Catch up on the stories that you may have missed over the past 31 days, by reading May’s round-up of news fresh from the animal kingdom!
Hooded Crow Given New Lease On Life, Thanks To Human Kindness (And With A Little Help From Science!)
(Picture via The Quint)
A one-year old bird has been given a new lease on life, thanks to a kindly graphic designer and his knowledge of 3D printing.
The bird, Giada, sustained an injury to his beak while in the wild. In fact, the damage was so bad that Giada actually lost his beak altogether.
Fortunately, Giada’s case was brought to the attention of Cicero Moraes, a leading graphic designer from Brazil. Moraes has recently earned a bit of a name for himself by recreating beaks for other bird species, and this past experience made Moraes the perfect choice for fixing Giada’s bill.
Moraes printed a total of six new beaks for the bird, before a vet (Dr Lorenzo Crosta, from Giada’s native Milan) selected the best of the bunch. Crosta then attached the brand-new bill to Giada’s damaged upper beak, in what is known to be the first procedure of its kind in Europe.
While Giada is able to function much better with his new beak, he is understandably still a little nervous about this brand-new apparatus and is too shy to eat in front of people. Here’s hoping that the little bird grows more accustomed to his beak over time, regaining his confidence in the process!
Lady Dedicates Her Life To Caring For Goats With Disabilities
(Picture via @goatsofanarchy on Instagram)
In another reaffirming tale of human kindness, we’ll now turn our attention to a lady named Leanne…and the story of her many, many goats.
Once a successful career woman based in New York City, Leanne Lauricella realised that she was growing tired of the long commutes and high levels of stress that came with having a job in the city. Feeling unfulfilled and relatively disillusioned with life, Lauricella reased that ‘there had to be something more’ to life…and soon found herself in the most unusual of situations.
Back in 2014, Lauricella visited a farm and stumbled across an unexpected calling: she fell head over heels with the baby goes on the farm, and developed a huge sense of empathy for those with disabilities. This lead to her establishing an organisation known as ‘Goats of Anarchy’, where Leanne now spends her days caring for orphaned, disabled or special need goats.
Speaking of the time she invested into the sanctuary, Lauricella seems to have finally found the fulfilment she so desperately desired – and has also developed a core online following, too! ‘It was clear this was the lifestyle I wanted,’ she says, ‘I decided to trade in the high heels for muck boots, and my Mercedes for a classic Chevy pickup. Some people have called me foolish or irresponsible for quitting my job without a plan, but for me, it was a leap of faith.’
And it was a leap worth taking: on day one of Leanne unemployment (and subsequent beginnings of the ‘Goats of Anarchy’ sanctuary’), she developed 30,000 instagram followers overnight. ‘I took this as a sign that I was on the right track’, she said in an interview with Cosmopolitan.
We have to say, we’re so impressed by Leanne’s dedication to her goats that she takes in – and we’re mindblown that she also finds the time to take care of other new adoptees, such as a mini horse, a mini donkey, two bunnies and a pig! Is there anything this woman can’t do?!
Check out this video shared by The Dodo, and see all of the amazing work that Leanne Lauricella does for the sake of the animals. If you’d like to find out more, head to www.goatsofanarchy.com to read about this incredible story, and even donate if you wish!
Pet Shelter Only Hires Homeless People Who Love Animals
(Picture via The Dodo)
Got your tissues at the ready? Or have you already cried your way through a whole box of ‘em? You might wanna grab something else to dry your tears, in that case, because it’s about to get real emotional…
We’re back to Brazil for our next story; specifically, the famous city of Rio de Janiero. Known around the globe for its stunning landscapes, spirited attitude, and of course the iconic ‘Christ the Redeemer’ statue, there is plenty to love about Rio. One of the downsides of the city, however, is its problem with homelessness: with an estimated 5,600 people living on the streets, homelessness is a real issue – add to that the fact that 75% of the homeless population didn’t even conclude elementary school (and that 40% of them lacking any form of identification), the fight to get these people off the streets and into safe accommodation/jobs is seemingly an uphill battle.
Enter Glenn Greenwald and David Miranda, a wonderful couple with the biggest of hearts. Their story began more than three years ago, when they rescued an older, injured dog from the side of the road in the middle of Rio’s forest. The dog, lovingly named ‘Mabel’ by the pair, seemed to be one extra addition to the pairs already-large family of dogs…but little did they know that Mabel was pregnant, increasing the number of the dogs in the household from seven to fourtneen.
Many of Mabel’s puppies went on to find loving homnes of their own, but two remained with the family. The growing pack of pups became a key priority for both Greenwald and Miranda, with animal rescue and activism taking up much of the couple’s time. Since Mabel’s rescue all those years ago, the family have picked up, fostered, and found new homes for countless other animals. But this was just the tip of the iceberg.
