Animals

Britney Spears has a new battle to handle. Along with a contentious divorce, she's now getting ripped by the animal rights warriors at PETA for buying a new dog, instead of rescuing one from a shelter.

The "Toxic" singer showed off her new puppy Wednesday on social media, introducing the world to an all-white puppy -- appropriately named Snow -- and while Britney's over the moon about her new family member, the folks over at PETA are not.

A rep for PETA tells TMZ ... "When influential people buy puppies, puppy mills cheer and animal shelters watch the homeless-animal crisis get even worse. With this one cutesy post, Britney Spears has sentenced countless deserving dogs in shelters to more days without love, a comfy bed to curl up on, or a chance at a real life."

Britney got Snow after her estranged husband Sam Asghari filed for divorce, and the former couple hammered out an agreement splitting up the 5 dogs they shared when they were together.

TMZ broke the story ... Sam's keeping their Doberman, Porsha, and Britney's hanging on to the other 4 pooches.

With Snow in the fold, Britney's back up to 5 dogs at home, but PETA is wagging a tail finger, saying ... "She could have been a force for good and adopted, but instead she chose to be toxic, and animals will pay with their lives."

A few teenage boys are celebrating a massive discovery in a Florida swamp after coming face-to-face with 16 feet of slithering reptile!!!

Chris Cronin, the father of teenage python hunters Jack and Brendan, tells TMZ ... he and his sons were out combing through Big Cypress Swamp. The Cronins and some friends call themselves the Glades Boys, and they needed all hands on deck when they stumbled upon the beast of a serpent last weekend.

Chris says they were hoping to get a hold of a 5-foot or maybe 7-foot python during the search, but instead they took things to the next level.

They recorded the whole find and capture ... first, Jack jumped on its head to secure it, and then the rest of the gang helped collect the rest of the lengthy body. Of course, they snapped a few proud pics with the python.

Worth noting the big snake was killed after this capture -- pythons are an invasive non-native species in the area, so it's standard procedure to destroy them. Chris says the snake was handed over to the state for research after their hunt was over.

Cheems, one of the most famous dogs on the internet, is dead after a battle with cancer.

The viral meme dog died Friday during a surgical procedure ... according to his owners, who say he fell asleep during surgery and never woke up.

Cheems shot to fame way back in 2017 when an awkward photo of him went viral ... sparking a meme that is still shared to this day.

Also known as Pup Balltze or just Balltze, the shiba inu was famous for his love of cheeseburgers ... and he's got his own meme character, Cheemsburger.

The pup's owners say ... "Don't be sad, please remember the joy that Balltze brought to the world. A Shiba Inu with a round smiling face connecting you and me, he has helped many people during the pandemic and brought a lot of joy to many of you, but now his mission has completed."

Cheem's family believes he's in a better place now ... "running freely in the sky and having a lot of delicious food with his new friends."

Naturally, Cheems is getting a grand send-off on social media ... with the meme getting posted all over the place.

Cheems was 12.

Britney Spears is taking to social media, immediately on the heels of Sam Asghari filing for divorce ... but oddly enough, she's making no mention of their split.

The singer shared a pic Wednesday night of herself riding a horse, something she posted very shortly after the news of Sam's divorce filing -- but her caption's focusing entirely on the fact she wants to buy a horse for herself.

Of course, her silence on the divorce can't be an accident ... some fans think she's intentionally taking an unbothered approach to the whole thing.

BTW, the equestrian pic is still kinda relevant to the split -- it's from a trip she took with Sam last month, maybe their last together.

TMZ broke the story, Sam called it quits with Britney after getting into a "nuclear" argument about her allegedly cheating on him ... although it's unclear if that rumor was legit.

As we reported, Sam filed divorce docs Wednesday, citing "irreconcilable differences" as the reason for the split. He's asking for spousal support and attorneys' fees -- there was a prenup set in place, but the docs suggest Sam's going to contest it.

