Animals

A British woman's pet bird is also an early bird -- and the way it wakes up its owner is with some '70s soul music ... which the internet is absolutely loving on TikTok.

Kiki -- a singing cockatiel who's amassed 3 million followers -- has got the whole world chirping with its latest performance ... which its frustrated human posted online.

Kiki sings Earth, Wind and Fire's "September" bright and early -- to the chagrin of this poor woman.

Apparently for Kiki ... no hour was too early to bop along to the catchy chorus of the 1978 mega-hit while on top of a fish tank in the owner's room.

The sleep-deprived owner then puts up her finger to order "silence" from the bird, who complies ... but is back at it a second later because, let's face it, the song's just too good to give up!

Frustrated with Kiki's antics, the owner sent out a cry for help in the caption, writing -- "Send help plz where's the off button on parrot."

With 22 million likes and counting, the comments poured in -- one person acknowledged the owner "didn't turn it off, just snoozed it" ... while another joked, "Who's the manager of the bird? I need to contact them about putting this star on my next track🔥."

Kiki's been spreading joy and laughter across the internet for a while now with a bunch of other renditions, such as "If You're Happy and You Know It."

Staring down an angry silverback gorilla is not where anyone wants to be -- but a Fort Worth zookeeper did, and the terrifying scene was all captured by zoo patrons.

The video has blown up on TikTok, and it's easy to see why -- Elmo, a 34-year-old male silverback, charged out of a cave-like part of his enclosure heading straight for one of the keepers.

The employee was able to throw a large tin pan, or bucket, as a distraction for Elmo ... as she bolted toward a door. As she holds it open for a few seconds, she's now locked eyes with the massive ape ... and they appear to be in a silent, but tense standoff.

Adding to the drama is the fact a second zookeeper was standing just a few feet away from the gorilla ... hiding behind a tree.

The video was captured by former zoo security officer, Ben White, according to WFAA. He told the outlet, the second zoo worker was trying to play a "fun" game of hide and go seek with Elmo ... to distract him from charging at the other employee.

The ploy worked, as Elmo eventually calmed down and, later, he even held up the tin pan ... seemingly trying to return it to the employees.

White says he actually shot the video several months ago, but it's just now caught fire on social media.

Fort Worth Zoo says the 2 keepers didn't know Elmo was still free in the enclosure when they entered -- but their tactics worked perfectly. There was never any physical contact between Elmo and the keepers ... and no one got hurt.

A dog featured in a movie that's up for an Oscar this year reportedly ruffled feathers at an awards event last month -- where other contenders got pissed off for him being a good boy.

Back in mid-February ... the border collie from 'Anatomy of a Fall' -- whose real name is Messi but who goes by Snoop in the film -- made an appearance at the Oscars luncheon ... where he was a big hit with all the stars, especially with Ryan Gosling, who seemed pretty smitten with the pooch.

Nothing wrong with bringing the dog from the film to make a little cameo for a pre-Oscars powwow right??? WRONG!!!! At least that's how some felt about it behind the scenes.

According to THR, production companies (and presumably studios) that have films up for Academy Awards apparently complained about Messi's presence at the luncheon ... griping that the dog being there and being so popular was giving his film an unfair advantage.

The dog showed up when Oscar voting was still going on -- and per THR, multiple companies with their hat in the ring complained to Academy honchos about it.

Fast-forward to today -- and the newest news is that Messi will be MIA from Sunday's ceremony ... a bummer, of course. Whether that decision has anything to do with the luncheon "scandal" ... jury's out. THR reports the luncheon thing had always been planned to be a one-off for Messi -- but if his being there angered that many people, who knows!

BTW, this dog is super talented -- and some have joked that it might actually be worthy of an Oscar nod itself. If you haven't seen 'Anatomy' yet ... there's a memorable scene with the dog, where it almost overdoses on aspirin ... and it plays out looking scarily real.

As it turns out ... that's because it was, meaning the dog was actually playing dead. A BTS look at how that came to fruition surfaced this week -- and it's pretty fascinating. Smart pup!

Megan Thee Stallion's snake-driven campaign slithered away with a whimper when she met face-to-face with the real deal ... a bottle of alcohol with a dead snake stuffed inside!!!

