lion

Our hearts may just burst completely wide open and there's nothing that can be done about it. It's a phenomenon called cuteness overload and this cub has all those characteristics in the making. 

We've seen dogs frolicking in autumn leaves, heck we've seen cats enjoying the beautiful Fall weather, but lion cubs? Lion cubs in piles of fallen leaves and attacking them? Well, never have we ever seen anything so precious! 

Autumn is still here, and these photos are the only things keeping us warm right now. With winter right around the corner, we think we could all use these heartwarming images to help us brace for the inevitable cold. 

There's a reason that all of us cat lovers also have a special place in our hearts for big cats, and it is that all big cats are basically regular cats... enlarged. They have the same faces - just bigger, they are just as silly - just bigger, and they have the same habits... just bigger. 

And so, their bleps are also... bigger. And though in this case, bigger is not necessarily better, it is definitely just as cute. Regular cat bleps are some of our favorite all time cat pictures, but they're, of course, not the only animals who can do the blep. Foxes are already strong blepping competition, and now, the big cats are officially entering the race too. You be the judge deciding who you think is the master of the blep. 

Istanbul's Aslan Park is home to two big cats who have become best friends. A white lion called Pamuk and a Bengal tiger called Toby who are both only 18 months old have taken over our hearts with their adorable friendship. When they were just  four months old, the zookeepers attempted to separate the cubs, but the cubs had other plans. 

Daily News reports that Gökmen Aydın, the general par manager, said: "We wanted to separate them as both belong to different species. Then we realize uneasiness in animals. We started to think about the cause. When they got together later, we saw that they want to stay with each other. They became friends within four months," and we just can't help but awww.

Pamuk and Toby sleep most day, like all cats do, but they play together a lot and absolutely hate being separated for any reason whatsoever. "They sometimes sleep while hugging each other," added Aydın, and okay, que some more awws right about now. We wish them a long friendship even as they grow older and as much happiness as they have in general. Their story brought us immense happiness for sure. 

Check out pictures of Pamuk and Toby together below! And if you're interested in more happy friendships between species, take a look at this Pitbull and rescued fox cub who are total BFFs.

Another week, another list of twitter animal shenanigans. Animal twitter always has so, so much to offer. People love animals, they can't help but tweet about them, and we're always happy to see the animals that people enjoy so much. It's a vast landscape - animal twitter - and we have learned to navigate it for you, finding the most talked about twitter animals of the week.

Weekly, we bring you the very best - the funny, the weird, the cute, all of it. From cats setting off atomic bombs, to mosquitos and flies conducting studies, and everything in between. With these tweets, you'll be able to get your week started the right way, with the kind of conversation-inspiring tweets that'll give you motivation to talk to people even if it's Monday and you're too tired to get up. 

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. 

How can we ever truly be sure that cats are related to the those big fluffy scary lions? Well, put a lion mane on a cat obviously. That's all the proof you'll ever need. It's enough to just look at cats wearing lion manes to be 100% sure that duh- of course they're related to lions. 

Maybe you'd expect cats to look more fierce with lion manes on, but alas, they still look just as adorable. Then again, lions themselves are also adorable, so maybe we shouldn't be surprised. We wonder if cats feel more fierce when they look more like their lion relatives, if they sense some sort of kinship to lions when you put the mane on them. Sigh gonna have to write that question down with the rest of them for when we finally have a cat translator. 

There's a reason that one of the ultimate prizes for any cat owner is having their cat stretch and turn and yawn and allow us to rub its soft fluffy squishy belly. It's one of the ultimate indicators of trust that cats have. It shows you just how comfortable they are with you. So, we all have the biggest soft spot for cat bellies. 

Combine that with the soft spot that we have for big wild cats being adorable and boom ultimate cuteness. So, as a special treat, today, we've collected a bunch of pictures of big cats showing off their big bellies. Cubs and adults alike, sometimes you just gotta let loose and let your belly hang free. We only wish we could reach into the screen and give those bellies some love.

