Animals

An offspring of Pablo Escobar's famed "cocaine hippos" from the 1980s was killed in Colombia ... after getting struck by a car.

The accident went down Tuesday on a highway near Medellín -- not too far from the late drug lord's massive estate, which has since been turned into a tourist hot spot, complete with a zoo and other attractions ... and from where this animal presumably escaped.

Based on reports, it sounds like the driver was cruising along at night, and ran smack dab into the massive beast. The hippo's dead body was laid out on the street in the aftermath ... it's no easy task to remove an animal that size. Amazingly, the driver was unharmed.

Here's a little history for you to help make sense of this. For starters, hippos are not native to South America, but because Pablo smuggled 4 hippos into the country way back when ... they can actually be found on the continent now, especially in Colombia.

The OG hippos (one male and 3 females) have since died, but their many children and grandchildren live on -- apparently, there are now about 150 hippos in and around that area, all courtesy of Pablo's decision.

With so many of them now in the area, these freak accidents are actually somewhat of a regular occurrence in Colombia. There was another crash in December, and the hippo roadkill is creating a national conversation about what the hell to do with the carcasses.

A 58-year-old Hawaiian surfer's foot was bitten off during a shark attack off the coast of Honolulu ... and was likely saved by quick-thinking witnesses who used their surfboard leashes as a tourniquet, limiting blood loss.

Mike Morita, who's been shredding waves for 40 years, was attacked by a roughly 8-foot tiger shark in Kewalo Basin on Sunday around 7 AM, officials told KHON.

Fellow surfers acted quickly to tie off the injured limb, and Morita was rushed to a local hospital for treatment. Officials say the quick thinking of the other surfers was probably the difference between life and death for Mike.

Despite going through the incredibly traumatic incident, the surfer's family says Mike's in good spirits, releasing a statement thanking everyone who helped.

"He has a long and difficult road ahead of him. My dad is a fighter and even though he’s facing a setback now, you all know that won’t stop him," Morita's son told a local news outlet.

The road to recovery has already begun for MM, who underwent surgery when he arrived at the hospital on Sunday. He is scheduled to have a second surgery later this week.

Although shark sightings are common, attacks aren't. In fact, before Sunday's incident, there hadn't been a reported attack in that area in over 2 decades, according to the Hawaii Dept. of Land and Natural Resources.

Despite the rarity of the attack, lifeguards were posted up on the beach on Monday, telling swimmers they couldn't go in the water.

Samuel L. Jackson's got nothing on the South African pilot who made an emergency landing this week after finding a surprise stowaway on his hip -- a snake that easily could've killed him!!!

Rudolf Erasmus says he had to ground his aircraft Monday while flying 4 people in a small twin prop plane, because he realized -- while up in the air -- something cold was rubbing against his skin from under his shirt.

At first, he thought his water bottle was leaking on him ... but then he looked down and saw the serpent.

It wasn't just any snake either ... Erasmus says he recognized it was a Cape cobra, which has enough venom in its fangs to wipe out 9 people with a single strike. So, yeah ... deadly.

The pilot says he tried grabbing it and getting it under control -- refraining from telling the passengers to avoid a panic -- but eventually, he had to break the news 'cause the cobra was on the loose under his seat. When he did, he says everyone stayed calm.

Here's the kicker ... when Erasmus landed, he says he pulled his seat forward and spotted it all curled up, but when a crew member inspected, they lost it again. In other words, the snake ended up going MIA in the end.

Bad Bunny and Kendall Jenner were horsing around over the weekend, and they look tight.

The Latin pop star and supermodel appeared to bond over their shared love of horseback riding Sunday at the Hidden Hills Equestrian Center ... taking turns riding horses and even riding one together.

TMZ obtained photos of the fun date ... tooling around at the corral and some nearby trails.

We've seen Kendall riding horses for years, and Bad Bunny's got a couple music videos where he hops on a steed ... so it appears they've found something else in common.

As you see, Kendall couldn't hold back a smile as she snapped smartphone pics of her new beau grabbing the reins ... and he watched her ride solo too.

Folks who were there say Bad Bunny and Kendall spent about 90 minutes riding horses ... including one very romantic ride where he's behind her, holding on tight.

