Torrential Rains Flood Minnesota Zoo, Leaving Animals Dead

Torrential rains brought intense flooding to areas of Minnesota yesterday, including the Lake Superior Zoo in Duluth.

It is feared that more than fourteen animals perished in the rapidly-rising flood waters, which came after a series of thunderstorms drenched the region with more than nine inches of rain in less than 24 hours. The popular zoo, which sits at the bottom of a hill, has been the victim of flooding in the past, but none worse than yesterday's deluge.

Almost all of the zoo's barnyard animals that belonged to the petting zoo for children perished in the flood waters, including six sheep, four goats, one donkey, one raven, one snowy owl and one turkey vulture. Two of the park's popular seals, Fesity and Helen, managed to escape their flooded enclosure but were rescued as they tried valiantly to flee the flood waters. People living near the zoo photographed the terrified seals as they frantically lumbered across busy roads in an effort to escape the deadly waters.


The zoo's female polar bear Berlin also temporarily escaped from her enclosure as well, but was quickly tranquilized and placed in a temporary pen, away from the flood waters and out of harm's way.  

A creek flows through the normally idyllic 16-acre property, which means torrential rains can cause dangerous flash flooding. Zoo keepers fear that the animal death count will continue to rise, as staff and volunteers enter the flooded enclosures to survey the damage and take a census of the animals. 

After 115 Years Together, Turtle Mates Suddenly Can't Stand Each Other

A tortoise couple who have been together for a very long time have suddenly developed a complete aversion to one another!

Tortoises Bibi and Pidi from the Happ Reptile Zoo  in Klagenfurt, Austria, have been mates for the past 115 years, but after more than a century of togetherness, it appears the couple have hit a rough patch in their long-term relationship.

Now, Bibi has taken to attacking her former amour Pidi whenever she sees him, snapping and trying to take a bite out of him. What brought on the newly-aggressive behavior in the normally relaxed Bibi is not known (perhaps she just got tired of Pidi monopolizing all the sandbox time).

Zoo officials, desperate to mend the riff between the two turtles, have called in animal behavior experts to try and resolve their "marital" issues. (I believe 115 years constitutes a Common Law marriage, since they obviously don't have a marriage license.) Hopefully, Bibi and Pidi can resolve any issues and animosities they have, because we'd hate to see them throw away more than a century of turtle love.

Puppy Love: Video of Puppies Destroying Presents is Christmas Hit

"On the 11th Day of Christmas, my true love gave to me, eleven Golden Retriever Pups..."

What could be cuter than loads of puppies popping out of beautifully wrapped presents beneath a sparkling Christmas tree? Answer: Not much!

Check out this beyond-cute holiday video featuring the most adorable little puppies that you've ever seen, merrily destroying perfectly wrapped presents in the cutest way possible. If this video doesn't warm your heart or put a big, cheesy grin on your face, you truly are the Grinch of Christmas Past, Ebenezer...

A Prickly Situation: Cat Stuck on Cactus For Three Days

A cat got caught up in a very prickly situation after climbing to the top of a large Saguaro cactus and finding that it couldn't make its way back down again!

The feckless feline decided it wanted to explore the desert area around the Salt River in Arizona from high above, so it somehow managed to climb to the top of the enormous cactus, over twenty feet in the air. The cat discovered that what goes up doesn't always necessarily come down, at least not as easily. Passers-by were alerted by the loud cries of the trapped cat and a rescue effort was soon launched.

As local channel KXNV's news helicopter flew overhead to film a story on the cat, it finally decided it had had more than enough and can be seen scurrying down the cactus to escape all the brouhaha! Fear is always a great motivator!