Dale Hansen Explains Why We Love Our Dogs, And Each Other

Dallas sportscaster Dale Hansen with Miss Hailey.

My favorite local sportscaster in the nation is Dale Hansen at television station WFAA in Dallas-Fort Worth.

I've featured him a few times in this blog post because the man always makes more sense than just about anybody I've seen on television.  A couple examples of where I featured Hansen are here and here. 

Hansen is a gruff, no-nonsense type of guy that seems stereotypical of sportscasters. But he often goes off-script, commenting on things that might offend some not-so-thoughtful sports fans. His somewhat liberal views sometimes clash with those of conservative sports fans in Texas. Almost everybody loves Hansen anyway.  

This week, he did a commentary on the newscast that had nothing to do with sports, but one that I think everyone can agree with, that is a must-see, especially if you own a dog. Or, more accurately, as Hansen puts it, if a dog owns you.

On the day of his commentary, his bassett hound Miss Hailey passed away. So he devoted his segment on WFAA to Miss Hailey, and why dogs make us more human. By the way, Hansen's comments also fully apply to anyone who has a cat, or any other favorite pet.

While discussing Miss Hailey's passing,  Hansen tells us, "Anyone and anything you love will eventually end in tears, but it is the deal we make......You can avoid the pain and tears of losing a loved one. All you have to do is never love. I choose the pain and tears. But Dr. Seuss was right. Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened."

Oddly, I think the world would be better off if we all chose the pain and tears. Here's the whole video. Worth the watch, for sure:

PETA's Animal Cliche Suggestions Are Basically Beating A Dead Horse

PETA doesn't want us to use cliches that seem mean to animals.
Their alternative suggestions need work, though. 

There's an amazing number of cliches out there that involve animals.

That's the elephant in the room. There's more than one way to skin a cat. That dog don't hunt. Don't let the cat out of the bag. One trick pony. The lion's share. Pig headed. The cat's meow. Dog days of summer.  

Well, PETA, the strident animal rights group, thinks we ought to change some of our animal cliches to not celebrate cruelty to animals. Never mind that people who use these cliches generally don't want to abuse animals.

But never mind.

PETA decrees that we must change the following cliches to the some non-cruel alternatives. So here we go:

"Kill two birds with one stone" must now be "Feed two birds with one scone." (I had no idea birds like scones. Go figure.)

"Be a guinea pig" should become "Be the test tube."

"Beat a dead horse." should turn into "Feed a fed horse."  If the horse has been fed, it's not hungry. Why would you want to force food this poor creature? That seems cruel, but whatever. Plus, the fed horse thing makes no sense.

"Bring home the bacon" needs to change to "Bring home the bagels."

"Take the bull by the horns" should  become "Take the flower by the thorns." Um, most flowers don't have thorns. And even if they do, why should anyone punish themselves by poking themselves wityh thorns. You CAN be careful.

Now, like most people, I'm really, really not into torturing animals. But as usual, don't you think PETA is taking things just a wee bit too far?

As you'd expect the Twttersphere is not having it.

@tryzick put in a dig in by saying: "Raising awareness and teaching us new phrases? That's killing two birds with one stone right there."

Another wag, Nick Wing, a reporter at Huffington Post, @nickpwing added this: "We should also addressthe 800-pound gorilla in the room who is the  perfect weight because we don't body shame here."

Wing also observed this truthism: "Few things unite the right and left like an opportunity to dunk on PETA." 

At least the organization is one of those great uniters, huh?

2017 Wildlife Comedy Awards Delight As Always

"Laughing Dormouse" by Andrea Zampatti. Looks like
this little guy is having a GREAT time. 

I've highlighted the annual Wildlife Comedy Awards in the past, but I cannot resist focusing on them again, because they are such a delightful distraction from the ills of the world.

The awards go to nature photographers who find usually inadvertent, but hilarious moments amont wild animals.

This year's winners don't disappoint. Go to this link to see this year's winners, and the winners from past years.  It's SO worth the browse.