It's hard to say who is the better and more experienced rider ... but it's worth noting Kendall showed up with boots and gloves, while Bad Bunny's wearing Adidas sneakers.

Giddy up!!!

"Grey's Anatomy" star Caterina Scorsone and her family are reeling after her house burned down ... and while her family made it out alive, the actor's pets did not.

Caterina shared the devastating news Monday, saying, "A couple of months ago my house burned down. While getting my kids ready for bed and finishing bath time, smoke began to seep up through the grout around the tub."

Caterina says by the time she looked down the hallway, she could already see a river of thick black smoke filling the house ... and she knew she had to act fast.

She continues, "I had about two minutes to get my three kids out of the house, and we escaped with less than shoes on our feet. But we got out. And for that I am eternally grateful. Heartbreakingly, we lost all four of our pets. We are still sitting with that loss, but we are lucky we got to love them at all."

In the post, Caterina took the time to thank those who showed up during a time of need. She says, "This is not a post about a fire. This is a post about community" before listing off some folks who made the whole process easier -- including her team, the firefighters, investigators, parents at her kids’ school, her neighbor and sister.

The feds are investigating a large group of swimmers accused of harassing a pod of dolphins in Hawaii ... and the alleged violation is all on video.

Drone footage shows a big group of snorkelers swimming right behind a spinner dolphin pod in Hōnaunau Bay off the Big Island, the humans get super close to the marine mammals.

Hawaii's Department of Land and Natural Resources announced Tuesday they were initiating cases against 33 swimmers, who the feds say "appear to be aggressively pursuing, corralling, and harassing the pod."

The state's DLNR says they alerted the snorkelers to the potential violation while they were still in the water, and then uniformed officers met the snorkelers when they were back on land ... with state and federal forces launching a joint investigation.

In case you didn't know, it's against federal law to swim within 50 yards of spinner dolphins in Hawaii's nearshore waters.

2 lovers have officially become 1 with the help of a famous drug-sniffing black bear -- and we've got the wedding day photos so you can bear witness to the special occasion.

TMZ broke the story, Kentucky natives Alexandra and Armando were set to say "I Do" Monday at the KY for KY Fun Mall in Lexington ... and these pics from inside the venue show Cocaine Bear makin' quite the impression as the ceremony kicks off.

C.B. even dressed up for the monumental occasion -- swapping out his raccoon-skin headwear for a top hat ... classy move, Pablo Escobear!

As we reported, the owner of the museum where the stuffed bear resides was all for the unorthodox ceremony -- telling Roadside America, "As long as you feel that the person marrying you -- like Cocaine Bear -- has the authority, then that marriage can be binding here in Kentucky."

BTW -- looks like the flick of the same name was gettin' some promotion on the big day ... as you know, the 2023 movie is loosely based on that exact bear that died in 1985 after ingesting a BUNCH of cocaine dropped from a plane piloted by convicted drug smuggler Andrew Thornton.

CeeLo Green is responding to backlash over his horseback entrance to a birthday party ... he says the idea was all in fun, and he meant no ill intent towards the horse.

The singer broke his silence Friday after being dragged for the horse incident, explaining ... "I felt like it could be fun and funny to make a grand entrance on this beautiful animal for a very special occasion."

Remember ... CeeLo rode into Wednesday's party on a horse, with the animal looking nervous around all the lights and partygoers, jolting around and slipping on the tile floor ... causing the horse to buckle and sending CeeLo crashing to the ground.

PETA came out strong against CeeLo ... telling us, "It doesn’t take a genius to know that horses don’t belong at a noisy, crowded party, where slippery floors and strobe lights can agitate these vulnerable animals."

CeeLo says he was just trying to show love to his late friend Shawty Lo -- the party was in Shawty's honor -- and he's chalking it up to his sense of humor.

CG claims he "went through all the proper channels to make that happen with no ill intent towards the animal." But he admits, "It should've been short and sweet but some malfunctions happened and it is what it is but know that I'm ok and yes the horse is ok as well."

There's a bear-y special ceremony on deck in Kentucky ... where the real animal inspiration behind the "Cocaine Bear" movie script is set to officiate a wedding.

Here's the deal ... a museum in Lexington, KY is the current home of the infamous Cocaine Bear, a 175-pound black bear that died from a cocaine overdose way back in 1985, and a Kentucky couple chose him to pronounce them husband and wife.

