Category: australia

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This Cute Bat Loves Being Petted and Even Makes Happy Noises

Here’s something very sweet.

A bat makes adorable, squeaky happy noises while getting pets.

His name is Jeddah and he’s a juvenile bat. The video was made by Mandi Griffith, a staffer with Sydney Wildlife.

This is Jeddah. He loves to be tickled, petted and scratched. Look at that blissful face. Jeddah is a Grey-Headed Flying-Fox. I usually clip my videos quite short when it’s all one behaviour being shown, but this bliss went on and on and I just couldn’t bring myself to deprive you of any of the lengthy joy. I particularly loved the yawny and sniffy bits about half way through. And I love the curl of the tongue as he yawns.

This bat was not releasable due to injuries.  He is in care with a vaccinated and licensed bat carer. This bat is not a pet.  He was a baby hand raised for release, and became an education animal. He is used to being handled.  He actively solicits attention and cuddles. There have been suggestions that this bat is terrified and the squeaks are not cute. This bat is in bliss and is able to get away from the carer at any time. He is choosing to be stroked. He solicits attention.

This particular species of fruit bat is known as a megabat and is native to Australia. They’re one of the largest bats in Australia with a wingspan of a meter. Their conservation status, unfortunately, is vulnerable, as their numbers are decreasing.

Photo Credit: YouTube

Isn’t he adorable? Say it with me, “Awwwwwwwwwwww!!!”

Alright, if bats were this cute, would you want one as a pet?

Let us know in the comments!

The post This Cute Bat Loves Being Petted and Even Makes Happy Noises appeared first on UberFacts.

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A Mom’s Video About her Bullied Son Went Viral. The Internet Shows Their Support and Will Send Him To Disneyland.

Social media gets a bad rap sometimes, but sometimes it can help create some truly life-changing moments.

Take the story of young Quaden Bayles, for example. The 9-year-old boy was born with a form of Dwarfism called Achondroplasia and his mother, Yarraka Bayles, recently shared a distressing video of her unconsolable son reacting to being bullied at his school in Australia.  In it, the young boy talks about killing himself because he is so upset.

This is the impacts of bullying! I seriously don’t know what else to do! ?

Posted by Yarraka Bayles on Tuesday, February 18, 2020

The video went viral in a massive way and has touched people around the globe.

Quaden said about his story,

“The parents should make them be nicer to kids with disabilities.

If you get bullied stand up for yourself and don’t listen to what they say.”

His mother wrote in a statement,

“Quaden Bayles’ family would like to take this time firstly to thank everyone for the overwhelming show of love and support from so many people from all around the world.”

A comedian with Dwarfism named Brad Williams was so touched by the video that he set up a GoFundMe page to raise $10,000 to send Quaden to Disneyland.

As of today, he’s raised almost $275,000!

The money that isn’t spent on flying Quaden and his mother to the U.S. will be donated to anti-bullying and anti-abuse charities.

A bunch of other celebrities have stepped up to support Quaden as well on social media, including one of Australia’s most famous sons, Mr. Hugh Jackman.

Actor Jeffrey Dean Morgan of ‘The Walking Dead’ also showed his support.

Boston Celtics player Enes Kanter tweeted his love too!

And the National Rugby League Indigenous All Stars asked Quaden to lead them out onto the field for their match this weekend.

 

Don’t you love it when social media is used for good?

Keep your head up Quaden, and don’t ever let anyone out there make you feel like you don’t deserve the absolute best in life!

And kudos to all the celebrities (especially Brad Williams) who brought attention to this important story. Good work all around, humans!

The post A Mom’s Video About her Bullied Son Went Viral. The Internet Shows Their Support and Will Send Him To Disneyland. appeared first on UberFacts.

Posted on

A Mom’s Video About her Bullied Son Went Viral. The Internet Shows Their Support and Will Send Him To Disneyland.

Social media gets a bad rap sometimes, but sometimes it can help create some truly life-changing moments.

Take the story of young Quaden Bayles, for example. The 9-year-old boy was born with a form of Dwarfism called Achondroplasia and his mother, Yarraka Bayles, recently shared a distressing video of her unconsolable son reacting to being bullied at his school in Australia.  In it, the young boy talks about killing himself because he is so upset.

This is the impacts of bullying! I seriously don’t know what else to do! ?

Posted by Yarraka Bayles on Tuesday, February 18, 2020

The video went viral in a massive way and has touched people around the globe.

Quaden said about his story,

“The parents should make them be nicer to kids with disabilities.

If you get bullied stand up for yourself and don’t listen to what they say.”

His mother wrote in a statement,

“Quaden Bayles’ family would like to take this time firstly to thank everyone for the overwhelming show of love and support from so many people from all around the world.”

A comedian with Dwarfism named Brad Williams was so touched by the video that he set up a GoFundMe page to raise $10,000 to send Quaden to Disneyland.

As of today, he’s raised almost $275,000!

The money that isn’t spent on flying Quaden and his mother to the U.S. will be donated to anti-bullying and anti-abuse charities.

A bunch of other celebrities have stepped up to support Quaden as well on social media, including one of Australia’s most famous sons, Mr. Hugh Jackman.

Actor Jeffrey Dean Morgan of ‘The Walking Dead’ also showed his support.

Boston Celtics player Enes Kanter tweeted his love too!

And the National Rugby League Indigenous All Stars asked Quaden to lead them out onto the field for their match this weekend.

 

Don’t you love it when social media is used for good?

Keep your head up Quaden, and don’t ever let anyone out there make you feel like you don’t deserve the absolute best in life!

