Animals

April 15, 2026

Landmine-Sniffing Rat Who Saved Countless Lives in Cambodia Is Honored With a Statue

Dogs are not the only animals with jobs meant to keep us safe. In Cambodia and other countries affected by landmines, rats are trained to sniff out these explosives, allowing the authorities to remove them without harm. Magawa, an African giant pouched rat, was one such heroic rodent, as he detected 100 landmines over the course of his life. Now, Cambodia has honored him with the world’s first statue dedicated to a landmine-detecting rat.

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April 2, 2026

Top 10 Favorite Bird Videos From the Latest Audubon Photography Awards

It’s one thing to see a photo of a bird, frozen in time. It’s another to see the creature moving within its own habitat. Through video, we can witness how exactly they flap their wings, move their heads, and interact with the world around them. The Audubon Photography Awards gives us a peek into birds across the United States, Canada, and, in the contest’s 16th year, Chile and Colombia.

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March 25, 2026

Corgi Leads a Pack of 7 Dogs on a 10-Mile Journey To Make It Back Home

One canine quest sounds like something from a movie. A group of seven dogs in China went missing but miraculously found their way home, traveling more than 17 kilometers (about 10 miles) to reunite with their humans. The leader of this pack—which featured a golden retriever, labrador, German shepherd, and Pekinese—was a commanding corgi identified as Dapang, or “big fatty.

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March 12, 2026

British Expat’s Parrot Missing for 4 Years Returns to California Speaking Spanish

Pets sometimes pick up strange habits while we’re away from them. But one parrot who went missing came back with something far more unexpected: a completely different language. Nigel, an African grey parrot belonging to British expat Darren Chick in California, vanished from his home in 2010 after flying away unexpectedly. For years, Chick assumed his beloved bird was gone for good. Four years later, however, the talkative parrot reappeared in the most surprising way.

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My Modern Met

Celebrating creativity and promoting a positive culture by spotlighting the best sides of humanity—from the lighthearted and fun to the thought-provoking and enlightening.