9 Of The Cutest Animals That Won Our Hearts In 2022
From heroic dogs to thieving parrots, these animals won our hearts in 2022.
From heroic dogs to thieving parrots, these are the animals that won our hearts in 2022.
1. Hero Ukrainian Dog Patron
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky awarded a medal of courage to Patron, a Jack Russell terrier, for his admirable service detecting bombs since the start of the Russian invasion.
Patron, whose name means “ammo” in Ukrainian, detected more than 200 Russian mines and unexploded ordnances in northern Ukraine, Chernihiv, and is the mascot for the State Emergency Service.
2. Dave, The Stray Cat In Qatar
England’s soccer players Kyle Walker and John Stones adopted a stray cat, Dave, while competing for the World Cup in Qatar.
Dave was a regular at the team’s camp and became an unofficial mascot for England. The team then started calling him “Big Dave” as Dave kept getting bigger from the team feeding him every day.
3. Giant Walrus Freya
A giant walrus named Freya became viral while touring southern Norway and lounging around unbothered on boats by the harbor.
Freya gained a lot of attention during her stay in Stabbestad, Halvorsen said, with people flocking to see and take photos with her. Freya, who is a bit of a social media icon, was first spotted laying on a submarine in the port of Den Helder, Netherlands, in October 2021.
4. Kidani, The Curious Baby Elephant In Kenya
A baby elephant interrupted a Kenyan journalist reporting on the aftermath of a drought and its effects on wildlife at an elephant shelter in Nairobi.
“It is up to us to be guardians of our own natural world, save our wild species and provide a home…,” TV reporter for local channel KBC Alvin Kaunda said to camera while standing in front of several elephants.
Then a baby elephant named Kindani elongated its trunk and started tickling the journalist’s nose.
5. These Penguins At A Japanese Aquarium
King penguins at the Hakone-en Aquarium in Hakone, Japan refused to eat a cheaper type of fish, turning their heads away when being fed.
The aquarium had to feed penguins “saba” or common mackerel after “aji” or horse mackerel, their usual food, increased in price by 20 to 30 percent with rising inflation.
6. This Thieving Parrot In Chile
As a Chilean reporter was covering a story about increasing thefts live on air, the last thing he expected was to become the victim of a robbery himself.
The reporter for the Chilevision channel, Nikolas Krumm, was speaking on TV when a parrot landed on his shoulder and stole one of his wireless earphones.
7. Simba, A Baby Goat In Pakistan
Meet Simba, a baby goat who has become famous for his extremely long ears in Karachi, Pakistan.
With ears measuring around 54 cm each, Simba has competed in several beauty contest gaining popularity on Pakistan’s social media.
8. This Pooping Owl In Australia
A press conference in Queensland, Australia, was interrupted when an owl pooped on the sign language interpreter.
Australian sign language (Auslan) interpreter Mike Webb had been signing for the deputy premier Steven Miles in Brisbane on Wednesday Mar. 9 when owl poop landed on his face and jacket.
9. Magawa, The Hero Rat In Cambodia
Magawa, a rat that was awarded a gold medal for his job detecting mines in Cambodia, died peacefully at age eight.
During his career, the African giant pouched rat sniffed out 71 mines and 38 explosive items over more than 225,000 square metres of land, making him the most successful rodent trained by APOPO, which trains animals to save lives by detecting mines.
