When it comes to wolves, it’s all about family. 

Unbeknownst to Mexican wolf F1226 (aka Belle) and her three critically endangered kiddos, their family has been warming the hearts of a global audience via the Wolf Conservation Center's remote webcams. This beautiful family represents the Center's active participation in an effort to save a species on the brink of extinction. 

The WCC is one of 54 facilities in the U.S. and Mexico participating in the Mexican Wolf Species Survival Plan - a bi-national initiative whose primary purpose is to support the reestablishment of Mexican wolves in the wild through captive breeding, public education, and research.

Even when hope seemed lost for the little thing, she had 5 reasons to keep fighting: after running some tests, the vets found out she was pregnant! 

More info: Facebook 

"Everybody was posting pictures in Detroit of who they were calling Nicholas, now Nikki because it’s a female, and of course started tagging Heather, South Lyon Murphy - can you help trap this dog?" said Katrina Weaver, the owner of It Is Pawzable Dog Training. "Everybody comes together and works as a team, which is so amazing." 

Nikki's owner recently died, and she was left to wander the streets with her favorite toy. 

Once her story was posted online, people with It Is Pawzable, South Lyon Murphy Lost Animal Recovery, Sugar Mutts Dog Grooming, Almost Home Animal Rescue, and others came together to find the German shepherd by showing photos of her to nearby residents. 

One neighbor who had been feeding Nikki while she was homeless is now working with the rescues to find the dog a home. 

Sadly, Nikki is heartworm positive, so she will need to undergo four weeks of treatment.

As Nikki receives her care, the animal workers are making sure she is ready to head to her foster home.

Bree, who has Down syndrome, became an inspiration to many as she proved common misconceptions about the condition wrong and paved the way for more disabled individuals.

  

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Speaking to PEOPLE, the youngster's mom, Kecia Cox, revealed that it's been a "really touching" few weeks since her daughter found out she made the competition dance team at Murray High School.

Bree follows in the footsteps of her older sisters, 18-year-old Kyra and 16-year-old Adrie, both of whom she calls "role models" and played a big role in encouraging her love for dancing. Over the years, she attended every single one of Kyra and Adrie's competitions and memorized all their dances in the hopes that she, too, would be on the team one day. 

However, Cox—who also shares a 14-year-old daughter named Mia, 9-year-old twins Claire and Livvy, and son Noah, 5, with her husband Kris—admits that she wasn't always sure if Bree's dream would become a reality.

 

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'When Bree saw this new thing, not just classes at the neighborhood dance studio - but they got to be on the football field, and the basketball court and part of the school, that just lit her up in a different way,' she explained. 

"Bree didn't understand that she had a disability, so she saw [Kyra and Adrie] doing things and she was just going to do them too. It almost broke my heart back then, because I really didn't know if she would ever get to do it, and how was I going to explain that to her if she didn't? I don't want to limit her by any means, but I also want to protect her."

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"We can shout their worth and their capabilities all day long, but if nobody's willing to listen, then it doesn't really get very far," Cox added. 

However, she didn't let her concerns stop Bree from pursuing her dream. The family "followed Bree's lead" and continued to encourage the teen. Bree and Adrie practiced their routines together for the auditions and when tryouts finally rolled around, they performed a dance each in front of the judges and coaches. 

Despite never having been on the team before, Bree says she wasn't nervous.

  

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"She just beams when she dances," Cox recalled. "She just goes in there, doesn't worry about what people think of her, steps on the floor, does what she loves and that's where she's the most at home." Three days after tryouts, both Bree and Adrie learned that they had made the team through individual letters. 

According to Cox, Bree was initially very calm when she got the news. "When they first told her she made it, she's like, 'I know.' Like no big deal... She was so proud," the 42-year-old revealed. Later that night though, Bree's emotions set in as she relayed the exciting news to her dad. 

"She's never felt happy tears before," Cox said of the sweet moment that went viral on social media. "She's cried when she's sad. But she was like, 'I'm not sad.' We had no idea that she would get that emotional."

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Bree explained that she was only crying because she was so happy and likes "being part of the group." "We've gone to doctor's appointments this week, and anywhere basically, and she's like, 'Mom, tell them,'" Cox said. "And I said, 'Tell them what?' [She'll say,] 'Tell them about I made the drill team!'"

The proud mom hopes her daughter will hold onto that feeling of joy and belonging as she grows older.

