Tallim the Dog Adopts Tiger Cubs at a Russian Zoo

Three little cats are nursing from the Swiss Shepherd, and all is right in the world.

The staff members at Oktyabrsky zoo in Sochi, Russia, had quite a pickle on their hands earlier this month, when Bagira the tigress left her adorable cubs on their own after they were born. 

Oh, to have such a problem, you know? 

The staffers weren't too surprised. Some of them even expected it. Bagira, you see, did this very thing just five months ago, when she left a different set of adorable cubs on their own after they were born. The zoo seems to be overflowing with Bagira's cubs. 

The staff talked to the other tigers, but none would agree to be a surrogate mom for Bagira; they did this to teach Bagira a lesson about nurturing and responsibility (we think). A dog named Tallim overheard all this, and being a Swiss Shepard, agreed to nurse the cubs -- provided her bowls of food started to include chunks of fresh meat (again, speculation). 

In any case, we do know that Tallim the Brave entered the nursing pen with a strong heart. The cubs "bared their claws and hissed" at Tallim, according to The Telegraph, which seems like a reasonable thing to do. Tallim was unbowed. The cubs dropped the act and scampered over, and they enjoyed a long, warm drinks of milk from a slightly shellshocked Tallim. 

Eventually, everybody relaxed and started acting like nothing was amiss. And perhaps it isn't. All the cubs are feeding, and Tallim, now the official adoptive mom for the boys Olymp and Dar as well as a female named Talli, nuzzles and cuddles the cubs as if they were her own. 

As for Bagira the tigress, she is sitting near a tree in the hazy light of the zoo at dusk, eyeing a lone male drinking from a water feature. His shoulders are strong. She wanders over for a look. 

Via the Huffington Post

View the original article here

Russian Dog Hunters Kill Hundreds in Moscow Parks

The barbaric practice has become an epidemic, with more than 1,500 dogs killed in the last few years. The people are rising up.

If you haven't heard about dog hunting yet, brace yourself. It's an insane underground "sport" in Russia, in which hunters lay out traps filled with poisoned meat in parks to kill dogs.

In September, more than 70 dead dogs were poisoned in a week at a single park, as reported by The Star. 

Moscow's Green Lead Movement estimates that more than 1,500 stray and domestic dogs have been killed in the last few years, according to the Moscow Times. 

Russia has notoriously lax animal protection laws and authorities who fail to prosecute. According to the Sun, only nine cases against dog hunters in Moscow have made it to court since 2011, with just one ending in a conviction.

Stray dogs are common in Russia, with estimates of more than 25,000 in Moscow alone. The dog hunters claim they are going after strays, but pets are being killed -- and targeted -- as well. The New York Times reported on a flier in a Moscow park that read: “If you don’t follow the rules of walking your dog -- it will die.” 

The dog hunters meet and trade tips online. "Dog hunting forums -- the most well-known of which are Vreditelyam.net and Pest.net -- are populated by those who call themselves “volunteers” and provide graphic photos of their trophy killings," reports the Star. "The sites require extensive registration and identification processes for participants."

“It's a whole community,” said an event manager. “They write how they kill them, post photographs, tell you which poison is better and where to buy it.”

We can't imagine. Apparently, those 70 dogs were killed by Amanita phalloides, aka the death cap mushroom. 

Fortunately, change might be occurring, though not by the government -- while the police opened an investigation after the September murders, it seems to have gone nowhere, as not a single person has been detained for the deaths of the more than 70 dogs. 

Instead, the people are rising up against the dog hunters. 

This weekend, hundreds of protesters came to a rally at Moscow's New Pushkin Square to voice their anger. Many even brought their dogs, despite fears that dog hunters would target the area. The rally was organized by the Green Lead movement, according to the Moscow Times. Celebrated Russian actor and producer Leonid Yarmolnik spoke to the people. "People who kill their fellow creatures, they can't call themselves human beings," he said.

Let's hope the public continues to rise up against this barbaric and insane sport, and the authorities begin track down and prosecute the killers. It is madness to allow it to continue. 

View the original article here

Indiana Man Dies Playing Russian Roulette With Dog

An Indiana man drunk on moonshine sat in his backyard with his dog, pulled out a gun, and announced he was going to play Russian roulette. Russell Little put the gun to the dog’s head and pulled the trigger.

Click.

Nothing.

He kept the gun at the dog’s head.

Click.

Nothing.

Little’s wife reported to police that he then said he was “tired of that,” put the gun to his own head, and pulled the trigger again.

Click.

Bullet in right side of skull.

Little, who had suffered from depression, died 45 minutes later at the hospital.

It’s tragic, of course. As dog lovers, we’re left relieved that the dog is OK. But looking at it from another angle, if the dog had taken the bullet, the woman would still have a husband (however troubled he may have been), and if he had kids, they’d still have a dad. So relief is mixed with a “what if”? I am happy that the dog did not die, but I find it very sad that the man did not get the help he needed. What do you think, Dogsters?

Sources:

The Daily Mail and The Daily News

View the original article here