animals – Topical Fruit

Beavers Announce Their Presence with Farts

(Who knew I was part-beaver?)

A beaver in Cornwall recently achieved unexpected internet fame—not for building a dam or swimming in a stream, but for farting on camera.

The moment, captured on a night vision wildlife cam at Helman Tor Nature Reserve near St Austell, quickly turned heads.

But according to experts, the noisy toot may serve a more serious purpose in the beaver world.

Lauren Jasper, a beaver officer with the Cornwall Wildlife Trust, explained that the flatulence might be linked to scent-marking behavior. Beavers possess a gland near their tails that secretes castoreum, an oily substance used to mark territory. Jasper believes the expulsion of gas could have accompanied this scent-marking process, helping the beaver communicate its presence to others in the area.

“We set out camera traps hoping to catch footage of their natural behaviors—things like grooming, swimming, and dam-building,” Jasper told What’s The Jam.

“But what really stood out was the sound of a beaver breaking wind. It gave us all a good laugh.”

Beavers, once extinct in the UK, have been gradually reintroduced to the wild as part of ongoing conservation efforts. Their impact on ecosystems is significant—they’re considered “ecosystem engineers” for good reason. By constructing dams and creating wetlands, they help manage water flow, reduce the risk of flooding, and provide vital habitats for other wildlife.

“The wild release of beavers is a huge step toward restoring natural landscapes,” Jasper said. “They improve water quality and create diverse habitats. Their return marks a major milestone for nature’s recovery.”

While the viral video might elicit chuckles, it also draws attention to the critical role beavers play in rewilding efforts across the UK. Conservationists hope their return will support a more sustainable, biodiverse future.

In the meantime, the Cornwall Wildlife Trust can add “beaver fart caught on camera” to their growing list of footage showcasing the quirky charm—and ecological importance—of these once-vanished mammals.

99% of Dogs Have Behavioral Issues—Yes, Even Yours

Think your dog is perfectly behaved? Science says: probably not.

A new study from Texas A&M University has revealed that more than 99% of dogs in the U.S. exhibit some kind of behavioral issue. Researchers examined data from over 43,000 dogs of all breeds, sizes, and ages, and found that a truly “perfect” pup—one with no problematic behaviors at all—is incredibly rare, showing up in less than 1% of the dogs studied.

The research looked at a range of behavioral categories, including aggression, separation and attachment issues, fear and anxiety, and house soiling (yes, we’re talking about those “oops” moments on your rug).

They found that 99.12% of dogs showed at least one behavior rated as moderately serious or worse, or at least two moderate-to-serious issues.

So what’s the most common problem? Attachment-related behaviors topped the list. These are signs of separation anxiety and emotional dependence, such as pacing, restlessness, clinginess, escape attempts, or destructive behavior like chewing and barking when left alone. In short, your dog missing you might be more of a red flag than a sweet quirk.

Aggression—like growling, snapping, and biting—was also a frequent issue.

Though not always dangerous, even minor signs of aggression can signal deeper behavioral or psychological concerns. While some behaviors may seem harmless or even cute, experts say it’s crucial to take them seriously. Your dog’s odd or disruptive behavior might be a symptom of anxiety, discomfort, or unmet needs. The researchers emphasize the importance of involving your vet, who can help you understand your dog’s mindset and determine if further behavioral intervention is needed.

Most pet parents admit their dogs aren’t perfect.

But many still believe theirs falls into that elite 0.88%. Until, of course, their “well-behaved angel” flips out on the mail carrier or loses it over a squirrel. Cue the classic defense: “Luna NEVER does this… I don’t know what’s gotten into her today!”

The takeaway? If you think your dog is the exception, the data says you’re probably not. But knowing that you’re not alone might help take the sting out of the next chewed-up slipper.

Monkey Business at a Spirit Halloween Becomes a Full-Blown Horror Comedy

You go to Spirit Halloween expecting costume chaos, jump scares, and bad animatronics… not a live-action reboot of Jumanji.

But that’s exactly what shoppers in Plano, Texas got when a pet monkey escaped inside the store and went full Tarzan for half an hour.

