Pets

Ndakasi, the orphaned gorilla photographed in an incredible selfie in 2019, has died in the arms of her caretaker ... according to a spokesperson at the national park were she lived.

The Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of the Congo broke the sad news of the passing of its beloved orphaned mountain gorilla, saying she died last month after battling a prolonged illness.

According to the park ... Ndakasi "took her final breath in the loving arms of her caretaker and lifelong friend, Andre Bauma."

Bauma had looked after the gorilla ever since she was found clinging her to dead mother's body and taken to the park's Senkwekwe Center, where she lived for more than a decade. Virunga says Ndakasi's mom was killed by armed militia in a series of gorilla slayings.

Bauma says, "It was a privilege to support and care for such a loving creature, especially knowing the trauma Ndakasi suffered at a very young age."

If you don't recall ... Ndakasi went viral in 2019 thanks to an amazing photo of her and another orphaned gorilla in a park ranger's selfie. Virunga National Park responded to all the attention it got at the time, saying ... "Those gorilla gals are always acting cheeky so this was the perfect shot of their true personalities!"

Bauma adds ... "I loved her like a child and her cheerful personality brought a smile to my face every time I interacted with her. She will be missed by all of us at Virunga but we are forever grateful for the richness Ndakasi brought to our lives during her time at Senkwekwe."

Here's exhibit no. 1 for proof that dinosaurs still roam the earth -- an alligator that must be the size of a pickup truck is eating its smaller counterpart ... which itself is kinda big.

Check out this absolutely INSANE video that was posted by a dude from Horry County, SC ... who says his pops filmed this from their backyard in the swampy Low Country. It's Mother Nature at its finest -- but with a kinda sick twist ... alligator cannibalism, as it were.

The clip picks up with the smaller gator already well inside the larger one's mouth ... looking quite dead, and getting munched on in slow, eerie fashion. The massive beast takes a couple chomps, and before ya know it ... his meal is making its way down his gullet, and quickly disappears.

Here's the craziest part ... that little gator is supposedly 6 feet long, according to the Twitter poster. That means this bigger one has got to be at least double that size, probably way more.

We've seen some immense alligators over the years on the internet -- including an infamous one a little while back that looked absolutely enormous as it made its way across a golf course, to the shock and awe of onlookers. It had to have been a good 15 feet, minimum.

Considering this "baby" gator appears to fit snugly into the bigger one's mouth -- ya might say it's about the length of its head ... so we don't wanna know how large it actually is.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle may no longer be in the good graces of the Royal Family, but they still give their dog the royal treatment ... even when they're busy.

The couple's dog -- a black Lab rescue named Pula -- got to enjoy a lovely stroll near the beach in Santa Barbara Friday ... courtesy of her professional walker.

It's unclear who the heavily tatted, dog-walkin' bro is, but he made sure Harry and Meghan's pup was nice and clean before she hopped back into their Land Rover and headed home to Montecito.

While the dog walker's 15 minutes of fame may have just begun, Pula's pretty popular already. She was featured in some photo spreads earlier this year frolicking with Harry at the beach ... and she also made an appearance during the couple's bombshell interview with Oprah earlier that month.

A Florida man took out the trash this week ... and may have saved his neighbors from a pissed off alligator in the process.

The hero -- a Mount Dora man named Abdul Gene Malik -- posted the video of his daring gator capture using a large black garbage bin, saying ... "I got kids to protect."

Malik, an Army vet, demonstrated his bravery as he slowly approached the reptile head-on with the trash can as it chomped, hissed and thrashed.

Then, our hero made the clutch move that did the beast in ... by flipping the trash can lid and hitting the gator on the head, stunning it enough to charge with the bin and force it into the receptacle.

Onlookers screamed and cheered as Malik then flipped the trash can up, capturing the reptile until the authorities could come take care of it. Bravo!!!

As courageous as Malik was ... the scene in Florida isn't quite as crazy as what went down in Utah last month, when a gator attacked its handler and tried pulling her in for the kill.

