A viral reminder that Native people are the historical experts on sustainability

Photo by Anthony Gotter on Unsplash, Screenshot from tumbler

Environmental catastrophes like the recent Australian bushfires and ecological travesties like plastic-filled whale stomachs serve as stark reminders of our precarious relationship with our planet. While many of us call for greater sustainability in all areas of life, we don't really know what that looks like—which is why we should listen to those who do.

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I never imagined becoming a 'hermit crab rescuer,' but every animal deserves good care

Two Claws Up/Instagram

Five years ago, I unexpectedly found myself driving to New Jersey to pick up hermit crabs from a stranger.

Like many New Yorkers, I search Craigslist ads when I'm bored. I don't remember what I was looking for that day—it might have been a sodastream or mini trampoline. But what I found was a young woman who was moving away to college and wanted to find a home for her hermit crabs.

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Breastfeeding mom's touching encounter with an orangutan has people swooning—and debating

Gemma Copeland/Facebook

A breastfeeding mother's experience at Vienna's Schoenbrunn Zoo is touching people's hearts—but not without a fair amount of controversy.

Gemma Copeland shared her story on Facebook, which was then picked up by the Facebook page Boobie Babies. Photos show the mom breastfeeding her baby next to the window of the zoo's orangutan habitat, with a female orangutan sitting close to the glass, gazing at them.

"Today I got feeding support from the most unlikely of places, the most surreal moment of my life that had me in tears," Copeland wrote.

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Firefighters grant dying forest ranger's final wish to visit the woods one last time

via Evergreen Hospice Volunteers / Facebook

Hospice nurses seem to come from the heavens. It's a job that requires a big heart, the strength to deal with death on a daily basis, and in-depth medical and nursing training.

Five years ago, Leigh Gardner performed a small miracle for a man that made one of his last days on Earth one of his best

Edward Reis, 62, was an ex-forest ranger with multiple sclerosis and had been in hospice care for years. His caregivers became a surrogate family for Reis who didn't have much family in the area.

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