Animals

The Minnesota Twins' AAA affiliate is standing firm on its decision to name its live pig mascot "OzemPig" ... this after a number of fans squealed in opposition.

The St. Paul Saints -- known for their tomfoolery on gamedays -- traditionally employ young pigs to help out with delivering game balls to umpires ... and host an annual contest to come up with a silly moniker for each animal (past winners include Ham Solo, Notorious P.I.G., etc.).

This year's winner beat out candidates like Porky Blinders and Sloppenheimer ... but once the name was announced, some folks felt it flirted with fat-shaming, considering it's a nod to the popular weight loss drug.

Ex-NBA tough guy Matt Barnes met his match this week ... coming face-to-face with a pesky opossum that entered his home -- and the video of the standoff is riveting.

The 44-year-old hooper documented the whole thing on his Instagram page ... showing his elaborate plan to get the creature out of his kitchen.

Barnes -- who's in the process of moving -- had a bunch of boxes set up in hopes of leading the opossum toward the door.

The guy even tried throwing various fruits at it ... but the intruder refused to budge.

Barnes then grabbed a golf club ... with the intent to "put a pitching wedge up his ass."

The 6'7" champ did everything he could to keep a distance ... hopping around on the countertops and spraying the rodent with water, which only made it more of a challenge as it scurried further into the home.

At one point, MB even pondered lighting a joint to get the critter high ... but elected against it.

Eventually, Barnes' nemesis decided it was time to go back outside ... bolting for the door and off the property.

"I'll fight anybody, but I don't f*** with animals," Barnes said. "That's for g**damn sure."

The interaction received a ton of responses from Barnes' followers ... including Deion Sanders, Jon Jones, Gilbert Arenas, Terrell Owens and more.

Kaley Cuoco está de luto por una pérdida en su familia..., ya que anunció la muerte de Blue,  su querido perro.

La actriz compartió la triste noticia el miércoles, diciendo que estaba muy triste por la pérdida. Explicó que la pérdida de Blue fue aún más triste porque era el tercer perro que ha tenido que sacrificar el último año.

Recordemos que Kaley anunció el fallecimiento de King el mes pasado, menos de un año después de que su cachorro rescatado -Dump Truck- muriera el pasado mes de mayo.

Mientras Kaley está claramente desconsolada por Blue, dice que también está particularmente triste por su pareja, Tom Pelphrey, que es el dueño original del perro.

Según Kaley, les tomó algún tiempo a Blue y a ella estar completamente cómodos el uno con el otro, naturalmente, él aún extrañaba a Tom.

Sin embargo, "Después de algún tiempo, Blue finalmente se dio cuenta de que éramos una familia y que estábamos todos juntos. Algo cambió. Era increíble. Protector conmigo y con el resto de nuestros cachorros, siempre en guardia. Me sentía tan segura sola en casa con él y cuando alguien venía a la puerta le ponía la correa a Blue y hacía que se sentara a mi lado".

Kaley continuó añadiendo que Blue era increíblemente paciente y gentil con su pequeña hija Matilda, que nació el año pasado.

No es ningún secreto que Kaley es una amante de los animales, ya que ha rescatado a varios perros a lo largo de los años, y también posee algunos caballos.

Blue era claramente un favorito de la familia, Kaley y Tom una vez usaron suéteres de Navidad con la cara del cachorro un año.

Kaley Cuoco is mourning a loss in her family ... as she announced the death of her beloved dog, Blue.

The actress shared the sad news Wednesday, saying she was in tears over the loss. As Kaley explained, Blue's loss was even more upsetting because he was the third dog she's had to put down in the last year.

Remember, Kaley announced the passing of King last month -- less than a year after her rescue pup Dump Truck died last May.

While Kaley's clearly heartbroken over Blue, she says she's also particularly sad for her partner, Tom Pelphrey ... who's the dog's original owner.

According to Kaley, it took some time for Blue and her to grow comfortable with one another -- naturally, he favored Tom over her.

However, "After some time Blue finally realized we were a family and we were all sticking together. Something changed. He was amazing. Protective of me and the rest of our pup crew, always on guard. I felt so safe home alone with him and when anyone came to the door I would put Blue on the leash and have him sit right next to me."