Meanwhile, see, below, a couple more of this year's wildlife triumphs. Click on the images to make them bigger and easier to see.

"Monkey Escape" by Katy Laveck-Foster. A very fun
outing on a motorbike, it looks like. 

"Mudskippers Got Talent" by Daniel Trim. Not sure if these
frogs are in a televised talent competition or they just heard
something Donald Trump said. 

"WTF" by George Cathcart. These California seals look like
they've been watching too much Fox News

Dangerous Rescue of Two Bucks Stuck Together Amid Tangled Barbed Wire

I video is going viral of two deer bucks who got their antlers entangled with each other and in a bunch of barbed wires.

Two farmers found the problem and conducted a dangerous rescue with wire cutters.

Here's the dramatic video:

Finally! A "Bachelor" Episode I Can Actually Enjoy

These two women are vying for the affection of Stewart,
the only episode of "The Bachelor" you will ever love.

I have to say I really hate the TV show "The Bachelor" 

The fake sexual tension, the damsel in distress drama and cattiness exhibited by the female contestants, the drinking, the mental health issues, the pumped up music to supposedly build your interest in everything else about

The Bachelor is everything I despise about reality TV.

Until I found a recent episode.

No, not the official "The Bachelor" TV show. This episode is a knock off of the show, and features a very eligible bachelor named Stewart in Sante Fe, New Mexico.

Unlike the cads on the real "Bachelor," Stewart genuinely seems like a nice guy. He's friendly to both top contestants but doesn't get overly fake solititous, fawning or salacious. He just seems to want to enjoy the moment, whatever that moment might be.

He's physical with the women, but in a polite way.  He's a gentleman. Not a smart aleck. He's friendly, loves a good time, is physically active and a very good looking guy, I must say.

The women, in keeping with the usual set up of the show, are vapid, biting, too emotional, kinda dumb and a bit over the top in this episode

The episode involving Stewart is, as noted, set in New Mexico, and one of these American women who are vying for Stewart remarks about her trip to Sante Fe, "I'm so excited because I've never been out of the country before. "

Oookay.

But the women involved are clearly just doing this for the cameras. They're actually fine.

This particular episode ends before Stewart has a chance to decide which woman to "adopt" but I have the feeling that he'll have a great life with whomever he chooses.

Here's the video of the only really good episode of "The Bachelor":

Very Young "Veterinarian" Helps Beagle With Injured Foot

Little Laura, in her white veterinarian's coat, treats
a cut on her companion Charlie the Beagle's paw.
Charlie has since made a full recovery. 

I often resist cloyingly cute videos involving kids and animals, but I somehow couldn't pass this one up.  

It's just too adorable, and I keep wanting to see nice things in a world that sometimes feels so evil.

The backstory is that a little girl named Laura and her companion, a beagle named Charlie, have had some viral video fame as we've seen what besties they are ever since Laura was born.

Previous videos show Laura as a baby, but now she's a grown up toddler.

Recently, Charlie cut his paw on a thick blade of frozen grass. So, Laura did what she had to do. She put on her white veterinarian coat and went to work.

As you'll see in the video below, I have to give Charlie huge credit for what a patient "patient" he is as Laura treats the injured paw.

I have to give a lot of credit to Laura, too. She may be too young to know how best to treat a minor dog injury, but who cares? The love she has for Charlie is crystal clear in the video, as is the fact that Charlie knows this.

Side note in the video you'll watch below. The people involved are talking in Polish, which makes my heart melt more because I'm of Polish descent.

Every little moment in the video is incredibly sweet, including the hugs, and the blanket Laura puts over Charlie.  By the way, spoiler alert: Laura's treatment worked. Charlie is all better now.

At the end of the video, Laura is done, and Charlie settles comfortably down for a nap, knowing he is well cared for and in good hands.

We should all be so lucky.