We covered the story on the latest episode of The TMZ Podcast, available on all podcast platforms.

One tough matador is on the mend after getting gored in the ass during a recent bullfight ... but despite the horrifying scene, he says he's doing OK.

It all went down this week at the annual Prieto de la Cal in Madrid ... when Alejandro Conquero -- the son of famous matador The Hurricane of Huelva -- challenged a white bull with a pink cape.

In footage of the competition, the 28-year-old matador clearly held his own until one of the bull's horns caught him ... and he got sent flying into the air.

That's when it turned gruesome -- the massive bull rammed his horns right into Conquero's rear end and threw him up several feet for a second time.

Thankfully, other matadors jumped into the ring to divert the bull away from Conquero ... and he was rushed to a nearby hospital.

Doctors told COPE that Conquero suffered "a goring in the posterior perianal region, which dissects the rectum through the coccyx and could affect the external sphincter of the anus" ... but the matador says he feels fine.

"I am excited and I give a thousand thanks to those who at this time have thought or have been interested in me," Conquero said per his IG story.

"The evolution is positive, there is no fever, pain, the normal one but with the hope of being able to dress up soon. Thank you very much."

The goring comes just weeks after the "Messi of Matadors" was struck by a 1,100-pound bull in Spain during a show ... suffering injuries to his neck, face, and legs.

Aaron Rodgers is used to dropping jaws with his arm, but at a recent Jets team meeting, he was the one in awe -- absolutely awestruck over a wild magic trick that featured a real, live goldfish!

The guys over at "Hard Knocks" dropped the footage of the hocus pocus in a teaser for this week's episode of the hit show ... revealing Rodgers and his teammates were enthralled by some sleight of hand from famed mentalist Oz Pearlman.

In the clip, you can see Pearlman asking Rodgers to pick one of his favorite cards after going through a deck of 52 ... before he correctly guesses the quarterback had taken the three of diamonds.

But, the trick didn't stop there, because he then asks New York safeties coach Marquand Manuel what animal he had been thinking of earlier in the trick.

"A goldfish? Seriously?" Pearlman asks. "I got you. Look in your hands, Aaron."

Sure enough, Rodgers was then holding a goldfish in a clear case ... rather than the deck of cards he had believed he was fondling.

The trick baffled Rodgers -- as well as everyone else in the room, who all screamed out in shock.

David Montgomery and his girlfriend's offseason move to Detroit didn't get off to an auspicious start ... TMZ Sports has learned one of the couple's dogs was involved in a bloody biting incident just days after the new Lions running back got settled into his new Michigan home.

According to police documents, officers were called out to Montgomery's new Grosse Pointe Shores residence on June 4 ... after his and his GF's pitbull mix, Lola, was accused of escaping the house and attacking a smaller dog on the sidewalk.

In police body cam footage from the scene ... Montgomery's girlfriend -- Tatum Causey -- can be heard explaining to officers that she was in the backyard when she realized her pooch had gotten out.

"I go inside, literally opened the door and I said, 'Anybody see Lola?'" she told an officer at the scene. "So, I'm looking in the backyard for her -- she normally stays right in the backyard -- but when I walk out, I see my brother carrying her."

The owners of the dog who claimed Lola bit their pup said in an incident report that during the attack, Lola grabbed their animal's leg and would not let go.

"I heard our dog's leg break," one of the complainants wrote in the documents.

The owners said they suffered bite wounds and lacerations of their own during the attack. They added that their pup was diagnosed by the vet with two leg fractures. They also claimed it required stitches.

Causey -- who has a child with Montgomery -- was charged with misdemeanor harboring a vicious dog over the incident ... though court records show she pleaded not guilty to the count at a hearing in late June. The records show she's due for another hearing on the matter in September.

As for Lola, Causey shared an emotional tribute post to the dog one month after the biting incident that seemed to indicate the animal had passed away.

"So many quiet days just filled with your unconditional love," she wrote on the IG post. "You are and always will be the best. My soul dog, I love you forever and ever my Lola Bear."

