Imagine you're a TV reporter who's trying to deliver a very important message. But out of nowhere, you're interrupted by a cheeky baby elephant hell-bent on smothering you with kisses — sounds ridiculous, doesn't it?

Well, this is exactly what happened to KBC journalist Alvin Patterson Kaunda a couple of days back.

In the video, which has since gone viral, Alvin is seen talking about the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust. This Kenya-based organisation works towards the rescue, rehabilitation and release of orphaned baby elephants. And while things started out well enough, an elephant calf called Kidani decided that she wanted to steal the spotlight.

https://weather.com/en-IN/india/news/news/2022-11-18-baby-elephant-interrupts-kenyan-reporter-with-kisses-video

https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-apps/imrs.php?src=&w=916

The staff at the Wake County Animal Center in Raleigh, N.C., had a dilemma when a goat named Cinnamon and a dog named Felix showed up together on their doorstep.

The shelter takes in thousands of dogs and cats each year, and generally doesn’t accept farm animals. But Cinnamon and Felix seemed affectionate toward one another, said Jennifer Federico, director of animal services.

“That was a first,” said Federico, who has worked at the shelter for 12 years. “Most of our dogs aren’t hanging out with goats.”

“Cinnamon follows Felix everywhere and it was clear they were raised together,” Federico said. “You don’t even need to put a leash on the goat — she’ll simply go where Felix goes. When she became upset, we knew they had to stay in the same holding pen.”
“It’s a weird duo, but it works for them,” Federico said. “Who are we to judge? They obviously love each other.”

https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2023/03/29/rescue-dog-goat-shelter-friends-cinnamon-felix/?utm_campaign=wp_the_optimist&utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&wpisrc=nl_optimist&carta-url=https%3A%2F%2Fs2.washingtonpost.com%2Fcar-ln-tr%2F3993a90%2F64297d03f19a510b04317353%2F596a9292ae7e8a0ef33fcd26%2F10%2F52%2F64297d03f19a510b04317353&wp_cu=34f101edbb832ec3f4bdaa05d6dd0d7b%7C429C6B465F9F55BAE0530100007FD354

For most of the 1960s, Glen Campbell's brilliant guitar playing was known only by a select few top recording studios and artists.

Long before Glen became known nationally as an outstanding vocalist, actor and TV personality, he was one of the most in-demand recording studio guitarists in the world.

He could have earned a 7-figure annual income as a high-end, asked-for studio guitarist for years on end if that had been all he cared to do.

How good was he? The Lone Ranger knows! You will enjoy.

Take a look at this video, one you may have never seen before. "Hi Yo, Silver, Away!" It doesn't get much better than this. "The William Tell Overture" by Giaochino Rossini.

Many of us grew up watching the Lone Ranger and Tonto on black and white television. Years later, many of us watched the Glen Campbell show on TV as well. This video is a clip of a younger Glen Campbell playing the William Tell Overture (with symphony orchestra) and dedicating it to Clayton Moore, who played the Lone Ranger and Jay Silverheels, who played Tonto. You may never have seen Glen play like this before.

This is world-class guitar playing and Campbell makes it look easy; note he is playing a 12 string! The sounds of Glen Campbell on guitar and the symphony orchestra playing Rossini's "William Tell Overture" will take you back to those golden days of yesteryear, when the strains of Rossini's masterpiece coming over the radio meant the Lone Ranger show was about to begin.
https://biggeekdad.com/2016/04/william-tell-overture-glen-campbell/

Meet the toddler whose best friend is a pet frog.

Little Juliana Allon begged her mom for a pet white tree frog from the pet store in Panama City, Florida after it had been given-up by its previous owner.

The mother-of-three eventually caved and purchased the frog for $40 last August.

“He was so fat and squishy-looking, and she wanted to hug him straightaway,”

“The store let her pick him up and hold him,” recalled Brandie. “Then she said, ‘Mommy, please, please, please!’ and I couldn’t say no.”

The two-year-old named it George—and the pair are now inseparable, doing everything together

https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/florida-toddler-is-best-friends-with-a-white-tree-frog/?utm_campaign=newsletters&utm_medium=weekly_mailout&utm_source=02-02-2023

https://twitter.com/nickpoole1/status/1498309449169178634

We are having a stretch of record-breaking heat in the Pacific NW. Well over 100 in Portland yesterday - highly unusual.

I saw my mail carrier through my window. I opened the door and asked if he needed a water refill. He thanked me and said he was fine, but might take me up on it another time. It was almost the end of his day. He said all day long people had been so nice, giving him cold things to put in his cooler. (They drive a truck that they park while they deliver to sections of their area.)

I could see from the expression on his face how much this kindness and caring meant to him; he was clearly very hot, yet there was an open-hearted quality in his countenance that nearly moved me to tears.

Simple kindness. So simple, and yet so profound.

Off the coast of New Zealand, a group of marine biologists has discovered a mother bottlenose dolphin that had adopted a baby pilot whale.

The Kiwi-based Far Out Ocean Research Collective discovered the mammals sailing in the Bay of Islands in Northern New Zealand, and has now documented the pair on two separate occasions five weeks apart.

While it’s not unheard of that dolphins adopt other species’ babies, it’s very rare to record the phenomenon with such a significant difference in species size. Bottlenose dolphins can reach 300 kilograms, which is no small fry—except that pilot whales can grow to two tons and reach six meters in length.

“She might have lost her own calf,” researcher Jochen Zaeschmar told local reporters of the dolphin’s behavior.

The Independent reported in 2019 that researchers in French Polynesia found a bottlenose dolphin that had adopted a melon-headed whale calf, and that the pair stayed together for three years.

Scientists don’t know why exactly this happens, and hypotheses exist that it’s misplaced mothering instinct—perhaps accentuated if a dolphin mother has lost her calf and finds a calf who has lost its mother. However the researchers in French Polynesia, pondering in their published paper on the finding, suggested it could be part of the mother’s “personality,” which is an endearing thought.

Note from Amaryllis: I disagree with the "misplaced mothering instinct" hypothesis. I would say it's very well-placed mothering instinct! Babies need mothers and mothers know that. And it doesn't matter size, species or gender. (Thinking of gay friends whose kids have two daddies.)



https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/new-zealand-bottlenose-dolphin-mother-adopts-pilot-whale-calf/?utm_campaign=newsletters&utm_medium=weekly_mailout&utm_source=21-05-2021

I would not have expected this from the USAF. Apparently I had some inaccurate ideas about what kind of music they would choose to perform.
THis is very uplifting and beautiful. Some incredible talent here.

I was thinking maybe I should say a profound turning point. Really strong adjectives are needed here. Hard to find adequate words.