firefighters

On Monday, Fysik, an 11-year-old retired jumping horse, sunk and got stuck up to his neck in a hole of freezing muddy water. "He was shivering and I just knew when I saw him that there was no way I was going to be able to get him out of that myself," his owner, the operator of Adorado Nino Horse Rescue and Sanctuary near Leduc, Alta, Tracy Benkendorf, told CBC news. 

Knowing that she couldn't do it alone, she called 911 and posted a picture of the horse on Facebook, asking if anyone knows what to do to help it. "I'm just absolutely beyond grateful for these people that came together in such an incredible, amazing way," she says about the firefighters, the RCMP, her neighbors, her veterinarian and some other people she didn't even know who arrived to help. 

Read more and see Fysik standing strong and covered in blankets below!

We always tell you guys about stories of people saving animals, but sometimes, it's the animals who save us. This time, we're not even talking metaphorically about pets who save us by just being in our lives. No, in this case, a parrot literally saved its owner from a huge housefire. The fire was so bad, the entire house was burnt down, but thanks to Eric - the rescuer parrot - the owner is okay.

"This is our first victim of the Silverado Canyon Fires," says the Serrano Animal and Bird Hospital in a post on Facebook. Fortunately, this is one of the lucky animals who got rescued from the fires - an adorable little feisty owl who got his wings singed by the fire. 

He was found by the firefighters of the Orange County Fire Authority. In the beginning, the owl seemed to be entirely unable to move, exhausted, as the firefighters wrap it up in a yellow blanket. In a video released by the Orange County Fire Department twitter account, you can hear one of the firefighters say: "I'll get you some help, buddy." And we are just so, so glad this owl found its way into such good hands. 

The Serrano Animal and Bird Hospital reports on Facebook that the owl's injuries seem to mostly be burnt feathers. At first, they were unsure about the damage from the smoke inhalation, but a few days later, they posted that "[t]he little owl is still feisty as ever!" So, whatever the damage, the little guy is doing much, much better. 

The owl will stay in the hospital "until he molts new feathers," and then, he will be released back into the wild. We wish this cutie a quick recovery, and we are thankful to everyone involved in its rescue and hope that many, many more animals like this one will be rescued from the fires as well. 

Take a look at pictures of the owl below along with the video of its rescue. Another little guy who was rescued from California fires is a little adorable puppy, and you can read about them right here. 

Every single month, animals find themselves in precarious situations for various different reasons. And every single month, the lucky ones get saved by some incredible people. We attempt to bring you as many of these stories as possible as they come out, but there are just too many of them. When you think about it, that's really amazing, having too many happy rescue stories to cover.

But since we can't cover all of them throughout the month, we've decided to collect some of these stories for you at the end of each month in a list right here to celebrate these incredible people who put their love and effort into saving animals and the animals that they celebrated. Even so, we will never be able to cover them all, but this is a start, and the people in this list are definitely deserving of more appreciation. 

So, let's say thank you together and hope that next month, there will again be too many rescue stories to cover!

Everyone's favorite animal calendar is back! And this time, we're getting a whole six of them - hunky firefighters posing with some adorable animals for charity - cats, dogs, koalas, and kangaroos. What more could we possibly ask for? This is exactly the kind of lighthearted and wholesome content we need to brighten up this year and the next one - handsome men with even more handsome animals. 

Check out some of the pictures below!

A 3.75 pound mountain lion cub was rescued by firefighters from the California wildfires and is now being treated in the Oakland Zoo. This small cub was discovered in an area the Zogg Wildfire burned through, orphaned and with severe burns. Luckily, the lion was taken into immediate care and is doing much, much better today, eating on its own and acting all fierce and feisty. 

Every day, we hear about breaking stories of animals being rescued, and every day, we feel grateful for the rescuers. We try our very best to tell you about these heartwarming stories here, but there are just far too many to keep count of. Some of these rescuers are firefighters, some are shelters, and others are just regular people like us who saw an animal in need and decided to do their best to save them. So, to show some more gratitude, highlight the wonderful people who put in their time and effort to save our furry little friends, and celebrate the animals saved, we made a collection of some of these stories from the past month.

The brand new "Bushfire Heroes" figure was created for two major reasons- honoring those heroic firefighters fighting against the devastating bushfires in Australia but also as part of a fundraiser campaign. Pre-orders for the figurine are now open, with delivery expected in June. What a cute figurine and an awesome initiative! 

Both heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same time. 

Three Snowy Mountain Koalas, who were rescued from the Australia wildfire crisis, have been named after American firefighters who were tragically killed in the region. 

Two Thumbs Wildlife Trust Koala Sanctuary have named the koalas, and the trio are now in the temporary care of Australian National University (ANU).

Dr Karen Ford, an ANU researcher and who is running the makeshift hospital at ANU, said in a university statement, "We have 11 koalas at ANU that have come in from the various fire grounds in the region.They just keep arriving. There is nowhere else that has the facilities to hold these animals or this many at the moment."

Ford also mentioned that a couple of the koalas are being treated for burns, while the others are "quite skinny" from malnutrition, due to their habitats being completely burnt. 

Koalas are known to breed so slowly that it could take 100 years for the population to rebuild — so saving just one is crucial. That is why the koalas have been a central focus of relief efforts as the blaze spreads across the region.

Story via CBS News

This year, the firefighters of Australia didn't focus on cats only. There's also Dog Calander, Horse calendar, wildlife calendar, and farm animal calendar. We have brought you the finest collection from all. 

This chunky rodent had a bit of a situation...A team of firefighters had to be called in the German town of Bensheim when a rat was unable to get out of a sewer manhole due to his girth.

This little pup had a ruff start in life but is happy in his furever home! You can follow Jake on Instagram and Facebook! 

That is one grateful kitty! Thank you again, firefighters! You all are the embodiment of a true hero. The devasting fires that overtook California have consumed more than 149,000 acres and have left more than one thousand animals at emergency shelters. If you wish to help out, please head over to www.nvadg.org/donate, and donate what you can. 

Turning Up the Heat! 

Australian firefighters have stripped off and posed with baby animals as part of the brand new 2019 Australian Firefighters Calendar. This year the Australian Firefighters Calendar will be donating to the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital.