‘Puppy’ rescued from roadside turns out not to be a dog at all

"We soon realized that it wasn’t the average puppy." No Images? [Click here]( May 15, 2018 Good morning! Today we have a rescued “puppy” who isn’t actually a puppy, an animal who looks like a fluffy flying teddy bear and the perfect dog selfie. 1. 'Puppy' Rescued From Roadside Turns Out Not To Be A Dog At All Photo Credit: Bartlett Police Department Last week, a Good Samaritan walked into the Bartlett Police Department in Illinois, carrying a box containing what he believed was a lost puppy. "He said he was driving by and saw the dog on the side of the road all alone," Sergeant Kyle Rybaski told The Dodo. "He picked it up and brought it in so we would take it to an animal shelter." But authorities soon discovered that there was something a little different about this supposed puppy. Upon closer inspection, Rybaski and his colleagues began to suspect that this was a case of mistaken identity. The rescued animal seemed very similar to a dog, though she was subtly unlike any puppy they'd run across before. "We soon realized that it wasn’t the average puppy. When I picked her up, her fur had a different feel to it. It was wiry," Rybaski said. "Her paws were a bit bigger than the average dog, too. Her sharp nails also drew our attention." Rybaski began to wonder just who this little creature was. Photo Credit: Bartlett Police Department Working on a hunch, Rybaski decided to search the internet for photos of baby coyotes — and sure enough: "We found it looked just like a coyote," he said. "We were very excited. It’s not every day that you get to hold a coyote in your hands. Everybody was like, ‘Aww!’" Fortunately, the little coyote seemed to be in good health despite apparently having gotten lost from her mother. Still, she was too young to be released on her own, so the police reached out to the Willowbrook Wildlife Center for help. There, she will be cared for in the company of other coyotes so she can retain her wild instincts, after which, with a bit of luck, she'll one day be fit for release. While there was some confusion about this case at first, there's no doubt about one thing — it's one Rybaski and his colleagues won't soon forget. "It was very rewarding, and it’s good to know that she’ll be taken care of," he said. "It was a really neat experience." 2. No One Knows These Adorable 'Flying Teddy Bears' Even Exist Photo Credit: Queensland Glider Network They might look like fluffy teddy bears, but these little guys can soar an impressive 300 feet in the air from tree to tree in their forest homes. Meet the greater glider, an undoubtedly adorable marsupial who lives in the eucalyptus forests of eastern Australia. These nocturnal creatures are the largest flying possum out there — but most people don’t even know they exist. Which is turning out to be bad news. The gliders commonly live in old, hollowed-out trees, which have recently been getting cut down to make room for development projects or logging operations. The vegetation they rely on for food is also wiped out during development. “Greater gliders are dependent on tree hollows, which only exist in eucalypts of 100 years or older,” Matt Cecil, projects manager for Wildlife Preservation Society of Queensland, told The Dodo. “Where bushland has been cleared for agriculture, timber production, urban sprawl or linear infrastructure, the availability of tree hollows is much reduced.” Fewer trees means more trouble for the species, which has already seen an 80-percent population drop in recent years. For Cecil, who is part of a coalition called the Queensland Glider Network, which specifically works to help glider species, the largest struggle has been simply getting people to recognize that these animals exist and need help. “This is such a magnificent animal that most of the Australian public wouldn’t even know existed, and wouldn’t know what it was if it glided into their face,” Cecil said. “That is the sad part. It’s hard to fight to protect animals that the greater population doesn’t even know about.” Photo credit: Queensland Glider Network That’s why the organization spends ample time engaging with local communities to educate them of the plights gliders and other species face at the hands of development — which in turn can help put pressure on lawmakers to provide legal protections for the animals. The glider network is also working on the ground to test whether the animals will use man-made nest boxes as an alternative to the cavernous trees they usually choose to nest in — but the most crucial part is stamping out the issue at its source. Luckily, progress is slowly on its way. Most recently, an industrial logging company named VicForests has been banned from operating in a major glider hot spot in Victoria until a full population assessment can be completed. “The habitat loss issues are deeply tied into industry, transport and housing developments — something only the Australian federal and state governments can address,” Cecil added. “However, they are worth the fight. We hope to use the greater glider as a ‘marquee’ species; if we can use the species to protect habitat, then we have also protected habitat for a range of other native species.” 3. This Epic Dog 'Selfie' Is The Happiest Thing You'll See All Day Photo Credit: Go Fetch Dog Daycare and Boarding This group of happy pups at an Ohio dog daycare center is quickly going viral — and for one very important reason. They're the stars of what may be the world's most perfect selfie. In truth, the adorable photo isn't technically a selfie, of course. It was actually snapped by an employee at Go Fetch Dog Daycare and Boarding. The positive vibes captured in it, however, are very much the real deal. "All the dogs in that picture know each other really well. They’re all friends. They come to daycare every day together," the employee, named Tara, told The Dodo. "They gathered around the gate and I said, ‘Hey guys! Look at me!’ And I took the picture." It's fair to say the viral photo has taken the internet by storm. Over on Reddit, it's become the subject of a Photoshop battle — where users are giving the image their own clever spin. Here, the dog crew is imagined as a gang of furry pirates. Photo Credit: Reddit/Shashakeitup Sure, why not? Try as they might, it would still be impossible to top the original. After all, the pups in the photo — like the selfie itself — are perfect just how they are. Woman Becomes Best Friends With A Bee She Rescued [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [YouTube]( [Instagram]( The Dodo 100 Crosby St., 201 New York, NY 10012 [Forward]( [Unsubscribe](