The rapper is currently turning heads during a trip out in Japan that tested her "Fear Factor" meter -- this after she sampled Habushu, a traditionally super strong liquor native to Okinawa.

Apparently, it's powered by poison ... the local Habu snake is said to ferment inside the container to age as long as possible -- which makes for one hell of a boozy drink.

Welp, Meg dove in without hesitation and asked if the potion would send her to the morgue -- but she didn't chicken out ... taking a sip of the concoction, but not really liking it much.

Meg took a little slurp of the Habushu -- but this time around, she didn't drive the boat too far ... docking and anchoring her experience, saying the drink was too strong for her liking. Can't blame her ... drinking dead snake, even for a buzz, doesn't sound pleasant at all.

It's pretty funny ... Meg topped the Billboard Hot 100 a few weeks back with her single "Hiss" -- which was the follow-up to another reptilian record "Cobra." But, when it comes to the real McCoy ... she isn't into it, it seems.

11:48 AM PT -- Michael Farchi joined "TMZ Live" to take our viewers through the scorpion sting debacle that went viral earlier this morning. He actually now claims The Venetian never comped his room and made him pay for food and various other expenses.

A Las Vegas hotel guest was STUNG in his testicles by a scorpion while asleep in bed – causing him to wake up in incredible pain and utter shock and terror.

On Monday, Michael Farchi sat down with KLAS 8 News Now to discuss his horrifying real-life nightmare at The Venetian Las Vegas on December 26.

Farchi told the reporter he was sleeping in his underwear under the bed sheets in his room when, at around 8 AM, he suddenly felt pain in his groin area.

He described the sensation as "somebody stabbing me in my private area" with a "sharp glass or a knife."

Farchi said he dashed into the bathroom only to discover the orange scorpion attached to his underwear. YIKES!!!

The California man managed to slip out of his briefs and snap photos of the nasty creature dangling from his undies. He then went to the hospital for treatment because he said he was in "a lot of pain."

The next day, Farchi and his family checked out of the hotel, but not before he filed an incident report with staff, detailing what allegedly happened. “Everybody was in shock, nobody believed,” Farchi told KLAS, pointing out management comped his room.

Farchi added that he had no clue how the scorpion got into his bed.

In a statement to KLAS, a Venetian rep said the resort followed all protocols for this type of incident. Farchi's attorney went on to say that guests should always inspect their rooms and the surrounding areas upon checking in.

Farchi says he's now exploring possible legal action against The Venetian.

La policía de Cleveland se vio envuelta en una persecución por carretera este fin de semana muy inusual, ¡ya que los sospechosos en cuestión eran dos sementales!

Échale un vistazo a este video viral del sábado -cortesía del Departamento de Transporte de Ohio- que muestra a dos caballos corriendo contra el tráfico en la Interestatal 90, con los carros pasando peligrosamente cerca de los bellos animales.

Oficiales de la policía de Cleveland fueron vistos haciendo todo lo posible para guiarlos con seguridad lejos de los carros y fuera de la interestatal hacia la hierba más cercana, y finalmente, consiguieron ponerlos bajo control.

En cuanto a donde estos caballos vinieron y cómo podrían haber escapado... la versión oficial es que en realidad eran caballos de la policía que de alguna manera se escaparon de sus establos.

Afortunadamente, nadie resultó herido. Muchos están aplaudiendo el manejo de la policía en una situación tan inusual. No estamos seguros de que estaríamos tan relajados si dos caballos enormes trotaran directamente hacia nosotros, pero bueno, felicitaciones a la policía de Cleveland por mantener la calma y controlar a los suyos.

Cleveland Police were involved in a highway chase this weekend that had serious horsepower -- and we mean that literally ... as the suspects in question were 2 rogue stallions!

Check out this viral video from Saturday -- courtesy of the Ohio Department of Transportation -- which shows two horses running against traffic on Interstate 90, with cars being brought to a brief standstill as the two animals galloped freely in the wind.

Officers for Cleveland PD were seen trying their best to safely guide them away from cars and off the interstate to nearby grass -- and eventually, they got the broncos under control.