Kaley went on to add that Blue was incredibly patient and gentle with their young daughter Matilda, who was born last year.

It's no secret Kaley is an animal lover, having rescued several dogs over the years, and she also owns a few horses.

But, Blue was clearly a family favorite, with Kaley and Tom wearing the pup on Christmas sweaters one year.

Una conductora y sus dos perros Boston Terrier fueron grabados mientras caían al mar en Venice Beach durante una persecución policial, lo que desencadenó una dramática operación de rescate que, sorprendentemente, terminó sin heridos graves.

El sábado por la noche, la mujer y sus dos perros circulaban a toda velocidad por la autopista 10 en el centro de Los Ángeles, cuando los agentes de policía la vieron sobrepasar el límite de velocidad e intentaron detenerla. Sin embargo, ella no se detuvo y dio comienzo a una persecución salvaje a través de Los Ángeles hasta Venice Beach.

De repente, la mujer se volvió hacia la playa y corrió por la arena, dirigiéndose directamente al agua. Varios videos en Internet mostraban cuando el carro se precipitó al Océano Pacífico para simplemente sumergirse en el agua.

La policía y los socorristas respondieron después de que la mujer salió nadando, abandonando a sus dos perros en el interior.

Intentó adentrarse en el océano mientras una lancha patrullera navegaba a su lado y un policía le lanzaba un salvavidas. Finalmente, la subieron a la lancha y la detuvieron.

Los policías sacaron a sus dos perros del carro y los entregaron a Control de Animales.

A BMW driver and her two Boston Terriers were filmed careening into the ocean off Venice Beach during a police pursuit, sparking a dramatic rescue operation that remarkably ended with no one seriously injured.

The woman and her two dogs were zooming down the 10 Freeway in downtown L.A., Saturday night when patrol officers clocked her going way beyond the speed limit and tried to pull her over. But she refused to stop, instead leading police on a wild chase through L.A. to Venice Beach.

Suddenly, the woman turned onto the beach and raced across the sand, heading directly for the water. Several videos posted online showed the car plunging into the Pacific Ocean and later submerged on its side in the water.

Police and lifeguards responded after the woman swam out of her car, abandoning her two pooches inside.

She tried to wade deeper into the ocean as a police boat sailed up beside her and a cop tossed her a life preserver. She was eventually pulled onto the boat and taken into custody.

Cops recused her two dogs from the car and turned them over to Animal Control.

Rory McIlroy's chase for birdies and eagles on Friday was interrupted by ... a frog?!?

Yup, it just hoppened minutes ago as the golf superstar was looking to get things going during his second round out at The Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.

McIlroy was on hole No. 3 ... when he accidentally hit his tee shot right of the green -- into a thick patch of grass.

As he went to knock his ensuing chip onto the dance floor ... something jumped up -- scaring the hell out of him.

It turns out it was a frog ... and McIlroy and his caddie then had to spend the next few moments calming down -- while making sure the little guy steered clear of his golf club.

Eventually, they got the creature to move ... but McIlroy didn't finish out the hole well. His chip went long -- and he had to scramble to make bogey.

Jason Kelce's beloved dog, Winnie, has sadly passed away ... and the Kelce family is heartbroken over the loss, with his wife writing in an emotional social media post that she's "lost part of my soul."

It's unclear how the pooch passed ... but Kylie Kelce said on her Instagram page Thursday night the pup "is at peace" now.

"When I was in high school I had a folder on my desktop labeled 'Gods gift to earth,'" Kylie said in an IG post. "It was images of Irish Wolfhounds that I had collected from Google. I had fallen in love with the breed when I was a young and never let my fascination with them fade. It all lead me to Winnie and holy s*** did she live up to the hype."

"I love you, Winn," she continued. "You will always be my first born child."

Travis Kelce sent out his condolences in the comment section, writing, "You [gave] Winn an amazing life Ky!!" The Chiefs star's ex, Kayla Nicole, sent her support with a comment too.

Winnie played a huge role in the Kelce family ... she was the "flower girl" at Jason and Kylie's 2018 wedding. She was also mentioned on Jason and Travis' "New Heights" podcast often ... in fact, the brothers just brought her up on a recent episode when comparing her to animals Travis had seen on his Australian zoo date with Taylor Swift.

