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Tag: wildlife park

  • White tiger endures bombs in wait for rescue

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    A white tiger traumatised by the sound of bombs in war-torn Ukraine is one veterinary check away from being cleared to travel to his new home in the UK.

    Aleks was found abandoned last year in the Kharkiv region of north-east Ukraine before he was taken to an animal shelter in Chubynske, near Kyiv.

    Lincolnshire Wildlife Park, near Boston, has been busy preparing for Aleks’s arrival, and are now just waiting on a veterinary team to check he is healthy enough for the long journey across Europe.

    Park chief executive Steve Nichols said: “He’s going to come massively traumatised, they’re still being bombed as we’re talking now.”

    He said he had learned from emails sent by the Ukrainian animal rescuers that some of the animals they were caring for had already died due to shell shock.

    On waiting for Aleks to arrive, he said: “The poor creature is sat in this horrendous place and we just feel frustrated we could get him over here and sort the paperwork afterwards.

    “Obviously we just can’t do that.

    “The next four weeks we will see movement and will definitely have a date and hopefully he will be en route to Lincolnshire.”

    Lincolnshire Wildlife Park installed a new enclosure gate on Monday [Lincolnshire Wildlife Park]

    Aleks will be driven from Ukraine through Poland and northern Europe and then from Dover to his new home at the wildlife park at Friskney in Lincolnshire.

    Before his rescue and treatment, the tiger was dehydrated, infested with parasites and exhausted, as well as having gastrointestinal issues, and liver and kidney issues, the park said.

    Mr Nichols said the park had got almost everything ready for Aleks following a fundraising campaign set up to help cover the £100,000 cost of his new enclosure.

    A gate was installed at his enclosure on Monday, leaving a swimming pool and play frame as the final items to be added.

    Steve Nichols, a man with grey hair and wearing a green t-shirt, feeds a slice of apples to two lemurs which are perched on his shoulder. He is standing in an animal enclosure which is surrounded by leafy green bushes and a metal fence.

    Park chief executive Steve Nichols said he was “excited” about the arrival of the white tiger [Richard Madden/BBC]

    Once he arrives, Aleks will go through a three-stage process to get him settled – starting with an indoor closure with a sleeping area, playroom and feeding room.

    With veterinary help, he will then go into an outdoor enclosure, and then hopefully join the other tigers at the park.

    Mr Nichols said he hoped the different stages would get Aleks “used to the Lincolnshire sunshine and peace and quiet”.

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  • Laughter as golden retrievers make unlikely best friends at wildlife park

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    Hearts have melted at a pair of golden retrievers who were determined to make best friends with otters at a recent trip to the zoo.

    Four-year-old Charlie, and Mollie the golden puppy who is less than a year old, recently joined their owners for a day out to a wildlife park in Washington, where they befriended a pair of otters.

    Becca McCloskey, curator at Northwest Trek Safari Park, explained to Newsweek: “These otters are extremely curious, playful, and perceptive to changes in their environment, so when Northwest Trek had our first-ever Dog Days event, they were just as excited as the dogs were.”

    And it’s clear from a viral video on their TikTok account, @charlie.and.mollie on September 6, that the dogs had a day they won’t soon forget.

    In a clip viewed more than 400,000 times, goldens Charlie and Mollie stand at the glass walls where the river otters live, staring into the water excitedly, and moving from side to side for the best view.

    And all of a sudden, an otter comes right up to the glass and begins interacting with them, soon joined by a second otter. They swim up and down, put their paws on the glass, and appear to be trying to play with the dogs on the other side of the glass.

    The dogs react excitedly, their noses pushed against the glass and their tails wagging furiously, as their owner can be heard giggling behind the camera.

    McCloskey told Newsweek: “Otters and dogs may not be close relatives, but they share plenty of body language cues; in this case, curiosity and fun won the day.”

    She identified the two otters in the video as sisters Blakely and Oakley, who “are active and curious for much of the day, but also enjoy taking long naps, cuddled together in their den.

    “They love interacting with their caretakers who provide frequent novel enrichment and training experiences to challenge their eager minds.”

    TikTok users loved it, awarding the video more than 86,000 likes, as one commenter joked: “Land puppies, meet water puppies.”

    “Hello water dogs! Am land dog!” another said, as another admitted: “I would kill to hear the inner monologue of both the dogs and the otters.”

    And as another put it: “Goldens will befriend anyone, haha.”

    River otters are highly intelligent and have tight social bonds with each other, according to conservation organization Mass Audubon. They are known to work in teams when hunting, and communicate with chirps, growls, whistles and body language.

    Golden retrievers, meanwhile, are known to be among the friendliest breeds of dog, showing huge affection towards families, and getting along well with young children and other dogs, according to the American Kennel Club.

    Mollie and Charlie interacting with the otters.

    TikTok @charlie.and.mollie

    In a video update, Charlie and Mollie’s owner explained they were on a day out at Eatonville, Washington’s Northwest Trek Wildlife Park. On September 4, the park hosted a Dog Days event, which allowed leashed dogs to join their humans for a trip to the zoo. More Dog Days are planned for the wildlife park in 2026.

    A poster for the event playfully advised that, during the event, “dogs must keep their humans on leash at all times.”

    Newsweek has contacted @charlie.and.mollie via TikTok for comment on this story.

    Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@newsweek.com with some details about your best friend and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.

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