'Happy end' A hiker in New Zealand fell from a 55-meter waterfall ( 180-foot) in wild bush: rescuers evacuated the injured woman but had to leave her dog behind

 

In this photo relased by Precision Helicopters Ltd, Wayne Holmes collects Molly from the edge of a waterfall as his dog Bingo, bottom left, stands beside on the Arahura River on the West Coast of the South Island of New Zealand, Tuesday, March 31, 2026. (Precision Helicopters Ltd via AP) The small dog is a rescue dog Bingo.

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — When a hiker fell from a 55-meter (180-foot) waterfall in wild New Zealand bush, rescuers were forced to evacuate the badly hurt woman without her dog, which couldn’t be found. After strangers raised thousands of dollars for a search, border collie Molly was flown to safety by a helicopter pilot who was determined to reunite pet and owner.

In this photo released by Precision Helicopters Ltd, Molly is reunited with her owner Jessica Johnston after her rescue from a waterfall on the Arahura River on the West Coast of the South Island of New Zealand, Tuesday, March 31, 2026. (Precision Helicopters Ltd via AP)

A week earlier, an emergency rescue helicopter found the woman with bruises and lacerations after a fall at a rocky spot at the waterfall on the South Island’s West Coast. She was airlifted on March 24 but they were forced to leave without her pet.

Molly was bedraggled and hungry when she was found Tuesday, just a few meters from the spot where the hiker had been lucky to survive.

“I contacted her in hospital and said I’d go for a look for it,” said Matt Newton, the owner-operator of Precision Helicopters New Zealand, which is based at Hokitika Gorge near the Arahura River where Molly went missing. “I went and looked for the dog several times and no avail.”

Unwilling to give up, Newton and his family launched a fundraiser to pay for more flying hours and advanced search gear. Offers of help and donations poured in, with strangers pledging more than 11,000 New Zealand dollars ($6,300) for a search.

It was enough to fund three more hours in a helicopter using thermal imaging equipment. On Tuesday, Newton took to the skies with a veterinary nurse, volunteer searchers and a dog named Bingo in a renewed search for Molly.

“We struck jackpot within about an hour,” he said. “As we made our way up the river, we could see the dog in the thermal and then we could visually see it.”

In this photo relased by Precision Helicopters Ltd, Wayne Holmes collects Molly from the edge of a waterfall as his dog Bingo, bottom left, stands beside on the Arahura River on the West Coast of the South Island of New Zealand, Tuesday, March 31, 2026. (Precision Helicopters Ltd via AP)

There had been no sign of Molly at the waterfall when Newton previously searched the spot, he said. It wasn’t clear if the dog had also fallen from the waterfall or if she had eventually made her way to the spot where her injured owner landed.

The helicopter dropped low enough for a volunteer to disembark with the rescue dog Bingo to help coax Molly to safety and keep her calm.

Newton thought the dog had survived by eating feral animals during her week in the wilderness.

“She knew what we were up to, I think,” he said. “She behaved real well. She didn’t run away and she was pleased to be rescued.”

The dog was in “surprisingly good condition,” the pilot said. He sent word back to the helicopter base, where other volunteers waited to take turns in the search. “Instead we just had a big barbecue and all had a cuddle with Molly.”

Hours after the dog’s rescue, her owner, still battered from her fall, arrived for a tearful reunion.

“I think that’ll speed up her healing process somewhat,” Newton said. “Having your dog back, that’s for sure.”

World's largest threatened bear cub rescue and the liberation of 3 bears enjoy 2 video's with a happy end

Success! Thanks to your kind support, 3 moon bears have been rescued from horrific conditions & we've closed down a bear bile farm. The bears, 2 males & a female, are now safely recovering in the Quarantine House of our Luang Prabang Wildlife Sanctuary. Thank you to everyone who has supported this rescue!

It looks a bit strange but newly born bears have a balloon tummy. The bear is not illl

A key reason for bear rescues in South-East Asia is the illegal wildlife trade and the easiest target for wildlife traders are cubs. A mother bear would never willingly part with her cub, meaning most cubs traded have already witnessed their mother's death.

Free the Bears has become a world leader in rescued cub care. Some of the cubs we receive are as young as a month old. They cannot crawl and require 24 hour care, as well as 7 feeds a day.

Free the Bears hopes that one day rehabilitated bears will be able to be released back to the wild. This huge undertaking involves studies of bear behaviour and welfare as well as research on protected areas for safe release.

Meanwhile, these bears need to be looked after at our world-class sanctuaries.  They need rehabilitation, food, living space, enrichment activities, medical provisions and lots of care. We rely on your support to help us help these bears. Learn more about becoming a Bear Carer here. 