Winnie and the Kelces' other dog even had their own Instagram page.

"She was everything I had hoped for in a wolfie," Kylie said in mourning the dog's passing, "and more."

El tenis de Carlos Alcaraz es simplemente irresistible y claramente algunas abejas pensaron lo mismo, ¡porque un enorme enjambre lo obligó a salir de la cancha en medio del partido!

El segundo mejor tenista masculino del mundo salió a la cancha el jueves para enfrentarse a Alexander Zverev durante el BNP Paribas Open en Indian Wells, pero más bien terminó luchando con una nube de abejas cuando el partido estaba empatado 1-1.

Echa un vistazo al video, Alcaraz trata de ahuyentar algunas de las molestosas criaturas cuando se da cuenta de que el problema es mucho más grande de lo que pensaba.

Carlos Alcaraz mantiene la calma por un momento mientras el oficial de línea lateral le explica la situación a la audiencia, pero el zumbido de las abejas alrededor de su cabeza resultaron ser demasiado para la estrella española.

Ahí el tenista comenzó a agitar su raqueta salvajemente antes de correr hacia el túnel por donde salen los deportistas. También se subió la camiseta sobre la cara para protegerse y digamos que fue todo un espectáculo, como algo salido de "Sleepy Hollow".

Al final, parece que Carlos sufrió algún daño de todo esto. Su agente dice que recibió una picadura en la frente, aunque no está claro el alcance de la herida.

En última instancia, parece que todo el mundo terminó relativamente bien porque el juego continuó justo después de las 5 PM PT, después de que un individuo totalmente desprotegido fuera a aspirar el enjambre de insectos con un aparato. ¡Valiente!

Carlos Alcaraz's tennis play is sweet like honey ... and clearly, some bees thought so too -- 'cause a huge swarm forced him off the court!

The second-best men's player in the world took the court Thursday to take on Alexander Zverev during the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells, but ended up contending more with a cloud of the dastardly drones when the match was tied 1-1.

Check out the video ... Alcaraz tries to simply swat a few of the irksome creatures away from his face before realizing his bug problem's a whole lot bigger than he thought.

CA keeps his cool for a bit while the sideline official explains the situation to the audience ... but the bees buzzing around his head proves to be too much for the Spanish star.

Carlos starts swinging his racquet around wildly before running toward the tunnel away from the court. He also pulled up his shirt over his face to protect himself -- and let's just say, it was quite a sight ... like something out of "Sleepy Hollow."

In the end, it sounds like Carlos took some damage from all this -- his agent says he got stung on the forehead during the melee, although it's unclear to what extent he was hurt.

Ultimately, it seems like everyone ended up relatively OK ... 'cause play continued just after 5 PM PT with Carlos soldiering through his injury -- after a totally unprotected individual went around and vacuumed up the insect swarm on the camera, all by themselves. Bold!

Garrison Brown's legacy as a cat dad will never be forgotten, as "Sister Wives" fans give buckets of money to the cause near and dear to the late TLC personality ... TMZ has learned.

Liz Olson of High Country Humane tells TMZ ... people from all over the world have donated to the animal shelter in the week since Garrison died by suicide. The cat org received donations totaling more than $13K ... and counting!

She confirms she's the one who alerted Garrison's mother, Janelle Brown, to the outpouring of support ... and then, Janelle shared her emotional reaction this week to that uplifting news.

Garrison and High Country Humane knew each other well -- Liz tells us he adopted 3 of his cats -- including new addition Ms. Buttons -- from the shelter in the last 2 years.

In response to the generosity displayed by Garrison's followers, HCH has launched an initiative in his name that will help cats get adopted throughout the month of March.

Specifically, the money will cover adoption fees for any of the cats rescued during this effort.

The tributes don't stop there ... Liz tells us the org also plans to rename its cat adoption room in his honor. There will be a plaque unveiling and everything at their 5-year anniversary celebration this month.

Ark Cat Sanctuary is also getting monetary support after Garrison's passing. Cat Roberts, yes that's really her name, tells TMZ ... the org's  received more than $500 in donations from people all over the globe, including some in Australia and Scotland.

