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Zookeepers fail to get stubborn baby hippo out of the water. Then mama brings 'the stare.'

“The ‘mom stare’ is universal in every species."

@tanganyikawildlifepark/TikTok

The mom stare is universal.

Want definitive proof that all living creatures share some inexplicable connection? Look no further than nature itself.

In this case, by “nature” we mean viral footage of a baby hippo who refused to leave his pool playtime…until it was met with the “mom stare” we all know and fear.

In an adorable clip shared by Kansas’ Tanganyika Wildlife Park, we see zookeepers try—and fail—to retrieve a five-week-old pygmy hippopotamus calf named Mars from a pool. They simply couldn’t compete with Mars’ heft and slipperiness…not to mention his stubbornness.

Then Mars’ mom Posie entered the chat. The camera panned over to her giving “the stare,” and within seconds the little fella was on dry land, no questions asked.

@tanganyikawildlifepark

Better listen to mom! #babyhippo #hippobaby #marsthehippo

Speaking with Today, Tanganyika’s Curator of Research and Welfare, Dr. Samantha Russak shared that the 40 pound calf had the advantage of being covered with a mucus-like substance called “blood sweat,” which helps prevent dryness and sunburns, and, in this instance, being taken in by well-intentioned zookeepers. But no amount of blood sweat would be a match for the infamous mom stare.

“It seems to be universal. Moms everywhere just have that power over babies,” she told Today.

@tanganyikawildlifepark

Baby Link ✨ #pygmyhippo #babyhippo #hippo #babyanimals


Indeed, people in the comments were in full agreement that Posie’s stare communicated something we could all understand without actually making a sound.

“The ‘mom stare’ is universal in every species,” one person wrote, while another echoed, “So, toddlers of all species are the same.”

And of course, people joked about exactly what Posie was saying with that stare:

“I know you heard that lady tell you to come out of the water.”

“Mars potato jones get out of the water now.”

“Mom: ‘I’m gonna turn around and start walking, if I look back and you aren’t out of that pool and right behind me, we’re gonna have a problem, k?’”

“GIT over here I told you not to be acting a fool with these people. They feed us.”

“Mom said don’t make me count to 3.”

“She was like ‘Don’t let me tell you twice…”

Some folks even took a stab at what little Mars might have been thinking.

“You’re not my mom! Oop, there she is. Coming ma!” one viewer quipped.

@tanganyikawildlifepark

Not the mud falling off his face at the end 🤣 #babyhipoj #hippobaby #mars #ijustababy

Humans are known for attributing our species-specific traits, feelings, and behaviors to animals in a process called anthropomorphism. Just how accurate we are in being able to interpret creature communications remains largely up to debate, but in moments like these, when it intuitively feels so clear what’s being expressed, it’s hard not to believe in our ability to connect with our fellow living creatures in a profound way. Not only that, but acknowledge the profound connection between a mother and child. Whether you’re furred, feathered, or human, we all know the power of that stare. That’s a beautiful thing, isn’t it?

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These baby penguins are thriving with a little help from adorable stuffed animal surrogates

Photo by Torsten Dederichs on Unsplash

A group of baby penguins are being cared for by surrogate parents.

Sometimes you need a helping hand to have the best possible start. That's what's happening with five baby Humboldt penguins at the ZSL London Zoo in England.

Zookeepers have stepped in to help care for the newest inhabitants of the zoo's Penguin Beach after it was discovered their parents were struggling a little. The keepers have become the penguins' parents, hand-rearing the little penguins in the zoo's nursery.

"During the breeding season, we check the nests on Penguin Beach every day, keeping an eye out for any chicks who might not be feeding enough or whose parents are struggling to care for their brood," ZSL London Zoo penguin keeper Suzi Hyde explained in a statement from the zoo.

"These five chicks all had first-time parents who needed a little bit of extra support, so we were happy to swoop in—with a little help from a few soft toy penguins, donated by the zoo shop, for them to snuggle up to."

Baby animals usually have a parent to snuggle up to and penguin babies depend on their parents for their survival. Both penguin parents are responsible for the care and feeding of the babies. Adult penguins recognize their babies by their distinct call. The ZSL zookeepers are currently caring for the babies by feeding them round-the-clock. But humans can't snuggle like their penguin equivalents. Enter the stuffed animals.

All of the little penguins were born between April 14 and 24 and have been living under warming lamps with their stuffed surrogate parent in the center. Currently, they're being fed something called a "penguin milkshake," which is a mix of blended fish, minerals and vitamins. It mimics the food that is regurgitated to the babies from their parents.

The zoo recently shared a video of the babies in their little incubator bowls during their daily weigh-ins and it's clear they're growing stronger every day.