There was no garbage bin to save the day, but thankfully, a guest at the zoo named Donnie Wiseman jumped on the gator's back and wrestled it away to save the woman.

Kudos to both fellas.

A woman got an unexpected (and apparently unwanted) visitor during a boat trip -- it was a sea lion fearing for its life ... who tried hitching a ride as orcas started to close in.

Watch this wild encounter that was captured by a woman who goes by @nutabull on TikTok and lives on Vancouver Island ... where there's plenty of this type of action in the open waters.

Her videos start with the animal already aboard -- which startles her, 'cause she doesn't know where the heck it came from, or how it made its way up. This pinniped's got hops!

Another thing she immediately recognizes in the distance ... that she and/or her vessel are becoming the epicenter of a pod of killer whales that were starting to circle ... seemingly in pursuit of this little guy, who might normally become fish food in the wild.

The orcas get right up against the boat and start to pop out to take a peek at their would-be meal ... who's in no rush to get back into the water, despite this woman demanding he scram.

It's honestly hilarious, but also kinda sad -- because we all know damn well that as soon as it jumps back in, it's almost certainly going to be eaten. There's at least like 3 whales there!

We don't wanna spoil the ending. But, let's just say ... rest easy, sea lion. You lived a long and prosperous life, were sure. Ah damn it -- guess that sums it up. BTW, this woman's rationale for giving it the boot is pretty funny too ... replying to someone in her comments.

When Simon and Garfunkel sang that it's all happening at the zoo ... they weren't kidding, because 2 gorillas got busy in front of a throng of onlookers.

You gotta watch this video ... maybe the most hilarious this year. It -- and the primates -- went down Wednesday at the Bronx Zoo.

It started innocent enough ... one of the gorillas was perched on a rock when he caught the eye of a fellow ape. Seems like they're apes with benefits, because one of them immediately laid on its back, and the other assumed the position and went at it.

As hysterical as the gorillas were ... you gotta see the adults who quickly shielded their kids' faces and began screaming to make a run for it.

A minor league baseball game had a four-legged interruption during the 1st inning on Wednesday ... when a bat dog named Rookie stormed the field -- and it was adorable!!

The cute moment happened during the Buffalo Bisons' home game against the Lehigh Valley IronPigs at Sahlen Field ... a matchup that had Rookie filling in for bat-retrieving duties.

But, Rookie was fully prepared to go above and beyond his role to help out the Buffalo squad any way he could ... so he raced out onto the field in the middle of all the action!!

You can see the happy-go-lucky canine jumpin' with joy on the field right in front of the batter before a pitch is thrown ... and even making his way out on the pitching mound for a few seconds

Eventually, Rookie goes back to the dugout and resumes his position ... and we can't emphasize this enough, it was freakin' cute!!

BTW -- Rookie is a celeb ... he has his own Instagram page with more than 14,000 followers!!

"Tonight was a lot of fun, being with @buffalobisons," Rookie's IG page said after the game.

"I loved being able to go all over the stadium and giving out my baseball card to the fans, especially the kids."

"You can still be rich ... and still have roaches."

Jason Pierre-Paul just revealed his Florida mansion is currently being overrun by dead bugs -- and it's gross as hell!

The Tampa Bay Bucs star showed off the lifeless cockroaches while walking around his pad Thursday ... zooming in on the bugs and providing some pretty hilarious commentary at the same time.

"I don't know where they coming from," JPP said, "'cause there ain't nothing to eat!"

The former NY Giants star hilariously gave some of the dead, creepy-crawlers in the house names ... saying, "He looked like he tried to get out. That's Jodeci."

"Look at him. That's Cici Allah. We'll call this one right here John Doe. Look like he tried to escape quick!"

As for JPP's plan to get them to stop overrunning his place ... the 32-year-old said he already has pest control, and has no idea why the problem is still going down.

Pierre-Paul might not play in the Bucs' game this weekend while nursing a shoulder injury ... so here's to hoping the added free time will help him get it all figured out soon.

Tyler Perry is full of Bullwinkle.

