Animals

The ol' "Jaws" line goes "You're gonna need a bigger boat" ... but it's a bigger forklift that was needed when a massive 24-foot shark washed up onshore in the United Kingdom!

While this might seem like a scene straight out of "The Meg" ... Sunday's shark incident is anything but fiction, as the carcass of a basking shark made its way to Scotland's Maidens Beach.

However, the sea creature's body was seen moving in the water before ending up on the sand, so several bystanders were convinced the animal was still alive.

PETA's imploring the Cleveland Browns to do away with their live-mascot tradition following the death of their sideline dog ... telling TMZ Sports it believes the practice is harmful to animals.

Tracy Reiman -- PETA's executive vice president -- made the urging on Tuesday afternoon ... just hours after the NFL org. revealed its bullmastiff mascot, Swagger Jr., had passed away at five years old.

Reiman said in a statement that "generations of breeding for a certain look have left bullmastiffs prone to hip dysplasia, cancer, and life-threatening heart issues, among other painful conditions." She added that she believed Swagger Jr.'s death "should be seen as a damning indictment of an industry that deliberately churns out these doomed breathing-impaired breeds."

The Cleveland Browns are dealing with a heartbreaking loss on Tuesday -- the team's live mascot, Swagger Jr., has passed away.

He was just five years old.

The team posted a touching message in the Bullmastiff's honor minutes ago ... saying, "We are sad to announce the passing of our beloved mascot, SJ. We are so grateful for his many years of loyal support and cherish all of the wonderful memories he helped create for fans young and old."

The saga of Charlotte the Stingray has come to a sad end ... as the famed fish has died.

The Aquarium and Shark Lab in Hendersonville, North Carolina shared the heartbreaking update ... Charlotte passed away Sunday amid treatment for an illness.

After thanking fans for their love and support during Charlotte's unconventional journey, her caretakers noted the aquarium will remain temporarily closed ... but the other fish will still be looked after during this time.

Cops know Kroy Biermann and Kim Zolciak's Georgia address by heart now -- they've been there enough -- but their latest visit wasn't for the couple fighting ... cops say the problem is their massive dog.

TMZ obtained a Milton PD report in which officers say they slapped Kroy with a citation Saturday due to a neighbor's complaint about his dog, Stone, getting loose and allegedly terrorizing a neighbor.

According to the docs, the neighbor called police after spotting the dog running free in the neighborhood, and claimed Stone had been "aggressive" toward her.

Nicola Peltz-Beckham has lawyered up following the untimely death of her beloved chihuahua Nala ... and is prepared to go full throttle against those allegedly responsible.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Nicola has retained a legal team and plans to go after the grooming company located in upstate New York that worked on her pup at a home she was staying at before Nala experienced a medical emergency that turned fatal.

We're told Nala had a check-up with her long-term vet prior to the trip in NY, and was deemed fit and healthy ... which is why her sudden passing has been so shocking to Nicola.

Nelly Korda -- arguably the best golfer on the planet -- has just withdrawn from a tournament in England after she says she was bitten by a dog.

Korda said the incident happened this past Saturday while she was in Seattle. She did not say where the dog nipped her -- but the damage was apparently so bad, it will force her out of the Aramco Team Series tournament that was slated to go down from July 3-5.

"[I] need time to receive treatment and recover fully," the 25-year-old said. "I apologize to the LET, the sponsors, and my fans for my absence."

A couple nitwits in San Diego decided it would be fun to get super close to a group of sea lions ... until the marine mammals had them running for their lives.

Two girls in bikinis desperately trying to escape some massive sea lions ... after getting way too close to the wild animals.

The girls stood up against a cliff in the cove, with sea lions sunbathing on the surrounding rocks ... they had their phones in hand and tried to take some photos but the sea lions weren't having it, and a chase ensued.

Michael Jackson would be happy to learn his former pet chimp, named Bubbles, is living the good life as an elder primate ... according to the sanctuary that took him in.

Patti Ragan -- director of the Center for Great Apes in Wauchula, FL --  tells TMZ ... Bubbles has a lot of freedom at the sanctuary. He's able to explore tunnels, build a nest under a tree, take daily midday naps and occasionally even paint!

