1. Dog Rescued After it was Seen Floating Down Canal on Shopping Cart–And Gets Adopted into Loving Home
A dog was rescued after it was found floating down an Arizona canal on a submerged shopping cart—and no one knows how long it was stranded. Passersby alerted the Humane Society after they spotted the pup stuck in the middle of a canal in Phoenix. An emergency animal medical technician from the nonprofit was dispatched, and together with the help of the city’s fire department, they were able to save the Chihuahua mix.
Video shows the team using a ladder and a rake to pull the dog out to safety. The senior pooch called ‘Dorothea’ was assessed in the AHS Pet Ambulance where she was found to be dehydrated, hungry and covered in ticks.
The 10-year-old pup was later examined by a veterinarian at the Zin Animal Foundation Trauma Hospital where she was found to only have sustained minor injuries.
2. Rats With Tiny Backpacks Being Used to Sniff Out Wildlife Smugglers Trafficking
African giant pouched rats have been trained to recognize the scent of illegal animal parts such as elephant tusks and rhino horns.
The rodents had previously been used to detect explosives and tuberculosis, but a new scientific study has shown they could be equally successful in detecting illicit articles being smuggled.
The sixteen rats were trained to detect wildlife products inside shipping containers—and during the proof-of-principle phase they identified commonly trafficked wildlife items while in a controlled laboratory setting.
It was proven the rats could be trained to detect items such as pangolin scales and threatened African hardwood, even when hidden among other “smelly items” used by smugglers to conceal their presence.
The study published in Frontiers in Conservation Science showed the animals could quickly learn to wear a vest and trigger an electronic microswitch to remotely indicate when they had located a wildlife target while working in a mock port environment.
3. Luke Combs, James Taylor Headline Star-Studded Concert for Carolina–Raises $24 Million for Hurricane Relief
Some of the biggest stars in country music teamed up on a Saturday night to see how much money they could raise for hurricane relief.
Headlined by Luke Combs and Eric Church, the Concert for Carolina generated $24 million to help North and South Carolina communities recover from the double whammy of hurricanes Helene and Milton, with names like Sheryl Crowe, James Taylor, and Keith Urban making guest appearances.
More than 80,000 people packed the Bank of America Arena in Charlotte—the use of which was offered pro bono by Carolina Panther’s owner David Tepper, whose foundation donated $3 million to relief efforts immediately following the effects of Milton—smashing as it did towns hundreds of miles from the coast.