It's pretty shocking ... a GIGANTIC moose somehow made its way into Tyler's backyard, and it's both a glorious and frightening sight. A moose can be super dangerous, but when you stand back and watch ... well, it's awesome.

It's unclear where the video was taken -- frankly, it looks like his backyard in the Hills of Beverly. But, we've never seen a moose in these parts, so it's more likely somewhere like Montana or Wyoming. He's been working remotely lately, managing and producing shows for his massive ATL studio compound.

Tracee Ellis Ross posted photos and vids of the scene, with the caption, "this is magic!!! They are sooooo beautiful !!!!!"

Donald Trump got s*** on this week, and now we know the culprit ... and his name is Axl.

As we reported, someone dumped a load of poop on Trump's star on the Hollywood Walk of fame. It's not vandalism -- because there was no damage -- but it would seem it's a violation of the L.A. Pooper Scooper ordinance ... HOWEVER, we've learned there's a twist.

Well, TMZ has cracked the case. Turns out Axl, an 18-month-old rescue, was walking on Hollywood Blvd. with his owner, James Hawkins, when nature called. Axl took a giant poop near Trump's star, and rather than picking it up, Hawkins decided it should adorn Trump's star.

James tells us he picked up the poop and placed it on 45's star. He took a photo to keep the memory alive. A short time later, James bagged the poop and left the scene of the crime.

James is a photographer from Rhode Island, who was in town on business. He tells us he's a democrat, and he's not a fan of Trump's ... in fact, he said he thinks Trump is "a piece of s**t," so James felt one good piece deserves another.

BTW ... it doesn't appear James violated the Pooper Scooper ordinance because he blue-bagged the excrement in short order.

Donald Trump has given a lot of people s**t, so someone decided to return the gesture in kind ... with a load of dog poop plastered over his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Someone dropped a load on the star Thursday ... much to the chagrin and delight of tourists ... depending on their political bend.

And, this is interesting ... whoever dropped the do-do won't be prosecuted, because it's not vandalism. According to CA law, someone can be prosecuted for vandalism if they "deface with graffiti or other inscribed material" or if they damage or destroy someone else's property.
Here, a hosing down will do the trick, and it's too much of a reach.

Now, it's possible to cite the offender with violating L.A.'s pooper scooper law, which requires dog owners to pick up after their pets.

There has been lots of vandalism on that star over the last 5 years. James Otis, a member of the famed Otis Elevator fam, took a pickax to the star in 2016 and several times in the years that followed. He pled no contest to vandalism and got community service and a $4,400 fine. He was placed on 3 years probation.

He was arrested and charged with felony vandalism last year ... it appears that case is ongoing.

George Lopez pretended to pee on the star back in 2018 ... but faking peeing doesn't get you prosecuted.

Lady Gaga's dog walker says when doctors were working on him after he was shot, blood was spurting out of his chest as he lay on the operating table, and doctors feared he would die.

Ryan Fischer told Gayle King on "CBS Mornings" ... when the dognappers confronted him with a gun as he walked 3 of Lady Gaga's dogs, he knew he was going to get shot. Nevertheless, he felt it was his mission to fight for the safety of the canines.

He says the bullet went through his clavicle near his neck and exited through his shoulder blade, piercing his lung on the way out. Once in surgery, as doctors frantically tried inserting a chest tube, blood started spurting all over the place and his blood pressure dropped to a crisis level.

The good news ... he says Gaga was an angel and went above and beyond to help him in his recovery. She flew his family out to L.A. and he stayed at her house for months where he had family, friends and security around him.

Ryan has really been through it ... he tried walking dogs for a short time after he recovered physically, but couldn't handle the emotional trauma and went on a cross-country trip to find peace. He says he's still struggling.

Dangling from the nosebleeds at a college football game was enough to scare the crap piss outta one very lucky cat ... according to the couple who saved the feline with a U.S. flag.

Kimberly and Craig Cromer are the heroes who pulled off the rescue mission during Saturday's University of Miami football game, and Monday on "TMZ Live" they told us they just happened to be in regular-season seats ... AKA right place, right time.

