Animals

There will NOT be a Triple Crown winner this year -- Rich Strike, who beat the odds and won the Kentucky Derby -- will forgo competing at Preakness Stakes ... in hopes of returning at Belmont.

The decision is a bummer, but it shouldn't come as a huge surprise -- trainer, Eric Reed, previously said he does not usually like to run his horses in races so close to each other ... and with Preakness just one week away, he decided to focus on Belmont in June.

Owner, Rick Dawson, released a statement on Thursday, saying, "Obviously, with our tremendous effort & win in the Derby it's very, very tempting to alter our course & run in the Preakness at Pimlico, which would be a great honor for all our group."

"However, after much discussion & consideration with my trainer, Eric Reed & a few others, we are going to stay with our plan of what's best for Ritchie is what's best for our group, and pass on running in the Preakness, and point toward the Belmont in approximately 5 weeks."

Getting the New York Giants' #5 jersey number from Graham Gano cost Kayvon Thibodeaux a whopping $50K ... but don't worry, the kicker said the cash is on its way to a VERY good cause!!!

Here's the deal ... Gano has worn the NY #5 since 2020, but after Thibodeaux was picked in the first round of the NFL Draft -- the star rookie wanted it badly.

After all, the 6-foot-4 pass rusher wore it when he starred for the Oregon Ducks from 2019 to 2021 -- AND he was also the #5 overall pick in last month's draft.

So, Gano cut an agreement with the former All-American ... send $50K to Puppies Behind Bars -- an org. that "trains incarcerated individuals to raise service dogs for wounded war veterans and first responders" -- and the jersey is yours.

Thibodeaux apparently gladly cut the check -- 'cause Gano is wearing #9 now.

"The whole idea behind the number five being special to myself and being special to Kayvon was being able to help five people get the five dogs and be able to make an impact in five people's lives for the better," Gano said.

"While it is special to me as well, there's a whole lot of meaning in that No. 5 to him."

Gano added, "I just wanted to be a good teammate and also be able to support others throughout the whole process."

So, the 35-year-old kicker -- who set a franchise record with three 50-yard plus field goals against the Cowboys in the 2020 season -- will wear #9 ... for the time being.

"I can be No. 9 and maybe in 10-15 years when he retires and I'm still kicking, I can get No. 5 back," Gano joked.

Jake and Logan Paul got a mouthful of cow balls.

That's it. That's the story.

Okay, fine -- here's some context: Logan and his "Impaulsive" cohosts welcomed the viral "Liver King" influencer on this week's podcast episode ... and naturally, their guest brought along a spread of cow liver, testicle, pancreas, kidney and heart.

For those who haven't heard of the 'LK,' he's a self-proclaimed "CEO of the ancestral lifestyle" ... and has gained a mass following showing off his raw organ meat diet.

But, the tray of treats the "Liver King" brought along wasn't just for show -- he had the whole group test out the product ... which didn't start so great for Logan.

"Bro ..." Logan said as he took a bite out of a cow testicle before gagging and spitting it out.

Logan's dad -- who clearly has a stronger stomach -- called his son out ... saying, "You are a f***ing bitch, give me that nut" ... and yeah, he devoured it.

"Can I get a spit bucket??" Logan pleaded with a disgusted look on his face.

Jake -- who was watching the whole thing unfold -- was clearly disappointed in his bro's performance ... adding, "I eat this s*** every day. Y'all are being so wack. I eat raw liver every day and bone marrow."

The "Problem Child" admitted he hadn't tried the testicles ... but had no issue trying it out for the first time.

"It's like sashimi."

Logan redeemed himself with some bone marrow and liver ... downing both with only slight difficulty.

Who knows -- maybe it's the secret to crushing it in the boxing ring??

James Cromwell has had enough of Starbucks upcharge for vegan milks ... protesting the move by supergluing his hand to a counter as part of a planned PETA demonstration.

The actor joined a group of PETA protesters Tuesday morning at a Starbucks in Manhattan, where they made a fuss about Starbucks making folks pay more to avoid dairy milk from cows.

James, wearing a shirt reading "Free the Animals," railed against the cons of traditional milk as he was superglued to the counter ... shouting at baristas, who seemed unbothered and kept serving cups of joe.

PETA and James' beef believe Starbucks is discriminating against folks who can't have dairy, punishing them by making them pay more for vegan alternatives like almond milk and oat milk, which are more environmentally conscious.

James says it's a matter of life-and-death in the context of what he sees as a climate catastrophe.

The superglue move is similar to what we saw last month during an NBA game in Minnesota ... when a protester glued her hand to the court to protest Timberwolves owner, Glen Taylor, and his factory egg farm.

Cops showed up to the Starbucks, but James freed his hand from the counter with a knife so he would not get busted.