Cat believes the support from Garrison's fans will help them stay open this year ... after receiving $30K less in grant money for 2024. She says the biggest help has been people purchasing items like wet food and kitten milk replacement from the sanctuary's Amazon wish list.

It's a small silver lining on an otherwise tragic story.

Janelle Brown dice que está conmovida por la emoción después de que los fans honraran a su difunto hijo Garrison, donando dinero a refugios de animales en su nombre, y todo como una forma de destacar su pasión por sus gatos.

La estrella de "Sister Wives" compartió fotos de Garrison y sus gatos en Instagram el martes, diciendo que le saltaron las lágrimas cuando supo que High Country Humane y Ark Cat Sanctuary en Flagstaff, la ciudad natal de Garrison, habían recibido varias donaciones a raíz de su fallecimiento.

Janelle, que tuvo a Garrison y a otros cinco niños con su ex marido Kody Brown, dejó claro que esta era la manera perfecta de honrar a Garrison, quien amaba ser un "papá gato".

Y añadió: "Los gatos que adoptó de ambas agencias eran muy importantes para él".

Recuerden, Garrison había rescatado a un gato de nueve años al que llamó Ms. Buttons justo antes de su muerte a principios de este mes. En ese momento, Garrison compartió que el gato estaba "en la línea para la eutanasia" antes de que él interviniera.

Fuimos los primeros en contarles que Garrison falleció de un aparente suicidio la semana pasada. Como señalamos, la policía dice que su hermano Gabriel fue quien descubrió a Garrison sin vida en su casa.

Más tarde, Janelle confirmó la desgarradora noticia a través de un comunicado a nombre de ella y su ex marido Kody que decía: "Su pérdida dejará un agujero tan grande en nuestras vidas que nos quita el aliento".

Otros homenajes de la familia Brown, que documentó su alguna vez polígamo estilo de vida durante 18 temporadas, también llovieron sobre Garrison.

Solo tenía 25 años.

Que en paz descanse.

Janelle Brown says she's overwhelmed by emotion after fans honored her late son, Garrison, by donating to animal shelters in his name ... all as a way to highlight his pet cats.

The "Sister Wives" star shared photos of Garrison and his cats on Instagram Tuesday ... saying she was brought to tears after learning High Country Humane and Ark Cat Sanctuary in Garrison's hometown of Flagstaff received several donations in the wake of his passing.

Janelle -- who shared Garrison, as well as five other kids, with her ex-husband Kody Brown -- made it clear that this was the perfect way to honor Garrison ... who she said loved being a cat dad."

She adds, "The cats he adopted from both agencies were so important to him."

Remember, Garrison had rescued a nine-year-old cat -- which he named Ms. Buttons -- just before his death earlier this month. At the time, Garrison shared that the cat was "on the line for euthanasia" before he intervened.

We broke the story ... Garrison passed away in an apparent suicide last week. As we noted, cops say his brother Gabriel was the one who discovered Garrison deceased in his home.

Janelle later confirmed the heartbreaking news ... issuing a statement on behalf of herself and her ex-husband, Kody. She wrote ... "His loss will leave such a big hole in our lives that it takes our breath away."

Other tributes from the Brown family -- who documented their once polygamist life for 18 seasons -- soon poured in for Garrison as well.

He was only 25.

RIP

Some ovations defy explanation -- like this crowd on the beach in Venice, Florida watching the gruesome removal of a beached sperm whale, yet erupting in cheers ... all captured on video.

Check out the new footage we obtained showing the massive whale's body being mutilated by an excavator -- definitely not for the faint of heart or stomach -- but a group of beachgoers found reason to hoot, holler and celebrate the process.

The removal was coordinated earlier this week by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration -- also known as NOAA -- along with a local marine lab.

The beached whale was first spotted Sunday evening, and reportedly still alive before dying the next morning, when officials quickly attempted to move the decaying corpse.

This video gives you a closer look at the initial attempt to move the massive mammal, as several onlookers record the scene.

