PACK IT IN YOU: Sneaky Wolf Hybrid Plays For Puppy Love
This is the fun moment a young female half-wolf acts like a puppy in order to persuade an older male half-wolf to let her keep her wooden toy.
The footage, which quickly went viral, notching up 13 million views, was recorded in the city of Los Angeles, in the US state of California.
A wolfdog is produced from mating a dog (Canis familiaris) with a member of the wolf family, like the grey wolf (Canis lupus) or similar, to produce a hybrid of both.
Moira, the owner of the two wolfdogs in the video, told Zenger News that the big black wolfdog is a male named Faelen, who is three years old, while the grey wolfdog is a female named Maeve, and she is almost a year old.
In the video, the two wolfdogs can be seen next to a wooden log, and an explanation in the video makes it clear that Maeve had claimed it as her new toy.
Since Faelen is apparently stronger and bigger, Maeve cannot fight to keep it, so instead she plays the cute card, waving her paws in the air, and doing everything she can to distract Faelen from taking her toy.
Moira told Zenger News she has owned Maeve and Faelen ever since they were small puppies.
She added that she started working heavily on exposure and socialisation so that they would be able to cope in the human world without excessive stress.
Moira added: “We also love going on outdoor adventures like hikes and to the beach. My favorite thing is showing them the world.”
Describing the animals’ character, Moira told Zenger News: “As for wolfdogs, they are very misunderstood.
“They are more challenging and have more shared instincts than normal dogs.
“They are often more shy and skittish than dogs for example, and often exhibit more intense behaviour.
“They are not inherently aggressive, but like any dog can be dangerous if trapped and terrified.
“Higher content wolfdogs also experience a huge seasonal rush of hormones, during which they may need modified handling as they become bolder or more territorial.
“Many wolfdogs out there are just as friendly as normal dogs, especially with their human family. Wolfdogs LOVE their people, if treated properly. They may not love all strangers though.”
She added that although some people consider them aggressive animals, they are very much family-oriented and kill simply to eat.
According to Moira, wolf populations keep herbivores in check, allowing healthy plant growth and a functioning ecosystem. She said that in places where wolves and other apex predators have been eradicated, you see huge environmental problems, including overpopulation of deer, leading to starvation and disease.
She noted that wolves do not present a danger to people. Wolves attacking people is, she said, virtually unknown, and one is far more likely to be attacked by a cow or dog.
Moira said: “The goals of education and coexistence are incredibly important to me, as so much damage is done to the natural world and to wolves due to simple lack of education and misconceptions that people have about them.
“I am a firm believer that people can be open to changing their view of wolves if they’re invited to learn more about them in an open and non-critical way.”
Moira also runs her website, Running With Wolfdogs, a project about education, inspiration, conservation and coexistence with wolves.
Moira said: “The reaction to my social media pages, and now my educational organization Running With Wolfdogs, has been overwhelming and very positive.
“Millions of people enjoy watching their interactions, and learning about them! Now we are beginning to do educational presentations more in person, and helping to educate people and show them the true nature of wolves and wolfdogs which is exceptionally rewarding!”
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Dad’s A Mummy: Dad Took Son’s Ancient Egypt School Project Seriously And Built Life-Size Sarcophagus
A dad took his son’s ancient Egypt school craft project extremely seriously – and built a life-size sarcophagus complete with a mummified pharaoh for $300.
Richard Brigg, 47, knew he had quite the task when son Alexander, seven, said he’d volunteered for his dad to build a sarcophagus for his Year Three class.
Undeterred, the engineer quickly got to work – and crafted an incredible life-size sarcophagus out of foamboard, polystyrene and paper mache.
His weeks of hard work paid off and the resulting model – complete with a mummified pharaoh inside – was a huge hit with Alexander’s class and his teacher.