 

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"Our greatest hope is that she never feels like she wants to change the fact that she has Down syndrome, or that she's not good enough because she has this disability," Cox explained. 

"Bree is the happiest when she feels like she belongs and she can do something she loves. To have her be in a situation where she gets to do what she loves, and be accepted, and treated as an equal... 

We can't really ask for anything else. And that's where she belongs. You fight for your kids with special needs every day, to some degree, because you're their voice. So when these little victories happen, you're like, 'Okay, it's worth it. They're seen by somebody and they're valued."

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"She doesn't like to talk about it, but she knows that she's different and has different struggles. For her to have this moment where she didn't feel different was worth it all for us. And the fact that she could do it with her sister is huge," Cox added. 

"It's more than just a spot on the team — not just for our family, but for everybody to see this is possible. It gives hope to all of us that there are more Brees out there, and more coaches and teams like this out there who are going to say, 'Of course, we're going to make a place for you.' 

People believed in her and saw her, and that's really hard to do with kids with disabilities sometimes. There's plenty of people who are nice, and who are going to be kind and talk to you, but to find a place where you're really seen and believed in is like a whole different world. It's beautiful, and she deserves it."

Amphan, an 80-year-old elephant, was moved to tears by Barton’s 2018 version of a Debussy classic, Clair de Lune. Paul Barton has spent years at the shelter and is no stranger to these magnificent creatures. 

Fortunately, one day, a semi-truck driver, came to the Naperville Area Humane Society to adopt a dog as he used to drive with his dog all over the country. 

But when the dog died, the driver was left alone, so, he decided to go to the shelter to get a dog. That's when he saw Major, and directly fell in love with him! The man spent some time with the dog to see if he could be the best choice, and he was! So, he directly adopted him! Thankfully, Major was finally adopted after spending 372 days at the shelter! What a happy ending! Watch the video below.

One thing casting director Joe Barron says he refuses to do is give in to “woke culture” and hand the role to someone on name recognition alone. “I won’t even consider Whoopi Goldberg,” he said, “she’s toxic on any set.” 

The Dorothy character has to be a bit brazen and even a little unlikeable, but for the most part, the audience has to rally around her for the show to be successful. They may be much better off going with someone like Roseanne Barr or Patricia Heaton. 

They’ve already caved a bit on the wokeness, with Bette Midler cast as Rose and Jane Fonda playing Blanche. They did, however, toss in some political diversity by giving the role of Sophia to Kevin Sorbo, who had to agree to play her non-binary. 

‘We need to toss a conservative in there to balance the scales,” said Barron, “we’re honestly hoping Judge Jeannine Pirro will take on the role. 

That would be amazing. As long as it isn’t Whoopi Goldberg, it doesn’t really matter who gets it. Go Bless America.

Three people attempted to run away after they were spotted by rangers at the Kruger National Park, one of Africa's largest game reserves, on Saturday, South African National Parks officials said. 

After one of the suspects was captured, he told park rangers the group had run into a herd of elephants, adding that he was not sure if his alleged accomplice had managed to escape, officials said. 

Rangers later discovered the man "badly trampled" and dead from his injuries. 

Investigators say they are still searching for the third suspect, who continued to flee after he suffered an injury to the eye. 

The men are suspected of attempting to poach rhinos, according to officials. A rifle and axe were recovered amid the investigation, officials said. "The campaign against poaching is the responsibility of all us; it threatens many livelihoods, destroys families and takes much-needed resources to fight crime, which could be used for creating jobs and development," Gareth Coleman, managing executive of Kruger National Park, said in a statement.

 

As the ball soared over the left field wall into the stands, fans jumped up and scrambled to grab it — but in the end one fan proved triumphant:

This eight-month-old puppy was saved in Brazil and is familiar with what it’s like to be a lost, stray, destitute, and dog. 

The dog’s name is Lana, and she recently lived in a loving household after being rescued from the streets. Lana’s owner noticed her in the yard on the first Monday night after she had settled into her lovely dog home in the family’s yard and brought her a larger, thicker blanket to sleep on.

When Lana’s owners went to check on her shortly before leaving for work, they discovered that Lana had taken her blanket to the fence-facing edge of the yard. 

