On a crisp winter’s night in New York City, folks rallied around a literal underdog (ugh, sorry).
King, a majestic wire fox terrier, took out the coveted Best in Show award at the 143rd Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show at Madison Square Garden on Tue…
Category: Animals
Smart cat shelter uses AI to let strays inside — but no dogs allowed
You might know Baidu for its search engine, but it’s looking to make a mark in the feline world too.
The Chinese internet giant has released what it’s claimed to be the first AI-powered smart cat shelter, which was put together by one of the company’s engineers, Wan Xi.
“At first, I just wanted to provide them with a warm place in winter with food and water that is not frozen,” Wan told state media.
As detailed in Baidu’s blog post, what’s novel about this use of AI is the camera at the front of the shelter’s door.
For stray cats, winter is almost fatal. Using #AI and Baidu’s #EasyDL platform, a Baidu engineer has devised an AI Smart Cattery to shelter stray cats and help them survive Beijing’s cold winter. This is the story behind – a story that has melted many hearts❤️🐱#techforgood pic.twitter.com/TlDRgkMe9P
— Baidu Inc. (@Baidu_Inc) January 31, 2019 Read more…
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View More Smart cat shelter uses AI to let strays inside — but no dogs allowedSeattle’s gone to the dogs, literally, following record snowfall
So it snowed in Seattle. Like, a lot. And wouldn’t you know it, the city’s canine residents can’t get enough.
An unusually powerful winter storm dropped over six inches on the Pacific Northwest city Feb. 9 — a “new daily record” according to the National Weather Service, which also happens to report that more snow is on the way. That hasn’t stopped Seattle’s dogs from making the most of the surprise snow day.
And, thankfully for us, their humans decided to capture a bit of the fun for social-media posterity.
Snow dogs! This is the most snow I’ve ever seen in Seattle 🌨🐶🐶 pic.twitter.com/lwpQpgMVRD
— Joshua Wittenkeller (@TheJWittz) February 8, 2019 Read more…
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View More Seattle’s gone to the dogs, literally, following record snowfallZookeepers wanted two tigers to mate. The meeting ended with a dead tiger.
At a zoo, a dicey attempt at tiger matchmaking went awry.
The ZSL London Zoo said Friday that a new male Sumatran tiger, Asim, killed the facility’s “beloved” female, Melati. Zookeepers allowed the two wary predators to physically interact for the first time, hoping they would eventually mate as part of a greater European breeding program.
But after Asim approached Melati, matters “quickly escalated into a more aggressive interaction,” the zoo said.
Today our beloved Sumatran tigress Melati died while being introduced to new male Asim for the first time. Everyone at ZSL London Zoo is heartbroken by this turn of events. Tiger Territory will remain closed while our team focus on caring for Asim: https://t.co/KAoW0rziPN pic.twitter.com/CHcVKKMdz4
— ZSL London Zoo (@zsllondonzoo) February 8, 2019 Read more…
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View More Zookeepers wanted two tigers to mate. The meeting ended with a dead tiger.Vets thawed a cat that nearly froze to death and saved its life
Fluffy the cat is one lucky furball.
After venturing outside in the Montana snow during last week’s polar vortex, Fluffy, an indoor-outdoor cat, nearly froze to death in below zero temperatures. But after her owners found her covered in chunks of ice…
WeRateDogs is releasing a new card game where you can rate all the good pups
Have you every spotted a dog in the wild and thought, “Wow, that is a certified Good Boy, 13/10, would recommend?” Then this is the perfect card game for you.
The viral Twitter account WeRateDogs , or, “Your Only Source For Professional Dog Ratings,” according to their Twitter bio, has teamed up with Chronicle Books to release a new competitive dog-ranking game.