And kudos to all the celebrities (especially Brad Williams) who brought attention to this important story. Good work all around, humans!

The post A Mom’s Video About her Bullied Son Went Viral. The Internet Shows Their Support and Will Send Him To Disneyland. appeared first on UberFacts.

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These Encouraging Photos Show How the Fire-Ravaged Australian Bush Is Already Coming Back

As fires continue to ravage Australia, two photographers on the New South Wales Central Coast have taken some hopeful images of rejuvenation.

Ventured out into the fire grounds today to capture some images of how the Aussie bush responds to fire, and the way it…

Posted by Murray Lowe on Monday, January 6, 2020

Mary Voorwinde and a friend saw how one ravaged area was already showing signs of new growth in Kulnura, New South Wales.

Fires came within miles of Voorwinde’s own Central Coast home, so the discovery inspired her to take her camera into the woods where she took some fantastic images of flowers growing around burnt tree trunks. Then she shared the images to show her fellow Australians and others that new life had arrived.

Another photographer, Murray Lowe, also saw young flowers and plants emerging through the char. He posted his shots on Facebook, to the amazement of tens of thousands of users. “Life bursts forth after the fires…,” he wrote.

Nature at it's best after a severe scorching …….. Image No 2

Posted by Murray Lowe on Tuesday, January 7, 2020

His photos have been liked more than 28,000 times with over 6,000 shares. Just when things seem so bleak, colors come back to brighten the scene.

“Nature at it’s best after a severe scorching…”

So many commented too, joyful at seeing such pretty flowers. “Amazing,” people wrote.

Posted by Murray Lowe on Friday, January 10, 2020

These areas were likely among the first to burn so regrowth at this point is entirely possible. Unfortunately, fires are still burning and destroying forestland, and though greenery may grow back, animals killed in the flames will never come back. And for species that are already vulnerable, this may be the final straw. We just don’t know.

But we can see a little bit of the future – and it certainly looking green.

The post These Encouraging Photos Show How the Fire-Ravaged Australian Bush Is Already Coming Back appeared first on UberFacts.

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Helicopters Are Dropping Vegetables for Animals That Have Survived the Tragic Australian Fires

The bushfires in Australia continue to burn large swaths of the country and kill millions of animals, but the Australian people haven’t given up hope yet. They’re still doing absolutely everything they can to help – not just for their fellow humans, but for the animals that have survived the devastating fires, as well.

Our hearts are aching. Aching for this beautiful country we are watching turn to ash before our eyes. For the people…

Posted by Animals Australia on Thursday, January 2, 2020

One effect of the fires is that, even if animals do survive, they often don’t have any access to food because their normal forage is all burnt up. The government of New South Wales has decided to take an innovative measure to assist their starving wildlife. ‘Operation Rock Wallaby’, which is led by the New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife Service, is dropping literal tons of carrots and sweet potatoes from helicopters to help feed herbivorous animals struggling to survive in areas affected by the fires.

Energy and Environment Minister Matt Kean said, “The wallabies typically survive the fire itself, but are then left stranded with limited natural food as the fire takes out the vegetation around their rocky habitat. The wallabies were already under stress from the ongoing drought, making survival challenging for the wallabies without assistance.”

The food drops are scheduled to continue until the natural habitats of these animals once again regain the moisture and nutrients to sustain life. So far, they have dropped nearly 5,000 pounds of food to the animals.

Please click on THIS LINK to learn about how you can help out during this terrible tragedy. It will only take you a minute, please get involved!

The post Helicopters Are Dropping Vegetables for Animals That Have Survived the Tragic Australian Fires appeared first on UberFacts.

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Robert Irwin Got Emotional as He Talked About the Destruction of the Australian Bushfires

As we’ve seen, bushfires are causing major devastation to both the vegetation and animals that are unique to Australia.

Photo Credit: Pixabay

Robert Irwin, son of the late, famous Aussie animal advocate Steve Irwin, also has grave concerns about the long term impact of the fires. As his mother, Terri Irwin, discussed the horrendous loss of hundreds of thousands koalas with the television program Sunrise, Robert struggled to contain his tears.

The Irwin family has already helped 90,000 animals, but it is being widely reported that nearly a billion animals have been affected by the fires. Veterinarians and other experts from Australian zoos are among those leading the effort to rescue and treat injured animals.

Terri told Sunrise, “We’re able to offer a safe haven for wildlife needing help.” Robert also spoke of the many different injuries they’ve seen not only in koalas, but platypuses, possums, birds and other species coming through their facility.

As he listened to his mom speak about the hard hit the koala population is currently taking, 16-year old Robert’s eyes filled with tears.

To escape the smoke and flames, koalas are retreating to even more dangerous and populated areas. Some are getting hit by cars or attacked by other animals.

Photo Credit: Twitter

Others are retreating up into highly flammable eucalyptus trees. Terri explains the horrific danger in this:

Koala instinct is to go up, as safety is in the top of the tree. Eucalyptus trees have so much oil that they ignite and actually explode in a fire. That means being able to treat and help koalas is few and far between because they’re basically incinerated.

Anyone can see the thought of these koalas suffering so is heartbreaking to Robert.

It’s become increasingly likely that koalas will soon have to be listed as endangered.

We can feel the weariness of the Irwins and the rest of Australia, and we look for an end to these devastating fires. Unfortunately, as climate change causes weather patterns to change, Australia may be in for less rain and more heat, making an already incendiary situation much worse. This fire season has been horrific, but it may also be closer to the new normal.

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