In the early 1980s, a red-eared slider turtle was born in the wild of Missouri. An uncertain future awaited her as she embarked on the perilous journey of survival. Sadly, along the way, she fell victim to something that would change her life — and her form — forever. It wasn’t a predator, an accident, … Read more
It was a typical day at Raven Ridge Wildlife Center (RRWC) last week when the phone suddenly rang with a frantic caller on the other line. The woman was distraught as she explained the devastating discovery she’d made that morning. “After calming her down, we learned that she had just returned from a week-long vacation to find … Read more
Clare Staples was at an auction house in Texas, looking for horses who needed saving, when she came across a rare baby whose story immediately broke her heart. “He was only a couple weeks old and was taken away from his mother,” Staples, founder and president of Skydog Ranch, said in a video for The Dodo. … Read more
Last month in Kenya, a giraffe found herself in a precarious position. While grazing with her family, she unwittingly stepped into a paint can, trapping her hoof inside. The giraffe struggled to walk, green paint splashing up her ankle. Sheldrick Wildlife Trust (SWT) received a report about the giraffe, who was hobbling around, and sent a … Read more
When Lowcountry Marine Mammal Network got a call about a dolphin stranded in a very shallow lagoon in the middle of a residential neighborhood in South Carolina, it was hard to believe the report was real. After some investigating, though, the sighting was confirmed, and several teams sprang into action. “The animal swam up there due to … Read more
About four years ago, American photographer Casey Cooper met Mikah, a spider monkey who’d been rescued from the illegal wildlife trade. She was living at a sanctuary run by ONCA Wildlife Rescue, an organization that rescues and rehabilitates wild animals in Bolivia. It was an encounter he’d never forget. “I was really nervous because she’s a … Read more
For the past 10 years, Hal Brindley and Cristina Garcia have been filming wildlife in their North Carolina backyard with camera traps. They usually capture plenty of squirrels, woodchucks and rabbits. But they have rarely gotten footage of opossums, likely due to the animals being nocturnal. Recently, their luck changed. In November, Brindley and Garcia, … Read more
Given their line of work, the snake experts at Rattlesnake Solutions in Arizona encounter, well, a lot of snakes. It takes an incredibly unique reptile to phase these animal lovers. And so it was a pretty spectacular moment when, just recently, Rattlesnake Solutions staff members were sent a picture from a fellow rescuer that made their jaws … Read more
Jason Breen is no stranger to wildlife encounters. As an avid surfer and water sportsman, he’s seen lots of marine animals around his home in Sydney, Australia. In fact, a few years ago, a humpback whale rocketed out of the water right in front of his board. When Breen recently heard about a huge animal trapped in … Read more
Meet Kalani: a spirited Australian sea turtle, whose story begins in a heartbreaking place. Back in January, a passerby found Kalani stranded on Lennox Head Beach in New South Wales. The Good Samaritan called rescuers at Australian Seabird & Turtle Rescue (ASTR), who quickly headed to the scene. Team members took Kalani to their rescue center, where … Read more