"The chicks have all steadily increased in weight by ten percent each day, so they're growing very quickly," Suzi Hyde said. "They're always eager for their next meal and make sure we know it's feeding time — they may be only a month old, but they've definitely perfected their squawk!"

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Four of the baby penguins are girls and there is one boy. Because they're inhabitants of London Zoo, the zookeepers thought it would be great to honor Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee by naming each of them after different prominent moments in her 70-year reign as monarch. There's Hillary, named after Sir Edmund Hillary, the first British person to scale Mount Everest; Bobby, who honors soccer player Bobby Moore leading to a World Cup win in 1966; Apollo, after the moon landing in 1969; Mac, named after Ellen MacArthur, who set a record in 2006 for a nonstop sail around the world; and Bernie, after the creator of the internet, Tim Berners-Lee.

Currently, the penguins are covered in soft gray feathers that aren't waterproof, so they can't really do much. In another month or so, when they're around 10 weeks old, they will be moved to the zoo's nursery pool and begin swimming lessons. Once they have their waterproof feathers, they'll join the 62 other Humboldt penguins in the Penguin Beach exhibit.

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A genius way to repurpose old, unwanted furs for a great cause.

'There are all these people who have inherited fur but don’t want fur and don’t know what to do with the fur.'

Fur in fashion gets a bad rap for a good reason.

While fur is a rightfully taboo fashion choice for many people, recent reports show it's unfortunately making a comeback on runways again.

So what can we do to curtail this cruel trend, aside from not buying furs and encouraging others to do the same?

What about all those old, unwanted furs people have inherited from previous generations? What should become of those?

What if we could use old furs to save baby animals?

Born Free USA, an animal advocacy nonprofit, is doing just that.

Wild bunnies. Photo by Kim Rutledge, Wildlife Rescue Center, Missouri, via Born Free USA.

Born Free has partnered up with over 16 wildlife rehabilitation centers nationwide to send them furs that have been donated by people from all over the world.

The furs are used to help rehabilitate baby animals who've been orphaned or injured.

Opossum sibling. Photo by Fund for the Animals via Born Free USA.

"There’s nothing that any of us can do to undo the cruelty that created those furs in the past," said Adam Roberts, CEO of Born Free USA. "But what we can do is try and have animals benefit from what is already out there. Give the furs a useful home."

River otter kits. Photo by Blue Ridge Wildlife Center via Born Free USA.

Roberts got the idea during an ivory crush he attended in Colorado. Ivory crushes are held to destroy a large amount of ivory in order to effectively remove it from market circulation and broadcast the message that ivory shouldn't be worn or used by anyone other than elephants.

"I started to think about other scenarios in which there are wildlife products we want to remove from the marketplace as a signal that there should be no commercial trade in those animals or their parts," Roberts said.

He did some research and found wildlife rehabilitation centers often collect blankets for wayward animals. He thought old furs might be similarly useful, and just like that, the Fur for the Animals was born.

Fur donations at Blue Ridge Wildlife Center. Photo by Chris Yurek via Born Free USA.

Born Free began calling for fur donations in 2014. Today, they've collected over 800 furs — worth an estimated $1.5 million.

They collect over a four-month period from September through December, which also happens to be the time when baby animals need the most help warming up.

While the animals themselves can't say what a difference the fur means to them, the photos below speak pretty loudly.

Just look at how much Reggie the Bobcat loves his fur blanket:

GIF via Born Free USA/YouTube.

And this baby skunk so cozy in his fox fur:

Photo by Fund for Animals via Born Free USA.

Or this bear cub doing yoga on his new fur mat:

Photo by Fund for Animals via Born Free USA.

And this injured baby squirrel nestling in fur while having a snack:

Photo by Nicholas Alexiy Moran, Urban Utopia Wildlife Rehabilitation in New York via Born Free USA.

Whether it's because it reminds them of their mothers or simply that it acts as a warm, safe haven, the wildlife centers report that the furs really do seem to aid these animals in their recovery.

One fur coat can go a long way, too. Case in point, these 28 coyote cubs who found comfort in one fox coat.

Not all 28 coyote cubs pictured because they can't all fit on the fur at the same time, but you get the idea. Photo by Fund for Animals via Born Free USA.

What's most encouraging to Roberts and the rest of Born Free USA are the letters they've received from donors who finally feel like their fur coats will serve some purpose.

As Roberts said, "There are all these people who have inherited fur but don’t want fur and don’t know what to do with the fur."

Think about it. You have this fur from a past relative that has never felt right to keep, but it never felt right to throw it away either, so it's been sitting in your closet for years, just taking up space. Born Free USA is your chance to get rid of the fur in a way that both honors its former owner, the animal that gave its life, and brings the fur back to the wild.

Like this person who donated their mother's fur coat:

Image via Born Free USA.

And this person who donated their grandmother's fur coat:

Image via Born Free USA.

Roberts himself donated his grandmother's old furs.

