Dozens of lions get the chance to roam freely for the very first time in their lives, after they got rescued from circuses in: Peru and Colombia, South America. The big wild cats have been airlifted to the Emoya Big Cat Sanctuary in South Africa, after some titanic work from the volunteers at the Animal Defenders International (ADI).

All the efforts were part of the rescue mission Operation Spirit of Freedom – initiated by the ADI charity group. As a result, at least 100 animals have been saved from terrible condition, including these lions.

It took over a year until the volunteers were able to track and rescue all these animals. They worked with both Peruvian and Colombian governments, and other authorities, to make things happen. After being rescued, the 33 lions were taken to a sanctuary in Peru, before airlifted to South Africa, their homeland.

Unfortunately, most of the lions were found “living in deplorable conditions in cages on the backs of trucks.”

Their entire lives – these helpless animals were forced to perform tricks, and they suffered severe wounds along the way, many of them caused by their owners. But fortunately all of these came to an end!

“The change that is being offered to these 33 lions will change their entire world,” Savannah Heuser, founder of Emoya Big Cat Sanctuary said. ‘“They will live out the rest of their lives in a natural habitat, the closest they can ever come to freedom. I am so grateful to have them here finally, it’s a dream come true. They have had a long journey but they are surprisingly calm.”

It is so beautiful to see these majestic creatures returning back to their homeland after suffering so much!

A Labrador puppy saved a paralyzed parrot that fell from a nest – and decided to become his big brother.

Viviana Dávila and her puppy Hiro were relaxing in the backyard of their house in Puerto Rico when they were surprised by something strange that was on the ground.
The Labrador retriever did not hesitate to go see what it was about and wanted his mother to know about his great find, which was not an object, but someone who had arrived there due to some unfortunate situation.

“I noticed Hiro licking something on the grass. He licked and he looked at me and insisted again licking and looking at me. It was a sign that something was happening and I approached,” said Viviana.

The puppy had found a parrot that needed help.

“Immediately, I looked for a towel and picked it up, the little bird was very defenseless,” added Viviana.

Until that moment, the puppy had saved this little bird’s life, but this adorable puppy would later do more than that.

After consulting a veterinarian , Viviana learned that the bird was a small Quaker parrot . The poor thing was paraplegic probably because he had fallen from his nest.

Under those conditions his chances of survival in the wild were slim , if not none. He probably would have perished on the ground if Hiro hadn’t found him in time.

However, this little parrot proved to be a fighter and Viviana promised to keep the light of hope burning, but she never imagined that she would have the help of the puppy , who took his role as protective father very seriously.

The puppy decided that he would not leave Hope’s side, as the parrot was called

“The vet told us that in similar cases he recommends putting them to sleep forever, however, he was very surprised to see how Hope struggled to live,” said Viviana.

It was then that he decided to welcome Hope into his family to take care of him as best he could following the vet’s instructions.

“After a week and a half his improvement was remarkable. Hiro has been a part of that effort, from day one she hasn’t walked away from him,” Viviana said.

Viviana fed him regularly and did her best to keep him very comfortable.

“Nothing matters to him anymore because he has a new purpose: to take care of Hope,” Viviana said.

Little by little, Hope adapted to her new home, her body getting stronger every day. The Labrador retriever has not rested to ensure that her heart heals as well.

“Having hope and taking care of him so far has been a great experience. Hope teaches us every day about perseverance and empathy”, added Viviana.

Nowadays wherever Hope goes, the puppy is there too. A beautiful friendship was born between them. Hopefully, Hope will continue to thrive with Hiro by her side.

“We are proud and honored to have Hiro. Although he has always been a very good puppy », expressed Viviana.

The story of these friends went viral on Twitter thanks to Viviana’s sister, who lives in Chicago, United States. So the tweeters, moved by her photos, asked for a video of the puppy and the parrot.

The scenes move thousands of people:

Ok pero ya les conté que el perro de mi hermana encontró una cotorrita herida en el patio de la casa y ahora la cuida y es su mejor amiga? pic.twitter.com/5aHwcLY2yE

— Verónica Mangú Dávila Ellis 🍌 (@veroenid) May 29, 2020

How beautiful they are!”, “He is grooming him”, “Dogs are the best thing that can happen to us”, “I faint with love”, “For God’s sake, how cute”, were some of the comments from Internet users .

Thanks to Hiro, Hope not only survived, but now also has a loving place to call home. This emotional story shows us how great love is!

Meet Higgins, a senior German shepherd who has spent virtually his entire life at the Humane Society of Preble County because no one wants to adopt him. The shelter was not ready to give up on him – and the most crucial reason was that Higgins had never given up on finding a permanent home.

Higgins was taken to the shelter as a puppy and was adopted right away. However, Higgins’ life in his first home was not pleasant, and he returned to the shelter. Meet Higgins, a senior German shepherd who has spent virtually his entire life at the Humane Society of Preble County because no one wants to adopt him. The shelter was not ready to give up on him, and the most crucial reason was that Higgins had never given up on finding a permanent home.

