Bei Bei is a 6-month-old panda cub who lives at the Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington, DC. 

He is the only baby panda at the zoo, and as you can imagine, he receives some pretty special treatment. 

Bei Bei has been documented in videos on the Zoo’s YouTube since December, and he is continuing to win over the hearts of all animal lovers. 

A few weeks ago, after many failed attempts, Bei Bei was successfully able to climb his first tree. Except, he was having a bit of trouble getting down, until his mother came to his rescue. Bei Bei’s mom, Mei Xang was there at just the right time to give her son a helping hand and ensure he got down the tree safely. 

Watch this absolutely adorable moment below and please SHARE it with your friends and family on Facebook!

If you want to see more of Bei Bei, check him out here on the Zoo’s Giant Panda Cam.

[Featured Image Credit: YouTube- Smithsonian’s National Zoo]

There are few things more annoying and terrifying than driving along at night and seeing the dreaded flashing blue and red lights behind you.

However, when Laurie Burbine of Manitoba, Canada was driving home Sunday night from her son’s hockey game, that’s the exact sight that plagued her rearview mirror.

The frazzled woman pulled over to the side of the road wondering what could prompt such an annoying sight as she hadn’t been speeding down the icy roads. She then remembered that her taillight was out, and while her husband had promised to fix it, it was still out of order.

Burbine handed over her license and registration as per usual, but what the officer handed back was not a typical ticket.

Instead, Constable Kyle Isenor with the Ste. Anne Police Department pulled Burbine over to make her day with a rose, an unexpected gift that shocked Burbine:

The story has since gone viral, inspiring love all around. You can hear the whole story below and don’t forget to SHARE this affectionate story with friends and family in your own life:

[Featured Image Credit: Flicker via Matty Ring]

Pit bulls often get a bad reputation for being vicious and dangerous animals, yet this sweet pit bull named Molly is proving that not even a painful accident with a train can squash her loving and happy spirit.

Molly had darted in front of an Amtrak train in a tunnel in Baltimore late last January, and was found by officer Kevin McMullen covered in blood, cuts, and a severed back leg. Despite her incredibly painful and deadly injuries, Molly’s first instinct was to cover him in kisses.

Molly lost her hind leg and parts of her tail in the accident, and miraculously survived after being rushed to get treatment at BARCS Animal Shelter. As she healed, officer McMullen kept coming by to visit and each time Molly laid eyes on him, she lit up and couldn’t stop giving her kisses.

Just a few weeks later, McMullen decided to officially adopt Molly and brought her home on Valentine’s Day to be part of the family along with girlfriend Claire, and their three dogs and one cat.

So far, Molly has already found her favorite spot on their crowded sofa right next to her new human dad and rescuer. “She has already taken over the couch, so she must know she is finally in her forever home,” McMullen said.

Watch the entire video below to hear more about Molly and her miraculous recovery.

Can you believe this incredible cop opened his home to Molly after such a tragic incident? Let us know what you think in the comments below, and please SHARE this amazing story on Facebook.

[Featured image credit: Facebook/BARCS Animal Shelter]

Saying goodbye to a pet that passed can be a very difficult thing to do. Especially if you’re a child.

When 6-year-old Liam lost his pet goldfish, he decided to have a small funeral in remembrance of his loving fish. 

The ceremony took place in the families bathroom in Seneca, North Carolina, and only the immediate family members attended. The service was held by Liam, while Piper, his sister looked on. Liam’s father, Alex Vassey told FOX Carolina that Spot was Liam’s fish so he wanted to speak. Liam said some very touching words: 

“God..Help Spot to stay good and help him to stay comfortable. I hope he has a good journey and help him to have a good journey. Amen!”

“My wife and I were very proud that he was so concerned. They both are animal lovers and were genuinely sad. We thought they were sweet to do all of that for their fish,” Alex Vassey said.

When the ceremony was over, and Spot was flushed, Liam had a deja-vu of having a similar funeral for his last pet goldfish named Bluey. 

Please watch this touching toilet funeral below and SHARE it with your friends and family on Facebook!

