Category: Animals

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Nabisco Sets Animal Crackers Free from Their Circus Cages

It’s a symbolic gesture, but an important one, nonetheless. After 116 years, the famous Barnum’s Animal Crackers have a brand new box design – and the details are important.

To refresh your memory, here’s what the old box looked like.

Photo Credit: Public Domain

Now here’s the new design for the packaging.

After 116 Years, Barnum's Animal Crackers are…

Posted by I LOVE DESIGN DGO on Sunday, April 21, 2019

That’s right, the animals have been “freed” – they are no longer in cages and behind bars. A push from folks at PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) helped to spark the change.

The new design shows the animals walking across the savannah with no bars, cages, or chains in sight. PETA’s people got in touch with the company back in 2016 and suggested it might be a good idea to show the animals in their natural environments.

Several companies make animal crackers, but Nabisco’s Barnum brand has been the most popular for decades. The brand was named after the legendary P.T. Barnum, and Nabisco started manufacturing the cookies in 1902. Obviously,  attitudes towards animals have changed since then.

Times have changed so much that in May 2017, the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey circus closed business for good.

Photo Credit: Public Domain

In a statement, PETA said, “The new box for Barnum’s Animals perfectly reflects that our society no longer tolerates caging and chaining exotic animals for circus shows.”

Bravo! Any progress is good these days…

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15+ Tweets That Prove Cats Are Equal Parts Weird and Adorable

Cats. Humans can totally live without them, but it seems we don’t want to: they’re cute, they’re funny, and maybe we’re hoping that if we feed them they’ll ultimately decide not to murder us in our sleep.

The 17 tweets below prove that we’re right to be worried, because the little floofs among us are as weird as they are adorable.

#1. Are you sure that’s a cat?

#2. She has her reasons.

#3. Cats watching cats never disappoints.

#4. He just wants to make sure you still love him.

#5. Oh, hey, fancy meeting you here!

#6. Stellar use of a hidden camera, if you ask me.

#7. It’s best to make yourself look large in the face of a potential threat.

#8. This cat is basically a toddler.

#9. That’s everyone’s dilemma, my friend, regardless of profession.

#10. He’s pretty sure no one can see him now.

#11. Er.

#12. They do not care about your wants, human.

#13. An apt comparison.

#14. I’m going to go ahead and blame “parenting.”

#15. Someone is confused about the predator/prey relationship here, and it’s everyone.

#16. She’s not exaggerating. Fair warning.

#17. Just living up to his namesake, is all.

Cats: Still the best argument for the internet.

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Scientists Just Partially Revived Dead Pigs’ Brains Just Hours After They Were Killed

THE END IS HERE. It’s all there, right in the title: scientists have managed to partially revive the brains of dead pigs, hours after they were killed.

Oh god.

While your brain swims with images of pig zombies coming to seek revenge on us all, let me try to explain the science. A research team at Yale restored some cellular activity in the brains of dead pigs, hours after they’d been killed in a slaughterhouse. They did this by soaking the brains in a “specially formulated chemical cocktail” for six hours.

Mmmmmmmkay.

The team has been careful to clarify that the revived brains are not conscious or aware.

“This is not a living brain,” neuroscientist Nenad Sestan explained, “but it is a cellularly active brain.”

The discovery marks a major breakthrough — but not because the scientists are actually trying to bring pigs back from the dead.

Instead, they’ve been trying to figure out how to directly study brain cells while they’re still in an intact organ. Restoring cellular function to a deceased brain is one way to do that.

With this breakthrough, researchers will be able to study brain diseases and injuries in an entirely new way.

“We could actually answer questions that we can’t now,” researcher Zvonimir Vrselja said.

Still, this comes way too close to zombies for comfort. People are kinda flipping out, and can you blame them?

Given the apocalyptic-feeling state of the world in 2019, we can just go ahead and add this to the long list of possible ways that the world might soon end. More nightmare fuel, NBD.

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This French Theme Park Trained Some Crows to Keep the Place Clean

Theme parks all tend to have a few elements in common – plenty of rides, souvenir shops, food stalls, and, of course, an abundance of birds hopping around trying to pick up any food that falls to the ground.

Now, Puy du Fou, a theme park in Les Epesses, France, has decided that if birds are going to be hanging around begging for leftover popcorn and discarded funnel cakes, they might as well earn their keep. To that end, they’ve trained a small contingent of rooks as staff – they get paid in treats to clean up garbage and cigarette butts from the grounds.

Image Credit: Puy du Fou

Rooks are in the same family of birds as ravens and crows, highly intelligent and trainable animals. The ones at Puy du Fou pick up litter and place it in a bin in exchange for a treat – the team of 6 birds have been working hard since August 13.

Image Credit: Pixabay

It sounds a bit out there, but the amusement park is far from the first company to give it a go. Dutch startup Crowded Cities started training crows to gather cigarette butts using a vending machine-like device that offers peanuts in exchange for trash, and the experiment is going well.

