Animals

Hurricane -- a Special Operations Canine and the most decorated dog in U.S. history -- has died, according to a statement posted to the official White House account.

According to the post -- which calls Hurricane a "true American hero" -- Hurricane bravely defended the White House for years ... before he unfortunately had to be put down this week.

TMZ has obtained pictures of Hurricane's last day ... full of fun times with his handler Marshall Mirarchi and other members of the Secret Service.

An unsuspecting man got a not-so-sweet surprise when he was brutally bitten by a supposedly docile rescued crocodile -- and the terrifying encounter was caught on camera.

The elderly gentleman was just another tourist checking out the "lucky" croc at Indonesia’s Cimory Dairyland, after it was reportedly saved from a flood last week -- but as you can see, the resting croc ignores the man's food offering, and suddenly chomps down on his arm and yanks him into the water.

The footage is straight out of everyone's worst nightmare -- this poor grandpa was tossed around in the water like a rag doll, while onlookers screamed in pure panic.

5:50 PM PT -- The L.A. Department of Health tells TMZ ... "On February 11, 2025, an inspection was conducted at Center for Early Education Cafeteria. The Public Health Permit was suspended due to rodent infestation. The Center for Early Education was instructed to have their caterer provide cold, individually portioned, food items until the violations were corrected and their permit reinstated."

The statement continues ... "An inspection to determine compliance was conducted on February 13, 2025, which revealed no evidence of rodents. The Public Health Permit for the Center for Early Education Cafeteria was re-instated."

The Health Dept. also provided the above inspection reports.

This is gross ... a fancy private school in West Hollywood where celebs pay big bucks to educate their kids is dealing with a recent vermin infestation in its cafeteria.

The Center For Early Education was found to have pests in the areas where meals are prepared and served ... according to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.

Former school of Beyoncé and Jay-Z kids  -- where tuition costs between $27,360 to $36,950 -- and other celeb parents include John Legend and Chrissy Teigen, Jamie Lee Curtis and Christopher Guest, Michael Eisner, Jodie Foster ... and Magic Johnson and Denzel Washington's kids have gone there, too.

One kayaker made a lucky escape and now lives to tell the tale after being swallowed whole by a humpback whale -- and it was all caught on camera!

The video is absolutely wild -- Adrian Simancas was kayaking the choppy Strait of Magellan waters off Chilean Patagonia over the weekend when a humpback whale came out of nowhere and gulped him down like a snack.

No doubt it was a terrifying ordeal ... even though Adrian only had a brief stay in the whale’s mouth, before being spit out and left floating in the open ocean.

Shakira's a she-wolf ... and, she has been set free in a big way -- 'cause she's performing with the support of a giant metallic member of her pack.

The singer-songwriter closed out the first night of her new tour singing her latest big hit, "BZRP: Music Sessions, Vol. 53," with a huge wolf prop appearing onstage as the "Loba" delivered an epic stage comeback after 8 years away.

To add to the aura, the Canis lupus also doggy-paddled into the realm of science fiction ... with cool lasers shooting out of its eyes during the performance -- adding to its intimidation factor.

Armie Hammer is sticking to his word that he is not a cannibal ... but he is copping to eating a freshly killed animal's heart while on a hunting trip with his pals.

The "Social Network" actor set the scene for the gory memory on Tuesday's "The Louis Theroux Podcast," explaining that taking a bite out of an animal's heart is "almost an overly charged male rite of passage when you go hunting for your first time."

He confirmed he did not eat the whole heart ... and that he did not consume it for "the purpose of any cannibalism or any sexual gratification."

The Puppy Bowl is getting closer to the NFL than ever before ... they both have big games Sunday, and now the pups are going through a Scouting Combine too.

Dan Schachner -- the 14-year Puppy Bowl "Rufferee" -- joined us on "TMZ Live" and told us about the big new thing this year for Puppy Bowl XXI.

The Puppy Bowl Kickoff special now features the Puppy Combine, showcasing 10 little pooches showing off their football skills in a series of super cute challenges.