[Featured Image Credit: Facebook- Alex Vassey]

Sometimes you just want to kick back and have a leisurely look at some awe-inspiring images that brighten up your day. After all, looking at stunning images from space really makes you think ‘out of the box’ and takes you into another world when you consider how big the universe is and how small you are. That’s nothing to feel down about, quite to the contrary, you can sit at your desk at work and marvel at the existence of these awesome images. These awe-inspiring images are bound to transport you into an alternate reality, if only for a few minutes, and will give you a welcome break from your otherwise-mundane day at work….

When Gina Short, a breast cancer patient from North Carolina hit the 1 million dollar jackpot last week, it was hard for her to believe. 

When she walked into the Lottery’s Charlotte office and realized she had won, she literally dropped to the floor. Short was so overcome with emotion, saying, “I have a second chance. That’s what my whole life is about, second chances.”

Short’s entry was drawn from over 1.2 million entries in the drawing, and out of pure coincidence the prize is referred to as the ‘Ultimate Millions Second-Chance.’

“If you would have told me, in a million years I still wouldn’t have believed you,” Short said. “I would have said, ‘No you’ve got the wrong girl,’ because that’s what I said to them when they told me I had cancer, ‘No you’ve got the wrong girl.'”

Short was diagnosed with breast cancer 6 years ago, and while she’ll face additional cancer treatments, she sees this money as a blessing that will truly help her “live.”

Watch this incredible video of Short winning below and please SHARE it with your friends and family on Facebook!

At the age of 13, Sean Swarner was given just two weeks to live, but today, the 41-year-old has fought cancer twice and is proving that nothing- not even a missing lung- can stop you from fulfilling your goals and dreams.

Swarner was just 13 years old when he was first diagnosed with cancer, and then got the crushing news that his cancer was back at age 16. “I remember sitting on the bottom of the shower floor when my friends were out having fun with their lives. I was losing my hair, 60 pounds overweight, crying by eyeballs out,” he explained. “It was something that no one should ever have to go through.”

“What kept me going is a quote I came up with and it’s,’The human body can live roughly 30 days without food. The human condition can sustain itself for roughly three days without water, but no human alive can live for more than 30 seconds without hope.’ So hope kept me going,” Swarner said.

After beating his own uphill battle for a second time, Swarner decided that he and his one working lung would climb the tallest mountains on every continent.

Today, Swarner has accomplished that goal, and has created the Cancer Climber Association, which grants a cancer survivor the chance to climb Mount Kilimanjaro with him, to help show them the strength of the human body, and more importantly, the human spirit.

“Taking people up Kilimanjaro, I see a transformation. They make this trek, they get to the top, and they come back down, and I can see that they’re stronger, and more confident,” Swarner said. “It gives them the tools to say, ‘Hey, if I can conquer that mountain, I can do anything.'”

Watch the entire video below to see the inspiring way this cancer survivor is helping others to stay positive and keep fighting.

Can you believe how powerful hope can be for people fighting to stay alive? Let us know what you think in the comments below, and please SHARE this if you know someone who has battled cancer.

[Featured image credit: Facebook/Sean Swarner]

With offices like these, you’ll never want to leave work.

Kurgo, the Massachusetts company leading the industry in doggie travel supplies is leading the industry in something else too: best companies to work for. The company owned by brothers Kitter and Gordie Spater, is located in Massachusetts and is a workplace that knows how to practice what they preach. The company designs and sells toys and gear for outdoorsy, adventurous pups and their owners.

Each year, hundreds and thousands of children wait in foster care until the day they finally get taken home with their forever family. In fact, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, about 108,000 American children were waiting to be adopted in 2014.

While adoption agencies always need more loving families, it turns out there’s an even greater need for volunteers to cuddle and care for these precious babies who desperately need that one-on-one care.

“Agencies are not exactly the best funded today, so volunteers are more important probably than they have ever been,” Adam Pertman, president of the National Center on Adoption and Permanency, told ABC News. “All agencies over the years have certainly needed volunteers but … the need has grown. Volunteers have become more and more essential.”