As for where these horses came from and how they might have escaped ... the official word is, they were actually with the cops and somehow broke out of their police stables nearby.

Luckily, nobody was harmed in all this -- including the horses themselves. Many are applauding the police's calm handling of the unusual situation. We're not sure we'd be so relaxed if two massive horses trotted directly at us -- but hey, kudos to Cleveland Police for keeping their cool and wrangling their own.

You don't expect to see an alligator strutting its stuff on a residential sidewalk, but that's what happened in South Carolina ... and a poor woman almost ran right into this thing!

Check out this wild footage ... it shows a rogue croc casually chillin' right in front of a person's home in Hilton Head Island Wednesday before the owner innocently strolls along with her dog ... completely oblivious to the scaly surprise waiting for her.

She actually gets within inches of the gator before finally noticing it -- she wasn't even on her phone, BTW, so it's crazy that she didn't see it -- it scares the bejesus out of her.

The woman flinches so hard when she spots the reptile that even her dog gets spooked -- and the scaly beast wasn't too thrilled about the sudden commotion either. It immediately opens its mouth and hisses ... looking ready to go into attack mode!

The woman falls flat on the ground in shock ... but after bouncing back up, she bolts a little distance before looking back to confirm what she's actually seen. Her panicked cries cause such a scene that it draws other neighbors out of their homes ... and you can hear them chatting about the gator off-camera.

A dude is also heard trying to connect the dots ... asking the woman if she's got some kind of creek or body of water on her property that the gator's trying to get to. All this happens as the gator makes a move ... casually sauntering into her greenery like it owns the place.

Turns out, the gator's field trip might not be as surprising as it seems, as sources tell TMZ there's a pond only 5 minutes from this location ... which is probably where it came from.

We're also told that the gator wasn't done with its little tour of the neighborhood. It made a comeback around 5 PM, this time ending up in the neighbor's backyard ... watch the footage.

Luckily, it didn't stick around for too long -- vanishing into thin air once again ... and not harming anyone or anything. Animal control wasn't called during the whole thing, FWIW.

Two humpback whales got caught on-camera engaging in some very adult activities, the first photos of their kind featuring the species ... and it turns out both the whales were dudes!

Here's the deal ... a just-published study in Marine Mammal Science features pics documenting a sexual encounter between a pair of humpback whales off the coast of Hawaii, reportedly the first photographs of two humpbacks ever having penetrative sex. History!

After further examination, the photographers who took the pics -- which the journal says were taken back in 2022 -- found out they'd actually captured two male whales going at it ... checking another first off the list in one fell swoop.

As it turns out, this attempted banging might not have been romantic in nature at all ... 'cause researchers are saying the receiving whale was either sick or injured, and it seems the other whale came along and penetrated him as a show of force -- using his fins to keep him from running off.

The scientists say they're not sure if the top whale was mistakenly trying to knock him up or just establishing dominance. The researchers admit this same-sex session could theoretically go down with two healthy whales, but that just hasn't been documented yet.

BTW ... it's super rare to see a humpback whale penis 'cause it's usually sheathed, so this photo's really got everything going for it. The last attempted humpback whale sex sesh was photographed in '98 ... and that one, too, was male on male -- albeit, dead vs. alive.

In that instance, a male whale tried having sex with a separate dead male whale -- not exactly a match made in heaven. It also doesn't sound like that one was caught on camera.

Anyway, this recent encounter reportedly lasted 30 minutes -- a very respectable time, if we do say so ourselves -- and occurred just about 15 feet below the ocean's surface.

Dos ballenas jorobadas fueron captadas en cámara realizando actividades muy adultas, las primeras fotos de este tipo en las que aparece la especie... ¡Y resulta que ambas ballenas eran machos!

Así es la cosa, un estudio recién publicado en Marine Mammal Science, muestra fotos que documentan un encuentro sexual entre un par de ballenas jorobadas frente a la costa de Hawai, al parecer las primeras fotografías de dos ballenas jorobadas apareándose con penetración... Historico.

Luego de examinar más detenidamente, los fotógrafos que tomaron las fotos -en la revista dice que fueron tomadas en 2022- descubrieron que en realidad habían capturado a dos ballenas macho haciéndolo... consiguiendo así dos hitos de una.

