Imagine sitting in traffic on your way to or back from work. Sure, being stuck behind a million cars is boring, but at least you know it’ll clear up soon, and you’ll be on your way. Unfortunately for a road full of commuters in Butte, Montana, that reassurance was lost when a runaway elephant escaped from a nearby traveling circus and ran wild in the street.
This cartoonish incident occurred on Tuesday, April 16. According to the BBC and local news reports, Butte Civic Center manager Bill Melvin claimed the elephant was loose for roughly 10 minutes before returning to its trailer.
Watch one witness’s amused account of the fiasco in the wild video below.
Note: The featured image is a stock photo used to illustrate the story.
As an autistic child, Alfie Bowen had a rough time in his early schooling. The regular school system didn’t serve him well, and he suffered from bullying. But once he got into a specialist school and met his mentor, the late Duncan Rollo, he thrived. Rollo encouraged Bowen’s passion for photography, arranging his first exhibition and sharing publishing contacts. Now, Bowen has followed his 2021 book, “Wild World: Nature Through an Autistic Eye,” with a new photography book, “Wild Horses,” published by ACC Art Books.
Indeed, wild horses are what this book delivers. “Always staying at a safe and respectful distance and never approaching any of the animals, it has been my privilege to spend many magical hours over the past twenty-four months. witnessing and recording these horses and ponies thriving in nature: in the fields of Suffolk, on the mountains of North Wales and amongst the trees of the New Forest. In many ways, it has been as much a journey of self-healing and self-exploration as it has been about photographing the horses,” Bowen writes.
Photo by Alfie Bowen
The photos are astonishing in their composition, clarity, and depiction of the moving relationships between horses. There are sweet pictures of foals and moms, funny pictures of horses shaking off water, and dramatic photos of them rearing up on their hind legs as they play or fight with each other. In some shots, horses are nose to nose. In others, one horse will have their neck wrapped around another. Horses look right at Bowen through his camera in many pictures. The incredibly clear black and white photos show every knot in the horses’ tangled, wild manes.
Photo by Alfie Bowen
This book would be a great accomplishment for any photographer, but knowing Bowen’s back story adds extra meaning to the work. While Bowen has known many tribulations in his young life, his tone is uplifting.
Photo by Alfie Bowen
As he says, “My message to everyone I have met is to get out into nature, surround yourself with the wonderful flora and fauna that we share our planet with, and feel the sunshine on your back, and the wind blowing through your hair — it can transform you.”
Red pandas are seriously cute animals, but there’s more to these fluffy friends than their adorable looks. Like many of the world’s animal species, the red panda gets more fascinating the deeper you look into their lives and behavior. Today, let’s dive into the world of red pandas and see what we can discover!
First things first, how are red pandas related to the black and white pandas we know and love? And are these cute critters raccoons or bears? Well, as the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute explains, “Despite sharing a common name, giant pandas and red pandas are not closely related.” The red panda also isn’t a bear or a raccoon. In fact, they’re “most closely related to skunks, raccoons and weasels.”
Learn even more about these unique creatures in the list of red panda facts below! Plus, read about a 2013 red panda zoo escape here.
Have you ever thought about the world’s obsession with adorable bears? Humans create plush versions of the animal in the form of teddy bears, there are contests devoted to picking the fattest bear, and fictional bear characters like Winnie the Pooh have captured the hearts of millions. Despite this critter’s sometimes ferocious and grisly behavior, people just can’t get enough of bears.
If you’re one of the world’s many bear enthusiasts, start your day off right with these three fun, strange, and silly bear videos. These recent clips come to you from locations like the snowy wilderness around Lake Tahoe, California’s Oakland Zoo, and the Woburn Safari Park in England.
https://www.instagram.com/reel/C41TDZaMUpI/
While this first video seems to show a sleepy bear slowly emerging from hibernation within a snow-filled forest, this next video from the Oakland Zoo features a delightful and energetic grizzly bear.
This bear isn’t the only one having fun in the water, though. Recently, England’s Woburn Safari Park shared a video showing some of its North American black bears playing in a swan boat. See it for yourself in the video below.
Some national parks are perfect for runners. A few of the parks, like Grand Teton and Joshua Tree, even host 5K, half marathon, and marathon events. Yellowstone National Park also offers runners fun races to partake in. These events include races like the Yellowstone Half Marathon and 5K and the Yellowstone 50K Trail Race.
