A Dolphin catches a friendly ride on the nose of an accommodating Humpback Whale
An amateur photographer named Lori Mazucca in Kauai, Hawaii captured this amazing picture when she witnessed a dolphin playing with a humpback whale. The dolphin began lying on the whale’s head and the whale seemed to swim slower to not hurt the dolphin. Each time the whale would come up out of the water the dolphin would just arch it’s back, obviously trying to stay on. When the whale would gently rest it back in the water the dolphin would swim away and come back and do it all again. “It seemed like they had a mutual agreement,” said Lori and that they were very fun to watch. The scene went on for quite awhile before they just swam away. Who knew these two had such a sense of humor?
Frank, a mallard duck, on his way to work with his best friend, Joe
This bizarre story of a duck hunter turned duck lover started when Joe Mansheim was looking for good duck hunting dog. He ordered one of the top breeds on the internet for $700 but as the dog got older it became apparent…he wanted nothing to do with ducks. That’s when Joe decided to buy a baby duckling to train his dog. The problem was that he ended up falling for the adorable little duck he named Frank.
A construction delivery driver by trade, Joe spends most of his days driving from one construction site to another making deliveries. One day, out of nowhere, Frank just jumped in the truck. It was obvious he wasn’t about to get out so I let him stay, said Joe.
Frank has now become a permanent fixture on Joe’s route and everyone enjoys seeing him. “I’m a duck hunter, but I don’t consider Frank a duck. I just consider him a friend,” Joe said, “Stupid as it sounds maybe if more people had a duck in their lives we wouldn’t be all so mad at each other.” And for all those who are wondering about the dog, Frank curls up to him every night after a long day’s work!
A team of conservationists and researchers were completely stunned when a herd of 11 elephants approached and surrounded their camp in Zululand, Africa. Having caught a small herd of wild antelope for a breeding program they initially thought the elephants wanted the antelope food, but it became obvious that the elephants were not interested in the food.
The antelope were being held in a temporary boma enclosure before being transferred to their breeding facility. The capture team watched warily as the elephant herd surrounded them and noticed the antelope fell completely silent. It wasn’t until the matriarch of the elephant herd, Nana, came forward towards the boma that the rest of her herd appeared to back off the perimeter towards the clearing.
The researchers watched as she used her trunk to unlatch each compartment on the gate holding the antelope. Conservationist Lawrence Anthony said, “At this stage the onlookers realized this was not a mission for free food, but actually a rescue.”
As soon as she unlocked the gate the antelope calmly walked away into the night. Then, one by one, the elephant disappeared with them. Nana was the last to leave, making sure her herd was a safe distance away before she did one final turn and looked back towards the researchers and the empty boma before disappearing into the night herself. “Elephants are naturally inquisitive, but this behavior is certainly most unusual and cannot be explained in scientific terms,” exclaimed Anthony.
200 horses became stranded on a tiny island after a major storm in The Netherlands and were in desperate need of a rescue
After a vicious storm raged through The Netherlands in 2006 a group of about 200 horses became stranded on the last piece of land they could find. On their second day on the island the rains were relentless and 19 of the horses drowned. The local
Rescuers leading the horses off the island
fire department began delivering hay and clean water by boat to keep the remaining horses alive and several of the young foals were brought out by boat. After several days they knew the situation was getting desperate and something needed to be done.
Horses being led off an island to safety
Then the rains let up and the water began receding. They knew this was a short break between storms. A group of four women, worked together with the fire department to removed barbed wire fences and clear an underwater path for the horses to follow them out. On horseback they rode in to show the stranded horses the way out to safety. To everyone’s amazement it worked and all 200 horses were brought to dry land and to safety. Watch this incredible video of their rescue and the efforts of the volunteers to bring them home.
A mother cat nurses two puppies after losing her kitten
Outside Tirana, Albania a cat had lost her kitten just after birth. She seemed deeply depressed, according to her owners. Days later they found two small puppies whose mother had been hit trying to cross a busy road. When they brought them home to care for them their cat took over and the puppies immediately began to suckle. To the owner’s amazement the puppies began to thrive and the cat seemed happy as ever caring for them. She cleans them, plays with them and treats them as her own. Occasionally when they stray too far she even disciplines them, making sure they remain close and out of harm’s way.
