Animals

A family's dog tragically lost its life while out in the woods with its owner ... because we're told a hunter accidentally mistook it for a coyote and shot it.

Jennifer Heller, owner of 8-year-old malamute Hunter, shared the loss of her pup on Facebook ... saying her husband Chris put reflective collars and harnesses on their dogs and took them to a "very commonly used walking path by our house" in Berks County, PA.

While there, she says Chris unleashed Hunter but kept him close -- eventually coming across a group of hunters. After finding out there was an extension on hunting season, she says Chris went to go leash up their dog ... but claims it was shot before he could get to him.

Jennifer says her husband yelled for help and they loaded Hunter in a truck and drove like crazy to get him to a vet, but he died before they could even get to a highway. She's now asking authorities to revoke the shooter's hunting privileges.

Northern Berks Regional Police Chief James Keiser tells TMZ ... the dog wasn't under the control of the owner and was shot by hunters who thought it was a coyote -- adding it should've been on a leash. He says there were no arrests and no charges were filed.

A rep for the Game Commission tells us the hunters were in full compliance with PA hunting laws -- saying it seems the dog was simply shot by mistake.

There's a scary situation unfolding at The Dallas Zoo, as a clouded leopard has gone missing, and authorities desperately track it down before nightfall.

The zoo's official Twitter account made the announcement Friday afternoon, saying, "The zoo is closed today due to a serious situation." They continued to explain the leopard was, "Not in its habitat when the team arrived this morning and is unaccounted for at this time."

The account noted that the 25 lb leopard, who reportedly is named Nova, was a "non-dangerous animal" but still advised folks who may come across the animal not to approach it if they see it outside of the zoo's walls.

The zoo says these clouded leopards are designed to live in treetops, inside dense forests, and don't pose a great risk to family pets ... but still say anyone who may feel uneasy should still bring their family pets inside.

Zookeepers say their main focus right now is bringing Nova home ... and ask anyone who spots a similar animal to DM a picture.

WWE Superstar Alexa Bliss is overjoyed that Logan Paul's former pig, Pearl, has found a new home ... telling TMZ Sports all that matters now is that the animal is getting proper care.

As we previously reported, Logan took Pearl to a horse ranch in California before he moved to Puerto Rico a few years ago ... but sadly, after being rehomed again, the pig was found abandoned and in grave condition.

While many were quick to blame Logan for Pearl's state, the YouTuber made it clear he had no idea his beloved pet ever left the ranch ... nor did he know she was in terrible shape until the Gentle Barn animal sanctuary posted about her on TikTok.

The former women's champ -- who had a pet pig of her own for years -- spoke with us at LAX about the whole situation ... and she's not focused on who's at fault, but rather the fact Pearl is on the mend.

"Unfortunate as it is, I'm happy his pig was rescued and is in a better situation," Bliss says.

"As long as the animal is taken care of, that's all that matters."

Bliss goes on to give a bit of advice to anyone looking to get an oinker as a pet -- "mini" pigs don't exist ... and she'd know, considering her pet, Larry-Steve, a Vietnamese pot-bellied breed, weighed about 150-200 pounds!!

BTW -- Alexa's pig was a social media star, racking up nearly 90,000 followers on Instagram. Unfortunately, Larry-Steve died in 2021 after battling a severe illness.

Filmmaker Michael Bay is now charged with killing a pigeon while directing a film in Italy ... but he's firing back, denying it ever happened under his watch.

The blockbuster director was hit with charges relating to the bird's death, which allegedly happened back in 2018 on the set of the Netflix flick “6 Underground."

However, sources connected to the production tell TMZ ... all the homing pigeons used in the film landed safely during filming.

One source told us, "Everyone knows Michael is an animal activist. This would never happen on his set. There are dozens of witnesses who said that this didn’t happen."

Italian officials say otherwise -- prosecutors claim the pigeon was killed by a dolly while Michael was filming in Rome ... where it is illegal to harm or kill wild birds.

Authorities say someone from the set saw the whole thing, and took a photo before reporting it to law enforcement.

The allegation isn't that Michael himself harmed the bird, but because he was the director ... he's being held responsible for the incident. Michael reportedly tried to get the case thrown out several times, but prosecutors persisted.

Fresh off Georgia's blowout national championship win, the Bulldogs already have a new enemy -- PETA -- 'cause the animal rights org. is calling for the victors to officially retire their live mascot, Uga.

