incredible animals

The Buffalo Whisperer–Texas Couple Lives with Two Enormous Buffalo

Snakes, spiders, chimpanzees and even lions… some people just love to keep dangerous animals as pets. But RC Bridges and his wife Sherron have gone a big step further – the Texas couple shares their home with two buffaloes! What makes them love these huge, dangerous animals so much that they give them the run of the house? Incredible Features finds out.

RC has worked with buffaloes for most of his life, but after suffering with health issues in 2004 he had to sell his herd – except for one young buffalo named Wild Thing. RC and his wife decided to keep him as a pet. RC knew what he was getting into, however, even he was surprised to find out buffaloes make great companions: “I knew they were crazy animals. It actually turned out way better than I thought it would be,” laughs RC.

RC is a professional when it comes to handling dangerous animals. In the 1960’s and 70’s he worked as a rodeo clown, and a horse jockey. He is also a two-time world champion at cutting, a sport where a horse and rider separate a cow from its herd and keep it away for a short period of time.

Recently the couple have added a female buffalo to their family – Bullet. Bullet’s previous owner gave her to the couple as a gift when she found she was too hard to control. “She told me if I could catch her, I could have her. She kept getting out of the pen and the Sheriff’s department was mad about it. Well, I just caught her, put her in a trailer and brought her home,” RC explains.

Surprisingly, although already very intimidating, Wild Thing and Bullet aren’t fully grown yet, and could potentially reach up to 6 feet-tall and weigh up to 2,500 pounds. Their curved, sharp horns are two feet long – and lethal – and they are able to run as fast as 40 mph. Considering this, RC’s rapport with the beasts is incredible! That’s why he’s been called the Buffalo Whisperer.

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Charles The Lionhearted: Dog Mistaken For King of the Jungle

A Norfolk, Virginia Labradoodle has become an Internet sensation due to its uncanny resemblance to a lion. The pooch at hand, Charles the Monarch, had his coat groomed to resemble Big Blue – the lion mascot of Old Dominion University. Charles the Monarch mania kicked off after a series of concerned 911 calls reported a baby lion on the loose – running amok on the streets of Norfolk.

According to the Virginian Pilot, the 911 calls went something (if not exactly) like this:

Concerned Citizen: “There was a lion that ran across the street. A baby lion. It was about the size of a Labrador retriever.”

Dispatcher: “OK. You think it’s looking for food?”

Concerned Citizen: “I don’t know. I think it got away from the zoo.”

The local police contacted the Virginia Zoo to make sure all the lions were accounted for. The flurry of calls propelled Charles the Monarch into folk hero status. (The pup was simply out for an evening stroll.) His owner, Daniel Painter, said this wasn’t the first time Charles has been mistaken for a lion king – who has generated 911 calls.

‘I tell people he’s a Lab-a-lion, and half the people believe that,’ he said. Painter has taken his dog on walks near the zoo and seen people run to their cars in holy terror – fearful that they might be the baby lion’s next meal.

Since the 911 calls, Charles has generated over 50,000 Facebook friends. This past Sunday, the lion-ly pooch was honored by Old Dominion University during halftime at the women’s basketball game. Fans flocked to the Ted Constant Convocation Center to snap a photo with the now-famous Lab-a-lion mutt.

READ THE ENTIRE STORY AND SEE ALL THE PHOTOS IN INCREDIBLE FEATURES AGENCY SECTION. SEE THE VIDEO ON OUR YOUTUBE CHANNEL

UPDATE: The Flyin’ Lion is reunited with his best friend Johnny Mitchell after two years missing.

UPDATE: On Thursday June 14th 2012 Johnny Abbie Mitchell will be reunited with his best friend, pomeranian Austin – also known as The Flyin’ Lion – who has been missing since Dec 9th 2010 when he was taken from the Venice Boardwalk in California. For two years Austin has lived an alternate life far from the glamour of his career with Johnny as star in a performing act showcased at the likes of the X Games in Aspen, the Olympics in Rome, and the Sundance Film Festival in Utah. Austin and Johnny were taking a break from their popular show of skating and spinning along the Venice Boardwalk when the prized pet apparently jumped into the car of a young woman who, upon discovering him under the car seat, decided to take him home to Barstow.

