their heart. This one truly touched my heart and soul.'
She said just moments before the camera started rolling, the foal galloped up to her and started playing.
'I could feel her love and curiosity. She walked all over me and I was okay with that because, I mean... look at her,' she wrote.
'Then we rolled around and played like kids. She melted my heart that day and I believe it's safe to say that she melted a few million other peoples hearts.
8 week old wolfdog cub meets a herd of sheep for the first time. The sheep are rather suspicious. Chomby, their livestock guardian dog supervises.
About the puppy: Lorne is a high content wolfdog. He is being raised to hopefully be used in educational programs. He is 8 weeks old here and lives with sheep, camels, and other dogs.
About the guardian dog: Chomby is an Anatolian or Kangal. She is a full-time working dog that guards the sheep herd from predators. This is a serious dog, devoted to its family and its duty as family protector. It is suspicious of strangers and is territorial.
About the herd: The deer-like ewes you see are pure European Mouflon. A wild sheep that are thought to be one of the ancestors for all modern domesticated sheep. You can also see Painted Desert Sheep (the spotted ones), St. Croix (the white ones), and American Blackbelly (the orange and black). The sheep are all part of a program to diversify the genetics of Arizona sheep by introducing hybrid vigor via crossing domesticated sheep with wild Mouflon.
Puppy Missing A Paw Befriends A Girl Who's As Special As He Is
It's not what 3-year-old Sapphyre Johnson and her fluffy best friend are missing that makes them so special — it's what they have together.
Sapphyre, who was born with feet that hadn't fully developed, will always be a little different than most people, but not from her dog. Just like her, 9-week-old puppy Lt. Dan is unique, missing a paw on his front leg.
Karen Riddle, whose dog had given birth to him, told Greenville Online that she knew what some saw as a defect was actually a blessing in disguise for the right person. She reached out to Shriners Hospital in South Carolina to see if a patient there might be interested in taking Lt. Dan home as a new family member.
For Sapphyre, who was there being fitted with prosthetics, it was love at first sight.
"The first time I showed her a picture of the dog, she looked at it for a moment, and she said, 'That's my puppy. He's just like me,'" Elaine Hardin, child care specialist at the hospital, told the news outlet. "He's a special dog and he's going to a special child."
Source
Xiuhtezcatl Roske-Martinez is only 16 years old, but he's committed to changing the world.
The Colorado teen is the youth director of Earth Guardians, a nonprofit that encourages young people to connect and become involved in environmental activism.
Through a variety of demonstrations and projects -- including an eco hip-hop duo that he created with his younger brother -- Xiuhtezcatl works to engage other youth leaders and share important environmental issues. The brothers have produced songs like “What the Frack?” and “Speak for the Trees” to deliver these messages in a way that is fun and accessible for other young adults.
There are Earth Guardian teams in 25 different countries around the world, each working on projects specific to their own region but focused on the planet as a whole. On Sunday, the Earth Guardians crew in Togo, West Africa, organized a tree planting and community celebration in anticipation of Earth Day. Last summer, the Australian group held a Youth Environmental Awareness Day. The New York crew holds a weekly youth open mic night at a farmer’s market. All of these projects seek to join young people together to make the Earth sustainable.
“As young people we have the advantage that the world will listen to us more so than adults,” Xiuhtezcatl says. “Because we’re vulnerable and we’re innocent.”
His work has led him to speak in front of world leaders at United Nations forums, and earned him the 2013 “Youth Change Maker of the Year” award from President Obama. This summer he'll travel National Geographic on an Arctic expedition to study glacial recision.
“The biggest challenge we face is shifting human consciousness, not saving the planet,” Roske-Martinez says. “Because the planet doesn't need saving; we do.” Source
A little boy named Levi dances the traditional Maori haka for his great-grandma’s 81st birthday…
The passion in this three year old is inspirational. The Haka is a traditional war cry / dance of the people of New Zealand.
American audiences were first introduced to the Haka in the opening credits to the Real World / Road Rules Challenge: The Duel II. The New Zealand All Blacks rugby team has also had something to do with the rise of the Haka in popular culture.
But apparently, it's also used to melt hearts, like when three-year-old Levi here does it. At the same time, his commitment is genuinely intimidating. If he were ten years older, or if there were four more of him, I wouldn't be smiling. I'd be running the other way.
In this video you’ll see 3-year old little warrior from the Ngati Toa tribe performs an adorable and intimidating version of a Haka.
