Rescue Agencies Unite To Get 723 Animals Adopted

Sampson flashed a little bit of attitude at first, but it didn’t faze Richard Stewart of Jacksonville, who quickly had the 8-year-old black and silver purebred Chihuahua snuggling against his chest Sunday.

http://tinyurl.com/jg3zg38

We Love These Animals In The News

Animals are all over the news right now, with science discoveries and feel-good stories.  A Florida woman found two manatees swimming around her backyard and munching on grass after Tropical Storm Colin hit the area, causing the tide to rise over a seawall. "Another awesome experience," Nancy Smith posted on Instagram with a video of her second manatee sighting.

http://tinyurl.com/j6xqgo8

Igor the German Shepherd Raises Tigers and Chimps

A caring canine is giving new meaning to the term 'doggy day care' by becoming a surrogate parent to a range of animals including tigers, monkeys and a hyena.  Igor the German Shepherd is helping to raise the animals at the Zoological Wildlife Foundation, a sanctuary in Miami, Florida.  Owners Mario and Maria Tabraue brought Igor to the sanctuary in the hopes of him making friends with the baby animals - but little did they know the lovable pooch would become an unofficial member of staff, tending to the animals' emotional needs.

http://tinyurl.com/zdzbe2h

Bear in a Hammock Relaxing

One black bear in Florida prefers to bring in the weekend not by raging, but instead with a nice, relaxing lounge in a hammock.  Local resident Rafael Torres caught this totally chilled-out bear climbing into a hammock on Thursday night in Daytona Beach, Florida.The bear really did, apparently, just want to relax. When asked about approaching it for the photo, Torres told local NBC affiliate WESH that he was about 60 feet away when he took the photos and the bear didn't seem to care. Instead, it just kept lounging.

http://tinyurl.com/m43lpkj

-Igor Purlantov

Rent-A-Reptile: Florida Company Adds Alligators To Kids’ Pool Parties

Bob Barrett gives Florida kids pool parties they’ll never forget — because they get to swim with real live alligators. Jump houses? Pizza parties? Boring, says Barrett. “You jump for a while and that’s it, we’ve had that party before,” he told the Daily News. “Clown party, Chuck E. Cheese party, they’ve all been done.” Barrett, who runs Alligator Attractions in Madeira Beach — where visitors get to hold gators — was already bringing his reptiles around to birthday parties when he was inspired to take the next step.

http://tinyurl.com/chbha3v

Video: Amazing Manatee Encounter Filmed On Fort Lauderdale Beach

Usually when you see a dark mass swimming among the waves along a Florida beach, it's best to stay out of the water just in case it's a shark. But Florida beachgoers recently received the surprise of a lifetime when a group of 5 or 6 manatees swam right up to them and played in the shallows for at least 30 minutes.

http://tinyurl.com/6o693jj

New Florida Elephant Sanctuary: Officials Break Ground On 225-Acre Plot

Officials have broken ground on a new elephant sanctuary in Florida. The National Elephant Center is being built on a 225-acre plot of land west of Sebastian on Florida's Atlantic coast. The project is a collaboration of 73 zoos.

http://tinyurl.com/7r6hr42

Busch Gardens Adds Animal Care Attraction

Visitors to Busch Gardens will soon be able to closely observe and take part in the animal care experience when the park’s new Animal Care Center opens. The center is slated to open Jan. 23 and will offer guests a behind-the-scenes glimpse into various animal care practices ranging from nutrition to treatments and X-rays to surgeries. The new, nearly 16,000-square-foot facility, which replaced the rhino exhibit in the Nairobi area of the park, will care for more than 2,000 animals in the park.

http://tinyurl.com/6tzvbar

Florida Man Reunites With Lost Kitty In Colorado

A cat who wandered away from his new home in Florida has been reunited with his owner after being found nearly 2,000 miles away in Colorado.  Waylon, an orange-striped tabby cat, was reunited with Daniel Johns on Wednesday at the Foothills Animal Shelter in Golden.

http://tinyurl.com/85y5ktk

Pink Flamingo Found in New York

He could have one-upped the neighbors with this lawn ornament. A Westchester County naturalist was canoeing on Lake Kitchawan, near his home in Pound Ridge, last month when he spotted something of a fish out of water -- a real pink flamingo.

http://tinyurl.com/d8wjyrs

Rescued Deformed Puppy is Back on Her Feet Again

A deformed puppy rescued from a garbage bag has finally learnt to walk. Little Harper was saved from a certain death when a woman in Sanford, Florida, saw a man selling pit-bull puppies outside a Save-A-Lot holding a squirming trash bag. When she asked him what was in the bag he at first refused to show her but he finally handed over the bag containing a puppy so deformed it couldn’t walk or hold up its head.

http://tinyurl.com/3g22ept

Video: Diver Kisses Shark and Gets Bitten

We thought this was a pretty obvious rule of thumb, but to be clear: Never kiss a shark on the lips. Shark Week may help promote understanding and respect for one of the most feared sea creatures, but for some people, it takes a (very) close encounter with a shark to learn the true power of these animals.

http://tinyurl.com/4x5pypp

Cyclist in Florida Collides with Black Bear

A cyclist on his way to work had the shock of his life when he crashed into a 300lb black bear. Instead of being attacked by the animal following the accident, however, the bear got up, looked a bit dazed from the collision and then retreated into the woods.

http://tinyurl.com/6cfyo3c

Watch Video of Shark Jumping Over Surfer

Sharks patrolling the waters off the Florida coast is not an uncommon sight but seeing a shark jump a surfer is a first for an Orlando photographer who was filming an action video of another surfer when he heard a voice exclaim "Dude, did you see that?"

http://tinyurl.com/5rutn3c