In the year 2000 the Mozambique Floods ravaged South Africa. An entire year’s rainfall came down in three days creating massive flooding. Over a million people were left homeless including huge losses of livestock and land.
Baby Jessica, when Tonie found her, weighing only 26 lbs.
Tonie Joubert was a retired game warden who lived on the edge of South Africa’s Limpopo Province where he use to work. Tonie had rescued several baby animals through the years, always re-releasing them back into the wild. During the floods he found a new-born hippopotamus that had been washed up into a private yard. She still had her umbilical cord attached and must have been separated from her mother immediately after birth. He scooped her up, brought her home, named her Jessica and began to care for her. Since there had never been a hippo raised from such a young age and outside of a zoo setting he had to wing it and do the best he could. Hippos are one of the most feared animals in Africa. They kill more humans than
Tonie feeding Jessica
any other animal and have extremely violent tempers when provoked. Tonie knew Jessica needed Colostrum, a milk formula he had mixed when raising other orphaned babies, and to his amazement Jessica also thrived on it. Since she needed to be fed every few hours he put Jessica in his bed with him so he could tend to her every need. As Jessica grew bigger Tonie tried to move her out but she insisted on sleeping right next to him every night. Finally she got so big she the entire bed crumpled under her enormous weight. Eventually he put a mattress on his back porch and she, unwillingly, began to sleep there. In 2004 Tonie married Shirley, a massage therapist, who also fell in love with Jessica
Tonie coaxing Jessica off the bed she slept in as a baby
and began helping to raise her. Incredibly, Tonie petitioned the local government, to keep Jessica under his care and they allowed it. This was something never heard of before but because they do not lock her up and she is always free to go at any time they agreed Tonie’s property was the best place to raise the young hippo. Tonie and Shirley’s property rests on a small tributary that leads into a larger body of water that is full of wild hippos. Jessica spends long days swimming and playing and has even joined several wild hippos for an afternoon here and there. She never wants to leave Tonie for very long and still, after seven years, follows him around like a dog. They hope Jessica will eventually join the wild herd and become the adult hippo she was meant
Tonie kisses Jessica
to be. She is not quite sexually mature at the age of seven but should be in the next year or so. Tonie said, “I have never had a bond with any animal like the one I have with Jessica. She’s changed my life. She’s changed me.” Shirley said she can’t imagine life without Jessica, even though her presence has dominated their lives. Jessica is being studied by scientists from around the world and has become an international hero in South Korea and Japan. Watch part of her incredible story in the video below…
A brown bear clings onto a ledge after it jumps off a bridge
As a brown bear was crossing the Rainbow Bridge at Donner Summit in Truckee California several cars began to approach in both lanes. The startled bear pushed itself up against the railing and, according to several witnesses, was so frightened it jumped
The bear is dropped into a net
over the bridge. Looming nearly a hundred feet above the ground the bear managed to catch an edge and hung on for it’s life. Amazingly, it managed to pull itself up onto a shelf where it spent the night while rescuers determined the best plan of action. With the assistance of local rock and tree climbers, Dave Baker of the Truckee BEAR League, leading the rescue effort, decided to lower a net
The bear is lowered to safety
beneath the bear to catch it after it was tranquilized. Once the bear had been darted they weren’t able to get it off the ledge so one of the rock climbers hoisted himself down to gently nudge the sleeping bear into the safety of the net. He was surprised at how deep
Back on the ground to safety
the claw marks were that had been etched into the concrete where the bear had caught itself before falling to death. Baker said, “I’ve been on a lot of bear rescues and this is the most intense bear call I’ve ever been on.” The bear began to wake up before the net had been completely lowered but it calmly waited until it was safely on the ground. Then, to the delight of nearly a hundred spectators and rescuers that had lined the bridge, the bear walked away and disappeared into the forest. The cheers were deafening and everyone was amazed at how this impossible rescue effort was pulled off without a hitch, all thanks to the BEAR League, the Nevada Wildlife and Animal Control and the California Highway Patrol.
mother had been hit trying to cross a busy road. When they brought them home to care for them their cat took 
over and the puppies immediately began to suckle. To the owner’s amazement the puppies began to thrive and the cat seemed happy as ever caring for them. She cleans them, plays with them and treats them as her own. Occasionally when they stray too far she even disciplines
them, making sure they remain close and out of harm’s way.