One little pup became the cause of a big headache for some airport employees ... getting loose and making the tarmac his own personal dog park.

The great escape happened earlier this month at the airport in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico. While the dog appears to think the whole thing is a game, the baggage handlers aren't too amused, chasing it down and trying to get him under control.

Unclear exactly how the dog got loose, whether he escaped from a cage ready for a plane, or whether he was a stray that got into the airport ... but eventually, he was captured without any injury. No word on if he delayed anyone's travel plans, though.

Turns out people ain't the only thing hanging out on the shores of the beach in South Africa ... as evidenced by a giant squid that was discovered, measuring 7 feet!

A beachcomber, who goes by Ali Paulus on Instagram, posted about her finding of the extremely rare squid last week at Long Beach on the shore of South Africa.

Check it out for yourself ... the life-sized calamari reportedly measured over 7 ft long from head to tentacle tips!

A toddler was hospitalized after being viciously attacked by a coyote at the beach ... and it was all caught on camera.

The INSANE incident went down Thursday around 9:45 PM at Huntington Beach in the O.C. ... when a mom took her two kids to take a dip.

A surf cam was rolling and captured the moment the coyote lunged at the little girl.

Fair warning, it's pretty disturbing ... the coyote jumps up and attacks the little girl's face and has her on the ground for at least 15 seconds before she's able to scramble and adults finally notice.

The little girl was rushed to a hospital by ambulance, with serious but non-life-threatening injuries.

Two coyotes were killed by officials later that night, and they're trying to determine if one of them was the one involved in the attack ... as they continue their search.

As for the girl, she is said to be about 2 or 3 years old. She was tested for rabies and will continue to be treated at the hospital.

Ever wonder what it'd be like to get eaten by a shark? Now you can see, and it ain't pretty.

Divers plopped a cam in the sand in the Indian Ocean ... with hopes of capturing footage for a documentary about shark conservation in the Maldives. They got way more than they bargained for.

The shark gobbles up the camera and the view is literally jaw-dropping!!!

The filmmaker, Zimy Da Kid, told CNN, "The shark just passed by, saw this shiny thing, was like, 'Oh, what is that?'"

In case you're wondering, the camera-eater is a tiger shark, which are super aggro.

Zimy says these sharks are up for eating anything, so it wasn't a huge surprise this one had its Kodak moment.

Alan Cumming is on the hunt for his missing chimpanzee former co-star, Tonka ... and, he's putting up $10K to anyone who might have any info.

Tonka was last seen in a cage at a chimp breeding facility in Missouri. The facility no longer exists, but it was a place where chimps were bred then sold to private owners or rented out for movies and parties.

In case you didn't know, Alan and his furry friend go way back ... starring in the 1997 comedy "Buddy" together, alongside Rene Russo.

In a statement, Alan said ... “During the months we filmed together, baby Tonka and I became good friends, playing and grooming each other and just generally larking about".

And, whoever might have any information on the missing chimp will be walking away with double the money ... cause PETA put up another $10K reward, making the total cash about $20K.

There are some really twisted people out there on the high seas ... because a dead dolphin washed up on a Florida beach, and it had been fatally stabbed in the head.

Beachgoers in Fort Myers stumbled upon the female bottlenose dolphin's dead body late last month ... and there was a gash above the marine mammal's right eye.

It's horrific ... the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says a necropsy shows the dolphin was impaled in the head with a spear-like object while it was still alive.

Even worse, the NOAA says the dolphin appears to have been stabbed while in a begging position ... which is not a natural behavior for dolphins and is commonly associated with illegal feeding.

The dolphin was an adult lactating female ... and NOAA says violent acts towards dolphins are on the rise in the Gulf of Mexico. The feds say this is at least the 27th dolphin since 2002 to wash up on land with evidence of wounds from guns, arrows or sharp objects.

Mike Krzyzewski may not be coaching the Duke hoops team anymore ... but the team is making sure he keeps at it -- with this new puppy!

The adorable moment happened during the Blue Devils' annual banquet and award ceremony at Cameron Indoor Stadium on Thursday to celebrate their Final Four run.

Jon Scheyer -- Coach K's replacement as head coach -- was at the podium with the basketball team, Krzyzewski and his wife, Mickie, when JS introduced their "new family member."

"We can't repay you for what you done for all of us but we're gonna try," Scheyer said.

"Since you have a lot more time now coach, we felt you needed something to train."

That's when a player handed Coach K an 8-week-old Silver Lab -- and he LOVED it!

Coach K even kissed his new pup and the sweet dog gave him one right back -- a true Kodak moment.

FYI ... Coach K planned on getting a puppy after the season following the death of his dog Blue. But, his team beat him to it.

Besides the furry gift, Krzyzewski thanked the team for an "unbelievable season" despite the loss to their rivals, the UNC Tarheels in the Final Four.