Higgins was taken to the shelter as a puppy and was adopted right away. However, Higgins’ life in his first home was not happy, and he returned to the shelter in 2012.

Renner told The Dodo:

“We heard he was little more than a dog locked up to a dog home.”

“After about a year, someone came in with a stray dog – and it was him.”

Higgins had always hoped that the right someone would come along and take him in, but he had been turned down again and again. Everyone believed Higgins was ill after spending so much time at the shelter. “When he was in his kennel, his face constantly had such a scared expression on it that he was a touch terrifying.” Renner said. ‘Everyone just walked right by him.’

Higgins, thankfully, got his permanent home after 2,381 days in the shelter. Brendon Reed, a 22-year-old man, fell in love with Higgins after seeing his portrait and hearing his tale online. Reed knew Higgins was the only dog for him at that moment. Reed told The Dodo, “He was such a lovely dog.” “He simply appeared so adorable… “I’m not sure how he didn’t get adopted.”

Renner was taken aback when Reed entered the shelter and announced, “I’m come to take Higgins home.”

Higgins has finally found a father who:

1. loves him and

2.makes him feel safe every day after six and a half years.

He can now sleep on a comfy couch, watch TV, and run around his own garden, rolling in the grass.

We are overjoyed to hear that Higgins will be a wonderful addition to Reed’s life. We hope you can share our excitement for Higgins! If you want to learn more about Higgin’s adventures, you may follow him on Snapchat at @higginsdoggo.

h/t: The Dodo

Teens find a dog stranded alone in the middle of the ocean.

Something caught the attention of Bryn Crowell and his friends while they were kayaking off the coast of Florida. They decided to slow down and turn around to see what the unusual object was in the water.
From a distance, Bryn and his buddies assumed it was a misplaced hat, but when they got closer, everything changed.
Bryn explained to The Dodo:

“My first reaction was, “Wow, that hat looks like a dog!” After another second, I realized it was a dog!”

No one knows how the little dog ended up so far from shore, but it was clear that he was fighting for his life.
One of Bryn’s friends decided to jump in the water, grab the dog and carry him to safety on the boat.

Bryn’s buddy captured the exact moment of the rescue on video and chose to share it on social media. The episode was so incredible that it went viral almost immediately.

The little pup was terrified and surprised, but he was very lucky to have been discovered by the sailors.

@bryncrowell just florida things #dogsaved #boating #florida ♬ original sound – bryncrowell

Bryan continued, ”

“It looked like he just swam for his life.”

Keith Walker – a 53-year-old homeless man, has been hailed as a hero for saving the lives of 10 cats and six dogs in need. When he saw flames pouring from W-Underdogs, an animal sanctuary in Atlanta, Georgia, the heroic guy did not hesitate to risk his life to save the innocent animals. All of the animals trapped within the blazing shelter were rescued and survived as a result of his bravery.

“I wasn’t going to lie, I was nervous,” Keith said to CNN. “With all that smoke, I was terrified to walk in there.” God, on the other hand, placed me there to save those creatures.”

Keith, who has lived on the streets since he was 13, has a pit bull named Bravo as a buddy. He was on his way to the shelter to pick up his puppy when the fire broke out. Gracie Hamlin, the owner of the shelter, knows Keith since she allows him to leave Bravo there every night.

“You can love anyone in the world if you love a dog,” the brave guy stated. “My dog is my greatest buddy, and without him, I wouldn’t be here, therefore I knew I had to help all those other dogs.”

Gracie was overjoyed to learn that, because to Keith’s bravery, all of the animals at the shelter were safe. She told CNN, “He is my guardian angel.” “Until they were all secure, he was removing the cats and dogs.” I owe him a huge debt of gratitude for protecting my animals. I’m still stunned since I’ve been near fires before and know how quickly they can erupt. He is a hero to me.”

Thankfully, the shelter was only a few days away from relocating the animals to a new location, and the rescued animals had all been relocated!

The renowned actor Robert Downey, who represents Ironman in the Marvel saga – has shown his most altruistic side by demonstrating his tender and true love for animals.

The superhero captivated his followers by revealing his most human side, showing how he treats the pets he rescued.

Robert also played the famous Doctor Dolittle, a veterinary doctor who managed to talk to animals. For him it will not have been a difficult role at all, since the subject of talking with them in his daily life is not a fiction, since several rescued animals of various species live in his house in Malibu.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Robert Downey Jr. Official (@robertdowneyjr)

Downey and his wife Susan rescued two cats that from the first moment became a member of their family.

Monty and D’Artagnan are the names of the two felines that were taken in by the famous Hollywood actor.

The Ironman actor confessed that he cannot conceive of his life without the animals he has rescued

In the year 2017, he rescued Moly, a black cat who needed the opportunity of a warm home where he was offered protection and love, after facing a harsh past.

Moly is nice and friendly, he has always been pleased to have the affection of his family that loves him so much.

Regarding D’Artagnan, Susan commented that he is a cat that is sometimes difficult to understand, so it is difficult for them to know if he is happy or in a bad mood.

