Animals

Terrifying incident in Key Largo, Florida -- an 8-year-old boy was chomped by a shark on his leg and had to be airlifted to a hospital with serious injuries.

The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office confirms to TMZ the shark attack went down around 3:24 PM Monday as the boy was snorkeling with his dad and another sibling ... and he was rushed to the Ryder Trauma Center at Miami's Jackson Memorial Hospital.

Chilling MCSO dispatch audio captures the chaos ... a scuba boat alerted by the boy's father called in the injury -- the child was reportedly bitten above the knee -- describing the boy as pale and losing a ton of blood.

According to the call, they slapped on two tourniquets and a bandage to slow the bleeding ... all while scrambling to monitor the boy’s vital signs.

Sheriff Rick Ramsay told the Miami Herald the boy went under the knife Monday night. His current condition was not immediately released.

Joe Exotic is trying to save some tiger bloodlines from behind bars ... 'cause he's suing to keep an animal sanctuary away from the tigers' reproductive organs!

The "Tiger King" star -- who is still locked up in a federal prison in Texas -- has filed a lawsuit against Black Pine Animal Sanctuary in Indiana ... claiming the sanctuary spayed and neutered the animals in unnecessary procedures which "prevent them from their natural ability and behavior, namely reproduction, thereby wounding, harming, and harassing them."

Exotic says the sanctuary is not complying with federal laws and regulations with respect to caring for and exhibiting these endangered species of tigers.

Kick off International Dog day with your paws up and chow down on these precious pics ... Life may be ruff at times, but the celebs are here with feel-good vibes and their four-legged friends ... They're furrever loyal!

It's a dog's life and Reese Witherspoon and Rob Lowe are just here for the snuggles, while Millie Bobby Brown took a snooze with her paw-tner in crime!

Chrissy Teigen had a paw-ty in the sheets and snapped a cutesy shot with her adorable pup ...

And all roads Rhodes lead to pure bliss with Hailey Bieber who loved on her furry child ...

A former Miss Universe contestant was killed after a horrifying car accident in Russia -- when an elk came crashing through her Porsche's windshield.

Kseniya Alexandrova -- crowned Vice-Miss Russia back in 2017 -- was in the passenger seat of her husband's Porsche Panamera on July 5 when the elk suddenly bolted onto the road. The elk's body flew into the car, slamming directly into Alexandrova's head, knocking her unconscious, according to reports.

Alexandrova slipped into a coma immediately after the crash due to suffering catastrophic head injuries. She remained in that state until passing away on August 15, according to her modeling agency.

Travis Kelce's surprising sea otter love confession has just scored him and his girlfriend a personal invite to one of the most famous aquariums in the country!!

A spokesperson for the Monterey Bay Aquarium in Northern California tells TMZ Sports ... after the Chiefs tight end professed his love for otters during a chat with Taylor Swift and Jason Kelce on "New Heights" this week, it now wants to work with him going forward.

The rep, Isabel Lara, said otters are "not just cute animals but, like he is on the football field, they are important players in marine ecosystems" -- and she wants to shoot him some more info so he can make his large audience even more aware of their existence in the near future.

One angry deer was not here for the petting zoo vibes -- and proved it by going full UFC mode on a roadside stranger!

You gotta see this -- a guy on a motorbike in Shanghai, China stopped to pet a deer, and the next thing you know, Bambi went full kung-fu, rearing up and drop-kicking him in the chest.

The man scrambled to block the hits, but the deer wasn’t done -- stepping back just long enough to reload before unleashing another hail of hoof slaps.

Zoë Kravitz has a story that'll rattle you -- she and her mom Lisa Bonet accidentally let a snake loose in Taylor Swift’s house ... and the chaos was off the scales!

Zoë spilled on “Late Night with Seth Meyers” Tuesday, saying Taylor graciously let her stay at her Beverly Hills pad during this year’s wildfires in L.A. ... but when Lisa set her pet snake Orpheus down in the bathroom to wash her face, he made a break for it -- straight into a hole in the corner.

The room had a banquette built into the wall with a tiny hole -- and that’s where Orpheus got stuck. Zoë and Lisa clung to his tail for dear life, but the more they tugged, the deeper he slithered into the wall.

Former NFL running back LeShon Johnson was convicted on six felony charges for his role in a dog-fighting operation ... in what is being considered one of the biggest busts in U.S. history.

The United States Department of Justice said on Monday that an Oklahoma federal jury found Johnson, 54, guilty of six felonies -- violating the federal Animal Welfare Act’s prohibitions against possessing, selling, transporting, and delivering animals to be used in fights.

This stems from Johnson's arrest in March, when authorities discovered 190 "pit bull-type dogs" on his property during an operation, "Mal Kant Kennels." It's the largest number ever seized from a single individual in a federal dog-fighting case.

