The feel good thread

[mapuc]

Here you post feel good stories/video klip.

Try not to turn it into funny picture thread.

Following video clip will make you feel good.

https://twitter.com/FredSchultz35/st...72583128625152

Markus

[Skybird]

When I see a European red Eichhörnchen, I immediately feel joy and my heart becomes lighter a bit. Its inevitable. Its more than just being amused, its real joy. I am convinced of: Eichhörnchen bringen Freude in das Leben. I could watch them hours and hours, and in fact I do, via my wildlife cam. When one of those little Fellnasen crosses my way, it sticks on my mind, and I still smile long after the encounter has ended.

If I would have the space and place, I would be a squirrel rehabber, no doubt on that. I have the time, the (theoretical) knowledge, even the emergency equipment (though I do not expect seriously the lightning will ever struck my place...) and the love for it. I have all what it takes - just not the place. A tragedy! At least I can maintain nut-bars and fill-em-up drinking stations in the garden and film them there, and this way help to increase their chances to get over the winter. Of hunger and weakening from it they must not die, at least this I can make sure. And the have mapped the place, they know it since their first months exploring the world when they left their mother.

Of the three brothers that I follow and observe since 2020, and who now lived through their third summer, two are still coming frequently, and currently daily again, collecting nuts like crazy. Kira had health issues, but seems to have fully recovered. Taro is as confident and fit and calm and resting in himself as he always has been. Only Sari is MIA.

I am surprising myself, but I take great joy from them. If one day they will not come anymore, I will really miss them. The European red squirrel can live up to 10-12 years in a well-cared "Voliere", but in freedom they live only 3-5 years, due to the stress and exhaustion, many get killed earlier by predators. American grey squirrels (sciurus virginensis) can live up to 25-28 years! In germany, squirrels are under spoecial protection of the law. Unfortunately that really needs to be so, the population struggles. In the first summer, six diofferent an imals frequen tly came to my feeders. Now, its two left.

I am mad for squirrels.









And a full chanel of beautiful shot videos:
https://www.youtube.com/user/Tinemeier/videos

[mapuc]

Thank so much Skybird for your real life feel good story.

We do not have these animal on our island for some reason-Some say we have I haven't seen any in my garden and I have a few trees, maybe they aren't big enough.

Markus

[Platapus]

Ukraine Girl Bereft Without Her Cat is Reunited Thanks to Kind Strangers in 5 Countries and 7,000 Miles

A truly astonishing story of war-time goodwill to mend a 10-year-old’s broken heart will bring a tear to almost anyone’s eyes.
Nearly a dozen people, most of whom never met little Agnessa, all took turns helping to get her cat Arsenii travel-ready, out of Ukraine, across Europe, across the Atlantic Ocean, and all the way to the San Francisco Bay Area so the two could be reunited.

It all started on that fateful late February morning as Russian forces poured over the border into their southern neighbor. The Bezhenar family decided to flee Odessa, but just didn’t have the means to take an animal along.
After arriving in a refugee camp in Romania, the family was linked via a refugee program to a man in the Bay Area who had opened the doors of a second house he had to the Bezhenars for 2 years.

No doubt blessings were counted, but it was after the family were settling in that German stewardess Dee Harnish, who had kept in touch with them, discovered that the Bezhenars had left a family member behind.
“She [Agnessa] missed sleeping with her cat and she missed hugging him, she missed everything about the cat because she had grown up with him,” Mrs. Maria Bezhenar told Harnish.

Harnish then telephoned another flight attendant, Viola, who rescues animals, who from her home in Hawai’i telephoned an animal rescuer in Houston, Angelica, who laid the groundwork for the rescue. The next person on the call sheet was Maria’s brother-in-law, who was taking care of Arsenii. The man not only vaccinated and microchipped the cat, but got him a passport as well—before driving him on his motorcycle across the border to Moldova.

From there, another man drove him to Bucharest, where another family of refugees took Arsenii in, after which Mimi Kate, an animal rescuer on holiday in Greece volunteered to cut her vacation short to pick up Arsenii in Romania, but all of the cat’s documents had to be checked there, rather than in the U.S., since he came from a non-EU country.

A tuk-tuk driver, as if the story couldn’t find room for more characters, helped out, and drove Arsenii and Kate from Bucharest back to make her flight in Athens. Via Montreal and Seattle, Aresnii put 7,000 miles under his paws.

[Shady Bill]

Originally Posted by Skybird

When I see a European red Eichhörnchen, I immediately feel joy and my heart becomes lighter a bit.
I am mad for squirrels.

