cub

Get ready for some of the most paw-dorable pictures you've ever seen. Brian Matthews captured these amazing, rare and beautiful pictures near Churchill, northern Canada of polar bear cubs leaving their den with their momma for the very first time to play around in the snow. The pictures clearly capture the nerves the cubs feel of leaving their den for the first time, gazing adoringly at their mom and staying close to her while exploring this beautiful new world. 

As The Irish Sun reports, Matthews said: "It was very humbling to be able to see something that very, very few people get to see. The cubs were really interested in the world in general, they were investigating and playing in the snow, smelling trees, looking around and generally getting their bearings."

He continued: "They seemed quite confident running about and playing in the snow, as long as they weren't too far from their mother. You can see in the photos of them all lying together how big these tiny cubs are going to grow up to be. It was just absolutely amazing to see the cubs playing in front of us, only about 50 metres away, and not at all fazed or spooked that we were there. It's heartening to see the positive side of polar bear conservation work."

Only after they calmed down a bit did the mother bear go and have a big ol' nap, her kiddos continuing to play around in the snow next to her. We hope we will get to see many, many more pictures of animals loving their natural habitats, and that this was the pawfect, smile-inducing start to your morning that you were hoping for. 

February is coming to an end, and it's time to celebrate one of our favorite days ever - international polar bear day. Why do we love it so much? Well, because we love polar bears, of course. They are so cute, so fluffy, they are a vulnerable animal species whose population is decreasing, and polar bear day is the best day to bring some awareness to the struggles facing this animal. As well as look at super adorable pics of them. 

If any of you love polar bears as much as we do and want to help with the conservation effort of these huge teddy bears, consider going to Polar Bears International and learning about them as well as donating to help keep them safe and happy. Have a beary happy polar bear day, everyone! 

An amazing world-first achievement: Saba and Nairo, two captive-born cheetahs from the UK have been released into the wild in Africa. 

The two brothers, as IFLSCIENCE reports, were born at Port Lympne Hotel & Reserve in Kent, England, on July 15, 2017. Very quickly though, Saba "showed signs of illness and it was discovered that his liver wasn't functioning properly." To keep him alive, he had to be removed from the litter and hand-raised by Damian and Victoria Aspinall of The Aspinall Foundation. Under their watchful care, he made a full recovery. Of course, because of the way he grew up, he inevitably grew used to playing with humans and being fed, qualities which he would have to overcome if he were one day released into the wild.

"Saba rejoined his brother Nairo in December 2018 and despite their time apart the pair immediately formed a bond." And today, after honing their cheetah instincts for 12 months, the two of them have been released into the wild in Africa.

Read more about the story and check out pics of the adorable brothers below.

I know you wanna pet them! I know, I do too, but they are too dangerous. Or... are they? They definitely don't look like it. Not when they're itty bitty teeny weeny baby cubs. They look so floofy and cute and too pet-able. Just once in our lives, please, we would like to pet one of these ferocious cats. 

Of course, we don't mean to offend you, you majestic little felines. Just because you are smol and awwdorable, doesn't mean that you are also not the smallest, most fiercest kittens in the animal kingdom, and we have all the respect in the world for you. We also desperately wanna cuddle you. 

Welcome to the world, little cub! 

On Jan 26th, Wildlife Reserves Singapore (WRS) announced that they The Singapore Zoo has welcomed its first baby lion cub conceived through assisted reproduction, and we are so excited. This is amazing news, giving hope to everyone that the more technology will advance, the higher the odds of us being able to preserve species and potentially even help save them from extinction. 

Read more details and check out pictures and video of the awwdorable cub and his mom below!

Prepare for some unexpected cuteness, animal lovers, because you're about to have your heart melted by the most unexpected animal. Hyenas. Yes, you read that right. Probably one of the animals with the worst reputation in the animal kingdom, but we're about to prove that perception wrong. 

It may be true that hyenas are dangerous, but so are lions and tigers and bears, but we love those anyway. And we especially love all these very adorably dangerous in their cute baby form. Hyena cubs are really no different in that sense- their babies are way, way more adorable than you'd ever expect.

Two adorable bear cubs have been abandoned by their polar bear momma and are now being rescued by four new adoptive moms, and it's one of the cutest things we've seen. The cubs get pampered so much - getting manicures, massages, warm milk, and undivided attention. They are now seven weeks old and growing super fast, and we can't wait to see these cuties get even bigger. 

As dailymail reports, the cub's "seven-year-old mother, Seryozhka, from the Novaya Zemlya archipelago in the Arctic, built a den for her new cubs at a safari park in Gelendzhik, but then rejected the crying pair." The keepers at the zoo attempted to coax the mother into giving milk to the babies and failed, but she "gave blood which was used to give serum to the babies, vital as an immunity boost."

Luckily, the mother didn't hurt the cubs, and keepers at the zoo were able to step in and take care of the little babies. Their new foster moms are a pair of 39-year-old twins, Anastasia and Olesya Sakhatskaya, 32-year-old Maria Moroz, and 31-year-old Yelena Milovidova.

"They don't seem to distinguish between the four of us," said Elena. "They know the scent of our skin and clothes, and sensing any of us getting close to them means just one thing: mother is here, and food is coming." Yelena Milovidova, deputy director of the Gelendzhik Safari Park, adds: "There were no previous cases of nurturing polar bear cubs rejected by their mother in a Russian zoo. This is the first experience for us."

The cubs who have only recently opened their eyes now weight over 4 kilograms and should start doubling in weight every few weeks. When they're three months old, they'll start going on walks outside. 

"In the world there were only five or so cases of polar bear cubs raised since birth in captivity," continues Milovidova. "I do hope that we will succeed." And we really, really hope so too. We wish these cuties all the luck in the world and want to thank their caretakers who are really giving them all the love.

Check out pictures and a video of the cubs below, and for more wholesome bear stories, read about a circus bear living in terrible conditions being rescued and moved to a sanctuary.

This one is for the fearless cat lovers in the crowd who want to pet every single cat no matter how dangerous they are. Yes, every single one of them. Of course, we're not tooootally crazy cat ladies and gentlemen, we know that some cats shouldn't be petted unless we want our fingers bitten off, but that's why there are mini versions of big cats, duh. 

Even murdermuffins like bobcats have a mini version that is totally pet-able: baby murdermuffins - bobkittens. You're about to bask in the glory of their fierce cuteness, and your urge to pet one will only grow.