Video: Excited Dog Faints After Reunion

Nothing can match the love of a devoted dog.  This cute pup was overwhelmed with joy after seeing her owner for the first time in two years — so excited, in fact, that she briefly passed out like a teenager seeing the Beatles in the '60s.  Don't worry, though; the dog's owner, Rebecca Ehalt, says that the dog was checked out by a vet and is completely fine.

http://tinyurl.com/m5mkwhk

Only 3,200 Tigers Remain in the Wild

Today is International Tiger Day, and frankly, there’s not much to celebrate. Wild tiger populations have plunged 97 percent over the past century, and the big cats have lost 93 percent of their historic habitat in Asia, according to the World Wildlife Fund.  This map shows the location of the estimated 3,200 tigers that remain in the wild.

http://tinyurl.com/ln2tbh3

Beach Resort Employs First Lifeguard Dog

Barkwatch!  A resort in Spain has recruited man’s best friend to help patrol it’s local beaches as its first ever lifeguard dog.  Located in San Pedro del Pinatar, the tourist hot spot has brought in water-loving canine Bruno to help keep beach-goers safe this summer, Central European News reports.  Bruno walks with his lifeguard partner as they patrol the beach.  Bruno’s owner, David Alvarez, works as a lifeguard and thought about bringing his pet to work when he realized what a good swimmer he was.

http://tinyurl.com/kgvuubw

Video: Dog and Deer Bond as Friends

Anyone who thinks that animals don’t show emotion and develop friendships needs to see this stunning video!

http://tinyurl.com/o4c2rx5

Link Between Vanishing Wildlife and Terrorism

The decimation of the planet’s wildlife is extracting a high cost on humans as it drives child slavery, human trafficking, and terrorism, according to a special report published Thursday in the journal Science.  Take poaching. Beyond the horrific impact on vanishing species, the slaughter of rhinoceroses and elephants for their valuable horns and tusks has bankrolled terrorist attacks in Africa by the extremist group Boko Haram.

http://tinyurl.com/m5avq93

Video: Hero Dog Travels To Feed Neighboring Animals

Meet Lilica, a Brazilian junk yard dog with the heart of a champion. Why do you ask? Because she endures tremendous pain to help those around her… and by “around her,” I mean 4 miles away. Take a look at this incredible video and see for yourself.

http://tinyurl.com/kpxz7w4

Video: Pets Interrupting Yoga

If yoga is about controlling the mind and body, there is no greater test than practicing with a dog or cat on the loose.  As Danielle Cuccio, a yoga instructor and owner of two pugs tells us, "They think it’s playtime or that it’s some kind of game. They think, 'Mommy is on our level ... Lets get her!' They actually challenge me to stay balanced in a pose so I think it makes me stronger."  Watch our compilation above and see why every yogi should own a pet for the ultimate yoga challenge.

http://tinyurl.com/pl2ycrz

Surprising Animal Victims of Your Favorite Foods

Sustainable eating isn’t always easy. Picking up whatever’s cheap and convenient is definitely simpler than making sure that our food came from responsible, cruelty-free sources. We all know the effort is worth it, and sometimes all we need is an extra push. We’ve put together a list that puts a face on who you could help by being a conscious consumer. Click through for five unexpected victims of your favorite foods.

http://tinyurl.com/lex3zoq

Video: Dog Spoils Crying Baby With Toys

Charlie really found himself in the dog house when he stole baby Laura's toys.  The upset tot burst into tears after the playful pooch pinched her favorite furry mobile.  But the cheeky canine soon won back her trust by bringing her a selection of new playthings.  And the entire adorable incident was all caught on camera.  The cute footage shows the bashful beagle walking off with one of the infant's possessions.

http://tinyurl.com/nyh27bd

Video: World's First BASE Jumping Dog

Pigs may not fly yet, but it seems dogs have conquered the skies.  Whisper has earned the distinction of the world's first BASE jumping dog. Rock climber Dean Potter strapped his pooch onto his back while before jumping from a 13,000-foot mountain peak called The Eiger in Switzerland. Potter captured his pup's less-than-enthusiastic reaction with a GoPro.

http://tinyurl.com/nk7xfpg

What Baboons Could Tell Us About Losing Weight

From Cheerios to Hormel, even the most time-tested American brands have been bulking up their offerings with protein in response to carb-avoidant consumers—and it looks like science backs up the weight-loss trend that has fed a profitable grocery store frenzy in recent years. Nutritional ecologist David Raubenheimer has been studying the eating habits of apes and monkeys and concludes that a high-protein diet could aid weight loss after all.

http://tinyurl.com/plq8n7s

Jeans Made by Lions, and Tigers, and Bears

Like your jeans broken-in and a little tattered? Then you’ll probably love the latest in designer denim from Japan: blue jeans ripped and distressed by the lions, tigers, and bears of Hitachi City’s Kamine Zoo.The Mineko Club, an organization of zoo supporters, is auctioning three pairs of “the only jeans on Earth designed by dangerous animals” to benefit the zoo and the World Wildlife Fund.