They later discovered that another stray dog had also dragged a portion of the blanket through the fence and was curled up inside it on the other side of the fence. Given that she shared her blanket with a stray dog who currently leads a challenging existence, Lana is such a kind dog. Although the stray dog was eventually saved, Lana’s tender gesture of sharing her blanket serves as further proof that dogs can be compassionate toward one another. That is truly remarkable; they are far more thoughtful and intelligent than we give them credit for. 

And then they are simply left to fight for themselves in a field. If only this household would take the stray dog in…

Source: lexnau.com

The wolverine walks around and the wolf just lays there happy as a clam. 

Due to its close resemblance to the bear and the wolf, a wolverine is often incorrectly thought to belong to the same family as the wolf. A wolverine belongs to the weasel family, and it is known to be the largest among the land dwelling species of that family. It is sometimes called a glutton, or skunk bear, and has close resemblance to a small bear.

It is a very fierce animal, with a reputation for ferocity, and strength that is not proportional to its size. It is even able to prey on animals bigger than its size. 

The wolverine predominantly lives in the remote areas of the subarctic and alpine tundra, in the northern hemisphere, mostly in the European Nordic countries of western Russia, Siberia, Alaska and Canada. They are very rare in the southern range of Europe and North America, due to a number of factors, including trapping and habitat fragmentation. 

The wolf, on the other hand, is a member of the canine family, and it is the largest of that family. It can weigh up to 175 pounds, and can either be gray, white, brown, reddish, tan or black in color. A wolf is a very social animal, and they will often dwell in family groups, called packs. There is a strict hierarchical order in wolf packs, with the mother or father as the family head. On average, a pack will have 7 to 8 members, but it can consist of any number between 2 and 20 wolves. They have one of the most complex communication systems in the animal world. Wolves have a build that closely resembles that of dogs, but with thicker fur and pricked ears. They are much more intelligent than wolverines, dogs and coyotes. They can communicate by howling, snarling, whining or barking. They will rarely go near humans or livestock, although they are mistakenly thought to be killers. Wolves are very common animals, found almost anywhere, especially in deeply forested areas. VIDEO

“Reintroduce the sacred grizzly bear to tribal homelands – not to trophy hunting,” implores actor Zahn McClarnon as he closes the just-released “Not in Our Name” short film with an appeal for public support for tribal nations in their ongoing struggle to get the Trump Administration to “honor the historic grizzly treaty signed by over 200 tribes.” 

Last seen in HBO’s “Westworld” starring as Akecheta opposite Sir Anthony Hopkins, McClarnon has become one of Native America’s most recognizable actors, with prominent roles in AMC’s “The Son,” “Longmire,” “Fargo” and Spielberg’s “Into the West.” 

“Hunting them is absolutely crazy. Why would you hunt a grizzly bear?” asks McClarnon, as Wyoming gears up to open its grizzly trophy hunt in Greater Yellowstone on September 1, over the objections of tribal nations that have been denied formal government-to-government consultation on the issue by Interior Secretary. 

“I grew up in grizzly country and so my experiences with grizzlies are extremely personal because of growing up around them,” explains McClarnon, who is Hunkpapa Lakota from Standing Rock but spent his formative years on the Blackfeet Nation of the Blackfoot Confederacy. 

The Piikani Nation, sister tribe to the Blackfeet, introduced The Grizzly: A Treaty of Cooperation, Cultural Revitalization and Restoration, which is now the most-signed tribal treaty in history. Congressman Raul M. Grijalva, who also appears in “Not in Our Name,” introduced The Tribal Heritage and Grizzly Bear Protection Act to the 115th Congress, which was inspired by the treaty. 

Central to the treaty are the grizzly reintroduction articles. The Rocky Mountain Tribal Leaders Council, which includes the plurality of Yellowstone treaty tribes, recently petitioned Senator John Barrasso (R-WY) with the tribal alternative to trophy hunting, writing: “Instead of trophy hunting the grizzly, tribal nation treaty signatories advocate relocating grizzlies from the GYE to sovereign tribal lands in the grizzly’s historic range where biologically suitable habitat exists among tribes that seek to explore and participate in such a program.

The same quota of grizzlies that would be hunted per season by the states, could easily be trapped and relocated to lands under sovereign tribal authority and jurisdiction, removing any possible rationalization for reinstituting trophy hunts. This plan provides for cultural, environmental and economic revitalization for participating tribal nations, as the grizzly is sacred to a multitude of tribes.” Barrasso has yet to respond.