TMZ Sports has learned, the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals fired off a letter to University of Georgia president, Jere Morehead this week ... asking the school to replace its iconic English bulldog, Uga X, with a human at sporting events.

The org. claims Uga's presence at games increases demand for breathing-impaired breeds like pugs, bulldogs and boxers ... and they want Georgia to lead by example.

PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman released a statement on the matter ... saying, "As the back-to-back national champion, can’t UGA find it in its heart to honestly examine the impact of its promotion of deformed dogs and call time on its outdated, live-animal mascot program?"

"PETA is calling on Jere Morehead to be a peach and replace poor Uga with a human mascot who can support the team in a winning way."

Of course, Georgia has used live mascots since the 1950s ... starting with Uga I. The current mascot, Uga X, did not make the trip to Los Angeles for Monday's game due to the five plus hour flight.

Dakota Johnson has a new ad campaign with Gucci -- where she's rocking a ton of their gear, including animal skin handbags -- and PETA isn't happy about it ... not at all.

The actress just came out as an official ambassador for the luxury fashion brand, and appeared in a new commercial where she's showing off a ton of their products -- and, of course, there's photoshoots galore where DJ is in all Gucci. So, she's all in.

The problem, according to PETA, is that a couple of these Gucci handbags Dakota's advertising here are made with authentic reptile skins ... specifically, python and crocodile. Gucci isn't hiding it either, as its website touts the fact the hides are the real deal.

That doesn't sit right with the animal rights org -- and it let Dakota know all about it in an informative, yet somewhat scathing, letter to her team.

In the correspondence, obtained by TMZ, PETA takes issue with Gucci's python and crocodile handbags -- ranging from $3,100 to $31k -- being so unabashedly flaunted by Dakota ... which they say is odd, since she's outspoken on a lot of social issues.

They're right, her IG is full of advocacy posts for everything from BLM to women's rights and a lot more.

So, PETA's asking if she cares about the animals that were slaughtered for the bags -- and reminds her poachers and hunters go to extreme lengths to obtain the skins ... including torturing and ripping them to pieces while still alive.

PETA also mentions this tidbit ... "The killing of these snakes is so cruel that in California, it would be illegal to buy the very goods you’re promoting, because their sale is banned."

Gucci even acknowledges that fact on its web pages for a couple of these handbags.

Bottom line ... PETA is asking Dakota to strongly reconsider her association with Gucci and to denounce its use of exotic animal skins, especially with vegan alternatives available.

We tried looking to see if Dakota has spoken out on animal rights issues, specifically, and it sounds like she considers it a righteous cause -- seeing how her famous grandmother, Tippi Hedren, was a huge advocate of animal protection ... and DJ has spoken fondly of her work.

Logan Paul says he did nothing wrong with his former pet pig, who is now being cared for by an animal sanctuary ... Logan says he gave the pig a good home before it was rescued.

The YouTube star joined us Tuesday on "TMZ Live" and talked about his former pet pig, Pearl, who is now being looked after by the Gentle Barn rescue.

Logan says he owned Pearl for a couple years and gave her a good life at his home in Encino, CA ... saying he would even cuddle and sleep with the animal and made sure she had "the best life."

But, when Logan moved to Puerto Rico during the pandemic, he says he sent Pearl to live at a horse ranch in Santa Clarita, CA because he wasn't permitted to bring her with him. Logan says Pearl received amazing care at the ranch.

Logan says Pearl lived at the horse ranch for 10 months but had to be rehomed again when the ranch owner moved out of state -- he says he was unaware of the rehoming.

Gentle Barn posted a TikTok Monday about Pearl's rescue, claiming she was "irresponsibly rehomed" and was found alone in a field next to a dead pig.

Logan says he only found out about Pearl's situation when the video came out, and he says he checked his records and is certain he didn't rehome the pig irresponsibly.

Logan's also claiming innocence on the second pig that was allegedly found dead next to Pearl ... he says the farmer denies knowing about a second pig and says Pearl was transferred to the farm alone.

TMZ broke the story ... Logan reached out to Gentle Barn after the video surfaced, explaining Pearl's history with him and pledging to help with her care.

Logan says the Pearl saga was unpredictable and unforeseen ... and if he could, he would go back in time and tell himself not to buy a baby pig.

Logan Paul's former pig is now being cared for by the famous, Gentle Barn ... and he's thanking the rescue org. for saving the animal.

