ANIMALS

Terrified Feral Dog Transforms Into Playful Puppy Post-rescue

When finding a 4-month-old puppy huddled in a wooded area, Donna Lochmann recognized the challenge of capturing her. Among the 19 animals rescued from a private residence that day, the puppy stood out as the most timid of the group.

Cornered and with no escape, the young dog resorted to defensive barking against her rescuers, but they remained determined not to abandon her.

“She was pretty feral,” Lochmann, chief life-saving officer at Stray Rescue of St. Louis (SRSL), told The Dodo. “She clearly had not been handled by humans.”

Image source: Stray Rescue Of St. Louis

With limited knowledge of the animals’ upbringing, Lochmann and her team discerned that they had endured neglectful conditions. Insufficient human interaction instilled a deep fear of humans within the dogs. Roaring River, as she came to be known, suffered the most severe consequences of this unfortunate upbringing.

Lochmann and SRSL’s shelter manager, Kiara, undeterred, pressed on with unwavering determination.

Initially overwhelmed with fear, Roaring River displayed her distress by nipping at Kiara’s hands as they approached her. However, with time, she gradually settled down. Lochmann skillfully managed to secure the dog in her grip, prompting a sigh of relief before gently transporting her to the safety of her Jeep.

Image source: Stray Rescue Of St. Louis

Roaring River and her siblings were immediately taken to the shelter, where they underwent comprehensive medical examinations. Each dog received the necessary treatment and the long-awaited affection they truly deserved. In no time, their well-being significantly improved, and they began to flourish.

Initially, Roaring River remained deeply afraid of leashes and struggled to walk while on one. To assist her in overcoming this hurdle, the shelter staff resorted to carrying her out to the yard, providing the support she needed.

“We carried her out to the yard the first few times until she got more used to being on a leash and walking some,” Lochmann said. “But even then, it was a struggle.”

Image source: Stray Rescue Of St. Louis

Roaring River found walking on a leash to be a challenging task. However, with time and practice, she gradually grew accustomed to it. Before long, she experienced the exhilarating freedom of running, discovering the joy it brought into her life.

“She runs, plays, and chases the other dogs,” Lochmann said. “She’s a totally different dog.”

At last, Roaring River embraces the full spectrum of joys that come with puppyhood, liberated from the shackles of fear.

Watch the Video here:

With a newfound sense of confidence, Roaring River is now prepared to embark on her search for a forever home. While she remains available for adoption, an exciting opportunity awaits her.

“She’s still at the shelter, but there’s a family who’s interested in adopting her,” Lochmann said. “They’ve been taking it slow and coming to meet her. They’re just really letting her get used to them, which is a smart way to handle that. They seem very patient and understanding of her situation.”

Following their rescue, all of Roaring River’s siblings have been placed in foster homes, with some already finding their forever families. While her siblings may have secured their happily-ever-afters ahead of her, the shelter’s staff remains confident that Roaring River’s own loving home is just within reach.

“She’s such a sweet girl,” Lochmann said. “It’s finally her turn.

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.