Richard, who is the chairman of Moorside Primary School’s Parent-Teacher Association in Lancaster, Lancs., said: “I have a history of making stuff for the PTA so my boy’s teacher asked him in class if he thought I could build one and he came out of school one day with the message to have a chat with her!
“It was a challenge but I thought I could give it a good go, so I went away, had a think and managed to create this in a matter of weeks.
“The school kids were quite excited by it from the feedback I received from the Year Three teaching team when us parents were invited in after school on the museum day.
“The kids were showing it off to the parents and various classes at school went to see it as well as the projects that the Year Three pupils had made.
“It even got quite a bit of attention from the passing children of the school next door as we carried off to the car on Friday – we had to keep stopping on the pavement so Alexander could show them!
“I’m really pleased with how it all came together – it turned out better than expected! I’d definitely do something like this again.”
Tasked with the build in early February, Richard had until the class’ ancient Egypt museum day last Thursday (31/3) to create the sarcophagus and spent weeks perfecting his masterpiece.
After cutting foam board to the shape he wanted, he carefully used a glue gun to stick it together to form the back of the sarcophagus.
Richard then used several layers of polystyrene insulation sheets cut in different profiles to create the front, carving in the intricate details with a hot wire cutter and craft knives.
And he covered both the front and back with paper mache to give it a more durable and harder shell, sealing it with varnish before reaching for the paint.
Richard said: “I looked up the sarcophagus of Tutankhamun for inspiration and a few styling cues to make it at least a little historically accurate for school rather than totally made up.
“The mummified pharaoh inside was a left over Halloween prop which I bulked out with more polystyrene and pipe installation before using paper mache on the head.
“Dying the mummy’s bandages with tea was a failure! Apart from making the whole house stink like a tea merchants, by the time we had washed the smell of tea out them, they were nearly normal color again!”
Richard spent a painstaking 60 hours spread over five to six weeks creating the sarcophagus, getting to work in the evenings when his son had gone to bed.
Dropping off his masterpiece at Moorside Primary School, Richard was thrilled to see his son’s classmates overjoyed with his handiwork and hopes it’ll be used in years to come by the school.
He said: “If I’m honest, it turned out better than I thought!
“So much so, I’ll be offering it to few friends who are teachers and governors at local schools to see if they’d like it when they do ancient Egypt as it seems too good to hide in a cellar for a year.
“It cost about £250 to do but I count the cost as my charity gift to the school and an investment as it’ll get used more than once.
“I’d definitely do it again. I’ll let the teachers come up with the idea for what might inspire or enthuse the pupils that would be a genuine teaching aid and support in whatever way I can.
“I’ll also use it as a plug to encourage parent, grandparent, carer, family involvement and participation with school and PTA.
“So many schools are struggling with tight budgets & resources, I’m sure there are others who are equally and better creatives than I am who could offer support.”
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World In A Bottle: Creative British Man Makes Beautiful Self Contained Sealed Glass Ecosystems
A creative British man is wowing fans with these sealed worlds where plants and animals live in harmony in a closed glass container.
They are the work of 26-year-old Bristolian Joe Rees, who runs the website Ome (ome.design), where he sells his beautiful glass terrariums and teaches people how they can create their own self-sustaining ecosystems.
In this video posted on TikTok, where it has 12 million views so far, Joe can be seen showing the process of planting the plants and adding animal life to create a terrarium in a glass container.
Joe told Zenger News he was unhappy with his last job, so he started expressing his creativity by making terrariums, which later resulted in a successful business, as people enjoyed his work.
About the popularity of his business, he said: “I think people like the idea that they can create a piece of nature in their own home. The video is a succinct way of describing something quite amazing.
“A lot of people (as you can see in the comments) don’t believe it’s possible. But, it’s a really fun way to meld science, art, and nature into one creative hobby.”
Joe added that he is neither a botanist nor a horticulturist by training, but learned everything on his own.
He encourages people to start doing what they love, reassuring anyone who thinks they need some sort of qualification by saying: “Unless what you love is surgery, then you do definitely need a qualification.”