Before being assigned to a baby and taking them home for two to four weeks, volunteers need to pass background checks and home visits to ensure the babies are in a safe and loving environment.

 Once approved, the volunteers are given everything they could possibly need for the babies. “We pay 100 percent of all the expenses [to care for the newborn],” Adam Cotumaccio, president of Spence-Chapin told ABC News. “We have a full clinic here where we have pediatricians. We pay for the transportation costs, diapers, even the car seats, as sometimes the volunteer may not have all of the equipment.”

“My job is to make the baby feel safe and loved 24-7. I hold them all the time. I talk to them. I sing to them. We play music. And I get so much joy and pleasure. I feel so good when I’m with an infant that I hope that it does … something for them, too,” Susan Singer said, who became a volunteer after her 22-year-old son died in a skiing accident and was looking for something to do that could fulfill her.

Would you like to volunteer as a baby cuddler? Let us know what you think in the comments below, and please SHARE this with friends and family on Facebook.

[Featured image credit: Facebook/Spence-Chapin Services to Families and Children]

Many couples hang on to small mementos like cards or photographs that remind them of the happy times they’ve spent together, but this 91-year-old woman’s kids were shocked to find their mother had held on to every single box of chocolates she had ever gotten from their dad for Valentine’s Day.

Every year since the couple met, 93-year-old Bud Shurson made sure to treat his wife Phyllis to a heart-shaped box of chocolates on Valentine’s Day. Even when Bud was on the road as a truck driver, he always found a way to get the chocolates home to his wife.

“I knew he’d remember, because he always did,” Phyllis said about her husband, who once even paid a drug store owner to mail the box home for him.

When they first met, Bud was just returning home from serving as an airman in WWII and Phyllis was just starting out her nursing career alongside Bud’s sister, who introduced them. “She says I’ve got a good looking girl down here working with me.  She said, ‘You’ll want to come down and meet her.’  Well my sister didn’t lie any,” Bud explained with a smile.

The boxes, which are a testament to their long marriage, were found in pristine condition and were taking up a considerable part of the attic. “I didn’t have the heart to throw them away,” Phyllis explained.

Watch the whole video below to see the sweet way this wife is remembering all the years of love and happiness that she’s shared with her husband.

Have you ever held onto anything your significant other has given you while you’ve been together? Let us know what  you’ve held onto in the comments below, and please SHARE this sweet story with someone you love on Facebook.

[Featured image credit: Boyd Huppert, KARE]

75-year-old army veteran, James Vernon was teaching a youth chess class at his local library in Morton, Illinois when a psycho ran in threatening to harm the children. 

In the middle of the class, a 19-year-old named Dustin Brown ran in screaming, “I’m going to kill some people.” Brown had two, 5-inch hunting knives with him wrapped in tape so he could have a better grip on them, and it was time for Vernon to act fast.

Vernon tried to talk to the attacker, and settle him down, he said. “I didn’t, but I did deflect his attention from the children and calmed him a bit. I asked him if he was from Morton, did he go to high school. I asked what his problem was. He said his life sucks. That’s a quote.”

As Vernon spoke to Brown, Brown backed away when he got closer, and Vernon was able to put himself between the attacker and the door, enabling the 16 children, ages 7-13 to run and get out. Vernon told the Pekin Daily Times, 

“I gave [the children] the cue to get the heck out of there, and, boy, they did that! Quick, like rabbits.”

When there were no more potential victims in the room, Brown focused on Vernon. This was when Vernon watched what Brown did with his knives, then he learned what to do. “I knew he was right-handed. He was whittling on his left arm with the one in that hand, making small cuts. He was trying to scare me, and he did. [But if Brown attacked] I knew which hand it was coming from.”

Vernon who was trained in combat, but never served was still able to overcome his smaller attacked. 

“I grabbed him and threw … Somehow he wound up on a table with the knife in his left hand pinned under his body,” Vernon said. “I hit him on the collarbone with my closed hand, until Brown dropped that knife.”

Brown wound up causing Vernon some knife wounds, which he has been recovering from, but in those ’90 seconds of combat,’ Vernon saved the lives of 16 children. 