Image Credit: Pixabay

If it continues to work with no detrimental effects to the crows (from handling tobacco), we could see a broader implementation of the idea worldwide – maybe nature can help us clean up nature, even though we’re the ones who soiled it in the first place.

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These Panoramic Animal Fails Are So Awful, They’re Awesome

As much as I’ve loved using the panoramic photo feature on my cellphone camera. It’s great for taking pictures of epic sunsets and majestic mountain vistas. But what if your subject, like, say, a dog, is a little more active than a sunset?

These awesome panoramic shots of our furry friends will have you wondering if a new species is among us.

1. Loooong neck Giraffe

Photo Credit: Bored Panda

2. Hydra Hound

Photo Credit: Bored Panda

3. Bird Dog?

Photo Credit: Bored Panda

4. Sandworm…cat

Photo Credit: Bored Panda

5. The quietest dog you’ll ever meet

Photo Credit: Bored Panda

6. Centipede puppy

Photo Credit: Bored Panda

7. Cartoon dog comes to life

Photo Credit: Bored Panda

8. Snuffleupa-pup

Photo Credit: Bored Panda

9. Disappearing kitty

Photo Credit: Bored Panda

10. Crocodog

Photo Credit: Bored Panda

Careful with those Panoramic settings or you might discover a new species.

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Famous Russian Photographer Abandons Her Career to Live in the Forest with 100 Sick Dogs

Daria Pushkareva was one of the most sought-after wedding photographers in Moscow, regularly shooting the nuptials of Russia’s elite businesspeople and politicians, but her workaholic lifestyle left her exhausted. She had previously worked in the film industry. She said,

 “I became a photographer because I wanted to reduce the intensity of my life. I invested all of my money into photo equipment and master classes to perfect my skills. But ended up in the same place. No vacations, simply not giving myself neither the rest nor the holidays I so desperately needed. I shut myself away at work and the only joy I had came from producing impressive photos. I realized that I was a workaholic, always preferring doing or creating something to any form of relaxation.”

Photo Credit: Instagram

She continued,

“I then remembered my childhood when I and my classmates were talking about future professions and I said that I wanted to run a dog shelter. One day, I saw a piece about a shelter puppy without an eye. It needed 10K rubles ($150) to book a visit to the ophthalmologist. I met a volunteer to give her the money for the dog’s treatment in person and she told me, “Thank you, but we can’t take her to the vet. There’s no one to do it right now.”

“I was there with my husband. We exchanged a few glances and I said ‘We might as well do it ourselves.’ At that point, everything became clear and simple. The owner of the shelter came and placed the flea-bitten furball onto my lap while I was sitting in the car. I looked at her asking, ‘Is this a puppy?’”

Photo Credit: Instagram

Pushkareva and her husband started rescuing one dog after another, some in terrible condition. After a while, they took out two loans, bought a house in the country, 100 miles from Moscow, and built enclosures for their rescue dogs. Pushkareva and her husband had a new life and a new purpose.

She said,

“I wouldn’t consider our household a shelter. In fact, I even feel offended if someone calls it like that. A shelter is a place where new volunteers and other people contribute to the wellbeing of the animals that are constantly moving in and out. We, on the other hand, have our own dogs, we love them and devote our lives to them. To us, they are family members. They’ll remain with us forever and we do not want to give them away to anyone.”

Photo Credit: Instagram

In addition to the rescue dogs, the couple also takes care of foxes and raccoons.

Photo Credit: Instagram

Photo Credit: Instagram

Take a look at some more photos of daily life on their property.

Photo Credit: Instagram

Photo Credit: Instagram

Photo Credit: Instagram

Photo Credit: Instagram

Photo Credit: Instagram

Photo Credit: Instagram

If you want to donate some money to help their cause, you can do it on Paypal at sobakalarax@mail.ru.

The couple now feeds and takes care of an incredible 200 animals.

Bravo!

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Extremely Rare “Blonde” Zebra Photographed in the African Wild

“Blonde” zebras, or zebras that are striped white and a sort of golden-yellow color, are extremely rare. But sightings of a rare “blonde” zebra in the Serengeti National Park seem to confirm that, if accepted by their herd, the lighter-colored version can survive in the wild without issue.

The photographs were taken by National Geographic photographer Sergio Pitamitz, who was out to capture images of migrating zebras when he saw what looked like an all-white member of the striped crowd.

At closer glance, he saw a white-and-gold striped animal drinking from a watering hole. He told National Geographic about the experience.

“At first I thought it was a zebra that had rolled in the dust.”

When it didn’t wash off in the water, though, he realized he was looking at something special.

Image Credit: Shutterstock

Scientists think the zebra has partial albinism, a genetic condition that leads to a lack of melanin. It’s been recorded in a number of animals, from orangutans to penguins. The opposite condition, melanism, has also been seen in the animal world – it turns normally lighter colored animals so dark as to nearly be black.