The wedding's going down Monday at the Kentucky for Kentucky Fun Mall, where the Cocaine Bear will preside over and affirm the union of Alexandra and Armando.

Also known as Pablo Escobear, the black bear infamously stumbled upon 40 containers of cocaine in Georgia's Chattahoochee National Forest. The drugs were dropped from a plane piloted by convicted drug smuggler Andrew Thornton ... and the museum says the retired medical examiner who performed the bear's necropsy told them the bear's stomach was packed to the brim with cocaine when it died.

Cocaine Bear was stuffed by a taxidermist and it changed hands over the years, going from Georgia to Tennessee to Nevada before ending up in a Kentucky museum, where it's now a huge tourist attraction.

The museum's cofounder, Griffin VanMeter, was recently quoted in Roadside America saying, "As long as you feel that the person marrying you -- like Cocaine Bear -- has the authority, then that marriage can be binding here in Kentucky" ... and one couple took him seriously.

CeeLo Green intended to make a memorable entrance into a birthday party honoring Shawty Lo, and memorable it was ... for all the wrong reasons.

CeeLo was in attendance for Shawty's bday bash at The Bank in ATL Wednesday and decided he'd join the party on horseback. You can see from the jump, the horse is nervous around the crowd and lights -- as employees try to get the animal steady -- then all hell breaks loose.

The horse jolts around, and its legs slip on the tile floor, causing the animal to buckle -- and sending CeeLo to the ground in the process.

Luckily no one was hurt, and CeeLo made a quick recovery, getting back up onto his feet to enjoy the rest of the party.

Of course, folks on social media had a field day with the whole thing ... quickly posting the moment and joking about his fall from grace.

As you know, Shawty Lo, whose birthday is March 22, died in a car crash back in 2016 ... but his friends and loved ones still gather to remember and celebrate his legacy.

They might also want to take the time to remember horses are likely better left outside.

Johnny Manziel got a little extra sun protection at the beach on Wednesday courtesy of a bird ... who dropped a giant load all over his head while he was just lounging around!!

The hysterical moment happened just minutes ago while the former Heisman Trophy winner was soaking in some rays in Miami with his girlfriend, Kenzie Werner.

In video that Werner (thankfully!!!) shared on her social media page, you can see Manziel got crapped on ... and then was absolutely flummoxed over what had just happened.

"Is that s*** on my head?!" he asked.

Werner, like the rest of us, was laughing way too hard to answer.

"If you don't get that camera out of my face," he said with a huge grin, "and get it off me, Kenzie, I'm going to wipe it on your f***ing whole body!!"

It appears Werner eventually helped out her man -- but not before she took a photo to memorialize the situation, which she fittingly captioned, "My poopy boy."

Don't worry, Manziel ended up not being upset about it at all ... he was heard laughing in some of Werner's vids later.

Of course, with a view like this one at a beach in Florida ... how could ya possibly be pissed over a little bird poop?!?

Rick Ross is grateful one of his neighbors is pointing out he has a problem with stray pets ... a few of his cattle and bison are roaming a little too freely.

Rick says he always manages to corral the livestock on his "Promise Land" estate ... no easy feat, seeing as how the property sits on 235 acres of land. Rozay compares it to the popular TV series "Yellowstone" ... AKA it's the wild wild west when it comes to the wildlife!!!

The level of damage the bison caused to the neighbor's yard doesn't seem like the equivalent of returning a lost pooch ... but the MMG rapper explained they're actually peaceful animals that will graciously accept carrots on request!!!

We broke the story -- one of Rick's neighbors of his Fayetteville estate grew INFURIATED his bison were destroying her yard ... but he urged his neighbors to be courteous and reminded them to keep collars on their pets.

Rick Ross has a home, a BIG one, where his pet buffalo roam ... yet the giant beasts still range onto his neighbor's yard, and she's worried because her young kids play outside.

The neighbor, who lives on a plot of land behind RR's Fayetteville, GA compound, tells TMZ ... the two buffaloes -- aka bison -- have wandered onto her property twice this week. Keep in mind, adult buffalo can tip the scales at around 2,000 lbs.!!!

She's worried they may pose a danger to her small children.