Here's the deal ... the famous animal sanctuary in Santa Clarita, CA posted a TikTok Monday about rescuing a pig with tattered ears and a potentially-life threatening infection who was found alone in a field next to a dead pig ... and it turns out the pig has a connection to Logan.

The pig, Pearl, was owned by Logan a few years ago ... and says he thought it was a "mini pig" when he bought her. The pig is now huge.

Anyway ... Logan sent an email, obtained by TMZ, to Gentle Barn ... thanking them for caring for Pearl and explaining how the pig's been rehomed a few times.

Logan says Pearl lived at his home in Encino until April 2020 when he moved to Puerto Rico. He says Pearl was rehomed to a horse ranch in Santa Clarita, where he thinks she lived for 10 months until being rehomed to the farm across the street "with the purpose of care."

But, when Gentle Barn found the pig, they say she had clearly been through more trauma than they could imagine.

A source close to Logan tells TMZ ... he was very upset to learn of Pearl's condition and is truly grateful to Gentle Barn.

Joe Exotic is officially single again in the eyes of the law, because his divorce is on the record and in the books ... signed, sealed and delivered.

The "Tiger King" star had his dissolution of marriage from now ex-husband Dillon Passage finalized Tuesday in Santa Rosa County, FL ... with a judge signing off on each dude going off into the world as unattached and unhitched, according to court docs obtained by TMZ.

It's been a long time coming -- Joe and Dillon have been separated for years now, but their divorce wasn't filed until last March, and there've been a few hiccups along the way ... not to mention new romances for both.

As you know ... JE has been on and off with at least a couple other guys while behind bars, and was even set to marry one of his fellow inmates -- that is, before things fell apart in June.

Now that the divorce with Dillon is done, we imagine Joe might pull the trigger in the future. He seems to get smitten pretty easily, and who doesn't love 'em some Exotic in their life? Anyhoo, the only other thing that's noteworthy is that Joe's getting his old name back.

He was previously known as Joseph Allen Maldonado-Passage, but the Passage is gone ... and he's back to this three-name moniker once more. Of course, he'll always be known as one thing for many. What that is ... well, we suppose that depends on who you ask.

Joe and Dillon had no children, and everything else was hashed out in an agreed-upon settlement. Joe was repped by attorney Autumn Beck Blackledge throughout the proceedings.

Former Navy SEAL John Devine is giving back to other vets and saving animals through his org. ... pairing rescue animals with disabled veterans, free of charge!

The Rescue22 founder joined "TMZ Live" to talk all about his org. ... and the impact of turning rescue dogs into service animals for vets in need.

John tells us, his foundation prides itself on saving "two at a time," changing the lives of dogs and veterans ... by traveling to different shelters, training dogs and donating them to injured vets.

And, it's kind of a big deal ... many vets have PTSD, traumatic brain injuries or other medical conditions. Nearly 1,600 returned are now amputees. He says service dogs for vets can cost anywhere between $20K and $40K. So, his foundation not only saves lives but it saves them a ton of money.

We're told training dogs can take anywhere from 6 months to 1 year, depending on the disability ... but it's super impactful. He notes 22 vets die by suicide per day, on average ... hence where he got the name for the org.

As a former U.S. Navy SEAL, he wants to use the skills he learned to train dogs and help others. His hope is to become "Rescue0" ... in other words, he wants to prevent the number of deaths amongst veterans and help transition back into civilian life.

A dog that was separated from her owner during a hike during the winter blast got a precious Xmas present -- life -- thanks to a determined owner and a rescue team.

Nala was hiking with her owner Christmas Eve in Ogden, Utah ... near Waterfall Canyon. Somehow the pooch and owner got separated. The owner searched high and low, but no Nala in sight. At nightfall, the frustrated and worried owner went back home.

On Christmas Day, the owner returned to the trail -- 2.4 miles from start to finish -- and spotted his dog. Thing is ... the owner's family didn't have a clue because cell service sucked, so they became worried he might be in trouble and called the cops.

A rescue team spotted the owner, who told them he spotted Nala at the top of a frozen waterfall, but couldn't reach her because of ice and steep terrain.

With the help of a drone, the rescue team spotted the dog and they then began a difficult hike to save the animal. Nala was a little freaked out at first, but eventually realized the team was there to help and she cooperated as they brought her down the mountain.

Nala had a few injuries, but nothing life-threatening. She's back with her fam.

More than a quarter million bats are suffering from the sub-freezing temps in Houston, and some kind folks have jumped in to provide them some warmth.

