Animal Mugshot Makes a Difference

In Tulsa, OK, dogs in area shelters are mugging for the camera. Thanks to Sherry Stinson, professional photographer, more dogs are finding homes by just being who they are – dogs with personalities all their own.  “God gave me a talent to take pictures, and dogs and cats are near and dear to my heart so I want to help get them out of the shelters,” Sherry said. Sherry has photographed more than 30,000 animals who need homes and she has really made a difference.

http://tinyurl.com/c3qvgsl

Extinct Animals Could Come Back

Until recently, the arrow of natural selection seemed to go only one way. A species could form, then it could flourish, then it could go extinct. And once it was extinct, it could not come back.  Now, though, some scientists say they see a new path.

http://tinyurl.com/d4rk3aq

Iowa Scientist To Obama: Save The Elephant

The majestic African elephant — a creature that mesmerizes people young and old — is disappearing at an alarming rate. A new study of forest elephants found that more than half of them have died over the past decade, with their numbers down by 62 percent between 2002 and 2011. The study by the Wildlife Conservation Society comes as governments and conservationists are meeting in Thailand to discuss changes in the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species.

http://tinyurl.com/bsxfylr

ZooBorns Round-up: Tiger Cubs, Otter Pups & Dik-Diks!

ZooBorns showcases baby animals born at accredited zoos and aquariums as ambassadors for their species in the wild, raising awareness and support for conservation while they entertain. Spring is in the air in Cheshire (UK), Tokyo, and Sacramento, where zoos debuted adorable babies over the past week.

http://tinyurl.com/b5nnbs2

Cats vs. Your Stuff

From the endless amount of cat content on the Internet, it’s clear that cats are adorable, sly, and sassy. These cats are all of those things, with an emphasis on the sass. These 27 cats have taken your stuff for ransom and they are not giving it up.

http://tinyurl.com/bqfne2c

Winner Of Top Dog Competition Heads To Broadway

The Best in Show winner at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show is heading to Broadway. Not to see a show — to be in one. The Roundabout Theatre Company said Banana Joe, the 5-year-old affenpinscher who emerged triumphant Tuesday at America's premier dog competition, will appear for one night only in "The Mystery of Edwin Drood" on Wednesday. The dog will replace Macaco, the 5-year old Maltese-Yorkie mix that is the real-life pet of actress Stephanie J. Block.

http://tinyurl.com/amq4rjf

Kissing Octopus Unveiled For The First Time At The California Academy Of Sciences

Scientists are unveiling a rare octopus that has never been on public display before. And unlike other octopuses, where females have a nasty habit of eating their partners during sex, Larger Pacific Striped Octopuses mate by pressing their beaks and suckers against each other in an intimate embrace. The beautiful creature can also morph from dark red to black-and-white stripes and spots and can shape-shift from flat to expanded.

http://tinyurl.com/byj6ssa

Video: Ducks Walk Through D.C. With A Four-Person Escort

Around 2 p.m. on Wednesday, Harald Olsen, a Korean translator looking for work -- "casualty of the sequester," he says -- thought he was about to go home after having lunch with a friend. Instead, he and three other people helped escort a family of ten ducks a mile through downtown D.C.

http://tinyurl.com/bzx7duo

Ohio Zoo Workers Play 'Mom' To Abandoned Baby Gorilla

Some zoo workers in Cincinnati are going ape over a baby gorilla. They are wearing all-black outfits, grunting affectionately, and generally imitating mother gorillas to help the month-old baby adjust to a new home and get ready for a surrogate mother. Later, they will don hairy vests and carry baby Gladys on their backs, put on kneepads and gloves to move around like a gorilla, and they might knuckle-walk and climb a tree with baby on board.

http://tinyurl.com/ax6gjnt

Video: Polar Bear Cub At Buffalo Zoo Introduced To The Public

Here's to a super-cuddly start to the long-awaited weekend. On Friday, an adorable polar bear cub made her public debut at the Buffalo Zoo, tickling onlookers with her unbearably cute antics.

http://tinyurl.com/chuptac