Here's the video to make you go "awwwwwwww"

Nice Move! Letter Carrier Builds Handicap Ramp For Elderly Dog

Maddie Dimetrosky, 11, helps Tashi, 14 down the handicapped
ramp letter carrier Jeff Kramer built for Tashi so' they can
greet each other every day.
Photo by Jeremy Pappaso/Boulder Daily Camera.

I get so negative in this blog sometimes, and I will continue to do so, I'm afraid, but any bit of heartwarming or good news does the body and mind good, so I'll keep throwing those in, too.

Today's installment takes us to snowy Boulder, Colorado, where a letter carrier named Jeff Kramer always liked the greeting he got from a dog named Tashi at one particular house on his route.

According to the Boulder Daily Camera: 

"'He would just come by eery day and pet him,' said Tashi's owner Karen Dimetrosky. 'Tashi would hang out outside and would always get so excited when Jeff came. He would always try to pull me toward the mail truck.'"

Tashi is now 14 years old, elderly, and can't walk so well anymore. So Tashi's  human family started having to carry the dog up and down the front stairs to greet Kramer.

Kramer had recently lost an old dog, which had used a handicapped access ramp to get into his house.

So why not give Tashi the ramp?

At first, Kramer just dropped off the wood from the ramp and the Dimetroskys would use the wood to build a new ramp. But the family isn't particularly handy, or good at carpentry

So, Kramer came back and built the ramp himself. "I just noticed they needed it," Kramer explained.

"I can't image not having the ramp now. It's the only way he gets in and out," Dimetrosky told the Daily Camera. 

Now, no need to carry Tashi to greet Kramer. He just uses the ramp so Kramer and Tashi still get to have their daily happy moment.

The irony of being a letter carrier who did this is not lost on Kramer. "Yeah, a mailman who likes dogs. Go figure," Kramer said.

Yeah, I know the story about Tashi isn't a big important news flash, but ti's always great to see a small, pleasant moment in the middle of the world's chaos.

Here's the Boulder Daily Camera's YouTube story on Kramer and Tashi:

Ohio Police Department Allows Doves To Commandeer Cruiser For Best Possible Reason

Mourning doves have set up a nest with two eggs at the
base of the windshield of a Parma, Ohio police crusiers.
The nesting doves are enjoying full protection from
Parma police offices.   

I love the population boom of birds I see bere in tbe northern climes this time of year.

Which is why I have to congratulate the Parma, Ohio, police department.

A pair of mourning doves decided to set up a nest at the base of a windshield on a backup cruiser parked in the department's lot.

Police could have shooed the doves away, destroyed the nest and moved on with protecting the citizens in the fine city of Parma.

But this was a backup cruiser and Parma police had all the tools they needed to protect and serve. They could live without the spare cruiser for awhile and make do with what they had.

Really. Why not protect and serve the doves?

While two eggs are awaiting hatching at the base of the windshield, Parma officers sealed off the parked cruiser with police tape and traffic construction barrels, says television station Fox 8 in Cleveland.

Who says police tape is only for crime scenes?

Police officers have set up an umbrella over the nest to keep it dry, left a container of water out for the birds to drink and have even dug up worms from a nearby muddy lawn to feed the mourniing doves.

"Our officers are human beings just like anyone else. We care for all lives human and animal," said Lt. Kevin Riley of the Parma Police Department. They want to make sure the doves and their young are well taken care of, according to Fox 8.

By the way, the Parma Police Department names the dove mom Gerty for some reason.

Works for me!

And congratulations to the soon-to-be mourning dove parents.

Robot Dog Vs. Real Dog Battle It Out

Boston Dynamics' robot dog isn't nearly as
pleasant and tag waggy and fun as a real dog
but it is a nifty piece of technology  

It's come to this: We have real dogs playing with robot dogs now.

I'm rooting for the real dogs, but still.

In a video posted a to YouTube a few days ago, we see a robot dog (named Spot, of course) playing with a real dog, named Alex.  You can see the video at the bottom of this post.

