Animals are capable of so much more than us humans take them for…
This year has seen some pretty incredible stories involving creatures great and small, so we’ve picked out a select few that really grabbed our attention in 2015…
Goat And Tiger Became Friends
An unlikely friendship blossomed between a tiger and a goat last month at a Russian safari park. The goat was originally put in the Siberian tiger’s enclosure as his lunch, but the big cat refused to hunt him, leaving staff at the safari park ‘stunned’.
Amur the tiger was even booted out of his shelter by the cheeky goat, who occupied his bed when he entered the enclosure, forcing Amur onto the roof.
It definitely had a happier ending then first envisaged…
Dog Walked 200 Miles To Be Reunited With Its Owner
A dog that was left for dead is reported to have walked 200 miles to find the Russian woman who nursed her back to health.
Shavi – a stray dog – was by the side of the road after a suspected hit-and-run accident, in southern Russia’s Rostov Oblast region last winter.
After she had an operation on her legs, Nina Baranovskaya, 26, replied to an appeal to home Shavi and she nursed her back to health.
Sadly, Nina couldn’t continue looking after her in the longer term. So she ended up shipping her off to another loving home, with her friends 185 miles away.
However, soon after she was reported missing and many feared he dead. But she turned up back at Nina’s home, with experts believing it must have taken more than a week to make the trek. Incredible.
They’re now living together happily and looking for a bigger flat to look after Shavi permanently.
Elephant Stole Lad’s Camera And Took Epic Selfie
In May this year, Traveller Christian LeBlanc was visiting an elephant sanctuary in Koh Phangan, Thailand when the friendly animal grabbed his GoPro camera.
The elephant mistook the camera for food and, as it happened to be on timelapse mode (which automatically takes a photo every few seconds), the gentle giant snapped this amazing selfie when he stretched out his trunk.
Or an “elfie”, as LeBlanc christened the moment. Luckily for him, the elephant handed him his camera back after taking a few incredible photos.
Raccoon Breaks Into Alcohol Warehouse, Gets Hammered
Back in June, a raccoon became a viral sensation after breaking into an alcohol warehouse and having the time of its life- drinking crates of booze.
He seemed like he could handle it at first, but then he let it get to his head and he became a bit tipsy. Then drunk. Then smashed.
Hopefully he will learn from his mistakes next time and leave the boozing to us humans.
Pandas Have Seven-Minute Sex Marathon
To be honest, you don’t normally associate pandas as being the horniest animals in the worlds and it’s a rarity for them to do it all.
But these two randy bastards at the Sichuan Giant Panda Research Centre in April defied all the odds and had a seven minute long sex sesh.
Pandas are normally notoriously difficult to breed, with some even resorting to giving them viagra to get them in the mood. But these guys had no problem.
Skateboarding Dog Breaks World Record
This cool canine did something rather awesome, setting the world for the longest human tunnel travelled through by a dog skateboarder… as you do.
The funny footage shows Otto the bulldog skateboarding through the legs of 30 people to break the rather unusual world record.
The footage, filmed in Lima, Peru on Sunday, shows the cute canine, who is four-years-old or 35 in dog years, rolling down a hill and successfully passing through the human tunnel without incident.
Give that dog a bone- he’s earned it.
African Wildcat Hitched A Ride On The Back Of Rhino And Buffalo
This is definitely some of the more bizarre wildlife news we saw this year…
In South Africa a genet was seen riding on the backs of a rhino and buffalo, in separate incidents caught on camera. Right…
The wildcat was nicknamed Genet Jackson, and was spotted by Wildlife ACT at a game reserve. This kind of behaviour has never been seen before, and is considered a world-first.
Experts believe he was using them as a vantage point whilst hunting.
Well, that’s definitely one way to catch your prey I guess…