We're gonna give you a little insider info here -- there's never a dull moment at the TMZ office, but some days can be pretty ruff!

Way back in 2012, our top dog Harvey Levin met the pooch who portrayed Jack in "The Artist" and appealed to the Academy to let the canine performer attend its annual Awards Ceremony -- before being bitten when he tried to pet the four-legged actor!

Jakob Nowell of Sublime is dealing with an tragic loss ... revealing to fans at his concert that he had to put his cat down.

The lead singer of the band -- son of the band's original lead Bradley Nowell, who passed away from a heroin overdose in 1996 -- took the "Vans Warped Tour -- Long Beach" stage Saturday, telling the audience he had to put down Creature, his hairless cat.

Jakob calls Creature his "best f***ing friend" ... and admits to the audience that he didn't really want to play the show -- but, he reminded himself that the audience might be going through something to, and his music could help them deal with their own issues.

A North Carolina pet groomer has been accused of abusing dogs ... and, video has surfaced which cops say captures the alleged abuse.

Iredell County Sheriff's deputies arrested Kirsten Taylor -- a 28-year-old from Mooresville, N.C. -- and charged her with four counts of felony animal abuse after reviewing shocking video.

The video is hard to watch ... but, cops say that's Kirsten roughly handling a few poor pups at Classy Critters, a pet grooming joint north of Charlotte.

Sink your teeth into this -- Ozzy Osbourne’s infamous bat-biting moment just got a jaw-dropping twist ... 'cause TMZ’s learned it took some fang-tastic bite power to rip that poor critter’s head clean off.

Kathryn Slater -- marketing & PR queen at Bat Conservation International in Austin -- tells TMZ that Ozzy likely worked his jaw strength over time to chomp through a bat’s muscle, tissue, and bone. But in the heat of the moment -- fueled by pure rockstar adrenaline -- Ozzy made it look freakishly easy.

Ozzy’s boundary-pushing stage stunt back in '82 has long been etched in rock ’n’ roll infamy -- and while the Prince of Darkness rushed straight to the hospital for a rabies shot, Kathryn is quick to clear up the myth ... most bats aren’t rabid, so Ozzy probably didn’t need to freak out over a fang-filled encore.

7:38 PM PT -- TMZ has obtained Tonia Haddix's latest mug shot from Phelps County jail ... after being transferred from Camden County jail.

As you can see, the chimp lover looks a bit disheveled and down in her latest snap.

"Chimp Crazy" star Tonia Haddix -- the Missouri woman who once faked her beloved chimp Tonka’s death – is back in hot water ... and this time, she’s behind bars.

The 55-year-old exotic animal broker was arrested Saturday after a judge threw her in jail for dodging court orders to cough up $224k in legal fees owed to PETA. But get this ... when officials raided her home, they found another hidden chimpanzee living in her basement.

In court docs obtained by Rolling Stone, authorities say Haddix was secretly stashing a "mature female chimp" in a makeshift enclosure, complete with blankets, a Gatorade bottle, and half-eaten candy. They safely removed the ape during a surprise search earlier this month.

Ellen DeGeneres and her wife Portia de Rossi are moving to bigger pastures in England ... putting their farmhouse on the market after snatching up a larger property in the countryside.

Ellen and Portia moved to the Cotswolds last year after President Trump was elected back home and they renovated a 43-acre farmhouse ... adding modern touches to a rustic estate.

The property, known as Kitesbridge Farm, is going to be listed for $30 million ... because the Wall Street Journal reports Ellen and Portia have moved to a larger, more contemporary estate in the same area.

A raging quarter-ton water buffalo in Vietnam busted loose from its pen this week -- and plowed straight into a woman on a motorbike ... all caught on camera!

Check out this hair-raising dashcam footage -- the beast locked onto the scooter-rider in Thanh Hóa, then charged full throttle, lowering its massive head and slamming her and her scooter clear off the road!

As you can see, the rider skids across the street while the buffalo stays on the attack -- trampling her and tossing her around with its huge horns.

Jenelle Evans is officially swerving male attention after finalizing her divorce from David Eason ... focusing on self-care instead -- and driving the point home with one very NSFW punchline to seal the deal.

The former "Teen Mom" star is fully in her wellness era, hitting up aesthetic injector Melanie Speed at Las Vegas’ Flawless Med Spa for a little post-divorce glow-up -- where she cheekily quipped, "The only sperm I’m getting on my face now is salmon" ... yep, as in a salmon sperm facial!

Jenelle was fully zen while indulging in the trendy non-surgical Korean facial loved by Kim Kardashian, Jennifer Aniston -- and even her fellow "Teen Mom" alum Farrah Abraham.