Resulta que este intento de sexo podría no haber sido romántico en absoluto... porque los investigadores dicen que la ballena receptora estaba enferma o herida, y parece que la otra ballena llegó y le penetró como una demostración de fuerza, usando sus aletas para evitar que huyera.

Los científicos dicen que no están seguros de si la ballena superior estaba erróneamente tratando de dejarlo preñado o simplemente estableciendo dominancia. Los investigadores admiten que esta sesión del mismo sexo teóricamente podría ocurrir con dos ballenas sanas, pero eso no ha sido documentado todavía.

Por cierto, es muy raro ver un pene de ballena jorobada porque normalmente está enfundado, así que esta foto lo tiene todo a su favor. El último intento de sexo con una ballena jorobada fue fotografiado en el 98 y ese, también, fue de macho con macho, aunque era uno estaba muerto.

En ese caso, una ballena macho trató de tener relaciones sexuales con otra ballena macho muerta, algo bastante sórdido. Tampoco fue registrado en cámara.

De todos modos, este reciente encuentro duró 30 minutos, un tiempo muy respetable, y se produjo a unos 15 pies bajo la superficie del océano.

Former Illinois football star Tip Reiman had the most memorable quote of the NFL Combine so far ... telling reporters he believes birds are not what they seem!!

For those who aren't in on the joke ... the "Birds Aren't Real" movement made waves a few years ago, when a guy named Peter McIndoe created a satirical conspiracy that winged animals are actually spy drones for the U.S. Government.

A bunch of people joined in on the troll job ... and now, it's even made its way to professional football.

Reiman -- who had 203 yards and three touchdowns last season -- revealed his allegiance with the movement on Thursday ... hitting reporters with several questions that support his stance.

"Have you ever seen a baby pigeon?" Reiman asked, according to Owen Riese. "How do we know that power lines aren't pigeon recharging stations?"

Some people think Reiman is actually serious ... comparing him to Aaron Rodgers, who's been known to rock a tinfoil hat from time to time.

But Reiman's take wasn't the only bizarre statement out of Indy this week -- Texas Tech standout Tyler Owens also told reporters he doesn't believe other planets exist ... adding some flat-earthers have a strong argument.

Jon Stewart tugged at heartstrings when he tearfully talked about his dog dying, and folks opened up their wallets ... donating 5 figures to the animal shelter he shouted out during the emotional 'Daily Show' segment.

The comedian got emotional Monday, breaking down over the death of Dipper, his Brindle pit bull, and viewers were so moved they started sending money to Animal Haven, the NYC no-kill animal shelter where Jon first met the pup.

Tiffany Lacey, the shelter's executive director, tells TMZ ... Animal Haven has raised almost $25,000 in donations since Jon mentioned the shelter in his tribute to Dipper.

We're told the money's pouring in from more than 500 new donors ... and the funds will help the shelter pay for general care of their animals, plus operating support, vet care, food, staff time, and dog walks.

Remember ... Jon said he got Dipper from Animal Haven about 12 years ago when his kids were raising money for the shelter ... adopting the dog on the spot after being introduced. The pup was missing a leg after being hit by a car in Brooklyn.

Tiffany tells us the wave of donations is coming at just the right time for Animal Haven ... she says the shelter is at full capacity with more than 100 rescue animals in their care, including 3 dog moms who recently gave birth to 20 puppies.

In addition to financial commitments, we're told Jon's monologue has spurred some folks to inquire about adoptions ... and Animal Haven is so grateful for everyone reaching out.

Tiffany says Animal Haven's reached out to Jon too, thanking him and offering their sympathies and condolences as he grieves his beloved companion.

File this under ... ONLY IN FLORIDA!

A couple cruising in a golf cart was nearly bitten by an angry alligator earlier this month ... when the fearsome reptile charged them, and it was all captured on video.

The 'hell naw' moment occurred on February 16 in Ave Maria, FL ... about 35 miles northeast of Naples.

A woman named Denise Prues was hangin' around her pool when she spotted a gator slowly walking between her and her neighbor's property, toward a pond ... which was separated by an active golf cart path.