Bubbles, now 41, is regularly checked out by a veterinarian and caregiver staff ... and weighs in at 180 pounds. BTW, the lifespan for a chimp in captivity is between 50 and 60 years.

5:28 PM PT -- A rep for Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency tells TMZ ... the bear hasn't been caught, but if it is -- it will be euthanized. We're also told that city officials suspect the bear ended up here as a result of human behavior ... namely, the likelihood that humans were feeding it.

However, a rep for Anakeesta tells us they're not aware of anyone at the park going out of their way to feed the animal. In any case ... it'll meet its maker if/when it's found.

2:18 PM PT -- A rep the City of Gatlinburg tells TMZ ... the employee in question declined medical treatment, even though first responders arrived at the scene -- including agents for the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency.

The City says the bear fled the area ... and it doesn't sound like it was caught.

A Tennessee amusement park employee barely escaped with her life after a bear attacked her while on the job ... and the whole thing's on video, which we got a hold of.

A Michigan man swooped in to save a raccoon from potentially choking to death -- with the heroic act getting caught on video ... and yes, it's wild.

A guy named Bill Boski recently sprung into action out in Burton, MI -- coming to the aid of the distressed critter by giving it some heavy pats on the back to dislodge a piece of cheese it was eating.

At first, it doesn't look like Bill's attempts are working on the raccoon, as it continues to gag -- but when his pal suggests a lower approach ... that finally seemed to do the trick!

A grizzly bear in Montana had a hankering for moose tracks, it seems -- and we're not talking ice cream either ... it's the real McCoy playing out in nature ... and it's all video!

Check out this wild footage -- posted by a scientist and outdoorsman -- that shows a young moose galloping through an empty campground in Montana ... stopping only for a moment by this guy's car, before a grizzly bear comes barreling out of the woods hot on its trail.

The moose seems to sense that there's potential mortal danger afoot -- booking it down a dirt path but the bear is right behind it ... racing after him as they both disappear behind a bend.

The alligator that ate a homeless woman likely ambushed her -- that's what a gator expert is saying anyway ... and she would know, 'cause she dealt with these things on TV.

Ashley Lawrence -- who appeared on Animal Planet's "Gator Boys" -- tells TMZ ... she has an idea of what might've led to the grisly killing of Sabrina Peckham ... who was eaten by an alligator in Florida last year, the aftermath of which we're just now seeing in 2024.

Lawrence says that because the victim's camp seemed to be near water -- adjacent to a canal -- that may have increased her chances of running into a gator in the first place ... as she says they lurk near these areas, and they're always looking for an opportunity to pounce on prey.

The Florida alligator that ate a homeless woman last year got killed and cut open by officials once they discovered the grisly act -- and now ... we're seeing all the aftermath on tape.

TMZ has obtained new photos/video from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission that shows exactly what they did when they learned the beast had killed and eaten Sabrina Peckham -- who was living in an encampment near a canal in Largo.

The body cam video shows the moments after the gator had been shot and killed -- with Wildlife officials fishing the animal out of the water and throwing it on a truck bed ... and later cutting it open to get the poor woman's body parts out from inside its guts.

President Biden saw his German Shepherd chomp down on Secret Service on multiple occasions before the family dog got booted from the White House ... according to new docs.

Biden's pooch, Commander, got shown the door after dozens of instances where he bit agents tasked with protecting POTUS ... and these newly released documents claim Biden was present for at least 3 of those attacks.

In one previously unreported instance on Sept. 12 -- Biden was walking Commander on a leash in the Kennedy Garden on the White House's South Lawn ... when Commander ran through JB's legs and bit an approaching agent in the left arm, ripping a hole in their jacket.

The shocking video aftermath of an Indonesian woman's death by python is creating more questions -- but a renowned snake expert knows what most likely happened, and it's the stuff of nightmares!

Here's the deal ... a massive 20-foot-long snake devoured a mother of 4 while she was walking through the forest to get to a market. As we reported, locals -- including the victim's husband -- later found the serpent, killed it and recovered her body.

Now, Mark O’Shea, host of the old Animal Planet series "O'Shea's Big Adventure," tells TMZ -- in disturbing, yet fascinating detail -- what most likely occurred when the reticulated python attacked.