Billy Ray Cyrus had a rough start to 2025 -- but, he enjoyed a "ruff" night this weekend ... swapping drama for dogs in support of a good cause.

The singer-songwriter walked the runway at a charity event for the Nashville Human Association Saturday night -- his first public appearance since stoking concerns at Donald Trump's inauguration last month.

Check out the clip ... BRC's flashing some style while showing off his little furry friend -- who's looking a little squirrely in the country crooner's arms.

The world's most famous groundhog just made his prediction for the rest of winter ... and we're in for a cold one.

Punxsutawney Phil emerged from the dirt early Sunday morning in Pennsylvania for Groundhog Day ... and this time he saw his shadow ... which means 6 more weeks of winter.

It's a long-running tradition ... if he doesn't see his shadow and goes scurrying away to hide, we have 6 more weeks of winter. If not, spring is fast approaching. This year the little guy saw his shadow so bundle up, we've got plenty more winter ahead.

An enormous bear discovered underneath an Altadena house after the L.A. wildfires probably ended up there in search of a sugar rush and a stiff drink ... an animal expert tells TMZ.

Animal Planet’s Forrest Galante -- wildlife expert, biologist, and TV host known for a series of “Shark Week” specials on Discovery -- tells us he’s confident the 525-pound Yogi making headlines Friday was looking for sweets, booze and a place to crash after being displaced by the massive blazes -- the Eaton Fire specifically, in this instance.

If you've ever gone camping in SoCal, you've probably seen bears raiding dumpsters and campsites … and, Galante says this results in many acquiring a sweet tooth and a drinking problem -- and, just because their normal supply is eliminated doesn't mean the cravings end.

Don't come for this Altadena bear's picnic basket -- 'cause he's so jacked, Animal Control couldn't even tranquilize him to remove him from underneath a suburban home.

Here's the deal ... when a homeowner in the area returned to their home after the evacuation order related to the Eaton Fire near Pasadena was lifted, he called the utility company to get his service turned back on.

But, they said they couldn't do it -- 'cause the guy had a 525-pound bear living underneath his home!

Norbert, best known as the viral high-fiving therapy dog, has died ... this according to his owner, Julie Steines.

Julie shared the somber update on Instagram Monday, informing fans "with a heavy heart" that the beloved pup -- full name Saint Norbert Liv Freyermuth Steines -- passed away in her arms Sunday night.

Per Julie, she and her family are heartbroken following Norbert's death ... which came 2 months shy of his 16th birthday.

Chrissy Teigen has announced the sad news that her family dog has died.

The model shared the heartbreaking news in an Instagram post on Saturday that her French Bulldog, Penny has gone to doggy heaven. "Our beautiful little tripod queen, penny, passed on peacefully in her sleep today," she wrote.

She says Penny was born the same day her and her husband, John Legend, got married 11 years ago. "She was there for us for every baby, every loss, every joy," she said.

Kesha is mourning the loss of one of her beloved cats ... confirming the death of her adored feline, Carl, in a somber update for fans.

The pop star shared the sad news on her Instagram early Friday morning, where she posted a poignant tribute featuring several pics of herself snuggling her white and gray furry friend.

Alongside the upload, the singer shared how Carl's death "really broke my heart this time."

Stop us if you've heard this one before -- a cow walks into a barbershop ... and, while a ton of shocked patrons scram, the bovine beauty's ready for a fade!

Not exactly a great punchline ... but it is true, and it's all caught on "udderly" shocking video!

The wild moment went down earlier this week in Nanyang, a city in China's Henan Province ... when a cow ran in through the front door and caused quite a bit of mayhem, clearing the place out, and bumping a large piece of furniture holding the camera in the back capturing the scene.

The owners of Peanut the Squirrel and Fred the Racoon are fighting to get the animals' bodies back after both were controversially seized and put down following a home raid months ago.

Mark Longo shared the petition via IG ... demanding the return of Peanut and Fred’s bodies from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, to give them a proper send-off.

Longo said he and his wife, Daniela, aren’t even sure if the bodies are still there -- but they should be, since their lawyer sent a preservation notice to make sure they weren’t destroyed.