Alex does not quite know what to make of his metallic robot new friend, with it's fairly accurate dog movements, but he gives it a whirl.

The robot dog was created by Boston Dynamics, the same outfit that caused a bit of a stir last week when they unveiled their nifty humanoid robot that could do lots of physical things that robots could not previously do, like navigate like a human around obstacles, keep its balance, and get right back up when somebody pushes it over.

Apparently, these things would be good in warfare, as it will be machines killing each other rather than humans, goes the theory.

The robot dog can also easily get up and walk away after lying down, it can walk over curbs and rough terrain, and can walk in a variety of different ways.

Impressive robotic work, but I still prefer the real furry companions. Yeah, my real dogs Jackson and Tonks sometimes have accidents in the house, bark at inappropriate times, make a mess and get sick, something that robot dogs won't do.

Robot dogs are cool, but I'd MUCH rather hang on to
my two real furry companions, Tonks (left) and Jackson. 

But you can't replicate the excitement the real dogs Tonks and Jackson bring when you come home from a long day at work.

Robots can't really replicate the laughs you get in a tug of war game with flesh and blood dogs, and they can't comfort you the way a warm dog sits on your lap contentedly when you want to relax and chill out.  

Still, a couple Christmases ago, my young nephew Jonas from Minnesota received a toy robotic dog for Christmas that follows simple commands and "learns" the habits of its human to help make the pair friends.

While not nearly as nice as a real dog, Jonas' robot dog was oddly endearing.

Boston Dynamics' dog is not endearing at all, but obviously that's not the point. The company was just showing off its nifty robots and what they can do.

But, if you're into that type of thing, you can watch the video of the robot dog and real dog cavorting in a parking lot, below:

Arguing Moose Disrupt Nice Alaskan Neighborhood

A couple of moose duke it out in
a pleasant Anchorage, Alaska neighborhood.  

There's a pleasant neighborhood around Anchorage, Alaska, with nice houses, nice lawns, and trees with fall foliage still clinging to them despite a rapidly onrushing winter.

This neighborhood was disrupted the other day, though, by a nasty fight. No, not between two homeowners arguing over the placement of a fence.

No, this is Alaska. This fight was between two moose who were determining which one was supreme, and which one would get the lady moose.

Pretty dramatic, if you ask me.

Watch:

After The Cecil The Lion Murder, You'll Want To Watch This Video

A man rescues a dog from an ice floe,
one of the incidents captured in a compilation
video of people being good to others, especially animals.

It's been a tough week for animal lovers, what with the hue and cry over the death of Cecil The Lion.

I do hope Zimbabwe manages to extradict Walter Palmer, the moron Minnesota dentist that killed the lion, to face charges there.

At least it appears that reports of Cecil's brother, Jericho, being shot by poachers are apparently untrue. 

Meanwhile, we need to remember that many people are actually nice to animals.

So, as an antidote, watch this very comforting compilation from LiveLeak. It's people being nice to others, but mostly people being good to animals.

It's wonderful to know there is some good in the world:

Lion Killer Is No He-Man, And Everybody Knows That Now: 8/1/15 Update To This Story

Virile he-man (yeah, right!) Walter Palmer
with a leopard he killed a while back.
He's now being pilloried for killing Cecil the lion. 

UPDATE: Reports that Cecile the Lion's brother being shot turn out to be (probably, hopefully) untrue. 

Unconfirmed reports are spreading this Saturday afternoon that poachers have also killed a lion named Jericho, who was Cecil's brother.

Fortunately, at least I hope, a newer update from Reuters indicates Jericho is still alive and OK,

Reuters is reporting that the reports of Jericho's demise were false and premature. Let's hope that the Reuters reporters are spot on accurate. 

Jericho was or is looking after the cubs left by Cecil, so if he had died, the cubs would be in great peril.

Other groups of lions might kill them, or poachers might get them if Jericho had died.

