Happy News

Pen Pals Meet for the First Time After Sixty-Eight Years

Patsy Gregory and Carol-Ann Krause, two best friends who started writing letters to each other when they were 12 years old in 1955, finally met in person after nearly 70 years of correspondence. The pair would send letters about their daily lives and holiday plans, and even exchanged photos with one another. They were given this opportunity to meet each other through Gregory’s daughter who surprised her with a trip to the United States to meet Krause for her eighteenth birthday. Upon arriving they both instantly recognized each other and spent a wonderful time together in South Carolina, proving that handwritten letters and lifelong friendships can still thrive, even in a world full of technology!

Woman Creates a Hummingbird Hospital in Her Apartment

Catia Lattouf, a 73-year-old woman in Mexico City, turned her apartment into a place for taking care of injured hummingbirds. After beating cancer in 2011 she began the project and found comfort in helping an injured hummingbird that her veterinarian friend encouraged her to help. Lattouf felt less sad after helping this hummingbird. Now, she has about 60 hummingbirds she looks after. People from all over Latin America have heard of her work and even experts occasionally ask for her help. Lattouf, along with her helper Cecilia Santos, work long days caring for the birds and releasing them into the wild once they are strong enough. She believes in doing her best to protect these tiny birds, even though they face threats like grackles and construction in the city.

A 90-Year-Old Woman Celebrates her Birthday by Skydiving from 12,000 Feet

Ten years ago, a grandma named Hilary Oxley received an unusual 80th birthday gift from her family: a skydiving ticket, and she loved it! Now, as she turned 90 on July 22, her granddaughters thought it would be a cool experience to relive. Even with the anxiety of Oxley’s granddaughters, Stephanie and Daisy, Oxley remained calm and yelled “You only live once'', even after the excursion was over she remained overjoyed. What made her birthday even more exciting was winning a trip to Marbella, Spain, from a scratch-off lottery ticket. The granddaughters believed it to be an incredible family memory, and while Oxley said two skydives were enough for now, she did not rule out doing it again at 95

World’s Loneliest Lion Returns to Africa After Five Years in an Abandoned Zoo

15-year-old lion Ruben has finally been set free after spending five long and lonely years in a private zoo in Armenia. Ruben was abandoned in a tiny concrete cell while the rest of his lion companions were relocated. After hearing about Ruben, the Animals Defenders International (ADI), sponsored by Qatar Airways Cargo, decided to organize a rescue mission to return Ruben to his home. After a 5,200-mile journey, Ruben took his first steps back into his homeland. At first, Ruben’s steps were unsteady and staggering due to malnutrition and years of no exercise. However, Ruiben’s resilience shocked everyone. Following a trail of sausages from his travel crate to a giant catnip punch bag, he immediately began to play with it. Having lost his roar from being isolated from other lions, Ruben has worked hard to regain his roar, which is getting steadier and louder each day. With the grass under his feet and the African sun on his back, Ruben is now enjoying his new life stationed at the ADI Wildlife Rehabilitation Sanctuary in Free State, South Africa.

Previously “Extinct” Prehistoric Bird Has Returned to New Zealand Wild

The takahē bird was first declared extinct back in the late 1800’s. This iridescent flightless bird is a symbol of New Zealand’s unique prehistoric past. Having grown up on an island devoid of mammals, the birds’ ultimate demise came from the invasive introduction of land mammals such as rats, ferrets, and cats.

Much to everyone’s shock, the bird was rediscovered shortly after the Second World War, and ever since conservationists have made it their mission to reintroduce the birds into New Zealand.

Taking a proactive approach in saving the bird, conservationists raised takahē chicks in breeding centers by using sock puppets molded into the shape of adult takahē heads, which proved to be incredibly effective. Efforts to trap the invasive predators have also contributed significantly to the birds’ steady growth in population of about 8% per annum.

In this incredible historic conservation success story, 18 takahē birds have been released into a nature reserve on Lake Wakatipu. With high hopes, conservationists expect another 7 to be released in October and another 10 in the early months of 2024.

Portuguese Man Stuns Scientific Authorities with Accidental Discovery of an 82-Foot-Long Dinosaur in His Backyard

Back in 2017, a Portuguese man discovered the presence of several fragments of fossilized bones in his backyard while doing construction work. Puzzled by the sight, he alerted scientific authorities about what would soon be the discovery of a fossilized sauropod, which may be the biggest dinosaur skeleton discovered in Europe.

Just last month, the excavation team unearthed several important skeletal elements of a dinosaur that may have been about 82 feet in length. A set of elements of the axial skeleton, including vertebrae and ribs, has been collected from the excavation site. The position in which the individual was discovered along with the preservation characteristics of the fossils and their disposition, hint that there may be more bones left in the surrounding areas of the site.

With the discovery of several genera of Brachiosauridae under Europe’s belt, this massive creature may be a Brachiosaurus altithorax, a Giraffatitan brancai, or a Lusotitan atalaiensis which was first found in Portugal's West region.