While the camera was rolling, a cart came by without issue. Then, a second came rolling through ... and the gator charged, attempting to take a bite out of the driver, who was clearly startled, as Prues freaked out.

"Oh my god!" she yelled.

FYI, it goes without saying, you don't want to get bitten by an alligator ... no matter how small. They can apply upwards of 2,000 PSI when they bite. Compare that to a lion ... with 600 lbs. of bite force. Humans output a measly 120-ish lbs.

Luckily, everybody, gator included, was okay.

¡SOLO EN FLORIDA!

Una pareja que paseaba en un carrito de golf estuvo a punto de ser mordida por un caimán furioso a principios de este mes, cuando el terrible reptil los atacó, y todo fue capturado en video.

El momento ocurrió el 16 de febrero en Ave Maria, Florida, a unas 35 millas al noreste de Naples.

Una mujer llamada Denise Prues disfrutaba en su piscina cuando vio a un caimán caminando lentamente entre ella y la propiedad de su vecino. El reptil se dirigía a un estanque y tenía que pasar por un camino por el que pasaban carritos de golf

Un carro pasó sin problemas, pero un segundo vehículo apareció y el caimán trató de darle un bocado al conductor, el cual estaba claramente asustado.

"¡Oh, Dios mío!", Gritó.

No hace falta decir que una mordedura de caimán es algo bastante impresionnte, no importa lo pequeño que sea. Pueden aplicar más de 2.000 PSI cuando muerden. Compara eso con un león... con 600 libras de fuerza de mordida. Los humanos producen unas míseras 120 libras.

Por suerte, todos -caimán incluido- estan bien.

Jennifer Coolidge le está dando el beneficio de la duda a Taylor Swift y Travis Kelce cuando se trata de juzgar su cita en el zoológico de Sydney, a pesar de que cree que PETA tiene razón en desaprobarlo.

La estrella de "The White Lotus" estaba en LAX cuando un fotógrafo le preguntó sobre la polémica cita de Travis y Taylor, que está provocando la ira de PETA.

Jennifer dice que los tortolitos deberían tener un pase por varias razones: no cree que pensaran mucho en ir al zoológico y solo querían hacer algo romántico juntos.

Como una gran partidaria de PETA, dice que Taylor y Travis parecen ser amantes de los animales y no va a condenarlos por esto. Pareciera estar caminando una línea muy fina aquí, como una gran fan y también como una gran amante de los animales.

Como hemos informado, PETA dijo que la famosa pareja debería buscar en otra parte la próxima vez que deseen estar cerca de los animales y sugirió que visiten un santuario de animales en lugar de un zoológico.

PETA también se opuso a que la pareja alimentara a un canguro en el zoológico de Sydney, diciendo que era perjudicial para ellos hacer eso.

Jennifer se detiene en criticar demasiado duramente a Taylor y Travis, pero dice que, en última instancia, está de acuerdo con lo que PETA dice sobre el asunto. Es bastante divertido verla luchar con este dilema en cámara, se puede ver que los ama y no quiere criticarlos.

Jennifer Coolidge is giving Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce the benefit of the doubt when it comes to their Sydney Zoo date ... even though she says PETA is right to disapprove.

The "White Lotus" star was at LAX when a photog asked her about Taylor and Travis' controversial date idea, which is drawing PETA's ire.

Jennifer says the lovebirds should get a pass for a few reasons ... she doesn't think they put a lot of thought into going to the zoo and were just looking for something romantic to do together.

A big PETA supporter herself, Jennifer says Taylor and Travis seem like fellow animal lovers ... and isn't going to condemn them here. She's kinda walking a fine line here -- huge fan, but also ... big animal lover.

As we reported ... PETA says the famous couple should look elsewhere the next time they're in the mood to be around animals, suggesting they hit up an animal sanctuary instead of a zoo.

PETA also took issue with the couple feeding a kangaroo at the Sydney Zoo ... saying it was harmful to the animal to do that.

Jennifer's stopping short of calling out Taylor and Travis too hard ... but says she ultimately agrees with whatever PETA says on the matter. It's pretty funny to see her wrestle with this dilemma on camera ... you can tell she loves them, and doesn't wanna slam 'em.