When Dean Hornberger and his girlfriend Samantha Eigenbrod saw a photo of a bear who had been struggling with an object stuck on his head for over a month, they decided to try to find and help the bear.

What might have been a straightforward rescue turned into an adventure when they caught up with the bear.

The young black bear had been roaming through Clarion County in western Pennsylvania with what looked like a bucket over his head. According to Krissy Elder, who snapped the photo that Dean and Samantha saw, the Pennsylvania Game Commission was contacted but they told her they could not do anything while the bear was healthy and “mobile.”

Dean, who is an animal rescue volunteer, enlisted help from a few of his friends to help him with the rescue, which took place on Labor Day in 2014. They searched for a few hours for the bear and were about to give up when they saw him on the side of the road.

Dean first tried to wrestle the object off the bear’s head, but it was stuck on too tight and the bear slipped out of his grasp and ran away. The rescuers gave chase and ended up in a giant mud hole. They soon discovered that the “bucket” was actually a rubber air bag normally used to cushion tractor trailers and was fastened tightly around the bear’s neck with a metal ring.

The video is pretty unbelievable and we do not suggest anyone attempting rescues like this—but it is nice to see a happy ending for the curious bear.

Watch what these gutsy men did to help free the bear in the video below and share the rescue with your friends!

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Rescuers from Four Paws are celebrating what is their largest mission yet with the removal of 47 neglected animals from a war-torn zoo in Gaza.

The Rafah Zoo, which opened in 1999 in the southernmost part of Gaza, has since become known as the “Zoo of Sorrows” because of the tragic conditions animals there live in. Sadly for the zoo’s many residents, they’ve been kept in inappropriate enclosures, and have been lacking food and veterinary care, both of which have taken a serious toll on their psychological and physical health.

While the zoo has been on the radar for some time, it recently come under increasing fire after four lion cubs froze to death in January, and a young lioness later had her claws barbarically removed with garden shears so visitors could play with her. According to Four Paws, the zoo’s owner claimed to have amputated the leg of an injured fox with a circular saw himself, and announced more male lions would also be ruthlessly declawed so they could interact with visitors.

Tragically, many have died there as a result of conflict in the area and a lack of care.

Now, however, the suffering of the survivors has finally come to an end and they’re all starting new lives. Although the rescue mission was delayed due to escalating violence and border closures, 47 animals have been safely evacuated by rescuers.

“This mission was one of the most nerve wrecking for our team. After the team’s first attempt to rescue the animals was thwarted due to border closures and increased tensions in the region, we were all anxiously awaiting to see what would unfold during the second attempt. We are so thankful to our team and supporters,” said Robert Ware, Executive Director of Four Paws.


In all, five lions, a hyena, several monkeys, wolves, porcupines, foxes, cats, dogs, emus, ostriches and squirrels were taken on a 186-mile journey across the border to sanctuaries in Jordan, while two of the older lions are headed to LIONSROCK, Four Paws’ big cat sanctuary in South Africa.


“The last few weeks have been very intense for our team and have brought our team to its limits. To examine and load almost 50 animals in just a few days was a huge challenge, but to save lives and provide better futures, it is all worth it,” said Dr. Amir Khalil, Four Paws’ veterinarian and Head of Mission.


Hopefully these animals will all thrive in their new homes, and their story will help raise awareness about the plight of captive animals in the region.
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Zoologist Becky Cliffe is studying the cuddly critters for her PhD studies at Swansea University, having spent five years at the world-famous Sloth Sanctuary in Costa Rica.

 During her time there animal lover Becky, 25, compiled data on a number of poorly and orphaned animals suffering from limb deformities and albinism.

These are genetic problems she believes are caused by pesticides sprayed on fruit crops and loss of habitat which has resulted in inbreeding.

She said: 'Many people love sloths and find them very cute and cuddly but they don't know what problems they're facing.

'As consumers people want to help but don't realise the impact of buying products which have been sprayed with pesticides. 'It's only until you go out to the rainforests that you see the affect it's really having.'

Becky is now sifting through the data as a part of a long-term investigation into sloth genetics and habitat in a bid to protect future generations.


She said: 'It was so hard to leave the jungle - I plan on going back out there. My dream is to set up my own sloth conservation foundation.' A baby sloth called Onesie hangs on to the finger of a worker at the Costa Rican sanctuary as it takes a nap
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Just a few weeks ago, poor pit bull Kobe was stuck in a Maryland shelter. He was in bad shape having been terribly mistreated by his previous owners for years on end.

 But almost overnight, everything's changed for the better. And now Kobe has now been given a new home with his foster parents, Sean and Jade, he can't seem to stop smiling.

The couple from Maryland found him through Baltimore Bully Crew adoption and have showered the playful pitbull with nothing but plenty of love and affection. The pair have been giving him lots of delicious doggy treats and toys to show him that he never has to worry about being abused again.

It's clear that Kobe loves his new home very much and he appears to be grinning from ear to ear. ‘He gives that face whenever he sits down with you,’ Sean told Barkpost.

‘Since he has been getting used to receiving lots of love and food, it seems like he is smiling more often.’ In a few months, Kobe will be ready to go up for adoption and find a forever home.
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With a smile like that, it doesn't seem as though there'll be any shortage of potential owners.

Okay, we’ll admit it, it is incredibly difficult to look at a slow loris and not instantly break out in an “aww!” With their big eyes and fuzzy tails, it’s a natural response.

Unfortunately, that same reaction has led many to want to keep these animals as pets. But there is a huge difference between these wild animals and the fluffy dogs and cats we share our homes with.

Slow lorises are native to the jungles of Indonesia and while they might look sweet and adorable on the outside, they are venomous. Not only do they have fangs that are reinforced with venom but also sharp and strong claws. Both of these natural evolutionary traits make them a less than “ideal” pet, but that hasn’t stopped their rampant exploitation in the exotic animal trade.

Pasar, the slow loris in this video, was rescued from life as a pet by International Animal Rescue (IAR). Like other slow loris victims of this industry, his teeth were filed down and he was severely traumatized after being torn from his mother. IAR writes, “Throughout the video you can hear Pasar making a little chirping noise; this is the sound he would make to call out for his mother. It is heartbreaking to think of how stressful it must have been for him to be taken away from her when he was still so young.”


Thankfully, he has been given all the care he needs to recover and is slowly learning what it means to be a wild loris. Here, we see him learning to climb a tree! IAR hopes that with time he will become independent enough to return to the wild.
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These heart-warming snaps show the adorable bond built up between an abandoned baby fox and his very best friend - a bunny.

Bushy-tailed Puggle was found left behind by his family at just two weeks old in a north London back garden.

He was handed over to the National Fox Welfare Society.

Since then, the orphaned youngster has been nursed back to health - where he has made acquaintances with a very cuddly pal, an old bunny toy.

The pair are now never apart and spend hours on end snuggling up together and playing outdoors.

The fox society nurses cubs back to health if they are injured or abandoned, and Puggle was the first of the breeding season to come to them.

By the summer, he will be big and strong enough to venture back into the wild on his own.

The society will 'soft release' him with a group of other orphaned foxes.

A spokesperson said: 'Through soft release the cubs will, as is the case for natural wild fox cubs eventually disperse in search of a territory and a mate of their own. 'So everything is done to try to make the release program as natural as possible and to mirror what would be happening in the wild in the same period.'
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VIDEO

Puggle the fox cub
Posted by Kelly Kilfeather on Tuesday, March 15, 2016