Early reports of Jericho getting killed by poachers set off another firestorm on social media

I'm guessing potential killers of Jericho came partly and unwittingly as a result of all the publicity surrounding Cecil's death. The poachers, who'll apparently do anything for money, figured they could
find Jericho easily enough and there you go.

Again, I hope Reuters is right in that the wildlife group monitoring Jericho says his GPS indicates he's moving around normally and hanging out with a female. Good for him!

I've heard some complaints from my previous posts that shooting lions and tigers and such in Zimbabwe and other such places is good for their economies and to lift locals out of poverty.

I haven't found convincing evidence that the monetary gains are actually real, but here's the much larger point:

Must EVERYTHING in this world be some sort of financial transactions? Can't we just leave some things alone and find other ways to make money other than violence, corruption, and destruction?

This whole thing with the lions is getting sicker and sicker, and making me more and more heartsick

PREVIOUS DISCUSSION:

My guess is Walter Palmer, the creepy Minnesota dentist who went to Zimbabwe to kill Cecil the Lion, has got a microscopic dick, can't get it up and is absolutely horrible in bed.

I don't now this for a fact, of course but I can't come up with any other explanation as to why this loser would kill a lion.

Maybe he's overcompensating?

That's not an original thought, of course. Everybody has been saying this about Palmer all week, and he's basically now Public Enemy #1.

Palmer has been getting more press than Donald Trump, and, as Jimmy Kimmel put it, he has become the most hated man in America who has never advertised Jello pudding on television. 

So much for the idea of parents saying their daughter should marry a nice dentist. Obviously, not all of them are so nice.

Oh, I know. He says he didn't realize the lion was Cecil, thE guides he hired lured Cecile out o a national park without his knowledge, yada yada yada.

He's sort of apologized, basically for not knowing it was Cecil he killed, but why would he kill ANY lion?

It's not for food. Target practice? Couldn't he just shoot cans off a log in the woods?

I guess the reason Palmer shot the lion is he because he just likes killing things. He's a serial killer, but he knows that serial killers of people have a high chance of being caught and going to jail. Plus he probably doesn't want to kill people. Some are probably his friends.

So, he did what he thought was socially acceptable. Killing animals for fun. Now he's finding out it's not all that socially respectable.

Palmer's  "apology" to his patients over the disruption is rich.

"I want you to to know the situation and my involvement. In addition to spending time with my family one of my passions outside of dentistry is hunting. I've been a life long hunter since I was a child growing up in North Dakota."

That's what you call this? Hunting?  Luring a lion out of a protected national park in Zimbabwe with the help of corrupt guides, and then subjecting the lion to a painful death. Shot with a bow and arrow, then left to suffer until being shot later.

Palmer goes on: "I deeply regret that my pursuit of an activity I love and practice responsibly and legally resulted in the taking of this lion."

Notice he says "this lion." In other words, there's the proof right there that he thinks there's nothing wrong with killing something like a lion to, I don't know, prove he's a big virile man who is so tough he can kill a lion for no reason other than to inflate his ego.

And not so fast, buddy with that "responsibly and legally" line.  He might have violated the Lacey Act, which makes it a federal crime to trade in wildlife killed in violation of foreign law, the Huffington Post notes.

From the Huffington Post: 

"'The U.S Fish and Wildlife is investigating the circumstances surrounding the killing of 'Cecil the lion.' That investigation will take us wherever the facts lead,' said Edward Grace, the agency's deputy chief of enforcement, in a statement.

'At this point in time, however, multiple efforts to contact Dr. Walter Palmer have been unsuccessful. We ask that Dr. Palmer or his representative contact us immediately," Grace added."

Too wimpy to face the (potential) music from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife, Dr. Palmer? Gee, you were so "brave" hunting lions, what happened?

True there have been a large number of death threats against Palmer, which is stupid. Anytime someone does something stupid or mean they get death threats from the multitudes of trolls lurking out there. I'm not sure how that helps, but trolls tend to be as unhelpful as Palmer himself.

People are so mad at him that it's forced the shutdown of his dental practice, hence the apology to his patients.

