This week has been a good one for the animal kingdom – what with new births, dogs enjoying fruit and comedic parrots. Here are some stories, photos and videos that will undoubtedly bring you joy.
1. The miracle elephant.
The arrival of a rare Asian elephant calf at Chester Zoo has astonished keepers who thought its mum had lost her baby. The adorable newborn arrived three months after its predicted due date and has been named Anjan. Zoo staff said both mother and calf are doing incredibly well. N’aww.
2. The dog who befriended a fox.
Bramble the terrier has become slightly obsessed with a young fox cub - and it’s turning into quite the bromance. Bramble likes to follow the cub around the garden and according to Ewa, the dog’s owner, it’s got to the point where he is getting “right in its business”.
“The mother fox occasionally barks as if telling them to stop hanging out,” Ewa tells HuffPost UK. “My dad [who took the photo] thinks it’s like she’s telling them it’s unseemly!” Furever friends.
3. The Yorkshire parrot.
Barney the parrot is eight years old and a right hoot to be around. His owner Katie Bullimore shared a series of hilarious videos of him on Twitter this week which have since been shared thousands of times. Our favourite thing has to be when he says: “You alright love?” (Check out the videos here.)
4. The dog who gently eats watermelon.
A California dog-owner has shared a video of her pooch gingerly eating watermelon, prompting dog owners around the world to take clips of their own pooches chowing down on the fruit. Here’s the clip in all its glory. What a good pupper.
5. The tree-obsessed dog.
HuffPost UK reader Rich Johnstone couldn’t resist sharing pics of his tree-obsessed pooch Dusty, a 5-year-old Border Collie.
“She is a fantastic, happy, extremely obedient and beautiful dog who is totally obsessed with trees,” Johnstone said. “When you walk her she runs always to the next tree and plays hide-and-seek behind it, popping her head out on one side and then the other. Every tree, every day. It gets a lot of laughs and comments from strangers.” Dusty, you do you.
Want your pet to appear in next week’s cute animals round up? Send your pet’s photo to natasha.hinde@huffpost.com with a brief explanation as to why they deserve to be featured.