Good Animal News

Celebrating positive news about animals making a difference for people — and people making a difference for animals

A still from House of the Dragon: Rhaenyra, a woman with platinum blonde hair wearing a burgundy tunic with embroidered shoulders and a metal necklace, stands in a mountainous landscape with large scaled reptilian creatures behind her.

Scientists discovered a new species of horned lizard in Thailand. They named it after Rhaenyra's dragon in 'House of the Dragon'

“House of the Dragon” may be on a two-year hiatus, but it is still making headlines — especially in the scientific community.
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A man holding a leash next to a tan and black dog with its tongue out, and a woman in a wheelchair, all posing together indoors.

Heroic dog saves his owner — and cat — as Spokane wildfires set home ablaze

Shadow courageously alerted his owner to the Old Trails Fire as it encroached on their property.
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A large sea turtle lies on sand while several people lean over to examine and touch its shell and flippers.

Beachgoers are learning a vital lesson from this harrowing sea turtle rescue: 'Fill in your holes'

A viral video posted on World Sea Turtle Day is serving as a cautionary tale for beachgoers this summer.
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Six young penguins with dark gray and white plumage stand together on sandy ground with sparse vegetation visible behind them.

Australia is working to catch 5,000 of the world's smallest penguins to vaccinate them against bird flu

Capturing wildlife to vaccinate them is difficult, particularly because the bird flu vaccination requires they be caught twice, for two doses.
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Left: A gloved hand points to barnacles and other organisms covering a sea turtle's shell. Right: A close-up of a barnacle on a shell.

This sea turtle had an incredible 92-day recovery. See the day she finally got her barnacles removed

Syrena made headlines last year when she was rescued from the Gulf of Mexico, barely able to swim. Now, her rescuer is sharing never-before-seen clips from her incredible recovery.
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Two California condors perch on a metal railing overlooking a vast valley landscape with mountains, farmland, and scattered development below. Text overlay shows "ALERTCalifornia" and "UCSan Diego" logos with timestamp and coordinate information.

California condors are critically endangered and hard to spot in the wild. Two just photobombed a trail camera

ALERTCalifornia has over 1,200 cameras set up across the state to monitor wildfires. Two condors took an interest in one trail camera high above a mountaintop.
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A wooden pier extends into blue-green water beneath a sign reading "THE PORT OF NEWPORT PUBLIC FISHING PIER" with a crab illustration. A steel bridge spans the water to the left, with forested hills and residential buildings visible across the water.

Humpback whale entanglements are on the rise. Oregon is trying innovative 'rope-free crab traps' to help

Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission adopts new rules to enforce vessel monitoring system and to begin testing pop-up gear in state’s Dungeness crab fishery.
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Left: An orange and white cat wearing a black visor and holding a blue and yellow toy in its mouth, looking directly at the camera. Right: Two orange and white cats sitting together on a checkered blanket, both looking at the camera with wide eyes.

Two disabled cats are going viral for beating all the odds: '5.5 half legs, three claws, two crooked tails, one titanium skull'

Oliver, the cat with the “titanium” skull, is going viral on social media three years after his harrowing brain surgery.
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A rhinoceros stands on a muddy bank beside a stream surrounded by dense tropical vegetation including palm fronds and green foliage.

This photographer left trail cameras in a remote Kenyan forest for months. He uncovered a hidden 'wildlife highway'

Wildlife photographer Will Burrard-Lucas initially visited Maasai Mara to study its black rhino population. Then he found an oasis for all forest species.
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An older man wearing glasses and a gray shirt holds a cream-colored dog with a blue collar in a wooden-beamed interior. Two similar photos show the man and dog in slightly different positions.

A hospice patient's last wish was to snuggle a golden retriever with 'puppy breath.' Gladdie was the girl for the job

The patient received his diagnosis at the same time as his previous dog, who had recently passed away. These strangers gave him some “golden retriever love” one last time.
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Sea turtle swimming underwater in deep blue ocean water, photographed from the side.

Researchers discover groundbreaking details about sea turtle migration patterns: 'Crucial to conservation'

The new research followed male sea turtles, which often do not get the same attention as female nesting turtles.
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Left: Adult lion and four lion cubs resting on sandy ground with grass. Right: Woman wearing an orange hijab smiling at camera next to a yellow and black banner reading "LION LANDSCAPES" with a paw print logo.

Humans used to kill lions in this African village. Now, they get health benefits in exchange for saving big cats

The nonprofit Lion Landscapes uses trail cameras to incentivize villagers to earn “points” for spotting and saving local wildlife.
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