The wildfire disaster in Hawaii is breaking hearts across the world, including those in the surfing community ... and, according to Kelly Slater, it's now planning to step up in a big way to help victims -- by sending boats, supplies and cash.

The 51-year-old surfing legend explained the plans to TMZ Sports this week ... after flames have ravaged Maui and the Big Island during August.

"Everyone within our surf community is rallying to get boats in, supplies, donate money," Slater said out at LAX, "but that's all not organized yet."

The reason for the delay, according to Slater, is all the debris blocking the harbor, including boats that have caught fire near the piers ... as well as the lack of power in the affected areas.

"There's still a lot of people not in touch with family because they don't have cell towers and power there and they're blocked off on both sides actually," Slater said, "the north and southern side from Lahaina got blocked."

Slater -- who holds 56 championship tour victories -- says several of his friends have been impacted by the blazes ... with some even running for their lives.

"One friend lost everything he owns but he was able to save his dog and a backpack and that was about it," Slater said.

"I know at least two friends, right now, that lost their houses -- actually three. I just got a text about another one, but that's just the beginning."

An Arizona woman had a "holy s***" moment when she returned home and found a live rattlesnake in -- of all places -- her toilet!!

Michelle Lespron stepped inside her house in Tucson on July 15 after a 4-day excursion and went to relieve herself in the bathroom, according to the Associated Press.

When she opened the lid of the toilet, she was horrified to see a large black snake slithering around inside and staring up at her.

She quickly contacted Rattlesnake Solutions, a company that specializes in wildlife removal, and an employee responded ... and after 3 attempts, he was able to seize control of the reptile.

Video of the shocking moment was posted on Facebook and it's nothing less than spine-tingling. Check out the handler grabbing the snake, and yanking it out of the toilet as it hisses.

Michelle told the AP everyone she knows thought it was a gag at first ... but when they found out it was real, they all had the same reaction, "Oh my god, that's my worst nightmare."

A supermarket in Austria was evacuated after a highly venomous spider was spotted in the store ... and the creature has a bite that can not only kill, but also cause permanent erections!!!

The deadly arachnid in question is the Brazilian Wandering Spider, and it was reportedly spotted in the store. The creature has reached Europe before, usually by hiding in bunches of bananas being shipped to stores.

The 4-inch, black and red spider apparently popped up at the Penny supermarket in Krems an der Donau, which is about 45 miles west of Vienna ... the store called authorities after Tuesday's sighting and the shop has been shuttered ever since.

It's super scary ... the spider is still on the loose despite an extensive search of the store, which included sealing all the banana crates.

"The Bachelorette" alum Kaitlyn Bristowe is opening up about her split from Jason Tartick ... and she's hinting at the possibility of a second chance between them.

Kaitlyn shared her post-breakup thoughts Monday at LAX, admitting she's holding up alright in the days following their called-off engagement ... and says it's been easier because they have so much respect for each other.

She was asked who made the call to split up, and says it was a mutual decision ... but then quickly raises this interesting possibility -- she says all hope for reconciliation isn't lost, and the door "isn't permanently closed."

As for their 2 dogs, Ramen and Pinot, Kaitlyn says she'd take full ownership if it was up to her ... but admits she and Jason are happily co-parenting the pups, for now.

You'll recall, Kaitlyn and Jason announced their breakup Sunday on social media, saying they'd called off their engagement after 4 years together.

The "Barbie" movie is getting mad props from an animal rights organization for dressing Ryan Gosling's Ken doll in a faux fur coat instead of the real thing.

Remember, Ryan's got a few scenes where his character is wearing a white fur coat -- which would normally get a huge thumbs down from PETA -- but now it's PETA-approved because as it turns out, the wardrobe piece is faux mink.

PETA Senior Vice President Lisa Lange tells TMZ … "From his fabulous faux mink coat to his rad vegan leather boots, Ken serves looks that mirror actor Ryan Gosling's own kindness to animals and refusal to wear fur."