Every week, we bring you a new collection of animal pictures that are simply too incredible to describe in anything less than 1000 words. Some pictures are just like that, the stories behind them are too vast and complex. And many times, even though we may not know the story, it takes all but one glimpse to know that it's there. Something must have led to this special moment in time being caught, either something hilarious, adorable, or shocking. 

So, look at these incredible photos and let your imagination take over. Who knows? Maybe you'll see one that will inspire you and have you wanting to make something incredible of your own.

Breaking tweets! Start your week with this week's freshest viral animal tweets and see which animals are making news. Laugh at the memes, have your heart melt from adorableness, and get inspired by some incredible photos. 

Week by week, we bring you the best of animal twitter, so if this week's tweets weren't enough, you can always check out last week's. 

We wish you a lovely day, and may you pet a cute cat this week!

And not a moment too soon! This is a heartbreaking story but it has a happy ending. 

A lion cub, by the name of Simba, was one a few weeks old when he was taken away from his mother and forced to pose for pictures with tourists. 

The Russian owners were dragging the poor cub around and using him as a prop for tourists and their holiday photos. And as Simba grew, the owners broke his legs to keep him from running away. 

Tortured and beaten by his owners, the lion soon became ill to the point of death, according to reports. 

Simba was no longer able to take photos with tourists, due to his ill state, that the owners had tied him up and dumped him in a dilapidated barn in Russia. 

It is at the moment that Simba would be rescued from his life of torture. Yulia Agaeva, one of Simba's rescuers, had said, "This was a real hell. He was practically not fed, and for some reason in the frost. Water was constantly poured over him."

News of Simba's cruel torture spread across Russia, and even Vladimir Putin personally ordered a criminal probe into this senseless cruelty. 

Karen Dallakyan, the veterinary surgeon who saved Simba's life, helped Simba regain the use of his legs, thanks to several surgeries. Dallakyan had said that Simba suffered an "ocean of pain from humans" and that the recovery was a "miracle".

There had been over 30 offers from organizations to take the cub in, but Yulia was convinced that Tanzania, a rehabilitation center, was the right choice. 

"The rehabilitation center we selected employs highly trained, kind, animal-loving doctors who will take care of Simba 24/7. It is located in a beautiful area where elephants, zebras, caracals, servals, and other fauna live near Mount Kilimanjaro," said Yulia.

Simba will have a "huge unfenced space" to roam. 

Simba's transfer to a better life is expected at the end of this month. 

Our hearts break for this little cub and wish him all the best. We love you, Simba! 

Story via The Sun 

Meet Brandy! The most beautiful moon bear in the world! 

Brandy was rescued in 1999, by Free the Bears, when she was found clinging to a tree in Southern California, once a forested area that was converted to a palm oil plantation. Now Brandy currently resides at the Cambodia Bear Sanctuary, which is the world's largest sun bear sanctuary. And according to Free the Bears, Brandy is a gentle bear.

Brandy is a Golden moon bear, which is an extremely rare genetic color phase of moon bear. Whenever she emerges from the trees, you see a burst of golden yellow and because of her beautiful coloring, she is often mistaken for a lion! 

Sun bears and moon bears are both vulnerable species listed on the IUCN Red List. You can help by sponsoring Brandy or even become a Bear Carer, all for less than the usual cup of coffee per week! 

Here's a strange story. 

In the Spanish town of Molina de Segura, police got an unusual call about a wildcat on the loose. Imagine their surprise when they realize that the animal in question was no lion at all, just a really big dog, with an odd haircut. 

When the arrived on scene, the police were about to detain the animal (not realizing yet that it was in fact a canine) and scan for a microchip, which revealed the truth. 

Molina de Segura local police told HuffPost that officers were able to reunite the pooch with its owner. "We're investigating and waiting for some results," a spokesperson said in a message that has been translated to English. "We don't know the motive for shaving it that way. For now, there's no justifiable motive. We have to confirm the vaccines and documents are correct, but fortunately, the dog is fine."