10 Of The Cutest Animals That Won Our Hearts In 2023
From hungry sheep to dog officers, these are some of the animals that won our hearts in 2023.
Here are some of the cutest animals that won our hearts in 2023.
1. This Turkish firefighter saved a cat trapped under earthquake rubble and now they’re inseparable
After the 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit Turkey and Syria on Feb. 6, a Turkish firefighter saved a cat after it was trapped for 10 days under rubble and is now living happily with him.
The firefighter, Ali Cakas, rescued the black and white cat and named him “Enkaz”, after the Turkish word for “rubble”.
A viral video with more than 12.5 million views on Twitter shows Enkaz standing on Cakas’ shoulder after being rescued in Gaziantep, Turkey.
Enkaz is now living together with his human Cakas and is apparently refusing to leave his savior’s side.
“Enkaz is in good hands. That’s loyalty I guess .. how graceful and well mannered,” Cakas wrote on an Instagram post.
2. This corgi in China pretends to be sick to entertain its little human and it’s so adorable
A corgi in China has gained millions of followers by pretending to be ill so that her young human can practice her doctor skills.
Big Pancake, a one-year-old corgi, is a frequent patient of its human owner, Momo, an aspiring doctor.
On the account “Momo and Dad”, Big Pancake and Momo’s medical adventures have received millions of views on Douyin, China’s version of TikTok.
In the videos, Momo, who is usually dressed in a doctor’s white coat, gives a variety of medical examinations to Big Pancake, from dental care to surgeries.
In some videos, Big Pancake, Momo’s dad and brother become seriously “injured” and “sick”.
Momo works as a doctor out of her house, which is equipped with the most advanced and most up-to-date cardboard medical equipment.
Her dad, a “renowned cardboard expert”, helps build and manufacture all the equipment Momo needs.
Truly, Big Pancake has gone the extra mile to entertain its human and put up with her antics of wanting to be a doctor — because its never too late to help your human start on her future career.
3. Joe Biden was snubbed by the Irish president’s dog and honestly his reaction was quite relatable
US president Joe Biden made a visit to Ireland to meet with Misneach, the first dog of Ireland, and his human, but did not receive a warm welcome from Misneach.
Misneach and his human, Michael Higgins, received Biden on April 13, on the final day of Biden’s three-day trip to Ireland, where he met with local leaders and explored his Irish roots.
Misneach, a Bernese Mountain dog, had been at his official residence and workplace, Áras an Uachtaráin in Dublin, when Biden walked up to him with Higgins and Higgins’ wife Sabina Coyene.
A known dog-lover, Biden approached Misneach, arms open, but Misneach immediately barked back and refused to go over to greet his guest.
Biden was left looking disappointed before eventually moving on, to the laughter of the onlooking crowd.
4. Someone dropped their iPhone at a zoo in Portugal and had to watch as an otter smashed it like a clam
An unlucky visitor to an aquarium in Portugal was left otterly devastated after an otter picked up their dropped iPhone and proceeded to smash it like a clam.
Videos showing different angles of the incident at the aquarium in Lisbon have since gone viral on various social media networks.
In the videos, the otter can be seen holding the iPhone with both hands and smashing it repeatedly against a rock in the hopes of opening it.
It then clutched the iPhone and swam away off screen.
5. This dog ran for mayor of Toronto in Canada and honestly she should have won
Molly, a six-year-old rescue dog from Russia, ran as honorary dog mayor alongside her human, Toby Heaps, who was the human candidate.
They were part of a record number of 102 mayoral candidates in Canada’s largest city this year.
Molly’s campaign focused on building a kinder city and environmental issues, such as stopping the city from overusing salt on roads during winter, which can hurt animals’ paws and damage the environment.
A key part of their campaign also focused on fixing the housing crisis, increasing corporation taxes and banning fossil fuels in heating systems, according to the BBC.
On Monday June 26, Molly lost the electoral race but managed to receive 593 votes, placing among the top 20 candidates.
6. A cat climbed onto this sheikh in Algeria while he was performing nightly Ramadan prayers but he just kept going
A video of a cat “participating” in a Ramadan prayer has gone viral on social media, and it is winning people’s hearts.
In the video, the cat was seen jumping onto Sheikh Walid Mehsas while he was leading the evening Ramadan prayer, Taraweeh, at a mosque in Bordj Bou Arreridj in Algeria.
Appearing undisturbed, Mehsas gently patted the cat with his right hand as the cat proceeded to climb on his shoulder and tried to kiss him.
Mehsas kept his eyes closed throughout the whole process and continued his recital.
The cat then hopped off Mehsas and wandered around the mosque.
7. These very good dog officers led a military parade in Chile and did a great job
A unit of esteemed puppy officers stole the spotlight while being carried in their humans’ backpacks during Chile’s annual Independence Day Military Parade at O’Higgins Park in Santiago, Chile on Tuesday, Sep. 19.
A remarkable ensemble of 76 dogs attended the highly-anticipated event, with some marching alongside their humans and the others carried in bright yellow backpacks instead, while Air Force planes soared overhead.
Before the march, the dog officers were required to undergo rigorous training with their assigned human police officers to ensure a smooth and safe experience amid the overwhelming crowds and noise from the thousands of people around the nation looking on.
8. Archaeologists have hired a flock of hungry sheep to help preserve the ruins of Pompeii
A flock of around 150 sheep in Southern Italy has been given the important task to save Pompeii.
All they have to do is graze the wild grass that has been threatening the conservation of the ancient ruins.
Instead of using machines, chemicals or substances, authorities have put in place a sustainable agricultural initiative to make sure the Roman town looks its best.
Apart from maintaining its exterior appearance, this economical approach also prevents the weeds from seeping into the cracks of the walls and thus destroying the fresco and houses.
9. 488 golden retrievers met up in Scotland and is this what heaven looks like
Earlier last month, 488 golden retrievers from all around the world gathered in Scotland for their five yearly meeting.
The golden retrievers met up at the ruins of Guisachan House – their ancestral home – in the Scottish Highlands.
There, they left their humans to the sidelines and took took part in a group photo to commemorate the anniversary of the creation of their breed in 1868.
This year’s gathering marked the 155th anniversary of the breed, which was first raised by a Scottish Lord at the site.
The Guishan Gathering, which ran from July 10 to July 14, this year was the sixth gathering of golden retrievers and also the biggest since it started in 2001.
10. These three good dogs performed a symphony with an orchestra in Denmark and they were pawfect
As the classical music festival, Haydn Festival, opened in Copenhagen, the Danish Chamber Orchestra brought a twist, with three furry performers barking along to the beat on stage.
In the rarely performed work “Hunting Symphony” by Leopold Mozart, the father of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, dogs have a prominent and important soloist role.
However, it was usually performed with recorded sounds instead of live dogs.
To honor Mozart’s wish of having a part of the symphony be accompanied by “baying hounds”, the chief conductor of the Danish Chamber Orchestra auditioned dozens of dogs for the role.
After a fierce competition, three dogs named Cookie, Sophus and Sica were chosen for their outstanding barking skills.
They went through a three-month training with their owners, not only learning to know when to start and stop barking on command, but also to remain quiet for the rest of the performance.
