People

For Roxy, things look very different now.

The bulldog, who was left badly injured while protecting her newborn puppies during an attack in Doncaster, England, has recovered and been rehomed, along with all seven of her pups, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals said in a recent Facebook post.

“A bulldog who was left badly injured while protecting her newborn puppies is now safe, healed and starting a new chapter surrounded by love,” the RSPCA said in the update shared around Mother’s Day.

The charity said Roxy was attacked in the Doncaster area at the end of November. In an earlier press release, the RSPCA said police found the injured dog with a serious head wound after her owner admitted to striking her while she tried to shield her litter.

Officers removed Roxy and her puppies from the property and contacted the RSPCA’s Doncaster and Rotherham Animal Centre. Staff then arranged urgent veterinary treatment and moved the dogs to what the charity described as a safe, warm environment so they could begin to recover.

The RSPCA used its latest post to mark how far Roxy has come since then.

“Do you remember Roxy?” the organization wrote. “The mum who bravely protected her puppies during an... attack back in December.”

The group said Roxy spent months recovering with support from the rescue team. During that time, she received medical treatment and care, while her puppies were closely monitored as they grew stronger at the shelter.

The update said Roxy’s recovery has now led to a new home.

“After receiving expert care and plenty of love at RSPCA Doncaster and Rotherham Animal Centre, Roxy has officially landed on her paws,” the organization shared. “She is now unconditionally loved in an amazing home, and all seven of her pups have started their own new chapters, too.”

The RSPCA said it chose to post the update around Mother’s Day because of Roxy’s actions during the attack and her care for her litter.

“We couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate Mother’s Day than by sharing this update,” the post said.

The case drew a strong response online from people who had followed Roxy’s story since the attack was first reported.

“Bless her! What a strong Mumma!!!” one commenter wrote beneath the post.

Another added, “Hope Roxy and her puppies have a gorgeous long happy life with endless love.”

The charity described the latest news as an uplifting outcome after the violence Roxy suffered. Its post said Roxy is now “safe, healed and starting a new chapter surrounded by love.”

It also said all seven puppies have been rehomed.

The original incident happened when Roxy was with her newborn litter. After police stepped in, the dogs were taken to the Doncaster and Rotherham Animal Centre, where the RSPCA said staff coordinated emergency help and supported the family through recovery.

Months later, the group’s message was simple. Roxy survived, recovered and found a home.

“She is now unconditionally loved in an amazing home, and all seven of her pups have started their own new chapters, too.”

 📸credit:  RSPCA Facebook

Dog Who Shielded Her Puppies After an Attack Finally Finds A Loving Home

Talker News

Penguins at Edinburgh Zoo are celebrating Easter with new eggs! 

Gentoo couple Muffin and Mittens have laid the first egg of the year, marking their second consecutive win in the penguin race. 

This joyful event follows a delightful visit from children at Edinburgh's Children's Hospital who placed painted rocks for "pebbling." 

The zoo's dedicated team will ensure top-notch care for these future chicks, contributing to international breeding programs that protect these amazing species. 

The zoo says visitors might even catch a glimpse of their charming nesting rituals.

Edinburgh Zoo Penguins and Their Keepers are Welcoming Their First Eggs Of The Year

GoodGoodGood

What started with two shelter neighbors sorting through abandoned storage units has turned into a grassroots donation effort helping hundreds of Rhode Islanders.

Shula Kitkowska, 42, and Louis Peralta, 56, became friends in a local supportive housing program after both fell on hard times. Kitkowska had been living in her car. Peralta needed housing after he was discharged from cancer treatment. Once they were in a shelter, they lived next to each other.

As they worked to get back on their feet, Kitkowska got a close look at Peralta’s longtime hobby of buying discounted storage lockers, like the ones featured on the A&E Network show “Storage Wars.”

Peralta told WJAR News he had been doing it for 25 years, buying abandoned units at a steep discount, looking for items he could sell at a high price, and throwing the rest away.

