Not every story is about wars and politics. Here are some of the rescues, animal adventures and oddities that made people smile — or scratch their heads — in 2025.

Rescues and heroes

A chihuahua on the glacier

In July 2025, a hiker crossing the Fee Glacier near Saas-Fee, Switzerland, fell about 26 feet into a crevasse when a snow bridge collapsed. His long-haired chihuahua stayed at the edge of the hole, and the rescue helicopter crew from Air Zermatt said spotting the tiny dog was what led them straight to the man, who was pulled out alive.

Farmworkers and a burning school bus

In Madera County, California, two farmworkers, Angel Zarco and Carlos Perea, noticed smoke coming from the back of a school bus before the driver did. They alerted the driver and helped more than 20 students get off moments before flames engulfed the bus. County supervisors honored them in November 2025.

Officers lift a car off a baby

In October 2025, two Fort Worth police officers responding to a crash on Interstate 30 found an infant who had been thrown from a car and was trapped beneath the overturned vehicle. Body-camera video showed them lifting the car with their hands to free the baby, who was expected to make a full recovery.

54 years of saving animals

Barby Keel, 90, has run an animal sanctuary in East Sussex, England, since the 1970s, taking in about 10,000 neglected and unwanted animals. Her work began when a soldier asked her to look after his dog; it never left. She said in 2025 that she has no plans to retire.

Animal adventures

The bear that broke in

At the Sequoia Park Zoo in Eureka, California, staff found a young wild black bear on the visitor boardwalk in October 2025, nose pressed against the fence of the zoo's resident black bears. A zoo supervisor called it "a very polite visitor." It was later coaxed away.

Leonardo the tortoise

A pet tortoise named Leonardo escaped from his owner's garden in Ulverston, in northwest England, just before winter in 2024. Nine months later, in spring 2025, he was found about a mile away — having apparently hibernated through the winter on his own.

Monkeys on the highway

In October 2025, a truck carrying 21 rhesus monkeys overturned on Interstate 59 in Jasper County, Mississippi, and several escaped. The sheriff's office initially said the monkeys carried hepatitis C, herpes and Covid, and most of the escaped animals were killed. Tulane University, which said the monkeys belonged to another organization and were not being transported by Tulane, said they were pathogen-free and had not been exposed to any infectious agent, and the sheriff's office corrected its statement (ABC7; Fox LA).

Offbeat

Kenya's altar wine problem

The Catholic Church in Kenya introduced a new altar wine in 2025 after the old one became popular in bars and supermarkets. The new "Mass Wine" carries the seal of the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops and an authenticating signature, and is not for sale to the public, church leaders said.

Sources