#elephant

#elephant

Elephants Find Freedom in SanctuaryPocha the Asian elephant was born in a German zoo. She has lived most of her 55 years in a small concrete enclosure at the Mendoza EcoParque in Argentina. She and her daughter Guillermina finally got to leave the zoo in May of this year and were taken 2,092 miles (3,366 kilometers) to Elephant Sanctuary Brazil, where they can roam through grasslands and the rainforest and meet other elephants. The transition was very gradual, as these elephants were suffering from sensory deprivation. But their joy in their new home is easy to see. You can see plenty of videos about Pocha, Guillermina, and their journey at the sanctuary's website.#elephant #sanctuary #ElephantSanctuaryBrazil #rescue

Training Lions to be Good PatientsVeterinary care for wild animals usually means sedating the animal, caging it, and quick treatment, at least according to nature documentaries we've seen. But for animals in zoos, shooting a dart gun at a lion or tiger just because it needs a dental exam, a vaccine, or a pedicure is out of the question. The animals at the Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute receive top notch care that includes all those things, so a more humane system was worked out. The animals are trained to participate in their own care! Of the six African lions at the zoo, three are considered geriatric cases at more than 15 years old, longer than they would have lived in the wild. They need some extra care from the staff. The lions have all participated in the voluntary training, since the rewards are their favorite food treats. The staff, who always stay behind a protective fence or other barrier, teach the lions to present a body part when prompted. This spring, keepers noticed 18-year-old Naba chewing funny, so they prompted her to open her mouth for them as she'd been trained. They took pictures to give to the veterinary dentist, who diagnosed her problems from the images and later pulled three of Naba's teeth. The same training allowed the staff to check her mouth during her recovery. The lions are so well trained that all six lined up with their hips pressed against the fence to receive COVID vaccines. But this training is not limited to big cats. The zoo also uses this training with elephants and gorillas. The training not only allows animals to show the doctor where it hurts, but also allows for nail clipping and other maintenance, while keeping staff staff members safe and trauma at a minimum. Both links from the Smithsonian have more videos showing how their animals learn to be good patients. -via Metafilter#lion #gorilla #elephant #zoo #veterinarycare   

Rescuers Perform CPR on Mama ElephantThe Guardian reports that a baby elephant fell into a deep hole in the ground in Khao Yai National Park in central Thailand. When its mother tried to rescue it, she fell in, too, and got stuck. Rescuers initially tranquilized her, but she fell unconscious.With the assistance of a boom lift and a digger, they were able to extract the mother and the baby. The rescuers began performing CPR on the mother. Since elephants are huge, this involved a man jumping up and down on her chest to trigger a heartbeat.The rescue was successful and the pair of elephants, once they were on their feet, fled into the forest.-via Instapundit#elephant #CPR

Elephants vs. Giant PumpkinsHave you ever wondered what happens to giant pumpkins that are grown for competition? While some win prizes, others just lay on their sides, and they won't fit into a stew pot. Besides, they don't make good pies. In Portland, they make good use of them. Recently, Larry Nelson and Jacob Baldridge of the Pacific Giant Vegetable Growers Club took a load of giant pumpkins to the Oregon Zoo for the annual ritual called the Squishing of the Squash. Every year since 1999, the zoo welcomes the shipment of fall gourds for the elephants, who have their way with the pumpkins. "First, they destroy them, then they enjoy them," elephant keeper Dimas Dominguez said.

The Funniest Animals From the 2021 Comedy Wildlife Photography AwardsThe Comedy Wildlife Photography Awardscompetition has just released their 2021 finalists for the world's funniest animals, so how could we not post it on Supa Fluffy?The Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards competition was started 7 years ago back in 2015 by wildlife photographer Paul Joynson-Hicks MBE. Tom Sullam and Michelle Wood joined in afterwards and the founders grew the online award to a tradition that people all over the world look forward to every year.In addition to photographs, this year's competition also has funny animals caught on video. This one above is from "Hugging best friend after lockdown" by Rahul Lakhmani.More than 7,000 photographs were submitted to the competition and a total of 42 photographs were selected as finalists. The category and overall winners will be announced on October 22, 2021.#FunnyAnimals #ComedyWildlifePhotographyAwardTake a look at our favorite funny animals and finalists 2021 Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards below:

Top 25 Animal Photos of CEWE Photo Awards 2021With over 606,000 photos from 170 countries submitted, the CEWE Photo Award 2021 is the biggest photo competition in the world. This year's competition motto of "Our world is beautiful," is brought to life by the winning photos in 10 categories.We're mesmerized by the shortlisted photos in the Animal category (of course, this is Supa Fluffy after all).The category winner, a herd of elephant titled "Der Clan kuschelt" or "The clan cuddles" by German photographer Josef Schwarz is shown above. The photo shows a clan of elephant huddling together, with the smallest elephants protected in the middle of the group.Take a look below at the rest of the shortlisted photos in the Animal category of the CEWE Photo Award 2021.#CEWEPhotoAward2021 #photography #AnimalPhotography #elephant