Witnesses say the monkey escaped from its owner and spent more than 30 minutes swinging from the rafters and poles. At first, shoppers weren’t sure it was even real… because, let’s be honest, Spirit Halloween is 90% fake body parts and motion-activated craziness.

The giveaway? This particular “animatronic” was wearing a diaper.

Apparently, the poor monkey got freaked out by one of the store’s creepy displays and bolted. Employees tried to wrangle it, but that went about as well as you’d expect. These are seasonal workers… not many of them have a PhD in zoology.

At one point, police were even called to the scene.

Nothing seemed to get the situation under control until the owner managed to lure the little guy down using the most Texas method possible: a cookie bribe.

No one was hurt, and the monkey made it out just fine… though several customers reportedly sprinted out of the store.

The cops confirmed there was never any danger to the public, but honestly, the mental image of a diapered monkey doing laps through Spirit Halloween might be the best accidental marketing campaign they’ve ever had.

@fox4newsdallasfortworth
MONKEY BUSINESS: A pet monkey wearing a diaper was caught on video swinging from the rafters inside a Spirit Halloween store in Plano, Texas. A store employee also told Storyful the monkey had gotten spooked by one of the store’s animatronic decorations. Ultimately, the monkey’s owner was able to entice it with a cookie and regain control. No injuries were reported to the animal or any shoppers. Credit: Arlene Pinkston via Storyful
♬ Funny video “Carmen Prelude” Arranging weakness(836530) – yo suzuki(akisai)

USDA Uses “Marriage Story” Argument and AC/DC to Scare Off Wolves

Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson have an interesting side hustle—fighting off wolves. Sort of.

In one of the strangest but most effective forms of wildlife management you’ll hear about today, the U.S. Department of Agriculture is using drones, loud music, and… Hollywood drama to protect cattle from wolf attacks.

Specifically, they’re blasting the infamous fight scene from the 2019 film Marriage Story to send a very loud message to predators: humans are loud, chaotic, and best avoided.

It’s all part of a method called “wolf hazing,” which involves scaring wolves away from livestock using drones equipped with thermal cameras and mounted speakers.

When the drones detect a wolf, they blare unsettling sounds—fireworks, gunshots, and yes, that intense Adam-vs-Scarlett yelling match. If that doesn’t work, the wolves also get a dose of AC/DC’s Thunderstruck at full volume.

And while this might sound like the weirdest Spotify playlist ever, it’s actually working. In one Oregon hotspot where 11 cows were killed in just 20 days, hazing efforts cut the number of wolf kills to only two over the next 85 days.

A USDA official summed it up best: “I need the wolves to respond and know that, hey, humans are bad.”

Hollywood drama, classic rock, and thermal drones: it’s not exactly what you’d expect from the USDA, but it’s oddly effective.

A Zoo in Denmark Wants Your Pet—So They Can Feed It to a Lion

Move over, Disney. There’s a zoo in Denmark that’s rewriting The Circle of Life… and not everyone’s thrilled about it.

The Aalborg Zoo in northern Denmark just sparked a social media firestorm after a Facebook post invited the public to donate their pets – specifically so they can feed them to lions and other carnivores. Cue the outrage.

Seriously?? Who would do this??

Before you start clutching your dog or cat in horror, let’s clear something up: the zoo isn’t after Fluffy the golden retriever or Mr. Whiskers. According to its website, only healthy small animals are accepted, including rabbits, guinea pigs, chickens, and – perhaps most eyebrow-raising – small horses. Yes, horses.

So what exactly is going on here? The zoo says it’s about giving their carnivores a more natural diet. Large predators in captivity, like lions, tigers, and lynxes, benefit from eating whole animals, fur and all, because it mimics what they’d consume in the wild. They argue it’s more enriching for the animals and reduces waste in the broader ecosystem. It’s not exactly a new concept in the zookeeping world, but advertising it to the public? That’s where things get a little… controversial.

Instagram is outraged

Understandably, social media users are losing it. Some are calling the policy “barbaric,” and others say they’re disturbed that anyone would part with their pet bunny or pony like it’s an expired can of soup. Memes, rage-posts, and lots of “What’s wrong with you?” comments are currently flooding the zoo’s social accounts.

