5 animal tales to make you smile

Ready for adventure

Oklahoma City—Meet Toho, the rambunctious mountain lion cub on the prowl at the Oklahoma City Zoo. Along with siblings Tanka and Tawakoni, the cutie has been exploring his exhibit, climbing trees and pouncing on bugs. Get a peek at their hijinks live at OKCzoo.org/cubcam.

Here comes trouble

Kenya, Africa—These silly hippos were feeling feisty during their afternoon swim. The pair had been relaxing in the pond one afternoon when one of the playful youngsters decided to sneak up on his pal.

And thanks to the abundance of water lettuce floating on the pond’s surface, the hippo was able to go undetected. He swam under the greenery, eventually popping out of the water for an amusing surprise.

Time to celebrate

Saint-Aignan, France— Mama panda bear Huan Huan was just as excited for her cub Yuan Meng’s first birthday as he was!

The proud mom was seen inspecting the birthday cake Beauval Zoo staffers had made, sneaking in a tastetest to see if her bundle of joy would be pleased with the surprise. And he was! Yuan Meng happily devoured the frozen treats and even shared with Mom.

Aah…this

is the life

Helsingborg, Sweden— Working on your tan, handsome? With the bright morning sun beaming, this adorable harbor seal couldn’t wait to soak up some rays. He quickly hopped out of the chilly seawater and climbed to the top of a rock to enjoy the warmth. The sunshine left the tot in such a good mood, he couldn’t stop smiling.

Loving the spotlight

Cheshire, England—Welcome to the world, sweetheart! Visitors at Chester Zoo are already smitten with Mburo, the adorable Rothschild’s giraffe calf born to mom Dagmar. Named after a park in Uganda, this precious new arrival has quickly blossomed from a shy baby to a calf with hilarious confidence.

Keepers say that thanks to his mom’s encouragement, the cutie is a lot more steady on his feet these days. In fact, Mburo now proudly struts his stuff around the enclosure, a rather amusing sight for both onlookers and zoo staffers.