Palmer is obviously horrible to lions and other wildlife. But he's also possibly pretty lousy with people, too.

Raw Story reports that Palmer settled a sexual harassment claim against him in 2009 for $127,500.

A receptionist who worked for Palmer over five and a half years ending in 2005 said she was subject to Palmer's comments about her breasts, buttocks and genitalia.

The report said the receptionist asked that the behavior stop, but it didn't She alleges she was fired for reporting the harassment, Raw Story says. 

At least Palmer didn't then go on a safari to shoot and kill the woman's cat if she had one.

If there's any good that has come out of Palmer's atrocious behavior in Zimbabwe and probably elsewhere, at least there's more awareness that this kind of "hunting" goes on and must stop.

The Internet is beginning to move on to other topics, now. Though I'm sure there will be more news when and if Palmer surfaces.

I just hope he doesn't make any money selling the rights to his story.  He doesn't deserve any kind of reward.

A lot of people have also noted there's plenty of outrage over Cecil's death, but not about other likely more pressing matters. (Black Lives Matter, anyone?)

However, I think it's possible and a good thing to get riled up over Palmer's atrociousness, while also caring about other issues, ones involving human lives, too.

Maybe there will be a payoff of sorts to the kind of wildlife Palmer thinks are his playthings to kill. There certainly is more interest in the issue, at least for now.

Jimmy Kimmel's monologue the other night about the killing of Cecil the Lion, which is a must-watch, by the way, resulted in more than $150,000 in donations in fewer than 24 hours to Oxford's Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, or WildCRU.

WildCRU had been monitoring Cecile via GPS before his death, and Kimmel flashed the organization's Web site on screen during his monologue.

Jane Goodall, that reverential hero of African wildlife, is of course crushed by what happened to Cecil, but sees hope nonetheless:

"Only one good thing comes out of this - thousands of people have read the story and have also been shocked. Their eyes opened to the dark side of human nature. Surely they will now be more prepared to fight for the protection of wild animals and the wild places where they live. Therin lies the hope."

Friendly Bear Makes Nice Catch

Just watch. Happy little video:

All Kinds Of Animals Show Off For The Cameras

This fun little guy mugs for a GoPro camera.  

One of the nice things about everything being recorded and video'd these days is we get new looks at how animals act and have fun.

GoPro cameras seem especially good at capturing both wild animals hanging out the way they usually do.

The cameras can be left behind, so the critters aren't spooked by all those pesky humans hanging around. So the animals are chilled. It's all good.

We also get great looks at domestic animals, too, with GoPro caneras. They do show off the cameras, just like people do.

Here's a great compilation video to get you in a good, camera happy animal mood:

Sea Lion Wins Fame After Hitching Ride On Family's Kayak

Cecil the sea lion pup hitched a ride on the
Gist family kayak and gets to know Rodney
Gist during an excursion at Santa Monica CA.

A sea lion pup whose recent aquaintances named Cecil is getting his 15 minutes of fame right now.

A family was kayaking in the water just off Santa Barbara, California when the sea lion pup decided to hitch a ride on the little boat, says television station KTLA in Los Angeles. 

The sea lion plopped down behind Rodney Gist of Fullerton, California who was riding the kayak with his two children.

Gist said at first he was a little concerned for his kids. A sea lion is a wild animal, after all. He said the family was "a little bit interested in seeing how he would behave."

It turned out Cecil was a nice guy, (I'm assuming guy) as sea lion pups go. KTLA said Cecil nuzzled against Gist as it sat behind him. "The cute creature appeared at one point to even kiss the back of his head, video of the incident showed," KTLA reported.

You can watch the video at the bottom of this post.

"I could tell he was kind of playful like a dog," Gist said.

The family isn't sure why Cecil wanted so badly to meet the Gist family. "Maybe he was just tired of swimming. Maybe he was wanting to interact with people. Maybe he just wanted to snuggle," said Lee Gist, Rodney's daughter.