Joe advised those who want to add more creatures to their terrariums: “The most popular creatures to add in these sort of terrariums are springtails, isopods, millipedes, worms, and snails.
“These are creatures that can help improve the quality of the soil and feed your plants by breaking down decaying organic matter. If you want to get really clever, you can even add in a predator like a centipede – they will keep the population in check.”
He said the plants are watered with distilled water via a mister, adding: “The terrariums I make can live indefinitely. They require a series of layers, the right sort of substrate, and water, and then they are off!
“Once the equilibrium is established, they need almost no care. You might want to prune your plants when they are really grown, but I like to just let the plants do their thing.”
Joe advised: “To keep your terrarium happy, you want to place it somewhere where it can receive bright, indirect sunlight. If the soil or moss looks like it’s drying, you can give it a gentle spray with distilled water. The biggest mistake people make is that they overwater their ecosystem.”
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Grinding Nemo: Lovers Flock To Abandoned Buildings For Sex And Drugs
An urban explorer who went viral with her discovery of a creepy abandoned aquarium has revealed how her hobby comes with hazards ranging from armed criminals that use the hidden spaces as drug dens through to kinky couples who seek out derelict buildings for sex.
The explorer – identified only as Juliette – scored a viral hit with a gruesome mummified shark found in the once-thriving marine park.
But she says some of the scariest sights she has encountered are the drug dealers, armed crooks and perverts who seek out abandoned buildings for sex.
The 24-year-old woman quit her job to work full-time on her urban explorer social media presence in 2021.
She runs the ‘Juj’ Urbex’ channel on YouTube and also posts on Instagram. She became a massive hit with her aquarium footage showing a ghostly dead shark and a weirdly shriveled squid.
But in new footage, she has revealed she has had other less natural encounters, including dead stray animals and used condoms, which she filmed for her followers.
Juliette, who is from the south-eastern French city of Lyon, in France’s Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes region, told Zenger News that she loves “going in search of the history of the place, and the adventure of course”.
She also vowed to keep the venue’s address secret, saying: “When the addresses of abandoned places are revealed, the place becomes known, and ill-intentioned people such as thugs, thieves, and taggers will come and break everything.
“That’s why urban explorers never give the addresses, it’s to preserve the places.”
The footage – which comes with a ‘not for the faint of heart’ warning (“Ames sensibles s’abstenir” in French) – shows Juliette discovering the aquarium and filming its contents, and also an abandoned nightclub she had visited that was closed after a flood left the owners bankrupt.
Juliette, who has more than 83,000 followers on Instagram, has become increasingly involved in urban exploring since finishing her studies in 2018.
She can be seen wearing a beanie with a radioactive symbol, perhaps in tribute to a previous trip she made to Chernobyl, in Ukraine, in November 2021.
She is also filmed taking a sniff from a suspect-looking glass, causing her to immediately start coughing.
The footage ends with Juliette filming what appears to be a used condom next to a wrapper, with her saying that she often comes across “really disgusting things”.
She can be heard saying “yuck” as the footage ends.
She also warned people against becoming urban explorers themselves, saying: “The places are often protected by the authorities, guards, cameras, that’s why it’s a prohibited practice.
“You have to be very careful and discreet.”
She revealed that under French law, urban explorers can face a EUR-15,000 (GBP-12,600; USD-16,500) fine and two years in prison.
Juliette added: “But I also risk hurting myself, meeting bad people like dealers and armed people. It’s dangerous!”
Juliette said she went to the Chernobyl nuclear exclusion zone, in Ukraine, in November 2021 – a few months before Russia invaded the country and allegedly shot at the nuclear plant with a tank – adding that she had made a 90-minute film of her adventures there.
Much of it can be viewed on her YouTube channel, although she did provide Zenger News with these stunning photographs, which also show her wearing her trademark radioactive beanie.
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