“By becoming neighbors, she could see what I was doing … so she asked me what was going on, and I told her to subsidize myself, I would buy storage lockers, but I would throw away 80-90% of what I got because you just can't accumulate too much,” Peralta told WJAR News.

“And she got upset because she knew she could do a lot with it to give back.”

That idea has since grown into Up 2 Us Neighbors, an effort the two now run after getting their own permanent housing.

“When I saw him doing that, I thought, ‘I can do something with this. I can redistribute it so it doesn't end up at the landfill,’” Kitkowska told WJAR.

“When I came out of homelessness I had nothing. I didn't have furniture, I didn't have any of that, so what I can do for people today is give what I can.”

Now, the pair shop storage units with a plan. Kitkowska keeps household items, shoes and other essentials in her home so they can be passed along to people who need them.

The first time they put out a call on social media, several people responded. Since then, they have helped hundreds, according to the source text.

Kitkowska told WJAR she handles requests directly.

“I take in the requests and then if I have the stuff, whoever needs a coffee table or size 12 clothes or children's clothes or anything, then I give it to them,” Kitkowska said. “I’ll deliver it or they’ll come and pick it up.”

The policy is simple, according to the pair’s GoFundMe page: “Upon request. No questions asked.”

The items range from nursery furniture to new clothes. The goal, according to the source text, is to connect people with things they need to rebuild their lives.

The effort has expanded in recent months. The duo now has three storage lockers of their own where they keep donated items. But demand has kept climbing, and they are fundraising for a box truck or cargo van to support the work.

Kitkowska said people across Rhode Island have come to Up 2 Us Neighbors for help, and the effort has grown into a network of at least 30 to 40 volunteers.

Still, she said the requests keep coming.

“I have over 100 requests right now and I can only do a couple a day. Just yesterday, I received over 100 requests,” she said. “I mean, everything is up, you can’t buy clothes, everything is expensive. You’re a family with multiple kids, how do you do it?”

According to the source text, Kitkowska spends about 10 hours a day working to fill requests and does not receive any money of her own for the work.

“I do it because it makes me feel good,” she told WJAR. “That’s all.”

On Facebook, Kitkowska reflected on what the experience has meant to her.

“From a homeless shelter to a new apartment, my journey has taught me one thing,” Kitkowska wrote on Facebook.

“We are stronger when we look out for each other.”

📸 credit: WJAR

They Were Once Homeless — Now They’re Helping Hundreds Get Back On Their Feet

Goodable

Netflix is bringing gardening, and Zach Galifianakis’s sense of humor, to a new series next month.

The streamer has released a trailer for *This Is A Gardening Show*, a six-episode series hosted by Galifianakis that premieres on Earth Day, April 22. In the trailer, Galifianakis says, “If I were to offer a remedy to the human condition, it would be a garden. Or acid,”

Director Brook Linder said Galifianakis’s interest in the subject was real.

“He is genuinely interested in how to grow stuff,” Linder said. “Making this show often felt like Zach’s excuse to talk to other gardeners. I kinda think his garden was struggling and he needed help he couldn’t get by walking up to these people in their backyard. You will see a grown man honestly gasp when shown the proper way to plant a seed. This is peak TV.”

Chris Kim is the producer. Galifianakis, Frank Schema and Jon Kamen are executive producers.

Netflix described the series as “a refreshing and whimsical take on gardening, hosted by Zach Galifianakis.”

“Rather than positioning himself as an expert, Galifianakis approaches the subject with curiosity and self-effacing humor, with the goal of learning alongside his audience and giving viewers valuable, accessible, and educational tools to use in their own gardens,” Netflix said.

The streamer said the series “blends lighthearted comedy with a sincere appreciation for people and the planet and is ultimately about the joy of connecting with the earth.”

