Koala Crashes House, Tries Its Best to Climb Up a Dancing Pole

Koalas are great at eating eucalyptus and getting belly rubs. Dancing? Not so much.   Perhaps this little fella climbing up a pole is trying to challenge the lazy reputation of one of Australia's most well-known and beloved animals.It was captured in a video uploaded to Facebook on June 30 by Nikki Erickson, who explained in the description that she came home from work hoping to "dance the shitty day away" when the discovery of the creature "turned her day around."  "She sat there while I talked to her and took photos and did not growl once," Erickson wrote. Unfortunately for this koala, who may have mistook the pole for a tree, going for a climb didn't work out so well. 

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Lincoln Park Zoo's New Camel Is Named Alexander Camelton

The Lincoln Park Zoo welcomed a new camel last month, and if its name is any indication, the animal is destined for greatness.  Born to Bactrian camels Nasan and Scooter on May 9, "Alexander Camelton" entered the world a healthy 81 pounds, already standing four feet tall.Alexander was named in honor of the founding father, who's going through a pop-culture rebirth thanks to Lin-Manuel Miranda's musical, which debuts in Chicago later this year.  Zookeepers even cited the record-shattering hip-hopera "Hamilton" in their naming decision, which they announced in a Saturday Facebook post.

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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.

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Animal Shelter Shares ‘Beautiful Images’ After All Are Adopted

A US animal shelter has celebrated the adoption of all of its resident animals by sharing images of their empty pens.  Photos from the Indiana centre show a vacant cat and kitten playpen and empty dog and puppy kennels.  The record 100 percent adoption rate was a first for Fort Wayne Animal Care and Control, according to its Facebook page.

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Photo Perfectly Captures How Animals Actually Rescue Us

Sometimes an image surfaces that perfectly captures a feeling we thought could never be totally conveyed.  This particular image shows a woman tearfully embracing a dog in an emotional moment that appears to be a reunion or a first-meeting. It was posted on October 19 on Facebook by a user who compiles "funny, inspirational animal photo quotes" and shared over 54,000 times.

http://tinyurl.com/np876e6

Video: World's Saddest Dog Begs For Forgiveness

This dog has more regrets than you.  In a video uploaded to Facebook, an Italian man's dog begs for forgiveness for whatever it's done. Bowing its head and giving so many one-sided hugs, the shamed pooch knows that it's in the wrong.  Our question: What did this dog do? Did it get too drunk at a party? Did it steal its owners money for drugs? Did it poop on the floor? We don't know. But it must have been awful.

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Tech Companies Teaming Up to Fight Ivory Trade

Feeling lucky, poachers?  Google is joining Facebook, eBay, Warren Buffett, the United States government and environmental groups in a new effort to fight the illegal trade in elephant ivory, rhino horns, tiger bones, and other products driving wildlife toward extinction.

http://tinyurl.com/p4kqsy9

Can Emoji Help Save Endangered Animals?

Saving wildlife is now just a tweet away.  On Tuesday, WWF International launched its worldwide “Endangered Emoji” campaign, which lets users contribute to the organization’s conservation efforts by tweeting any one of 17 endangered emoji animals.The campaign reflects recent efforts by charities and advocacy groups to marry philanthropy and social media. In the last few years, donating to a cause has become increasingly simple, as websites, text messaging, and finally Facebook and Twitter provided anyone with a smartphone or an Internet connection with a way to participate or give with a click.

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Lazarus, the Cleft Palate Cat is a Vine Superstar

You don't need to be classically beautiful to be a star.  Rescue cat Lazarus was born with a cleft palate. The physical deformity leaves him without the appearance of a nose and overexposes his lower teeth, but he still manages to charm thousands of fans on Vine.  According to Lazarus' official Facebook page, he was found at only 10 weeks old by a student at East Tennessee State University. Although the sickly kitten suffered an infection in his mouth, caretakers soon nursed him back to health.

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Video: A Talking Parrot Meets A Stuffed Rabbit

Parrots crack me up. I always wondered if they knew what they were saying or if they just mimicked what they heard. This guy makes me think he definitely knows what he’s talking about!  What do you think? Is he really trying to get the stuffed bunny to play with him? First he’s saying “Peek-A-Boo,” but at 1:24 I swear he’s telling the bunny to wake up! Poor parrot. He can’t get his new friend to play with him! Lucky for him his parents are keeping him company; it’s no fun not having anyone to talk to!

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According Animals Dignity

As of late Monday afternoon, when I was finishing this column, the most frequently emailed story on The Times’s website for the previous week wasn’t about the polar vortex, Chris Christie or “Downton Abbey.”  It was about cats.  I suppose that’s no big shock. On blogs, on Facebook and all around the Internet, claws and clicks go hand in hand (or is that paw in paw?). While the meek may be inheriting the earth, the furry have already claimed cyberspace.  But what is surprising — and indicative of a new chapter in the interactions of Americans and the animals around us — is the focus of the cat story in question.

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Blind Dog Hugs Brother, Melts Our Hearts

Can't you just feel the love?   There's no denying that, as this picture illustrates, canine brothers Jeffrey and Jermaine are inseparable – and not just because they adore each other.   Jeffrey is blind and his brother, Jermaine, is his loyal guide dog. The 8-month-old pups were found on the streets of Philadelphia in October, according to Operation Ava, the animal rescue that is trying to find them a permanent home together.  "The unconditional love and devotion these two dogs show is positively inspirational," reads a post from the Chester County SPCA, which shared the photo on Facebook Nov. 15. (The photo subsequently received more than 34,000 likes – and counting!) 

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Rescue Wildlife In 'Animal Kingdom' Game

Most parents are aware that their teenage kids socialize on Facebook. But some parents might not realize that their teens also play games within the Facebook application. While many of these Facebook games are simply fun time-fillers, the new Disney Animal Kingdom Explorers teaches players about real world ecology and conservation issues. This Facebook game has even been tied to raising money for the Jane Goodall Institute.

http://tinyurl.com/7t22ad7

Lucy the Lost Doggie Gets Lucky

Facebook has been blamed for many hours of procrastination and stalking, but what about finding a lost dog?

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