She was of the generation that had come through the Depression, he explained, and bought things like steaks and fur coats as a way of proving they had made it out.

"She was a big advocate for me. But she was also someone of a different generation," said Roberts. "I think she would've been very proud to know some good use came out of the furs she had, because even though she had them, she also appreciated the cause of animal protection and conservation."

Bobcat kitten on a bed of fur. Photo by Fund for Animals via Born Free USA.

Roberts hopes Fur for the Animals will not only give old furs a second life comforting injured animals, but that it will raise awareness of the abhorrent nature of the fur industry and help put a stop to it once and for all.

He is well aware of the cruelty of which the fur trade is capable. Showing what a positive effect old furs can have on animals may be the most effective way to get the world's attention. Once people have been engaged by the sweet photos, he hopes the "stop the fur industry" message will fall on more attentive ears.

Thousands of animals died to make these furs, and that's a sad reality we can't go back and rectify. We can't undo what's been done, but we can change what we do with the millions of unwanted furs that still exist — and we can make sure we're moving forward positively. Even if this doesn't bring the fur industry to a screeching halt, bringing these furs back to wildlife is perhaps the only fitting way to end their story — with a new beginning.

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Southern right whales are having a baby boom — and a rare white calf was caught on camera.

Whale watching is always fun! Hooray!

Well, except for that whole waiting part or the risk of not seeing one at all. But even for researchers whose job it is to stare at the aquatic behemoths all day, a recent whale sighting in Australia was a HUGE DEAL.

The Cetacean Research Unit from Murdoch University has been in the midst of a massive study on the breeding and calving behaviors of southern right whales in the Great Australian Bight. And recently, their drone-tracking cameras happened upon this magical moment:

Aw, look! They're cuddling! GIF via MUCRU/YouTube.

The most obviously awesome part of it — besides the cuddles, of course — was this little white calf.

Southern right whales aren't usually white. According to the BBC, only 5% of right whales are born white, but the gray and black spotting takes over by the end of their first year. The initial white coloring isn't albinism, but there's not really any clear answer on what causes it either. And you certainly won't find any all-white adult southern right whales, which makes this rare sighting all the more amazing.

Photo via Fredrik Christiansen/Murdoch University, used with permission.

There's also the fact that southern right whale populations have been hurting for a long time.

"Save the whales!" is a pretty common refrain because humans kind of decimated these massive, mysterious marine mammals over a few hundred years. But while the sperm whales and the hump whales have been doing pretty well with recovery and repopulation, southern right whales are still having a rough go of it.

The Great Australian Bight, where these photos were taken, is the largest southern right whale nursery in the world — but even that means there's only about 3,000 estimated to be living there, about one-fifth of their pre-whaling population.

Maybe that mama started life out as a white one? She's got the spots to prove it. Photo via Fredrik Christiansen/Murdoch University, used with permission.

That makes it even more amazing that researchers would spot a white calf like they did.

Researchers have counted a whopping 80 or so newborn southern right whales this year. And that's a record-breaking high.

"Last year was one of our lowest years ever recorded, so the fact this year is high is a reassuring factor. [...] To know the whales are having a high year is very important," said Claire Charlton, a researcher from Curtin University, in an interview with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

"This project will benefit the conservation of southern right whales by teaching us more about their health and reproduction," added Fredrik Christiansen, a researcher from Murdoch University, in an interview with BBC.

"WHALE hello there!" Photo via Fredrik Christiansen/Murdoch University, used with permission.

And that's why these researchers were out taggin' and trackin' in the first place: to figure out why things are looking up for these magnificent leviathans.

Even though we've stopped actively killing whales in the whaling industry, we still can't say for certain how human industrial activity has continued to affect their lives and populations.

Oil drilling in particular is a pressing concern — and it doesn't take a spill for the machinery and noise pollution to do damage to the whales. (Of course, if there is an oil spill, even BP has admitted that it won't be pretty.)

By recording the sounds and movements made by the whales, as well as their reactions to the environment around them, researchers are better able to understand the entire ecosystem now, so they're learning how to keep those whales safe.

Photo via Fredrik Christiansen/Murdoch University, used with permission.

So that's the big question: Has the southern right whale population started to recover because companies like BP haven't been working underwater?

We can't say for certain. But it's likely, and it's worth figuring out before we make things worse.

"We've been assured that the exploration would have no negative impact on the whales [and] we'd like to think that is definitely the case, but we don't know," explained Haydyn Bromley of the Aboriginal Land Trust.

"What we would hate to see is the area devastated because perhaps someone made a mistake, or someone didn't calibrate something properly and next thing you know, this pristine area could be at risk."

The Great Australian Bight is home to hordes of incredible aquatic creatures — 85% of which can't be found anywhere else in the world.

Let's keep those creatures safe.

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