The Amazing World

On June 4, 1923, jockey Frank Hayes took off through the gates at Belmont Park on Long Island. He and his horse, Sweet Kiss, made it to the finish line first. But all was not well. During the race, Hayes had a heart attack and died. Nonetheless, he was declared the winner: But when the horse crossed the finish line it became quite evident that Frank Hayes was more than just “relaxed”- the jockey dropped out of the saddle, lifeless. It was later determined that Hayes had died of heart failure shortly after Sweet Kiss took the lead, and the New York Times speculated that the jockey’s heart had given out as a result of severe training in order to make weight, coupled with the excitement of winning his first race.  Hayes, dressed in his colorful racing silks, was buried three days later.  In light of the incident, Belmont’s Jockey Club waived all of the rules and thus made Hayes’ win official.  This ruling makes Frank Hayes the only jockey to win a race while ...

If you haven’t heard the story of Raju the elephant, get a tissue ready. This majestic animal had been held captive for fifty years. His feet shackled with spiked chains, he suffered sores oozing with pus. The poor creature was forced to beg for coins and was improperly cared for his entire life. Not fed properly, the poor thing was eating plastic and paper to try to satisfy his immense hunger, supplemented by handouts from tourists. It is believed that he was poached from his mother as a calf and traded or sold twenty-seven times over fifty years. He suffered abuse and torture at the hands of so many people in his lifetime. Wildlife SOS, a charity from London heard of Raju’s plight and planned a daring overnight rescue, on July 4th, American Independence Day! They formed a team of vets and wildlife experts, officers of the forestry department and police officers were determined to save Raju from reaching his death in chains. Elephants are known to b...

Unexpected Beautiful Animal Friendships

Pictures of Naturally Erupted Elephant Rock in Heimaey, Iceland.