Watch this hero, James Vernon below and please SHARE this story with your friends and family on Facebook!

[Featured Image Credit: Pekin Daily Times]

How would you cope if the entire life you built suddenly disappeared in just a week? When this dairy farmer lost her vision after suffering from a complication from her diabetes, she became depressed and didn’t know how she could live without her vision.

Luckily, her incredibly loving husband named Mr. Kuroki found a way to show his newly blind wife that her disability didn’t mean her new life had to be joyless.

Mr. and Mrs. Kuroki moved to rural Japan to run a dairy farm together after they were married in 1956, and lived happily together as they raised their two children. But after losing her sight in just a week, Mrs. Kuroki stopped going outside and withdrew from her family.

Mr. Kuroki decided to plant a flower garden in the field outside their home in hopes that it would encourage her to get outside again.

After spending two years planting thousands of fragrant pink flowers, Mrs. Kuroki began going outside to enjoy their scent and now smiles every day while sitting in her garden.

Take a look at the entire video below to see the stunning way this husband got his wife to enjoy her flowers again.

Would you plant thousands of flowers just to make your significant other happy? Let us know the most romantic things you’ve ever done for your loved one in the comments below, and please SHARE this with friends on Facebook.

[Featured image credit: Facebook/Yoshiyuki Matsumoto]

While on a shopping trip to the Hueytown Food Giant to pick up food, one 48-year-old police officer was stunned when he noticed a 19-year-old employee’s shoes were being held together with just a few pieces of duct tape.

At first, Goldman thought the duct taped shoes might have been intentional as they boy helped him load groceries in the torrential rain. “I looked at him and said, ‘What’s up with duct tape? Is that something all the kids are doing? A fashion statement?”

But then the teenager explained that he had split them at work and was waiting for his next paycheck to buy new shoes.

This struck a chord with Goldman, and couldn’t stop thinking about the situation after he thanked the boy for helping him bring his bags to the car in the pouring rain. “I didn’t know if he had to walk home in the rain or what,” Goldman said. After delivering the food he had just purchased to the jail, he went out and bought a pair of shoes and returned to the grocery store.

After asking for the boy, the officer handed him the brand new pair of shoes. “I said, ‘Man, here you go. I didn’t know payday was Friday or two weeks from now,”’ Goldman said. “He said, ‘What do I owe you?’ and I told him to just pay it forward.”

“I hope people take from it that the police aren’t really bad. We’ve been getting such a bad rap in the news,” Goldman explained after people started taking notice of his good deed. “We’re human beings with families and kids and loved ones.”

Would you have done anything for this teenager whose shoes were falling apart? Let us know what you think in the comments below, and please SHARE this inspiring story with friends and family on Facebook.

[Featured image credit: Facebook/Angela Roach Scory]

This tiny brick home resides in Brick, New Jersey, and it has become a well-known tourist attraction for one special reason. 

Because the home was built in the 1960s as a playhouse for kids, it’s only able to comfortably accommodate someone who is no taller than 3 1/2 feet. 

The ranch-style, one bedroom, one bath home has an eat-in kitchen, brick fireplace, wall-to-wall carpeting and an L-shaped pool. 

The home’s current owner, Anna Jones decided to name the home, ‘the brick midget house,’ to lure in any potential buyers that meet these requirements. 

Jones owns and lives in the larger home on the property, and the tiny home is outfitted with the same amenities as the Joneses’ full-size residence, including electricity, running water and a fireplace. Jones said she has closed off water in the tiny abode because no one is currently living there.

The family lost much of the landmark to Hurricane Sandy, and they estimate the home requires repairs in the $10,000 range. Jones says she’s looking to take it off her property, so she’s open to hearing all offers for ‘the brick midget home.’

Watch a video of the tiny home below and please SHARE it with your friends on Facebook!

[Featured Image Credit: nj.com]

This aerial view of the Atlantic Ocean captured a pretty scary sight, as it shows thousands of sharks swimming in large groups along the coast of Florida, getting very close to a paddle boarder. 