SEND A CUB CARE KIT

Gjoni's vehaal begon in 2022 toen er brand uitbrak in de kooi waar hij zat bij een restaurant in Kosovo : een verhaal met een 'happy end'

 Nieuwsbericht www.vier-voeters.nl

Leeuw Gjoni is de nieuwste bewoner van FELIDA!

In de kooi bij het restaurant in Kosovo

Gjoni's verhaal begon in 2019, toen we hoorden dat er een leeuw zat in een kleine kooi bij een restaurant in Kosovo.

In 2022 brak er echter brand uit in het restaurant waardoor Gjoni niet langer hier kon blijven. Hij bleef gelukkig wel ongedeerd. We kregen met spoed toestemming om Gjoni naar ons BERENWOUD Prishtina over te brengen, ook in Kosovo.

Hoewel ons team in Prishtina hem eindelijk de juiste zorg en aandacht kon geven en hem een veilig thuis bood, was het altijd ons streven om Gjoni naar een opvang te brengen waar hij samen kan zijn met andere leeuwen.

Ons team heeft dan ook jarenlang onvermoeid gewerkt om het ingewikkelde papierwerk en alle juiste vergunningen te regelen voor zijn verplaatsing. Maar nu is Gjoni dan eindelijk in zijn permanente Nederlandse thuis: FELIDA. Hier krijgt hij de kans om voor het eerst andere leeuwen te zien, ruiken en horen. En wie weet het hart te veroveren van een leeuwin met wie hij zijn leven kan delen.

Blijf ons volgen voor updates over hoe het met Gjoni gaat!

Aangekomen in Felida Friesland

https://www.felida-bigcatsanctuary.org/nl/ Wesite van Felida

Wildlife SOS India celebrating their 30th anniversary: Enjoy 12 photos with a 'happy end'

 

I am having a knap don't wake me up

	Sneaky leopard doing sneaky things! Photographer Akash Dolas has a special rapport with the animals in and around our leopard centre. Khushboo hides behind a tree and watches intently, ready to pounce. Or play. Or pounce and play! Check out our awesome YouTube playlist of leopard videos.

	Photographer Hemanta Bijoy Chakma captured the perfect moment this great cormorant flipped a fish from the water and gulped it down. The late afternoon sun setting a beautiful scene near our Bannerghatta Bear Rescue Centre (BBRC). Wildlife SOS is celebrating our 30th anniversary all year, and the 18th anniversary of our BBRC

	This vibrant fan-throated lizard strikes a pose to show off its colours. Do you know all of India’s lizards? Photo by Akash Dolas.

	It’s so good to see Manu out for an evening walk. The 58-year-old bull was rescued earlier this year, his feet and joints so painful, he collapsed and couldn’t get up. After years of neglect, this ‘begging’ elephant has a new lease on life at the Wildlife SOS Elephant Hospital Campus. Photo by Vineet Singh.

	Some say the eyes are the window to the soul, but in the case of begging elephants, their traumatic history can be seen in the soles of their feet. Wally’s feet tell a tale of a young circus elephant forced to stand on concrete for hours every day. Photo by Vineet Singh. Learn more about why footcare is so important for an elephant’s overall health.

	“Who’s a good boy?!?” That’s sloth bear Tate enjoying an enrichment that challenges his strength and curious nature, and entices his senses with a sweet reward. Tate’s beautiful face shows hints of his previous life as a ‘dancing’ bear. His nose has now healed, but the scars will last a lifetime. Photo by Hemanta Bijoy Chakma.

	There are moments that will forever be in our memories … that running flash of a rescued animal released back into the wild, those first steps of freedom as a newly rescued elephant steps off the ambulance, and when we see a wild herd of elephants in the forest. This herd was spotted by photographer Hemanta Bijoy Chakma in Bannerghatta National Park on the way to BBRC.

	This white breasted waterhen almost disappears among the marsh foliage. Hemanta Bijoy Chakma took this interesting image near Bannerghatta National Park.

	Scorpions fluoresce, emitting a blue-green glow under an ultraviolet light at night. Well camouflaged during the day, under a UV light, their glow makes for a spectacular image framed by the urban landscape in the background. Photo by Akash Dolas.

	We save snake photos for last because many people instantly look away. Reactions to snakes by mammals, both human and otherwise, is the result of millions of years of evolution trying to avoid each other. Fearless Akash Dolas got this image of a colourful vine snake near the MLRC. Reptiles are fascinating!