But not everyone is upset

It’s not all outrage. Some folks are defending the move, calling critics “soft” and out of touch with how nature works. A few are even praising the zoo for being transparent and practical about food sourcing.

For the record, the zoo claims that any donated animals are “gently euthanized” before being offered as lunch to the apex predators, so it’s not exactly the Hunger Games happening behind the scenes.

Still, if you’ve got 10 surplus guinea pigs and you’re thinking about a donation run, be warned: the zoo has a four-animal limit per visit. You’ll have to schedule your pet purge accordingly.

The whole situation raises big questions about ethics, ecology, and the uncomfortable reality of what “feeding the animals” actually means. But one thing’s for sure: this zoo’s Facebook page is wild right now.

Marvel Plot or Real Life? Radioactive Wasps Found in U.S.

It sounds like the start of a Marvel movie, but nope, this one’s real: A wasp nest contaminated with radiation was recently discovered near a nuclear facility in South Carolina.

The Department of Energy confirmed that a radioactive nest was found on July 3rd just outside the Savannah River Site, a sprawling Cold War-era nuclear facility located near the Georgia border.

The site, which once produced plutonium for the U.S. military, has long been associated with leftover radiation, often referred to as “legacy contamination.”

“Moderately high” levels of radiation detected

Tests showed the nest was emitting 100,000 disintegrations per minute (DPM)—a term used to measure radioactive decay. That number puts it in the “moderately high” range, though it’s still far below the kind of levels you’d see in something catastrophic like Chernobyl.

Officials were quick to clarify there’s no active leak or immediate danger to the public.

So how did the wasps become radioactive?

No one’s sure, but the insects may have picked up old contaminants while building the nest, possibly from soil or materials around the aging nuclear facility.

While it sounds horrifying, this isn’t the first time nature has had an awkward meet-cute with radioactive leftovers. Similar incidents have occurred over the years, usually involving small animals or plant life near long-decommissioned nuclear sites.

In response, crews treated the nest like any other radioactive waste. They sprayed it down and disposed of it according to nuclear safety protocols.

The nest is gone, but the wasps are still M.I.A.

One weird detail: A local report said the nest didn’t contain any actual wasps when it was found. That’s either a relief—or a setup for the sequel, where the mutant wasp swarm emerges. (We’re half-kidding. Probably.)

The story is a strange reminder of the long environmental shadow cast by Cold War nuclear production. While the situation sounds alarming, energy officials and local authorities maintain there’s no reason to think there’s an ongoing leak or elevated risk to people nearby.

So no, you don’t need to stock up on wasp spray and hazmat suits just yet. But if you live in the area and hear a suspicious buzzing sound… maybe stay inside.

Stock photo of wasps building a nest. Not the radioactive kind… the normal, huggable kind.
Photo by David Hablützel

Confused Chicken Shows Up at Buffalo Wild Wings

If I was walking into Buffalo Wild Wings and saw this, I’d still eat there. But I’m probably getting a burger.

The Animal Rescue League of Iowa got a call after someone spotted a chicken hanging out by the front door of a Buffalo Wild Wings in Des Moines.

They noted the hen must have been “confused,” since B-Dubs is the last place a chicken would want to be caught hanging out.

“WHAT THE CLUCK? Talk about a chicken on the wrong side of the road!”

How the chicken got to Buffalo Wild Wings is anyone’s guess, and whether it crossed the road to get there is also a hot topic.

People on Facebook were quick to offer up their own theories – a common theme being she’s finally buckled under the crushing weight of existence, and can’t deal with the unrelenting nature of life itself.

“She’d just given up. Was like ‘Just take me Lord!'”

“It wanted to be someone’s dinner.”

“How 2025’s been going, she just wanted to be done with it all!”

Thankfully, the story has a happy ending.

The Animal Rescue League of Iowa was able to catch the chicken, adding that she was safe and receiving the care she needed. And the best news is it appears the wayward fowl never made it inside the restaurant.

Imagine the level of PTSD you’d endure if you realized you’d been just a few short steps away from becoming a combo meal.