 📸credit: Netflix

Zach Galifianakis is Launching an Offbeat, Sustainable Gardening Show On Netflix

For Elliot Caswell, getting dressed has often meant asking for help. Now he is modelling a new adaptive clothing range from Primark, and he says the change has been dramatic.

Living with cerebral palsy, Caswell told the BBC that shopping for clothes that are easy to put on with his disability has often been difficult.

“It’s been a struggle,” Caswell told the BBC. “I would need my parents, friends and family, and my carers to help me out to put clothes on.”

That changed when the United Kingdom-based department store released a clothing line with adaptive features for adults with disabilities.

“It’s life-changing stuff,” he told the BBC.

Caswell is also one of the models for the new line.

“He was fantastic on the campaign shoot,” the collection’s designer, Victoria Jenkins, said. “We’re going to see more and more of Elliot, and I have every intention of sending him down the runway for London Fashion Week.”

The new Primark range includes magnetic zippers and buttons, loops designed to be easy to hold, pants with adjustable zips on the legs, and a pouch for stoma bags.

Jenkins said the design process focused on practical needs that can affect disabled shoppers.

“A lot of it centers around dignity and modesty,” Jenkins added.

She also said she has a number of gastrointestinal conditions herself, which helped shape her thinking about what disabled shoppers might want from their clothes. That included stretchier pieces that are easier to put on or take off when pain or mobility are top concerns.

“Everyone needs choice, everyone dresses differently, and everyone has the right to self expression,” she said. “That’s been denied to far too many of us for too long.”

Jenkins is an award-winning adaptive designer and leads her own adaptive clothing brand, Unhidden. Primark brought her in to help speed up the company’s work in adaptive fashion.

“I didn’t think we’d see adapted fashion on the high street in my lifetime,” Jenkins told The Guardian.

In a statement for the brand, she said Primark’s move could have a broad impact.

“Primark recognizing the needs of disabled and [the] chronic sick community, and acting upon it in such a meaningful way, is going to be life-changing for millions of people,” she added in a statement for the brand.

The clothing line has already had an effect on Caswell, and on the other disabled models wearing the adaptive fashions in Primark storefronts across the UK.

“It doesn’t feel real,” Caswell said. “But I know it’s real when I see the pictures.”

The range is built around features intended to make clothes easier to wear for people with different disabilities and health conditions. Along with magnetic fastenings and adjustable zips, the collection includes design details aimed at making dressing and undressing easier when mobility is limited or pain is a factor.

Jenkins said that kind of access to choice matters.

“Everyone needs choice, everyone dresses differently, and everyone has the right to self expression,” she said.

For Caswell, that has meant access to clothes that work better with his daily life, after years of relying on help from others to get dressed.

“It’s been a struggle,” Caswell told the BBC. “I would need my parents, friends and family, and my carers to help me out to put clothes on.”

Now he is part of the campaign for the line he says has changed that.

“It doesn’t feel real,” Caswell said. “But I know it’s real when I see the pictures.”

📸 credit: Photo courtesy of Primark

This Adaptive Clothing Line is Giving Shoppers Who Are Disabled More Independence

Photo by Frans van Heerden on Pexels (https://www.pexels.com/photo/low-angle-photo-of-brown-bird-perch-on-driftwood-2220122/)

Good News Network

There is some good news at dusk in southern England. One of the country’s most elusive birds, the nightjar, is making a strong return in the South Downs after years of decline.

The nightjar, also called the nighthawk, is active at twilight and is known for its chortling calls and camouflage. Its numbers fell by about 51 percent between the 1970s and 2000s after substantial forest loss.

Now the population is growing again in the UK’s South Downs National Park, which stretches across Hampshire, West Sussex and East Sussex. The park’s lowland heath and forests have become part of what conservationists describe as a remarkable recovery for the species.

A nightjar survey in the park last year counted more than 70 birds. That figure is believed to mark a doubling over the last five years.