"You guys were winners," Coach K said at the event. "For me, you made my final season one of the happiest that I've ever had."

Ya knew Ezekiel Elliott wasn't scared of anything ... but did you know it went to THIS extent?!?!

The Dallas Cowboys superstar posted a video of him with his pet snake on Wednesday ... showing no fear whatsoever as the reptile crawled all over his beard and shirtless body.

Check out the footage ... it's absolutely hair-raising -- the snake wiggled across Elliott's 225-pound frame, all while sticking out its tongue repeatedly.

Zeke, though, seemed to love it -- filming the interaction with a steady hand on the camera the entire time.

Elliott -- an animal lover who's usually spending most of his time with his dogs -- has had the pet snake for several weeks now, and it's clear their bond is growing by the day.

Absolutely wild moment during the Clippers vs. Timberwolves game on Tuesday night -- a fan made her way down to the court and glued herself to the floor ... and everyone, including the players, was stunned by the sight.

The incident went down in the second quarter of the NBA game at the Target Center in Minnesota ... when a woman attempted to stick herself to the hardwood using some Elmer's.

The woman sprayed the adhesive just underneath one of the baskets as the teams were down on the other end of the court, and then she pressed her hand firmly into it.

When security arrived to get her off the floor -- she refused to get up, insisting her wrist was glued down.

Eventually, though, the woman complied with guards and was escorted off the floor.

In a statement released by animal rights group Direct Action Everywhere, officials from the org. said the woman made the scene in an effort to protest Wolves owner Glen Taylor.

The officials accused Taylor and his employees of wrongly killing chickens on his factory egg farm in Iowa. They added that the protester's sweater during Tuesday's game read, "GLEN TAYLOR ROASTS ANIMALS ALIVE."

Wolves guard Patrick Beverley said after the game he did attempt to help the woman out during the protest ... and was praying that she was OK.

No word if the woman was arrested for the stunt ... but the Wolves said in a statement that they were "in touch with Target Center Security to address the incident."

Lady Gaga's dog walker is weighing in on the bungled release from jail of the man who allegedly tried to murder him.

Ryan Fischer called for the accused, James Howard Jackson, to turn himself in. As TMZ reported, he was released this week due to some sort of clerical error, and he's still on the loose.

Ryan says, "While I'm deeply concerned at the events that led to his release, I'm confident law enforcement will rectify the error. I ask for Mr. Jackson to turn himself over to the authorities, so resolution to the crime committed against me runs its course, whatever the courts determine that outcome to be. Thank you to everyone who is supporting me during this time."

The 19-year-old Jackson allegedly shot Ryan in the chest as he and others attempted to nab Lady Gaga's 3 French bulldogs as he was walking them in a residential area.

TMZ obtained the video which shows the brutal scene. Jackson allegedly took 2 of the dogs and left Ryan bleeding on the street.

The dogs were returned, but Ryan had a much tougher time. He suffered from a collapsed lung and is still enduring the physical and emotional aftereffects of the shooting.

The suspect who allegedly shot Lady Gaga's dog walker was accidentally released from jail ... and the L.A. Sheriff's Department is investigating how such a blunder could occur.

19-year-old James Howard Jackson was released Wednesday. Jail records simply say  "dismissed." The Sheriff's department says Jackson was the beneficiary of a clerical error.

Jackson had appeared in an L.A. courtroom Tuesday ... and somehow got released the following day.

The LASD Major Crimes Bureau is now trying to find Jackson .... they're asking anyone with info to contact the Sheriff's Dept.

As we reported, Jackson was in custody for attempted murder in connection with the shooting of Lady Gaga's dog walker, Ryan Fisher, and the theft of two of the singer's French Bulldogs.

Ryan suffered a collapsed lung and serious mobility issues and is still enduring the physical and emotional aftereffects of the shooting.

"Hunger Games" actress Jena Malone acted fast to help an innocent dog who was being abused at the side of the road by his owner ... and other bystanders joined her cause, unleashing a brutal beatdown on the animal abuser.

The whole thing went down Tuesday near Sunset Blvd. in L.A. when Jena and others witnessed the attack. She told NBC LA she chased the man as he abused the dog, signaling for others to help.

Jena says 5 men joined in, and restrained the abuser, but not before kicking the crap out of him first.

Cops eventually showed up, taking the pup -- named Champ -- to an animal hospital ... he suffered from a fractured rib, broken bones in his hind legs and a fracture in the right paw.

Jena posted a series of tweets about the incident, saying while she wishes it didn't have to end in a "brawl," she is grateful Champ is ok.

Turns out the man abusing Champ wasn't his actual owner, and he has reunited with his actual family thanks to a microchip last week. The dog is still in the hospital and will be undergoing surgery.