Florida Atlantic University researchers shared the photo on their Shark Migration Instagram, saying

“Lucky paddle boarder (lower left) about to encounter hundreds of sharks.”

Lucky paddle boarder (lower left) about to encounter hundreds of sharks. #shark #blacktip #sharkmigration @colganfoundation

A photo posted by Sharkmigration (@sharkmigration) on Feb 12, 2016 at 1:15pm PST

Other photos show them getting up close and personal with the sharks, measuring them checking their tag placement. 

Fishing for #blacktip #shark off #palmbeach. #sharkmigration @colganfoundation

A photo posted by Sharkmigration (@sharkmigration) on Feb 13, 2016 at 6:08pm PST

Many of the sharks are black tip sharks, who are skittish and will usually swim away when they’re approached. Dr. Stephen Kajiura, a scientist at FAU says, “It’s visually compelling to see these sharks close to shore, but it’s not cause for concern. It’s indicative of a healthy ecosystem.”

And lucky for this paddle boarder, he got out of the water in time and was unharmed by these thousands of black tip sharks. 

Watch them migrate towards Florida in the video below, and be careful if you do plan on taking a swim in the water anytime soon.

[Featured Image Credit: Instagram- shark migration]

Zara Al Shaikh may look like your typical rebellious 13-year-old with her wild blue hair, but she’s way tougher than appearances let on.

When Zara was just 11 years old, she was originally diagnosed with leukemia. Within a year, her cancer had gone into remission, but now, the 13-year-old from Hampshire, United Kingdom got the news from her doctors that her cancer had returned. In order to survive, Zara needs to find a bone marrow donor. However, her father, Dr. Loua Al Shaikh, explained that finding a match was going to be difficult as his daughter has mixed Arabic and English ancestry.

In order to survive, Zara needs to find a bone marrow donor. However, her father, Dr. Loua Al Shaikh, explained that finding a match was going to be difficult as his daughter has mixed Arabic and English ancestry.

“It’s just a few days ago when Zara and I were sitting in hospital and we looked at these social media things online,” Al Shaikh told ABC News, which is when he and his daughter came up with the idea to “post something out there and someone might grab it.” Zara then started Twitter and Facebook accounts and a website from her hospital bed to encourage people to register as stem cell or bone marrow donors.

While Zara has still not found a match, the original post to Twitter saying “I urgently need a bone marrow transplant. I have a very rare tissue type due to mixed ethnicity (Arabic/British). Pls help me find a match” has been shared more than 12,000 times and her hashtag #Match4Zara has gone viral.

Since Zara’s tweet went viral, an official from one bone marrow registry reported that there had been a “twelve fold” increase in people signing up in just one day. “People are answering the call, so social media is doing its thing,” he told ABC News. “These are regular folk and it makes you believe in humanity.”

Click HERE to find out how you can get involved to help Zara find her match.

Would you ever consider donating bone marrow to save a total stranger’s life? Let us know what you think in the comments below, and please SHARE this story on Facebook to help Zara find a match.

[Featured image credit: match4zara]

While baby horses weigh between 100-200 pounds when born, they still need to spend a considerable amount of time with their mother or a caretaker. So when this days-old baby horse was left all alone in the Morrison Canyon in Fremont, California, he quickly got himself into some trouble.

After spotting the weak and injured baby at the bottom of a steep ravine, firefighters immediately rappelled to the bottom to rescue him. The baby, which the first responders later named ‘Valentine‘ because he was rescued on the holiday, discovered the horse had been there for about two days and had broken his pelvis.

At first, the Fremont Police and Tri-City Animal Shelter believed Valentine’s severe injuries, which included a broken pelvis and rib, would require surgery. In order to raise the money, someone started a Go Fund Me page to fund the surgery to begin Valentine’s long rehabilitation journey.

But after the UC Davis team examined Valentine, they determined surgery would not be needed, but would still need to stay at the hospital as he is susceptible to other infections and still needs time to heal.

“We are very appreciative to everyone who donated via Go Fund Me for Valentine’s hospital bills. In total, more than 200 donations were received and almost $16,000 was raised. We were told by UC Davis that the total cost for his care will be about that amount,” The Fremont Police Department wrote in an update to their Facebook.