‘People would see him and immediately want him,’ commented Johnny, ‘I don’t know if she just let him come with her or coerced him, but he was gone.’

After two years going by the name of Roscoe, living alongside the woman’s Pitt Bull in a home she shared with her then boyfriend, Austin found himself homeless when the couple broke up and she could no longer take care of him. The woman’s mother took Austin on and after he received a small cut on his leg at the groomer’s she took him to the vet to be checked over. When she told the vet how she’d come to own Austin, a scan revealed a microchip that led them back to Johnny.

‘It’s bittersweet for me, because he was taken and he was my everything. But now he’s back, and that’s what is important. I have a wealth of emotion about this,’ admits Johnny.

Now living in Louisiana and caring for his mother, Johnny has relied on donations from the public via his website to purchase the plane ticket that will bring him back to California and the Companion Animal Medical Center in Visalia where Austin is currently staying. The pair will stay a few weeks in Venice – ‘We’re going to revel in this,’ says Johnny – before returning to Louisiana together. With Austin now a mature 9 years-old there are no plans for a full-scale performance but Johnny doubts they’ll be able to keep away from the Boardwalk for long.

The Buffalo Whisperer–Texas Couple Lives with Two Enormous Buffalo

Quinlan, TX – Snakes, spiders, chimpanzees and even lions… some people just love to keep dangerous animals as pets. But RC Bridges and his wife Sherron have gone a big step further – the Texas couple shares their home with two buffaloes! What makes them love these huge, dangerous animals so much that they give them the run of the house? Incredible Features finds out.

Surprisingly, although already very intimidating, Wild Thing and Bullet aren’t fully grown yet, and could potentially reach up to 11 feet-tall and weigh up to 2,500 pounds. Their curved, sharp horns are two feet long – and lethal – and they are able to run as fast as 40 mph. Considering this, RC’s rapport with the beasts is incredible! That’s why he’s been called the Buffalo Whisperer.

EXCLUSIVE: A Kangaroo for Kayla

Jeni and Nick Dreis of Spring, Texas have been finding out all kinds of fun facts about the Australian marsupials since they took on Mike. Six months out of the pouch he’s a 12-pound playmate for their sixteen year-old daughter Kayla who has Down syndrome. He’s also an important first step in the creation of the Dreis family’s dream – a wildlife park and organic farm providing support to those with intellectual disabilities, the Texas Downs Facility.

Jeni swears Mike is a far easier to care for than their Schnauzer, Porter. During the day he hops around the house and yard, taking breaks to rest in a handbag hanging from the stair banister or a door handle. The bag mimics his mother’s pouch and Mike sleeps in it upside down with his long back legs hanging out the sides. He eats kangaroo kibble and drinks specialized formula from a bottle. For a treat he’ll have a cracker, Cheerios or his favorite split pea soup.

Kayla and Mike bonded on sight. “She was wearing a floral-print dress,” describes Jeni, “He wanted to eat those flowers! He hopped around after her, nibbling at her dress. She hopped backwards and led him around the house. Then she fed him his bottle and they’ve been inseparable since.”

When Jeni found Mike and bought him from an exotic pet breeder and veterinarian not far from Spring she didn’t plan for him to act as a therapy pet for Kayla. However, she believes the unusual animal has had a greatly positive effect on her daughter. “Mike has been wonderful for our family,” she says, “Kayla’s changed her attitude remarkably. She wants to feed him, care for him and play with him. She loves him. Before she watched a lot of TV or played on her own. She has a strong personality so she was a little aggressive and bossy. She’s always found it hard to find real friends and now she has a companion. I take him up to her bedroom in the morning before school and he licks her face. She jumps out of bed, happy to start her day. She can hold him like a baby on her hip – he won’t let anyone else do that.”