They describe him as a very sleepy cat , who interacts happily with the rest of the pets in the house, despite his particular character.

Robert confessed that he initially refused to adopt rescued animals because he was very sad about the situation they faced, but he couldn’t resist taking them in forever.

Now he says he couldn’t live without them.

In addition to cats and dogs, there are also alpacas in the Downey house, who have taken them in after hard pasts and live as pampered pets.

The actor’s mansion has several large green areas where animals enjoy as if they were in their natural habitat.

The house has given much to talk about for being built with a theme of sustainable architecture, where goats, chickens, pigs and even cows cohabit.

Robert Downey announced that he adopted a plant-based diet after becoming aware of the unfair treatment of animals.

 

The Sheldrick Wildlife Trust (with 40 years of pioneering experience in Kenya and Africa) is a place that recently rescued a baby zebra that they named Diria.

They explained that unfortunately, she lost her mother after lions attacked her.

Through their official Facebook account they usually update the conditions of the animals they care for, Aime (shelter representative) stated: “We have no further updates at this time other than a list of experienced caretakers who continue to look after her, which includes providing food for milk, ensuring she has a warm stable to sleep in at night and a protective ‘mother’ presence during the day,” the caretaker said.

However, she also ventured to explain a little something that caught the eye of Diria’s precious images: the caregivers’ clothing.

“Baby zebras need to be able to recognize their mother from birth to survive. To know her mother’s stripes, a zebra mother often separates herself and her baby from the herd so that the baby can recognize and follow her coat, smell and call. Once the baby can identify its mother, the duo will return to the herd,” said Amie, a representative of the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust.

“In the wild, calves are raised only by their mother, but in our Reintegration Unit, it’s not practical for a single person to raise one if they go on annual vacation.

Therefore, to avoid this fragile impression of the newborn on a person, our Guardians wear a specially made striped coat so that Diria will recognize them as her ‘mother’, regardless of who is wearing it. A team of caregivers can provide Diria with the 24/7 specialized care she needs to give her the best chance of survival,” Amie continued.

The special clothing helps gain confidence and makes it easier for the animal to adapt, a gesture that is simply beautiful and speaks volumes about the care they take of the species here.

A retired police dog can’t stop crying – after her former handler decided to pay her a surprise visit. The heartwarming scene was caught on camera and the netizens’ hearts are melted.

Wangwang, a 8-year-old German Shepherd, worked as a sniffer dog at security checkpoints in Xichuan county, China. But in June 2019, the loyal dog retired and naturally she and her handler set apart. While Wangwang got adopted by a lovely family, her handler continued working as a patrol officer. So last month, he was patrolling in the neighborhood when his former fur partner lives and decided to visit her.

 

It  was an overwhelming reunion for both of them, but Wangwang couldn’t hold up her tears when spotted the man she loved so much. In adorable footage shared by Xichuan Police on Douyin, China’s version of TikTok, the retired dog can be seen enthusiastic running up to her handler. Then tears started to fall!

“Wangwang’s hair is turning white but she is well-fed, she is getting fat,” the Douyin post reads. “It is always hard to bid farewell to your buddy.”

Watch the emotional reunion, here:

The touching reunion won everyone’s heart on Internet. “Dogs are really loyal companions, please treat her well!,” one user commented. While another one wrote: “You can tell how much Wangwang misses her handler. You can understand when the dog greets you belly up.”

h.t: dailystar

A group of firefighters was heartbroken after they had to say goodbye to the charming puppy who helped them for more than a decade inside the station. It is no secret to anyone that dogs are quite docile and faithful creatures that easily learn different commands and due to their intelligence and sense of smell they stand out in various professions with humans, such as firefighters.

This Pup Put On His Wings Leaving His Fellow Firefighters Heartbroken

The furry one arrived at the Fire Department and immediately won over everyone in the place – it was the idea of ​​the firefighters to adopt him and make him part of the team.
The hairy guy’s job was to watch over the station while the men were in charge of answering calls and facing danger, but this doesn’t mean that Black’s work wasn’t important… On the contrary! Negro became an essential piece in the Department.

The puppy served as an assistance dog that helped firefighters deal with the stress of work and the difficult emergencies they had to attend.

During those complicated days, Negro was next to the uniformed men wagging his tail, jumping and getting one or another sweetie from them. Everyone in the place was quite attentive to the dog.

For that reason his departure did not go unnoticed.

Negro faced a tough season in which his health was affected and at the age of 14 he ended up hanging up his wings and saying goodbye to this world, as reported by the crew in a publication on their social networks :

“Today a difficult decision was made as a Company, at 6:20 p.m. due to his delicate health, this afternoon one of our ranks, our faithful four-legged Firefighter, left this land, thank you very much for all the years that you were with us, we will remember you forever Black,” they wrote.

This puppy was not only part of the Fire Department, but also participated in official ceremonies, in company academies and in the Crispín Reyes youth brigade, in which cadets were trained, and that is why his departure moved more uniformed than firefighters from the city.

His colleagues carried the urn during the ceremony.