Craig says Kimberly brings their American flag to display whenever "Da U." has a home game -- and luckily for the cat from this viral video, it ended up dangling right over the Cromers.

Craig and Kim say the kitty definitely knew it was in danger as it dangled from the stadium's upper deck -- and they know this because it started peeing in a steady stream on everyone down below.

If ya missed it ... the falling cat bounced off the flag and survived, making the crowd go wild.

Sounds like the Cromers weren't the only heroes here ... they say some UM students had another flag under theirs, which helped cushion the cat's fall even more.

The cat's whereabouts are unclear and while the Cromers say they'd take it in, they also explained why their home might not be the best fit.

A stray cat is alive today because of some patriotism shown at a college football game.

As fans watched Miami edge out Appalachian State at Miami's stadium, everyone's eyes moved from the field to the nosebleed section, as they saw the feline dangling below the upper deck railing. One of its paws apparently got caught on a wire as it struggled.

Fans were at the ready, and when the cat lost its grip and plummeted toward Earth, some quick-thinking fans unfurled an American flag and caught the cat.

You see the cat bounce off the flag and the crowd goes insane.

What's not clear ... whether the cat may have hit the ground or whether the flag entirely broke its fall. Nevertheless, the cat seemed okay.

Security was ready and they captured the cat and removed it from the stadium.

Mick Brigden, a mainstay in the music industry whose work included tour manager for the Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan, has died.

Mick's wife says her husband was digging a grave for their dog at their home in Santa Rosa, CA when he suffered a medical emergency and was rushed to a hospital, where he died.

The cause of death has not been disclosed.

Mick began his career as a concert promoter and worked with Van Morrison, Joe Satriani, Humble Pie, Peter Frampton and Carlos Santana. He was one of the founders of Wolfgang Records, which released multiple albums by Eddie Money, including his first, self-titled album in 1977.

Outside of music management, Brigden had a passion for winemaking, supplying grapes grown in his Northern California vineyard to make an exclusive Owl Ridge cabernet.

This has been a rough period for the Stones and Stones fans. Charlie Watts, the group's one-and-only drummer for 6 decades, died last month.

As for Brigden ... he's survived by his wife of 34 years, Julia, son Jack, stepdaughter Jessica and grandson David.

Mick was 73.

RIP

Cesar Millan is in the throes of a lawsuit over his pit bull severely biting a promising gymnast, who alleged this dog not only has a history of extreme violence, it allegedly attacked and killed Queen Latifah's dog and he then, according to the lawsuit, tried to cover it up.

Lidia Matiss claims in 2017, she went to her mom's office building in Van Nuys, CA, a building she says is owned by Cesar. Lidia says she was visiting her mom, who worked for Cesar.

She says she encountered Cesar's pit bull, Junior, who was roaming the halls unsupervised and unleashed. She says the dog attacked her, repeatedly biting her on the legs, including her left calf. She went to the ER and it became apparent ... her injures were severe.

The lawsuit says Lidia was a "star gymnast" who performed at a Level 10 ... the highest level in the USA Gymnastics Junior Olympics Programs. She says she was being actively recruited by the University of Pennsylvania, but everything changed with the dog bite. She could no longer compete due to the extreme pain she was enduring.

Lidia -- repped by attorneys Omar G. Qureshi and Brian M. Adesman -- says Cesar knew Junior had a history of violence yet regularly allowed the dog to roam free. She says the dog had bitten several people and mauled several dogs, including one dog owned by Queen Latifah.

According to the lawsuit, Queen Latifah brought 2 of her dogs to Cesar's Dog Psychology Center in Santa Clarita, CA. She says Junior mauled one of her dogs to death, and Lidia claims Cesar covered it up by telling his staff to tell Queen Latifah the dog was hit and killed by a car.

Cesar filed an answer to the lawsuit, claiming, among other things, Lidia assumed the risk of being bitten because she knew of the danger. He also claims Lidia herself was negligent, although he doesn't say how.

Lidia says the bite left her impaired ... wounded, disfigured and she continues to suffer physical and emotional pain. She's suing for unspecified damages.