WE MADE A GAME! 🎲
It’s like a dog show but each of the 45 dogs has 6 characteristics (floof, boopability, etc.) plus an overall goodness score that fluctuate with event & reaction cards but it’s ok they’re all good dogs just buy it thanks
Pre-Order Now: https://t.co/cdcrJwflNQ pic.twitter.com/mZ1bV3xMTK
— WeRateDogs™ (@dog_rates) February 6, 2019 Read more…
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Scientists are looking for the owner of a USB drive which was found in seal poop
USB drives are unfortunately small and easy to lose.
If you happened to misplace one on the southern tip of New Zealand’s South Island, scientists from the country’s National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) are looking for you.
SEE…
This cat named Michael Scott is the World’s Best Cat
The Office’s influence is so incredibly strong that even cats are fans of the show, now. And no, we’re not just talking about Angela Martin’s.
Brittney Jernstrom, a 26-year-old Office superfan named her cat Michael Scott after noticing some striking …
Zoo lets you name a snake after an ex, just in time for Valentine’s Day
You might already describe an ex as a snake. So why not name a reptile after them?
An Australian zoo has launched a competition where you can do just that, allowing for a brown snake named after your former lover as its top prize.
The competition run by Wild Life Sydney requires entrants to explain why their ex deserves it, and also donate to its conservation fund, which aims to help Australian native wildlife by funding research and educational programs.
The zoo’s general manager, Mark Connolly, said in a statement that the competition could give “someone unlucky in love … something else to celebrate on Valentine’s Day this year.” Read more…
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View More Zoo lets you name a snake after an ex, just in time for Valentine’s DayGroundhog Day prediction is for an early spring but Twitter’s not buying it this year
Punxsutawney Phil, the Pennsylvania groundhog we let decide our seasons for us, is officially predicting an early spring.
On Saturday morning, the famous groundhog awoke at sunrise to celebrate Groundhog Day and did not see his shadow. This, his male handlers in top hats dramatically said, signals an early start to spring and an end to winter. But don’t get too excited.
JUST IN: Punxsutawney Phil sees no shadow, predicts early springpic.twitter.com/BsMser58Rt
— NBC News (@NBCNews) February 2, 2019
Would an early spring be nice? Sure! Especially considering temperatures have recently reached record-breaking lows in states across the country. But with the ever-present threat of climate change on the brain, reactions to Phil’s verdict this year were pretty mixed. Read more…
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View More Groundhog Day prediction is for an early spring but Twitter’s not buying it this yearEmergency pet marijuana calls are up by 765%
The last ten years have seen a massive spike in dogs getting accidentally stoned. Tom Shell’s dog Stella is one of them — a few weeks ago, he came home to find her on a real wild ride.
When Shell walked through the front door, his 13-year-old mini Australian shepherd was lounging on the couch, looking confused as hell. At first, he thought the dog was having a glaucoma flare-up because she was “looking kind of hazy-eyed.” But when Stella slid off the couch and started stumbling in Shell’s direction, unable to walk properly, he knew something was seriously wrong.
Concerned, Shell put her back on the couch. That’s when he noticed that his office door was open, the remains of his torn backpack strewn across the middle of the room. Read more…
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View More Emergency pet marijuana calls are up by 765%Sam Neill doing yoga with his pig is the only thing worth seeing on the internet
We’ve heard of cat yoga, kilt yoga, and even naked yoga. But, there’s one thing we haven’t seen before and that’s a pig doing yoga. Well, until now, that is.
Sam Neill, of Jurassic Park fame, tweeted two photos of himself and “The Pig” doing their “stretching routine together.”
On the right, Neill is showing the pig how to do “Upward Facing Dog.”
So The Pig and I do our stretching routine together these mornings; we take turns while the other coaches. Here we demonstrate the “Upward Facing Dog”. Or “The Cobra” to the Pig. [ he’s more Yoga than Pilates.] ‘Just 3 more Sam !”Yes coach.’ Ommpic.twitter.com/dM3CvMNdcS
— Sam Neill (@TwoPaddocks) January 27, 2019 Read more…
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View More Sam Neill doing yoga with his pig is the only thing worth seeing on the internet