Greenwald and Miranda have spent the last couple of years on a brand-new initiative: they now work with homeless people who live on the streets with their pets. Homelessness could truly happen to any of us – you never know when life may deal you an unfair hand, which is why the following story is so important. Homeless people tend to have purest of relationships with animals, doing everything within their means to provide shelter, food and safety for their canine companions. This is something that Greenwald and Miranda understood very well and, as such, set about developing a new type of animal shelter, with a solution to the homelessness epidemic in mind.
The shelter is unique in that it exclusively hires homeless people: in addition to aiding the homeless, Miranda and Greenwald believe that the affinity between these individuals and their animals demonstrates the perfect ability to care for animals in need. The employees of the shelter will, of course, have a steady income – and they will also receive help in managing their money, as well as assistance transitioning from the streets into permanent work.
There is so much more to learn about this story, so head here to read an in-depth blogpost by Glenn Greenwald himself. This is a story of beauty, resilience, and love, and it absolutely deserves our time, attention, and respect.
Extremely Rare Albino Orangutan Rescued In Indonesia – And Is Given A Beautiful New Name
(Picture courtesy of BOSF)
Earlier this month, the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation received word of an orangutan being kept under cruel conditions in the Kapuas Hulu district. It is a tragedy that instances like this are hardly the norm in Borno – BOSF frequently seize orangutans from the cruel crutches of locals, who often attempt to keep the poor apes as pets – but the one thing that did set this particular seizure apart, was the appearance of the orangutan being rescued.
Alba is a newly-named albino orangutan, discovered by BOSF and now receiving rehabilitation by the team. At five years old, it is unknown how long Alba had been kept as a ‘pet’ (or, rather, in a cage by her cruel captors.) At the time of her rescue, Alba was both dehydrated and underweight, but has quickly gained a healthy amount of weight since being cared for by the team at BOSF.
Alba’s albinism is incredibly rare, with the team at BOSF stating that they have never seen an orangutan like her in their 25-year history. Due to her unique condition, the 24-hour veterinary team have been paying her some close attention and tailored care, keeping her facility dimly lit and avoiding sunlight in accordance to her sensitivity.
Despite the fact that there is much to be learnt about Alba’s vastly uncommon condition, the team are hopeful that she will be able to experience life in the wild in the not-too-distant future. ‘She is showing some wild behaviour’, foundation spokesman Nico Hermanu said. ‘We think she may be able to return to the wild.
The Great Projects work closely with the BOSF on our own project, the Samboja Lestari Orangutan Project. If you would like to learn more about the achievements of both the foundation and its volunteers, head to our project page now and select the ‘updates and outcomes’ tab!
And Finally – This Crazy Cat Lady Has Made The Purr-fect Home For Her Feline Friends!
(Picture via The Dodo)
Christine is a crazy cat lady, and she doesn’t care who knows it (though she would prefer that you didn’t know her last name.) As the proud parent of three fuzzy bundles of joy, Christine admits that adopting her trio of kittens can be a terror, as well as a joy: ‘t's like having three fearless, nocturnal toddlers who can jump ten feet and think knocking dishes from a shelf is high comedy.’
So when a tiny, tailless and very pregnant cat arrived at her door in late 2015, Chrstine and her partner were a little apprehensive about taking the misguided moggy in: at that point, they already had two cats, and inviting this third one into the home would stretch the means of their tiny apartment. But sympathy for the animal and Christine’s better nature soon took hold and, not long after the pregnant cat had arrived at their home, Christine and her boyfriend soon found themselves juggling five adorable kittens, alongside the three full-growns.
Two of the kittens soon found their own forever-homes, but the remaining three were not so fortunate…at which point, Christine had realised just how in love she was with the little babes. Deciding to keep them, she named the newborns Monkey, Pippa and Klaus, as well as renaming their mother Kbitz.
Before you think that this is just another sweet tale of adoption, however, you’d be wrong – in some ways, it’s a little better, and certainly quirkier.
After moving into a new home with a grand-total of six cats, Christine and her partner decided to up the kitty’s comfort levels…by buying them some furniture of their own. ‘I was thrift store shopping and I saw the weird dollar-sign covered doll couch and toy piano,” Christine said. “I thought it would be funny if I could get Monkey to pose on it, like he was about to record the hottest track of 2017.’
Luckily for Christine (and, consequently, those of us that inhabit the realms of social media) Monkey instantly took a liking to his eccentric new chair/toy, claiming it for his own and rarely leaving it alone. So adorable was little Monkey on his brand-new mini-sofa, that Christine decided to purchase more furniture for the cats’ living room: a second couch, a coffee table and a throw rug soon made their way into the household, as well as a hilarious and dinky ‘grand’ piano.
As well as being endlessly amusing, the new kitty living room comes with a purpose: ‘We try to make their room the most appealing for scratching, climbing and ruckus-making,’ says Christina, though apparently the lil’ piano remains mostly untouched, and serves as more of a…conversation piece?
We think that Christine’s kitty décor idea is splendid, and these pictures definitely brought a smile to each of our faces! Watch the video below to catch a glimpse of all-time diva Monkey, lounging in his chair. Too cute, right?!