Albinism is rare to see it in the wild, though, since albino animals are much easier to spot than their camouflaged relatives. Until now, no one was sure whether an albino zebra could survive outside captivity. Zebra stripes actually aren’t for camouflage or climate control, so not having black stripes hypothetically shouldn’t affect a zebra’s ability to survive – scientists just weren’t sure whether an albino zebra would be accepted by the herd.

The pictures prove that doesn’t seem to be an issue.

Image Credit: Pixabay

Fun fact: Each zebra’s pattern is unique, like a fingerprint, so maybe they don’t notice how different this one is – melanistic and even spotted zebras have been previously seen in the wild.

Another fun fact: there are three species of zebra – plains zebras, mountain zebras, and Grevy’s zebra – and all have slightly different markings.

Nice to think that animal species aren’t bothered by their differences, instead accepting the fact that none of them look the same. Humans could learn a thing or two!

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10 Incredible Facts That Might Just Blow Your Mind

We live in a pretty strange world, full of so many unbelievable things that, if we showed them all to you at once, you’d go insane. Your mind would boggle at levels that are simply too much for the human body to take.

So, to preserve your health and sanity, we’re doling them out a little at time.

1. Try it out

Photo Credit: did you know?

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2. Mr. Video?

Photo Credit: did you know?

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3. They’re in charge

Photo Credit: did you know?

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4. Big fan

Photo Credit: did you know?

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5. Brace face

Photo Credit: did you know?

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6. They don’t mean it

Photo Credit: did you know?

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7. You’re late

Photo Credit: did you know?

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8. Eternal light

Photo Credit: did you know?

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9. Hmmmm

Photo Credit: did you know?

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10. Let them sleep!

Photo Credit: did you know?

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One question: are you able to speak?

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Artist Makes Floral Crowns for Dogs and Cats, and We Need One ASAP

San Diego artist and college professor Yarely first wove a flower crown and popped it on her Australian shepherd as a simple prop for an Instagram pic. Little did she know, that simple crown would go on to become a successful brand.

Freya’s Floral Company creates beautiful flower crowns for dogs, cats (and also humans).

But how do you get a dog to wear a crown made of flowers? Yarely says it may be easier at first to fix the crown on your pup’s head with the attached ribbons tied under the chin like a bonnet. Or, even tied loosely around the neck like a fancy collar. For photos, she has trained Freya to lie down first and then she balances the crown on top. Also, treats!

View this post on Instagram

Tuesday cuteness! ??? . . . . . The shop is on vacation! During this time I will be working on a lot of different projects. I have lofty goals so idk of I’ll even get to it all. : : Here is my to do list : ✨ Make matching sets. (Two matching large crowns / two medium crowns etc.) ✨ Work on wreath crowns. (Full circle crowns. These would be more costly since they require double the material.) ✨ Make three fixed designs and make multiples of those designs . ✨ Make more crowns!! ✨ Work on floral hair combs (& matching sets with combs and crowns) ✨ Work on collaboration crowns . ✨ Develop a custom order system. ✨ Organize and update my workspace. : : : So far, I have started updating my workspace. On my stories I will be posting polls and will be asking for your feedback! Your thoughts matter. Any thoughts on this to do list? What are you looking forward to the most? Where should I even start?! ?#tooambitious

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She draws inspiration from how the flowers look on Freya. “It’s all about experimenting.” For custom orders, she spends as much time with each buyer as it takes to get the right colors and balance of fullness.

She also studies real floral arrangements to find her next ideas. The different types of flowers and colors spark her creativity.

Even Instagram celebrity and influencer Leonidas of leo.mainecoon (he’s a cat) likes to model Yarely’s crowns for his 155,000-plus followers. His fans are crazy about this look.

Handsome Leo knows he is special and beautiful in his majestic coronet. Some people are born royal, but in Yarely’s crowns, these pretty pets show us they are the true kings of Instagram.

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This Dog Groomer’s Poster Perfectly Explains Why They’re More Expensive Than a Hairdresser

If you have a hairy dog, you know all about the grooming struggle. You have two options: Pay an arm and a leg to get your pup professionally groomed, or do it yourself and end up with a dog who looks like he cut his own hair.

But while dog grooming definitely comes with some sticker shock, there is a reason why it’s so much more expensive than, say, a human haircut. One dog groomer posted a sign with 10 reasons why you your dog groomer deserves to be paid more than your own hairdresser.

Photo Credit: iStock

As the list points out, dog groomers do wayyyy more for their clients than hairdressers. There’s the first and most obvious difference, which is that dogs are covered in hair head to toe and humans are… not! Groomers also clean and express your dog’s butt, clear the boogers from his eyes, clean his ears, and clip his nails.

Also, a lot of dogs don’t particularly enjoy being groomed. They’ll squirm, bite or scratch, and possibly poop or pee. Do humans do that to their hairdressers? Hopefully never.

Photo Credit: BarkTV

Honestly, anyone who’s ever tried to groom their dog themselves will realize that, yeah, groomers definitely deserve their full fee!

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