The word liger, documented as entering the English language in 1938, describes a real feline, the offspring of a male lion and a female tiger. (The opposite case, the offspring of a male tiger and a female lion, is known as a tigon.
Both ligers and tigons exist in captivity, and the pictures and description reproduced above do correspond to one such example of the former, a liger named Hercules who lives at the Institute of Greatly Endangered and Rare Species in Myrtle Beach…
Hercules was the result of an accident rather than deliberate breeding. (In the pictures) he is three years old, stands 10 feet tall on his hind legs, and weighs about 1,000 lbs.
Three species and one amazing eight-minute battle… Perhaps the most famous animal video on YouTube and the web is “Battle at Kruger”:
If you are not familiar with the video, it’s an action-packed fight between crocodiles, lions, and buffaloes at a South African watering hole — all captured on a tourist’s vacation video.
National Geographic has now put together a great program — Caught on Safari: Battle at Kruger — that deconstructs this incredible fight through the yes of wildlife experts. Be sure to look for repeated airings on the National Geographic Channel.
The documentary dissects the primal behavior of the animals and answers a question that aspiring videographers have asked: how did he get that shot?
The “battle” happened in September 2004, during Mr. Budzinski’s first visit to Africa, at the Kruger National Park in the northeastern corner of South Africa. Mr. Budzinski, who works as a supply manager for Chevron in Houston, was riding in the back of a sport utility vehicle with his wife, two other tourists and a tour guide. The guide, spotting lions sunning themselves by a watering hole near where a herd of buffalo was walking by, decided to see what would happen. Before long the lions attacked the herd, singling out a buffalo calf and overwhelming it by the water’s edge.
In the Reuters video at this link, we learn just how vulnerable these beautiful creatures are and the need for bear rescue centers. The report shows the efforts of a center near Hanoi and how workers are saving animals from traffickers.
An Asiatic Black Bear named Claude is entertaining visitors at a Japanese zoo in a very unique way — he twirls sticks like an acrobat. For hours and hours.
Claude lives in Asa Zoological park in Hiroshima. His obsession with sticks began when he arrived at the zoo six years ago. He stopped the twirling for a few years, but he picked up the trick again. The zoo has 15 sticks available for Claude.
Some of the animals in the Noah’s Pals collection are endangered and vulnerable. In order to protect and restore these animals, we all need to do a part to help with…
conservation
Pronunciation: \ˌkän(t)-sər-ˈvā-shən\
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English, from Middle French, from Latin conservation-, conservatio, from conservare
Date: 14th century
1: a careful preservation and protection of something; especially : planned management of a natural resource to prevent exploitation, destruction, or neglect
2: the preservation of a physical quantity during transformations or reactions
Conservation is an important part of Noah’s Pals… We donate 5% of our net profits to the Wildlife Conservation Society to ensure that your collecting helps animals directly!
Noah's Pals are lovingly sculpted and beautifully handpainted animal figures sold two-by-two. Some animals are endangered and come in limited editions of 10,000 pairs. Please visit NOAHSPALS.com to learn more about the collection!