Houston is an ice box ... it's also home to 300,000 bats, which are going into hypothermic shock and falling from under a bridge to the pavement.

The Mexican free-tailed bats live near a bridge, and there's no buffer from the cold and the wind.

The Houston Humane Society's Wildlife Department is corralling the bats and placing them near heat sources. The Director of the org says her people are giving the bats fluids under their skin to provide hydration and then offering them food.

They've actually lined the ground below where the bats live with foam, to cushion the blow when they fall.

As for why all the fuss, well aside from the humane aspect, bats eat moths, mosquitoes and other pests, so it's all part of ecosystem balance.

Dak Prescott's dog has gone from the dog house to the penthouse ... starring in a new TV commercial -- almost four years after he was nearly put down by authorities for attacking a neighbor.

The Dallas Cowboy's pup, Icon, was busted way back in Feb. 2019 -- after cops said he broke free from the quarterback's Frisco, Texas home, chewed through a nearby woman's fence, and then bit off part of her finger.

The pit bull was caught and quarantined ... and, days later, officials set up a hearing for the animal to determine if it should be classified as a "dangerous dog."

If it was found to be dangerous, euthanasia was on the table. But, fortunately for Prescott, authorities ultimately released the dog back to the NFL player under the condition he was removed from Frisco.

The dog has apparently stayed out of trouble since ... 'cause AT&T just tapped him to be in a new ad for the co. this week.

In the spot, Icon can be seen adorably roamin' around a house -- missing his owner while the quarterback was shining for the Cowboys on gameday.

In one scene, Icon can be seen lovingly licking Prescott's face.

Dak shared the advert on his social media page on Thursday, calling the dog his "best friend."

A dog owner's going through a ruff patch ... because she's gettin' called out for alleged animal abuse after making her pup look like the mean one himself, Mr. Grinch.

The TikToker showed off her dog's transformation, going from its natural color to getting dyed green -- and even red and white to resemble the titular character's Christmas sweater.

The now-viral clip's captioned "When your groomer slays making your dog into the Grinch," but it might've gained traction for all the wrong reasons -- because people are up in arms over the supposed mistreatment of the animal.

The comment section ran wild ... with some saying "Kinda looks like animal abuse to me," "Just because you can, doesn't mean you should," and "Poor Puppy." Some were in the owner's corner though -- mentioning some dyes are pet safe.

However, some puppies have skin allergies and could get severe reactions in the process, but it's unclear if this doggo fits that bill.

The owner clapped back to all the noise ... showing the dog chillin' on the bed with the sarcastic caption "He's super abused."

The world's largest freestanding cylindrical aquarium is blown to smithereens ... creating a flooding disaster in Berlin that's also killed 1,500 fish.

The Friday morning catastrophe destroyed a 260,000-gallon tank at Sea Life ... the aquarium sat in a complex that also houses a museum, cafes and a Radisson hotel.

The huge tank stood 46 feet high, so you can imagine the tragic scene that was left when it shattered.

All of the water, glass and, sadly, fish ... spilled out into the surrounding plaza and washed through the hotel lobby out onto the street.

More than 100 first responders and rescue dogs reportedly swarmed the area, and amazingly there were no fatalities. A few people got minor cuts from pieces of glass, and 350 hotel guests were evacuated.

James Cameron's pissing off animal welfare activists by promoting his ocean-themed epic, "Avatar: The Way of Water," with a dolphin show many see as, at least ironic, and definitely cruel.

The director sat alongside stars Zoe Saldaña, Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver and others in Japan to promote the much-anticipated sequel -- he kicked off the press conference by saying, "Welcome to Pandora" ... and then the controversial show began.

The dolphins in a tank performed tricks with the help of trainers ... and as the conference continued, Cameron mentioned how much he loved a dolphin's intelligence and sociability ... before joking, "I'm sure everybody asked their permission to be in the show."

That joke did not land with animal activist groups like PETA -- because its spokesperson told Plant Based News, "Why on Earth didn't [Cameron] pause for just five minutes to consider whether he should have allowed himself to be seen as endorsing the cruelty of marine parks?"

Shockingly, Cameron's been an animal advocate for years ... he says he's been a vegan for a decade, and even produced a documentary alongside the director of the 2009 flick, "The Cove," the Oscar-winning animal rights film that exposed the cruelty of dolphin hunting in Japan, of all places.

Even "The Cove" director, Richard O'Barry, is calling out Cameron for his hypocrisy in using captive dolphins to promote a film whose central plot is about conserving ocean resources.