Not surprisingly, some locals were disturbed by the crowd's reaction, and a rep for PETA tells TMZ ... "With the planet’s oceans being trawled barren, the death of any aquatic animal is a high-stakes tragedy, and PETA urges everyone upset at the sight of this beached whale to throw all sealife a lifeline by going vegan."

However, as graphic as the removal is, PETA has no issue with NOAA's process ... telling us it's "standard operating procedure."

The city of Venice was forced to issue a no-swim advisory at the beach due to the carcass -- which might be one reason for the cheers.

Researchers cut into the whale's corpse on Monday, causing blood to leak into the water. Translation: the bloody scene could've attracted sharks to shore, endangering swimmers.

BTW, this whale tale isn't nearly as gruesome as a similar situation that went down back in 1970 ... when a Pacific gray whale washed ashore in Florence, OR. That carcass was blown to smithereens with dynamite, and the end result was beyond explosive.

Algunas ovaciones no tienen explicación, como la de esta multitud en la playa de Venice -Florida- que observa la espantosa extracción de un cachalote varado y, sin embargo, se ponen felices y lo graban en video.

Échale un vistazo a las nuevas imágenes que hemos obtenido en las que se ve cómo una excavadora mutila el enorme cuerpo de la ballena -algo no apto para cardíacos ni estómagos débiles- mientras un grupo de bañistas encontró motivos para gritar y celebrar el proceso.

La retirada fue coordinada a principios de esta semana por la Administración Nacional Oceánica y Atmosférica (NOAA) y un laboratorio marino local.

La ballena varada fue avistada por primera vez el domingo por la noche, y al parecer seguía viva antes de morir a la mañana siguiente, cuando las autoridades intentaron rápidamente trasladar el cadáver en descomposición.

En este video se puede ver de cerca el intento inicial de trasladar al enorme mamífero, mientras varios curiosos graban la escena.

No es sorprendente que algunos lugareños se molestaron por la reacción de la multitud, y un representante de PETA le dice a TMZ: "Con los océanos del planeta siendo arrastrados, la muerte de cualquier animal acuático es una tragedia, y PETA insta a todo el mundo molesto por lo ocurrido a esta ballena varada a hacerse vegano".

Sin embargo, tan gráfica como es la eliminación, PETA no tiene ningún problema con el proceso de la NOAA, diciéndonos que es el "procedimiento estándar".

La ciudad de Venice se vio obligada a emitir un aviso de no nadar en la playa debido al cadáver, lo que podría ser una de las razones de los vítores.

Los investigadores cortaron en el cadáver de la ballena el lunes, causando una gran fuga de sangre en el agua... la sangrienta escena podría haber atraído a los tiburones a la orilla, poniendo en peligro a los nadadores.

El pájaro mascota de una mujer británica es un cantante matutino, y despierta a su dueña con música soul de los 70s... algo que le encanta a todo el mundo en TikTok.

Kiki, una cacatúa cantante con 3 millones de seguidores, ha hecho vibrar al mundo entero con su última actuación, y su frustrada dueña lo ha posteado en redes sociales.

Kiki canta "September" de Earth, Wind and Fire muy temprano, para disgusto de esta pobre mujer.

Al parecer, para Kiki, ninguna hora era demasiado temprano para bailar el pegadizo estribillo del megaéxito de 1978 mientras estaba encima de una pecera en la habitación de su dueña.

La dueña, privada de sueño, levanta el dedo para ordenar "silencio" al pájaro, que obedece... pero vuelve a hacerlo un segundo después porque, admitámoslo, ¡la canción es demasiado buena para dejarla!

Frustrada por las travesuras de Kiki, su madre humana envió un grito de ayuda en el pie de foto, escribiendo: "Enviar ayuda porfa, ¿dónde está el botón de apagado del loro?"

Con 22 millones de "me gusta" y subiendo, los comentarios no se hicieron esperar: una persona reconoció que el dueño "no lo apagó, solo se quedó dormido"... mientras que otra bromeaba: "¿Quién es el administrador del pájaro? Tengo que ponerme en contacto con ellos para poner a esta estrella en mi próxima playlist🔥".

Kiki lleva un tiempo repartiendo alegría y risas por Internet con un montón de otras interpretaciones, como "If You're Happy and You Know It".