ANIMALS

Clever Horse Takes Refuge In A Pool To Survive California Wildfires

During the 2018 California wildfires, a widely shared photo depicted a horse trapped in a pool while trying to escape the raging flames. As concerned individuals on Facebook collaborated to reunite lost pets with their owners, a heartbreaking story emerged about a horse caught in the deadliest wildfire the state had ever seen. Jeff Hill, a former Paradise resident, drove around to lend a helping hand during the emergency but was utterly unprepared for the heartbreaking scene he unexpectedly encountered.

Image source: Facebook/ Jeff Hill

While surveying a residence in the aftermath of the devastating Camp Fire that nearly obliterated Paradise, Jeff Hill stumbled upon a startling discovery in the backyard. There, he came across a horse entangled in a pool cover, trembling uncontrollably and wearing an expression of surrender, as he described on Facebook. Thankfully, the pool cover proved to be a lifesaver for the horse during the deadliest wildfire ever recorded in California’s history. Hill expressed uncertainty about the duration the horse had spent in the pool, but due to the protective cover, the animal managed to stay in the water without drowning until the fire subsided, as he shared in his now-famous social media post.

Image source: Facebook/ Jeff Hill

“I was checking to see if someone’s house was standing we stumbled upon this [horse] who had given up and had a look of defeat in her eyes,” Jeff shared on Facebook.

Image source: Facebook/ Jeff Hill

Jeff described how he and his team promptly sprang into action to rescue the horse. They swiftly released the fastenings of the pool cover, guided the horse to the shallower area of the pool, and gently guided her up the steps. Once out of the pool, the horse shook off the stress and expressed her gratitude by warmly engaging with the rescuers for a brief time. She then walked away with confidence, reassuring them that she was alright, as recounted in Hill’s Facebook post.

The images capturing the horse’s harrowing experience might tug at the heartstrings, but she is a resilient survivor who triumphed over the wildfires through her swift instincts and the assistance of Jeff and his team. “Today, in the midst of all the misery, I saw a glimpse of joy,” Hill wrote, emphasizing the uplifting nature of the encounter.

The horse stayed for a short while, seemingly acknowledging Jeff’s rescue efforts, before finally getting up and departing. It seemed that the horse sought shelter in the pool to evade the intense heat but got trapped by the pool cover.

“She got out, shook off, loved on us for a few minutes as a thank you and walked off assuring us that she was ok,” the man wrote.

Image source: Facebook/ Jeff Hill

However, there is no doubt that the pool played a vital role in saving the horse’s life. The mere idea of what could have happened if Jeff hadn’t been there to set her free is too distressing to even think about.

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ANIMALS

Amazing Video of Unseen Ocean Creatures in the Ningaloo Canyons

The Schmidt Ocean Institute recently explored the Ningaloo Canyons on the western coast of Australia using a robotic underwater vehicle called the ROV Sebastian. Check out the amazing video of what they discovered in the deep parts of the Indian Ocean.

More info: Youtube

ANIMALS

These Pics Are Art and the Artists Are Insects

Flying insects move so quickly that they are hard to follow, but new technology and some smart ideas have helped Spanish photographer Xavi Bou do just that. After spending 10 years focusing on birds in flight for his Ornithographies project, he turned his attention to insects.

For Entomographies, he uses high-speed video footage taken by Adrian Smith, an insect expert at North Carolina State University, to study and record how insects move. Bou then picks multiple frames and combines them into single images that show the fast movements of one or more insects through space and time.

With Smith’s help, Bou has captured the aerial tricks of wasps, the jumps of leafhoppers, and the fluttering of butterflies in amazing detail. He hopes that by doing this, he can make people more aware of the decline in important insect populations around the world.

1. Zebra longwing

This butterfly, which is common in many areas of the Americas, really fits its name. It can fly very high with just a few flaps of its large wings.