Ken's coat is already being sold online as a Halloween costume, and Lisa tells us ... "PETA encourages everyone to be Kenough this Halloween by following in Gosling's footsteps and keeping animals' skins out of the mojo dojo casa house."

It may have been raining cats and dogs in Utah, but one furry creature literally fell from the sky at a recent Real Salt Lake MLS game ... 'cause a raccoon came crashing down into the press box!!

The wild moment happened at the RSL vs. Club Leon match that was slated to go down on Thursday ... and during a weather delay, a hole formed in the ceiling above the journalists.

All of a sudden, a trash panda dropped into the room outta nowhere ... and the scene from inside was quite hectic.

A local reporter shared a clip from the madness -- apparently, the critter was hungry ... 'cause it made a mad dash for the popcorn machine as soon as it landed in the press box.

Eventually, the raccoon made its way to the concourse at America First Field ... where it got held up on a second-floor overhang as stadium workers used a broom to try and catch it.

The raccoon crawled it's way up toward safety ... but as it reached the top of the railing, the curious creature slipped and plummeted to the floor.

Fans chased after the raccoon on the ground level ... with the procyonid showing off some shifty speed before it was eventually captured.

Folks on the scene say the raccoon was released at a nearby creek.

Kesha's got some good vibrations coming her way after her mom's pet pooch chewed her favorite sex toy to pieces.

ICYMI, the singer was "livid" Tuesday when she said she "Woke up this morning and saw my mom's dog chewed my $250 vibrator to pieces."

We-Vibe is swooping in to save the day, though ... because a spokesperson for the sex toy company tells TMZ they're well aware of Kesha's tragic situation and have already reached out to her to hook her up with a brand new gadget -- and more!!!

We're told Kesha's going to be getting a sweet gift box full of goodies -- and we've obtained a pic of the products being shown off by none other than We-Vibe's human-sized Clitoris ... though it's not clear if the costumed character will drop off the toys herself.

A Canadian golfer is now in the market for a new bag for his clubs ... 'cause a bear just stole his old one while he was out on a course in British Columbia!!

The wild scene all happened at Westwood Plateau ... when Jerome Jean-Yak was getting set to tee off on one of the course's holes.

But, as you can see in video that one of the golfer's buddy's shot ... a bear snuck up on them -- and decided to rip Jean-Yak's bag from a cart!!

"It came out of the woods, came to our carts, searched through our bags," Jean-Yak said of the incident to Global News. "There was no food in any of the golf bags, but for some reason, it picked my bag to pull off the cart."

Video shows the bear tore the thing to pieces ... before he dragged it down a hill.

For some reason, though, Jean-Yak tried to chase after it ... pleading with the animal to let it go.

"Hey!" he shouted at the bear repeatedly. "No!"

The bear, however, didn't give it up ... taking it into a nearby ravine -- before vanishing.

Mike Holston, the internet sensation famously known as The Real Tarzann, says the Chinese zoo being accused of trotting out a human in a bear suit actually has the real deal in captivity.

We got Mike at LAX and asked him about allegations a zoo in eastern China is fooling folks with a man in a suit.

This viral video shot at the zoo is certainly fueling that speculation -- but Mike says the animal shows all the signs of being an authentic sun bear.

The rumors got so out of hand, the zoo was forced to defend itself, and Mike says it's not uncommon for bears to stand on their hind legs, which is one reason why the video had folks thinking something was afoot.

Instead, Mike says the bear is just showing the animal's natural agility ... and it's only standing up to beg for food from humans. See what happens when ya feed the bears!

It's interesting ... Mike says he's interacted with all sorts of wild animals across the globe, but he'd be more afraid to be trapped with an American than a sun bear.

He's got a host of reasons why humans, particularly Americans, are most dangerous in the animal kingdom. For example, he says wild animals never lie about their feelings. 🤔