http://tinyurl.com/oadpu7t

Video: Pride of Lions Play With Toy Car

File this one under up close and personal. While recently on assignment in Botswana, wildlife photographer Chris McLennan mounted a camera onto a remote control car and drove it into a pride of wild lions.  Not much happens at first, with the four-wheeled intruder only piquing the interest of two inquiring lionesses. But as the car inches nearer the napping pride, each big cat quickly perks up and strides over to it. The result is a succession of gorgeous close-ups: stoic faces, piercing yellow eyes, terrifying canine teeth, and prodding paws.
http://tinyurl.com/pqnxsyd

Choupette The Cat Gets Her Own Book

Karl Lagerfeld's pet cat, Choupette, is up there with the all time greats of the celebrity animal world. Lassie, Bubbles, Flipper, Dolly… and to prove it she's getting her very own coffee-table tome.  The fluffy white feline is to be immortalized in a new book, Choupette: The Private Life of a High-Flying Fashion Cat, set for release in September.  How, we hear you say, can you squeeze a 128-page book out of one cat? Pretty easily when it lives the type of lifestyle usually reserved for a queen.

http://tinyurl.com/nsvozex

Your Supermarket Choices Could Endanger Africa’s Apes

The spread of palm oil plantations in Southeast Asia has ravaged forest-dwelling orangutans, whose population has dwindled to 7,300 individuals in the wild. Now a budding palm oil boom in Africa threatens that continent’s great apes.  Demand for palm oil, which is considered a healthy alternative to butter, has skyrocketed in recent years, becoming an ingredient in scores of products, from chocolate to shampoo to biodiesel. About half of the stuff you buy from your local supermarket contains palm oil, according to the World Wildlife Fund.

http://tinyurl.com/na9yr48

'Purrmanently Sad Cat' a Hit on the Internet

Grumpy Cat may have the market of morose-looking felines covered, but it looks like the celebrity kitty has some competition now that a new kitten is gaining recognition for its frowning face.  Reddit user _moonflower_ posted a photo of a kitten that she is calling "Purrmanently Sad Cat." The adorable fluff ball, also referred to as PSC, is part of a new litter of kittens and her face immediately made the Internet explode over her woebegone expression

http://tinyurl.com/qhu65ff

Raju the Elephant Meets His New Family

Raju the elephant who stole the world’s heart when he was seen crying when shown freedom after 50 years of brutal treatment has been introduced to his new family in a truly magical moment.  This week footage of the male elephant went viral after he was released from the captivity in Uttar Pradesh in India and now it looks like the brave bull might get a happy ending.

http://tinyurl.com/pzc27oq

Hipster Chimpanzees Sticking Grass in Their Ears

When one chimpanzee starts putting a blade of grass in her ear, it's an oddity. When a whole bunch of them copy the behavior, it's enough to make scientists go "hmm."  The behavior in question first turned up at Chimfunshi Wildlife Orphanage, in Zambia. In 2010, a rescued chimpanzee named Julie started walking around with a long-stemmed blade of grass sticking out of her ear. Over the next year, seven more chimpanzees in Julie's 12-member group began mimicking the behavior.

http://tinyurl.com/mu88rc7

American Bison Returning to Its Home on the Range

The bison is back.  Numbering 40 million strong when Europeans arrived in the American West, the bison were hunted to near extinction by settlers, with just 25 animals remaining in the wild by 1902. Today some 10,000 bison are managed by the U.S. Department of Interior on federal land in 12 states. (Another 200,000 are in private hands, 51,000 of them owned by media mogul and conservationist Ted Turner.)

http://tinyurl.com/o3sblah

New App Helps Find Lost Pets Scared By Fireworks

With Fourth of July approaching, the ASPCA has created a smart phone app that will help users find lost pets who may get spooked during the festivities.  According to recent survey findings, nearly one in five pets go missing after being scared by the sound of fireworks, thunderstorms or other loud noises.

http://tinyurl.com/mbghdy2

Rarest Whale on Earth Bouncing Back From the Brink

Amid all the depressing news about the declining state of the world’s oceans, here’s a genuine feel-good story: The critically endangered North Atlantic right whale population, once decimated by ship collisions, has rebounded to more than 500 individuals. That’s the highest level since researchers began studying the whale three decades ago.

http://tinyurl.com/mg3n44a

Surprising New Findings on Fish Intelligence

A recent study suggests that the cold-blooded vertebrates are smarter and more sensitive than we think.  When we picture fish, it’s often in terms of our plates or aquarium tanks. But an Australian scientist wants us to consider the animals in contexts outside mercury poisoning scares and pet stores. According to a new paper published in the journal Animal Cognition, fish socialize, use tools, develop long-term memories, enjoy back rubs, and can likely feel pain.

http://tinyurl.com/mpmz9yh