The birds migrate 4,000 miles north from the Democratic Republic of the Congo to live in the UK between April and August. At the same time, forest and heathland restoration work has increased the number of good nesting habitats to 109 across Britain.

Because nightjars nest on the ground, conservation work has focused in part on how people use the landscape. Visitors to places such as the South Downs are being encouraged to keep dogs on leashes, stay on marked trails and avoid bushwhacking, so they do not disturb or destroy sensitive nesting areas.

“It’s wonderful to hear the nightjars churring away as dusk falls and we’re looking forward to continuing this incredibly positive conservation work alongside local communities and our partners,” South Downs ranger Kirsty Murray told the BBC.

Murray said good nightjar habitat is “as rare as rainforest” in Britain. She also said it was the best thing in the world that the bird was repopulating the park.

The nightjar is described as an extremely versatile and successful species. It inhabits all continents except Antarctica and can live at virtually any elevation within reason. It avoids extremely arid regions and can migrate long or short distances.

In the South Downs, that adaptability is now being matched by targeted habitat restoration and visitor guidance, with last year’s survey recording more than 70 birds.

Photo by Frans van Heerden on Pexels (https://www.pexels.com/photo/low-angle-photo-of-brown-bird-perch-on-driftwood-2220122/)

New Conservation Efforts are Helping This Elusive Bird Rebound in England

Sunny Skyz

For Vhan McGuire, the outdoors had gone out of reach. Then a group of Tennessee Tech engineering students built something that changed that.

McGuire, a college architecture student, loved hiking, camping and spending time in nature before a motorcycle accident in October 2024 left him paralyzed and sharply limited where he could go.

“A regular wheelchair struggles on any surface that isn’t hard and flat,” McGuire explained.

A friend later introduced him to engineering students at Tennessee Tech who were looking for a challenging project. Braden Hopper, John Avery and Luke White took it on and built a custom all-terrain wheelchair they call “The Chariot.”

The chair is designed to handle outdoor environments McGuire once thought were out of reach. Thanks to their work, he is now able to get back to the activities he loves.

“Now, having a piece of equipment that can go anywhere and that I feel comfortable with is a blessing,” McGuire said. “This gets me back to what I loved doing and how I loved living before my accident.”

He put its impact even more simply.

“It gives me back my legs.”

What started as a class assignment became a life-changing gift for McGuire through a custom-built wheelchair made by Hopper, Avery and White.

📸 Credit: Tennessee Tech University

These Engineering Students Created a Wheelchair That Helped a Paralyzed Classmate Get Back Outdoors

Photo by Maxim Sharypov on Pexels (https://www.pexels.com/photo/a-person-looking-outside-the-window-5843169/)

Running on empty can start to feel normal, until it doesn’t.

About a decade ago, Dr. Amy Shah was in a near-constant state of exhaustion. She was a working mum with two young children, and colleagues told her feeling drained all the time was “totally normal” for her age and lifestyle. Shah was not willing to accept that.

“It felt disappointing that this was just going to be life,” she says.

That search for more energy led Shah to write I’m So Effing Tired: A Proven Plan to Beat Burnout, Boost Your Energy, and Reclaim Your Life in 2021. Through her research, she found that a full calendar does not have to mean feeling sapped by the end of every day.

Shah, a medical doctor and a specialist in immunology and nutrition, says food and the gut bacteria that process it can shape energy levels. They can support the production of hormones such as serotonin, or create inflammation that drains energy by redirecting fuel to problem areas instead of fully powering physical and mental activity.

Her advice starts with nutrient-dense, high-fibre foods. She says they can support gut health by improving digestion, boosting metabolism and promoting serotonin production. The foods at the top of her list are blueberries, avocados, seeds and nuts, leafy greens and cruciferous vegetables.

She also warns against sugary, caffeinated drinks, calling them the “worst offenders” for energy levels.

“Your blood sugar spikes then drops. Your cortisol spikes. Your inflammation levels rise. And all of that happens so fast,” Shah says.

