Odd pair makes for the best of friends

Dogs and cats can become friends, as the folks at the Wildlife Safari in Oregon found out — except for the cat in this odd couple scenario is a cheetah. You can see rhinos and lions at the Wildlife Safari in Winston and also an Anatolian Shepherd. Her name is Ellie and her best friend happens to be a cheetah named Sanurra.

Groundhog Day at SeaWorld Orlando!

Tomorrow, Feb. 2, brings Groundhog Day, the most-watched weather forecast of the year.
When people think of SeaWorld, they immediately think of Shamu the killer whale and other marine animals. However, SeaWorld and Busch Gardens’ animal specialists care for thousands of different species each day — one of these is a one-year old groundhog named Marshall, pictured here.

Best friends at Busch Gardens

Busch Gardens Tampa Bay’s 65-acre Serengeti Plain is home to herds of giraffe, zebra, rhino, African antelope and many species of birds. Just as they do on Africa’s plains, the animals usually hang out with their own species. But recently, zoo keepers at Busch Gardens noticed an unlikely pair. Bea, a three-year-old giraffe, and Wilma, an ostrich, just can’t seem to get enough of one another. Best friends? Let the pictures speak for themselves.

Dog raises piglet, gives it milk to survive

A dog has successfully reared a piglet on a farm in Guizhou Province, Chinese State Television reports. China Central TV broadcast video of the dog carrying the piglet around the farm in its mouth, and showed the piglet snuggling up to its surrogate mum. State media said the piglet was one of a farrow of 13 pigs, but the sow was unable to produce enough milk for the litter. The other 12 piglets died, but this piglet survived after receiving milk from the dog, according to the CCTV report.

Meanwhile, in Heilongjiang Province, CCTV also filmed a flock of ducklings that had been adopted by a farmyard hen.

Man claims his dog is a genius

J.R. Kelly of Neosho, Missouri, claims his dog is a genius — and he’d like to prove it on national TV.

Among his skills, Cowboy can help you water the lawn, pick out tools for carpentry projects and even play basketball.

Kelly said he received a phone call from Dave Letterman’s producers, because his dog might possibly be on the show.

Video provided by KOAM.

Dissecting the body language of dogs

Reading a dog’s greeting can offer you some insight on a dog’s personality. But often, it takes more than just watching for a wag of the tail.

Animal trainer Sarah Wilson takes Vicki translates the body language of several different greetings.

Catie Copley has new book, friend

Arguably the most famous dog in Boston, Catie Copley, is out with a new book — and she has a new friend.

Everything you want to know about skunks

Even if you’ve never seen one…you’ve probably smelled one. Vicki takes a look at the secret life of skunks, thanks to animal curator Bunny Watson and Scarlet, the resident skunk at the Museum of Science in Boston.

Want to know more about skunks? Check out this fact file:

-Weight: Up to 14 pounds

-Average lifespan in the wild: 3 years

-Diet: Fruit, plants, insects, small mammals and sometimes fish

-Skunks usually nest in burrows constructed by other animals, but can also make homes in hollowed logs and abandoned buildings

-Females give birth to between two and ten young a year

-Asian stink badgers were recently added to the skunk family

Don’t let the quills scare you!

Meet Noonee — one of the resident porcupines at The Museum of Science in Boston. Noonee is an education animal who teaches us that an animal covered in quills can actually be quite lovable!

What does our pets’ bedtime behaviors tell us?

From a cozy corner of the couch, to a spot in the sun, you can learn a lot about your pet through his or her bedtime behavior. Animal trainer Sarah Wilson takes us through some revealing images.