10 Celebrities With Unusual Pets

Celebrities love their pets. They also love to get showy with their pets. And that includes adopting WEIRD animals. Here are 10 examples::

1. Kristen Stewart – Wolf-Hybrids

She’s basically living out Twilight in reverse. Props for her passion, but owning part-wolf animals is definitely not for the faint of heart, or faint of neighborly patience. She had to go to court against a guy who didn’t like her choice of pet, but she’s not doing anything illegal.

2. Kirstie Alley – 14 Lemurs

That’s not a pet collection, that’s a small forest exhibit. At least her lemur obsession stemmed from conservation work—not just a quirky impulse.

3. Salma Hayek – Owl

Naming her owl after her husband’s luxury brand group (Kering) is peak glamorous-weird. The mental image of her casually walking around with an owl on her head? Pure gothic fashion goals.

4. Paris Hilton – Kinkajous

They’re super cute, super unpredictable, and very much not meant for your Beverly Hills bedroom. The name “Baby Luv” is so Paris—until Baby Luv bites, and Paris needs a tetanus shot.

5. Leonardo DiCaprio – Tortoise

Of course Leo picked an eco-friendly, slow-living companion. Low-maintenance, long-living, and practically immortal—kind of like Leo’s career.

6. Tyga – Tiger

Illegal tiger ownership feels very on-brand for a rapper trying to flex. The tiger’s name? Not known. The ending? Predictable: animal shelter.

7. Ice-T – Shark Tank

A shark tank in a home studio screams “villain lair.” Sadly, it’s no longer there. But the idea of Ice-T laying down tracks next to circling predators is pretty metal.

8. Tracy Morgan – Giant Octopus

$400K for an octopus named Bwyadette? That is art. Morgan said the octopus helps him write jokes. Now we kind of need to see its Netflix special.

9. Nicolas Cage – Cobras and Beyond

This guy didn’t just own exotic pets—he curated a full-on apocalypse starter pack. The bulletproof glass cobra setup sounds less like a home and more like a Bond villain’s den.

10. Vanilla Ice – Wallaroo

He had a wallaroo. Of course he did. And of course it got too big for his house. That’s the most ‘90s rapper sentence ever.

Shark Week Will Include People “Dancing with Sharks”

Tom Bergeron is back — but not in the ballroom! After being let go from Dancing with the Stars in 2020, he’s making a splashy return… underwater. He’ll be hosting a Discovery Channel special for Shark Week called “Dancing with Sharks“, and yes, it’s as wild as it sounds.

The show will feature expert divers paired with real sharks to perform choreographed underwater routines. The routines are designed by a world-class underwater choreographer — because apparently, that’s a job. No CGI or costume sharks here — this isn’t Left Shark’s comeback tour.

Bergeron teased the special on Instagram with the caption:
“See you this summer. It will be fintastic.” 🦈

Get ready for the most dangerous two-step you’ve ever seen.

So Cute? Bronx Zoo’s Baby Vulture Being Raised by a Puppet

For the first time in three decades, a king vulture chick has hatched at the Bronx Zoo—and its caregiver is a little… unconventional.

The zoo announced the exciting arrival this week, noting that the rare chick is being hand-raised by staff using a puppet designed to look like an adult king vulture.

Bronx Zoo / Wildlife Conservation Society

The technique is used to mimic natural parenting behaviors while preventing the bird from imprinting on humans.

The puppet allows zookeepers to feed and interact with the chick without compromising its ability to one day behave like a wild vulture. It’s part of a broader conservation strategy to help support and stabilize populations of species that aren’t often bred successfully in captivity.

Native to Central and South America, king vultures are striking birds… if you’re into that sort of thing.

They’re known for their white feathers, black wingtips, and vibrantly colored heads.

While not currently endangered, their numbers are affected by habitat destruction and declining food sources in the wild.

The Bronx Zoo is one of the most prominent conservation-focused zoos in the U.S., and the successful hatching of this chick is a major milestone—especially after 30 years. No word yet on the chick’s name, but one thing’s for sure: it’s got the most dedicated (and imaginative) foster team a baby bird could ask for.