She says many soft drinks and energy drinks may deliver a quick surge at first, but often leave people feeling even more tired and sluggish once that rush wears off.

Shah also advises people to avoid processed meats. She says they contain ingredients linked to increased inflammation and other health issues, including cancer and high blood pressure.

Her top recommendation is a plant-based diet, which she follows herself. For people who do eat meat, she says lean, organic options such as hormone-free chicken or grass-fed beef may be less problematic for the gut.

Shah also points to the body’s internal clock as a major part of energy. She says that when the circadian rhythm is in sync and running smoothly, increased mood, quicker reaction time and better cognitive performance can follow.

For people who regularly wake up groggy or feel like they could fall asleep at their desk, Shah says it may be time to reset that rhythm.

One of her main suggestions is getting sunlight early in the morning. She says it signals the brain to stop producing sleep-inducing melatonin and tells the body to wake up.

“That’s one of the easiest ways to boost energy,” Shah says.

She also says eating patterns should line up with the body’s biological clock. According to Shah, the gut is programmed to work for 12 hours at a time. Eating for too long across the day, and eating too heavily at night, can interrupt the gut’s rest.

Her advice is to eat during daylight hours, stop eating three hours before bed and leave at least 12 hours between eating periods so the gut can fully rest and digest.

Energy, she says, is not only physical. Mental and emotional habits matter too.

Clinical psychologist Enmanuel Mercedes says many people need a recharge, including the often exhausted parents he counsels. Stress can come from parenting decisions, job hunting, health troubles or world weariness. But he says people who wait until the weekend to recover need a different plan.

“That’s the equivalent of practicing a skill once a month then thinking, ‘Why am I not getting any better?’” Mercedes says. “Every day you’re dealing with stress, so every day you need a recovery process.”

He says people should build daily mental and emotional battery-boosters into their routine. That could be a morning workout, journalling or something as simple as a nightly crossword. Research, he says, has shown that the right restorative ritual could decrease anxiety and help people feel more in control.

Leadership coach Karen Walrond says hobbies can also lift energy, even if that means putting one more thing on the calendar. She says doing something purely for enjoyment can be energising.

Walrond, author of In Defense of Dabbling: The Brilliance of Being a Total Amateur, says her own hobbies have included scuba diving, pottery and piano. She says they encourage a routine of “taking care of myself so I can maintain my energy.”

She also points to research showing hobbies can help people live longer, reduce stress, foster social connections and inspire a child-like sense of wonder and awe.

“Chasing that delight in yourself, that little shot of exhilaration when you learn something new, that’s how we live well, that’s how we age well,” Walrond says. “That, to me, is the secret sauce of living.”

Photo by Maxim Sharypov on Pexels (https://www.pexels.com/photo/a-person-looking-outside-the-window-5843169/)

Here are 7 Natural Energy Boosters That Fight Fatigue

Science Daily

For a dinosaur famous for sitting over its eggs, one basic question has stayed open. Did oviraptors warm those eggs like birds do, or did they mostly rely on heat from the environment?

A new study in Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution says the answer was likely somewhere in between.

Researchers in Taiwan examined oviraptor nesting behaviour and hatching patterns using heat transfer simulations and physical experiments. They also compared the results with modern bird incubation by building a life size model of an oviraptor and a realistic nest to test how heat moved through the eggs.

"We show the difference in oviraptor hatching patterns was induced by the relative position of the incubating adult to the eggs," said senior author Dr. Tzu-Ruei Yang, an associate curator of vertebrate paleontology at Taiwan's National Museum of Natural Science.

"Moreover, we obtained an estimate of the incubation efficiency of oviraptors, which is much lower than that of modern birds," added first author Chun-Yu Su, who attended Washington High School in Taichung when the research was conducted.

The model was based on Heyuannia huangi, an oviraptor species that lived between 70 and 66 million years ago in what is now China. The dinosaur was about 1.5 metres long and weighed around 20 kilograms. It built semi-open nests arranged in multiple rings of eggs.

