good news

Congratulations! If you're an avid user of our website, you haven't only been procrastinating by watching cute animal pictures and reading heartwarming stories, you've also apparently been working on improving your health. A new study by the University of Leeds and Tourism Western Australia shows that looking at cute animals has real health benefits, including lowered stress levels and blood pressure.

20 years ago, the Burmese roofed turtle was presumed extinct, but today, we have some good news! This huge Asian river turtle, whose face seems to be set with a permanent smile, has been saved from extinction by a group of scientists. After accidentally coming across a few of these turtles, these scientists, over the years, have managed to grow the population of these turtles to 1000 and counting, with some of the turtles even released back into the wild.

At least the world still seems to be healing! 

In Greece, there is one area that is the most important nesting site for loggerhead turtles that live in the Mediterranean, and that is the beaches of Zakynthos. And thanks to this global crisis, there has never been such slow tourism as there is this summer. 

One thing we can continuously be grateful for is the animals who now have a window to thrive and lay their eggs in peace. 

Like many other popular tourist places, the beaches of Zakynthos are experiencing a rare moment of calm and that calmness has lead to a peak of the egg-laying season for Loggerhead turtles. 

Head of the Zakynthos program for the protection of loggerhead turtles. Charikleia Minotou, had this to say about the beautiful moment, "This is an opportunity for the turtles to return at their own pace, to fall in love, mate and give birth on the beaches, as dictated by their biology. The long-term impact of the current conditions, however, will only become apparent over time."

She also added that she hopes these two months of peace for the turtles don't "end up being a footnote in the story of the loggerhead turtles on the island."

We certainly hope so, too! 

Story via Telegraph

In times like these, it's easy to lose sight of all the good things happening around us. 

That is why we have gathered some big and small stories that happened recently and could actually inspire you and give you some hope.

These are truly positive news from around the world to make us all so much more optimistic.

We sure need that right now.  

What beautiful news! 

13-year-old Tumani is excepting her very first baby! The critically endangered gorilla, who currently resides at the New Orleans' zoo, is already being trained in preparation for the bundle of joy! Tumani has been given a "doll" to care for, but since a stuffed doll doesn't look anything like a gorilla, it could be easily torn apart. 

Instead, they come up with another idea. Audubon Zoo's chief veterinarian, Dr. Robert McLean, explained that they created a "rugged section of canvas firehose tubing has been woven roughly to the proportions and weight of a 4-pound newborn gorilla."

"I haven't seen it myself, McLean continued. "Apparently it's pretty ugly but it does the job."

Tumani is a western lowland gorilla. In 2016, there was only an estimate of 362,000 in the wild, and that number falls about 2.7% a year. And according to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, by 2082, those numbers might plummet to 80%. 

Unfortunately, due to diseases, such as Ebola, habitat loss, and illegal hunting, their population is plummeting quickly. 

And all the more reason to celebrate Tumani and her baby to be. We wish this mama a healthy delivery and a healthy baby! 

Story via ABC3340 News

2018 wasn't ALL bad! In fact, there was a lot of good! If you need more convincing that this year wasn't a complete failure, head over to @The_Happy_Broadcast on Instagram!