So, if there are official races like these hosted at Yellowstone, why shouldn’t you try tail running through the park? The answer is simple: wildlife. Bears, bison, wolves, and other powerful critters may view your running as a threat or as prey behavior. This isn’t just a potential danger; people have been attacked and killed by animals within Yellowstone. In 2023, a bear attack on one of the park’s trails led to the death of marathon runner Amie Adamson.
While wildlife dangers shouldn’t keep you from enjoying Yellowstone, the park does have a few important safety tips guests should know. Outdoors enthusiasts are probably familiar with most of these rules: don’t feed the animals, keep your distance, and carry bear spray just in case.
NPS photo by Neal Herbert
“All of Yellowstone is bear country,” Yellowstone National Park’s website explains, “from the trails in the park’s backcountry to the boardwalks and parking lots around Old Faithful. Your safety cannot be guaranteed, but you can play an active role in protecting yourself and the bears people come here to enjoy.”
Additional safety tips recommended by the park include hiking with a partner or group, making noise, respecting park closures, and not leaving food sources unattended. Oh, and if you’re carrying bear spray, make sure you know how to use it. Remember, it’s not like bug spray. You do not want to spray this stuff on yourself or your gear. Instead, bear spray should be directed at an aggressive bear to keep them away and keep you safe.
Read up on more wildlife safety tips here, or explore some of the sights you can expect to see at Yellowstone here.
Bison are just one of the captivating animals you can spot trekking through Yellowstone National Park in the winter. If you regularly visit the park, you have probably been able to see one of the park’s beautiful bison before. But have you seen these majestic creatures posing in front of Old Faithful geyser right as it’s erupting? On Saturday, March 9, that is exactly what park visitor Cindy Shaffer caught on camera.
“That was an extremely special and tearful moment for me,” Shaffer said. “Tears of joy, of course.”
Happy birthday, Olympia and Elbroch! On March 6, the Philadelphia Zoo posted an adorable video of these two precious pumas celebrating their first birthdays together.
As the Philly Zoo wrote on X (formerly Twitter), “We estimate the cubs were born around this time. These siblings joined our family in early July after being rescued in Washington, and very quickly became beloved by both staff and guests!”
A local news report further explains that the puma cubs were rescued from Kalama, Washington, and transferred from experts at the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife to the Philly Zoo. Formerly underweight and at-risk, pumas Olympia and Elbroch can be seen thriving and enjoying a birthday cake made of ice in the video below.
Want to wish these puma cubs a happy birthday yourself? You can direct your birthday wishes to the pair via social media. Or, better yet, visit the Philadelphia Zoo and see if you can get a glimpse of the pumas in person!
We celebrated a very special 🎉1st BIRTHDAY🎉 to rescued puma cubs Olympia and Elbroch! We estimate the cubs were born around this time. These siblings joined our family in early July after being rescued in Washington, and very quickly became beloved by both staff and guests!🎂🎈 pic.twitter.com/feTAZIDNN6
Get a glimpse of some of the magnificent creatures that swim in the waters around California’s one and only Channel Islands National Park.
While several species call the Channel Islands home, some are more likely to make an appearance than others. One of the species known for staying out of the limelight is the orca. Eagle-eyed wildlife watchers have to be pretty lucky to spot one of these curious animals.
Recently, a ranger patrolling the area around the park’s San Miguel Island lucked out and saw a pod of orcas for himself. As Channel Islands National Park recently explained in a Facebook post, “Although sightings of orcas around the Channel Islands are rare, they can happen at any time of the year.”
See this orca sighting for yourself in the video below.
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=765451632164134
Note: The featured image is a stock photo used to illustrate the story.
Deer are one of the most common animals in the United States. North America is home to about 35 million of these critters, and several states claim the deer as their representative animal. Most Americans have probably seen a deer up close. Backyard deer sightings aren’t uncommon for many people, especially those who live on the East Coast.
What is uncommon is seeing a deer trapped inside an Old Navy store. On February 15, this strange sight is exactly what several shoppers in Greenville, South Carolina, witnessed. According to local news outlet WYFF 4, a troubled deer was seen frantically trying to escape from an Old Navy at Greenville’s Cherrydale Point Plaza.
See the deer make its escape in the video below. As a warning for all animal lovers out there, this video does contain images of an injured animal in distress.
Note: The featured image is a stock photo used to illustrate the story.
