Eleven Best Animal News Stories Of 2013

The internet is 84% inane pictures of animals.

Sometimes those pictures of animals rise above and beyond Reddit/r/animals, and are catapulted into the Real News.

Here, in no specific order, are the eleven most noteworthy mainstream media stories about animals this year.

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The Arthritic Sea Otter Who Learned To Play Basketball

Source: The BBC, February 21

Sixteen year old Eddie is an English sea otter whose doctor wants him to do more exercise. He only plays hoops in private. He is kinda like President Bartlett in that way. Watch the video.

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Every NT News Front Page Ever, But Especially This One

Source: NT News, March 18

The task of sifting through the front pages of this notoriously hilarious Darwin daily is a daunting one — from giant crocs, to stolen dogs, and the unforgettable “shaved pussy”.

 

Here is a selection of the NT News’ other greatest hits.

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Humphrey B. Bear On The Playground IRL

Source: nj.com, September 6

It’s September in Boston, and a family of bears are found in someone’s backyard, rifling through the bins and playing on the equipment. Too adorable.

If you’re after more bears, Gawker have done a pretty thorough rundown of the year in bear stories.

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Rather Sweet Photos Of Animals During The NSW Bushfires

Source: The ABC, October 23

Along with New Year’s Eve “fireworks scared the dog” stories, a true classic of the genre is the Noah’s Ark type narrative, of humans making time to care for animals during awful disasters.

Who could say no to this little guy?

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Goat Climbs Roof, Gets Stuck, Respects Only One Man

Source: Metro.co.uk, August 31

Imagine a whole bunch of burly policemen in Oregon totally stumped by one angry — but loyal — goat who, stuck on a roof, will charge anyone that isn’t his owner.

This story makes me really want a goat — but I don’t think that’s the right response.

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Mouth-To-Mouth Resuscitation Saves Salty The Dog  

Source: The Courier Mail, July 11

Whilst animals’ respect for their owners may be arbitrary, 2013 once again well and truly proved that humans will do anything for our own pets — and sometimes even other people’s.

Ballarat man Steve Hunter gave mouth-to-mouth resuscitation to little Salty after watching a car hit the Fox Terrier-Jack Russell cross.

Gross. (Disclaimer: I know the reporter of this one very well.)

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Oklahoma Woman Reunited With Dog On Camera

Source: CBS News

In another extraordinary dog-saving story, watch this woman talk to a journalist about how she was holding her dog when the tornado hit. At 1:34, someone off camera shouts “the dog, the dog” and he scrambles out. Got a teary over this one.

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Platypus Makes For A Pretty Cute Stowaway

Source: The ABC

From his home in the Murrumbidgee River in Canberra’s south, this little lady hitched a 15 km ride in the engine of a car. 18-year-old Cameron Blaseotto heard noises under the bonnet when he arrived at his friend’s house in Chisholm.

“We originally thought a possum or something was going to jump out at both of us,” he said. “We had a bit of an argument about who was going to open the engine bay and crack the lock on the bonnet.”

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The Kitty Who Travelled 200 Miles In The Snow To Get Home 

Source: New York Times, January 19

Poor little Holly. She’s not much of a looker, but she baffled most experts with her marathon feat, travelling 200 miles back to her owners, from the mobile home in Daytona Beach where they had lost her eight weeks prior.

Marc Bekoff, a University of Colorado professor of animal behaviour, said it was a mystery:  “She may have had some basic sense of direction and then got clues from sights or sounds as she got closer, but the truth is that we have no idea how she got home.”

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Lion, Bear + Tiger: Best Pals 4 Lyf 

Source: WSB TV

Even competing with the rest of the “interspecies friendship” genre of animal stories, this is a pretty incredible one.

Getting to know each other at a Georgia rescue centre, the three have been known to snuggle. Aieee!

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Loose Seals!

Source: Jezebel, November 27

Babby seals, released back into the wild. The cutest. Merry Christmas!

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Bhakthi Puvanenthiran is a broadcaster, programmer, writer and editor. She’s been published in The Age, Frankie, Thought Catalog, and Crikey; made radio at RRR, 3CR and the ABC and helped program the National Young Writers’ Festival and the Melbourne Writers Festival. Follow her @bhakthi