Eventually, as the kayak maneuvered around a pier, the Cecil drew a crowd of onlookers. Maybe Cecil got a little freaked out by all the attention so he jumped off the kayak and swam away.

At least the family got this video as a remembrance of their time with Cecil:

Moose Rescued From Avalanche Seems To Be OK

Rob Uphus and Marty Mobley recently rescued a moose
trapped in an Alaska avalanche. The guy who took this
photo, Avery Vucinich, was also one of the rescuers.  

Three guys snowmobiling northeast of Anchorage, Alaska recently encountered an avalanche victim.

Hurray! Our victim will survive after all.

The rescue was made a bit more challenging, though, because buried in the snow was not some other guy, but a moose.

According to NPR and the Alaska Dispatch News, the three men saw part of the moose's snout and ears poking out of the snow.

The guys set to work digging. Two actually dug at the snow, while the third watched the steep mountain overhead, ready to warn if another avalanche started.

"It didn't even fight us," said Marty Mobley said. "It was like, 'Help me. Help me.' It was totally docile and let us touch it. It just (lay) there," Mobley said.

Eventually, the guys shoveled out the moose and one of them poked at the moose.

It looked like the abomnable snowman, since it was covered in packed snow. But it shook the snow, and the trauma of getting stuck in the avalanche off, and took off down the mountain "at full steam," said the guys who rescued the moose.

"I am an animal lover, and I couldn't leave it there," Mobley said. "Besides we deal with a lot of avalanches and a lot of snow. That kind of karma is something we don't pass up."

Congratulations to the three guys for doing this kind deed. Happy snowmobile trails to you!

Sunday Cuteness: A VERY Happy Looking Owl

I don't know the background behind this cheerful little video of an owl, but what the hell. Good for a smile:

Sunday Video: Arctic Fox Brutally Attacks Man!!

Watch what a fox like this one does to his victim.  

The headline from the blog Nothing To Do With Arbroath says it all: Watch the "vicious Arctic fox attempt to eat man alive!!  

Spoiler: You will certainly NOT be grossed out or horrified if you watch this video:

Two Baby Animal Rescues To Charm Your Day

This baby elephant fell into a little ditch in
a Zurich zoo and couldn't get up. Watch the rescue in this post.  

Sometimes, kids quickly get themselves into trouble and have to be rescued by responsible adults.

Such was the case recently with a young elephant at a zoo in Zurich and a baby fox in Britain.

Note: Hat tip to Nothing To Do With Abroath for both videos.

In the first video, an baby elephant is playing at the zoo when he falls off a little ledge, lets out a squawk of pain from the bump and can't get up.

Luckily, there were a couple adults in the room to set things right. Very charming:



The next video isn't so charming but it does have a happy ending.

A baby fox ended up badly tangled in a soccer net (OK, football net if you want me to be proper). The fox struggled, and made things worse, The net was strangling him, and cutting off the circulation in its legs.

Luckily, some human rescuers noticed in a nick of time, and a couple of guys from Wildlife Aid cut up the net, freed the fox and examined the little critter to see if he was OK. (Spoiler alert: The fox scampers off at the very end of the video, so he's fine.)

It's still fascinating to watch the video, though. Amazing what can turn into a hazard for animals. Wildlife Aid suggests rolling up and putting away soccer nets when they're not being used.

Here's the video:

Playing Lourde's "Royals" On A Trombone Until The Cows Come Home

Derek Klingenberg has a rapt audience
as he plays pop hits on his trombone.  

Derek Klingenberg often has to bring his cattle in from the prairie.  

It's a big job, but he's made it easy.

He sits on a rickety lawn chair, whips out his trombone, and plays that overplayed Lourde hit "Royals."

It works. He plays until the cows come home, literally. Not surprisingly, the video has gone totally viral and has been seen on a lot of those morning news shows as fun and fluff.

It's a totally charming video, among a lot of videos the farmer/musician has.

But watch him to the Lourde trick with the trombone. The cows seem to like it: