Animals

Tragedy has struck the Herbstreit household ... Kirk Herbstreit just revealed his famous dog, Ben Herbstreit, has died.

The renowned football commentator said on his X page Thursday morning that he and his family were forced to let their pooch go after vets said the cancer the dog had been battling had spread to his organs.

"I've had dogs my whole life," Kirk said in announcing the sad news, "but Ben was 1 on 1."

Total chaos hit LaGuardia Airport when a raccoon suddenly fell through the ceiling -- and of course, it was all caught on camera!

In a TikTok clip shot by a Spirit Airlines passenger, you can see the raccoon desperately clinging to a wire hanging from a gap in the ceiling in Terminal A on Monday -- before making a dramatic plunge to the ground.

Another video shows people freaking out, shrieking, and scrambling to avoid the raccoon -- because, you know, raccoons are prime rabies carriers, and no one’s trying to get bitten!

Kim Kardashian is sure to say "crikey" when she hears how she played a role in one crocodile winning big at an annual croc race Down Under.

Check it out ... one reptile, aptly named Kim Krocdashian, emerged victorious after facing off against other small saltwater crocs at a race in Darwin, Australia on Monday.

The beast, measuring just over 3 feet in length, took off down the grassy track at the Berry Springs Tavern ... leaving several rivals in its wake.

Peanut the Squirrel's tragic fate is stirring emotions across the Internet, but at least one town leader in Chemung, NY -- where Peanut's owner lives -- isn't rattled at all, and seems over the whole ordeal.

Chemung Town Supervisor George Richter tells TMZ ... he has no knowledge of the squirrel saga exploding on his turf. Remember, Mark Longo and his wife, Daniela, claim 2 of their rescue pets -- Peanut and Fred the raccoon -- were unjustly seized last week, and killed over alleged rabies concerns.

While the story's gone viral, Richter says he has no plans to advocate on behalf of the late Peanut, nor Mark and Daniela -- making it clear he won't be speaking to Governor Kathy Hochul about the raid.

Peanut The Squirrel should be alive right now, because it's improbable the fully domesticated animal had rabies ... so says an infectious disease expert.

NY state officials killed the internet sensation last week in order to test Peanut for rabies, but a doctor well versed in rabies says authorities might have jumped the gun in impulsively testing for the disease.

Dr. Edward R. Rensimer tells TMZ ... the CDC's position is that squirrels are not considered to be carriers or spreaders of rabies and to his knowledge, there's never been a recorded case of squirrel-to-human rabies transmission.

Peanut the Squirrel's story hit hard for one New York State Assemblyman, who's now pushing for a law to stop future animal heartbreaks like the one that befell the social media star -- and he says a request for an investigation is falling on deaf ears.

Jake Blumencranz, repping Assembly District 15 on Long Island, has drafted "Peanut's Law: The Humane Animal Protection Act," which would impose a 72-hour wait before euthanizing any sanctuary animal. He tells TMZ the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and Governor Kathy Hochul have been radio silent about an investigation into the matter so far.

Blumencranz, a big-time animal advocate, says all he's heard from authorities is that DEC officials were just following the rules when they seized Peanut from P'nuts Freedom Farm Animal Sanctuary. And, that's exactly why he's pushing for change -- because current protocols feel way too extreme and lack compassion for the animals involved.

Peanut the Squirrel's supporters are making it clear they're pissed NY State officials confiscated and euthanized the animal ... by coordinating multiple bomb threats on state government offices.

The Department of Environmental Conservation is one of 2 agencies that conducted last week's raid at Mark Longo's home in upstate NY's Chemung County -- but DEC offices all over the state have now been evacuated due to the bomb threats.

Sources with the NYPD tell TMZ ... there was a bomb threat claiming an explosive device was planted inside a DEC office in Long Island City ... and, cops believe the threat is related to the Peanut the Squirrel case.

Peanut the squirrel’s heartbreaking story has tugged at the heartstrings of thousands nationwide after the rodent was seized and euthanized by authorities last week -- but a notable NYC Assemblywoman tells us despite it being a sad situation, human lives need to be prioritized.

Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn, the Majority Whip in the New York State Assembly, tells TMZ that while she’s an ardent animal-rights advocate and sympathizes with Peanut’s owner, Mark Longo ... she believes euthanizing Peanut was the only option, since the N.Y. State Dept. of Environmental Conservation's investigation revealed the squirrel bit someone.

Hermelyn explains to us DEC had no choice but to put down Peanut so they could test the rodent for rabies, which is deadly for 99% of humans who catch it. She also notes it's well-known there are no approved methods to test animals for rabies while they're still alive.

The agencies that raided a New York farm and seized Peanut the squirrel were actually there because some officials had a problem with porn ... that's what some sources connected to the drama believe.

As we reported, the New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation and the Chemung County Health Dept. got a search warrant and showed up at Mark Longo's farm last week, seizing Peanut and Fred the racoon under the pretext Longo broke the law by harboring 2 undomesticated animals.

But, here's the deal ... Mark tells TMZ when officials showed up they asked questions that had nothing to do with the animals. Mark says one of the first questions -- "Do you have any cameras in your house?"

A New York congressman says he and his fellow delegates want answers from the governor about Peanut the Squirrel's tragic death ... calling the raid total government overreach.

Republican Congressman Nick Langworthy -- who represents NY's 23rd district -- tells us he and other members of New York's congressional delegation plan to demand answers from the governor's office and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation early next week.

We're told they plan to ask questions about why the raid was authorized and what exactly was the reason the gov. sought a warrant for this home.

The owners of Peanut the squirrel are still in an emotional whirlwind after their beloved social media star was seized and euthanized by authorities in New York ... and now they're readying to fight back, TMZ is told.

Mark Longo and his wife, Daniela, tell us they are already in the process of legal action ... but they cannot give too many more details at this point. But ML makes it crystal clear ... "Peanut did not die in vain!"

Their story went national after they accused the state of abusing power and wasting taxpayer funds to seize and kill Peanut -- all because of some anonymous claims ... which ML says were all total BS.

Social media flew into a frenzy Saturday morning when an apparent press release from Donald Trump’s campaign called for justice for Peanut the squirrel … but it was all a hoax, TMZ has learned.

Trump spokesperson Steven Cheung tells us a statement that spread on X like wildfire was not real … Trump had not addressed the confiscated and euthanized squirrel controversy.

In the fake release, Trump was quoted as saying in part … “If Peanut could have told them he was from Mexico, they would have sent him on his way and given him a hotel room and a $500 gift card to Buddy Squirrel. Instead, he was taken from his family. Very sad, and a complete waste of resources!”

The owners of a pet squirrel with a massive social media following are going nuclear on government officials in New York ... accusing the state of abusing power and wasting taxpayer funds to seize and kill Peanut, all because of some anonymous claims.

Mark Longo and his wife, Daniela, joined us on "TMZ Live" Friday and shared their outrage over what they say has been a grave injustice ... and it got emotional.

Mark tells us officials from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation showed up at his doorstep Wednesday with a search warrant signed by 4 state agencies and a judge ... treating him like a criminal while they raided his home in search of Peanut.

Don’t expect to see Ian Somerhalder onscreen again any time soon -- he's put acting on the back burner for now, with no plans to jump back in.

At the Environmental Media Association Awards Gala, Ian came clean about soaking up every inch of his laid-back farm life with actress wife Nikki Reed and their 2 young kids -- so much so, that he believes his entertainment career is officially "in the rearview mirror."

Ian did pause a bit on those thoughts, though -- he mentioned to PEOPLE he recently regained the rights to "V Wars," the 2019 sci-fi series he and Nikki starred in together ... but he's not quite sure how they'd bring it back to life in the form of another show.

Forget a bull in a china shop ... ya gotta see this video of a boar in a store in China ... going on an epic rampage and leaving a trail of destruction!!!

Wild footage out of Zhejiang province shows a wild pig roaming the streets and barging into a children's clothing store ... destroying everything in its sight.

The hog went wild inside the store Friday morning, smashing through clothing racks and tearing up merchandise before continuing the ruckus outside ... charging at bystanders who had gathered to watch.

Crumbs, the world’s fattest cat, has sadly died just weeks after shedding some pounds at feline fat camp, with vets saying his excessively chunky layers hid cancerous tumors.

The Russian kitty -- who ballooned to a whopping 38 pounds from living in a hospital basement and munching on cookies and soup from the staff -- suddenly had breathing issues and passed away Saturday, according to NewsX.

Galiana More, who runs the Matroskin cat shelter where Crumbs was treated, explained his fat was so deep it hid cancerous tumors on his spleen and other internal organs, which they believed triggered multiple organs to collapse.