We were today years old when we learned Japan once had a penguin who put on a backpack and walked to the grocery store every day like it was his 9 to 5. His name was Lala, and he might be the most employable bird in history.

Plus: king penguins celebrating their first big snow day, an endangered bongo calf born via an eland surrogate, Spain recognizing pets as legal family members, and Soleil the Belgian Sheepdog winning Best in Show🧡

This week’s good furrends: • A goat pulled over for “aggressive snacking” • A fox and an otter caught on CCTV taking a midnight city tour • Lazzie, the oldest little blue penguin, turning 25 @CincinnatiZoo • Yzma the tamandua showing off elite snacking skills @TheTorontoZoo

Taken from a week ago - Boss making sure you all stretch before heading into the weekend. And he denies ever having had any lick-e-licks (last pic)

my supervisor has notes and none of them are helpful

I can smell turkey. I have no idea where it is or when it’s coming. But I’m ready Happy #Thanksgiving

Every November before Thanksgiving, a turkey gets “pardoned” in a strange little White House tradition that feels part ceremony, part comedy sketch. Is this tradition 150 years old? Not even close. And the birds themselves have some wild stories.

📹: MadisonDeMayo on TT These cats have no idea they’re being cheered on by a whole classroom. And we're so excited to talk to Madison about her cats and that✨teacher hack✨ Here’s her original video on Furrend: https://t.co/gF21VNLhWX

This is one of the most wholesome things I’ve ever seen

Cats have been doing little photo shoots with us for 150 years, and nothing has changed. The first viral cat video from 1940s proves it: https://t.co/n9f9OKba0M

today’s productivity level: this

Fun fact: Mount Elgon’s elephants are the only ones who mine salt inside a mountain. They walk deep into caves to carve salt from the walls, just like in ancient cave paintings. Baby elephants learn the routes in total darkness, the original “bring your kid to work” tradition.

This Thanksgiving week, wherever you are, we hope you’re safe, warm, and well fed🧡 And if you see a turkey walking with a little extra swagger, it probably knows what season it is.

The turkey pardon started as a political joke, turned into a PR thing, and somehow became one of America’s most beloved annual animal traditions. A reminder that even the strangest customs can bring people together.

But even with VIP treatment, pardoned turkeys rarely live long. Commercial breeds aren’t built for longevity. Still, there’s something oddly touching about this little moment of mercy in a season built around gratitude and excess.

And where do they go after the spotlight? Since the 2000s, most pardoned turkeys have retired to “gubernatorial farms,” petting zoos, or university animal science programs. Schoolchildren visit them, and local news checks in once a year. They become mildly confused celebrities.

These birds have their quirks. One turkey once escaped down the White House driveway. Another tried to fly mid-ceremony. One reportedly bit a reporter. And many simply turned around and refused to face the cameras at all. Stage fright happens to the best of us.

The names themselves are a time capsule: - Liberty & Peace - Stars & Stripes - Drumstick & Wishbone - Peanut Butter & Jelly - Corn & Cob - Chocolate & Chip - Peach & Blossom Every November feels like a new release of some limited edition Thanksgiving Pokémon.

So how are the birds picked? The NTF raises a small flock of candidates, and the official bird and its alternate are then chosen. Their names often come from public suggestions, and the pair is announced shortly before the ceremony. It has become a surprisingly anticipated

Then came the moment that made it official. In 1989, George H.W. Bush stood on the White House lawn, patted a very nervous 50-pound bird and said: “Let me assure you, this fine tom turkey has a presidential pardon.” After that, every administration has kept the tradition alive.

The turning point came in 1987, during the Iran-Contra scandal. Reporters pressed Ronald Reagan about whether he intended to pardon two indicted aides. Reagan dodged the question by joking that the only thing he was pardoning that day was the turkey.