Nelson: The Ugliest Little Bird In The World

Poor little Nelson: He was the only one of his parents’ eggs to hatch and they rejected him. Now, the little bird that looks like a “cross between an alien and a roasted chicken” is making international headlines for being the ugliest bird in the world.
Fortunately, Nelson lives at the Bergzoo in Halle, Germany, where he is being cared for by the staff.
The little Kea parrot, native to New Zealand, won’t stay ugly forever; when he grows up he will grow into a beautiful bird with handsome olive green and orange feathers.

Snakeheads – The Fish From Hell!

Wildlife officials in Maryland are offering rewards to fishermen who can catch and kill these scary looking “fish from hell.

Snakeheads are not native to the United States. They are believed to have made their way here from Asia and Africa through seafood merchants. Since then, they have destroyed the ecosystems of lakes and ponds across America.

The problem species, also dubbed “fishzilla”, can become more than 2 feet long, and they can even walk on land! By wriggling on their fins they can roam over 400 yards between bodies of water.

Maryland will give out fishing store gift cards and other prizes to everybody who will kill the fish and take a picture. This is the second time Maryland is offering rewards for killing snakeheads. Last year, 69 anglers participated in the contest killing 82 of the creatures.

Meatball-eating Bear Stalks California Neighborhood

Joey Ball from La Crescenta (near Los Angeles) found an unusual guest in his garage in the middle of the night. Ball woke up from strange noises at 3am and when he walked into his garage, he looked right into the eyes of a black bear! The bear was munching on some meatballs and tuna he had found in the refrigerator.

“He looked at me and I thought, ‘uh-oh!’ So I slammed the door and locked the dead bolt,” Ball says.

The following night, the bear returned to the neighborhood back and was seen rummaging through garbage cans. Ball’s neighbor Mark Edelstein says his family is not taking their dog outside for walks at night and people are keeping their garbage cans inside.

City officials are warning residents not to leave food out in the open and anyone who sees the bear should call the police immediately.

Woman Stalked By Aggressive Turkey

This may sound funny, but Edna Geisler, a 69-year-old woman from the Detroit area, doesn’t consider this a laughing matter anymore: A 25-pound turkey attacks her every time she leaves her house. "I have to go to the post office at 6 o'clock in the morning to avoid him," she says.

Edna tried changing her schedule and leaving the house at different times, but the turkey can’t be fooled. He bumps, claws, and bites Edna as soon as he sees her. He even attacked Edna’s friend Rick Reid when he tried to approach the house.

Wildlife expert Tim Payne of the Department of Natural Resources says adult turkeys are known to aggressively protect what they consider their property, although most fear people. "This bird has probably attacked, and the person retreats," says Payne. "What it tells the bird is, `What I'm doing is good.' It reinforces the aggressive behavior."

Edna wants the turkey gone by summer. Hunting season opens in April…

"Every time I eat turkey I smile," she says. "I'd like to do that to him."

Mechi In Action

Remember our post about Mechi the painting rhino?

Well now you can see this tough girl in action through our YouTube channel. Mechi is a rhinoceros at The Mesker Park Zoo, located in Evansville, Indiana. She was found in the wild alone, after her mother was poached in the mountains of Nepal. The zoo offered Mechi the chance to paint as a form of stimulating entertainment for the long winter months when she couldn’t get out to mud wallow or sit by her pool in the sun. At first pieces of banana, carrot and sweet potato were placed on the paper for Mechi to move around and nibble on. Once she got used to the motions she made with her lips to move the treats, the keepers replaced these with blobs of non-toxic, all-natural paint. It seems like despite their tough exterior, rhinos do have a soft, and artistic, side to them after all.

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The Buffalo Whisperer–Texas Couple Lives with Two Enormous Buffalo

Charles The Lionhearted: Dog Mistaken For King of the Jungle

UPDATE: The Flyin’ Lion is reunited with his best friend Johnny Mitchell after two years missing.

The Buffalo Whisperer–Texas Couple Lives with Two Enormous Buffalo

EXCLUSIVE: A Kangaroo for Kayla

Nelson: The Ugliest Little Bird In The World

Snakeheads – The Fish From Hell!

Meatball-eating Bear Stalks California Neighborhood

Woman Stalked By Aggressive Turkey

Mechi In Action

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