Animals Know How To Enjoy #Blizzard2016

At the Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington DC, giant panda, Tian Tian, “woke up this morning to a lot of snow and he was pretty excited about it.” The zoo shared that news along with a few other priceless videos on its Facebook page this morning.

http://tinyurl.com/hvdos4x

Video: Blind Cat Is Queen of the Wild Frontier

Honey Bee is a sweet, blind cat who traverses the wild like a feline Davey Crockett. She was discovered in Fiji, where local veterinarians at Animals Fiji nursed her back to health.  Now, Honey Bee spends her days wandering along hiking trails with her owners. Sometimes she perches atop their backpacks for a quick break; other times, she stops for a snack and some water. Above, watch her head up for a hike along Mason Lake in the mountains near Seattle, Washington.

http://tinyurl.com/l463nlc

What Are Animals Thinking?

The mind of an animal is a far richer, more complex thing than most people know — as a new TIME book reveals. Let’s be honest, you’d probably rather die than wake up tomorrow morning and find out you’d turned into an animal. Dying, after all, is inevitable, and there’s even a certain dignity to it: Shakespeare did it, Einstein did it, Galileo and Washington and Twain all did it. And you, someone who was born a human and will live your life as a human, will end your life that way too.

http://tinyurl.com/n2wg2o7

Ancient Chinese Cat Shakes Up Domestication Theory

A cat-and-mouse game played out in a Chinese village 5,300 years ago is helping scientists understand how wild felines became the tame pets we know today.  Scientists believe it was the cat's appetite that led to domestication. Grain stored by ancient farmers was a magnet for rodents, which in turn attracted wild cats.  Over time, the cats adapted to village life and became tame around their human hosts.  This is, at least, the leading theory, derived from archaeological evidence in the Middle East, rather than China. But bones recently discovered in a Chinese village add weight to the idea that felines took on pest-control duties in ancient times, says researcher Fiona Marshall of Washington University in St. Louis.

http://tinyurl.com/nbdm77y

Dog Survives Nine Days Under Tornado Rubble

A six-month-old pit bull that was buried under a pile of rubble for more than a week after a tornado ripped through a central Illinois city has been coaxed to freedom with hot dogs and reunited with his owner.  Jacob Montgomery, a member of the Illinois National Guard, was separated from the dog, Dexter, when the Nov. 17 tornado destroyed his third-floor apartment in Washington. Montgomery combed through the wreckage multiple times but turned up no sign of Dexter.
http://tinyurl.com/ntd2jq4

Tornado Survivor Finds Missing Dog Buried Alive

Jon Byler Dann, above, survived the devastating tornado that struck Washington, Ill., by hunkering down in the basement clutching his four children – ages 8, 5, 2½ and 1½. But an important member of the family was still in harm's way. Before the storm, as debris started to hit his house, Byler Dann had tried to coax the family dog, Maggie, into the safe room. The skittish animal refused to leave her kennel. After the storm passed, Byler Dann emerged from the basement to find that his home of five years had been destroyed above him. Maggie was missing and Byler Dann assumed his beloved pet was dead. 

http://tinyurl.com/mc3wldt

What Government Shutdown Means for Animals?

Congressional Democrats and Republicans failed to reach agreement last night on continued funding of the federal government, and Washington this morning began the process of temporarily mothballing its programs and services.   In a shutdown, "non-essential" federal workers are furloughed, while some "essential" operations continue. 

http://tinyurl.com/me9ssxj

Video: Zoo Elephant Rocks Harmonica

In what could be the abosolute cutest thing we've seen since this dog, Shanthi the elephant at the National Zoo in Washington is developing her musical chops by playing a harmonica with her trunk.

http://tinyurl.com/7erturw

National Zoo gets $4.5 million for panda breeding

WASHINGTON – The National Zoo announced a $4.5 million gift Monday to fund its giant panda reproduction program for five more years.  Philanthropist David M. Rubenstein visited the pandas with China's ambassador to the United States to announce the gift.  "There are probably 10 million species on the face of the earth, and I doubt that any one of those species is more popular and more beloved than the giant panda," Rubenstein said at a news conference by the zoo's giant panda yard. He said the money is a holiday gift to the people of Washington and to the country because pandas make people happy.

http://tinyurl.com/78f59bh

Puppy Comes Back To Life After Car Accident

The McKinlay family was devastated when their family dog Scamp escaped through a fence and got hit by a car on Dec. 3. But the 8-month-old Yorkshire Terrier Shih Tzu puppy surprised his owners the next morning when he was not only awake, but sitting up.

http://tinyurl.com/7jvt4om

Abandoned Dog Found With Divorce Note

When Paul Wu of Kirkland, Washington backed out of his driveway, he was shocked to find a small, big-eyed dog blocking his way, King 5 News reported.

http://tinyurl.com/3q5plvk