To recreate the animal, researchers built the torso with polystyrene foam and a wooden frame. They then added cotton, bubble paper and fabric to mimic soft tissues. The eggs were made from casting resin, and in the experiments two clutches were arranged in double rings to match fossil evidence.

"Part of the difficulty lies in reconstructing oviraptor incubation realistically," said Su. "For example, their eggs are unlike those of any living species, so we invented the resin eggs to approximate real oviraptor eggs as best as we could."

The team tested how adult presence and environmental conditions affected egg temperatures and hatching outcomes.

In colder conditions, with a brooding adult present, temperatures in the outer ring of eggs varied by as much as 6 degrees Celsius. The study says differences like that could lead to asynchronous hatching, with eggs in the same nest hatching at different times.

In warmer environments, that variation dropped to about 0.6 degrees Celsius. The findings suggest that in warmer climates, sunlight may have helped even out temperatures and influenced hatching patterns.

"It's unlikely that large dinosaurs sat atop their clutches. Supposedly, they used the heat of the sun or soil to hatch their eggs, like turtles. Since oviraptor clutches are open to the air, heat from the sun likely mattered much more than heat from the soil," Yang explained.

The researchers also compared oviraptor incubation with that of modern birds. Most birds rely on thermoregulatory contact incubation, or TCI, where adults sit directly on their eggs and provide heat. For that to work, the adult must touch all the eggs, act as the main heat source and keep temperatures consistent.

The study says oviraptors likely could not meet those conditions. Their ring-shaped egg arrangement meant the adult could not keep contact with every egg at the same time.

"Oviraptors may not have been able to conduct TCI as modern birds do," said Su.

Instead, the researchers said the dinosaurs and environmental heat likely worked together, making them co-incubators. The study says that method was less efficient than modern bird incubation, but may have suited their nesting style, which appears to have shifted from buried nests to semi-open ones.

"Modern birds aren't 'better' at hatching eggs. Instead, birds living today and oviraptors have a very different way of incubation or, more specifically, brooding," Yang pointed out. "Nothing is better or worse. It just depends on the environment."

The researchers said their results are based on a reconstructed nest and modern environmental conditions, which differ from those of the Late Cretaceous. They said those differences could affect the findings. They also noted that oviraptors likely had longer incubation periods than modern birds.

Even so, the study offers a new look at how oviraptors may have cared for their eggs by combining physical models with simulations.

"It also truly is an encouragement for all students, especially in Taiwan," concluded Yang. "There are no dinosaur fossils in Taiwan, but that does not mean that we cannot do dinosaur studies."

Scientists Recreated A Dinosaur Nest And Solved A 70-Million-Year-Old Mystery

The Guardian

Shoppers in Hobart Airport’s gift shop got an unexpected extra on the shelf on Wednesday morning, a real brushtail possum sitting among the plush toys.

The possum was found in the Lagardère AWPL gift shop, peering out from between toy kangaroos, bilbies, dingoes and Tasmanian devils.

A passenger first spotted the animal while browsing in the plush toy section.

Liam Bloomfield, the retail manager, said staff and customers were delighted by the surprise find.

“A passenger reported it to … one of the staff members on shift who couldn’t quite believe what she was hearing,” Bloomfield said.

“She then called the [airport] management and said: we’ve got a possum in the store.”

An airport spokesperson said the possum stayed calm and was safely escorted out of the terminal without incident.

Bloomfield said staff had started voting on a name for the marsupial.

“We’ll have a little shrine to the possum. There will be a nice little photo; once it gets a name, we will put a nice little post in front of the store to make sure it’s remembered.” Bloomfield said.

Brushtails are one of five species of possum found in Tasmania. They are nocturnal, though they are known to be highly adaptable to a range of natural and human environments.

📸 credit: Melissa Oddie via Storyful

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