Can you believe how lucky this baby horse was to be found after spending two days injured at the bottom of a steep ravine? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below, and please SHARE this incredible rescue with an animal lover on Facebook.

[Featured image credit: Facebook/Fremont Police Department]

People are obsessed with documenting every moment and capturing the perfect selfie to show off their adventures, but it turns out this ‘harmless’ obsession has just cost a defenseless baby animal its life.

When tourists at the Santa Teresita beach resort near Buenos Aires spotted a baby Franciscana dolphin near the shore, they plucked it out of the water and passed it around to take pictures with until it eventually died.

Like most other aquatic animals, the Franciscana dolphin, which is currently facing the threat of extinction with only 30,000 left, can’t survive out of the water. “The Franciscana, like other dolphins, can not long remain above water. It has a very thick and greasy skin that provides warmth, so the weather will quickly cause dehydration and death,” environmentalist group Vida Silvestre said.

“It was just a baby, an incredible animal which had the misfortune of running into the worst kind of mammals — humans,” witness Ayelén Rodriguez said.  She tried to get everyone to stop touching the baby dolphin and return it back to the water, but no one would listen.

After a few minutes out of the water and unprotected from the strong sun, the tiny Franciscan dolphin died lying on the sand. One man attempted to resuscitate it, but it was too late to help.

Watch the entire video below to see the sickening moment this baby dolphin died after some tourists wanted to take photos with it.

Can you believe this defenseless animal had to die because of careless humans? Let us know what you think in the comments below, and please SHARE this on Facebook to remind people to never put an animal in danger for a silly picture.

[Featured image credit: Facebook/Hernan Coria]

Australia is home to many unique creatures, but the one you’re about to see may be the cutest.

When security guard Anna-Maria was finishing up her night shift, she noticed something unusual down a stormwater drain in Queensland. 

“I was at work, about to finish night shift, and was told that a security guard had rescued a platypus from a stormwater drain found near the Caboolture station,” John Summers, the shift supervisor told Mashable Australia. 

The furry creature turned out to be an adorable platypus, which is a monotreme, meaning a mammal that lays eggs. 

While many creatures have been found wandering the stations and tracks at Queensland Rail, this platypus, named Percy is by far the cutest. 

Once Anna-Maria found him, he was immediately taken to the Australia Zoo.

We are glad Percy is safe and sound!

[Featured Image Credit: Queensland Rail]

Soldiers risk their lives to ensure everyone back home can have a good life free of fear and violence, which is why this decorated war veteran was shocked when a group of five young thugs approached him and claimed he was racist.

When Chris Marquez, an Iraq war hero, was eating a burger at a McDonald’s in Washington D.C., a group of teenagers approached him and asked him what he thought of Black Lives Matter. “I felt threatened and thought they were trying to intimidate me, so I figured I’m just going to keep to my food, eat my food, and hopefully they’ll leave me alone. And because I wasn’t responding back to them, they were calling me a racist,” Marquez said.

During his time in Iraq, Marquez was awarded the Bronze Star for valor after rescuing four Marines from firefight. “When I was in the Marine Corps, I served with people from many different backgrounds, ethnicities, religions, and races,” Marquez said. “Like all Marines, I fought for the freedom of all Americans and not just one particular group.” Which is why he was stunned when his attackers accused him of being racist.

But when he didn’t respond to their questions, the thugs began beating him and knocked him unconscious. The teens then stole the Marquez’s wallet and used his credit card at Walmart, Five Guys, and a liquor store.

“As soon as I walked out of the McDonald’s I got hit in the back of the head, or the side of the head,’ he told WJLA. ‘I just dropped to the ground, and [the McDonald’s manager] says I looked unconscious.”

Watch the entire video below to see the disturbing moment these thugs attacked an Iraq veteran.

Were you shocked that these thugs attacked this soldier while he was minding his own business while eating his meal? Let us know what you think in the comments below, and please SHARE this on Facebook.

[Featured image credit: ABC7]