TMZ obtained video showing Rick's behemoth pets running through the neighbor's front yard ... and she says she came home from work to discover the wild scene.

She also snapped photos of the buffaloes grazing on the grass near a paved driveway full of parked cars.

Rick's neighbor says she went to the rapper's place to confront him about the buffaloes grazing on her property ... which turned into a verbal dispute with a member of Rick's team.

Unsatisfied with that interaction, she says her next step is filing a neighbor dispute with the city. She tried calling police, but they told her it's a civil dispute and didn't take a report.

In addition to the potential danger the roaming animals pose to the woman's kids, they also appear to be tearing up her yard. Definitely not as important, but it could still be costly.

Remember, Rick was gifted the bison last March and they are absolutely huge. He also has four horses and a bull. No deer or antelope, though.

Joe Exotic is getting dragged for his recent presidential run announcement, but it ain't by Carole Baskin -- instead, it's by the party he says he's running with.

Angela McArdle, chair and spokesperson for the Libertarian Party, tells TMZ ... "We stand for personal and economic freedom, we are not a landing pad for former reality stars and D-list celebrities." Ouch.

She says the "Tiger King" star hasn't shown he has a full grasp on the ideas of the party, and even calls out his 2018 gubernatorial run as a Libertarian in Oklahoma -- saying that attempt was "just tigers and glitter."

She adds she's very sympathetic to people "being mistreated in prison," but notes that doesn't mean it's right to support someone who's made "poor choices."

Angela tells us, hypothetically, anyone can run for office as a Libertarian, and there isn't a whole lot the party can do to block it -- instead, she urges folks to send libertarian literature to Joe while he's locked away. In her words, "If he's going to be spouting about libertarianism, he might as well get educated about it."

Aside from understanding his party's platform, there's the not-so-small issue of candidate Joe's 20 remaining years on his prison sentence!

The Manhattan restaurant where a couple claims they found an entire rodent in their food delivery order has been forced to hit the pause button on serving meals ... the Health Department has closed the joint.

Gammeeok, a Korean restaurant at the center of a recent lawsuit, got shut down Wednesday after an inspection .... according to Fabien Levy, a rep for NYC Mayor Eric Adams.

TMZ broke the story ... a couple filed a lawsuit this week claiming they ordered food from Gammeeok over the weekend and discovered a dead rodent in their soup, an allegation the restaurant disputes.

Levy tells TMZ ... "No New York City restaurant is authorized to have mice or rats on the menu and we are investigating further. Our top priority is protecting the health of New Yorkers and if a restaurant has conditions that threaten our city's diners, they will be shut down."

The restaurant already has signage up on the door showing they've been closed by the Health Department. The eatery also appears to have put up its own sign claiming they are shuttered because of "maintenance."

Our sources say Health Department inspectors found rat droppings at the restaurant, and food was not being stored at the correct temperature. We're also told the eatery did not have a trained supervisor on site.

The restaurant will have to jump through some hoops to open back up ... we're told Gammeeok will need to correct all the violations they got dinged for, plus pay any fines imposed by the city.

Our sources say Gammeeok was also operating without the proper permits, despite multiple warnings from the Health Department to renew their paperwork.

In the lawsuit, the couple also claimed Gammeeok had gotten a C grade from the Health Department in January, the worst possible letter grade.

Rats are a big problem in the Big Apple ... so much so, Mayor Adams wants to hire a "rat czar" to rid the city of rodents.

Ratatouille might have gone a little overboard, after a couple in New York City claims a food delivery order from a Korean restaurant included a dead rodent in their soup ... and now they're suing.

Jason Lee and Eunice Lucero Lee are suing Gammeeok, a restaurant in Manhattan's Koreatown, over what they say was a disgusting delivery.

According to the lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, the Lees claimed they ordered food from Gammeeok on Saturday afternoon and when they got the meal at their home, they started eating and discovered a rodent in what appears to be a bowl of soup.

The Lees claim they became disgusted and violently sick after finding the rodent in their food ... they say they started vomiting and sought medical attention.

The couple claims the alleged incident caused them severe, serious and permanent personal injuries ... plus emotional distress.

In the suit, the Lees claim Gammeeok had gotten a C grade from the NYC Health Department in January, the worst possible letter grade ... but they didn't know about it when they placed their order.

The couple is going after the restaurant for money.