I am a big outdoor animal fan. Mainly because the more outside animals I attract, the more excited my cat gets.

I feed them a variety of nuts; peanuts, pecans and hazelnuts. The most squirrels I ever attracted was 12. They will all come to my backyard. I also give them peanuts in the shell which they find even more delightful.

I also have 4 bluejays who have taken up residence outside my home, and I have a couple of Downy woodpeckers and there is a beautiful Northern Flicker that shows up a lot.

Your european squirrels do seem much prettier. Mine have very bushy tails and thick coats, but they are very rat like in looks. They also seem to be very husky and muscular, but that might be the nuts... I will have to take some pictures. They are so tame from the feeding that I can come within feet of them even when walking my cat on her leash.

I make sure i don't overfeed them of course, and only feed during certain times of the month.

[mapuc]

Thank you Platapus and Shady Bill for your inspire ful story.

I myself hope to win the big one in lotto-when I does I will open a few farms around in the country Denmark.

It will be ordinary animals you see on a farm-Cows, pigs, sheep a.s.o
Only different will be-They will not be killed or in other way be harmed-It will be their otium

Only when an animal get so sick that there no cure-I will put it to eternal rest. Done by a vet.

Markus

[Skybird]

Originally Posted by Shady Bill

Your european squirrels do seem much prettier. Mine have very bushy tails and thick coats, but they are very rat like in looks. They also seem to be very husky and muscular, but that might be the nuts... I will have to take some pictures. They are so tame from the feeding that I can come within feet of them even when walking my cat on her leash.

You have several different tree squirrel species in Americ, we have just one. The one you describe, grey, big, strong, is probably the American grey squirrel, sciurus virginensis. They are bigger, more robust, they form social groups and thus are probably more intelligent and more courageous, they live longer, and they can eat some more different stuff without getting problems that would put our red ones (sciurus vulgaris) in serious danger (many peanuts, or too many acorns). Peanuts with shells practically always have microfunghi on the shell whcih can put our squirrels in danger, the poor little things are extremely sensitve, they also cannot digest them well , since peanuts are not nuts, but legumes. Ameicna squirrel shave th eneded encymes, European squirrels have them not. If they eat only acorn, they starve to death.

The American red squirrel and the European red squirrel are not the same, they are quite different in fact, the US boys are way more aggressive, for exmaple, and can be very noisy. The Japanese red squirrel (sciurus lis) however is very close, genetically, to the European one.

Your grey squirrels even pick fights with rattlesnakes - and win! They also have partial immunity to the poison.

We have two populations of US greys in Europe, in britain, and northern Italy and now Switzerland, Austria. The british population carries a virus to which the grey ones are immune but that is absolutely lethal for European squirrels, also, the grey ones are stronger and more aggressive and push back red populations where they meet. There is no chance of coexistence, where the species meet, the red ones go MIA. The Italian population is apparently free of the virus, but it spreads, the alps are no more a natural containment barrier. I fear in the long run, over the next decades, this and the climate drama will let the red squirrel go extinct in most of Europe. Yes, they are cuter, very much so. But also weaker, smaller, fleeing from meeting other squirrels, and more vulnerable. Too many of them die early. Only in forests with dense vegetations of firs and spruces they can outlast the grey ones, which prefer decidious and mixed forests. Also, the presence of tree martens kill red squirrels, but kill even more grey squirrels since they do not know our tree martrens and thus are not evolutionary adapted. Where grey and red squirrels and martens come together its good for the red and not good for the greys.

Life expectancy varies widely between squirele species. We have only one tree squirrel, and one ground squirrel species: alpine marmots.

[Skybird]

Originally Posted by Platapus

Ukraine Girl Bereft Without Her Cat is Reunited Thanks to Kind Strangers in 5 Countries and 7,000 Miles

Nice story and picture.


(Partially) domesticated animals benefit from physical closeness and social touch just like humans do, they have comparable hormonal reactions and brain stimulations during such perceptions. I stopped laughing a long time ago when some pet owners cuddle their animals or, like the girl in the picture, take them to bed with them, regularly or occasionally. It makes sense.

[mapuc]

Here's another feel good video of a dog who seems to be very interested in horse race.

https://twitter.com/HeavenPuppies/st...61521207005185

Markus

[Jimbuna]

[mapuc]

This video makes you feel good with a smile

https://twitter.com/TheFigen_/status...12242112614405

Markus

[Jimbuna]

[mapuc]

https://twitter.com/TheFigen_/status...83596636475396

Markus

[Jimbuna]

[Eisenwurst]